Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Attachments – Optical-member-attachable cleaner
Patent
1997-09-23
1999-09-07
Warden, Robert
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Attachments
Optical-member-attachable cleaner
A47L 100
Patent
active
059467630
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention pertains to a module for a motor vehicle which comprises a windshield wiper system and a windshield washer system, wherein a receptacle that is essentially realized in the form of a fluid container is shaped so that it surrounds the windshield wiper system at least approximately complimentarily and is adapted to the shape of the motor vehicle body within the region of the so-called radiator tank. The receptacle simultaneously serves for covering the radiator tank or at least a portion of it. The term radiator tank refers to the region of the motor vehicle body which is located in the engine compartment directly in front of the fire wall and beneath the windshield. This receptacle is also realized in such a way that it includes an air passage into the passenger compartment.
EP 0,588,708 A1 discloses a windshield wiper system with these characteristics. Although this system has a compact design and completely fills the space within the region of the radiator tank, it merely fulfills the generally known functions of a windshield wiper/washer system.
The invention is based on the objective of additionally developing a windshield wiper/washer system of this type in such a way that it fulfills additional functions and can be delivered to the vehicle manufacturer in the form of a module.
This objective is attained with a module for a motor vehicle which is realized in accordance with the disclosed invention. The described combination of characteristics results in a compact module that can be installed in the motor vehicle body by the vehicle manufacturer with low mounting expenditures and provides the vehicle operator with a variety of functions.
Due to the arrangement of several sufficiently large tanks for different fluids, the vehicle operator is, depending on the respective variation of the module, able manually to select the functions of the different pumps assigned to the tanks with respect to the composition or the function of the washing fluids contained in the respective takes or the washing fluid to be applied onto the windshield to be cleaned or select an automatic control of these functions. If the windshield is normally dirty, normal washing fluid, i.e., washing water and, if so required, a detergent additive is sprayed onto the windshield; if the windshield is more heavily soiled, a strong cleaning agent is admixed into the washing fluid from a separate container in metered fashion. In this case, it is advantageous if the strong cleaning agent is not added to the entire supply of washing fluid in the tank. The strong cleaning agent is only added to the quantity of washing fluid required for the respective cleaning process. This can be easily attained with the disclosed module. In this case, the conveyed flow of the strong cleaning agent is coupled to the washing fluid line that leads to the spraying nozzle, namely via a coupling piece that has the shape of a T or Y.
During colder seasons, in which the washing fluid may freeze, antifreeze is pumped into the washing fluid tank from a separate tank. This process can either be manually controlled by the driver or, according to one additional refinement of the invention disclosed, by an electronic control element that is connected to the pump assigned to the antifreeze tank. This electronic control element is advantageously accommodated in a separate chamber or a corresponding bay of the receptacle and designed in such a way that it determines the proper quantity of the antifreeze based on values acquired by different sensors. The acquired values of the density and the temperature of the washing fluid represent the actual degree of protection against freezing of the washing fluid which is compared to the required degree of protection against freezing derived from the actual ambient temperature. The electronic control element correspondingly activates the pump for the antifreeze until the actual degree of protection against freezing of the washing fluid corresponds to the required degree of protection against freezing of the washing fluid.
S
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English translation of the International Preliminary Examination Report of Application No. PCT/EP96/00076 filed Jan. 10, 1996.
Egner-Walter Bruno
Schmid Eckhardt
Aldag Andrew
ITT Manufacturing Enterprises Inc.
Lewis J. Gordon
Warden Robert
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