Abstract:
A washer nozzle includes a heat emitting unit for smoothly washing a glass in a winter season is installed. The washer nozzle for a vehicle which, by realizing a new type of washer nozzle to which an integral structure of a heat conductor and a nozzle cover is applied through insert injection-molding of the heat conductor is applied and to which a structure where a heat emitter is firmly fastened to the housing by using a structure in the housing is applied, can improve a washer liquid ejecting performance through an increase in a heat transfer efficiency inside the nozzle and reduce the number of processes and a defect rate through fixing of the heat emitter at an optimum location, thereby improving quality.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority of Korean Patent Application Number 10-2012-0086605 filed Aug. 8, 2012, the entire contents of which application is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a washer nozzle for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a washer nozzle in which a heat emitting unit for smoothly washing a glass in a winter season is installed. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    In general, a washer nozzle is a unit for ejecting a washer liquid onto a front glass of a vehicle to remove foreign substances attached to the front glass, allowing a drive to secure a front view field. 
         [0006]    Such a washer nozzle may employ a 2-WAY method or a 3-WAY method, and functions to eject a proper amount of washer liquid to a wide area on a front glass in a short time. 
         [0007]    The washer nozzle generally includes a suction port to which a tube extending from a washer liquid pump extends is connected, a washer liquid passage for guiding a flow of a washer liquid introduced through the suction port to an upper side, a nozzle body having an outlet from which the washer liquid guided through the washer liquid passage is finally ejected, and a nozzle cover for fixing the nozzle body. 
         [0008]    Thus, a front view field can be secured by ejecting the washer liquid supplied from the washer liquid pump to the front glass through the washer nozzle and wiping out foreign substances attached to the front glass while driving a wiper blade at the same time. 
         [0009]    Meanwhile, when a washer nozzle is used in a freeze-up zone or a winter season, it is often difficult to wash a front glass because a washer liquid left in the washer nozzle is frozen to cause a washer liquid ejection defect. 
         [0010]    Accordingly, some products where a heat emitter and a heat conductor are applied to an ejection nozzle are being suggested as units for smoothly securing a view field during a travel of a vehicle while smoothly washing a front glass in a winter season. 
         [0011]    For example, European Patent No. 0123103, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 1998-236283, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 1993-088648, and Korean Utility Model Application Publication No. 1999-0006449 disclose ejection nozzles to which a heat emitter and a heat conductor are applied. 
         [0012]    However, the ejection nozzles according to the related art employ a structure in which a heat conductor and a nozzle cover are separated from each other, and thus they are disadvantageous in terms of manufacturing efficiency and assembling efficiency and fail to solve a problem of an increase in defect rate due to a deflection of a heat emitter. 
         [0013]    For example, a method of injecting a plastic resin into a housing to solidify the plastic resin after a heat emitter is inserted into the housing has the following problems. 
         [0014]    First, it is difficult to realize a uniform heating emitting performance because an assembling distribution is not considered. 
         [0015]    That is, a leftward, rightward, upward, or downward distribution occurs when a heat emitter is fixed because a heat emitter fixing structure is not present when a resin is injected. 
         [0016]    Second, a heat emitter/resin fixing method does not employ a structure for preventing a surface expansion due to overheating of the heat emitter. 
         [0017]    That is, a nozzle housing may be damaged due to a thermal expansion of the heat emitter. 
         [0018]    Third, a maintenance performance is not good because all nozzle assembly parts need to be replaced when a repair is necessary due to a defect of the heat emitter. 
         [0019]    The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art. 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0020]    The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the above-described problems associated with prior art. Various aspects of the present invention provide for a washer nozzle for a vehicle which, by realizing a new type of washer nozzle to which an integral structure of a heat conductor and a nozzle cover is applied through insert injection-molding of the heat conductor is applied and to which a structure where a heat emitter is firmly fastened to the housing by using a structure in the housing is applied, can improve a washer liquid ejecting performance through an increase in a heat transfer efficiency inside the nozzle and reduce the number of processes and a defect rate through fixing of the heat emitter at an optimum location, thereby improving quality. 
         [0021]    Various aspects of the present invention provide for a washer nozzle for a vehicle, including: a nozzle cover having an ejection hole; and a nozzle body having a washer liquid passage, wherein an insert injection-molded cover integrated heat conductor is provided within the nozzle cover, and a heat emitter for providing heat to the heat conductor is assembled to contact an exposure surface at a lower side of the heat conductor while being inserted into a heat emitter installing groove formed in the nozzle cover. 
         [0022]    The heat emitter may include a heat emitting element and a power connector for supplying heat to the heat conductor, and a housing inserted into the heat emitter installing groove of the nozzle cover while supporting the heat emitting element and the power connector, and support pieces for supporting the heat emitting element therebetween while contacting opposite surfaces of the heat emitting element are formed at opposite sides of the inner surface of the housing. 
         [0023]    The support pieces of housing may have an arc shape supported by a fixing end connected to the housing body to resiliently support the heat emitting element. 
         [0024]    Wherein wings inclinedly extending downward from opposite sides of a body of the heat conductor may be provided in the body of the heat conductor so that both the central ejection hole through the body and the ejection holes at opposite sides through the opposite wings are sufficiently heated. 
         [0025]    The washer nozzle for a vehicle provided by the present invention may have the following features. 
         [0026]    First, as the heat conductor may be insert injection-molded in the nozzle cover and the heat emitter is provided in a separate housing to be assembled in the nozzle cover, a washer ejection performance can be enhanced in a winder season, for example, by reducing the number of processes and process costs and enhancing a heat transfer efficiency inside the nozzle. 
         [0027]    Second, as the heat emitter may be firmly fastened to an interior structure of the housing, a post-deformation of the heat emitter can be prevented when a resin is filled. 
         [0028]    That is, a heat transfer efficiency can be secured and a post-deformation can be prevented by applying a fixing structure of the heat emitter at an optimum location. Thus, a quality can be secured by reducing a defect rate. 
         [0029]    The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and the following Detailed Description, which together serve to explain certain principles of the present invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0030]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating an exemplary washer nozzle for a vehicle according to the present invention. 
           [0031]      FIG. 2  is a front sectional view illustrating the exemplary washer nozzle for a vehicle according to the present invention. 
           [0032]      FIG. 3  is a side sectional view illustrating the exemplary washer nozzle for a vehicle according to the present invention. 
           [0033]      FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary state change against a resin filling direction of a heat emitter according to the present invention. 
           [0034]      FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary temperature distribution for ejection holes of the washer nozzle for a vehicle according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
       [0035]    It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various features illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of the present invention as disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment. 
         [0036]    In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0037]    Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that present description is not intended to limit the invention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
         [0038]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a washer nozzle for a vehicle according to various embodiments of the present invention.  FIGS. 2 and 3  are a front sectional view and a side sectional view illustrating the washer nozzle for a vehicle according to various embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0039]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the washer nozzle has a structure including a heat conductor integrally formed with a nozzle cover and a heat emitter assembled in the nozzle cover, and can increase a heat transfer efficiency of an interior part of the nozzle and prevent post-deformation through fixing of a heat emitting element at an optimum location. 
         [0040]    To achieve this, the washer nozzle basically includes a combination of a nozzle cover  11  on an upper side and a nozzle body  13  on a lower side. A plurality of ejection holes  10 , for example, three ejection holes  10   a,    10   b,  and  10   c  forming a triangular disposition is formed in the nozzle cover  11 , and a washer liquid passage  12  communicated with the ejection holes  10  is formed in the nozzle body  13 . 
         [0041]    A vertical block body  23  parallel to the nozzle body  13  extends downward from a bottom surface of a front end of the nozzle cover  11  by a predetermined length, and a heat emitter installing groove  16  for insertion of the heat emitter  15  which will be described below is formed within the block body  23 . 
         [0042]    The washer nozzle may be coupled to or installed in a hood panel or a cowl top by using nozzle hooks  24  formed on a rear surface of an upper end of the nozzle body  13  and a front surface of the block body  23 . 
         [0043]    In particular, a thermal conductor  14  formed of a copper material is inserted into and installed in the nozzle cover  11  to conduct heat to a periphery of the ejection holes  10  in the nozzle cover  11 . 
         [0044]    The heat conductor  14  is installed in a cover integrated structure while being inserted and injection-molded when the nozzle cover  11  is formed. A bottom surface of a body of the heat conductor  14  forms a bottom surface of the heat emitter installing groove  16  formed in the block body  23  of the nozzle cover  11 . 
         [0045]    That is, the bottom surface of the body of the heat conductor  14  is exposed through the heat emitter installing groove  16  as an exposure surface  17 , and heat is transferred to the exposure surface  17  while the exposure surface  17  contacts an upper end surface of the heat emitting element  18  of the heat emitter  15 . 
         [0046]    The heat conductor  14  may take a form in which heat can be uniformly applied to the three ejection holes  10   a,    10   b,  and  10   c  in the nozzle cover  11 . 
         [0047]    For example, wings  22  inclined downward at a predetermined angle are provided at opposite sides of the body of the heat conductor  14 , respectively, and the opposite wings  22  may extend to locations right below the ejection holes  10   b  and  10   c  located at opposite sides. 
         [0048]    Accordingly, the body of the heat conductor  14  is located below the central ejection hole  10   a  and the opposite wings  22  extending from the body are located below the ejection holes  10   b  and  10   c  at opposite sides, and thus the ejection holes can be effectively prevented from freezing while peripheries of the ejection holes can be sufficiently heated by heat of the heat conductor  14  with balance. 
         [0049]    The heat emitter  15  is provided as a unit for supplying heat to the heat conductor  14 . 
         [0050]    The heat emitter  15  takes an assembly form in which a thermoelectric element  18  is disposed inside the housing  20 . For example, as a shape of a housing  20  including opposite longitudinal plate bodies and an upper transverse member is formed by injection of a resin while the thermoelectric element  18  is inserted, the heat emitter  15  integrally formed with the housing  20  and the heat emitting element  18  may be formed. For example, the housing may be injection molded in situ about the thermoelectric element. 
         [0051]    Then, the housing  20  may be formed of a plastic material without a heat transfer function. 
         [0052]    A power connector  19  on a “+” side and a “−” side for supplying electric power to the heat emitting element  18  is formed at a lower end of the housing  20 , and the power connector  19  may be electrically connected to the thermoelectric element  18  through wires extending along an interior of the housing. 
         [0053]    The heat emitter  15  is assembled to be inserted from the heat emitter installing groove  16  in the nozzle cover  11  from a lower side to an upper side, and as a housing hook  25  at an upper end of the housing  20  is caught by a catching end formed on an inner wall of the heat emitter installing groove  16 , the heat emitter  15  can be prevented from being separated from the heat emitter installing groove  16  while being completely inserted into the heat emitter installing groove  16 . 
         [0054]    After the heat emitter is completely assembled, the heat emitting element  18  of the heat emitter  15  assembled as described above contacts the exposure surface  17  of the heat conductor  14  through an upper end thereof, and thus heat emitted from the heat emitting element  18  can be transferred to the heat conductor  14  through the exposure surface  17 . 
         [0055]    Here, the heat emitting element  18  may be applied to a known PTC device, and an opened portion of a lower end of the heat emitter installing groove  16  may be finished by a waterproof cover  26  after the heat emitter  15  is inserted. 
         [0056]    In particular, support pieces  21   a  and  21   b  are provided at opposite sides of an inner side surface of the housing  20  to serve to fix a location of the heat emitting element  18 . 
         [0057]    The support pieces  21   a  and  21   b  have a gently curved arc shape while being supported by a fixed end connected to the housing body, that is, the longitudinal plate body, and the opposite support pieces  21   a  and  21   b  can resiliently support the heat emitting element  18  therebetween through a convex surface. 
         [0058]    Accordingly, the heat emitting element  18  can maintain a location (when the heat emitter is inserted) where the heat emitting element  18  can accurately contact the heat conductor  14  while being stably fixed by a force applied by the opposite support pieces  21   a  and  21   b  and being located at an optimum location, for example, at an accurate vertical posture and a left and right center line of the housing  20 . 
         [0059]    That is, as can be seen in  FIG. 4 , when a resin for forming the housing is filled, the opposite support pieces  21   a  and  21   b  fix the heat emitting element  18 . Thus, a deflection and a movement of the heat emitting element  18  due to a resin filling pressure flowing in the directions of arrows can be prevented, which consequently can lower a defect rate through prevention of such a post-deformation. 
         [0060]      FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram illustrating a temperature distribution for ejection holes of the washer nozzle for a vehicle according to various embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0061]      FIG. 5  shows an analysis of temperature distribution for the three ejection holes through which a washer liquid is discharged in the washer nozzle to which the heat emitter and the heat conductor are applied. 
         [0062]    It can be seed in the left simulation and the right graph that the nozzle ejection holes are thawed within approximately 3 minutes after heat emission from a freezing state of an exterior temperature of −20° C. 
         [0063]    Thus, when the washer nozzle is operated to wash a front glass in a freeze-up zone or in a winter season, if a drive switches on a switch before the washer nozzle is operated, the heat emitting element  18  is heated while electric power is supplied to the heat emitting element  18  of the heat emitter  15 . Accordingly, the heat is transferred to the heat conductor  14  contacting the heat emitting element  18  and thin ices attached to a periphery of the nozzle is thawed at the same time, which consequently allows the washer nozzle to properly perform its own function normally even in a freeze-up. 
         [0064]    For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms upper or lower, front or rear, and etc. are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures. 
         [0065]    The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.