Cleaning system for vehicle and vehicle

Abstract

A cleaning system (10) for a vehicle (100) and a vehicle (100), the cleaning system (10) having a first media unit (12), an acceleration unit (14), a second media unit (16), a third media unit (17) and a control unit (20), the first media unit (12) being designed to guide a first medium, in particular a cleaning agent, into the acceleration unit (14), the second media unit (16) being designed to guide a second medium, in particular a cleaning agent, into the acceleration unit (14), and the third media unit (17) being designed to guide a third medium into the acceleration unit (14). The acceleration unit (14) is designed to discharge a first medium from the cleaning system (10) in a predetermined fluid flow through the first outlet opening (30), and the second medium unit (16) is designed to introduce a second medium, in particular a pressurized gas, into the fluid flow through the second outlet opening (31), the third medium unit (17) is designed to discharge a third medium obliquely in the direction of the fluid flow through the third outlet opening (32), and the control unit (20) is designed to control the flow rate (37) of the third medium in order to adapt the shaping of the fluid flow by means of the third medium.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning system for a vehicle and a vehicle having such a cleaning device. Background Art

[0002] There are currently a large number of different solutions for cleaning surfaces in the field of vehicles. Due to the increasing number of surfaces to be cleaned at the vehicle and its sensing devices, the demand for the cleaning liquid to be provided continues to increase.

[0003] The continuous weight reduction for reducing consumption and the increasing competition in the field of vehicles have led to cost pressure, thus more acutely demanding cheaper and more efficient components for vehicles. Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning system for a vehicle, in particular for a road vehicle, such as a passenger car, a truck, a bus, a transporter, etc. The cleaning system according to the present invention having the features of claim 1 has the advantage over known cleaning systems that it can significantly reduce the consumption of the cleaning liquid. Therefore, the frequency of refilling the cleaning liquid is reduced for the user of the vehicle. In addition, the combination according to the present invention of three media can improve the dirt dissolution and / or the cleaning effect. This combination of three media can also reduce the pressure of one or more media, which can result in lower wear at the cleaning system and lower energy consumption of the cleaning system.

[0005] This is achieved according to the present invention in that the cleaning system has a first medium unit, an acceleration unit, a second medium unit, a third medium unit and a control unit. Here, the first medium unit is configured to guide a first medium, in particular a cleaning agent, into the acceleration unit, wherein the acceleration unit is configured to discharge the first medium from the cleaning system through a first discharge opening with a predetermined fluid flow.

[0006] Furthermore, the second medium unit is configured to introduce a second medium, in particular a pressurized gas - which second medium can also represent a gas mixture (such as air) - into the predetermined fluid flow through a second discharge opening. It should be noted that the first discharge opening and the second discharge opening are preferably arranged side by side in a plane with each other, such that the respective flow directions of the first medium and the second medium are substantially the same when flowing out of the respective discharge openings, without being limited to such an arrangement and / or orientation of the respective discharge openings.

[0007] In other words, the cleaning system for a vehicle is in particular the following cleaning system, which is arranged close to the surface to be cleaned or is arranged in or at a wiper established for cleaning the surface to be cleaned. The surface to be cleaned of the vehicle can in principle be any surface of the vehicle, but in particular the environmental interface of vehicle sensors (such as ultrasonic- and / or radar- and / or lidar sensors and / or cameras) and / or the surface of vehicle window panes and / or vehicle lighting devices. The first medium unit can preferably have a connection to a fluid system or a gas system, where the connection connects the first medium unit to a pump and / or a compressor and / or a valve and / or a storage tank in order to convey the first medium into the first medium unit.

[0008] The first medium unit can be connected to the acceleration unit, or the two can be designed integrally. In addition, the first medium unit can be connected to the acceleration unit in a fluid-conducting manner. The acceleration unit preferably has an acceleration channel that constructs a predefined fluid flow. The predefined fluid flow can preferably consist of the first medium and / or the second medium. Preferably, the first medium is a liquid, and the second medium is a gas or a gas mixture. In addition, the first medium can be a gas or a gas mixture (such as air), and the second medium is a liquid. The liquid includes liquid mixtures that also have solids. In addition, the first medium can be a first fluid and the second medium is a second fluid. In addition, the predefined fluid flow can be established for cleaning the surface to be cleaned.

[0009] Here, the predefined fluid flow can be set in a targeted manner by means of the contour or design of the acceleration channel. In addition, the acceleration channel can be constructed as a nozzle that changes the material properties of the first medium and, for example, atomizes the first medium.

[0010] If the acceleration unit and the second medium unit are constructed in multiple parts or they can be implemented integrally, it is preferred that the acceleration unit and the second medium unit are connected to each other. Before the first medium flows out of the acceleration unit and before the second medium flows out of the second medium unit, it is preferred that the first medium and the second medium are separated from each other. As the first medium flows out of the acceleration unit and as the second medium flows out of the second medium unit, it is preferred that the first medium and the second medium are only mixed with each other, or the second medium is introduced into the first medium. The second medium unit can also have a connection to a pump and / or a compressor and / or a valve and / or a storage tank in order to supply the second medium. The second medium unit can have a cavity that receives the second medium.

[0011] Preferably, a gap is arranged between the acceleration unit and the second medium unit, where the second medium unit discharges the second medium through the gap.

[0012] The third medium unit is configured to discharge the third medium obliquely in the direction of the fluid flow composed of the first medium and the second medium through the third discharge opening. The third medium is preferably a gas or a gas mixture, such as air for example. For this purpose, the third medium unit preferably also has connections to pumps and / or compressors and / or valves and / or storage tanks in order to supply the third medium. Additionally, it is conceivable that, as an alternative or in addition, the third medium is a fluid.

[0013] Generally, it should be noted that if the specific media are constructed identically, the corresponding actuators (such as the aforementioned pumps, compressors, valves, etc.) for conveying the first medium, the second medium, and the third medium can be at least partially used jointly for conveying the respective media. Thus, for example, it is conceivable that in the case where the second medium and the third medium are each air, these two media can be pressurized by means of the same compressor and can be controlled by means of separate valves arranged behind the compressor respectively. Additionally, it is conceivable that in principle any other combinations of actuators can be obtained in an obvious manner for a person skilled in the art from the respective combinations of the media.

[0014] Furthermore, generally it should be noted that the respective geometries of the surfaces of the first discharge opening, the second discharge opening, and the third discharge opening can be determined in principle arbitrarily and independently of each other. In the case of the gap existing between the acceleration unit, the first medium unit, and the second medium unit as described above, the first discharge opening, for example, has a circular opening surface, and the second discharge opening, due to the gap surrounding the first discharge opening, has an annular opening surface for example. In such a case, the third discharge opening, for example, also has a circular opening surface or a different one, such as a rectangular opening surface. Additionally, it is conceivable that the respective surfaces of the first discharge opening and / or the second discharge opening and / or the third discharge opening are constructed elliptically, square-shaped, polygonal, star-shaped, crescent-shaped, or differently.

[0015] Furthermore, it is not mandatory for the second discharge opening to completely surround the first discharge opening. Instead, it is feasible that the second discharge opening only partially surrounds the first discharge opening or is arranged adjacent to the first discharge opening.

[0016] The control unit is configured to control at least one flow rate of the third medium in order to adapt the shaping of the fluid flow by means of the third medium. For this purpose, the control unit is advantageously connected in an information technology manner to the actuator for outputting the third medium (such as the aforementioned pump, valve, or compressor). On this basis, the control unit is, for example, configured to set the pressure and / or the volume flow rate and / or the output quantity and / or the composition of the third medium.

[0017] In summary, the particular advantage of using the third medium unit to adapt the fluid flow composed of the first medium and the second medium is that the surface to be cleaned can be cleaned particularly flexibly and, for example, adapted to the current boundary conditions. As already described above, the demand for the cleaning liquid to be provided in the vehicle can thereby be further reduced, because the cleaning of the surface can be achieved particularly specifically.

[0018] The dependent claims show preferred refinements of the invention.

[0019] Further preferably, the control unit is configured to control the flow rate of the first medium and / or the flow rate of the second medium. In particular, the control unit can be configured to control the flow rate of the first medium and / or the second medium and / or the third medium according to a switching sequence. Based on such a switching sequence, on the one hand, it is possible to always output all the media simultaneously, or only output a part of the media simultaneously and output the other parts relative to each other in a time-displaced manner (for example, overlapping or non-overlapping in time). Thus, for example, it can be advantageous to first soften the dirt on the surface to be cleaned of the vehicle by simultaneously outputting the first medium, the second medium, and the third medium and then blow away the dirt only by means of the second medium and / or the third medium (for example, by means of air), so that the required amount of the first medium (for example, the cleaning agent) can be reduced. Alternatively, it can also be envisaged to output the first medium and / or the second medium and / or the third medium sequentially. In addition to the pure activation and deactivation of the output of the respective media, the control unit can furthermore be configured to adapt the pressure and / or the flow rate of the respective media in addition to the switching sequence.

[0020] As already mentioned above, the cleaning system advantageously has a nozzle unit which is configured to accelerate and / or atomize a predetermined fluid flow. The advantage of this embodiment can be that the cleaning effect of the cleaning system can be further improved by atomizing the predetermined fluid flow, because the atomization of the first medium increases the surface of the first medium and thus potentially more dirt particles can be removed. In addition, in this way it is possible to reduce the required proportion of the cleaning agent if, for example, the cleaning agent is mixed with air. The nozzle unit can in particular be arranged at the second medium unit and / or be integrally formed with the second medium unit.

[0021] In a further advantageous design of the present invention, the cleaning system further has a beam shaping unit, wherein the beam shaping unit surrounds the first discharge opening and the second discharge opening on the outside of the cleaning system in order to shape the fluid flow generated by means of the first medium unit and by means of the second medium unit or to define the diffusion of the fluid flow. For this purpose, the beam shaping unit is constructed, for example, funnel-shaped or column-shaped or differently. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the beam shaping unit is arranged in a movably supported manner on the cleaning system and is provided for pivoting and / or rotating by means of one or more actuators in order to additionally influence the shape and / or direction of the fluid flow based on the beam shaping unit. Particularly advantageously, the third discharge opening is arranged at the beam shaping unit and in particular on the inside of the beam shaping unit, without being limited to this arrangement position.

[0022] In a further advantageous embodiment, the third medium unit is provided for indirectly guiding the third medium onto the fluid flow in such a way that the third medium is output in the direction of the inner surface of the beam shaping unit and deflected in the direction of the fluid flow when contacting the inner surface. Thereby, for example, higher flexibility can be achieved in the case of arranging the third discharge opening and / or in the case of influencing the shaping of the fluid flow.

[0023] Preferably, the main ejection direction of the third medium from the third discharge opening intersects the main ejection direction of the fluid flow at an angle of 30° to 90°, preferably 45° to 90° and more preferably 60° to 90° in order to be able to achieve a particularly efficient influence on the fluid flow. Particularly advantageously, the third medium unit (in particular in combination with an actuator and a control unit) is provided for adapting the shape and / or size and / or direction of the fluid flow. In this regard, it is also conceivable that the third discharge opening is adaptively constructed based on a further actuator, so that the main ejection direction and / or shape and / or size of the output beam of the third medium can be adapted in order to be able to influence the fluid flow composed of the first medium and the second medium even more specifically.

[0024] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the third medium unit has a plurality of third discharge openings which are arranged in the surroundings (Umfeld) of the first discharge opening and the second discharge opening. Advantageously, the control unit is configured to control the output of the third medium through the plurality of third discharge openings at least partially independently of one another. It should be noted that for all the third discharge openings, the size and / or geometry of the respective third discharge opening can be the same or at least partially different from one another. Furthermore, it is feasible that the third discharge openings can be arranged equidistantly relative to one another and / or relative to the first discharge opening and / or relative to the second discharge opening or differently therefrom. Particularly advantageously, the control unit is based on the respective actuators and is configured to control the output of the third medium through the third discharge opening independently of one another for each third discharge opening. This can be achieved, for example, in such a way that all the third discharge openings are supplied with the third medium by means of the same pump, but valves which can be controlled independently of one another by the control unit are connected in front of each discharge opening. A particular advantage offered by the use of a plurality of third discharge openings is that the influence on the fluid flow by means of the third medium can be set particularly flexibly and / or precisely. Thereby, for example, the cleaning performance of the cleaning system can be further improved, whereby the need for cleaning liquid etc. can be additionally reduced.

[0025] Further preferably, the control unit is configured to continuously change the output pressure of the third medium during the cleaning process in order to cause a continuous deflection and / or shape change of the fluid flow. Thereby, for example, the fluid flow can be guided in the form of a continuous wiping movement over the surface to be cleaned of the vehicle in order to be able to remove particularly efficiently the dirt present on the surface to be cleaned. This is achieved, for example, in combination with an auxiliary beam shaping of the fluid flow by means of the third medium, by means of which the fluid flow is guided, for example, fan-shaped over the surface to be cleaned.

[0026] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the control unit is configured to adapt the shaping of the fluid flow based on the current influencing parameters acting on the fluid flow and / or based on the current cleaning requirements of the cleaning system. The influencing parameters acting on the fluid flow can be, for example, the driving wind, which can deflect the fluid flow in an unfavorable manner with respect to the desired cleaning effect from the surface to be cleaned. By appropriately controlling the output of the third medium by means of the control unit, such an unfavorable deflection of the fluid flow can be compensated for at least proportionally. The current cleaning requirements of the cleaning system can relate, for example, to the degree of contamination of the surface to be cleaned, which is preferably detected by a sensor device of the vehicle. In this way, the output of the third medium can be specifically adapted to the respective degree of contamination. As an alternative or in addition, the cleaning requirements can vary depending on the current driving mode, since, for example, in a (partially-)automated driving operation, a more thorough cleaning is required for vehicle sensors etc. compared to a manual driving operation in which there is additional control by the driver.

[0027] According to a second aspect of the invention, a vehicle is proposed which has at least one cleaning system according to the first aspect of the invention and a surface to be cleaned by means of the cleaning system (for example a sensor surface, a vehicle window pane, the surface of a lighting device etc.). The features, feature combinations and the resulting advantages correspond so obviously to the features, feature combinations and the resulting advantages implemented in connection with the initially mentioned aspect of the invention that reference is made to the above-described embodiments in order to avoid repetition. Description of the Drawings

[0028] Embodiments of the invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings:

[0029] Figure 1 An exemplary embodiment of a cleaning system according to the invention is shown;

[0030] Figure 2 A further exemplary embodiment of the cleaning system according to the invention is shown in connection with the surface to be cleaned; and

[0031] Figure 3 An exemplary embodiment of a vehicle according to the invention is shown. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0032] Figure 1 An exemplary embodiment of a cleaning system 10 according to the invention for a vehicle 100 (see Figure 3 ) is shown, wherein the cleaning system 10 has a first medium unit 12, an acceleration unit 14, a second medium unit 16, a third medium unit 17 and a control unit 20.

[0033] The first medium unit 12 is provided for guiding a first medium, which is a cleaning liquid here, into the acceleration unit 14. For this purpose, the first medium unit 12 is connected via a (not shown) hose to a (not shown) fluid system that has a (not shown) reservoir for the cleaning liquid.

[0034] Here, the acceleration unit 14 with the nozzle unit 50 is provided for discharging the first medium through a first discharge opening 30 from the cleaning system 10 as a pre-determined fluid stream 18, while the second medium unit 16 is provided for introducing a second medium, which is air here, into the fluid stream 18 through a second discharge opening 31.

[0035] For this purpose, the second medium unit 16 forms a gap between itself and the first medium unit 12 in order to introduce the air in the immediate vicinity of the first discharge opening 30 into the fluid stream 18.

[0036] The third medium unit 17 is provided for discharging a third medium, which is also air here, through a plurality of third discharge openings 32 obliquely in a direction towards the fluid stream 18 at an angle of 45° to 90° with respect to the main ejection direction of the fluid stream 18. The respective third discharge openings 32 are arranged here inside the beam shaping unit 40 of the cleaning system 10, wherein the beam shaping unit 40 is provided for spatially defining and thus shaping the fluid stream 18.

[0037] It should be noted that, for reasons of clarity, only the third medium unit 17 or the respective air-guiding channels of the third medium unit 17 are shown here. The air-guiding channels can have, for example, hose connections in the region of the beam shaping unit 40 and / or in the region of other components of the cleaning system 10 in order to be connected via this hose connection to a (not shown) first valve.

[0038] The control unit 20, which is configured here as a microcontroller, is provided for controlling the flow rate 37 of the third medium through the respective third discharge openings 32 in order to adapt the ejection direction and shape of the fluid stream 18 with the aid of the third medium.

[0039] For this purpose, the control unit 20 is connected in an information-technology manner to a (not shown) compressor and a first valve in order to build up a suitable air pressure with the aid of the compressor and to transport the compressed air through the third medium unit 17 (which is connected to the first valve by means of a hose) to the third discharge openings 32 by means of an actuation for opening the first valve.

[0040] The control unit 20 is further configured to additionally control the flow rate 35 of the first medium and / or the flow rate 36 of the second medium in combination with the respectively corresponding actuators (for example, a second valve through which the compressed air generated by the compressor is transported to the second medium unit 16; and a pump through which the cleaning liquid is transported to the first medium unit 12), so that the cleaning performance of the cleaning system 10 can be adapted to the current boundary conditions.

[0041] Figure 2 An additional exemplary embodiment of the cleaning system 10 according to the invention is shown in connection with the surface 80 to be cleaned, which is the protective glass of a lidar sensor here.

[0042] Figure 2 The respective flow rates 35, 36 and 37 of the first medium, the second medium and the third medium in the cleaning system 10 and the output directions of the respective media when leaving the cleaning system 10 are shown.

[0043] By means of a suitable control of the flow rate 37 of the third medium (in this case air), a deflection of the fluid flow 18 with respect to the surface 80 to be cleaned can be achieved, in order to improve the cleaning performance and in order to reduce the consumption of the cleaning liquid, which represents the first medium.

[0044] Figure 3 An exemplary embodiment of a vehicle 100 according to the invention with a cleaning system 10 according to the invention is shown. The cleaning system is here arranged to clean the ambient sensor 80 of the vehicle 100. The ambient sensor 80 and the cleaning system 10 are connected in terms of information technology to the control unit 20 of the vehicle, which is configured to obtain the degree of contamination of the environmental interface (i.e. the measurement interface) of the ambient sensor 80 via the signals of the ambient sensor 80 and to control the respective (not shown) actuators of the cleaning system 10 according to the degree of contamination, in order to achieve the fluid flow 18 generated by the cleaning system 10 for cleaning the ambient sensor 80 (see Figure 1 or Figure 2 ).

Claims

1. A cleaning system (10) for a vehicle (100), the cleaning system comprising: - a first dielectric unit (12), - an acceleration unit (14), - a second dielectric unit (16), - a third dielectric unit (17), and - a control unit (20), in, the first medium unit (12) is designed to conduct a first medium, in particular a cleaning agent, into the acceleration unit (14), the acceleration unit (14) is designed to discharge the first medium with a predetermined flow rate (18) out of the cleaning system (10) through a first outlet opening (30), the second medium unit (16) is designed to introduce a second medium, in particular a gas under pressure, into the fluid flow (18) through a second outlet opening (31), The third medium unit (17) is designed to discharge the third medium through a third outlet opening (32) obliquely in the direction of the fluid flow (18), and The control unit (20) is designed to control the flow rate (37) of the third medium in order to adapt the shaping of the fluid flow (18) by means of the third medium.

2. The cleaning system (10) according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit (20) is configured to: - controlling the flow rate (35) of the first medium and / or the flow rate (36) of the second medium, and / or - Controlling the flow rates of the corresponding media (35, 36, 37) according to the switching sequence.

3. The cleaning system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The cleaning system (10) has a nozzle unit (50), wherein the nozzle unit (50) is designed to atomize a predetermined fluid flow (18).

4. The cleaning system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a beam shaping unit (40), wherein: The jet shaping unit (40) surrounds the first outlet opening (30) and the second outlet opening (31) on the outside of the cleaning system (10) in order to shape the fluid jet (18) generated by means of the first medium unit (12) and the second medium unit (16), and / or The third outlet opening (32) is arranged on the jet shaping unit (40), in particular on the inner side of the jet shaping unit (40).

5. The cleaning system (10) according to claim 4, wherein: The third medium unit (17) is designed to indirectly guide the third medium to the fluid flow (18) by discharging the third medium in the direction of an inner surface of the jet shaping unit (40) and deflecting the third medium in the direction of the fluid flow (18) when in contact with the inner surface.

6. The cleaning system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: a main discharge direction of the third medium from the third discharge opening (32) intersects the main discharge direction of the fluid flow (18) at an angle of 30° to 90°, preferably 45° to 90° and more preferably 60° to 90°, and / or The third medium unit (17) is designed to adapt the shape and / or the size and / or the direction of the fluid flow (18).

7. The cleaning system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The third medium unit (17) has a plurality of third outlet openings (32), which are arranged in the surroundings of the first outlet opening (30) and the second outlet opening (31), and / or The control unit (20) is designed to control the output of the third medium through the plurality of third outlet openings (32) at least partially independently of one another.

8. The cleaning system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The control unit (20) is designed to continuously vary the delivery pressure of the third medium during a cleaning process in order to bring about a continuous deflection and / or a change in shape of the fluid flow (18).

9. The cleaning system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The control unit (20) is configured to: - influencing variables currently acting on the fluid flow (18), and / or - the current cleaning requirements for the cleaning system (10) To adapt the shaping of the fluid flow (18).

10. A vehicle (100) having at least one cleaning system (10) according to any one of the preceding claims and having a surface (80) to be cleaned by means of the cleaning system (10).

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