Cleaning device

Abstract

The piston (13) displaces the nozzle (16) along the first axis (A1) while passing through the opening (21) between a first position located outside the support body (20) and a second position located inside the support body (20). The cover (11) covers the nozzle (16) when viewed from the outside of the support body (20) along the first axis (A1), and is displaced along the first axis (A1) together with the nozzle (16). The bracket (12) supports the piston (13) and is provided with a first locking part (121) which is locked with the edge part (22) of the opening part (21) from the outer side of the support body (20). The holding member (14) has a second locking portion (141) facing the first locking portion (121) from the inside of the support body (20) across the edge portion (22). The urging member (15) applies an urging force that urges the second engagement section (141) toward the edge section (22). The positioning member (17) prevents rotation of at least one of the bracket (12) and the holding member (14) caused by the applied force about a second axis extending non-parallel to the first axis (A1).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning device mounted on a support having an opening. Background Art

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a cleaning device mounted on a support having an opening. The cleaning device comprises a nozzle, a piston and a cover. The nozzle can spray cleaning fluid toward the headlight at a first position located outside the support. The piston displaces the nozzle while passing through the opening between the first position and a second position located inside the support. The cover covers the nozzle when viewed from the outside of the support along a first axis and displaces along the first axis together with the nozzle.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-010504 Summary of the invention

[0004] In the cleaning device as described above, it is required to improve the positioning accuracy of the cover with respect to the support body.

[0005] One of the embodiments provided by the present invention is a cleaning device installed on a support having an opening.

[0006] The cleaning device has:

[0007] a nozzle capable of spraying a fluid toward an object at a first position located outside the support body;

[0008] a piston that displaces the nozzle along a first axis while passing through the opening between the first position and a second position located inside the support body;

[0009] a cover that covers the nozzle when viewed from the outside of the support body along the first axis and is displaced along the first axis together with the nozzle;

[0010] a bracket supporting the piston and having a first locking portion that locks with the edge of the opening from the outside of the support body;

[0011] a holding member having a second locking portion which is opposite to the first locking portion from the inner side of the support body across the edge portion;

[0012] a biasing member configured to apply a biasing force to bias the second locking portion toward the edge portion; and

[0013] A positioning member that prevents rotation of at least one of the bracket and the holding member about a second axis extending non-parallel to the first axis caused by the applied force.

[0014] The applied force generated by the force-applying member generates a rotational force centered on a second axis extending non-parallel to the first axis for other parts of the cleaning device. If there is an unnecessary gap between the bracket and the retaining member due to component tolerances or assembly errors, a positional offset sometimes occurs in at least one of the bracket and the retaining member due to the rotational force. The bracket supports the piston, and the piston supports the nozzle. The cover is configured to be displaceable together with the nozzle, so a positional offset also occurs in the cover. In this case, not only is the aesthetics of the cleaning device viewed from the outside of the support body impaired, but sometimes unexpected interference also occurs between the cover and the support body.

[0015] According to the above-mentioned structure, the positioning component is provided in a manner that can prevent the rotation of at least one of the bracket and the retaining component about the second axis caused by the force applied by the force-applying component. Therefore, even if there is a gap between the bracket and the retaining component caused by component tolerance and assembly error, the positioning accuracy of the cover relative to the support body can be improved. As a result, the reduction in the aesthetics of the cleaning device seen from the outside of the support body and the unexpected interference between the cover and the support body can be suppressed. In addition, since the important conditions related to component tolerance and assembly error are relaxed, the manufacturing yield of the cleaning device is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 A state where the cleaning device according to one embodiment is attached to a support body is exemplified.

[0017] Figure 2 is an example Figure 1 An exploded oblique view of the structure of the cleaning device.

[0018] Figure 3 Example of carrying Figure 1 Vehicle with cleaning device.

[0019] Figure 4 Schematically illustrate the Figure 1 The shape of the holding component is observed in the direction of arrow IV.

[0020] Figure 5 Example of edge Figure 4 Line V-V is the cross section observed from the direction of the arrow.

[0021] Figure 6 Example of edge Figure 4 Line VI-VI is the cross section observed from the direction of the arrow.

[0022] Figure 7 The state where the nozzle is arranged at the cleaning position is illustrated.

[0023] Figure 8 The structure of the cleaning device according to the comparative example is shown.

[0024] Fig. 9 For example, from Figure 6 The appearance of the hood observed in the direction of arrow IX.

[0025] Fig.10 The positioning member according to another example is shown.

[0026] Fig.11 The positioning member according to another example is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Hereinafter, examples of the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings used in the following description, the scales are changed as necessary to make each component a recognizable size.

[0028] In the drawings, arrow F indicates the front direction of the illustrated structure. Arrow B indicates the rear direction of the illustrated structure. Arrow U indicates the upper direction of the illustrated structure. Arrow D indicates the lower direction of the illustrated structure. Arrow R indicates the right direction of the illustrated structure. Arrow L indicates the left direction of the illustrated structure. The expressions involved in these directions are used for convenience of explanation and do not limit the posture of the structure when it is actually used.

[0029] Figure 1 The external appearance of the cleaning device 10 according to one embodiment is illustrated. Figure 2 The main components constituting the cleaning device 10 are shown in exploded views. The cleaning device 10 is a device mounted on a support 20 to clean an object. Figure 3 The light-transmitting cover of the headlamp device 31 mounted on the front part of the illustrated vehicle 30 is the object to be cleaned. The support body 20 may be a member constituting a part of the vehicle 30. The vehicle 30 is an example of a moving body.

[0030] like Figure 2 As shown in the example, the cleaning device 10 includes a cover 11, a bracket 12, and a piston 13. The cleaning performed by the cleaning device 10 is performed by spraying a cleaning liquid from a nozzle toward the lighting device. The nozzle is accommodated in a space defined by the cover 11 and the bracket 12. The bracket 12 supports the piston 13.

[0031] The support body 20 has an opening 21 . When the piston 13 is passed through the opening 21 from the outside of the support body 20 , a part of the bracket 12 also passes through the opening 21 and is disposed inside the support body 20 together with the piston 13 .

[0032] The cleaning device 10 further includes a holding member 14. The holding member 14 includes a second locking portion 141. The holding member 14 is mounted on the bracket 12. At this time, the second locking portion 141 is disposed to face the first locking portion 121 of the bracket 12 from the inner side of the support body 20 with the edge 22 interposed therebetween.

[0033] The cleaning device 10 further includes a biasing member 15. The biasing member 15 is configured to be elastically deformed by being mounted between the bracket 12 and the holding member 14.

[0034] Reference Figures 4 to 6 , the structure for fixing the cleaning device 10 in the above-mentioned support body 20 is described in more detail. Figure 4 Schematically illustrate the Figure 1 The appearance of the holding member 14 and the positional relationship between the bracket 12 and the biasing member 15 as viewed in the direction of arrow IV in FIG. Figure 5 Example of edge Figure 4 The cross section of the holding member 14 is taken along the line VV in FIG. 1 as viewed from the direction of the arrow. Figure 6 Example of edge Figure 4 A cross section of the holding member 14 taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 1 as viewed from the direction of arrows.

[0035] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown in the example, the bracket 12 has a first locking portion 121. The first locking portion 121 is arranged on the outside of the support body 20 together with the cover 11, and is locked with the edge 22 of the opening 21. On the other hand, the holding member 14 has a second locking portion 141. The second locking portion 141 is arranged to face the first locking portion 121 from the inside of the support body 20 across the edge 22.

[0036] like Figure 2 and Figure 4 As illustrated, the urging member 15 includes a base 151 and a pair of legs 152. The pair of legs 152 extends downward from both left and right ends of the base 151. Each leg 152 has an elastically deformable curved shape.

[0037] like Figures 4 to 6 As shown in the example, the holding member 14 has an upper frame portion 142 and a lower frame portion 143. On the other hand, the bracket 12 has an engaging protrusion 122. The urging member 15 is arranged between the holding member 14 and the engaging protrusion 122 in such a manner that the base 151 abuts against the upper frame portion 142 and the front end of each leg portion 152 abuts against the lower frame portion 143.

[0038] The spacing between the upper frame portion 142 and the lower frame portion 143 of the holding member 14 and the engaging protrusion 122 of the bracket 12 in the front-rear direction is set so as to cause the leg portions 152 of the force applying member 15 to bend and deform. As a result of the elastic restoring force generated in the leg portions 152, a force is generated to push the second stopper 141 of the holding member 14 toward the edge 22 of the support body 20. Thus, the support body 20 is clamped by the bracket 12 and the holding member 14, and the cleaning device 10 is fixed to the support body.

[0039] like Figure 6 As shown in the example, the cleaning device 10 includes a nozzle 16. The nozzle 16 can be Figure 7 The cleaning position shown in the example is located outside the support body 20 and sprays the cleaning liquid W toward the lighting device (at Figure 7 The force applying member 15 is omitted in the figure). The cleaning fluid W is an example of a fluid. The piston 13 is configured to Figure 6 Between the housing positions inside the support body 20 shown as an example, the nozzle can be displaced along the first axis A1 while passing through the opening 21 of the support body 20 .

[0040] The cover 11 covers the nozzle 16 when viewed from the outside of the support body 20 along the first axis A1. The cover 11 is connected to the nozzle 16 via the connecting portion 111. Figure 7 As illustrated, the cap 11 is displaced together with the nozzle 16 along the first axis A1 .

[0041] like Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 6 As shown in the example, the cleaning device 10 has a pair of positioning members 17. In this example, the pair of positioning members 17 are arranged on the left and right sides of the lower frame portion 143 in the holding member 14. Figure 1 When viewed in the direction of arrow IV in FIG. 1 , each positioning member 17 extends so as to overlap with a space defined by the holding member 14 for accommodating a part of the bracket 12 .

[0042] Figure 8 A cleaning device 10A according to a comparative example is shown for explaining the function of the positioning member 17. The cleaning device 10A is different from the cleaning device 10 only in that the positioning member 17 is not present. Figure 8 In the figure, the piston 13, the urging member 15 and the nozzle 16 are omitted.

[0043] The force exerted by the force exerting member 15 generates a rotational force centered on the second axis A2 extending non-parallel to the first axis A1 for other parts of the cleaning device 10. If an unnecessary gap exists between the bracket 12 and the holding member 14 due to component tolerance or assembly error, the rotational force may cause a positional deviation of at least one of the bracket 12 and the holding member 14. Figure 8 , a case where positional deviation occurs in the bracket 12 is illustrated.

[0044] As described above, the bracket 12 supports the piston 13, and the piston 13 supports the nozzle 16. The cover 11 is connected to the piston 13 via the nozzle 16. Therefore, positional deviation also occurs in the cover 11. In this case, not only the aesthetics of the cleaning device 10 viewed from the outside of the support body 20 is impaired, but unexpected interference may sometimes occur between the cover 11 and the support body 20.

[0045] like Figure 6 As illustrated, the positioning member 17 according to the present embodiment is disposed at a position capable of preventing at least one of the bracket 12 and the holding member 14 from rotating about the second axis A2 due to the biasing force of the biasing member 15 .

[0046] Therefore, even if there is a gap between the bracket 12 and the holding member 14 caused by component tolerance or assembly error, the positioning accuracy of the cover 11 relative to the support body 20 can be improved. As a result, it is possible to suppress the reduction in the aesthetics of the cleaning device 10 seen from the outside of the support body 20 and the unexpected interference between the cover 11 and the support body 20. In addition, the important conditions related to component tolerance and assembly error are relaxed, so the manufacturing yield of the cleaning device 10 is improved.

[0047] like Figure 6 As illustrated, in this embodiment, the cleaning device 10 is mounted on the support body 20 in a manner that the first axis A1 extends non-parallel to the normal line N of the support body 20 at the position where the opening 21 is formed. The rotation of at least one of the bracket 12 and the holding member 14 around the second axis A2 caused by the force applied by the aforementioned force applying member 15 is more likely to occur in the above-mentioned structure. Therefore, the advantage of the positioning member 17 becomes more significant in this structure.

[0048] However, the positioning member 17 may be provided in the cleaning device 10 mounted on the support body 20 so that the first axis A1 and the normal line N extend in parallel.

[0049] Fig. 9 For example, from Figure 6The appearance of the support body 20 and the cover 11 observed in the direction of the arrow IX in FIG. The correct position of the cover 11 is indicated by a solid line. That is, the outer edge 11a of the cover 11 is located inside the inner edge 21a of the opening 21. The interval between the outer edge 11a and the inner edge 21a is kept uniform.

[0050] On the other hand, the position of the cover 11 when the above-mentioned positional deviation occurs is indicated by a two-dot chain line. Figure 8 In the example, the second axis A2, which is the rotation center of the bracket 12, extends in the direction along the left-right direction of the cleaning device 10. On this basis or instead, the force generated by the force-applying member 15 can produce a rotation centered on a third axis A3 extending in the direction along the up-down direction of the cleaning device 10. The third axis A3 also extends non-parallel to the first axis A1. In the event of a positional deviation of the cover 11 as described above, not only will the aesthetics of the cleaning device 10 as seen from the outside of the support body 20 be impaired, but when the cover 11 is displaced accompanying the advance and retreat of the nozzle 16, unexpected interference may sometimes occur between the outer edge 11a of the cover 11 and the inner edge 21a of the opening 21.

[0051] The positioning member 17 is disposed at a position capable of preventing at least one of the bracket 12 and the holding member 14 from rotating about at least one of the second axis A2 and the third axis A3 due to the urging force of the urging member 15 .

[0052] Therefore, even if there is a gap between the bracket 12 and the holding member 14 due to component tolerance or assembly error, it is possible to suppress the positional deviation of the outer edge 11a of the cover 11 relative to the inner edge 21a of the opening 21. Thus, it is possible to suppress the reduction in the aesthetics of the cleaning device 10 viewed from the outside of the support body 20 and the unexpected interference between the outer edge 11a of the cover 11 and the inner edge 21a of the opening 21 caused by the advance and retreat of the nozzle 16.

[0053] In this embodiment, the positioning member 17 and the holding member 14 are one-piece molded products. In this case, the number of components and assembly man-hours can be reduced, and it is easy to ensure the rigidity of the positioning member 17 for preventing the unnecessary rotation of at least one of the bracket 12 and the holding member 14 caused by the applied force of the force applying member 15.

[0054] However, a separate positioning member 17 may be provided and mounted on the holding member 14. In this case, restrictions on the design of a mold for molding the holding member 14 can be relaxed.

[0055] The positioning member 17 does not necessarily need to be provided on the holding member 14 as long as it is possible to prevent unnecessary rotation of at least one of the bracket 12 and the holding member 14 about the second axis A2 caused by the urging force of the urging member 15 .

[0056] It is also possible to provide a positioning member 17 on the basis of or in place of the positioning member 17 provided on the holding member 14, such as Fig.10 As shown in the example, the structure in which the positioning member 17 is provided on the bracket 12 is adopted. Specifically, the positioning member 17 can be provided in a manner of being locked with the edge 22 of the opening 21 from the outside of the support body 20. In this case, the positioning member 17 can be provided as a single-piece molded product together with the bracket 12, or can be provided as an independent component and mounted on the bracket 12.

[0057] The shape of the positioning member 17 provided on the bracket 12 is not limited to Fig.10 The shape of the positioning member 17 capable of preventing the bracket 12 from rotating can also be appropriately changed according to the angle formed by the first axis A1 and the normal line N. Fig.11 Another example of the shape of the positioning member 17 provided on the bracket 12 is shown.

[0058] The various structures described so far are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the present invention. Each structural example can be appropriately modified and combined with other structural examples without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0059] The object cleaned by the cleaning device 10 is not limited to the light-transmitting cover of the headlamp device 31. Examples of other objects include a detection surface of a sensor that detects information about the surroundings of the vehicle 30 using light, or a surface of a member through which the light passes.

[0060] When cleaning an object, liquid such as water or gas such as air can be used. The liquid and gas are examples of fluids.

[0061] The cleaning device 10 may be mounted on a mobile body other than a vehicle. Examples of other mobile bodies include airplanes, aircraft, ships, etc. The mobile body may not require a driver.

[0062] The cleaning device 10 does not need to be mounted on a mobile body. For example, the cleaning device 10 can be installed in a house, a facility, a transportation infrastructure, etc., and used to clean the objects exemplified above.

[0063] The contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-137957 filed on August 31, 2022 are cited as a part of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cleaning device, mounted on a support having an opening, The cleaning device has: a nozzle capable of spraying a fluid toward an object at a first position located outside the support body; a piston that displaces the nozzle along a first axis while passing through the opening between the first position and a second position located inside the support body; a cover that covers the nozzle when viewed from the outside of the support body along the first axis and is displaced along the first axis together with the nozzle; A bracket supports the piston and has a first locking portion that locks with the edge of the opening from the outside of the support body; a holding member having a second locking portion which is opposite to the first locking portion from the inner side of the support body across the edge; a force applying member for applying a force to urge the second stopper toward the edge; as well as A positioning member that prevents rotation of at least one of the bracket and the holding member about a second axis extending non-parallel to the first axis caused by the applied force.

2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein: The device is attached to the support body so that the first axis extends non-parallel to a normal line of the support body at a position where the opening is formed.

3. The cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The outer edge of the cover is located inside the inner edge of the opening.

4. The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The positioning member and the holding member are a one-piece molded product.

5. The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The supporting body is a part of the moving body.

6. The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The object is a part of the lighting device.

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