Electricity: motive power systems – Windshield wiper controls
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-26
2004-05-11
Duda, Rina I (Department: 2837)
Electricity: motive power systems
Windshield wiper controls
C318S443000, C318S034000, C318S041000, C318S055000, C318S067000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06734644
ABSTRACT:
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-361721, which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling a wiper apparatus for wiping windshield.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, for a wiper apparatus for wiping a windshield, a wiper apparatus (an overlap-type wiper apparatus) having configuration that a pair of wiper blades are driven by separate wiper motors and areas which both wiper blades wipe are overlapped in a fixed range has been developed.
FIG. 1
shows the outline of an overlap-type wiper apparatus. As shown in
FIG. 1
, the overlap-type wiper apparatus is provided with a wiper blade
10
on a driver's seat side as a first wiper blade and a wiper blade
20
on a passenger seat side as a second wiper blade. Driving force from a wiper motor
11
on the driver's seat side as a first wiper motor is transmitted to the wiper blade
10
on the driver's seat side via a link mechanism
12
. In the meantime, driving force from a wiper motor
21
on the passenger seat side as a second wiper motor is transmitted to the wiper blade
20
on the passenger seat side via a link mechanism
22
.
Normally, the wiper motor
11
on the driver's seat side is rotated in one direction and the link mechanism
12
converts the rotational driving force to the reciprocative turning operation of the wiper blade
10
on the driver's seat side. Hereby, the wiper blade
10
on the driver's seat side is reciprocated between a starting position
2
set on the lower edge of a windshield
1
and a upper return position
3
set on one side edge of the windshield
1
.
Similarly, the wiper motor
21
on the passenger seat side is also normally rotated in one direction and the link mechanism
22
converts the rotational driving force to the reciprocative turning operation of the wiper blade
20
on the passenger seat side. Hereby, the wiper blade
20
on the passenger seat side is also reciprocated between a starting position
2
set on the lower edge of the windshield
1
and a upper return position
4
set on the other side edge of the windshield
1
.
The reciprocation of each wiper blade
10
,
20
is started from each starting position
2
, however, to avoid interference between each other, control is made so that one wiper blade
10
or
20
is moved first and the other wiper blade
20
or
10
is moved succeedingly. Generally, for operation from the starting position
2
to the upper return position
3
or
4
, the wiper blade
10
on the driver's seat side is moved first and the wiper blade
20
on the passenger seat side is moved succeedingly. Conversely, for operation from the upper return position
3
or
4
to the starting position
2
, the wiper blade
20
on the passenger seat side is moved first and the wiper blade
10
on the driver's seat side is moved succeedingly.
The wiper blade
10
on the driver's seat side wipes a first wiped area
1
A of the windshield
1
and the wiper blade
20
on the passenger seat side wipes a second wiped area
1
B of the windshield
1
. These areas
1
A and
1
B wiped by each wiper blade are set so that they are overlapped in an area
1
C hatched in
FIG. 1
(hereinafter called an overlap area).
In the overlap-type wiper apparatus having the configuration described above, each wiper motor
11
,
21
is controlled so that it is driven in synchronization with each other, however, the wiping speed of each wiper blade
10
,
20
may vary unstably due to various external or internal causes such as the dispersion of wiping resistance to each wiper blade
10
,
20
. In case the wiping speed of each wiper blade
10
,
20
varies unstably, it is supposed that the wiper blade moved subsequently catches up with the precedent wiper blade and collides with it particularly in the overlap area.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is made in view of such a situation and the object is to ensure the optimum wiping operation in which relation in order between each wiper blade is maintained and to prevent collision in an overlap area.
In the invention, the wiper apparatus adapted for a vehicle is provided with a first wiper blade for being reciprocated between a first starting position set on a lower edge of windshield and one upper return position set on one side edge of the windshield and wiping a first wiped area of the windshield, a second wiper blade for being reciprocated between a second starting position set on the lower edge of the windshield and the other upper return position set on the other side edge of the windshield and wiping a second wiped area of the windshield, a first wiper blade for driving the first wiper blade and a second wiper motor for driving the second wiper blade and configured so that each wiper blade wipes an overlap area in which the first wiped area and the second wiped area are overlapped in a state in which the wiper blades are overlapped.
In upward operation from the starting position toward the upper return position, the first wiper blade is moved in the overlap area prior to the second wiper blade and in return operation from the upper return position toward the starting position, the second wiper blade is moved in the overlap area prior to the first wiper blade.
The invention is characterized in that an output level of current to each wiper motor is controlled so that at least the following conditions (a) and (b) are met in the wiper apparatus.
(a) An output level of current to the first wiper motor is set to be higher than an output level of current to the second wiper motor when each wiper blade is moved in an area from the starting position to a predetermined first wiping position in the upward operation.
(b) The output level of current to the second wiper motor is set to be higher than the output level of current to the first wiper motor, when each wiper blade is moved in an area from each upper return position to a predetermined second wiping position in the return operation.
As described above, the preceding first wiper blade in the upward operation can be moved faster than the second wiper blade moved succeedingly by setting the output level of current to the first wiper motor to a larger value for a while since the start of the upward operation. The preceding second wiper blade in the return operation can be moved faster than the first wiper blade moved succeedingly by setting the output level of current to the second wiper motor for a while since the start of the return operation to a larger value. As a result, suitable wiping operation in which relation between the preceding and succeeding wiper blades is kept is ensured and the collision in the overlap area can be prevented.
It is desirable that the first wiping position is set in the vicinity of the trailing edge of the overlap area and it is also desirable that the second wiping position is set in the vicinity of the entry edge into the overlap area. The collision of each wiper blade in the overlap area can be more securely prevented by setting as described above.
The invention is further characterized in that the output level of current to each wiper motor is controlled so that the following conditions (c) and (d) are met in addition to the conditions (a) and (b).
(c) The output level of current to the second wiper motor is set to be higher than the output level of current to the first wiper motor when each wiper blade is moved in an area from the first wiping position to each upper return position in the upward operation.
(d) The output level of current to the first wiper motor is set to be higher than the output level of current to the second wiper motor, when each wiper blade is moved in an area from the second wiping position to the starting position in the return operation.
The wiper blade moved succeedingly is faster moved than the preceding wiper blade by controlling the output level of current to each wiper motor as described above and difference in the quantity of relative movement
Aoki Koji
Kaneko Noboru
Duda Rina I
Jidosha Denki Kogyo Co., Ltd.
McGinn & Gibb PLLC
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