US2260904A - Windshield clearing system - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 28, 1941. E. c. HORTON 2,260,904

WINDSHIELD CLEARING SYSTEM,

Filed July 30, 1938 INVENTOR Erwin C. Morton,

ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 28, 1941 WINDSHIELD CLEARING SYSTEM Erwin C. Horton, Hamburg, N. 1., minor to Trlco Products Corporation, Bufl'alo, N. Y.

Application July 30, 1938; Serial No. 222,183

4 Claims. (01. 20-405) This invention relates to means for maintaining clear vision through windows, more particularly the Windshields of motor vehicles, and it has for its primary object to provide improved means for delivering a vision clarifying fluid to the transparency in an eflicient manner, and further it has for its purpose to provide practical means for applying a heated'fluid to the glass to facilitate its solvent action on vision obscuring matter and thereby expedite the removal of the latter.

The invention also contemplates the raising of the temperature of the clearing fluid by practical means and with a view toward conservation of its supply.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a view illustrating the present invention incorporated in a motor vehicle;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the pump;

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the fluid heater;

' Fig. 4 is a detailed view depicting a branched delivery pipe for plural deliveries; and

Fig. 5 is a'sectional showing of the shut-ofi I valve.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral l designates a wiper reciprocated on the windshield glass 2 by a motor 3. A jet or nozzle'l is disposed on the cowl to throw fluid or liquid upwardly onto the glass in the path of the wiper as it is delivered thereto by a pump 5 whichreceives a charge of liquid from the reservoir 6.

may be rendered accessible through a removable .cap 20. The delivery pipe may be divided, Fig.

The pump maybe suction operated and is herein depicted as being connected to the intake manifold I of the vehicle engine 8 by a line of communication 9 which has an interposed and readily accessible shut-ofi or control valve ill. When the valve is depressed against its spring H to block the atmospheric vent l2 the kerf or slot l3 and its connected bore It will establish communicatirn between the pump and source of low pressure to draw up the diaphragm or piston l5 against'the urgeof its spring. I6 andtherebyintake a charge of fluid from the reservoir 6. Upon releasing the shut-01f valve the vent l2 will equalize the pres sure in the motor chamber ll of the pump and permit the spring It to function by forcing the piston downwardly for expelling the liquid through the delivery pipe "to the nozzle. By

reason of the vent l2 the pressure differential isdissipated so as to permit such spring action without requiring the attention of the motorist during the delivery of the solution. Inlet and outlet check valves Iii and 20, respectively, are properly located for the greatest efliciency and cooperate to provide unidirectional flow oi the clearing fluid through thepump. Thevalve 20 5 in: the clearing liquid will derive while resting 4, where plural nozzles are provided.

The present arrangement contemplates raising of the temperature of the clearing fluid to increase its efiectiveness inremoving the objectionable vision obscuring matter from the fleld of vision. Warm or hot liquid, when ejected onto the glass, will more readily soften and dissolve the matter for easy removal. Advantage is gained by merely heating one charge of the liquid at a time to facilitate matters, although a larger volume may be treated, if desired. In the preferred embodiment the next charge of liquid to be emitted will be heated after passage through the pump and thereby prolong the useful life thereof. To conserve this heated liquid charge against waste, through vaporization or boiling out through the nozzle, the temperature to which the liquid is brought prior to charge is kept substantially below its boiling point. This may be practically accomplished by utilizing the heat from the vehicle engine in an indirect or controlled manner.

Accordingly, the illustrated embodiment has a heating unit in the form of a liquid coil 2| in heat exchange contact with the water in the engine jacket. It may be disposed within the inlet pipe 22 leading to the hot water heater 23 for the passenger compartment of the vehicle and which has its return pipe indicated at 24. For ease of insertion a separate length of pipe 25 may be interposed in the usual flexible inlet pipe. The length of the coil and its-adjacency to the discharge nozzle 4 will determine the proportion of the entire charge directly heated by the engine cooling system. If the preliminary portion of the charge is relatively cool it willnevertheless serve 'to wet the glass for expediting the subsequent to the nozzle; Should the operation of the pump be repeated immediately after one charge the length of coil and the temperature of the engine cooling medium will determine the extent of heat- The hot liquid is kept from therein during the intaking stroke in addition to the interval of flow therethrough.

While .the foregoing description has been given for clearness of understanding, it is not the intention thereby to restrict the invention which may assume other physical embodiments without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope claimed.

I claim:

1. A window clearing system for a motor vehicle having an engine having a hot fluid flow, comprising means arranged on the vehicle to deliver a vision clearing liquid onto the vehicle windshield, a source of liquid supply connected by a line of communication to said delivery means, a pump for supplying comparatively small charges of liquid from said source to said delivery means at intervals, and a heater unit interposed inthe line between the pump and the delivery means and in heat exchange contact with the hot fluid for deriving heat therefrom to warm the charge of liquid during the rest period between such intervals whereby the pump is maintained free of the heated liquid;

2. A window clearing system for a motor vehicle having a hot water passage in circuit with the engine cooling system, comprising a nozzle for delivering a volume of window clearing fluid onto a vehicle window for maintaining clear vision therethrough, a source of supply for the fluid, means for delivering small charges of the fluid from the source to the nozzle with intervening periods of rest between charges, and a heat transfer unit common to both fluid systems and removably inserted in the hot water passage as a part thereof, said unit having a fluid passage connecting at one end to the source and at the opposite end to the nozzle for heating the next charge of fluid during the preceding period of rest.

3. A window clearing system for a motor vehicle having an engine with a circulating cooling medium, comprising a nozzle arranged on the vehicle to deliver a vision clearing liquid onto the vehicle windshield, a source of liquid supply connected by a line of communication to said nozzle, a heating unit interposed in the line in heat exchange contact with the circulating cooling medium for being heated thereby, and a pump interposed in the' line between the source of liquid supply and the heating unit for delivering the liquid under pressure through the unit to said nozzle and having a liquid intaking stroke and an expelling stroke, the volumetric capacity of the line of communication between the pump and nozzle inclusive of the heating unit being substantially equal to that of the pump on its discharge stroke whereby each discharge of liquid from the nozzle will be acted upon by the heating unit during the interval between expelling strokes of the pump.

4. A'window clearing system for a motor vehicle comprising a nozzle arranged on the vehicle to deliver a vision clearing liquid onto the vehicle windshield, a source of clearing liquid supply connected by a line of communication to said delivery means, a pump connected'for feeding the clearing liquid under pressure to said delivery means, said pump having a spring pressed piston connected by a conduit to a source of fluid pressure forbeing operated on one stroke by a fluid pressure differential counteracting the spring urge, and manual means for closing the conduit to the pressure source and simultaneously opening it to the ERWIN c. HORTON.

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