A vehicle washing system includes a frame disposed above a vehicle treatment area, and a reciprocal guide system coupled to the frame. The guide system is configured to move vertically relative to the frame, and supports a vehicle treatment component such as a rotatable brush. The brush may be lowered and raised relative to the vehicle treatment area by extending or retracting the guide track. When the guide system is retracted upward, there are no downwardly extending guides or rails that extend downward from the bottom of the guide system. The guide system is collapsible in a vertical direction, and may be a scissors mechanism or a telescoping mechanism or other collapsible mechanism. The guide system may be actuated directly or may be actuated dependent on a separate vertical drive mechanism, such as a windable belt.

A vehicle wash system includes a frame suspended above a vehicle treatment area. A pivotable frame is pivotally coupled to the frame, and an extendable and retractable linear frame is coupled to the pivotable frame and configured to extend downward from the pivotable frame and retract upward toward the pivotable frame. A top brush is coupled to a lower end of the linearly frame, and is extendable toward engagement with a vehicle. The top brush is also pivotable relative to a vertical position via pivoting of the pivotable frame, and the top brush is pivotable at different degrees of extension of the linear frame. The linear frame and the top brush may pivot in response to contact from the vehicle.

A vehicle wash system includes a vehicle treatment area and an overhead frame portion supporting a pair of side brushes. The side brushes are configured to treat the lateral sides of the vehicle and may also treat the front and back of the vehicle. The side brushes are configured to pivot between a vertical position and an outwardly angled position, in which the side brushes are generally aligned with the side glass of the vehicle windows. The side brushes may travel along the side of the vehicle in both the vertical and pivoted orientations. The side brushes may make multiple passes along the side of the vehicle, and the side brushes may change orientation during or between passes to treat different segments of the vehicle.

A combined cooling and abrasion particles removal system and method for providing cooling and removing abrasion particles in a contact region between a brush and a slip ring of an electromechanical machine, the system comprising a passage for accommodating the brush and having a front opening adapted to face the slip ring, at least one supply tube with an outlet for blowing a gaseous medium at least partially into a direction towards a free space adjacent to the front opening, and at least one suction tube with an inlet opening for sucking off the gaseous medium and the abrasion particles from the free space. In order to pick up abrasion particles and provide sufficient cooling, the free space merges with a vortex chamber for generating a vortex of the gaseous medium carrying the abrasion particles in operation of the system.

A combined cooling and abrasion particles removal system and method for providing cooling and removing abrasion particles in a contact region between a brush and a slip ring of an electromechanical machine, the system comprising a passage for accommodating the brush and having a front opening adapted to face the slip ring, at least one supply tube with an outlet for blowing a gaseous medium at least partially into a direction towards a free space adjacent to the front opening, and at least one suction tube with an inlet opening for sucking off the gaseous medium and the abrasion particles from the free space. In order to pick up abrasion particles and provide sufficient cooling, the free space merges with a vortex chamber for generating a vortex of the gaseous medium carrying the abrasion particles in operation of the system.

An electric machine, including a stator and a rotor shaft having a cooling device, which shaft carries at least one slip ring, which has a lateral surface, which electrically contacts a contact element fixed on the stator, and which is at least partially accommodated in a recess of the rotor shaft, wherein an extension section of the slip ring, which is at least partially accommodated in the recess, extends beyond the lateral surface in one or both axial directions of the rotor shaft.

An electric machine, including a stator and a rotor shaft having a cooling device, which shaft carries at least one slip ring, which has a lateral surface, which electrically contacts a contact element fixed on the stator, and which is at least partially accommodated in a recess of the rotor shaft, wherein an extension section of the slip ring, which is at least partially accommodated in the recess, extends beyond the lateral surface in one or both axial directions of the rotor shaft.

A vehicle washing system includes a frame disposed above a vehicle treatment area, and an extendable and retractable scissor mechanism coupled to the frame. A rotatable top brush is coupled to a bottom end of the scissor mechanism, and the scissor mechanism is extendable downward to lower the top brush into engagement with a vehicle body and retractable upward to remove the brush from engagement with the vehicle body. The scissor mechanism may include a brush support flange coupled to a bottom end of the scissor mechanism. An anti-spin member may extend from the support member to the scissor mechanism to prevent bending of the scissor mechanism in response to rotating to the top brush. The anti-spin member may be in the form of a fork that slidably engages a protrusion of the scissor mechanism.

A slip ring unit for an electrical machine includes a brush holding apparatus including brush boxes configured to receive slip ring brushes. For realizing an effective cooling of the slip ring brushes, the brush holding apparatus has cooling air lines for the targeted supply of cooling air to the slip ring brushes, and cooling air ducts which each have an air inlet opening for collecting cooling air and an air outlet opening for supplying the cooling air which is collected in the cooling air ducts to the slip ring brushes via the cooling air lines which are connected to the air outlet openings.

A slip ring unit for an electrical machine includes a brush holding apparatus including brush boxes configured to receive slip ring brushes. For realizing an effective cooling of the slip ring brushes, the brush holding apparatus has cooling air lines for the targeted supply of cooling air to the slip ring brushes, and cooling air ducts which each have an air inlet opening for collecting cooling air and an air outlet opening for supplying the cooling air which is collected in the cooling air ducts to the slip ring brushes via the cooling air lines which are connected to the air outlet openings.