Method for washing a vehicle window

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9499133-B2
Application number	US-201414896514-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2014
Priority date	Jun 14, 2013
Publication date	Nov 22, 2016
Grant date	Nov 22, 2016

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for washing a motor vehicle wind shield ( 10 ) using a washing device ( 1 ) comprising reservoirs ( 2, 3 ) of first and second fluids, a channel ( 5 ) connecting the reservoirs ( 2, 3 ) to orifices ( 15 ) for ejecting the fluids onto the wind shield, at least one pump ( 20 ) intended to circulate the fluids in the channel ( 5 ), and at least one wiper blade ( 30 ), characterized in that, when the channel contains the first fluid, the method comprises the following steps: a) activating the pump system ( 20 ) so as to cause the second fluid to circulate in the channel system ( 5 ) so as to purge the channel of the first fluid, and b) deactivating the pump system ( 20 ) when the second fluid reaches the orifices ( 15 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for washing a motor vehicle windscreen by use of a washing device, the washing device comprising:
a first reservoir containing a first fluid, and a second reservoir comprising a second fluid;
a piping system which connects the first reservoir and the second reservoir to orifices via which the first fluid and/or the second fluid is/are ejected onto the windscreen;
a pump system which is designed to circulate the first fluid and/or the second fluid in the piping system until ejection via said orifices takes place; and
at least one wiper blade which can be displaced on the windscreen, between a low position and a high position,
wherein, with the piping system containing the first fluid, the method comprising the steps of:
a) activation of the pump system, so as to circulate second fluid in the piping system, so as to purge the first fluid from the piping system; and
b) deactivation of the pump system at the moment when the second fluid reaches the orifices.

2. The washing method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the wiper blade is put into motion from the low position as soon as the step a) begins.

3. The washing method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein before the step a), a preliminary step is performed in which the pump system is activated in order to circulate the first fluid in the piping system.

4. The washing method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, after the step b), the method comprises a step c) in which the pump system is activated, so as to circulate the first fluid in the piping system, so as to purge the second fluid from the piping system, and a step d) in which the pump system is deactivated at the moment when the first fluid reaches the orifices.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first fluid is a washing fluid and the second fluid is a de-icing and/or anti-insect fluid, or the first fluid is a de-icing and/or anti-insect fluid and the second fluid is a washing fluid.

6. The washing method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pump system comprises two independent pumps comprising a first pump corresponding with the first reservoir and is designed to circulate the first fluid, and a second pump corresponding with the second reservoir and is designed to circulate the second fluid.

7. The washing method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each wiper blade sprays liquid towards the top of the blade.

8. The washing method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the step b) is carried out when the wiper blade has reached a predetermined intermediate position, in a rising wiping phase.

9. The washing method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the pump system is in the deactivated state and the wiper blade is in the low position for a predetermined pause period T 1 , between the preliminary step and the step a).

10. The washing method as claimed in claim 4 , further comprising a step e) of putting the wiper blade into motion from its high position, before the step c) begins.

11. The washing method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the step c) is carried out starting from the moment when the wiper blade is in a first predetermined intermediate position, and until the moment when the wiper blade is in a second predetermined intermediate position, in a descending wiping phase.

12. The washing method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the pump system is in the deactivated state and the wiper blade is in the low position for a predetermined pause period T 2 , after the end of the step e).

13. The washing method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein, after the end of the step e), or the pause T 2 , a step f) of driving the wiper blade from the low position to its high position, and from the high position to the low position is performed.

14. The washing method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein, during the step f), the method comprises at least one of the following steps:
activation of the pump system, in order to eject the first fluid via the orifices, between the moment when the wiper blade is in the low position and the moment when the blade is in a predetermined intermediate position, in a rising wiping phase;
activation of the pump system, in order to eject the first fluid via the orifices, between the moment when the wiper blade is in an intermediate position and the moment when the blade is in another intermediate position, in a rising wiping phase;
activation of the pump system in order to eject the first fluid via the orifices, between the moment when the wiper blade is in an intermediate position and the moment when the blade is in the high position, in a rising wiping phase;
activation of the pump system in order to eject the first fluid via the orifices, between the moment when the wiper blade is in the high position and the moment when the blade is in an intermediate position, in a descending wiping phase;
activation of the pump system in order to eject the first fluid via the orifices, between the moment when the wiper blade is in an intermediate position and the moment when the blade is in another intermediate position;
activation of the pump system in order to eject the first fluid via the orifices, between the moment when the wiper blade is in an intermediate position and the moment when the blade is in the low position, in a descending wiping phase; and
deactivation of the pump system during driving of the wiper blade from the high position to the low position, or from the low position to the high position.

15. The washing method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the pump system is in the deactivated state, and the wiper blade is in the low position, for a predetermined pause period T 3 after the step f).

16. The washing method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein after the step f) or the pause T 3 , a step g) of driving the wiper blade from the low position to the high position, and from the high position to the low position is performed.

17. The washing method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein, after the step g), a step h) of checking the state of cleanliness of the windscreen is performed.

Assignees

• Valeo Systemes Dessuyage

Inventors

• Grasso Giuseppe
• Kolanowski Grégory
• Negre Pierre-Emmanuel
• Trebouet Marcel

Classifications

• B08B3/00

  Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam (B08B9/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60S1/481

  the operation of at least part of the liquid supply being controlled by electric means (electrical washing liquid warming-up means B60S1/488) · CPC title

• B60S1/48

  Liquid supply therefor · CPC title

• B60S1/46

  using liquid; Windscreen washers · CPC title

• B08B3/02

  Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays · CPC title