Windshield wiper arrangement including wiper control system

• US 5,726,547 A
• Filed: 06/17/1996
• Issued: 03/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gerd Reime
• Original Assignee: Gerd Reime
• Inventors: Reime, Gerd
• Primary Examiner(s): Sircus, Brian
• Application Number:
  US08/578,683
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: 318/DIG. 2, 318/444, 318/483, 318/280, 318/281-286, 318/480
• US Class Current: 318/483
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0818 including control systems responsive to external conditions, e.g. by detection of moisture, dirt or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/551 Retroreflectance
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/43 by measuring critical angle
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/55 Specular reflectivity
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/8422 Investigating thin films, e.g. matrix isolation method
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/20 using multiple transmitters or receivers

Abstract

A windshield wiper arrangement which includes a windshield having a wiping area and a sensor-active surface on its wiping area. A wiper sweeps over the wiping area during a wiper operation. A wiper control system includes: a drive motor for driving the wiper; and a sensor system including a sensor disposed in the wiping area such that the wiper passes over the sensor n times during each wiper operation, n being equal to at least one, the sensor system further being configured for generating a sensor signal in response to an element coming into contact with the sensor-active surface on the windshield. The wiper control system further includes a signal processing device for generating the motor signal in response to the sensor signal which includes a counter arrangement having a counter for counting sensor signals generated by the sensor system thereby resulting in a counter state of the counter, the counter state of the counter further being equal to a predetermined starting value before each wiper operation. The signal processing device further includes an arrangement responsive to the counter state exceeding a predetermined threshold value for generating a motor signal for tripping each wiper operation, the threshold value being greater than n; and an arrangement for resetting the counter state to its starting value.

Claims

1. A windshield wiper arrangement comprising:

a windshield having a wiping area and a sensor-active surface on its wiping area, the windshield further defining a reflective element corresponding to the sensor-active surface and a detection side disposed opposite the reflective element;

a wiper disposed adjacent the windshield for sweeping over the wiping area during a wiper operation; and

a wiper control system operatively coupled to the wiper and including;

a drive motor for driving the windshield wiper to sweep over the wiping area, the drive motor having a control input;

a sensor system including an optoelectric sensor disposed in the wiping area such that the wiper passes over the sensor n times during each wiper operation, n being equal to at least one, the sensor system being configured for generating sensor signals in response to an element coming into contact with the sensor-active surface in the wiping area, the sensor system and the windshield further being part of a means for indicating a change in the windshield, the means for indicating comprising;

at least two measured sections for generating, reflecting and receiving radiation for measurement, each measured section including;

a radiation source disposed adjacent the detection side of the windshield for generating radiation for transmission through the windshield thereby resulting in generated radiation;

a sensor-active surface on the reflective element for reflecting at least a portion of the generated radiation thereby resulting in reflected radiation emerging from the detection side of the windshield; and

a radiation receiver disposed adjacent the detection side of the windshield at a distance from the radiation source for receiving the reflected radiation, the radiation receiver having an output for producing a detection signal representing received radiation;

a clock generator operatively coupled to the at least two measured sections for periodically actuating respective ones of the measured sections;

an adjusting device operatively coupled to the at least two measured sections for adjusting the detection signal so that, in a rest state of the sensor-active surface of each measured section, a part of the detection signal corresponding to each measured section has an average amplitude value equal to an average amplitude value of parts of the detection signal corresponding to other ones of the measured sections;

a filter circuit connected to the radiation receiver of each measured section for producing a filtered detection signal; and

an evaluation device having an input for receiving the filtered detection signal and being operatively coupled to the signal processing device, the evaluation device producing the sensor signals in dependence of a difference between parts of the filtered detection signal corresponding to respective ones of the at least two measured sections;

a regulating device including;

a signal centering stage disposed at an output of the filter circuit for receiving the filtered detection signal therefrom, the signal centering stage having;

a synchronous demodulator for scanning an amplitude value of parts of the detection signal corresponding to each actuated one of the measured sections;

a demodulation value memory operatively connected to the demodulator for storing average amplitude values of the parts scanned by the demodulator; and

a comparing device operatively connected to the demodulation value memory for generating a difference value of the average amplitude values stored by the demodulation value memory; and

a regulation signal generator connected to an output of the signal centering stage and including;

a time constant member for generating a control time constant Tr; and

a regulation signal generator operatively connected to the time constant member for generating a regulation signal Sr during time Tr from the difference value of the average amplitude values stored by the demodulation value memory, whereby the adjusting device is connected to the regulation signal generator for receiving the regulation signal therefrom, the regulation signal being effective for guiding an adjustment effected by the adjusting device such that the difference value of the average amplitude values approaches zero; and

a signal processing device having an input coupled to the sensor signals and an output connected to the drive motor for producing control signals for the drive motor in dependence of the sensor signals, the signal processing device including a counter arrangement comprising;

a counter for counting the sensor signals thereby resulting in a counter state of the counter, the counter state of the counter further being equal to a predetermined starting value before each wiper operation;

threshold means coupled to the counter and responsive to the counter state exceeding a predetermined threshold value for producing control signals for the drive motor for tripping a further wiper operation, the threshold value being greater than n; and

reset means coupled to the counter for resetting the counter state to its predetermined starting value.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the wiper control system further includes timer means coupled to the threshold means for setting a time period for each wiper operation to be a set time period t_w, the threshold means being configured such that;

if a counter state of the counter exceeds the predetermined threshold value within the set time period t_w during a wiper operation, the threshold means effects a continuous generation of control signals for the drive motor for continuously driving the wiper.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, further including an end switch operatively coupled to the wiper and to the reset means, the end switch being configured such that its actuation places the wiper in its parking position and actuates the reset means to reset the counter state to its starting value.

4. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein an absolute difference between the starting value of the counter state and the predetermined threshold value is greater than n by at least one.

5. The arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the wiper control system further includes a timer operatively coupled to the sensor system and to the reset means, the timer being configured such that:

a first sensor signal at a time when the counter state is at its starting value starts the timer running for a predetermined time period and raises the counter state, the reset means further being configured to reset the counter state to its starting value in an absence of further sensor signals during the predetermined time period;

each subsequent sensor signal occurring after the predetermined time period restarts the timer to run for the predetermined time period; and

each subsequent sensor signal occurring during the predetermined time period further raises the counter state.

6. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein:

the element coming into contact with the sensor-active surface on the windshield comprises at least one droplet;

for each sensitivity of the sensor system, the sensor system is configured for generating a sensor signal representative of at least one of a size of the droplets and a quantity thereof; and

the wiper control system further includes a sensitivity adjusting means for adjusting the sensitivity of the sensor system, after a start of each wiping operation and during a predetermined adjustment time period, from a predetermined starting sensitivity to a lower predetermined intermediate sensitivity during a predetermined time period t_v, and thereafter from the intermediate sensitivity back to a final sensitivity during a predetermined time period t₂.

7. The arrangement according to claim 6, wherein:

the sensitivity adjusting means is configured for regulating the sensitivity of the sensor system to be one of adjusted to and maintained at the intermediate sensitivity in response to the sensor signal reaching a predetermined detection threshold signal after a time period t_i has passed from the start of a corresponding wiping operation within the adjustment time period; and

the wiper control system further includes timer means coupled to the sensitivity adjusting means for setting a time interval between two consecutive wiper operations to be equal to t_i.

8. The arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the sensitivity adjusting means is configured to adjust the sensitivity of the sensor system by adjusting an amplification of the sensor signals by the sensor system.

9. The arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the sensitivity adjusting means is configured to adjust the sensitivity of the sensor system by adjusting the control time constant Tr.

10. The arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the sensitivity adjusting means includes a divider ratio control means for reducing a divider ratio within time period t₂ down to 1:

1 for adjusting a plurality of sensor signals to a single signal, the control means further setting the divider ratio back to 1 at the start of each wiping operation.

11. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein:

the counter arrangement comprises a first memory unit;

the predetermined threshold value is a first predetermined threshold value; and

the wiper control system further includes;

a signal transmitting means; and

a background memory unit operatively coupled to the counter arrangement by the signal transmitting means such that, when a given windshield condition is met, the signal transmitting means transmit a signal Sw to the background memory unit resulting in a background memory state w of the background memory unit, the given windshield condition corresponding to at least one of the counter state exceeding a second predetermined threshold value and successive wiping operations within a predetermined wiping time period exceeding a predetermined wiping threshold value, the background memory unit further comprising means for influencing a generation of control signals for the drive motor as a function of the background memory state w.

12. The arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the signal transmitting means are configured to transmit the signal Sw such that it results in a signal value Y being stored in the background memory unit, the signal value Y being smaller than a maximum memory content of the background memory unit.

13. The arrangement according to claim 11, wherein:

the element coming into contact with the sensor-active surface on the windshield comprises a plurality of droplets; and

the background memory unit is adapted to regulate continued wiping after the droplets have stopped coming into contact with the windshield.

14. The arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the means for influencing includes unloading means operatively coupled to the threshold means for unloading the background memory state w by a predetermined unloading value until w is completely unloaded.

15. The arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the final sensitivity is identical to the starting sensitivity.