JP2015067236A - Mirror heater control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mirror heater control device capable of automatically starting a mirror heater according to an atmospheric temperature by starting a driving source for travelling of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A mirror heater control device 10 includes a driving part 26 for performing electrification or breaking of an electric current to a mirror heater 16 for heating a mirror 14, a detection part 28 for detecting the electric current that flows through the mirror heater 16, and a control part 20C. The control part 20C controls the driving part 26 when a driving source for travelling is started, so that electrification to the mirror heater 16 is started. Also, in the control part 20C, when the magnitude of a rush current at an initial stage of the electrification exceeds a predetermined value, the electrification to the mirror heater 16 is continued. Furthermore, in the control device 20C, when the magnitude of the rush current is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the electrification to the mirror heater 16 is interrupted.

Description

  The present invention relates to a mirror heater control device, and more particularly to a mirror heater control device that controls a mirror heater that heats a mirror of a vehicle mirror device.

  Patent Document 1 listed below discloses an energization control device for a vehicle outer mirror heater. In this energization control device, a defogger energization detecting means for detecting energization to the rear window defogger heat wire is connected in parallel to a mirror heater for heating a mirror surface built in the vehicle outer mirror. The energization control device is configured to energize the mirror heater based on the detection of the operation of the defogger energization detecting means or the like.

  By the way, when fogging or frost is generated on the mirror surface of the vehicle outer mirror, the rear window defogger hot wire switch is turned on by the user after the ignition switch of the vehicle is turned on and the engine is started. For this reason, since a plurality of operations of turning on the ignition switch and turning on the rear window defogger hot wire switch are required for energizing the mirror heater, the operation is troublesome and there is room for improvement.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-123450

  An object of the present invention is to obtain a mirror heater control device capable of automatically starting a mirror heater according to an air temperature by starting a driving source for driving a vehicle.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the mirror heater control device detects a current flowing through the mirror heater, a drive unit that drives the mirror heater that heats the mirror to pass current and cuts off the supplied current. The energization of the mirror heater is started by the driving unit when the detection unit and the driving source for driving the vehicle are started. When the magnitude of the inrush current at the initial stage of energization exceeds a predetermined value, the mirror heater is energized. And a control unit that controls the drive unit so that the energization to the mirror heater is interrupted when the energization is continued and the magnitude of the inrush current is a predetermined value or less.

  The mirror heater control device according to claim 1 includes a drive unit that drives the mirror heater to pass current and cut off the supplied current. When a current is passed through the mirror heater, the mirror is heated. The current flowing to the mirror heater is detected by the detection unit.

  Here, the mirror heater control device includes a control unit. In the control unit, energization of the mirror heater is started by the drive unit when the vehicle driving source is started. For this reason, in the control part, when the magnitude of the inrush current in the initial stage of energization exceeds a predetermined value, the energization to the mirror heater is continued by controlling the drive part. On the other hand, when the magnitude of the inrush current is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the control unit controls the drive unit to cut off the energization to the mirror heater.

  In a mirror heater control device according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the control unit detects or detects when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of energization while the energization of the mirror heater is continued. When the change in the current detected by the unit becomes a steady state, the drive unit is controlled so that the power supply to the mirror heater is cut off.

  According to the mirror heater control device of the second aspect, the control unit controls the drive unit, and when the drive unit continues to energize the mirror heater and a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of energization, or When the change in the current detected by the detection unit becomes a steady state, the energization to the mirror heater is interrupted. For this reason, it is possible to remove the cloudy, frost or ice by heating the mirror from the start of energization until the elapse of a predetermined time or until the current change reaches a steady state, and the power consumption after the removal is effective. Can be suppressed or prevented.

  In the mirror heater control device according to the invention described in claim 3, in the first or second aspect, the predetermined value is energized to the mirror heater in a state where the mirror surface of the mirror is exposed to the temperature at which ice adheres. It is determined according to the magnitude of the inrush current.

  According to the mirror heater control device of the third aspect, the predetermined value is determined according to the magnitude of the inrush current when the mirror heater is energized in a state where the mirror is exposed to the temperature at which the ice adheres. . For this reason, the magnitude of the inrush current can be easily determined using the predetermined value as a reference value.

  In the mirror heater control device according to the invention described in claim 4, in any one of claims 1 to 3, the mirror heater is a resistor.

  According to the mirror heater control device of the fourth aspect, since the mirror heater is a resistor, when the temperature is low, the resistance value of the resistor is small and the magnitude of the inrush current is large. Conversely, when the temperature is high, the resistance value of the resistor is large and the magnitude of the inrush current is small. For this reason, the magnitude of the inrush current can be easily determined.

  The mirror heater control device according to the present invention has an excellent effect that the mirror heater can be automatically started according to the temperature by starting the driving source for driving the vehicle.

It is a block diagram of the mirror heater control device concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart explaining the mirror heater control method which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the mirror temperature in the mirror heater control apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment, the electric current supplied with electricity to the mirror heater, and the elapsed time from turning on an ignition switch. It is a flowchart explaining the mirror heater control method which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the mirror heater control device and the mirror heater control method according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Configuration of mirror heater control device)
As shown in FIG. 1, the mirror heater control device 10 according to the first embodiment is provided in a vehicle, such as an automobile, whose illustration is omitted. The mirror heater control device 10 is mainly configured of at least a part of a vehicle mirror device 12 and at least a part of a mirror electronic control unit (mirror ECU) 18. In addition, an engine control unit (ECU) 30 is connected to the mirror heater control device 10, and an ignition switch 32 and a rear window defogger hot wire switch (rear defogger switch) 34 are connected via the ECU 30. Yes. A battery 36 mounted on the vehicle is connected to each of the mirror ECU 18 and ECU 30, and electric power is supplied from the battery 36 to each of the mirror ECU 18 and ECU 30.

  Here, the vehicle mirror device 12 is an outer side mirror device provided at an intermediate portion in the vehicle longitudinal direction and an intermediate portion in the vehicle vertical direction of the vehicle side portion. A pair of left and right vehicle mirror devices 12 are disposed on both sides of the vehicle. The vehicle mirror device 12 includes a mirror 14 that enables the driver to visually recognize the rear side of the vehicle, and a mirror heater 16 that mainly heats the mirror 14 and includes a resistor. The mirror heater 16 is described as cloudiness, frost or ice (hereinafter referred to as “cloudiness”, for example) generated on the mirror surface (mirror surface) of the mirror 14 when the temperature outside the vehicle, which is the ambient temperature (air temperature) to which the mirror 14 is exposed, is low. In some cases). For example, a carbon resistor is used as the resistor in the present embodiment. The carbon resistor has a temperature characteristic that has a low resistance value with respect to the current that flows when the outside temperature is low, particularly the inrush current (starting current), and conversely, the temperature that has a high resistance value against the current that flows when the vehicle temperature is high, particularly the inrush current. It has characteristics. The material of the resistor is not particularly limited as long as it is a material having a large temperature coefficient similar to that of the carbon resistor.

  Although not shown, the vehicle mirror device 12 includes a mirror surface angle adjustment mechanism that adjusts the mirror surface angle of the mirror 14 in the vertical and horizontal directions, and a drive source such as a motor that drives the mirror surface angle adjustment mechanism. Yes. Furthermore, the vehicle mirror device 12 includes an electric storage mechanism that stores the main body by folding the main body toward the vehicle, and a drive source such as a motor that drives the electric storage mechanism.

  The mirror ECU 18 includes a microcomputer 20 that controls a drive source that drives the mirror surface angle adjusting mechanism of the vehicle mirror device 12 and a drive source that drives the electric storage mechanism. Further, in the present embodiment, the mirror ECU 18 includes a drive unit 26 and a detection unit 28. The drive unit 26 is configured to drive the current to the mirror heater 16 that heats the mirror 14 and to cut off the current that has been passed to the mirror heater 16. The detection unit 28 is configured to detect a current flowing to the mirror heater 16. Here, a detection unit 28 is disposed between the mirror heater 16 and the microcomputer 20, and the detection unit 28 detects a current flowing through the mirror heater 16. In this embodiment, the mirror heater 16 is energized by the detection unit that detects the current of the drive source that drives the mirror angle adjustment mechanism or the detection unit that detects the current of the drive source that drives the electric storage mechanism. You may utilize as the detection part 28 which detects an electric current.

  Further, the mirror ECU 18 includes an inrush current value determination unit 22 and a drive circuit control unit 24 that construct the control unit 20C in the present embodiment. The inrush current value determination means 22 is connected to the detection unit 28. In the inrush current value determining means 22, the magnitude of the inrush current detected by the detection unit 28 is determined using a predetermined value as a threshold value (reference value). In the present embodiment, the inrush current value judging means 22 judges whether the magnitude of the inrush current exceeds a predetermined value or not more than a predetermined value. The drive circuit control means 24 is connected to the drive unit 26, and is configured to control the start of energization of the current to the mirror heater 16 by the drive unit 26, the continuation of energization, and the continuation of energization stop. In particular, when the engine is started by turning on the ignition switch 32, the drive circuit control means 24 receives the information via the ECU 30, and controls the drive unit 26 based on this information. In the drive unit 26, current supply to the mirror heater 16 is started (inrush current is supplied). Further, in the drive circuit control unit 24, when the inrush current value determination unit 22 determines that the magnitude of the inrush current exceeds a predetermined value, the drive unit 26 continues to supply current to the mirror heater 16. Further, in the drive circuit control unit 24, when the magnitude of the inrush current is determined to be equal to or less than a predetermined value, the drive unit 26 stops energization of the current to the mirror heater 16. Further, when the current is continuously supplied, the drive circuit control means 24 detects the current after a predetermined time has passed from the ignition switch 32 being turned on (or starting the engine), and the detected current is detected. When it is determined that the current state is a steady state, the continuation of current supply is stopped.

  At least one of the inrush current value determination means 22 and the drive circuit control means 24 in the present embodiment is configured using the microcomputer 20 of the mirror ECU 18. That is, the inrush current value determining means 22 or the drive circuit control means 24 is constituted by the microcomputer 20 and the processing program of the inrush current value determining means 22 or the drive circuit control means 24 to be executed by the microcomputer 20. The processing program is stored in a storage device (not shown) inside the microcomputer 20 or a storage device (not shown) inside the mirror ECU 18. In addition, at least one of the inrush current value determination unit 22 and the drive circuit control unit 24 may be disposed inside the mirror ECU 18 as a dedicated circuit (hardware) separately from the microcomputer 20.

  The ignition switch 32 is a switch for starting or stopping an engine as an internal combustion engine that is a driving source for driving the vehicle. In the present embodiment, the travel drive source is not limited to a gasoline engine or a diesel engine that is an internal combustion engine, but includes an electric motor. Therefore, the vehicles in the present embodiment include gasoline engine vehicles, diesel engine vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and electric vehicles. For this reason, the ignition switch 32 is not a switch that simply starts or stops the engine, but a switch that includes a switch that starts or stops the motor.

  The rear defogger switch 34 is connected via an ECU 30 to a rear window defogger hot wire (rear defogger) (not shown). When the rear defogger switch 34 is turned on, the rear defogger is energized and the fogging of the rear window is removed. In the mirror heater control device 10 according to the present embodiment, when the rear defogger switch 34 is turned on, the drive unit 26 of the mirror ECU 18 is activated, and current is supplied to the mirror heater 16 in conjunction with the energization of the rear defogger. Is done.

(Mirror heater control method)
As shown in FIG. 2, the mirror heater control method by the mirror heater control apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is as follows. In the description of the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, each component of the mirror heater control device 10 shown in FIG.

  First, the ignition switch 32 of the vehicle is turned on, and it is determined whether or not the engine has been started (S10). If it is determined that the engine has not been started, the ignition switch 32 is turned on again. On the other hand, when it is determined that the engine has been started, a generator (not shown) is started by starting the engine, and power is generated and part of the generated power is charged in the battery 36.

  In conjunction with turning on the ignition switch 32 (or starting the engine), in the mirror ECU 18, the drive unit 26 is controlled by the drive circuit control means 24 of the control unit 20C, and the drive unit 26 is the mirror heater 16 of the vehicle mirror device 12. Energization of current is started (S11). When this energization is started, the mirror heater 16 generates heat and the mirror 14 is heated by this heat generation. Since power consumption is large and the burden on the battery 36 is increased, the current supply to the mirror heater 16 is performed at the same timing as the start of power generation by the generator or during power generation.

The current supplied to the mirror heater 16 is detected by the detection unit 28. Here, the relationship between the temperature of the mirror surface of the mirror 14 corresponding to the temperature outside the vehicle since the start of the engine and the current value detected by the detector 28 is shown in FIG. The horizontal axis represents time (minutes), the left vertical axis represents temperature (° C.), and the right vertical axis represents current value (A). Here, a temperature change T _A with time of high temperature of the mirror 14 at the start time of the engine (0 minutes), an example of the temperature change T _B with time of the mirror 14 at a low temperature at the same time is shown Has been. The high temperature at the start of the engine is about 25 ° C. The low temperature is about −30 ° C. Current change I _A is the change with time of the current flowing through the mirror heaters 16 corresponding to the temperature variation T _A. Further, the current change I _B is the change with time of the current flowing through the mirror heaters 16 corresponding to the temperature change T _B.

As is apparent from FIG. 3, the magnitude of the inrush current (starting current) that flows through the mirror heater 16 due to the start of the engine varies depending on the temperature of the mirror 14 (temperature outside the vehicle). That is, the size of the inrush current at high temperature from the temperature change T _A and the current change I _A is small, the magnitude of the inrush current at the low temperature from the temperature change T _B and the current change I _B increases. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the inrush current value is about 3 A when the temperature of the mirror 14 is about 25 ° C. in the initial stage immediately after the engine is started. About 3 to 4 minutes after the engine is started, the temperature of the mirror 14 increases and reaches a steady state within a range of temperatures of about 62 ° C. to 64 ° C. and current values of about 1.2 A to 1.4 A. On the other hand, the inrush current value is about 4.5 A when the temperature of the mirror 14 is about −30 ° C. About 3 to 4 minutes after the engine is started, the temperature of the mirror 14 rises and reaches a steady state within a range of temperatures of about 34 ° C. to 36 ° C. and current values of about 2.3 A to 2.5 A.

  Based on the current value detected by the detection unit 28, the inrush current value determining means 22 determines the magnitude of the inrush current (S12). Here, the magnitude of the inrush current is determined using a predetermined value (threshold value) as a reference value. As shown in FIG. 3 described above, in this embodiment, an inrush current value (for example, 3 A) at a high temperature is used as a predetermined value. That is, when it is determined that the magnitude of the inrush current is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the outside temperature is high and the mirror 14 is not fogged. On the contrary, when the magnitude of the inrush current exceeds a predetermined value, the outside temperature is low and the mirror 14 is fogged. Here, since the predetermined value corresponds to an outside temperature of about −30 ° C., ice is generated on the mirror surface of the mirror 14 at this temperature. The predetermined value is an inrush current value at a low temperature (for example, about 4.5 A) or an intermediate current value between an inrush current value at a low temperature and an inrush current value at a high temperature (for example, about 3 A <intermediate current value <about 4.5 A). ). In addition, since the predetermined value varies depending on the vehicle type, use environment, etc., for example, a plurality of predetermined values are stored in the microcomputer 20 or in an external storage device (preferably a non-volatile memory) so as to be readable, and an appropriate predetermined value is appropriately selected. Is preferably set.

  In step S12, when it is determined that the magnitude of the inrush current is small, the drive unit 26 is controlled by the drive circuit control means 24, and the drive unit 26 stops energizing the mirror heater 16 (S16). That is, heating of the mirror 14 by the mirror heater 16 is stopped. Thereafter, the control of the mirror heater 16 by the mirror heater control device 10 ends.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S12 that the magnitude of the inrush current is large, the drive unit 26 is controlled by the drive circuit control means 24, and the drive unit 26 continues energization of the current to the mirror heater 16 (S13). ). That is, the heating of the mirror 14 by the mirror heater 16 is continued, and the ice generated in the mirror 14 by this heating is removed.

  Here, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the engine was started (S14). When the predetermined time has not elapsed, the energization of the current to the mirror heater 16 is continued. When a certain time has elapsed, the current value is detected by the detection unit 28. Continuing energization of the current to the mirror heater 16 increases the power consumption of the battery 36. For this reason, in this embodiment, as a guideline for removing ice moderately, for example, a period of time (for example, a region surrounded by a one-dot chain line shown in FIG. 3) that has elapsed for about 6 to 8 minutes from the start of the engine is a fixed time. Is set to It is determined whether or not the current value is in a steady state after the lapse of the predetermined time (S15). In the steady state, it is determined that the ice has been removed moderately and the mirror 14 is at a constant temperature, and the drive circuit control unit 24 stops the continuation of current supply to the mirror heater 16 via the drive unit 26 ( S16). On the other hand, if the current value is not a steady state after a certain time has elapsed, it is determined that the mirror 14 is not sufficiently heated and fogging is not removed, and the process of step S13 is performed. Returning, energization of the current to the mirror heater 16 is continued.

  By executing the above processing, the mirror heater control device 10 automatically starts (ON) the mirror heater 16 of the vehicle mirror device 12 in accordance with the outside temperature in the initial stage of starting the vehicle engine. Can do. Of course, when the temperature outside the vehicle is high and the mirror 14 is not fogged, the mirror heater 16 can be automatically stopped (OFF). In addition, after the control of the mirror heater 16 by the mirror heater control device 10 is finished, when the outside temperature becomes low and the mirror 14 becomes clouded or the like, for example, the driver turns on the rear defogger switch 34. Then, energization of current to the mirror heater 16 is started. Thereby, cloudiness etc. are removed.

(Operation and effect of the present embodiment)
The mirror heater control device 10 according to the present embodiment includes an inrush current value determination unit 22 and a drive circuit control unit 24 that construct a control unit 20C. In the drive circuit control means 24, the energization of the current from the drive unit 26 to the mirror heater 16 is started by turning on the ignition switch 32 of the vehicle. The inrush current flowing into the mirror heater 16 is detected by the detection unit 28. The inrush current value determining means 22 determines the magnitude of the inrush current detected by the detection unit 28. When the outside temperature is low, the resistance value of the mirror heater 16 is small, so that the magnitude of the inrush current is large. On the contrary, when the outside temperature is high, the resistance value of the mirror heater 16 is large, so that the magnitude of the inrush current is small. For this reason, when the inrush current value determining unit 22 determines that the inrush current is large, the drive circuit control unit 24 continues to supply current from the drive unit 26 to the mirror heater 16. On the other hand, when the inrush current value determining unit 22 determines that the inrush current is small, the drive circuit control unit 24 stops the current supply from the drive unit 26 to the mirror heater 16.

  Therefore, according to the mirror heater control device 10 according to the present embodiment, the mirror heater 16 of the vehicle mirror device 12 can be automatically started according to the outside temperature by starting the vehicle engine. For example, when the temperature outside the vehicle is high when the engine is started, the mirror 14 is not fogged, so the mirror heater 16 is not substantially activated. On the other hand, when the temperature outside the vehicle is low, the mirror 14 is in a cloudy state or the like, so the mirror heater 16 is automatically activated to remove the cloudiness or the like. For this reason, if the driver operates the ignition switch 32, the mirror heater 16 can be started and stopped automatically, so that the troublesome operation of a plurality of switches is eliminated.

  Further, in the mirror heater control device 10 according to the present embodiment, the drive circuit control means 24 controls the drive unit 26, and the drive unit 26 starts energization while the energization to the mirror heater 16 is continued. When a certain time has elapsed from the time when the current detected by the detection unit 28 changes to a steady state, the power supply to the mirror heater 16 is cut off. For this reason, it is possible to remove the fogging by heating the mirror 14 from the start of energization until a certain time elapses or until the change in current reaches a steady state, and effectively reduce power consumption after the removal. Or it can be prevented. In the present embodiment, both the case where a certain time has elapsed and the case where the current change is in a steady state are defined as the condition for interrupting energization, but either one is defined as the condition for interrupting energization. Also good.

  Furthermore, in the mirror heater control device 10 according to the present embodiment, the predetermined value is the magnitude of the inrush current when the mirror heater 16 is energized in a state where the mirror surface of the mirror 14 is exposed to the temperature at which ice adheres. It is determined according to. For this reason, the magnitude of the inrush current can be easily determined using the predetermined value as a reference value.

  Moreover, in the mirror heater control apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the travel drive source includes at least one of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. For this reason, the vehicle may be any of a gasoline engine vehicle, a diesel engine vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and an electric vehicle.

  Furthermore, in the mirror heater control apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, since the mirror heater 16 is a resistor, the resistance value of the resistor is small and the inrush current is large when the outside temperature is low. On the contrary, when the vehicle outside temperature is high, the resistance value of the resistor is large and the magnitude of the inrush current is small. For this reason, the magnitude of the inrush current can be easily determined.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the mirror heater control method of the mirror heater control device according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Note that, in the second embodiment, the same steps as those described in the mirror heater control method according to the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted because it is duplicated.

(Mirror heater control method)
As shown in FIG. 4, the mirror heater control method according to the present embodiment includes steps S10 to S16 that are equivalent to steps S10 to S16 of the mirror heater control method according to the first embodiment. . After the process of step S16, that is, it is determined whether or not a fixed time has elapsed since the current supply to the mirror heater 16 was stopped (S17). Here, the fixed time is, for example, a time of several minutes to several tens of minutes in which the mirror 14 is clouded in a constant outside environment (temperature and humidity). This fixed time may be fixed or may be varied according to the environment outside the vehicle.

  If it is determined in step S17 that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S16, and the current supply to the mirror heater 16 is stopped. On the other hand, if the predetermined time has passed in step S17, it is determined whether the ignition switch 32 is in an on state or an off state (S18). When the ignition switch 32 is in the OFF state, the vehicle engine is stopped and the control of the mirror heater control device 10 is stopped. On the other hand, when the ignition switch 32 is in the on state, the processes after the process of step S11 are executed. That is, the mirror heater control device 10 can automatically start the mirror heater 16 of the vehicle mirror device 12 according to the outside temperature of the vehicle at regular time intervals.

(Operation and effect of the present embodiment)
In the mirror heater control device 10 according to the present embodiment, the same operations and effects as the operations and effects obtained by the mirror heater control device 10 according to the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, in the mirror heater control device 10 according to the present embodiment, the mirror heater of the vehicle mirror device 12 is automatically and periodically according to the temperature outside the vehicle even after a certain period of time has passed since the current supply to the mirror heater 16 is stopped. 16 can be started.

  Even in the mirror heater control device 10 according to the present embodiment, when the outside temperature becomes low while the vehicle is traveling and the mirror 14 is clouded or the like, for example, the driver turns on the rear defogger switch 34. The mirror heater 16 is energized.

[Supplementary explanation of the above embodiment]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, most of the components of the mirror heater control device are constructed using the mirror ECU. However, a separate circuit is provided for the mirror ECU, and the mirror heater control device is provided without using the mirror ECU. May be constructed.

  Moreover, this invention is not limited to an outer side mirror apparatus as a vehicle mirror apparatus. For example, when a mirror heater is provided in a front side mirror device, a back mirror device, an auxiliary mirror device, or an indoor mirror device, the present invention can be applied as a mirror heater control device that automatically controls the mirror heater. In this case, in the mirror heater control device, the mirror heater is automatically started according to the environmental temperature (air temperature) to which the mirror is exposed. For example, a mirror heater that heats a mirror of an interior mirror device is automatically started according to the vehicle interior temperature (air temperature).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Mirror heater control apparatus 12 Mirror apparatus for vehicles 14 Mirror 16 Mirror heater 18 Mirror ECU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Microcomputer 20C Control part 22 Inrush current value judgment means 24 Drive circuit control means 26 Drive part 28 Detection part 30 ECU
32 Ignition switch 34 Rear defogger switch 36 Battery

Claims (4)

A drive unit that drives the mirror heater for heating the mirror to pass current and cut off the supplied current;
A detection unit for detecting a current flowing to the mirror heater;
Energization of the mirror heater is started by the drive unit at the time when the vehicle driving source is started, and the mirror heater is energized when the magnitude of the inrush current at the initial stage of energization exceeds a predetermined value. A control unit that controls the drive unit so that energization to the mirror heater is interrupted when the magnitude of the inrush current is less than or equal to the predetermined value;
Mirror heater control device.   The control unit is in a state where energization to the mirror heater is continued, when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of energization, or when a change in current detected by the detection unit is in a steady state, The mirror heater control device according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit is controlled so that energization to the mirror heater is interrupted.   The predetermined value is determined according to a magnitude of the inrush current when the mirror heater is energized in a state where the mirror surface of the mirror is exposed to an air temperature to which ice adheres. The mirror heater control device described in 1. The mirror heater control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mirror heater is a resistor.

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