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DE-102024132691-A1 - Method for cleaning a vehicle window with monitoring of the vehicle's interior, and corresponding vehicle

DE102024132691A1DE 102024132691 A1DE102024132691 A1DE 102024132691A1DE-102024132691-A1

Abstract

The invention comprises a method for cleaning a window (1) of a vehicle having a ventilation device, wherein the vehicle has an interior (4), and the method comprises the following steps: cleaning the window (1) with a window cleaning fluid (2); determining whether a substance belonging to the window cleaning fluid (2) is present in the vehicle interior air in the interior (4) of the vehicle, or whether a concentration of the substance in the vehicle interior air exceeds a predetermined level; furthermore, the invention comprises a vehicle for carrying out the method.

Inventors

  • Paul Jamnicki
  • Elena Lazaridis

Assignees

  • FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20241108

Claims (17)

  1. A method for cleaning a windshield (1) of a vehicle having a ventilation device, wherein the vehicle has an interior (4), and the method comprises the following steps: a) cleaning the windshield (1) with a windshield cleaning fluid (2); b) determining whether a substance belonging to the windshield cleaning fluid (2) is present in the vehicle interior air in the interior (4), or whether the concentration of the substance in the vehicle interior air exceeds a predetermined level.
  2. Procedure according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the method comprises the following step after step b): c) switching the ventilation device into a refresh mode for at least partial exchange of the existing vehicle interior air, provided that the substance is present in the vehicle interior air, or the content exceeds the predetermined level.
  3. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that step c) comprises adjusting a blower output of a blower (7) of the ventilation device in refresh mode to at least 50%, 70% or 90% of a rated output of the blower (7).
  4. A method according to one of the two preceding claims, characterized in that the ventilation device is in an initial operating state before the start of the method, and the method comprises the following step after step c): if the ventilation device has been switched to refresh mode during the method: switching the ventilation device to the initial operating state when the vehicle interior air is free of the substance belonging to the windshield cleaning fluid (2) or when the concentration of the substance in the vehicle interior air is below the predetermined level, wherein step b) is further carried out.
  5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, prior to cleaning the window (1) with the window cleaning fluid (2) according to step a), the ventilation device is switched to a circulation mode to circulate the vehicle interior air within the interior (4) in order to prevent, as far as possible, the substance belonging to the window cleaning fluid from being drawn in from the environment of the vehicle and directed into the interior.
  6. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that after switching the ventilation device into circulation mode, a predetermined cleaning deferral time interval is waited before step a) is started, so that switching the ventilation device into circulation mode is completed and the ventilation device is in circulation mode.
  7. Method according to one of the two preceding claims, characterized in that , in order to prevent the window (1) from fogging up, the ambient temperature of the vehicle is compared with an ambient temperature reference value before switching to circulation operation, and if the ambient temperature reference value is undershot, a window heater of the vehicle is switched on, so that the window (1) is heated by the window heater and fogging of the window (1) is prevented as far as possible.
  8. Method according to one of the three preceding claims, characterized in that , to prevent fogging of the window (1) before switching to circulation mode, the vehicle's speed is compared with a speed reference value, and the vehicle's ambient temperature is compared with an ambient temperature-speed reference value, and if the speed reference value is exceeded and the ambient temperature-speed reference value is simultaneously undershot, switching the ventilation device to circulation mode is prevented.
  9. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the method is started by the following step: Determining whether the disc (1) requires cleaning, and if the disc (1) requires cleaning: Issuing a vehicle instruction.
  10. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the vehicle instruction includes a command that initiates the cleaning of the disc (1) with the disc cleaning fluid (2).
  11. Method according to one of the two preceding claims, characterized in that the vehicle instruction includes a message which is displayed visually and/or audibly in the interior (4) of the vehicle to inform vehicle occupants a message is issued, the message containing information that the disc (1) needs cleaning.
  12. Method according to one of the three preceding claims, characterized in that the determination of whether the window (1) requires cleaning is carried out using a front camera (12) arranged on the window (1) of the vehicle, and/or using an interior camera which is arranged in the interior (4) of the vehicle in such a way that it captures a large part of the window (1).
  13. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that , to determine whether the window (1) requires cleaning, a lighting situation comprising an expected brightness of an environment outside the vehicle is used and compared with a brightness detected by the front camera (12) and/or the interior camera, wherein the expected brightness of the environment is preferably determined using detected brightness levels of other vehicles and/or stationary measuring devices, in particular in a predetermined radius of the vehicle.
  14. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the method comprises the following step before step a): checking whether a two-wheeler rider or a pedestrian is in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle, and preventing the cleaning of the window (1) with window cleaning fluid (2) according to step a), if a two-wheeler rider or pedestrian is in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle, so that the two-wheeler rider or pedestrian is not affected by window cleaning fluid (2).
  15. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the vehicle is in autonomous driving mode.
  16. Vehicle comprising a disc (1), a cleaning device for cleaning the disc (1) with a disc cleaning fluid (2), an interior (4), and a ventilation device for ventilating the interior (4), characterized in that the vehicle has a sensor device (10) which is configured to determine whether a substance belonging to the disc cleaning fluid (2) is present in the vehicle interior air in the interior (4) of the vehicle, or whether a concentration of the substance in the vehicle interior air exceeding a predetermined level is present.
  17. Vehicle according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the vehicle has a device (11) which is configured to switch the ventilation device into a refresh mode when the substance is present in the vehicle interior air, or when the concentration of the substance in the vehicle interior air exceeds the predetermined level.

Description

The invention relates to a method for cleaning a vehicle window, in particular a windshield, using window cleaning fluid. The method takes into account the unpleasant odor in the vehicle's interior caused by the window cleaning fluid. Methods for cleaning the windshield are based on the state of the art, for example, from the US 9 701 173 B2 , US 7 625 274 B2 , EP 0 330 827 A1 , and DE 3 813 548 A1 known. The US 9 701 173 B2 This concerns a climate control system with an air regulator that can be switched between fresh air and recirculated air operation. The system also includes a connection that operationally links the washer fluid system and the module. When the washer fluid system is activated, the module switches from fresh air mode to recirculated air mode, thus preventing washer fluid odors from entering the vehicle interior while the washer fluid system is active. The US 7 625 274 B2 This concerns a ventilation system for ventilating the interior of a motor vehicle, in which a sensor determines at least one parameter reflecting the degree of window fogging. This sensor then determines whether the vehicle's ventilation system should remain in recirculation mode or switch to fresh air supply mode while the windshield and/or headlight washers are activated. An evaluation unit generates a signal, based on the sensor signals, to switch to fresh air supply mode, at least temporarily, if a parameter value exceeds a predefined value, or it generates a period of time for the system to remain in recirculation mode. The EP 0 330 827 A1 This relates to a method for reducing pollutants in the interior of a motor vehicle and a device for carrying out the method. When the pump motor of a windshield washer system is activated, the supply of fresh air to the interior of the motor vehicle is interrupted for a predetermined period by influencing the blower and/or an air flap. Additives dissolved in the windshield washer fluid are thus prevented from entering the interior. Adjusting the predetermined period based on the vehicle's speed allows the duration of the fresh air supply interruption to be adapted to the vehicle's speed. The DE 3 813 548 A1 This relates to a ventilation system, in particular a heating or air conditioning system, for the interior of a vehicle and includes a blower for air exchange, wherein fresh air is drawn in from an area that is wetted with some of the washer fluid when a windshield washer system is in operation. The fresh air flap located in the fresh air intake duct is moved to a closed position simultaneously with the operation of the windshield washer nozzles, thus switching the ventilation unit to recirculation mode. This prevents the air from being contaminated by the washer fluid and some of the liquid from the spray jet. Further state of the art is described in the documents. CN 112406789A and US 8 553 088 B2 to be taken. However, with methods and devices known from the prior art, it cannot generally be completely ruled out that the odor of the windshield washer fluid, even if only to a low degree, will still spread into the vehicle's interior. With these methods and devices, it is also possible that, due to the activated recirculation mode, the odor will be retained and even distributed in the vehicle's interior for an extended period. The underlying object of the invention is therefore to provide a method for cleaning a vehicle window that reduces the odor of windshield washer fluid in the vehicle's interior. Furthermore, the object of the invention is to provide a vehicle for carrying out such a method. This task is solved by the items with the features of the independent claims. It should be noted that the features listed individually in the claims can be combined with one another in any technically meaningful way (even across category boundaries, for example between method and apparatus) and demonstrate further embodiments of the invention. The description further characterizes and specifies the invention, particularly in conjunction with the figures. It should further be noted that the conjunction “and/or” used herein, which stands between two features and links them together, is always to be interpreted in such a way that in a first embodiment of the object according to the invention only the first feature can be present, and in a second embodiment only the second feature can be present. the second feature may be present, and in a third embodiment both the first and the second feature may be present. A method according to the invention for cleaning a window relates to a vehicle having a ventilation device, wherein the vehicle also has an interior. The method comprises the following steps: a) Cleaning the windshield with a windshield cleaning fluid; b) Determine whether a substance belonging to the windshield cleaning fluid is present in the vehicle interior air, or whether the concentration of the substance in the vehicle interior air exceeds a predetermined level. The vehicle h