GB2485797A

GB2485797A - Windscreen wash water system

Info

Publication number: GB2485797A
Application number: GB1019886.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen Dylan Thomas; Terry Mckay
Original assignee: TS 69 Ltd
Current assignee: TS 69 Ltd
Priority date: 2010-11-24
Filing date: 2010-11-24
Publication date: 2012-05-30
Anticipated expiration: 2030-11-24
Also published as: GB2485797B; GB201019886D0

Abstract

A windscreen wash water system 30 for a vehicle that has a windscreen wash liquid reservoir 14 comprises an elbow pipe 32 with a peripheral flange (40, figure 2) at one end, the flange being of thickness between 0.5 mm and 2 mm, this end of the elbow pipe 32 locating in a correspondingly-shaped hole through a portion 22 of the body of the vehicle so the peripheral flange rests on the outside surface; an in-line filter cartridge 34 containing a pad of filter wool; and a flexible tube 36 connected at one end to the cartridge 34 and at the other end to a hole through a wall portion 16 of the windscreen wash liquid reservoir 14. The connection at the hole may allow overflow of excess water. The system 30 relies only on gravity for the water to flow through the elbow pipe, the in-line filter cartridge and the flexible tube, and so into the reservoir, and ensures the clean water in the reservoir 14 is replenished when it rains.

Description

Windscreen Wash Water System This invention relates to a windscreen wash system, and in particular provides an arrangement for automatically refilling a windscreen wash liquid reservoir in a vehicle such as a car.

GB 676 902 (Trico) describes a system for using rainwater from a gutter below a car's windscreen, and from channels over the doors, tc refill a windscreen wash liquid reservoir. A problem with such systems is to minimise the extent to which grit and dirt are carried with the water into the reservoir. A soreen is therefore provided in the pipework, and in addition a filter chamber with a filter screen and a filter pad are mounted within a chamber at the top of the reservoir. In addition a float mechanism is provided at the base of the filter chamber to prevent further inflow of water when the reservoir has sufficient water in it. This, however, requires a modification to the top of the reservoir, while the float mechanism provides additional mechanical complexity.

According to the present invention there is provided a windscreen wash water system for a vehicle that has a windscreen wash liquid reservoir, the system comprising an elbow pipe, defining a peripherai flange at one end, the flange being of thickness between 0.5 mm and 2 mm, the end of the elbow pipe with the flange being arranged to locate in a correspondingly-shaped hole through a portion of the body of the vehicle so the peripheral flange rests on the outside surface of that portion of the body; an in-line filter cartridge containing a pad of filter wool, the filter cartridge communicating at one end with the elbow pipe and communicating at the other end with a flexible tube; wherein the other end of the flexible tube communicates with a hole through a wall portion of the windscreen wash liquid reservoir.

The system of the invention is mechanically very simple, having no moving parts, and relying only on gravity for the water to flow through the elbow pipe, the in-line filter cartridge and the flexible tube, and so into the reservoir. The system is also easy to install, with minimai modifications to the existing features of the vehicle: it requires only a suitably-positioned hole through an appropriate portion of the body to accommodate the flange end of the elbow pipe, and a hole through a wall portion of the reservoir.

The flexible tube may be connected in a leak-tight fashion to the hole through the wall portion of the reservoir. In that case excess water would fill the reservoir to the brim, and may then be able to escape from the reservoir by overflowing from the top of the neck, if such overflow is not prevented by a filler cap.

In a modification the wall portion of the reservoir may be provided with two holes, into one of which the flexible tube is connected in a leak-tight fashion, while the other hole allows for overflow of excess water, and ensures no pressure fluctuations within the airspace above the water in the reservoir. Preferably the wall portion of the reservoir to which the flexible tube is connected is a side wall near the top of the reservoir, but it may instead be in the filler cap.

Alternatively the flexible tube communicates with the hole in the wall portion of the reservoir as a loose fit in the hole, while the end of the flexible tube is provided with a securing device to secure the flexible tube in communication with the hole. In this case any excess water will leak out through the same hole, because of the loose fit. In a preferred arrangement the flexible tube is connected in a leak-tight fashion to a rigid tube-connector and the flexible tube terminates outside the wall of the reservoir, the tube-connector locating as a loose fit in the hole through the wall portion of the reservoir. The tube-connector may for example comprise a short length of narrow pipe defining external peripheral ridges near each end.

The portion of the body to which the elbow pipe is connected is preferably a portion within a trough in front of the windscreen, as water will flow down into this trough when it rains and when the car is washed.

Such a trough must be provided with a drain or outlet, and the elbow pipe is preferably connected to a portion of the trough that is sloping towards a drain or outlet.

For vehicles where no such trough is provided, the elbow pipe is preferably connected to a portion of the body in front of the windscreen over which water will flow when it rains, and preferably a sloping portion.

The peripheral flange prevents water from flowing into the elbow pipe unless the depth cf water exceeds the thickness of the flange. When it first starts to rain, dirt is washed off the windscreen, but initially the depth of water is insufficient for water to flow into the elbow pipe. If it rains heavily, the water level in the immediate vicinity of the flange will be sufficient for water to flow into the elbow pipe, but any particles of grit carried by the water will tend to remain near the bottom of the water flowing over the body pcrtion, because of their density, and so do not enter the elbow pipe. This therefore provides a first stage separation between water and contaminants.

The elbow pipe is preferably approximately L-shaped.

At the bend of the elbow pipe there may be a projecting guide surface or chute to direct water that falls into the elbow pipe towards the filter module.

The in-line filter cartridge is preferably of transparent material, so that the extent to which the filter pad has trapped dirt can be observed. When the filter pad has trapped dirt and contamination throughout its depth the filter pad or the filter cartridge should be replaced.

The invention will now be further and more particularly described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the front part of a car, partly schematically, and without showing the bonnet, the car being provided with a windscreen wash water system of the invention; Figure 2 shows a longitudinal sectional view through the elbow pipe and the filter module of the windscreen wash water system of figure 1; Figure 3 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the oonnection of the windscreen wash water system of figure 1 to the windscreen wash liquid reservoir of the car.

Referring to figure 1 there is shown, partly schematically, portions of the front part of a car 10.

The bonnet of the car 10 is not shown, so that the components within the engine compartment can be seen.

Within the engine compartment is an engine 12 and a windscreen wash liquid reservoir 14 with a tubular neck 16 and a filler cap 18. The reservoir 14 would be connected via a pump to nozzles arranged to spray liquid onto the windscreen 20; these features are conventional, and are not shown. A portion of the bodywork immediately in front of the windscreen 20 forms a trough 22 in which the windscreen wipers 24 are mounted, and the trough 22 slopes down at each side so that any water in the trough can flow out, in this example flowing out through drain holes 26 shown schematically.

A windscreen wash water system 30 is mounted within the engine compartment, and consists of an elbow pipe 32, an in-line filter module 34, and a flexible polyvinylchloride tube 36. The elbow pipe 32 is mounted near one end of the trough 22, at a region where the trough 22 is sloping towards the drain hole 26. At the other end of the system 30, the end of the flexible tube 36 is connected to the neck 16 of the windscreen wash liquid reservoir 14.

Referring now to figure 2 the elbow pipe 32 in this example is of a rubber composition, 60 grade. It is of generally L-shape, open at both ends, with an internal diameter of 10 mm and an external diameter of 14 mm. At the top end is a peripheral flange 40 which in this example is of radial width 4 mm and of thickness 1 mm.

This locates in a circular hole of diameter 14.5 mm drilled through a portion 42 of the structure that forms the trough 22, so the flange 40 lines flat on the upper surface of that portion 42. The bend of the elbow pipe 32 has a thickened wall portion of at the lower side of the bend so as to define a chute 44.

The in-line filter module 34 comprises a transparent plastic tube 46 of external diameter 10 mm and of length mm, from which projects a tubular nozzle 48 of external diameter 5 mm and length 20 mm. The open end of the plastic tube 46 fits into the lower end of the elbow pipe 32, the elbow pipe 32 being sufficiently resilient that this joint is watertight. Within the plastic tube 46 is a wad 50 of filter wool, 50 mm long. This filter wool may be as used in fish tank filters, and may be of fibres of a polymer for example of polyester. The wad 50 may consist of different types of filter material, for example a wad of coarse filter wool followed by a wad of fine filter wool. In any event the transparent plastic tube 46 enables the user to check when the filter wad 50 is sufficiently dirty to need replacing. One end of the flexible tube 36 fits onto the tubular nozzle 48, this again providing a watertight seal.

Referring to figure 3, the other end of the flexible tube 36 is joined to the wall of the neck 16 of the windscreen wash liquid reservoir 14 at a hole 52 of diameter 3.5 mm by a tube connector 54. The tube connector 54 (or "hosetail") is a narrow tube of external diameter 3 mm, with a circumferential ridge 55 of external diameter 4 mm near each end, of a stiff plastic such as as acetal or nylon. One end of the tube connector 54 is pushed into the end of the flexible tube 36, which is of internal diameter 3.0 mm, so it is securely held by virtue of the circumferential ridge 55. The other end of the tube connector 54 is pushed through the hole 52, the resilience of the wall of the neck 16 allowing the circumferential ridge 55 to pass through. Since the central portion of the tube connector 54 is of smaller diameter than the hole 52, this connection is not watertight.

Referring again to figure 1, the system 30 is shown connected only to the trough 22 and to the windscreen wash liquid reservoir 14, but it will be appreciated that it may be supported at various positions along its length, for example by means of cable ties or metal clips (not shown) connected to other stationary components within the engine compartment. The system 30 is suitable for a wide range of different oars, and the position of the reservoir 14 within the engine compartment is not critical; when installing the system 30 the flexible tube 36 would be cut to an appropriate length. When it rains heavily, so the level of rainwater in the trough 22 flowing over the portion 42 exceeds the thickness of the flange 40, water flows down the elbow pipe 32, through the filter wad 50 in the filter module 34, and through the flexible tube 36 into the windscreen wash liquid reservoir 14. If the reservoir 14 is full up to the level of the hole 52, excess water over flows thrcugh the hole 52 and so falls onto the ground below the car. This ensures the reservoir 14 is replenished with clean water.

The system 30 operates in the same way whenever the car is washed.

The system 30 is shown by way of example, and can be modified while remaining within the scope of the claims.

For example the connection of the flexible tube 36 to the reservoir 14 might provide a watertight connection, and in this case an alternative overflow arrangement from the reservoir 14 would be provided, for example through a second hole, which may be at a different height in the reservoir 14 than the position at which the flexible tube 36 is connected. Where a tube connector 54 is used, the circumferential ridges 55 may be rounded, as shown in fig 3, but alternatively these ridges may be wedge-shaped, so that it is easier to insert the tube connector 54 than it is to remove it.

The system 30 is shown in Figure 1 as being located within the engine compartment. In some vehicles the space below the trough 22 is inaccessible from the engine compartment, being separated from it by a partition that may be fixed or removable. In such cases the elbow pipe 32 and the filter module 34 may be located behind that partition, below the trough 22. A hole (e.g. of diameter 6 mm) may be drilled through the partition for the flexible tube 36 to pass through. Alternatively a smaller hole may be drilled in which a straight connector (equivalent to the tube connector 54) or an elbow connector may fit; two lengths of flexible tube 36 would then be used to connect the ends of this connector to the filter module 34 and to the reservoir 14 respectively.

Claims

Claims 1. A windscreen wash water system for a vehicle that has a windscreen wash liquid reservoir, the system comprising an elbow pipe, defining a peripheral flange at one end, the flange being of thickness between 0.5 mm and 2 mm, the end of the elbow pipe with the flange being arranged to locate in a correspondingly-shaped hole through a portion of the body of the vehicle so the peripheral flange rests on the cutside surface of that portion of the body; an in-line filter cartridge containing a pad of filter wool, the filter cartridge communicating at one end with the elbow pipe and communicating at the other end with a flexible tube; wherein the other end of the flexible tube communicates with a hole through a wall portion of the windscreen wash liquid reservoir.
2. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flexible tube is connected in a leak-tight fashion to the hole through the wall portion of the reservoir.
3. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the wall portion of the reservoir defines two holes, into one of which the flexible tube is connected in a leak-tight fashion, while the other hole allows for overflow of excess water.
4. A system as claimed in claim I wherein the flexible tube communicates with the hole in the wall portion of the reservoir as a loose fit in the hole, while the end of the flexible tube is provided with a securing device so the flexible tube cannot be separated from the hole.
5. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the flexible tube is connected in a leak-tight fashion to a tube-1-0 connector and the flexible tube terminates outside the wall of the reservoir, the tube-connector locating as a loose fit in the hole through the wall portion of the reservoir.
6. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the portion of the body to which the elbow pipe is connected is a portion within a trough in front of the windscreen.
7. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the trough is provided with a drain or outlet, and the elbow pipe is connected to a portion of the trough that slopes towards the drain or outlet.
8. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the elbow pipe is approximately L-shaped, and at the bend of the elbow pipe is a projecting guide surface or chute to direct water that falls into the elbow pipe towards the filter module.
9. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the in-line filter cartridge comprises a wall of transparent material, so that the extent to which the filter pad has trapped dirt can be observed.
10. A windscreen wash water system for a vehicle, the system being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.