EP1903096A1 - Solid cleaning product for the glazed surfaces of a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The cleaning product for vehicle glazed surfaces e.g. window, comprises a cleaning agent, a first ingredient in solid form to bring down a freezing point of an aqueous solution below 0[deg] C, a second ingredient ensuring dissolution by effervescence of the product, a colorant, and an anti-tartar ingredient. The product is present in solid form and is adapted to form an aqueous cleaning solution. The product before setting in solution is present in a form of pellet with mass of 4.5-6.5 g.

Description

The invention relates to a glass surface cleaning product, especially a vehicle, of the type comprising at least one cleaning agent, the product being in solid form and being adapted to form an aqueous cleaning solution.

Glazed surfaces refer to both the windshield and the side and rear windows of a land, rail, sea or air vehicle.

To ensure efficient cleaning of these glazed surfaces, ready-to-use liquid products are known, which are poured into a tank, possibly after dilution. These products are packaged in containers of a relatively large capacity, usually two to five liters. Their handling and storage are not easy. Moreover, filling the windshield washer reservoir is often difficult, given the often inaccessible position of the tank orifice, the latter being generally located in the engine compartment of the vehicle. It happens that cleaning product is accidentally poured next to the tank.

To remedy this, pellets are known to be diluted in deionized water. US-A-4,502,892 describes such a lozenge that is effervescent. This pellet has a composition that lowers the freezing point of the aqueous solution to about -10 ° C. This pellet comprises a phosphate salt, potentially polluting.

The invention proposes, alternatively, an effective product in any season, directly usable in the windshield washer reservoir and avoiding any risk of overturning when filling the tank, while avoiding the use of a phosphate salt.

For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a cleaning product for glazed surfaces, in particular of a vehicle, of the type comprising at least one cleaning agent, the product being in solid form and being adapted to form an aqueous cleaning solution. at least one first ingredient, in solid form, adapted to lower below 0 ° C the freezing point of the aqueous solution and a second ingredient effervescence dissolution of the product, characterized in that the first The ingredient, which is in solid form and is suitable for lowering the freezing point of the aqueous solution to below 0 ° C, comprises sodium acetate in concentrations of 25 to 50% by weight relative to the total mass and sodium sulphate in concentrations of 5 to 11% by weight relative to the total mass.

Thus this product, in solid form and easy to implement, allows use in both summer and winter by limiting the risk of freezing the solution, while avoiding the environmental problems related to phosphate.

• Le produit, avant mise en solution, se présente sous la forme de pastilles.
• La masse d'une pastille est comprise entre 4,5 et 6,5 grammes.
• la composition d'une pastille, pour 100g de produit est :

• lauryl sulfate de sodium : 2 g à 10 g,
• alcool gras éthoxylé : 2 g à 10 g,
• EDTA: 1 g à 5 g,
• acétate de sodium : 25 g à 50 g,
• sulfate de sodium : 5 g à 11 g,
• acide borique : 10 g à 20 g,
• acide citrique : 2 g à 4 g,
• bicarbonate de sodium : 20 g à 60 g.
• Le produit comprend un colorant.
• Le produit comprend un ingrédient anti-tartre.

According to advantageous but not obligatory aspects of the invention, the product may incorporate one or more of the following features:

• The product, before dissolution, is in the form of pellets.
• The mass of a pellet is between 4.5 and 6.5 grams.
• the composition of a pellet, per 100g of product is:

• sodium lauryl sulphate: 2 g to 10 g,
• ethoxylated fatty alcohol: 2 g to 10 g,
• EDTA: 1 g to 5 g,
• sodium acetate: 25 g to 50 g,
• sodium sulphate: 5 g to 11 g,
• boric acid: 10 g to 20 g,
• citric acid: 2 g to 4 g,
• sodium bicarbonate: 20 g to 60 g.
• The product includes a dye.
• The product includes an anti-scale ingredient.

The invention will be better understood and other advantages thereof will appear more clearly on reading the following description of a product according to the invention, given solely by way of example.

In a vehicle, whether it is a motor vehicle of the car, bus or truck type, of a rail vehicle, such as a power car or a wagon, of an aircraft or a ship, the surfaces glazed, whether front, rear or side, are exposed to soiling such as dust and / or film road. When moving the vehicle, they are also exposed to insects crashing above and / or bird droppings. The vehicles are therefore equipped with a device for cleaning at least some parts of these glazed surfaces. Such a device comprises, in addition to windscreen wiper blades, a reservoir for a cleaning liquid. This tank supplies pressurized liquid wiper blades. It is frequent that in winter the outlets of the liquid are obstructed by ice. This ice is formed by the solidification of the cleaning liquid. This sensitivity to climatic conditions is increased by the fact that, generally, the tank, the pump and the pipes are not located in a thermally insulated zone and that the outlet orifices are of small diameter. In other words, in winter, the washing function of glass surfaces is not always available, which can be damaging to the driver's vision and thus the safety of the vehicle.

The glass surface cleaning product object of the invention is, before its implementation in the windshield washer reservoir, in a solid and compact form. These include pellets whose dimensions and shapes are adapted to be easily inserted into the washer reservoir, through the neck of the latter. These pellets, cylindrical, have a diameter of about 20 millimeters and a height of about 5 millimeters. Alternatively, the product is in the form of a powder. In any case, the product is easy to dissolve, with a concentration or in a predetermined concentration range, in a volume of water corresponding to a capacity commonly encountered for tanks of land vehicles, that is to say between 2 liters and 6 liters. The product is adapted to be dissolved in tap water without requiring distilled or demineralized water as the solvent. In all cases, the product is adapted to be easily and completely dissolved in the windshield washer reservoir, without requiring stirring, heating or the addition of another ingredient to increase the dissolution. In particular, no undissolved solid particle must remain in the final solution because this particle may clog the product outlets.

This cleaning product includes different ingredients. It contains at least two ingredients or compounds having a cleaning action, that is to say ingredients for removing the road film and / or dust and eliminate animal stains such as insects or bugs. bird droppings. For this purpose, an anionic surfactant-type compound, for example sodium lauryl sulphate, combined with a nonionic surfactant-type compound, for example ethoxylated fatty alcohol, is used. These two compounds are, in this case, associated with a sequestering type compound for complexing the limestone of the dilution water. Such a compound also makes it possible to limit the risk of scaling, in the case of hard water. This is, for example, EDTA (ethylene diamine sodium tetraacetate). Alternatively, other products avoiding scale can be used, it is for example sequestering sodium nitrilotriacetate, sodium gluconate or phosphonate type.

• lauryl sulfate de sodium : 2 g à 10 g
• alcool gras éthoxylé : 2 g à 10 g
• EDTA : 1 g à 5 g.

The concentrations used for these different compounds are from 2 to 10% by weight for each of the anionic surfactant and nonionic surfactant type compounds, and from 1 to 5% by weight for the sequestering agent. In particular, the following concentrations are used to produce 100 g of product, therefore pellets, before dissolution:

• sodium lauryl sulfate: 2 g to 10 g
• ethoxylated fatty alcohol: 2 g to 10 g
• EDTA: 1 g to 5 g.

Alternatively, the anionic surfactant may be of the sulfonate type and the nonionic surfactant of the polyglucoside type.

In all cases, these compounds are chosen to be used in solid form and, in particular, be pelleted easily while having a high solubility. The production of pellets is carried out by techniques known per se, for example using a tablet-type device.

To these ingredients forming the cleaning part, at least one and preferably two ingredients or compounds are combined to lower the freezing point of the final aqueous solution below 0 ° C. In others In this case, antifreeze is added in solid form so as to avoid the formation of crystals in the final aqueous solution from 0 ° C. For this, salts such as sodium acetate and, if necessary, sodium sulfate are used. At least one of these salts, in this case sodium acetate, is incorporated in a proportion of up to 50% by weight relative to the total mass.

• acétate de sodium : de 25 g à 50 g,
• sulfate de sodium : qsp 100.

Preferably, the following concentrations are used to produce 100 g of product, before dissolution:

• sodium acetate: from 25 g to 50 g,
• sodium sulphate: qs 100.

Other salts may be used, such as sodium chloride, calcium chloride or potassium acetate, in proportions ranging from 25 to 50% by weight relative to the total mass. In all cases, if the concentration of salts is increased, the freezing point of the final aqueous solution is lowered accordingly. For example, a concentration of 50% of sodium acetate or of potassium acetate makes it possible to lower the freezing point to -4 ° C. with a dosage of one tablet per 2 liters of water. The freezing point is lowered to -8 ° C with two pellets per 2 liters of water or three pellets per 2.5 liters.

The maximum useful concentration in salts is about 1% by weight. Indeed, at high concentrations, such a cleaning product, because it is an aqueous solution with a high salt content, leaves, during cleaning, white marks on the glass surface and / or the other parts vehicle on the edge of the glass surface.

Similarly, if a too small amount of salts is added, the freezing point of the final aqueous solution does not fall sufficiently low relative to that of fresh water, and there is a risk of having a problem solidification of the solution in the vicinity of 0 ° C in the windshield washer nozzles. In this sense, a minimum of 25% by weight of salts relative to the total mass is required. Tests have shown that a non-freezing solution can be obtained at up to -8 ° C using pellets containing 50% by weight of salts relative to the total mass. In particular, these are pellets whose mass is between 4.5 and 6.5 grams, preferably about 6 grams comprising 50% by weight of sodium acetate and 10% by weight of sodium sulfate. The recommended dosage to preserve a liquid solution at -8 ° C is three pellets of product per 2.5 liters of tap water or two tablets per 2 liters of water.

• acide borique : de 10 g à 20 g,
• acide citrique : de 2 g à 4 g,
• bicarbonate de sodium : de 20 g à 60 g.

The cleaning product also comprises at least one ingredient facilitating the dissolution in water of the other compounds. Typically, it is a mixture of compounds allowing effervescence of the product. This effervescence is obtained by the combination of two weak acids with a weak base. The acid is boric acid at concentrations of the order of 7 to 20% by weight relative to the total mass, advantageously 10 to 15%, combined with citric acid at concentrations of the order from 1 to 4% by weight relative to the total mass, advantageously from 2 to 4%. Citric acid reduces the time of effervescence. In addition, citric acid forms a citrate which has a cleaning action and a complexing action against calcium. The weak base is sodium bicarbonate at concentrations of the order of 15 to 60% by weight relative to the total mass. The following concentrations are used to make 100g of product before dissolution:

• boric acid: from 10 g to 20 g,
• citric acid: from 2 g to 4 g,
• sodium bicarbonate: from 20 g to 60 g.

Alternatively, another weak acid such as adipic acid and another weak base such as sodium carbonate can be used.

This produces a product in the form of pellets whose average composition is: For 100g For a lozenge of 6 g - sodium lauryl sulphate: 2 g to 10 g, 0.12 g to 0.6 g, - ethoxylated fatty alcohol: 2 g to 10 g, 0.12 g to 0.6 g, - EDTA: 1 g to 5 g, 0.06 g to 0.3 g, - sodium acetate: 25 g to 50 g, 1.5 g to 3 g, - sodium sulphate: 5 g to 11 g, 0.3 g to 0.66 g, - boric acid : 10 g to 20 g, 0.6 g to 1.2 g, - citric acid : 2 g to 4 g, 0.12 g to 0.24 g, - sodium bicarbonate : 20 g to 60 g. 1.2 g to 3.9 g.

The pellets dissolve directly in the windshield washer reservoir. Indeed, a dissolution in a container prior to its incorporation into the tank is possible, but in this case the risk of overturning the product when it enters the tank reappears. Other compounds may be incorporated into the pellet, for example it may be dyestuffs for tinting the final liquid or odorous substances to give a particular smell to the final product.

The product pellet is adapted to be dissolved in tap water.

Such a device makes it easy to store and handle the cleaning product without the risk of wasting the product during its incorporation into the tank.

A bitterer can be incorporated into the lozenge to limit the risk of ingestion by a child.

Such a pellet does not include phosphate, which contributes to the preservation of the environment, phosphate compounds being considered as a potential source of pollution.

Claims (6)

Glazing surface cleaning product, in particular of a vehicle, of the type comprising at least one cleaning agent, the product being in solid form and being adapted to form an aqueous cleaning solution, at least a first ingredient, in solid form, adapted to lower below 0 ° C the freezing point of said aqueous solution and a second effervescence-dissolving ingredient of the product, characterized in that the first ingredient, which is in solid form and adapted for lowering below of 0 ° C the freezing point of the aqueous solution, comprises sodium acetate in concentrations of 25 to 50% by weight relative to the total mass and sodium sulfate in concentrations of 5 to 11% by weight relative to the total mass. Product according to claim 1, characterized in that the product, before dissolution, is in the form of pellets. Product according to claim 2, characterized in that the mass of a pellet is between 4.5 and 6.5 grams. Product according to claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the composition of a pellet, per 100g of product, is: sodium lauryl sulphate: 2 g to 10 g, ethoxylated fatty alcohol: 2 g to 10 g, - EDTA: 1 g to 5 g, sodium acetate: 25 g to 50 g, sodium sulphate: 5 g to 11 g, boric acid: 10 g to 20 g, citric acid: 2 g to 4 g, sodium bicarbonate: 20 g to 60 g. Product according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a dye. Product according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an anti-scale ingredient.