Water-repellent coating applying system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10556250-B2
Application number	US-201715463386-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2017
Priority date	Apr 29, 2016
Publication date	Feb 11, 2020
Grant date	Feb 11, 2020

Abstract

An exemplary system for applying a water-repellent coating to the outside of a window of a vehicle includes at least one reservoir for a hydrophobic fluid, at least one wiper with a wiper blade, and a control device. A first line leads from the reservoir to the wiper. The first line extends at least over part of the length of the wiper and has, in the region of the wiper blade, at least one opening by way of which the hydrophobic fluid can be applied to the window. An exemplary method for applying a water-repellent coating to a window of a vehicle, includes, among other things, determining a status of the water-repellent properties of the window with reference to a threshold value of a quantity of water on the outer-facing surface of the window, transmitting a signal from the control device to initiate a communicating of a hydrophobic fluid from a reservoir to a wiper when the status indicates that the quantity of water on the window has reached the threshold value, communicating hydrophobic fluid from the reservoir to the wiper, distributing hydrophobic fluid on the window by means of a movement of the wiper.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for applying a water-repellent coating to the outside of a window of a vehicle, comprising:
a first reservoir that holds a hydrophobic first fluid;
a second reservoir that holds a second fluid that is sprayed onto the window, the second fluid different than the hydrophobic first fluid;
a wiper with a wiper blade;
a control device; and
at least one sensor arranged in the region of the window and operably connected to the control device, the at least one sensor configured to measure a water-repellent behavior of an outer-facing surface of the window;
a first line that leads from the first reservoir to the wiper, wherein the first line extends at least over part of a length of the wiper and has, in a region of the wiper blade, at least one opening by way of which the hydrophobic first fluid can be applied to the window, wherein the control device is configured to adjust a flow of the hydrophobic first fluid to the wiper in response to feedback from the at least one sensor.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a wiper arm of the wiper has a hollow profile configured to receive the first line and configured to communicate the hydrophobic first fluid to the wiper blade.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the hollow profile is divided into a first tube and a second tube, the first tube configured to receive the first line, the second tube configured to receive a second line leading from the second reservoir to the wiper, the second line configured to communicate the second fluid to the wiper blade.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first tube extends parallel to the second tube.

5. The system of claim 3 , further comprising at least one first pump that pumps the hydrophobic first fluid through the first line from the first reservoir to the wiper, and at least one second pump that pumps the second fluid through the second line from the second reservoir to the wiper.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the wiper blade comprises a nanocoating.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor is a rain sensor.

8. A motor vehicle comprising the system of claim 1 .

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second fluid is water.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the wiper blade has a lip and a base portion, the lip configured to direct contact the window, wherein the first line is split into two first sub-lines in the region of the wiper, wherein the sub-lines extend along the wiper blade on both sides of the lip.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first line from the first reservoir connects to a hollow profile in the wiper arm.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the at least one opening includes a plurality of openings, the plurality of openings arranged in multiple rows.

13. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a second line that leads from the second reservoir to the wiper.

14. A water-repellent coating system, comprising:
a first reservoir holding a first fluid;
a second reservoir holding a different, second fluid, wherein the first fluid is a hydrophobic fluid;
a wiper with a wiper blade and a wiper arm;
a line from the first reservoir that connects to a hollow profile of the wiper arm;
a control device that selectively commands a first pump to communicate the first fluid from the first reservoir to a window of a vehicle through at least one opening in a region of the wiper blade, and that selectively commands a second pump to communicate the second fluid from the second reservoir as spray onto the window, wherein the second pump communicates the second fluid from the second reservoir through at least one opening in the region of the wiper blade; and
at least one sensor configured to measure a water-repellant behavior of an outer-facing surface of the window, the control device configured to adjust a flow of the first fluid to the wiper in response to feedback from the at least one sensor.

15. The water-repellent coating system of claim 14 , wherein the wiper blade has a lip and a base portion, the lip configured to directly contact the window, wherein the first line is split into two first sub-lines in the region of the wiper, wherein the sub-lines extend along the wiper blade on both sides of the lip.

16. The water-repellent coating system of claim 14 , wherein the second fluid is water.

17. The water-repellent coating system of claim 14 , wherein the at least one opening includes a plurality of openings, the plurality of openings arranged in multiple rows.

18. The water-repellent coating system of claim 14 , wherein the line is a first line and the hollow profile is a first hollow profile, and further comprising a second line from the second reservoir that connects to a second hollow profile in the wiper arm.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Geuecke Theo
• Ould-Merzough Abidine
• Verpoort Clemens Maria

Classifications

• B60S5/00

  Servicing, maintaining, repairing, or refitting of vehicles (vehicles adapted to carry a workshop for servicing or maintenance B60P3/14; servicing rail locomotives B61K) · CPC title

• B05D1/42

  by non-rotary members · CPC title

• B05D5/08

  to obtain an anti-friction or anti-adhesive surface (rendering particulate materials free-flowing in general, e.g. making them hydrophobic B01J2/30) · CPC title

• B60S1/02

  Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices {(wind deflectors specially adapted for preventing soiling of windows or windscreens B60J1/2002)} · CPC title

• B60S1/50

  Arrangement of reservoir · CPC title