Method and apparatus for automatic control of cleaning solution concentrations in vehicle washing system
First Claim
1. IN A MULTI-STAGE, SPRAY-TYPE SYSTEM FOR WASHING THE EXTERIORS OF A PLURALITY OF VEHICLES AS THEY PASS IN SUCCESSION THROUGH A CLEANING APPARATUS HAVING A SERIES OF SPRAY STATIONS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE ACID CLEANER SOLUTION SPRAY STATION AND AT LEAST ONE FOLLOWING ALKALI CLEANER SOLUTION SPRAY STATION AND WHEREIN THE TEMPERATURE OF THE EXTERIOR SURFACES OF SAID VEHICLES ENTERING SAID SYSTEM AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WASHING OPERATION IS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE IN THE APPROACH AREA TO THE ENTRANCE OF SAID APPARATUS, SAID TEMPERATURE BEING SUBJECT TO SUBSTANTIAL VARIATION DURING A CONTINUOUS 24-HOUR PERIOD, THE METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING THE RESPECTIVE CLEANER IN EACH SAID SOLUTION TO EACH SAID STATION AT A PREDETERMINED DILUTION EFFECTIVE FOR ACHIEVING THE DESIRED CLEANING OF THE SURFACE AT THE RESPECTIVE STATION AT SAID TEMPERATURE AND OF CONTINUOUSLY ADJUSTING THE SUPPLY OF THE CLEANER IN EACH SOLUTION RECIPROCALLY TO THE CHANGE OF SAID AMBIENT TEMPERATURE TO A NEW AMBIENT TEMPERATURE TO PROVIDE ADJUSTED SOLUTIONS CONTAINING THE CLEANERS AT NEW PREDETERMINED DILUTIONS EFFECTIVE FOR ACHIEVING THE DESIRED CLEANING AT THE RESPECTIVE STATIONS AT SAID NEW TEMPERATURE, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES (A) AUTOMATICALLY, CONTINUOUSLY AND INDIVIDUALLY MIXING A STREAM OF WATER WITH AN AMOUNT OF EACH RESPECTIVE CLEANER IN CONCENTRATED FORM SUFFICIENT TO FORM A STREAM OF DILUTED CLEANER SOLUTION EFFECTIVE FOR CLEANING THE EXTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE AT A MEASURED STARTING VEHICLE SURFACE TEMPERATURE, (B) MAINTAINING EACH SAID STREAM OF SAID DILUTED CLEANER SOLUTION AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE, (C) CONTINUOUSLY MEASURING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SURFACE OF AN INCOMING VEHICLE AND THEREBY AUTOMATICALLY DETERMINING THE AMOUNT OF EACH RESPECTIVE CONCENTRATED CLEANING AGENT TO MIX WITH ITS REOF EACH SAID CLEANING AGENT IN EACH SAID DILUTED CLEANER SOLUTION, AND WHEN SAID TEMPERATURE CHANGES FROM THAT OF THE PRECEDING VEHICLE TO A NEW TEMPERATURE AUTOMATICALLY CHANGING THE CONCENTRATION OF EACH SAID CLEANING AGENT IN EACH SAID DILUTED CLEANER SOLUTION BY (1) WHEN THE TEMPERATURE RISES, AUTOMATICALLY DECREASING BY A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT THE AMOUNT OF CONCENTRATED CLEANING AGENT BEING ADDED AND (2) WHEN THE TEMPERATURE FALLS, AUTOMATICALLY INCREASING BY A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT THE AMOUNT OF CONCENTRATED CLEANING AGENT BEING ADDED, THEREBY MAINTAINING EACH RESPECTIVE DILUTED CLEANER SOLUTION AT A DESIRED EFFECTIVE CONCENTRATION PREDETERMINED FOR THE NEW TEMPERATURE.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
-
Citations
11 Claims
-
1. IN A MULTI-STAGE, SPRAY-TYPE SYSTEM FOR WASHING THE EXTERIORS OF A PLURALITY OF VEHICLES AS THEY PASS IN SUCCESSION THROUGH A CLEANING APPARATUS HAVING A SERIES OF SPRAY STATIONS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE ACID CLEANER SOLUTION SPRAY STATION AND AT LEAST ONE FOLLOWING ALKALI CLEANER SOLUTION SPRAY STATION AND WHEREIN THE TEMPERATURE OF THE EXTERIOR SURFACES OF SAID VEHICLES ENTERING SAID SYSTEM AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WASHING OPERATION IS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE IN THE APPROACH AREA TO THE ENTRANCE OF SAID APPARATUS, SAID TEMPERATURE BEING SUBJECT TO SUBSTANTIAL VARIATION DURING A CONTINUOUS 24-HOUR PERIOD, THE METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING THE RESPECTIVE CLEANER IN EACH SAID SOLUTION TO EACH SAID STATION AT A PREDETERMINED DILUTION EFFECTIVE FOR ACHIEVING THE DESIRED CLEANING OF THE SURFACE AT THE RESPECTIVE STATION AT SAID TEMPERATURE AND OF CONTINUOUSLY ADJUSTING THE SUPPLY OF THE CLEANER IN EACH SOLUTION RECIPROCALLY TO THE CHANGE OF SAID AMBIENT TEMPERATURE TO A NEW AMBIENT TEMPERATURE TO PROVIDE ADJUSTED SOLUTIONS CONTAINING THE CLEANERS AT NEW PREDETERMINED DILUTIONS EFFECTIVE FOR ACHIEVING THE DESIRED CLEANING AT THE RESPECTIVE STATIONS AT SAID NEW TEMPERATURE, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES (A) AUTOMATICALLY, CONTINUOUSLY AND INDIVIDUALLY MIXING A STREAM OF WATER WITH AN AMOUNT OF EACH RESPECTIVE CLEANER IN CONCENTRATED FORM SUFFICIENT TO FORM A STREAM OF DILUTED CLEANER SOLUTION EFFECTIVE FOR CLEANING THE EXTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE AT A MEASURED STARTING VEHICLE SURFACE TEMPERATURE, (B) MAINTAINING EACH SAID STREAM OF SAID DILUTED CLEANER SOLUTION AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE, (C) CONTINUOUSLY MEASURING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SURFACE OF AN INCOMING VEHICLE AND THEREBY AUTOMATICALLY DETERMINING THE AMOUNT OF EACH RESPECTIVE CONCENTRATED CLEANING AGENT TO MIX WITH ITS REOF EACH SAID CLEANING AGENT IN EACH SAID DILUTED CLEANER SOLUTION, AND WHEN SAID TEMPERATURE CHANGES FROM THAT OF THE PRECEDING VEHICLE TO A NEW TEMPERATURE AUTOMATICALLY CHANGING THE CONCENTRATION OF EACH SAID CLEANING AGENT IN EACH SAID DILUTED CLEANER SOLUTION BY (1) WHEN THE TEMPERATURE RISES, AUTOMATICALLY DECREASING BY A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT THE AMOUNT OF CONCENTRATED CLEANING AGENT BEING ADDED AND (2) WHEN THE TEMPERATURE FALLS, AUTOMATICALLY INCREASING BY A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT THE AMOUNT OF CONCENTRATED CLEANING AGENT BEING ADDED, THEREBY MAINTAINING EACH RESPECTIVE DILUTED CLEANER SOLUTION AT A DESIRED EFFECTIVE CONCENTRATION PREDETERMINED FOR THE NEW TEMPERATURE.
-
11. IN A VEHICLE WASHING STATION COMPRISING NOZZLE MEANS FOR WASHING THE EXTERIORS OF A SERIES OF INDIVIDUAL VEHICLES AS EACH VEHICLE PASSES THROUGH THE STATION WHEREBY AT LEAST ONE STREAM OF AN AQUEOUS CLEANING SOLUTION IS APPLIED CONTINUOUSLY TO THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF A VEHICLE IN CLEANING POSITION AT SAID STATION AND WHEREIN THE INITIAL TEMPERATURE OF THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE VEHICLE ON ENTERING SAID WASHING STATION AT THE START OF THE CLEANING ACTION IS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THAT OF THE AMBIENT OUTDOORS TEMPERATURE, SAID TEMPERATURE BEING SUBJECT TO SUBSTANTIAL VARIATION DURING A CONTINUOUS 24-HOUR PERIOD, MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINING THE CONCENTRATION OF CLEANING AGENT IN SAID SOLUTION AT A PREDETERMINED DILUTION EFFECTIVE FOR ACHIEVING CLEANING OF THE SURFACE AT SAID TEMPERATURE AND FOR CONTINUOUSLY RECIPROCALLY ADJUSTING THE CONCENTRATION OF SAID CLEANING AGENT IN SAID SOLUTION IN KEEPING WITH CHANGE OF THE TEMPERATURE OF THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF AN INCOMING VEHICLE FROM SAID INITIAL TEMPERATURE TO A NEW TEMPERATURE TO PROVIDE A SOLUTION CONTAINING SAID CLEANING AGENT AT A PREDETERMINED CONCENTRATION FOR ACHIEVING EFFECTIVE CLEANING OF THE SURFACE AT SAID NEW TEMPERATURE, WHICH MEANS COMPRISES (A) MIXER MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY MIXING A MAJOR AMOUNT OF WATER WITH A MINOR AMOUNT OF CONCENTRATED CLEANING AGENT SUFFICIENT TO FORM A STREAM OF DILUTED CLEANER SOLUTION EFFECTIVE FOR CLEANING THE EXTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE AT A PREDETERMINED VEHICLE SURFACE TEMPERATURE, (B) MEANS FOR SUPPLYING WATER AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE IN A CONTINUOUS STREAM FROM A SUPPLY SOURCE TO SAID MIXER, (C) MEANS FOR SUPPLYING CONCENTRATED CLEANING AGENT IN A CONTINUOUS STREAM FROM A SUPPLY SOURCE TO SAID MIXER, (D) TEMPERATURE MEASURING MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY DETERMINING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE VEHICLE, (E) TEMPERATURE TRANSMITTER MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID TEMPERATURE MEASURING MEANS AND CONTINUOUSLY RESPONSIVE TO A SIGNAL FROM SAID TEMPERATURE MEASURING MEANS, (F) FLOW CONTROL MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID TEMPERATURE TRANSMITTER MEANS AND CONTINUOUSLY RESPONSIVE RECIPROCALLY THERETO FOR REGULATING THE FLOW OF SAID CONCENTRATED CLEANING AGENT TO SAID MIXER MEANS, (G) AND MEANS FOR DELIVERING SAID DILUTED CLEANER SOLUTION TO SAID NOZZLE MEANS, SAID TEMPERATURE MEASURING MEANS, TEMPERATURE TRANSMITTER MEANS AND FLOW CONTROL MEANS COOPERATING TO CONTINUOUSLY MEASURE SAID TEMPERATURE AND THEREBY TO AUTOMATICALLY DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF CONCENTRATED CLEANING AGENT TO MIX WITH THE WATER TO FORM SAID DILUTED CLEANER SOLUTION AND WHEN SAID TEMPERATURE CHANGES TO A NEW TEMPERATURE TO AUTOMATICALLY CHANGE THE CONCENTRATION OF CLEANING AGENT IN THE DILUTED CLEANER SOLUTION BY (1) WHEN THE TEMPERATURE RISES, AUTOMATICALLY DECREASING THE AMOUNT OF CONCENTRATED CLEANING AGENT BEING ADDED AND (2) WHEN THE TEMPERATURE FALLS, AUTOMATICALLY INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF CONCENTRATED CLEANING AGENT BEING ADDED, THEREBY MAINTAINING THE DILUTED CLEANER SOLUTION AT A DESIRED EFFECTIVE CONCENTRATION PREDETERMINED FOR THE NEW TEMPERATURE.
Specification
-
- Resources
-
Current AssigneeRobert M. Burford
-
Original AssigneeRobert M. Burford
-
InventorsBurford, Robert M.
-
Application NumberUS04/496,824Time in Patent Office505 DaysField of SearchUS Class Current222/1CPC Class CodesB60S 3/04 for exteriors of land vehic...G05D 7/0688 by combined action on throt...
