Retractable Vehicle Light Cleaning Device with Sealing Diaphragm
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing light cleaning devices for vehicles are prone to dirt penetration, which can lead to malfunction, and they often require complex installations to accommodate different headlamp geometries and car shapes, necessitating a solution for rapid and efficient operation.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle light cleaning device with a housing fixed to the vehicle's frame, featuring a retractable rinsing head and angularly adjustable jet nozzles, utilizing a sealing assembly that opens only upon full projection to ensure instant liquid discharge and prevent dirt entry, along with a telescopic tube mechanism for quick deployment and retraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a jet spray cleaning device is installed in a front portion of the car, then headlamp cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the device itself becomes vulnerable to dirt penetration and malfunction
Solution Approach 1:
The jet nozzle is nested within a protective housing that forms a cavity. The rinsing head can be retracted into this housing when not in use, protecting the nozzle from dirt penetration while maintaining cleaning effectiveness when deployed.
Solution Approach 2:
A flexible diaphragm sealing assembly is used to prevent dirt penetration while allowing liquid passage. The diaphragm flexes to seal the cavity when the rinsing head is retracted, protecting internal components from dirt.
2Ease of operation
If cavities are provided in the cleaning device for jet spray operation, then cleaning functionality is improved, but dirt penetration into these cavities increases the risk of malfunction
Solution Approach 1:
The jet nozzle and rinsing head are nested within a protective housing cavity. When retracted, the rinsing head is protected from dirt while maintaining access to the cleaning liquid stored in the housing cavity.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is segmented into a protective housing cavity and an external rinsing head. This segmentation allows the internal cavity to be sealed from dirt while the external head performs cleaning functions.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the rinsing head is made retractable, then protection from dirt is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A hydraulic piston mechanism is used to retract and extend the rinsing head. Pressurized cleaning liquid acts on the piston to automatically retract the rinsing head into the protective housing, providing dirt protection without complex mechanical actuators.
Solution Approach 2:
The rinsing head retracts automatically using the pressure of its own cleaning liquid supply. The hydraulic piston system uses the liquid pressure to drive retraction, eliminating the need for separate motors or actuators.
4Reliability
If a sealing assembly is used to prevent dirt entry, then reliability is improved, but liquid flow restriction may occur
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible diaphragm is used as the sealing assembly. The diaphragm flexes to seal the cavity when retracted, preventing dirt entry, but opens completely when pressurized to allow full liquid flow for rapid discharge during cleaning operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing assembly transitions dynamically between a sealed state during retraction and an open state during operation. The diaphragm flexes based on liquid pressure, automatically adjusting the flow restriction to match operational requirements.
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 device effectively prevents dirt from entering and allows for rapid liquid discharge, ensuring efficient operation across various vehicle configurations, enhancing driver visibility and reducing maintenance needs.
Implementation Method 1
a hydraulic piston which utilizes pressurized liquid to displace the rinsing head from the retracted to the projected position
Implementation Method 2
a sealing assembly which prevents liquid leakage and which blocks dirt entry into the device
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a light cleaning device for washing lights located on an external portion of a vehicle. The device has an elongate housing formed with an inlet port connectable to a source of pressurized liquid and a rinsing head fitted with at least one jet nozzle. The jet nozzle is mounted at a distal end of a telescopically retractable hollow tube of the device, which is normally retracted. There is a liquid flow path from the housing to the rinsing head which can emit a jet spray therefrom when the tube is projected from the housing. The nozzle may have a jet forming member fitted therein to turbulate the jet spray fluid.