JP6960105B2 - Cleaning equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cleaning device that supplies a fluid such as cleaning water to a plurality of cleaning objects of a vehicle.

Conventionally, as such a cleaning device, for example, there is one described in Patent Document 1 below.

This cleaning device includes, for example, a rear pump provided in the entire vehicle for cleaning the rear camera, a pipe extending from the rear pump, and two switching devices provided in the middle of the pipe. The rear camera is equipped with a nozzle that discharges washing water.

One of the two switching devices switches the connection of the pipes to discharge the washing water to the front camera, and the other is to discharge the washing water to the rear window at the rear of the vehicle. It switches the connection of pipes.

These switching devices are controlled by a control unit provided in the front portion of the vehicle. Further, the control unit can change the momentum of discharging the cleaning water according to the part to be cleaned. For example, when cleaning the rear window, the control unit is applied to the rear pump so that a large amount of cleaning water is discharged. It is configured to increase the voltage applied.

JP 2015-231765

However, in the cleaning device of Patent Document 1, two switching devices are provided in series in the middle of the pipe from the rear pump to the rear camera. Therefore, an increase in the flow resistance of the washing water is unavoidable, and in order to compensate for this, for example, it is necessary to set a large capacity of the rear pump.

Further, in order to supply a predetermined amount of washing water to the rear camera, the two switching devices need to function soundly. However, since there is a certain possibility of failure in each switching device, the risk of failure of the cleaning device increases as the number of switching devices increases.

Further, although it is not clear from the description in the publicly known document, it is conceivable that the driving power is applied to the two switching devices from the control unit provided in front of the vehicle. Such a switching device usually includes a mechanical switching valve or the like that consumes a predetermined power. Therefore, a cable having a constant thickness is laid from the control unit to each switching device, and the space for laying is expanded. As the applied voltage is high, more thorough measures against electric leakage are required, and the cost of wiring materials also increases.

As described above, in the conventional cleaning device, it cannot be said that the cleaning device such as the rear camera is sufficiently efficiently configured, and there is still room for improvement.

For the above reasons, there has been a demand for a cleaning device that is easy to install and has excellent cleaning efficiency.

(Characteristic composition)
The characteristic configuration of the cleaning device according to the present invention is
With a fluid tank
A fluid pump that circulates the fluid in the fluid tank and
A flow path for transporting the fluid discharged from the fluid pump, which is a rear flow path for transporting the fluid to the rear window of the vehicle, and another flow path for transporting the fluid to a cleaning target different from the rear window of the vehicle. When,
A first valve provided in the other flow path and setting the transport destination of the fluid to at least one cleaning target.
A first driver that supplies drive power to the first valve,
A second valve provided in the rear flow path and switching the transport destination of the fluid to the rear confirmation support device, and
A second driver that supplies drive power to the second valve,
The point is that a control unit for transmitting a drive signal to the first driver, the second driver, and the fluid pump is provided.

(effect)
In this configuration, since the second valve and the second driver are provided in the rear flow path for transporting the fluid to the rear window, the flow path related to the other front cleaning target such as the windshield that has already been constructed is particularly special. The function of the cleaning device can be enhanced without any improvement.

Further, since the second driver related to the second valve is provided separately from the first driver, wiring for applying a relatively large current to drive the second valve can be installed only in the rear region. Therefore, it is not necessary to lay thick wiring having a large energizing capacity from the front to the rear of the vehicle, the possibility of electric leakage from the connection portion between the wirings is reduced, and the cost of the wiring to be used can be suppressed.

(Characteristic composition)
In the cleaning device according to the present invention, the fluid pump provided with two discharge ports set by switching the rotation direction is used, and the rear flow path and the other flow paths are used as the two discharge ports. It is convenient to connect each separately.

(effect)
By separating the fluid supply destinations by the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the fluid pump, it is possible to suppress the decrease in the fluid supply pressure particularly to the rear window and the rear confirmation support device. That is, if the second valve is further provided in series on the downstream side of the first valve related to the other flow path, the pressure of the fluid discharged from the fluid pump tends to decrease. However, with this configuration, the fluid that maintains the original discharge pressure of the fluid pump can be conveyed to the first valve and the second valve. Therefore, in particular, the cleaning effect can be maintained high in a rear camera or the like which is a rear confirmation support device located far from the fluid pump.

(Characteristic composition)
In the cleaning device according to the present invention, an air pump that receives driving power from the second driver and discharges cleaning air to the rearward confirmation support device can be provided.

(effect)
For example, a rear camera, which is a rear confirmation support device, tends to be frequently washed because the air passing along the surface of the vehicle is in a stagnant position. Further, the fluid injected into the rear camera is difficult to be removed by the air flowing on the vehicle surface. Therefore, by providing an air pump as in this configuration, the rearward confirmation function can be further enhanced.
Since the driving power of the air pump is supplied from the second driver, it is not necessary to lay a large-diameter wiring from the front of the vehicle to the second driver in this case as well, and the installation work of the air pump is easy. Become.

Explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the cleaning apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment Explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the cleaning apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment

[First Embodiment]
(Overview)
A first embodiment of the cleaning device U according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The cleaning device U here is, for example, a cleaning device U mounted on the vehicle B, and in particular, cleans the rear confirmation support device R such as a camera or a collision sensor provided behind the vehicle B.

(Fluid pump)
The cleaning device U includes a fluid tank T that stores the fluid and a fluid pump P that distributes the fluid to the rearward confirmation support device R. For example, wash water W is used as the fluid. Further, the fluid pump P is referred to as a water pump PW in the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the water pump PW includes a first port P1 and a second port P2, and the first port P1 supplies cleaning water W to a cleaning nozzle NFW or the like toward the front window FW. It is connected to the flow path L1. A first valve V1 is provided in the front flow path L1, and by switching the first valve V1, the cleaning water W is, for example, in the front window FW, the front camera CF, the right camera CFR, and the left camera CFL. It is supplied selectively. On the other hand, the second port P2 is connected to the rear flow path L2 that supplies the cleaning water W to the rear window RW, the rear camera CR for rear monitoring, and the like. Whether to discharge the washing water W to the first port P1 or the second port P2 can be determined by the rotation direction of the water pump PW.

By dividing the supply destination of the washing water W by the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the fluid pump P, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the supply pressure of the washing water W with respect to the rear flow path L2 provided with the rear window RW and the rear camera CR. .. That is, if the rear flow path L2 is one of the branch destinations provided downstream of the first valve V1, the washing water W is further supplied to the rear window RW and the rear camera CR via the second valve V2. When supplying, the pressure of the washing water W discharged from the water pump PW tends to decrease. However, with this configuration, the cleaning water W that maintains the original discharge pressure of the water pump PW can be supplied to the second valve V2. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in water pressure especially in the rear camera CR or the like located far from the water pump PW, and it is possible to maintain a high cleaning effect.

(1st valve)
The first valve V1 supplies the washing water W discharged from the water pump PW to, for example, the front window FW, the front camera CF, the left camera CFL, and the right camera CFR. The water pump PW is driven, for example, by the operator operating the cleaning switch SW to clean each part. When the cleaning switch SW is operated, a command signal is emitted to the first driver D1 via the cleaning ECU 1, and a drive signal is further emitted to the first valve V1. As a result, the first valve V1 operates, and for example, one supply destination of the washing water W is selected. After that, the water pump PW is driven by the cleaning ECU 1, and the cleaning water W is discharged to the object to be cleaned. The cleaning water W discharged to the front camera CF, the left camera CFL, and the right camera CFR is substantially removed by the traveling wind of the vehicle B.

(2nd valve)
A second valve V2 is provided in the middle of the rear flow path L2. In the present embodiment, the washing water W is switched and supplied to the rear window RW and the rear camera CR. The second valve V2 obtains drive power from the second driver D2. The second driver D2 receives a drive signal from the cleaning ECU 1 as the control unit 11 provided in front of the vehicle B. The cleaning ECU 1 transmits a drive signal to the second driver D2 and the first driver D1 based on the operation of the cleaning switch SW by the operator of the vehicle B or the like.

The second valve V2 is normally connected to the flow path of the rear window RW, and the flow path is temporarily switched only when the rear camera CR needs to be cleaned. After the second valve V2 is switched, the cleaning ECU 1 operates the water pump PW via the pump ECU 2 to discharge the cleaning water W from the cleaning nozzle NR of the rear camera CR. Since the second valve V2 is operated by the operation of the cleaning switch SW of the operator in this way, the frequency of generation of operating noise is reduced and the durability is superior.

By providing the second driver D2 and the second valve V2 in the rear flow path L2 that conveys the fluid to the rear window RW in this way, the flow paths of other cleaning targets such as the front window FW that has already been constructed can be changed. The function of the cleaning device U can be increased without any problem.

Further, since the second driver D2 for applying the drive current to the second valve V2 is provided separately from the first driver D1, the wiring for applying a relatively large current can be installed only in the rear region. Therefore, it is not necessary to lay thick wiring having a large energizing capacity from the front to the rear of the vehicle B, the possibility of electric leakage from the connection portion between the wirings and the like can be reduced, and the cost of the wiring to be used can be suppressed.

(Air pump)
For example, the rear camera CR or the like, which is the rear confirmation support device R, is in a position where the air passing along the surface of the vehicle B is stagnant, so that the cleaning frequency tends to be high. Therefore, the cleaning water W sprayed on the rear camera CR is difficult to be removed by the air flowing on the surface of the vehicle B. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the air pump PA that receives the driving power from the second driver D2 and injects the cleaning air A into the rear camera CR is provided.

The timing for operating the air pump PA is determined by the cleaning ECU 1, the pump ECU 2, and the second driver D2. The application of the driving power from the second driver D2 to the air pump PA coincides with the discharge timing of the washing water W. For example, if the cleaning air A is injected after the end of the discharge of the cleaning water W, the cleaning water W can be removed without leaving uneven drying of the cleaning water W on the lens of the rear camera CR.

Since the driving power of the air pump PA is supplied from the second driver D2, it is not necessary to lay a large-diameter wiring from the front of the vehicle B to the second driver D2 in this case as well, and the installation work of the air pump PA is performed. Is easy.

(Dirt sensor)
The cleaning timing of the rear camera CR and the like is determined by the operator confirming the image of the rear camera CR and pressing the cleaning switch SW by himself / herself. However, the dirt sensor S may be provided so that the cleaning operation is automatically performed. That is, the dirt sensor S is an image recognition ECU here, detects dirt on the rear confirmation support device R such as the rear camera CR, and transmits a drive signal to the cleaning ECU 1 to the second driver D2 and the water pump PW. Instruct.

The dirt sensor S determines to what extent the rear image information sent from the rear camera CR can be recognized. With this dirt sensor S, for example, when the brightness difference between regions where the contrast difference is obvious in the rear image information is evaluated and the so-called edge portion is recognized as unclear, the cleaning ECU 1 performs the second driver D2 and the like. A cleaning instruction is sent to.

With this configuration, the second valve V2 may be switched to clean the rear camera CR only when the rear camera CR becomes dirty. Therefore, the second valve V2 can be set in a state where the cleaning water W is normally supplied to the rear window RW, which is frequently cleaned, and the rear window RW can be quickly cleaned.

Incidentally, a sensor for detecting dirt can also be provided on the front camera CF or the like installed in front of the vehicle B. Images acquired from the front camera CF and the left and right cameras CFR and CFL are processed by the dirt sensor S, and when it is recognized that cleaning is necessary, a cleaning start signal is sent to the cleaning ECU 1. Further, the cleaning ECU 1 transmits a drive signal to the first driver D1 and the pump ECU 2 to switch between the water pump PW and the first valve V1. The first valve V1 is also normally set to supply the cleaning water W to the front window FW, so that the front flow path L1 faces the camera only when cleaning of any of the cameras is required. Switch.

Although not shown, the flow path cross-sectional area of the pipe forming the rear flow path L2 can be set larger than that of the pipe forming the front flow path L1. Since the length of the rear flow path L2 is longer than the length of the front flow path L1, the flow resistance of the rear flow path L2 can be reduced by increasing the diameter, and the amount of wash water W discharged to the rear camera CR or the like can be reduced. Can be secured.

[Another Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 2, the water pump PW may not be used for the front camera CF or the like in front of the vehicle B, and may only clean the front window FW. Also in this case, for example, by changing the rotation direction of the water pump PW, the washing water W can be supplied to the rear window RW and the rear camera CR. Many general vehicles B have cleaning nozzles NFW and NRW only in the front window FW and the rear window RW, and in this configuration, it is not necessary to provide the first valve V1 in front of the vehicle B. .. Therefore, the cleaning device U of the rear confirmation support device R can be added even though the configuration is extremely simple.

As the water pump PW for supplying the cleaning water W to the rear camera CR, for example, a pump for a headlamp can be used. When the water pump PW that supplies the cleaning water W to the front window FW is used for the rear camera CR or the like as in the above embodiment, the water pump PW is used because the cleaning water W is discharged to the front window FW having a large area. The amount of running water is set relatively large. Although this amount of flowing water is desirable for the rear window RW, it can be said that it is excessive for the rear camera CR.

Therefore, when a small flow rate pump for a headlamp is provided, it is preferable to use this small flow rate pump to suppress the washing water W from being discharged to unnecessary places.

The cleaning device according to the present invention can be widely applied to a vehicle provided with a cleaning nozzle for a rear window and further equipped with a rear camera for checking the rear.

11 Control unit A Cleaning air B Vehicle D1 1st driver D2 2nd driver L1 Other flow path L2 Rear flow path P Fluid pump PA Air pump R Rear confirmation support device RW Rear window T Fluid tank U Cleaning device V1 1st valve V2 2nd valve

Claims (3)

With a fluid tank
A fluid pump that circulates the fluid in the fluid tank and
A flow path for transporting the fluid discharged from the fluid pump, which is a rear flow path for transporting the fluid to the rear window of the vehicle, and another flow path for transporting the fluid to a cleaning target different from the rear window of the vehicle. When,
A first valve provided in the other flow path and setting the transport destination of the fluid to at least one cleaning target.
A first driver that supplies drive power to the first valve,
A second valve provided in the rear flow path and switching the transport destination of the fluid to the rear confirmation support device, and
A second driver that supplies drive power to the second valve,
A cleaning device including a control unit that transmits a drive signal to the first driver, the second driver, and the fluid pump. The first aspect of the present invention, wherein the fluid pump includes two discharge ports set by switching the rotation direction, and the rear flow path and the other flow paths are separately connected to the two discharge ports. Cleaning equipment. The cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an air pump that receives driving power from the second driver and discharges cleaning air to the rearward confirmation support device is provided.

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