Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a U.S. National Phase Patent Application based on International Application Serial No. PCT/EP2008/008224 filed Sep. 26, 2008, the disclosure of which is hereby explicitly incorporated by reference herein. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention is directed to an apparatus for wetting a window pane, particularly a window pane of a motor vehicle. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     One known apparatus is DE 89 05 635 U1. The prior apparatus comprises an insert body to which at least one fluid line can be connected and which has a sleeve-like bearing head. Also present is a spherical body which is inserted into the bearing head and is rotatably and pivotably held therein in spaced relation to a back wall, resulting in the formation of a flow expansion chamber. The spherical body carries a nozzle arrangement through which the window pane can be wetted with a liquid fluid passing through said arrangement. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an apparatus that serves to generate an oscillating fan jet whose characteristic exhibits stable flow dynamics and that can be adjusted over a relatively large angular range. 
     By virtue of the fact that in the apparatus according to the invention a number of resistance projections are disposed in the flow expansion chamber, on the one hand, the spherical body, together with the annular shoulder, is maintained at a given radial distance from the inner wall of the bearing head within a relatively large area, with the result that the risk of seizing is reduced due to the relatively small area of contact of the spherical body with the inner wall of the bearing head. In addition, the resistance projections function as fluid-dynamic turbulators, which homogenize the flow in the flow expansion chamber before it enters the antechamber of the nozzle body, thus establishing stable flow-dynamics conditions for the generation of the oscillating fan jet. 
     In one form thereof, the present invention provides an apparatus for wetting a window pane, particularly a window pane of a motor vehicle, including an insert body to which at least one fluid line can be connected and which includes a bearing head, and including a spherical body, which can be inserted in the bearing head and is rotatably and pivotably held therein in spaced relation to a back wall, thereby forming a flow expansion chamber, and which carries a nozzle arrangement by means of which the window pane can be wetted, characterized in that the nozzle arrangement includes a nozzle body that is provided with a antechamber and a jet-forming chamber connected to the antechamber and subdivided into a central channel and two lateral arms disposed one on each side of the central channel, in order to generate an oscillating fan jet; in that configured in the spherical body is a nozzle receiving space that extends from a front face transversely through the spherical body and at the back face disposed opposite the front face debouches into the flow expansion chamber; in that the bearing head includes, extending around its periphery, an annular shoulder that is disposed in the region of an open window opening of the bearing head; in that a radial spacing is present between the bearing head and the spherical body on the side of the annular shoulder proximate the back wall; and in that the bearing head includes, disposed in the flow expansion chamber, a number of resistance projections that confront the annular shoulder on the side facing toward the back wall and that bear against the spherical body. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention comprising an insert body, a spherical body and a nozzle body; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the nozzle body from the exemplary embodiment according to  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 3  shows the exemplary embodiment according to  FIG. 1  in longitudinal section in the region of a bearing head of the insert body. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the exemplifications set out herein illustrate embodiments of the invention, in several forms, the embodiments disclosed below are not intended to be exhaustive or to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention to the precise forms disclosed. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention, comprising an insert body  1  made of a hard-elastic synthetic material. Said insert body  1  has an approximately cuboid base portion  2 , on which connection nozzles  3 ,  4  are formed respectively on mutually opposite wall sides. Each connection nozzle  3 ,  4  serves to establish a connection to a fluid line of a fluid line system (not shown in  FIG. 1 ). Also formed on base portion  2  is a valve locking projection  5  that protrudes beyond one end of base portion  2  and is disposed at the back in the view of  FIG. 1 , and in which a non-return valve assembly (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) can be inserted and which can be fastened in the latching recesses  6  formed in valve locking projection  5 . Arranged on base portion  2  at the opposite end from valve locking projection  5 , on mutually opposite wall sides, are latching tongues  7 ,  8 , which point toward valve locking projection  5  and are adapted to fix insert body  1  in a support part not shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     Insert body  1  is also configured with a dome-like bearing head  9 , which is joined to insert body  1  at the opposite end from valve locking projection  5 . Bearing head  9  has a receiving space  10  that is closed to the outside except for a circular window opening  11 , which faces the viewer in the representation of  FIG. 1 . Disposed in said receiving space  10  in spaced relation to window opening  11  are a number of resistance projections  12 , which are arranged evenly over the circumferential direction on a side wall  13  bounding the receiving space  10 , and which extend, as elongate bodies, in a longitudinal direction from window opening  11  to a back wall  14  of bearing head  9  that is disposed opposite window opening  11 . 
     The exemplary embodiment of the inventive apparatus that is depicted in  FIG. 1  also comprises a spherical body  15 , which is configured on its outer face with a spherical-segment-like jacket surface  16  extending symmetrically on both sides of a great circle. Spherical body  15  also has a planar front face  17  and a back face  18  that is disposed opposite said front face  17 , which is toward the viewer in the representation of  FIG. 1 . Formed in spherical body  15  is a cuboid nozzle receiving space  19  that debouches over its full cross section into front face  17 . 
     Finally, depicted in  FIG. 1 , as a further element of the inventive apparatus, is a cuboid nozzle body  20  whose dimensions correspond to the dimensions of nozzle receiving space  19 , such that said nozzle body  20  can be inserted so far into nozzle receiving space  19  that a discharge slit  21  formed on nozzle body  20  is in the region of front face  17 , and nozzle receiving space  19  is filled up completely by nozzle body  20 . 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the nozzle body  20  of the exemplary embodiment according to  FIG. 1 . As can be seen from  FIG. 2 , nozzle body  20  is configured with a closed top  22  that extends over the entire base area of nozzle body  20 . It can be seen from  FIG. 2  that nozzle body  20  comprises an antechamber  23  which is disposed opposite discharge slit  21  and which, in this exemplary embodiment, is configured with an inlet opening  24  that is disposed opposite the discharge slit  21  in the longitudinal direction of nozzle body  20  and extends over about one-quarter of the transverse side of nozzle body  20  symmetrically to the central longitudinal axis. Antechamber  23  tapers continuously from inlet opening  24  in the direction of an outlet opening  25  that is disposed opposite inlet opening  24  and establishes fluidic communication between antechamber  23  and a subdivided jet-forming chamber  26  disposed between antechamber  23  and discharge slit  21 . 
     Jet-forming chamber  26  is configured with a central channel  27  extending symmetrically to the central longitudinal axis from outlet opening  25  toward discharge slit  21 , and comprises lateral arms  28 ,  29 , which are disposed one on each side of said central channel  27  and which extend, separated from central channel  27  by separation blocks  30 ,  31 , arcuately from outlet opening  25  toward discharge slit  21 , and debouch into central channel  27  again in the region of discharge slit  21 , each lateral arm  28 ,  29  having respective outwardly directed convexities in the region where it debouches into central channel  27 . Central channel  27  itself widens from outlet opening  25  toward discharge slit  21 . By virtue of this configuration of jet-forming chamber  26 , when jet-forming chamber  26  is impinged upon by a liquid fluid in a known manner, a fan jet oscillating with a given frequency can be generated by pressure-pulse feedback from the side of central channel  27  closest to discharge slit  21 , via lateral arms  28 ,  29  to the region of central channel  27  near the outlet opening  25 , and exits the discharge slit  21  of nozzle body  20 . In this exemplary embodiment, the dimension of antechamber  23  in the longitudinal direction of nozzle body  20  is smaller than the dimension of jet-forming chamber  26  in the longitudinal direction. 
       FIG. 3  is a longitudinal section of the insert body  1 , the spherical body  15  and the nozzle body  20  according to the exemplary embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention described in connection with  FIGS. 1 and 2 , shown fitted together, in the region of bearing head  9 . It can be seen from  FIG. 3  that receiving space  10  is provided on its side facing window opening  11  with a circumferential annular shoulder  32 , against which the jacket surface  16  of spherical body  15  rests in a region forward of the center of spherical body  15 . Side wall  13  is set back radially outward on the side of annular shoulder  32  that faces back wall  14 , such that a free space  33  is formed between side wall  13  and jacket surface  16 . It will also be noted, in the representation of  FIG. 3 , that resistance projections  12  extending as elongate bodies from the back face  18  of spherical body  15  to the back wall  14  of bearing head  9  rest against the jacket surface  16  of spherical body  15  on the side facing away from window opening  11 , causing spherical body  15  to be rotatably and pivotably held in bearing head  9 . 
     It will also be appreciated from  FIG. 3  that insert body  1  is configured with a heater receiving space  34 , which extends through base portion  2  and terminates at side wall  13 , which latter bounds receiving space  10  and is configured in this region with a relatively small material thickness. A heating element (not shown in  FIG. 3 ) can be placed in heater receiving space  34  in order to heat said receiving space  10  and particularly a liquid fluid, for example wash water, that is present in receiving space  10 , to prevent freezing. 
     Configured adjacent to heater receiving space  34  is a fluid inlet space  35 , which is adjacent to back wall  14  and extends from the valve locking projection  5  depicted in  FIG. 1  into base portion  2 , and which communicates, via a communication opening  36  formed in a narrowed debouchment region, with a flow expansion chamber  37  that is formed between the back wall  14  of bearing head  9  and the back face  18  of spherical body  15 . In this arrangement, nozzle body  20  is offset by an angle of more than 45 degrees from the longitudinal direction of fluid inlet space  35 , thus, in combination with an offset of inlet opening  24  transversely to communication opening  36 , effecting a diversion of the fluid that further brings about further homogenization of the flow. The resistance projections  12  are disposed in flow expansion chamber  37 , as the fluidically active region of receiving space  10 , and swirl the fluid flowing in from fluid inlet space  35 , thereby inducing a certain homogenization of the flow in the flow expansion chamber  37 , before the fluid passes through the inlet opening  24  of nozzle body  20  and on into the antechamber  23  thereof. 
     This homogenization of the flow of fluid as far upstream as in the flow expansion chamber  37  serves to create the stable fluidic parameters at outlet opening  25  that are needed for reliably generating an oscillating fan jet in jet-forming chamber  26 , while at the same time permitting relatively short construction for the bearing head  9  in the longitudinal direction of nozzle body  20 , since the antechamber  23  is relatively short. 
     In addition, exerting a fluidic influence on the flow in the region of resistance projections  12  ensures the efficient transfer of thermal energy from heater receiving space  24  into receiving space  10 , and ultimately into the fluid that is to be kept from freezing. 
     While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.

Technology Category: b