Patent ID: 8421650

Claim:
A car wash system operable to treat a vehicle which is travelable along a longitudinal travel path through the car wash system, the car wash system comprising: a pair of wheel guide rails provided on a floor surface of the car wash system and oriented substantially parallel to each other with the longitudinal travel path between the pair of wheel guide rails, each wheel-guide rail including a plurality of measurement openings in a wheel-guide flank on the side of the respective wheel-guide rail facing the travel path, the measurement openings spaced apart from one another, and a distance sensor provided in each measurement opening and directed towards the travel path in order to measure the distance from the respective wheel-guide rail to the vehicle on the travel path, each of the distance sensors countersunk in the measurement opening so that the distance sensors do not project beyond the wheel-guide flank in a lateral direction; a controller in electronic communication with each of the distance sensors to determine if the vehicle laterally deviates from the travel path; and an output device in electronic communication with the controller to alert a driver of the vehicle to adjust the travelling direction of the vehicle back to the travel path.