CN113508061B

CN113508061B - Cleaning system for vehicle and cleaning method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN113508061B
Application number: CN202080017379.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 足立尚太; 山内雄介; 青山贵裕
Original assignee: Denso Corp
Current assignee: Denso Corp
Priority date: 2019-03-07
Filing date: 2020-02-28
Publication date: 2024-07-05
Anticipated expiration: 2040-02-28
Also published as: CN113508061A; DE112020001114T5

Abstract

A vehicle cleaning system (20) performs removal cleaning of foreign matter attached to objects (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) to be cleaned of a vehicle (10). A cleaning system for a vehicle comprises: an air pump (23) driven to generate injection air (CA 1, CA 2); a washer pump (13 b) driven to supply a washer fluid (Ws); a spray nozzle (31) that blows a gas-liquid mixed fluid (X) in which spray air and a cleaning liquid are mixed, to a cleaning object; a cleaning liquid storage unit (22 b) configured to store the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaner pump and to be able to discharge the stored cleaning liquid when the cleaning liquid is mixed with the jet air; and a mixing output unit (22 c) configured to blow a gas-liquid mixed fluid, which is mixed with the ejection air and the cleaning liquid introduced from the cleaning liquid storage unit, from the ejection nozzle toward the cleaning object.

Description

Cleaning system for vehicle and cleaning method thereof

Citation of related application

The present application is based on Japanese patent application Nos. 2019-41652, 2019-154690 and 2020-021788 of 3/7/8/27, respectively, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle cleaning system that blows a fluid to a cleaning object of a vehicle to remove foreign matter, and a cleaning method thereof.

Background

In recent years, advanced driving assistance and automatic driving techniques for vehicles have been developed, and sensors for grasping the surrounding conditions of vehicles have been increasing (for example, refer to patent literature 1). As one of them, for example, there is known a LIDAR (Light Detection AND RANGING: light Detection and ranging, or LASER IMAGING Detection AND RANGING: laser imaging Detection and ranging) as a ranging system using an optical sensor, and distance measurement is performed based on the emission and reception of Light between the host vehicle and the object.

A sensing surface (e.g., an outer surface of a lens, a cover glass, or the like) of a sensor for grasping a surrounding condition of a vehicle is formed in a form exposed to an outside of the vehicle. Therefore, foreign matter such as raindrops may adhere to the sensing surface of the sensor, and in the distance measuring system and the like, since the foreign matter is located on the optical path of the optical sensor, there is a possibility that the distance measuring accuracy may be lowered.

Therefore, development studies of the following technologies were performed: a gas-liquid mixed fluid in which a gas (air) and a cleaning liquid are mixed is blown onto a sensing surface of a sensor (for example, refer to patent document 2), thereby removing and cleaning foreign matter adhering to the sensing surface.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2018-37100

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open publication 2016-222074

Disclosure of Invention

In addition, in order to remove and clean the foreign matter adhering to the sensing surface of the sensor more reliably, a large pump may be used as a pump for blowing the gas or the cleaning liquid to the sensing surface to strongly blow the gas or the cleaning liquid to the sensing surface, but in the case of a vehicle, the installation space, the driving power, and the like need to be sufficiently considered. Therefore, as a developer, the following research subjects have been conducted: the cleaning force for removing foreign matter can be improved and the stability of the cleaning force for removing cleaning can be improved without increasing the size of the pump.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle cleaning system and a cleaning method thereof, which can improve a cleaning force for removing foreign matters adhering to a cleaning object of a vehicle and ensure stability of the cleaning force.

In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle cleaning system performs removal cleaning of foreign matter attached to a cleaning object of a vehicle. A cleaning system for a vehicle comprises: an air pump driven to generate jet air; a washer pump driven to supply a washer fluid; a spray nozzle that blows a gas-liquid mixed fluid in which the spray air and the cleaning liquid are mixed to the cleaning object; a cleaning liquid storage unit configured to store the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaner pump and to discharge the stored cleaning liquid when the cleaning liquid is mixed with the jet air; and a mixing output unit configured to blow the gas-liquid mixed fluid, in which the jet air and the cleaning liquid introduced from the cleaning liquid storage unit are mixed, from the jet nozzle toward the cleaning object.

According to the vehicle cleaning system described above, the cleaning liquid storage unit and the mixing output unit are provided to mix the cleaning liquid with the jet air, and the gas-liquid mixed fluid in which the jet air and the cleaning liquid are mixed is blown toward the cleaning object. This can improve the removal and cleaning of foreign matter adhering to the cleaning object by a small amount of the cleaning liquid. Further, since the cleaning liquid mixed with the jet air is temporarily stored in the cleaning liquid storage portion and supplied, a small amount of cleaning liquid required for cleaning can be stably supplied as compared with the direct supply by the cleaner pump.

In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle cleaning system performs removal cleaning of foreign matter attached to a cleaning object of a vehicle. A cleaning system for a vehicle comprises: an air pump driven to generate jet air; a washer pump driven to supply a washer fluid; a spray nozzle that blows a gas-liquid mixed fluid in which the spray air and the cleaning liquid are mixed to the cleaning object; an injection air generation unit configured to include the air pump and a valve device, and to generate the injection air in a high-pressure and pulse shape based on an operation of the valve device that accumulates compressed air supplied from the air pump to a pressure higher than a discharge pressure of the air pump and discharges the accumulated compressed air to a downstream side after the accumulation; a cleaning liquid storage unit configured to include a chamber for storing the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaner pump, and to be capable of discharging the cleaning liquid stored in the chamber when the cleaning liquid is mixed with the jet air; and a mixing output unit configured to blow the gas-liquid mixture fluid, which mixes the high-pressure and pulse-shaped jet air generated in the jet air generating unit and the cleaning liquid introduced from the cleaning liquid storage unit, from the jet nozzle toward the cleaning object.

According to the vehicle cleaning system described above, the valve device is operated in the injection air generation unit so as to use the compressed air supplied from the air pump, store the compressed air at a pressure higher than the discharge pressure of the air pump, and discharge the compressed air downstream after the pressure storage, thereby generating the high-pressure and pulse-shaped injection air. That is, the generation of the jet air with improved foreign matter removal performance can be realized without increasing the size of the pump. In addition, the cleaning liquid is mixed with the high-pressure and pulse-shaped jet air generated in the jet air generating unit by including the cleaning liquid storage unit and the mixing output unit, and the gas-liquid mixed fluid in which the high-pressure and pulse-shaped jet air and the cleaning liquid dispersed into small particle diameters are mixed is blown toward the cleaning object. This can improve the removal and cleaning of foreign matter adhering to the cleaning object by a small amount of the cleaning liquid. Further, since the cleaning liquid mixed with the jet air is temporarily stored in the cleaning liquid storage portion and supplied, a small amount of cleaning liquid required for cleaning can be stably supplied as compared with the direct supply by the cleaner pump. The "discharge pressure of the air pump" refers to the pressure in the flow path when the air pump and the injection nozzle are directly connected to each other through a hose to drive the air pump.

In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a cleaning method of a vehicle cleaning system performs removal cleaning of foreign matter adhering to a cleaning object of a vehicle. The cleaning method of the cleaning system for the vehicle comprises the following steps: driving an air pump to generate jet air; driving a washer pump to supply a washer fluid; blowing a gas-liquid mixed fluid, in which the ejection air and the cleaning liquid are mixed, from an ejection nozzle to the cleaning object; in an injection air generating unit including the air pump and the valve device, the injection air having a high pressure and a pulse shape is generated based on an operation of the valve device that accumulates compressed air supplied from the air pump to a pressure higher than a discharge pressure of the air pump and discharges the accumulated compressed air to a downstream side after the accumulation; in a cleaning liquid storage unit including a chamber for storing the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaner pump, the cleaning liquid stored in the chamber is discharged when the cleaning liquid is mixed with the jet air; and a mixing output unit configured to blow the gas-liquid mixture fluid, which mixes the high-pressure and pulse-shaped jet air generated by the jet air generating unit and the cleaning liquid introduced from the cleaning liquid storage unit, from the jet nozzle toward the cleaning object.

According to the cleaning method of the vehicle cleaning system, as in the vehicle cleaning system, high-pressure and pulse-shaped jet air with improved foreign matter removal performance can be generated without increasing the size of the pump, and the removal and cleaning of foreign matter adhering to the cleaning object can be improved by blowing a gas-liquid mixed fluid in which the jet air and the cleaning liquid dispersed into small particle diameters toward the cleaning object with a small amount of the cleaning liquid. Further, since the cleaning liquid mixed with the jet air is temporarily stored in the cleaning liquid storage portion and supplied, a small amount of cleaning liquid required for cleaning can be stably supplied as compared with the direct supply by the cleaner pump.

In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle cleaning system performs removal cleaning of foreign matter attached to a cleaning object of a vehicle. A cleaning system for a vehicle comprises: an air pump driven to generate jet air; a washer pump driven to supply a washer fluid; a spray nozzle that blows a gas-liquid mixed fluid in which the spray air and the cleaning liquid are mixed to the cleaning object; an injection air generation unit configured to include the air pump and a valve device, and to generate the injection air in a high-pressure and pulse shape based on an operation of the valve device that accumulates compressed air supplied from the air pump to a pressure higher than a discharge pressure of the air pump and discharges the accumulated compressed air to a downstream side after the accumulation; a cleaning liquid introduction unit configured to introduce the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaner pump; and a mixing output unit configured to blow the gas-liquid mixture fluid, which mixes the high-pressure and pulse-shaped jet air generated in the jet air generating unit and the cleaning liquid introduced from the cleaning liquid introducing unit, from the jet nozzle toward the cleaning object.

According to the vehicle cleaning system described above, the valve device is operated in the injection air generation unit so as to use the compressed air supplied from the air pump, store the compressed air at a pressure higher than the discharge pressure of the air pump, and discharge the compressed air downstream after the pressure storage, thereby generating the high-pressure and pulse-shaped injection air. That is, the generation of the jet air with improved foreign matter removal performance can be realized without increasing the size of the pump. In addition, the cleaning liquid is mixed with the high-pressure and pulse-shaped jet air generated in the jet air generating unit by including the cleaning liquid introducing unit and the mixing output unit, and the gas-liquid mixed fluid in which the high-pressure and pulse-shaped jet air and the cleaning liquid dispersed into small particle diameters are mixed is blown toward the cleaning object. This can improve the removal and cleaning of foreign matter adhering to the cleaning object by a small amount of the cleaning liquid. The "discharge pressure of the air pump" refers to the pressure in the flow path when the air pump and the injection nozzle are directly connected.

In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a cleaning method of a vehicle cleaning system performs removal cleaning of foreign matter adhering to a cleaning object of a vehicle. The cleaning method of the cleaning system for the vehicle comprises the following steps: driving an air pump to generate jet air; driving a washer pump to supply a washer fluid; blowing a gas-liquid mixed fluid, in which the ejection air and the cleaning liquid are mixed, from an ejection nozzle to the cleaning object; in an injection air generating unit including the air pump and the valve device, the injection air having a high pressure and a pulse shape is generated based on an operation of the valve device that accumulates compressed air supplied from the air pump to a pressure higher than a discharge pressure of the air pump and discharges the accumulated compressed air to a downstream side after the accumulation; introducing the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaner pump to the cleaning liquid introducing section; and a mixing output unit configured to blow the gas-liquid mixture fluid, which mixes the high-pressure and pulse-shaped jet air generated by the jet air generating unit and the cleaning liquid introduced from the cleaning liquid introducing unit, from the jet nozzle toward the cleaning object.

According to the cleaning method, as in the vehicle cleaning system, since the gas-liquid mixed fluid in which the high-pressure and pulse-shaped jet air and the cleaning liquid dispersed into small particle diameters are mixed is blown toward the cleaning object, the removal cleaning of the foreign matter adhering to the cleaning object can be improved by a small amount of the cleaning liquid without increasing the size of the pump.

Drawings

The above objects, other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent by reference to the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. The drawings are as follows.

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle cleaning system according to a first embodiment and a second embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cleaning device used in the vehicle cleaning system according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a valve device used for the cleaning device of the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural view of the valve device of the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the operation of the valve device according to the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the operation of the valve device according to the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the operation of the cleaning device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the operation of the cleaning device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the operation of the cleaning device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the operation of the cleaning device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a waveform diagram for explaining the operation of the cleaning device according to the first and second embodiments.

Fig. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cleaning device used in the vehicle cleaning system according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the operation of the cleaning device according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 14 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the operation of the cleaning device according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 15 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the operation of the cleaning device according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 16 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the operation of the cleaning device according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 17 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cleaning device used in the cleaning system for a vehicle according to the third embodiment.

Fig. 18 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cleaning liquid reservoir device used in the third embodiment.

Fig. 19 (a) and (b) are schematic configuration diagrams for explaining the operation of the cleaning liquid storage device according to the third embodiment.

Fig. 20 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cleaning liquid reservoir device used in the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 21 (a) and (b) are schematic configuration diagrams for explaining the operation of the cleaning liquid storage device according to the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 22 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cleaning liquid reservoir device used in the fifth embodiment.

Fig. 23 (a) and (b) are schematic configuration diagrams for explaining the operation of the cleaning liquid storage device according to the fifth embodiment.

Fig. 24 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cleaning device used in the vehicle cleaning system according to the sixth embodiment.

Fig. 25 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cleaning device used in the vehicle cleaning system according to the sixth embodiment.

Fig. 26 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cleaning device used in the vehicle cleaning system according to the seventh embodiment.

Fig. 27 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the operation of the cleaning device according to the seventh embodiment.

Fig. 28 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the operation of the cleaning device according to the seventh embodiment.

Fig. 29 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the operation of the cleaning device according to the seventh embodiment.

Fig. 30 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the operation of the cleaning device according to the seventh embodiment.

Fig. 31 is a waveform diagram for explaining an operation of the cleaning device according to the modification of the seventh embodiment.

Fig. 32 (a) and (b) are waveform diagrams for explaining the operation of the cleaning device according to the modification of the seventh embodiment.

Fig. 33 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cleaning device according to a modification of the seventh embodiment.

Fig. 34 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cleaning device according to a modification of the seventh embodiment.

Detailed Description

(First embodiment)

A first embodiment of a vehicle cleaning system and a cleaning method will be described below.

In the vehicle 10 shown in fig. 1, a first distance measuring sensor 11 is provided at a front end center portion, and a second distance measuring sensor 12 is provided at a rear end center portion. The first range sensor 11 and the second range sensor 12 are configured using optical sensors that transmit and receive light of a predetermined wavelength toward the front and rear of the vehicle 10, respectively. The first range sensor 11 and the second range sensor 12 are used for a range measurement system (LIDAR or the like) that measures a distance between the host vehicle and the front object and the rear object, respectively, and for a system that performs advanced driving assistance, automatic driving, or the like of the vehicle 10.

The sensing surfaces (e.g., outer surfaces of lenses, cover glasses, etc.) 11a, 12a of the first and second range sensors 11, 12 are each formed in a form exposed to the outside of the vehicle 10. That is, since there is a possibility that the distance measurement accuracy is lowered due to the adhesion of foreign matter such as raindrops to the sensing surfaces 11a and 12a, the vehicle 10 is provided with the vehicle cleaning system 20 for removing and cleaning the foreign matter adhering to the sensing surfaces 11a and 12 a.

The vehicle cleaning system 20 includes a first cleaning device 21a and a second cleaning device 21b. The first cleaning device 21a is configured to perform cleaning with the first distance measuring sensor 11 provided in the center of the front end of the vehicle 10, and the second cleaning device 21b is configured to perform cleaning with the second distance measuring sensor 12 provided in the center of the rear end of the vehicle 10.

Here, the first cleaning device 21a and the second cleaning device 21b of the present embodiment are configured to cooperate with the cleaner device 13 generally mounted on the vehicle 10. The washer device 13 is configured to supply the washer fluid Ws stored in the tank 13a to a windshield or the like by driving the washer pump 13b, and to supply the washer fluid Ws to the first cleaning device 21a and the second cleaning device 21b of the present embodiment.

As shown in fig. 2, the first cleaning device 21a and the second cleaning device 21b include an injection air generating portion 22a, a cleaning liquid storage portion 22b, and a mixing output portion 22c, respectively. The jet air generating portion 22a has an air pump 23, a valve device 24, and a check valve 25. The injection air generation unit 22a generates high-pressure and pulse-shaped injection air CA2 by operating a valve device 24, a check valve 25, and the like, which will be described later, with compressed air (injection air) CA1 supplied from the air pump 23. The cleaning liquid reservoir 22b has a flow path switching valve (flow path switching portion) 26, a check valve (flow path switching portion) 27, a reservoir joint 28, and a chamber 29, and is provided in parallel with the jet air generation portion 22 a. The cleaning liquid reservoir 22b stores the cleaning liquid Ws pumped from the cleaner pump 13b in a predetermined amount in the chamber 29 via the flow path switching valve 26 and the check valve 27. The mixing output section 22c has a mixing section joint 30 and a spray nozzle 31. The mixing output unit 22c mixes the jet air CA2 generated in the jet air generating unit 22a and the cleaning liquid Ws introduced from the cleaning liquid reservoir unit 22b by the mixing unit joint 30, and blows the mixture from the jet nozzle 31 toward the respective sensing surfaces 11a, 12a as cleaning targets. Further, the first cleaning device 21a and the second cleaning device 21b have the same structure. Accordingly, the specific configuration of the first cleaning device 21a and the second cleaning device 21b will be described in common.

In the jet air generating portion 22a, the air pump 23 and the valve device 24 are connected to each other through a connection hose 32a, and the valve device 24 and the check valve 25 are connected to each other through a connection hose 32 b. The connection hoses 32a and 32b are made of a flexible material such as a rubber hose. The connection hoses 32c to 32j described later are also made of the same material. The air pump 23 is constituted by an electric air pump capable of generating compressed air CA 1. The valve device 24 further converts the compressed air CA1 continuously supplied from the air pump 23 into a high-pressure and pulse-like (intermittent) form, and outputs the high-pressure and pulse-like injection air CA2 toward the check valve 25, that is, toward the mixing output portion 22c via the check valve 25.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the valve device 24 includes a base member 41, a cover member 42, a diaphragm 43, and a biasing spring 44. The valve main body 40 is constituted by a part of the base member 41, the cover member 42, the diaphragm 43, and the biasing spring 44 in the above-described structural components. Hereinafter, the description will be given with the base member 41 as the lower side and the cover member 42 as the upper side, but the orientation at the time of use of the valve device 24 is not limited thereto.

The base member 41 is made of resin, and has a base portion 41a at an upper portion and a connection portion 41b at a lower portion. The base portion 41a constitutes a lower portion of the housing of the valve main body portion 40, and includes a circular bottom wall portion 41c and a circular side wall portion 41d standing upward from a peripheral edge portion of the bottom wall portion 41 c. In contrast, the cover member 42 constitutes an upper portion of the housing of the valve main body 40, and has a circular upper wall portion 32a and an annular side wall portion 42b extending downward from a peripheral edge portion of the upper wall portion 32 a. The base member 41 and the cover member 42 are assembled with the upper end surface of the side wall portion 41d and the lower end surface of the side wall portion 42b facing each other. At this time, the peripheral edge portion 43x of the diaphragm 43 is sandwiched between the members 41 and 42, and sealing between the members 41 and 42 can be achieved while the diaphragm 43 is held. The diaphragm 43 divides a space formed by itself and the bottom wall portion 41c and the side wall portion 41d of the base portion 41a into a valve chamber 45, and divides a space formed by the upper wall portion 42a and the side wall portion 42b of the cover member 42 into a back pressure chamber 46.

The connection portion 41b is provided on the lower surface side of the base portion 41a, and is in an inverted T shape that temporarily extends downward from the bottom wall portion 41c of the base portion 41a and further divides into two strands. The air pump 23 side portion of the connection portion 41b divided into two is referred to as an introduction side connection portion 41e, and the check valve 25 side portion divided into two is referred to as a discharge side connection portion 41f. The introduction-side connection portion 41e is connected to the air pump 23 using a connection hose 32 a. The introduction flow path 47 formed inside the introduction-side connection portion 41e is independent of the discharge flow path 48 formed inside the discharge-side connection portion 41f, and an opening 47a of the introduction flow path 47 and an opening 48a of the discharge flow path 48 are formed in the bottom wall portion 41c of the base portion 41a, respectively. The opening 47a of the introduction flow path 47 is located at a substantially central portion of the bottom wall portion 41c of the base portion 41a of the base member 41, and protrudes cylindrically. On the other hand, the opening 48a of the discharge flow path 48 is provided at the peripheral edge of the bottom wall 41c and at a position lower than the opening 47 a. The opening area of the opening 48a is larger than the opening area of the opening 47 a.

The diaphragm 43 is formed in a substantially circular plate shape by a flexible material, and has substantially cylindrical valve elements 43a at positions facing the opening 47a of the introduction flow path 47 at substantially central portions thereof. The valve body 43a is set to have a diameter slightly larger than the opening 47a of the introduction flow path 47. The valve body 43a and the peripheral edge portion 43x of the diaphragm 43 each have a predetermined thickness, and a portion between the valve body 43a and the peripheral edge portion 43x is formed as a thin wall portion 43b thinner than the valve body 43a and the peripheral edge portion 43 x. That is, the valve body 43a of the diaphragm 43 connected to the fixed peripheral edge portion 43x via the thin portion 43b is configured to be displaceable. By such displacement of the valve body 43a, the valve body 43a contacts with or separates from the opening 47a of the introduction passage 47, and opens and closes the passage between the air pump 23 and the valve chamber 45.

The cover member 42 is made of resin, and has a protruding portion 42c at a position facing the valve body 43a, which is a central portion of the upper wall portion 42 a. The protruding portions 42c are protrusions for limiting the position of the biasing spring 44 made of a compression coil spring, and the upper portions of the biasing spring 44 are inserted into the protruding portions 42c. The upper end of the biasing spring 44 abuts against the upper wall 42 a. In contrast, the lower end of the biasing spring 44 abuts against the valve body 43 a. That is, the urging spring 44 guides the valve body 43a to the projection 42c from the upper wall 42a, and urges the valve body 43a downward, that is, toward the opening 47a of the introduction flow path 47. The upper wall portion 42a has two communication holes 42d that communicate the back pressure chamber 46 with the outside of the cover member 42 and open to the atmosphere, for example, at positions outside the protruding portion 42c, so that the displacement operation of the valve body 43a is not affected by the pressure in the back pressure chamber 46. In this way, the valve device 24 includes the valve portion 40a, and the valve portion 40a opens and closes the opening 47a of the introduction flow path 47 via the valve body 43 a.

As shown in fig. 2, the check valve 25 includes a valve housing 25a, a valve spool 25b, a biasing spring 25c, and a seal ring 25d. The valve housing 25a has an introduction-side connecting portion 25e and a discharge-side connecting portion 25f, and an introduction flow path 25x inside the introduction-side connecting portion 25e and a discharge flow path 25y inside the discharge-side connecting portion 25f are configured to communicate with a valve chamber 25z in the valve housing 25a, respectively. The introduction-side connection portion 25e is connected to the discharge-side connection portion 41f of the valve device 24 by a connection hose 32 b. The discharge-side connection portion 25f is connected to the first introduction-side connection portion 30a of the mixing-portion joint 30 by a connection hose 32 c.

A seal ring 25d is fixed around the opening of the introduction passage 25x in the valve chamber 25z in the valve housing 25a, and the spherical valve body 25b is urged by an urging spring 25c to be brought into close contact with the seal ring 25 d. That is, when the inflow pressure of the fluid from the introduction flow path 25x reaches a predetermined pressure or higher, the valve body 25b of the check valve 25 is operated against the biasing force of the biasing spring 25c, and the valve is switched from the closed state to the open state, so that the injection air CA2 of the valve device 24 is outputted toward the mixing portion joint 30 of the mixing output portion 22 c.

The flow path switching valve 26 for the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b includes a first housing member 51, a second housing member 52, and a diaphragm 53. The first casing member 51 is made of resin, and is configured such that the first introduction-side connection portion 51b extends from the bottom of the substantially bottomed cylindrical first cylindrical main body portion 51a, and the first discharge-side connection portion 51c extends from the peripheral wall portion. The first introduction-side connection portion 51b is connected to a connection hose 32d extending from the washer pump 13 b. A first valve chamber 51x is provided inside the first cylindrical body portion 51a, and the first introduction flow path 51y inside the first introduction-side connection portion 51b and the first discharge flow path 51z inside the first discharge-side connection portion 51c can communicate via the first valve chamber 51 x. An opening 51d of the first introduction flow path 51y in the first valve chamber 51x protrudes cylindrically from the bottom of the first cylindrical body 51 a. The second casing member 52 is made of resin, and is configured such that the second introduction-side connecting portion 52b extends from the peripheral wall portion of the substantially bottomed cylindrical second cylindrical main body portion 52a, and the second discharge-side connecting portion 52c extends from the bottom. A second valve chamber 52x is provided inside the second cylindrical body portion 52a, and the second introduction flow path 52y inside the second introduction-side connecting portion 52b and the second discharge flow path 52z inside the second discharge-side connecting portion 52c can communicate via the second valve chamber 52 x. An opening 52d of the second discharge flow path 52z in the second valve chamber 52x protrudes cylindrically from the bottom of the second cylindrical body 52 a. The first and second housing members 51 and 52 are configured to have the same shape, although the fluid introduction and discharge settings are opposite to each other.

Then, the first housing member 51 and the second housing member 52 are assembled to each other such that the opening end surfaces of the respective cylindrical body portions 51a, 52a face each other. In this case, the first introduction-side connecting portion 51b and the second discharge-side connecting portion 52c provided at the bottom of each of the tubular body portions 51a, 52a are aligned in a straight line and face in opposite directions to each other. The first discharge-side connection portion 51c and the second introduction-side connection portion 52b provided in the peripheral wall portion of each of the tubular body portions 51a, 52a are arranged parallel to each other and face in the same direction. When the first housing member 51 and the second housing member 52 are assembled, the peripheral edge portion 53x of the diaphragm 53 is sandwiched between the opening end surfaces of the cylindrical body portions 51a and 52a, and sealing between the members 51 and 52 can be achieved while the diaphragm 53 is held, thereby dividing the first valve chamber 51x and the second valve chamber 52x.

The diaphragm 53 is formed in a substantially circular plate shape by a flexible material, and has a substantially cylindrical valve body 53a at a substantially central portion thereof at a position facing the opening 51d of the first introduction flow path 51y and the opening 52d of the second discharge flow path 52 z. The valve body 53a has a slightly larger diameter than the openings 51d and 52 d. The valve body 53a and the peripheral edge 53x of the diaphragm 53 each have a predetermined thickness, and a portion between the valve body 53a and the peripheral edge 53x is formed as a thin wall portion 53b thinner than the valve body 53a and the peripheral edge 53 x. That is, the valve body 53a of the diaphragm 53 connected to the fixed peripheral edge portion 53x via the thin portion 53b is configured to be displaceable. The spool 53a is displaced from a neutral position, in which the spool is separated from the opening 51d of the first introduction flow path 51y and the opening 52d of the second discharge flow path 52z, to a position, in which the spool is in contact with the opening 52d of the second discharge flow path 52z and separated from only the opening 51d of the first introduction flow path 51y, or a position, in which the spool is in contact with the opening 51d of the first introduction flow path 51y and separated from only the opening 52d of the second discharge flow path 52 z.

That is, in the primary side open valve state (secondary side closed valve state) in which the valve body 53a closes the opening 52d of the second discharge flow path 52z and opens the opening 51d of the first introduction flow path 51y, the first introduction flow path 51y and the first discharge flow path 51z communicate with each other via the first valve chamber 51 x. That is, in the secondary side open valve state (primary side closed valve state) in which the valve body 53a closes the opening 51d of the first introduction flow path 51y and opens the opening 52d of the second discharge flow path 52z, the second introduction flow path 52y and the second discharge flow path 52z communicate with each other via the second valve chamber 52 x. The diaphragm 53 operates to complementarily open and close the primary flow path and the secondary flow path.

The check valve 27 is identical to the check valve 25 of the jet air generation unit 22 a. That is, the check valve 27 includes a valve housing 27a, a valve body 27b, a biasing spring 27c, and a seal ring 27d, and the introduction flow path 27x inside the introduction-side connecting portion 27e and the discharge flow path 27y inside the discharge-side connecting portion 27f communicate with a valve chamber 27z in the valve housing 27a, respectively. The introduction-side connection portion 27e is connected to the first discharge-side connection portion 51c of the flow path switching valve 26 by a connection hose 32 e. The discharge-side connection portion 27f is connected to the introduction-side connection portion 28a of the reservoir joint 28 by a connection hose 32 f. When the inflow pressure of the fluid from the introduction flow path 27x reaches a predetermined pressure or higher, the valve body 27b of the check valve 27 is operated against the biasing force of the biasing spring 27c, and the valve is switched from the closed state to the open state, so that the pressurized cleaning fluid Ws is output from the cleaner pump 13b to the reservoir joint 28 via the flow path switching valve 26.

The reservoir joint 28 is, for example, a Y-joint, and includes an introduction-side connection portion 28a, a discharge-side connection portion 28b, and a relay connection portion 28c. The discharge-side connecting portion 28b and the relay connecting portion 28c of the reservoir joint 28 are provided on a straight line, and the introduction-side connecting portion 28a is provided adjacent to and obliquely to the discharge-side connecting portion 28b. The introduction flow path 28x, the discharge flow path 28y, and the relay flow path 28z inside the introduction-side connection portion 28a, the discharge-side connection portion 28b, and the relay connection portion 28c communicate with each other. The relay connection portion 28c is connected to the input/output connection portion 29e of the chamber 29 by a connection hose 32g, and the discharge-side connection portion 28b is connected to the second introduction-side connection portion 52b of the flow path switching valve 26 by a connection hose 32 h.

The chamber 29 includes a reservoir case (case member) 29a, a piston 29b, and an urging spring (urging member) 29c, and an annular seal 29d is provided on the outer periphery of the piston 29 b. The storage case 29a has a substantially bottomed cylindrical shape, and has an input/output connection portion 29e on one end surface side. The piston 29b is housed inside the storage case 29a so as to be movable in the axial direction of the storage case 29 a. The piston 29b is movable while being in fluid-tight contact with the inner peripheral surface of the reservoir case 29a via a gasket 29d. That is, the piston 29b is configured to divide the inner reservoir chamber 29y of the reservoir case 29a communicating with the inner input/output flow path 29x of the input/output connection portion 29e, and to make the volume thereof larger and smaller. A communication hole 29f for opening the back pressure of the piston 29b to the atmosphere is provided on the other end surface side of the reservoir case 29 a.

The chamber 29 is configured to expand the volume of the reservoir chamber 29y by retracting the piston 29b against the biasing force of the biasing spring 29c by the cleaning liquid Ws from the cleaner pump 13b being pumped from the first discharge-side connection portion 51c of the flow path switching valve 26. That is, the chamber 29 stores a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid Ws in the storage chamber 29 y. After that, when the pressure feed of the cleaning liquid Ws is stopped, the piston 29b is pushed out by the biasing force of the biasing spring 29c in the chamber 29, and the volume of the reservoir 29y is reduced. Then, the cleaning liquid Ws stored in the reservoir 29y is discharged toward the second introduction-side connection portion 52b of the flow path switching valve 26 and is ejected from the ejection nozzle 31 at the tip. Further, the more detailed operation of the chamber 29 will be described later together with the operation of the flow path switching valve 26.

The mixing portion joint 30 for the mixing output portion 22c is, for example, a T-joint, and includes a first introduction side connecting portion 30a and a second introduction side connecting portion 30b on the introduction side, and includes a discharge side connecting portion 30c on the discharge side. The first introduction-side connection portion 30a and the discharge-side connection portion 30c of the joint 30 for a mixing portion are provided on a straight line, and the second introduction-side connection portion 30b is provided orthogonal to the connection portions 30a, 30c. The first introduction flow path 30x inside the first introduction-side connecting portion 30a and the second introduction flow path 30y inside the second introduction-side connecting portion 30b communicate with the discharge flow path 30z inside the discharge-side connecting portion 30c. As described above, the first introduction-side connection portion 30a is connected to the jet air generation portion 22 a. The second introduction-side connection portion 30b is connected to the second discharge-side connection portion 52c of the flow path switching valve 26 of the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b by a connection hose 32 i. The discharge-side connection portion 30c is connected to the ejection nozzle 31 using a connection hose 32 j.

Then, the injection ports 31a of the injection nozzles 31 included in the first cleaning device 21a and the second cleaning device 21b are arranged toward the sensing surface 11a of the first distance measuring sensor 11 and the sensing surface 12a of the second distance measuring sensor 12 shown in fig. 1, respectively. The predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid Ws supplied from the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b to the mixing output 22c is ejected from the ejection nozzle 31 together with the high-pressure and pulse-shaped ejection air CA2 generated by the valve device 24 and the air pump 23, and is blown as the gas-liquid mixed fluid X to the appropriate range of each of the sensing surfaces 11a, 12 a.

As shown in fig. 1, the air pumps 23 of the first cleaning device 21a and the second cleaning device 21b and the washer pump 13b of the washer device 13 are controlled by various ECUs (Electronic Control Unit: electronic control unit) mounted on the vehicle 10, that is, a host ECU 100, a front ECU 101, and a rear ECU 102. The host ECU 100, the front ECU 101, and the rear ECU 102 are included in the vehicle cleaning system 20 as control devices of the cleaning system 20. The front ECU 101 includes a function of controlling the air pump 23 and the washer pump 13b of the first cleaning device 21a, and the rear ECU 102 includes a function of controlling the air pump 23 of the second cleaning device 21 b. The host ECU 100 performs overall control of the front ECU 101 and the rear ECU 102. As the vehicle cleaning system 20, the first cleaning device 21a, the second cleaning device 21b, and the cleaner device 13 are controlled in cooperation with each other.

The operation and action of the present embodiment will be described.

[ Action of the monomer of the valve device 24 ]

As shown in fig. 4, in the non-operating state of the valve device 24, the valve portion 40a is in a completely closed state, that is, the valve body 43a of the diaphragm 43 seals the opening portion 47a of the introduction passage 47.

When the compressed air CA1 is continuously supplied by driving the air pump 23, the pressure P1 on the introduction side including the introduction flow path 47 of the valve device 24 and the connection hose 32a rises by the maintenance of the valve closing state of the valve body 43a by the urging force of the urging spring 44 (see fig. 11). As shown in fig. 3, the pressure P1 on the introduction side acts on a portion of the valve body 43a corresponding to the area S1, that is, a relatively narrow portion corresponding to the area of the opening 47 a. The pressing force F1 acting on the valve body 43a is the product of the pressure P1 on the introduction side and the area S1, f1=p1×s1. The pressure P1 in the closed state on the introduction side is raised to a pressure sufficiently higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23. Here, the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 is not a discharge pressure when the discharge port of the air pump 23 itself is blocked (the discharge flow rate from the air pump 23 is 0), but is a pressure in the connection hose 32a when the air pump 23 and the injection nozzle 31 are directly connected to each other through the connection hose 32a (hereinafter, simply referred to as "discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23").

As the pressure P1 on the introduction side increases, a slight gap is generated between the valve body 43a and the opening 47a in the valve portion 40a, and a part of the compressed air CA1 in the valve chamber 45 slightly leaks as leakage CAx, as shown in fig. 5. That is, since the valve chamber 45 has the check valve 25 at the downstream side discharge passage 48 and the tip end of the connection hose 32b, the pressure P2 in the valve chamber 45 also gradually rises. As shown in fig. 3, the pressure P2 in the valve chamber 45 acts on a portion corresponding to the area S2 of the thin wall portion 43b of the diaphragm 43, that is, a relatively wide portion corresponding to the area of the entire thin wall portion 43b (strictly including the peripheral edge portion of the valve body 43 a) excluding the area of the opening portion 47 a. The pressing force F2 acting on the thin portion 43b is a product of the pressure P2 and the area S2 in the valve chamber 45, and f2=p2×s2. Since the area S2 of the thin portion 43b to which the pressure P2 acts is wider than the area S1 of the valve body 43a to which the pressure P1 acts, even if the pressure P2 is lower than the pressure P1, the influence as the pressing force F2 is large.

Next, if the pressure P1 on the introduction side and the pressure P2 in the valve chamber 45 rise simultaneously to a predetermined pressure sufficiently higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23, the pressing force "f1+f2" of the diaphragm 43, which is obtained by adding the pressing force F1 acting on the valve body 43a and the pressing force F2 acting on the thin wall portion 43b, exceeds the predetermined pressing force based on the biasing force of the biasing spring 44. Then, as shown in fig. 6, the diaphragm 43 is greatly displaced as a whole, and the valve portion 40a is opened. That is, the valve body 43a is separated from the opening 47a, and the introduction flow path 47, the valve chamber 45, and the discharge flow path 48 are in a conductive state. The pressure P1 on the introduction side immediately before the valve is opened is sufficiently higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23, and the high-pressure compressed air CA1 introduced into the flow path 47 flows through the valve chamber 45 to the discharge flow path 48 immediately after the valve is opened. The discharge-side pressure P3 increases rapidly (see fig. 11), and the high-pressure injection air CA2 is output from the discharge flow path 48 toward the check valve 25 and further toward the injection nozzle 31 of the mixing output portion 22c downstream of the check valve 25.

On the other hand, the pressure P1 on the introduction side rapidly decreases (see fig. 11), and eventually the diaphragm 43 is switched from the open valve to the closed valve. That is, the pressure P2 in the valve chamber 45 also decreases, and the predetermined pressing force by the biasing force of the biasing spring 44 exceeds the pressing force "f1+f2" of the diaphragm 43 by the two pressures P1 and P2, so that the valve body 43a of the valve portion 40a closes the opening 47a of the introduction passage 47. The pressure P3 on the discharge side becomes sufficiently low, and the pressure P1 on the introduction side again rises. The pressure P1 on the introduction side rises again until the diaphragm 43 opens the valve due to the leak CAx. Then, by repeating the above operation, high-pressure and pulse-shaped injection air CA2 is generated in the injection air generating portion 22a including the valve device 24 (refer to fig. 11).

[ Operation of the vehicle cleaning System 20 ]

As shown in fig. 2, in the non-operating state of the first cleaning device 21a and the second cleaning device 21b of the vehicle cleaning system 20, the valve portion 40a of the valve device 24 of the injection air generating portion 22a is in a valve-closed state, and the valve body 43a closes the introduction flow path 47 (see fig. 4). The check valve 25 of the jet air generating unit 22a and the check valve 27 of the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b are also in a closed state. The valve body 53a of the flow path switching valve 26 of the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b is in the neutral position. The chamber 29 is in a state where the extrusion degree of the piston 29b is maximum, and the cleaning liquid Ws is not stored in the storage chamber 29 y.

Then, in the host ECU 100, when a cleaning command is issued to the corresponding first cleaning device 21a and second cleaning device 21b at predetermined intervals based on a foreign object such as a raindrop adhering to the sensing surface 11a of the first range sensor 11 and the sensing surface 12a of the second range sensor 12 or whether or not a foreign object is present, the air pump 23 of each cleaning device 21a, 21b and the washer pump 13b of the washer device 13 are sequentially driven by the front ECU 101 and the rear ECU 102.

As shown in fig. 11, in the present embodiment, for example, the washer pump 13b is driven for a predetermined period T1, and then, after the washer pump 13b is stopped, the air pump 23 is driven for a predetermined period T2.

That is, first, the washer pump 13b is driven for a predetermined period T1 from time T1 to time T2 based on the purge command. As shown in fig. 7, when the washer pump 13b is driven, the diaphragm 53 of the flow path switching valve 26 of the washer fluid reservoir 22b deflects toward the secondary side to open the opening 51d of the first introduction flow path 51y, and the valve body 53a is displaced to close the opening 52d of the second discharge flow path 52z, thereby bringing the flow path switching valve 26 into the primary side open valve state. The cleaning liquid Ws passing through the flow path switching valve 26 is then introduced into the chamber 29 through the introduction flow path 28x and the relay flow path 28z of the reservoir joint 28 by opening the check valve 27. The cleaning liquid Ws passing through the check valve 27 is also introduced from the discharge flow path 28y of the reservoir joint 28 to the second introduction flow path 52y of the flow path switching valve 26.

Here, in the flow path switching valve 26, the cleaning liquid Ws flows into the primary side and also flows into the secondary side, but the primary side valve-opening state is maintained by the pressure balance between the primary side on which the conveyance pressure that conveys the cleaning liquid Ws to the valve body 53a and the thin wall portion 53b in the diaphragm 53 acts and the secondary side on which the conveyance pressure that conveys only the cleaning liquid Ws to the thin wall portion 53b acts. That is, in order to maintain the secondary side valve-closed state, the chamber 29 is retracted against the biasing force of the biasing spring 29c of the piston 29b by the cleaning liquid Ws, and sufficient cleaning liquid Ws is stored in the storage chamber 29y and the connection hoses 32h, 32g, 32f around the storage chamber, the second valve chamber 52x of the flow path switching valve 26, and the like. Further, since the secondary-side valve-closed state is maintained, even if the cleaner pump 13b is continuously driven in a state where a sufficient cleaning liquid Ws is stored in the above-described flow path including the chamber 29, further storage of the cleaning liquid Ws can be suppressed. In other words, if the washer pump 13b is excessively driven according to each change in the ambient temperature, the driving voltage, the viscosity of the washer fluid Ws, and the like, the same amount of washer fluid Ws can be stored each time.

Next, as shown in fig. 8, when the pressure feeding of the cleaning liquid Ws is stopped by stopping the cleaner pump 13b, the check valve 27 is in a closed state. That is, when viewed from the chamber 29, the state in which both the primary side and the secondary side of the flow path switching valve 26 are opened is switched to the state in which the primary side of the flow path switching valve 26 is closed and only the secondary side is opened. In the chamber 9, the piston 29b receiving the urging force of the urging spring 29c starts the extrusion operation. In the flow path switching valve 26, the delivery pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws to the primary side is lost, while the delivery pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws by the extrusion operation of the piston 29b acts on the secondary side from the chamber 29, and the valve is switched to the secondary side valve-opening state. That is, in the flow path switching valve 26, the diaphragm 53 is deflected to the primary side, and the valve body 53a is displaced so as to close the opening 51d of the first introduction flow path 51y and to open the opening 52d of the second discharge flow path 52z, thereby achieving the secondary-side valve-opening state and the primary-side valve-closing state.

By the above-described operation, the cleaning liquid Ws pushed out of the chamber 29 is not returned to the primary side of the flow path switching valve 26 by the check valve 27, but is led out to the mixing output section 22c via the secondary side of the flow path switching valve 26. In this case, the mixing channel 33 including the introduction channel 30x and the discharge channel 30z of the mixing-portion joint 30 is filled with a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid Ws, and waits for the injection air CA2 supplied from the injection air generating portion 22 a. As described above, the cleaner pump 13b of the present embodiment, which is a starting point for filling the mixing channel 33 with the cleaning liquid Ws, is driven for a purpose different from a general purpose of removing and cleaning foreign matters by directly injecting the cleaning liquid Ws from the injection nozzle 31, and the driving period, the driving power, and the like can be suppressed, and the cleaning liquid Ws to be used can be suppressed to a very small amount. Further, the filling amount of the cleaning liquid Ws to be filled into the mixing channel 33 can be easily set by changing the size of the reservoir 29y of the chamber 29 or the like.

Next, as shown in fig. 11, the air pump 23 is driven during a predetermined period T2 from time T3 to time T4 after the washer pump 13b is stopped. When the compressed air CA1 is supplied from the air pump 23 based on the driving of the air pump 23, the operation of the valve device 24 shown in fig. 4 to 6 is performed, and the high-pressure and pulse-shaped injection air CA2 having a pressure higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 is generated. The state shown in fig. 9 is a state before the valve device 24 is caused to raise the pressure of the compressed air CA1 to a pressure sufficiently higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 based on the driving of the air pump 23, and is shown in fig. 5. The state shown in fig. 10 is a state in which the valve device 24 is in the fully opened state shown in fig. 6, and air of a pressure sufficiently higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 is output as the injection air CA2. Then, the high-pressure pulse-shaped injection air CA2 generated in the valve device 24 by repeating the above operation is introduced into the mixing output unit 22c through the check valve 25.

At this time, as shown in fig. 10, since the mixing flow path 33 of the mixing output portion 22c is filled with the cleaning liquid Ws, when the high-pressure and pulse-shaped injection air CA2 is introduced into the mixing flow path 33, the gas-liquid mixed fluid X, in which the injection air CA2 and the cleaning liquid Ws dispersed into small particle diameters by the injection air CA2 are mixed, is injected from the injection port 31a of the injection nozzle 31. The gas-liquid mixture fluid X, in which the cleaning liquid Ws and the injected air CA2 are mixed, is blown to the sensing surface 11a of the first range sensor 11 and the sensing surface 12a of the second range sensor 12 shown in fig. 1.

That is, in the present embodiment, unlike the manner in which only the cleaning liquid Ws is simply blown and only the jet air CA2 is simply blown, the high-pressure jet air CA2 itself and the cleaning liquid Ws scattered into small particle diameters by the jet air CA2 can be blown to the respective sensing surfaces 11a, 12a at a relatively high speed. Therefore, foreign matter such as raindrops adhering to the respective sensing surfaces 11a, 12a can be effectively removed, thereby contributing to good maintenance of the ranging accuracy. Further, since the injection air CA2 having a sufficiently higher pressure than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 can be generated, the small-sized air pump 23 can be used.

Effects of the present embodiment will be described.

(1) The respective cleaning devices 21a and 21b of the vehicle cleaning system 20 according to the present embodiment operate the valve device 24 in the injection air generation unit 22a so as to use the compressed air CA1 supplied from the air pump 23, store the compressed air to a pressure higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23, and discharge the compressed air to the downstream side after accumulating, thereby generating the high-pressure and pulse-shaped injection air CA2. That is, the generation of the injection air CA2 with improved foreign matter removal performance can be realized without increasing the size of the air pump 23. Further, the cleaning liquid storage unit 22b and the mixing output unit 22c are included to mix the cleaning liquid Ws with the high-pressure and pulse-shaped jet air CA2 generated in the jet air generating unit 22a, so that the gas-liquid mixed fluid X in which the high-pressure and pulse-shaped jet air CA2 and the cleaning liquid Ws dispersed into small particle diameters are mixed is blown at high pressure and high speed toward the sensing surfaces 11a, 12a of the respective distance measuring sensors 11, 12. Therefore, the removal and cleaning of the foreign matter adhering to the sensing surfaces 11a and 12a can be improved by a small amount of the cleaning liquid Ws. Further, since the cleaning liquid Ws mixed with the jet air CA2 is temporarily stored in the cleaning liquid storage section 22 and supplied, a small amount and a fixed amount of the cleaning liquid Ws required for cleaning can be stably supplied as compared with the direct supply by the cleaner pump 13 b. In other words, a small amount of the cleaning liquid Ws may be used, and the cleaning liquid Ws may be handled only by a small drive (short-time drive) of the cleaner pump 13b, and each change in the ambient temperature, the drive voltage, the viscosity of the cleaning liquid Ws, and the like may affect the stable supply of the cleaning liquid Ws, but the cleaning liquid Ws may be temporarily stored in the chamber 29 as in the present embodiment, so that each change can be absorbed. Therefore, the same amount of the cleaning liquid Ws can be supplied each time, thereby contributing to an improvement in the stability of the cleaning force.

(2) In the injection air generation portion 22a, the valve portion 40a of the valve device 24 closes the introduction flow path 47 of the compressed air CA1 by the valve body 43a, and accumulates the compressed air CA1 supplied from the air pump 23 to a pressure higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23. The valve portion 40a and the check valve 25 also function as auxiliary means, and during the pressure accumulation, the leakage CAx of the compressed air CA1 is generated from the introduction passage 47 and the pressure accumulation is performed on the leakage side (the valve chamber 45 and the like). Next, the valve body 33a is opened based on the two pressures P1, P2 accumulated at the introduction flow path 47 and the leakage side (the valve chamber 45 and the like), and the compressed air CA1 accumulated in the introduction flow path 47 is output to the discharge flow path 48. Then, the valve body 43a is returned to the closed state so that pressure can be again accumulated in the introduction flow path 47. That is, by the air pump 23, the valve device 24, and the check valve 25, the high-pressure and pulse-shaped injection air CA2 can be generated.

(3) The chamber 29 constituting the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b can be realized by a simple structure using the reservoir case 29a, the piston 29b, and the urging spring 29 c. In addition, by using the biasing force of the biasing spring 29c included in the chamber 29 itself to guide out the stored cleaning liquid Ws, the independence of the chamber 29 other than the flow path of the cleaning liquid Ws can be improved, and an effect such as an increase in the degree of freedom of arrangement of the chamber 29 can be expected.

(4) The primary flow path between the washer pump 13b and the chamber 29 of the flow path switching valve 26 that forms the washer fluid reservoir 22b and the secondary flow path between the chamber 29 and the mixing output 22c are configured as one valve by being complementarily opened and closed by the common diaphragm 53. The cleaning liquid reservoir 22b can be configured to switch the flow path at each time, such as when the cleaning liquid Ws is supplied from the cleaner pump 13b, when the supply is stopped, and when the cleaning liquid Ws is discharged from the chamber 29, with a simple configuration using both the flow path switching valve 26 and the check valve 27.

(5) By including the check valve 25 on the downstream side of the valve device 24 of the injection air generation portion 22a, accumulation (rise of the pressure P2) on the downstream side of the valve portion 40a can be performed more reliably.

(6) The end time of the period T2 in which the air pump 23 is driven is controlled to be later than the end time of the period T1 in which the washer pump 13b is driven. That is, since the cleaning liquid Ws may become a foreign matter when remaining on the respective sensing surfaces 11a, 12a, the driving of the air pump 23 is ended after the driving of the washer pump 13b, and only the jet air CA2 can be blown to the respective sensing surfaces 11a, 12a after that. This can suppress the residual cleaning liquid Ws on the respective sensing surfaces 11a, 12a.

(Second embodiment)

A second embodiment of the vehicle cleaning system and the cleaning method will be described below. In the present embodiment, the structure of the chamber 29 of the first cleaning device 21a and the second cleaning device 21b and the operation thereof are slightly different from those of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, this difference will be mainly described.

As shown in fig. 12, the chamber 29 of the present embodiment omits the biasing spring 29c, and the air introduction connection portion 29g is provided at the other end surface of the reservoir case 29a, so that the operation by the biasing force of the biasing spring 29c is changed to the operation by the pressure of the compressed air CA1 from the air pump 23. The introduction passage 29z inside the air introduction connection portion 29g communicates with a space on the rear surface side of the piston 29b, that is, a space on the opposite side of the storage chamber 29y that stores the cleaning liquid Ws with the piston 29b interposed therebetween.

The flow path of the compressed air CA1 between the air pump 23 and the valve device 24 and the chamber 29 are connected to each other using an air branch joint 34 constituted by a T-joint, for example. The air branch joint 34 is configured to have an introduction-side connecting portion 34a, a first discharge-side connecting portion 34b, and a second discharge-side connecting portion 34c, the introduction-side connecting portion 34a and the first discharge-side connecting portion 34b being on a straight line, and the second discharge-side connecting portion 34c being orthogonal to them. The introduction flow path 34x inside the introduction-side connecting portion 34a communicates with the first discharge flow path 34y inside the first discharge-side connecting portion 34b and the second discharge flow path 34z inside the second discharge-side connecting portion 34 c. The connection hose 32a used in the first embodiment for connecting the air pump 23 and the valve device 24 is divided into two parts, that is, the connection hoses 32a1 and 32a2, and the introduction-side connection portion 34a is connected to the air pump 23 by using the connection hose 32a1, and the first discharge-side connection portion 34b is connected to the valve device 24 by using the connection hose 32a 2. The second discharge-side connection portion 34c is connected to the air introduction connection portion 29g of the chamber 29 using a connection hose 32 k. Similarly to the above, the connection hoses 32a1, 32a2, and 32k are also made of a flexible material such as a rubber hose.

The operation and action of the present embodiment will be described.

[ Operation of the vehicle cleaning System 20 ]

As shown in fig. 11, in the present embodiment, for example, the predetermined period T1 of the washer pump 13b is first driven, and then, after the washer pump 13b is stopped, the predetermined period T2 of the air pump 23 is driven.

First, as shown in fig. 13, when the washer pump 13b is driven to press the washer fluid Ws from the washer pump 13b, the diaphragm 53 of the flow path switching valve 26 of the washer fluid reservoir 22b deflects to the secondary side, and the flow path switching valve 26 is maintained in the primary-side valve-open state and the secondary-side valve-closed state, as in the first embodiment. The cleaning liquid Ws passing through the flow path switching valve 26 is introduced into the chamber 29 through the check valve 27 and the reservoir joint 28. In the chamber 29, the piston 29b is moved backward by the cleaning liquid Ws, and a sufficient cleaning liquid Ws is stored in the storage chamber 29y or the connection hoses 32h, 32g, and 32f around the storage chamber, the second valve chamber 52x of the flow path switching valve 26, and the like. Further, since the reservoir chamber 29y of the chamber 29 can be increased by omitting the urging spring 29c, the chamber 29 can be made smaller in size when the amount of the cleaning liquid Ws to be stored is increased or the same amount as in the first embodiment. Further, since the biasing force of the biasing spring 29c does not act on the retraction of the piston 29b, the pressure required for the retraction may be small.

Next, as shown in fig. 14, when the pressure feeding of the cleaning liquid Ws is stopped by stopping the cleaner pump 13b, the check valve 27 is in the closed state, as in the first embodiment. On the other hand, in the chamber 29 of the present embodiment, since the pressure of the compressed air CA1 from the following air pump 23 is received without the biasing spring 29c as a different operation, the squeezing operation of the piston 29b is performed, and therefore, the squeezing operation of the piston 29b is not performed at the present time. In the flow path switching valve 26, although there is no pressure for supplying the cleaning liquid Ws on the primary side, there is no pressure for supplying the cleaning liquid Ws from the chamber 29 on the secondary side, and therefore, for example, the deflection at the diaphragm 53 is recovered, and the valve body 53a is brought into the neutral position. In this case, although a minute gap is generated between the valve body 53a and the opening 52d of the second discharge flow path 52z, the cleaning liquid Ws does not leak out from the second valve chamber 52x to the second discharge flow path 52z in a large amount.

Next, when the compressed air CA1 is supplied from the air pump 23 based on the driving of the air pump 23, the operation of the valve device 24 shown in fig. 4 to 6 is performed, and the high-pressure and pulse-shaped injection air CA2 having a higher pressure than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 is generated, as in the first embodiment. The state shown in fig. 15 is a state before the valve device 24 is caused to raise the pressure of the compressed air CA1 to a pressure sufficiently higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 based on the driving of the air pump 23, and is shown in fig. 5. The state shown in fig. 16 is a state in which the valve device 24 is in the fully opened state shown in fig. 6, and air of a pressure sufficiently higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 is output as the injection air CA 2. Then, the high-pressure pulse-shaped injection air CA2 generated in the valve device 24 by repeating the above operation is introduced into the mixing output unit 22c through the check valve 25.

As shown in fig. 15, a part of the compressed air CA1 from the air pump 23 is also supplied to the chamber 29, and is used for the pressing operation of the piston 29 b. When the pressing operation of the piston 29b is started, the flow path switching valve 26 is switched to the secondary side open valve state by the delivery pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws based on the squeezing operation, and a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is led out through the secondary side of the flow path switching valve 26 and filled into the mixing flow path 33 of the mixing output section 22 c.

As shown in fig. 16, when high-pressure pulse-shaped jet air CA2 is introduced into the mixing channel 33, a gas-liquid mixed fluid X, in which the jet air CA2 and the cleaning liquid Ws dispersed into small particles by the jet air CA2 are mixed, is ejected from the ejection nozzle 31, as in the first embodiment. As a result, in the present embodiment, the foreign matter adhering to the sensing surfaces 11a and 12a of the ranging sensors 11 and 12 shown in fig. 1 can be effectively removed.

Effects of the present embodiment will be described.

(1) In the present embodiment, effects similar to those (1), (2), and (4) to (6) of the first embodiment can be obtained.

(2) The chamber 29 of the present embodiment constituting the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b is configured to discharge the stored cleaning liquid Ws by using the reservoir case 29a and the piston 29b and by using a part of the compressed air CA1 from the air pump 23. Therefore, the simple structure in which the biasing spring 29c is omitted can be realized.

(Third embodiment)

A third embodiment of the vehicle cleaning system will be described below. In the present embodiment, the structure of the cleaning liquid storage portion 22b of the first cleaning device 21a and the second cleaning device 21b and the operation related thereto are different from those of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, this difference will be mainly described.

The cleaning liquid reservoir 22b of the first embodiment shown in fig. 2 is configured such that the flow path switching valve 26, the check valve 27, the reservoir joint 28, and the components of the chamber 29 are connected by respective connection hoses 32e, 32f, 32g, and 32 h. In contrast, the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b of the present embodiment shown in fig. 17 and 18 is configured as a cleaning liquid reservoir (cleaning liquid reservoir) 60a having the same function as the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b of the first embodiment described above as a single unit.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 18, the cleaning liquid storage device 60a of the present embodiment includes a substantially bottomed cylindrical case body 61 and a cover member 62 closing an opening of the case body 61, and has an introduction-side connecting portion 61a at the bottom center of the case body 61 and a discharge-side connecting portion 62a at the center of the cover member 62. The introduction-side connecting portion 61a and the discharge-side connecting portion 62a extend in opposite directions to each other in the axial direction of the housing main body 61. The introduction-side connection portion 61a is connected to a connection hose 32d extending from the washer pump 13b, and the discharge-side connection portion 62a is connected to the second introduction-side connection portion 30b of the mixing-portion joint 30.

The introduction flow path 61x inside the introduction-side connection portion 61a communicates with a reservoir chamber 65 defined by a piston 70 described later in the housing main body 61, and the discharge flow path 62x inside the discharge-side connection portion 62a communicates with the reservoir chamber 65 through an inner cylindrical portion 62b extending in the axial direction from the inner center of the cover member 62 to the vicinity of the bottom of the housing main body 61. A spool 66 made of a substantially circular plate-like rubber sheet or the like is displaceably disposed between the opening 62c, 61b between the opening 62c of the inner tube 62b (the discharge flow path 62 x) and the opening 61b of the introduction flow path 61 x.

The spool 66 has a flange portion 66a. A gasket 67 is attached to the valve body 66 so as to abut against a surface of the flange portion 66a facing the discharge-side connecting portion 62 a. A washer 68 is attached to the front end of the inner tube 62 b. The gaskets 67 and 68 have the same structure, are annular, and have through holes 67a and 68a. The washer 68 is in contact with a surface of the locking portion 62d provided on the outer peripheral surface of the front end portion of the inner tube portion 62b, which faces the introduction-side connecting portion 61 a. A biasing spring 69 is interposed between the washers 67 and 68. The urging spring 69 urges the valve body 66 through the washer 67, starting from the washer 68 engaged with the engagement portion 62d of the inner cylinder portion 62 b.

An annular piston 70 is disposed around the inner cylinder 62b in a space close to the discharge-side connecting portion 62a with respect to the gasket 68. The piston 70 includes an annular rubber packing 71 and a gasket 72 disposed in the rubber packing 71 at a position facing the discharge-side connecting portion 62 a. The piston 70 includes a biasing spring 73 disposed around the inner cylinder 62b between a gasket 72 and the cover member 62. The urging spring 73 urges the piston 70 so that the piston 70 faces the washer 68, that is, faces the cleaning liquid Ws flowing in from the through hole 68a of the washer 68 (see fig. 19 (a)). In a longitudinal section (axial section) of the rubber packing 71 constituting the piston 70, the pressure receiving portion 71a as a portion receiving the inflow pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws is inverted Y-shaped branching into two toward the packing 68. The pressure receiving portion 71a is also in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the case main body 61 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube portion 62b, and suppresses leakage of the cleaning liquid Ws from between the two peripheral surfaces while receiving pressure from the cleaning liquid Ws.

When no cleaning liquid Ws flows in from the opening 61b of the introduction flow path 61x by the cleaner pump 13b, the valve body 66 receives the urging force of the urging spring 69 to close the opening 61b of the introduction flow path 61 x. At this time, the opening 62c of the inner tube 62b is not closed by the valve member 66 but is opened. The piston 70 receives the biasing force of the biasing spring 73, and the pressure receiving portion 71a is disposed at a position where it abuts against the locking portion 62d of the inner tube portion 62 b. In this case, the volume of the reservoir 65 divided by the piston 70 is minimized.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 19 (a), when the cleaning liquid Ws is pumped by the drive of the cleaner pump 13b, the valve body 66 closing the opening 61b of the introduction flow path 61x is displaced so as to be pushed up against the urging force of the urging spring 69, the opening 61b is in a sufficiently opened state, and the opening 62c of the inner tube 62b is closed. The cleaning liquid Ws flowing in from the opening 61b of the introduction flow path 61x advances to the inside through the through hole 67a of the gasket 67, does not leak from the opening 62c of the inner tube 62b, and advances to the inside of the piston 70 through the through hole 68a of the gasket 68. The piston 70 is pushed by the pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws, and retreats against the biasing force of the biasing spring 73, whereby the volume of the reservoir 65 is increased as the piston 70 retreats. Then, the piston 70 (the washer 72) is retracted to a position where it abuts against the restricting wall 62e of the cover member 62, whereby the volume of the reservoir 65 becomes maximum, and a constant amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is stored in the cleaning liquid storage device 60 a.

Further, when the drive of the washer pump 13b is stopped in a state in which the piston 70 is retracted and a constant amount of the washer fluid Ws is stored, the inflow pressure of the washer fluid Ws from the opening 61b of the introduction flow path 61x also disappears, and as shown in fig. 19 (b), the valve body 66 returns to a state in which the opening 61b of the introduction flow path 61x is closed, and the reverse flow of the washer fluid Ws introduced into the introduction flow path 61x from the opening 61b is suppressed. On the other hand, since the opening 62c of the inner tube 62b is opened in response to the recovery of the valve member 66, the piston 70 receiving the urging force of the urging spring 73 presses the cleaning liquid Ws stored in the reservoir 65. At this time, the opening 61b near the introduction flow path 61x is closed, and thereby the cleaning liquid Ws is discharged from the opening 62c of the inner tube 62b through the discharge flow path 62x by the squeezing operation of the piston 70. In order to smoothly perform the extrusion operation and the above-described retraction operation of the piston 70, the space on the rear surface side of the piston 70 is opened to the atmosphere through the communication hole 62f provided in the cover member 62.

In this way, the cleaning liquid storage device 60a of the present embodiment operates as follows: a constant amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is stored based on the driving of the washer pump 13b, and the constant amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is discharged to the mixing output section 22c based on the stop of the driving of the washer pump 13 b. That is, the cleaning liquid storage device 60a of the present embodiment is configured to perform the same operation as the cleaning liquid storage portion 22b of the first embodiment, and includes, in one unit: a function as a flow path switching valve for switching the opening and closing of the flow paths 61x, 62x by the operation of the valve body 66; a function as a check valve for suppressing the reverse flow of the cleaning liquid Ws into the guide passage 61 x; and as a chamber for storing or squeezing out the cleaning liquid Ws based on the operation of the piston 70.

Effects of the present embodiment will be described.

(1) In the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained, and the simple system configuration can be realized by using the cleaning liquid storage device 60a which is formed as one unit as the cleaning liquid storage portion 22 b.

(2) The cleaning liquid reservoir 60a of the present embodiment can be configured using a disk-shaped valve member 66 that is easy to manufacture.

(Fourth embodiment)

A fourth embodiment of the vehicle cleaning system will be described below. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the cleaning liquid storage device (cleaning liquid storage portion) 60b is slightly different from that of the cleaning liquid storage device 60a of the third embodiment described above. Hereinafter, this difference will be mainly described.

The valve body 66 and the biasing spring 69, which are substantially disk-shaped and used in the third embodiment shown in fig. 18, are used to function as a flow path switching valve and a check valve. In contrast, in the cleaning liquid reservoir 60b of the present embodiment shown in fig. 20, the valve body 66 and the biasing spring 69 are replaced with the diaphragm 75, and the structure around the piston 70 is the same.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 20, the cleaning liquid storage device 60b of the present embodiment is configured such that the housing main body 61 is first formed in a cylindrical shape, the cover member 62 used in the third embodiment is used on the discharge side, and the cover member 63 is used on the introduction side. The cover members 62 and 63 close the openings of the case body 61. As in the third embodiment, the cover member 62 includes a discharge-side connecting portion 62a, a discharge flow path 62x, an inner tube portion 62b, and the like. The cover member 63 has an introduction-side connection portion 63a at a central portion thereof, and an introduction passage 63x is provided inside. The opening 63b of the introduction flow path 63x of the inner surface of the cover member 63 protrudes cylindrically so as to face the inner cylindrical portion 62b of the cover member 62. Further, a cylindrical holding wall 63c is provided on the inner surface of the cover member 63 at a position intermediate the opening 63b and the housing main body 61. The retaining wall 63c retains the peripheral edge 75x of the diaphragm 75 by fitting the peripheral edge 75x of the diaphragm 75 into a retaining groove 63d provided near the axial intermediate portion. The diaphragm 75 has a valve body 75a in the center portion, and a thin wall portion 75b is provided between the valve body 75a and the peripheral portion 75 x. The valve body 75a of the diaphragm 75 is displaceably arranged between the opening 62c of the inner tube 62b (the discharge flow path 62 x) and the opening 63b of the introduction flow path 63x.

Further, a through flow path 76 penetrating in the radial direction is provided at a portion of the holding wall portion 63c on the base end side of the holding groove 63d (the holding portion of the peripheral edge portion 75x of the diaphragm 75), and a peripheral flow path 77 communicating with the through flow path 76 is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the holding wall portion 63c and the inner peripheral surface of the housing main body 61. In the peripheral surface flow path 77, the movable piece portion 75c protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral edge portion 75x of the diaphragm 75. The movable piece 75c is inclined such that a distal end portion (radially outer portion) thereof is further downstream than a proximal end portion (radially inner portion), and the distal end portion thereof abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the housing main body 61. The reservoir 65 of the cleaning liquid Ws in the present embodiment is a space defined by the piston 70 and the diaphragm 75 on the downstream side of the movable plate portion 75c protruding into the peripheral surface flow path 77. Incidentally, in the present embodiment, the locking portion 62d (see fig. 18) of the inner tube portion 62b is omitted, and the position restriction on the extrusion side of the piston 70 is performed by abutment of the pressure receiving portion 71a of the rubber packing 71 constituting the piston 70 with the tip end portion of the holding wall portion 63 c.

When no cleaning liquid Ws flows in from the opening 63b of the introduction flow path 63x by the cleaner pump 13b, the valve body 75a of the diaphragm 75 is positioned at an intermediate position between the opening 62c of the inner tube 62b and the opening 63b of the introduction flow path 63x, and is in a state where both openings 62c and 63b are not actively closed. The piston 70 receives the biasing force of the biasing spring 73, and the pressure receiving portion 71a is disposed at a position in contact with the distal end portion of the holding wall portion 63 c. In this case, the volume of the reservoir 65 divided by the piston 70 is minimized.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 21 (a), when the cleaning liquid Ws is pumped by driving the cleaner pump 13b, the valve body 75a of the diaphragm 75 is displaced so as to be pushed up, the opening 63b of the introduction passage 63x is sufficiently opened, and the opening 62c of the inner tube 62b is closed. The cleaning liquid Ws flowing in from the opening 63b of the introduction flow path 63x passes through the through flow path 76 and the peripheral flow path 77 while temporarily facing radially outward by the diaphragm 75, and advances toward the inner side where the piston 70 is located without leaking from the opening 62c of the inner tube 62 b. At this time, when the movable piece 75c protruding into the peripheral surface flow path 77 flows from the introduction flow path 63x toward the piston 70, the tip end portion thereof separates from the inner peripheral surface of the housing main body 61, and opens the flow path. The piston 70 is retracted by the pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws, and the volume of the reservoir 65 is increased as the piston 70 is retracted. Then, the piston 70 (the washer 72) is retracted to a position where it abuts against the restricting wall 62e of the cover member 62, whereby the volume of the reservoir 65 becomes maximum, and a constant amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is stored in the cleaning liquid storage device 60 a.

Further, when the drive of the washer pump 13b is stopped in a state where the piston 70 is retracted and a constant amount of the washer fluid Ws is stored, the inflow pressure of the washer fluid Ws from the opening 63b of the introduction flow path 63x also disappears. At this time, the piston 70 receiving the biasing force of the biasing spring 73 tries to push out the cleaning liquid Ws stored in the reservoir 65, and displaces the valve body 75a of the diaphragm 75 to the opposite side. Then, as shown in fig. 21 (b), the valve body 75a closes the opening 63b of the introduction passage 63 x. At this time, the tip end of the movable piece 75c protruding into the peripheral surface flow path 77 is brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the housing main body 61, and the flow path is closed. This suppresses the backflow of the cleaning liquid Ws from the opening 63b into the flow path 63 x. On the other hand, by displacement of the valve body 75a of the diaphragm 75, the opening 62c of the inner tube 62b is opened, and the cleaning liquid Ws is discharged from the opening 62c of the inner tube 62b through the discharge flow path 62x by the squeezing operation of the piston 70.

As described above, the cleaning liquid storage device 60b of the present embodiment also has a function of operating as follows: the constant amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is stored by the driving of the washer pump 13b, and the constant amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is discharged to the mixing output section 22c by the stop of the driving of the washer pump 13b, and the function of the flow path switching valve, the function of the check valve, and the function of the chamber are included in one unit as in the third embodiment.

Effects of the present embodiment will be described.

(2) In the cleaning liquid reservoir 60b of the present embodiment, the use of the diaphragm 75 can eliminate the biasing spring for biasing the valve body.

(Fifth embodiment)

A fifth embodiment of the vehicle cleaning system will be described below. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the cleaning liquid storage device (cleaning liquid storage portion) 60c is slightly different from that of the cleaning liquid storage device 60b of the fourth embodiment described above. Hereinafter, this difference will be mainly described.

The diaphragm 75 used in the fourth embodiment shown in fig. 20 is used to function as a flow path switching valve and a check valve. In contrast, in the cleaning liquid storage device 60c of the present embodiment shown in fig. 22, the diaphragm 75 is replaced with an umbrella valve 80, and the structure around the piston 70 is the same.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 22, the cleaning liquid storage device 60c of the present embodiment uses a cylindrical case body 61 and cover members 62 and 63 that close the respective openings of the case body 61. A plate-like holding wall portion 61c for holding the umbrella valve 80 in a direction (radial direction) orthogonal to the axis is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the housing main body 61. The umbrella valve 80 has a shaft portion 80a and a movable disk portion 80b located at one end of the shaft portion 80 a. The holding wall portion 61c holds the shaft portion 80a of the umbrella valve 80 by fitting the shaft portion 80a of the umbrella valve 80 into the holding hole 61d provided in the central portion. Further, the holding wall portion 61c is provided with an opening portion 61e around the holding hole 61d (the holding portion of the shaft portion 80a of the umbrella valve 80). The opening 61e communicates with the introduction flow path 63x, and functions as a substantial opening of the introduction flow path 63 x. The movable disk portion 80b of the umbrella valve 80 is arranged between the opening 62c of the inner tube portion 62b (the discharge flow path 62 x) and the opening 61e communicating with the introduction flow path 63x so as to be displaceable. The displacement of the movable disk portion 80b at this time is in a form in which the outer peripheral portion abuts against or separates from the holding wall portion 61c with the center portion of the movable disk portion 80b coupled to the shaft portion 80a as a fulcrum. The reservoir 65 of the cleaning liquid Ws in the present embodiment is a space defined by the holding wall 61c and the movable disk 80b of the umbrella valve 80 and the piston 70.

In a state where no cleaning liquid Ws flows in from the opening 61e communicating with the introduction flow path 63x by the cleaner pump 13b, the movable disk 80b of the umbrella valve 80 is not actively closed, although it closes the opening 62c of the inner cylinder 62b and the opening 61e communicating with the introduction flow path 63 x. The piston 70 is biased by a biasing spring 73 and is disposed at a position where the extrusion degree is maximum. In this case, the volume of the reservoir 65 divided by the piston 70 is minimized.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 23 (a), when the cleaning liquid Ws is pumped by driving the cleaner pump 13b, the outer peripheral portion of the movable disk portion 80b of the umbrella valve 80 is displaced so as to be pushed up, the opening portion 61e communicating with the introduction passage 63x is opened, and the opening portion 62c of the inner tube portion 62b is sufficiently closed. The cleaning liquid Ws flowing in from the opening 61e communicating with the introduction passage 63x advances toward the rear side where the piston 70 is located without leaking from the opening 62c of the inner tube 62 b. The piston 70 is retracted by the pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws, and the volume of the reservoir 65 is increased as the piston 70 is retracted. Then, the piston 70 (the washer 72) is retracted to a position where it abuts against the restricting wall 62e of the cover member 62, whereby the volume of the reservoir 65 becomes maximum, and a constant amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is stored in the cleaning liquid storage device 60 c.

Further, when the drive of the washer pump 13b is stopped in a state where the piston 70 is retracted and a constant amount of the washer fluid Ws is stored, the inflow pressure of the washer fluid Ws from the opening 61e communicating with the introduction passage 63x also disappears. At this time, the piston 70 receiving the biasing force of the biasing spring 73 tries to push out the cleaning liquid Ws stored in the reservoir 65, and displaces the movable disk portion 80b of the umbrella valve 80 to the opposite side. Then, as shown in fig. 23 (b), the movable disk portion 80b closes the opening 61e communicating with the introduction flow path 63x, and the reverse flow of the cleaning liquid Ws from the opening 61e to the introduction flow path 63x is suppressed. On the other hand, the movable disk portion 80b receives pressure from the cleaning liquid Ws, and thereby the umbrella valve 80 itself is also pushed in the axial direction, and the opening 62c of the inner tube portion 62b is opened. The cleaning liquid Ws is discharged from the opening 62c of the inner tube 62b through the discharge channel 62x by the squeezing operation of the piston 70.

As described above, the cleaning liquid storage device 60c of the present embodiment also has a function of operating as follows: the constant amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is stored by the driving of the washer pump 13b, and the constant amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is discharged to the mixing output section 22c by the stop of the driving of the washer pump 13b, and the function of the flow path switching valve, the function of the check valve, and the function of the chamber are included in one unit as in the fourth embodiment.

Effects of the present embodiment will be described.

(1) In the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained, and the simple system configuration can be realized by using the cleaning liquid storage device 60c which is formed as a unit as the cleaning liquid storage portion 22 b.

(2) In the cleaning liquid reservoir 60c of the present embodiment, the use of the umbrella valve 80 can eliminate the biasing spring for biasing the valve body.

(Sixth embodiment)

A sixth embodiment of the vehicle cleaning system will be described below. The present embodiment is a simplified structural version of the first embodiment or the second embodiment in which the connection structure of the first cleaning device 21a and the second cleaning device 21b is changed and the use of components is omitted. Hereinafter, this difference will be mainly described.

In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 24, the discharge-side connection portion 25f of the check valve 25 is connected to the relay connection portion 28c of the reservoir joint 28 through the connection hose 32c, and the second discharge-side connection portion 52c of the flow path switching valve 26 is connected to the injection nozzle 31 through the connection hose 32 i. Therefore, the chamber 29, the mixing portion joint 30, and the connection hoses 32g and 32j used in the first embodiment can be omitted, and the air branch joint 34 and the connection hose 32k can be omitted in the second embodiment.

With this configuration, the entire flow path that communicates with the flow path switching valve 26, the connection hose 32h, the reservoir joint 28, the connection hose 32c, the check valve 25, and the like functions as a chamber (reservoir), and a constant amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is stored by driving the cleaner pump 13 b. Since the jet air CA2 from the valve device 24 also flows through the flow path in which the cleaning liquid Ws is stored, the storage joint 28 also functions as a mixing joint, and the gas-liquid mixed fluid X in which the cleaning liquid Ws and the jet air CA2 are mixed can be jetted from the nozzle 31. That is, in the present embodiment, the connection portions of the flow path switching valve 26, the connection hose 32h, the reservoir joint 28, the connection hose 32c, the check valve 25, and the like are used as the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b and the mixing output 22c in the first or second embodiment, and thus the configuration is simplified.

In addition, in the case where the first cleaning device 21a (or the second cleaning device 21 b) of the connection system shown in fig. 24 is constituted by a plurality of sets, for example, four sets as shown in fig. 25, the connection hose 32d connected to the first introduction-side connection portion 51b of the flow path switching valve 26 can be connected to one cleaner pump 13b at a time, so that the cleaner pump 13b can be shared. The timing of the ejection of the gas-liquid mixture X from the ejection nozzle 31 is the driving timing of the air pump 23, and the storage operation of the cleaning liquid Ws by the driving of one cleaner pump 13b can be performed together.

Effects of the present embodiment will be described.

(1) In the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained, and the chamber 29, the mixing portion joint 30, and the connection hoses 32g and 32j used in the first embodiment can be omitted, so that a simple system configuration can be realized.

(2) As shown in fig. 25, the connection structure is configured to supply the cleaning liquid Ws from one cleaner pump 13b to the plurality of sets of cleaning devices 21a (21 b) at once, thereby realizing a simple system configuration.

The above embodiment can be modified as follows. The above-described embodiments and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within a range that is not technically contradictory.

The structures of the jet air generation unit 22a, the cleaning liquid storage unit 22b, and the mixing output unit 22c may be changed as appropriate.

For example, the valve device 24 and the check valve 25 may be integrally formed in the jet air generating unit 22 a. In addition, if two valve devices 24 are connected in series and the downstream valve device 24 is caused to function as a check valve, the check valve 25 may be omitted. In addition, if another valve body is provided in addition to the valve body 43a of the diaphragm 43 of the valve device 24 to open and close the opening 48a of the discharge flow path 48, the newly provided valve body functions as a check valve, and therefore, the check valve 25 is omitted and only one valve device 24 may be used.

In the injection air generating unit 22a, the valve device 24 may be omitted, and the compressed air CA1 generated by driving the air pump 23 may be directly used as the injection air CA2 for the injection of the gas-liquid mixture X from the injection nozzle 31. In this configuration, the foreign matter adhering to the cleaning object can be removed and cleaned with a small amount of the cleaning liquid Ws. Further, since the cleaning liquid Ws mixed with the jet air CA2 is temporarily stored in the cleaning liquid storage section 22 and supplied, a small amount of the cleaning liquid Ws required for cleaning can be stably supplied as compared with the direct supply by the cleaner pump 13 b.

In the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b, the reservoir joint 28 may be formed integrally with the chamber 29, the check valve 27, or the flow path switching valve 26. The flow path switching valve 26 and the check valve 27 may be integrally formed. The flow path switching valve 26 may be constituted by two valves or the like that are separated into a primary-side functional portion and a secondary-side functional portion.

In the mixing output section 22c, the injection nozzle 31 and the mixing section joint 30 may be integrally formed. The mixing portion joint 30 may be formed integrally with the check valve 25 of the jet air generation portion 22a or with the flow path switching valve 26 of the cleaning liquid storage portion 22 b.

In addition to the above, the structures of the jet air generating unit 22a, the cleaning liquid storage unit 22b, and the mixing output unit 22c may be changed as appropriate.

With respect to the cooperative control of the washer pump 13b and the air pump 23, the driving timings of each other may be appropriately changed. In the above embodiment, the air pump 23 is driven after the washer pump 13b is driven, but for example, the washer pump 13b may be driven while the air pump 23 is driven. In this case, it is preferable to control the end time of driving the air pump 23 to be longer than the end time of driving the washer pump 13 b.

The distance measuring sensors 11 and 12 are disposed in the front end center portion of the vehicle 10 and the rear end center portion of the vehicle 10, respectively, but may be disposed on the left and right side surfaces of the vehicle 10.

The distance measuring sensors 11 and 12 (sensing surfaces 11a and 12 a) are not limited to this. For example, in addition to the camera that captures the surroundings of the vehicle 10, the sensors other than the optical sensors, and the sensors, the head lamp 15, the tail lamp 16, the mirror 17, and the like shown in fig. 1, for example, may be used as the cleaning target.

(Seventh embodiment)

A seventh embodiment of the vehicle cleaning system and the cleaning method will be described below. In the present embodiment, the structure for supplying the cleaning liquid and the operation related thereto in the structure on the upstream side of the mixing output portion 22c of the first cleaning device 21a and the second cleaning device 21b are different from those in the first embodiment described above. Hereinafter, this difference will be mainly described.

As shown in fig. 26, the first cleaning device 21a and the second cleaning device 21b each have an injection air generating portion 22a, a cleaning liquid introducing portion 122b, and a mixing output portion 22c. The jet air generating unit 22a includes an air pump 23, a valve device 24, and a check valve 125. The injection air generating unit 22a generates high-pressure pulse-shaped injection air CA2 from the compressed air CA1 supplied from the air pump 23 by the operation of the valve device 24, the check valve 125, and the like, which will be described later. The cleaning liquid introduction portion 122b has a check valve 126 and is provided side by side with the ejection air generation portion 22 a. The cleaning liquid introduction portion 122b introduces the cleaning liquid Ws pumped from the cleaner pump 13b via the check valve 126. The mixing output section 22c has a mixing joint 127 and a spray nozzle 31. The mixing output unit 22c mixes the jet air CA2 generated in the jet air generating unit 22a and the cleaning liquid Ws output from the cleaning liquid introducing unit 122b through the mixing joint 127, and blows the mixture from the jet nozzle 31 toward the respective sensing surfaces 11a, 12a as cleaning targets. Further, the first cleaning device 21a and the second cleaning device 21b have the same structure. Accordingly, the specific configuration of the first cleaning device 21a and the second cleaning device 21b will be described in common.

In the jet air generation section 22a, the air pump 23 and the valve device 24 are connected to each other through a connection hose 129a, and the valve device 24 and the check valve 125 are connected to each other through a connection hose 129 b. The connection hoses 129a and 129b are made of a flexible material such as a rubber hose. The connection hoses 129c to 129f described later are also made of the same material. The air pump 23 is constituted by an electric air pump capable of generating compressed air CA 1. The valve device 24 further converts the compressed air CA1 continuously supplied from the air pump 23 into a high-pressure and pulse-like (intermittent) form, and outputs the high-pressure and pulse-like injection air CA2 toward the check valve 25, that is, toward the mixing output portion 22c via the check valve 25.

As shown in fig. 26, the check valve 125 includes a valve housing 125a, a valve body 125b, a biasing spring 125c, and a seal ring 125d. The valve housing 125a has an introduction-side connection portion 125e and a discharge-side connection portion 125f, and an introduction flow path 125x inside the introduction-side connection portion 125e and a discharge flow path 125y inside the discharge-side connection portion 125f are configured to communicate with a valve chamber 125z in the valve housing 125a, respectively. The introduction-side connection portion 125e is connected to the discharge-side connection portion 41f of the valve device 24 by a connection hose 129 b. The discharge-side connection portion 125f is connected to the first introduction-side connection portion 127a of the mixing joint 127 by a connection hose 129 c.

A seal ring 125d is fixed around the opening of the introduction passage 125x in the valve chamber 125z in the valve housing 125a, and the spherical valve body 125b is urged by an urging spring 125c to be brought into close contact with the seal ring 125 d. That is, when the inflow pressure of the fluid from the introduction flow path 125x reaches a predetermined pressure or higher, the valve body 125b of the check valve 125 is operated against the biasing force of the biasing spring 125c, and the valve is switched from the closed state to the open state, so that the injection air CA2 of the valve device 24 is outputted toward the mixing joint 127 of the mixing output unit 22 c.

The check valve 126 for the cleaning liquid introduction portion 122b is the same as the check valve 125 of the ejection air generation portion 22 a. That is, the check valve 126 includes a valve housing 126a, a valve body 126b, a biasing spring 126c, and a seal ring 126d, and the introduction flow path 126x inside the introduction-side connecting portion 126e and the discharge flow path 126y inside the discharge-side connecting portion 126f are configured to communicate with a valve chamber 126z in the valve housing 126a, respectively. The introduction-side connection portion 126e is connected to a connection hose 129d extending from the washer pump 13 b. The discharge-side connection portion 126f is connected to the second introduction-side connection portion 127b of the mixing joint 127 by a connection hose 129 e. When the inflow pressure of the fluid from the introduction flow path 126x reaches a predetermined pressure or higher, the valve body 126b of the check valve 126 is operated against the biasing force of the biasing spring 126c, and the valve is switched from the closed valve state to the open valve state, so that the cleaning fluid Ws pumped from the cleaner pump 13b is output toward the mixing joint 127 of the mixing output unit 22c.

The mixing joint 127 for the mixing output portion 22c is a Y-joint, and includes a first introduction-side connecting portion 127a and a second introduction-side connecting portion 127b on the introduction side, and includes a discharge-side connecting portion 122c on the discharge side. The first introduction-side connecting portion 127a and the discharge-side connecting portion 127c of the hybrid joint 127 of the present embodiment are arranged on a straight line, and the second introduction-side connecting portion 127b is connected at an acute angle, for example, 45 ° near the first introduction-side connecting portion 127 a. The first introduction flow path 127x inside the first introduction-side connecting portion 127a and the second introduction flow path 127y inside the second introduction-side connecting portion 127b communicate with the discharge flow path 127z inside the discharge-side connecting portion 127c, and have the same outer shape, the first introduction flow path 127x and the discharge flow path 127z are on a straight line, and the second introduction flow path 127y communicates at an acute angle, for example, an angle of 45 °, near the first introduction flow path 127 x. The first introduction-side connection portion 127a is connected to the valve device 24 and the air pump 23 via the check valve 125, and the second introduction-side connection portion 127b is connected to the washer pump 13b via the check valve 126. The discharge-side connection portion 127c is connected to the injection nozzle 31 by a connection hose 129 f.

Then, the injection ports 31a of the injection nozzles 31 included in the first cleaning device 21a and the second cleaning device 21b are arranged toward the sensing surface 11a of the first distance measuring sensor 11 and the sensing surface 12a of the second distance measuring sensor 12 shown in fig. 1, respectively. The cleaning liquid Ws supplied from the washer pump 13b and stored in the mixing output portion 22c in advance is ejected from the ejection nozzle 31 together with the high-pressure and pulse-shaped ejection air CA2 generated by the valve device 24 and the air pump 23, and is blown to the appropriate range of each of the sensing surfaces 11a, 12 a.

The operation and operation of the seventh embodiment will be described.

[ Operation of the vehicle cleaning System 20 ]

As shown in fig. 26, in the non-operating state of the first cleaning device 21a and the second cleaning device 21b of the vehicle cleaning system 20, the valve portion 40a of the valve device 24 of the jet air generating portion 22a is in the valve-closed state (see fig. 4). The check valve 125 of the jet air generating unit 22a and the check valve 126 of the cleaning liquid introducing unit 122b are also in a closed state.

That is, first, the washer pump 13b is driven for a predetermined period T1 from time T1 to time T2 based on the purge command. As shown in fig. 27, the one-way valve 126 of the cleaning liquid introduction portion 122b is opened by driving the cleaner pump 13b, so that the cleaning liquid Ws is introduced into the mixing output portion 22c downstream of the cleaning liquid Ws, and as shown in fig. 28, the one-way valve 126 is closed by stopping the cleaner pump 13 b.

At this time, since the injection port 31a of the injection nozzle 31 functions as a throttle, the flow path from the check valve 126 to the injection nozzle 31, specifically, a part or all of the flow path in the check valve 125 of the connection hose 129e, the mixing joint 127 and the connection hose 129f, and the connection hose 129c and the injection air generating unit 22a is filled with the cleaning liquid Ws. In other words, if the flow path is the filling flow path 140, the washer pump 13b is driven before the air pump 23 is driven in order to fill the filling flow path 140 with the washer fluid Ws. Since the washer pump 13b is driven mainly for filling the filling flow path 140 with the washer fluid Ws instead of for injecting the washer fluid Ws from the injection nozzle 31, the driving is performed in a short time or the driving force thereof is suppressed, and the washer fluid Ws used is suppressed to a very small level.

Next, as shown in fig. 11, the air pump 23 is driven during a predetermined period T2 from time T3 to time T4 after the washer pump 13b is stopped. When the air pump 23 is driven, the valve device 24 is operated, and the high-pressure pulse-shaped jet air CA2 having a higher discharge pressure P0 than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 is introduced into the mixing output portion 22c through the check valve 125 of the jet air generating portion 22a, and in this case, into the filling flow path 140 filled with the cleaning liquid Ws.

The state of the cleaning devices 21a and 21b shown in fig. 28 is a state before the operation of the jet air generating unit 22a and the valve device 24 is in the valve-closed state shown in fig. 4. The state shown in fig. 29 is a state in which the valve device 24 is raised to a pressure sufficiently higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 shown in fig. 5 based on the driving of the air pump 23. The state shown in fig. 30 is a state in which the valve device 24 outputs air sufficiently higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 shown in fig. 6. When the air having the high pressure is output from the valve device 24, the check valve 125 of the jet air generation unit 22a is opened, and the air having the high pressure is introduced into the mixing output unit 22c. That is, the operation of fig. 4 to 6 and fig. 28 to 30 is repeated to introduce the high-pressure and pulse-shaped injection air CA2 generated by the valve device 24 to the mixing output section 22c via the check valve 125.

At this time, since the filling flow path 140 of the mixing output portion 22c is filled with the cleaning liquid Ws, when the high-pressure and pulse-shaped injection air CA2 is introduced, the gas-liquid mixed fluid X, which is the cleaning liquid Ws that is mixed with the high-pressure and pulse-shaped injection air CA2 and is dispersed into small particle diameters by the injection air CA2, is injected from the injection port 31a of the injection nozzle 31. The gas-liquid mixture fluid X, in which the cleaning liquid Ws and the injected air CA2 are mixed, is blown to the sensing surface 11a of the first range sensor 11 and the sensing surface 12a of the second range sensor 12 shown in fig. 1. This effectively removes foreign matter such as raindrops adhering to the sensing surfaces 11a and 12a, and thus can maintain the ranging accuracy satisfactorily.

Further, since the injection air CA2 having a sufficiently higher pressure than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 can be generated, the small-sized air pump 23 can be used. Further, by blowing the gas-liquid mixed fluid X in which the cleaning liquid Ws is mixed, the amount of the cleaning liquid Ws used is small compared to the case where the cleaning liquid Ws is simply blown and the air CA2 is simply injected, and the air itself and the cleaning liquid Ws scattered into small particle diameters can be blown by the high-pressure injected air CA2 at a high speed. Therefore, the foreign matter on each of the sensing surfaces 11a and 12a can be removed and cleaned very effectively.

Effects of the present embodiment will be described.

(1) The respective cleaning devices 21a and 21b of the vehicle cleaning system 20 according to the present embodiment operate the valve device 24 in the injection air generation unit 22a so as to use the compressed air CA1 supplied from the air pump 23, store the compressed air to a pressure higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23, and discharge the compressed air to the downstream side after accumulating, thereby generating the high-pressure and pulse-shaped injection air CA2. That is, the generation of the injection air CA2 with improved foreign matter removal performance can be realized without increasing the size of the air pump 23. Further, the cleaning liquid introducing portion 122b and the mixing output portion 22c are included to mix the cleaning liquid Ws with the high-pressure and pulse-shaped jet air CA2 generated in the jet air generating portion 22a, so that the gas-liquid mixed fluid X in which the high-pressure and pulse-shaped jet air CA2 and the cleaning liquid Ws dispersed into small particle diameters are mixed is blown toward the sensing surfaces 11a, 12a of the respective range sensors 11, 12. This improves the removal and cleaning of the foreign matter adhering to the sensing surfaces 11a and 12a by the small amount of the cleaning liquid Ws.

(2) In the injection air generation portion 22a, the valve portion 40a of the valve device 24 closes the introduction flow path 47 of the compressed air CA1 by the valve body 43a, and accumulates the compressed air CA1 supplied from the air pump 23 to a pressure higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23. The valve portion 40a and the check valve 25 also function as auxiliary means, and during the pressure accumulation, the leakage CAx of the compressed air CA1 is generated from the introduction passage 47 and the pressure accumulation is performed on the leakage side (the valve chamber 45 and the like). Next, the valve body 33a is opened based on the two pressures P1, P2 accumulated at the introduction flow path 47 and the leakage side (the valve chamber 45 and the like), and the compressed air CA1 accumulated in the introduction flow path 47 is output to the discharge flow path 48. Then, the valve body 43a is returned to the closed state so that pressure can be again accumulated in the introduction flow path 47. By such an air pump 23, valve device 24 and check valve 25, high-pressure and pulse-like injection air CA2 can be generated.

(3) The downstream side of the valve device 24 in the jet air generation unit 22a and the flow path of the cleaning liquid introduction unit 122b include check valves 125 and 126, respectively. The check valve 125 functions as a pressure accumulation (rise in pressure P2) on the downstream side of the valve portion 40a, and the cleaning liquid Ws in the filling flow path 140 on the downstream side of the check valves 125 and 126 can be filled more reliably.

(4) The end time of the period T2 in which the air pump 23 is driven is controlled to be later than the end time of the period T1 in which the washer pump 13b is driven. That is, since the cleaning liquid Ws may become a foreign matter when remaining on the respective sensing surfaces 11a, 12a, by ending the driving of the air pump 23 after the driving of the washer pump 13b, it is possible to blow only the ejection air CA2 to the respective sensing surfaces 11a, 12a after that. This can suppress the residual cleaning liquid Ws on the respective sensing surfaces 11a, 12a.

(5) The period T2 during which the air pump 23 is driven is controlled to be shifted rearward from the period T1 during which the washer pump 13b is driven. Thus, after the cleaning liquid Ws is sufficiently filled in the filling flow path 140, the gas-liquid mixed fluid X including the cleaning liquid Ws can be ejected by ejecting the air CA 2. Further, since only the ejection air CA2 excluding the cleaning liquid Ws can be ejected after the pulse-like ejection, the cleaning liquid Ws can be suppressed from remaining on the respective sensing surfaces 11a, 12 a.

The seventh embodiment can be implemented by the following modifications. The present embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within a range that is not technically contradictory.

With respect to the cooperative control of the washer pump 13b and the air pump 23, the driving timings of each other may be appropriately changed. For example, the control method shown in fig. 31 may be controlled so that the period T1 from the time T13 to the time T14 in which the washer pump 13b is driven is included in the period T2 from the time T11 to the time T12 in which the air pump 23 is driven. In this case, too, the control mode is one in which the end time of the period T2 in which the air pump 23 is driven is later than the end time of the period T1 in which the washer pump 13b is driven. By inserting the driving of the washer pump 13b during the driving of the air pump 23, it is also possible to perform the injection of the injection-only air CA2 first, perform the injection of the gas-liquid mixture fluid X in the middle, and then perform the injection of the injection-only air CA2 again.

As shown in fig. 32 (a) and 32 (b), the drive period and the drive voltage of the washer pump 13b may be changed. Fig. 32 (a) shows a mode in which the period for driving the washer pump 13b is a normal period T1 and the driving voltage is a low voltage V1a, and fig. 32 (b) shows a mode in which the period for driving the washer pump 13b is a period T1a longer than the normal period and the driving voltage is a normal voltage V1. That is, fig. 32 (a) shows a mode in which the driving capability of the washer pump 13b is relatively reduced, and fig. 32 (b) shows a mode in which the driving capability of the washer pump 13b is relatively improved.

For example, when the ambient temperature is low, the viscosity of the cleaning liquid Ws is high, and therefore, when the temperature is low, the normal control in fig. 32 (a) is switched to the control in fig. 32 (b), and even the cleaning liquid Ws having high viscosity can be transported without fail.

If the non-drive period of the washer pump 13b is long, air bubbles are likely to be generated in the flow path of the washer fluid Ws, for example, in the connection hose 129d shown in fig. 26, and therefore, if the non-drive period of the washer pump 13b is, for example, a long period of one month, the normal control in fig. 32 (a) is switched to the control in fig. 32 (b). That is, the exhaust of the bubbles contained in the cleaning liquid Ws released from the ejection nozzle 31 is performed.

As shown in fig. 33, the mixing output portion 22c may be provided with a throttle portion 127d in the introduction flow path 127y of the cleaning liquid Ws immediately before the injection air CA2 and the cleaning liquid Ws are mixed. In the cleaning system 20 described above, since the cleaning liquid Ws is not injected from the injection nozzle 31 but is mainly filled in the filling flow path 140 by the cleaning liquid Ws, the cleaning liquid Ws may be slowly introduced into the filling flow path 140 through the throttle 127d in order to prevent the cleaning liquid Ws from leaking from the injection nozzle 31 due to the driving of the cleaning liquid pump 13 b.

As shown in fig. 34, flat valve elements 125g and 126g may be used as the valve elements of the check valves 125 and 126. Sealing surfaces 125h and 126h are provided on the valve elements 125g and 126g. Can contribute to miniaturization of the check valves 125, 126, and the like.

In addition to this, the structures of the jet air generating unit 22a, the cleaning liquid introducing unit 122b, and the mixing output unit 22c may be changed as appropriate. For example, in the injection air generating unit 22a, if two valve devices 24 are connected in series and the downstream valve device 24 is caused to function as a check valve, the check valve 125 may be omitted. In addition, if another valve body is provided in addition to the valve body 43a of the diaphragm 43 of the valve device 24 to open and close the opening 48a of the discharge flow path 48, the newly provided valve body functions as a check valve, and therefore, the check valve 25 is omitted and only one valve device 24 may be used.

The injection nozzle 31 and the mixing joint 127 or the mixing joint 127 and the check valves 125 and 126 are configured independently, but they may be integrally configured. For example, the injection nozzle 31 may be integrally formed with the mixing joint 127, or the mixing joint 127 may be integrally formed with the check valve 125.

Although the present disclosure has been described based on the embodiments, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and configurations. The present disclosure also includes various modifications and modifications within the equivalent scope. In addition, various combinations and modes, including only one element, more than one or less than one other combinations and modes, are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A vehicle cleaning system that performs removal cleaning of foreign matter attached to a cleaning object of a vehicle, comprising:

an air pump driven to generate injection air;

A washer pump driven to supply a washer fluid;

A spray nozzle that blows a gas-liquid mixed fluid in which the spray air and the cleaning liquid are mixed, to the cleaning object;

An injection air generation unit configured to include the air pump and a valve device, and to generate the injection air in a high-pressure and pulse shape based on an operation of the valve device that accumulates compressed air supplied from the air pump to a pressure higher than a discharge pressure of the air pump and discharges the accumulated compressed air to a downstream side after the accumulation;

A cleaning liquid storage unit configured to include a chamber that stores the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaner pump, and to be capable of guiding out the cleaning liquid stored in the chamber when mixed with the jet air; and

And a mixing output unit configured to blow the gas-liquid mixed fluid, which mixes the high-pressure and pulsed jet air generated in the jet air generating unit and the cleaning liquid introduced from the cleaning liquid storage unit, from the jet nozzle toward the cleaning object.

2. The vehicle cleaning system according to claim 1, wherein,

The jet air generation section includes:

a valve unit that includes a valve body that closes a flow passage of the compressed air, and that accumulates the compressed air supplied from the air pump to a pressure higher than a discharge pressure of the air pump; and

An assist mechanism configured to perform the following actions: generating leakage of the compressed air from the introduction flow path at the time of pressure accumulation of the valve portion and performing pressure accumulation at a leakage side due to the leakage; opening the valve element based on two pressures accumulated at the introduction flow path and the leakage side; outputting the compressed air accumulated in the introduction flow path to a discharge flow path based on the opening of the valve body; and performing valve closing recovery of the valve body based on output of the compressed air to the discharge flow path so as to be capable of accumulating pressure in the introduction flow path.

3. A vehicle cleaning system that performs removal cleaning of foreign matter attached to a cleaning object of a vehicle, comprising:

an air pump driven to generate injection air;

A washer pump driven to supply a washer fluid;

a cleaning liquid storage unit configured to be able to store the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaner pump and to guide the stored cleaning liquid out when the cleaning liquid is mixed with the jet air; and

A mixing output unit configured to blow the gas-liquid mixed fluid, in which the ejection air and the cleaning liquid introduced from the cleaning liquid storage unit are mixed, from the ejection nozzle toward the cleaning object,

The cleaning liquid storage unit is configured to include a chamber for storing the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaner pump, and to be capable of guiding out the cleaning liquid stored in the chamber when mixed with the jet air,

The chamber comprises: a housing member; a piston movably disposed within the housing member; a reservoir chamber partitioned by the piston within the housing member, and configured to store the cleaning liquid; and a biasing member that biases the reservoir chamber in a direction to contract the reservoir chamber,

The cleaning liquid storage unit is configured to store the cleaning liquid in the storage chamber by retracting the piston in the chamber against the urging force of the urging member based on the supply of the cleaning liquid from the cleaner pump, and to discharge the cleaning liquid stored in the storage chamber to the mixing output unit by extruding the piston in the chamber by the urging force of the urging member based on the stop of the supply of the cleaning liquid from the cleaner pump.

4. A vehicle cleaning system that performs removal cleaning of foreign matter attached to a cleaning object of a vehicle, comprising:

an air pump driven to generate injection air;

A washer pump driven to supply a washer fluid;

The chamber comprises: a housing member; a piston movably disposed within the housing member; and a reservoir chamber that is partitioned by the piston in the housing member and that stores the cleaning liquid, the chamber being configured such that the reservoir chamber is operated in a direction in which the reservoir chamber is contracted by compressed air supplied from the air pump,

The cleaning liquid storage unit is configured to store the cleaning liquid in the storage chamber by retracting the piston in the chamber based on the supply of the cleaning liquid from the cleaner pump, and to discharge the cleaning liquid stored in the storage chamber to the mixing output unit by extruding the piston in the chamber based on the supply of the compressed air supplied from the air pump.

5. A vehicle cleaning system that performs removal cleaning of foreign matter attached to a cleaning object of a vehicle, comprising:

an air pump driven to generate injection air;

A washer pump driven to supply a washer fluid;

The cleaning liquid storage part comprises a chamber for storing the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaner pump and a flow path switching part,

The cleaning liquid storage unit is configured to be switchable in the following manner:

based on the supply of the cleaning liquid from the cleaner pump, a flow path between the cleaner pump and the chamber is opened, and a flow path between the chamber and the mixing output portion is closed,

The supply of the cleaning liquid from the cleaner pump is stopped, a flow path between the cleaner pump and the chamber is closed, and the flow path between the chamber and the mixing output unit is opened by the discharge of the cleaning liquid from the chamber.

6. The vehicle cleaning system according to claim 5, wherein,

The flow path switching unit includes:

A flow path switching valve including a primary side flow path having a first introduction flow path communicating with the washer pump and a first discharge flow path communicating with the chamber, a secondary side flow path including a second introduction flow path communicating with the chamber and a second discharge flow path communicating with the mixing output section, and a common diaphragm configured to be capable of complementarily opening and closing the primary side flow path and the secondary side flow path; and

A check valve disposed between the first discharge flow path and the chamber.

7. The cleaning system for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein,

The cleaning liquid storage unit is configured to store the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaner pump at a constant amount.

8. The cleaning system for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein,

The cleaning liquid storage unit is configured as a single-unit cleaning liquid storage device having a function of storing the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaner pump and guiding the stored cleaning liquid when the cleaning liquid is mixed with the jet air.

9. A vehicle cleaning system that performs removal cleaning of foreign matter attached to a cleaning object of a vehicle, comprising:

an air pump driven to generate injection air;

A washer pump driven to supply a washer fluid;

The cleaning liquid storage unit is configured as a single unit, and has a function of storing the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaner pump side and guiding the stored cleaning liquid when mixing with the jet air,

The cleaning liquid storage device comprises a single valve core arranged between an opening part of an introducing flow path introduced from the cleaner pump side and an opening part of a discharging flow path discharged to the mixing output part side in a displaceable manner,

The valve core

When the cleaning liquid is pumped by driving the cleaner pump, the opening of the introducing channel is opened and the opening of the discharging channel is closed,

When the drive of the washer pump is stopped, the opening of the introduction flow path is displaced so as to be closed and the opening of the discharge flow path is displaced so as to be opened.

10. A cleaning method of a vehicle cleaning system for removing and cleaning foreign matter adhering to a cleaning object of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

Driving an air pump to generate jet air;

driving a washer pump to supply a washer fluid;

Blowing a gas-liquid mixed fluid in which the ejection air and the cleaning liquid are mixed, from an ejection nozzle to the cleaning object;

In an injection air generating unit including the air pump and the valve device, the high-pressure and pulse-shaped injection air is generated based on an operation of the valve device that accumulates compressed air supplied from the air pump to a pressure higher than a discharge pressure of the air pump and discharges the accumulated compressed air to a downstream side after the accumulation;

in a cleaning liquid storage section including a chamber that stores the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaner pump, guiding out the cleaning liquid stored in the chamber when mixed with the jet air; and

In the mixing output unit, the gas-liquid mixed fluid is blown from the spray nozzle toward the cleaning object, and the gas-liquid mixed fluid mixes the high-pressure and pulse-shaped spray air generated in the spray air generating unit and the cleaning liquid introduced from the cleaning liquid storage unit.

11. A vehicle cleaning system that performs removal cleaning of foreign matter attached to a cleaning object of a vehicle, comprising:

an air pump driven to generate injection air;

A washer pump driven to supply a washer fluid;

A cleaning liquid introduction portion configured to introduce the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaner pump; and

And a mixing output unit configured to blow the gas-liquid mixed fluid, which mixes the high-pressure and pulse-shaped jet air generated in the jet air generating unit and the cleaning liquid introduced from the cleaning liquid introducing unit, from the jet nozzle toward the cleaning object.

12. The vehicle cleaning system according to claim 11, wherein,

The jet air generation section includes:

13. The vehicle cleaning system according to claim 11, wherein,

The vehicle cleaning system further includes check valves provided on a downstream side of the valve device in the jet air generation section and on a flow path of the cleaning liquid introduction section, respectively.

14. The vehicle cleaning system according to claim 11, wherein,

The mixing output section has a throttle section provided in an introduction flow path of the cleaning liquid immediately before the jet air and the cleaning liquid are mixed.

15. The vehicle cleaning system according to claim 11, wherein,

The vehicle cleaning system further includes a control device that controls the air pump and the washer pump,

The control means controls the air pump and the washer pump such that an end time of a driving period of the air pump is at least later than an end time of a driving period of the washer pump.

16. The vehicle cleaning system according to claim 15, wherein,

The control device controls the air pump and the washer pump such that a driving period of the air pump is shifted rearward than a driving period of the washer pump.

17. The vehicle cleaning system according to claim 15, wherein,

The control device controls the air pump and the washer pump such that a driving period of the washer pump is included in a driving period of the air pump.

18. The vehicle cleaning system according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein,

The control means controls in such a manner as to change the driving period and the driving voltage of the washer pump based at least on the ambient temperature or the non-driving period.

19. A cleaning method of a vehicle cleaning system for removing and cleaning foreign matter adhering to a cleaning object of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

Driving an air pump to generate jet air;

driving a washer pump to supply a washer fluid;

Introducing the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaner pump to the cleaning liquid introducing section; and

In the mixing output unit, the gas-liquid mixed fluid is blown from the spray nozzle toward the cleaning object, and the gas-liquid mixed fluid mixes the high-pressure and pulse-shaped spray air generated in the spray air generating unit and the cleaning liquid introduced from the cleaning liquid introducing unit.