Electricity: motive power systems – Automatic and/or with time-delay means – Moisture content or wetness
Patent
1990-09-26
1994-04-26
Ro, Bentsu
Electricity: motive power systems
Automatic and/or with time-delay means
Moisture content or wetness
318444, 318DIG2, B60S 108
Patent
active
053069927
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention concerns a device for controlling a drive mechanism for an automotive accessory.
An effective windshield wiper system is very important both for the safety of a vehicle and the occupants of a vehicle. In modern windshield wiper systems, a number of speed levels are provided which enable the driver to adapt the wiping frequency to weather conditions. A conventional switch or hand lever on the steering column of a motor vehicle has, for example, four settings. The off-position shuts the drive motor off and interrupts the action of the windshield wipers. High and low wiping speed are provided for heavy to light rain or snowfall. In addition, many vehicles are provided with a delay control with which the wiper action can be adjusted. In various delay cycles, the wiper speed can be set so that there is a pause of 1 to 10 seconds between the back and fourth motion of the windshield wipers. The delay control makes it possible for the driver to set a selected wiper speed depending on how much he feels that visibility is impaired by the fallen moisture.
In all possibilities of the above-noted wiper systems, the speed of the back and fourth motion of the wipers is constant. A fixed pause follows each back and forth motion; said pause remains constant until the driver sets another switch position.
In most cases, however, it is difficult to find a switch position at which the windshield remains free from moisture without frequently resetting the position. The intensity of the rain or snowfall can, for example, change quickly. Moreover, when passing, water from the street can splash onto the windshield and suddenly block the driver's visibility through the windshield. A considerable reaction time is often required to set the appropriate speed so that the windshield is once again free from moisture.
In order to free the driver from these adjustment tasks, numerous methods for the automatic operation of windshield wiper motors in motor vehicles are already known, in which the moisture on the front windshield is measured optically, electrically or acoustically (German Disclosures 18 08 521, 23 04 302, 23 45 546, 32 03 091, 35 15 409, 33 14 770, DE-PS 31 44 546, EP-A-0 177 419, U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,493, U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,351, U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,237, U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,452, U.S. Pat. No. 4,317,073, AU-A-59 164/86, GB-A-1 596 050, JP 182567/86, JP 184448-9/86, JP 206255/86, JP 126340/87, JP 129749/87, JP 193954/86, JP 170638/86). The disadvantage of most of the known methods is, however, that the windshield wiper is not always actuated when required.
Furthermore, a device is known for switching an electric windshield wiper motor in vehicles on and off in response to rain, with a sensor which reacts to the wetness on the windshield of the vehicle and which produces a sensor signal having an amplitude dependent on the moisture (PCT/DE88/00374). In this case, an on-signal is only produced when there is a temporary increase in amplitude in the sensor signal which is above a preset amplitude size of the sensor signal. The disadvantage of this known device is that it brings about a new release of the windshield wiper motor when there is the slightest variation in moisture on the windshield, even though such a release might not be necessary. This disadvantage is caused by the fact that the variation of the sensor signal and the tendency of the variation are ascertained, whereas the amount of the variation is not.
Moreover, with this device, the amplitude of the sensor signals remains constant even when the wiper blades have passed over the sensor for the last time when returning to the starting position and a passing vehicle subsequently drives through a puddle and causes a heavy water splash to hit the sensor. This is a disadvantage because, even though the windshield is wet, no new start pulse is emitted for the windshield wiper motor.
A further disadvantage of the known device can lie in the fact that, if no special measures are taken, the windshield wiper stops in the middle of the windshield. If the wiper blad
REFERENCES:
patent: 3649898 (1972-03-01), Inoue
patent: 4010383 (1977-03-01), Grassmann
patent: 4317073 (1982-02-01), Blaszkowski
patent: 4463294 (1984-07-01), Gibson
patent: 4495452 (1985-01-01), Boegh-Peterson
patent: 4595866 (1986-06-01), Fukatsu et al.
patent: 4689536 (1987-08-01), Iyoda
patent: 4705998 (1987-11-01), Millerd et al.
patent: 4710878 (1987-12-01), Iyoda
patent: 4740735 (1988-04-01), Hayashi
patent: 4867561 (1989-09-01), Fujii et al.
patent: 4956591 (1990-09-01), Schierbeek et al.
patent: 4987354 (1991-01-01), Steinmann
Etablissement Voralp
Ro Bentsu
LandOfFree
Device for controlling a drive mechanism for an automotive acces does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Device for controlling a drive mechanism for an automotive acces, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Device for controlling a drive mechanism for an automotive acces will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1713946