GB2504194A

GB2504194A - Water removal apparatus to enhance visibility from vehicles

Info

Publication number: GB2504194A
Application number: GB201309394A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tim Seeley; Steven Abbs; Simon Croft
Original assignee: REAR CLEAR Ltd
Current assignee: REAR CLEAR Ltd
Priority date: 2012-06-01
Filing date: 2013-05-24
Publication date: 2014-01-22
Anticipated expiration: 2033-05-24
Also published as: GB2504194B; GB201209799D0; GB201309394D0; WO2013179004A1

Abstract

There is provided water removal apparatus (12) to enhance visibility from vehicles comprising a pressurised or compressed air supply (16) connected to an outlet means comprising at least one elongate tube (20) having a plurality of apertures (30) for emitting air and disposed substantially vertically relative to at least one viewing surface (22), such as a side-view mirror. The apertures (30) are angled between 10 to 30 degrees relative to the viewing surface (22) thereby in use to produce a laminar sheet of moving air contacting the viewing surface (22) to disperse water from the viewing surface. The laminar sheet is complete and uninterrupted, having no gaps. The elongate tube {20) is adapted to ensure each aperture (30) emits air at substantially the same pressure.

Description

Title: Water Removal Apparatus to Enhance Visibility from Vehicles

Field of the invention

This invention relates to apparatus for removing water from viewing surfaces of vehicles so as to enhance visibility from within those vehicles.

Background to the invention

Systems to remove water from side-view mirrors of vehicles, such as described in US 7,140,740, use a downwardly directed jet of compressed air emitted from a nozzle a positioned at the top of the mirror. For vehicles, such as lorries, with very large side-view mirrors, such a system is ineffective at removing sufficient watcr from the minor and rearwards visibility is still impaired during inclement weather conditions.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide an improved arrangement for removing water from minors and other surfaces that allow a driver to see outside their vehicle.

Summary of the invention

Tn accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water removal apparatus to enhance visibility from vehicles comprising a pressurised or compressed air supply connected to an outlet means comprising at least one elongate tube having a plurality of apertures for emitting air, and disposed substantially vertically relative to a viewing surface, wherein the apertures arc angled relative to the viewing surface thereby in use to produce a laminar sheet of moving air contacting the viewing surface to disperse water from the viewing surface. By having an elongate tube arranged substantially vertically, and so running substantially parallel to a vertical axis of the viewing surface, and by providing a plurality of apertures, and therefore a plurality of jets of compressed air, the viewing surface is cleared rapidly and effectively. Angling of the apertures to produce a laminar sheet contacting the surface ensures the air jets act in unison as a blade of air over the viewing surface.

Desirably the laminar sheet is unbroken so that it is complete and uninterrupted with no gaps, and non-turbulent. Thus the laminar sheet may have a contact surface adjoining the viewing surface which is complete and uninterrupted. The laminar sheet

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may extend across a viewing surface with a contoured profile, such as a concave or convex mirror.

Preferably the apertures are angled between 10 to 30 degrees relative to the viewing surface. This allows the Coanda effect to be utilised to ensure the laminar sheet contacts and clings to the viewing surface as it travels over the viewing surface.

The elongate tube may be adapted to ensure each aperture emits air at substantially the same pressure. This may be achieved by a cross-section of the elongate tube a tapering along the length of the tube, so as to create a plenum chamber for containing the pressurised air before dispersal through the apertures.

The apertures may be provided by nozzles with a Shore value between 30 to 80.

is The orientation of the tube ensures the apertures are arranged to direct a plurality of jets of air substantially horizontally across the viewing surface.

The viewing surface may be a side-view or wing mirror and where the viewing surface is a side-view mirror, first and second elongate tubes may be provided disposed on opposing edges of the viewing surface so as to direct jets across the side-view mirror from both sides.

The viewing surface may be a side window with the elongate tube located along an edge of the side window closest to a front of a vehicle. This ensures that the portion of glass that a driver uses to see his side-view minor is cleared of water by the compressed air so allowing the side-view mirror to be seen clearly.

If desired, the present invention may be provided for both a side-view mirror and a side window.

The apertures may be in the form of holes or slots, these slots providing a broader jet of air.

Where slots are provided, the slots are preferably between 5mm and 25mm in length.

The elongate tube may be made from metal, and in particular pliable metal such as copper, or alternatively of flexible materials such as plastics, elastomeric materials or rubber. The apparatus may further comprise an actuation means, such as an electric solenoid, to operate a valve means, typically associated with a manually operable switch, located in the vehicle and operable by a driver to emit air from the apertures when required.

a In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is also provided a water removal system to enhance visibility from vehicles, comprising water removal apparatus as aforesaid connected to a pressurised air supply from within a vehicle and a valve means operable to release air from the pressurised air supply to the water removal apparatus.

The invention also lies in retro-fitting of water removal apparatus or water removal system as aforesaid to a vehicle.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic front view of a vehicle with water removal apparatus installed; Figure 2 is a side view of the vehicle; Figure 3 is a detailed view of a side mirror; Figure 4 is a plan view of altemative tubes for use in the invention; and Figure 5 is a side view of the vehicle showing the invention when applied to a side window; Figure 6 is a view illustrating retro-fitting of the present invention.

Description

Figure 1 shows a large vehicle 10, such as an articulated lorry, incorporating a water removal apparatus 12 in accordance with the present invention. A pressurised air supply 13 of between 7 to 9 bar is routed from auxiliary air tank 14 fitted to the lorry, see Figure 2, to the driver's cabin and conduit 16 is connected into this air supply using an electric air solenoid, see Figure 6. Compressed air is directed along conduit 16 in response to a driver depressing switch 18, operating the electric air solenoid and opcning an associated valve. Conduit 16 is connectcd to an clongatc flcxible plastics tube 20, typically an elastomeric tube, positioned along the length of side-view or wing mirror 22 so as to follow the contour or profile of the mirror and be substantially vertical and thus substantially parallel to the vertical axis of mirror 22. Tube 20 has a plurality of apertures along its length positioned adjacent to minor 22. A similar arrangement is provided for the other minor 22'.

io As will be seen in Figure 5, air feed supply 16 can feed elongate tube 24 adjoining the front-most cdgc of side window 26. The use of tube 24 on side window 26 can be instead of; or in combination with, the arrailgement for the side-view minors.

A detailed view of a side-view mirror is shown in Figure 3 and in this instance tube 20 has nine circular apcrtures providcd by anglcd nozzlcs 30 of around 1-3mm in diameter which produce nine jets of compressed air directed across mirror 22.

Nozzles 30 havc a Shore value in the rangc 30 to 80 and are arranged at an angle of between 10 to 30 degrees relative to the mirror surface. The interior volume of tube provides a plenum chamber 31 to ensure even distribution of pressurised air and ensure each nozzle 30 emits air at substantially the same pressure as the other nozzles.

A plenum chamber can be achieyed by tapering the cross-section of the tube along its length. Angled self-sealing slots 32 can be used instead of circular apertures or nozzlcs, see Figurc 4 which illustratcs two different configurations of tube 20. Slots 32 are around 10mm in length and 1mm in width and produce a broader jet of pressurised air than the circular apertures. Depending on the mirror length, different numbers of apertures can be used, typically between two and twenty apertures.

Mirror 22 is typically of length 80 to 10cm and by having a plurality of horizontal jets 33 at an anglc of bctween 10 to 30 degrees rclativc to thc mirror surface, thc Coanda effect is created and utilised to clear a larger surface area of the mirror more effectively than where downwardly directed jets are used. The minor can be planar, convex or wide-angled.

Equalising the pressurised air flow from each nozzle 30 combines the individual jets of air into an unbroken laminar non-turbulent air sheet which, by angling the direction of the nozzles relative to the mirror surface creates the Coanda effect, with the laminar sheet of air clinging to the surface of mirror 22. Air from the angled nozzles forms a continuous surface sheet without gaps or interruptions and by clinging to the mirror surface, acts as a blade to remove water quickly and effectively from the entire mirror surface without any water droplets remaining. The stiffer the nozzles, the more sheet-like the air flow is.

a The present drawings, for ease of explanation, show externally retro-fitted tubes along the length of the mirror casing or front edge of the side window, see in particular Figure 6 where bracket 34 secures tube 20 to minor 22. Electric air solenoid 38 supplying feed line 16, and as discussed in relation to Figure 1, is shown and will be incorporated within the vehicle in the pressurised air supply line between tank 14 and is conduit 16 responsive to switch 18 to open conduit 16. Typically tube 20 will be integrated into the mirror housing with air conduit 16 passed through supporting mirror struts 36.

When a vehicle driver experiences inclement weather conditions, such as rain, snow and the like, it is critical that he can see clearly what is behind him in his side-view mirrors. However in such conditions the side window and mirrors are obscured by rain and spray generated by the vehicle. When using the present invention to cheek his mirrors, the driver depresses switch 18 for 3 to 5 seconds to allow compressed air from the auxiliary air tank 14, at a pressure of typically 6-8 bar, to run along conduit 16 and reach tubes 20 and/or 24. The pressurised air is directed out of apertures 30 or 32 horizontally across the minor and/or window surface. The jets of air push water ahead of them and off the surfaces so that the minors are dried and cleared for visibility almost instantaneously, and for the side window, a substantial portion of the side window is dried and cleared, typically 10 to 15cm from the front edge, such that the driver can readily see the wing mirror without his view being obscured by water on the side glass in the region where he needs to look. The jets are also sufficiently strong to remove salt and molasses mixtures (used on roads to reduce freezing), dust, sand and the like sprayed up from the road surface which tend to adhere to and obscure the mirrors. By fbrming the tube from an elastomeric material, the tube is self-purging when pressurised air is urged thmugh the nozzles and so self-cleaning and also able to purge ice when frozen.

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