Pneumatic Windscreen Wiper Using Edge Air Jets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern windscreen wipers are aerodynamically inefficient, aesthetically unappealing, require frequent replacement, and are fragile, limiting their integration into vehicle design and increasing maintenance needs.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic windscreen wiper system utilizing a series of nozzles emitting supersonic compressed air jets along the edges of transparent elements, with a shared compressed air source and control valves to regulate airflow, allowing for efficient cleaning without visible components and reducing maintenance needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional electric or pneumatic windscreen wipers with motors and moving mechanisms are used, then cleaning effectiveness is maintained, but aerodynamic efficiency deteriorates and aesthetic appearance worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the traditional motor and moving mechanism from the windscreen wiper system, retaining only the essential cleaning function through compressed air jets. This eliminates the aerodynamic drag and visual bulk associated with traditional wiper motors while maintaining cleaning effectiveness through the pneumatic jet mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical motor-driven wiper system with a pneumatic system using compressed air jets. This substitution eliminates complex mechanical moving parts that create aerodynamic resistance, using instead a field-based pneumatic approach that directs air jets at the windscreen to achieve cleaning without physical contact from large mechanical components.
2Reliability
If traditional windscreen wipers with large-sized motors and moving mechanisms are used, then cleaning function is achieved, but device complexity increases and architectural integration is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the motor and moving mechanism from the system, keeping only the compressed air delivery components. This dramatically reduces device complexity and size, allowing the cleaning function to be achieved through a simpler pneumatic system that can be more easily integrated into vehicle architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs pneumatic technology using compressed air jets to perform the cleaning function. This approach replaces complex mechanical motors and linkages with a pneumatic system that uses pressurized air delivery, significantly reducing mechanical complexity while maintaining effective windscreen cleaning capability.
3Reliability
If traditional windscreen wipers with brushes and moving parts are used, then cleaning effectiveness is maintained, but fragility increases and damage risk rises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical brush-and-motor system with a pneumatic jet system. This substitution eliminates fragile moving parts, brushes, and mechanical linkages that are susceptible to damage, using instead a robust pneumatic system that directs compressed air at the windscreen to achieve cleaning without vulnerable mechanical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The pneumatic system uses the vehicle's existing compressed air supply (from the braking system) to perform the cleaning function. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate motor systems and reduces mechanical complexity, while the pneumatic jets provide damage-resistant cleaning capability compared to traditional brushes and motors.
4Reliability
If traditional windscreen wipers with motors are used, then cleaning function is achieved, but manufacturing cost and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the vehicle's existing compressed air braking system to power the windscreen wiper function. This multi-functional approach allows the same pneumatic infrastructure to serve both braking and windscreen cleaning purposes, reducing manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for separate motor systems and reducing maintenance requirements through component consolidation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system leverages the vehicle's own compressed air supply from the braking system to perform windscreen cleaning. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate power sources and reduces manufacturing complexity, while also reducing maintenance needs by utilizing an existing system rather than adding redundant components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The pneumatic wiper system enhances aerodynamic efficiency, eliminates aesthetic concerns, reduces maintenance, and minimizes the risk of damage while maintaining effective cleaning capabilities, all while being cost-effective and architecturally unobtrusive.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of nozzles, each arranged at an edge of the transparent element, oriented towards the transparent element and adapted to emit a compressed air jet that hits the transparent element to skim the transparent element
Data Source
AI summary
A pneumatic windscreen wiper for a transparent element of a vehicle. The pneumatic windscreen wiper has: at least one nozzle, which is arranged at an edge of the transparent element, is oriented towards the transparent element and is capable of emitting a compressed air jet that hits the transparent element to skim the transparent element; a source of compressed air; and a control valve which is interposed between the nozzle and the source of compressed air and is suitable for regulating the flow of compressed air.