As is known, prior brushes used in automatic washing systems usually comprised a pair of vertically extending shafts and a horizontally extending shaft supporting a plurality of set length bristles provided for washing a motor vehicle surface upon turning the shafts.

In particular, the shafts are driven by an electronic control driving system designed for detecting a contact between the brush and motor vehicle, to emit a corresponding signal to which an immediate reaction must correspond.

The above mentioned construction, however, is affected by great drawbacks, occurring both upon starting and stopping the washing brush with the requirement of stopping the overall system for allowing the brush to perform its required movements.

Moreover, in the above prior construction, an excessive contact between the brush and motor vehicle can occur, with a consequent breaking problems at the projecting portions of the motor vehicle, such as the rear side mirrors and antenna assemblies.

A further problem is that the motor vehicle cannot be washed and polished in an optimum manner,

and this mainly at difficultly accessible regions thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks, by providing an improved brush, specifically designed for automatic motor vehicle washing and/or polishing systems, which, as the brush starts to contact the motor vehicle surface, is adapted to transmit a progressive signal to an electronic control unit, thereby providing a more progressive operation threshold.

Within the scope of the above mentioned aim, a main object of the present invention is to provide such a brush allowing to better manage the starting operations thereof, thereby providing an optimum movement pattern, and this both with respect to vertical extending brushes and horizontally extending brushes, thereby preventing the advancing movement of the overall system from being stopped, with a consequent operating time reduction.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a washing/polishing brush which is very reliable and safe in operation.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such an improved brush, specifically designed for motor vehicle washing and/or polishing systems, which can be easily made starting from easily commercially available elements and materials and which, moreover, is very competitive from a mere economic standpoint.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the above mentioned aim and objects, as well as yet other objects, which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by an improved brush, specifically designed for automatic motor vehicle washing and/or polishing systems, comprising supporting element for supporting a plurality of bristles, characterized in that said brush comprises a first plurality of long bristles, felts or the like, defining a substantially cylindrical brush body, and at least a second plurality of short bristles, felts or the like, having a length smaller than that of said long bristles or felts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent hereinafter from the following detailed disclosure of a preferred, though not exclusive, embodiment of an improved brush specifically designed for automatic motor vehicle washing and/or polishing systems, being shown, by way of an indicative, but not limitative, example, in the accompanying drawings, where: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective plan view of a bristle supporting layer and the related bristles; Figure 2 is a schematic elevation view of a portion of a vertically extending shaft; Figure 3 is a further schematic view illustrating a portion of a horizontally extending shaft; Figure 4 is a further schematic view

illustrating a vertically extending shaft, and the bristles thereof; Figure 5 is a further schematic view illustrating a horizontally extending shaft; Figure 6 is a schematic plan view of a supporting element, the long bristles being shown in black color; and Figure 7 is a further schematic view illustrating a washing/polishing system the inventive brush can be applied to.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to the number references of the above mentioned figures, the improved washing/polishing brush, specifically designed for automatic motor vehicle washing and/or polishing systems, according to the invention, comprises a bristle supporting element 1, thereon are supported a plurality of bristles, which are applied to a shaft 2, thereby providing both vertical brushes 3 and horizontal brushes 4, as conventionally used in conventional motor vehicle washing systems.

The main feature of the invention is that the bristles comprise a first plurality of long bristles 10, allowing to provide a brush body of a substantially cylindrical configuration and size.

Moreover, a second plurality of bristles 11 is provided, said bristles 11 having a differentiated length and being shorter than the long bristles 10, thereby providing, inward of the brush, a greater density of bristles.

In this connection it should be apparent

that it would be also possible to provide several pluralities of short bristles having different lengths from one another, thereby providing a more progressive impact of the brush against the motor vehicle surface or body.

As schematically shown in Figure 7, a central control unit 20 is provided for driving or controlling the motor 21 provided for driving, in turn, both the vertical and horizontal shafts.

Said central control unit, in particular, would detect the variations of the current absorbed by the brush shaft driving motor, as the brush starts to contact the motor vehicle.

With the above disclosed brush arrangement, only a portion of the brush bristles will contact at the start the motor vehicle body.

Thus, to the central unit a much more progressive signal will be sent, which can be easily controlled, thereby allowing to better manage the shaft driving movements, and this owing to a softer and much more progressive message.

Thus, the brush operation threshold will be much more progressive and the start of the operation can be better controlled, thereby preventing any mechanical stresses from affecting the motor vehicle being washed, since the brush will better follow the motor vehicle body contour, and the system will not be stopped during the advancing operation thereof.

Thus, the provision of an outer cylindric configuration brush would allow to fit the brush to a lot of motor vehicle contours, through the overall surface of the motor vehicle, whereas, at the inner

portions of the brush it is possible to provide differentiated length bristles, felts or the like, to allow the brush to be better driven and exploited, in order to encompass the overall motor vehicle body, before any operations of amperometric switches or the like.

Thus, the main feature is that the vertical brushes are made with different length bristles, felts or the like.

On same portions thereof, for example the bottom portion thereof, the vertical brush can be provided with bristles, felts or the like having the same length, whereas, at further regions arranged immediately above the mentioned portions, the brush can be provided with bristle, felt or the like bands having a different length, thereby providing an optimum contact with the motor vehicle.

Moreover, at a height corresponding to the curved portions of the motor vehicle as well as to the rear windows thereof, the subject brush comprises moreover bristles or felts having two, three or more different lengths, thereby making the bristles or felts of this vertical shaft portion much more flexible, to provide an optimum cleaning effect.

Furthermore, as schematically shown in Figure 6, the long bristles and short bristles are spaced from one another to provide a coil or spiralled pattern, having a very good efficiency in removing dirt from the motor vehicle body.

In such a case, the bristles or felts will practically provide a force component displacing outward the dirt, to provide, as stated, an optimum

cleaning of the motor vehicle.

Furthermore, it would be possible to use bristles or felts of equal cross-sections, as well as bristles or felts of different cross-sections, thereby further increasing the spiralling effect providing an optimum cleaning of the motor vehicle.

The present invention provides to apply to the mentioned supporting elements a plurality of bristles or felts or the like of different densities, depending on their different location on each shaft.

From the above disclosure it should be apparent that the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects.

In particular, the fact is to be pointed out that the provision of a washing/polishing brush having an outer cylindric configuration, and being provided in its inside of a different density of bristles, allows to make the electronic drive of the brush movements softer and much more progressive.

The invention, as disclosed, is susceptible to several modifications and variations, all of which will come within the scope of the invention.

Moreover, all of the constructional details can be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.

In practicing the invention, the used materials, as well as the contingent size and shapes, can be any, depending on requirements.

In this connection, it should be moreover apparent that the subject washing/polishing brushes can be also used on conventional motor vehicle polishing systems.