Vehicle Cleaning Device Buffer Reservoir Pressure Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle cleaning devices require high design outlay, significant space, and are costly due to multiple feed pumps, and suffer from time delays in applying full pressure to spray nozzles.
Innovation Solution
A single feed pump supplies cleaning fluid to a buffer reservoir at high pressure, with valve devices controlling flow to spray devices, allowing immediate pressure application and decoupling the feed pump's operation from cleaning, enabling flexible placement and prolonged fluid supply without continuous pump operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple feed pumps are used to supply cleaning fluid to different spray nozzles, then the cleaning coverage and reliability are improved, but the device complexity, cost, and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple feed pumps into a single feed pump that supplies cleaning fluid to a common buffer reservoir. This single pump serves multiple spray nozzles through the buffer reservoir, reducing the number of pump units from multiple to one, thereby simplifying the overall device structure while maintaining the ability to supply multiple cleaning points.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer reservoir acts as an intermediary component between the single feed pump and multiple spray nozzles. It temporarily stores cleaning fluid and enables distribution to multiple consumers without requiring multiple pumps, thus mediating the connection between the simplified pump system and the multiple cleaning points.
2Reliability
If multiple feed pumps are used to supply cleaning fluid to different spray nozzles, then the cleaning coverage and reliability are improved, but the cost and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple pump units into a single feed pump combined with a buffer reservoir. This consolidation reduces the total volume occupied by pump components and associated mounting structures, while the buffer reservoir's centralized position allows it to serve multiple spray nozzles without requiring multiple distributed pump units.
3Device complexity
If a single feed pump is used to supply cleaning fluid, then the device complexity and cost are reduced, but the pressure application speed to spray nozzles decreases due to time delay
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer reservoir performs preliminary action by pre-storing cleaning fluid at high pressure before it is needed at the spray nozzles. The single feed pump builds up pressure in the buffer reservoir in advance, so when spray nozzles are activated, the high-pressure fluid is already available for immediate discharge, eliminating the time delay that would otherwise occur during pressure build-up at each nozzle.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer reservoir serves as a pressure-maintaining intermediary between the single feed pump and multiple spray nozzles. It holds the cleaning fluid under high pressure and provides it to spray nozzles on demand, decoupling the pressure build-up process from the spray activation process and enabling rapid pressure application without requiring multiple pumps.
4Productivity
If the feed pump operates continuously to maintain cleaning fluid supply, then the cleaning operation can proceed without interruption, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from continuous pump operation to periodic operation. The feed pump operates periodically to refill the buffer reservoir when the fluid level drops, rather than running continuously. This periodic operation maintains cleaning productivity by ensuring the buffer reservoir is replenished as needed, while significantly reducing overall energy consumption by keeping the pump stationary during non-operational periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer reservoir acts as an energy-buffering intermediary that decouples the pump operation from the spray operation. It stores cleaning fluid and provides it to spray nozzles independently of continuous pump operation, allowing the pump to be activated only when necessary to refill the buffer, thus reducing energy consumption while maintaining productivity.
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 solution reduces apparatus requirements, enables rapid and effective surface cleaning with improved pressure for better dirt removal, and allows flexible placement of the reservoir, reducing costs and space needs.
Implementation Method 1
By the cleaning fluid being stored in the buffer reservoir under a relatively high pressure, after appropriate activation of the valve devices the corresponding pressure is directly applied, i.e. without a time delay, in the region of the spray device
Implementation Method 2
a pressure increasing device which is separate from the at least one feed pump is associated with the buffer reservoir and is configured in order to pressurize the cleaning fluid in the buffer reservoir. Such a separate pressure increasing device can be present, for example, in the form of a mechanical element, for example a pretensioned spring, which hydraulically pressurizes the cleaning fluid in the buffer reservoir via a suitable, in particular piston-like arrangement
Implementation Method 3
using a single feed pump to feed the cleaning fluid from the reservoir into a buffer reservoir, in which the cleaning fluid is temporarily stored at a relatively high pressure
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a cleaning device (10) for vehicles, having a reservoir (18) for storing a cleaning fluid (5), having at least one feed pump (20) to feed the cleaning fluid (5) from the reservoir (18), having a plurality of spray devices (15) for applying the cleaning fluid (5) to surfaces (1 to 4) to be cleaned, and having valve devices (40) disposed in supply lines (34 to 37) for the spray devices (15) in order to control the flow of the cleaning fluid (5) to the spray devices (15). According to the invention, it is provided that a buffer reservoir (25) is provided for the cleaning fluid (5) which is hydraulically connected to the high pressure side of the at least one feed pump (20), that the cleaning fluid (5) is stored in the buffer reservoir (25) under hydraulic pressure (P), and that the supply lines (34 to 37) for the spray devices (15) lead out from the buffer reservoir (25).