JP6891683B2 - Vehicle wiper device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle wiper device capable of changing the wiping range.

In a vehicle wiper device that wipes windshield glass or the like of an automobile, a wiper arm to which a wiper blade is attached is reciprocated between a downward reversal position and an upward reversal position by a wiper motor. In many cases, the locus of movement of the wiper arm is substantially arcuate around the pivot axis of the wiper arm. Therefore, the wiping range, which is the area where the wiper blade wipes the windshield glass and the like, has a substantially fan shape centered on the pivot shaft.

In the vehicle wiper device, it is necessary to preferentially wipe the windshield glass on the driver's side in order to secure the driver's field of vision. In addition, the windshield glass of an automobile has an isosceles trapezoidal shape. Therefore, in a parallel (tandem) type wiper device in which two wiper arms rotate in the same direction at the same time, when the pivot shaft is provided below the windshield glass, the upward reversal position of the wiper blade on the driver's side is approximately omitted. The windshield glass having an isosceles trapezoid is provided in parallel with the legs near the driver's seat side (the vertical side of the isosceles trapezoid).

The upper inverted position of the wiper blade on the passenger side of the tandem type wiper device is also provided in parallel with the leg on the driver's side of the windshield glass in order to preferentially wipe the windshield glass on the driver's side. However, as described above, the wiping range of the wiper blade is substantially fan-shaped, so if the upper inversion position is provided at the above position, the area that is not wiped is centered on the upper corner of the windshield glass on the passenger seat side. Occurs.

Patent Document 1 describes a wiper device in which the link mechanism of the wiper device is a so-called four-section link, so that the total length of the wiper arm in operation is apparently extended to expand the wiping range of the windshield glass on the passenger side. It is disclosed.

In the wiper device described in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 7, the driving force of the motor is transmitted to the passenger seat side wiper arm 150P via the four-section link mechanism 160, so that the passenger seat side wiper blade 154P can be used. The wiping range Z12 between the lower inversion position P4P and the upper inversion position P5P is wiped. In FIG. 7, the wiping range Z10 is a wiping range in a wiper device that does not have the four-section link mechanism 160 and operates the wiper arm around the pivot axis. As shown in FIG. 7, the wiper device described in Patent Document 1 can wipe up to a portion closer to the upper corner of the windshield glass 1 on the passenger side than the wiper device having no 4-section link mechanism 160. It has become.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-25578

However, even with the wiper device described in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 7, the extension of the wiper arm on the passenger side during operation is not sufficient, and the wiper device is left unwiped on the upper part of the windshield glass 1 on the passenger side. There was a risk that a non-wiping range 158 would occur.

On the other hand, when a liquid such as rain is attached to the windshield glass 1 instead of a solid one, if the expansion wiping is performed at the time of recovery, the liquid remains in a streak on the passenger side of the windshield glass 1. May easily occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and is a vehicle wiper device that controls to change (expand and contract) the wiping range at either the forward movement or the reverse movement according to the deposits on the surface of the windshield glass. The purpose is to provide.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the vehicle wiper device according to claim 1 has a swinging wiper arm, a wiper blade connected to the wiper arm, a swinging fulcrum of the wiper arm, and a tip of the wiper blade. A first drive source that swings the wiper arm of a wiper provided with a contact / detachment mechanism for approaching and separating, and wipes the wiper blade between the upper inversion position and the lower inversion position of the windshield, and the contact / detachment mechanism. A second drive source that drives and changes the wiping range of the windshield by the wiper blade, a deposit determination unit that determines whether the deposits adhering to the windshield surface are liquid or solid, and the wiping operation are performed. As described above, the control unit includes a control unit that controls the rotation of the first drive source and controls the operation of the second drive source according to the determination result of the deposit determination unit.

By controlling the second drive source according to the deposits on the surface of the windshield, this vehicle wiper device winds with the wiper blade either in the forward movement or in the reverse movement according to the deposits on the surface of the windshield. It is possible to control the magnified wiping to change (enlarge) the wiping range of the shield.

The vehicle wiper device according to claim 2 is the vehicle wiper device according to claim 1. In the vehicle wiper device according to claim 1, the control unit uses the wiper blade when the deposit determination unit determines that the deposit is solid. During the wiping operation from the lower inversion position to the upper inversion position, the stop control is performed to set the operating amount of the second drive source to 0, and the wiper blade is wiped from the upper inversion position to the lower inversion position. At the time of operation, the second drive source is controlled so that the contact / disconnection control for operating the contact / detachment mechanism is performed by changing the operating amount between 0 and a predetermined value.

This vehicle wiper device does not expand the wiping range of the windshield wiper blade on the passenger side when the windshield wiper blade is moved, and the assistant when the windshield wiper is restored, when the windshield wiper device determines that the windshield wiper surface is solid such as snow. Control to expand the wiping range with the wiper blade on the seat side. Solids such as snow may be swept up on the surface of the windshield on the driver's side and the upper surface of the windshield during the forward movement, but the swept solids are flipped downward by the wiping operation that expands the wiping range at the time of recovery. It becomes possible to eliminate below the position.

The vehicle wiper device according to claim 3 is the vehicle wiper device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit determines that the deposit is liquid when the deposit determination unit determines that the deposit is liquid. When the wiper blade is wiped from the lower inverted position to the upper inverted position, the contact / detachment control is performed to operate the contact / detachment mechanism by changing the operating amount of the second drive source from 0 to a predetermined value. In addition, the second drive source is controlled so that the stop control is performed so that the operating amount is set to 0 when the wiper blade is wiped from the upper inverted position to the lower inverted position.

When the windshield wiper device determines that the deposits on the surface of the windshield are liquid raindrops, the wiper device for the vehicle expands the wiping range by the wiper blade on the passenger side when moving forward and the passenger seat when returning. Control is performed so that the wiping range of the side wiper blade is not expanded. If the wiping range is expanded during the forward movement, rain streaks may occur on the surface of the windshield on the passenger seat side, but the generated rain streaks are wiped by the normal wiping operation that does not expand the wiping range during the return movement. , It becomes possible to remove the water that has formed the rain streaks below the downward reversal position.

The vehicle wiper device according to claim 4 is the vehicle wiper device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the control unit has the wiper blade in the upper inverted position and the lower inverted position in the contact / detachment control. When one of them is reached, the second drive source is controlled to operate so that the operating amount changes from 0 to a predetermined value, and the wiper blade is intermediate between the upper inverted position and the lower inverted position. When the position is reached, the second drive source is controlled to operate so that the operating amount changes from a predetermined value to 0.

According to this vehicle wiper device, when the rotation angle of the output shaft of the first drive source becomes an angle corresponding to the upper reverse position or the lower reverse position, the second drive source is operated to apparently display the wiper arm. Stretch. Further, when the rotation angle of the output shaft of the first motor becomes an angle (intermediate angle) corresponding to the intermediate position between the upper reversal position and the lower reversal position, the second drive source is operated to apparently display the wiper arm. Shrink. By controlling the second drive source according to the rotation angle of the output shaft of the first drive source, it is possible to change the wiping range according to the wiping operation of the wiper blade.

The vehicle wiper device according to claim 5 is the vehicle wiper device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the deposit determination unit irradiates the windshield with infrared rays and reflects an infrared ray. Alternatively, the optical detection unit includes an optical detection unit that detects deposits on the surface of the windshield based on the amount of transmission and an outside air temperature detection unit that detects the outside air temperature of the vehicle, and the optical detection unit detects deposits and said. When the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature detection unit is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature, the deposits on the surface of the windshield are determined to be liquid raindrops, the optical detection unit detects the deposits, and the outside air temperature is detected. When the outside air temperature of the vehicle detected by the unit is less than the threshold temperature, the deposit on the surface of the windshield is determined to be solid snow or frost.

According to this vehicle wiper device, the deposits on the surface of the windshield detected by the optical detector are determined to be liquid raindrops when the outside air temperature is high, and solids such as snow when the outside air temperature is low. judge. By such a determination, it is possible to control the expansion wiping at either the forward movement or the reverse movement according to the deposits on the surface of the windshield.

The vehicle wiper device according to claim 6 is the vehicle wiper device according to claim 5, wherein the deposit determination unit further includes an imaging unit that acquires image data in front of the vehicle through the windshield. When the optical detection unit detects the deposit and the brightness of the darkest pixel of the image data acquired by the image pickup unit is less than the threshold brightness, the deposit on the windshield surface is determined to be a solid containing mud.

When the brightness of the image data acquired by the imaging unit is low, the vehicle wiper device determines that it is a solid that does not easily transmit visible light such as mud. By such a determination, it is possible to control the expansion wiping at either the forward movement or the reverse movement according to the deposits on the surface of the windshield.

The vehicle wiper device according to claim 7 is the vehicle wiper device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control unit operates the second drive source every predetermined number of wiping operations. Increase the amount step by step.

In this vehicle wiper device, the snow accretion of the windshield can be eliminated by wiping by gradually increasing the operating amount of the second drive source and gradually scraping the snow accretion of the windshield.

The vehicle wiper device according to claim 8 is the vehicle wiper device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control unit uses the first drive source and the first drive source before the vehicle starts traveling. 2 Operate the drive source.

This vehicle wiper device can operate the first drive source and the second drive source before the vehicle starts traveling to expand the wiping range and wipe the windshield glass.

The vehicle wiper device according to claim 9 is the vehicle wiper device according to claim 8, wherein the control unit has a vehicle shift device shift position as a parking position and a vehicle power switch or a door open / close switch. Was turned on, or the shift position of the vehicle shift device was set to the parking position, and a signal for operating the first drive source and the second drive source was input from the external terminal to the control unit. Occasionally, the control unit activates the first drive source and the second drive source.

This vehicle wiper device can easily determine before the vehicle starts traveling and change the wiping range. Examples of the vehicle power switch include a vehicle ignition switch and an accessory switch. Further, examples of the external terminal include an external mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

It is the schematic which showed an example of the wiper device for a vehicle which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which showed an example of the structure of the expansion / contraction mechanism of the wiper device for a vehicle which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the expansion / contraction mechanism cut along the line AA shown in FIG. It is a circuit diagram which shows typically the circuit of the wiper device for a vehicle which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. An example of the expansion / contraction mechanism operation amount map that defines the movement amount (operation amount) of the mover according to the rotation angle of the output shaft in the first embodiment of the present invention is shown. An example of a wiping mode control process for controlling the wiper device for a vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention to perform extended wiping at either the forward movement or the reverse movement according to the deposits on the windshield glass. It is a flowchart which showed. It is the schematic which showed an example of the wiper device which had a four-section link mechanism. It is explanatory drawing which showed one aspect of the expansion / contraction mechanism operation amount map used for the control of snow accretion removal in the wiper device for a vehicle which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed one mode of the operation of the passenger seat side wiper arm when the expansion / contraction mechanism operation amount map shown in FIG. 8 is used. It is explanatory drawing which showed the other aspect of the expansion / contraction mechanism operation amount map used for the control of snow accretion removal in the wiper device for a vehicle which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed one mode of the operation of the passenger seat side wiper arm when the curve of the expansion / contraction mechanism operation amount map shown in FIG. 10 is used. It is a flowchart which showed an example of snow accretion removal control in the wiper device for a vehicle which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which showed an example of the wiper device for a vehicle which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which showed an example of the process of the pre-travel change wiping mode of the wiper device for a vehicle which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. In the vehicle wiper device according to the modified example of the third embodiment of the present invention, the wiping mode control that controls the expansion wiping during either the forward movement or the reverse movement according to the deposits on the windshield glass. It is a flowchart which showed an example of processing. It is the schematic which showed an example of the lever which incorporated the wiper switch, the washer switch and the change mode switch. It is the schematic which showed an example of the expansion / contraction mechanism of the wiper device for a vehicle which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of a vehicle wiper device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle wiper device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is for wiping the windshield glass 1 as a "windshield" provided in a vehicle such as a passenger car, and includes a pair of wipers 14 and 16. It includes a wiper motor 18, a link mechanism 20, a telescopic mechanism 120, a control circuit 52, and a washer device 70.

Since FIG. 1 shows the case of a right-hand drive vehicle, the right side of the vehicle (left side of FIG. 1) is the driver's seat side, and the left side of the vehicle (right side of FIG. 1) is the passenger seat side. When the vehicle is a left-hand steering vehicle, the left side of the vehicle (right side in FIG. 1) is the driver's seat side, and the right side of the vehicle (left side in FIG. 1) is the passenger seat side. When the vehicle is a left-hand steering wheel, the configuration of the vehicle wiper device 100 is reversed on the left and right.

The wiper motor 18 drives the output shaft 32 to reciprocate on the windshield glass 1 by rotating the output shaft 32 in the forward and reverse directions within a predetermined rotation angle range to reciprocate each of the driver side wiper arm 26 and the passenger seat side wiper arm 24. It is the source. In the present embodiment, when the wiper motor 18 rotates in the forward direction, the driver's seat side wiper arm 26 operates so that the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 wipes the upper inverted position P1D from the lower inverted position P2D, and the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 operates. The passenger seat side wiper blade 28 operates so as to wipe the upper inverted position P1P from the lower inverted position P2P. Further, when the wiper motor 18 rotates in the reverse direction, the driver's seat side wiper arm 26 operates so that the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 wipes the lower inverted position P2D from the upper inverted position P1D, and the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 operates in the passenger seat. The side wiper blade 28 operates so as to wipe the lower reversal position P2P from the upper reversal position P1P.

The outer edge of the windshield glass 1 is a light-shielding portion 1A coated with a ceramic-based black pigment in order to block visible light and ultraviolet rays. The black pigment is applied to the outer edge of the windshield glass 1 on the vehicle interior side, and then melts by being heated at a predetermined temperature and fixed on the vehicle interior side surface of the windshield glass 1. The windshield glass 1 is fixed to the vehicle body by an adhesive applied to the outer edge portion, and as shown in FIG. 1, by providing a light-shielding portion 1A that does not transmit ultraviolet rays on the outer edge portion, the adhesive by ultraviolet rays is provided. Suppresses deterioration of.

When the expansion / contraction mechanism 120, which will be described later, does not operate, the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 rotates forward and reverse at a predetermined rotation angle (hereinafter, referred to as “predetermined rotation angle”), whereby the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 Wipe the wiping range H1 and the passenger side wiper blade 28 wipes the wiping range Z1.

The expansion / contraction mechanism 120 is a mechanism for operating the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 with respect to the passenger seat side wiper arm 24. The expansion / contraction mechanism 120 moves the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 in the radial direction of the arc centered on the pivot shaft 42, and apparently extends the passenger seat side wiper arm 24. When the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 operates while the wiper motor 18 is operating, the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 is apparently extended upward on the passenger seat side, and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 wipes the wiping range Z2. Further, by changing the operating amount (degree of expansion / contraction) of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120, it is possible to change the extension range of the passenger seat side wiper arm 24. For example, if the operating amount is increased, the range in which the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 is extended becomes large, and if the operating amount is decreased, the range in which the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 is extended becomes small.

The wiper motor 18 is a motor that can control the rotation direction of the output shaft 32 to forward rotation and reverse rotation, and can also control the rotation speed of the output shaft 32. As an example, either a brushed DC motor or a brushless DC motor. Is. Further, the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 is a kind of linear motor including a plurality of electromagnets and a plurality of permanent magnets, as will be described later.

A control circuit 52 for controlling each operation is connected to the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120. The control circuit 52 according to the present embodiment is, for example, the rotation direction, rotation position, rotation speed, and rotation angle of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 detected by the absolute angle sensor 114 provided near the end of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18. The duty ratio of the voltage applied to the wiper motor 18 is calculated based on the above. Further, based on the movement direction of the mover detected by the movement detection sensor (not shown) provided on the stator side of the telescopic mechanism 120, the change in position due to the movement, and the movement speed, the stator composed of an electromagnet is used. Calculate the polarity and duty ratio of the applied voltage.

In the present embodiment, pulse width modulation (PWM) in which the voltage applied to each of the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 is modulated into a pulsed waveform by turning on / off the voltage (approximately 12V) of the vehicle-mounted battery as a power source by a switching element. Generated by. In the present embodiment, the duty ratio is the ratio of the time of one pulse generated by turning on the above-mentioned switching element to one cycle of the waveform of the voltage generated by PWM. Further, one cycle of the voltage waveform generated by PWM is the sum of the time of the above-mentioned 1 pulse and the time when the above-mentioned switching element is turned off and no pulse is generated. The drive circuit 56 turns on and off the switching element in the drive circuit 56 according to the duty ratio calculated by the control circuit 52 to generate a voltage applied to each of the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120, and the generated voltage is used for the wiper motor 18 and expansion / contraction. It is applied to the terminals of each winding of the mechanism 120.

Since the wiper motor 18 according to the present embodiment has a reduction mechanism 48 composed of a worm gear, the rotation direction, rotation speed, and rotation angle of each output shaft are the same as the rotation speed and rotation angle of the main body of the wiper motor 18. Not the same. However, in the present embodiment, since each motor and the reduction mechanism 48 are integrally inseparably configured, the rotation speed and rotation angle of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 are hereinafter referred to as the rotation speed and rotation speed of the wiper motor 18. And the rotation angle.

The absolute angle sensor 114 is, for example, a sensor provided in the reduction mechanism 48 of the wiper motor 18 and detecting by converting the magnetic field (magnetic field) of an exciting coil or magnet that rotates in conjunction with the output shaft 32 into an electric current. , MR sensor and other magnetic sensors. Further, the movement detection sensor is a sensor that converts the magnetic field (magnetic force) of a mover in which a plurality of permanent magnets are arranged so that the magnetic poles on the side facing the stator are alternately different, and detects it as an example. , MR sensor and other magnetic sensors.

The control circuit 52 determines the position of the driver's side wiper blade 30 on the windshield glass 1 from the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 detected by the absolute angle sensor 114 provided near the end of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18. It is equipped with a calculable microcomputer 58. The microcomputer 58 controls the drive circuit 56 so that the rotation speed of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 changes according to the calculated position.

Further, the microcomputer 58 is mounted on the windshield glass 1 of the passenger side wiper blade 28 from the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 detected by the absolute angle sensor 114 provided near the end of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18. The position is calculated, and the drive circuit 56 is controlled so that the moving amount and moving speed of the mover of the telescopic mechanism 120 change according to the calculated position. Further, the microcomputer 58 calculates the degree of extension of the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 from the movement amount of the mover detected by the movement detection sensor of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120.

The control circuit 52 is provided with a memory 60 which is a storage device for storing data and programs used for controlling the drive circuit 56. The memory 60 includes the rotation speed of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 according to the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 indicating the positions of the driver side wiper blade 30 and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 on the windshield glass 1. It stores data and a program for calculating the movement speed (including the movement amount) of the mover of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 (including the rotation angle).

Further, a vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 90 that controls control of a vehicle engine or the like is connected to the microcomputer 58. Further, the vehicle ECU 90 includes a wiper switch 50, a direction indicator switch 54, a washer switch 62, a rain sensor 76, a vehicle speed sensor 92 that detects the speed of the vehicle, an in-vehicle camera 94 that captures the front of the vehicle, and a GPS (Global Positioning System). ) The device 96, the steering angle sensor 98, and the outside temperature sensor 156 are connected.

The wiper switch 50 is a switch that turns on or off the electric power supplied from the vehicle battery to the wiper motor 18. The wiper switch 50 operates the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 and the passenger's seat side wiper blade 28 at a low speed operation mode selection position for operating at a low speed, a high speed operation mode selection position for operating at a high speed, and intermittent operation for intermittently operating at regular intervals. The mode selection position, the AUTO (auto) operation mode selection position to be operated when the rain sensor 76 detects raindrops, and the storage (stop) mode selection position can be switched. Further, a signal corresponding to the selected position of each mode is output to the microcomputer 58 via the vehicle ECU 90.

When the signal output from the wiper switch 50 according to the selected position of each mode is input to the microcomputer 58 via the vehicle ECU 90, the microcomputer 58 controls the memory 60 corresponding to the output signal from the wiper switch 50. This is done using the stored data and program.

In the present embodiment, the wiper switch 50 may be separately provided with a change mode switch for changing the wiping range of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 to the wiping range Z2. When the change mode switch is turned on, a predetermined signal is input to the microcomputer 58 via the vehicle ECU 90. When a predetermined signal is input, the microcomputer 58, for example, causes the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 to wipe the wiping range Z2 when the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 operates from the lower inversion position P2P to the upper inversion position P1P. Control.

The direction indicator switch 54 is a switch that instructs the operation of the vehicle direction indicator (not shown), and a signal for turning on the right or left direction indicator is sent to the vehicle ECU 90 by the operation of the driver. Output. The vehicle ECU 90 blinks the right or left turn signal lamp based on the signal output from the turn signal switch 54. The signal output from the direction indicator switch 54 is also input to the microcomputer 58 via the vehicle ECU 90.

The washer switch 62 is a switch that turns on or off the electric power supplied from the vehicle battery to the washer motor 64, the wiper motor 18, and the telescopic mechanism 120. The washer switch 62 is provided integrally with an operating means such as a lever provided with the wiper switch 50 described above, and is turned on by an operation such as pulling the lever or the like by an occupant. When the washer switch 62 is turned on, the microcomputer 58 operates the washer motor 64 and the wiper motor 18. In the microcomputer 58, when the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 wipes from the lower inverted position P2P to the upper inverted position P1P, the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 is lowered from the upper inverted position P1P so as to wipe the wiping range Z2. When wiping up to the reversing position P2P, the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 is controlled so as to wipe the wiping range Z1. By such control, the passenger seat side of the windshield glass 1 can be widely wiped.

While the washer switch 62 is on, the washer pump 66 is driven by the rotation of the washer motor 64 included in the washer device 70. The washer pump 66 pumps the washer fluid in the washer fluid tank 68 to the driver's seat side hose 72A or the passenger's seat side hose 72B. The driver's seat side hose 72A is connected to a driver's seat side nozzle 74A provided below the driver's seat side of the windshield glass 1. Further, the passenger seat side hose 72B is connected to a passenger seat side nozzle 74B provided below the passenger seat side of the windshield glass 1. The pumped washer fluid is ejected onto the windshield glass 1 from the driver's seat side nozzle 74A and the passenger's seat side nozzle 74B. The washer fluid adhering to the windshield glass 1 is wiped together with dirt on the windshield glass 1 by the operating driver-side wiper blade 30 and the passenger-seat-side wiper blade 28.

The microcomputer 58 controls the washer motor 64 so that it operates only while the washer switch 62 is on. Further, the microcomputer 58 controls the wiper motor 18 so that the wiper blade 30 on the driver's seat side and the wiper blade 28 on the passenger's seat side continue to operate until they reach the downward reversal positions P2D and P2P even when the washer switch 62 is turned off. .. Further, in the microcomputer 58, when the washer switch 62 is turned off while the wiper blade 30 on the driver's seat side and the wiper blade 28 on the passenger's seat side are wiping toward the upper inverted positions P1D and P1P, the driver's seat side The expansion / contraction mechanism 120 is controlled so that the wiper blade 30 and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 wipe the wiping range Z2 until they reach the upper inversion positions P1D and P1P by the rotation of the wiper motor 18.

The rain sensor 76 is, for example, a type of optical sensor provided on the vehicle interior side of the windshield glass 1, and detects water droplets or the like on the surface of the windshield glass 1. As an example, the rain sensor 76 includes an LED that is an infrared light emitting element, a photodiode that is a light receiving element, a lens that forms an infrared optical path, and a control circuit. Infrared rays emitted from the passenger compartment side by the LED to the outside of the vehicle are totally reflected by the windshield glass 1, but if water droplets are present on the surface of the windshield glass 1, a part of the infrared rays is transmitted to the outside through the water droplets. , The amount of reflection on the windshield glass 1 is reduced. As a result, the amount of light entering the photodiode, which is a light receiving element, is reduced. Based on the decrease in the amount of light, water droplets on the surface of the windshield glass 1 are detected. Alternatively, by providing the light receiving element outside the vehicle, the amount of infrared rays transmitted may be detected, and water droplets on the surface of the windshield glass 1 may be detected based on the amount of transmitted infrared rays. Further, the light emitting element may be provided outside the vehicle and the light receiving element may be provided inside the vehicle to detect the amount of infrared rays transmitted.

The vehicle speed sensor 92 is a sensor that detects the number of rotations of the wheels of the vehicle and outputs a signal indicating the number of rotations. The vehicle ECU 90 calculates the vehicle speed from the signal output by the vehicle speed sensor 92 and the circumference of the wheel.

The in-vehicle camera 94 is a device that photographs the front of the vehicle and acquires moving image data. The vehicle ECU 90 can determine that the vehicle is approaching a curve or the like by performing image processing on the moving image data acquired by the vehicle-mounted camera 94. Further, the vehicle ECU 90 can calculate the brightness in front of the vehicle from the brightness of the moving image data acquired by the in-vehicle camera 94.

The vehicle-mounted camera 94 according to the present embodiment is a so-called stereo camera including a right imaging unit 94R and a left imaging unit 94L so that the distance to the subject can be calculated from the acquired image data. If the vehicle is equipped with a device that can separately detect obstacles in front of the vehicle such as millimeter-wave radar and detect the distance to the obstacles, the in-vehicle camera does not have to be a stereo camera.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the rain sensor 76 and the vehicle-mounted camera 94 are provided in the functional area 102 near the upper center of the windshield glass 1. The functional area 102 is a predetermined range that can cover the detection range of the rain sensor 76 and the shooting field of view of the vehicle-mounted camera 94.

The GPS device is a device that calculates the current position of the vehicle based on a positioning signal received from a GPS satellite in the sky. In the present embodiment, the GPS device 96 dedicated to the vehicle wiper device 100 is used, but when the vehicle is equipped with another GPS device such as a car navigation system, the other GPS device may be used.

The steering angle sensor 98 is provided on the rotation axis of the steering wheel (not shown) as an example, and is a sensor that detects the rotation angle of the steering wheel. Further, the outside air temperature sensor 156 is a sensor that detects the air temperature outside the vehicle.

Subsequently, the configurations of the wipers 14 and 16 will be described. The wipers 14 and 16 are composed of passenger seat side wiper arms 24 and 26, a passenger seat side wiper blade 28, and a driver seat side wiper blade 30, respectively. The base ends of the passenger seat side wiper arms 24 and 26 are fixed to the pivot shafts 42 and 44, which will be described later, respectively, and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 and the driver seat side wiper blade 30 are the passenger seat side wiper arms 24 and 26. Each is fixed to the tip.

In the wipers 14 and 16, the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 and the driver seat side wiper blade 30 reciprocate on the windshield glass 1 as the passenger seat side wiper arms 24 and 26 operate, and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 operates. The seat-side wiper blade 30 wipes the windshield glass 1.

The wiper motor 18 has an output shaft 32 that can rotate forward and reverse via a reduction mechanism 48, and the link mechanism 20 includes a crank arm 34, a first link rod 36, and a pair of pivot levers 38 and 40. The pivot shafts 42 and 44 and the second link rod 46 are provided.

One end side of the crank arm 34 is fixed to the output shaft 32, and the other end side of the crank arm 34 is operably connected to one end side of the first link rod 36. Further, the other end side of the first link rod 36 is operably connected to a position near the end different from the end having the pivot shaft 42 of the pivot lever 38, and is connected to the end having the pivot shaft 42 of the pivot lever 38. Both ends of the second link rod 46 are operably connected to different ends and to the ends of the pivot lever 40 corresponding to the ends of the pivot lever 38.

Further, the pivot shafts 42 and 44 are operably supported by a pivot holder (not shown) provided on the vehicle body, and the ends of the pivot levers 38 and 40 having the pivot shafts 42 and 44 are via the pivot shafts 42 and 44. The passenger side wiper arms 24 and 26 are fixed respectively.

In the vehicle wiper device 100, when the output shaft 32 is rotated forward and reverse at a rotation angle θ1 within a predetermined range, the rotational force of the output shaft 32 is transmitted to the passenger seat side wiper arms 24 and 26 via the link mechanism 20. As the passenger seat side wiper arms 24 and 26 reciprocate, the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 and the driver seat side wiper blade 30 meet the lower inverted positions P2D and P2P and the upper inverted positions P1D and P1P on the windshield glass 1. It reciprocates between. The value of θ1 can take various values depending on the configuration of the link mechanism of the vehicle cleaning system, etc., but in the present embodiment, it is set to 140 ° as an example.

In the vehicle wiper device 100 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, when the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 and the driver seat side wiper blade 30 are located at the retracted positions P3P and P3D, the crank arm The structure is such that the 34 and the first link rod 36 form a linear shape.

The storage positions P3D and P3P are provided below the downward inversion positions P2D and P2P. The windshield wiper blade 28 on the passenger seat side and the wiper blade 30 on the driver's seat side are retracted by rotating the output shaft 32 by θ2 from the state where the wiper blade 28 on the passenger seat side and the wiper blade 30 on the driver's seat side are in the downward inverted positions P2D and P2P. It operates at positions P3D and P3P. The value of θ2 can take various values depending on the configuration of the link mechanism of the vehicle cleaning system, etc., but in the present embodiment, it is set to 10 ° as an example.

When θ2 is “0”, the downward inversion positions P2D and P2P coincide with the storage positions P3D and P3P, and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 and the driver seat side wiper blade 30 stop at the downward inversion positions P2D and P2P. And be stored.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an example of the configuration of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 of the wiper 14 of the vehicle wiper device 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 is provided on the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 side and the stator 120A provided in the housing 120H fixed to the end of the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 by the fixed shaft 24P. The mover 126, which is provided with a permanent magnet train 120B, is included.

A coil 120C is wound around the stator 120A, and is excited when a voltage supplied from the drive circuit 56 is applied to the coil 120C. The drive circuit 56 changes the magnetic pole of the excited stator 120A by changing the polarity of the voltage applied to the coil 120C. Inside the passenger seat side wiper arm 24, a connection line (not shown) for conducting a conductive connection between the coil 120C and the drive circuit 56 is arranged.

In the permanent magnet row 120B of the mover 126, a plurality of permanent magnets are arranged so that the magnetic poles on the side facing the stator 120A are alternately different. Therefore, when the stator 120A is excited, the mover 126 moves in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2 with respect to the stator 120A due to the interaction between the magnetic field of the stator 120A and the magnetic field of the permanent magnet train 120B due to attraction and repulsion. Alternatively, a so-called reciprocating motion of moving in the direction of arrow C is performed.

A movement detection sensor 118 is provided in the housing 120H containing the stator 120A. The movement detection sensor 118 detects the magnetic field of the permanent magnet train 120B that changes with the movement of the mover 126, converts it into an electric signal, and outputs it to the control circuit 52. As shown by the broken line in FIG. 2, a signal line for conductively connecting the movement detection sensor 118 and the control circuit 52 is arranged inside the passenger seat side wiper arm 24.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 cut along the line AA shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the mover 126 includes a blade rubber 122 and a backing 124 which is a metal plate. The backing 124 is a member that contributes to maintaining the shape and imparting elasticity of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 by being held by the backing holding portion 126A of the mover 126.

The base end portion 122A of the blade rubber 122 is fitted to the blade rubber holding portion 126B of the mover 126, and together with the backing 124 described above, constitutes the passenger side wiper blade 28 including the mover 126.

The top of the mover 126 is a guide rail 126R that fits with the guide mechanism 120R at the lower end of the housing 120H of the stator 120A, and the mover 126 is an arc centered on the pivot shaft 42 with respect to the stator 120A. It is configured to be movable in the radial direction of.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram schematically showing a circuit of the vehicle wiper device 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle wiper device 100 includes a control circuit 52 and a drive circuit 56.

The control circuit 52 has a microcomputer 58 and a memory 60 as described above, and the microcomputer 58 has a wiper switch 50, a direction indicator switch 54, a washer switch 62, and the like via a vehicle ECU 90 (not shown). A rain sensor 76, a vehicle speed sensor 92, an in-vehicle camera 94, a GPS device 96, a steering angle sensor 98, and an outside temperature sensor 156 are connected to each other.

The drive circuit 56 includes a first predriver 104 and a wiper motor drive circuit 108 for driving the wiper motor 18, a second predriver 106 for driving the expansion and contraction mechanism 120, and an expansion and contraction mechanism drive circuit 110. Further, the drive circuit 56 includes a relay drive circuit 78, an FET drive circuit 80, and a washer motor drive circuit 57 for driving the washer motor 64.

The microcomputer 58 of the control circuit 52 rotates the wiper motor 18 by turning on and off the switching elements constituting the wiper motor drive circuit 108 via the first predriver 104, and the expansion / contraction mechanism drive circuit 110 via the second predriver 106. The operation of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 is controlled by turning on / off the switching element of the above. Further, the microprocessor 58 controls the rotation of the washer motor 64 by controlling the relay drive circuit 78 and the FET drive circuit 80.

When the wiper motor 18 is a brushed DC motor, the wiper motor drive circuit 108 includes four switching elements. The switching element is, for example, an N-type FET (field effect transistor). Further, the expansion / contraction mechanism drive circuit 110 that generates a voltage for driving the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 also includes four switching elements as an example, and each switching element is an N-type FET.

As shown in FIG. 4, the wiper motor drive circuit 108 includes FETs 108A to 108D. In the FET 108A, the drain is connected to the power supply (+ B), the gate is connected to the first predriver 104, and the source is connected to one end of the wiper motor 18. In the FET 108B, the drain is connected to the power supply (+ B), the gate is connected to the first predriver 104, and the source is connected to the other end of the wiper motor 18. In the FET 108C, the drain is connected to one end of the wiper motor 18, the gate is connected to the first predriver 104, and the source is grounded. In the FET 108D, the drain is connected to the other end of the wiper motor 18, the gate is connected to the first predriver 104, and the source is grounded.

The first predriver 104 controls the drive of the wiper motor 18 by switching the control signal supplied to the gates of the FETs 108A to 108D according to the control signal from the microcomputer 58. That is, when the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 is rotated (forward rotation) in the predetermined direction, the first predriver 104 turns on the pair of the FET 108A and the FET 108D and turns the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 in the direction opposite to the predetermined direction. When rotating (reverse rotation), the pair of FET 108B and FET 108C is turned on. Further, the first pre-driver 104 performs PWM to intermittently turn on / off the FET 108A and the FET 108D based on the control signal from the microcomputer 58.

The first pre-driver 104 controls the rotation speed of the wiper motor 18 in the forward rotation by changing the duty ratio related to the on / off of the FET 108A and the FET 108D by PWM. When the duty ratio becomes large, the effective value of the voltage applied to the terminal of the wiper motor 18 at the time of normal rotation becomes high, and the rotation speed of the wiper motor 18 becomes high.

Similarly, the first pre-driver 104 controls the rotation speed of the wiper motor 18 in the reverse rotation by changing the duty ratio related to the on / off of the FET 108B and the FET 108C by PWM. As the duty ratio increases, the effective value of the voltage applied to the terminals of the wiper motor 18 during reverse rotation increases, and the rotation speed of the wiper motor 18 increases.

The expansion / contraction mechanism drive circuit 110 includes FETs 110A to 110D. In the FET 110A, the drain is connected to the power supply (+ B), the gate is connected to the second predriver 106, and the source is connected to one end of the coil of the stator 120A of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120. In the FET 110B, the drain is connected to the power supply (+ B), the gate is connected to the second predriver 106, and the source is connected to the other end of the coil of the stator 120A of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120. In the FET 110C, the drain is connected to one end of the coil 120C of the stator 120A of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120, the gate is connected to the second predriver 106, and the source is grounded. In the FET 110D, the drain is connected to the other end of the coil 120C of the stator 120A of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120, the gate is connected to the second predriver 106, and the source is grounded.

The second predriver 106 controls the drive of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 by switching the control signal supplied to the gates of the FETs 110A to 110D according to the control signal from the microcomputer 58. As an example, when the mover 126 of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 is moved in a predetermined direction so that the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 is apparently extended upward on the passenger seat side, the second predriver 106 turns on the pair of FET 110A and FET 110D. Then, the pair of FET 110B and FET 110C is turned on. By repeating such switching control, the mover 126 is moved in a predetermined direction. Further, the moving speed of the mover 126 accelerates the switching timing for turning on the pair of FET 110A and FET 110D and then turning on the pair of FET 110B and FET 110C, and increases the voltage applied to each of the FET 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D. It can be speeded up by doing. The second pre-driver 104 controls the voltage applied to each of the FETs 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D by performing PWM like the first pre-driver 104 described above based on the control signal from the microcomputer 58. ..

When the mover 126 of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 is moved in the opposite direction of the predetermined direction, the second predriver 106 turns on the pair of the FET 110B and the FET 110C, and then turns on the pair of the FET 110A and the FET 110D. By repeating such switching control, the mover 126 is moved in the opposite direction of the predetermined direction. Further, the moving speed of the mover 126 accelerates the switching timing for turning on the pair of FET 110B and FET 110C and then turning on the pair of FET 110A and FET 110D, and increases the voltage applied to each of the FET 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D. It can be speeded up by doing. The second pre-driver 104 controls the voltage applied to each of the FETs 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D by performing PWM like the first pre-driver 104 described above based on the control signal from the microcomputer 58. ..

A two-pole sensor magnet 112A is fixed to the output shaft end 112 of the output shaft 32 in the reduction mechanism 48 of the wiper motor 18, and an absolute angle sensor 114 is provided so as to face the sensor magnet 112A.

A movement detection sensor 118 is provided in the housing 120H of the telescopic mechanism 120 so as to face the permanent magnet row 120B of the mover 126.

The absolute angle sensor 114 detects the magnetic field of the sensor magnet 112A, and the movement detection sensor 118 detects the magnetic field of the permanent magnet train 120B, and outputs a signal according to the strength of the detected magnetic field. The microcomputer 58 calculates the rotation angle, rotation position, rotation direction, and rotation speed of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 based on the signal output by the absolute angle sensor 114, and is based on the signal output by the movement detection sensor 118. The movement amount, position, movement direction, and movement speed of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 are calculated.

From the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18, the position between the lower reversal position P2D and the upper reversal position P1D of the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 can be calculated. Further, the degree of apparent extension (degree of expansion) of the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 can be calculated from the amount of movement of the mover 126 of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120. The microcomputer 58 controls the amount of movement of the mover 126 based on the position between the lower inversion position P2D and the upper inversion position P1D of the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 calculated from the rotation angle of the output shaft 32. The operation of the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 are synchronized with each other. As an example, the memory 60 is associated with the position (or the rotation angle of the output shaft 32) between the lower reversal position P2D and the upper reversal position P1D of the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 and the movement amount of the mover 126. A map (for example, an expansion / contraction mechanism operation amount map described later) is stored in advance, and the movement amount of the mover 126 is controlled according to the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 according to the map.

FIG. 5 shows an example of an expansion / contraction mechanism operation amount map that defines the movement amount (operation amount) of the mover 126 according to the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 in the present embodiment. The horizontal axis of FIG. 5 is the output shaft rotation angle θ _A , which is the rotation angle of the output shaft 32. An output shaft rotation angle theta _A, the vertical axis represents the expansion mechanism actuation amount is the amount of movement of the movable element 126 of Figure 5 when the passenger's side wiper blade 28 is positioned at the lower turning position P2P is made to "0 °" M _V The maximum value is the predetermined operating amount _MV2 . Expansion mechanism operation amount M _V, since a "0" when the passenger's side wiper blade 28 is positioned at the lower turning position P2P, the position of the movable element 126 from the position expansion mechanism operation amount M _V becomes "0" Shows the distance to. The origin O in FIG. 5 indicates a state in which the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 is in the downward reversal position P2P. Theta ₁ of FIG. 5 as a result of the output shaft 32 is rotated by a predetermined rotation angle theta _1, passenger side wiper blade 28 indicates a state in which the upper reversal position P1P.

When the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 starts rotating, the microcomputer 58 collates the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 detected by the absolute angle sensor 114 with the expansion / contraction mechanism operation amount map. Such collation, from the angle indicated by the curve 190 in FIG. 5, to calculate the expansion mechanism operation amount M _V corresponding to the output shaft rotation angle theta _A detected by the absolute angle sensor 114, the calculated expansion mechanism operation amount M _V The amount of movement of the mover 126 of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 is controlled so as to be.

More specifically, in the microcomputer 58, when the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 starts to change from 0 ° in the forward rotation direction by the absolute angle sensor 114, the passenger side wiper blade 28 is in the downward inverted position. It is determined that the movement from P2P has started, and the movement of the mover 126 of the telescopic mechanism 120 upward on the passenger seat side (predetermined direction) is started. As described above, the microcomputer 58 determines the amount of movement of the mover 126 corresponding to the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 by using the expansion / contraction mechanism operation amount map, and the microcomputer 58 determines the amount of movement of the mover 126, which is a signal from the movement detection sensor 118. The movement amount of the mover 126 is monitored based on the above, and the operation of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 is controlled so that the movement amount is determined by using the expansion / contraction mechanism operation amount map. Depending on the setting of the expansion / contraction mechanism operating amount map, as shown in FIG. 5, when the output shaft rotation angle θ _A becomes the intermediate rotation angle θ _m between 0 ° and the predetermined rotation angle θ ₁ , the mover The amount of movement of 126 upward on the passenger side is set to the predetermined operating amount _MV2 . When the amount of movement of the mover 126 upward on the passenger seat side becomes a predetermined operating amount _MV2 , the wiper blade 28 on the passenger seat side is moved upward on the passenger seat side on the windshield glass 1.

After moving amount in a predetermined direction of the movable element 126 has reached the predetermined operation amount M _V2, following expansion mechanism operation amount map, the movable element 126 to the predetermined direction is moved in the opposite direction. Specifically, the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 reaches a predetermined rotation angle theta _1, the predetermined direction the mover 126 at a predetermined operating amount M _V2 until the passenger's side wiper blade 28 reaches the upper reversal position P1P is By moving in the opposite direction, the movement amount of the mover 126 is reduced to 0 as shown in the expansion / contraction mechanism operation amount map of FIG. Since the movement detection sensor 118 of the present embodiment uses a sensor such as an MR sensor that can detect the movement amount and the movement direction of the object, when the mover 126 moves in the direction opposite to the predetermined direction, , A state in which the amount of movement detected so far decreases toward 0 can be detected. Then, due to the decrease in the amount of movement of the mover 126, the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 is returned to the original position.

The above description is a case where the wiper blade 28 on the passenger seat side is moved from the lower reversal position P2P to the upper reversal position P1P while wiping the wiping range Z2. When wiping the wiping range Z2 while moving the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 from the upper reversal position P1P to the lower reversal position P2P, the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 changes from 0 ° in the reverse rotation direction by the absolute angle sensor 114. When the above is started, it is determined that the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 has started the movement from the upper reversal position P1P, the movement of the mover 126 of the telescopic mechanism 120 in the predetermined direction is started, and the mover 126 is started to move in the predetermined direction. After the amount of movement to the predetermined operating amount _{reaches the predetermined operating amount M V2} , the mover 126 is moved in the direction opposite to the predetermined direction according to the expansion / contraction mechanism operating amount map. The expansion / contraction mechanism operating amount map shown in FIG. 5 has _{a curve 190 that is symmetrical with respect to the intermediate rotation angle θ m} , but is not limited to this. The curve of the map is set individually according to the shape of the windshield glass 1 and the like.

Further, the microcomputer 58 changes the wiping speed of the wiper blade based on the position between the lower inverted position P2D and the upper inverted position P1D of the driver's side wiper blade 30 and the degree of expansion of the passenger's side wiper arm 24. It is also possible to perform control such as making it. Hereinafter, an example of controlling the wiping speed when the predetermined operating amount, which is the amount of movement of the mover 126, is set large and the degree of expansion of the passenger side wiper arm 24 is increased will be described. In such a case, the rotation speed of the output shaft 32 is gradually reduced as the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 _{approaches the intermediate rotation angle θ m.} Then, when the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 _{reaches the intermediate rotation angle θ m} , that is, when the passenger side wiper arm 24 is extended to the maximum, the rotation speed of the output shaft 32 is controlled to be minimized. For controlling the rotation speed of the output shaft 32, for example, a map of the rotation speed of the output shaft 32 defined according to the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 or the like (not shown) is used. Further, the moving speed of the mover 126 is also controlled according to the rotation speed of the output shaft 32. For example, if the expansion / contraction mechanism operation amount map as shown in FIG. 5 is used, the operation of the mover 126 can be synchronized with the rotation of the output shaft 32, so that the rotation speed of the output shaft 32 can be increased or decreased. , The moving speed of the mover 126 can also be controlled. By such control, the speed at which the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 is extended and the speed at which the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 is wiped can be relaxed, and the possibility that the occupant may feel a sense of discomfort that "the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 is rapidly extended" can be reduced. ..

The washer motor drive circuit 57 includes a relay unit 84 containing two relays RLY1 and RLY2, and two FETs 86A and 86B. The relay coils of the relays RLY1 and RLY2 of the relay unit 84 are connected to the relay drive circuit 78, respectively. The relay drive circuit 78 switches the relays RLY1 and RLY2 on and off (excitation / stop of the relay coil). The relays RLY1 and RLY2 maintain a state in which the common terminals 84C1 and 84C2 are connected to the first terminals 84A1 and 84A2 (off state) while the relay coil is not excited, and when the relay coil is excited. The state is switched so that the common terminals 84C1 and 84C2 are connected to the second terminals 84B1 and 84B2, respectively. The common terminal 84C1 of the relay RLY1 is connected to one end of the washer motor 64, and the common terminal 84C2 of the relay RLY2 is connected to the other end of the washer motor 64. Further, each of the first terminals 84A1 and 84A2 of the relays RLY1 and RLY2 is connected to the drain of the FET 86B, and each of the second terminals 84B1 and 84B2 of the relays RLY1 and RLY2 is connected to the power supply (+ B).

The gate of the FET 86B is connected to the FET drive circuit 80, and the source is grounded. The duty ratio related to on / off of the FET 86B is controlled by the FET drive circuit 80. Further, the FET 86A is provided between the drain of the FET 86B and the power supply (+ B). Since the control signal is not input to the gate, the FET 86A is not switched on and off, and is provided for the purpose of using the parasitic diode for absorbing the surge.

The relay drive circuit 78 and the FET drive circuit 80 control the drive of the washer motor 64 by switching the on / off of the two relays RLY1 and RLY2 and the FET 86B. That is, when the output shaft of the washer motor 64 is rotated in a predetermined direction (forward rotation), the relay drive circuit 78 turns on the relay RLY1 (relay RLY2 is off), and the FET drive circuit 80 turns on the FET 86B at a predetermined duty ratio. Let me. By the above control, the rotation speed of the output shaft of the washer motor 64 is controlled.

Hereinafter, the control of the vehicle wiper device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 shows a wiping mode control process for controlling the wiper device 100 for a vehicle according to the present embodiment to perform magnified wiping at either the forward movement or the reverse movement according to the deposits on the windshield glass 1. It is a flowchart which showed an example. The series of procedures shown in FIG. 6 is executed when the wiper switch 50 is in the AUTO operation mode selection position that automatically operates the vehicle wiper device 100 when the rain sensor 76 detects raindrops. , Processed by the microcomputer 58 in the control circuit 52.

In step 110, the signal from the rain sensor 76 is acquired, and in step 112, the image data is acquired from the vehicle-mounted camera 94. Further, in step 114, a signal indicating the temperature outside the vehicle is acquired from the outside air temperature sensor 156.

In step 116, it is determined whether or not the rain sensor 76 has detected a liquid such as raindrops or a solid such as snow. As described above, the rain sensor 76 detects the deposits on the windshield glass 1 by the change in the amount of infrared rays reflected from the vehicle interior side to the outside of the vehicle. In step 116, when there is some change in the amount of infrared rays reflected from the rain sensor 76, it is determined that there is an deposit on the surface of the windshield glass 1 and a positive determination is made. If the affirmative decision is made in step 116, the procedure shifts to step 118. If a negative determination is made in step 116, the process is returned.

In step 118, it is determined whether or not the brightness of the darkest portion of the image data acquired from the vehicle-mounted camera 94 is equal to or higher than the threshold brightness. If the deposits on the surface of the windshield glass 1 are colorless or white such as water droplets, snow, frost, sleet, and snow melting agent, the brightness of the image data is generally high even in the darkest part. On the other hand, if the deposit is mud, the brightness of the darkest part of the image data will be lower than that of water droplets or the like. In the present embodiment, the threshold pixels are specifically determined through an actual machine test or the like so that mud can be distinguished from water droplets, snow, frost, sleet, snow melting agent, and the like.

If the affirmative decision is made in step 118, the procedure is shifted to step 120. If a negative determination is made in step 118, the procedure shifts to step 124.

In step 120, it is determined whether or not the temperature outside the vehicle detected by the outside air temperature sensor 156 is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature. The threshold temperature is, for example, 4 to 5 ° C. at which frost or the like is generated. In the case of an affirmative determination in step 120, it can be determined that the deposit on the surface of the windshield glass 1 is a liquid such as raindrops. Therefore, in step 122, the process is returned by performing the operation in the rain wiping mode in which the wiping range Z2 is wiped when moving forward and the wiping range Z1 is wiped when returning.

In the case of a negative judgment in step 118, it can be determined that the deposit is mud, and in the case of a negative judgment in step 120, it can be determined that the deposit is snow, frost, sleet, snow melting agent, etc. due to the low temperature. .. In both cases of the negative determination in step 118 and the negative determination in step 120, the deposits on the surface of the windshield glass 1 are considered to be solid. Therefore, in step 124, the process is returned by performing the operation in the snow / mud wiping mode in which the wiping range Z1 is wiped when moving forward and the wiping range Z2 is wiped when returning.

As described above, in the present embodiment, by using the rain sensor 76, the vehicle-mounted camera 94, and the outside air temperature sensor 156 in combination, the deposits on the surface of the windshield glass 1 are liquid such as raindrops, snow, mud, or the like. It is determined whether it is a solid. Then, based on the determination, it becomes possible to control the expansion wiping at either the forward movement or the reverse movement according to the deposits on the surface of the windshield glass 1.

When the deposits on the surface of the windshield glass 1 are identified as raindrops that are liquid, rain streaks are generated on the passenger side of the surface of the windshield glass 1 by performing enlarged wiping during the forward movement and normal operation during the return movement. Prevent it from happening. If the wiping range is expanded during the forward movement, rain streaks may occur on the surface of the windshield glass 1 on the passenger seat side. This is because it is possible to wipe off and remove the water that has formed the rain streaks below the downward reversal position.

In addition, when the deposits on the surface of the windshield glass 1 are identified as solids containing snow or mud, the driver's seat side of the surface of the windshield glass 1 is performed by performing normal operation during the forward movement and expanding wiping during the return movement. Prevents solids such as snow or mud from being swept away. Solids such as snow may be swept over the surface of the windshield glass on the driver's side and the upper surface of the windshield glass during the forward movement. This is because it is possible to eliminate it below the downward inversion position.

In the present embodiment, the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 is controlled so as to be rotatable forward and reverse (reciprocating), but the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the output shaft 32 may rotate in one direction.

In this embodiment, the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 and the passenger's seat side wiper blade 28 are moved between the upper inversion positions P1D and P1P and the lower inversion positions P2D and P2P by the rotation of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the wiper motor 18 includes a "driver's seat side wiper motor" and a "passenger seat side wiper motor", and the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 is moved between the upper inverted position P1D and the lower inverted position P2D by the rotation of the driver's seat side wiper motor. The structure may be such that the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 is moved between the upper reversal position P1P and the lower reversal position P2P by the rotation of the passenger seat side wiper motor.

In the present embodiment, the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 (passenger seat side wiper blade 28) is extended to the vicinity of the intermediate angle at the predetermined rotation angle of the output shaft 32, and from the vicinity of the intermediate angle to the predetermined rotation angle. The passenger seat side wiper arm 24 (passenger seat side wiper blade 28) was controlled to be reduced, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 wipes from the lower reverse position P2P toward the upper reverse position P1P (during forward wiping), the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 may be controlled to gradually extend.

In the present embodiment, the embodiment using the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 and the movement amount of the mover 126 of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 has been described, but instead of this, the rotation position of the output shaft 32 has been described. And the position of the mover 126 may be used.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment described above, the change in the wiping range of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 is limited to changing from the wiping range Z1 to the wiping range Z2. In the present embodiment, the wiping range of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 is changed stepwise between the wiping range Z1 and the wiping range Z2. By gradually expanding the wiping range from the wiping range Z1 to the wiping range Z2, it becomes possible to gradually scrape off the snow accretion on the windshield glass 1. For convenience, in the present embodiment, the control for gradually expanding the wiping range is referred to as snow accretion removal control.

Hereinafter, the control of the vehicle wiper device 200 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Since the basic configuration of the vehicle wiper device 200 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the configurations common to the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing one aspect of the expansion / contraction mechanism operating amount map used for controlling snow accretion removal in the vehicle wiper device 200 according to the present embodiment. Figure 8 includes a curve 190 which defines an extension mechanism operation amount M _V with respect to the output shaft rotation angle theta _A case (case of enlargement ratio of 100%) for extending the passenger side wiper arm 24 to the maximum, the passenger side wiper arm 24 and the straight line 194 that defines the expansion mechanism operation amount M _V with respect to the output shaft rotation angle theta _a when not extended (in the case of enlargement rate of 0%) is written to.

Further, in FIG. 8, there are curves 196A, 196B, and 196C between the straight line 194 and the curve 190, and the enlargement ratio between 0% and 100% of the enlargement ratio is interpolated. In FIG. 8, three curves of curves 196A, 196B, and 196C are set between the straight line 194 and the curve 190, but the number of curves that interpolate the enlargement ratio between the enlargement ratio of 0% and the enlargement ratio of 100% is Any one or more. Further, the enlargement ratio carried by each curve such as curves 196A, 196B, and 196C is also arbitrary. The specific number of curves and the enlargement ratio of each curve are determined, for example, through an experiment using an actual machine.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing one mode of operation of the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 when the expansion / contraction mechanism operation amount map shown in FIG. 8 is used. In FIG. 9, the wiping range Z1 is the wiping range of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 when the straight line 194 of FIG. 8 is used, and the wiping range Z2 is the wiping range of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 when the curve 190 of FIG. 8 is used. This is the wiping range of the blade 28.

Further, in FIG. 9, the wiping range Z3 is the wiping range when the curve 196A of FIG. 8 is used, the wiping range Z4 is the wiping range when the curve 196B of FIG. 8 is used, and the wiping range Z5 is the wiping range when the curve 196C of FIG. 8 is used. is there.

In the present embodiment, the expansion / contraction mechanism operating amount to be used when the snow accretion of the windshield glass 1 may hinder the operation of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 at the time of extended wiping, or when the operation is actually hindered. By gradually changing the map from curves 196A to 196B, 196C, 190, the snow accretion of the windshield glass 1 is gradually scraped off.

Whether or not the snowfall may hinder the operation of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 at the time of extended wiping depends on the visual judgment by the user or the judgment based on the image data taken by the in-vehicle camera 94.

For example, in addition to the above-mentioned change mode switch, a snow accretion removal switch is provided, and the user gradually changes the expansion ratio based on the snow accretion condition of the windshield glass 1 to gradually remove the snow accretion. Operate the snow accretion removal switch when it is determined that As a result of operating the snow accretion removal switch, as shown in FIG. 9, a snow accretion removal process is executed in which the enlargement ratio is changed stepwise to gradually scrape off the snow accretion.

Further, when a predetermined number or more of pixels indicating the presence of snow accretion are detected from the image data of the upper part of the windshield glass 1 from the vehicle interior taken by the in-vehicle camera 94, the snow accretion is expanded. It is determined that there is a risk of hindering the operation of the blade 28. When a predetermined number or more of pixels indicating the presence of snow accretion are detected, for example, when a predetermined number or more of pixels indicating a white pixel value indicating snow accretion are detected, the windshield glass 1 is covered in a wide range. It can be judged that snow is occurring.

When the expansion wiping operation of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 is actually hindered by snow accretion, at least one of the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 becomes overloaded, and the rotation of the wiper motor 18 and the operation of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 are performed. For example, when at least one of the above is stopped. In the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the wiper motor 18 has stopped due to overload based on the current value of the wiper motor 18, the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18, and the rotation speed thereof.

Further, in the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 has stopped due to an overload based on the current value of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120, the movement amount of the mover 126 of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120, and the movement speed thereof.

For example, the current value of the wiper motor 18 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, and the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 detected by the absolute angle sensor 114 is 0 ° (corresponding to the lower inverted position P2P) and the predetermined rotation angle θ ₁ (corresponding to the upper inverted position P1P). If neither of the above is the case and the amount of change in the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 detected by the absolute angle sensor 114 in a unit time is equal to or less than the threshold value, it can be determined that the wiper motor 18 has stopped due to overload.

The current value of the expansion mechanism 120 is less than the predetermined value, the amount of movement of the movable member 126 detected by the movement detecting sensor 118 is 0 (the upper reversing position P1P and lower reversal position P2P or equivalent) and a predetermined operation amount M _V2 (middle If it is neither of the above (equivalent to the position) and the amount of change in the movement amount of the mover 126 detected by the movement detection sensor 118 in a unit time is less than or equal to the threshold value, the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 is said to have stopped due to overload. Can be judged.

In the present embodiment, when the snow accretion of the windshield glass 1 may hinder the operation of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 at the time of spreading and wiping, or when the movement is actually hindered, the enlargement ratio is gradually increased. By changing to, the amount of expansion and contraction of the wiping range is gradually increased, and the snow accretion removal process is executed to gradually scrape off the snow accretion. There are several modes of gradual change in magnification. For example, the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 is wiped from the lower inverted position P2P to the upper inverted position P1P. When moving, the wiper blade 28 is enlarged and wiped, and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 is wiped from the upper inverted position P1P to the lower inverted position P2P. If you want to perform normal wiping operation at the time of recovery, change the enlargement ratio as follows. Immediately after the start of the snow accretion removal process, the curve 196A is used for magnified wiping, and the straight line 194 is used for normal wiping (normal wiping). The magnified wiping using the curve 196A is executed one or more predetermined times, and the magnified wiping using the curve 196B is executed a predetermined number of times at the next forward movement after the predetermined number of executions. After that, the magnifying wiping using the curve 196C is executed a predetermined number of times during the forward movement, and then the magnifying wiping using the curve 190 is executed at the time of the forward movement at a magnification of 100%.

In addition, if the enlargement wiping is performed at the time of recovery and the normal wiping operation is performed at the time of forward movement, the enlargement ratio is changed as follows. At the time of recovery immediately after the start of the snow accretion removal process, the curve 196A is used for extended wiping, and at the time of movement, the straight line 194 is used for normal wiping operation (normal wiping). The magnified wiping using the curve 196A is executed one or more times a predetermined number of times, and at the next recovery after the predetermined number of times is executed, the magnified wiping using the curve 196B is executed a predetermined number of times. After that, the magnifying wiping using the curve 196C is executed a predetermined number of times, and then the magnifying wiping using the curve 190 at a magnifying rate of 100% is executed.

Expanded wiping may be performed at the time of forward movement and at the time of recovery. For example, the expansion wiping using the curve 196A is executed one or more times each at the time of the forward movement and the time of the recovery immediately after the start of the snow accretion removal process, and the curve 196B is performed at the time of the subsequent movement and the recovery. Perform the used magnifying wipe a predetermined number of times. After that, the expansion wiping using the curve 196C is executed a predetermined number of times each in the forward movement and the restoration, and then the expansion wiping using the curve 190 is executed at the time of the restoration with a magnification of 100%.

Alternatively, the curve 196A was used for magnified wiping immediately after the start of the snow accretion removal process, the curve 196B was used for the subsequent rebound, and the curve 196C was used for the subsequent rebound. The magnified wiping may be performed, and the magnifying wiping with a 100% magnifying factor using the curve 190 may be performed at the time of the subsequent recovery.

In any of the above cases, the snow accretion removal process is terminated after performing the expansion wiping with a magnification of 100% using the curve 190 one or more predetermined times.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing another aspect of the expansion / contraction mechanism operating amount map used for controlling snow accretion removal in the vehicle wiper device 200 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the curve 198 is between the two inversion positions (upper inversion position P1P and lower inversion position P2P) between the straight line 194 with a magnification of 0% and the curve 190 with a magnification of 100%. in which the expansion mechanism operation amount M _V periodically changed to oscillate. FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing one mode of operation of the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 when the curve 198 of the expansion / contraction mechanism operation amount map shown in FIG. 10 is used. The amount of movement of the movable element 126 of the telescopic mechanism 120 using a telescopic mechanism operation amount M _V periodically alters curve 198 to oscillate between magnification of 0% linearly 194 with magnification of 100% curve 190 By controlling the above, the amount of expansion / contraction of the wiping range changes periodically, and the tip of the wiper blade 28 on the passenger side moves in a zigzag or meandering manner like the locus Z6. By wiping the windshield wiper blade 28 in a zigzag or meandering manner, it is possible to break the snow accretion of the windshield glass 1 at the tip of the wiper blade 28 on the passenger seat side.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of snow accretion removal control in the vehicle wiper device 200 according to the present embodiment. In step 250, environmental information is acquired. The environmental information includes the input signal from the snow removal switch, the image data acquired by the in-vehicle camera 94, the current values of the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120, the rotation angle and rotation speed of the output shaft 32, and the movement of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120. Amount and speed of movement.

In step 252, the necessity of snow accretion removal is determined. As described above, when snowfall is detected from the image data acquired by the vehicle-mounted camera 94, or when the wiper motor 18 becomes overloaded, an affirmative determination is made. Also, when the user turns on the snow accretion removal switch, a positive judgment is made.

In the case of an affirmative determination in step 252, as described above, the enlargement ratio is gradually changed, or the snow accretion removal wiping operation in which the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 is wiped in a zigzag manner is executed to return the process. If a negative determination is made in step 252, the process is returned.

In the present embodiment, the snow accretion of the windshield glass 1 is removed by gradually increasing the amount of expansion / contraction of the wiping range of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 for each one or more predetermined times of wiping operation to scrape off the snow accretion. Can be removed. Further, in the present embodiment, by wiping the windshield wiper blade 28 on the passenger seat side in a zigzag manner, the snow accretion of the windshield glass 1 is crushed by the tip of the wiper blade 28 on the passenger seat side, and as a result, the windshield glass The snow accretion of 1 can be eliminated by wiping.

As described above, in the present embodiment, snow accretion of the windshield glass 1 can be eliminated by wiping by changing the amount of expansion / contraction of the wiping range.

In the present embodiment, the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 is controlled so as to be rotatable forward and reverse (reciprocating), but the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the output shaft 32 may rotate in one direction.

In this embodiment, the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 and the passenger's seat side wiper blade 28 are moved between the upper inversion positions P1D and P1P and the lower inversion positions P2D and P2P by the rotation of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the wiper motor 18 includes a "driver's seat side wiper motor" and a "passenger seat side wiper motor", and the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 is moved between the upper inverted position P1D and the lower inverted position P2D by the rotation of the driver's seat side wiper motor. The structure may be such that the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 is moved between the upper reversal position P1P and the lower reversal position P2P by the rotation of the passenger seat side wiper motor.

In the present embodiment, the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 and the passenger's seat side wiper blade 28 have a structure that does not overlap in the vehicle width direction at the downward reversal positions P2D and P2P, but the structure is limited to this. There is no. For example, the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 side of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 may be set longer. In other words, the length of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 is set so that the driver side wiper blade 30 side of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 overlaps with the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 side of the driver seat side wiper blade 30. May be good. As a result, when wiping the wiping range Z2 during reciprocating movement, the non-wiping area remaining on the lower center side of the windshield glass can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 (passenger seat side wiper blade 28) is extended to the vicinity of the intermediate angle at the predetermined rotation angle of the output shaft 32, and from the vicinity of the intermediate angle to the predetermined rotation angle. The passenger seat side wiper arm 24 (passenger seat side wiper blade 28) was controlled to be reduced, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 wipes from the lower reverse position P2P toward the upper reverse position P1P (during forward wiping), the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 may be controlled to gradually extend.

In the present embodiment, the embodiment using the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 and the movement amount of the mover 126 of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 has been described, but instead of this, the rotation position of the output shaft 32 has been described. And the position of the mover 126 may be used.

In the present embodiment, the case where the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 does not operate and only the wiper motor 18 operates is regarded as a normal wiping operation (normal wiping), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the movable element 126 may be moved (the wiping range of the windshield glass 1 by the windshield wiper blade 28 on the passenger seat side is slightly expanded) to be used as normal wiping.

In this embodiment, although the expansion mechanism operation amount M _V periodically changed to oscillate between magnification of 0% linearly 194 with magnification of 100% of the curve 190, limited to Will not be done. For example, it may be a telescopic mechanism operation amount M _V periodically changed so as to oscillate between magnification of 0% and the enlargement ratio of 80%.

In the present embodiment, the expansion mechanism operation amount M _V is periodically changed, it is not limited thereto. Further, the tip of the wiper blade 28 on the passenger seat side is said to move in a zigzag manner, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[Third Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the wiping range of the windshield glass 1 by the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 is changed in three stages. Specifically, the "normal wiping mode" in which the above-mentioned wiping range Z1 is wiped, the "first enlarged wiping mode" in which the wiping range Z14 shown in FIG. 13 is wiped, and the wiping range Z15 shown in FIG. 13 are wiped. The wiping range can be changed between the "second enlarged wiping mode" and the "second enlarged wiping mode".

Hereinafter, the vehicle wiper device 300 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, configurations different from the above-described first embodiment and second embodiment will be described, and the same reference numerals will be given to the configurations common to the first embodiment and the second embodiment. A detailed description will be omitted.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing an example of the vehicle wiper device 300 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, a pair of washer nozzles 340A and 340B are provided at the tip of the driver's side wiper arm 326. The washer nozzle 340A is arranged on the forward side with respect to the driver's seat side wiper arm 326, and the washer nozzle 340B is arranged on the return side with respect to the driver's seat side wiper arm 326. Further, a pair of washer nozzles 342A and 342B are provided at the tip of the passenger seat side wiper arm 324. The washer nozzle 342A is arranged on the forward side with respect to the passenger seat side wiper arm 324, and the washer nozzle 342B is arranged on the return side with respect to the passenger seat side wiper arm 324.

One end of the forward hose 341 arranged in the driver's seat side wiper arm 326 and the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 is connected to the washer nozzles 340A and 342B, and the other end of the forward movement hose 341 is a washer. It is connected to a washer pump 345 provided in the tank 344. More specifically, the forward hose 341 is branched by a branch portion in the middle of the forward hose 341, and one end side of the forward hose 341 is divided into a D forward hose 341A and a P forward hose 341B. There is. The D forward hose 341A and the P forward hose 341B forming one end side of the forward hose 341 are connected to the washer nozzles 340A and 342B, respectively, and the other end side of the forward hose 341 is connected to the washer pump 345. There is.

On the other hand, one end of the recovery hose 343 arranged in the driver's seat side wiper arm 326 and the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 is connected to the washer nozzles 340B and 342B, and the other end of the recovery hose 343 is connected. , It is connected to the washer pump 345 provided in the washer tank 344. More specifically, the recovery hose 343 is branched by a branch portion in the middle of the recovery hose 343, and one end side of the recovery hose 343 is divided into a D recovery hose 343A and a P recovery hose 343B. There is. Then, the D recovery hose 343A and the P recovery hose 343B forming one end side of the recovery hose 343 are connected to the washer nozzles 340B and 342B, respectively, and the other end side of the recovery hose 343 is connected to the washer pump 345. There is. A control circuit 52 is electrically connected to the washer pump 345, and the washer pump 345 is configured to operate under the control of the control circuit 52.

Specifically, when the driver's seat side wiper arm 326 and the passenger's seat side wiper arm 324 move forward, the washer pump 345 operates (forward rotation) and the forward hose 341 (D forward hose 341A and P forward hose 341B). The cleaning liquid in the washer tank 344 is injected from the washer nozzles 340A and 342B to the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 to the forward side. On the other hand, when the wiper arm 326 on the driver's seat side is restored, the washer pump 345 operates (reverse rotation) and is transmitted from the washer nozzles 340B and 342B via the recovery hose 343 (D recovery hose 343A and P recovery hose 343B). The cleaning liquid in the washer tank 344 is injected toward the return side with respect to the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 and the passenger's seat side wiper blade 28. That is, the cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the wiper blade 30 on the driver's seat side and the wiper blade 28 on the passenger's seat side in the wiping traveling direction.

Next, the control circuit 52 that controls the drive (operation) of the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 will be described. As shown in FIG. 13, the control circuit 52 includes a drive circuit 56 that drives and controls the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120. Then, the drive circuit 56 PWM-controls the wiper motor 18 so that the wiper motor 18 (output shaft 32) is rotated in the forward direction or in the reverse direction. Further, the drive circuit 56 PWM-controls the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 so that the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 (movable element 126) moves in a predetermined direction or in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction.

Further, the control circuit 52 controls the operation of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 according to the position of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 on the windshield glass 1. Specifically, the position of the passenger side wiper blade 28 on the windshield glass 1 is determined from the rotation angle of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 detected by the absolute angle sensor provided at the end of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18. Is calculated by the control circuit 52. Then, the control circuit 52 controls the operation of the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 according to the calculated position.

Further, a vehicle ECU 90 that controls a vehicle engine or the like is electrically connected to the control circuit 52, and the vehicle ECU 90 has a wiper switch 356, a washer switch 358, and an ignition switch 360 as a "vehicle power switch" ( Hereinafter, “IG switch 360”) and the shift device 362 are electrically connected.

The wiper switch 356 is configured as a switch that enables switching between the normal wiping mode and the first enlarged wiping mode. As an example, as shown in FIG. 16, the change mode switch 356A is included. Then, the control circuit 52 operates and controls the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 based on the signal input from the operated wiper switch 356. Specifically, in the normal wiping mode, the control circuit 52 rotates the driver's seat side wiper arm 326 and the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 at a low speed based on the ON signal of the wiper switch 356, or the driver's seat side wiper arm. The operation of the wiper motor 18 is controlled so as to operate the 326 and the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 in a high-speed mode in which the wiper arm 324 is rotated at a high speed.

Further, in the first enlarged wiping mode, the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 wipes the wiping range Z2 when the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 moves forward based on the ON signal of the wiper switch 356 (change mode switch 356A). The control circuit 52 controls the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 so that the wiper blade 28 on the passenger seat side wipes the wiping range Z1 when the wiper arm 324 on the passenger seat side is restored. In the first enlarged wiping mode, the wiper motor 18 is set so that the driver's seat side wiper arm 326 and the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 rotate at the same speed as in the low speed mode.

Further, the control circuit 52 controls the operation of the wiper motor 18, the expansion / contraction mechanism 120, and the washer pump 345 based on the signals input from the washer switch 358 via the vehicle ECU 90. Specifically, the washer switch 358 is integrally provided with the lever 356B as an operating means provided with the wiper switch 356 described above, and when the lever 356B is pulled toward you by two steps, the passenger side wiper arm 324 and the passenger side The wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 are controlled by the control circuit 52 so that the wiper blade 28 operates in the first expansion wiping mode. That is, when the washer switch 358 is operated, the wiper motor 18 is controlled by the control circuit 52 so that the driver's seat side wiper arm 326 and the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 are rotated at the same speed as in the low speed mode. ..

By pulling the lever 356B toward you in two steps, the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 operate in the first enlarged wiping mode while injecting the cleaning liquid, so that the passenger seat side can be operated by one operation (operation). The wiping range can be expanded and the cleaning liquid can be sprayed by the wiper blade 28, and the operability can be improved.

Further, the control circuit 52 drives the washer pump 345, and the cleaning liquid in the washer tank 344 is injected from the washer nozzle 340A (340B) and the washer nozzle 342A (342B). As a result, by operating the washer switch 358, the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 operate in the first enlarged wiping mode, while the driver seat side wiper blade 30 and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 are operated. On the other hand, the cleaning liquid is sprayed on the wiping progress direction side.

When the lever 356B is pulled toward you by one step, the wiper motor 18 (and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120) is controlled by the control circuit 52 so that the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 operate in the normal wiping mode. .. Further, while the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 operate in the normal wiping mode, the cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the driver seat side wiper blade 30 and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 in the wiping traveling direction side. It has become.

Further, in the present embodiment, the wiper motor 18, the expansion / contraction mechanism 120, and the washer pump 345 are operated and controlled based on the signals input from the IG switch 360 and the shift device 362 via the vehicle ECU 90. .. Specifically, a shift position signal of the shift device 362 (specifically, a signal in which the shift position is arranged at the parking position) is input from the vehicle ECU 90 to the control circuit 52, and an ON signal of the IG switch 360. Is input to the control circuit 52, the wiper motor 18, the expansion / contraction mechanism 120, and the washer pump 345 are operated and controlled, respectively. That is, before the vehicle starts traveling, the windshield glass 1 is wiped with the wiping range of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 expanded. Hereinafter, this operation mode is referred to as a "pre-driving change wiping mode" for convenience.

Then, in the pre-travel change wiping mode, the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 are controlled by the control circuit 52 so that the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 operate in the second enlarged wiping mode. For example, just as the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 wipes the wiping range Z3 when the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 moves forward, the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 wipes the wiping range Z1 when the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 moves back. The control circuit 52 controls the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 so as to do so.

Further, in the pre-travel change wiping mode, the control circuit 52 drives the washer pump 345, and the cleaning liquid in the washer tank 344 is injected from the washer nozzle 340A (340B) and the washer nozzle 342A (342B). As a result, even in the pre-travel change wiping mode, when wiping the driver side wiper blade 30 and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28, the cleaning liquid is wiped with respect to the driver seat side wiper blade 30 and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 in the wiping traveling direction side. Is to be injected. Further, in the pre-travel change wiping mode, the wiper motor 18 is controlled by the control circuit 52 so that the driver's seat side wiper arm 326 and the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 rotate at a lower speed than in the low speed mode.

Further, in the present embodiment, the pre-travel change wiping mode is executed under the control of the control circuit 52 before the vehicle starts traveling. Hereinafter, the pre-driving change wiping mode will be described. As shown in FIG. 14, in the pre-travel change wiping mode, the control circuit 52 determines whether or not the shift position of the shift device 362 is located at the parking position based on the signal from the shift device 362. Step 901). Then, when the shift position of the shift device 362 is arranged at the parking position, the process proceeds to step 902.

In step 902, the control circuit 52 determines whether or not the IG switch 360 has been turned on based on the signal from the IG switch 360. That is, it is determined whether or not the engine of the vehicle has started. Then, in step 902, when the control circuit 52 determines that the IG switch 360 is on, it is determined that the control circuit 52 is before the vehicle starts traveling, and the pre-travel change wiping mode is executed in step 903.

In the pre-travel change wiping mode, the control circuit 52 controls the operation of the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 so as to operate the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 in the second enlarged wiping mode. Is that the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 wipes the wiping range Z3 when the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 moves back, and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 wipes the wiping range Z1 when the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 moves back. The control circuit 52 controls the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 so as to do so. That is, in the pre-travel change wiping mode, the amount of movement of the mover 126 of the telescopic mechanism 120 is increased as compared with the case where the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 are operated in the first enlarged wiping mode. The telescopic mechanism 120 is operated. As a result, in the pre-travel change wiping mode, the passenger seat side of the windshield glass 1 is wiped more widely.

Further, in the pre-travel change wiping mode, the control circuit 52 operates the washer pump 345, and the cleaning liquid in the washer tank 344 is injected from the washer nozzle 340A (340B) and the washer nozzle 342A (342B). Specifically, the washer nozzle 340A (340B) and the washer nozzle 342A (342B) spray the cleaning liquid on the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 and the passenger's seat side wiper blade 28 in the wiping traveling direction side. Then, after the reciprocating rotation of the driver's seat side wiper arm 326 and the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 reaches a predetermined number of times, the pre-travel change wiping mode is terminated.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the control circuit 52 operates the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 before the vehicle starts traveling, and the pre-travel change wiping mode is executed. As a result, the wiping area for the windshield glass 1 can be expanded to wipe the windshield glass 1 before the vehicle starts traveling. Therefore, since the pre-travel change wiping mode is automatically executed before the vehicle travels, the convenience of the vehicle wiper device for expanding the wiping range can be improved.

Further, when the pre-travel change wiping mode is executed, the driver's seat side wiper arm 326 and the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 are rotated at a lower speed than the low speed mode. Therefore, it is possible to further increase the wiping range for the windshield glass 1 while suppressing the increase in size of the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120. That is, in the first enlarged wiping mode, the driver's seat side wiper arm 326 and the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 are rotated in the low speed mode. In this low-speed mode, in order to wipe the windshield glass 1 while the vehicle is traveling, the rotation of the driver's seat side wiper arm 326 and the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 in the low speed mode is set to a predetermined rotation speed or higher.

On the other hand, in the pre-driving change wiping mode (that is, the second enlarged wiping mode in which the wiping range is expanded more than the first enlarged wiping mode), the wiping distance by the passenger side wiper blade 28 (downward inversion) is higher than that in the first enlarged wiping mode. The distance from the position P2P to the upside-down position P1P) becomes longer. Therefore, when the rotation speed of the driver's seat side wiper arm 326 and the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 in the pre-travel change wiping mode (that is, the second enlarged wiping mode) is set to the same rotation speed as the first enlarged wiping mode. , The output of the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 becomes large. As a result, the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 may become large in size. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when the pre-travel change wiping mode is executed, the driver's seat side wiper arm 326 and the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 are rotated at a lower speed than the low speed mode. Therefore, even if the wiping area is enlarged as compared with the first enlarged wiping mode, it is not necessary to increase the output of the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120. As a result, the wiping range for the windshield glass 1 can be further increased while suppressing the increase in size of the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120.

Further, since the driver's seat side wiper arm 326 and the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 are rotated at a lower speed than in the low speed mode, the object to be wiped on the windshield glass 1 can be satisfactorily wiped. That is, by setting the rotation speeds of the driver side wiper arm 326 and the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 to be lower than the low speed mode, after the cleaning liquid reaches the object to be wiped, the driver side wiper blade 30 and the passenger seat side The time until the wiper object is wiped by the wiper blade 28 can be set to be relatively long. As a result, the wiper blade 30 on the driver's side and the wiper blade 28 on the passenger's seat can wipe the wiper after the cleaning liquid has been sufficiently permeated into the wiper. Therefore, the object to be wiped on the windshield glass 1 can be wiped satisfactorily.

Further, the driver's seat side wiper arm 326 is provided with washer nozzles 340A and 340B, and the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 is provided with washer nozzles 342A and 342B. Further, in the pre-travel change wiping mode, the cleaning liquid in the washer tank 344 is wiped from the washer nozzle 340A (340B) and the washer nozzle 342A (342B) with respect to the driver side wiper blade 30 and the passenger side wiper blade 28. The cleaning liquid is sprayed onto. Therefore, the cleaning liquid can be distributed to the upper end side of the windshield glass 1 as the wiper blade 28 on the passenger seat side expands the wiping operation. Thereby, the windshield glass 1 can be wiped better.

Further, since the washer nozzles 342A and 342B are provided on the passenger seat side wiper arm 324, the washer nozzle 342A (342B) can supply the cleaning liquid to the vicinity of the upper corner portion of the windshield glass 1 on the passenger seat side. .. Thereby, for example, even when the liquid on the windshield glass 1 is frozen, the cleaning liquid can be supplied to the frozen portion to release the freezing. As a result, poor visibility for the driver can be eliminated at an early stage.

In the present embodiment, the pre-travel change wiping mode is executed every time before the vehicle starts traveling, but a switch that can select the execution of the pre-travel change wiping mode may be separately provided. In this case, the pre-travel change wiping mode is executed while the switch is turned on and before the vehicle starts traveling.

Further, in the present embodiment, the washer nozzles 340A and 340B are provided on the driver's seat side wiper arm 326, and the washer nozzles 342A and 342B are provided on the passenger seat side wiper arm 324. Instead, the washer nozzles 340A and 340B may be provided on the driver's seat side wiper blade 30, and the washer nozzles 342A and 342B may be provided on the passenger seat side wiper blade 28. Further, either one of the washer nozzles 342A and 342B may be provided on the driver's seat side wiper blade 30, or any one of the washer nozzles 342A and 342B may be provided on the passenger seat side wiper blade 28.

Further, in the present embodiment, the washer nozzles 340A and 340B are provided on the driver's seat side wiper arm 326, and the washer nozzles 342A and 342B are provided on the passenger seat side wiper arm 324. Alternatively, a washer nozzle may be provided on the hood of the vehicle. In this case, the number of washer nozzles is not limited to four, and for example, the number of washer nozzles may be two.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the control circuit 52 determines that the shift position of the shift device 362 is arranged at the parking position and the IG switch 360 is ON, the control circuit 52 executes the pre-travel change wiping mode. However, the execution timing of the pre-driving change wiping mode is not limited to this. For example, when the control circuit 52 determines that the vehicle speed is "0" (vehicle stopped state) and the control circuit 52 determines that the IG switch 360 is ON, the control circuit 52 changes the vehicle before traveling. A wiping mode may be performed.

Further, for example, in the case of a manual vehicle in which the shift position of the shift device 362 does not have a parking position, the control circuit 52 determines that the side brake of the vehicle is applied, and the IG switch 360 is ON. When the above is determined, the pre-travel change wiping mode may be executed by the control circuit 52. At this time, the shift position of the shift device 362 is arranged at the neutral position, the first speed position, or the reverse position according to the state (inclination, etc.) of the stopped road. Then, the control circuit 52 determines that the state in which the side brake is applied is the vehicle stopped state.

Further, for example, when the control circuit 52 determines that the shift position of the shift device 362 is arranged at the parking position and the accessory switch 364 (see FIG. 13) as the "vehicle power switch" of the vehicle is ON. The pre-travel change wiping mode may be executed by the control circuit 52. In this case, as shown in FIG. 13, the accessory switch 364 is electrically connected to the vehicle ECU 90. Further, at this time, the control circuit 52 determines that the shift position of the shift device 362 is arranged at the parking position as the vehicle stop state.

Further, for example, when the control circuit 52 determines that the shift position of the shift device 362 is arranged at the parking position and the door open / close switch 366 (see FIG. 13) for detecting the opening / closing of the vehicle door is turned on. , The pre-travel change wiping mode may be executed by the control circuit 52. In this case, as shown in FIG. 13, the door open / close switch 366 is electrically connected to the vehicle ECU 90 so that the door open / close switch is turned on by opening the door on the driver's side. It is configured.

Further, for example, the shift position of the shift device 362 is arranged at the parking position, and the control circuit 52 is made to execute the pre-travel change wiping mode from the external terminal 370 (for example, an external mobile terminal such as a smartphone, see FIG. 13). When the control circuit 52 determines that the signal has been input, the control circuit 52 may execute the pre-travel change wiping mode. In this case, as shown in FIG. 13, the vehicle is provided with an external signal receiver 368 that receives a signal from the external terminal 370, and the external signal receiver 368 is electrically connected to the vehicle ECU 90. Has been done.

Further, in the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the nozzle (one of the washer nozzle 342A and the washer nozzle 342B) on the side of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 in the wiping traveling direction, but the passenger seat side wiper arm is used when moving forward. The cleaning liquid may be sprayed from the washer nozzle 342A and the washer nozzle 342B provided in the 324. Further, the cleaning liquid may be sprayed from the washer nozzle 342A and the washer nozzle 342B provided on the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 at the time of recovery. In this case, the configuration of the washer pump 345 can be simplified. Similarly, when the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 reciprocates, the cleaning liquid may be injected from the washer nozzle 340A and the washer nozzle 340B.

Further, in the present embodiment, the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18 is controlled so as to be rotatable forward and reverse (reciprocating), but the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the output shaft 32 may rotate in one direction.

In this embodiment, the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 and the passenger's seat side wiper blade 28 are moved between the upper inversion positions P1D and P1P and the lower inversion positions P2D and P2P by the rotation of the output shaft 32 of the wiper motor 18. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the wiper motor 18 includes a "driver's seat side wiper motor" and a "passenger seat side wiper motor", and the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 is moved between the upper inverted position P1D and the lower inverted position P2D by the rotation of the driver's seat side wiper motor. The structure may be such that the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 is moved between the upper reversal position P1P and the lower reversal position P2P by the rotation of the passenger seat side wiper motor.

In the present embodiment, the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 and the passenger's seat side wiper blade 28 have a structure that does not overlap in the vehicle width direction at the downward reversal positions P2D and P2P, but the structure is limited to this. There is no. For example, the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 side of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 may be set longer. In other words, the length of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 is set so that the driver side wiper blade 30 side of the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 overlaps with the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 side of the driver seat side wiper blade 30. May be good. As a result, when wiping the wiping range Z2 during reciprocating movement, the non-wiping area remaining on the lower center side of the windshield glass can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 (passenger seat side wiper blade 28) is extended to the vicinity of the intermediate angle at the predetermined rotation angle of the output shaft 32, and from the vicinity of the intermediate angle to the predetermined rotation angle. The passenger seat side wiper arm 24 (passenger seat side wiper blade 28) was controlled to be reduced, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 wipes from the lower reverse position P2P toward the upper reverse position P1P (during forward wiping), the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 may be controlled to gradually extend.

In the above embodiment, the wiping range for wiping while spraying the cleaning liquid is switched by pulling the lever 356B one step or two steps toward the front, but the wiping range is not limited to this. For example, by pulling the lever 356B toward you, the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 operate in the normal mode, spray the cleaning liquid, and pull the lever 356B toward you while pressing the change mode switch 356A. Then, the cleaning liquid may be sprayed while the passenger seat side wiper arm 324 and the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 are operating in the first enlarged wiping mode. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the complication of the structure of the washer switch 358.

[Modified example of the third embodiment]
Subsequently, a modified example of the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The vehicle wiper device according to this modification includes a vehicle speed sensor, a rain sensor, an in-vehicle camera and an outside temperature sensor like the vehicle wiper device 100 according to the first embodiment, but other configurations are shown in FIG. Since it is basically the same as the vehicle wiper device 300 according to the third embodiment shown, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The vehicle speed sensor (not shown) is a sensor that detects the number of revolutions of the wheels of the vehicle and outputs a signal indicating the number of revolutions. The vehicle ECU 90 calculates the vehicle speed from the signal output by the vehicle speed sensor and the circumference of the wheel.

A rain sensor (not shown) is, for example, a type of optical sensor provided on the vehicle interior side of the windshield glass 1 and detects water droplets on the surface of the windshield glass 1. As an example, the rain sensor includes an LED that is an infrared light emitting element, a photodiode that is a light receiving element, a lens that forms an infrared optical path, and a control circuit. The infrared rays emitted from the LED are totally reflected by the windshield glass 1, but if water droplets are present on the surface of the windshield glass 1, a part of the infrared rays is transmitted to the outside through the water droplets, so that the windshield glass 1 is used. The amount of reflection is reduced. As a result, the amount of light entering the photodiode, which is a light receiving element, is reduced. Based on the decrease in the amount of light, water droplets on the surface of the windshield glass 1 are detected.

An in-vehicle camera (not shown) is a device that photographs the front of the vehicle and acquires moving image data. The vehicle ECU 90 can calculate the brightness in front of the vehicle from the brightness of the moving image data acquired by the vehicle-mounted camera. The outside air temperature sensor (not shown) is a sensor that detects the air temperature outside the vehicle.

In this embodiment, in the pre-travel change wiping mode shown in step 903 of FIG. 14, deposits on the windshield glass 1 are detected by a rain sensor and an in-vehicle camera, and wiping is performed according to the deposits. It controls the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 120.

Hereinafter, control of the vehicle wiper device according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 15 shows an example of a wiping mode control process for controlling the wiper device for a vehicle according to the present embodiment to perform magnified wiping at either the forward movement or the reverse movement according to the deposits on the windshield glass 1. It is a flowchart which showed.

In step 300, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is stopped. In step 300, as an example, when the speed of the vehicle detected by the vehicle speed sensor is 0, an affirmative determination is made. In the case of an affirmative determination in step 300, the procedure is shifted to step 304, and in the case of a negative determination in step 300, the procedure is shifted to step 302 to cancel the pre-travel change wiping mode and return the process. In the present embodiment, even when the vehicle is operating in the pre-driving change wiping mode, when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor becomes greater than 0 (when the vehicle is no longer stopped), the pre-driving change wiping mode is set. Cancel. Further, in the present embodiment, the vehicle stop determination step shown in step 300 of FIG. 15 may be anywhere in the flow shown in FIG. After canceling the pre-travel change wiping mode, the wiping range Z1 is wiped at least once at a normal wiping speed (low speed) until the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 reaches the downward reversal position P2P.

In step 304, the signal from the rain sensor is acquired, and in step 306, the image data is acquired from the vehicle-mounted camera. Further, in step 308, a signal indicating the temperature outside the vehicle is acquired from the outside air temperature sensor.

In step 310, it is determined whether or not the rain sensor has detected a liquid such as raindrops or a solid such as snow. As described above, the rain sensor detects the deposits on the windshield glass 1 by the change in the amount of infrared rays reflected from the vehicle interior side to the outside of the vehicle. In step 310, when there is some change in the amount of infrared rays reflected from the rain sensor, an affirmative determination is made on the assumption that deposits are present on the surface of the windshield glass 1. If the affirmative decision is made in step 310, the procedure is shifted to step 314. In the case of a negative determination in step 310, in step 312, the wiping range Z2 is wiped when moving forward, and the wiping range Z1 is wiped when returning, and the operation is performed in the normal wiping mode in which the cleaning liquid is sprayed. And return the process. In the normal wiping mode of step 312, the wiping range Z2 may be wiped at the time of forward movement, and the wiping range Z2 may be wiped at the time of recovery.

In step 314, it is determined whether or not the brightness of the darkest portion of the image data acquired from the vehicle-mounted camera is equal to or higher than the threshold brightness. If the deposits on the surface of the windshield glass 1 are colorless or white such as water droplets, snow, frost, sleet, and snow melting agent, the brightness of the image data is generally high even in the darkest part. On the other hand, if the deposit is mud, the brightness of the darkest part of the image data will be lower than that of water droplets or the like. In the present embodiment, the threshold pixels are specifically determined through an actual machine test or the like so that mud can be distinguished from water droplets, snow, frost, sleet, snow melting agent, and the like.

If the affirmative judgment is made in step 314, the procedure is shifted to step 316. If a negative determination is made in step 314, the procedure shifts to step 320.

In step 316, it is determined whether or not the temperature outside the vehicle detected by the outside air temperature sensor is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature. The threshold temperature is, for example, 4 to 5 ° C. at which frost or the like is generated. In the case of an affirmative determination in step 316, it can be determined that the deposit on the surface of the windshield glass 1 is a liquid such as raindrops. Therefore, in step 318, the processing is returned by performing the expanded wiping that wipes the wiping range Z2 at the time of moving, and performing the operation in the rain wiping mode that wipes the wiping range Z1 at the time of returning and does not inject the cleaning liquid. In the rain wiping mode of step 318, the wiping range Z2 may be wiped at the time of forward movement, and the wiping range Z2 may be wiped at the time of recovery. Alternatively, the cleaning liquid may be sprayed and wiped off.

In the case of a negative judgment in step 314, it can be determined that the deposit is mud, and in the case of a negative judgment in step 316, it can be determined that the deposit is snow, frost, sleet, snow melting agent, etc. due to the low temperature. .. In both cases of the negative determination in step 314 and the negative determination in step 316, the deposits on the surface of the windshield glass 1 are considered to be solid. Therefore, in step 320, a normal operation of wiping the wiping range Z1 during the forward movement is performed, an expanded wiping is performed to wipe the wiping range Z2 during the return movement, and an operation is performed in the snow / mud wiping mode in which the cleaning liquid is sprayed. To return. In addition. The snow wiping mode and the mud wiping mode may be separated. As an example, the cleaning liquid may not be sprayed in the snow wiping mode, and the cleaning liquid may be sprayed in the mud wiping mode.

The cleaning liquid may be sprayed in all modes. By executing the control of injecting the cleaning liquid in any mode, the control flow can be simplified as compared with that shown in FIG. 15, and the calculation load of the control circuit 52 can be reduced.

Alternatively, the consumption of the cleaning liquid may be suppressed by injecting the cleaning liquid only when there is no deposit on the windshield glass 1 and when the deposit is snow or mud.

As described above, in the present embodiment, by using the rain sensor, the in-vehicle camera, and the outside air temperature sensor together, the deposits on the surface of the windshield glass 1 are a liquid such as raindrops or a solid such as snow or mud. Is judged. Then, based on the determination, it becomes possible to control the expansion wiping at either the forward movement or the reverse movement according to the deposits on the surface of the windshield glass 1.

When the deposits on the surface of the windshield glass 1 are identified as raindrops that are liquid, rain streaks are generated on the passenger side of the surface of the windshield glass 1 by performing enlarged wiping during the forward movement and normal operation during the return movement. Prevent it from happening. If the wiping range is expanded during the forward movement, rain streaks may occur on the surface of the windshield glass 1 on the passenger seat side. This is because it is possible to wipe off and remove the water that has formed the rain streaks below the downward reversal position.

In addition, when the deposits on the surface of the windshield glass 1 are identified as solids containing snow or mud, the driver's seat side of the surface of the windshield glass 1 is performed by performing normal operation during the forward movement and expanding wiping during the return movement. Prevents solids such as snow or mud from being swept away. Solids such as snow may be swept over the surface of the windshield glass on the driver's side and the upper surface of the windshield glass during the forward movement. This is because it is possible to eliminate it below the downward inversion position.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment is different from the first to third embodiments in that the telescopic mechanism 140 is provided near the pivot shaft 42 of the passenger seat side wiper arm 24, but the other configurations are the first. Since it is the same as the first to third embodiments, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 17 is a schematic view showing an example of the expansion / contraction mechanism 140 of the vehicle wiper device according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 17, the telescopic mechanism 140 of the present embodiment is a mechanism for telescopically expanding and contracting the passenger seat side wiper arm 24, one end of which is connected to the pivot shaft 42, and an electromagnet row 140A is provided inside. The internal mechanism of the telescopic mechanism 140 is protected by a seal member 170 including an outer cylinder 24B which is a stator and an inner cylinder 24A which is a mover provided with a permanent magnet row 140B and made of an elastic body such as rubber. Has been done. The water that has entered the inside of the outer cylinder 24B is discharged to the outside of the outer cylinder 24B through the drain hole 172.

In the permanent magnet row 140B, a plurality of permanent magnets are arranged so that the magnetic poles on the side facing the electromagnet row 140A are alternately different. Therefore, when the electromagnet train 140A is excited, the inner cylinder 24A moves in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 17 with respect to the outer cylinder 24B due to the interaction between the magnetic field of the electromagnet train 140A and the magnetic field of the permanent magnet train 140B due to attraction and repulsion. Alternatively, a so-called reciprocating motion of moving in the direction of arrow E is performed.

A movement detection sensor 118 is provided in the outer cylinder 24B. The movement detection sensor 118 detects the magnetic field of the permanent magnet train 140B that changes with the movement of the inner cylinder 24A, which is a mover, converts it into an electric signal, and outputs it to the control circuit 52.

As described in the first embodiment, the microcomputer 58 is based on the position between the lower inversion position P2D and the upper inversion position P1D of the driver's seat side wiper blade 30 calculated from the rotation angle of the output shaft 32. By controlling the amount of movement of the inner cylinder 24A, the operations of the wiper motor 18 and the expansion / contraction mechanism 140 are synchronized with each other.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the telescopic mechanism 140 is provided near the pivot shaft 42, which is the fulcrum at which the passenger seat side wiper arm 24 swings, the passenger seat is more than the first to third embodiments. Centrifugal force due to the swing of the side wiper arm 24 is less likely to act on the expansion / contraction mechanism 140, and the expansion / contraction mechanism 140 can be operated more stably.

Further, the expansion / contraction mechanism 140 according to the present embodiment is more than the expansion / contraction mechanism 120 of the first to third embodiments provided near the passenger seat side wiper blade 28 for wiping the water droplets on the surface of the windshield glass 1. Since the wiper blade 28 on the passenger seat side is provided at a position away from the wiper blade 28, the possibility of rainwater entering the internal mechanism can be reduced.

Although the fourth embodiment has been described above, the present application is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that the present application can be variously modified and implemented within a range not deviating from the gist thereof. is there. For example, it is possible to appropriately combine the first embodiment, the second embodiment, the third embodiment, and the fourth embodiment.

1 ... Windshield glass (windshield), 1A ... Shading part, 14, 16 ... Wiper, 18 ... Wiper motor, 20 ... Link mechanism, 24 ... Passenger side wiper arm, 24A ... Inner cylinder, 24B ... External cylinder, 24P ... Fixed Shaft, 26 ... Driver side wiper arm, 28 ... Passenger side wiper blade, 30 ... Driver side wiper blade, 32 ... Output shaft, 34 ... Crank arm, 36 ... First link rod, 38, 40 ... Pivot lever, 42 , 44 ... pivot shaft, 46 ... second link rod, 48 ... reduction mechanism, 50 ... wiper switch, 52 ... control circuit, 54 ... direction indicator switch, 56 ... drive circuit, 57 ... washer motor drive circuit, 58 ... micro Computer, 60 ... Memory, 62 ... Washer switch, 64 ... Washer motor, 66 ... Washer pump, 68 ... Washer liquid tank, 70 ... Washer device, 72A ... Driver side hose, 72B ... Passenger side hose, 74A ... Driver's seat Side nozzle, 74B ... Passenger side nozzle, 76 ... Rain sensor, 78 ... Relay drive circuit, 80 ... FET drive circuit, 84 ... Relay unit, 84A1, 84A2 ... 1st terminal, 84B1, 84B2 ... 2nd terminal, 84C1, 84C2 ... common terminal, 90 ... vehicle ECU, 92 ... vehicle speed sensor, 94 ... in-vehicle camera, 94L ... left imaging unit, 94R ... right imaging unit, 96 ... GPS device, 98 ... steering angle sensor, 100 ... vehicle wiper device, 102 ... Functional area, 104 ... 1st predriver, 106 ... 2nd predriver, 108 ... Wiper motor drive circuit, 110 ... Telescopic mechanism drive circuit, 112 ... Output shaft end, 112A ... Sensor magnet, 114 ... Absolute angle sensor, 118 ... movement detection sensor, 120 ... telescopic mechanism, 120A ... stator, 120B ... permanent magnet train, 120C ... coil, 120H ... housing, 120R ... guide mechanism, 122 ... blade rubber, 122A ... base end, 124 ... backing, 126 ... Movable element, 126A ... Backing holding part, 126B ... Blade rubber holding part, 126R ... Guide rail, 140 ... Telescopic mechanism, 140A ... Electromagnetic magnet row, 140B ... Permanent magnet row, 150P ... Passenger side wiper arm, 154P ... Passenger seat Side wiper blade, 156 ... outside temperature sensor, 158 ... non-wiping range, 160 ... 4-node link mechanism, 170 ... seal member, 172 ... drain hole, 190 ... curved, 194 ... straight line, 196A, 196B, 196C, 198 ... curved , 200 ... Vehicle wiper device, 300 ... Vehicle wiper device, 324 ... Passenger seat side wiper arm 326 ... Driver side wiper arm 340A, 340B ... Washer nozzle, 341 ... Forwarding hose, 341A ... D Forwarding hose, 341B ... P Forwarding hose, 342A, 342B ... Washer nozzle, 343 ... For recovery Hose, 343A ... D Recovery hose, 343B ... P Recovery hose, 344 ... Washer tank, 345 ... Washer pump, 356 ... Wipe switch, 356A ... Change mode switch, 356B ... Lever, 358 ... Washer switch, 360 ... Ignition switch , 362 ... shift device, 364 ... accessory switch, 366 ... door open / close switch, 368 ... external signal receiver, 370 ... external terminal, 1400A ... electromagnet train, RLY1, RLY2 ... relay, θ ₁ ... predetermined rotation angle, θ _A ... an output shaft rotation angle, theta _m ... intermediate rotation angle, .theta.1 ... rotation angle, H1 ... wiping range, M _V ... expansion mechanism operation amount, M _V2 ... predetermined operation amount, O ... origin, P1D, P1P ... upper reversing position, P2D , P2P ... down flip position, P3P, P3D ... storage position, P4P ... bottom flip position, P5P ... top flip position, Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4, Z5 ... wiping range, Z6 ... locus, Z10, Z12, Z14, Z15 … Wiping range

Claims (9)

The wiper arm to be swung, the wiper blade connected to the wiper arm, and the wiper arm of the wiper provided with the contact / detachment mechanism for approaching and separating the swinging fulcrum of the wiper arm and the tip of the wiper blade are swung. A first drive source that wipes the wiper blade between the upper and lower inverted positions of the windshield, and
A second drive source that drives the contact / detachment mechanism to change the wiping range of the windshield by the wiper blade, and
A deposit determination unit that determines whether the deposits adhering to the windshield surface are liquid or solid,
A control unit that controls the rotation of the first drive source so that the wiping operation is performed, and controls the operation of the second drive source according to the determination result of the deposit determination unit.
Wiper device for vehicles including. When the deposit determination unit determines that the deposit is solid, the control unit operates the second drive source during the wiping operation of the wiper blade from the lower inverted position to the upper inverted position. When the wiper blade is wiped from the upper inversion position to the lower inversion position, the operation amount is changed from 0 to a predetermined value to operate the contact / detachment mechanism. The vehicle wiper device according to claim 1, wherein the second drive source is controlled so that the contact / detachment control is performed. When the deposit determination unit determines that the deposit is a liquid, the control unit operates the second drive source during the wiping operation of the wiper blade from the lower inverted position to the upper inverted position. Is performed to operate the contact / detachment mechanism by changing the speed between 0 and a predetermined value, and the operation amount is set to 0 when the wiper blade is wiped from the upper reverse position to the lower reverse position. The vehicle wiper device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second drive source is controlled so that the stop control is performed. In the contact / detachment control, the control unit performs the second drive source so that the operating amount changes from 0 to a predetermined value when the wiper blade reaches one of the upper inverted position and the lower inverted position. When the wiper blade reaches an intermediate position between the upper inversion position and the lower inversion position, the second drive source is set so that the operating amount changes from a predetermined value to 0. The vehicle wiper device according to claim 2 or 3, which controls operation. The deposit determination unit
An optical detection unit that irradiates the windshield with infrared rays and detects deposits on the surface of the windshield based on the amount of infrared rays reflected or transmitted.
An outside air temperature detector that detects the outside air temperature of the vehicle,
Including
When the optical detection unit detects deposits and the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature detection unit is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature, the deposits on the windshield surface are determined to be liquid raindrops, and the optical detection is performed. Claim 1 to determine that the deposit on the surface of the windshield is solid snow or frost when the unit detects the deposit and the outside air temperature of the vehicle detected by the outside air temperature detection unit is less than the threshold temperature. The vehicle wiper device according to any one of items to 4. The deposit determination unit
An imaging unit that acquires image data in front of the vehicle through the windshield is further included.
When the optical detection unit detects the deposit and the brightness of the pixel in the darkest part of the image data acquired by the image pickup unit is less than the threshold brightness, the deposit on the windshield surface is determined to be a solid containing mud. The vehicle wiper device according to claim 5. The vehicle wiper device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control unit increases the operating amount of the second drive source stepwise every predetermined number of wiping operations. The vehicle wiper device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control unit operates the first drive source and the second drive source before the vehicle starts traveling. In the control unit, the shift position of the vehicle shift device is set to the parking position and the vehicle power switch or the door open / close switch is turned on, or the shift position of the vehicle shift device is set to the parking position. 8. The control unit operates the first drive source and the second drive source when a signal for operating the first drive source and the second drive source is input from the external terminal to the control unit. The vehicle wiper device described in.

Images