Importance

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Abstract

A vehicle washing system washes the horizontal, vertical or inclined surfaces of a vehicle driven along a path. The system includes a brush assembly having a brush and a drive system for rotating the brush about the rotational axis of the brush. A brush assembly pivot point is located at an intermediate position along the length of the brush assembly. A brush assembly suspension system enables the brush assembly to be angularly deflected in both vertical and horizontal planes and includes a vertical support element which is positioned in proximity to the vehicle path and a brush assembly standoff unit which pivotally couples the brush assembly to the vertical support element at a predetermined elevation. The brush assembly standoff unit includes a horizontal pivot unit and vertical pivot means. The horizontal pivot unit pivotally couples a first section of the standoff unit to the vertical support element to permit angular deflection of the standoff unit with respect to the vertical support element in a substantially horizontal plane. The vertical pivot unit is spaced apart from the horizontal pivot unit and pivotally couples a second section of the standoff unit to the brush assembly pivot point to permit angular deflection of the brush assembly with respect to the vertical support element within a substantially vertical plane. The rotational axis of the brush is deflected in both the vertical and horizontal planes in response to relative movement between the vehicle and the system to maintain a firm but yieldable contact between the rotating brush and the vehicle.

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First Claim