WO2018011239A1 - Deicing device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device (1) for deicing and heating a transparent surface (7), such as the windscreen of a motorised vehicle, comprising an air flow generator (2), the air flow extending in at least two directions between them making an angle Y, means (3) for heating the said air flow and one or more mobile energy source(s) (8) for electrically powering the said air flow generator (2) and the said heating means (3), characterized in that the angle Y is other than 0°.

Description

 Defrosting device

Field of the invention

The present invention is in the field of defrosting and heating transparent surfaces such as, for example, glazed surfaces or polymer material. It relates more particularly to devices for defrosting and heating transparent surfaces such as windshields of motor vehicles.

State of the Technigue

In geographical areas where the winter period is characterized by temperatures around or below 0 ° C, the icing of windshields of motorized vehicles creates problems for its users, especially in the case where these vehicles have parked at the airport. outside during the night and they must be operational in the early hours of the morning. Defrost involves additional work by the user to manually remove the ice with chemical products and / or mechanical tools such as scrapers. This requires additional time in a fairly hectic time of the day when people have to go to their places of activity at high speed. It would therefore be desirable to have a system for defrosting and heating which can be operated remotely for a few minutes, or even tens of minutes, before the use of the vehicle, regardless of the operation of the engine of the car, for the vehicle ready for use as soon as the user needs it. Defrosting and heating by such a device would also have the advantage of preventing the formation on the windshield of steam generated by the user's breathing when the temperature of the passenger compartment is around 0 ° C or less.

A number of solutions have been proposed in this regard. These solutions, however, relate to devices that must be powered by the car's electrical network, particularly by means of the 12V socket also known as "cigarette lighter socket". These devices are not designed to be operated when the car engine is not running because their energy consumption discharges the battery very quickly, even in minutes minutes, thus no longer allowing the vehicle to start. For example, US patent application US 2008/0203078 discloses a heater that can be used when the climatic conditions are particularly rigid and render the integrated deicing system of the vehicle insufficient to remove ice and snow from the windshield even when the vehicle is traveling. This device is activated when the engine is running and, therefore, it can be powered without any problem by the 12V socket of the vehicle.

To circumvent the issue of battery life of the vehicle, devices powered by 220 / 110V external power outlets have been proposed. Nevertheless, this solution is less practical and not at all applicable, for example, when the vehicle is parked in public places.

Devices powered by batteries have also been proposed on the web for example in the catalog of Hammacher Schlemmer (Object 799818, www.hammacher.com/Product/79918). Said Hammacher device is of substantially cylindrical shape with a length of 19 "(48.26 cm) and a diameter of 4" (10.6 cm) and must be placed on the dashboard of the vehicle. The decidedly bulky volume of this device does not allow practical use. It occupies too much space on the board and it can hardly be used in small cars. In addition, it is necessary to completely remove the device each time the battery must be recharged, the latter being integrated. Given the size of the device, the operation is complicated especially in the case where the battery must be recharged daily. Finally, no information is given on the power of this device which, at the filing date of this application, is no longer available on the market. In addition, the Hammacher device offers a unidirectional airflow that is not suited to the typical morphology of a motor vehicle windshield and, because of its bulky dimensions, it still remains quite far from the surface to defrost. Therefore, it does not optimize the limited energy resources of the battery that powers it.

It would therefore be desirable to have a device for defrosting and heating windshields for motor vehicles, which can have an autonomous power supply to be activated independently of the electrical network of the vehicle and which is sufficiently compact and efficient to be easily positioned in close contact with the windshield of the vehicle.

General aspect of the invention The subject of the present invention is therefore a device for defrosting and heating a transparent surface, such as the windshield of a motor vehicle, comprising an air flow generator, the flow of air extending in at least two directions forming an angle Y therebetween, heating means of said air flow and one or more movable sources (s) of energy for the power supply of said air flow generator and said heating means, characterized in that the angle Y is different from 0 °.

The device according to the present invention allows the optimization of the distribution of the air flow so that the available energy supplied by the mobile source (s) of energy is sufficient to defrost the windshield of a motorized vehicle that has been exposed to negative outdoor temperatures. Thanks to the efficiency of the multidirectional flow of air which is adapted to the typical morphology of a motor vehicle windshield, the device according to the present invention can be designed with relatively small dimensions and weights and it can be so mounted directly on the surface to be de-iced, for example by means of a suction cup. Optimal use of the energy provided by the mobile source (s) supplying the deicing device is thus possible.

The accompanying drawings illustrate schematically and by way of example the principles of the invention. Figure 1 shows a front view, taken from the inner side of the windshield, of an embodiment of the deicing device according to the present invention.

Figure 2 shows, in partial section, a front view taken from the inner side of the windshield of a second embodiment of the deicing device according to the present invention. Figure 3a shows, in partial section, a front view taken from the outer side of the windshield of a third embodiment of the deicing device according to the present invention.

Figure 3b shows a detail of the embodiment of Figure 3a and defines the direction of the air flow out of said device. With reference to FIG. 1, the device (1) according to the invention comprises support means (11) enabling it to be attached to a windshield (7) of a vehicle, a generator (2) for a flow of air extending in one or more directions forming an angle Y between them, and means (3) for heating said air flow.

The support means (11) typically comprise one or more suction cups (12) which allow attachment to the windshield (7) of the vehicle. They may, however, be other nature according to the specific use. The airflow generator (2) may also be of any type and form compatible with the specific use, in particular be equipped with one or more motors (13) and with one or more air ducts in the directions desired. The motor (s) (13) may be integrated with the air flow generator (2) or integrated with the support means (11) as shown in FIG. 1. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the airflow generator (2) comprises two fans (4,5) rotating clockwise and counterclockwise, respectively. This configuration allows an adequate distribution of the hot air flow on the surface to be treated. According to a preferred form of the invention, the flow of air extends in at least two directions, each forming an angle X1, X2 with respect to a median line m. The center line m may be a vertical or horizontal line which intersects the device (1) in two equal parts, as an axis of symmetry of this. Alternatively, the median line m may be the axis of symmetry of the windshield (7) or the axis perpendicular to the surface of the windshield (7). In a preferred embodiment, the angle X is between 90 ° and -90 ° and, still more preferably, between 75 ° and -75 ° with respect to the center line m and, even more preferably, in a symmetrical configuration. in relation to this one.

Typically, the heating means (3) comprise, at the front, heating wires (14) and are provided with one or more openings (6) all along them to allow the flow of hot air to come in contact with the surface to be de-iced. The heating means (3) may have different geometries according to the embodiment, for example tubes of rectangular or round section. They can also be arched as in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1.

Preferably, the means (3) for heating the air are positioned directly downstream of the generator (2). Once the device is mounted on the windshield, the means (3) of heating are thus a few centimeters away from the surface to be defrosted and the hot air flow out of them only loses a quantity negligible energy before treating the surface to defrost.

Referring to Figure 2, an embodiment of the device (1) of the present invention comprises support means (11), (12) as described in Figure 1, two arms (10) positioned directly in downstream of an airflow generator (2) which is actuated by one or more motors (13). The motor (s) (13) can be integrated (s) with the air flow generator (2) or integrated with the support means (11) as shown in FIG. 2. The arms (10) which have heating means (3), with heating wires (14) integrated therein (partially illustrated in FIG. 2), can be fixed in a substantially horizontal configuration. , i.e., in a configuration substantially perpendicular to the median vertical line m of the device (1). Openings (6) (not shown) are configured such that the air flow extends in at least two directions, each forming an angle X1, X2 with respect to the vertical centerline m of the device (1).

With reference to FIGS. 3a and 3b, an embodiment of the device (1) of the present invention comprises support means (11), (12) as described in FIG. 1, two rotating arms (10) positioned directly downstream of an air flow generator (2) which is actuated by one or more motors (13). The motor (s) (13) can be integrated with the air flow generator (2) or integrated with the support means (11) as shown in FIG. 3. The arms (10) have heating means (3) with heating wires (14) integrated therein (partially illustrated in Fig. 3a). The arms (10), also powered by the motor (s) (13), pivot around the support means (11) throughout the windshield (7) and in an angular movement as illustrated, by example, in Figure 3a. The openings (6) are configured to be positioned facing the windshield once the device (1) is attached thereto. Referring to Figure 3b, the airflow exits the openings (6) in at least two directions substantially parallel to the median plane p of the arms (10) but forming an angle Y between them, typically but not necessarily between 20 and 45 °. Thus, the air flow out of the openings (6) directly to the position where it is supposed to operate the defrost. This configuration thus allows an optimization of the energy consumption, and thus a longer autonomy time of the device (1), since the distance between the openings (6) and the surface to be defrosted remains minimal regardless of the position of the arms. turners (10) on the windshield (7).

For comfort issues, the arms (10) of the embodiments of Figures 2 and 3 may be telescopic type for easy storage when the device (1) is not used. Regardless of the embodiment, it is preferable to provide for the activation of the second heating means (3), preferably between 10 s and 20 s, before the activation of the airflow generator (2) so to further optimize the energy consumption of the device (1). Indeed, the premature activation of the generator (2) with respect to that of the heating means (3) can even be counterproductive because the cold air contact the windshield can generate fogging on its inner surface making the situation even worse.

To optimize the use of energy we could also add features like used in drones as a protection against too large a discharge, a possible short-circuit, an overload of output etc.

Regardless of the embodiment, the opening (s) (6) of the heating means (3) may have any geometry, such as square, round, trapezoidal or conical, as well as any appropriate size in order to optimize the stabilization the flow according to the specified application. They are preferably of increasing size, away from the generator (2) of air flow. This particular construction makes it possible to further optimize the contact of the hot air flow with the surface to be defrosted, thus allowing a better use of the energy that is made available. According to the specific embodiment, the opening or openings (6) have, as a rule, at least one dimension less than 10 mm. The generator (2), the means (3) and, if appropriate, the rotating arms (10) are powered by a mobile energy source (8), preferably by one or more cells. Other sources of energy can be used such as solar or wind energy sources.

In view of the optimization of the distribution of the airflow, adapted to the typical morphology of a motor vehicle windshield, the generator (2) and the heating means (3) must preferably have a minimum total power of 100 W, preferably between 200 and 400 W and a minimum capacity of 10 Ah, preferably between 15 Ah and 30 Ah to have a minimum total autonomy between 5 and 10 minutes, depending on the external temperature, and they can be fed, for example, by the battery (s) (8), preferably rechargeable and lithium with a total capacity between 15 and 30 Ah. The battery (s) (8) is / are preferably dissociated from the device (1). It (s) can be placed in a place such as, for example, the cup holder of the passenger compartment of the vehicle and be connected (s) to the device (1) by means of a conventional cable ( 9). Thus, the user of the device (1) will be able to recharge the battery (s) (8) by supplying the domestic electricty network. The technical characteristics of the device (1) allow this to be relatively light (total weight less than 1000 g and, more preferably, less than 600 g) and space-saving (width less than 30 cm, height less than 15 cm and depth less than 5 cm) to be directly positionable on the windshield of the vehicle or easily stored in the glove box when not in use. Positioned on the windshield (7), the distance between the output of the air flow of the generator (2) and the windshield (7) to be de-iced preferably does not exceed 5 cm and, even more preferably, it does not exceed does not exceed 2 cm. The device according to the present invention may further provide remote control means for its activation and deactivation such as for example a remote control that operates by a wireless communication with lower power consumption. A computer application (for example a "smartphone" application can be used to remotely control the device (1).) In any case, the remote control makes the use of the device more comfortable since it makes it possible to activate it before using the vehicle and without having to physically go there.

Sensory means for automatic activation and deactivation of the device may also be provided. They can be thermal in nature and be associated with a thermometer or a computer application, for example a "smartphone" application, which identifies the weather conditions and activates or deactivates the device accordingly. Such an automatic adjustment system further optimizes the energy consumption of the device by adjusting its intensity according to the actual weather conditions of the moment.

Claims

claims 1. Device (1) for defrosting and heating a transparent surface (7), such as the windshield of a motor vehicle, comprising a generator (2) for air flow, the air flow s extending in at least two directions forming an angle Y therebetween, means (3) for heating said air flow and one or more mobile energy sources (8) for the power supply of said generator (2) of air flow and said heating means (3), characterized in that the angle Y is different from 0 °. 2. Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the air flow extends in at least two directions, each forming an angle X1, X2 relative to a center line m. 3. Device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the angle X1, X2 is between 75 ° and -75 ° relative to the center line m. 4. Device (1) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that said air flow extends in multiple angular directions symmetrically to the center line m. 5. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mobile source (s) of energy (8) are one or more autonomous batteries. 6. Device (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the one or more batteries  autonomous devices (8) are dissociated from the device (1). 7. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the generator (2) airflow comprises two fans (4,5) rotating in clockwise and counterclockwise, respectively. 8. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means (3) for heating are positioned directly downstream of the generator (2) of air flow. 9. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means (3) of heating are activated between 10 and 20 s before the generator (2) hot air flow. 10. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means (3) for heating air comprise one or more openings (6) of increasing size away from the generator (2). ) of hot air flow. 11. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises one or more arms (10) which integrate the opening or openings (6) and the means (3) for heating. 12. Device (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that the arms (10) are rotatable. 13. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises means (11) support. 14. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises control means for its activation and  deactivation. 15. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises sensory means for its activation and automatic deactivation according to actual weather conditions.