Abstract:
The present invention provides a monodirectional pump comprising a body within which is accommodated a motor which activates a bladed rotor, the pump comprising an inlet opening for liquid and two outlet tips allowing for release of the liquid sucked by the pump through the two outlet tips simultaneously. The present invention also provides the uses of the pump, particularly in a system for washing surfaces, for example automobile windows and/or headlights.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a monodirectional double outlet pump. 
     It also relates to the uses for this pump, particularly in a system for washing surfaces of automobiles which include such a pump. 
     The surface washing systems mounted on automobiles generally have a monodirectional single outlet pump. 
     This type of pump typically comprises a direct current motor to be connected to the battery of an accumulator and having a pivoting axial outlet shaft at the end of which is mounted, wedged angularly, a bladed rotor. 
     Such a pump may be integrated, for example, in a windshield washer system for automobiles comprising a washing liquid reservoir arranged so that the washing liquid in the reservoir is sucked by the pump when it is operating. 
     The pump includes an outlet which is linked to a tube equipped with a side outlet system, for example a T- or Y-shaped fitting, making it possible to separate the washing liquid discharged from the pump into several, usually two, jets. 
     The jets of washing liquid are then directed by way of secondary tubes towards downstream circuits such as a spray nozzle attached to body or to the windshield wiper itself. 
     It would be desirable to eliminate the T- and Y-shaped fittings used to separate the washing liquid discharged from the pump into several jets. 
     This is in particular to avoid the phenomenon of charge loss which can appear in one of the secondary tubes, and also to avoid problems of water-tightness at the linkages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention aims to solve this problem by providing a monodirectional double outlet pump which could discharge liquid from both outlets simultaneously with approximately the same outflow. 
     The double outlet pump, according to the invention, comprises a body which forms a support and protection within which a motor is accommodated and equipped with a pivoting axial output shaft. 
     A bladed rotor is mounted, at the end of the output shaft. 
     According to the invention, a case defines a hydraulic chamber in which the rotor is accommodated. The hydraulic chamber has an axial inlet communicating with the opening of the pump inlet and which has at least one lateral and tangential outlet prolonged by at least one outlet duct. 
     The outlet duct is in communication with the means distributing the liquid discharged by the rotor, the means of distribution communicating with two outlets fitted with the two outlet tips. 
     According to the embodiment, the means distributing the washing liquid comprise a distribution chamber. 
     It would be possible to have only one pump outlet connected to a distribution chamber having two outlets. As a variant, the pump can include two outlets prolonged by two outlet ducts. 
     The invention also aims to protect the uses of the pump as described above, for the distribution of liquid, particularly washing liquid, on automobile surfaces, e.g. for washing the automobile windows and/or headlights. 
     The invention also aims to protect a system for washing automobile surfaces. 
     Such a system for washing automobile surfaces, for example washing windows and/or headlights, comprises a washing liquid reservoir, a washing liquid distribution pump such as described, linked to the washing liquid reservoir, two tubes connected to the pump outlet tips and at the outlet of which spray nozzles are mounted. 
     The invention will be better understood when reading the following description with reference to the appended drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front schematic representation, of an embodiment of the pump operation according to the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a side schematic representation of the pump shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic longitudinal axial section view of the pump shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is a top section view, following line AA, of the pump shown in FIG.  3 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the pump  1  according to the invention comprises a body  2  which acts as an envelope to provide support and protection. 
     In the description, the following definition is given for the geometry of the described parts: 
     Axial direction: this is the direction parallel to the axis  3 , which is the rotor pivoting axis. 
     The pump  1  is equipped at its lower end part  4  with an inlet opening  5  arranged at the end part of a duct  6 , allowing for the supply of the pump  1  with liquid. 
     The inlet opening  5  is linked directly or by way of a tube to a reservoir (not shown) which contains liquid. 
     The pump  1  is equipped at its upper end part  7  with a protective housing  8 . 
     The pump  1  includes an electrical connector  9  located on the protective housing  8  comprising plugs which allow for connection to a battery of accumulators. 
     The pump  1  also comprises two outlet tips  10  the longitudinal of which axes are substantially parallel to the axis  3 . 
     The longitudinal axes of the outlets  10  need not be parallel to this axis  3 . They can, for example, be substantially perpendicular to the axis  3  or in an intermediate position. 
     When the pump  1  is activated, the liquid is sucked through the inlet opening  5  then discharged by the pump  1  to the outlet tips  10  and from there to the downstream circuits. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the pump  1  comprises a case  11  made of one or several parts, having a more or less complex shape, which defines a hydraulic chamber  12  with an axial inlet  13 . 
     The inlet  13  is in communication with the inlet opening  5  of the pump  1 . 
     On the schematic representation in FIG. 3, the inlet  13  is intentionally shown with dimensions greater than the real ones for the sake of clarity. 
     The hydraulic chamber  12  has two lateral and tangential outlets orifices  14 , prolonged by two outlet ducts  15 . 
     In the embodiment shown, the longitudinal axes  16  of the two outlet ducts  15  are substantially parallel to each other. Other embodiments are of course possible. 
     Similarly, the pump  1  shown includes two outlets  14  prolonged by two outlet ducts  15 . There could however be only one outlet  14  prolonged by a single outlet duct  15 . 
     The outlets  14  are in communication with the inlet  13  of the pump  1 . 
     The end parts  17  of the outlet ducts  15  lead to the means distributing the liquid discharged by the pump  1  comprising a distribution chamber  18 . 
     The distribution chamber  18  is equipped with two outlet openings  19  in communication with the outlet tips  10 . 
     In the embodiment shown, the two longitudinal axes  20  of the two outlet openings  19  are substantially interchangeable and perpendicular to the longitudinal axes  21  of the outlet tips  10 . 
     According to one embodiment, the distribution chamber  18  occupies a volume of the order of 1 to 3 cm 3 . 
     For example, the chamber can have a diameter of 10 mm and a length of 16.5 mm. 
     The cross section of the outlet ducts  15  is chosen so as to be substantially equal to or greater than the cross section of the outlets  19 . This difference in section is not critical in itself however. 
     For example, the cross section of the outlet ducts  15  is of the order of 10 mm 2 , and the cross section of the outlets  19  is of the order of 9 mm 2 . 
     A motor  22  is accommodated in the body  2  and is equipped with a pivoting axial outlet shaft  23 . At the end of the shaft  23  located in the chamber  12 , a bladed rotor  24  is mounted, and angularly wedged. 
     The rotor  24  is accommodated in the hydraulic chamber  12  with the necessary play for it to rotate around the axis  3 , the distance between them being such that the rotating of the bladed rotor  24  triggers circumferential circulation of the liquid in the hydraulic chamber  12 , the inlet  13  and the outlet  14 . 
     The hydraulic chamber  12  is closed by an axial joint  25 , placed in the body  2  between the motor  22  and the rotor  24 , the motor  22  outlet shaft  23  passing through the joint  25  in a sufficiently liquid-tight way. 
     When the pump  1  is activated, the liquid is sucked through the inlet opening  5 , goes up the duct  6 , and then goes into the hydraulic chamber  12  through the inlet  13 . 
     The rotation of the rotor  24  blades triggers the discharge of liquid through the two outlets  14  and from there through the two outlet ducts  15 . 
     The liquid then arrives in the distribution chamber  18  which it fills at least partially and is simultaneously expelled through the two outlet openings  19  and the two outlet tips  10 , with an acceptable difference in outflow between the two outlets  10 , at standard pressures. 
     According to one embodiment, the pump  1  according to the invention operates at relatively low pressures of the order of 1.10 5  to 3.10 5  Pascals. 
     An interference suppression system  26  can be provided in the protecting housing  8  to improve the operation of the pump  1  when used in automobiles. 
     According to the embodiment, the body  2  of the pump  1  is monobloc, alternatively it can be composed of several parts, locked together for example. 
     The pump  1  can also be equipped with a sound insulation system (not shown). 
     The pump  1  according to the invention can be made of various materials. The body  2 , the outlets  10 , and the protective housing  8  for example, are made of a plastic material such as polypropylene or polyamide. 
     The joint  25  can be made from EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer) rubber. 
     The pump  1 , as described above, can be applied to systems for washing surfaces such as the windows and/or headlights of automobiles. 
     Other uses beyond automobiles can be imagined, whenever a sucked liquid is to be distributed from a reservoir and discharged by a pump through two outlets simultaneously.