VEHICLE WINDSHIELD CLEANING SYSTEM

• US 20090151107A1
• Filed: 02/26/2009
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uusi LLC (Nartron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nartron Corporation
• Inventors: Washeleski, John, Strom, Peter, Shank, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,157,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/250.50
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 9/002 incorporating means for heating or cooling, e.g. the material to be sprayed
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/482 combined with the operation of windscreen wipers
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/488 electrically
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/50 Arrangement of reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 53/32 using hot fluids
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/6579 Circulating fluid in heat exchange relationship

Abstract

Apparatus for providing a heated cleaning fluid to a vehicle surface having an inlet port for receiving an amount of fluid; a housing bounding a reservoir in fluid communication with the inlet port; and an outlet port in fluid communication with the reservoir for dispensing an amount of heated fluid. A heater element heats fluid that passes from the inlet to the outlet port through the reservoir. A heat exchanger in thermal contact with the heater element for conveying heat to the fluid within the reservoir has a strut that divides fluid entering the housing through the inlet port into two flow paths and elongated fins that extend outwardly from the strut at transverse angles that bound fluid flow channels for fluid moving through said reservoir. A control circuit energizes the heater element with a voltage to heat the heating element and the fluid passing from the inlet to the outlet through the reservoir.

Claims

1. Apparatus for providing a heated cleaning fluid to a vehicle surface comprising:

a) an inlet port for receiving an amount of fluid;

b) a housing bounding a reservoir in fluid communication with the inlet port;

c) an outlet port in fluid communication with the reservoir for dispensing an amount of heated fluid;

d) a heater element for heating fluid that passes from the inlet to the outlet port through said reservoir;

e) a heat exchanger in thermal contact with the heater element for conveying heat to the fluid within the reservoir comprising

a strut that divides fluid entering the housing through the inlet port into two flow paths and

elongated fins that extend outwardly from the strut at transverse angles that bound fluid flow channels for fluid moving through said reservoir; and

f) a control circuit for energizing the heater element with a voltage to heat the heating element and the fluid passing from the inlet to the outlet through the reservoir.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the heat exchanger comprises first and second spaced apart hubs joined together by an intermediate portion of the strut and wherein the hubs have cavities which support first and second heater elements.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the heater elements are glow plugs having generally cylindrical heat emitting surfaces in thermal contact with interior wall portions of the hubs that surround said cavities.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the housing includes openings that define throughpassages in housing walls that define the inlet port and the outlet port.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the said housing is plastic.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the housing includes an interior wall which supports the heat exchanger in the reservoir.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 additionally comprising a temperature sensor for providing a feedback signal to the controller that is in thermal contact with the heat exchanger.

8. A fluid heating assembly for providing a heated cleaning fluid to a vehicle surface comprising:

a) a plastic housing defining an interior reservoir and including an inlet port for routing fluid into the reservoir from an external source;

said housing further defining an outlet port in fluid communication with the interior reservoir for dispensing an amount of heated fluid to a nozzle for spraying heated fluid from the reservoir onto a surface such as a windshield;

b) one or more heating elements for heating fluid that passes from the inlet to the outlet port through said reservoir;

c) a heat exchanger having elongated strut supported by the housing in a position that is at least partially covered by fluid within the reservoir which extends between opposed walls of said plastic housing to define two flow paths on opposite sides of said strut and having one or more hubs having at least one heater element per hub, said heater elements extending into the hubs of the heat sink so that heat emitting surfaces of the heater element engage interior curved surfaces of the hubs to transmit heat to the heat exchanger; and

d) a control circuit supported by a printed circuit board supported by the housing for energizing the heater with a voltage and thereby heat fluid passing from the inlet to the outlet through the reservoir.

9. The apparatus of claim 9 additionally comprising connectors for routing battery, ground and control signals to the control circuit mounted to the printed circuit board.

10. A method of providing a heated cleaning fluid to a vehicle surface comprising:

a) providing a reservoir and dividing the reservoir into portions by placing a heat exchanger having a elongated strut into the reservoir so that the strut divides the reservoir into portions;

b) thermally coupling a heater element to the heat exchanger;

c) coupling the reservoir to an inlet port and routing fluid into the reservoir for heating fluid through contact with the heat exchanger;

d) energizing the heater element with a voltage to heat the heating element and the fluid passing from the inlet to the outlet through the reservoir.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the heat exchanger includes a plurality of fins extending outwardly from one or more hubs that support one or more heating elements to further divide a flow path for fluid entering the reservoir into subportions bounded by said fins.

12. The method of claim 10 including providing a redundant control to prevent thermal runaway of the device should a primary control fail.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 where said fluid is heated to a predetermined temperature and dispensed by operator command.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 where said fluid is heated to a predetermined temperature and dispensed by the system a multiple number of times.

15. Apparatus for providing a heated cleaning fluid to a vehicle surface comprising:

a) an inlet port for receiving an amount of fluid;

b) a housing bounding a reservoir in fluid communication with the inlet port;

c) an outlet port in fluid communication with the reservoir for dispensing an amount of heated fluid;

d) a heater element for heating fluid that passes from the inlet to the outlet port through said reservoir;

e) a heat exchanger in contact with the heater element and at least partially covered by fluid within the reservoir including

a center strut that divides fluid entering the housing through the inlet port into different flow paths and which conveys heat to the fluid within the reservoir and

a plurality of side fins that extend away from the strut at transverse angles and define a multiple number of fluid flow channels for directing fluid along a back and forth increased flow path as said fluid flows from the inlet to the outlet; and

f) a control circuit for energizing the heater element with a voltage to heat the heating element and the fluid passing from the inlet to the outlet through the reservoir;

g) said housing including a first wall facing the heat exchanger having inwardly extending lands that contact the heat exchanger and an opposite wall facing the heat exchanger having inwardly extending lands that contact the heat exchanger to cause fluid entering the reservoir to flow through passageways bounded by side fins of the heat exchanger and said first and opposite walls.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the heat exchanger comprises first and second spaced apart hubs joined together by an intermediate portion and wherein the side fins extend outwardly from the hubs of said heat exchanger.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the hubs have cavities which support first and second heater elements.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the heater elements are glow plugs having generally cylindrical heat emitting surfaces in thermal contact with interior wall portions of the hubs that surround said cavities.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 additionally comprising a thermal fuse in thermal contact with the heat exchanger for avoiding overheating of the heater element.

20. A fluid heating assembly for providing a heated cleaning fluid to a vehicle surface comprising:

a) a plastic housing defining an interior reservoir and including an inlet port for routing fluid into the reservoir from an external source;

said housing further defining an outlet port in fluid communication with the reservoir for dispensing an amount of heated fluid to a nozzle for spraying heated fluid from the reservoir onto a surface such as a windshield;

b) a heat exchanger having an elongated strut supported by the housing in a position that divides fluid entering the housing into different flow paths and transversely extending fins that bound serpentine flow paths of fluid through the reservoir to extend a latency of fluid engagement with the heat exchanger thereby promoting heat transfer efficiency;

c) one or more heater elements for heating fluid that passes from the inlet to the outlet port through said reservoir in thermal contact with the heat exchanger, and

d) a control circuit supported by a printed circuit board supported by the housing for energizing the heater with a voltage and thereby heat fluid passing from the inlet to the outlet through the reservoir.

21. The assembly of claim 20 wherein the heat sink comprises one or more hubs coupled to the strut for mounting the one or more heater elements so that heat emitting surfaces of the heater elements is transmitted to interior curved surfaces of the hubs to transmit heat to the heat exchanger.

22. The assembly of claim 20 wherein the heat exchanger has a surface area exposed to fluid and the reservoir has a volume between the inlet and the outlet such that the ratio of surface area to volume is at least 2.5 to 1.

23. the assembly of claim 22 wherein the volume of the reservoir is at least 35 ml.

24. A method of providing a heated cleaning fluid to a vehicle surface comprising:

a) mounting a heater element in a metal heat exchanger having outwardly extending fins that define channels along a surface of the heat exchanger and placing the heat exchanger into a fluid reservoir for receiving fluid through an inlet port;

b) coupling the reservoir to an outlet port in fluid communication with the reservoir for dispensing an amount of heated fluid;

d) heating fluid that passes from the inlet to the outlet port by forcing the water though serpentine channels bounded by the outwardly extending fins through said reservoir;

e) energizing the heater element with a voltage to heat the heating element and the fluid passing from the inlet to the outlet through the reservoir.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the reservoir is bounded by a housing that supports the heat exchanger and wherein inwardly extending lands of said housing engaging ends of the fins to define a back and forth path for the fluid entering the inlet port.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein rapid heating of fluid following the back and forth path within the reservoir is achieved by a ratio of surface area of the heat exchanger exposed to fluid to a volume of fluid within the reservoir is 2.5 to 1.