JP5562197B2 - Wiper drive control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a wiper drive control device with a fail-safe function that controls the drive of a wiper of a vehicle (automobile). More specifically, the present invention has a fail-safe function that improves fuel consumption, and reduces relay switching noise and components at low cost. The present invention relates to a new configuration for extending the service life of the product.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a wiper drive control device with a fail-safe function for a vehicle (automobile) not only switches a wiper operation by a relay operation based on a driver switching operation, but also a communication system (control communication system in a vehicle) and a control unit. In the case of a failure of the microcomputer, etc., it is configured to ensure a wiper operation by a fail-safe function in order to ensure vehicle visibility in rainy weather (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  By the way, various types of wiper drive control devices with this type of fail-safe function have been proposed. The wiper Hi drive, which operates the wiper at a high speed, is selected only when the amount of rainfall is large, and the wiper operates at a low speed. Considering that the use frequency of the wiper Lo drive is higher than that of the wiper Hi drive, it is conceivable to configure the wiper drive control device as shown in FIG.

  The wiper drive control device shown in FIG. 4 roughly includes wiper Hi drive and wiper Lo drive. The wiper Lo drive includes INT drive for intermittently driving the wiper and mist drive described later. .

  When the driver switches the wiper operation, the wiper switch 1 is switched from the OFF state to, for example, INT drive, wiper Lo drive / mist drive, and wiper Hi drive, and outputs each contact signal alternatively. .

  The mist drive is a wiper operation that is selected when a mist with less water drops than rain falls, and the mist drive is selected only while the driver selects the mist drive by lever operation, for example. When you take your hand off the mist drive automatically stops. The mist-driven wiper operation is the same low-speed operation as the wiper Lo-driven wiper operation. For this reason, the switch 1 outputs a contact signal from a common contact (wiper Lo drive / mist drive contact) for the wiper Lo drive and the mist drive. The INT-driven wiper operation is the same low-speed operation as the wiper Lo-driven wiper operation.

  Reference numeral 2 in FIG. 4 denotes a wiper drive control ECU, and each contact signal of the wiper switch 1 is input to the control unit 3 of the microcomputer. Reference numeral 4 denotes a first relay for switching the setting of the wiper operation by the control unit 3, which has a normally closed Hi contact P (Hi) and a normally open Lo contact P (Lo), and the switching piece is connected to the power supply terminal 5. Then, the energization of the relay coil 4L is controlled by the control unit 3. Reference numeral 6 denotes a wiper motor that drives a wiper (not shown). The high-speed power receiving terminal is connected to the Hi contact P (Hi) of the first relay 4, and the low-speed power receiving terminal is the Lo contact P of the first relay 4. Connected to (Lo). Reference numeral 7 denotes a second relay that controls the energization of the relay coil 7L under the control of the control unit 3 to turn on / off the energization of the wiper motor 6, and is a normally open on / off contact P (ON / OFF) connected to the power supply terminal 5. OFF) outputs a control signal for energization on / off to the wiper motor 6.

  Reference numeral 8 denotes a fail-safe circuit. When, for example, occurrence of a control abnormality of the control unit 3 is detected by failure diagnosis, the relay coil 7L is energized in place of the control unit 3 and the second relay 7 is excited.

  For example, in the case of a gasoline vehicle, the power of the wiper motor 6 is supplied to the power supply terminal 5 by ignition ON (IG ON), and the control unit 3 is also supplied with power.

  On the other hand, if the driver does not switch the wiper operation by operating the wiper lever, the wiper switch 1 is off and does not output a contact signal. At this time, the control unit 3 does not energize the relay coils 4L and 7L of the first and second relays 4 and 7, the switching piece of the first relay 4 is held at the Hi contact P (Hi), and the second relay 7 The on / off contact P (ON / OFF) is opened. The wiper motor 6 is not energized and the wiper does not work.

  Next, if the driving environment is an environment with a large amount of rainfall, the driver switches the wiper switch 1 by the wiper lever operation to switch to the wiper Hi drive setting. At this time, the control unit 3 energizes the relay coil 7L of the second relay 7 to close the on / off contact P (ON / OFF) of the second relay 7, and the first relay 4 is held at the Hi contact P (Hi). Is done. Therefore, the wiper motor 6 is energized with the high voltage of the Hi contact P (Hi) and operates at high speed.

  Next, if the driving environment is a general rainy state or fog, the driver switches to setting of wiper Lo drive (including INT drive and mist drive) by operating the wiper lever. At this time, the control unit 3 energizes the relay coil 4L of the first relay 4 to switch the first relay 4 to the Lo contact P (Lo), and energizes the relay coil 7L of the second relay 7 to The on / off contact P (ON / OFF) is closed. Therefore, the wiper motor 6 is energized with a low voltage at the Lo contact (Lo) and operates at a low speed.

  When the driver sets the intermittent drive by operating the wiper lever, the second relay 7 is periodically turned on and off by the wiper Lo drive setting, and the wiper motor 6 is intermittently energized with a low voltage at the Lo contact (Lo). Operates at low speed.

  Also, when the driver sets the mist drive by operating the wiper lever, the energization is turned on by the wiper Lo drive only while the driver operates the lever, and the wiper motor 6 is low only at the low voltage of the Lo contact (Lo). It is energized and operates at low speed.

  Next, when the control unit 3 fails for some reason, the control unit 3 becomes inoperative and is kept in the wiper Hi drive and energized off state, but the fail safe circuit 8 is connected to the control unit 3. A failure is detected, the relay coil 7L of the second relay 7 is energized, and the ON / OFF contact P (ON / OFF) of the second relay 7 is closed. Therefore, the wiper motor 6 is energized with a high voltage at the Hi contact point P (Hi), enabling the wiper to operate at high speed, and the fail safe functions.

  In this case, since the wiper Hi drive side that is less frequently used is set to the fail safe side, the fail safe function does not work unnecessarily when the frequently used wiper Lo drive operates normally. There are benefits that can be prevented.

JP 2004-291194 A

  In the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the wiper Hi drive side that is less frequently used than the wiper Lo drive side is set to the fail-safe side at the time of failure, and the first relay 4 is held at the Hi contact P (Hi) in a non-excited state. Therefore, in order to drive the wiper Lo, it is necessary to excite the first relay 4 and switch from the Hi contact P (Hi) to the Lo contact P (Lo) each time the driver operates the wiper lever. In general rain conditions, fog, etc., the driver often performs a wiper Lo drive to stop the wiper by making one reciprocation at a long interval, but a large switching sound for switching the first relay 4 each time. Since this occurs, there is a problem that makes the driver uncomfortable. In addition, there is a problem that the life of parts such as the first relay 4 is shortened.

  In order to avoid these problems, it is conceivable that the first relay 4 is always held at the Lo contact P (Lo). In this case, the relay coil 4L of the first relay 4 must be energized at all times. In other words, the power consumption of the on-vehicle battery (not shown) increases, and the fuel consumption decreases, which is not practical.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a wiper drive control device with a fail-safe function that has a fail-safe function that improves fuel efficiency, and that reduces relay switching noise and extends the life of components at low cost.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the wiper drive control device according to the present invention is configured such that either the wiper Hi drive side where the wiper operates at a high speed or the wiper Lo drive side where the wiper operates at a low speed is the failure side when failure occurs. In the wiper drive control device that is set to the safe side and the wiper operation setting is switched from the less frequently used side to the more frequently used side by excitation switching of the relay based on switching of the wiper operation setting switching means, When the wiper motor setting is switched to a frequently used side based on the switching of the switching means after the wiper motor is turned on, the wiper operation setting is continued until the wiper motor setting is switched by the switching means while the wiper motor is continuously powered on. It is characterized by comprising a control means for holding the setting on the frequently used side That (claim 1).

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, first, the less frequently used side of the wiper Hi drive side where the wiper operates at a high speed and the wiper Lo drive side where the wiper operates at a low speed is set as a fail-safe side at the time of failure. Since the infrequently used side is set by non-excitation of the relay, the fail-safe function works without wasteful energization of the relay, leading to improved fuel efficiency. Further, for example, after the engine is started (restarted) and the wiper motor is turned on, when the switching unit is switched based on the operation of the driver and switched to the side where the wiper operation is frequently used, The environment is a general rainy state or foggy state, and it is considered that there is a possibility that it will be turned on again after a long interval after the wiper is turned off. Until the switching means further switches the wiper operation setting to the less frequently used side, the control means controls to keep the wiper operation setting on the more frequently used side. Therefore, the switching noise can be reduced and the life of parts can be extended at low cost.

  Therefore, the wiper drive control device with a fail-safe function can be provided with a fail-safe function that improves fuel consumption, and can reduce relay switching noise and extend the life of parts at low cost.

It is a block diagram of one embodiment of a vehicle control device of the present invention. (A)-(c) is the timing chart for operation | movement description of FIG. It is a flowchart for operation | movement description of FIG. It is a block diagram of an example of the wiper drive control apparatus with a fail safe function.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 shows a wiper drive control device of this embodiment mounted on a vehicle. The wiper drive control device is different from the wiper drive control device of FIG. 4 in that a microcomputer configuration is used instead of the control unit 3 of FIG. This is the point that a new control unit 9 is provided.

  The control unit 9 is the same as the control unit 3 in FIG. 4 in that wiper Hi drive and wiper Lo drive (including INT drive and mist drive) can be set and controlled as wiper operations.

  The wiper switch 1 whose contact output is switched by a driver's wiper lever operation forms a wiper operation setting switching means of the present invention. The wiper lever is not shown.

  Moreover, the control part 9 forms the control means of this invention, and if it is a gasoline vehicle, for example, the signal of IG ON will be input and it will be monitored whether it became IG ON.

  When the IG is turned on and the power supply of the wiper motor 6 is started to be supplied to the power terminal 5 and the power of the wiper motor 6 is turned on, for example, the driving environment is a general rainfall state or fog, so that the driver can operate the wiper lever. On the basis of the wiper switch 1, the first relay 4 is switched from the non-excited Hi contact P (Hi) to the excited contact Lo contact P (Lo), and the wiper operation is set to the side where the frequency of use is high, that is, When switching to the wiper Lo drive, at least until the IG is turned off, in other words, while the power of the wiper motor 6 continues to be turned on, a wiper operation switching operation by a wiper lever operation of the driver occurs and the wiper switch 1 causes the first relay 4 to be switched to the Hi contact P (Hi), and the wiper operation setting is on the side of low usage frequency. That is, unless switched to the wiper Hi driving, first relay 4 is held in energized state relay coil 4L is maintained energized, setting of the wiper operation is maintained to a high wiper Lo driving side frequently used.

  During this time, even if the wiper is turned on / off by the driver's wiper lever operation and the on / off contact P (ON / OFF) of the second relay 7 is turned on / off, the first relay 4 is switched accordingly. Therefore, the wiper operation setting is held on the wiper Lo drive side, which is frequently used, and there is no loud sound of relay switching or damage to parts.

  When the engine stops due to IG off, the first relay 4 stops energization of the relay coil 4L, is de-energized, and returns to the selection of the Hi contact P (Hi).

  FIGS. 2A to 2C are timing charts for explaining an example of the above control. As shown in FIG. 2A, when IG is turned on at time t1 and IG is turned off at time t2, the interval between them is This is the IG on period. FIG. 5B shows the switching of the contact of the first relay 4 during the IG-on period. When switching to the Lo contact P (Lo) at time t3 (t1 <t3 <t2), time t4 (t3 <t4 The first relay 4 is excited and held (fixed) at the Lo contact P (Lo) until it is switched to the Hi contact P (Hi) at <t2). FIG. 5C shows the second relay 7 being turned on and off. When the second relay 7 is turned on while the first relay 4 is held (fixed) at the Lo contact P (Lo), the wiper Lo drive ( The wiper is operated by INT drive and mist drive).

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the control procedure of the control unit 3. When IG ON is detected, step S1 is passed through YES. If the wiper switch 1 is not OFF, step S2 is passed through NO. At this time, if the wiper switch 1 is outputting a contact signal for wiper Lo driving (including INT driving and mist driving), the process proceeds to step S4 with YES in step S3, and the first relay 4 is excited. Switch to Lo contact P (Lo). Here, when the first relay 4 has already been switched to the Lo contact P (Lo), it is held at the Lo contact P (Lo) as it is. Since the wiper switch 1 is turned on (NO in S2), the wiper Lo is driven until the wiper switch 1 is turned off (YES in S2). On the other hand, if the wiper switch 1 outputs a contact signal for driving the wiper Hi, step S3 is passed through NO, the process proceeds to step S5, the first relay 4 is held in a non-excited state, and the Hi contact P (Hi). Hold on. Since the wiper switch 1 is turned on (NO in S2), the wiper Hi is driven until the wiper switch 1 is turned off (YES in S2). If IG is not on, step S1 is NO and the process proceeds to step S5. As in the conventional control, the energization of the relay coil 4L is turned off and the first relay 4 is held at the Hi contact P (Hi). . Since the wiper operation is not performed while the wiper switch 1 is held off, step S2 is passed through YES and the process returns to step S1. Further, when the first relay 4 is switched to the Hi contact point P (Hi) based on the driver's wiper lever operation, step S3 is NO and the process proceeds to step S5 to give priority to driver selection.

  When the energization of the relay coil 4L is turned off, the first relay 4 is de-energized and held at the Hi contact P (Hi). Therefore, when a failure (abnormality) of the control unit 9 or the like occurs, the fail-safe circuit 8 As a result, the second relay 7 is turned on and the wiper is driven by the wiper Hi drive.

  As described above, in the case of the present embodiment, the wiper Hi drive side that is less frequently used is set to the fail-safe side at the time of failure, and the wiper operation setting is less frequently used due to the excitation switching of the first relay 4. Since the wiper Hi drive side can be switched to the frequently used wiper Lo drive, the fail-safe function works in the non-excited state of the first relay 4, and the fail-safe function works without wasteful energization of the relay, leading to improved fuel efficiency. . Further, under the control of the control unit 9, while the IG is turned on and the power supply terminal 5 is continuously supplied with power, once the wiper operation is set to the wiper Lo drive, the vehicle travels in a general rain condition or fog. The wiper operation setting continues to be set to the frequently used wiper Lo drive until the wiper operation is switched to the wiper Hi drive setting by a driver operation, during which the wiper operation is stopped and stopped. Even if repeated, the first relay 4 is not switched, and the relay switching sound can be reduced and the life of the parts can be extended at low cost.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the less frequently used side is the wiper Lo drive. In this case, the present invention can be similarly applied.

  Further, the present invention can be similarly applied even when there is no INT drive or mist drive.

  Further, the control procedure or the like of the control unit 9 may be any, and is not limited to the procedure or the like of the embodiment.

  The present invention can be applied to wiper drive control devices for various vehicles. In this case, the applied vehicle may be an electric auto or a hybrid vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wiper switch 4, 7 1st, 2nd relay 6 Wiper motor 8 Fail safe circuit 9 Control part

Claims (1)

Either the wiper Hi drive side where the wiper operates at high speed or the wiper Lo drive side where the wiper operates at low speed is set as the fail-safe side at the time of failure, and the switching of the wiper operation setting switching means In the wiper drive control device in which the setting of the wiper operation is switched from the low usage frequency side to the high usage frequency side by switching the excitation of the relay based on
When the wiper motor setting is switched to a frequently used side based on the switching of the switching means after the wiper motor is turned on, the wiper operation setting is continued until the wiper motor setting is switched by the switching means while the wiper motor is continuously powered on. A wiper drive control device comprising control means for holding the setting on the side of high use frequency.

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