Method of operating a windshield wiper

• US 5,252,898 A
• Filed: 09/30/1992
• Issued: 10/12/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Mangler, Juergen, Nolting, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro, Bentsu
• Application Number:
  US07/954,917
• Time in Patent Office: 377 Days
• Field of Search: 318/443, 318/444, 318/480, 318/483, 318/DIG. 2, 15/250.12, 15/250.17, 364/424.05, 307/9.1, 307/10.1
• US Class Current: 318/444
• 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: B60S 1/0833 Optical rain sensor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 318/02 Windshield wiper controls

Abstract

The method of operating a windshield wiper intermittently requires an apparatus including a rain sensor (12), which generates a signal (S) depending on an amount of rain on the windshield, and a signal processing device (13), e.g.a microprocessor with internal A/D and D/A converters, connected to the sensor (12) to receive the signal (S) and, a control unit connected to the signal processing device (13), and, advantageously, a device for measuring a wiping process duration (T) and inputting the duration to the microprocessor and a drive for the windshield wiper connected to the signal processing device (13). According to the method, the windshield wiper is operated by the signal processing device at least partially according to the signals (S) from the sensor so that the time interval (I) between successive current wiping processes, depends, in part, on a duration (T_-1, T_-2, . . . T_-n) of at least one past wiping process (W_-1, W_-2, . . . W_-n); in part, on a number of signals (S) received from the sensor (12) in a certain time interval F set in the signal processing device; in part, on at least one of two intervals (I_-1, I_-2, . . . I_-n) between past wiping processes (W); and also depends, in part, on at least one time interval (D₀,D_-1, . . . D_-n) between successive ones of the signals (S₀,S_-1 ;S_-1,S_-2, . . . S_-n,S_-n-1).

Claims

1. Method of operating a windshield wiper intermittently to clean a windshield using an apparatus including at least one sensor (12), a signal processing device (13) connected to said sensor so as to receive signals therefrom and a control unit for said windshield wiper connected to said signal processing device (13), comprising the steps of:

a. generating in said sensor a plurality of signals (S) with time intervals (D) between successive signals for controlling the windshield wiper (10) according to an amount of rain on the windshield,

b. inputting to said signal processing device (13) predetermined weighting factors for the time intervals (I_-1,I_-2, . . . I_n) between successive past wiping processes; and

c. operating the windshield wiper (10) with said signal processing device at least partially according to said signals (S) to provide a plurality of wiping processes (W) so that the time interval (I) between successive current wiping processes depends, at least partly, on at least one of the time intervals (I_-1, I_-2, . . . I_-n) between past wiping processes (W_-1, W_-2, . . . W_-n) and at least one of the predetermined weighting factors.

2. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of forming weighted differences between past time intervals (I_-1,I_-2, . . . I_-n) with said signal processing device (13) according to the weighting factors.

3. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of setting a lower limit for each of the time intervals (I) between successive wiping processes.

4. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of setting an upper limit for each of the time intervals (I) between successive wiping processes.

5. Method as defined in claim 1, wherein the operating is such that the time interval (I) between successive current ones of the wiping processes also depends on a duration (T_-1, T_-2, . . . ,T_-n) of at least one past wiping process (W_-1, W_-2, . . . ,W_-n).

6. Method of operating a windshield wiper intermittently to clean a windshield using an apparatus including at least one sensor (12), a signal processing device (13) connected to said sensor so as to receive signals therefrom and a control unit for said windshield wiper connected to said signal processing device (13), comprising the steps of:

a. generating in said sensor a plurality of signals (S) for controlling the windshield wiper (10) according to an amount of rain on the windshield;

b. inputting to said signal processing device (13) predetermined weighting factors for the time intervals (D₀,D₁, . . . D_-n) between successive signals (S); and

c. operating the windshield wiper (10) with said signal processing device at least partially according to said signals (S) to provide a plurality of wiping processes (W) so that a time interval (I) between successive current wiping processes depends, at least in part, on at least one time interval (D₀,D_-1, . . . D_-n) between successive ones of said signals (S₀,S_-1 ;

S_-1,S_-2 ;

. . . S_-n+1,S_-n) and at least one predetermined weighting factor.

7. Method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of forming weighted differences between time intervals (D₀, D_-1, D_-2, . . . D_-n) between successive past signals (S₀,S_-1 ;

S_-1, S_-2 ;

. . . S_-n+1,S_-n) with said signal processing device using the weighting factors.

8. Method as defined in claim 6, wherein the operating is such that the time interval (I) between successive current ones of the wiping processes also depends on a duration (T_-1, T_-2, . . . T_-n) of at least one past wiping process (W_-1, W_-2, . . . ,W_-n).

9. Method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of setting a lower limit for each of the time intervals (I) between successive wiping processes.

10. Method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of setting an upper limit for each of the time intervals (I) between successive wiping processes.

11. Method of operating a windshield wiper intermittently to clean a windshield using an apparatus including at least one sensor (12), a signal processing device (13) connected to said sensor so as to receive signals therefrom and a control unit for said windshield wiper connected to said signal processing device (13), comprising the steps of:

a. generating in said sensor a plurality of signals (S) for controlling the windshield wiper (10) depending on an amount of rain on the windshield, and

b. operating the windshield wiper (10) with said signal processing device at least partially according to said signals (S) to provide a plurality of wiping processes (W) so that a time interval (I) between successive current ones of the wiping processes, in part, depends on a duration (T_-1, T_-2, . . . , T_-n) of at least one past wiping process (W_-1, W_-2, . . . W_-n), and, in part, depends on a number of signals (S) received from the sensor (12) in a certain time interval, and in part, depends on at least one of two intervals (I_-1, I_-2, . . . ,I_-n) between past wiping processes (W_-1, W_-2, . . . ,W_-n) and, in part, depends on at least one time interval (D₀,D_-1, . . . D_-n) between successive ones of said signals (S₀,S_-1 ;

S_-1,S_-2 ;

. . . S_-n+1,S_-n)

12. Method according to claim 11, wherein the apparatus for operating the windshield wiper intermittently also includes a drive (11) for said windshield wiper (10), said drive (11) and said control unit (14) being connected to the signal processing device (13);

and wherein the windshield wiper (10), the drive (11), the signal processing device (13) and the sensor (12) and the control unit (14) are located in a motor vehicle; and

further comprising the step of determining the time intervals (I) at least partially according to a vehicle speed of the motor vehicle.

13. Method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of forming differences (T_-1 -T_-2 ;

T_-n -T_-n-1) between durations (T_-1, . . . T_-n) of successive past wiping processes ( W_-1, W_-2 . . . W_-n) with said signal processing device.

14. Method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of inputting to said signal processing device (13) weighting factors for durations (T_-1, T_-2, . . . T_-n) of successive past wiping processes and forming weighted differences between the durations of successive past wiping processes ( W_-1, W_-2 . . . W_-n).

15. Method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of setting a lower limit for each of the time intervals (I) between successive wiping processes.

16. Method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of setting an upper limit for each of the time intervals (I) between successive wiping processes.

17. Method of operating a windshield wiper intermittently to provide an intermittent operation of said windshield wiper consisting of a plurality of successive wiping processes (W_-3, W_-2, W_-1, W_-0, having durations (T_-3, T_-2, T_-1, T₀, . . . ) with time intervals (I_-3, I_-2, I_-1, I₀, . . . ) between said successive wiping processes using an apparatus including at least one rain sensor (12) for detecting a predetermined amount of rain on the windshield, a signal processing device (13) connected to said rain sensor (12) so as to receive signals (S) therefrom, a drive (11) connected to said signal processing device (13) to operate said windshield wiper, a control unit for said windshield wiper connected to said signal processing device (13) and means for determining the durations of the wiping processes located in said drive and means for transmitting said durations of said wiper processes to said signal processing device, comprising the steps of:

a) generating in said sensor a plurality of successive signals (S_-3, S_-2, S_-1, S₀, . . . ) for controlling said windshield wiper (10) according to the amount of rain on the windshield;

b) transmitting said signals to said signal processing device after said generating of each of said signals;

c) for each of said wiping processes, counting past ones of said signals over a predetermined time interval (F) for each of said wiping processes in said signal processing device (13) to form a sum;

d) controlling said drive of said windshield wiper with said control unit via said signal processing device so that said time interval between successive current ones of said wiping processes at least partially depends on said sum of said signals counted in said time interval (F); and

e) determining the time intervals (D_-3, D_-2, D_-1, D₀ . . . ) between successive ones of said signals in said signal processing device (13), and controlling said drive of said windshield wiper with said control unit via said signal processing device (13) at least partially according to said signal (S) so that the time interval between successive current ones of the wiping processes, in part, depends on a duration (T_-1, T_-2) of at least one past wiping process (W_-1, W_-2), and, in part, depends on the sum of the signals (S) determined by the signal processing unit (13), and in part, depends on at least one of two of the time intervals (I_-1, I_-2) between successive past wiping processes (W) and, in part, depends on at least one of the time intervals (D₀,D_-1) between successive past ones of said signals (S₀,S_-1 ;

S_-1,S_-2)

18. Method as defined in claim 17, wherein said means for determining the durations of the wiper processes is a final position switch.

19. Method of operating a windshield wiper intermittently to clean a windshield using an apparatus including at least one sensor (12), a signal processing device (13) connected to said sensor so as to receive signals therefrom and a control unit for said windshield wiper connected to said signal processing device (13), comprising the steps of:

a. generating in said sensor a plurality of signals (S) with time intervals (D) between successive signals for controlling the windshield wiper (10) according to an amount of a member selected from the group consisting of dirt, a moisture coating, rain and combinations thereof on the windshield,

b. operating the windshield wiper (10) with said signal processing device at least partially according to said signal (S) to provide a plurality of wiping processes (W) having a time interval (I) between successive wiping processes (W), such that the time interval (I) between successive current wiping processes depends on a number of past signals (S) generated by the sensor (12) in a predetermined time interval,

c. determining an additional time interval (F) in said signal processing device (13), the additional time interval (F) being changeable depending on the number of signals (S₀, S_-1, S_-2, S_-3, S_-4) occurring during the additional time interval (F), said additional time interval (F) being said other predetermined time interval.