Electrical transmission or interconnection systems – Vehicle mounted systems – Automobile
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-21
2001-04-17
Paladini, Albert W. (Department: 2841)
Electrical transmission or interconnection systems
Vehicle mounted systems
Automobile
C015SDIG001, C318S483000, C318SDIG002, C340S602000, C340S604000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06218741
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for controlling automatic operation of a windshield wiper in a motor vehicle and, more particularly, to devices for controlling automatic operation of a windshield wiper with improved control means for adjusting rain sensor sensitivity.
A wiper device with a rain sensor is known on the market. It controls the wiping frequency of a motor vehicle windshield wiper as a function of the rain intensity or the wetting of a front window. This involves for instance optical rain sensors, which couple infrared or visual light from a transmitter into the window at one point, conducted along a measurement path within the window, and at a further point couple it back out of the window again at a receiver. The intensity of the light received by the receiver is dependent on the degree of wetting of the window in the region of the measurement path and is delivered as a sensor signal to an evaluator.
In addition, via a lever on the steering column, the vehicle driver manually turns on the automatic wiping function of the wiper device.
In addition, once again manually, the driver can set the sensitivity of the rain sensor via a knurled wheel on the lever on the steering column.
A disadvantage of this is that setting the sensitivity of the rain sensor via a resistance-encoded switch on the lever on the steering column entails increased effort and expense, because a potentiometer, a tap-changing circuit or a resistance circuit are additionally disposed in the lever on the steering column.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved windshield wiper control device of the above-described type which does not have the above-described disadvantage, i.e. in which a separate rain sensor sensitivity adjusting device is not required on the steering column of the motor vehicle having the rain sensor.
According to the invention the device for controlling automatic operation of a windshield wiper in a motor vehicle includes
a central electronic control unit including means for triggering wiping operations of the windshield wiper;
a rain sensor including means for detecting rain on the windshield and means for generating sensor signals for the triggering of individual wiping operations of the wiper, which is connected to the control unit in order to furnish the sensor signals to the control unit; and
sensitivity control means for adjusting rain sensor sensitivity of the rain sensor, which includes at least one display for observing the rain sensor sensitivity or parameters controlling the rain sensor sensitivity optically and buttons operable to adjust the sensitivity or at least one of the parameters controlling it.
The wiper control device of the invention has the advantage that the rain sensor sensitivity is set manually by operation of a display device with buttons that may be already present in the motor vehicle, e.g. a radio, in which the rain sensor device is provided.
Various preferred embodiments are described in more detail hereinbelow.
It is particularly preferred when the display device and buttons of a radio connected to a data bus of the motor vehicle are used to set or adjust the rain sensor sensitivity. This dual use of the radio makes it possible to dispense with a separate display or control device for the rain sensor.
Another advantage is that a multifunction display with its own buttons is used.
Another advantage is obtained because the radio and the multifunction display can additionally be used to trigger other control units in the motor vehicle, such as child locks for the rear doors, shifting points for the automatic transmission, memorized seat adjustments for different drivers, programming turn-on and turn-off times, and the temperature of an additional heater. Via a particular combination of buttons, an operating mode can be selected and data or functions of an individual control unit can be varied.
It is also advantageous that switching the radio to a programming mode and the triggering of the control units that occurs in this programming mode are done by actuating only two buttons. These buttons are preferably spaced apart from one another, so that unintentional programming will not be done. This assures a user-friendly design of the radio and thus easier control.
To evaluate the sensor signal, a signal processing stage or amplifier stage for processing and amplifying the sensor signal, and an evaluation circuit for evaluating the sensor signal with a view to triggering the windshield wipers, are typically present. Another advantage of the wiper device of the invention is that the sensitivity of the rain sensor is effected by varying the gain of the sensor signal in the signal processing stage or amplifier stage. However, it is also advantageous to set the sensitivity by varying a threshold, stored in memory in the evaluation circuit; if the sensor signal falls below the threshold or exceeds it, wiping operation is either tripped or turned off.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4859867 (1989-08-01), Larson et al.
patent: 5729105 (1998-03-01), Droge
patent: 5780719 (1998-07-01), VanDam
patent: 6057660 (2000-05-01), Meier et al.
patent: 6084519 (2000-07-01), Coulling et al.
Blitzke Henry
Braun Peter
Meier Hans
Paladini Albert W.
Robert & Bosch GmbH
Striker Michael J.
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