Vehicle cleaning system and cleaning process for the same

Abstract

A vehicle cleaning system (20) performs cleaning to remove foreign matter adhering to a target object (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) to be cleaned on a vehicle (10).The vehicle cleaning system comprises: an air pump (23) driven to generate an air jet (CA1, CA2); a washing pump (13b) driven to supply a washing solution (Ws); a spray nozzle (31) that blows an air-liquid mixed fluid (X), obtained by mixing the air jet and the washing solution, onto the cleaning target object; a washing solution storage unit (22d) configured to store the washing solution supplied from the washing pump and capable of discharging the stored washing solution when the washing solution is mixed with the air jet; and a mixing discharge unit (22c) configured to discharge the air-liquid mixed fluid, obtained by mixing the air jet and the washing solution introduced from the washing solution storage unit, from the spray nozzle to the cleaning target object.

Description

Cross-reference to related applications

[0001] This application claims priority from Japanese patent application JP 2019-41652 filed on March 7, 2019, Japanese patent application JP 2019-154690 filed on August 27, 2019, and Japanese patent application JP 2020-021788 filed on February 12, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical area

[0002] The present invention relates to a vehicle cleaning system and a cleaning method for the same, which sprays a vehicle object to be cleaned with fluid to remove foreign matter. Background of the state of the art

[0003] The advancement of highly sophisticated vehicle driving assistance and autonomous driving technology has led to an increase in the number of sensors used to monitor the vehicle's surroundings (see, for example, Patent Document 1). A well-known example of such a sensor is LIDAR (light detection and ranging or laser imaging detection and ranging), which is a distance measurement system using an optical sensor to measure a distance using light transmitted and received between a vehicle and an object.

[0004] The sensor that monitors the vehicle's surroundings has a sensing surface (e.g., an outer surface of a lens, a cover glass, or the like) exposed to the vehicle's exterior. Thus, if foreign matter such as raindrops accumulate on the sensor surface, these foreign matter may be in the optical path of the optical sensor. This will adversely affect the distance measurement accuracy.

[0005] Research has been conducted to remove foreign matter from a sensor surface of a sensor by spraying the sensor surface with a gas-liquid fluid mixture which is a mixture of air and a cleaning liquid (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Prior art documentsPatent documents Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. JP 2018-037100 A Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. JP 2016-222074 A Patent document 3: DE 696 30 134 T2 Patent document 4: US 2015 / 0296108 A1 Patent document 5: DE 26 35 395 A1

[0006] DE 696 30 134 T2 discloses a system for cleaning lenses of a vehicle headlight using air and water. The system has an air pump that generates a jet of air; a washing pump that supplies a cleaning fluid; a spray nozzle that sprays the lens with a gas-liquid mixture of the air jet and the cleaning fluid; a cleaning fluid reservoir that stores and dispenses the cleaning fluid supplied by the washing pump; and a mixture outlet that sprays the lens with the gas-liquid fluid mixture from a spray nozzle.

[0007] The cleaning fluid reservoir is connected to a pump. An air relay valve is provided between the pump and the washing device.

[0008] US 2015 / 0296108 A1 discloses a vehicle-mounted camera device incorporating a lens with a hydrophilic surface. A secondary reservoir is provided above the lens.

[0009] DE 26 35 395 A1 discloses a headlight cleaning system. This system has a mixing chamber with an inlet channel and a discharge channel. A check valve is arranged in the mixing chamber, allowing fluid to flow upward through the discharge channel but preventing backflow when a piston moves from the upper, tensioned position to the lower, start position. Summary of the invention

[0010] To further ensure that foreign matter is cleaned away from a sensor surface, the use of a large pump will increase the force of the air or cleaning fluid sprayed against the sensor surface. However, the use of such a pump in a vehicle will increase the space occupied by the pump and will increase the energy used to drive the pump. Thus, there is a need to investigate how to improve the cleaning ability for removing foreign matter and how to increase the stability of the cleaning force when removing foreign matter.

[0011] It is an object of the present invention to provide a system and a method for cleaning a vehicle, by which the cleaning ability for removing foreign substances from an object to be cleaned of the vehicle is improved and the stability of the cleaning force in removing the foreign substances is ensured.

[0012] This object is achieved by a vehicle cleaning system having the features of claim 1. Alternative vehicle cleaning systems are shown in claims 3, 4, 5, 9, 10 and 12.

[0013] The vehicle cleaning system includes a cleaning fluid reservoir and a mixture outlet for mixing the cleaning fluid with an air jet and spraying an object to be cleaned with a gas-liquid mixture consisting of the air jet and the cleaning fluid. This allows foreign matter to be removed from an object to be cleaned using a small amount of cleaning fluid. Furthermore, the cleaning fluid mixed with the air jet is temporarily stored in the cleaning fluid reservoir before being delivered. This stabilizes the delivery of the small amount of cleaning fluid required for cleaning.

[0014] The vehicle cleaning system of claim 1 generates the high-pressure pulse air jet in the air jet generator with the valve device by accumulating the pressure of the compressed air supplied from the air pump to a pressure higher than the discharge pressure of the air pump, and then discharging the compressed air from the pressure storage to the downstream side. Thus, an air jet that improves the foreign matter removal ability can be generated without increasing the size of the pump. The cleaning liquid storage and the mixture outlet are included so that the high-pressure pulse air jet generated by the air jet generator is mixed with the cleaning liquid to spray the object to be cleaned with the gas-liquid fluid mixture that is a mixture of the high-pressure pulse air jet and the atomized cleaning liquid.This allows foreign matter to be removed from an object to be cleaned with a small amount of cleaning fluid. Furthermore, the cleaning fluid mixed with the air jet is temporarily stored in the cleaning fluid reservoir before being delivered. This stabilizes the delivery of the small amount of cleaning fluid required for cleaning. In the above description, "the discharge pressure of the air pump" refers to the pressure of a channel that directly connects the air pump and the ejection nozzle with a connecting hose and drives the air pump.

[0015] The vehicle cleaning system of claim 12 generates the high-pressure pulse air jet in the air jet generator with the valve device by accumulating the pressure of the compressed air supplied from the air pump to a pressure higher than the discharge pressure of the air pump, and then discharging the compressed air from the accumulating pressure to the downstream side. Thus, an air jet that improves the foreign matter removal ability can be generated without increasing the size of the pump. The cleaning liquid inlet and the mixture outlet are included so that the high-pressure pulse air jet generated by the air jet generator is mixed with the cleaning liquid to spray the object to be cleaned with the gas-liquid fluid mixture that is a mixture of the high-pressure pulse air jet and the atomized cleaning liquid.This allows foreign matter to be removed from an object to be cleaned with a small amount of cleaning fluid. In the above description, "the discharge pressure of the air pump" refers to the pressure of a channel that directly connects the air pump and the discharge nozzle with a connecting hose.

[0016] A cleaning method for a vehicle cleaning system is specified in claim 11. An alternative cleaning method for a vehicle cleaning system is set out in claim 20.

[0017] In the same manner as the cleaning system described above, the cleaning method generates a high-pressure pulsed air jet, which increases the foreign matter removal capability without increasing the size of the pump. Furthermore, the method sprays the object to be cleaned with the gas-liquid fluid mixture, which is a mixture of the high-pressure pulsed air jet and the atomized cleaning liquid. Thus, foreign matters can be removed from an object to be cleaned with a small amount of cleaning liquid. Furthermore, the cleaning liquid mixed with the air jet is temporarily stored in the cleaning liquid reservoir before being supplied. This stabilizes the supply of the small amount of cleaning liquid required for cleaning.

[0018] In claim 20, the cleaning method sprays the object to be cleaned with the gas-liquid fluid mixture, which is a mixture of the high-pressure pulsed air jet and the atomized cleaning fluid. Thus, foreign matter can be removed from a subject to be cleaned with a small amount of cleaning fluid without increasing the size of the pump.

[0019] Advantageous further training is the subject of dependent claims. Brief description of the drawings

[0020] The present invention, together with objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of the presently preferred embodiments with the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a vehicle cleaning system according to a first embodiment and a second embodiment. Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a cleaning device used in the vehicle cleaning system of the first embodiment. Fig. 3 shows a schematic representation of a valve device used in the cleaning device of the first and second embodiments. Fig. 4 shows a schematic representation of the valve device in the first and second embodiments. Fig. 5 shows a schematic representation of the operation of the valve device in the first and second embodiments. Fig. 6 shows a schematic representation of the operation of the valve device in the first and second embodiments. Fig. 7 shows a schematic representation of the operation of the cleaning device according to the first embodiment. Fig. 8 shows a schematic representation of the operation of the cleaning device in the first embodiment. Fig. 9 shows a schematic representation of the operation of the cleaning device in the first embodiment. Fig. 10 shows a schematic representation of the operation of the cleaning device in the first embodiment. Fig. 11 shows a waveform diagram of the operation of the cleaning device in the first and second embodiments. Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of a cleaning device used in the vehicle cleaning system of the second embodiment. Fig. 13 shows a schematic representation of the operation of the cleaning device in the second embodiment. Fig. 14 shows a schematic representation of the operation of the cleaning device in the second embodiment. Fig. 15 shows a schematic representation of the operation of the cleaning device in the second embodiment. Fig. 16 shows a schematic representation of the operation of the cleaning device in the second embodiment. Fig. 17 shows a schematic diagram of the cleaning device used in a vehicle cleaning system according to a third embodiment. Fig. 18 is a schematic diagram of a cleaning liquid storage device used in the third embodiment. The Fig. 19A and Fig. 19B show schematic diagrams of the cleaning liquid storage device used in the third embodiment. Fig. 20 shows a schematic diagram of a cleaning liquid storage device used in a fourth embodiment. The Fig. 21A and Fig. 21B show schematic diagrams of the operation of the cleaning liquid storage device in the fourth embodiment. Fig. 22 shows a schematic diagram of a cleaning liquid storage device used in a fifth embodiment. The Fig. 23A and Fig. 23B show schematic diagrams of the operation of the cleaning liquid storage device in the fifth embodiment. Fig. 24 shows a schematic diagram of a cleaning device used in a vehicle cleaning system according to a sixth embodiment. Fig. 25 is a schematic diagram of the cleaning device used in the vehicle cleaning system of the sixth embodiment. Fig. 26 is a schematic diagram of a cleaning device used in a vehicle cleaning system according to a seventh embodiment. Fig. 27 shows a schematic representation of the operation of the cleaning device in the seventh embodiment. Fig. 28 shows a schematic representation of the operation of the cleaning device in the seventh embodiment. Fig. 29 shows a schematic representation of the operation of the cleaning device according to the seventh embodiment. Fig. 30 shows a schematic representation of the operation of the cleaning device in the seventh embodiment. Fig. 31 is a waveform diagram showing the operation of the cleaning device in a modified example of the seventh embodiment. The Fig. 32A and Fig. 32B show waveform diagrams of the operation of the cleaning device in a modified example of the seventh embodiment. Fig. 33 shows a schematic diagram of a cleaning device in a modified example of the seventh embodiment. Fig. 34 shows a schematic diagram of a cleaning device in a modified example of the seventh embodiment. Modes for carrying out the inventionFirst embodiment

[0021] A system and method for cleaning a vehicle according to a first embodiment are described below.

[0022] As this is Fig. As shown in Figure 1, a vehicle 10 has a first distance measuring sensor (distance measuring sensor) 11 arranged at a central portion of the front end and a second distance measuring sensor (distance measuring sensor) 12 arranged at a central portion of the rear end. The first distance measuring sensor 11 and the second distance measuring sensor 12 each include an optical sensor that transmits and receives light of a predetermined wavelength to and from the front and rear sides of the vehicle. The first distance measuring sensor 11 and the second distance measuring sensor 12 are each used in a distance measuring system (LIDAR or the like) that measures the distance from the vehicle to a front object or rear object, or they are used in a system that provides the vehicle 10 with highly sophisticated driving assistance or allows autonomous driving or the like.

[0023] The first and second distance measuring sensors 11 and 12 each include sensor surfaces (sensing surfaces) 11a and 12a (e.g., outer surfaces of lenses, cover glasses, or the like) exposed to the exterior of the vehicle 10. Foreign matter such as raindrops may accumulate on the sensing surfaces (sensor surfaces) 11a and 12a and adversely affect the distance measurement accuracy. Thus, the vehicle 10 includes a vehicle cleaning system 20 for removing the foreign matter from each of the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a.

[0024] The vehicle cleaning system 20 includes first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b. The object to be cleaned by the first cleaning device 21a is the first distance measuring sensor 11, which is arranged at the central portion of the front end of the vehicle 10. The object to be cleaned by the second cleaning device 21b is the second distance measuring sensor 12, which is arranged at the central portion of the rear end of the vehicle 10.

[0025] The first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b of the present embodiment are configured to cooperate with a washer (flushing) device 13 typically installed in the vehicle 10. The washer 13 drives a washer (flushing) pump 13b to supply a cleaning liquid Ws stored in a tank 13a to a windshield or the like. Furthermore, the washer 13 is also configured to allow the cleaning liquid Ws to be supplied to the first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b of the present embodiment.

[0026] As this is Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b each include an air jet generator 22a, a cleaning liquid reservoir 22b, and a mixture outlet 22c. The air jet generator 22a includes an air pump 23, a valve device 24, and a check valve 25. The air jet generator 22a generates a high-pressure, pulsed air jet CA2 from compressed air (an air jet) CA1 supplied from the air pump 23 due to the operations of the valve device 24, the check valve 25, and the like, which will be described below. The cleaning liquid reservoir 22b is disposed adjacent to the air jet generator 22a and includes a channel switching valve (channel switching unit) 26, a check valve (channel switching unit) 27, a reservoir connection 28, and a chamber 29.In the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b, a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid Ws, which is supplied under pressure from the washer pump 13b via the channel switching valve 26 and the check valve 27, is stored in the chamber 29. The mixture outlet 22c includes a mixture connection (a mixture port) 30 and a spray nozzle 31. The mixture outlet 22c mixes the air jet CA2 generated by the air jet generator 22a and the cleaning liquid Ws received from the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b at the mixture connection 30 and sprays the object to be cleaned of the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a with the mixture from the spray nozzle 31. The first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b have the same structure. Thus, the first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b will be described below as having the same structure.

[0027] In the air jet generator 22a, the air pump 23 and the valve device 24 are connected to each other by a connecting hose 32a, and the valve device 24 and the check valve 25 are connected to each other by a connecting hose 32b. The connecting hoses 32a and 32b are rubber hoses or the like and are made of a flexible material. Connecting hoses 32c to 32j described below are also made of the same material. The air pump 23 is formed by an electric air pump configured to generate compressed air CA1. The valve device 24 increases the pressure of the compressed air CA1 and generates pulses (in an intermittent manner), with the compressed air CA1 continuously supplied from the air pump 23 to discharge the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2 to the check valve 25, more specifically, via the check valve 25 to the mixture outlet 22c.

[0028] As this is the case in the Fig. 3 and Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the valve device 24 includes a base member 41, a cover member 42, a diaphragm 43, and an urging spring 44. Among these components, the cover member 42, the diaphragm 43, the urging spring 44, and a part of the base member 41 constitute a valve body 40. Hereinafter, the base member 41 is described as being located on the lower side, and the cover member 42 is described as being located on the upper side. However, there are no restrictions on the directions during use of the valve device 24.

[0029] The base member 41 is formed of plastic and has an upper portion defining a base 41a and a lower portion defining a connecting piece 41b. The base 41a forms the lower part of a housing of the main valve body 40 and has a circular bottom wall 41c and an annular side wall 41d projecting upward from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall 41c. The cover member 42 forms the upper part of the housing of the main valve body 40 and has a circular top wall 42a and an annular side wall 42b projecting downward from the peripheral edge of the top wall 42a. The base member 41 and the cover member 42 are coupled such that the upper end surface of the side wall 41d and the lower end surface of the side wall 42b face each other. As a result, a peripheral portion 43x of the membrane 43 is held between the elements 41 and 42. The held membrane 43 provides a seal between the elements 41 and 42.The diaphragm 43 separates a valve chamber 45 defined by an open space formed by the diaphragm 43, the bottom wall 41c and the side wall 41d of the base 41a, and a back pressure chamber 46 defined by an open space formed by the top wall 42a and the side wall 42b of the cover member 42.

[0030] The connecting piece 41b is arranged on the lower side of the base 41a so that it first extends downward from the bottom wall 31c of the base 41a and then branches into two pieces so as to form the shape of a letter T arranged inverted. In the connecting piece 41b, one of the two branches located closer to the air pump 23 defines an inlet joint 41e, and the other of the two branches located closer to the check valve 25 defines a discharge joint (outlet joint) 41f. The inlet joint 41e is connected to the air pump 23 through the connecting hose 32a. An inlet passage 47 formed inside the inlet joint 41e is independent of a discharge passage 48 formed inside the discharge joint 41f.The intake passage 47 and the discharge passage 48 each have open portions 47a and 48a formed in the bottom wall 41c of the base 41a. The open portion 47a of the intake passage 47 is located in the central portion of the bottom wall 41c in the base 41a of the base member 41 and protrudes in a cylindrical shape. The open portion 48a of the discharge passage 48 is located in the peripheral portion of the bottom wall 41c at a lower position than the open portion 47a. The opening area (opening area) of the open portion 48a is larger than the opening area (opening area) of the open portion 47a.

[0031] The diaphragm 43, which is disc-shaped and formed of a flexible material, has a central portion including a cylindrical valve body 43a located at a position facing the open portion 47a of the intake passage 47. The valve body 43a has a slightly larger diameter than the open portion 47a of the intake passage 47. The diaphragm 43 has a predetermined thickness at the valve body 43a and a predetermined thickness at the peripheral portion 43x. A thin portion 43b, which is thinner than the valve body 43a and the peripheral portion 43x, extends between the valve body 43a and the peripheral portion 43x. The diaphragm 43 is configured so that the valve body 43, which is connected to the fixed peripheral portion 43x by the thin portion 43b, is movable.Movement of the valve body 43a allows the valve body 43a to move toward or away from contact with the open portion 47a of the inlet passage 47 to open or close the passage between the air pump 23 and the valve chamber 45.

[0032] The cover member 42, formed of a plastic material, has a protrusion 42c located in the central portion of the upper wall 42a at a position opposing the valve body 43a. The protrusion 42c serves as a position-limiting protrusion for the urging spring 44 formed by a compression coil spring. The upper side of the urging spring 44 is seated on the protrusion 42c. The upper end of the urging spring 44 is in contact with the upper wall 42a. The lower end of the urging spring 44 is in contact with the valve body 43a. Thus, the urging spring 44, guided by the protrusion 42c, urges the valve body 43a downward from the upper wall 42a. That is, the urging spring 44 urges the valve body 43a toward the open portion 47a of the intake passage 47.The upper wall 42a includes, for example, two communication holes 42d at positions outward from the protrusion 42c to communicate the back pressure chamber 46 with the outside of the cover member 42 or to expose the back pressure chamber 46 to the outside, so that the pressure of the back pressure chamber 46 does not affect the movement of the valve body 43a. In this way, the valve device 24 includes a valve 40a that opens and closes the open portion 47a of the inlet valve 47 with the valve body 43a.

[0033] As this is Fig. As shown in Fig. 2, the check valve 25 includes a valve housing 25a, a valve body 25b, an urging spring 25c, and a seal ring 25d. The valve housing 25a has an inlet connector 25e and a discharge connector 25f. An inlet passage 25x inside the inlet connector 25e and an outlet passage (discharge passage) 25y inside the discharge connector 25f are connected to a valve chamber 25z in the valve housing 25a. The inlet connector 25e is connected to the discharge connector (outlet connector) 41f of the valve device 24 through the connecting hose 32b. The discharge connector 25f is connected to a first inlet connector 30a of the mixture connection 30 through the connecting hose 32c.

[0034] In the valve chamber 25z of the valve housing 25a, the seal ring 25d is fixed around the open portion of the intake passage 25x, and the valve body 25b, which is spherical, is urged by the urging spring 25c into contact with the seal ring 25d. When the fluid pressure of the fluid from the intake passage 25x becomes greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure, the valve body 25b is moved against the urging force of the urging spring 25c and switches from a valve-closing state to a valve-opening state, so that the check valve 25 discharges the air jet CA2 of the valve device 24 to the mixture connection 30 of the mixture outlet 22c.

[0035] The channel switching valve 26 used in the cleaning liquid storage (cleaning liquid container) 22b includes a first housing member 51, a second housing member 52, and a diaphragm 53. The first housing member 51, formed of plastic, has a first tubular body 51a that is cylindrical and has a closed bottom, a first inlet connector 51b extending from the bottom of the first tubular body 51a, and a first outlet connector 51c extending from the peripheral wall of the first tubular body 51a. The first inlet connector 51b is connected to the connecting hose 32b extending from the washer pump 13b. The interior of the first tubular body 51a defines a first valve chamber 51x.The first valve chamber 51x allows communication between a first inlet channel 51y inside the first inlet connector 51b and a first discharge channel 51z inside the first discharge connector 51c. A cylindrical open portion (opening portion) 51d of the first inlet channel 51y in the first valve chamber 51x extends from the bottom of the first tubular body 51a. The second housing member 52, made of plastic, includes a second tubular body 52a that is cylindrical and has a closed bottom, a second inlet connector 52b extending from the peripheral wall of the second tubular body 52a, and a second discharge connector 52c extending from the bottom of the second tubular body 52a. The interior of the second tubular body 52a defines a second valve chamber 52x.The second valve chamber 52x allows communication between a second inlet channel 52y inside the second inlet connector 52b and a second discharge channel 52z inside the second discharge connector 52c. A cylindrical open portion (opening portion) 52d of the second discharge channel 52z in the second valve chamber 52x extends from the bottom of the second tubular body 52a. The first and second housing members 51 and 52 differ in that a fluid flows into one member and out of the other member, but otherwise they are structurally identical to each other.

[0036] The first and second housing members 51 and 52 are coupled such that the open end faces of the tubular bodies 51a and 52a face each other. In this case, the first inlet connector 51b and the second outlet connector 52c, which are arranged at the bottom portions of the tubular bodies 51a and 52a, are arranged along a straight line and directed away from each other. The first outlet connector 51c and the second inlet connector 52b, which are arranged at the peripheral walls of the tubular bodies 51a and 52a, extend parallel to each other in the same direction. When the first and second housing members 51 and 52 are coupled, a peripheral portion 53x of the diaphragm 53 is held between the open end faces of the tubular bodies 51a and 52a. The retained membrane 53 provides a seal between the elements 51 and 52 and also defines the first and second valve chambers 51x and 52x.

[0037] The diaphragm 53, which is disc-shaped and formed of a flexible material, has a central portion including a cylindrical valve body 53a disposed at a position facing the open portions 51d and 52d of the first intake passage 51y and the second discharge passage 52z. The valve body 53a has a slightly larger diameter than the open portions 51d and 52d. The diaphragm 53 has a predetermined thickness at the valve body 53a and a predetermined thickness at the peripheral portion 53x. A thin portion 53d, thinner than the valve body 53a and the peripheral portion 53x, extends between the valve body 53a and the peripheral portion 53x. The diaphragm 53 is configured so that the valve body 53a, which is connected to the fixed peripheral portion 53x by the thin portion 53b, is movable.The valve body 53a is moved from a neutral position where the valve body 53a is separated from both the open portion 51d and the open portion 52d of the first intake passage 51y and the second discharge passage 52z, to a position where the valve body 53a comes into contact with the open portion 52d of the second discharge passage 52z and is separated from the open portion 51d of the first intake passage 51y, or a position where the valve body 53a comes into contact with the open portion 51d of the first intake passage 51y and is separated from the open portion 52d of the second discharge passage 52z.

[0038] Specifically, in a primary-side valve opening state (secondary-side valve closing state) in which the valve body 53a closes the opening portion (open portion) 52d of the second discharge passage 52z and opens the opening portion (open portion) 51d of the first intake passage 51y, the first intake passage 51y and the first discharge passage 51z are connected to each other through the first valve chamber 51x. In a secondary-side valve opening state (primary-side valve closing state) in which the valve body 53a closes the opening portion (open portion) 51d of the first intake passage 51y and opens the opening portion (open portion) 52d of the second discharge passage 52z, the second intake passage 52y and the second discharge passage 52z are connected to each other through the second valve chamber 52x. The membrane 53 acts to open and close a primary side channel and a secondary side channel in a mutually coordinated manner.

[0039] The check valve 27 is similar to the check valve 25 of the air jet generator 22a. The check valve 27 includes a valve housing 27a, a valve body 27b, a spring 27c, and a seal ring 27d. An inlet channel 27x inside an inlet connector 27e and a discharge channel (outlet channel) 27y inside a discharge connector 27f are connected to a valve chamber 27z in the valve housing 27a. The inlet connector 27e is connected to the first discharge connector 51c of the channel switching valve 26 through the connecting hose 32e. The discharge connector 27f is connected to an inlet connector 28a of the storage connector 28 through the connecting hose 32f.When the fluid pressure of the fluid from the inlet passage 27x becomes greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure, the valve body 27b is moved against the urging force of the urging spring 27c and switched from a valve closing state to a valve opening state so that the check valve 27 discharges the cleaning liquid Ws supplied under pressure via the passage switching valve 26 from the washer pump 13b to the storage connection 28.

[0040] The storage joint 28 is, for example, a Y-shaped joint and includes the inlet joint 28a, a discharge joint 28b, and a relay joint 28c. In the storage joint 28, the discharge joint 28b and the relay joint 28c are arranged along a straight line, and the inlet joint 28a extends diagonally near the discharge joint 28b. An inlet channel 28x, a discharge channel 28y, and a relay channel 28z inside the inlet joint 28a, the discharge joint 28b, and the relay joint 28c are connected to each other. The relay connector 28c is connected to an input / output connector 29e of the chamber 29 through the connecting hose 32g, and the discharge connector 28b is connected to the second inlet connector 52b of the channel switching valve 26 through the connecting hose 32h.

[0041] The chamber 29 includes a reservoir housing (housing member) 29a, a piston 29b, and an urging spring (urging member) 29c. An annular seal 29d is disposed in the peripheral portion of the piston 29b. The reservoir housing 29a, which is cylindrical and has a closed bottom, has the input / output connector 29e on one of its end surfaces. The piston 29b is housed in the reservoir housing 29a and is movable in the axial direction of the reservoir housing 29a. The seal 29d allows the piston 29b to be movable while in contact with the inner wall surface of the reservoir housing 29a in a fluid-tight manner. In this way, the piston 29b defines an accommodation space (storage space) 29y inside the storage case 29a, which is connected to an input / output channel 29x inside the input / output connector 29e, and the structure is such that the volume of the storage space 29y is varied.The other end surface of the accumulator housing 29a includes a communication hole 29f which releases (relieves) the back pressure of the piston 29b to the atmosphere.

[0042] In the chamber 29, the piston 29b is moved back against the urging force of the urging spring 29c by the cleaning liquid Ws supplied under pressure from the washer pump 13b through the first discharge connector 51c of the channel switching valve 26. This increases the volume of the storage space 29y. Thus, the chamber 29 stores a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid Ws in the storage space 29y. Then, when the pressurized supply of the cleaning liquid Ws is stopped, the urging force of the urging spring 29c pushes the piston 29b and reduces the volume of the storage space 29y in the chamber 29. Consequently, the cleaning liquid Ws stored in the storage space 29y is discharged to the second inlet connector 52b of the channel switching valve 26 and then ejected from the ejection nozzle 31. The operation of the chamber 29 is described in more detail below together with the operation of the channel switching valve 26.

[0043] The mixture connection 30 of the mixture outlet 22, which is, for example, a T-shaped connection, includes the first inlet connection piece 30a and a second inlet connection piece 30b on an inlet side and a discharge connection piece 30c on a discharge side. In the mixture connection 30, the first inlet connection piece 30a and the discharge connection piece 30c are arranged along a straight line, and the second inlet connection piece 30b is perpendicular to the connections 30a and 30c. First and second inlet passages 30x and 30y inside the first and second inlet connections 30a and 30b and a discharge passage 30z inside the discharge connection piece 30c are connected to each other. The first inlet connection piece 30a is connected to the air jet generator 22a, as described above.The second inlet connector 30b is connected to the second discharge connector 52c of the channel switching valve 26 of the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b through the connecting hose 32i. The discharge connector 30c is connected to the ejection nozzle 31 through the connecting hose 32j.

[0044] The ejection nozzles 31 of the first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b each have ejection openings (ejection ports) 31a directed toward the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a of the first and second distance measuring sensors 11 and 12, as shown in Fig. 1. The predetermined amount of cleaning liquid Ws supplied to the mixture outlet 22c from the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b is ejected from the ejection nozzle 31 together with the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2 generated by the valve device 24 and the air pump 23 to spray a suitable area at each of the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a with a gas-liquid fluid mixture X.

[0045] As this is Fig. As shown in FIG. 1, the air pump 23 of each of the first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b and the washer pump 13b of the washer device 13 are controlled by various types of electronic control units (ECUs) installed in the vehicle 10, specifically, an upper-level ECU 100, a front-side ECU 101 (a front-side ECU), and a rear-side ECU 102 (a rear-side ECU). The upper-level ECU 100, the front-side ECU 101, and the rear-side ECU 102 are included in the vehicle cleaning system 20 as control devices of the cleaning system 300. The front-side ECU 101 has a function of controlling the air pump 23 and the washer pump 13b of the first cleaning device 21a, and the rear-side ECU 102 has a function of controlling the air pump 23 of the second cleaning device 21b.The upper-level ECU 100 controls the front-side ECU 101 and the rear-side ECU 102 in a coordinated manner. In the vehicle cleaning system 20, the first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b and the washer device 13 are controlled in a cooperative manner.

[0046] The operation of the present embodiment is described below. Operation of the valve device 24 as a single unit

[0047] If, as in Fig. 4, the valve device 24a is inactive (not actuated), the valve 40a is completely closed, that is, the valve body 43a of the diaphragm 43 seals the open portion (opening portion) 47a of the inlet channel 47.

[0048] When the air pump 23 is driven to continuously supply the compressed air CA, the urging force of the urging spring 44 keeps the valve body 43a closed, and thereby the pressure P1 (see Fig. 11) on the inlet side, which includes the inlet channel 47 of the valve device 24 and the connecting hose 32a. As shown in Fig. 3, the inlet pressure P1 acts on the valve body 43a at a part (portion) having an area S1, which is a relatively small part (portion) of the opening portion (open portion) 47a in terms of area. The lifting force F1 acting on the valve body 43a is the product of the inlet pressure P1 and the area S1, which is: F1 = P1 × S1. The pressure P1 in the state where the inlet side is closed is increased to be significantly higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23. The discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 described above is not the discharge pressure when the discharge opening (discharge port) of the air pump 23 is completely closed (the flow rate of discharge from the air pump 23 is zero).The discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 is the pressure of the connecting hose 32a when the air pump 23 is driven, the connecting hose 32a directly connecting the air pump 23 and the ejection nozzle 31 (hereinafter, this is simply referred to as “the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23”).

[0049] When the inlet pressure P1 increases, a slight gap is formed in the valve 40a between the valve body 43a and the open portion (orifice portion) 47a, as shown in Fig. 5, and a certain portion of the compressed air CA1 slightly leaks into the valve chamber 45 as a leakage CAx. The valve chamber 45 has the check valve 25 located between the downstream discharge channel 48 and the connecting hose 32b. Thus, the pressure P2 of the valve chamber 45 gradually increases. As shown in Fig. As shown in Fig. 3, the pressure P2 of the valve chamber 45 acts on the thin portion 43b of the diaphragm 43 at a part (portion) having an area S2, which is a relatively large part (portion) corresponding to the area of the entire thin portion 43b (more precisely, including the peripheral portion of the valve body 43a) excluding the area of the orifice portion (open portion) 47a. The lifting force F2 acting on the thin portion 43b is the product of the pressure P2 of the valve chamber 45 and the area S2, which is: F2 = P2 x S2. The area S2 of the thin portion 43b on which the pressure P2 acts is larger than the area S1 of the valve body 43a on which the pressure P1 acts. Thus, the pressure P2 has a greater effect than the lifting force F2 even if it is less than the pressure P1.

[0050] When both the inlet pressure P1 and the pressure P2 of the valve chamber 45 each rise to a pressure significantly higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23, the lifting force “F1 + F2” of the diaphragm 43, which is the total of the lifting force F1 acting on the valve body 43a and the lifting force F2 acting on the thin portion 43b, becomes greater than a predetermined lifting force (urging force of the urging spring 44). As shown in Fig. 6, the entire diaphragm 43 is thereby moved to a great extent and the valve 40a is opened. That is, the valve body 43a is separated from the opening portion (open portion) 47a. This connects the inlet channel 47, the valve chamber 45, and the discharge channel 48. The inlet pressure P1 immediately before the valve opens is significantly higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23. Thus, when the valve opens, the high-pressure compressed air CA1 in the inlet channel 47 suddenly flows through the valve chamber 45 into the discharge channel 48. Consequently, the discharge pressure P3 suddenly increases (see Fig. 11), and a high pressure air jet CA2 is discharged from the discharge passage 48 to the check valve 25 and further to the downstream ejection nozzle 31 of the mixture outlet 22c.

[0051] In this condition, the inlet pressure P1 suddenly decreases (see Fig. 11) and switches the diaphragm 43 from a valve-opening state to a valve-closing state. In this way, the pressure P2 of the valve chamber 45 decreases, and the predetermined urging force of the urging spring 44 becomes greater than the lifting force "F1 + F2" of the diaphragm 43, which is based on the two pressures P1 and P2, and the valve body 43a of the valve 40a closes the open portion (orifice portion) 47a of the inlet channel 47. When the discharge pressure P3 becomes significantly low, the inlet pressure P1 begins to increase again. The inlet pressure P1 increases again until the leakage CAx opens the valve with the diaphragm 43. The above-described operations are repeated to generate the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2 in the air jet generator 22a having the valve device 24 (see Fig. 11). Operation of the vehicle cleaning system 20

[0052] If, with reference to Fig. 2, the first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b of the vehicle cleaning system 20 are inactive (not actuated), the valve 40a in the valve device 24 of the air jet generator 22a is closed, with the valve body 43a closing the inlet channel 47 (see Fig. 4). Furthermore, the check valve 25 of the air jet generator 22a and the check valve 27 of the cleaning fluid reservoir 22b are also closed. In the channel switching valve 26 of the cleaning fluid reservoir 22b, the valve body 53a is in the neutral position. The chamber 29 is in a state where the piston 29b is pushed to the greatest extent, and the cleaning fluid Ws is not stored in the reservoir space 29y.

[0053] When foreign matter such as raindrops accumulate on the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a of the first and second distance measuring sensors 11 and 12, or whenever a predetermined period of time has elapsed regardless of whether a foreign matter is present, the upper-order ECU 100 outputs a cleaning command via the front-side ECU 101 and the rear-side ECU 102 to the corresponding first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b, and drives the air pump 23 of each of the devices 21a and 21b and the washer pump 13b of the washer device 13.

[0054] As this is Fig. As shown in Figure 11, in the present embodiment, for example, the washer pump 13b is first driven for a predetermined period of time T1. Then, after the washer pump 13b is stopped, the air pump 23 is driven for a predetermined period of time T2.

[0055] More specifically, when a cleaning command is issued, the washing pump 13b is driven from a time t1 to a time t2 in the predetermined period T1. When the washing pump 13b is driven and the cleaning liquid Ws is supplied under pressure from the washing pump 13b as shown in Fig. 7, the diaphragm 53 bends toward the secondary side in the channel switching valve 26 of the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b. This moves the valve body 53a, thereby opening the open portion (orifice portion) 51d of the first inlet channel 51y and closing the open portion (orifice portion) 52d of the second discharge channel 52z. This switches the channel switching valve 26 to a primary-side valve-opening state. The cleaning liquid Ws passing through the channel switching valve 26 then opens the check valve 27 and flows into the chamber 29 via the inlet channel 28x and the relay channel 28z of the reservoir connection 28. The cleaning liquid Ws passing through the check valve 27 also flows from the discharge channel 28y of the reservoir connection 28 and enters the second inlet channel 52y of the channel switching valve 26.

[0056] In the channel switching valve 26, the cleaning liquid Ws flows to the primary side and the secondary side. However, the primary-side open state is maintained by the balance between the pressure applied on the primary side by the cleaning liquid Ws to the valve body 53a and the thin portion 53b of the diaphragm 53 and the pressure applied on the secondary side by the cleaning liquid Ws to only the thin portion 53b. That is, the secondary-side valve closed state is maintained. Thus, in the chamber 29, the cleaning liquid Ws pushes back the piston 29b against the urging force of the urging spring 29c, and a sufficient amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is stored in the storage space 29y and the nearby connecting tubes 32h, 32g, and 32f, the second valve chamber 52x of the channel switching valve 26, and the like.Furthermore, since the secondary-side valve closure state is maintained, even if the washer pump 13b is continuously driven in a state where a sufficient amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is stored in the chamber 29, the storage of more cleaning liquid Ws is restricted. In other words, the washer pump 13b is driven for a period of time longer than the minimum period required to store the amount of cleaning liquid Ws that can cope with the changes in the ambient temperature, the drive voltage (electric voltage), the viscosity of the cleaning liquid Ws, and the like resulting from the existing circumstances.

[0057] Then, with reference to Fig. 8, when the washer pump 13b stops, the pressurized supply of the cleaning liquid Ws is stopped, with the check valve 27 in a closed state. More specifically, as viewed from the chamber 29, the channel switching valve 26 switches from a state where the primary-side channel and the secondary-side channel are both open to a state where the primary-side channel of the channel switching valve 26 is closed and the secondary-side channel is open. In the chamber 29, the piston 29b, which receives the urging force of the urging spring 29c, starts a pushing operation. In the channel switching valve 26, the supply pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws on the primary side becomes zero, while the pushing operation of the piston 29b in the chamber 29 produces a supply pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws on the secondary side. This switches the channel switching valve 26 to a secondary-side valve-opening state.Specifically, in the channel switching valve 26, the diaphragm 53 bends toward the primary side. Thus, the valve body 53a moves, closing the opening portion (open portion) 51d of the first intake port 51y and opening the opening portion (open portion) 52d of the second discharge port 52z. This switches the channel switching valve to a secondary-side valve-opening state and a primary-side valve-closing state.

[0058] As a result of these operations, the cleaning liquid Ws pushed out of the chamber 29 does not return to the primary side of the passage switching valve 26 due to the check valve 27 and is delivered from the secondary side of the passage switching valve 26 to the mixture outlet 22c. In this case, a mixture passage 33, which includes an inlet passage 30x and the discharge passage 30z of the mixture connection 30, is filled with a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid Ws and kept ready for the supply of the air jet CA2 from the air jet generator 22a. In this manner, the washer pump 13b of the present embodiment is driven to start filling the mixture passage 33 with the cleaning liquid Ws, and is not used for the purpose of directly ejecting the cleaning liquid Ws from the cleaning nozzle 31 for removing foreign matter.This allows for a reduction in the driving time, driving power, and the like, and minimizes the amount of cleaning liquid Ws used. The amount of cleaning liquid Ws filled into the mixing channel 33 can be easily adjusted, for example, by changing the size of the storage space 29y in the chamber 29.

[0059] Then, as in Fig. 11, the air pump 23 is driven after the washing pump 13b has been stopped, namely, it is driven for the predetermined period T2 from a time t3 to a time t4. When the air pump 23 is driven and the compressed air CA1 is supplied from the air pump 23, the valve device performs the Fig. 4 to 6 and generates the pulse air jet CA2 at a higher pressure than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23. Fig. 9 shows a state before a Fig. 5, in which the air pump 23 is driven and the valve device 24 increases the pressure of the compressed air CA1 to a pressure significantly higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23. Fig. 10 shows a state in which the valve device 24 is in a Fig. 6, and air having a pressure significantly higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 is discharged as the air jet CA2. The high-pressure pulse air jet CA2, generated by repeating the above-described operations with the valve device 24, flows into the mixture outlet 22c via the check valve 25.

[0060] In this state, the mixture channel 23 of the Fig. 10 is filled with the cleaning liquid Ws. Thus, when the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2 flows into the mixture channel 33, the air jet CA2 is mixed with the cleaning liquid Ws atomized by the air jet CA2 to form the gas-liquid fluid mixture X, which is ejected from the ejection opening 31a of the ejection nozzle 31. The sensor surfaces 11a and 12a of the first and second Fig. 1 are sprayed with the gas-liquid fluid mixture X, which is a mixture of the cleaning liquid Ws and the air jet CA2.

[0061] In the present embodiment, the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a are sprayed with the high-pressure air jet CA2 and the cleaning liquid Ws atomized by the air jet CA2 at a higher speed than in the case where only the cleaning liquid Ws or only the air jet CA2 is sprayed. This effectively cleans foreign matter such as raindrops from the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a, allowing the distance measurement accuracy to be maintained at a satisfactory level. Furthermore, the air jet CA2 is generated at a pressure significantly higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23. This enables the use of a compact air pump 23.

[0062] The advantages of the present embodiment are described below.

[0063] (1) The cleaning devices 21a and 21b of the vehicle cleaning system 20 of the present embodiment generate the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2 in the air jet generator 22a having the valve device 24 by accumulating the pressure of the compressed air CA1 supplied from the air pump 23 at a pressure higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23, and then discharging the compressed air CA1 to the downstream side after the accumulating pressure. Thus, the air jet CA2 improving the foreign matter removal capability can be generated without increasing the size of the air pump 23.The cleaning liquid reservoir 22b and the mixture outlet 22c mix the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2 generated by the air jet generator 22a with the cleaning liquid Ws to spray the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a of the distance measuring sensors 11 and 12 with the gas-liquid fluid mixture X, which is a mixture of the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2 and the atomized cleaning liquid Ws. This allows foreign matter to be removed from the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a with a small amount of the cleaning liquid Ws. Furthermore, the cleaning liquid Ws mixed with the air jet CA2 is temporarily stored in the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b before being supplied for cleaning.Thus, compared with the case where the cleaning liquid Ws is directly supplied from the washer pump 13b, a small amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is stably supplied in an amount that is small but sufficient for cleaning. In the present embodiment, since only a small amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is used, the washer pump 13b is driven for only a short period of time. This may hinder stable supply of the cleaning liquid Ws in the case where the ambient temperature, the driving voltage (electrical voltage), the viscosity of the cleaning liquid Ws, and the like change. In this regard, the cleaning liquid Ws is first stored in the chamber 29, thereby absorbing the effect of such changes. Thus, the same amount of cleaning liquid Ws is always supplied. This improves the stability of the cleaning force.

[0064] (2) In the air jet generator 22a, the valve 40a of the valve device 24 closes the inlet passage 47 of the compressed air CA2 with the valve body 43a and stores the compressed air CA1 supplied from the air pump 23 until the pressure becomes higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23. Furthermore, the valve 40a and the check valve 25 function as an auxiliary mechanism that generates a leakage CAx of the compressed air CA1 from the inlet passage 47 during pressure storage to a leakage side (valve chamber 45, etc.) during pressure storage. Then, when the two pressures P1 and P2 stored in the inlet passage 47 and the leakage side (valve chamber 45, etc.) open the valve body 43a, the compressed air CA1 whose pressure has been stored is discharged from the inlet passage 47 to the discharge passage 48. The valve body 43a is then closed to store the pressure again in the inlet channel 47.In this way, the air pump 23, the valve device 24 and the check valve 25 generate the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2.

[0065] (3) The chamber 29 of the cleaning liquid reservoir 22 has a simple structure consisting of the reservoir housing 29a, the piston 29b, and the urging spring 29c. Furthermore, the urging force of the urging spring 29c in the chamber 29 is used to discharge the cleaning liquid Ws. As long as the chamber 29 is used as a channel for the cleaning liquid Ws, the chamber 29 otherwise has a high degree of independence, allowing a high degree of layout freedom.

[0066] (4) The channel switching valve 26 including the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b is a single valve configured to open and close, in a mutually coordinated manner, a primary channel between the washer pump 13b and the chamber 29 and a secondary channel between the chamber 29 and the mixture outlet 22c with the same diaphragm 53. Furthermore, the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b switches channels when the cleaning liquid Ws is supplied from the washer pump 13b and when the supply is stopped and the cleaning liquid Ws is discharged from the chamber 29, with a simple structure including the two valves of the channel switching valve 26 and the check valve 27.

[0067] (5) The check valve 25 is arranged on the downstream side of the valve device 24 of the air jet generator 22a. This ensures pressure accumulation (increasing the pressure P2) on the downstream side of the valve 40a.

[0068] (6) The control is performed so that the period T2 during which the air pump 23 is driven ends later than the period T1 during which the washing pump 13b is driven. If the cleaning liquid Ws would remain on the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a by stopping the driving of the air pump 23 after the driving of the washing pump 13b is stopped, the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a can be sprayed later with only the air jet CA2. This reduces the (amount of) cleaning liquid Ws remaining on the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a. Second embodiment

[0069] A system and method for cleaning a vehicle according to a second embodiment are described below. The present embodiment differs slightly from the first embodiment with regard to the structure of the chamber 29 in the first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b. The following description focuses on these differences.

[0070] As this is Fig. As shown in Fig. 12, the chamber 29 does not have the urging spring 29c and has an air inlet connector 29g on the other end surface of the storage case 29a, and the action resulting from the urging force of the urging spring 29c is replaced by the action resulting from the pressure of the compressed air CA1 discharged from the air pump 23. An inlet port 29z inside the air inlet connector 29g is connected to an open space at a rear side of the piston 29d located on a side of the piston 29b opposite to where the storage space 29y stores the cleaning liquid Ws.

[0071] Furthermore, an air branch connection 34, formed by a T-shaped joint, connects the chamber 29 to a flow channel of the compressed air CA1 between the air pump 23 and the valve device 24. The air branch connection 34 includes an inlet connection piece 34a and first and second discharge connections 34b and 34c. The inlet connection piece 34a and the first discharge connection piece 34b lie along a straight line, and the second discharge connection piece 34c is perpendicular to this straight line. An inlet channel 34x inside the inlet connection piece 34a is connected to the first and second discharge channels 34y and 34z inside the first and second discharge connections 34b and 34c. The connecting hose 32a used in the first embodiment for connecting the air pump 23 and the valve device 24 is divided into two connecting hoses 32a1 and 32a2.The inlet connector 34a is connected to the air pump 23 by the connecting hose 32a1, and the first discharge connector 34b is connected to the valve device 24 by the connecting hose 32a2. The second discharge connector 34c is connected to the air inlet connector 29g of the chamber 29 by a connecting hose 32k. The connecting hoses 32a1, 32a2, and 32k are also rubber hoses or the like and are formed of a flexible material.

[0072] The operation of the present embodiment is described below. Operation of the vehicle cleaning system 20

[0073] As this is Fig. As shown in Figure 1, in the present embodiment, for example, the washer pump 13b is first driven for a predetermined period of time T1. Then, after the washer pump 13b is stopped, the air pump 23 is driven for a predetermined period of time T2.

[0074] When the washing pump 13b is driven and the cleaning liquid Ws is supplied under pressure from the washing pump 13b as shown in Fig. 13, the diaphragm 53 bends toward the secondary side in the channel switching valve 26 of the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b. Thereby, the channel switching valve 26 is switched to a primary-side valve-opening state and maintains the secondary-side valve-closing state in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The cleaning liquid Ws passing through the channel switching valve 26 flows into the chamber 29 via the check valve 27 and the reservoir connection 28. In the chamber 29, the cleaning liquid Ws pushes the piston 29b backward, and a sufficient amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is stored in the storage space 29y and the nearby connecting tubes 32h, 32g, and 32f, the second valve chamber 52x of the channel switching valve 26, and the like. The storage space 29y of the chamber 29 can be increased by an amount corresponding to the omitted urging spring 29c.Thus, the size of the chamber 29 can be reduced even if the stored amount of cleaning fluid Ws increases or remains the same as in the first embodiment. There is no urging spring 29c to apply an urging force when the piston 29b is moved backward. Thus, the pressure required for the backward movement is low.

[0075] Then, with reference to Fig. 14, when the washer pump 13b stops, the pressurized supply of the cleaning liquid Ws is stopped, with the check valve 27 in the closed state in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Since the urging spring 29c is omitted from the chamber 29 in the present embodiment and the piston 29b is moved by the pressure of the compressed air CA1 from the air pump 23 later, a pushing action of the piston 29b does not occur at the present point. In this point, the present embodiment is different from the previous embodiment. Furthermore, in the channel switching valve 26, the supply pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws on the primary side becomes zero, and the supply pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws from the chamber 29 does not act on the secondary side. Thus, for example, the diaphragm 53 returns to its original shape. Thereby, the valve body 53a is moved to a neutral position.In this case, a slight gap forms between the valve body 53a and the opening portion (open portion) 52d of the second discharge channel 52z. However, the cleaning liquid Ws does not leak significantly from the second valve chamber 52x into the second discharge channel 52z (no large leakage).

[0076] Then, when the air pump 23 is driven and the compressed air CA1 is supplied from the air pump 23, the valve device 24 performs the Fig. 4 to 6 and generates the pulse air jet CA2 at a higher pressure than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Fig. 15 shows a state before a Fig. 5, in which the air pump 23 is driven and the valve device 24 increases the pressure of the compressed air CA1 to a pressure which is significantly higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23. Fig. 16 shows a state in which the valve device 24 is in a Fig. 6, and air at a pressure significantly higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 is discharged as the air jet CA2. The high-pressure pulse air jet CA2, generated by repeating the above-explained operations with the valve device 24, flows into the mixture outlet 22c via the check valve 24.

[0077] Furthermore, as stated in Fig. As shown in Fig. 15, a portion of the compressed air CA1 is supplied from the air pump 23 to the chamber 29 to push the piston 29b. When the pushing operation of the piston 29b begins, the delivery pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws generated by the pushing operation switches the passage switching valve 26 to a secondary-side valve-opening state. As a result, a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid Ws flows from the secondary side of the passage switching valve 26 into the mixing passage 33 of the mixture outlet 22c.

[0078] If, as in Fig. As shown in Figure 16, the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2 flows into the mixture channel (mixing channel) 33, the air jet CA2 is mixed with the cleaning liquid atomized by the air jet CA2 to form the gas-liquid fluid mixture X, which is ejected from the ejection nozzle 31 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Thus, foreign matter is also effectively removed from the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a of the Fig. 1 shown distance measuring sensors 11 and 12 are cleaned away in the present embodiment.

[0079] The advantages of the present embodiment are described below. (1) The present embodiment has the advantages (1), (2) and (4) to (6) of the first embodiment. (2) The chamber 29 of the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b of the present embodiment uses the reservoir case 29a and the piston 29b to discharge the stored cleaning liquid Ws with a certain portion of the compressed air CA1 from the air pump 23. This allows the urging spring 29c to be omitted and the structure to be simplified. Third embodiment

[0080] A vehicle cleaning system according to a third embodiment is described below. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment with respect to the structure and operation of the cleaning fluid reservoir 22b in the first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b. The following description will focus on these differences.

[0081] The cleaning fluid reservoir 22b of the Fig. 2 is formed by connecting the components of the channel switching valve 26, the check valve 27, the reservoir connection 28 and the chamber 29 with connecting hoses 32e, 32f, 32g and 32h. In contrast, in the cleaning fluid reservoir 22b of the Fig. 17 and Fig. 18, a single unit having the same functions as the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b of the first embodiment, a cleaning liquid storage device (cleaning liquid reservoir) 60a.

[0082] More precisely, according to Fig. 18, the cleaning liquid storage device 60a of the present embodiment includes a housing body 61 that is cylindrical and has a closed bottom, and a lid member (cover member) 62 that closes the open portion of the housing body 61. The housing body 61 has an inlet connector 61a at a central portion of the bottom, and the lid member 62 has a discharge connector 62a at a central portion. The inlet connector 61a and the discharge connector 62a extend away from each other in the axial direction of the housing body 61. The inlet connector 61a is connected to the connecting hose 32d extending from the washer pump 13b, and the discharge connector 62a is connected to the second inlet connector 30b of the mixture connector 30.

[0083] An inlet passage 61x inside the inlet connector 61a is connected to a storage space 65 defined in the housing body 61 by a piston 70, which will be described later. The discharge passage 62x inside the discharge connector 62a is connected to the storage space 65 by an inner tube 62b extending from the inner central portion of the lid member 62 to the vicinity of the bottom of the housing body 61. The inner tube 62b (discharge passage 62x) has an open portion (orifice portion) 62c, and the inlet passage 61x has an open portion (orifice portion) 61b. A valve body 66, formed by a substantially disc-shaped rubber sheet, is movably disposed between the orifice portions 62c and 61b.

[0084] The valve body 66 has a flange 66a. A washer (disk member) 67 is attached to the valve body 66 in contact with the surface of the flange 66a facing the discharge connector 62a. Further, a washer (washer) 68 is attached to the distal end of the inner tube 62b. The disc members 67 and 68, which have the same structure, are annular and have through holes 67a and 68a, respectively. The disc member 68 is in contact with the surface of an engaging portion 62d disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the distal portion of the inner tube 62b facing the inlet connector 61a. An urging spring 69 is disposed between the disc members 67 and 68. The urging spring 69 urges the valve body 66 from the disc member 68, which is engaged with the engaging portion 62d of the inner tube 62b, and through the disc member 67.

[0085] The piston 70 is annular and fits around the inner tube 62b in an open space located toward the discharge connector 62a from the disc member 68. The piston 70 has an annular rubber seal 61 and a disc member (washer) 72 disposed at a portion of the rubber seal 71 facing the discharge connector 62a. An urging spring 73 is disposed around the inner tube 62b and is located between the disc member 72 of the piston 70 and the cover member 62. The urging spring 73 urges the piston 70 toward the disc member 68.

[0086] That is, the urging spring 73 urges the piston 70 to the cleaning liquid Ws flowing through the through hole 68a of the disc element 68 (see Fig. 19A). In the vertical cross section (axial cross section) of the rubber seal 71 constituting the piston 70, a pressure receiving portion 71a that receives the pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws is bifurcated (split in two) toward the disc member 68 and has a shape of an inverted letter Y. The pressure receiving portion 71a contacts the inner peripheral surface of the casing body 61 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube 62b to restrict leakage of the cleaning liquid Ws while receiving the pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws.

[0087] In a situation where the washer pump 13b is not effective to supply the cleaning liquid Ws into the opening portion (open portion) 61b of the intake passage 61x, the valve body 66 receives the urging force of the urging spring 69 and closes the opening portion (open portion) 61b of the intake passage 61x. This is an open state in which the opening portion (open portion) 62c of the inner tube 62b is not closed by the valve body 66. Further, the piston 70 receives the urging force of the urging spring 73 and is located at a position where the pressure receiving portion 71a contacts the engaging portion 62d of the inner tube 62b. In this case, the volume of the storage space 65 defined by the piston 70 is at the minimum.

[0088] If, as in Fig. As shown in Fig. 19A, when the washer pump 13b is driven and the cleaning liquid Ws is supplied under pressure, the valve body 66, which had closed the opening portion (open portion) 61b of the inlet passage 61x, is lifted against the urging force of the urging spring 69. Thereby, the opening portion (open portion) 61b is sufficiently opened and the opening portion (open portion) 62c of the inner tube 62b is closed. The cleaning liquid Ws, which penetrates into the opening portion 61b of the inlet passage 61x, flows through the through hole 67a of the disc member 67 and then through the through hole 68a of the disc member 68 to the other side where the piston 79 is arranged, without leaking into the opening portion (open portion) 62c of the inner tube 62b. The piston 70 absorbs the pressure of the cleaning fluid Ws and moves back against the urging force of the urging spring 73.The backward movement of the piston 70 increases the volume of the storage space 65. The piston 70 (disk member 72) is moved back until it reaches a position where it contacts a boundary wall 62e of the lid member 62, and the volume of the storage space 65 becomes maximum. As a result, a fixed amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is stored in the cleaning liquid storage device 60a.

[0089] Furthermore, when the washer pump 13b is stopped in a state where the piston 70 is moved back and the fixed amount of cleaning liquid Ws is stored, the pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws from the opening portion 61b of the inlet channel 61x becomes zero. Thus, as shown in Fig. 19B, the valve body 66 returns to the state that closes the opening portion 61b of the inlet passage 61x, and stops the reverse flow of the cleaning liquid Ws from the opening portion 61b to the inlet passage 61x. When the valve body 66 returns to its original position, the opening portion 62c of the inner tube 62b opens. Thus, the piston 70, receiving the urging force of the urging spring 73, pushes the stored cleaning liquid Ws out of the storage space 65. The opening portion 61b near the inlet passage 61x is closed in this state. Thus, the pushing action of the piston 70 discharges the cleaning liquid Ws from the opening portion 62c of the inner tube 62b through the discharge passage 62x.The open space at the rear of the piston 70 is exposed to the outside through a communication hole 62f extending through the lid member 62 so that the pushing operation and the backward movement operation of the piston 70 occur smoothly and evenly.

[0090] In this manner, the cleaning liquid storage device 60a of the present embodiment stores the fixed amount of the cleaning liquid Ws when the washer pump 13b is driven, and discharges the cleaning liquid Ws to the mixture outlet 22c when the washer pump 13b is stopped. Specifically, while performing the same operation as the cleaning liquid storage device 22b of the first embodiment, the cleaning liquid storage device 60a of the present embodiment is constituted by a single unit having the function of a passage switching valve that switches opening and closing states of the passages 61x and 62x by moving the valve body 66, the function of a check valve that stops a reverse flow of the cleaning liquid Ws to the inlet passage 61x, and the function of a chamber that stores the cleaning liquid Ws and pushes it out according to the operation of the piston 70.

[0091] The advantages of the present embodiment are described below. (1) The present embodiment has the same advantages as the first embodiment. In addition, the cleaning liquid storage device 60a forms a single unit that serves as the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b. This provides a simple system. (2) In the cleaning liquid storage device 60a of the present embodiment, the valve body 66, which is a disc-shaped sheet, can be easily and simply prepared. Fourth embodiment

[0092] A vehicle cleaning system according to a fourth embodiment will be described below. This embodiment differs slightly from the cleaning liquid storage device 60a of the third embodiment with regard to the structure of a cleaning liquid storage device (cleaning liquid reservoir) 60b. The following description will focus on these differences.

[0093] The valve body 66, which is a substantially disc-shaped sheet, and the urging spring 69 of the Fig. 18 are used to provide the function of a channel switching valve and a check valve. As shown in Fig. 20, a cleaning liquid storage device 60b according to the present embodiment replaces the valve body 66 and the urging spring 69 with a diaphragm 75. The structure around the piston 70 is the same as in the third embodiment.

[0094] More precisely, according to Fig. 20 In the cleaning liquid storage device 60b of the present embodiment, the housing body 61 is cylindrical, the lid member 62 used in the third embodiment is arranged on the discharge side, and a lid member 63 is arranged on an inlet side. The lid members 62 and 63 close the opening portions of the housing body 61. In the same manner as in the third embodiment, the lid member 62 has the discharge connector 62a, the discharge channel 62x, the inner tube 62b, and the like. The lid member 63 has an inlet connector 63a at a central portion and an inlet channel 63x extending therethrough. A tubular open portion (opening portion) 63b of the inlet channel 63x projects from the inner surface of the lid member 63 toward the inner tube 62b of the lid member 62.Furthermore, a tubular retaining wall 63c of the inner side of the lid member 63 is disposed at an intermediate position (middle position) between the opening portion 63b and the housing body 61. The retaining wall 63c retains a peripheral portion 75x of the diaphragm 75. The peripheral portion 75x is seated in a retaining groove 63d provided near an axially intermediate portion (axially intermediate portion) of the retaining wall 63x. The diaphragm 75 has a valve body 75a at a central portion and a thin portion 75b disposed between the valve body 75a and the peripheral portion 75x. The valve body 75a of the diaphragm 75 is movably disposed between the opening portion 62c of the inner tube 62b (discharge passage 62x) and the opening portion 63b of the intake passage 63x.

[0095] The portion of the retaining wall 63c located toward the base side of the retaining groove 63d (the portion that holds the peripheral portion 75x of the diaphragm 75) has a through-channel 76 extending in the radial direction. A peripheral channel 77 connected to the through-channel 76 extends between the outer peripheral surface of the retaining wall 63c and the inner peripheral surface of the casing body 61. The peripheral channel 77 has a movable piece 75c protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral portion 75x of the diaphragm 75. The movable piece 75c is inclined such that its distal portion (radially outer portion) is directed further toward the downstream side than its base portion (radially inner portion). The distal portion contacts the casing body 61.The storage space 65 of the cleaning liquid Ws in the present embodiment is an open space defined by the piston 70 and the diaphragm 75 on the downstream side of the movable piece 75c projecting into the circumferential passage 77. In the present embodiment, the engaging portion 62d of the inner tube 62b (see . Fig. 18) has been omitted, and the pressure receiving portion 71a of the rubber seal 71 forming the piston 70 is in contact with the distal end of the retaining wall 63c to act as a pressure-side position restriction for the piston 70.

[0096] In a situation where the washer pump 13b is not effective to supply the cleaning liquid Ws into the opening portion 63b of the inlet passage 63x, the valve body 75a of the diaphragm 75 is located at an intermediate position (middle position) between the opening portion 62c of the inner tube 62b and the opening portion 63b of the inlet passage 63x, and thereby does not actively close the two opening portions 62c and 63b. Furthermore, the piston 70 receives the urging force of the urging spring 73 and is arranged at a position where the pressure receiving portion 71a is in contact with the distal end of the retaining wall 63c. In this case, the volume of the storage space 65 defined by the piston 70 is at the minimum.

[0097] If, as in Fig. As shown in Fig. 21A, when the washing pump 13b is driven and the cleaning liquid Ws is supplied under pressure, the valve body 75a of the diaphragm 75 is lifted. This sufficiently opens the opening portion 63b of the inlet passage 63x and closes the opening portion 62c of the inner tube 62b. The cleaning liquid Ws entering the opening portion 63b of the inlet passage 63x first flows to the radially outer side of the diaphragm 75 and then flows to the other side where the piston 70 is located via the through passage 76 and the circumferential passage 77 without leaking into the opening portion 62c of the inner tube 62b (no leakage). When the cleaning liquid Ws flows from the inlet channel 63x to the piston 70, the distal end of the movable piece 75c projecting into the circumferential channel 77 is moved away from the inner peripheral surface of the housing body 61, thereby opening the channel.The piston 70 receives the pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws and is moved back. The backward movement of the piston 70 increases the volume of the storage space 65. The piston 70 (disc member 72) is moved back until it reaches a position where it comes into contact with the limiting wall 62e of the lid member 62, and the volume of the storage space 65 becomes maximum. As a result, a fixed amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is stored in the cleaning liquid storage device 60b.

[0098] Furthermore, when the washer pump 13b is stopped in a state where the piston 70 is moved back and the fixed amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is stored, the pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws from the opening portion 63b of the inlet channel 63x becomes zero. In addition, the piston 70, receiving the urging force of the urging spring 73, acts to push the stored cleaning liquid Ws out of the storage space 65 and move the valve body 75a of the diaphragm 75 to the opposite side. As shown in Fig. 21B, the valve body 75a closes the opening portion 63b of the inlet passage 63x. Moreover, the distal end of the movable piece 75c, which projects into the peripheral passage 75, comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the housing body 61 and opens the passage. This restricts a reverse flow of the cleaning liquid Ws from the opening portion 63b to the inlet passage 63x. The movement of the valve body 75a of the diaphragm 75 opens the opening portion 62c of the inner tube 62b, and the pushing action of the piston 70 discharges the cleaning liquid Ws from the opening portion 62c of the inner tube 62b through the discharge passage 62x.

[0099] In this way, the cleaning liquid storage device 60b of the present embodiment is a single unit having the function of storing a fixed amount of the cleaning liquid Ws when the washer pump 13b is driven and discharging the fixed amount of the cleaning liquid Ws to the mixture outlet 22c when the washer pump 13b is stopped, in addition to the function of a channel switching valve, the function of a check valve, and the function of a chamber.

[0100] The advantages of the present embodiment are described below. (1) The present embodiment has the same advantages as the first embodiment. In addition, the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b forms a single unit that serves as the cleaning liquid storage device 60b. This provides a simple system. (2) In the cleaning liquid storage device 60b of the present embodiment, the use of the diaphragm 75 enables the omission of an urging spring that urges a valve body. Fifth embodiment

[0101] A vehicle cleaning system according to a fifth embodiment will be described below. This embodiment differs slightly from the cleaning liquid storage device 60b of the fourth embodiment with regard to the structure of a cleaning liquid storage device (cleaning liquid reservoir) 60c. The following description will focus on these differences.

[0102] The membrane 75 of the Fig. The fourth embodiment shown in Figure 20 is used to provide the functions of a channel switching valve and a check valve. As shown in Fig. 22, the cleaning liquid storage device 60c of the present embodiment replaces the diaphragm 75 with an umbrella valve (poppet valve) 80. The structure around the piston 70 is the same as in the fourth embodiment.

[0103] More specifically, how this happened in Fig. As shown in Fig. 22, the cleaning liquid storage device 60c of the present embodiment includes the housing body 61, which is cylindrical, and the lid members 62 and 63 that close the open portions (opening portions) of the housing body 61. A flat holding wall 61c extends from the inner peripheral surface of the housing body 61 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction (i.e., a radial direction) to hold the umbrella valve 80. The umbrella valve 80 includes a rod (strut) 80a and a movable disc 80b disposed at one end of the rod 80a. The rod 80a of the umbrella valve 80 is fitted in a holding hole 61d and held in the holding hole 61d disposed in a central portion of the holding wall 61c. The holding wall 61c has an opening portion (open portion) 61e near the holding hole 61d (a portion that holds the rod 80a of the umbrella valve 80).The opening portion 61e is connected to the inlet passage 63x and essentially functions as the opening portion of the inlet passage 63x. The movable disc 80b of the umbrella valve 80 is arranged to be movable between the opening portion 62c of the inner tube 62b (discharge passage 62x) and the opening portion 61e connected to the inlet passage 63x. When the movable disc 80b moves, the central portion of the movable disc 80b, which is coupled to the rod 80a, serves as a fulcrum, and the outer peripheral portion comes into contact with or separates from the retaining wall 61c. The accommodation space 65 of the cleaning liquid Ws in the present embodiment is an open space defined by the retaining wall 61c, the movable disc 80b of the umbrella valve 80, and the piston 70.

[0104] In a situation where the washer pump 13b is not operating to deliver the cleaning fluid Ws into the opening portion 61e connected to the inlet channel 63x, the movable disc 80b of the umbrella valve 80, although inactive, closes the opening portion 62c of the inner tube 62b and the opening portion 61e connected to the inlet channel 63x. Furthermore, the piston 70 receives the urging force of the urging spring 73 and is positioned at the most depressed position. In this case, the volume of the storage space 65 defined by the piston 70 is minimal.

[0105] If, as in Fig. As shown in Figure 23A, when the washer pump 13b is driven and the cleaning liquid Ws is supplied under pressure, the outer peripheral portion of the movable disc 80b of the umbrella valve 80 is lifted. This opens the opening portion 61e connected to the inlet channel 63x and closes the opening portion 62c of the inner tube 62b. The cleaning liquid Ws, which enters the opening portion 61e connected to the inlet channel 63x, continues to flow to the other side where the piston 70 is located without leaking into the opening portion 63c of the inner tube 62b (no leakage). The piston 70 receives the pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws and moves backward. The backward movement of the piston 70 increases the volume of the storage space 65.The piston (disk member 72) is moved back until it reaches a position where it comes into contact with the boundary wall 62e of the lid member 62, and the volume of the storage space 65 becomes maximum. As a result, a fixed amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is stored in the cleaning liquid storage device 60c.

[0106] Furthermore, when the washer pump 13b is stopped in a state where the piston 70 is moved back and the fixed amount of the cleaning liquid Ws is stored, the pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws from the opening portion 61e connected to the inlet channel 63x becomes zero. Furthermore, the piston 70, receiving the urging force of the urging spring 73, acts to push the stored cleaning liquid Ws out of the storage space 65 and move the movable disc 80b of the umbrella valve 80 to the opposite side. As shown in Fig. As shown in Fig. 23B, the movable disc 80b closes the opening portion 61e connected to the inlet passage 63x and limits the reverse flow of the cleaning liquid Ws from the opening portion 61e to the inlet passage 63x. Further, the movable disc 80b receives the pressure of the cleaning liquid Ws. Thereby, the umbrella valve 80 is pushed in the axial direction and opens the opening portion 62c of the inner tube 62b. The pushing action of the piston 70 discharges the cleaning liquid Ws from the opening portion 62c of the inner tube 62b through the discharge passage 62x.

[0107] In this way, the cleaning liquid storage device 60c of the present embodiment is a single unit having the function of storing a fixed amount of the cleaning liquid Ws when the washer pump 13b is driven and discharging the fixed amount of the cleaning liquid Ws to the mixture outlet 22c when the washer pump 13b is stopped, in addition to the function of a channel switching valve, the function of a check valve, and the function of a chamber in the same manner as in the fourth embodiment.

[0108] The advantages of the present embodiment are described below. (1) The present embodiment has the same advantages as the first embodiment. Furthermore, the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b forms a single unit serving as the cleaning liquid storage device 60c. This provides a simple system. (2) In the cleaning liquid storage device 60c of the present embodiment, the application of the umbrella valve 80 enables the omission of an urging spring that urges a valve body. Sixth embodiment

[0109] A vehicle cleaning system of a sixth embodiment is described below. The present embodiment has a simplified structure compared to the first and second embodiments by changing the connections and components of the first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b. The following description focuses on these differences.

[0110] In the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 24, the connecting hose 32c connects the discharge joint 25f of the check valve 25 and the relay joint 28c of the storage joint 28. Further, the connecting hose 32e connects the second discharge joint 52c of the channel switching valve 26 and the ejection nozzle 31. This allows the chamber 29, the mixture joint 30, and the connecting hoses 32g and 32j to be omitted from the first embodiment, and the air branch joint 34 and the connecting hose 32k to be omitted from the second embodiment.

[0111] Such a structure results in the entire passage connecting the passage switching valve 26, the connecting hose 32h, the storage connection 28, the connecting hose 32c, the check valve 25, and the like functioning as a chamber (storage space) used to store a fixed amount of the cleaning liquid Ws when the washing pump 13b is driven. The air jet CA2 from the valve device 24 also flows into the passage storing the cleaning liquid Ws. Thus, the storage connection 28 also functions as a mixture connection, enabling the gas-liquid fluid mixture X, which is a mixture of the cleaning liquid Ws and the air jet CA2, to be ejected from the ejection nozzle 31.In the present embodiment, the portions connecting the channel switching valve 26, the connecting hose 32h, the reservoir joint 28, the connecting hose 32c, the check valve 25, and the like also serve as the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b and the mixture outlet 22c of the first and second embodiments, thereby simplifying the structure.

[0112] A plurality of the set of the first cleaning device 21a (or the second cleaning device 21b) which has the Fig. 24 shown connection must be present.

[0113] For example, if as in Fig. 25, four sets of connecting hoses 32d connected to the first inlet connectors 51b of the channel switching valves 26 are all connected to the same washer pump 13b, so that the washer pump 13b can be used in common. The gas-liquid mixture fluid X is ejected from each ejection nozzle 31 when the air pump 23 is driven, and the storage operation of the cleaning liquid Ws can be performed at the same time by driving the same washer pump 13b.

[0114] The advantages of the present embodiment are described below. (1) The present embodiment enables the omission of the chamber 29, the mixture connection 30 and the connecting hoses 32g and 32j used in the first embodiment, thereby simplifying the structure while achieving the advantages of the first embodiment. (2) A plurality of sets of cleaning devices 21a (21b) can all be supplied with the cleaning liquid Ws by using the same washing pump 13b as in Fig. 25 to simplify the assembly.

[0115] The above-described embodiment can be modified as described below. The above-described embodiment and the modified examples described below can be combined as long as no technical contradiction arises.

[0116] The structures of the air jet generator 22a, the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b and the mixture outlet 22c can be modified.

[0117] The valve device 24 can be formed integrally with the check valve 25 in the air jet generator 22a. Two valve devices 24 can be connected in series, with the valve device 24 on the downstream side functioning as a check valve. This allows the check valve 25 to be omitted. In addition to the valve body 43a of the diaphragm 43 in the valve device 24, another valve body can be used to open and close the opening portion 48a of the discharge channel 48. In this case, the newly added valve body will function as a check valve. This allows the check valve 25 to be omitted. Furthermore, only one valve device 24 is required.

[0118] The valve device 24 can be omitted from the air jet generator 22a, and the compressed air CA1 generated by driving the air pump 23 can be used as the air jet CA2 directly for ejecting the gas-liquid mixed fluid X from the ejection nozzle 31. This configuration also enables foreign matter to be removed from an object to be cleaned with a small amount of the cleaning liquid Ws. Furthermore, the cleaning liquid Ws mixed with the air jet CA2 is temporarily stored in the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b before being supplied. This stabilizes the supply of the small amount of the cleaning liquid Ws required for cleaning compared to the case where it is supplied directly by the washing pump 13b.

[0119] Furthermore, in the cleaning fluid reservoir 22b, the reservoir connection 28 can be formed integrally with the chamber 29, the check valve 27, or the channel switching valve 26. Furthermore, the channel switching valve 26 can be formed integrally with the check valve 27. The channel switching valve 26 can be formed by two valves that are separated into a primary-side functionality section and a secondary-side functionality section.

[0120] In the mixture outlet 22c, the ejection nozzle 31 can be formed integrally with the mixture connection 30. Furthermore, the mixture connection 30 can be formed integrally with the check valve 25 of the air jet generator 22a or the channel switching valve 26 of the cleaning fluid reservoir 22b.

[0121] In addition, the structure of the air jet generator 22a, the cleaning liquid reservoir 22b and the mixture outlet 22c can be modified.

[0122] In the cooperative control of the washer pump 13b and the air pump 23, the drive timing (drive time) of the pumps can be changed. In the above-described embodiment, the air pump 23 is driven after the washer pump 13b is driven. Instead, for example, the washer pump 13b may be driven while the air pump 23 is driven. In this case, the driving of the air pump 23 preferably stops after the driving of the washer pump 13b stops.

[0123] The distance measuring sensors 11 and 12 are arranged at the center portion of the front end of the vehicle 10 and the center portion of the rear end of the vehicle 10, but they may be arranged at the right and left sides of the vehicle 10.

[0124] The distance measuring sensors 11 and 12 (sensor surfaces 11a and 12a) do not have to be the object to be cleaned. For example, the object to be cleaned may be a camera that takes pictures of the surroundings of the vehicle 10, the object to be cleaned may be other sensors besides such optical sensors or non-sensors, such as the headlight (front light) 15, tail lights or rear lights 16, mirrors 17 and the like, which are in Fig. 1 are shown. Seventh embodiment

[0125] A system and method for cleaning a vehicle according to a seventh embodiment will be described below. The present embodiment differs from the first embodiment with respect to the structure for supplying a cleaning liquid and the related operations at the upstream side of the mixture outlet 22c of the first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b. The following description focuses on these differences.

[0126] As this is Fig. As shown in Fig. 26, the first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b each include the air jet generator 22a, a cleaning liquid inlet 122b, and the mixture outlet 22c. The air jet generator 22a includes the air pump 23, the valve device 24, and a check valve 125. The air jet generator 22a generates the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2 from the compressed air CA supplied from the air pump 23 through the operations of the valve device 24, the check valve 125, and the like, as described below. The cleaning liquid inlet 122b includes a check valve 126 and is located close to (adjacent to) the air jet generator 22a. The cleaning liquid inlet 122b receives the cleaning liquid Ws supplied under pressure from the washer pump 13b via the check valve 126. The mixture outlet 22c has a mixture connection 127 and the ejection nozzle 31.The mixture outlet 22c mixes the air jet CA2 generated by the air jet generator 22a and the cleaning liquid Ws discharged from the cleaning liquid inlet 122b at the mixture connection 127, and sprays the object to be cleaned of the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a with the mixture from the ejection nozzle 31. The first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b have the same structure. Thus, the first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b are described below as having the same structure.

[0127] In the air jet generator 22a, the air pump 23 and the valve device 24 are connected to each other by a connecting hose 129a, and the valve device 24 and the check valve 125 are connected to each other by a connecting hose 129b. The connecting hoses 129a and 129b are rubber hoses or the like and are formed of a flexible material. Connecting hoses 129c to 129f described below are also formed of the same material. The air pump 23 is formed by an electric air pump configured to generate the compressed air CA1. The valve device 24 increases the pressure of the compressed air CA1 and generates pulses (in an intermittent manner) with the compressed air CA1 continuously supplied from the air pump 23, and outputs the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2 to the check valve 125, more specifically, via the check valve 125 to the mixture outlet 22c.

[0128] As this is Fig. As shown in Fig. 26, the check valve 125 includes a valve housing 125a, a valve body 125b, an urging spring 125c, and a seal ring 125d. The valve housing 125a has an inlet connector 125e and a discharge connector 125f. An inlet passage 125x inside the inlet connector 125e and a discharge passage 125y inside the discharge connector 125f are connected to a valve chamber 125z in the valve housing 125a. The inlet connector 125e is connected to the discharge connector 41f of the valve device 24 through the connecting hose 129c. The discharge connector 125f is connected to a first inlet connector 127a of the mixture connection 127 through the connecting hose 129c.

[0129] In the valve chamber 125z of the valve housing 125a, the seal ring 125d is fixed around the opening portion of the intake passage 125x, and the valve body 125b, which is spherical, is urged by the urging spring 125c to contact the seal ring 125d. When the fluid pressure of the fluid from the intake passage 125x becomes greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure, the valve body 125b is moved against the urging force of the urging spring 125c and switched from a valve-closing state to a valve-opening state, so that the check valve 125 discharges the air jet CA2 of the valve device 24 to the mixture connection 127 of the mixture outlet 22c.

[0130] The check valve 126 used for the cleaning fluid inlet 122b is identical to the check valve 125 of the air jet generator 22a. The check valve 126 has a valve housing 126a, a valve body 126b, a spring 126c, and a seal ring 126d. An inlet channel 126x inside an inlet connector 126e and a discharge channel 126y inside a discharge connector 126f are connected to a valve chamber 126z in the valve housing 126a. The inlet connector 126e is connected to the connecting hose 129d extending from the washing pump 13b. The discharge connector 126f is connected to a second inlet connector 127b of the mixture connection 127 through the connecting hose 129e.When the fluid pressure of the fluid from the inlet passage 126x becomes greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure, the valve body 126d is moved against the urging force of the urging spring 126c and switched from a valve closing state to a valve opening state so that the check valve 126 discharges the cleaning liquid Ws supplied under pressure from the washer pump 13b to the mixture connection 127 of the mixture outlet 22c.

[0131] The mixture connection 127 of the mixture outlet 22c, which is, for example, a Y-shaped connection, has the first inlet connection piece 127a and the second inlet connection piece 127b on an inlet side and a discharge connection piece 127c on a discharge side. In the mixture connection 127 of the present embodiment, the first inlet connection piece 127a and the discharge connection piece 127c are arranged along a straight line, and the second inlet connection piece 127b extends to the first inlet connection piece 127a at an acute angle of, for example, 45°. First and second inlet passages 127x and 127y inside the first and second inlet connections 127a and 127b are connected to a discharge passage 127z inside the discharge connection piece 127c.Consistent with the external shape, the first inlet channel 127x and the discharge channel 127z are arranged along a straight line, and the second inlet channel 127y is connected to the first inlet channel 127x at an acute angle of, for example, 45°. The first inlet connector 127a is connected to the valve device 24 and the air pump 23 via the check valve 125, and the second inlet connector 127b is connected to the washer pump 13b via the check valve 126. The discharge connector 127c is connected to the ejection nozzle 31 through the connecting hose 129f.

[0132] The ejection nozzles 31 of the first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b each have the ejection ports (ejection openings) 31a directed toward the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a of the first and second distance measuring sensors 11 and 12, which are arranged in Fig. 1. The cleaning liquid Ws, initially supplied from the washer pump 13b and stored in the mixture outlet 22c, is ejected from the ejection nozzle 31 together with the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2 generated by the valve device 24 and the air pump 23 to spray an appropriate area on each of the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a. The operation of the seventh embodiment will be described below. Operation of the vehicle cleaning system 20

[0133] With reference to Fig. 26, when the first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b of the vehicle cleaning system 20 are inactive (not actuated), the valve 40a in the valve device 24 of the air jet generator 22a is closed (see Fig. 4). Furthermore, the check valve 125 of the air jet generator 22a and the check valve 126 of the cleaning fluid inlet 122b are closed.

[0134] When foreign matter such as raindrops accumulate on the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a of the first and second distance measuring sensors 11 and 12, or whenever a predetermined period of time has elapsed regardless of whether foreign matter is present, the upper-order ECU 100 outputs a cleaning command via the front-side ECU 101 and the rear-side ECU 102 to the corresponding first and second cleaning devices 21a and 21b, and drives the air pump 23 of each of the devices 21a and 21b and the washer pump 13b of the washer device 13.

[0135] As this is Fig. As shown in Figure 11, in the present embodiment, the washer pump 13b is first driven for a predetermined period of time T1. Then, after the washer pump 13b is stopped, the air pump 23 is driven for a predetermined period of time T2.

[0136] More specifically, when a cleaning command is issued, the washing pump 13b is driven in the predetermined period T1 from a time t1 to a time t2. As shown in Fig. 27, when the washer pump 13b is driven, the check valve 126 of the cleaning liquid inlet 122b is opened, and the cleaning liquid Ws enters the downstream mixture outlet 22c. When, as shown in Fig. 28, the washing pump 13b stops, the check valve 126 is closed.

[0137] The ejection opening 31a of the ejection nozzle 31 functions as a restriction. Thus, the passage from the check valve 126 to the ejection nozzle 31, specifically, the connecting hose 129e, the mixture connection 127, the connecting hose 129f, and the passage in the connecting hose 129c and the check valve 125 of the air jet generator 22a are partially or entirely filled with the cleaning liquid Ws. When the above-mentioned passages are referred to as the filling passage 140, the washer pump 13b is driven before the air pump 23 is driven to fill the filling passage 140 with the cleaning liquid Ws. The washer pump 13b is driven to fill the filling passage 140 with the cleaning liquid Ws, not to eject the cleaning liquid Ws from the ejection nozzle 31. Thus, the washing pump 13b is driven for a short period of time or with a reduced driving force.This minimizes the amount of cleaning fluid Ws used.

[0138] Then, as in Fig. As shown in Fig. 11, the air pump 23 is driven for the predetermined period T2 from a time t3 to a time t4 after the washer pump 13b is stopped. When the air pump 23 is driven, the valve device 24 is actuated so that the pulse air jet CA2 having a higher pressure than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23 flows through the check valve 125 of the air jet generator 22a to the mixture outlet 22c, in which case the filling channel 140 is filled with the cleaning liquid Ws.

[0139] Fig. Figure 28 shows the cleaning devices 21a and 21b in a state before the actuation of the air jet generator 22a, wherein the valve device 24 is in the closed state of Fig. 4 is. Fig. Fig. 29 shows a state in which the air pump 23 is driven and the valve device 24 is about to increase the pressure to a level significantly higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23, as shown in Fig. 5 is shown. Fig. 30 shows a state in which the valve device 24 discharges air at a pressure significantly higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23, as shown in Fig. 6. When the high-pressure air is discharged from the valve device 24, the check valve 125 of the air jet generator 22a opens, and the high-pressure air enters the mixture outlet 22c. The processes of the Fig. 4 to 6 and from the Fig. 28 to 30 are repeated so that the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2 generated in the valve device 24 flows into the mixture outlet 22c via the check valve 125.

[0140] In this state, the filling channel 140 of the mixture outlet 22c is filled with the cleaning liquid Ws. Thus, when the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2 flows into the filling channel 140, the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2 is mixed with the cleaning liquid Ws atomized by the air jet CA2 to form the gas-liquid mixture X, which is ejected from the ejection opening 31a of the ejection nozzle 31. The sensor surfaces 11a and 12a of the first and second distance measuring sensors 11 and 12, which are in Fig. 1 are sprayed with the gas-liquid fluid mixture X, which is a mixture of the cleaning liquid Ws and the air jet CA2. This effectively cleans foreign matter such as raindrops from the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a, allowing the distance measurement accuracy to be maintained at a satisfactory level.

[0141] Furthermore, the air jet CA2 is generated at a pressure significantly higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23. This enables the use of a compact air pump 23. Compared with a case where only the cleaning liquid Ws is sprayed or only the air jet CA2 is sprayed, spraying the gas-liquid fluid mixture X in which the cleaning liquid Ws is mixed allows the cleaning liquid Ws, atomized by the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2, to be sprayed at a high speed. This removes foreign matter from the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a in an extremely effective manner.

[0142] The advantages of the present embodiment are described below. (1) The cleaning devices 21a and 21b of the vehicle cleaning system 20 of the present embodiment generate the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2 in the air jet generator 22a having the valve device 24 by accumulating the pressure of the compressed air CA1 supplied from the air pump 23 to a pressure higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23, and then discharging the compressed air CA1 from the pressure accumulator to the downstream side. Thus, the air jet CA2 that improves the foreign matter removal capability can be generated without increasing the size of the air pump 23.The cleaning liquid inlet 122b and the mixture outlet 22c mix the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2 generated by the air jet generator 22a with the cleaning liquid Ws to spray the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a of the distance measuring sensors 11 and 12 with the gas-liquid fluid mixture X, which is a mixture of the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2 and the atomized cleaning liquid Ws. This makes it possible to remove foreign matter from the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a with a small amount of the cleaning liquid Ws. (2) In the air jet generator 22a, the valve 40a of the valve device 24 closes the inlet passage 47 of the compressed air CA1 with the valve body 43a and stores the compressed air CA1 supplied from the air pump 23 until the pressure becomes higher than the discharge pressure P0 of the air pump 23. Thus, the valve 40a and the check valve 125 function as an auxiliary mechanism that generates a leakage Ax of the compressed air CA1 from the inlet passage 47 during pressure storage to a leakage side (valve chamber 45, etc.) during pressure storage. Then, when the two pressures P1 and P2 stored in the inlet passage 47 and on the leakage side (valve chamber 45, etc.) open the valve body 43a, the pressurized stored compressed air CA1 is discharged from the inlet passage 47 to the discharge passage 48. The valve body 43a is then closed to again store pressure in the inlet channel 47.In this way, the air pump 23, the valve device 24 and the check valve 125 generate the high-pressure pulse air jet CA2. (3) The check valves 125 and 126 are arranged on the downstream side of the valve device 24 of the air jet generator 22a and in the cleaning liquid inlet channel 122b. The check valve 125 functions to store pressure (boost pressure) on the downstream side of the valve a and ensure that the downstream side of the check valves 125 and 126 or the filling channel 140 is filled with the cleaning liquid Ws. (4) The control is performed so that the period T2 during which the air pump 23 is driven ends later than the period T1 during which the washing pump 13b is driven. If the cleaning liquid Ws would remain on the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a, by stopping the driving of the air pump 23 after the driving of the washing pump 13b is stopped, the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a can be sprayed later with only the air jet CA2. This reduces the amount of cleaning liquid Ws remaining on the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a. (5) The control is performed so that the period T2 during which the air pump 23 is driven is shifted to later than the period T1 during which the washing pump 13b is driven. Thus, after the filling passage 140 is sufficiently filled with the cleaning liquid Ws, the gas-liquid mixture X including the cleaning liquid Ws is jetted by the air jet CA2. Furthermore, the air jet CA2 not including the cleaning liquid Ws may be jetted during a later period of the pulse jet. This reduces the amount of cleaning liquid Ws remaining on the sensor surfaces 11a and 12a.

[0143] The seventh embodiment may be modified as follows. The present embodiment and the following modifications may be combined as long as the combined modifications remain technically consistent with each other.

[0144] In the combined control of the washing pump 13b and the air pump 23, the drive times of the pumps can be changed. For example, the Fig. 31 may be executed such that the period T1 from time t13 to time t14 during which the washing pump 13b is driven is included in and overlaps with the period T2 from time t11 to time t12 during which the air pump 23 is driven. This also terminates the period T2 of driving the air pump 23 after the period T1 of driving the washing pump 13b ends. If the washing pump 13b is driven while the air pump 23 is driven, the air jet CA2 may first be jetted alone and then combined with the jet of the gas-liquid mixed fluid X before returning to the jet of the air jet CA2 alone.

[0145] As this is the case in the Fig. 32A and Fig. 32B, the time period and the electric voltage for driving the washing pump 13b can be changed.

[0146] With reference to Fig. 32A, the washing pump 13b is normally driven at a low electrical voltage V1a during a period T1. Referring to Fig. 32B, the washing pump 13b is driven at a normal voltage V1 for a period T1a which is longer than normal. Fig. 32A relatively reduce the driving ability of the washing pump 13b, and the conditions shown in Fig. 32B relatively increase the driving ability of the washing pump 13b.

[0147] For example, the viscosity of the cleaning fluid Ws increases when the ambient temperature decreases. Thus, when the temperature is low, the control is Fig. 32A shown normal control to the one in Fig. 32B so that the high-viscosity cleaning liquid Ws can be delivered smoothly and evenly.

[0148] Furthermore, when the washing pump 13b is not driven for a long period of time, bubbles are formed in a channel of the cleaning liquid Ws, for example, in the Fig. 26. Thus, if the washer pump 13b is not driven for a long period of time - for example, one month - the control of the Fig. 32A shown normal control to the one in Fig. 32B. This eliminates bubbles from the cleaning liquid Ws by the air discharged from the ejection nozzle 31.

[0149] As this is Fig. 33, in the mixture outlet 22c, a restriction (constriction) 127d may be arranged in an inlet channel 127y of the cleaning liquid Ws, immediately before the air jet CA2 and the cleaning liquid Ws are mixed. In the cleaning system 20, the main purpose of driving the washer pump 13b is to fill the filling channel 140 with the cleaning liquid Ws. The purpose is not to eject the cleaning liquid Ws from the ejection nozzle 31. Thus, the restriction (restriction / constriction) 127d may be used to slow down the flow of the cleaning liquid Ws entering the filling channel 140 to limit the leakage of the cleaning liquid Ws from the ejection nozzle 31 when the washer pump 13b is driven.

[0150] As this is Fig. As shown in Figure 34, flat valve bodies 125d and 126d can be used as the valve bodies of the check valves 125 and 126. The valve bodies 125g and 126g have sealing surfaces 125h and 126h, respectively. This allows the check valves 125 and 126 to have a reduced size.

[0151] The configurations of the air jet generator 22a, the cleaning liquid inlet 122b, and the mixture outlet 22c can be modified. For example, in the air jet generator 22a, two valve devices 24 can be connected in series, with the valve device 24 on the downstream side functioning as a check valve. This allows the check valve 125 to be omitted. In addition to the valve body 43a of the diaphragm 43, another valve body can be used in the valve device 24 to open and close the opening portion 48a of the discharge channel 48. In this way, the newly added valve body will function as a check valve. This allows the check valve 125 to be omitted. Furthermore, only one valve device 24 is required.

[0152] The distance measuring sensors 11 and 12 are arranged at the central portion of the front end of the vehicle 10 and at the central portion at the rear end of the vehicle 10, but they may be arranged at the left and right sides of the vehicle 10.

[0153] The ejection nozzle 31 is separate from the mixture connection 127, and the mixture connection 127 is separate from the check valves 125 and 126. However, these components may be formed integrally. For example, the ejection nozzle 31 may be formed integrally with the mixture connection 127, and the mixture connection 127 may be formed integrally with the check valve 125.

[0154] The distance measuring sensors 11 and 12 (sensor surfaces 11a and 12a) do not have to be the object to be cleaned. For example, the object to be cleaned may be a camera that captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle 10, sensors other than such optical sensors, and non-sensors such as headlights 15, taillights 16, and mirrors 17, and the like, which are Fig. 1 are shown.

Claims

[1] Vehicle cleaning system (20) which removes foreign matter from an object (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) of a vehicle (10) to be cleaned, the vehicle cleaning system (20) comprising: an air pump (23) driven to generate an air jet (CA1, CA2); a washing pump (13b) driven to supply a cleaning liquid (Ws); an ejection nozzle (31) which sprays the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with a gas-liquid fluid mixture (X) comprising the air jet (CA1, CA2) and the cleaning liquid (Ws); an air jet generator (22a) comprising the air pump (23) and a valve device (24), wherein the air jet generator (22a) is configured to generate the air jet (CA1, CA2) having a high pressure and being pulsed based on an operation of the valve device (24), which stores pressure until the compressed air supplied from the air pump (23) reaches a pressure higher than a discharge pressure of the air pump (23), and then discharges the compressed air to a downstream side after the pressure storage; a cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) having a chamber (29) for storing the cleaning liquid (Ws) supplied by the washing pump (13b) and configured to allow the cleaning liquid (Ws) stored in the chamber to be discharged for mixing with the air jet (CA1, CA2); and a mixture outlet (22c) configured to spray the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with the gas-liquid fluid mixture (X) comprising the high-pressure pulse air jet (CA2) generated by the air jet generator (22a) and the cleaning liquid (Ws) received from the cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) from the ejection nozzle (31). [2] Vehicle cleaning system (20) according to claim 1, wherein the air jet generator (22a) further comprises: a valve (25) having a valve body (25b) which closes an inlet channel (47) of the compressed air and stores pressure until the compressed air supplied by the air pump (23) reaches a pressure higher than the discharge pressure of the air pump (23); and an auxiliary mechanism (40a) configured to discharge the compressed air from the inlet passage (47) when the pressure is stored in the valve (25) so as to store pressure with the leakage (CAx) on a leakage side (45), open the valve body (25b) based on both the pressure stored in the inlet passage (47) and on the leakage side (45), discharge the pressurized stored compressed air from the inlet passage (47) to a discharge passage (48) when the valve body (25b) opens, and close the valve body (25b) again upon discharge of the compressed air to the discharge passage (48) so as to enable pressure storage in the inlet passage (47). [3] Vehicle cleaning system (20) which removes foreign matter from an object (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) of a vehicle (10) to be cleaned, the vehicle cleaning system (20) comprising: an air pump (23) driven to generate an air jet (CA1, CA2); a washing pump (13b) driven to supply a cleaning liquid (Ws); an ejection nozzle (31) which sprays the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with a gas-liquid fluid mixture (X) comprising the air jet (CA1, CA2) and the cleaning liquid (Ws); a cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) configured to store the cleaning liquid (Ws) supplied by the washing pump (13b) and to allow the stored cleaning liquid (Ws) to be discharged for mixing with the air jet (CA1, CA2); and a mixture outlet (22c) configured to spray the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with the gas-liquid fluid mixture (X) comprising the air jet (CA1, CA2) and the cleaning liquid (Ws) received by the cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) from the ejection nozzle (31), wherein the cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) has a chamber (29) which stores the cleaning liquid (Ws) supplied by the washing pump (13b) and is constructed to allow the cleaning liquid (Ws) stored in the chamber (29) to be discharged for mixing with the air jet (CA1, CA2); the chamber (29) comprises a housing element (29a), a piston (29b) movably arranged in the housing element (29a), a storage space (29y) defined in the housing element (29a) by the piston (29b) for storing the cleaning liquid (Ws), and an urging element (29c) which urges the piston (29b) in a direction in which the storage space (29y) is reduced; and the cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) is constructed such that the cleaning liquid (Ws) is stored in the storage space (29y) by moving the piston (29b) back against an urging force of the urging element (29c) in the chamber (29), the cleaning liquid (Ws) being supplied by the washing pump (13b), and it discharges the cleaning liquid (Ws) stored in the storage space (29y) to the mixture outlet (22c) by pressing the piston (29b) with the urging force of the urging element (29c) in the chamber (29) when the supply of the cleaning liquid (Ws) from the washing pump (13b) is stopped. [4] A vehicle cleaning system (20) which removes foreign matter from an object (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) of a vehicle (10) to be cleaned, the vehicle cleaning system (20) comprising: an air pump (23) driven to generate an air jet (CA1, CA2); a washing pump (13b) driven to supply a cleaning liquid (Ws); an ejection nozzle (31) which sprays the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with a gas-liquid fluid mixture (X) comprising the air jet (CA1, CA2) and the cleaning liquid (Ws); a cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) configured to store the cleaning liquid (Ws) supplied by the washing pump (13b) and to enable the stored cleaning liquid (Ws) to be discharged for mixing with the air jet (CA1, CA2); and a mixture outlet (22c) configured to spray the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with the gas-liquid fluid mixture (X) comprising the air jet (CA1, CA2) and the cleaning liquid (Ws) received by the cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) from the ejection nozzle (31), wherein the cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) has a chamber (29) which stores the cleaning liquid (Ws) supplied by the washing pump (13b) and is constructed so as to enable the cleaning liquid (Ws) stored in the chamber (29) to be discharged for mixing with the air jet (CA1, CA2); the chamber (29) comprises a housing element (29a), a piston (29b) movably arranged in the housing element (29a), and a storage space (29y) defined in the housing element (29a) by the piston (29b) for storing the cleaning liquid (Ws), wherein the chamber (29) is constructed such that the storage space (29y) is moved with the compressed air supplied by the air pump (23) in a direction in which the storage space (29y) is reduced; and the cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) is constructed such that the cleaning liquid (Ws) is stored in the storage space (29y) by moving back the piston (29b) in the chamber (29), the cleaning liquid (Ws) being supplied by the washing pump (13b), and the cleaning liquid (Ws) stored in the storage space (29y) is discharged to the mixture outlet (22c) by pushing the piston (29b) in the chamber (29), the compressed air being supplied by the air pump (23). [5] Vehicle cleaning system (20) which removes foreign matter from an object (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) of a vehicle (10) to be cleaned, the vehicle cleaning system (20) comprising: an air pump (23) driven to generate an air jet (CA1, CA2); a washing pump (13b) driven to supply a cleaning liquid (Ws); an ejection nozzle (31) which sprays the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with a gas-liquid fluid mixture (X) comprising the air jet (CA1, CA2) and the cleaning liquid (Ws); a cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) configured to store the cleaning liquid (Ws) supplied by the washing pump (13b) and to allow the stored cleaning liquid (Ws) to be discharged for mixing with the air jet (CA1, CA2); and a mixture outlet (22c) configured to spray the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with the gas-liquid fluid mixture (X) comprising the air jet (CA1, CA2) and the cleaning liquid (Ws) received from the cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) from the ejection nozzle (31), wherein the cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) has a chamber (29) which stores the cleaning liquid (Ws) supplied by the washing pump (13b) and a channel switching unit; the cleaning fluid reservoir (22b) is constructed in such a way that it can be switched between a state in which a channel between the washing pump (13b) and the chamber (29) is opened and a channel between the chamber (29) and the mixture outlet (22c) is closed when the cleaning liquid (Ws) is supplied from the washing pump (13b), and a state in which the channel between the washer pump (13b) and the chamber (29) is closed when the supply of the cleaning liquid (Ws) from the washer pump (13b) is stopped, and the channel between the chamber (29) and the mixture outlet (22c) is open when the cleaning liquid (Ws) is discharged from the washer pump (13b). [6] Vehicle cleaning system (20) according to claim 5, wherein the channel switching unit comprises: a channel switching valve (26) comprising: a primary-side channel comprising a first inlet channel (51y) connected to the washer pump (13b) and a first discharge channel (51z) connected to the chamber (29); a secondary-side channel comprising a second inlet channel (52y) connected to the chamber (29) and a second discharge channel (52z) connected to the mixture outlet (22c); and a diaphragm configured to open and close both the primary-side channel and the secondary-side channel in a mutually coordinated manner; and a check valve (27) arranged between the first discharge channel (51z) and the chamber (29). [7] Vehicle cleaning system (20) according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cleaning liquid storage (22b) is constructed so as to enable storage of a fixed amount of the cleaning liquid (Ws) whenever the cleaning liquid (Ws) is supplied from the washer pump (13b). [8] A vehicle cleaning system (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cleaning liquid storage (22b) is constructed as a cleaning liquid storage device comprising a single unit configured to allow the cleaning liquid (Ws) supplied from the washer pump (13b) to be stored and the stored cleaning liquid (Ws) to be discharged for mixing with the air jet (CA1, CA2). [9] A vehicle cleaning system (20) which removes foreign matter from an object (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) of a vehicle (10) to be cleaned, the vehicle cleaning system (20) comprising: an air pump (23) driven to generate an air jet (CA1, CA2); a washing pump (13b) driven to supply a cleaning liquid (Ws); an ejection nozzle (31) which sprays the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with a gas-liquid fluid mixture (X) comprising the air jet (CA1, CA2) and the cleaning liquid (Ws); a cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) configured to store the cleaning liquid (Ws) supplied by the washing pump (13b) and to allow the stored cleaning liquid (Ws) to be discharged for mixing with the air jet (CA1, CA2); and a mixture outlet (22c) configured to spray the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with the gas-liquid fluid mixture (X) comprising the air jet (CA1, CA2) and the cleaning liquid (Ws) received from the cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) from the ejection nozzle (31), wherein the cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) is constructed as a cleaning liquid storage device comprising a single unit constructed to allow the cleaning liquid (Ws) supplied by the washing pump (13b) to be stored and the stored cleaning liquid (Ws) to be discharged for mixing with the air jet (CA1, CA2), the cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) comprises a single valve body (66, 75a, 80b) which is movably arranged between an open portion (61b; 63b; 61e) of an inlet channel (61x, 63x) from the washing pump (13b) and an open portion (62c) of a discharge channel (62x) to the mixture outlet (22c), and the valve body (43a) is constructed in such a way that it moves so as to open the open portion (61b; 63b; 61e) of the inlet channel (61x, 63x) and close the open portion (62c) of the discharge channel (62x) when the washing pump (13b) is driven and the cleaning liquid (Ws) is supplied under pressure; and moves so as to close the open portion (47a) of the inlet channel (47) and open the open portion (48a) of the discharge channel (48) when the washing pump (13b) is stopped. [10] Vehicle cleaning system (20) which removes foreign matter from an object (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) of a vehicle (10) to be cleaned, the vehicle cleaning system (20) comprising: an air pump (23) driven to generate an air jet (CA1, CA2); a washing pump (13b) driven to supply a cleaning liquid (Ws); an ejection nozzle (31) which sprays the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with a gas-liquid fluid mixture (X) comprising the air jet (CA1, CA2) and the cleaning liquid (Ws); an air jet generator (22a) comprising the air pump (23) and a valve device (24), wherein the air jet generator (22a) is configured to generate the air jet (CA1, CA2) having a high pressure and being pulsed based on an operation of the valve device (24), which stores pressure until the compressed air supplied from the air pump (23) reaches a pressure higher than a discharge pressure of the air pump (23), and then discharges the compressed air to a downstream side after the pressure storage; a cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) configured to store the cleaning liquid (Ws) supplied by the washing pump (13b) and to allow the stored cleaning liquid (Ws) to be discharged for mixing with the air jet (CA1, CA2); and a mixture outlet (22c) configured to spray the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with the gas-liquid fluid mixture (X) comprising the air jet (CA1, CA2) and the cleaning liquid (Ws) received from the cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) from the ejection nozzle (31), wherein the cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) has a storage channel which stores the cleaning liquid (Ws) supplied by the washing pump (13b) and a channel switching unit (26, 27); the cleaning fluid reservoir (22b) is constructed in such a way that it can be switched between a state in which a channel between the washing pump (13b) and the storage channel is opened and a channel between the storage channel and the ejection nozzle (31) is closed when the cleaning liquid (Ws) is supplied from the washing pump (13b), and a state in which the channel between the washing pump (13b) and the storage channel is closed when the supply of the cleaning liquid (Ws) from the washing pump (13b) is stopped, and the channel between the storage channel and the ejection nozzle (31) is opened when the cleaning liquid (Ws) is discharged from the storage channel; and the storage channel is constructed to allow the air jet (CA1, CA2) to flow from the valve device (24) and serves as the cleaning liquid storage (22b) and the mixture outlet (22c). [11] A cleaning method for a vehicle cleaning system (20) which removes foreign matter from an object (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) of a vehicle (10) to be cleaned, the method comprising the following steps: Driving an air pump (23) to generate an air jet (CA1, CA2); Driving a washing pump (13b) to supply a cleaning liquid (Ws); Spraying the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with a gas-liquid fluid mixture (X), which is a mixture of the air jet (CA1, CA2) and the cleaning liquid (Ws), from an ejection nozzle (31); Generating the air jet (CA1, CA2) having a high pressure and imparted with a pulse based on an operation of the valve device (24) that stores pressure in an air jet generator (22a) comprising the air pump (23) and a valve device (24) until the compressed air supplied from the air pump (23) reaches a pressure higher than a discharge pressure of the air pump (23), and then discharging the compressed air to a downstream side after the pressure storage; in a cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) having a chamber (29) that stores the cleaning liquid (Ws) supplied by the washing pump (13b), discharging the cleaning liquid (Ws) stored in the chamber (29) for mixing with the air jet (CA1, CA2); and Spraying the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with the gas-liquid fluid mixture (X) obtained by mixing the high-pressure pulsed air jet generated by the air jet generator (22a) and the cleaning liquid (Ws) received from the cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) in a mixture outlet (22c) from the ejection nozzle (31). [12] Vehicle cleaning system (20) which removes foreign matter from an object (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) of a vehicle (10) to be cleaned, the vehicle cleaning system (20) comprising: an air pump (23) driven to generate an air jet (CA1, CA2); a washing pump (13b) driven to supply a cleaning liquid (Ws); an ejection nozzle (31) which sprays the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with a gas-liquid fluid mixture (X) which is a mixture of the air jet (CA1, CA2) and the cleaning liquid (Ws); an air jet generator (22a) comprising the air pump (23) and a valve device (24), wherein the air jet generator (22a) is configured to generate the air jet (CA1, CA2) having a high pressure and imparted with a pulse based on an operation of the valve device (24), which stores the pressure until the compressed air supplied from the air pump (23) reaches a pressure higher than a discharge pressure of the air pump (23), and then discharges the compressed air to a downstream side after the pressure storage; a cleaning liquid inlet (122b) configured to suck in the cleaning liquid (Ws) supplied by the washing pump (13b); and a mixture outlet (22c) configured to spray the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with the gas-liquid fluid mixture (X), which is a mixture of the high-pressure pulse air jet (CA2) generated by the air jet generator (22a) and the cleaning liquid (Ws) received from the cleaning liquid inlet (122b), from the ejection nozzle (31). [13] Vehicle cleaning system (20) according to claim 12, wherein the air jet generator (22a) further comprises: a valve (25) having a valve body (25b) which closes an inlet channel (47) of the compressed air and stores pressure until the compressed air supplied by the air pump (23) has reached a pressure higher than the discharge pressure of the air pump (23); and an auxiliary mechanism (40a) configured to discharge the compressed air from the inlet passage (47) when the pressure is stored in the valve (25) so as to store pressure with the leakage (CAx) on a leakage side (45), opens the valve body (25b) based on both pressures stored in the inlet passage (47) and the leakage side (45), discharges the pressurized stored compressed air from the inlet passage (47) to a discharge passage (48) when the valve body (25b) is opened, and closes the valve body (25b) again upon discharge of the compressed air to the discharge passage (48) so as to enable pressure storage in the inlet passage (47). [14] A vehicle cleaning system (20) according to claim 12 or 13, further comprising check valves each disposed on a downstream side of the valve device (24) in the air jet generator (22a) and in a channel of the cleaning liquid inlet (122b). [15] Vehicle cleaning system (20) according to one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the mixture outlet (22c) has a restriction (127d) arranged in an inlet channel (47) for the cleaning liquid (Ws) immediately before the air jet (CA1, CA2) and the cleaning liquid (Ws) are mixed. [16] Vehicle cleaning system (20) according to one of claims 12 to 15, further comprising: a control device (101, 102) which controls the air pump (23) and the washing pump (13b), wherein the control device (101, 102) controls the air pump (23) and the washing pump (13b) such that a drive period of the air pump (23) ends at least after the end of a drive period of the washing pump (13b). [17] The vehicle cleaning system (20) according to claim 16, wherein the control device (101, 102) controls the air pump (23) and the washer pump (13b) so that the drive period of the air pump (23) is shifted until after a start of the drive period of the washer pump (13b). [18] The vehicle cleaning system (20) according to claim 16, wherein the control device (101, 102) controls the air pump (23) and the washer pump (13b) such that the drive period of the washer pump (13b) is included in the drive period of the air pump (23). [19] The vehicle cleaning system (20) according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the control means (101, 102) controls and changes the driving period and a driving voltage of the washer pump (13b) based on at least one of an ambient temperature and a non-driving period. [20] A cleaning method for a vehicle cleaning system (20) which removes foreign matter from an object (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) of a vehicle (10) to be cleaned, the method comprising the following steps: Driving an air pump (23) to generate an air jet (CA1, CA2); Driving a washing pump (13b) to supply a cleaning liquid (Ws); Spraying the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with a gas-liquid fluid mixture (X), which is a mixture of the air jet (CA1, CA2) and the cleaning liquid (Ws), from an ejection nozzle (31); Generating the air jet (CA1, CA2) having a high pressure and imparted with a pulse based on an operation of the valve device (24) that stores pressure in an air jet generator (22a) comprising the air pump (23) and a valve device (24) until the compressed air supplied from the air pump (23) reaches a pressure higher than a discharge pressure of the air pump (23), and then discharging the compressed air to a downstream side after the pressure storage; Receiving the cleaning liquid (Ws) supplied by the washing pump (13b) at a cleaning liquid inlet (122b); and Spraying the object to be cleaned (11, 12, 15, 16, 17) with the gas-liquid fluid mixture (X) obtained by mixing the high-pressure pulsed air jet (CA2) generated by the air jet generator (22a) and the cleaning liquid (Ws) received from the cleaning liquid reservoir (22b) in a mixture outlet (22c) from the ejection nozzle (31).

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