A vehicle wash facility includes a bay extending between a pair of sidewalls and including at least one cleaning component. An upper level structure is located above the bay and supports a supporting component associated with the cleaning component above the at least one cleaning component. The upper level structure may be configured as a mezzanine structure that hangs from a ceiling of the car wash facility and is in the form of a grate. The upper level structure is stacked above the cleaning area, reducing the overall footprint and providing visibility through the sidewalls to the cleaning area. The upper level structure may be spaced form the sidewalls to define an open space in which cleaning components can move vertically. The cleaning components may be accessible through the upper level structure.

A system to promote car wash safety and protection of car wash assets is provided. The system comprises a server and an application executing on the server. The system receives content from a video camera that captures video of vehicles entering a car wash. The system also performs a first analysis of at least tire alignment of a first vehicle with conveyor equipment. The system also performs a second analysis of characteristics of the first vehicle comprising at least body shape and optional equipment attached to exterior surfaces of the vehicle. The system also determines, based on the analyses, that at least one of a safety issue and a property damage issue is present and at least one of transmits an audible or visual message, transmits an instruction for adjustment of at least one car wash component, and transmits an instruction for full or partial shutdown of the car wash.

Described is a linear conveyor for advancing vehicles through a vehicle washing system. The linear conveyor includes a pair of reciprocating platforms having a plurality of counterweighted and pivotally connected pawls. The pawls are biased such that they are angled upwards and in a forward direction at rest. Alternating motion of the reciprocating platforms causes a vehicle to move forward along the linear conveyor by pressing the pawl into the rear of the tire in a forward motion, while a rearward moving reciprocating platform slides underneath the tires of the vehicle on an opposite side of the vehicle.

A car wash conveyor belt lifting system has a ground-level conveyor belt apparatus that is configured to move a vehicle through an automatic car wash system, wherein the conveyor belt has, at intervals along its length in the direction of travel, a plurality of rollers that effectively lift the conveyor belt from wear plates and other elements disposed beneath the conveyor belt to minimize wear on the belts, wear plates, and other elements and to easily allow cleaners and lubricants to be applied thereunder.

In an aspect, a conveyor system is provided for a vehicle having wheels. The conveyor system includes a conveyor having an inlet end positioned to receive a vehicle to be conveyed, and an exit end positioned for exiting of the vehicle off of the conveyor, and a surface positioned proximate to at least one of the inlet end and the exit end. The surface is positioned to support at least one of the wheels while at least another of the wheels is supported on the conveyor. The surface has surface properties selected such that a coefficient of friction between the surface and tire rubber is below a selected threshold so as to permit sliding of the at least one of the wheels on the surface while the at least another of the wheels is supported on the conveyor.

Quick service restaurants with car wash systems and traffic management systems for managing customer traffic and routing customers who have made food-only purchases and customers who have purchased both a food item and a carwash service. In some examples, graphical user interfaces incorporated in point of sale systems display time predictions for the delivery of food items and carwash services to aid and encourage customer selection of both food items and carwash services.

A system for autonomously moving and aligning a vehicle with respect to an object fixed to a traveling surface in front of the vehicle includes at least one camera packaged within the vehicle to obtain images of the fixed object. A controller packaged within the vehicle receives the images from the camera and processes the images so as to identify and locate the fixed object with respect to the vehicle. A drive system, connected with the controller, is constructed and arranged to cause autonomous movement, steering and braking of the vehicle. A user input device is constructed and arranged to activate the controller 1) to identify and locate the fixed object relative to the vehicle, and 2) to command the drive system to autonomously move the vehicle towards the fixed object and to stop the vehicle so as to be aligned relative to the fixed object.

Quick service restaurants with car wash systems and traffic management systems for managing customer traffic and routing customers who have made food-only purchases and customers who have purchased both a food item and a carwash service. In some examples, graphical user interfaces incorporated in point of sale systems display time predictions for the delivery of food items and carwash services to aid and encourage customer selection of both food items and carwash services.

In an aspect, there is provided a correlator for guiding a vehicle onto a vehicle conveyor. The correlator includes a wheel support surface defining a receiving end of the correlator and a conveyor-interfacing end of the correlator. The wheel support surface is positioned to support a wheel of the vehicle as the wheel rolls thereon. The correlator further includes at least one guide structure positioned to guide a wheel of the vehicle laterally during travel of the wheel on the wheel support surface from the receiving end towards the conveyor-interfacing end. The wheel support surface has a surface region having surface properties selected such that a coefficient of friction between the surface region and tire rubber is sufficiently low to prevent the wheel from having sufficient traction on the surface region to enable climbing of the wheel onto the at least one guide structure.

A system is configured to assist a driver in self-loading a vehicle on a car wash conveyor at a loading point located at an entrance to the car wash conveyor. The system includes at least one camera configured to capture a video stream including a plurality of video frames each including images of the loading point, an image processing system configured to map pixel-coordinates in video frames of an ideal loading path of vehicles at the entrance to the car wash conveyor and; and a display configured to display a plurality of dynamic graphical icons on the graphical display to illustrate to the driver a first adjustment required to correct for the error. The system processes images to determine an amount of an error between an actual location of the approaching vehicle and the ideal loading path. The ideal loading path corresponds to a path of the approaching vehicle when properly aligned with the car wash conveyor.