阅读说明：本技术 清洗液分配装置和分配清洗液的方法 (Cleaning liquid dispensing apparatus and method of dispensing cleaning liquid ) 是由 朴钟旼 孔珞敬 韩胜植 李骐泓 朴珉旭 于 2020-07-29 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种清洗液分配装置,包括：多个连续形成的喷嘴单元；传输管道,其配置为穿过喷嘴单元并具有流体连接到引入部件的一端,引入部件位于传输管道的一端,并且配置为允许从清洗泵引入清洗液；多个排放孔,其配置为与传输管道中的喷嘴单元的数量相对应,并且具有基于传输管道的中心的不同角度；以及控制器,其配置为响应于用户的请求而控制传输管道的旋转角度以允许排放孔对应于喷嘴单元。(A cleaning liquid dispensing apparatus comprising: a plurality of nozzle units formed in series; a transfer pipe configured to pass through the nozzle unit and having one end fluidly connected to an introduction part, the introduction part being located at one end of the transfer pipe and configured to allow introduction of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning pump; a plurality of discharge holes configured to correspond to the number of nozzle units in the transport duct, and having different angles based on the center of the transport duct; and a controller configured to control a rotation angle of the transfer pipe to allow the discharge hole to correspond to the nozzle unit in response to a request of a user.)

1. A cleaning liquid dispensing apparatus comprising:

a plurality of nozzle units formed continuously;

a transport duct configured to pass through each of the nozzle units, and one end of the transport duct is fluidly connected to an introduction part;

the introducing component is positioned at one end of the conveying pipeline, and the introducing component is configured to allow the cleaning liquid to be introduced from the cleaning pump;

a plurality of discharge holes configured to correspond to the plurality of nozzle units in the transport duct, and having different angles based on a center of the transport duct; and

a controller configured to control a rotation angle of the transmission duct to allow the discharge hole to correspond to the nozzle unit in response to a request of a user.

2. The cleaning solution dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

an insertion member configured to engage one end of each of the plurality of nozzle units with an adjacent nozzle unit; and

a hook groove formed such that the insertion part is engaged with one end of the adjacent nozzle unit.

3. The washer fluid dispensing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller sets a position at which a discharge hole near a center of the transport pipe in a length direction is fluidly connected to the nozzle unit as an initial position.

4. The cleaning solution dispensing device of claim 1, wherein the nozzle unit is configured to be fluidly connected to at least one of a camera, a light detection and ranging device and a radio detection and ranging device, each of the camera, the light detection and ranging device and the radio detection and ranging device being located outside of the vehicle.

5. The cleaning solution dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a stepping motor disposed at the other end of the transport pipe and configured to apply a driving force to allow the cleaning liquid to move to the nozzle unit.

6. The washer fluid dispensing apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the controller determines a stall current value applied to the stepper motor and the controller determines that the transport conduit is in a restriction fault when the measured stall current value exceeds a predetermined stall current value.

7. The washer fluid dispensing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the controller is set to switch to a protection mode when the transport pipe is determined to be in the limit failure.

8. The washer fluid dispensing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller sets an amount of rotation of the transport pipe, and determines whether the discharge hole is rotated to a position corresponding to the nozzle unit, thereby determining whether a position failure occurs in the transport pipe.

9. The washing liquid dispensing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the controller determines that the transport pipe is in the position failure when a rate of change of current applied to the washing pump motor exceeds a predetermined rate of change of current in a state where the discharge hole is rotated to a position corresponding to the nozzle unit.

10. The washer fluid dispensing apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controller determines that the transport conduit is in the positional failure in the event that a rate of change of the current applied to the washer pump motor with respect to the same nozzle unit exceeds a predetermined rate of change of the current is regenerated.

11. A method of dispensing a cleaning fluid, comprising:

determining, by the controller, whether an initial condition is satisfied;

determining, by the controller, an input of a cleaning request when the initial condition is satisfied;

moving the transport pipe by the controller such that the discharge hole is located at a position corresponding to the nozzle unit;

driving a washing pump motor by the controller when the discharge hole of the transport pipe is located at a position corresponding to the nozzle unit; and

measuring, by the controller, current values applied to the wash pump motor and the stepper motor and detecting a fault.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the initial condition comprises performing an autonomous driving mode of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein measuring current values applied to the purge pump motor and the stepper motor and detecting the fault comprises: an error signal is sent to a user when the current values applied to the wash pump motor and the stepper motor are outside of a normal range.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the initial condition comprises switching the transport conduit from a set position to an initial position.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein switching the transfer duct from the set position to the initial position comprises:

moving the conveying pipeline to the set position; and

moving the transport pipe to the initial position in a state where a limited current longer than a predetermined duration is applied to the stepping motor.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein measuring current values applied to the purge pump motor and the stepper motor and detecting a fault comprises:

detecting a position failure of the transmission pipeline; and

and detecting the limit fault of the transmission pipeline.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein detecting a positional failure of the transport pipe comprises:

measuring a rate of change of current applied to the washing pump motor by the controller in a state where the discharge hole of the transport pipe is controlled to be located at a position corresponding to the nozzle unit;

determining whether the measured rate of change of current exceeds a predetermined rate of change of current in the controller;

re-determining whether the current change rate of the wash pump motor exceeds a predetermined current change rate in the same nozzle unit when the measured current change rate exceeds the predetermined current change rate; and

determining that the transport conduit is at the positional fault when it is determined that the rate of change of current exceeds a predetermined rate of change of current in the same nozzle unit.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining that the transmission pipeline is at the location failure comprises transmitting a failure message to a vehicle.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein detecting the restriction failure of the transmission pipeline comprises:

measuring a stall current value of the stepper motor;

determining whether a measured stall current value of the stepper motor exceeds a predetermined stall current value; and

when the measured stall current value of the stepper motor exceeds a predetermined stall current value, determining that a restriction fault occurs in the transmission pipeline and transmitting fault information.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein determining whether the measured stall current value of the stepper motor exceeds a predetermined stall current value comprises:

executing a stall attempt mode when a measured stall current value of the stepper motor exceeds a predetermined stall current value;

re-determining whether a stall current value of the stepper motor exceeds a predetermined stall current value; and

interrupting the stepper motor when the stall current value of the stepper motor again exceeds the predetermined stall current value.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a cleaning liquid dispensing apparatus and a method of dispensing a cleaning liquid, and more particularly, to controlling a stepping motor for performing rotation of a transport pipe and measuring a malfunction according to the control to perform cleaning liquid dispensing of the cleaning liquid dispensing apparatus including a plurality of nozzle units that are sequentially engaged.

Background

Conventionally, a washer pump system is mounted on a vehicle to selectively supply washer fluid in a washer tank to a front windshield or a rear windshield.

Since the surface of the windshield is often contaminated with foreign matter such as dust, the foreign matter such as dust on the surface of the windshield should be removed in order to sufficiently allow the driver to see through the windshield and achieve safe operation.

As described above, in order to remove foreign matter and the like on the windshield of the vehicle, the vehicle is provided with a cleaning liquid nozzle for spraying a cleaning liquid together with the wiper system.

Therefore, when the driver operates the washer switch installed in the driver seat to clear the field of view, the washer motor is operated together with the washer switch, and the washer fluid stored in the washer fluid storage tank is sprayed to the windshield through the washer fluid nozzle due to the operation of the washer motor. Foreign substances are removed by the operation of the sprayed washing liquid and the wiper, so that the driver can safely drive in a state of securing a visual field.

However, in recent years, when pollutants are attached to various devices (a camera, a radio detection and ranging device (RADAR), a light detection and ranging device (LiDAR), and the like) coupled to the outside of a vehicle for autonomous driving, a problem occurs in measuring data for performing autonomous driving. The stability of the vehicle is significantly threatened by such devices which are not capable of measuring data.

Accordingly, there is a need for a cleaning liquid dispensing device for providing cleaning liquid that is sprayed to various locations.

Disclosure of Invention

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a cleaning liquid dispensing apparatus including multiple flow paths through a single cleaning pump motor, and a method of dispensing cleaning liquid.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a washing liquid dispensing apparatus including a discharge hole of a transport duct, the discharge hole being configured to correspond to the nozzle unit and to be located at a position corresponding to each nozzle unit by rotation of the transport duct.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides a cleaning solution dispensing apparatus and a method of dispensing a cleaning solution, which can determine a position of a transfer pipe and limit a malfunction by measuring current values of a stepping motor and a cleaning pump motor.

The object of the present disclosure is not limited to the above object, and other objects of the present disclosure not mentioned can be understood by the following description, and will be clearly understood by the embodiments of the present disclosure. Further, the objects of the present disclosure can be achieved by the means described in the appended claims and combinations thereof.

A cleaning liquid dispensing apparatus and a method of dispensing a cleaning liquid for achieving the objects of the present disclosure include the following configurations.

In one exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure provides a cleaning solution dispensing apparatus including a plurality of nozzle units formed in series; a transport pipe configured to pass through the nozzle unit and having one end fluidly connected to the introduction part; the introducing component is positioned at one end of the conveying pipeline and is configured to allow the cleaning liquid to be introduced from the cleaning pump; a plurality of discharge holes configured to correspond to the number of nozzle units in the transport duct, and having different angles based on the center of the transport duct; and a controller configured to control a rotation angle of the transfer pipe to allow the discharge hole to correspond to the nozzle unit in response to a request of a user.

Also, the washing liquid dispensing apparatus may further include an insertion member configured to engage one end of each of the plurality of nozzle units to an adjacent nozzle unit, and a hook groove formed such that the insertion member engages one end of the adjacent nozzle unit.

Further, the controller may set a position at which the discharge hole adjacent to the center in the length direction of the transport pipe is fluidly connected to the nozzle unit as the initial position.

Further, the nozzle unit may be configured to be fluidly connected to one or more of a camera located outside the vehicle, a light detection and ranging device (LiDAR), and a radio detection and ranging device (RADAR).

Further, the washing liquid dispensing apparatus may further include a stepping motor disposed at the other end of the transport pipe and configured to apply a driving force to allow the washing liquid to move to the nozzle unit.

Further, the controller may determine a stall current value to apply to the stepper motor, and when the measured stall current value exceeds a predetermined stall current value, the controller may determine that the transmission pipeline is in a restriction fault.

Further, the controller may be configured to switch to the protection mode when it is determined that the transmission pipeline is in a limit fault.

Further, the controller may set a rotation amount of the transport pipe and determine whether the discharge hole is rotated to a position corresponding to the nozzle unit, thereby determining whether a position failure of the transport pipe occurs.

Further, the controller may determine that the transfer pipe is in a position failure when a change rate of a current applied to the wash pump motor exceeds a predetermined change rate of the current in a state where the discharge hole is rotated to a position corresponding to the nozzle unit.

Further, the controller may determine that the transport pipe is in a position failure when a situation in which a rate of change of the current applied to the wash pump motor with respect to the same nozzle unit exceeds a predetermined rate of change of the current is newly generated.

In another exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method of dispensing a cleaning fluid, comprising: determining, by the controller, whether an initial condition is satisfied; determining, by the controller, an input of a cleaning request when the initial condition is satisfied; moving the transport pipe by the controller so that the discharge hole is located at a position corresponding to the nozzle unit; driving a washing pump motor through a controller when the discharge hole of the transport pipe is located at a position corresponding to the nozzle unit; and measuring, by the controller, current values applied to the wash pump motor and the stepping motor and detecting a malfunction.

Further, the determination of the initial condition may include performing an autonomous driving mode of the vehicle.

Further, measuring, by the controller, current values applied to the wash pump motor and the stepper motor and detecting the fault may include sending an error signal to a user when the current values applied to the wash pump motor and the stepper motor are outside a normal range.

Further, determining the initial condition may include switching the transport pipe from the set position to the initial position.

Further, the switching of the transport pipe from the set position to the initial position may include moving the transport pipe to the set position, and moving the transport pipe to the initial position in a state where the limited current is applied to the stepping motor for longer than a predetermined duration.

Further, measuring the current values applied to the wash pump motor and the stepping motor by the controller and detecting the malfunction may include detecting a positional malfunction of the transfer pipe and detecting a restriction malfunction of the transfer pipe.

Further, detecting the position failure of the transport pipe may include measuring, by the controller, a rate of change of current applied to the washing pump motor in a state where the discharge hole of the transport pipe is controlled to be located at a position corresponding to the nozzle unit; determining whether the measured rate of change of current exceeds a predetermined rate of change of current in the controller; re-determining whether the current change rate of the wash pump motor exceeds a predetermined current change rate in the same nozzle unit when the measured current change rate exceeds the predetermined current change rate; and determining that the transport pipe is in a positional failure when it is determined that the rate of change of current exceeds a predetermined rate of change of current in the same nozzle unit.

Further, determining the transmission pipeline as being in the location failure may include transmitting failure information to the vehicle.

In addition, detecting a restriction failure of the transmission pipeline may include measuring a stall current value of the stepper motor; determining whether a measured stall current value of the stepper motor exceeds a predetermined stall current value; and when the measured stall current value of the stepping motor exceeds the preset stall current value, determining that the limit fault occurs in the transmission pipeline and transmitting fault information.

Further, determining whether the measured stall current value of the stepper motor exceeds the predetermined stall current value may include executing a stall attempt mode when the measured stall current value of the stepper motor exceeds the predetermined stall current value; re-determining whether a stall current value of the stepper motor exceeds a predetermined stall current value; and interrupting the stepper motor when the stall current value of the stepper motor again exceeds the predetermined stall current value.

Other aspects and preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are discussed below.

Drawings

The above and other features of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of example only, and thus do not limit the present disclosure, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a cleaning fluid dispensing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a coupling relationship between nozzle units of the cleaning solution dispensing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3A is a diagram illustrating an engagement relationship of a transfer pipe in an initial position state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3B is a diagram showing the engagement relationship of the transfer pipes in a state where the tunnel 2 is connected according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3C is a diagram showing the engagement relationship of the transfer pipes in a state where the tunnel 3 is connected according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3D is a diagram showing a joint relationship of the transfer pipes in a state where the passage 4 is connected according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3E is a diagram showing the engagement relationship of the transfer pipes in a state where the passages 5 are connected according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3F is a diagram showing the engagement relationship of the transfer pipes in a state where the passages 6 are connected according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating current values according to a positional fault condition of a transmission pipeline according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a graph showing current values according to a limited fault condition of a transmission pipeline according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating determining a location failure status of a transmission pipeline according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating determining a limit fault condition of a transmission pipeline according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various preferred features illustrative of the basic principles of the disclosure. The specific design features of the present disclosure, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes, as disclosed herein, will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment.

In the figures, reference numerals designate identical or equivalent parts of the present disclosure in the several figures of the drawings.

Detailed Description

It should be understood that the term "vehicle" or "vehicular" or other similar terms as used herein include motor vehicles in general, such as passenger cars (including Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks), various commercial vehicles, watercraft (including various watercraft and watercraft), aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuel from resources other than petroleum). As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle having two or more power sources, such as a gasoline powered vehicle and an electric vehicle.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Throughout this specification, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of stated elements but not the exclusion of any other elements. In addition, the terms "unit", "er", "or" and "module" described in the specification denote units for processing at least one function and operation, and may be implemented by hardware components or software components, and a combination thereof.

Further, the control logic of the present disclosure may be embodied as a non-transitory computer readable medium on a computer readable medium containing executable program instructions executed by a processor, controller, or the like. Examples of computer readable media include, but are not limited to, ROM, RAM, spectral (CD) -ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory drive, smart card, and optical data storage device. The computer readable medium CAN also be distributed over a network-coupled computer system so that the computer readable medium is stored and executed in a distributed fashion, such as through a telematics server or Controller Area Network (CAN).

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of the present disclosure may be modified in various forms, and the scope of the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the following embodiments. These embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete for those skilled in the art.

Further, the terms "component", "unit", "motor", etc. used herein denote a unit for processing at least one function or operation, and this unit may be realized by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

Further, in the description, since names of components are the same, terms such as first, second, and the like are assigned to the components to distinguish the components, but the terms need not necessarily be limited to the order in the following description.

The present disclosure relates to a cleaning liquid dispensing apparatus 100 and a method of dispensing cleaning liquid to various devices located outside a vehicle and contaminated with particles such as dust, dirt, and the like.

The device located outside the vehicle includes a camera for providing one or more of a front image, a rear image, and a side image of the vehicle, and a light detection and ranging device (LiDAR) and a radio detection and ranging device (RADAR) for receiving driving information.

More preferably, for example, LiDAR that receives driving information of a vehicle to perform autonomous driving is connected to LiDAR devices that are sensors. The LiDAR device may include a laser emitting module, a laser detecting module, a signal collecting and processing module, and a data transmitting/receiving module. A laser source is used which preferably has a wavelength in the wavelength range of 250nm to 11 μm or is capable of changing its wavelength. Further, LiDAR devices are classified into time-of-flight (TOF) type LiDAR devices and phase-shift type LiDAR devices according to a signal modulation method.

LiDAR controls LiDAR equipment and other equipment connected to LiDAR equipment (e.g., a LiDAR processor (not shown) for processing LiDAR sensing output). Such controls include, for example, power supply control, reset control, Clock (CLK) control, data communication control, memory control, and the like. Meanwhile, LiDAR devices are used to sense the area in front of the vehicle. Such LiDAR devices are located on a front surface of the vehicle interior, preferably below the front windshield, to transmit and receive laser light through the front windshield.

In addition, for example, the RADAR is connected to a RADAR device as a sensor. The RADAR apparatus is a sensor apparatus for measuring a distance, a speed, and an angle of an object using electromagnetic waves. When using the RADAR apparatus, an object on the front side up to 150m in a horizontal angle of 30 degrees may be detected using a Frequency Modulated Carrier (FMCW) method or a pulse carrier method. The RADAR controls the RADAR apparatus and other devices connected to the RADAR apparatus (e.g., a RADAR processor (not shown) for processing RADAR sensing output).

As described above, when contaminants are attached not only to the camera but also to the LiDAR and RADAR, it is impossible to receive driving environment information under autonomous driving conditions of the vehicle, and a structure of an injection device capable of injecting a cleaning liquid onto each device is required.

Fig. 1 and 2 show the configuration of a cleaning liquid ejection device of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the washing liquid spray device includes a plurality of nozzle units 110 configured to selectively spray the washing liquid onto each instrument or device to be sprayed.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, six nozzle units 110 are provided, and each of the six nozzle units 110 is configured to be fluidly connected to each instrument requiring the cleaning solution to be sprayed.

The nozzle unit 110 is positioned to include a hollow portion and includes a transfer duct 130 within the hollow portion. One end of the transfer pipe 130 includes an introduction part 120 to allow the washing liquid to be introduced into the transfer pipe 130, and the transfer pipe 130 includes discharge holes 131 corresponding to the number of the nozzle units 110 to allow the washing liquid introduced in the length direction of the transfer pipe 130 to selectively move through each nozzle unit 110.

The discharge hole 131 may be switched to a position corresponding to each nozzle unit 110 configured in the length direction according to the rotation of the transfer pipe 130. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, six discharge holes 131 are positioned in the length direction of transfer duct 130, and the six discharge holes 131 are formed to be spaced apart from each other by 60 degrees based on the central axis of transfer duct 130.

An end of the transfer pipe 130 near the introduction part 120 is engaged with the stepping motor 200. Further, according to the amount of rotation applied from the controller 140, a pulse current is applied to the stepping motor 200, and thus the transfer pipe 130 is rotated, so that the nozzle unit 110, which is fluidly connected to the instrument to be cleaned, is positioned to face the discharge hole 131. Accordingly, the cleaning liquid introduced through the introduction part 120 is discharged through the selected nozzle unit 110.

The introduction member 120 at one end of the transfer pipe 130 is configured to be fluidly connected to a washing liquid reservoir (not shown), and configured such that the washing liquid is introduced into the introduction member 120 by a water pump between the washing liquid reservoir and the introduction member 120.

Since the nozzle units 110 are disposed adjacent to and engaged with each other, the number of the nozzle units 110 may be set according to a user's selection. The nozzle unit 110 includes an insertion part 111 configured to be inserted into an adjacent nozzle unit 110, and a hook groove 112 located in the adjacent nozzle unit 110 to fix the insertion part 111.

Therefore, it is configured such that the insertion part 111 and the hook groove 112 are engaged between two adjacent nozzle units 110 to be fixed to each other.

In addition, a sealing ring 113 may be included between the insertion part 111 and the hook groove 112, so that water leakage generated by coupling between the nozzle units 110 may be prevented.

The controller 140 may measure the current values applied to the washing pump motor 300 and the stepping motor 200 and the time when the current is applied, and receive the ambient temperature value from the temperature sensor located in the washing liquid dispensing apparatus 100

Further, under autonomous driving conditions of the vehicle, the controller 140 may receive a cleaning request signal with respect to a camera, LiDAR, RADAR, or the like. More preferably, the controller 140 may be controlled to automatically spray the washing liquid to the corresponding device when the driving information measured by the camera, LiDAR or RADAR is less than a predetermined value.

Further, controller 140 may be configured to receive rotation information of transfer pipe 130 and set an initial position of transfer pipe 130. In setting the initial position of the transfer pipe 130, the controller 140 is configured to first rotate the guide 210 of the stepping motor 200 to the set position and then rotate the guide 210 to the initial position.

Therefore, when the guide 210 of the stepping motor 200 rotates, the transfer pipe 130 engaged with one end of the stepping motor 200 is configured to rotate integrally with the stepping motor 200.

Further, the controller 140 may be configured to compensate the current values applied to the stepping motor 200 and the washing pump motor 300 and the time for applying the current values according to the change of the temperature condition by the temperature sensor located in the washing liquid dispensing device 100.

As described above, since the compensation of the current value and the time of applying the current value is performed in response to the change of the temperature condition, the rpm and the torque value of the washing pump motor 300 are uniformly maintained so that the discharge pressure of the washing liquid introduced through the introduction part 120 is controlled to be constant.

Further, even when the ambient temperature of the washing liquid dispensing apparatus 100 varies, the pulse voltage and time applied by the stepping motor 200 are compensated, so that the amount of rotation of the transfer pipe 130 can be uniformly maintained.

The initial position of the transfer duct 130 may be set to a position corresponding to the discharge hole 131 corresponding to the nozzle unit 110 closest to the center of the transfer duct 130 in the length direction.

Accordingly, the transfer duct 130 is rotated in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction based on the initial position such that the selected nozzle unit 110 and the discharge hole 131 corresponding thereto face each other.

More preferably, controller 140 is configured to control the pulse input of stepper motor 200 to allow transfer tubing 130 to rotate from a set position to an initial position, and to store the controlled pulse input.

As described above, since the initial position of the transfer duct 130 is located at a position corresponding to the discharge hole 131, which corresponds to the nozzle unit 110 near the center of the transfer duct 130 in the length direction, it is configured to minimize a delay time caused by the rotation of the transfer duct 130 according to the bidirectional rotation of the stepping motor 200.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, transfer tubing 130 is configured to move from the set position to the initial position when turned on or power is applied, and thus stepper motor 200 applies pulsed power to move transfer tubing 130 from the set position to the initial position.

In order to rotate transfer pipe 130 from the set position to the initial position, controller 140 is configured to store the amount of pulse power applied from stepping motor 200 and the application time. Controller 140 is configured to perform initialization of transfer pipe 130 by applying the stored pulsed power in response to a restriction failure or a position failure of transfer pipe 130.

The controller 140 is configured to determine a position failure of the transfer pipe 130, and to measure a rate of change of the current of the wash pump motor 300 in a state where the current is applied from the controller 140 to the stepping motor 200.

The rate of change of the current of the wash pump motor 300 to be measured is a concept including the value of the applied current and the time at which the current value is applied.

As described above, when the measured rate of change of current of the wash pump motor 300 exceeds the predetermined rate of change of current, the controller 140 determines that the transfer pipe 130 is in the localized fault.

That is, when the cleaning liquid introduced through the reservoir is not discharged to the nozzle unit 110 through the discharge hole 131, the rate of change of the current applied to the cleaning pump motor 300 increases. When the current value and the current application time exceed the predetermined current change rate, the controller 140 determines that the transfer pipe 130 is in the localized fault using the current change rate applied to the wash pump motor 300.

When it is determined that transmission pipe 130 is at a localized fault, controller 140 is configured to communicate a fault status to a user.

Further, when transfer pipe 130 is not rotating due to its physical restriction, controller 140 determines that transfer pipe 130 is in a restriction failure. When a stall current value applied to step motor 200 is measured and the measured stall current value exceeds a predetermined stall current value, controller 140 determines that transmission pipe 130 is in a restriction fault. The stall current value is a current whose current value increases due to overload in the case where the motor is not movable but is powered due to a mechanical failure or external disturbance.

The stall current value of the stepping motor 200 is a concept including a current value applied to the stepping motor 200 and a time of applying the current value.

When the controller 140 determines that the transfer pipe 130 is in the restriction failure, the controller 140 resets the transfer pipe 130 from the set position to the initial position, and tries again to discharge the cleaning liquid using the same nozzle unit 110.

As described above, the stall attempt mode in which the discharge of the cleaning liquid is attempted again is a mode in which the limitation of the stepping motor is reconfirmed at regular intervals in unit time to confirm whether the limitation failure of the transfer pipe 130 actually occurs. The controller 140 is configured to apply power to the stepper motor at regular intervals for a predetermined time.

In a state where the discharge of the cleaning liquid is attempted again, when the stall current value applied to the stepping motor 200 exceeds a predetermined stall current value, the controller 140 is configured to switch to the protection mode to interrupt the driving of the stepping motor 200, and to transmit a failure to the user.

Fig. 3A shows a configuration in which the transfer pipe 130 is located at an initial position in the washing liquid dispensing apparatus 100 including six nozzle units 110.

The initial position is set such that the first nozzle unit 110a near the center of the transfer duct 130 in the length direction and the first discharge hole 131a of the transfer duct 130 are arranged at the position where the first nozzle unit 110a corresponds to the first discharge hole 131 a.

That is, when the starting or autonomous driving condition of the vehicle satisfies the initial condition, the transfer duct 130 has an initial position at a position where the guide 210 of the stepping motor 200 has an angle of 180 degrees based on the uppermost position. In response to a signal applied to the controller 140, the controller 140 controls the transfer pipe 130 to rotate in a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction, thereby controlling the cleaning solution to be discharged to the first nozzle unit 110a corresponding to the applied signal.

More preferably, the guide 210 of the stepping motor 200 is configured to recognize an angle of zero degrees based on the rib 220 located at the uppermost end, and the number of pulses stored in the controller 140 is applied to the stepping motor 200 such that the guide 210 is configured to rotate to the initial position.

Further, when a start-up or autonomous driving condition of the vehicle is used as an initial condition, the stepping motor 200 is configured such that the guide 210 is in contact with the rib 220 and then switched to an initial position, so that the amount of rotation of the stepping motor 200 can be measured without a separate sensor.

Further, the guide 210 is switched to the initial position after contacting the rib 220, and therefore, when a positional failure of the transfer duct 130 occurs due to insufficient rotation of the transfer duct 130, the amount of rotation of the transfer duct 130 can be reset based on the rib 220 and the guide 210.

As described above, the transfer duct 130 is located at the initial position such that the first nozzle unit 110a closest to the center of the transfer duct 130 in the length direction corresponds to the first discharge hole 131 a.

Fig. 3B illustrates a configuration in which the second nozzle unit 110B and the second discharge hole 131B are switched to a position where the second nozzle unit 110B corresponds to the second discharge hole 131B in a state in which the guide 210 is rotated by an angle of 120 degrees based on the rib 220.

In response to a washing request of the vehicle, the controller 140 is configured to apply a pulse voltage to the stepping motor 200 such that the transfer pipe 130 has an angle of 120 degrees based on the rib 220 to spray the washing liquid onto the second nozzle unit 110 b.

Accordingly, the transfer duct 130 is configured to be rotated to have an angle of 120 degrees from the rib 220, and is configured such that the second nozzle unit 110b faces the second discharge hole 131b corresponding thereto.

Fig. 3C illustrates a configuration in which the third nozzle unit 110C and the third discharge hole 131C are switched to a position where the third nozzle unit 110C corresponds to the third discharge hole 131C in a state in which the guide 210 is rotated by an angle of 160 degrees based on the rib 220.

In response to a washing request of the vehicle, the controller 140 is configured to apply a pulse voltage to the stepping motor 200 such that the transfer pipe 130 has an angle of 60 degrees based on the rib 220 to spray the washing liquid onto the third nozzle unit 110 c.

Accordingly, the transfer duct 130 is configured to be rotated to have an angle of 60 degrees from the rib 220, and is configured such that the third nozzle unit 110c faces the third discharge hole 131c corresponding thereto.

Fig. 3D illustrates a configuration in which the fourth nozzle unit 110D and the fourth discharge hole 131D are switched to a position where the fourth nozzle unit 110D corresponds to the fourth discharge hole 131D in a state in which the guide 210 is rotated to be in contact with the rib 220.

In response to a washing request of the vehicle, the controller 140 is configured to apply a pulse voltage to the stepping motor 200 such that the guide 210 is in contact with the rib 220 to have an angle of zero degrees, thereby spraying the washing liquid onto the fourth nozzle unit 110 d.

Accordingly, the transfer duct 130 is configured such that the fourth nozzle unit 110d faces the fourth discharge hole 131d corresponding thereto.

In contrast, in fig. 3E, the transfer duct 130 is configured to have an angle of 240 degrees based on the rib 220 such that the fifth nozzle unit 110E is fluidly connected to the fifth discharge hole 131E corresponding thereto, and in fig. 3F, the transfer duct 130 is configured to have an angle of 300 degrees such that the sixth nozzle unit 110F is fluidly connected to the sixth discharge hole 131F corresponding thereto.

That is, the guide 210 is configured to rotate at an angle of 180 degrees in the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction based on the initial position, and therefore, even when the washer fluid is discharged to the nozzle units 110 located at both distal ends of the transfer duct 130, the transfer duct 130 is formed to have only a rotation angle of 180 degrees in both directions.

Further, the controller 140 returns the transfer duct 130 to the initial position after rotating the transfer duct 130 to inject the cleaning liquid to the nozzle unit 110 that requests the cleaning, and then controls the transfer duct 130 to perform the requested cleaning.

However, although fig. 3A to 3F show one embodiment including six nozzle units 110, the rotation angle of the transfer pipe 130 and the positions of the discharge holes 131 may be set according to the number of nozzles.

Fig. 4 illustrates a rate of change of current applied to wash pump motor 300 when a positional failure of transfer pipe 130 occurs according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 4, the controller 140 receives a cleaning request signal with respect to each device located outside the vehicle through the nozzle unit 110 on the condition that the driving environment of the vehicle is autonomous driving.

In response to the received cleaning request signal, the controller 140 is configured to rotate the transfer pipe 130 by applying a pulse signal to the stepping motor 200.

Which is configured such that the washing liquid is introduced into one end of the rotating transfer pipe 130 and the washing liquid introduced into the nozzle unit 110 fluidly connected through the discharge hole 131 is discharged.

However, when the transfer pipe 130 is not rotated to the corresponding position where the discharge hole 131 is fluidly connected to the nozzle unit 110, the current value applied to the washing pump motor 300 and the time for applying the current value exceed the variation value of the current predetermined in the controller 140.

Accordingly, the controller 140 measures the applied current value and the time of applying the current value as the change rate of the current of the wash pump motor 300, and when the change rate of the current exceeds a predetermined change rate of the current, the controller 140 determines that the transfer pipe 130 is in the position failure.

When it is determined that transmission pipe 130 is in a positional failure, controller 140 is configured to transmit the failure to the vehicle to provide an alert to the user.

Fig. 5 illustrates stall current values applied to stepper motor 200 to determine a limit fault of transmission pipe 130 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Controller 140 determines whether transfer tube 130 is restricted due to transfer tube 130 becoming stuck to the housing or due to a jam between stepper motor 200 and transfer tube 130.

The controller 140 is configured to measure a stall current value applied to the stepper motor 200. The stall current value is a concept including a current applied to the stepping motor 200 and a time of applying the current.

As shown in fig. 5, the stall current value measured from the stepping motor 200 is applied as a current less than or equal to the current value predetermined in the controller 140 in the normal operation section. However, when the restriction of conveying pipe 130 occurs, it is shown that the current value applied to step motor 200 and the application time of the current value exceed the reference values predetermined in controller 140 according to the rotation of conveying pipe 130.

When the stall current value of stepper motor 200 exceeds the predetermined stall current value, controller 140 is configured to determine that transfer tube 130 is in a restriction fault, interrupt the drive of stepper motor 200, and release the position initialization of guide 210.

As described above, controller 140 determines whether transmission pipe 130 is restricted, and measures the stall current value applied to stepper motor 200 to allow rotation of transmission pipe 130 to be performed, thereby determining whether a restriction failure of transmission pipe 130 occurs. Further, in a failure state, the stepping motor 200 and the transfer pipe 130 are controlled to interrupt the rotation thereof, so that the stepping motor 200 and the transfer pipe 130 can be protected.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart for determining a positional fault condition of transfer pipe 130 when performing a method of dispensing cleaning fluid according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the washing liquid dispensing device 100 of the present disclosure, the method includes determining whether a device cleaning request of the vehicle is applied to the controller 140 in a state where the vehicle is switched to the autonomous driving mode.

When receiving a device cleaning request of the vehicle, the controller 140 is configured to control the transfer pipe 130 to discharge the washer fluid to the nozzle unit 110 corresponding to the received request.

More preferably, the transfer duct 130 includes a plurality of discharge holes 131 corresponding to the number of the nozzle units 110, and the discharge holes 131 are positioned to be spaced at a predetermined angle based on the central axis of the transfer duct 130 such that it is configured such that the transfer duct 130 rotates and the discharge holes 131 are fluidly connected to the nozzle units 110 corresponding to the discharge holes 131 and corresponding to the cleaning request of the vehicle.

Further, transfer pipe 130 is configured to be rotated by stepping motor 200, so that controller 140 applies a pulse voltage to stepping motor 200 to control the amount of rotation of transfer pipe 130.

Then, the controller 140 is configured to drive the washing pump motor 300 to allow the washing liquid to be introduced into the introduction part 120 engaged with one end of the transfer pipe 130.

However, since the controller 140 is configured to measure the current variation value of the wash pump motor 300, the method includes determining whether the current variation value applied to the wash pump motor 300 exceeds a predetermined current variation value.

When the current variation value applied to the washing pump motor 300 is less than or equal to the predetermined current variation value, the current variation value applied to the washing pump motor 300 is continuously measured, and when the current variation value applied to the washing pump motor 300 exceeds the predetermined current variation value, it is determined again whether the current variation value applied to the washing pump motor 300 in the same nozzle unit 110 exceeds the predetermined current variation value.

In the same nozzle unit 110, when the current variation value applied to the wash pump motor 300 exceeds a predetermined current variation value, the controller 140 is configured to determine the transfer pipe 130 as being in a positional failure and transmit the positional failure to the vehicle.

That is, in the case where a load is generated on the wash pump motor 300 due to insufficient or excessive rotation of the transfer pipe 130, the controller 140 determines a malfunction in which the position of the nozzle unit 110 corresponding to the cleaning request and the position of the discharge unit 131 located in the transfer pipe 130 do not match.

In the same nozzle unit 110, when the current variation value applied to the washing pump motor 300 is less than or equal to a predetermined current variation value, the controller 140 gradually moves the stepping motor 200 in a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction, thereby sensing the current value of the washing pump motor 300.

The controller 140 terminates the logic when the current variation value of the wash pump motor 300 due to the gradual movement of the stepping motor 200 is in the normal range, and the controller 140 keeps sensing the current variation value due to the gradual movement of the stepping motor 200 when the current variation value of the wash pump motor 300 due to the gradual movement of the stepping motor 200 is out of the normal range.

When the stepping motor 200 is gradually moved, the controller 140 is configured to rotate the transfer pipe 130 by applying the pulse voltage in the minimum unit. Accordingly, when the cleaning liquid is discharged through each nozzle unit 110, the controller 140 is configured to measure a current variation value applied to the cleaning pump motor 300 and determine whether the discharge of the cleaning liquid of the corresponding nozzle unit 110 is within a normal range.

As described above, in the present disclosure, the controller 140 determines whether the discharge hole 131 corresponding to the nozzle unit 110 is controlled to be located at a position matching the discharge part of the nozzle unit 110, and when the discharge hole 131 is not controlled to be located at the matching position, the controller 140 determines that the transfer pipe 130 is in the localization failure.

Fig. 7 shows a flowchart for determining whether a limit failure of transmission pipe 130 occurs according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

The cleaning liquid dispensing apparatus 100 is configured such that the guide 210 of the first stepping motor 200 is initially switched to a set position, which is a position in contact with the rib 220, and then rotated to a start position.

Thereafter, it is determined whether autonomous driving is performed, and when it is determined that the vehicle is in autonomous driving, the method includes determining whether a device cleaning request of the vehicle is applied to the controller 140.

When receiving a device cleaning request of the vehicle, the controller 140 is configured to control the transfer pipe 130 to discharge the washer fluid to the nozzle unit 110 corresponding to the received request.

More preferably, the transfer duct 130 includes a plurality of discharge holes 131 corresponding to the number of the nozzle units 110, and the discharge holes 131 are positioned to be spaced at a predetermined angle based on the central axis of the transfer duct 130 such that it is configured such that the transfer duct 130 rotates and the discharge holes 131 are fluidly connected to the nozzle units 110 corresponding to the cleaning request of the vehicle.

Further, since transfer pipe 130 is configured to rotate due to stepper motor 200, controller 140 is configured to measure the stall current value applied to stepper motor 200 and the amount of rotation of stepper motor 200.

Thereafter, the method includes determining whether the stall current value of the stepper motor 200 exceeds a stall current value predetermined in the controller 140.

When the measured stall current value of the stepper motor 200 exceeds the predetermined stall current value, the method includes switching to a stall attempt mode and then re-determining whether the measured stall current value of the stepper motor 200 exceeds the predetermined stall current value.

The controller 140 normally drives the cleaning liquid dispensing apparatus 100 when the stall current value of the stepping motor 200 is less than or equal to the stall current value predetermined in the controller 140, or when the stall current value of the stepping motor 200 is determined to be less than or equal to the stall current value predetermined in the controller 140 by the re-determination.

On the other hand, when the stall current value of stepping motor 200, on which the re-determination is performed, exceeds the stall current value predetermined in controller 140, controller 140 is configured to interrupt stepping motor 200 and release the position initialization of transmission pipe 130.

Subsequently, the method includes transmitting the restriction failure of transmission pipeline 130 to the vehicle.

As described above, controller 140 of the present disclosure is configured to determine a restriction failure of transmission conduit 130 and a stall current value of stepper motor 200.

Further, the position failure and the limit failure of the transmission pipeline 130 shown in fig. 6 and 7 may be determined simultaneously or sequentially.

The present disclosure can obtain the following effects according to the combination of the above-described embodiments and the configurations to be described below and the use relationship.

The present disclosure has the effect of configuring a plurality of nozzle units and controlling selective positions of the transfer pipes so that the cleaning liquid is injected into the respective branches by the driving of a single cleaning pump motor.

Further, according to the present disclosure, a malfunction of the cleaning liquid dispensing device may be determined based on a current value applied to the stepping motor or the cleaning pump motor without a separate sensor configuration, so that there is an effect that assembly costs are relatively inexpensive.

The foregoing detailed description illustrates the present disclosure. Moreover, the foregoing is intended to illustrate and describe exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure may be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments. That is, substitutions or modifications may be made without departing from the scope, equivalents, and/or scope of the disclosure as disclosed in the specification, which is within the skill or knowledge of those in the art to which the disclosure pertains. The described embodiments are intended to explain the best mode for carrying out the technical spirit of the disclosure and may be variously modified in particular applications and uses of the disclosure. Therefore, this detailed description is not intended to limit the disclosure as in the disclosed embodiments. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover other embodiments.