Abstract:
A cloth-type vehicle laundering implement includes a support mechanism consisting of a rotatable drive shaft and a plurality of generally parallel, adjacently arranged spacers mounted on the support mechanism. Each of the plurality of spacers includes a first face and a second face. The implement includes a plurality of individual circular fabric disk elements disposed between the first face of one of the plurality of spacers and the second face of another of the plurality of spacers. Each of the plurality of individual circular fabric disk elements extends outwardly beyond the spacers. Each of the individual circular fabric disk elements consists of a single piece of non-woven material having an inner diameter and an outer diameter. The inner diameter is retained in a single plane by a securing mechanism such that more material is located adjacent the inner diameter than the outer diameter to provide a more rigid element. The outer diameter and the inner diameter consist of substantially the same linear length of material.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a car wash roll assembly for laundering a vehicle as it proceeds along a predetermined direction of travel. More specifically, the present invention relates to a car wash cloth roll assembly having a one-piece media that is quieter and has increased rigidity. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     It is well-known in the buffing industry to use power-driven rotating implements, typically called “buffs”, to polish, cut or clean a variety of different surfaces, such as metal surfaces or jewelry. For example, buffs can have a finishing media that is abrasive for sanding or cutting purposes. Additionally, buffs can have a finishing media that is soft for polishing purposes. 
     In the car wash industry, cloth rolls or brushes are also well known to wash or clean the exterior surfaces of automotive vehicles in an automatic or semi-automatic vehicle wash facility. These cloths rolls are used to wash or clean the sides and end surfaces of a vehicle, as well as horizontal surfaces, windows, and wheels. The cloth rolls are power driven rotating implements. 
     These cloth rolls that are utilized in the vehicle wash industry are often assembled using long strips of fabric such as synthetic felt; i.e. a non-woven needle-punched material. Such implements, although they perform well as far as the basic washing and/or cleaning functions are concerned, are noisy as a result of the slapping action of the individual strips or strands against the exterior surfaces of the vehicle as they rotate. Felt strips are also quite limp and do not fill out the full radial profile of a vertical axis brush unless rotated at fairly high speed. Further, increasing the speed only serves to heighten the noise. 
     Other cloth rolls have been utilized in the vehicle wash industry that are designed to minimize the slapping action. These cloth rolls are formed of a plurality of pieces of material that are sewn together to form a unitary cloth roll or wheel. However, the formation of these cloth rolls is extremely labor intensive and time consuming. Moreover, they can come apart along the seams where they have been sewn. 
     It would therefore be desirable to provide a cloth roll or wheel for use in a vehicle wash process that overcomes the disadvantages that exist with current cloth wheels. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND ADVANTAGES 
     It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a cloth wheel for a vehicle cleaning or washing process that is less expensive to manufacture than prior cloth wheels currently used in vehicle washing processes. 
     It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a cloth wheel for a vehicle cleaning or washing process that is quieter in operation than current cloth wheels employed in existing vehicle washing processes. 
     It is still another advantage of the present invention to provide a cloth wheel for a vehicle cleaning or washing process that has more rigidity throughout its surface area than current cloth wheels. 
     It is yet another advantage of the present invention to provide a cloth wheel for a vehicle cleaning or washing process that has a higher density of material adjacent the inner periphery of the rolls than adjacent the outer periphery of the rolls. 
     It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide a cloth wheel for a vehicle cleaning or washing process where the finishing media is constructed of a single unitary piece. 
     It is still a further advantage of the present invention to provide a cloth wheel for a vehicle cleaning or washing process that is constructed to reduce weight. 
     It is yet a further advantage of the present invention to provide a method for forming a cloth wheel that yield these advantages. 
     In accordance with the above and the other advantages of the present invention, a cloth-type vehicle laundering assembly for use in a vehicle washing process is provided. The assembly includes a support mechanism consisting of a rotatable drive shaft. A plurality of generally parallel, adjacently arranged spacers are mounted on the support mechanism. Each spacer has a first face and a second face. The assembly also includes a plurality of individual circular fabric disk elements disposed between the first face of one of the plurality of spacers and the second face of another of the plurality of spacers. Each of the plurality of individual circular fabric disk elements extends outwardly beyond the spacers. Each of the individual circular fabric disk elements consists of a single piece of non-woven material having an inner diameter and an outer diameter. The inner diameter is retained by a securing mechanism such that more material is located adjacent the inner diameter than the outer diameter to provide a more rigid element. The outer diameter and the inner diameter consist of substantially the same linear length of material. 
     These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from the following description of the invention, when viewed in accordance with the accompanying drawings and appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is perspective view of a plurality of individual cloth disk segments assembled together to form a cloth roll or wheel in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is perspective view of an individual cloth disk segment engaged with a spacer in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic illustration of a securing mechanism for retaining an inner diameter of an individual cloth disk segment in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of a cloth roll or wheel in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a spacer element in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the Figures, a car wash roll assembly  20  is provided. The car wash roll assembly is part of a vehicle washing system, as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. In the embodiments shown and described, the car wash roll assembly  20  is intended to contact side surfaces of a vehicle, such as doors, side panels, and windows, to effectuate cleaning thereof. In this configuration, the roll assembly is mounted to the ground and has a vertical axis of rotation. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the car wash roll assembly  20  can be configured to contact other exterior surfaces of the vehicle other than or in addition to the side surfaces of the vehicle. For example, the assembly  20  can be mounted to have a horizontal axis of rotation and contact an upper exterior surface of the vehicle. The car wash roll assembly  20  is preferably incorporated into a vehicle washing system where the vehicle moves with respect to the assembly. However, it will be understood that the assembly may also be incorporated into a system where the vehicle is stationary and the car wash roll assembly moves with respect to the vehicle. 
     Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, a car wash roll assembly  20  is generally shown for laundering a vehicle as it proceeds along a predetermined direction of travel in a vehicle cleaning system. 
     The assembly  20  includes a drive shaft assembly  22  having a pair of opposing ends  24 . The drive shaft assembly  22  extends longitudinally along an axis of rotation A. The axis of rotation A is typically perpendicular or parallel to the predetermined direction of travel of the vehicle, but may be at any angle to the predetermined direction of travel. The drive shaft assembly  22  includes a rotary shaft  26  that is generally cylindrical and has a shaft periphery  28 . While the rotary shaft  26  here is generally cylindrical, it may be any shape known in the art. The drive shaft assembly  22  is in communication with an actuator, such as a motor, to effectuate rotation thereof. The motor is in communication with a controller, which determines when to actuate the assembly, for how long, and at what speed. 
     In accordance with one embodiment, the shaft periphery  28  has a plurality of protrusions  30  that extend outwardly from the rotary shaft  26 . The plurality of protrusions  30  are preferably uniformly spaced about the shaft periphery  28 . The embodiments shown preferably include four protrusions. However, more or less protrusions may be utilized and their shape, configuration and location may vary as desired. The protrusions  30  are intended to assist in driving the assembly  20 . It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of other suitable ways for driving the assembly  20  may be employed. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  4 , the assembly  20  includes a plurality of spacers  40 . Each of the plurality of spacers  40  has an outer periphery  42  and in inner periphery  44  defining a spacer opening  46 . The spacer opening  46  allows the spacers  40  to be located on the drive shaft assembly  20 . The spacers  40  are cylindrical and have a spacer diameter (d sp ). The spacers  40  may include a spacer shoulder  38  having a shoulder diameter (d sh ) less than the spacer diameter (d sp ). The spacer opening  46  is generally circular and preferably includes a plurality of notches  48  formed in the inner periphery  44 . The plurality of notches  48  are sized and shaped to match the size and shape of the protrusions  30  formed on the shaft periphery  28 . Additionally, the number of notches  48  should match the number of protrusions  30 . 
     The notches  48  extend parallel to the axis of rotation A to mate with each of the protrusions  30 . This engagement between the protrusions  30  and the notches  48  secures the plurality of spacers  40  to the drive shaft assembly  22  such that, as the drive shaft assembly  22  rotates, the spacers  40  rotate therewith. The inclusion of the spacer shoulder  38  in this embodiment also assists in coupling the drive shaft assembly  22  to the spacers  40 . The spacers  40  can be formed from a variety of suitable materials, such as rubber, foam, or plastic. In the embodiment where the spacers  40  are plastic, they are preferably hollow to minimize weight. 
     As shown, a plurality of cloth disks  50  are disposed on the drive shaft assembly  22 . Each of the plurality of cloth disks  50  is individually removable from the drive shaft assembly  22 . The cloth disks  50  include at least one non-woven material sheet having an inner edge  52  and an outer edge  54 . Preferably, the cloth disks  50  are formed of a single sheet or piece of non-woven material. In a preferred embodiment, the non-woven material sheet is a spun bond material. However, other suitable non-woven materials may also be utilized. The inner edge  52  and the outer edge  54  have substantially the same linear length of material. 
     During formation, as discussed in more detail below, the inner edge  52  of material is bunched adjacent the center  60  of the cloth disk  50  to create an inner diameter (d i ) or circumference that is retained in a single plane. A clinch ring  56  that is circular secures the inner edge  52  of material and creates a non-pleated finishing surface  58  with the outer edge  54  of material. While the finishing surface  58  is not flat, the material bunches up and is not pleated. The finishing surface  58  engages the vehicle proceeding along the predetermined direction of travel. The clinch ring  56  includes a ring opening  62  that is circular and has a ring opening diameter (d r ) that is less than the spacer diameter (d sp ). While the securing mechanism preferably binds the inner diameter in a single plane, it will be understood that the securing mechanism can take on a variety of non-planar shapes. Indeed, such a configuration may assist in interlocking the components that form the assembly. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the clinch ring  56  mates with the spacer shoulder  38 , and each of the cloth disks  50  are disposed between two of the spacers  40 . As shown, the spacer shoulder  38  has a smaller diameter (d sh ) than the ring opening diameter (d r ). This relationship allows the spacer shoulder  38  to pass through the spacer opening  46 . The outer periphery  42  of the spacer shoulder  38  preferably has a diameter that is slightly less than the diameter (d r ) of the ring opening  62 . With this configuration, the spacer shoulder  38  preferably abuts the inner surface  66  of the clinch ring  56  and a top surface  70  of the spacer  40  engages an under surface of the clinch ring  56 . Additionally, the clinch ring  56  is eco treated to prevent corrosion of the clinch ring  56 . Other anti-corrosive treatments may alternatively be employed. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates another embodiment of a spacer  40 . In this embodiment, the spacer  40  has a top surface  70  and a bottom surface  72 . The top surface  70  is intended to engage a lower side  74  of a cloth disk  50  and the bottom surface  72  is intended to engage an upper side  76  of an adjacent cloth disk  50 . In this embodiment, the spacer  40  does not have a spacer shoulder. Again, the spacer  40  of this embodiment, can be constructed of any suitable material as discussed above. It will also be understood that the top and bottom surfaces  70 ,  72  of the spacer  40  can be configured in a non-planar fashion so as to match the shape of a non-planar securing mechanism, as discussed above, and create an interlocking fit. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 4 , the steps to assemble the car wash roll assembly  20  are discussed in more detail. First, a bottom cap  78  or plate is secured to the drive shaft assembly  22 . Next, a spacer  40  is disposed on the drive shaft assembly by placing the spacer opening  46  over the rotary shaft  26 . The spacer  40  is aligned such that the notches  48  of the spacer  40  are aligned with and engage the protrusions  30  in the outer periphery  28  of the rotary shaft  26 . A cloth disk  50  is then disposed on the rotary shaft  26  by placing the clinch ring opening  62  over the rotary shaft  26 . The lower side  74  of the cloth disk  50  engages the top surface  70  of the spacer  40 . In the embodiment where the spacer  40  includes the spacer shoulder  38 , the spacer shoulder  38  fits within the clinch ring opening  62 . Thereafter, another spacer  40  is placed onto the rotary shaft  26  in the same manner discussed above such that the bottom surface  72  engages the upper side of the cloth disk  50 . Another cloth disk  50  is then placed onto the rotary shaft  26  in the same manner discussed above such that the lower side  74  of the cloth disk  50  engages the top surface  70  of the spacer  40 . This process continues with alternating spacers  40  and cloth disks  50  being placed on the rotary shaft  26  until the appropriate number is disposed thereon. Finally, a top cap  80  is assembled onto the rotary shaft to secure the components in place. It will be appreciated that other assembly steps may also be employed and other structures may also be utilized to form the assembly  20 . 
     It will be understood that more than one spacer  40  can be disposed between the disks  50  as desired to provide more spacing between the disks. Alternatively, more spacers  40  can be disposed on the rotary shaft  26  adjacent either the bottom cap  78  or the top cap  80 . It will also be understood that the terms “top”, “bottom”, “upper”, and “lower” are used herein for illustrative and reference purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. For example, while the attachment of the bottom cap  78  is discussed initially, it will be appreciated that the top cap  80  could alternately be attached to the shaft first. 
     The caps  78 ,  80  are secured to the drive shaft assembly  22  at each of the ends  24  to apply sufficient pressure to the spacers  40 . This pressure creates friction between each of the cloth disks  50  and the spacers  40  to sandwich and secure each of the cloth disks  50  between a pair of adjacent spacers  40 . As such, the plurality of spacers  40  and the plurality of cloth disks  50  can be rotated as a unit limiting relative movement therewith. By this configuration, the cloth disks  50  do not need to engage the rotary shaft  26 . Instead, the pressure applied to each side  74 ,  76  of the cloth disk  50  creates sufficient friction such that as the rotary shaft  26  turns, it rotates the spacers  40  due to their mechanical engagement, which in turn rotates the cloth disks  50 . Sufficient pressure is applied to the cloth disks  50  to prevent relative movement of the cloth disks  50  with respect to the spacers  40 . 
     An actuator (not shown) is in communication with the drive shaft assembly  22  to effectuate rotation about the axis of rotation A as commanded. The actuator (not shown) in communication with the drive shaft assembly  22  rotates it such that each of a plurality of individual cloth disk  50  rotates to contact an exterior surface of the vehicle. 
     With reference to the Figures, the method of forming each of the cloth disks is discussed with reference to the method of forming one of the cloth disks  50 . The method for forming each of the cloth disks  50  is the same. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, a single unitary piece of non-woven material is laid out flat on a surface. The length of the piece of material depends upon the number of wraps desired. The piece or sheet of material is then wrapped around a cylindrical surface, such as a drum, which generally matches the desired outer diameter of the cloth disk. In a preferred embodiment, two drums are used that have a space therebetween. Preferably, the sheet is long enough such that it wraps around the cylindrical surface about one and a half times. However, any suitable length of material may be utilized. 
     The sheet of material is then grasped in the space between the drums to bring it together. This brings the outer ends toward the center. The sheet at this point has an outer diameter formed by the ends and an inner diameter formed where the sheet was grasped or clamped. The inner diameter and the outer diameter have the same linear length. 
     As shown in the drawings, with this method, the material bunches up adjacent the inner periphery such that more material per linear inch is located in the area near the inner periphery than the outer periphery. The bunching is random and not pleated—unlike other known vehicle washing disks. Additionally, the material is more dense near the inner periphery than the outer periphery and the inner and outer peripheries have the same linear length of material. In other words, the inner periphery has substantially the same linear dimension as the outer periphery. This increased density around or near the inner periphery helps the cloth disk retain its shape (i.e. not sag) and thus provides a larger effective outer diameter. This allows the disks to be spaced further apart on the rotary shaft  26 . The inner periphery defines an opening to be placed over the rotary shaft  26 . Once the sheet has been configured in the proper shape, a clinch ring  56  is utilized to clamp the inner periphery and secure the sheet of material in the shape of a circular disk having multiple layers  86 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     While the outer periphery of the disk preferably matches the outer diameter of the drum, it will be understood that the outer diameter may vary. For example, instead of grasping the sheet of material that has been wrapped around the drums at the center, the sheet could be grasped nearer one of the ends or edges. This will result in more material being located on one side of the grasp thereby yielding a disk having a larger diameter on one side of the securing mechanism and a smaller diameter on the other side of the securing mechanism. 
     The cloth disk  50  is thus formed from a single unitary piece of material that does not require stitching or sewing and does not have seams that can come apart. The manufacture of the disk is easier and less expensive than prior cloth disks used in the vehicle washing industry. The cloth disk is also lighter in weight and quieter because it is formed of a single piece instead of a plurality of separate fingers. 
     Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described while within the scope of the appended claims. These antecedent recitations should be interpreted to cover any combination in which the inventive novelty exercises its utility. The use of the word “said” in the apparatus claims refers to an antecedent that is a positive recitation meant to be included in the coverage of the claims whereas the word “the” precedes a word not meant to be included in the coverage of the claims.