Wiper system with variable holddown force
First Claim
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1. A windshield wiper system, comprising:
- a wiper pivot shaft, a wiper arm affixed to said pivot shaft to be rotated thereby, a wiper blade affixed to said wiper arm to be rotated substantially in the plane of a vehicle windshield, and a variable-reluctance motor connected to rotate said wiper pivot shaft;
a microprocessor electrically connected to receive commands and data from a master microprocessor over at least one system bus, and being electrically connected to sense the voltage across at least one winding of said motor, and having a plurality of output lines;
a plurality of transistors each connected to be controlled by a respective output line of said microprocessor, and each connected to drive a respective one of said motor windings;
an additional mechanical actuator which is mechanically positioned to apply force to an element which moves in response thereto in a direction which is at least partly parallel to said pivot shaft;
a mechanical connection from said element to said wiper arm said mechanical connection being physically separate from the location of said pivot shaft; and
spring-loaded elements positioned to apply a substantially constant force to move said wiper arm toward said windshield;
said microprocessor being programmed to dynamically vary the force applied by said actuator to optimize the force with which said wiper arm is pressed against said windshield.
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Abstract
A windshield wiper system in which a dedicated microcontroller controls not only the wiper motor, but also a solenoid which provides dynamically variable downforce on the wiper blade.
18 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A windshield wiper system, comprising:
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a wiper pivot shaft, a wiper arm affixed to said pivot shaft to be rotated thereby, a wiper blade affixed to said wiper arm to be rotated substantially in the plane of a vehicle windshield, and a variable-reluctance motor connected to rotate said wiper pivot shaft; a microprocessor electrically connected to receive commands and data from a master microprocessor over at least one system bus, and being electrically connected to sense the voltage across at least one winding of said motor, and having a plurality of output lines; a plurality of transistors each connected to be controlled by a respective output line of said microprocessor, and each connected to drive a respective one of said motor windings; an additional mechanical actuator which is mechanically positioned to apply force to an element which moves in response thereto in a direction which is at least partly parallel to said pivot shaft; a mechanical connection from said element to said wiper arm said mechanical connection being physically separate from the location of said pivot shaft; and spring-loaded elements positioned to apply a substantially constant force to move said wiper arm toward said windshield; said microprocessor being programmed to dynamically vary the force applied by said actuator to optimize the force with which said wiper arm is pressed against said windshield. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A windshield wiper system, comprising:
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a wiper pivot shaft, a wiper arm affixed to said pivot shaft to be rotated thereby, a wiper blade affixed to said wiper arm to be rotated substantially in the plane of a vehicle windshield, and a polyphase brushless motor, having electrical connections to multiple windings, and being connected to drive said wiper pivot shaft; a microprocessor electrically connected to receive commands and data from a master microprocessor over at least one system bus, and being electrically connected to sense the voltage across at least one winding of said motor, and having a plurality of output lines; a plurality of transistors, each connected to be controlled by a respective output line of said microprocessor, and each connected to drive a respective one of said motor windings; an additional mechanical actuator which is mechanically positioned to apply force to an element which moves in response thereto in a direction which is at least partly parallel to said pivot shaft; and
at least one additional transistor connected to be controlled by a respective output line of said microprocessor, and connected to drive said actuator;a mechanical connection from said element to said wiper arm said mechanical connection being physically separate from the location of said pivot shaft; and spring-loaded elements positioned to apply a substantially constant force to move said wiper arm toward said windshield; said microprocessor being programmed to dynamically vary the force applied by said actuator to optimize the force with which said wiper arm is pressed against said windshield. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A windshield wiper system, comprising:
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a wiper pivot shaft, a wiper arm affixed to said pivot shaft to be rotated thereby, a wiper blade affixed to said wiper arm to be rotated substantially in the plane of a vehicle windshield, and a polyphase brushless motor, having electrical connections to multiple windings, and being directly connected to drive said wiper pivot shaft; a microprocessor electrically connected to receive commands and data from a master microprocessor over at least one system bus, and being electrically connected to sense the voltage across at least one winding of said motor, and having a plurality of output lines; a plurality of transistors, each connected to be controlled by a respective output line of said microprocessor, and each connected to drive a respective one of said motor windings; an additional mechanical actuator which is mechanically positioned to apply force to an element which moves in response thereto in a direction which is at least partly parallel to said pivot shaft; and
at least one additional transistor connected to be controlled by a respective output line of said microprocessor, and connected to drive said actuator;a mechanical connection from said element to said wiper arm, said mechanical connection being physically separate from the location of said pivot shaft; and
spring-loaded elements positioned to apply a substantially constant force to move said wiper arm toward said windshield;a windshield washer pump, comprising at least one winding, and physically connected to pump fluid in accordance with current pulses applied to said winding; and at least one additional transistor connected to be controlled by a respective output line of said microprocessor, and connected to drive said winding of said washer pump. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification