Windscreen wiper system for vehicles

Abstract

The invention is a windshield wiper system for vehicles that, however, does not include windshield wipers in the conventional sense. Instead of scraping the windshield with rubber wipers, dust particles and water are blown away by air pressure pulses generated by nozzles installed at the top or bottom edge of the windshield. Small amounts of hydrogen are injected into a combustion chamber, mixed with ambient air, and ignited electrically. This creates very fast and intense pressure waves that strike the windshield at an angle and carry away all the dirt. The pressure pulses can be delivered at a high repetition rate, so that dozens or more pulses strike the windshield every second. This high repetition rate means that the dirt particles or water are subjected to extremely high alternating pressure.This loosens them, making them easier to remove. The nozzles are to be installed in the location where the water nozzles for the windshield washer system were originally intended.

Description

[0001] The device described here is a windshield wiper in which, instead of wiping the vehicle windshield with a wiper, the dust particles and water masses from the windshield are simply blown away by air pressure pulses generated by the nozzles that are installed at the bottom or top edge of the windshield.

[0002] Windscreen wipers for vehicles have existed for more than a hundred years. The first ones were manually operated. Later, electric motors and gearboxes were installed, controlled by a lever inside the vehicle. This method has remained essentially the same to this day.

[0003] Patent application DE 20 2009 013 452 U1 describes a hingeless windshield wiper consisting of a base station, two windshield covers, spring steel, and rubber strips. The base is mounted between the spring steel and rubber strips, with the windshield covers integrated on both sides. An adapter connects the base station to the wiper arm. The curvature of the windshield covers is eccentric; on the long side, it forms a concave curve, while on the vertical side, the curvature decreases from the inner end to the outer end, while simultaneously increasing towards the outside to create a smooth curve.

[0004] DE 11 2012 004 969 B4 also describes a windshield wiper. This windshield wiper is designed by pivotally coupling several levers and comprises a first lever and a second lever. The second lever has a coupled end and two side walls. The coupled end extends along a longitudinal direction and has two sides perpendicular to this longitudinal direction. The two side walls have inner surfaces facing each other, each extending from the two sides to a first side in a perpendicular direction. The coupled end has a coupling section.

[0005] DE 20 2005 016 941 U1 describes a windscreen wiper for vehicle windscreens, characterized by a wiper profile with at least one scraper for contact with the vehicle windscreen and a wiper profile receptacle for receiving the wiper profile.

[0006] WO 2018068892 A1 describes a windshield wiper with a wiper arm and a wiper blade, as well as a cover attached to the wiper arm, in which one or more nozzles for windshield washer fluid are integrated. The windshield washer fluid supply can also be integrated into the cover. Furthermore, the cover is designed such that the wiper blade, the wiper arm, and the cover can be detached from one another. In its resting state, the cover closes the gap between the hood and the windshield and can be moved into a compact state for operation via a mechanism.

[0007] The invention specified in claims 1 to 15 is based on the objective of creating a windscreen wiper for vehicles which is able to remove water or dust particles from the windscreen of a vehicle without mechanical contact.

[0008] This problem is solved by the features listed in claims 1 to 15.

[0009] The advantages of the invention are: - relatively simply constructed - robust and reliable, - cost-effective.

[0010] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3 to Fig. 4 explained. It shows: Fig. 1 an embodiment with nozzles in the form of a gap and a pressure wave generator from a hollow cylinder combustion chamber, Fig. 2 the snail-wall construction into the combustion chamber and side view, Fig. 3 Another variant with a rapidly rotating hollow sphere, which is electrically driven in a spherical pan by an actuator and serves as a combustion chamber, Fig. 4 another version with a combustion chamber with hydrogen ignition, which additionally uses the water to generate a high-pressure jet for dirt removal.

[0011] This windshield wiper 1 utilizes the kinetic energy of explosively expandable gases to remove dust 3 or water from the windshield 2. Instead of water, a high-pressure vapor pulse pressure wave 6 (or wide jet) is emitted from a combustion chamber 4 and a nozzle 5. This pressure wave is generated by an explosion of hydrogen (oxyhydrogen gas) in the combustion chamber. The pressure wave is generated with a relatively wide horizontal field and a fairly shallow vertical field. It sweeps across the windshield and blows away the dirt or rainwater. This windshield wiper is constructed completely differently, and its operation bears no resemblance to conventional windshield wipers.Instead of scraping the windshield with a wiper, dust particles and water are simply blown away by air pressure pulses / vapor pulse pressure waves 6, generated by nozzles installed at the top or bottom edge of the windshield. Small amounts of hydrogen 7 are injected into the combustion chamber, mixed with fresh air from the surroundings, and ignited electrically. This creates strong and powerful pressure waves that strike the windshield at an angle and carry away all the dirt. The pressure pulses can be delivered at a high repetition rate, so that dozens or more pulses strike the windshield every second. This high repetition rate means that the dirt particles or water are subjected to an extremely high pulse pressure, with the pressure values ​​varying considerably between pulses.They are struck by one or more shock waves 6 in fractions of a second. This causes the dust particles 3 to be rapidly alternately under pressure and then without, loosening them. This makes them easier to carry away. The nozzles can be installed in the same location 8 where the windshield washer nozzles were originally intended.

[0012] On the Fig. Figure 1 shows an exemplary embodiment. Here, the nozzles are constructed in the form of a gap. The device is constructed here in the form of a hollow cylinder (tube) 9, which is closed at both ends 10a,b and serves as a combustion chamber. A longer gap 12 (or several smaller gaps) is built into the side wall / cylinder wall 11 along the longitudinal axis 13 of the hollow cylinder, through which the pressure wave 6 of the exploding gas flows. Two high-voltage electrodes 26 are installed in the hollow cylinder 9, which are coupled to a high-voltage source 28 and a control unit 29. The oxyhydrogen ignition occurs as soon as the lever 31 in the vehicle is actuated to activate the windshield wipers. The gap and the hollow cylinder are aligned so that the pressure wave strikes the windshield obliquely from bottom to top. The hollow cylinder is installed in the location where the windshield wipers were previously located in their resting position.To prevent the hydrogen from escaping upwards, a partial spiral structure 14 is incorporated, which is first bent downwards and then curved upwards. Viewed from the side, the structure resembles a snail shell ( . Fig. 1b).

[0013] The windshield wiper system is suitable for medium to relatively loose dirt on the windshield. Unfortunately, it cannot effectively remove stubborn dirt. Dust, water (rainwater), and other types of dirt that haven't been on the windshield for long and can impair visibility are easily removed with this system.

[0014] The second option ( Fig. 2) features a rapidly rotatable hollow sphere 15, which is rotated within a spherical socket 16 by an actuator 17, which acts as a combustion chamber. The hollow sphere has a hole or slot 18 that serves as a nozzle. To achieve rotation of the hollow sphere, it is connected in the center to an axle 19, which is mounted in the spherical socket and coupled at one end to an electric drive. Suitable electric drives include, for example, electric motors 20, stepper motors, or simple electromagnets 21 combined with permanent magnets 22. The hollow sphere can be magnetic (or consist of a magnet 22) and can be partially rotated by an electromagnet 21 that is statically mounted in the spherical socket 16. It is perfectly sufficient if the electromagnet can rotate the hollow sphere by, for example, approximately 45° to 120°.As long as the hollow sphere with opening 18 is aligned with the spherical socket, it is in direct contact with the inlet 23 from a hydrogen tank 24 or a hydrogen line 25 from it, and the hydrogen flows into the sphere. An injector can also be installed that introduces small, measured amounts of hydrogen into the hollow sphere. Two high-voltage electrodes 26 are installed in the hollow sphere, which generate a small ignition spark 27. A high-voltage source 28 (or a high-voltage source from the vehicle) is switched on via a control unit 29 and is connected to the high-voltage electrodes. As soon as the hollow sphere is electrically rotated and reaches a specific rotational position, with its opening facing the windshield, ignition of the gas mixture is initiated. An ignition spark is generated that ignites the gas mixture.A powerful pressure impulse is generated by the expanding gas mass, which is forced out through the opening of the hollow sphere. An impulse jet / shock wave 6 of hot steam is generated, which strikes the windshield 2 of the vehicle at an angle and mechanically removes the dust or rainwater present there by blowing it away.

[0015] An electrically (or by a spring force) driven piston 30 can be installed in the hydrogen storage container 24, which pushes the hydrogen into the hollow sphere in small portions by generating pressure in the hydrogen storage container.

[0016] While it's possible to inject oxygen or fresh air into the hollow sphere along with the hydrogen, this isn't strictly necessary. As long as the rotating hollow sphere is oriented with its opening facing the windshield, it will fill with fresh air on its own. It is then electrically rotated, and its opening is closed by the wall of the spherical housing. As it continues to rotate, it reaches a position where its opening aligns with the inlet / opening of the reservoir, allowing a small amount of hydrogen to flow from the reservoir into the hollow sphere and mix with the fresh air. To enable this, the pressure in the hydrogen reservoir must be slightly higher than one bar (e.g., 1.5–3 bar). The pressure in the hydrogen reservoir can be increased slightly by the piston, allowing a small amount of hydrogen to flow from the reservoir into the hollow sphere.The hollow sphere is then electrically rotated so that its opening is closed again by the spherical cup wall. As the hollow sphere continues to rotate (approximately 120° - 180°), it enters another rotating position, exposing its opening and pointing it towards the windshield. At precisely this moment, a high-voltage pulse is discharged via the high-voltage electrodes, generating an electric spark. The gas mixture is ignited inside the hollow sphere and expands at high speed through the opening towards the windshield surface. The resulting water vapor pulse jet will blow the dirt particles away from the windshield surface. Because the hollow sphere rotates very quickly, no further measures are necessary to prevent the hydrogen from evaporating. Although the hollow sphere, with its opening, e.g.When the sphere is facing upwards, towards the windshield, ignition occurs so rapidly that the hydrogen barely has time to escape the hollow sphere in its unburned state. The sphere should be rotated relatively quickly so that its opening is exposed for only a few milliseconds. Only a few microseconds are allowed between the opening being completely exposed and ignition, otherwise the hydrogen will escape. Immediately after ignition, as the pressure inside the hollow sphere decreases, fresh air flows in, and this can be mixed with the hydrogen again during the next rotation of the sphere with the opening facing downwards. The hollow sphere can be rotated continuously several times, e.g., 5 to 20 times, with ignition occurring each time it is facing the windshield. This process takes place very quickly, within fractions of a second, approximately...It generates 5-20 pressure pulses that clean the windshield. For effective blowing, the opening in the hollow sphere should be a few millimeters long and narrow. In larger versions (e.g., for trucks, trains, buses, ships, helicopters, airplanes, etc.), it can also be several centimeters wide.

[0017] Another version also uses the combustion chamber with hydrogen ignition, but additionally uses water to generate a high-pressure jet for dirt removal. This requires an additional water tank 32, which is directly connected to the combustion chamber ( Fig. 3) Water can be injected in portions directly into the combustion chamber / hollow cylinder or hollow sphere of the cylinder-screw assembly 14 as soon as a position is reached during the rotation of the combustion chamber where the opening 34 of the combustion chamber is positioned over the corresponding inlet. Following ignition of the oxyhydrogen gas, the water in the combustion chamber is then ejected upwards through the nozzle 5 or a gap by steam expansion in the form of horizontally wide and vertically relatively narrow water jets 33. The water jet pulses can be generated at a high repetition rate (e.g., approximately 3–20 times per second) and will quickly remove the dirt particles from the windshield.

[0018] The water can also be positioned in a separate water chamber 35, directly below the combustion chamber 4, where it is subject to pressure. In this case, the combustion chamber would simply need to be rotated so that its opening 34, which should actually serve as an inlet but in this case serves as an outlet, opens downwards into the water chamber 35. As soon as the oxyhydrogen gas is ignited, a high-pressure impulse is generated on the water, which propels the water upwards in the direction of the windshield in the form of a jet of pressure. An electric solenoid valve or shut-off valve 36 can prevent the water from flowing back into the water chamber 35. Fig. 4).

[0019] This device can be installed multiple times in a single vehicle. Whether the nozzles or hollow spheres are mounted at the top or bottom is left to the manufacturer's discretion. Installation is possible in any type of vehicle. Furthermore, it can be used to clean not only the windshield, but also the rear window and headlight covers.

[0020] It should be noted that the windshield wiper system described here can also be installed and used in parallel with the existing, conventional windshield wipers in the vehicle. In that case, the system would be ideal for rainwater or light dirt, while the conventional wipers would be used when the windshield is so dirty that it cannot be cleaned with the new technology. REFERENCE MARK LIST 1. Windscreen wipers 2. Windshield 3. Dust or water 4. Combustion chamber 5. Nozzle 6. Steam impulse pressure wave, shock waves / wide beam 7. Hydrogen 8. Installation location 9. Hollow cylinder / tube 10 a,b both ends 11. Side wall / cylinder wall 12. Longer gap 13. Longitudinal axis 14. Partial screw structure / cylindrical screw construction 15. Hollow sphere 16. Spherical pan 17. Actuators 18. Hole or slit in the hollow sphere 19. Axle shaft 20. Electric motor 21. Electromagnets 22. Permanent magnets 23. Junction 24. Hydrogen tank 25. Hydrogen pipeline 26. High-voltage electrodes 27. Ignition spark 28. High-voltage source 29. Control 30th piston 31. Lever in the vehicle for activating the windshield wipers 32. Water tank 33 water jets 34 Inlet opening into the combustion chamber 35 water chamber 36 Electric valve / check valve

Claims

[1] Windscreen wiper system for vehicles, characterized by that instead of physical windshield wipers, it consists of at least - several nozzles (5) which are installed at the edge of the windshield or in the immediate vicinity in the vehicle, which are directed obliquely towards the windshield surface, - one or more combustion chambers (4) coupled to the nozzles (5), - a hydrogen storage tank (24) equipped with at least one solenoid valve (36) and a gas line (25) via which it is coupled to the combustion chamber, - an injector or gas portioner that directs the hydrogen (7) from the hydrogen storage container (24) into the combustion chamber (4) in specific quantities, - an electrical high-voltage ignition system consisting of a high-voltage source (28) and electrodes (26) installed in the combustion chamber (4), - a control unit (29) that is coupled to the vehicle's high-voltage ignition system and windscreen wiper function control unit. [2] Windscreen wiper system for vehicles, characterized by that instead of physical windshield wipers, it consists of at least - a combustion chamber (4) designed in the form of a hollow cylinder (9) installed at the edge of the windshield or in the immediate vicinity of the windshield (2) in the vehicle, which is provided with a longitudinally arranged gap (18) to the hollow cylinder wall through which a fluid can flow out of the hollow cylinder (9) in the form of a wide and thin gas jet directed obliquely towards the windshield surface, - a hydrogen storage container (24) equipped with at least one solenoid valve (36) and a gas line (25) via which it is coupled to the hollow cylinder (9), - an injector or gas portioner that directs the hydrogen (7) from the hydrogen storage container (24) into the hollow cylinder (9) in portioned quantities, - an electrical high-voltage ignition system consisting of a high-voltage source (28) and electrodes (26) installed in the hollow cylinder (9), - a control unit (29) which is coupled to the high-voltage ignition system and the windscreen wiper function control unit. [3] Windscreen wiper system for vehicles according to claim 2, characterized by, that the combustion chamber (4), which is built in the form of the hollow cylinder (9), has a downward curvature or a snail-shaped wall construction (14) that opens downwards and then diagonally upwards again, which makes it possible to prevent the hydrogen (7) located there from escaping upwards before ignition and to still direct the vapor jet (6) from the hydrogen ignition upwards diagonally backwards onto the windshield (2). [4] Windscreen wiper system for vehicles, characterized by that instead of physical windshield wipers, it consists of at least - a combustion chamber (4) in the form of a small hollow sphere (15) with a hole (18) which can rotate rapidly electrically in a built-in ball pan (16), - an actuator (17) or drive that can rotate the hollow sphere (15), - a hydrogen storage container (24) which is installed in the spherical socket (16) and which has an opening through which the hydrogen (7) flows directly from the hydrogen storage container (24) into the hollow sphere (15) and fills it, as long as the hollow sphere (15) is in a rotating position with the opening facing the hydrogen storage container (24) when rotating, - two high-voltage electrodes (26) located inside the hollow sphere (15), - a high voltage source (28) connected to the high voltage electrodes (26), - an electronic control (29) which is coupled to the actuator (17) or the drive of the hollow sphere, and thus controls the rotation of the hollow sphere (15) and is connected to the high voltage source (28) which initiates an electrical ignition of the gas mixture of hydrogen and air, precisely at the time when the hollow sphere assumes a rotational position with the opening obliquely towards the windshield. [5] Windscreen wiper system for vehicles according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the hollow cylinder (9) or the hollow sphere (15) is coupled to a supported shaft (19). [6] Windscreen wiper system for vehicles according to claim 5, characterized by , that at least one end of the shaft, the electric drive or actuator (17) is connected. [7] Windscreen wiper system for vehicles according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the hollow cylinder (9) or the hollow sphere (15) is magnetic and is rotatable by means of a statically installed electromagnet (21) or group of electromagnets. [8] Windscreen wiper system for vehicles according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized by that at least one electromagnet is built into the ball socket, which can rotate the hollow sphere completely or partially. [9] Windscreen wiper system for vehicles according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized by , that the hydrogen storage container (24) is equipped with an injector that injects portioned amounts of hydrogen (7) into the hollow sphere (15). [10] Windscreen wiper system for vehicles according to any one of claims 4 to 9, characterized by , that the hydrogen storage container is equipped with a piston (30) which is driven electrically or by spring force, which presses portioned amounts of hydrogen into the hollow sphere (15). [11] Windscreen wiper system for vehicles according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the control (29) is designed such that fluid pressure pulses (6) can be directed at the windshield (2) with a high repetition rate. [12] Windscreen wiper system for vehicles according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that it is equipped with an electrolyzer capable of producing the necessary oxyhydrogen gas. [13] Windscreen wiper system for vehicles according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that a water tank (32) is installed, which directs portioned quantities of water directly into the combustion chamber (4) by means of a valve control, which are then released in the form of high-pressure water jets (33) towards the windshield (2) after hydrogen ignition. [14] Windscreen wiper system for vehicles according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the combustion chamber (4) is positioned above a water chamber (35), which is connected to it via a fluid line or opening to transmit pressure, wherein the water chamber (35) via a fluid line which is coupled at the end to a nozzle (5), shoots the water through the nozzle into the combustion chamber (4) in the form of pulsed high-pressure water jets (33) onto the windshield (2) of the vehicle when the oxyhydrogen gas or another explosive gas is ignited. [15] Windscreen wiper system for vehicles according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by that it can be installed and used in parallel with the conventional windscreen wiper systems already on the market.

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