JP2013043603A - Wiper control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wiper control device which smoothly starts Lo operation when a wiper switch is changed over from an "OFF" position to a "Lo" position.SOLUTION: A wiper control device includes a relay 12 and a control circuit. The relay 12 conducts a power source 41 and a wiper motor 21 within a predetermined standby time after a wiper switch 30 is changed over from an "OFF" position to an "INT" position. In the case when the standby time elapses in the state where the wiper switch 30 is changed over from the "OFF" position to the "INT" position, the control circuit controls a relay 11 so as to intermittently switch a state where the power source 41 and the wiper motor 21 are conducted by the relay 11 and a state where the conduction is canceled by the relay 11. In the case where the wiper switch 30 is changed over to a "Lo" position within the standby time after the wiper switch 30 is changed over from the "OFF" position to the "INT" position, the control circuit stops operation in the state where the power source 41 and the wiper motor 21 are conducted by the relay 12.

Description

  The present invention relates to a wiper control device, and more particularly to a wiper control device having a function of shifting a wiper from a stopped state to an activated state.

  In a wiper control device that wipes the front window glass of a vehicle, the energization path is turned on and off by a relay. The relay can be controlled with an analog circuit, but in recent years, in order to improve the time accuracy of intermittent operation (hereinafter referred to as “INT operation”), and to further finely link the wiper with the window washer device. In addition, control by a microcomputer (microcomputer) such as an ECU has become mainstream.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an electronically controlled wiper device using a microcomputer.

JP 2010-264787 A

  The wiper device described in Patent Literature 1 excites a relay coil to ensure conduction through the relay under the control of an electronic control unit using a microcomputer, and switches a wiper switch connected to the relay. Are switched between a low speed operation (hereinafter referred to as “Lo operation”) and a high speed operation (hereinafter referred to as “Hi operation”).

  Further, in the wiper device described in Patent Document 1, in the case of an INT operation, the wiper switch connected to the relay is in the same state as in the Lo operation, and in this state, the electronic control unit intermittently connects the coil of the relay. The power supplied to the wiper motor is controlled.

  The wiper switch moves from the “OFF” position where the wiper is not operated to the “Lo” position where the wiper is operated Lo through the “INT” position where the wiper is operated INT, and further to the “Hi” position where the wiper is operated Hi. It is designed to switch. Therefore, when the wiper switch is switched from the “OFF” position to the “Lo” position, the “INT” position is temporarily passed.

  As a result, the microcomputer outputs a signal for intermittently turning on and off the relay to perform the INT operation, and then controls the relay so that the Lo operates, and the wiper switch is switched to the “Lo” position. Therefore, there was a problem that the Lo operation was not smoothly performed.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wiper control device that smoothly starts operation when a wiper switch is switched from a stop position to an operation position.

  In order to achieve the above object, a wiper control device according to a first aspect of the present invention is connected between an in-vehicle battery and a motor that operates the wiper, and the wiper operation is performed in the order of stop, intermittent operation, and continuous operation. When the changeover switch capable of switching between the position where the wiper is stopped and the position where the wiper is intermittently operated is switched between the vehicle battery and the motor for a predetermined waiting time from the switching, When the changeover switch is switched from the position where the wiper is operated intermittently to the position where the wiper is operated continuously, the relay which maintains the state where the vehicle battery and the motor are electrically connected, and the changeover switch stops the wiper. It operates in the case of the position where the wiper is operated and the position where the wiper is intermittently operated. When the standby time has passed with the switch switched to a position where the power supply is intermittently operated, the relay intermittently connects the vehicle battery and the motor and the relay releases the connection. The relay is controlled so that the wiper is switched, and the changeover switch continuously operates the wiper within the waiting time after the changeover switch is switched from the position where the wiper is stopped to the position where the wiper is intermittently operated. When switched to a position, the control circuit includes a control circuit that stops the operation of the in-vehicle battery and the motor while the relay is in a conductive state.

  When the switch is switched from the position where the change-over switch stops the wiper to the position where the wiper is operated intermittently, the vehicle-mounted battery and the motor are connected for a predetermined waiting time, and the control circuit switches even after the waiting time has elapsed. When the switch is at a position where the wiper is operated intermittently, the relay is controlled so as to intermittently switch between a state where the in-vehicle battery and the motor are in conduction and a state where the conduction is released.

  In addition, when the changeover switch switches to a position where the wiper is continuously operated within the standby time, the control circuit stops the operation with the relay between the in-vehicle battery and the motor, and the in-vehicle battery and the motor are disconnected. The relay is not controlled to intermittently switch between the conductive state and the released state.

  As a result, when the changeover switch is switched from the position where the wiper is stopped to the position where the wiper is operated intermittently via the position where the wiper is intermittently operated, Lo operation etc. which starts the wiper continuously is started smoothly. it can.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, as in the second aspect, the standby wiper starts to move from the storage position and reverses at a predetermined position on the front window glass during the standby time. It is preferable that the time until returning to the position is shorter.

  This standby time is shorter than the time until the activated wiper starts moving from the storage position, reverses at a predetermined position on the windshield, and returns to the storage position. In the case of intermittent operation, when the wiper returns to the storage position, the wiper can be stopped at the storage position.

  In the invention according to claim 1 or 2, as in the invention according to claim 3, the relay is configured such that the in-vehicle battery and the motor are connected by the excitation coil being intermittently excited by the control circuit. When the switch is in the position where the wiper is continuously operated and the control circuit stops operating, the exciting coil is in a non-excited state. It is preferable that

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the changeover switch is in a position where the wiper is continuously operated, that is, when the wiper is continuously operated, the control circuit stops the operation and the relay Since the exciting coil is in a non-excited state, the power consumed by the control circuit and the exciting coil can be suppressed.

  According to the first to third aspects of the invention, as in the fourth aspect of the invention, the relay has a normally open contact that closes when the exciting coil is excited and a normally closed contact that closes when the exciting coil is not excited. When the wiper is operated continuously, the vehicle battery and the motor are electrically connected via a normally closed contact, and when the wiper is operated intermittently, the vehicle battery is connected via a normally open contact. And the motor are preferably conducted.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the wiper is continuously operated, the on-board battery and the motor are electrically connected via the normally closed contact in which the relay exciting coil is in a non-excited state. Power consumption can be suppressed.

  In addition, when the wiper is operated intermittently, it is mounted on the vehicle via a normally open contact that is more durable than a normally closed contact so that it can withstand the inrush current that occurs when driving a wiper motor that has been stopped. Since the battery and the motor are conducted, the durability of the relay can be improved.

It is a circuit diagram of the wiper control device concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control of the microcomputer at the time of switching the wiper switch of the wiper control apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention from the "OFF" position to the "Lo" position via the "INT" position. It is a time chart which shows an example of the correlation in the INT operation | movement of a wiper switch, a microcomputer, a relay, a wiper position, and a cam plate position in the wiper control device concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control of the microcomputer at the time of switching the wiper switch of the wiper control apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention from an "OFF" position to an "Lo" position via an "INT" position. It is a time chart which shows an example of the correlation in the INT operation | movement of a wiper switch, a microcomputer, a relay, a wiper position, and a cam plate position in the wiper control device concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention.

[First Embodiment]
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a wiper control device according to the present embodiment.

  The wiper control device of FIG. 1 includes a wiper control circuit 10 that controls a wiper, and a wiper motor unit 20 that drives the wiper.

  Further, the power for operating the wiper control circuit 10 or the wiper motor unit 20 is divided into a Hi contact 31 when the Hi operation (high speed operation) is performed, a Lo contact 32 when the Lo operation (low speed operation) is performed, an O contact 33 when the wiper is off, and the INT. There is a wiper switch 30 that switches to both the Lo contact 32 and the O contact 33 during operation (intermittent operation). The wiper switch 30 receives power from the power supply (vehicle battery) 41 mounted on the vehicle. Supplied through.

  Further, the wiper control circuit 10 is connected to a washer motor 60 that drives the window washer device and a washer switch 50 that turns on and off the power supplied to the washer motor 60. The washer switch 50 is supplied with power from the power source 41 via the ignition switch 42.

  The wiper control circuit 10 includes a relay 11, a relay 12, a relay drive circuit 13 that drives the relay 11 and the relay 12, a microcomputer 14 that controls the relay drive circuit 13, and a power supply circuit 15 that supplies power of the voltage Vcc to the microcomputer 14. Have

  The wiper control circuit 10 is supplied with power from the O contact 33, Lo contact 32, and Hi contact 31 of the wiper switch 30 via the terminal 101, the terminal 201, and the terminal 301, respectively. Further, the electric power supplied from the O contact 33 is sent to the wiper motor unit 20 via the terminal 102.

  The terminal 201 is connected to the Lo terminal of the wiper motor 21 through the terminals 202 and 203 of the relay 12 and the terminal 204, and is connected to the microcomputer 14 through the diode D1.

  The wiper motor unit 20 is attached coaxially to the wiper motor 21 that wipes the wiper and the output shaft of the wiper motor 21, and rotates according to the rotation of the output shaft of the wiper motor 21, thereby connecting the terminal 105 and the terminal 103 and the terminal 105. A cam plate 22 for switching connection with the terminal 104 is provided.

  The terminal 103 is supplied with electric power from the O contact 33 of the wiper switch 30 via the terminal 102. The terminal 104 is connected to GND. The cam plate 22 switches contacts so that the terminal 105 and the terminal 104 are connected when the wiper reaches the storage position.

  The terminal 105 is connected to a terminal 106 provided in the wiper control circuit 10, and the terminal 106 is connected to the terminal 107 of the relay 11 and is connected to the microcomputer 14 via the diode D2.

  The wiper motor 21 includes a terminal 201, a terminal 202 and a terminal 203 of the relay 12, a Lo terminal 211 to which power for operating Lo is supplied from the Lo contact 32 of the wiper switch 30 through the terminal 204, and a wiper switch through the terminal 301 and the terminal 302. A Hi terminal 311 to which power for Hi operation is supplied from 30 Hi contacts 31 and a grounded GND terminal 411 are provided.

  A switch such as a relay is not provided in the power supply path that reaches the Hi terminal of the wiper motor 21 via the Hi contact 31, the terminal 301, and the terminal 302. Accordingly, when the ignition switch 42 is turned on and the wiper switch 30 is switched to the “Hi” position and the electric power from the on-vehicle battery is supplied to the Hi contact 31, the wiper motor 21 performs the Hi operation for wiping the wiper at high speed. .

  In the relay 11, when the power is not supplied to the exciting coil L1, that is, in the non-excited state, the movable contact is switched to the terminal 107. When the excitation coil L1 of the relay 11 is excited, the movable contact of the relay 11 is switched to the terminal 110 side connected to the O contact 33 of the wiper switch 30.

  In the present embodiment, the excitation coil L1 of the relay 11 is excited in the case of the INT operation. In the INT operation, when the exciting coil L2 of the relay 12 is excited and the movable contact of the relay 12 is connected to the terminal 109 and the terminal 203, the relay driving circuit 13 intermittently excites the exciting coil L1 of the relay 11. Is done.

  In the relay 12, the movable contact is switched to the terminal 202 when the exciting coil L2 is not excited, and the wiper motor 21 is connected to the Lo contact 32 of the wiper switch 30 via the terminal 203 and the terminal 204. Power is supplied.

  Further, a wiring from the washer device is connected to the microcomputer via the terminal 601, and the microcomputer 14 is notified of the operation status of the washer device through the wiring.

  The output shaft of the wiper motor 21 is connected to a crank mechanism (not shown) that converts the rotational motion of the wiper motor 21 into reciprocating motion. The reciprocating motion by the crank mechanism is transmitted to the wiper arm to which the wiper is attached, and The wiper arm is operated to wipe the front window glass.

  The wiper moves so as to draw a substantially fan-shaped locus from the storage position corresponding to the lower end of the front window glass, and reverses at a predetermined position on the front window glass.

  In the present embodiment, the rotary motion of the wiper motor 21 is converted into a reciprocating motion by the above-described crank mechanism. Therefore, every time the output shaft of the wiper motor 21 makes one rotation, the wiper moves from the retracted position to a predetermined position on the front window glass. The movement to the position, the reverse at the predetermined position, and the operation of returning from the predetermined position to the storage position are performed.

  Next, the transition from the off state to the Lo operation state of the wiper control device according to the present embodiment will be described.

  When the ignition switch 42 is in the on state and the wiper switch 30 is in the “OFF” position, the wiper switch O contact 33 is on and power is supplied to the wiper control circuit 10 via the terminal 101. Yes.

  When the wiper switch 30 is in the “OFF” position, the power of the voltage Vcc is supplied to the microcomputer 14 via the terminal 101 and the power supply circuit 15, and the microcomputer 14 is in an operating state, but the relay control circuit 13 is controlled. Not. Therefore, the exciting coils L1 and L2 are in a non-excited state.

  When the wiper switch 30 is switched from the “OFF” position to the “INT” position, the O contact 33 and the Lo contact 32 of the wiper switch 30 are turned on, and power is supplied to the wiper control circuit 10 via the terminals 101 and 201. Is done.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the control of the microcomputer when the wiper switch of the wiper control device according to the present embodiment is switched from the “OFF” position to the “Lo” position via the “INT” position.

  In step 202, it is determined whether or not the wiper switch 30 is switched from the “OFF” position to the “INT” position, that is, whether or not the Lo contact is turned on.

  When the wiper switch is switched from the “OFF” position to the “INT” position, the signal input from the Lo contact via the diode D1 rises. By determining whether this signal has risen, the Lo contact is It can be determined whether or not it is turned on.

  If it is determined in step 202 that the Lo contact has been turned on, in step 204, counting of the standby time is started.

  During the standby time when the control of the INT operation is not started, no power is supplied to the exciting coil L2 of the relay 12, and the movable contact of the relay 12 connects the terminal 202 and the terminal 203. As a result, electric power for Lo operation of the wiper motor 21 is supplied to the Lo terminal 211 via the terminal 201, the terminal 202, the terminal 203 and the terminal 204.

  In step 206, it is determined whether or not the wiper switch is held in the “INT” position by determining whether or not the O-contact 33 of the wiper switch 30 is turned on.

  When the wiper switch is switched from the “INT” position to the “Lo” position, or from the “INT” position to the “Hi” position via the “Lo” position, the O contact is turned off, and the power supply circuit Since the power supplied to the microcomputer 14 via 15 is cut off, this control routine ends.

  Even when the power to the microcomputer 14 is interrupted, the power is supplied to the wiper motor according to the position of the wiper switch, so that the wiper motor rotates at a speed according to the position of the wiper switch.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the control for the INT operation is not performed immediately after the wiper switch is switched from the “OFF” position to the “INT” position, and the Lo operation power is supplied to the wiper motor 21. The wiper is operated Lo within the waiting time. As a result, when the wiper switch is switched from the “OFF” position to the “Lo” position via the “INT” position, the Lo operation can be started smoothly without performing the INT operation.

  On the other hand, when the O contact is on, the wiper switch is held at the “INT” position, so that the standby time has elapsed since the wiper switch 30 was switched from the “OFF” position to the “INT” position in Step 208. It is determined whether or not.

  If it is determined in step 208 that the standby time has elapsed, in step 210, the exciting coil L2 of the relay 12 is excited, and the movable contact of the relay 12 is changed from the terminal 202 (normally closed contact) to the terminal 109 (normally open contact). And the exciting coil L1 of the relay 11 is excited for a predetermined time, and the movable contact of the relay 11 is switched from the terminal 107 (normally closed contact) to the terminal 110 (normally open contact).

  As a result, the supply of electric power to the wiper motor is continued through the O contact, the normally open contact of the relay 11, and the normally open contact of the relay 12, and the wiper motor continues to rotate. Further, after continuing for a predetermined time, the exciting coil L1 is demagnetized, so that the contact of the relay 11 is switched to the normally closed contact.

  Here, the predetermined excitation time for exciting the excitation coil L1 of the relay 11 is shorter than the time required for so-called one reciprocation in which the wiper reverses from the storage position at a predetermined position on the front window glass and returns to the storage position. Cost. This is because if the predetermined excitation time is longer than the time required for the wiper to make one reciprocation, the wiper continuously operates and the wiper cannot be operated intermittently.

  When the contact of the relay 11 is switched to the normally closed contact, the power supply to the wiper motor is continued through the O contact, the contact of the cam plate, the normally closed contact of the relay 11, and the normally open contact of the relay 12, and the wiper motor Continue to rotate.

  When the wiper arm reaches the retracted position due to the rotation of the wiper motor, the contact of the cam plate is switched to the side connecting the terminals 105 and 104, the Lo terminal of the wiper motor is the normally open contact of the relay 12, and the normally closed contact of the relay 11 And the ground via the contact of the cam plate, the wiper motor is braked and the wiper motor is stopped.

  In step 212, it is determined whether or not the contact of the cam plate 22 is connected to GND. As described above, since the microcomputer 14 is connected to the cam plate via the terminal 106, the cam plate can be detected by detecting that the signal input via the contact of the cam plate and the diode D2 falls. It is possible to determine whether or not the contact is connected to GND.

  If it is determined in step 212 that the terminal is connected to the GND, a pause time count is started in step 214. Here, the resting time is a waiting time from when the wiper motor 21 is grounded and the wiping operation of the wiper arm is stopped to when the wiping operation of the wiper arm is started next.

  In step 216, it is determined whether or not the pause time has elapsed. If the pause time has elapsed, in step 218, the excitation coil L1 is excited for the same predetermined excitation time as described above.

  When the exciting coil L1 is excited, as described above, power is supplied to the wiper motor via the O contact, the normally open contact of the relay 11, and the normally open contact of the relay 12, and the wiper motor starts rotating. Then, the wiper arm wiping operation is started.

  Thereafter, by repeating the processing from step 212 to step 218, the wiper can be operated INT.

  In this embodiment, when driving the wiper motor that has been stopped during intermittent operation, power is supplied to the wiper motor drive via the normally open contact that is more durable than the normally closed contact in each relay. Therefore, the durability of the relay can be improved.

  FIG. 3 is a time chart showing an example of a correlation in the INT operation of the wiper switch, the microcomputer, the relay, the wiper position, and the cam plate position in the wiper control device according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 3, the wiper switch is in the “OFF” position until time t1, and the microcomputer is in a standby state although power is supplied. Electric power is not supplied to the relay 11 and the relay 12. The wiper motor is stopped and the wiper is in the retracted position.

When the wiper switch is switched from the “OFF” position to the “INT” position at time t1, power is supplied to the O contact 33 and the Lo contact 32 of the wiper switch. Microcomputer, Lo contact 32 via the terminal 201 detects that it is turned on, and starts counting the waiting time T _D1 from Lo contact 32 is turned on until the control for INT operation.

In the present embodiment, the waiting time T _D1 is the wiper starts moving from the storage position, reversed at a predetermined position on the front window glass, required to be shorter than the time to return to the storage position. In terms of Figure 3, the waiting time T _D1, starting from time t1, it is necessary to end at time t4 before.

If the wait time T _D1 is completed at time t4 after the wiper in the retracted position at time t4 it becomes impossible to stop.

  In addition, since the Lo contact 32 is turned on, Lo operation power is supplied to the wiper motor via the relay 12, so that the wiper starts to operate.

Furthermore, by the wiper motor is started rotating at time t1, the cam plate 22 of Figure 1 attached to the output shaft coaxial with the wiper motor also starts rotating, from the time t1 after the elapse of the cam plate contact switching time T _C The cam plate switches the contact from the grounded terminal 104 to the terminal 103 connected to the “O” contact 33 of the wiper switch.

Here, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 3, if the wiper switch is switched from the “INT” position to the “Lo” position before the time t2 when the standby time _TD1 elapses, the INT operation is controlled thereafter. In other words, the Lo operation power is continuously supplied to the wiper motor.

At time t2, since the standby time _TD1 has elapsed, the microcomputer starts controlling the INT operation.

Relay 11, the control of the INT operation is started, the exciting coil L1 shown in FIG. 1 is a predetermined excitation time _{T ON} excitation, the connection between the movable contact 107 and the terminal 108, the terminal 108 and the terminal 110 Switch to connection. In addition, when the INT 12 is started to control the INT operation, the exciting coil L2 is excited, and the movable contact is switched from the connection between the terminal 202 and the terminal 203 to the connection between the terminal 109 and the terminal 203.

  When the movable contact of the relay 12 is switched from the connection between the terminal 202 and the terminal 203 to the connection between the terminal 109 and the terminal 203, the supply of power from the Lo contact 32 to the wiper motor is stopped.

  However, since the terminal 109 of the relay 12 is connected to the terminal 108 of the relay 11, the movable contact of the relay 11 connects the terminal 108 and the terminal 110, and the movable contact of the relay 12 connects the terminal 109 and the terminal 203. By connecting, power for INT operation is supplied from the “O” contact 33 of the wiper switch to the wiper motor via the relay 11 and the relay 12.

  At time t3, the exciting coil L1 of the relay 11 is de-energized under the control of the microcomputer, and the movable contact of the relay 11 connects the terminal 107 and the terminal 108, so that the supply of power for the INT operation from the terminal 110 is stopped. .

  However, at time t3, since the contact of the cam plate 22 connects the terminal 103 and the terminal 105, the O contact 33, the contact of the cam plate 22, the movable contact of the relay 11, and the movable contact of the relay 12 from the vehicle-mounted battery. The supply of electric power to the wiper motor is continued via the wiper motor, and the wiper motor continues to rotate.

  At time t4, the wiper reaches the retracted position, the cam plate terminal 105 and the terminal 104 are connected, and the wiper motor Lo terminal 211 is grounded to GND via the relay 11 and the relay 12. As a result, the wiper motor is braked at the timing when the wiper stops at the retracted position, and stops rotating.

The microcomputer is, at time t4, that the terminal 105 and the terminal 104 of the cam plate is connected to detect through the terminal 106, then pause time to energize the exciting coil L1 of the relay 11 T _R Start counting.

In downtime time t5 when T _R has elapsed, the microcomputer again energizing time T _ON exciting the exciting coil L1 of the relay 11, is thereafter, when the wiper has passed downtime T _R from the stop in the retracted position, by repeating the operation for exciting time T _ON exciting the exciting coil L1, to continue the control of the INT operation.

Note that the waiting time T _D1, energizing time T _ON, downtime T _R and the cam plate contact switching time T _C, the voltage of the power source can be appropriately changed depending on the state or the like of the front window glass is a wiping speed and the wiping surface of the wiper Is.

However, the total time between the excitation time T _ON and latency T _D1 is required to be at T _C or more between the cam plate contacts switching. Before switching to the terminal 103 which contacts the cam plate is connected to the vehicle battery, the the waiting time T _D1 and the excitation time T _ON ends up ends, because thus interrupted power supply to the wiper motor .

As described above, according to this embodiment, until the wiper switch has elapsed waiting time T _D1 from when switched from "OFF" position to the "INT" position, the wiper motor is power for Lo operation is supplied, the microcomputer waits for control of INT operation, when the wiper switch within the waiting time T _D1 is switched from the "INT" position to the "Lo" position, can be smoothly Lo actuating the wipers.

Further, according to the present embodiment, when the standby time _TD1 has elapsed while the wiper switch remains in the “INT” position, the microcomputer starts supplying power for operating the INT instead of the power for operating the Lo. The relay drive circuit is controlled to do so. As a result, the wiper operation can be smoothly shifted from the Lo operation to the INT operation.

[Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Since the configuration of the present embodiment is the same as that of the wiper control device according to the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted, and the description using FIG. 4 below is the same as that of the first embodiment. It demonstrates using the code | symbol of.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the control of the microcomputer when the wiper switch of the wiper control device according to the present embodiment is switched from the “OFF” position to the “Lo” position via the “INT” position.

  In step 402, it is determined whether or not the Lo contact 32 has been turned on when the wiper switch 30 is switched from the “OFF” position to the “INT” position.

  When the wiper switch is switched from the “OFF” position to the “INT” position, the signal input from the Lo contact via the diode D1 rises. By determining whether this signal has risen, the Lo contact is It can be determined whether or not it is turned on.

  When it is determined in step 402 that the Lo contact 32 is turned on, in step 404, counting of the standby time is started.

  During the standby time when the control of the INT operation is not started, no power is supplied to the exciting coil L2 of the relay 12, and the movable contact of the relay 12 connects the terminal 202 and the terminal 203. As a result, electric power for Lo operation of the wiper motor 21 is supplied to the Lo terminal 211 via the terminal 201, the terminal 202, the terminal 203 and the terminal 204.

  In step 406, it is determined whether or not the wiper switch is held in the “INT” position by determining whether or not the O-contact 33 of the wiper switch 30 is turned on.

  When the wiper switch is switched from the “INT” position to the “Lo” position, or from the “INT” position to the “Hi” position via the “Lo” position, the O contact is turned off, and the power supply circuit Since the power supplied to the microcomputer 14 via 15 is cut off, this control routine ends.

  Even when the power to the microcomputer 14 is interrupted, the power is supplied to the wiper motor according to the position of the wiper switch, so that the wiper motor rotates at a speed according to the position of the wiper switch.

  On the other hand, when the O contact is on, the wiper switch is held at the “INT” position, so that the standby time has elapsed since the wiper switch 30 was switched from the “OFF” position to the “INT” position in Step 408. It is determined whether or not.

  If it is determined in step 408 that the standby time has elapsed, in step 410, the exciting coil L2 of the relay 12 is excited, and the movable contact of the relay 12 is changed from the terminal 202 (normally closed contact) to the terminal 109 (normally open contact). ).

  The movable contact of the relay 11 is connected to the terminal 107 (normally closed contact), but the normally closed contact of the relay 11 is connected to the terminal 105 of the cam plate.

  Therefore, when the contact of the cam plate connects the terminal 103 and the terminal 105, the power to the wiper motor via the O contact, the contact of the cam plate, the normally closed contact of the relay 11, and the normally open contact of the relay 12. And the wiper motor continues to rotate.

  When the wiper arm reaches the retracted position due to the rotation of the wiper motor, the contact of the cam plate is switched to the side connecting the terminals 105 and 104, the Lo terminal of the wiper motor is the normally open contact of the relay 12, and the normally closed contact of the relay 11 And the ground via the contact of the cam plate, the wiper motor is braked and the wiper motor is stopped.

  In step 412, it is determined whether or not the contact of the cam plate 22 is connected to GND. As described above, since the microcomputer 14 is connected to the cam plate via the terminal 106, the cam plate can be detected by detecting that the signal input via the contact of the cam plate and the diode D2 falls. It is possible to determine whether or not the contact is connected to GND.

  If it is determined in step 412 that the terminal is connected to GND, in step 414, the counting of the pause time is started. Here, the resting time is a waiting time from when the wiper motor 21 is grounded to when the wiper arm wiping operation is stopped and then the wiper arm wiping operation is started.

  In step 416, it is determined whether or not the pause time has elapsed. If the pause time has elapsed, in step 418, the exciting coil L1 of the relay 11 is excited for a predetermined time, and the movable contact of the relay 11 is connected to the terminal 107 ( Switch from normally closed contact) to terminal 110 (normally open contact).

  As a result, the supply of electric power to the wiper motor is continued through the O contact, the normally open contact of the relay 11, and the normally open contact of the relay 12, and the wiper motor continues to rotate. Further, after continuing for a predetermined time, the exciting coil L1 is demagnetized, so that the contact of the relay 11 is switched to the normally closed contact.

  Here, the predetermined excitation time for exciting the excitation coil L1 of the relay 11 is the so-called “reversing position” in which the wiper reverses from the storage position to a predetermined position on the front window glass in the same manner as in the first embodiment. It needs to be shorter than the time required for one round trip.

  Thereafter, by repeating the processing from step 412 to step 418, the wiper is INT-operated.

  Similarly to the first embodiment, in the present embodiment, when driving a wiper motor that has been stopped, each relay is driven by a wiper motor via a normally open contact that is more durable than a normally closed contact. Since power is supplied, the durability of the relay can be improved.

  FIG. 5 is a time chart showing an example of a correlation in the INT operation of the wiper switch, the microcomputer, the relay, the wiper position, and the cam plate position in the wiper control device according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 5, the wiper switch is in the “OFF” position until time t1, and the microcomputer is in a standby state although power is supplied. Electric power is not supplied to the relay 11 and the relay 12. The wiper motor is stopped and the wiper is in the retracted position.

When the wiper switch is switched from the “OFF” position to the “INT” position at time t1, power is supplied to the O contact 33 and the Lo contact 32 of the wiper switch. Microcomputer, that Lo contact 32 is turned on, and detected through a terminal 201, and starts counting the waiting time T _D2 to perform control for INT actuated from Lo contact 32 is turned on .

  In addition, since the Lo contact 32 is turned on, Lo operation power is supplied to the wiper motor via the relay 12, so that the operation of the wiper is started.

Furthermore, by the wiper motor is started rotating at time t1, the cam plate 22 of Figure 1 attached to the output shaft coaxial with the wiper motor also starts rotating, from the time t1 after the elapse of the cam plate contact switching time T _C The cam plate switches the contact from the grounded terminal 104 to the terminal 103 connected to the “O” contact 33 of the wiper switch.

Here, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 5, if the wiper switch is switched from the “INT” position to the “Lo” position before the standby time _TD2 elapses, the INT operation is not controlled thereafter, and the wiper motor Is supplied with electric power for Lo operation.

In the present embodiment, time t2 and time t3 are within the standby time _TD2 , and the microcomputer does not start control of the INT operation. In the present embodiment, when the standby time _TD2 is set longer than the standby time _TD1 in the first embodiment, switching of the wiper switch from the “INT” position to the “Lo” position is delayed. Even so, the Lo operation can be started smoothly.

In the present embodiment, the waiting time T _D2 are wiper starts moving from the storage position, reversed at a predetermined position on the front window glass, required to be shorter than the time to return to the storage position.

In terms of FIG. 5, the waiting time T _D2 may wiper should end time t4 before returning to the storage position. If the wait time T _D2 is terminated at time t4 after the wiper in the retracted position at time t4 it becomes impossible to stop.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the standby time _TD2 ends between time t3 and time t4, the microcomputer starts controlling the INT operation.

  When the control of the INT operation is started, in the relay 12, the exciting coil L2 is excited, and the movable contact is switched from the connection between the terminal 202 and the terminal 203 to the connection between the terminal 109 and the terminal 203.

  When the movable contact of the relay 12 is switched from the connection between the terminal 202 and the terminal 203 to the connection between the terminal 109 and the terminal 203, the supply of power for Lo operation from the Lo contact 32 to the wiper motor is stopped.

  However, since the contact of the cam plate 22 connects the terminal 103 and the terminal 105 between the time t3 and the time t4, the O contact from the vehicle battery, the contact of the cam plate 22, the movable contact of the relay 11, and the relay The supply of electric power to the wiper motor is continued through the 12 movable contacts, and the wiper motor continues to rotate.

  At time t4, the wiper reaches the retracted position, the cam plate terminal 105 and the terminal 104 are connected, and the wiper motor Lo terminal 211 is grounded to GND via the relay 11 and the relay 12. As a result, the wiper motor is braked at the timing when the wiper stops at the retracted position, and stops rotating.

Microcomputer, at time t4, that the terminal 105 and the terminal 104 of the cam plate is connected to detect through the terminal 106, starts the pause time count T _R until energizing the exciting coil L1 of the relay 11 To do.

If downtime T _R at time t5 is completed, the microcomputer controls the relay driving circuit 13 to a predetermined excitation time T _ON exciting the exciting coil L1 of the relay 11, the connection between the movable contact 107 and terminal 108 , The connection between the terminal 108 and the terminal 110 is switched.

  Moreover, since the exciting coil L2 is excited and the movable contact connects the terminal 109 and the terminal 203, the relay 12 is supplied with power for operating the INT via the relay 11 and the relay 12. .

Excitation of the exciting coil L1, which is started at time t5 and ends at time t6, is subsequently, as in the first embodiment, when the wiper is downtime T _R from the stop has elapsed storage position, operation energizing time _{T ON} exciting the exciting coil L1 is repeated.

Note that the waiting time T _D2, the exciting time T _ON, downtime T _R and the cam plate contact switching time T _C, the voltage of the power source can be appropriately changed depending on the state or the like of the front window glass is a wiping speed and the wiping surface of the wiper Is.

As described above, according to this embodiment, until the wiper switch has elapsed waiting time T _D2 from when switched from "OFF" position to the "INT" position, the wiper motor is power for Lo operation is supplied, the microcomputer waits for control of INT operation, when the wiper switch within the waiting time T _D2 is switched from the "INT" position to the "Lo" position, can be smoothly Lo actuating the wipers.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, when the standby time _TD2 has elapsed while the wiper switch remains in the “INT” position, the microcomputer starts supplying the power for operating the INT instead of the power for operating the Lo. The relay drive circuit is controlled to do so. As a result, the wiper operation can be smoothly shifted from the Lo operation to the INT operation.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wiper control apparatus 10 Wiper control circuit 11, 12 Relay 13 Relay drive circuit 14 Microcomputer 15 Power supply circuit L1 Excitation coil L2 Excitation coil 20 Wiper motor unit 21 Wiper motor 22 Cam plate 30 Wiper switch 31 Hi contact 32 Lo contact 33 O contact 41 Power supply 42 Ignition switch 50 Washer switch 60 Washer motor 101-110 terminal 201-204 terminal 211 Lo terminal 301, 302 terminal 311 Hi terminal 411 GND terminal 601 terminal D1, D2 Diode

Claims (4)

Connected between the in-vehicle battery and the motor that operates the wiper, and the changeover switch that can switch the operation of the wiper in the order of stop, intermittent operation, and continuous operation intermittently removes the wiper from the position where the wiper is stopped. A position where the on-vehicle battery and the motor are electrically connected during a predetermined waiting time after switching to the position to be operated, and the wiper is operated continuously from the position where the changeover switch intermittently operates the wiper. A relay that maintains a state in which the in-vehicle battery and the motor are electrically connected to each other,
The standby switch operates when the changeover switch is at a position where the wiper is stopped and a position where the wiper is intermittently operated, and the standby switch is switched from a position where the changeover switch stops the wiper to a position where the wiper is intermittently operated. When time elapses, the relay is controlled so as to intermittently switch between the state in which the relay connects the vehicle battery and the motor and the state in which the relay releases the connection, and the changeover switch When the changeover switch is switched to a position where the wiper is continuously operated within the waiting time after the wiper is switched from the position where the wiper is intermittently operated to the position where the wiper is operated intermittently, the vehicle-mounted battery and the motor are connected. A control circuit that stops operation while the relay is in a conductive state;
Including wiper control device.   2. The wiper control device according to claim 1, wherein the waiting time is shorter than a time until the activated wiper starts moving from the storage position, reverses at a predetermined position on the windshield, and returns to the storage position. .   In the relay, the excitation coil is intermittently excited by the control circuit to switch between a state in which the in-vehicle battery and the motor are brought into conduction and a state in which the conduction is released, and the changeover switch continuously turns on the wiper. 3. The wiper control device according to claim 1, wherein the exciting coil is in a non-excited state when the operation is stopped and the control circuit stops operating.   The relay includes a normally open contact that closes when the exciting coil is energized and a normally closed contact that closes when the exciting coil is not energized. When the wiper is operated continuously, the relay is mounted via the normally closed contact. The battery according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the battery and the motor are electrically connected and the wiper is operated intermittently, the vehicle battery and the motor are electrically connected via a normally open contact. Wiper control device.

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