Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Machines – Brushing
Patent
1997-11-10
1999-10-12
Chin, Randall E.
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Machines
Brushing
15 882, 15 971, A46B 1302
Patent
active
059640022
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention refers to an apparatus for cleaning wheels which comprises at least one reception means arranged in a cleaning chamber and used for receiving a wheel, said cleaning chamber having arranged therein at least one washing device which is adapted to be associated especially with the rim of a wheel.
Such a cleaning apparatus is known from WO 90/11210. In this known cleaning apparatus, a wheel is manually introduced in the cleaning chamber, the wheel being preferably vertically oriented. In the interior of the cleaning chamber three rollers are provided as reception means for the wheel, said rollers being arranged essentially in the angles of an equilateral or of an isosceles triangle. The tread of the wheel is placed on two lower, spaced rollers, and a third roller, which is located opposite the two other rollers, is pressed against the tread. The wheel is thus held at three points on the circumference thereof. Normally, one of the rollers is driven so that the wheel is rotated in contact with said three rollers.
In the case of the known prior art, the washing device, which is arranged in the cleaning chamber, is provided with a rotating nozzle on one side of the wheel rim and with a brush which is adapted to be pivoted into contact with the wheel rim on the other side thereof. By means of the nozzles and the brush, the wheel rim is cleaned during a plurality of rotations thereof. When the cleaning process is finished, the pivotable brush is moved away from the wheel, the roller pressed against the tread of the wheel is raised and the wheel is removed from the cleaning chamber.
The known cleaning apparatus is disadvantageous insofar as the wheel is introduced in the cleaning chamber by hand until it has practically reached its washing position and is subsequently removed from this position by hand. It may therefore happen that the operator comes into contact with water and/or respective cleaning agents which are contained in the cleaning chamber. If the wheel is cleaned e.g. by a hot-water or steam-jet device, the operator may additionally come into contact with still hot components of the cleaning chamber and injure himself.
Another disadvantage is that, during the washing process, the wheel as well as the nozzles and brushes, respectively, must be rotated for cleaning the wheel rim. This is comparatively complicated from the structural point of view and the amount of energy consumed is comparatively high.
Hence, it is the object of the present invention to improve a cleaning apparatus of the type mentioned at the beginning in such a way as to prevent an operator getting wet or even injuring himself and also in such a way that the cleaning apparatus has a less complicated structural design and reduced power consumption.
In the case of a cleaning apparatus having the features of the generic clause of claim 1, this object is achieved by the features that the reception means in the cleaning chamber is supported such that it is pivotable between a receiving position and a cleaning position and that said reception means comprises at least two clamping means which are used for holding the wheel and adapted to be displaced between a release position and a clamping position.
Due to the fact that the reception means are pivotable, washing of the wheel takes place at a position which is different from the wheel-receiving position. This has the effect that the operator who inserts the wheel in the reception means when said reception means is at its receiving position can no longer come into contact with the actual washing device. Hence, he will almost certainly not get wet and the risk of injuries caused by hot water or heated parts of the cleaning chamber is practically excluded. Furthermore, it is no longer necessary to support the wheel in a rotatable manner by means of a number of rollers. The wheel is held by the respective clamping means of the reception means and the components rotated are, at most, the components belonging to the washing device, such as rotating nozzles, rotating brushes or t
REFERENCES:
patent: 4173053 (1979-11-01), Wills
patent: 5098744 (1992-03-01), Enegren
Chin Randall E.
Schaal GmbH Fordertechnik
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