JP2001088665A - Air wiper - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air wiper efficiently removing adhesion such as water drop, fog, etc. stuck to the surface such as outside mirrors, front side windows, etc., necessary for a driver in visually watching an object to be watched visually and requiring only a small occupation space. SOLUTION: This air wiper is provided with an air jet port arranged adjacent to the surface of parts with adhesion to be removed stuck thereto and provided with, at least, the air jet port, and jets air toward the surface so as to remove the adhesion stuck to the surface. The air jet port 15 moves the air so as to jet to the approximately whole face of the surface M.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is arranged near a surface of a surface necessary for a driver to view a visual target, such as a side mirror such as a fender mirror or a door mirror of an automobile and the front side window. The present invention relates to an air wiper capable of removing adhered substances such as water droplets and fogging attached to the surface. The present invention particularly relates to an air wiper capable of efficiently removing extraneous matter and occupying a small volume.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a vehicle such as a passenger car and a truck travels on a public road, the safety of the rear is confirmed using a side mirror such as a door mirror or a fender mirror. However, in bad weather such as rainy weather or dense fog, water drops may adhere to the mirror surface or fogging may occur, making it difficult to confirm safety. Further, when the side mirror is viewed through the front side window, even if water droplets and fogging adhere to the surface of the front side window glass, the surface of the side mirror becomes difficult to see, making it difficult to confirm safety using the side mirror.

For this reason, various air wipers have been proposed that blow heated air or the like onto the surfaces of the side mirrors and the front side window glass to remove extraneous matter adhering to the surfaces of the side mirrors and the front side window glass. I have.

For example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 61-68956 discloses that pressurized and heated air is ejected from an appropriate number of ejection holes provided on the side mirror side to remove deposits. ing.

[0005]

However, in the conventional air wiper, it is necessary to simultaneously blow heated air over the entire surface of the mirror.
A large diameter injection hole is provided. For this reason, the opening area of the injection hole becomes large, the speed of the injected air becomes slow, and it is necessary to increase the air injection speed by a fan, a compressor, or the like so that the attached matter can be easily removed.
Further, since it is necessary to blow air over a wide area such as the entire surface of the mirror, the injection holes must be arranged over a wide area, and the space occupied by the air wiper tends to be large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, the present invention efficiently removes water droplets, fogging, and other deposits adhering to the surface of a surface required when a driver looks at a visual target, such as a side mirror and a front side window. It is an object of the present invention to provide an air wiper which can perform the operation and has a small occupied space.

[0007]

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by the following constitutions.

[0008] An air ejection portion is provided near the surface of the part to which the substance to be removed is attached, and has an air ejection portion provided with at least one air ejection port. An air wiper for removing extraneous matter, wherein an air ejection port moves so that air can be ejected to substantially the entire surface.

[0009] In addition, by the rotation of the air ejection portion,
If the air ejection port is configured to move, the air wiper can be further reduced in size.

Further, if the air is heated and supplied by the air conditioner of the vehicle, the air can be manufactured at a low cost. This is preferable because it allows the blown air to be ejected.

Specifically, the air ejection portion is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and is arranged so as to protrude from the surface of the part to be removed. The air outlet is formed so as to be inclined toward the surface, and a cover is formed so as to cover the upper surface and the side surface of the air outlet, and a notch is formed in the cover near a portion close to the surface. In addition, it is preferable that the air ejection unit is configured to be rotatable around a substantially center near the center of rotation.

Further, it is preferable that a plurality of air outlets be provided, since the amount of air blown out with respect to the rotation of the air blowout portion is increased.

Further, if each air ejection port is formed so that air can be ejected to a different portion of the surface of the viewing surface, the ejected air is blown to a different surface of the surface. Therefore, it is preferable because it is possible to surely remove the deposit attached to a wider surface.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In this embodiment, an air wiper arranged near a door mirror as shown in FIG. 1 will be described as an example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air wiper 11 of the present embodiment is disposed near a corner on the door side above the mirror body M of the door mirror D, and is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 5, a substantially cylindrical air ejection portion 13 protruding from the mirror body M and arranged so that the upper surface thereof is substantially parallel to the mirror body M, and a substantially through hole arranged on a side surface of the air ejection portion 13 The air outlet 15 is formed in the shape of a circle, and the cover 17 covers the upper and side surfaces of the air outlet 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the cover 17 is formed integrally with the cover C of the door mirror D.

As shown in FIG. 2, the air ejecting portion 13 has a substantially central portion connected to a rotating shaft 24 connected to a motor main body 19 and a speed reducer 22 disposed inside the door mirror D. It is formed so as to rotate around the shaft 24, that is, to repeat forward rotation and reverse rotation. In addition, as the motor main body 19 in the present embodiment, an arbitrary motor such as an electric motor or an air motor can be used. Further, in the present embodiment, the air ejection unit 13 is configured to repeat normal rotation and reverse rotation by using an arbitrary means such as controlling the motor main body by an electronic circuit or using a crank and a cam. However, it is of course possible to use the rotary shaft 24 of the air ejection unit 13 directly connected to the drive shaft of the forward / reverse rotation motor without using such means. Furthermore, the direction of rotation does not repeat the forward rotation and the reverse rotation as in the above-described embodiment, but may be configured to rotate in one of the directions.

As shown in FIG. 3, four air ejection ports 15 are provided at substantially equal intervals along the side surface of the air ejection section 13, and
As shown in FIG. 2, they are arranged at substantially the same height, and each air outlet 15 is formed so as to be inclined toward the surface of the mirror body M as shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each air outlet 15 has an inlet (air outlet 1) near an air outlet (outside the air outlet 13).
3 is formed in a substantially tapered cross-section so as to have an inner diameter smaller than that of the vicinity. The cover 17 has a portion near the mirror body M (approximately 1 / the full circumference in FIG. 2).
4) is cut out in a substantially rectangular shape to form a cutout portion 17a, and the air outlet 15 is exposed from the cutout portion 17a. In use, when the air ejection part 13 rotates, there is always one air ejection port 15 exposed from the notch 17a. As shown in FIG. 2, an end (a lower end in the illustrated example) of the cutout portion 17 a close to the surface of the mirror body M is formed to have a substantially tapered cross section so as to be inclined toward the surface of the mirror body M. It is an inclined surface 17b.

As shown in FIG. 2, the air blowing portion 13 communicates with one end of an air guide tube 26, and the other end of the air guide tube 26 communicates with an air supply member such as an air conditioner of a vehicle. The configuration is such that air is supplied to the air ejection unit 13. In the present embodiment, the air guide pipe 26 is connected to the air conditioner A of the vehicle, and the air heated by the air conditioner A is supplied to the air ejection unit 13. The ejection speed and ejection amount of this air are
It is sufficient that the attached matter such as water droplets attached to the surface of the mirror body M can be removed. In addition, the heating temperature of the jetted air is arbitrary, and can be used even when the air conditioner A is not used for heating. Preferably, there is. Specifically, the temperature is higher than the outside air temperature and lower than the softening point of the visual surface such as a mirror and the components thereof, that is, generally 25 degrees.
It is preferable that the temperature is in the range of 70C.

Next, the usage of the air wiper 11 of the present embodiment will be described. The air wiper 11 of the present embodiment supplies air from the air conditioner A in the vehicle.
Use with. In particular, it is desirable to use the air conditioner A in a heating state. When a not-shown switch (usually formed inside the vehicle) is turned on, the air blower 11 rotates the air ejection portion 13 connected to the motor body 19 via the rotating shaft 24, and at the same time, air from the air guide tube 26. The air heated by the air conditioner A is supplied to the inside of the ejection section 13 and is ejected from the air ejection port 15. At this time, from the air outlet 15 covered by the cover 17,
Since the air is not blown out by being covered by the cover 17, as a result, air is blown out toward the surface of the mirror main body M only from the air blowout opening 15 exposed from the notch 17a. Further, in the air wiper 11 of the present embodiment, since the air ejection portion 13 rotates around the rotation shaft 24, the air ejection port 15 moves along the circumferential direction. Since the air jetted from the air jet port 15 also moves with the movement of the air jet port 15, the air can be blown over a wide area on the surface of the mirror body M. Note that, in the air wiper 11 of the present embodiment, the air guide pipe 26 is
Since the heated air is supplied to the air conditioner A, it can be used at any time when the air conditioner A is used, and can be used even when the vehicle is stopped. Further, if the dehumidifying function is used in the air conditioner A, the dehumidified air can be ejected from the air ejection port 15 even when the humidity of the outside air is high such as during rainfall.

In the air wiper 11 of the present embodiment, the air ejection portion 13 is rotated during use, and the air ejection port 15 formed on the side of the air ejection portion 13 moves in the circumferential direction. The air ejected from the two air ejection ports 15 is blown over a wide area on the surface of the mirror body M. Therefore, it is not necessary to dispose the air ejection port 15 over a wide range, and the air wiper 11 can be formed small. Therefore, the visibility of the mirror is hardly impaired, and the beauty of the door mirror is not significantly impaired. In addition, since there is always one air ejection port 15 exposed from the cutout portion 17 during use, it is possible to eject air at a higher speed than a conventional air wiper.

Further, in the above embodiment, the air guide tube 26 is connected to the air conditioner of the vehicle, and the air discharged from the air conditioner is supplied to the air ejection portion 13. However, the present invention is not limited to the above. Of course, the air supplied to the air ejection unit 13 may be supplied by a separately provided heater and fan. Further, in that case, the fan can be arranged in the motor main body 19 for rotating the air jetting section 13. Furthermore, in the air heating method,
Not only heating by the air conditioner but also heating by exhaust heat of the engine is applicable. However, from the viewpoint of manufacturing costs, it is preferable to use an air conditioner. Further, if the air conditioner is used, if the air conditioner uses a dehumidifying function, the dehumidified air is ejected. Is possible, which is preferable.

In the above embodiment, the air wiper 11
Is disposed in the vicinity of the corner on the door side above the mirror body M. However, the position of the air wiper 11 is not limited to this, and the air wiper 11 can be disposed at an arbitrary position such as below or in the center. However, it is preferable that the mirror body M is disposed above the mirror body M from the viewpoint of removing the attached matter, and further from the viewpoint of miniaturization of the door mirror D itself, the mirror body is located near the mounting portion of the door mirror D to the vehicle. It is preferable to arrange it near the corner on the door side above M.

In the above embodiment, the air ejection portion 13
Are formed with four air outlets 15, but the number of air outlets 15 formed is not limited to this, and a single or plural air outlets 15 may be provided. However, if it is singular, the air ejection part 1
Since a small amount of air is ejected for three rotations, it is preferable to form a plurality. In addition, this air outlet 15
From the viewpoint of the air ejection speed, the notch 17
a is preferably formed such that the number of air outlets 15 exposed from a is always one. However, when a sufficient air ejection speed is obtained, a plurality of air outlets 15 are exposed from the cutout 17a. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which: Further, in the above embodiment, the air outlet 15 has a substantially tapered cross-section so that the vicinity of the air outlet (outside the air outlet) has a smaller inner diameter than the vicinity of the inlet (inside the air outlet). Although it is formed, it is not limited to this, and it may be formed so that the vicinity of the air outlet and the vicinity of the inlet have substantially the same inner diameter. However, if the configuration near the outlet of the air has a smaller inner diameter than the vicinity of the inlet, the pressure of the ejected air can be further increased,
preferable.

Further, in the above embodiment, the air ejection portion 13
Is disposed near the corner on the door side above the mirror body M, the notch 17a is formed in the vicinity of the lower right end close to the mirror body M in FIG. However, the shape and the formation position of the cutout portion 17a are not limited to this, and can be changed depending on the arrangement position of the air ejection portion 13. For example, when the air ejection portion 13 is arranged near the upper center of the mirror main body M, the cutout portion 17a can be formed substantially in the vicinity of a portion close to the mirror main body M, for approximately 1/3 to 1/2. . If the size of the notch 17a changes, the number of air outlets 15 can be arbitrarily changed accordingly. Further, in the above embodiment, the notch 1
An end 7a of the mirror 7a close to the surface of the mirror main body M is formed to have a substantially tapered cross section so as to be inclined toward the surface of the mirror main body M to form an inclined surface 17b. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The end can be formed substantially parallel to the mirror body M. However, since the air ejection port 15 is formed so as to be inclined toward the surface of the mirror body M, the air ejected from the air ejection port 15 is also ejected toward the surface of the mirror body M. In order not to prevent this, it is preferable that the end of the notch 17a close to the surface of the mirror body M is formed as an inclined surface 17b so as to be inclined toward the surface of the mirror body M. At this time, it is desirable that the angle of inclination of the inclined surface 17b with respect to the surface of the mirror body M is larger than the angle of inclination of the air outlet 15 with respect to the surface of the mirror body M.

When a plurality of air jets are formed, as shown in FIG. 4, each air jet 25A, 25B, 25C
It is also possible to form the air wiper 21 by using the air ejection portions 23 in which the inclination angles with respect to the surface of the mirror body M are formed at different angles. With the air wiper 21 having such a configuration, the air ejection ports 25A, 25A
Since the ejection angle of the air differs depending on B and 25C, the ejected air is also mainly blown to different surfaces of the surface of the mirror body M as shown in FIGS.
Therefore, the air wiper using the air ejection portion 23 is preferable because it can surely remove the attached matter on the surface of the mirror body M in a wider range.

Further, as shown in FIG.
It is also possible to form the air wiper 31 by using the air ejection parts 33 in which the distances from the surface of the mirror body M are different from those of 5A, 35B, and 35C.
Even with the air wiper 31 having this configuration, each air ejection port 35A,
As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the air blown out from the air blowers 35B and 35C is mainly blown onto different surfaces of the surface of the mirror body M. It is possible to reliably remove the deposits attached to the surface of the mirror body M over a wide range. In the case of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, in consideration of the effect of the centrifugal force on the ejection power, it is desirable that the air ejection portion be configured to rotate in one direction.

In the above embodiment, the cover 17 is formed integrally with the cover C of the door mirror D. However, the cover 17 and the cover C of the door mirror D are formed separately and fixed to each other. Of course, it is also possible.

Further, in the above embodiment, the door mirror is exemplified as the mirror on which the air wiper is arranged. However, the air wiper of the present invention can of course be applied to a fender mirror.

In the above embodiment, the air wiper 11
As an example, the air wiper 11 of the present invention is not limited to the above-described one, and may be arranged near the front side window W as shown in FIG. Is possible. In FIG. 7, the air wiper 11 is arranged near the position where the door mirror is arranged, and the front side window W
In this configuration, air is blown near the door mirror. In addition, the arrangement position of the air wiper 11 is not limited to the example shown in the drawing, and can be arranged at any position, such as below, at the center, or the like, and air may be blown over the entire front side window W. It is possible. In addition, the shape of the cutout portion 17a and the number of the formed air outlets 15 can be arbitrarily changed depending on the arrangement position of the air wiper 11. The window in which the air wiper is arranged is not limited to the front side window, but may be arranged near other windows.

Further, the air wiper 11 of the present invention can be simultaneously arranged near the door mirror D and near the front side window W. It is preferable to dispose them in the vicinity of both, because it is possible to remove deposits on the surface of the door mirror D and the surface of the front side window W, and the visibility of the driver is further improved.

In the above embodiment, the air wiper 11
The air jetting portion 13 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and the air jetting port 15 is disposed on the side surface. However, if the air jetting port is capable of jetting air to the entire visual surface,
The invention is not limited to the above. For example, an air ejection unit and an air ejection port in which the air ejection unit reciprocates at an angle within a certain range and performs a swing operation can be used.

[0033]

The air wiper of the present invention is provided near the surface of the part to which the deposit to be removed is attached, has an air ejection portion provided with at least one air ejection port, and faces the surface. The air ejected from the air outlet is configured to move the air so that the air can be ejected to almost the entire surface. Is sprayed over a large area of the surface of the part to which the deposit to be removed adheres. Therefore, it is not necessary to dispose the air ejection port over a wide range, and the air wiper can be formed small.

[0034] In addition, the rotation of the air jetting portion allows
If the air ejection port is configured to move, the air wiper can be further reduced in size.

Further, if the air is heated and supplied by the air conditioner of the vehicle, the air can be manufactured at a low cost. If the air conditioner uses a dehumidifying function, the dehumidifying function can be used. This is preferable because it allows the blown air to be ejected.

Specifically, the air ejection portion is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and is arranged so as to protrude from the surface of the part to be removed. The air outlet is formed so as to be inclined toward the surface, and a cover is formed so as to cover the upper surface and the side surface of the air outlet, and a notch is formed in the cover near a portion close to the surface. In addition, it is preferable that the air ejection unit is configured to be rotatable around a substantially center near the center of rotation.

Further, it is preferable that a plurality of air outlets are provided, since the amount of air blown out with respect to the rotation of the air blowout portion is increased.

Further, if each air ejection port is formed so that air can be ejected to a different portion of the surface of the viewing surface, the ejected air is blown to a different surface of the surface. Therefore, it is preferable because it is possible to surely remove the deposit attached to a wider surface.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a state in which an air wiper according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged near a door mirror;

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the air wiper taken along a line II-II in FIG. 1;

3 is a sectional view of the air wiper of FIG. 2 taken along the line III-III.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing ejection of air from an air ejection port in an air wiper according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing ejection of air from an air ejection port in an air wiper according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a range of air jetted from each jet port of the air wiper shown in FIG. 4 or FIG.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a state in which the air wiper of the present invention is arranged near the front side window.

[Explanation of symbols]

11, 21, 31 Air wipers 13, 23, 33 Air jetting parts 15, 25A, 25B, 25C, 35A, 35B, 35
C Air outlet 17 Cover 17a Notch 17b Inclined surface 19 Motor body 22 Reduction gear 24 Rotating shaft 26 Air guide tube A Air conditioner C Cover D Door mirror M Mirror body W Front side window

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An air ejection section, which is disposed near a surface of a part on which an object to be removed is attached and has at least one air ejection port, and ejects air toward the surface. An air wiper that removes deposits attached to the surface, wherein the air ejection port moves so as to eject the air to substantially the entire surface. 2. The rotation of the air jetting portion,
The air wiper according to claim 1, wherein the air outlet moves. 3. The air wiper according to claim 2, wherein the air is heated and supplied by an air conditioner of the vehicle. 4. The air ejection part is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and is disposed so as to protrude from the surface of a part from which extraneous matter is to be removed. An air ejection port is provided on a side surface of the air ejection part. A cover is formed so as to incline toward the surface, and covers a top surface and a side surface of the air outlet, and a notch is formed in the cover near a portion close to the surface. 4. The air wiper according to claim 3, wherein the air ejection unit is formed so as to be rotatable around a substantially center thereof as a center of rotation. 5. 5. The air wiper according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of said air outlets are arranged. 6. The air wiper according to claim 5, wherein each of the air ejection ports is formed so as to eject the air to a different portion of the surface of the viewing surface. 7. The air wiper according to claim 6, wherein each of the air outlets has a different inclination angle with respect to the surface. 8. The air wiper according to claim 6, wherein each of the air ejection ports is formed so that a distance of the air outlet from the surface is different from each other. 9. The air wiper according to claim 1, wherein the part to which the deposit to be removed is attached is a mirror or a window.