1. A solenoid valve, characterized in that,

the electromagnetic valve includes:

a solenoid having a mover that moves relative to a stator;

a sealing part provided to the mover;

a biasing member that biases the seal portion;

a bellows-type sealing portion provided to the mover to prevent fluid from flowing into the solenoid;

a first pipe having an inlet-side end on an upstream side and a first outlet-side end on a downstream side; and

a second pipe having a second outlet-side end portion on a downstream side,

the sealing portion is formed as a lip having an outer diameter wider than an outer diameter of the mover,

a bracket which can be closely attached to the sealing part and can move between a first position and a second position is arranged in the second pipeline,

a merging portion where the first pipe line and the second pipe line merge is provided at a position upstream of the seat of the second pipe line,

a retention section in which the fluid can be retained is provided between the bracket and the second outlet-side end portion of the second line,

in the first state, the fluid flowing in from the inlet-side end portion is allowed to flow to the first outlet-side end portion, while the pressing force by the urging member and the pressure of the fluid at the joining portion act to press the socket toward the first position and press the sealing portion against the socket, so that the sealing portion is closely adhered to the socket at the first position, and the fluid is not allowed to flow to the second outlet-side end portion,

in a second state, the sealing portion is separated from the holder by the movement of the mover, and the fluid flowing in from the inlet-side end portion is allowed to flow to the retention portion through between the sealing portion and the holder,

in the third state, the pressure of the fluid in the retention section acts to move the bracket to the second position, and the bracket is separated from the retention section, thereby allowing the fluid flowing in from the inlet-side end portion to flow to the second outlet-side end portion via between the bracket and the retention section.

2. The solenoid valve of claim 1,

the outer diameter of the expansion part of the sealing part is smaller than that of the sealing part.

3. The solenoid valve according to claim 1 or 2,

the bracket is supported by an elastic seal portion fixed to the second pipeline so as to be movable between the first position and the second position.

4. A cleaner system for a vehicle, characterized in that,

the cleaner system for a vehicle includes:

an upstream-side branch portion including the electromagnetic valve according to any one of claims 1 to 3;

a tank connected to the inlet-side end of the electromagnetic valve of the upstream branch portion and storing a cleaning medium;

an upstream side cleaner unit connected to the second outlet side end portion of the electromagnetic valve of the upstream side branch portion;

a downstream side branch portion including the electromagnetic valve according to any one of claims 1 to 3;

a connecting portion that connects the first outlet side end portion of the electromagnetic valve of the upstream branch portion and the inlet side end portion of the electromagnetic valve of the downstream branch portion;

a downstream side cleaner unit connected to the second outlet side end portion of the electromagnetic valve of the downstream side branch portion; and

and a closing portion provided at the first outlet side end portion of the electromagnetic valve of the downstream branch portion, the closing portion preventing the cleaning medium from being ejected to the outside from the first outlet side end portion of the electromagnetic valve.

Background

Patent document 1 discloses a vehicle cleaner capable of cleaning a camera mounted on a vehicle with a cleaning liquid.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese unexamined patent application publication No. 2001-171491

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In recent years, a plurality of cameras and sensors are mounted on a vehicle. When a plurality of cameras and sensors are cleaned by the vehicle cleaner disclosed in patent document 1, it is conceivable to integrate a vehicle cleaner system including a plurality of vehicle cleaners and mount the vehicle cleaner system on a vehicle.

However, in order to realize such a cleaner system for a vehicle, it is necessary to feed a fluid from a tank in which a cleaning liquid is stored to each cleaner unit. When the piping is configured to branch from a common pipe line to each cleaner unit, a plurality of solenoid valves are required. Since a plurality of solenoid valves are mounted on a vehicle, it is required to reduce the power consumption of each solenoid valve as much as possible.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a solenoid valve that can operate with less power consumption and a cleaner system for a vehicle including the solenoid valve.

Means for solving the problems

An electromagnetic valve according to an aspect of the present invention includes:

a solenoid having a mover that moves relative to a stator;

a sealing part provided to the mover;

a biasing member that biases the seal portion;

a bellows-type sealing portion provided to the mover to prevent fluid from flowing into the solenoid;

a first pipe having an inlet-side end on an upstream side and a first outlet-side end on a downstream side; and

a second pipe having a second outlet-side end portion on a downstream side,

the sealing portion is formed as a lip having an outer diameter wider than an outer diameter of the mover,

a bracket which can be tightly attached to the sealing part and can move between a first position and a second position is arranged in the second pipeline,

a merging portion where the first pipe line and the second pipe line merge is provided at a position upstream of the seat of the second pipe line,

a retention section in which the fluid can be retained is provided between the bracket and the second outlet-side end portion of the second line.

In the first state, the fluid flowing in from the inlet-side end portion is allowed to flow to the first outlet-side end portion, while the pressing force by the urging member and the pressure of the fluid at the joining portion act to press the socket toward the first position and press the sealing portion against the socket, so that the sealing portion is closely adhered to the socket at the first position, and the fluid is not allowed to flow to the second outlet-side end portion,

in a second state, the sealing portion is separated from the holder by the movement of the mover, and the fluid flowing in from the inlet-side end portion is allowed to flow to the retention portion through between the sealing portion and the holder,

in the third state, the pressure of the fluid in the retention section acts to move the bracket to the second position, and the bracket is separated from the retention section, thereby allowing the fluid flowing in from the inlet-side end portion to flow to the second outlet-side end portion via between the bracket and the retention section.

A cleaner system for a vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention includes:

an upstream side branch portion including the electromagnetic valve;

a tank connected to the inlet-side end of the electromagnetic valve of the upstream branch portion and storing a cleaning medium;

an upstream side cleaner unit connected to the second outlet side end portion of the electromagnetic valve of the upstream side branch portion;

a downstream branch portion that includes the electromagnetic valve;

a connecting portion that connects the first outlet side end portion of the electromagnetic valve of the upstream branch portion and the inlet side end portion of the electromagnetic valve of the downstream branch portion;

a downstream side cleaner unit connected to the second outlet side end portion of the electromagnetic valve of the downstream side branch portion; and

and a closing portion provided at the first outlet side end portion of the electromagnetic valve of the downstream branch portion, the closing portion preventing the cleaning medium from being ejected to the outside from the first outlet side end portion of the electromagnetic valve.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, there are provided a solenoid valve that can operate with less power consumption, and a cleaner system for a vehicle having the solenoid valve.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle mounted with a cleaner system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a vehicle system.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a cleaner system.

Fig. 4 is a front view of a first solenoid valve according to the embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the first solenoid valve.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of fig. 5 in the first state.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line V-V of fig. 4 in the first state.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of fig. 5 in the second state.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along line V-V of fig. 4 in the second state.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along line V-V of fig. 4 in the third state.

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a case where the eighth to tenth solenoid valves are connected to the rear pump, the rear camera cleaner, the rear LC, and the rear WW.

Description of the reference numerals

1: a vehicle; 2: a vehicle system; 3: a vehicle control unit; 21-30: an electromagnetic valve; 40: a first pipeline; 41: an inlet-side end portion; 42: a first outlet side end portion; 43: an opening part; 50: a second pipeline; 51: an accommodating portion; 52: an upstream portion; 53: a downstream portion; 54: a second outlet side end portion; 56: a sealing part; 56 a: a telescopic part; 57: a bracket; 57 a: a through hole; 57 b: an accommodating portion; 58: an elastic sealing portion; 58 a: an opening part; 60: a solenoid; 61: a coil (one example of a stator); 62: a mover; 63: a magnetic yoke; 64: a spring (one example of the urging member); 65: a sealing part; 65 a: a protrusion; 71: an upstream-side branch portion; 72: a connecting portion; 73: a downstream branch portion; 74: a closing part; 100: cleaner systems (cleaner systems for vehicles); 101-109 b: a cleaner; 111: a front tank; 112: a front pump; 113: a rear tank; 114: a rear pump; 116: a cleaner control section.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that members having the same reference numerals as those already described in the description of the present embodiment are not described for convenience of description. For convenience of explanation, the dimensions of the respective members shown in the drawings may be different from the actual dimensions of the respective members.

In the description of the present embodiment, for convenience of description, the terms "left-right direction", "front-back direction", and "up-down direction" will be appropriately mentioned. These directions are relative directions set for the vehicle 1 shown in fig. 1. Here, the "up-down direction" is a direction including "up" and "down". The "front-rear direction" is a direction including "front" and "rear". The "left-right direction" is a direction including "left" and "right".

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle 1 mounted with a vehicle cleaner system 100 (hereinafter, referred to as a cleaner system 100) according to the present embodiment. The vehicle 1 is provided with a cleaner system 100. In the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 is an automobile capable of traveling in an automatic driving mode.

First, the vehicle system 2 of the vehicle 1 will be described with reference to fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of the vehicle system 2. As shown in fig. 2, the vehicle System 2 includes a vehicle control unit 3, an internal sensor 5, an external sensor 6, a vehicle lamp 7, an HMI8(Human Machine Interface), a GPS9(Global Positioning System), a wireless communication unit 10, and a map information storage unit 11. The vehicle system 2 further includes a steering actuator 12, a steering device 13, a brake actuator 14, a brake device 15, an acceleration actuator 16, and an accelerator device 17.

The vehicle control unit 3 is constituted by an Electronic Control Unit (ECU). The vehicle control Unit 3 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which various vehicle control programs are stored, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) in which various vehicle control data are temporarily stored. The processor is configured to load a program designated from various vehicle control programs stored in the ROM onto the RAM, and to execute various processes in cooperation with the RAM. The vehicle control unit 3 is configured to control the traveling of the vehicle 1.

The interior sensor 5 is a sensor capable of acquiring information of the own vehicle. The internal sensor 5 is at least one of an acceleration sensor, a speed sensor, a wheel speed sensor, a gyro sensor, and the like, for example. The internal sensor 5 is configured to acquire information of the vehicle including the traveling state of the vehicle 1 and output the information to the vehicle control unit 3.

The interior sensor 5 may include a seating sensor for detecting whether the driver is sitting in the driver's seat, a face direction sensor for detecting the direction of the face of the driver, a human body sensor for detecting whether the vehicle is occupied, and the like.

The external sensor 6 is a sensor capable of acquiring information outside the vehicle. The external sensor is, for example, at least one of a video camera, radar, optical radar (LiDAR), and the like. The external sensor 6 is configured to acquire information on the outside of the host vehicle including the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 (other vehicles, pedestrians, road shapes, traffic signs, obstacles, and the like), and output the information to the vehicle control unit 3. Alternatively, the external sensor 6 may include a weather sensor for detecting a weather state, an illuminance sensor for detecting illuminance in the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1, or the like.

The camera includes an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (complementary MOS). The camera is a camera for detecting visible light or an infrared camera for detecting infrared light.

The radar is a millimeter wave radar, a microwave radar, a laser radar, or the like.

Optical radar (LiDAR) is short for Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging. Optical radar (LiDAR) is a sensor that generally emits invisible light forward and acquires information such as a distance to an object, a shape of the object, and a material of the object based on the emitted light and the return light.

The lamp 7 is at least one of a headlamp provided at the front of the vehicle 1, a position lamp, a rear combination lamp provided at the rear of the vehicle 1, a turn signal lamp provided at the front or side of the vehicle, various lamps for notifying drivers of pedestrians and other vehicles of the status of the own vehicle, and the like.

The HMI8 is constituted by an input unit that receives an input operation from the driver, and an output unit that outputs travel information and the like to the driver. The input unit includes a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a driving mode switching switch for switching the driving mode of the vehicle 1, and the like. The output unit is a display for displaying various kinds of travel information.

The GPS9 is configured to acquire current position information of the vehicle 1 and output the acquired current position information to the vehicle control unit 3. The wireless communication unit 10 is configured to receive traveling information of another vehicle located around the vehicle 1 from another vehicle and transmit the traveling information of the vehicle 1 to the other vehicle (inter-vehicle communication). The wireless communication unit 10 is configured to receive infrastructure information from infrastructure equipment such as traffic lights and beacon lights and transmit traveling information of the vehicle 1 to the infrastructure equipment (road-to-vehicle communication). The map information storage unit 11 is an external storage device such as a hard disk drive that stores map information, and outputs the map information to the vehicle control unit 3.

When the vehicle 1 travels in the automatic driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 automatically generates at least one of a steering control signal, an acceleration control signal, and a braking control signal based on the travel state information, the surrounding environment information, the current position information, the map information, and the like. The steering actuator 12 is configured to receive a steering control signal from the vehicle control unit 3 and control the steering device 13 based on the received steering control signal. The brake actuator 14 is configured to receive a brake control signal from the vehicle control unit 3 and control the brake device 15 based on the received brake control signal. The acceleration actuator 16 is configured to receive an acceleration control signal from the vehicle control unit 3 and control the acceleration device 17 based on the received acceleration control signal. In this manner, in the automatic driving mode, the travel of the vehicle 1 is automatically controlled by the vehicle system 2.

On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 travels in the manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit 3 generates a steering control signal, an acceleration control signal, and a braking control signal in accordance with manual operations of an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a steering wheel by the driver. In this manner, in the manual driving mode, the steering control signal, the acceleration control signal, and the braking control signal are generated in accordance with the manual operation by the driver, and therefore the driver controls the traveling of the vehicle 1.

Next, the driving mode of the vehicle 1 will be described. The driving modes include an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode. The automatic driving mode includes a full automatic driving mode, a high driving assistance mode, and a driving assistance mode. In the full-automatic driving mode, the vehicle system 2 automatically performs all the travel controls of the steering control, the braking control, and the acceleration control while the driver is not in a state in which the vehicle 1 can be driven. In the high driving assist mode, the vehicle system 2 automatically performs all the travel controls of the steering control, the braking control, and the acceleration control while the driver is in a state in which the vehicle 1 can be driven but the vehicle 1 is not driven. In the driving assistance mode, the vehicle system 2 automatically performs a part of the travel control of the steering control, the braking control, and the acceleration control, while the driver drives the vehicle 1 with the driving assistance of the vehicle system 2. On the other hand, in the manual driving mode, the vehicle system 2 does not automatically perform the travel control while the driver drives the vehicle 1 without the driving assistance of the vehicle system 2.

In addition, the driving mode of the vehicle 1 may be switched by operating a driving mode switching switch. In this case, the vehicle control unit 3 switches the driving mode of the vehicle 1 among four driving modes (full-automatic driving mode, high driving assistance mode, manual driving mode) in accordance with the operation of the driving mode switching switch by the driver. Further, the driving mode of the vehicle 1 may be automatically switched based on information on a travelable section in which the autonomous vehicle can travel, a travel prohibited section in which the autonomous vehicle is prohibited from traveling, or information on an external weather state. In this case, the vehicle control unit 3 switches the driving mode of the vehicle 1 based on the above information. Further, the driving mode of the vehicle 1 may be automatically switched by using a seating sensor, a face direction sensor, or the like. In this case, the vehicle control unit 3 switches the driving mode of the vehicle 1 based on the output signals from the seating sensor and the face direction sensor.

Returning to fig. 1, the vehicle 1 has a front optical radar 6f, a rear optical radar 6b, a right optical radar 6r, a left optical radar 6l, a front camera 6c, and a rear camera 6d as the external sensor 6. The front optical radar 6f is configured to acquire information in front of the vehicle 1. The rear optical radar 6b is configured to acquire information behind the vehicle 1. The right optical radar 6r is configured to acquire information on the right side of the vehicle 1. The left optical radar 6l is configured to acquire information on the left side of the vehicle 1. The front camera 6c is configured to acquire information in front of the vehicle 1. The rear camera 6d is configured to acquire information behind the vehicle 1.

In the example shown in fig. 1, the front optical radar 6f is provided in the front portion of the vehicle 1, the rear optical radar 6b is provided in the rear portion of the vehicle 1, the right optical radar 6r is provided in the right portion of the vehicle 1, and the left optical radar 6l is provided in the left portion of the vehicle 1. For example, front optical radar, rear optical radar, right optical radar, and left optical radar may be arranged in a concentrated manner on the roof of the vehicle 1.

The vehicle 1 has a right headlamp 7r and a left headlamp 7l as lamps. The right headlamp 7r is provided at a right portion in the front of the vehicle 1, and the left headlamp 7l is provided at a left portion in the front of the vehicle 1. The right headlamp 7r is provided to the right of the left headlamp 7 l.

The vehicle 1 has a front window 1f and a rear window 1 b.

The vehicle 1 includes a cleaner system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cleaner system 100 is a system for removing foreign substances such as water droplets, mud, and dust adhering to an object to be cleaned using a cleaning medium. In the present embodiment, the cleaner system 100 includes a front window cleaner (hereinafter, referred to as front WW)101, a rear window cleaner (hereinafter, referred to as rear WW)102, a front optical radar cleaner (hereinafter, referred to as front LC)103, a rear optical radar cleaner (hereinafter, referred to as rear LC)104, a right optical radar cleaner (hereinafter, referred to as right LC)105, a left optical radar cleaner (hereinafter, referred to as left LC)106, a right headlamp cleaner (hereinafter, referred to as right HC)107, a left headlamp cleaner (hereinafter, referred to as left HC)108, a front camera cleaner 109a, and a rear camera cleaner 109 b. Each of the cleaners 101 to 109b has one or more nozzles, and discharges a cleaning medium such as a cleaning liquid or air toward the object to be cleaned from the nozzles.

The front WW101 can wash the front window 1 f. The rear WW102 enables cleaning of the rear window 1 b. The front LC103 can clean the front optical radar 6 f. The rear LC104 is able to clean the rear optical radar 6 b. The right LC105 can clean the right optical radar 6 r. The left LC106 can clean the left optical radar 6 l. The right HC107 can clean the right headlamp 7 r. The left HC108 can wash the left headlamp 7 l. The front camera cleaner 109a can clean the front camera 6 c. The rear camera cleaner 109b can clean the rear camera 6 d. In the following description, the front camera cleaner 109a and the rear camera cleaner 109b are sometimes collectively referred to as a camera cleaner 109.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the cleaner system 100. The cleaner system 100 includes cleaners 101 to 109b, a front tank 111, a front pump 112, a rear tank 113, a rear pump 114, and a cleaner control unit 116.

The front WW101, the front LC103, the right LC105, the left LC106, the right HC107, the left HC108, and the front camera cleaner 109a are connected to a front tank 111 via a front pump 112. The front pump 112 conveys the cleaning liquid stored in the front tank 111 toward the front WW101, the front LC103, the right LC105, the left LC106, the right HC107, the left HC108, and the front camera cleaner 109 a.

The rear WW102, the rear LC104, and the rear camera cleaner 109b are connected to the rear tank 113 via a rear pump 114. The rear pump 114 conveys the washing liquid stored in the rear tank 113 to the rear WW102, the rear LC104, and the rear camera cleaner 109 b.

Each of the cleaners 101 to 109b is provided with an actuator for opening the nozzle and discharging the cleaning liquid to the object to be cleaned. The actuators provided in the cleaners 101 to 109b are electrically connected to a cleaner control unit 116. The cleaner control unit 116 is also electrically connected to the front pump 112, the rear pump 114, and the vehicle control unit 3.

In the cleaner system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the cleaner control unit 116 is configured to output signals for operating the sensor cleaners 103 to 106 and 109 based on the signals output from the vehicle control unit 3 to the sensor cleaners 103 to 106 and 109.

As shown in fig. 3, in the cleaner system 100 according to the present embodiment, a first solenoid valve 21 is provided between the line connecting the front pump 112 and the front WW101, a second solenoid valve 22 is provided in the line connecting the first solenoid valve 21 and the front LC103, a third solenoid valve 23 is provided in the line connecting the second solenoid valve 22 and the right LC105, a fourth solenoid valve 24 is provided in the line connecting the third solenoid valve 23 and the left LC106, a fifth solenoid valve 25 is provided in the line connecting the fourth solenoid valve 24 and the right HC107, a sixth solenoid valve 26 is provided in the line connecting the fifth solenoid valve 25 and the left HC108, and a seventh solenoid valve 27 is provided in the line connecting the sixth solenoid valve 26 and the front camera cleaner 109a, respectively.

In addition, an eighth solenoid valve 28 is provided in a pipe connecting the rear pump 114 and the rear camera cleaner 109b, a ninth solenoid valve 29 is provided in a pipe connecting the eighth solenoid valve 28 and the rear LC104, and a tenth solenoid valve 30 is provided in a pipe connecting the ninth solenoid valve 29 and the rear WW102, respectively.

The first to tenth solenoid valves 21 to 30 described above all have the same structure. Therefore, the first electromagnetic valve 21 will be described as a representative example with reference to fig. 4 to 9.

Fig. 4 is a front view of the first solenoid valve 21 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 5 is a side view of the first solenoid valve 21. As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the first solenoid valve 21 includes a first pipe line 40 and a second pipe line 50. The first electromagnetic valve 21 is capable of switching between a first state in which the cleaning liquid ejected from the front pump 112 and flowing into the first electromagnetic valve 21 is not conveyed toward the front WW101 and a second state in which the cleaning liquid ejected from the front pump 112 and flowing into the first electromagnetic valve 21 is allowed to be conveyed toward the front WW 101.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of fig. 5 in the first state. Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line V-V of fig. 4 in the first state. As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the first line 40 of the first solenoid valve 21 extends along the first axis a. In the example shown in fig. 6, the cleaning liquid flows from the left to the right in the first pipe line 40. An inlet-side end 41 is provided at an upstream-side (left-side) end of the first pipe 40. The inlet side end 41 is connected to the front pump 112 via a pipe. A first outlet side end 42 is provided at the downstream side (right side) end of the first pipe 40. The first outlet side end 42 is connected to the second solenoid valve 22 via a pipe. The first pipe line 40 merges with the second pipe line 50 between the inlet-side end 41 and the first outlet-side end 42.

The second conduit 50 of the first solenoid valve 21 extends along a second axis B that intersects the first axis a. In the illustrated example, the first conduit 40 extends in a direction orthogonal to the second conduit 50. The cleaning liquid flows substantially downward in the second pipe 50 from above in fig. 6 and 7. The second pipe 50 is formed of three portions having different inner diameters. The three portions from the upstream side to the downstream side are referred to as an accommodating portion 51, an upstream portion 52, and a downstream portion 53. The upstream portion 52 and a part of the downstream portion 53 constitute a junction. The downstream portion 53 is connected to the front WW101 via a pipe. A second outlet side end 54 is provided at an end on the downstream side of the downstream portion 53.

The inner diameter of the case 52a of the upstream portion 52 is smaller than the inner diameter of the case 51a of the accommodating portion 51. The housing 53a of the downstream portion 53 is formed integrally with the housing 40a of the first pipeline 40. The case 53a has, on its upstream side, an outer wall portion 53a1 and an inner wall portion 53a2 formed inside the outer wall portion 53a 1. An opening 43 communicating with the first conduit 40 is formed between the outer wall portion 53a1 and the inner wall portion 53a 2. The inner wall portion 53a2 has a smaller inner diameter than the housing 52a of the upstream portion 52. The downstream side of the inner wall portion 53a2 communicates with the second outlet side end portion 54. The inner diameter of the second outlet side end portion 54 is smaller than the inner diameter of the inner wall portion 53a 2.

The solenoid 60 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 51. The solenoid 60 includes a coil 61 (an example of a stator), a mover 62, a yoke 63, and a spring 64 (an example of an urging member). The spring 64 is disposed between the yoke 63 and the mover 62. The mover 62 is linearly movable along the second axis B. The mover 62 moves along the second axis B by the energization or non-energization of the coil 61 and the elastic force of the spring 64. The spring 64 is disposed between the yoke 63 and the mover 62 in a non-compressed state in the first state. A seal portion 65 is provided at a distal end (a distal end on the opposite side to the side where the spring 64 is provided) in the moving direction of the mover 62. The seal portion 65 has a protruding portion 65a protruding in the outer circumferential direction and is formed in a lip shape having an outer diameter larger than that of the mover 62. The seal portion 65 is formed of an elastically deformable material such as rubber.

The mover 62 is disposed across the accommodating portion 51 and the upstream portion 52. A bellows-type sealing portion 56 having elasticity and airtightness is provided in the vicinity of the boundary between the accommodating portion 51 and the upstream portion 52. The sealing portion 56 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the mover 62. The sealing portion 56 prevents the cleaning liquid from entering the housing portion 51 from the upstream portion 52, while allowing the mover 62 to move in the moving direction. The sealing portion 56 is provided to prevent the cleaning liquid from flowing into the solenoid 60 in the housing portion 51. Outer diameter R1 of expansion/contraction part 56a of sealing part 56 is formed smaller than outer diameter R2 of sealing part 65.

The region between the outer wall portion 53a1 and the inner wall portion 53a2 of the downstream portion 53 constitutes a merging region where the first pipe line 40 and the second pipe line 50 merge. That is, the cleaning liquid flowing through the first pipe line 40 enters the second pipe line 50 through the opening 43 formed in the first pipe line 40. A bracket 57 is provided at the boundary between the upstream portion 52 and the downstream portion 53. The bracket 57 is provided with a through hole 57a extending along the second axis B. An accommodating portion 57b in which the seal portion 65 is accommodated is formed on the upstream side of the bracket 57.

The bracket 57 is supported by an elastic sealing portion 58 having elasticity and sealing property. The elastic seal portion 58 is fixed so as to be sandwiched between the case 52a of the upstream portion 52 and the case 53a of the downstream portion 53. The elastic sealing portion 58 is configured to be closely adhered to the peripheral edge portion of the inner wall portion 53a2 when the lower portion of the bracket 57 enters the inner wall portion 53a 2. The elastic sealing portion 58 is configured to move up and down together with the bracket 57 to allow the bracket 57 to move in the moving direction. The elastic sealing portion 58 is configured to limit the amount of upward movement of the holder 57. As shown in fig. 7, the elastic sealing portion 58 is provided with an opening portion 58 a. Thereby, the cleaning liquid introduced from the first pipe line 40 enters the upstream portion 52 through the opening 43 and the opening 58 a.

The mover 62 moves along the second axis B, so that the sealing portion 65 can move to a position closely attached to the housing portion 57B of the bracket 57 and a position spaced apart from the housing portion 57B of the bracket 57. The first state is a state in which the mover 62 is pushed by the spring 64 and moved downward. As shown in fig. 6 and 7, when the mover 62 moves downward to cause the seal portion 65 to adhere to the bracket 57, the cleaning liquid entering the upstream portion 52 is accumulated in the upstream portion 52, and the flow of the cleaning liquid from the upstream portion 52 to the downstream portion 53 is prevented.

In a normal state where the coil 61 is not energized, a force (upward force in fig. 6 and 7) tending to approach the coil 61 is not generated in the mover 62. Therefore, as shown in fig. 6 and 7, the first electromagnetic valve 21 is in a closed state in which the mover 62 moves downward by the elastic force of the spring 64 and the seal portion 65 is tightly attached to the bracket 57.

In this closed state, the pressing force of the spring 64 and the pressure of the cleaning liquid accumulated in the upstream portion 52 act to press the seal portion 65 against the housing portion 57b of the bracket 57. For example, when the movement of the cleaning liquid sent out from the first outlet side end portion 42 of the first pipe line 40 is blocked, for example, when the second electromagnetic valve 22 connected to the rear stage of the first electromagnetic valve 21 is in a closed state, the seal portion 65 is pressed against the accommodating portion 57b of the holder 57 by the pressure (hydrostatic pressure) of the cleaning liquid stored in the upstream portion 52. Even when the second electromagnetic valve 22 is in the open state, the sealing portion 65 can be pressed against the accommodating portion 57b of the holder 57 by the pressure of the cleaning liquid accumulated in the upstream portion 52 out of the total pressure of the cleaning liquid flowing through the first pipe line 40.

By closely adhering the seal portion 65 to the bracket 57, the first electromagnetic valve 21 is brought into a state (first state) in which the flow of the cleaning liquid from the upstream portion 52 to the downstream portion 53 is not permitted, that is, into a state in which the cleaning liquid discharged from the front pump 112 and flowing into the inlet side end portion 41 of the first pipe line 40 is not fed to the front WW101 connected to the second outlet side end portion 54 of the second pipe line 50.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of fig. 5 in the second state. Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along line V-V of fig. 4 in the second state. The second state is a state in which the mover 62 has moved upward in fig. 8 and 9 along the second axis B. As shown in fig. 8 and 9, when the mover 62 moves upward to separate the sealing portion 65 from the bracket 57, the cleaning liquid is allowed to flow from the upstream portion 52 to the downstream portion 53 through the gap formed between the sealing portion 65 and the bracket 57. That is, in the second state, the cleaning liquid flows from the first conduit 40 into the second outlet side end 54 via the opening 43, the opening 58a of the elastic sealing portion 58, and then the through hole 57a of the bracket 57. In the second state, the spring 64 is pressed upward by the mover 62 and is disposed between the yoke 63 and the mover 62 in a compressed state.

In a state where the coil 61 is energized, a force (upward force in fig. 8 and 9) tending to approach the coil 61 is generated in the mover 62. Therefore, as shown in fig. 8 and 9, the first electromagnetic valve 21 is in an open state in which the mover 62 moves upward while compressing the spring 64 against the elastic force of the spring 64, and the sealing portion 65 is separated from the bracket 57.

By separating the seal portion 65 from the bracket 57, the first electromagnetic valve 21 is brought into a state in which the cleaning liquid flows from the upstream portion 52 to the downstream portion 53, that is, into a state in which the cleaning liquid discharged from the front pump 112 and flowing into the inlet side end portion 41 of the first pipe line 40 is fed to the front WW101 connected to the second outlet side end portion 54 of the second pipe line 50 (that is, into a second state).

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V in fig. 4 in the third state of the first solenoid valve 21. The third state is a state in which the holder 57 is moved upward in fig. 10 along the second axis B. As described above, the inner diameter of the second outlet side end portion 54 is smaller than the inner diameter of the inner wall portion 53a2, and the step 53a3 is provided between the inner wall portion 53a2 and the second outlet side end portion 54. Thus, the inside of the inner wall portion 53a2 functions as a retention portion 59 in which the cleaning liquid can be retained.

When the first solenoid valve 21 is in the second state and the cleaning liquid enters the inner wall portion 53a2 of the downstream portion 53 from between the separated sealing portion 65 and the bracket 57, a part of the cleaning liquid is retained in the retention portion 59 without flowing toward the second outlet side end portion 54. An upward force is generated on the lower end portion 57c of the holder 57 by the pressure of the cleaning liquid accumulated in the retention portion 59 out of the total pressure of the cleaning liquid flowing through the second pipe 50. As a result, in the third state, the bracket 57 moves upward along the second axis B together with the elastic sealing portion 58, and the bracket 57 adheres to the sealing portion 65. That is, the first solenoid valve 21 is in a state (third state) in which the upper edge portion of the inner wall portion 53a2 is separated from the lower end portion 57c of the bracket 57 from the state in which the sealing portion 65 is separated from the bracket 57 as shown in fig. 8 and 9. In this case, the cleaning liquid flowing in from the first pipe line 40 flows into the retention section 59 through between the bracket 57 and the inner wall portion 53a2 while maintaining the open state of the first electromagnetic valve 21. In the third state, although a part of the cleaning liquid flowing from the first pipeline 40 into the second pipeline 50 flows into the upstream portion 52 through the opening portion 58a, since the seal portion 65 and the bracket 57 are in a close contact state, most of the cleaning liquid flowing from the first pipeline 40 into the second pipeline 50 flows into the downstream portion 53 (the retention portion 59 and the second outlet side end portion 54) without passing through the upstream portion 52.

Next, the operation of the first solenoid valve 21 from the first state to the third state will be summarized. In the first electromagnetic valve 21, in the first state where the coil 61 is not energized, the mover 62 moves downward due to the biasing force of the spring 64, and the seal portion 65 is brought into close contact with the bracket 57. The bracket 57 is pressed by the sealing portion 65 being closely adhered thereto, and moves downward along the second axis line B, and the lower end portion 57c of the bracket 57 enters the retention portion 59, and the elastic sealing portion 58 is closely adhered to the peripheral edge portion of the inner wall portion 53a 2. Thereby, the cleaning liquid is prevented from entering the downstream portion 53 from the upstream portion 52.

On the other hand, in the second state where the coil 61 is energized, the mover 62 moves upward against the urging force of the spring 64, and the seal portion 65 is in a state of being separated from the bracket 57. When the sealing portion 65 is separated from the bracket 57, the cleaning liquid flows into the through hole 57a of the bracket 57 from between the separated sealing portion 65 and the bracket 57, and flows into the retention portion 59. Next, in the third state, a part of the cleaning liquid flowing into the retention section 59 is retained in the retention section 59, and the holder 57 is pushed upward along the second axis line B by the pressure of the retained cleaning liquid. The bracket 57 moves upward along the second axis B together with the elastic sealing portion 58 supporting the bracket 57, and the elastic sealing portion 58 is separated from the inner wall portion 53a2 defining the retention portion 59. Thus, the cleaning liquid flows into the retention section 59 from between the elastic sealing section 58 and the inner wall section 53a2 after the separation, and flows into the second outlet side end 54 through the retention section 59.

When the energization of the coil 61 is stopped, the first solenoid valve 21 returns to the first state. That is, the mover 62 moves downward again by the biasing force of the spring 64, and the seal portion 65 moves downward while being closely attached to the bracket 57, and the elastic seal portion 58 closely attaches to the peripheral edge portion of the retention portion 59, thereby preventing the cleaning liquid from entering from the upstream portion 52 to the downstream portion 53 again.

As described above, the first solenoid valve 21 according to the present embodiment includes: a solenoid 60 having a mover 62 that moves relative to a stator 61; a sealing portion 65 provided to the mover 62; a spring 64 that biases the seal portion 65; a bellows-type sealing portion 56 provided in the mover 62 to prevent the cleaning liquid from flowing into the solenoid 60; a first pipe 40 having an inlet-side end 41 on an upstream side and a first outlet-side end 42 on a downstream side; and a second pipe 50 having a second outlet side end 54 on the downstream side. The seal portion 65 is formed in a lip shape having an outer diameter wider than that of the mover 62. The second pipe 50 is provided with a bracket 57 which can be closely attached to the seal portion 65 and can move between a position (an example of a first position) closely attached to the inner wall portion 53a2 and a position (an example of a second position) not closely attached to the inner wall portion 53a 2. A merging portion where the first pipe line 40 and the second pipe line 50 merge is provided at a position on the upstream side of the bracket 57 of the second pipe line 50. A retention portion 59 in which the cleaning liquid can be retained is provided between the bracket 57 and the second outlet-side end 54 of the second pipe 50. In the first state, the cleaning liquid flowing in from the inlet-side end portion 41 is allowed to flow toward the first outlet-side end portion 42, while the pressing force by the spring 64 and the pressure of the cleaning liquid staying at the joint portion (specifically, the upstream portion 52) act to press the bracket 57 downward of the second axis line B and press the seal portion 65 against the bracket 57, so that the seal portion 65 is closely adhered to the bracket 57 at a position closely adhered to the inner wall portion 53a 2. Thereby, the cleaning liquid is not allowed to flow to the second outlet side end portion 54. On the other hand, in the second state, the seal portion 65 is moved upward of the second axis line B by the movement of the mover 62 and is separated from the bracket 57, and the cleaning liquid flowing in from the inlet-side end portion 41 is allowed to flow to the retention portion 59 through between the seal portion 65 and the bracket 57. Further, in the third state, the pressure of the fluid in the retention section 59 acts to move the holder 57 upward of the second axis line B, and the holder 57 is moved to the second position separated from the inner wall portion 53a2 constituting the retention section 59. Thereby, the cleaning liquid flowing in from the inlet side end 41 is allowed to flow to the second outlet side end 54 through between the bracket 57 and the retention portion 59.

In this way, according to the configuration of the first electromagnetic valve 21, since the seal portion 65 is formed in the lip shape having the outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the mover 62, the seal portion 65 is easily subjected to the pressure of the cleaning liquid accumulated in the upstream portion 52 in the first state, and the seal portion 65 can be pressed against the holder 57 located at the first position with a small force. In the second state, the passage of the cleaning liquid from the first pipe line 40 to the downstream portion 53 of the second pipe line 50 is formed not only by the energization of the coil 61 but also by the pressure generated by the cleaning liquid accumulated in the retention portion 59. Thus, when the first solenoid valve 21 is in the open state, the mover 62 can be operated with a small amount of power consumption without setting the amount of current to the coil 61 to be large. Therefore, the solenoid 60 can be downsized, and the first solenoid valve 21 can be configured compactly.

In the first solenoid valve 21 according to the present embodiment, the outer diameter R1 of the expansion/contraction portion 56a of the sealing portion 56 is smaller than the outer diameter R2 of the sealing portion 65. Therefore, the amount of electric power required to attract the mover 62 to the coil 61 in order to open the first electromagnetic valve 21 can be further reduced, and the size reduction of the first electromagnetic valve 21 can be further promoted.

In the first electromagnetic valve 21 according to the present embodiment, the bracket 57 is supported by the elastic seal portion 58 fixed to the second pipe 50 so as to be movable between the first position and the second position. By configuring such that the bracket 57 can be moved between the first position and the second position using the elastic seal portion 58, the open/close state of the second conduit 50 can be switched with a smaller force. This can further promote the downsizing of the first solenoid valve 21.

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a case where the eighth to tenth solenoid valves 28 to 30 are connected to the rear pump 114, the rear camera cleaner 109b, the rear LC104, and the rear WW 102. As shown in fig. 11, the cleaner system 100 has: an upstream branch portion 71 including an eighth solenoid valve 28 having the same structure as the first solenoid valve 21; a rear tank 113 connected to the inlet-side end 41 of the eighth solenoid valve 28 of the upstream branch portion 71 and storing a cleaning liquid; an upstream side cleaner unit (rear camera cleaner 109b) connected to the second outlet side end portion 54 of the eighth electromagnetic valve 28 of the upstream side branch portion 71; a downstream branch portion 73 including a tenth solenoid valve 30 having the same structure as the first solenoid valve 21; a connection portion 72 that connects the first outlet side end portion 42 of the eighth solenoid valve 28 of the upstream branch portion 71 and the inlet side end portion 41 of the tenth solenoid valve 30 of the downstream branch portion 73; a downstream side cleaner unit (rear WW102) connected to the second outlet side end 54 of the tenth electromagnetic valve 30 of the downstream side branch portion 73; and a closing portion 74 provided at the first outlet side end portion 42 of the tenth electromagnetic valve 30 of the downstream branch portion 73, for preventing the cleaning liquid from being discharged to the outside from the first outlet side end portion 42 of the tenth electromagnetic valve 30. In the illustrated cleaner system 100, the connection portion 72 forms an intermediate branch portion including the ninth solenoid valve 29. The connection portion 72 may include a plurality of solenoid valves.

The first outlet side end portion 42 of the tenth solenoid valve 30 is closed by a closing portion 74. Therefore, in the tenth electromagnetic valve 30, the cleaning liquid does not flow out from the first outlet side end portion 42 in either of the open state and the closed state. In other words, it is possible to switch between permission and non-permission of the ejection of the washing liquid to the rear WW102 by switching the open state and the closed state of the tenth electromagnetic valve 30. Further, since the first outlet side end portion 42 is always closed by the closing portion 74, when the tenth electromagnetic valve 30 is in the closed state, the total pressure (pressure) of the cleaning liquid accumulated in the merging portion acts on the sealing portion 65.

As described above, the cleaner system 100 according to the present embodiment is configured by a plurality of electromagnetic valves that consume less electric power. Therefore, the cleaner system 100 as a whole can also reduce power consumption.

In addition, a plurality of electromagnetic valves may be connected to each other in order to connect the first outlet side end 42 of the upstream electromagnetic valve and the inlet side end 41 of the downstream electromagnetic valve. With such a configuration, the cleaner system 100 for a vehicle is provided which can individually switch between permission and non-permission of the supply of the cleaning liquid to the plurality of cleaners.

< various modifications >

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is needless to say that the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed in a limiting manner based on the description of the embodiments. The present embodiment is merely an example, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications of the embodiment can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present invention should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

In the above embodiment, the example in which the cleaner system 100 is mounted on the vehicle capable of automatic driving has been described, but the cleaner system 100 may be mounted on a vehicle incapable of automatic driving.

In the above embodiment, the example in which the cleaners 101, 103, 105 to 109a are connected to the front tank 111 and the cleaners 102, 104, 109b are connected to the rear tank 113 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The cleaners 101-109 b may be connected to a single tank. The cleaners 101 to 109b may be connected to different tanks.

Alternatively, the cleaners 101 to 109b may be connected to a common tank for each type of cleaning object. For example, the cleaners 103 to 106 for cleaning the optical radar may be connected to a common first tank, and the cleaners 107 and 108 for cleaning the headlamps may be connected to a second tank different from the first tank.

Alternatively, the cleaners 101 to 109b may be connected to a common tank for each arrangement position of the cleaning object. For example, the front WW101, the front LC103, and the front camera cleaner 109a may be connected to a common front tank, the right LC105 and the right HC107 may be connected to a common right tank, the rear WW102, the rear LC104, and the rear camera cleaner 109b may be connected to a common rear tank, and the left LC106 and the left HC108 may be connected to a common left tank.

In addition, the above embodiment is as shown in fig. 3. An example is described in which the front pump, the front WW, the front LC, the right LC, the left LC, the right HC, the left HC, and the front camera cleaner constitute one unit, and the rear pump, the rear camera cleaner, the rear LC, and the rear WW constitute another unit. The present invention is not limited thereto. The order of connecting the respective cleaning targets to the front pump and the rear pump is not limited to this example. In the above-described embodiment, an example in which one cleaner is connected downstream of one solenoid valve as shown in fig. 3 is described. The present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a plurality of cleaners may be connected downstream of one solenoid valve. A plurality of cleaners for cleaning the objects to be cleaned, which are often cleaned simultaneously, may be connected downstream of one solenoid valve.