Windshield wiper control system
First Claim
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1. An automatic control system for a windshield wiper mechanism driven by an electric motor comprising:
- sensing means adapted to be activated by the presence of moisture and de-activated by the absence of moisture;
capacitance means;
a first electronic control means adapted to charge the capacitance means upon each activation of the sensing means;
second electronic control means driven by the capacitance means and adapted to successively energize and de-energize the wiper motor following de-activation of the sensing means to produce an intermittent operation of the wiper motor which is sustained until the capacitance means are discharged, said first electronic control means also being adapted to energize the wiper motor continuously whenever and as long as said sensing means are or remain activated.
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Abstract
An automatic control system for a vehicle windshield wiper system which includes a plurality of sensors which are activated in response to various degrees of moisture precipitation or rain and an electronic control circuit adapted to be activated by the sensors to start and stop the wiper mechanism and also to operate it intermittently and at low or high speed in accordance with the degree of rain or moisture precipitation.
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Citations
48 Claims
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1. An automatic control system for a windshield wiper mechanism driven by an electric motor comprising:
- sensing means adapted to be activated by the presence of moisture and de-activated by the absence of moisture;
capacitance means;
a first electronic control means adapted to charge the capacitance means upon each activation of the sensing means;
second electronic control means driven by the capacitance means and adapted to successively energize and de-energize the wiper motor following de-activation of the sensing means to produce an intermittent operation of the wiper motor which is sustained until the capacitance means are discharged, said first electronic control means also being adapted to energize the wiper motor continuously whenever and as long as said sensing means are or remain activated. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
- sensing means adapted to be activated by the presence of moisture and de-activated by the absence of moisture;
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14. An automatic control system for a windshield wiper mechanism driven by an electric motor of the twospeed type comprising:
- a first and second sensing means, each adapted to be activated by the presence of moisture and de-activated by the absence of moisture;
a first electronic control means adapted to operate the wiper motor at low speed in response to activation of said first sensing means;
a second electronic control means adapted to operate the wiper motor at high speed in response to activation of said second sensing means;
means for removing moisture from each of the sensing means to de-activate the same, said last-mentioned means being adapted to remove moisture from the second sensing means at a more rapid rate than from the first sensing means so that the second sensing means is de-activated at an accelerated rate as compared with the first sensing means and is thereby rendered less sensitive to moisture than the first sensing means. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
- a first and second sensing means, each adapted to be activated by the presence of moisture and de-activated by the absence of moisture;
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24. An automatic control system for a windshield wiper system driven by an electric motor comprising:
- first and second sensing means, each adapted to be activated by the presence of moisture and de-activated by the absence of moisture, said first sensing means being more sensitive to the presence of moisture than the second sensing means so that it requires a greater amount of moisture to maintain the second sensing means activated than is necessary to maintain the first sensing means activated;
electronic circuit control means adapted to respond to activation of each of said sensing means individually to energize said wiper motor, said circuit means responding to activation of the first sensing means to produce an intermittent output and thereby operate the wiper intermittently as long as the first sensing means remains activated and responding to activation of the second sensing means to operate the wiper motor continuously as long as the second sensing means remains activated, the second sensing means being adapted to substantially immediately override the circuit means'"'"' response to the first sensing means so that whenever the moisture is sufficient to maintain the second sensing means activated the wiper operates continuously. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
- first and second sensing means, each adapted to be activated by the presence of moisture and de-activated by the absence of moisture, said first sensing means being more sensitive to the presence of moisture than the second sensing means so that it requires a greater amount of moisture to maintain the second sensing means activated than is necessary to maintain the first sensing means activated;
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38. In combination:
- a vehicle;
an electrical power source;
a windshield wiper mechanism;
a control circuit adapted to control the wiper mechanism to turn it on and off;
a control switch connected to said source and adapted to be placed in a conductive state and a non-conductive state, said control switch when in a conductive state closing a circuit between said source and said control circuit;
means for placing the control switch in a conductive state comprising a manually operable member, said manually operable member having a switch activating position, said manually operable member when in said switch activating position placing the control switch in a conducting state, said manually operable member being adapted to be momentarily actuated to said switch activating position; and
a main switch in circuit with said source, said control circuit and said control switch, said main switch when opened rendering said control switch non-conductive, said wiper mechanism being de-energized in response to the opening of said main switch, whereby when said control switch is placed in a conducting state by momentarily actuating said manually operable member and said main switch is thereafter opened, the control switch is not subsequently rendered conductive by re-closing the main switch until said manually operable member is again actuated to said activating position;
said control circuit including a parking switch which when rendered operative causes the wiper mechanism to complete the wiping cycle in progress to place the wiper blades in a park position and then open the circuit from said source to the wiper motor, said control switch when rendered non-conductive by opening of the main switch conditioning said parking switch to become operative when the main switch is again closed so that the wiper blades will complete the wiping cycle previously in progress when the main switch was originally opened and thereafter place the wiper blades in park position. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
- a vehicle;
Specification