Device for cleaning a disc-like surface of a vehicle and vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (30) for cleaning a window-like surface (12) of a vehicle (K), wherein a wiper arm (32) designed as an elongated, spring-elastic element is provided, the two ends of which can be moved towards one another by a force acting on at least one of the ends in such a way that the wiper arm (32) has a deflection between the ends, wherein the wiper arm (32) is coupled in terms of movement to a wiper blade (31) contacting the window-like surface (12). According to the invention, it is proposed that the wiper arm (32) and the wiper blade (31) are designed as separate components and are connected to one another in regions via a holder (34), so that the wiper blade (31) has freely movable ends on both sides of the holder (34), wherein the wiper blade (31) can be set in a wiping movement by the deflection of the wiper arm (32) in which the wiper blade (31) moves from a starting position (A) to an end position (E) and back.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for cleaning a window-like surface of a vehicle having the features of patent claim 1. The invention also relates to a vehicle having a device according to patent claim 9.

[0002] Windshield wipers for cleaning vehicle windshields, such as the windshield of a vehicle, have been around since the beginning of the 20th century. Properly functioning windshield wipers are essential for good visibility for the driver in rain or snow. Therefore, work is constantly being done to improve the effectiveness of windshield wipers.

[0003] US 6,092,259 A discloses a cleaning system for the inside of a vehicle windshield, the system comprising a wiper blade unit adapted to be mounted adjacent to the inside of a windshield and reciprocated relative thereto under the influence of a drive unit. The wiper blade unit comprises a blade support member provided with a pair of wiper blade elements and a plurality of fluid orifices arranged to deliver a metered amount of cleaning fluid to the wiper blade elements.

[0004] DE 10 2020 107 708 A1 discloses a windshield wiper device for a vehicle windshield. It comprises a drive and a wiper blade. The wiper blade comprises a spring steel coated with an extruded thermoplastic elastomer, forming a wiper lip. The wiper blade can be deflected by the drive from an initial position to a use position and back. In particular, it is proposed that the drive act on one end of the spring steel via a coupling device in such a way that the spring steel bulges between its two ends and is thus deflected from the initial position to the use position and back. The disadvantage here is that the wiper blade is exposed to very high stresses as a result.

[0005] DE 44 43 615 A1 describes a windshield wiper device for a headlight lens. A wiper arm with a wiper blade is rigidly mounted on a guide member. The guide member is guided by a drive device along an edge contour around the lens in a slotted guide. The slotted guide allows the guide member to be tilted relative to the edge contour of the lens such that the wiper blade can be moved over the lens at defined angular positions, and in a storage area of ​​the wiper arm, the arm can be moved out of the lens surface by the movement of the guide member. Such a windshield wiper device is complex and prone to failure due to the slotted guide.

[0006] Finally, US 11 511 704 B2 describes a windshield wiper system for the windshield of a vehicle, in which the windshield wipers are mounted on a movable support element that can be moved along a predetermined trajectory by a guide device. The support element is movable along the trajectory by a motor. The windshield wiper system is designed such that each windshield wiper can be moved between a first and a second position in a translational movement and between the second and a third position in a rotational movement about an axis perpendicular to the windshield. This windshield wiper system also has a complex design and is therefore susceptible to failure.

[0007] The present invention is based on the object of proposing a device for cleaning a windshield surface of a vehicle, with which a windshield surface can be cleaned simply and efficiently. Furthermore, the device should also enable the cleaning of windshield surfaces whose outline is elongated, i.e., whose outline has a (shorter) narrow side and a (longer) long side. A further object of the invention is to provide a vehicle having a windshield surface that can be reliably cleaned.

[0008] The present objects are achieved by a device having the features of patent claim 1 and by a vehicle having the features of patent claim 9. Advantageous developments or embodiments of the invention can be found in the respective subclaims.

[0009] The invention is based on a device for cleaning a windshield-like surface of a vehicle. It comprises a wiper arm configured as an elongated, spring-elastic element, the two ends of which can be moved toward each other by a force acting on at least one of the ends, preferably in its longitudinal direction, such that the wiper arm exhibits a deflection or bulge between the ends. Furthermore, the wiper arm is coupled in terms of movement to a wiper blade contacting the windshield-like surface. The deflection of the wiper arm occurs only in the elastic region of the wiper arm material, which can preferably be made of spring steel.

[0010] The invention proposes that the wiper arm and the wiper blade be designed as separate components and are connected to one another in regions via a holder. As a result, the wiper blade has freely movable ends on both sides of the holder. The deflection of the wiper arm can set the wiper blade in a wiping motion in which the wiper blade moves from a starting position to an end position and back. Depending on how the device is installed on the vehicle, it is therefore conceivable, for example, for the wiper blade to move from a lower (or upper) starting position to an upper (or lower) end position and back, or from a right (or left) starting position to a left (or right) end position.

[0011] These features allow a windshield-like surface to be cleaned easily and efficiently. Furthermore, dead zones (i.e., areas inaccessible to the wiper blade) during operation of the device, which are frequently encountered in conventional front and rear windshield wipers with a pendulum-like wiping motion, can be reduced. The device is therefore particularly well-suited for use on windshield-like surfaces that are elongated, i.e., have a contour with a long side and a narrow side. Furthermore, the achieved decoupling of the wiper blade from the bending movement of the wiper arm can significantly reduce the mechanical stress on the wiper blade, thereby increasing its service life.

[0012] According to a further development of the invention, it is proposed that the mount be connected to the wiper arm at a midpoint along a length of the wiper arm. In this way, the movement of the wiper arm, i.e., its deflection, is utilized to the greatest extent possible, creating the greatest possible displacement of the wiper blade.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the inventive concept, it is very expedient if, in a further development, the ends of the wiper arm are held in bearings. The bearings enable a rotational movement of the ends about a rotational axis of the bearings, which represents a normal to the disc-like surface or which is at an acute angle to the normal. Furthermore, one bearing is held stationary and the other bearing is held longitudinally displaceable. This creates a good basis for generating and controlling the deflection of the wiper arm. Furthermore, this method can generate additional preload on the wiper arm in the direction of the disc-like surface, which stabilizes the movement of the wiper arm and increases the pressure of the wiper blade against the disc-like surface.

[0014] According to a further development, the wiper arm, in the initial position of the wiper blade, still exhibits a deflection such that the wiper arm deviates slightly from an imaginary straight line and is bent toward the imaginary end position of the wiper blade. In this way, an unstable state of the wiper arm in the region of its position with minimal deflection can be counteracted. In particular, this also prevents the wiper arm from tending to deflect in the other direction (i.e., in the direction opposite to the end position of the wiper blade), in other words, "flipping over."

[0015] A further embodiment of the invention proposes that the longitudinally displaceable bearing be coupled to an electric motor in such a way that the bearing is set into a translational movement by the electric motor in the direction of the other bearing. A coupling element is provided, which is coupled on one side to a rotating or rotatable component of the electric motor and on the other side to the longitudinally displaceable bearing. This allows the movement that generates deflection of the wiper arm to be generated reliably and permanently.

[0016] To prevent the aforementioned tipping of the wiper blade, a further development allows the wiper blade to be moved into its end position and back to its starting position by moving the longitudinally movable bearing. In this case, the wiper arm is bent in the wiper blade's end position. However, when the longitudinally movable bearing is moved by the electric motor, the bearings are only moved apart again to such a distance that, in the wiper blade's starting position, the ends of the wiper arm still form an angle to an imaginary straight line. In other words, in the wiper blade's starting position, the wiper arm still exhibits a slight deflection toward the wiper blade's end position.

[0017] Alternatively, it is also conceivable for this purpose that, following a further development, the wiper blade is brought into its end position and then back into its starting position by moving the longitudinally movable bearing. The wiper arm is bent in the end position of the wiper blade. In this further development, the bearings are designed such that, in the starting position of the wiper blade, the ends of the wiper arm are still held at an angle to an imaginary straight line. In other words, each bearing can be designed such that the end of the wiper arm attached to or in it still deviates slightly from the imaginary straight line in the starting position of the wiper blade, and thus the wiper blade still has a slight deflection in the direction of the end position of the wiper blade in the starting position. The imaginary straight line can, for example, run through the bearings.For this purpose, the bearings can, for example, be provided with a locking device that prevents the ends from being aligned to the imaginary straight line.

[0018] For example, it is conceivable that the bearings have elongated mounting recesses into which the ends of the wiper arm can be inserted. In the initial position of the wiper blade, the mounting holes are, by design, aligned in such a way that they do not point exactly toward each other, but rather both point slightly toward the end position of the wiper blade. The wiper arm clamped between the bearings thus maintains a certain preload.

[0019] According to yet another alternative embodiment of the invention, it is conceivable for the same purpose that by moving the longitudinally displaceable bearing, the wiper blade can be brought back into its end position and then back into its starting position. In the end position of the wiper blade, the wiper arm is deflected. In this development, a stop element is provided in the region of such a position of the wiper arm in which the wiper blade is in its starting position, specifically on the side of the wiper arm opposite the wiper blade. The stop element blocks deflection of the wiper arm in a direction that is opposite to the direction of deflection of the wiper arm in the end position of the wiper blade. In other words, the stop element is arranged on the disc-like surface in such a position in which the wiper arm tends to transition to a relaxed state.This allows the wiper arm to be folded without the stop element. The existing wiper blade mount can preferably serve as a stop for the stop element.

[0020] As mentioned at the beginning, the invention also aims to protect a vehicle. Such a vehicle has a device for cleaning a disc-like surface. The vehicle is characterized in that the device for cleaning a disc-like surface is designed according to the invention.

[0021] The vehicle can be further developed by having a sensor device that is at least partially covered by a translucent cover with a disk-like surface. The disk-like surface is then the surface to be cleaned by the device according to the invention. In other words, the device according to the invention is used to clean a cover of a sensor device.

[0022] The sensor device can, for example, be a lidar sensor, i.e. a sensor for laser-assisted distance measurement and object detection.

[0023] However, other sensor device designs are also conceivable. For example, the sensor device could be designed as a radar or a camera.

[0024] A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the figures and will be explained in more detail in the following description with reference to the figures. This will also make further features and advantages of the invention clear. Identical reference symbols, even in different figures, refer to identical, comparable, or functionally identical components. Corresponding or comparable properties and advantages are achieved even if a repeated description or reference to them is not made. The figures are not, or at least not always, to scale. In some figures, proportions or distances may be exaggerated in order to emphasize features of an embodiment more clearly.

[0025] They show, schematically Fig. 1 a vehicle with a device for cleaning a disc-like surface, in a bird's eye view, Fig. 2 a vehicle in a front view according to view II Fig. 1, Fig. 3 an enlarged individual illustration of the device in perspective view and Fig. 4 a representation of an angular position of the ends of the wiper arm in an initial position of the wiper blade.

[0026] First, the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. In these figures, a vehicle K is shown which is designed as a passenger car. Deviating from the exemplary embodiment, the present invention can be used for other vehicles, such as rail, water, and air vehicles, in addition to land vehicles. The vehicle K is equipped with a sensor device 1 located on the roof above a windshield 2. The sensor device 1 specifically has a lidar sensor 13, which can be used by driver assistance systems (not shown in detail) of the vehicle K to supply data about the distance, speed, and / or size of objects, in particular other road users. Other positions and designs of the sensor device 1 are also conceivable. For example, the sensor device 1 can also include a camera.

[0027] The lidar sensor 13 is arranged in a housing 10. An opening of the housing 10 toward the detection side of the lidar sensor 13 is closed by a translucent cover 11. The translucent cover 11 has a disk-like surface 12. The surface 12 is preferably formed as a smooth surface, comparable to the surface of the windshield 2. The housing 10 and the cover 11 are preferably made of plastic.

[0028] To ensure proper functioning of the lidar sensor 13, the cover 11 is provided with a device 30 for cleaning its disk-like surface 12. The device 30 has an elongated, rubber-elastic wiper blade 31, which forms a wiper lip and is attached to a wiper arm 32 via a holder 34. The holder 34 can be designed in the manner of a commercially available holder. It is therefore conceivable, for example, to connect the wiper blade 31 to the holder 34 in a form-fitting and detachable manner, e.g., to lock it in place. The wiper blade 31 itself preferably encloses a spring-elastic element (not shown) extending in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade 31 and is thereby prestressed in the direction of the disk-like surface 12.

[0029] Preferably, the wiper blade 31 is connected to the wiper arm 32 via the holder 34 such that the wiper blade 31 is arranged with a center point of its length at a center point of a length of the wiper arm 32. Alternatively, an off-center attachment of the wiper blade 31 or the wiper arm 32 to the holder 34 is also conceivable.

[0030] The wiper arm 32 can be moved by an electric motor 33, indicated by dashed lines, which is preferably arranged in the housing 10. This also allows the wiper blade 31 to be set in a wiping motion. This will be explained with reference to Fig. 3, in which the device 30 is shown very schematically, will be explained in more detail.

[0031] The wiper arm 32 is designed as an elongated, spring-elastic element. At one end, visible on the left in the figure, the wiper arm 32 is attached to a bearing 37. The bearing 37 is stationary and can only rotate about a rotational axis D3, which is perpendicular to the surface 12. The end of the wiper arm 32 can therefore only rotate about the rotational axis D3 due to the bearing 37.

[0032] The other end of the wiper arm 32 is connected to a bearing 36. The bearing 36 is rotatable about a rotation axis D2, which is also perpendicular to the surface 12. The end of the wiper arm 32 can therefore only perform a rotational movement about the rotation axis D2 thanks to the bearing 36. The rotation axes D2, D3 are perpendicular to the disk-like surface 12, thus forming a normal to it and are aligned parallel to an illustrated X-axis. In contrast to the bearing 37, however, the bearing 36 is also held by an indicated, stationary guide part 36a so that it can be longitudinally displaced parallel to an illustrated Y-axis in the direction of the bearing 37. Furthermore, the bearing 36 is connected for movement to an electric motor 33 via a preferably elongated coupling element 33a.For this purpose, the coupling element 33a is rotatably connected on one side to a component of the electric motor 33 that rotates or can rotate about a rotation axis D1 and on the other side to the bearing 36.

[0033] During operation of the device 30, the electric motor 33 rotates about the rotation axis D1. As a result, in the lower position (initial position) of the wiper arm 32, a force acting in the longitudinal direction of the wiper arm 32 is exerted on the right-hand end of the wiper arm 32 in the figure. This moves the bearing 36 and thus the end of the wiper arm 32 attached to it in the direction of the opposite end of the wiper arm 32 attached to the bearing 37. During this movement, the bearing 36 is guided translationally by the guide part 36a.

[0034] Due to the movement of bearing 36 toward bearing 37, wiper arm 32 undergoes elastic deflection. This movement continues until—due to the kinematics of device 30—a maximum deflection Bmax of wiper arm 32 is reached (see also reference numerals 31', 32', 34', 36'). Due to the connection of wiper blade 31 to wiper arm 32 via bracket 34, wiper blade 31 as a whole performs an upward wiping movement with a trajectory T and a generated wiping surface W during the deflection of wiper arm 32. Due to the kinematics, trajectory T is slightly curved. If, deviating from the exemplary embodiment, the bearing 37 is also additionally guided in a longitudinally displaceable manner and moved by an electric motor, a trajectory T can be achieved which runs in a straight line along a Z-axis shown.In such a case, the wiper blade 31 performs a translational movement. Upon further rotation of the electric motor 33, the movement is reversed. This means that the bearings 36 and 37 are moved apart again, so that the deflection of the wiper arm 32 is reduced and the wiper blade 31 thus performs a downward wiping movement. This continues until the wiper arm 32 reaches its lower starting position again and the described movement process is repeated again. With the rotation of the electric motor 33 and the associated deflection of the wiper arm 32, the wiper blade 31 is moved from a starting position A to an end position E and back again.

[0035] It should also be mentioned that the axes of rotation D2, D3 of the bearings 36, 37 can also be designed such that they do not form a normal to the disc-like surface 12, but are rotated relative to each other at an angle β to the disc-like surface 12. This contributes to the generation of additional preload on the wiper arm 32 in the direction of the disc-like surface 12. This stabilizes the movement of the wiper arm and increases the pressure of the wiper blade against the disc-like surface.

[0036] Deviating from the exemplary embodiment, other orientations of the device 30 are also conceivable. For example, it is conceivable to orient the device 30 so that the wiper blade 31 moves downward. It is also conceivable to design the device 30 so that the wiper blade 31 moves from right to left and vice versa.

[0037] The disc-like surface 12 of the cover 11 has a rectangular outline with a long side a and a shorter narrow side b. This is therefore an elongated cover 11. The device 30 is particularly well suited for such an application. Because the wiper blade 31 does not perform a pivoting or pendulum movement, but rather an upward and downward wiping movement, even such an elongated cover 11 can be effectively cleaned. There are few dead areas that cannot be reached by the wiper blade 31 due to kinematic constraints.

[0038] Furthermore, it can be seen that in the lower starting position of the wiper arm 32, a stop element 35 is arranged below the wiper arm 32. The stop element 35 is stationary and, during operation of the device 30, prevents the wiper arm 32 from tipping over in its lower end position, i.e., from bending downward. Rather, the wiper arm 32, or with a corresponding design of the holder 34, the holder itself, strikes the stop element 35 from above. The stop element 35 is preferably also aligned centrally with the length of the wiper arm 32.

[0039] If such a stop element 35 is omitted, it is alternatively also conceivable to design one of the bearings 36, 37 or both bearings 36, 37 in such a way that they are blocked in their rotation in the area of ​​the initial position A of the wiper arm 32 in such a way that the ends of the wiper arm 32 still have at least slight angles α to an imaginary straight line, in this case to a horizontal line H. Thus, the wiper blade 31 is also still slightly preloaded in the initial position A and has a slight deflection B. This can be seen from Fig. 4 shown.

[0040] As a further alternative, it is conceivable that the bearings 36, 37 are only moved apart to such a maximum distance AB during a movement of the longitudinally displaceable bearing 36 by the electric motor 33 that in the initial position A of the wiper blade 31 the ends of the wiper arm 32 still assume an angle α to the imaginary horizontal line H and thus the wiper arm 32 still has a slight deflection B (cf. also Fig. 4).

[0041] It should also be mentioned that, analogous to conventional windshield wiper devices, the device 30 can advantageously be used with a cleaning fluid. This contributes to the effectiveness of the cleaning process. For this purpose, at least one cleaning nozzle can be provided, which is in fluidic contact with a fluid reservoir and through which cleaning fluid can be sprayed under pressure onto the windshield surface 12. In the exemplary embodiment, two cleaning nozzles 38a, 38b are provided, from each of which cleaning fluid R can be sprayed laterally onto the windshield surface 12. The cleaning nozzles 38a, 38b are offset from one another in terms of height, whereby better wetting of the windshield surface 12 with cleaning fluid R can be achieved.

[0042] Additionally, it is conceivable for device 30 to perform a wiping operation automatically at regular intervals without driver initiation. For example, it is conceivable that, in the case of reduced visibility due to dirt, snow, or rain, image processing software of sensor device 1 also detects reduced image quality and counteracts this by triggering a wiping operation. It is also conceivable that, alternatively or additionally, a rain / light sensor is present that measures the light transmittance of cover 11. In the case of reduced light transmittance, e.g., due to dirt, snow, or rain, the rain / light sensor can send a signal to a control device to initiate a wiping operation (not shown).

[0043] Deviating from the exemplary embodiment, it is also conceivable that the disk-like surface 12 is formed by another object, for example by the windshield 2. In other words, the device 30 can also be used to clean the windshield 2 or another window of the vehicle K if dimensioned accordingly. List of reference symbols 1 sensor device 2 windshield 10 housings 11 Cover 12 disc-like surface 13 Lidar sensor 30 Cleaning device 31 Wiper blade 32 Wiper arm 33 electric motor 33a coupling element 34 Bracket 35 Stop element 36 warehouses 36a Guide part 37 camps 38a Cleaning nozzle 38b Cleaning nozzle a long side α angle b narrow side β angle AB distance B Deflection Bmax maximum deflection D1-D3 rotary axes R Cleaning fluid H horizontal line K vehicle L length T trajectory W wiping surface

Claims

[1] Device (30) for cleaning a window-like surface (12) of a vehicle (K), wherein a wiper arm (32) designed as an elongated, spring-elastic element is provided, the two ends of which can be moved towards one another by a force acting on at least one of the ends in such a way that the wiper arm (32) has a deflection between the ends, wherein the wiper arm (32) is coupled in terms of movement to a wiper blade (31) contacting the window-like surface (12), characterized byin that the wiper arm (32) and the wiper blade (31) are designed as separate components and are connected to one another in regions via a holder (34), so that the wiper blade has freely movable ends on both sides of the holder (34), wherein the wiper blade (31) can be set in a wiping movement by the deflection of the wiper arm (32) in which the wiper blade (31) moves from a starting position (A) to an end position (E) and back. [2] Device (30) according to the preceding claim, characterized by that the bracket (34) is connected to the wiper arm (32) in a middle of a length of the wiper arm (32). [3] Device (30) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized byin that the ends of the wiper arm (32) are held in bearings (36, 37), wherein the bearings (36, 37) enable a rotational movement of the ends about such an axis of rotation (D2, D3) of the bearings (36, 37) which represents a normal to the disc-like surface (12) or which is at an acute angle (β) to the normal, wherein one bearing (37) is stationary and the other bearing (36) is held so as to be longitudinally displaceable. [4] Device (30) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the wiper arm (32) in the starting position (A) of the wiper blade (31) still has a deflection (B) in which the wiper arm (32) deviates slightly from an imaginary straight line (H) and is bent in the direction of the imaginary end position (E) of the wiper blade (31). [5] Device (30) according to one of the preceding claims 3 to 4, characterized byin that the longitudinally displaceable bearing (36) is coupled in terms of movement to an electric motor (33) in such a way that the bearing (36) is set into a translational movement in the direction of the other bearing (37) by the electric motor (33), wherein a coupling element (33a) is provided which is coupled in terms of movement on one side to a rotating or rotatable component of the electric motor (33) and on the other side to the longitudinally displaceable bearing (36). [6] Device (30) according to one of the preceding claims 3 to 5, characterized byin that the wiper blade (31) is brought into its end position (E) and back again into its starting position (A) by a displacement of the longitudinally displaceable bearing (36), wherein the wiper arm (32) is bent in the end position (E) of the wiper blade (31) and wherein the bearings (36, 37) are only moved apart again to a distance (AB) when the longitudinally displaceable bearing (36) is moved by the electric motor (33) such that in the starting position (A) of the wiper blade (31) the ends of the wiper arm (32) still form an angle (α) to an imaginary horizontal line (H). [7] Device (30) according to one of the preceding claims 3 to 5, characterized bythat by a displacement of the longitudinally displaceable bearing (36) the wiper blade (31) is brought into its end position and back again into its starting position, wherein the wiper arm (32) is bent in the end position of the wiper blade (31) and the bearings (36, 37) are designed such that in the starting position of the wiper blade (31) the ends of the wiper arm (32) are still held at an angle (α) to an imaginary straight line (H). [8] Device (30) according to one of the preceding claims 3 to 5, characterized byin that by a displacement of the longitudinally displaceable bearing (36) the wiper blade (31) is brought into its end position (E) and back again into its starting position (A), wherein the wiper arm (32) has a deflection (B) in the end position (E) of the wiper blade (31), wherein in the region of such a position of the wiper arm (32), in which the wiper blade (31) is in its starting position (A), specifically on the side of the wiper arm (32 opposite the wiper blade (31), a stop element (35) is provided, by means of which a deflection of the wiper arm (32) in a direction which is opposite to a direction of the deflection of the wiper arm (32) in the end position (E) of the wiper blade (31). [9] Vehicle (K) with a device (30) for cleaning a disc-like surface (12), characterized by that the device (30) is designed according to one of the preceding claims. [10] Vehicle (K) according to claim 9, characterized by that the vehicle (K) has a sensor device (1) which is covered at least in regions by a light-permeable cover (11) with a disc-like surface (12), wherein the disc-like surface (12) is the disc-like surface to be cleaned by the device (30).

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