JP2008230515A - Washer device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance wiping performance in a washer device in the form that a washer nozzle is provided below an engine hood. <P>SOLUTION: In the washer device, the washer nozzle 5 is provided on a back surface side of a rear end edge of the engine hood. At the rest position of the wiper device 6, a wiper arm 11 is positioned on a track of injection of a washing liquid. However, since openings 15, 16 are provided on the wiper arm 11, the washing liquid can be deposited on a windshield via the openings. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle washer device that sprays a cleaning liquid onto a windshield of a vehicle and wipes it with a wiper device.

A vehicle washer device sprays cleaning liquid pumped from a washer tank onto a window glass by a washer nozzle and wipes it off by a wiper device. Conventionally, the washer nozzle is provided so as to protrude on the engine hood of the vehicle, but in recent years, a nozzle provided with the lower surface of the rear portion of the engine hood has also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such a configuration has advantages such as improving the appearance of the vehicle.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-334062 (FIG. 2 etc.)

  However, when the upper portion of the washer nozzle is covered with the engine hood as described above, the injection direction of the cleaning liquid is significantly limited. In addition, since the installation position of the washer nozzle becomes relatively low, a wiper device is interposed between the washer nozzle and the window glass. In particular, when the wiper device is stopped, the wiper arm is arranged so that the vehicle width direction is the longitudinal direction. Therefore, when the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the washer nozzle in this state, the wiper arm is positioned on the locus of the sprayed cleaning liquid and interferes therewith. To do. In that case, the amount of the cleaning liquid that reaches the wiping area on the window glass after being sprayed from the washer nozzle is reduced, and the wiping performance is deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and a main object thereof is to improve the wiping performance of a type of washer device in which a washer nozzle is provided under the engine hood.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a vehicle washer device according to an aspect of the present invention is configured to inject and wipe a cleaning liquid onto a window glass. This washer device is arranged on the back side of the rear edge of the engine hood, and is driven to rotate around a washer nozzle that injects the pumped cleaning liquid toward the windshield and a rotating shaft provided below the windshield. A wiper arm, and a wiper blade that is attached to the distal end side of the wiper arm and wipes the wind glass, and that has a wiper arm rest position as a longitudinal direction in the vehicle width direction. The wiper arm has an interference avoiding unit that avoids interference with the cleaning liquid ejected from the washer nozzle at the rest position.

  According to this aspect, since the washer nozzle is disposed on the back side of the rear edge of the engine hood, the appearance of the vehicle is well maintained. On the other hand, the wiper arm is long in the vehicle width direction at the rest position and faces the washer nozzle. Even when the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the washer nozzle in this state, the interference avoiding unit suppresses the interference. As a result, the wiping performance is improved.

  The interference avoiding unit may be formed of an opening that penetrates a portion of the wiper arm facing the washer nozzle. According to this aspect, it is possible to suppress the sprayed cleaning liquid from hitting the wiper arm and splashing back and scattering in an unnecessary direction. That is, most of the cleaning liquid sprayed toward the wiper arm can land on the window glass through the opening.

  Furthermore, a guide portion that guides the cleaning liquid that passes through the opening toward the specific landing area of the window glass may be provided inside the wiper arm. Such a “guide part” is, for example, a wall part that communicates both openings in the wiper arm after adjusting the positional relationship between the opening on the washer nozzle side provided in the wiper arm and the opening on the wind glass side. It can be realized by providing. The cleaning liquid sprayed onto the wiper arm is guided along the wall portion and is led out in a direction connecting both openings. According to this aspect, the spray direction of the cleaning liquid can be controlled to land on a specific landing area.

  The interference avoiding portion may be a low roof portion configured such that the upper wall surface located on the upper side when viewed from the direction facing the washer nozzle of the wiper arm is at least partially lower. According to this aspect, the cleaning liquid sprayed from the washer nozzle can be landed on the window glass via the upper portion of the low roof portion.

  If the rigidity of the wiper arm is lowered by providing such a low roof portion, when the wiper arm performs a wiping operation, a so-called chatter that vibrates due to a reaction force from the window glass may occur. Therefore, a reinforcing rib may be provided inside the wiper arm corresponding to at least the low roof portion so as to maintain the rigidity of the wiper arm.

  Specifically, the low roof portion may be configured such that the shape along the longitudinal direction of the wiper arm is concave when viewed from the direction facing the washer nozzle. At this time, it is preferable that more of the cleaning liquid is made to land on the window glass by adjusting the positional relationship between the lowest concave portion and the washer nozzle.

  Moreover, the guide wall which reflects the sprayed washing | cleaning liquid toward the specific landing area | region of a wind glass may be provided in the upper surface of the low roof part. According to this aspect, the splashing direction of the cleaning liquid can be controlled by using the outer shape of the low roof portion of the wiper arm, and the wiping performance can be further improved.

  According to the present invention, in the type of washer device in which the washer nozzle is provided under the engine hood, the wiping performance can be improved.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle including a washer device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the arrangement configuration of the washer device.
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes a washer device 3 that injects a cleaning liquid onto a wind glass 2 (wind shield) and wipes it off. The washer device 3 includes a washer nozzle 5 that sprays the cleaning liquid pumped from the washer tank 4 toward the window glass 2 and a wiper device 6 that wipes the wind glass 2 to which the cleaning liquid is adhered. A pair of washer nozzles 5 and wiper devices 6 are provided corresponding to the driver seat side and the passenger seat side, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the washer nozzle 5 is disposed on the back side of the rear end edge of the engine hood 7, that is, below the engine hood 7 and is not visible from the outside. Contributes to improvement. The washer nozzle 5 is connected to the washer tank 4 via a pipe 8. The washer tank 4 incorporates a pump (not shown) that pumps up and pumps the cleaning liquid stored therein, and a motor that drives the pump. Further, the washer nozzle 5 of the present embodiment is configured as a so-called diffusion type washer nozzle, and when the cleaning liquid passes, it is vibrated by a water flow to eject the cleaning liquid in a fan shape. As a result, the cleaning liquid can be sprayed over a wide range of the wiping range of the wiper device 6, and the wiping performance can be improved. In addition, as a concrete structure of the washer nozzle 5, a well-known thing as shown by Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2005-59651 etc. is employable, for example. Here, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The wiper device 6 is provided between the window glass 2 and the engine hood 7 and includes a wiper arm 11 and a wiper blade 12 attached to the front end side thereof. The wiper arm 11 has a rotation shaft below the window glass 2 and is driven to rotate about the rotation shaft via a drive motor and a link mechanism (not shown). The wiper blade 12 is pressed against the window glass 2 by a spring (not shown), and wipes the window glass 2 while maintaining a predetermined contact pressure as the wiper arm 11 rotates. The wiper arm 11 and the wiper blade 12 are stopped so that the vehicle width direction is the longitudinal direction at the rest position (stop position where the wiper arm 12 is automatically stopped). In addition to the fact that the washer nozzle 5 is provided on the back side of the engine hood 7, the shape of the cowl 9 that supports the window glass 2 is affected, and the spraying direction of the cleaning liquid from the washer nozzle 5 is limited. In the present embodiment, the wiper arm 11 is positioned on the locus of the cleaning liquid (see the broken line in the figure) ejected from the washer nozzle 5 in the rest state of the wiper device 6. At that time, in order to prevent the sprayed cleaning liquid from being bounced off by the wiper arm 11 and scattered in an unnecessary direction, the wiper arm 11 is provided with an interference avoiding unit for avoiding interference with the cleaning liquid.

  3 and 4 are explanatory diagrams showing the configuration of the wiper device. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the wiper device 6. FIG. 4A is a front view of the wiper device 6, and FIG. 4B is a bottom view of the main part of the wiper device 6. As described above, the wiper device 6 is provided on each of the driver's seat side and the passenger seat side, but only the wiper device 6 on the passenger seat side is shown here for convenience of explanation. In the following, for convenience of explanation, the positional relationship is expressed with the surface of the wiper arm 11 facing the washer nozzle 5 as the front surface.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the wiper device 6 includes a wiper arm 11 made of a metal material and a wiper blade 12 attached to the distal end side of the wiper blade 12 via a clip member. The wiper arm 11 is formed of a long member having a U-shaped cross section with its lower surface opened, and a pivot shaft 13 serving as a pivot center is provided at the base end portion. On the front wall of the wiper arm 11, four openings 15 a to 15 d (hereinafter, collectively referred to as “openings 15”) are formed at a portion facing the washer nozzle 5. The openings 15 are provided at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the wiper arm 11, and the openings 15 a and 15 d located at both ends of the openings 15 are approximately within the spraying range of the cleaning liquid sprayed from the washer nozzle 5 (broken line in the figure). Reference) is located. As shown in FIG. 4B, openings 16a to 16d are formed on the rear wall of the wiper arm 11 at positions facing the openings 15a to 15d, respectively (hereinafter, these are generically named). (Referred to as “opening 16”). Thus, by providing the openings 15 and 16 penetrating the facing portion of the wiper arm 11 in the front wall and the rear wall of the wiper arm 11, even when the cleaning liquid is jetted in the rest state of the wiper arm 11, the cleaning liquid is not injected. Water reaches the window glass 2 through the openings 15 and 16. That is, an interference avoiding portion that avoids interference with the cleaning liquid is formed by the openings 15 and 16.

  In the present embodiment, the wiper device 6 on the passenger seat side has been described, but it goes without saying that the same configuration can be applied to the wiper device 6 on the driver seat side.

  As described above, in the washer device 3 of the present embodiment, the washer nozzle 5 is provided on the back side of the rear edge of the engine hood 7. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid from splashing on the engine hood 7, and even if dripping occurs at the spray port of the washer nozzle 5, it is not visually recognized from the outside. As a result, the appearance of the vehicle is kept good. In the rest position of the wiper device 6, the wiper arm 11 is positioned on the trajectory of the cleaning liquid. Since the wiper arm 11 is provided with the openings 15 and 16, the cleaning liquid passes through the opening and windshield glass is provided. 2 can land. As a result, it is possible to suppress the cleaning liquid from being bounced back to the wiper arm 11 and scattering in an unnecessary direction, and the wiping performance of the washer device 3 can be improved.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The present embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment except that the wiper arm structure is slightly different. For this reason, about the component similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected as needed, and the description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the wiper device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the configuration of the wiper device, and FIG. 4B is a bottom view of the main part thereof.
The wiper device 206 according to the present embodiment includes guide members 217a to 217d (hereinafter, referred to as “connector members”) that connect the opening portions 15a to 15d on the front wall side of the wiper arm 211 and the opening portions 16a to 16d on the rear wall side facing the openings. These are collectively referred to as “guide member 217”). The guide member 217 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a U-shaped cross section opened downward, and one end side in the longitudinal direction is joined to the front wall along the opening 15, and the other end side is joined to the rear wall along the opening 16. It is joined. The guide member 217 functions as a guide unit that guides the cleaning liquid to the window glass 2.

  By providing such a guide member 217, it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid introduced from the opening 15 from being scattered in an unnecessary area such as diffusing in the wiper arm 211 and efficiently leading to the wind glass 2 side. it can.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is substantially the same as the second embodiment except that the wiper arm structure is slightly different. For this reason, about the component substantially the same as 2nd Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected as needed, and the description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the wiper device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the configuration of the wiper device, and FIG. 4B is a bottom view of the main part thereof.
The wiper device 306 of the present embodiment has openings 316a to 316d on the rear wall side (hereinafter collectively referred to as “opening 316”) relative to the openings 15a to 15d on the front wall side of the wiper arm 311. Are arranged so as to be shifted by a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction of the wiper arm 311. Guide members 317a to 317d (hereinafter collectively referred to as “guide members 317”) are arranged so as to connect the openings 15a to 15d and the openings 316a to 316d, respectively. The guide member 317 has a U-shaped cross-section that is open downward like the guide member 217 of the second embodiment. However, unlike the guide member 217, the guide member 317 has a shape inclined at a predetermined angle toward the wiper blade 12 side. Have. By tilting the guide member 317 in this way, directivity can be provided in the cleaning liquid ejection direction.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a usage state of the wiper device. The alternate long and short dash line in the figure represents the wiping area of the wiper blade 12.
As described above, the guide member 317 is provided at a predetermined angle with respect to the direction of the wiper blade 12, so that the spraying direction of the cleaning liquid sprayed from the washer nozzle 5 can be controlled. That is, as indicated by a broken line in the figure, the cleaning liquid that is diffused and sprayed from the washer nozzle 5 and introduced from the four openings 15 is guided along the guide member 317 and from the opening 316 to the wiping area S1. It is possible to land on a specific landing area S2. As a result, when the wiper blade 12 wipes the cleaning liquid, it can be efficiently spread over the entire window glass 2, and the wiping performance can be further improved.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment except that the structure of the wiper arm is different. For this reason, about the component similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected as needed, and the description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

8 and 9 are explanatory diagrams showing the configuration of the wiper device according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the wiper device. FIG. 9A is a front view showing the configuration of the wiper device, and FIG. 9B is a bottom view of the main part thereof.
As shown in FIG. 8, the wiper device 406 of the present embodiment has a low roof portion 412 configured to lower the upper wall surface of the wiper arm 411. That is, the low roof portion 412 is configured to be lower than the height of the wiper arm 411 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 and the like, and the cleaning liquid can pass through the lowered area.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 413 are provided at positions corresponding to the low roof portion 412 inside the wiper arm 411, and necessary rigidity is ensured for the wiper arm 411. In addition, although the rib 413 of this Embodiment is comprised by the bead shape or X shape, another shape may be sufficient.

  As described above, by providing the low roof portion 412 on the wiper arm 411, the cleaning liquid sprayed from the washer nozzle 5 can be landed on the wind glass 2 via the upper portion of the low roof portion 412. The wiping performance by the device 406 can be kept high. Furthermore, by providing the rib 413 at a position corresponding to the low roof portion 412 to ensure the rigidity of the wiper arm 411, it is possible to prevent so-called chatter from occurring when the wiper device 406 operates.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the rib 413 is provided only in the portion corresponding to the low roof portion 412 is shown, but the wiper arm 411 may be provided over almost the entire portion.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment except that the structure of the wiper arm is different. For this reason, about the component similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected as needed, and the description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the wiper device according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 4A is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the wiper device, and FIG. 4B is a front view illustrating the configuration of the wiper device.
The wiper device 506 of the present embodiment has a low roof portion 512 in which the upper wall surface of the wiper arm 511 is partially lowered. That is, the low roof portion 512 is formed in a region substantially equal to the width at which the cleaning liquid sprayed from the washer nozzle 5 spreads at the position of the wiper arm 511 at the portion of the wiper arm 511 facing the washer nozzle 5. The shape of the wiper arm 511 along the longitudinal direction is formed in a V shape when viewed from the direction facing the washer nozzle 5. In the present embodiment, the shape of the low roof portion 512 is V-shaped, but it may be formed in other concave shapes such as U-shape and U-shape.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, only the portion corresponding to the cleaning liquid injection region in the wiper arm 511 is defined as the low roof portion 512. Even in such a configuration, similarly to the fourth embodiment, the cleaning liquid sprayed from the washer nozzle 5 can be landed on the window glass 2 via the upper portion of the low roof portion 512, and the wiper device 506. High wiping performance can be maintained. Furthermore, by reducing the height of the wiper arm 511 partially, a decrease in its rigidity can be suppressed. Also in this embodiment, ribs may be provided at positions corresponding to the low roof portion 512 to ensure the rigidity of the wiper arm 511.

[Sixth Embodiment]
Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The present embodiment is substantially the same as the fifth embodiment except that the wiper arm structure is slightly different. For this reason, about the component substantially the same as 5th Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected as needed, and the description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the wiper device according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 4A is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the wiper device, and FIG. 4B is a front view illustrating the configuration of the wiper device.
Similar to the fifth embodiment, the wiper device 606 of the present embodiment includes a low roof portion 612 that is configured to have a partially lower shape by making the upper wall surface of the wiper arm 611 V-shaped. Furthermore, a step is provided at both ends of the low roof portion 612, and a guide wall 614 is formed by this step to reflect the cleaning liquid in a specific direction.

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a usage state of the wiper device, and corresponds to FIG.

  As described above, since the guide wall 614 is provided in the low roof portion 612, the scattering direction of the cleaning liquid sprayed from the washer nozzle 5 can be controlled. That is, as indicated by a broken line in the figure, the cleaning liquid diffused and sprayed from the washer nozzle 5 can be reflected by the guide wall 614 and can land on a specific landing area S3 on the wiping area S1.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications such as design changes can be added to the embodiments based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Embodiments to which is added can also be included in the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the washer nozzle 5 is taken as an example of the diffusing type. However, for example, a directional washer nozzle that injects in a specific direction, such as a two-way injection type, may be employed. . In that case, the position of the interference avoiding portion such as the low roof portion and the opening, the position and shape of the guide member, and the like are appropriately set in accordance with the spraying direction of the cleaning liquid.

  In each of the above embodiments, the wiper arm is made of a metal material, but may be made of a resin material.

It is the schematic showing the vehicle provided with the washer apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a sectional side view showing the arrangement composition of a washer device. It is a perspective view showing the structure of a wiper apparatus. It is explanatory drawing showing the structure of a wiper apparatus. It is explanatory drawing showing the structure of the wiper apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing showing the structure of the wiper apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of the use condition of a wiper apparatus. It is a perspective view showing the structure of a wiper apparatus. It is explanatory drawing showing the structure of the wiper apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing showing the structure of the wiper apparatus which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing showing the structure of the wiper apparatus which concerns on 6th Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of the use condition of a wiper apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle, 2 Window glass, 3 Washer apparatus, 5 Washer nozzle, 6 Wiper apparatus, 7 Engine hood, 11 Wiper arm, 12 Wiper blade, 15 Opening part, 16 Opening part, 206 Wiper apparatus, 211 Wiper arm, 306 Wiper apparatus, 311 Wiper arm, 317 guide member, 406 wiper device, 411 wiper arm, 412 low roof portion, 413 rib, 506 wiper device, 511 wiper arm, 512 low roof portion, 606 wiper device, 611 wiper arm, 612 low roof portion, 614 guide wall, S1 Wiping area, S2 landing area, S3 landing area.

Claims (7)

In the vehicle washer device for spraying the cleaning liquid on the windshield and wiping it,
A washer nozzle that is disposed on the back side of the rear edge of the engine hood and injects the pumped cleaning liquid toward the window glass;
A wiper arm that is driven to rotate about a rotating shaft provided below the windshield, and a wiper blade that is attached to the distal end of the wiper arm and wipes the windshield. A wiper device that is longitudinal in the direction;
With
The said washer arm has an interference avoidance part which avoids interference with the washing | cleaning liquid sprayed from the said washer nozzle in the said rest position, The vehicle washer apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.   The vehicle washer device according to claim 1, wherein the interference avoiding unit includes an opening penetrating a portion of the wiper arm facing the washer nozzle.   The vehicular washer device according to claim 2, wherein a guide portion is provided in the wiper arm for guiding the cleaning liquid passing through the opening toward a specific landing area of the wind glass. .   2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the interference avoiding portion includes a low roof portion configured such that an upper wall surface located on an upper side when viewed from a direction facing the washer nozzle of the wiper arm is at least partially configured to be low. Washer device.   The vehicle washer device according to claim 4, wherein a reinforcing rib is provided inside the wiper arm corresponding to at least the low roof portion.   5. The vehicle washer device according to claim 4, wherein the low roof portion is configured such that a shape along a longitudinal direction of the wiper arm is concave when viewed from a direction facing the washer nozzle.   The vehicle washer device according to claim 4, wherein a guide wall that reflects the sprayed cleaning liquid toward a specific landing area of the wind glass is provided on an upper surface of the low roof portion.

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