Patent ID: 8372208

Claim:
A system for handling boom arm impact in an automatic vehicle wash, comprising a bridge that is operable to reciprocate along a first orientation, the first orientation substantially parallel to a lengthwise orientation of a vehicle in a wash bay; a trolley, moveably coupled to the bridge, the trolley operable to reciprocate on the bridge along a second orientation, the second orientation substantially parallel to a widthwise orientation of the vehicle in the wash bay; a motor mount that is pivotally attached to the trolley; an arm rotation motor mounted on the motor mount; a sensor mounted on the trolley; a boom arm that is rotatably attached to the motor mount such that the boom arm is rotatable under control of the rotation motor with respect to the trolley; and a control unit operable to receive from the sensor during an automatic wash process one or both of an angular displacement between the trolley and the motor mount or a displacement velocity between the trolley and the motor mount; determine whether a boom arm impact has occurred to cause the angular displacement or displacement velocity by comparing the angular displacement or the displacement velocity to a baseline; and relocate the boom arm if the boom arm impact is determined.