Automatic vehicle wiper system

• US 7,095,199 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2005
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kikuchi, Taizo, Nakai, Masaaki, Hirose, Motohisa, Kondo, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro, Bentsu
• Assistant Examiner(s): HORN, ROBERT WAYNE
• Application Number:
  US11/225,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20060055354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: 152/500.01, 152/501.2, 152/501.3, 152/502, 152/503, 152/503.1, 151/18, 318/DIG.2
• 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: B60S 1/0896 including control systems responsive to a vehicle driving condition, e.g. speed

Abstract

An automatic vehicle wiper system including a wiper, a speed sensor which measures vehicle speed, a rainfall measuring device which measures amount of rainfall during predetermined intervals, a calculating device which calculates a wiping action frequency of the wiper as first data, depending on the amount of rainfall measured by the rainfall measuring device, a memory device which stores the first data calculated by the calculating device as second data when the vehicle speed measured by the speed sensor decreases to equal to or less than a predetermined value, and a wiping action frequency determining device which determines the wiping action frequency of the wiper by comparing the first data and the second data when the vehicle speed measured by the speed sensor becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value after it has been confirmed that the vehicle has stopped.

Claims

1. An automatic vehicle wiper system, comprising:

a wiper;

a speed sensor which measures vehicle speed;

a rainfall measuring device which measures amount of rainfall during predetermined intervals;

a calculating device which calculates a wiping action frequency of the wiper as first data, depending on the amount of rainfall measured by the rainfall measuring device;

a memory device which stores the first data calculated by the calculating device as second data when the vehicle speed measured by the speed sensor decreases to equal to or less than a predetermined value; and

a wiping action frequency determining device which determines the wiping action frequency of the wiper by comparing the first data and the second data when the vehicle speed measured by the speed sensor becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value after it has been confirmed that the vehicle has stopped.

2. An automatic vehicle wiper system according to claim 1, wherein the wiping action frequency determining device cancels the wiping action frequency based on the second data when the first data shows that there is no rainfall.