Windscreen washer nozzle

Abstract

Windscreen washer nozzle (4) for applying a water jet from a water pressure source onto a windscreen of a vehicle, comprising a base body (2) with a water inlet (18, 22) connectable to the water pressure source and a nozzle opening (26) which is connected to the water inlet (18, 22) via a channel (8) through the base body (2), so that the water jet from the water pressure source can be applied to the windscreen of the vehicle via the channel (8) and the nozzle opening (26), characterized in that, in order to maintain a predetermined tolerance of an adjustment angle, the channel (8) has a surface whose roughness falls below a defined value, and the channel (8) is manufactured for this purpose using a manufacturing process in which a tool (28) used either • only locally attacks a wall of the channel on the base body (2) by having a diameter of the tool smaller than the channel (8) to be manufactured, or • the tool is moved axially step by step through the channel (8) to be produced.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a windscreen washer nozzle for applying a water jet from a water pressure source onto a window of a vehicle, a vehicle with the windscreen washer nozzle and a method for producing a windscreen washer nozzle for applying a water jet from a water pressure source onto a window of a vehicle.

[0002] DE 10 236 885 A1 discloses a windshield washer nozzle for projecting a water jet from a pressurized water source onto a vehicle windshield. The windshield washer nozzle comprises a base body with a water inlet connectable to the pressurized water source and a channel extending through the base body, in which a nozzle ball with a nozzle opening is held. If the water inlet is connected to the pressurized water source, the water jet from the pressurized water source can be projected onto the vehicle windshield via the nozzle opening in the nozzle ball.

[0003] From FR 2 957 575 A1 a method is known for creating a spray channel at the desired setting angle directly through a closed, comparatively thin wall of the nozzle body from the outside with a tool, whereby material removal can be carried out either mechanically with a drill or thermally with a laser or a hot needle.

[0004] However, especially with thicker walls, the described process can lead to such poor surface quality of the channel walls that the desired setting angle and spray pattern can no longer be reliably maintained.

[0005] The task is to improve the known windshield washer nozzles.

[0006] The problem is solved by the features of the independent claims. Preferred developments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0007] According to one aspect of the invention, a windscreen washer nozzle for applying a water jet from a water pressure source onto a window of a vehicle comprises a base body with a water inlet that can be connected to the water pressure source and a nozzle opening that is connected to the water inlet via a channel, hereinafter also called outlet channel, that runs through the base body, so that the water jet from the water pressure source can be applied to the window of the vehicle via the channel and the nozzle opening, wherein the channel is manufactured using a manufacturing method in which a tool used acts locally on a wall of the channel on the base body.

[0008] The basic principle underlying the specified windshield washer nozzle is that the water jet should exit the nozzle and hit the vehicle's windshield at a predetermined angle, referred to as the angle of incidence. The angle of incidence depends on the impact area on the vehicle's windshield, which in turn should be selected so that the water can be distributed as widely as possible by the water jet alone and then by the windshield wipers.

[0009] Based on this basic consideration, the specified windshield washer nozzle is based on the further consideration that the tolerance for the setting angle cannot be arbitrarily large, as otherwise effective distribution of the water from the water jet on the windshield can no longer be guaranteed. Based on this further consideration, it is recognized within the framework of the specified windshield washer nozzle that the tolerance of the setting angle for the water jet depends on the surface condition, i.e., the roughness of an outlet channel from which the water jet emerges from the windshield washer nozzle and hits the surface of the windshield. The smoother and therefore less rough the surface of this outlet channel, the more tolerance-free the setting angle of the water jet can be technically implemented.

[0010] Since the surface quality cannot be produced conventionally with any desired high quality, the nozzle ball mentioned above is necessary, which is rotatably mounted in the outlet channel and thus allows the angle of the water jet to be adjusted on the vehicle so that the water jet can be directed onto the impact area.

[0011] In order to avoid the use of a nozzle ball, it is proposed in the context of the specified windscreen washer nozzle to increase the surface quality of the outlet channel to such an extent that the tolerance of the setting angle falls below a limit value.

[0012] This is achieved in the context of the specified windshield washer nozzle by not drilling the outlet channel with a conventional drill but rather using a tool that creates recesses in the base body of the windshield washer nozzle, the structure of which is only machined locally, unlike drilling. When machining the structure, the tool acts radially or axially at the point to be machined in the outlet channel to be produced and removes material. The remaining areas in the outlet channel remain untouched by the tool. In this way, the base body in the outlet channel is only heated at the machining surfaces by the material removal machining and can cool down again quickly once the tool has moved on. This means that in the case of a plastic base body, for example, the surface of the recess to be produced does not melt, which would lead to a correspondingly poorer surface quality.Within the scope of the specified windscreen washer nozzle, a particularly high surface quality is created, with which the tolerance of the adjustment angle can be kept very small.

[0013] By eliminating the nozzle ball, there's no need for subsequent adjustment of the angle on the vehicle, for example, in a special booth, which significantly reduces manufacturing and maintenance costs. Furthermore, the nozzle ball eliminates the weight of the specified windshield washer nozzle.

[0014] In a further development, the manufacturing process can be a milling process and / or a pulse drilling process, so that the channel is milled and / or pulse drilled accordingly.

[0015] A milling process is understood to be a cutting process in which the tool engages axially and / or radially with the wall of the outlet channel to be manufactured and cuts out the material. The tool's diameter is smaller than the outlet channel to be manufactured and can be in operation throughout the entire production process. Within the scope of the specified windshield washer nozzle, any known cutting tools can be used as milling tools. These can be, for example, mechanical milling drills, water jets, or laser beams, such as those used in trepanning during laser drilling.

[0016] In contrast, a pulse drilling process is understood to be an axial material removal process in which the tool moves axially step by step through the exit channel to be produced. The tool is stopped between each axial removal step to allow the walls of the exit channel to cool down. For example, this can include single-pulse drilling in the context of the windshield washer nozzle mentioned above or percussion drilling in the context of laser drilling, in which a laser pulse axially ionizes and vaporizes a material, leaving the material radially undamaged.

[0017] In a further development, the specified windshield washer nozzle comprises a bearing element for holding the base body in a predetermined position on the vehicle, with the outlet channel positioned at a predetermined angle to the bearing element, so that the water jet can be applied to an impact area on the vehicle windshield at a predetermined angle. In this way, the angle of the windshield washer nozzle can be determined without the need to mount the windshield washer nozzle on the vehicle.

[0018] In an additional development, the outlet channel has a surface with a roughness at which the setting angle is distorted by less than a predetermined value.

[0019] According to another aspect of the invention, a vehicle comprises a vehicle compartment covered by a windshield and a specified windshield washer nozzle for applying water to the windshield. In such a vehicle, the risk of unnoticed incorrect installation of the specified windshield washer nozzle can be reduced because the adjustment angle is already fixed upon installation of the windshield washer nozzle and can no longer be adjusted with a nozzle ball. If an incorrect adjustment angle is revealed during a test of the windshield washer nozzle in the vehicle, the misalignment of the windshield washer nozzle is obvious.

[0020] According to a further aspect of the invention, a method for producing a windscreen washer nozzle for applying a water jet from a water pressure source onto a windscreen of a vehicle comprises the steps of forming a base body with a water inlet that can be connected to the water pressure source and introducing a channel, hereinafter also called outlet channel, through the base body into the water inlet, so that the water jet from the water pressure source can be applied to the windscreen of the vehicle via an opening in the channel opposite the water inlet as a nozzle opening, wherein the channel is manufactured using a manufacturing method in which a tool used acts locally on a wall of the channel on the base body.

[0021] In a further development of the specified process, the tool can be a laser. Lasers can be used to form even the smallest structures from any angle and position in the base body of the windshield washer nozzle, allowing the spray pattern and the number of outlet channels of the windshield washer nozzle to be manufactured to be freely selected.

[0022] In another further development, the specified method comprises the step of introducing the channel from an outer side of the base body into the water inlet, which is particularly easy to implement in terms of manufacturing technology.

[0023] In a particular refinement, the specified method includes the step of terminating the insertion process when a tool used for insertion breaks through a wall to the water inlet. This prevents the inadvertent formation of another opening in the water inlet through which water could later leak. This is particularly advantageous for a tool formed by water or a laser, whose axial extension is limited only by the workpiece itself to be machined, so that in this case, upon breaking through the wall to the water inlet, further material could easily be removed on another side of the water inlet.

[0024] In a preferred development of the specified method, when the outlet channel is introduced from the outside of the base body into the water inlet, a pneumatic pressure is applied to the water inlet that differs from the ambient pressure around the base body. Therefore, if the water inlet is breached during the machining of the channel to be introduced, the pneumatic pressure adapts to the ambient pressure due to the opening, so that the breach can be detected quickly.

[0025] Particularly preferably, the introduction can then be terminated based on the change in the pneumatic pressure in the water inlet.

[0026] The specified windshield washer nozzle can optionally be restricted by the aforementioned features of the specified method in the same way that the specified method can optionally be restricted by the features of the specified windshield washer nozzle.

[0027] The above-described properties, features and advantages of this invention, as well as the manner in which they are achieved, will become clearer and more clearly understood in connection with the following description of the embodiments, which are explained in more detail in connection with the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 a base body of a specified windscreen washer nozzle, and Fig. 2 the base body Fig. 1 with a molded outlet channel.

[0028] In the figures, identical technical elements are provided with identical reference symbols and are described only once.

[0029] It will be Fig. 1, which shows a base body 2 of a specified windscreen washer nozzle 4.

[0030] In the present embodiment, the windshield washer nozzle 4 is intended to be used in a vehicle (not shown in more detail) for applying fluid to a window of the vehicle (not shown in more detail). The fluid can be, for example, a washer fluid and / or a de-icing fluid, hereinafter referred to simply as water, with which the window can be washed and / or de-iced accordingly in a manner known to those skilled in the art.

[0031] In order to transport the washing liquid onto the windscreen, the base body 2 in the present embodiment has a head part 6 through which a Fig. 2, which is still to be described.

[0032] The head section 6 can rest on a vehicle cell via a bearing surface 10. To prevent the head section 6 from slipping on the vehicle cell, a shaft 12 extends downward from the head section 6 into the plane of the drawing. This shaft is guided through a recess in the vehicle cell. The windshield washer nozzle 4 can be attached to the vehicle cell via a head clamp 14 on the head section 6 and a shaft clamp 16 on the shaft 12.

[0033] A main channel 18 is passed through the shaft 12, into which the aforementioned outlet channel 8 is intended to open. The washer fluid and / or de-icing fluid is forced into the main channel 18 from a supply channel 22 guided through a connecting piece 20, which can then only escape via the planned outlet channel 8.

[0034] After the water exits the outlet channel 8, it hits the windshield of the vehicle cabin at a specific angle. Since the windshield is positioned at a fixed angle relative to the rest of the vehicle cabin and thus to the windshield washer nozzle, the angle depends, roughly speaking, on an exit angle 24 between the planned outlet channel 8 and the bearing surface 10.

[0035] In detail, however, the setting angle depends on an angle (not shown) to the bearing surface 10 at which the water is expelled from the outlet channel 8. Although this angle should be equal to the outlet angle 24, it has a tolerance that primarily depends on the surface quality of the planned outlet channel 8. This means that the surface of the planned outlet channel 8 should be manufactured with the highest possible quality and thus with the lowest possible surface roughness.

[0036] In order to manufacture the outlet channel 8 with the aforementioned high quality, care should be taken to ensure that the surface of the outlet channel 8 is not damaged during production by the production tool, at least in the area of ​​an outlet opening 26. However, this requirement is regularly contradicted by the fact that the outlet channel 8 can technically be manufactured most easily from the outside of the head part 6 to the main channel 18. If the outlet channel 8 were manufactured using a drill, for example, the drill would constantly rub against the outlet opening 26 during production, heating the material in this area and thus noticeably reducing the surface quality in this area of ​​the outlet channel 8. As a result, the water exits the outlet channel 8 at an angle that is completely undefined and only very unlikely to correspond to the exit angle 24.

[0037] In order to increase the surface quality of the outlet channel 8 in the region of the outlet opening 26, it is proposed in the present embodiment to produce the outlet channel 8 using a manufacturing process that protects the outlet channel 8 at least at this point from mechanical stresses, such as the heating mentioned above.

[0038] In the present design, this is achieved by laser drilling, which is shown by the Fig. 2 reference will be explained in more detail, which the basic body of Fig. 1 with the molded outlet channel 8 and a laser beam 28 forming the outlet channel 8.

[0039] In the present embodiment, the laser beam 28 is emitted by a laser resonator 30 known per se to those skilled in the art and can be operated as a single-pulse drill, a percussion drill, a trepanning drill, or a twist drill during laser drilling. A major advantage is that the laser beam 28 removes material in the base body 2 that is axially opposite the exit opening 26 without noticeably heating the surface of the exit channel 8 radially or otherwise damaging it. In this way, the exit channel 8 can be created with a particularly high surface quality.

[0040] To ensure that the laser beam 28 does not inadvertently damage the main channel 18 at a location opposite the exit channel 8 after entering it, the laser beam 28 must be switched off in good time after penetrating the main channel 18.

[0041] In the present embodiment, the main channel 18 is pressurized, with the main channel 18 itself and the supply channel 22 being pressure-tightly sealed with a closure plug 32. A pressure sensor 34 is guided through the closure plug 32 closing the main channel 18. This sensor detects the pneumatic pressure in the main channel 18. If the main channel 18 is opened to the outside by the laser beam 28 via the outlet channel 8, the pneumatic pressure around the main channel 18 drops, and the laser resonator 30 can be deactivated by a corresponding measuring device 36 connected to the pressure sensor 34. To detect the pressure drop, the absolute pressure and / or a pressure gradient can be monitored and, for example, compared to a threshold value.

Claims

[1] Windscreen washer nozzle (4) for applying a water jet from a water pressure source onto a windscreen of a vehicle, comprising a base body (2) with a water inlet (18, 22) connectable to the water pressure source and a nozzle opening (26) which is connected to the water inlet (18, 22) via a channel (8) guided through the base body (2), so that the water jet from the water pressure source can be applied to the windscreen of the vehicle via the channel (8) and the nozzle opening (26), characterized by in that, in order to maintain a predetermined tolerance of an adjustment angle, the channel (8) has a surface whose roughness is below a defined value, and the channel (8) is manufactured for this purpose using a manufacturing process in which a tool (28) used is either • only acts locally on a wall of the channel on the base body (2) by having a diameter of the tool smaller than the channel (8) to be produced, or • the tool is moved axially step by step through the channel (8) to be produced. [2] Windscreen washer nozzle (4) according to claim 1, characterized by that the tool uses a mechanical milling drill as a cutting tool. [3] Windscreen washer nozzle (4) according to claim 1, characterized by that the tool uses a water jet as a cutting tool. [4] Windscreen washer nozzle (4) according to claim 1, characterized by that the tool uses a laser beam as a cutting tool. [5] Windscreen washer nozzle (4) according to at least one of the preceding claims, comprising a bearing element (10) for holding the base body (2) in a predetermined position on the vehicle, wherein the channel (8) is located at a predetermined angle (24) to the bearing element, so that the water jet can be applied to an impact field on the windscreen of the vehicle at a predetermined setting angle. [6] Vehicle comprising a vehicle cell covered with a window and a window washer nozzle (4) according to one of the preceding claims for applying water to the window. [7] A method for producing a windscreen washer nozzle (4) for applying a water jet from a water pressure source onto a windscreen of a vehicle, comprising forming a base body (2) with a water inlet (18, 22) connectable to the water pressure source and introducing a channel (8) through the base body (2) into the water inlet (18, 22), so that the water jet from the water pressure source can be applied to the windscreen of the vehicle via an opening (26) of the channel (8) opposite the water inlet (18, 22) as a nozzle opening, wherein the channel (8) is manufactured using a manufacturing method in which a tool (28) used locally engages a wall of the channel (8) on the base body (2), characterized bythat when the channel (8) is introduced from the outside of the base body (2) into the water inlet (18, 22), a defined pneumatic pressure is induced which is different from an ambient pressure around the base body (2) and wherein the manufacturing process is terminated when the pneumatic pressure in the water inlet (18, 22) changes. [8] The method of claim 7, wherein the tool (28) is a laser. [9] Method according to claim 7 or 8, comprising introducing the channel (8) from an outer side of the base body (2) into the water inlet (18, 22).

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