Rotation Device with Toothless Gear for Compact Air Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional extraneous-matter removing apparatuses for vehicle cameras, which use compressed air to clear obstructions like raindrops and dust from lenses, often require complex mechanisms and occupy significant space due to piston structures, making them bulky and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A rotation-type air compressing mechanism using a cylinder and vanes with a motor-driven gear system that generates compressed air through a simple and compact configuration, employing a toothless gear arrangement to facilitate one-directional motor rotation and reciprocal movement of vanes for intake and exhaustion cycles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a piston structure is employed for generating compressed air, then the compressed air can be generated, but the mechanism becomes complicated and the occupancy space becomes large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional piston-based mechanical compression system with a rotary vane compressor mechanism. The rotary mechanism uses centrifugal force and geometric design of the housing and vanes to compress air, eliminating the need for reciprocating pistons, cylinders, and associated valve systems. This substitution significantly reduces mechanical complexity while maintaining reliable compressed air generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a dynamic rotary mechanism where the vanes rotate within the housing, creating variable compression chambers. The rotating motion dynamically changes the volume between vanes, allowing continuous compression cycles without the need for reciprocating motion. This dynamic approach simplifies the mechanical structure compared to static piston systems while ensuring reliable compressed air output.
2Reliability
If a piston structure is employed for generating compressed air, then the compressed air can be generated, but the occupancy space becomes large
Solution Approach 1:
The rotary vane compressor uses rotational motion to achieve compression in a compact footprint. The continuous rotary movement allows the compressor to maintain high compression efficiency within a smaller volume compared to reciprocating piston systems, which require larger spaces for piston travel and valve mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotary vane compressor design allows the vanes to be nested within the housing, with the compression chambers formed by the interaction between the rotating vanes and the stationary housing. This nested configuration maximizes the use of available space, enabling reliable compressed air generation in a compact form factor suitable for vehicle installations.
3Ease of operation
If continuous teeth are provided on the gear, then the gear engagement is smooth, but the mechanism cannot achieve reciprocal movement for intake and exhaustion cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The gear is designed with segmented teeth rather than continuous teeth, creating discrete engagement points. This segmentation allows the gear to achieve both smooth engagement at each tooth contact and the necessary reciprocal movement for the intake and exhaustion cycles. The spaced teeth enable the vanes to move in and out of the compression chambers while maintaining smooth rotational engagement.
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
This solution allows for efficient and space-saving generation of compressed air, ensuring clear visibility for vehicle cameras and optical sensors while minimizing complexity and size, thus enhancing the accuracy of visibility and object detection systems.
Implementation Method 1
a piston to reciprocate in a cylinder so as to perform a series of cycles including intake and exhaustion
Implementation Method 2
generating a compressed air with a simple and compact configuration
Data Source
AI summary
A rotation device according to an embodiment includes a first gear, a second gear, and an energizing part. The first gear includes a toothless part and is connected with a rotation driving source. The toothless part is obtained by cutting a part of continuous teeth of the first gear. The second gear is arranged to be able to be engaged with the first gear and is rotated, when engaged with the first gear, in a predetermined direction by a rotation of the rotation driving source in one direction. The energizing part energizes the second gear in a direction reverse to the predetermined direction when the second gear is in a free state in which an engagement of the second gear with the first gear is released by the toothless part.