Vehicle Cleaning Nozzle Assembly for Variable Stroke Length
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The production of vehicle cleaning devices with different piston stroke lengths is costly due to the need for cylinders and pistons of varying lengths, and there is a desire to reduce the overall length of these devices to fit within limited housing spaces.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle cleaning device design that includes a cylinder, a piston with a spray nozzle unit, and a cap with a tubular part that defines the end of piston movement, allowing for the production of devices with different stroke lengths using common components, and reducing the overall device length by optimizing the cap's tubular part length based on the desired stroke length.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If cylinders and pistons with different lengths are prepared for different stroke lengths, then the stroke length requirement is met, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into modular components: a common cylinder-piston-spray nozzle assembly and a separate cap component. The cap is the only part that varies between different stroke length models, while the main body components remain standardized. This segmentation allows mass production of common parts and customization only where necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The cylinder, piston, and spray nozzle unit are designed as universal components that can be used across multiple product variants with different stroke lengths. The cap serves as a universal interface that adapts to different stroke length requirements through varying only its tubular part length, not its fundamental structure or function.
2Length of stationary object
If the overall length of the vehicle cleaning device is reduced to fit limited housing spaces, then the space constraint is satisfied, but the piston stroke length may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The cap's tubular part extends in the axial dimension to define the piston's stroke length, while the main body of the device maintains a compact form. By using the axial extension of the tubular part rather than increasing the overall device length in other dimensions, the design achieves longer stroke lengths without increasing the housing space requirements.
3Length of moving object
If the cap's tubular part length is varied to achieve different stroke lengths, then the stroke length is customized, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Only the tubular part of the cap varies in length between different models, while all other parts of the cap and the entire cylinder-piston-spray nozzle assembly remain identical. This localized variation minimizes the impact on device complexity and allows for straightforward identification and replacement of the varying component.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle cleaning device includes a cylinder to which a cleaning fluid is supplied; a piston slidably inserted in the cylinder; a spray nozzle unit mounted at a leading end of the piston and configured to spray the cleaning fluid toward an object-to-be-cleaned; and a cap that closes a gap between the cylinder and the piston in an opening of the cylinder through which the piston protrudes. The cap includes a tubular part inside the cylinder, and the tubular part defines an end of movement of the piston. A communication hole is provided between a communication groove provided in an outer peripheral surface of the tubular part and an inner peripheral surface of the cylinder, and the gap between the cylinder and the piston communicates with the outside of the cylinder through the communication hole.