Patent ID: 7162765

Claim:
An improved irrigation seal assembly for a cascade-type substrate scrubber comprising in operative combination: a) an idler bearing housing including sequential stepped bores, a first large bore for receiving an idler bearing and a smaller bore for receiving a piston, and a cleaning/rinsing fluid input port; b) a slideable piston having a cylindrical body sized for sliding fit in said piston bore, and a disk-shaped flange at one end sized to fit in said idler bearing bore; i) said piston having a central bore; and ii) said flange having at least one recess in the outer face; c) an idler bearing having an inner, rotatable race into which a brush mandrel is securable, and an outer, stationary race that is received in said idler bearing bore of said housing; d) a mandrel securable in said bearing inner race for retaining cleaning brushes, having a central bore for fluid conduit to irrigate said brushes from the inside out; e) said flange recess is positioned coordinate with the end of said mandrel to provide a controlled tolerance gap between the outer face of said flange and the end of said mandrel, said piston central bore is substantially equal to the bore of said mandrel bore, and said flange marginal edge contacts the outer stationary race of said idler bearing so that pressure on said piston bears only on said outer race; and f) said housing piston bore is axially longer than said piston to permit said piston to slide from an operating position adjacent the end of said mandrel to a retracted position to permit removal of said mandrel.