JP7107175B2 - Wiper device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to wiper devices.

A wiper device for a vehicle removes raindrops and the like adhering to the windshield glass by wiping the windshield glass with a wiper blade. In addition, the vehicle is equipped with a washer device, and the windshield glass can be cleaned by wiping the windshield glass with a wiper blade while the washer fluid is sprayed onto the windshield glass. there is

Here, in Patent Document 1, the load state of the motor is converted into a point value, the point value is integrated for each of the forward motion, the backward motion, and the reciprocating motion of the wiper blade, and each of the integrated point values is compared with a threshold value. A wiper control device is disclosed that determines the load state of the motor by means of the above, and controls the motor according to the determination result.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-131779

By the way, the load on the motor that operates the wiper is affected not only by the running speed of the vehicle but also by dirt and deposits on the windshield glass due to the usage environment. Excessive loads caused by stains and deposits on the windshield glass affect the behavior of the wipers, which not only makes the passengers feel uncomfortable, but also affects the visibility of the passengers.

For this reason, it is preferable that maintenance such as cleaning the windshield glass is performed before dirt or deposits on the windshield glass affect the behavior of the wiper. However, Patent Literature 1 does not take into consideration the causes of stains and deposits on the windshield glass, so there is room for improvement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a wiper device that allows an occupant to easily recognize the occurrence of an abnormal wiping operation.

A wiper device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a motor rotated by applying a voltage, a wiper arm reciprocally moved along a windshield glass by transmission of the rotation of the motor, and a wiper arm provided in the wiper arm. a wiping unit including a wiper blade that is moved along with the reciprocating movement of the wiper arm to wipe the surface of the windshield glass; a control unit that controls the rotation of the motor; a rainfall detection unit for detecting; a load calculation unit for calculating a load amount of the motor; a load determination unit for determining whether or not the load amount is equal to or greater than a reference amount set for the rainfall; a notifying unit that notifies the occupant according to the determination result of the load determining unit when the load amount is determined to be equal to or greater than the reference amount.

In the wiper device of the first aspect, the control section controls the rotation of the motor to reciprocate the wiper arm of the wiping section along the windshield glass. A wiper blade is provided on the wiper arm, and the wiper blade moves along the windshield glass together with the wiper arm to wipe the windshield glass.

The load on the motor when the wiper blade wipes the windshield glass affects the amount of rain that adheres to the windshield glass. The rain detection unit detects the amount of rain that adheres to the surface of the windshield glass when the wiping unit operates, and the load calculation unit calculates the load amount of the motor when the wiping unit wipes the windshield glass with the wiper blade. do. Further, a reference amount of the load amount of the motor for rainfall is set in the load determination section, and the load determination section determines whether or not the load amount of the motor calculated in the load calculation section is equal to or greater than the reference amount. .

Here, when the load determination unit determines that the load amount of the motor is equal to or greater than the reference amount, the notification unit notifies the occupant of the determination result. Thereby, the passenger can appropriately recognize that an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation.

A wiper device according to a second aspect is the wiper device according to the first aspect, further comprising a wiper switch that is operated to select a wiping speed of the wiper blade, and the controller controls the wiping speed of the wiper blade. The rotation of the motor is controlled so as to achieve the wiping speed selected by the wiper switch, and the load judging unit determines whether the load amount exceeds a reference amount set for the amount of rain for each wiping speed of the wiper blade. It is determined whether or not the amount is equal to or greater than the reference amount.

In the wiper device of the second aspect, when the wiper switch is operated to select the wiping speed of the wiper blade, the controller controls the rotation of the motor so that the wiper blade moves at the selected wiping speed. do.

A reference amount for the load amount of the motor is set for the amount of rainfall for each wiping speed of the wiper blade, and the load determination unit uses the reference amount corresponding to the wiping speed and the amount of rainfall to determine the load amount of the motor. As a result, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation of the wiping portion, and notify the passenger of the abnormality.

A wiper device according to a third aspect is the wiper device according to the first aspect or the second aspect, wherein the notification unit includes an auditory notification unit that notifies via the occupant's sense of hearing, a visual notification unit that notifies via the occupant's sight, and at least one of a vibration notification unit that notifies by vibrating a predetermined portion.

In the wiper device of the third aspect, the notification section includes any one of an auditory notification section, a visual notification section, and a vibration notification section. The audible notification unit uses sound, warning sound, or the like to perform audible notification, and the visual notification unit performs visual notification using light from a warning light, notification image, or the like. In addition, the vibration notification unit notifies the occupant of the tactile sensation by vibrating the portion of the passenger compartment that is being touched by the occupant. Alternatively, the vibration notification unit may notify by vibrating the windshield glass on which the wiper blade is wiping or the peripheral edge of the windshield glass.

As a result, any one of the five senses of the occupant, such as hearing, sight, and touch, can be used for notification, so that an abnormal state in the wiping portion can be appropriately notified.

A wiper device according to a fourth aspect is the wiper device according to the third aspect, wherein the auditory notification section notifies by at least one of voice and warning sound.

In the wiper device of the fourth aspect, the audible notification section notifies the operator by voice or warning sound, so that the occupant can be appropriately notified of the abnormal state of the wiping section.

A wiper device of a fifth aspect is the wiper device of the third or fourth aspect, wherein the visual notification section includes at least one of a warning light and a display medium on which a character image is displayed.

In the wiper device of the fifth aspect, the visual notification section notifies the operator by lighting or blinking the warning light or displaying a character image on the display medium, so that the occupant can be notified of the abnormal state of the wiping section more appropriately.

A wiper device according to a sixth aspect is the wiper device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the controller controls the rotation speed of the motor when it is determined that the load amount is equal to or greater than the reference amount. suppress

In the wiper device of the sixth aspect, when the load amount of the motor becomes equal to or greater than the reference amount, the rotation speed (number of rotations) of the motor is suppressed so that the wiping speed is suppressed. As a result, the amount of load on the motor can be reduced, so that the abnormal state of the wiping portion can be suppressed. Moreover, since the load amount of the motor can be suppressed, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of failure of the motor due to an increase in the load amount.

A wiper device according to a seventh aspect is the wiper device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, further comprising a washer device for ejecting cleaning liquid onto the windshield glass by operating the washer pump, The control unit operates the washer pump when it is determined that the rainfall amount is equal to or less than a predetermined amount and the load amount is equal to or greater than the reference amount for the rainfall amount equal to or less than the predetermined amount.

In the wiper device of the seventh aspect, when it is determined that the amount of rainfall is equal to or less than the predetermined amount and the amount of load is equal to or greater than the reference amount for the amount of rainfall equal to or less than the predetermined amount, the washer pump is operated to eject the cleaning liquid onto the windshield glass. Let For example, when there is almost no rain, the windshield glass is dry, and if the wiper blade wipes the windshield glass in this state, the load on the motor becomes greater than or equal to the reference amount. In this case, by activating the washer device and spraying the cleaning liquid onto the windshield glass, the windshield glass can be prevented from becoming dry, and the load on the motor can be reduced.

A wiper device according to an eighth aspect is the wiper device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the load calculator calculates the load amount of the motor in a specific area within the wiping range of the wiper blade, and the Each load amount of the motor in a region other than the specific region within the wiping range of the wiper blade is calculated. It is determined whether or not the load amount in the area other than the specific area is equal to or greater than the reference amount, and the notification unit determines whether the load amount in the specific area is equal to or greater than the reference amount, and in the area other than the specific area A different notification is made depending on whether the load amount is determined to be equal to or greater than the reference amount.

In the wiper device of the eighth aspect, the load calculation unit calculates the load amount of the motor in the specific area within the wiping range of the wiper blade and the load amount of the motor in the area other than the specific area within the wiping range of the wiper blade. do. The load determining unit determines whether or not each of the amount of load in the specific area and the amount of load in areas other than the specific area is equal to or greater than a reference amount.

Here, the notification unit makes different notifications depending on whether the load amount is determined to be equal to or greater than the reference amount in the specific area or when the load amount is determined to be equal to or greater than the reference amount in areas other than the specific area. Accordingly, when the load amount of the motor increases in the specific area within the wiping range of the windshield glass, it is possible to appropriately notify that the wiping operation in the specific area is in an abnormal state.

A wiper device according to a ninth aspect is the wiper device according to the eighth aspect, wherein the specific region is provided with imaging means for imaging an image in front of the vehicle transmitted through the windshield glass from the vehicle interior, wherein the It is defined as an area through which an image captured by the imaging means is transmitted.

In recent years, vehicles equipped with drive recorders and vehicles equipped with automatic driving support functions have become widespread. In these vehicles, imaging means is provided in the vehicle interior, and an image of the front of the vehicle is imaged through the windshield glass by the imaging means.

Here, in the wiper device of the ninth aspect, the region through which the image picked up by the imaging means is transmitted in the windshield glass is defined as the specific region. As a result, when the load amount increases due to the adhesion of dirt or the like to the specific area, it is possible to appropriately notify that the specific area has been contaminated with dirt. can be prevented from being damaged.

A wiper device according to a tenth aspect is the wiper device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, further comprising a stop switch capable of stopping the notification by the notification unit at a predetermined timing.

The wiper device of the tenth aspect is provided with a stop switch capable of stopping the operation of the notification unit. Notifications are stopped. As a result, it is possible to reduce annoyance caused by frequent notification of an abnormal state while the vehicle is running.

As described above, according to the aspect of the present invention, when an abnormal state occurs in the wiping action, the occurrence of the abnormal state can be notified to the passenger, so that the passenger can easily recognize the occurrence of the abnormal state in the wiping action. You can get the effect that you can.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of a wiper apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a wiper motor drive circuit. It is a chart which shows the reference value with respect to rainfall and an operation mode in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation|movement process of the wiper apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of AUTO mode operation processing according to the first embodiment; 4 is a flow chart showing an example of operation processing in manual mode according to the first embodiment; FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing another example of manual mode activation processing according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing an example of AUTO mode operation processing according to the second embodiment; FIG. (A) and (B) are diagrams showing changes in the current value of the wiper motor with respect to the rotation angle according to the third embodiment, (A) showing an example of a normal state of the wiping operation, and (B) , shows an example of an abnormal state of the wiping operation. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the wiping area|region of a wiper blade. FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing an example of AUTO mode operation processing according to the third embodiment; FIG. (A) and (B) are diagrams showing changes in the speed (angular velocity) of the wiper blade with respect to the rotation angle as another example of the third embodiment, and (A) is an example of the normal state of the wiping operation. , and (B) shows an example of an abnormal state of the wiping operation.

An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a schematic configuration of a wiper device 10 according to this embodiment. The wiper device 10 is provided in a vehicle such as a passenger car and used for wiping a windshield glass 12 . In FIG. 1, the windshield glass 12 of a right-hand drive vehicle is shown in a front view seen from the front side of the vehicle, the right side of the vehicle width (left side of FIG. 1) is the driver's seat, and the left side of the vehicle width (right side of FIG. 1) is the driver's seat. It is said to be a passenger seat.

[First Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 1, the wiper device 10 includes a pair of wipers 14 and 16, a wiper motor 18 as a motor, and a link mechanism 20, which constitute a wiping portion. Further, the vehicle is provided with a washer device 22 as a washing unit, and a control unit 24 for controlling the operations of the wiper device 10 and the washer device 22 . The wipers 14 and 16 are arranged such that the wiper 14 is arranged on the passenger seat side and the wiper 16 is arranged on the driver seat side. When the vehicle is a left-hand drive vehicle, the wipers 14 and 16 of the right-hand drive vehicle are arranged with the left and right reversed.

The wipers 14,16 are formed by wiper arms 26,28 and wiper blades 30,32, respectively. The wipers 14, 16 have wiper arms 26, 28 whose base ends are fixed to pivot shafts 42, 44 described below, respectively, and wiper blades 30, 32 are fixed to the tip ends of the wiper arms 26, 28, respectively. Wipers 14 , 16 are configured such that wiper blades 30 , 32 along with wiper arms 26 , 28 are reciprocally movable over windshield glass 12 .

The link mechanism 20 includes a crank arm 34 , a first link rod 36 , a pair of pivot levers 38 and 40 , a pair of pivot shafts 42 and 44 and a second link rod 46 . A reduction mechanism 48 is integrally provided with the wiper motor 18. The reduction mechanism 48 is mainly composed of a worm gear (not shown), and is provided with an output shaft 50 that can rotate forward and backward.

Pivot levers 38 and 40 have pivot shafts 42 and 44 at one end, respectively, and pivot shafts 42 and 44 are operably supported by pivot holders (not shown) provided on the vehicle body. Wiper arms 26, 28 are fixed to pivot levers 38, 40 via pivot shafts 42, 44, respectively.

The crank arm 34 has one end fixed to the output shaft 50 of the reduction mechanism 48 and the other end operably connected to one end of the first link rod 36 . The other end side of the first link rod 36 is operably connected to a portion closer to the end of the pivot lever 38 than the end having the pivot shaft 42 . Both ends of a second link rod 46 are operably connected to the end of the pivot lever 38 different from the end having the pivot shaft 42 and to the end of the pivot lever 40 corresponding to the end of the pivot lever 38 . .

In the wiper device 10, when the output shaft 50 of the speed reduction mechanism 48 is rotated forward and reverse at an angle θ1 within a predetermined range, the rotational force of the output shaft 50 is transmitted to the wiper arms 26 and 30 via the link mechanism 20, and the wiper arms are rotated. 26, 30 are reciprocated. As a result, the wiper blades 30 and 32 reciprocate (wiping operation) between the lower reversing position P2 and the upper reversing position P1 on the windshield glass 12, and the wiper blades 30 and 32 move between the lower reversing position P2 and the upper reversing position. Wipe the windshield glass 12 between P1.

The wipers 14 and 16 have a storage position P3 of the wiper blades 30 and 32 below the lower reversal position P2. The link mechanism 20 is configured so that the crank arm 34 and the first link rod 36 are linear when the wiper blades 30 and 32 are arranged at the retracted position P3. The wiper blades 30 and 32 are moved to the retracted position P3 by rotating the output shaft 50 by an angle θ2 from the state in the lower inverted position P2. When the angle θ2=0°, the lower reversing position P2 and the retracted position P3 coincide with each other, and the wiper blades 30 and 32 stop at the lower reversing position P2, which is the retracted state.

The washer device 22 includes a washer tank 52, a washer pump 54, a washer motor 56, a pair of nozzles (washer nozzles) 58A, 58B, and a pair of hoses (washer hoses) 60A, 60B. The washer device 22 has a nozzle 58A facing the windshield glass 12 on the driver's side and a nozzle 58B facing the windshield glass 12 on the passenger seat side.

A washer tank 52 stores a washer fluid as a cleaning fluid for the windshield glass 12 , and a washer pump 54 is arranged in the washer tank 52 . The hoses 60A and 60B have one end connected to the washer pump 54, the other end of the hose 60A connected to the nozzle 58A, and the other end of the hose 60B connected to the nozzle 58B.

Thus, in the washer device 22, the washer motor 56 is driven to operate the washer pump 54, so that the washer fluid in the washer tank 52 is pressure-fed to the hoses 60A, 60B. The washer fluid pressure-fed to the hoses 60A, 60B is jetted toward the windshield glass 12 from the nozzles 58A, 58B. When the washer device 22 is actuated, the wiper device 10 is actuated, and the spouted washer fluid is wiped off by the wiper blades 30 and 32 together with dirt on the windshield glass 12 .

On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the control section 24 is provided with a control circuit 62 , a wiper motor drive circuit 64 and a washer drive circuit 66 . The control circuit 62 includes a microcomputer 62A and a memory 62B using a non-volatile storage medium. The microcomputer 62A has a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a memory using a non-volatile storage medium (the memory 62B may be used), and various interfaces connected by buses (not shown).

The control circuit 62 implements various processing functions according to the executed program by the CPU of the microcomputer 62A executing the program stored in the ROM or the memory 62B while developing it on the RAM. The memory 62B stores data and programs used for controlling the wiper motor drive circuit 64 (wiper motor 18) and the washer drive circuit 66 (washer motor 56). Accordingly, the control circuit 62 controls the operation of the wiper device 10 (wiper motor 18) and the washer device 22 (washer pump 54).

The control circuit 62 performs PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control for controlling the drive voltage (effective value of the drive voltage) applied to the wiper motor 18 by turning on and off the power supply voltage (the voltage of the vehicle battery) at a predetermined duty ratio. do Note that the duty ratio is the ratio (ratio) of the ON time to one cycle of the pulse-like voltage waveform.

A brushed motor is used as the wiper motor 18, for example. FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of an example of the wiper motor drive circuit 64 in a block diagram.

As shown in FIG. 2, the wiper motor drive circuit 64 is provided with a pre-driver 64A and an output circuit 64B. The output circuit 64B is provided with switching elements T1 to T4 each using an N-type FET, and the switching elements T1 to T4 constitute an H bridge circuit. The pre-driver 64A controls the gate voltage of each of the switching elements T1-T4 in accordance with the duty ratio input from the control circuit 62 (microcomputer 62A) to turn on/off the switching elements T1-T4 to generate a pulse-like signal. is applied to the wiper motor 18 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the speed reduction mechanism 48 is integrated with the wiper motor 18, and the output shaft 50 of the speed reduction mechanism 48 has a rotation angle and a rotation speed corresponding to the rotation angle and rotation speed of the rotation shaft of the wiper motor 18, respectively. Change. From here, below, the rotation angle and rotation speed of the output shaft 50 are regarded as the rotation angle and rotation speed of the wiper motor 18, respectively.

The reduction mechanism 48 is provided with a rotation angle sensor 68 that detects the rotation angle (rotation angle and rotation speed) of the output shaft 50 . The rotation angle sensor 68 is connected to the control circuit 62 (microcomputer 62A), and the rotation angle sensor 68 converts the magnetic field (field system) of the exciting coil or magnet rotating in conjunction with the output shaft 50 into current. and output to the control circuit 62.

In the wiper device 10, the position (wiping position) movement direction and movement speed of the wiper blades 30 and 32 on the windshield glass 12 change according to the rotation angle (rotation angle), rotation direction and rotation speed of the output shaft 50. Further, the rotation angle, rotation direction and rotation speed of the output shaft 50 change according to the rotation angle, rotation direction and rotation speed of the rotation shaft of the wiper motor 18 .

In the wiper device 10, the wiping speed as the moving speed of the wiper blades 30 and 32 is set according to the position on the windshield glass 12 and the moving direction. The memory 62B of the control circuit 62 stores data and programs for calculating the rotation angle and rotation speed of the rotation shaft of the wiper motor 18 according to the rotation angle of the output shaft 50 .

The control circuit 62 (microcomputer 62A) detects the rotation angle (rotational position, rotation angle) and rotation speed of the output shaft 50 from the output signal of the rotation angle sensor 68 and changes in the output signal, and determines the voltage applied to the wiper motor 18 ( drive voltage). The control circuit 62 outputs a signal corresponding to the calculated duty ratio to the wiper motor drive circuit 64 (pre-driver 64A), whereby the pre-driver 64A controls on/off of the switching elements T1 to T4 based on the duty ratio.

Further, the control circuit 62 gradually increases the wiping speed (moving speed) when the wiper blades 30, 32 move from one of the upper reversing position P1 and the lower reversing position P2 to the other, so that the wiper blades 30, 32 The duty ratio is set so that the wiping speed gradually decreases after passing through an intermediate position between the upper reversing position P1 and the lower reversing position P2.

As a result, the power supply voltage +B (vehicle battery voltage, for example, about 12 V) is modulated into a pulse-like voltage waveform and applied to the wiper motor 18 from the output circuit 64B, and the wiper motor 18 reaches an effective value determined by the pulse-like voltage waveform. driven accordingly. Further, the voltage waveform applied to the wiper motor 18 is changed by the duty ratio set in the control circuit 62, so that the wiper blades 30, 32 smoothly reciprocate between the upper reversing position P1 and the lower reversing position P2. be moved.

The duty ratio of the voltage applied to the washer motor 56 is preset and stored in the memory 62B of the control circuit 62 . Control circuit 62 controls washer drive circuit 66 so that a voltage (voltage waveform) corresponding to the stored duty ratio is applied to washer motor 56 when washer device 22 is operated.

On the other hand, the vehicle is provided with a vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 70 that controls the engine and the like, and a control circuit 62 is connected to the vehicle ECU 70 . The vehicle is also provided with a wiper switch 72, a washer switch 74, and a rain sensor 76 as a rainfall detector. It is connected to the.

The rain sensor 76 is, for example, an optical sensor including an LED as a light-emitting element that emits infrared light, a photodiode as a light-receiving element, a lens that forms an infrared light path, and a control circuit. It is placed inside the room.

In the rain sensor 76, the infrared rays emitted from the LED to the windshield glass 12 are totally reflected by the windshield glass 12 and received by the photodiode. At this time, since water droplets (raindrops) adhere to the windshield glass 12 , part of the infrared ray passes through the water droplets and is emitted from the rain sensor 76 to the outside. As a result, in the rain sensor 76, the amount of light received by the photodiode decreases according to the amount of raindrops on the windshield glass 12, and the amount of water droplets (raindrops) on the windshield glass 12 is detected from the decreased amount of light received. . Accordingly, the vehicle ECU 70 (which may be the control circuit 62) detects the amount of rain that has adhered to the windshield glass 12 from the output signal of the rain sensor 76. FIG.

The wiper switch 72 is, for example, a lever type provided on the steering column of the vehicle, and the wiper switch 72 turns on and off the electric power supplied from the vehicle battery to the wiper motor 18 .

In the wiper device 10, wiping speeds of the wiper blades 30 and 32 are set in multiple stages as operation modes of the wipers 14 and 16 (wiper blades 30 and 32). This operation mode includes a Lo mode (low speed operation mode) for low speed operation and a Hi mode (high speed operation mode) for high speed operation (higher speed than Lo mode). In addition, an INT mode (intermittent operation mode) is set as the operation mode in which the wiper blades 30 and 32 intermittently reciprocate at a predetermined cycle. In the INT mode, the wiping speed of the wiper blades 30 and 32 is the same as in the Lo mode. .

The control circuit 62 (which may be the vehicle ECU 70 ) turns the wiper motor 18 on and off according to the operation of the wiper switch 72 . When the wiper motor 18 is turned on, the control circuit 62 drives the wiper motor 18 according to the selected operation mode if the Lo mode, Hi mode, or INT mode is selected.

The operation modes of the wiper device 10 include an AUTO mode. In the AUTO mode, the wiper device 10 operates in one of Lo mode, Hi mode, INT mode, and stop depending on the amount of rain W detected by the rain sensor 76. be.

The control circuit 62 (which may be the vehicle ECU 70) detects adhesion of raindrops to the windshield glass 12 from the detection result of the rain sensor 76, detects the amount of rain W that adheres to the windshield glass 12, and calculates the detected amount of rain W. , in a plurality of stages (for example, three stages of large, medium, and small). In the control circuit 62, the amount of rain that can be wiped out by the wiper blades 30 and 32 operating in the INT mode is "small" for the rain amount W1, and the amount of rain that can be wiped by the wiper blades 30 and 32 that operate in the Lo mode is "medium" in the rain amount W2. The amount of rain and the "large" amount of rain W3 are set as the amount of rain that cannot be completely wiped out by the wiper blades 30 and 32 operating in the Lo mode.

In the AUTO mode, the wiper motor 18 is stopped when the rain sensor 76 detects substantially no raindrops (amount of rain W0). In the AUTO mode, when the rainfall W is determined to be W1 ("small") or more, W2 ("medium") or more, or W3 "large (heavy)" or more, the operation mode is changed to INT mode. , Lo mode and Hi mode.

The memory 62B of the control circuit 62 stores the rotational speed of the wiper motor 18 corresponding to the wiping speed of the wiper blades 30, 32. The rotational speed of the wiper motor 18 is controlled so as to reciprocate.

The washer switch 74 turns on/off electric power supplied from the vehicle battery to the washer motor 56 and turns on/off electric power supplied from the vehicle battery to the wiper motor 18 . The washer switch 74 is, for example, connected to a lever that constitutes the wiper switch 72, and is operated (operated in a direction different from that of the wiper switch 72) such as by pulling the lever toward the passenger (driver) side (toward the front). It is a momentary switch (automatic return switch) that is turned on during operation.

When the washer switch 74 is turned on, the control circuit 62 operates the washer motor 56 and the wiper motor 18 while the washer switch 74 is on. As a result, the washer fluid in the washer tank 52 is ejected from the nozzles 58A and 58B onto the surface of the windshield glass 12, and the wipers 14 and 16 are actuated to remove dirt on the windshield glass 12 together with the washer fluid. , 32.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the control section 24 is provided with a current detection sensor 78 as a load detection section. The output current (driving current Id) is detected.

In the wiper motor 18, the drive current Id increases as the rotation speed increases, and the frictional resistance between the windshield glass 12 and the wiper blades 30, 32 increases and the load increases, resulting in the drive current Id. To increase.

A memory 62B of the control circuit 62 stores a reference value Is of the drive current Id as a reference amount (threshold value) of the load amount of the wiper motor 18 . The operation mode (wiping speed of the wiper blades 30 and 32) of the wiper device 10 is set according to the rainfall amount, and the reference value Is is set for each rainfall amount and operation mode.

For example, when the wiper motor 18 is driven in the Hi mode, the Lo mode, and the INT mode, respectively, the reference value Is indicates that the wiping operation is in an abnormal state (at least it cannot be said to be a normal state). ) is applied. Therefore, when the wiper device 10 is operated in an appropriate operation mode according to the amount of rain W, the drive current Id of the wiper motor 18 is less than the reference value Is (Id<Is). As the reference value Is, the maximum current value (maximum allowable range) at which it is determined that the wiper device 10 is operating normally may be applied. It is only necessary to determine that the wiping operation is in an abnormal state when the above is the case.

Dirt and deposits on the windshield glass 12 increase the driving current Id of the wiper motor 18, causing the wiper blades 30 and 32 to malfunction in the wiping operation such as uneven wiping speed. The control circuit 62 detects the drive current Id of the wiper motor 18 by the current detection sensor 78, compares the detected drive current Id with a reference value Is, and determines whether the drive current Id is equal to or greater than the reference value Is. At this time, the control circuit 62 determines that the wiping operation of the wipers 14, 16 (wiper blades 30, 32) is abnormal when the drive current Id is equal to or greater than the reference value Is (Id≧Is). do.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the vehicle is provided with a notification unit 80 , and the notification unit 80 is connected to the control circuit 62 via the vehicle ECU 70 . The notification unit 80 is provided with at least one of a speaker 82 constituting an auditory notification unit, a display 84 as a storage medium constituting a visual notification unit, and a vibrator 86 as vibration means constituting a vibration notification unit. there is When the control circuit 62 determines that an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation of the wiper device 10 , the notification section 80 notifies the passenger of the determination result through the speaker 82 , the display 84 or the vibrator 86 .

Notification unit 80 transmits a predetermined voice message from speaker 82 . As the speaker 82, for example, a speaker of an audio system installed in the vehicle may be used. may Note that the auditory notification unit may be configured to notify a predetermined message by emitting a warning sound without being limited to the speaker 82 .

As the display 84 , a liquid crystal display or a HUD (Head Up Display) provided on an instrument panel or the like of a vehicle is used. A display (monitor) of a navigation device provided in the vehicle may be used as the display 84 . Note that the visual notification unit is not limited to the display 84, and may be configured to notify a predetermined message by lighting or blinking a warning light.

The vibrator 86 is provided on a steering wheel or the like touched by the driver, and vibrates when operated. The notification unit 80 operates the vibrator 86 to tactilely notify the passenger that an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.
In the wiper device 10, the wiper motor 18 is driven by operating the wiper switch 72, the wipers 14 and 16 reciprocate along the surface of the windshield glass 12, and the wiper blades 30 and 32 move along the surface of the windshield glass 12. Dispel. Further, the washer device 22 operates when the washer switch 74 is operated, and jets the washer liquid onto the windshield glass 12 from the nozzles 58A and 58B. The wiper device 10 works together with the washer device 22 to wipe off the washer fluid on the surface of the windshield glass 12 with the wiper blades 30 and 32, thereby removing stains on the windshield glass 12 together with the washer fluid.

In the windshield glass 12, for example, if dirt containing a wax component adheres to the surface of the windshield glass 12, the wiper blades 30 and 32 may not be able to completely remove the dirt even with the washer liquid. Such deposits (dirt) on the windshield glass 12 cause irregularities in the wiping operation, such as uneven wiping, uneven speed, and chattering during the wiping operation of the wiper blades 30 and 32, and increase the load on the wiper motor 18. Together with this, it causes a decrease in visibility in front of the vehicle. Such deposits on the windshield glass 12 can be removed by maintenance such as cleaning the surface of the windshield glass 12, even if it is difficult to remove with a washer fluid.

Here, in the wiper device 10, the load amount of the wiper motor 18 is calculated in the control circuit 62, and the wiping operation of the wiper blades 30 and 32 is abnormal based on whether or not the calculated load amount is equal to or greater than a preset reference amount. Determine if a condition has occurred. Further, when determining that the wiping operation is abnormal, the control unit 24 notifies the crew of the determination result and prompts the crew to perform maintenance such as cleaning the surface of the windshield glass 12 .

The control circuit 62 detects the driving current Id of the wiper motor 18 and compares the detected driving current Id with the reference value Is. FIG. 3 graphically shows an example of the reference value Is for rainfall W and operating mode. The driving current Id and the reference value Is in the first embodiment are, for example, the effective values (average values per unit time) of the wipers 14 and 16 in the forward movement, the return movement, or the reciprocating movement.

As shown in FIG. 3, the reference value Is is set for each rainfall W3, W2, W1, W0 (W3>W2>W1>W0). The reference value Is is set to current values a, b, c, and d with respect to rainfall amounts W3, W2, W1, and W0, respectively, and the current values a, b, c, and d satisfy a<b<c<d It has become. Further, the current values a, b, c, and d used as the reference value Is are set for each operation mode. In the first embodiment, the current values a, b, c, and d are different between the Hi mode and the Lo mode (including the INT mode), and are the same between the Lo mode and the INT mode.

In a state in which the load on the wiper motor 18 is extremely small (for example, a state in which rainfall is extremely large relative to the speed), for example, the drive current Id=10A in Hi mode and the drive current Id=7A in Lo mode (including INT mode). ~8A. The current values a (a1, a2), b (b1, b2), c (c1, c2), and d (d1, d2) used as the reference value Is are used for each rainfall amount and operation mode. It is the minimum value that can be judged to be

Current values a (a1, a2), b (b1, b2), c (c1, c2), and d (d1, d2) are, for example, current values d1 = 20 A, c1 = 19 A, b1 = 17 A, a1 = d2 = 15A, c2 = 12A, b2 = 10A, and a2 = 8A. Note that the Lo mode and the INT mode at the rainfall W3 and the INT mode at the rainfall W2 are not selected in the AUTO mode, and are marked with * in FIG.

The control circuit 62 starts operating when an ignition switch (not shown) of the vehicle is turned on, and ends the operation when the ignition switch is turned off. 4 to 6 are flow charts showing an outline of the processing executed when the control circuit 62 starts operating.

In the flow chart of FIG. 4, it is confirmed at the first step 100 whether or not the wiper switch 72 has been turned on.

At step 102, it is checked whether or not the AUTO mode has been selected, and if the AUTO mode has been selected at the wiper switch 72, an affirmative determination is made at step 102 and the process proceeds to step 104 to operate in the AUTO mode. . If the manual mode (Hi mode, Lo mode or INT mode) is selected instead of the AUTO mode in the wiper switch 72, a negative determination is made in step 102 to shift to step 106 and the manual mode is selected. works with

At step 108, it is checked whether the wiper switch 72 has been turned off.If the wiper switch 72 has not been turned off, a negative determination is made at step 108, and the wiping process is continued. Further, when the wiper switch 72 is turned off, an affirmative determination is made in step 108 and the process proceeds to step 110 . In step 110, the wiper motor 18 is operated until the wipers 14, 16 (wiper blades 30, 32) move to the retracted position P3, and then the wiper motor 18 is stopped to end the wiping process.

FIG. 5 shows an outline of the operation in the AUTO mode, which is executed at predetermined time intervals by moving to step 104 in FIG. . In the next step 122, it is checked whether the detected rainfall W is equal to or greater than the rainfall W3, and in step 124, it is checked whether the detected rainfall W is equal to or greater than the rainfall W2 (the rainfall W2 or more and less than the rainfall W3). Also, in step 126, it is confirmed whether or not the detected rainfall W is equal to or greater than the rainfall W1 (more than the rainfall W1 and less than the rainfall W2).

Here, when the detected rainfall W is less than the rainfall W1 (in the case of rainfall W0), negative determinations are made in each of steps 122, 124 and 126, and the process proceeds to step 128. In this step 128, the amount of rain W is extremely small (there is no need to operate the wipers 14 and 16), so the wiper motor 18 is stopped (not driven).

If the rainfall W is greater than or equal to the rainfall W1, negative determinations are made at steps 122 and 124 and affirmative determinations are made at step 126 , and the process proceeds to step 130 . If the rainfall W is greater than or equal to the rainfall W2, a negative determination is made in step 122 and an affirmative determination is made in step 124 , and the process proceeds to step 132 . Furthermore, when the rainfall W is equal to or greater than the rainfall W3, the determination in step 122 is affirmative, and the process proceeds to step 134 .

At step 130, the wiper motor 18 is driven so that the wipers 14, 16 operate in the INT mode, and at step 132, the wiper motor 18 is driven so that the wipers 14, 16 operate in the Lo mode. Also, at step 134, the wiper motor 18 is driven so that the wipers 14, 16 operate in the Hi mode. Thereby, the wiper motor 18 is driven according to the amount of rain W, and the wipers 14 and 16 are reciprocated.

After that, in step 136, a reference value Is for the drive current Id is set based on the amount of rain W and the operation mode. For example, when the rainfall W is equal to or greater than the rainfall W3 and the wiper motor 18 is driven in the Hi mode, the reference value Is is set to the current value a (a1) (Is=a1), and the rainfall W is equal to or greater than the rainfall W2 (less than the rainfall W3). ), the reference value Is is set to the current value b (b2) (Is=b2) when the wiper motor 18 is driven in the Lo mode. When the rainfall W is greater than or equal to the rainfall W1 (less than the rainfall W2) and the wiper motor 18 is driven in the INT mode, the reference value Is is set to the current value c (c2) (Is=c2).

In the next step 138, the load amount of the wiper motor 18 is calculated. In calculating the load amount of the wiper motor 18, the drive current Id of the wiper motor 18 is detected. Also, in step 140, it is confirmed whether or not the drive current Id is equal to or greater than the reference value Is. At this time, if the drive current Id is less than the reference value Is (Id<Is), a negative determination is made in step 140, and the wiping process is continued assuming that no abnormal condition has occurred.

On the other hand, if the drive current Id is greater than or equal to the reference value Is (Id≧Is), an affirmative determination is made at step 140 and the process proceeds to step 142 . That is, when the rain amount W is equal to or greater than the rain amount W1 and the wiper motor 18 is driven in the INT mode, and the driving current Id is equal to or greater than the current value c2 (Id≧c2), the rain amount W is equal to or greater than the rain amount W2 and the wiper motor 18 is Lo. mode, the driving current Id is equal to or greater than the current value b2 (Id≧b2), and the rainfall W is equal to or greater than the rainfall W3 and the wiper motor 18 is driven in the Hi mode, the driving current Id is greater than or equal to the current value a1 (Id≧a1), the determination at step 140 is affirmative.

In step 142, the driving current Id is equal to or greater than the reference value Is, and therefore the wiping operation of the wiper blades 30 and 32 is in an abnormal state. . For example, the notification unit 80 outputs a voice message prompting the cleaning of the windshield glass 12 such as "Please clean the windshield glass" from the speaker 82 to notify the passenger. In addition, the notification unit 80 notifies the passenger by displaying a message similar to the voice message on the display 84 as a character image or the like. Further, the notification unit 80 operates the vibrator 86 to vibrate a predetermined portion of the vehicle (for example, the steering wheel), thereby notifying the occupant of the abnormal state of the wiping operation via the occupant's sense of touch. The abnormal state may be notified to the occupant using only one of the speaker 82, the display 84, and the vibrator 86, or may be combined to notify the occupant of the abnormal state.

On the other hand, FIG. 6 outlines the operation in manual mode, which is executed at predetermined time intervals by moving to step 106 in FIG. At 72 it is checked whether the Hi mode has been selected, and at step 152 it is checked whether the Lo mode has been selected at the wiper switch 72 .

If the wiper switch 72 has selected the Hi mode, an affirmative determination is made at step 150 and the process proceeds to step 154 to drive the wiper motor 18 so that the wipers 14 and 16 operate in the Hi mode. If the wiper switch 72 has selected the Lo mode, a negative determination is made at step 150 , a positive determination is made at step 152 , and the process proceeds to step 156 . At step 156, the wiper motor 18 is driven so that the wipers 14, 16 operate in the Lo mode. Further, if the INT mode is selected by the wiper switch 72, negative determinations are made in each of steps 150 and 152, and the process proceeds to step 158 to drive the wiper motor 18 so that the wipers 14 and 16 operate in the INT mode. This causes the wiper motor 18 to rotate in the selected operating mode to reciprocate the wipers 14 and 16 .

After that, in step 160, the amount of rain W is detected by the rain sensor 76, and in step 162, the drive current Id of the wiper motor 18 is detected (the load on the wiper motor 18 is calculated). Next, in step 164, it is checked whether the detected rainfall W is greater than or equal to the rainfall W3, in step 166 it is checked whether the detected rainfall W is greater than or equal to the rainfall W2, and in step 168, the detected rainfall W is determined. Check whether the rainfall W is equal to or greater than the rainfall W1.

Here, if the detected rainfall W is greater than or equal to the rainfall W3, an affirmative determination is made in step 164 and the process proceeds to step 170 . In step 170, as the reference value Is, the current value a1 or the current value a2 based on the operation mode (Hi, Lo, INT) is applied from the current value a (a1, a2) for the rainfall W3 (reference value Is (a)) Then, it is confirmed whether or not the drive current Id is equal to or greater than the reference value Is. For the reference value Is, for example, the current value a1 is applied in the Hi mode, and the current value a2 is applied in the Lo mode or the INT mode.

If the drive current Id is less than the reference value Is (Id<Is(a)), a negative determination is made in step 170, and the process proceeds to the next process (wiping process continues). If the driving current Id is equal to or greater than the reference value Is (Id≧Is(a)), the wiping operation of the wipers 14 and 16 is determined to be abnormal. A notification of an abnormal condition of the wiping operation is provided.

If the detected rainfall W is greater than or equal to the rainfall W2 (W2≦W<W3), a negative determination is made at step 164 and an affirmative determination is made at step 166 , and the process proceeds to step 172 . In step 172, as the reference value Is, the current value b1 or the current value b2 based on the operation mode (Hi, Lo, INT) is applied from the current value b (b1, b2) for the rainfall W2 (reference value Is (b)) Then, it is confirmed whether or not the drive current Id is equal to or greater than the reference value Is. For the reference value Is, for example, the current value b1 is applied in the Hi mode, and the current value b2 is applied in the Lo mode or the INT mode.

If the driving current Id is less than the reference value Is (Id<Is(b)), a negative determination is made in step 172 and the wiping process is continued. Further, when the drive current Id is equal to or greater than the reference value Is (Id≧Is(b)), an affirmative determination is made in step 172, the process proceeds to step 142, and an abnormal state is notified.

Further, when the detected rainfall W is greater than or equal to the rainfall W1 (W1≤W<W2), negative determinations are made at each of steps 164 and 166, and affirmative determination is made at step 168, and the process proceeds to step 174. In step 174, the current value c1 or the current value c2 based on the operation mode (Hi, Lo, INT) is applied (Is (c)) from the current value c (c1, c2) for the rainfall W1 as the reference value Is. It is checked whether or not the current Id is equal to or greater than the reference value Is. For the reference value Is, for example, the current value c1 is applied in the Hi mode, and the current value c2 is applied in the Lo mode or the INT mode.

If the drive current Id is less than the reference value Is (Id<Is(c)), a negative determination is made in step 174 and the wiping process is continued. If the drive current Id is equal to or greater than the reference value Is (Id≧Is(c)), affirmative determination is made in step 174, the process proceeds to step 142, and an abnormal state of the wiping operation is notified.

On the other hand, when the detected rainfall W is less than the rainfall W1 (W1>W=W0), negative determinations are made in each of steps 164, 166 and 168, and the process proceeds to step 176. In step 176, the current value d1 or the current value d2 based on the operation mode (Hi, Lo, INT) is applied from the current value d (d1, d2) for the rainfall W0 (Is (d), and the drive current Id is the reference value For the reference value Is, for example, the current value d1 is applied in the Hi mode, and the current value d2 is applied in the Lo mode or the INT mode.

Here, when the windshield glass 12 is in a dry state, the load amount of the wiper motor 18 increases and the driving current Id increases. As a result, if the drive current Id is equal to or greater than the reference value Is (Id≧Is(d)), an affirmative determination is made in step 176, the process proceeds to step 142, and an abnormal state of the wiping operation is notified.

On the other hand, if the drive current Id is less than the reference value Is (Id<Is(d)), a negative determination is made at step 176 and the process proceeds to step 178 . In this step 178, since the amount of rain W is small (W=W0), the wiping operation by the wipers 14 and 16 is unnecessary, and a request to stop the wipers 14 and 18 (wiper motor 18) is notified.

At step 178, the notification unit 80 outputs a voice message prompting the driver to stop the wiper motor 18 such as "Please stop the wiper because it is not raining" from the speaker 82 to notify the passenger. In addition, the notification unit 80 notifies the passenger by displaying a text image of a message similar to the voice message on the display 84 . Further, the notification unit 80 actuates a vibrator 86 to vibrate a predetermined portion of the vehicle (for example, a steering wheel), thereby tactilely notifying the passenger of a request to stop the wiper motor 18 .

As a result, when the occupant operates the wiper switch 72 to stop the wiper device 10, unnecessary wiping of the dry windshield glass 12 by the wiper blades 30, 32 can be suppressed. , 32 can be prevented from being damaged by abrasion. Moreover, since the wiper motor 18 can be prevented from being driven more than necessary, power consumption of the vehicle can be reduced. If a negative determination is made in step 168 because the detected rainfall W is less than the rainfall W1, step 176 may be omitted and the process may proceed to step 178 to notify a request to stop the wiper motor 18 .

Therefore, even when the wiper device 10 is operated in a manual mode such as the Hi mode, the Lo mode, or the INT mode, the notification unit 80 notifies the occupant of the abnormal state of the wiper device 10 and It is possible to promote the removal of stains such as adherents. Further, in the wiper device 10, it is possible to suppress the wiping operation by the wiper blades 30 and 32 when the windshield glass 12 is dry, thereby suppressing the occurrence of an abnormal state in the wiping operation.

Thus, in the wiper device 10, when the wiper blades 30 and 32 wipe the windshield glass 12, if the drive current Id of the wiper motor 18 is equal to or greater than the reference value Is set according to the amount of rain W, the wiper It is determined that the wiping operation by the blades 30 and 32 is in an abnormal state, and the determination result is notified to the occupant.

As a result, even if the amount of load (driving current Id) on the wiper motor 18 differs due to different amounts of rainfall W, the occupant can be appropriately notified that an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation. Further, the occupant can recognize that there is a possibility that an abnormal state of the wiping operation will occur before the abnormal state of the wiping operation of the wiper blades 30 and 32 appears, and the occupant can clean the windshield glass 12 based on this notification. By performing the above, it is possible to suppress the appearance of an abnormal state in the wiping operation. Moreover, even after the windshield glass 12 has been cleaned, if it is notified that an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation, it can be recognized that the abnormal state in the wiping operation is caused by other requirements. .

Further, in the wiper device 10, the reference value Is is set for each operation mode with different wiping speeds, so even if the rotational speed of the wiper motor 18 changes, the occupant can be appropriately notified of the abnormal state of the wiping operation. Furthermore, the wiper device 10 notifies the occurrence of the abnormal state of the wiping operation to the occupant appropriately through auditory, visual, tactile (vibration), and the like.

Thus, even when the wiper device 10 is operated in a manual mode such as the Hi mode, the Lo mode, or the INT mode, the notification unit 80 notifies the occupant of the abnormal state of the wiper device 10, and the windshield glass 12 It is possible to promote the removal of dirt such as deposits on the surface.

In the first embodiment, when the wipers 14 and 16 are operated in the manual mode even though the amount of rain W is small (W<W0), a notification prompting the wipers to stop is issued. Alternatively, for example, the washer fluid may be ejected to reduce the load on the wiper motor 18 . FIG. 7 shows an example of processing in this case in the form of a flow chart.

FIG. 7 shows a flow chart of operation processing in the manual mode, which can be applied instead of FIG. 6 in the first embodiment. In this flowchart, when the amount of rain W is detected in step 160, in the next step 180, it is confirmed whether or not the detected amount of rain W is less than the amount of rain W1 (whether the amount of rain W is the amount of rain W0).

Here, if the rainfall W is equal to or greater than the rainfall W1, a negative determination is made at step 180 and the process proceeds to step 162 . As a result, the reference value Is set according to the detected amount of rain W (W3 to W1) and the operation mode is used to determine whether or not an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation (steps 164, 166, 170 to 170). 174), and notification processing is performed according to the determination result (step 142).

On the other hand, if the detected amount of rain W is less than the amount of rain W1, it is determined that the windshield glass 12 is dry. In this step 182 , the washer motor 56 is driven to operate the washer pump 54 to eject the washer liquid onto the windshield glass 12 . Note that when the determination in step 180 is affirmative, the notification unit 80 may notify that the washer fluid is to be ejected, and then the process may proceed to step 182 to eject the washer fluid toward the windshield glass 12 .

In the next step 184, the drive current Id of the wiper motor 18 is detected (calculation of the load of the wiper motor 18). Based on the current value d1 or d2 is applied as the reference value Is, and it is confirmed whether or not the drive current Id is equal to or greater than the reference value Is.

As a result, if the drive current Id is equal to or greater than the reference value Is (Id≧Is(d)), an affirmative determination is made in step 176, the process proceeds to step 142, and an abnormal state of the wiping operation is notified. Prior to the execution of step 176, the rain sensor 76 again detects the amount of rain W, and using the reference value Is set based on the detected amount of rain W and the operation mode, the drive current Id is adjusted to the reference value Is Confirmation is performed as to whether or not the above conditions are satisfied.

If the drive current Id is less than the reference value Is (Id<Is(d)), a negative determination is made in step 176, and the process proceeds to step 178 to notify a request to stop the wipers 14, 18 (wiper motor 18). .

In this way, when the windshield glass 12 can be considered dry when the wipers 14 and 16 are operated, the washer liquid is used to make water droplets adhere to the windshield glass, and the presence or absence of an abnormal state of the wiping operation is determined. judge. As a result, even if the windshield glass 12 can be regarded as dry, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation, and notify the occupant. Further, if an attempt is made to determine whether or not an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation using the drive current Id and the reference value Is while the windshield glass 12 is substantially dry, an erroneous determination will occur. By using the washer liquid (washer device 22), occurrence of erroneous determination can be suppressed.

[Second embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described. The basic configuration of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and in the second embodiment, functions similar to those of the first embodiment are assigned the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment. and the description thereof is omitted.

The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the vehicle is provided with a stop switch (cancel switch) 88 (see FIG. 1). The stop switch 88 is connected to the control circuit 62 (microcomputer 62A) via the vehicle ECU 70 . When the control circuit 62 determines that an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation while the stop switch 88 is turned on, the control circuit 62 stops the operation of the notification unit 80 for notifying the determination result at a predetermined timing.

Further, in the second embodiment, when it is determined that the wiping operation is in an abnormal state, the control circuit 62 controls the wiper motor 18 to suppress the wiping speed of the wiper blades 30 and 32 at a predetermined timing.

The predetermined timing is, for example, after it is determined and notified that an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation a predetermined number of times, or after a predetermined time has elapsed since it was first determined that an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation. Timing applies. Also, the stopping of the notification of the abnormal state and the suppression of the wiping speed may be performed at the same timing or at different timings. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the stop switch 88 is operated to stop the notification and suppress the wiping speed. may be executed regardless.

FIG. 8 shows an outline of wiper operation processing according to the second embodiment in the form of a flow chart. FIG. 8 is applied to the second embodiment instead of FIG. In the second embodiment, the AUTO mode will be described as an example, and the description of the manual mode will be omitted.

In the flowchart of FIG. 8, when the AUTO mode is set, it is executed at predetermined time intervals, the operation mode (Hi, Lo, INT or stop) is set according to the amount of rain W detected by the rain sensor 76, and the set operation Wiping of the windshield glass 12 (including stopping of wiping) is performed in the mode (steps 120 to 134). Further, in this flowchart, a reference value Is based on the amount of rain W and the operation mode is applied, and it is determined whether or not the driving current Id of the wiper motor 18 is equal to or greater than the reference value Is (steps 136 to 140).

Here, if the drive current Id is equal to or greater than the reference value Is and the determination in step 140 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 190 . At step 190, it is checked whether the stop switch 88 is turned on. At this time, if the stop switch 88 is not turned on (off), a negative determination is made in step 190, and the process proceeds to step 142 to notify the occupant that an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation.

On the other hand, if the stop switch 88 is turned on, an affirmative determination is made at step 190 and the process proceeds to step 192 . In step 192, it is determined whether or not a predetermined timing has elapsed since the abnormal state of the wiping operation was first notified. For example, if the abnormal state of the wiping operation is determined first, a negative determination is made in step 192, and the process proceeds to step 142 to notify of the abnormal state of the wiping operation.

On the other hand, for example, when the notification of the abnormal state of the wiping operation is performed a predetermined number of times (when the notification state continues for a predetermined number of times), when a predetermined time has passed since the first notification (when the abnormal state continues for a predetermined time) ), etc., when a predetermined timing has passed since the first notification (execution of step 142), an affirmative determination is made in step 192. FIG. As a result, the notification of the abnormal state of the wiping operation is stopped, and the process proceeds to step 194 .

In step 194, the number of rotations of the wiper motor 18 is set so as to suppress (decelerate) the wiping speed of the wiper blades 30,32. The wiper motor 18 speed setting in step 194 is preferably set for all operating modes (Hi mode, Lo mode and INT mode), not just the operating mode currently being executed. As a result, the wiping operation of the wiper blades 30 and 32 is continued while the rotational speed of the wiper motor 18 is reduced and the wiping speed of the wiper blades 30 and 32 is reduced.

Thus, in the second embodiment, the notification of the abnormal state of the wiping operation is stopped by operating the stop switch 88 . Therefore, it is possible to suppress the continuation of the notification of the abnormal state of the wiping operation because the windshield glass 12 cannot be cleaned because the vehicle is running, and the occupant feels annoyed by the notification of the abnormal state of the wiping operation. It can be suppressed.

In addition, since the number of revolutions of the wiper motor 18 is suppressed, the amount of load on the wiper motor 18 can be suppressed, and the continuation of the abnormal state of the wiping operation causes damage to the wiper blades 30 and 32 and the windshield glass 12. can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the rotation speed of the wiper motor 18 is suppressed, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of an abnormality (damage, etc.) in the wiper motor 18 due to an abnormal state of the wiping operation.

In addition, in 1st Embodiment (a modification is included) and 2nd Embodiment, the drive current Id (effective value) was applied as the load amount of the wiper motor 18. FIG. However, as the load amount of the wiper motor 18, the instantaneous value of the drive current, that is, the current value for each rotation angle of the output shaft 50 (which may be the rotation shaft of the wiper motor 18) may be applied. As the load amount of the wiper motor 18, the deviation between the target rotation speed and the actual rotation speed of the output shaft 50 (which may be the rotation shaft of the wiper motor 18) may be applied. etc. may be applied.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment will be described. Note that the basic configuration of the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and functions similar to those of the first or second embodiment are the same as those of the first or second embodiment. The same reference numerals as in the form are given and the description thereof is omitted.

In the third embodiment, the current value I is applied as the load amount of the wiper motor 18 . Further, in the third embodiment, changes in the current value I are detected. The current value I may be an instantaneous value or an average current value for each predetermined rotation angle of the output shaft 50 .

FIGS. 9A and 9B graphically show changes in the current value I of the wiper motor 18 with respect to the rotation angle .theta. 9(A) and 9(B) show a half cycle when the reciprocating motion is one cycle. The rotation angle θ at the reversal position P1 is indicated by the rotation angle θU. Further, FIG. 9A shows a case in which the wiping operation is normal, and FIG. 9B shows an example in which an abnormal state occurs in the wiping operation.

The control circuit 62 changes the duty ratio of the pulse-like voltage (driving voltage) applied to the wiper motor 18, so that when the wiper blades 30 and 32 move from one of the upper reversing position P1 and the lower reversing position P2 to the other. First, the wiping speed (moving speed) is gradually increased, and when the wiper blades 30 and 32 pass through the intermediate position between the upper reversing position P1 and the lower reversing position P2, the wiping speed is gradually reduced.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 9A, the current value I of the wiper motor 18 changes to a circular value with respect to the change in the rotation angle θ from the rotation angle θL to the rotation angle θU (the same applies from the rotation angle θU to the rotation angle θL). change in an arc. Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, an abnormal state occurs in the wiping operation of the wiper blades 30 and 32, so that the load amount of the wiper motor 18 increases and the current value I increases.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, a threshold value Ith is set as a reference amount for the current value I. FIG. For the threshold value Ith, for example, the minimum value of the current value I at which it can be determined that an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation is applied. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9B, the current value I increases at the rotation angle θ at which the load amount of the wiper motor 18 increases and exceeds the threshold value Ith, so that it can be determined that an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation. At the same time, it is possible to specify the range of the rotation angle θ in which the abnormal state has occurred. Note that the threshold Ith may be the maximum value of the current value I at which it can be determined that an abnormal state has not occurred in the wiping operation. It should be determined that the condition has occurred.

In the vehicle according to the third embodiment, the vehicle ECU 70 has an automatic driving support function. The automatic driving support function captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle including the front and rear of the vehicle using a plurality of imaging means. The vehicle ECU 70 is provided with an automatic driving support function, and based on images captured by the navigation device and the imaging means, the vehicle ECU 70 performs operation control such as steering control, speed control, and braking control of the vehicle, and controls the vehicle according to a preset travel route, etc. run automatically along the Note that the imaging means may be a drive recorder (camera of the drive recorder).

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the wiping range of the wiper blade 30 provided on the wiper 14 on the windshield glass 12 as viewed from the inside of the passenger compartment.

As shown in FIG. 10, a camera 90 is installed in the vehicle interior above the windshield glass 12 at an intermediate position in the vehicle width direction as imaging means for imaging the front of the vehicle. The windshield glass 12 has a transmissive area 90A (see FIG. 1) in the middle and upper portion in the vehicle width direction, and the camera 90 captures an image of the front of the vehicle through the transmissive area 90A of the windshield glass 12. In the wiper device 10, the wiping area 14A of the wiper blade 30 of the wiper 14 includes the transmissive area 90A. As a result, the wiper blade 30 can wipe off water droplets or the like attached to the surface of the windshield glass 12 (surface on the outside of the vehicle) corresponding to the transmissive region 90A, ensuring high visibility in front of the vehicle by the camera 90 even in rainy weather. be.

In the third embodiment, a region of a predetermined angular range Δθ of the rotation angle θ including the transmissive region 90A is set as the specific region 92. The range of the angle θb is (θa≦θ≦θb). Note that in the third embodiment, the specific area is provided within the wiping area 14A of the wiper blade 30, but the specific area may be within the wiping area of the wiper blade 32. It may be a region straddling regions.

The control circuit 62 calculates the load amount of the wiper motor 18 in the specific area 92 and the load amount in an area excluding the specific area 92 (hereinafter referred to as a non-specific area 94). At this time, the control circuit 62 applies the current value I as the load amount and the threshold value Ith as the reference amount, detects or calculates changes in the current value I in each of the specific region 92 and the non-specific region 94, It is compared with a threshold Ith (change in threshold Ith). As for the threshold value Ith, a preset current value corresponding to the amount of rain W and the operation mode is applied, like the reference value Is.

Further, the control circuit 62 determines that the wiping operation is in an abnormal state in the specific area 92, and determines that the wiping operation is in an abnormal state in the non-specific area 94. give notice.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an outline of wiper operation processing (wiping processing) according to the third embodiment. FIG. 11 is applied to the third embodiment instead of FIG. 5 of the first embodiment. In addition, in the third embodiment, the AUTO mode will be described as an example, and the description of the manual mode will be omitted.

In the flowchart of FIG. 11, when the AUTO mode is set, it is executed at predetermined time intervals, the operation mode is set according to the amount of rain W detected by the rain sensor 76, the wiper motor 18 is driven in the set operation mode, The windshield glass 12 is wiped (steps 120-134). Thereby, the wiper blade 30 wipes the wipe area 14A on the windshield glass 12 including the transmission area 90A.

On the other hand, in step 200, a threshold value Ith is set as a reference amount for the current value I of the wiper motor 18 based on the amount of rain W and the operation mode. Further, in step 202, the current value I (change in current value I) for each half cycle (each of the rotation angles θU to θL and the rotation angles θL to θU) is calculated with the reciprocating movement of the wiper blades 30 and 32 as one cycle. To detect. Note that the change in the current value I is not limited to the half cycle, and one cycle may be detected and the average change calculated, or the average change for a plurality of half cycles or multiple cycles may be calculated and applied. good.

In the next step 204, it is checked whether or not a value equal to or greater than a threshold value Ith (I≧Ith) has been detected in the detected change in the current value I. At this time, if the current value I is less than the threshold value Ith throughout the half cycle, a negative determination is made in step 204, and the wiping process of the normal process is continued.

Here, in the change of the current value I, if a value equal to or greater than the threshold value Ith (I≧Ith) is detected, an affirmative determination is made in step 204 and the process proceeds to step 206 . In this step 206, it is confirmed whether or not the specific region 92 is included in the region where the current value I is equal to or greater than the threshold value Ith. That is, it is confirmed whether or not the current value I is equal to or greater than the threshold value Ith within the angle range Δθ of the rotation angles θa to θb.

If the region where the current value I is greater than or equal to the threshold value Ith does not include the specific region 92 and is within the non-specific region 94 , a negative determination is made in step 206 and the process proceeds to step 208 . In this step 208, similarly to the above-described step 142, the notification unit 80 notifies the passenger of the abnormal state of the wiping operation. At this time, for example, a message such as "Please clean the windshield glass" is notified so as to be conveyed to the occupants.

On the other hand, if the current value I is equal to or greater than the threshold value Ith in the specific region 92 (within the angle range Δθ from the rotation angle θa to the rotation angle θb), a positive determination is made in step 206 and the process proceeds to step 210 . That is, in step 206, it is determined that the current value I is equal to or greater than the threshold Ith in the specific region 92 by checking whether the specific region 92 is included in the region in which the current value I is equal to or greater than the threshold Ith. If so, the process preferentially proceeds to step 210 . In this step 210, the notification unit 80 notifies the occupant by means of a voice message or a character image displayed on the display 84, for example, "Please clean the windshield glass as the camera image may be disturbed." works.

As a result, the occupant can appropriately recognize that the windshield glass 12 is dirty with deposits and the like, and there is a possibility that the dirt on the windshield glass 12 will affect the automatic driving support function. I can recognize that.

As described above, in the third embodiment, a change in the current value I when the wiper motor 18 is driven is detected, and whether an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation is detected based on the detected change in the current value I and the preset threshold value Ith. detect whether or not Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not there is a factor that causes an abnormal state of the wiping operation in the specific area 92 within the wiping range of the wiper blades 30 and 32 . In addition, since different notifications are made for the specific area 92 and the non-specific area 94, when there is a factor that causes an abnormal state in the wiping operation in the specific area 92, there is a factor that causes an abnormal state in the wiping operation in the specific area 92. I can properly notify you of something.

In addition, since the specific area 92 on the windshield glass 12 is used as the transmissive area 90A of the image captured by the camera 90, dirt adheres to the transmissive area 90A, and the image captured by the camera 90 may be disturbed or unclear. Storing can be suppressed, and high visibility in front of the vehicle by the camera 90 can be ensured.

In addition, in the third embodiment, the current value I of the wiper motor 18 is applied as the load amount of the wiper motor 18 . However, the amount of load on the wiper motor 18 is the deviation of the actual rotation speed from the target rotation speed of the output shaft 50 (which may be the rotation shaft of the wiper motor 18 or the reciprocating movement of the wiper blades 30 and 32), the target rotation angle (rotational position), and the or the deviation of the actual rotation speed (actual angular velocity) from the target rotation speed (target angular speed).

That is, the control circuit 62 controls the rotation of the wiper motor 18 so that the output shaft 50 has a preset rotation speed, rotation angle, and rotation speed (angular velocity). From this, the deviation between the target rotation speed and the actual rotation speed of the output shaft 50 (or the deviation between the target rotation speed and the actual rotation speed of the rotation shaft of the wiper motor 18) is calculated as the load amount of the wiper motor 18, and the calculated deviation is within a preset reference amount. Also, the deviation between the target rotation angle and the actual rotation angle of the output shaft 50 (deviation between the target rotation angle and the actual rotation angle of the rotation shaft of the wiper motor 18) is taken as the load amount of the wiper motor 18, and whether the calculated deviation is within the reference amount or not. It may be determined whether

Furthermore, the deviation between the target rotational speed and the actual rotational speed of the output shaft 50 (the deviation between the target rotational speed and the actual rotational speed of the rotational shaft of the wiper motor 18, the deviation between the target wiping speed and the actual wiping speed of the wiper blades 30, 32) ) may be calculated as the load amount of the wiper motor 18, and it may be determined whether or not the calculated deviation is within the reference amount.

12(A) and 12(B) graphically show changes in the angular velocity ω as the rotational speed with respect to the rotational angle θ of the output shaft 50 in the reciprocating motion of the wiper blades 30 and 32 . 12(A) and 12(B) show a half cycle when the reciprocating motion of the wiper blades 30 and 32 is one cycle. FIG. 12B shows an example in which an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation.

A target value (target wiping speed) of the wiping speed of the wiper blades 30 and 32 is set in the wiper device 10, and the output shaft 50 (rotating shaft of the wiper motor 18) corresponding to the target wiping speed is stored in the memory 62B of the control circuit 62. ) is stored. The control circuit 62 sets the duty ratio so that the angular velocity ω of the output shaft 50 becomes the target angular velocity ωt, and performs PWM control of the wiper motor 18 with the set duty ratio.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 12A, when the wiping operation is normal, the output shaft 50 rotates (the wiper motor 18 rotation) is controlled.

On the other hand, if the windshield glass 12 is stained with deposits or the like and the load on the wiper motor 18 is increased due to the stain, the wiping speed of the wiper blades 30 and 32 becomes uneven. In the speed unevenness at this time, the wiping speed of the wiper blades 30 and 32 decreases once, and then the wiping speed increases so as to recover the decreased speed. As a result, the reciprocating period of the wiper blades 30 and 32 is maintained at the target period.

As shown in FIG. 12B, when the wiping speed of the wiper blades 30 and 32 is uneven, the angular velocity ω of the output shaft 50 is uneven and the deviation Δω increases. Also, the magnitude of the deviation Δω is the magnitude of the load on the wiper motor 18 .

From this, a threshold value Δωth is set as a reference amount for the deviation Δω of the angular velocity ω of the output shaft 50, and the change in the angular velocity ω of the output shaft 50 is detected from the output signal of the rotation angle sensor 68, and the deviation Δω becomes the threshold value. It is determined whether or not it is greater than or equal to Δωth. A value set in the same manner as the reference value Is for the drive current Id is applied to the threshold Δωth. Thereby, it becomes possible to detect whether or not an abnormal state has occurred in the wiping operation of the wiper blades 30 and 32 .

Further, the rotation angle θ at which the deviation Δω is equal to or greater than the threshold value Δωth is specified, and whether or not the specified rotation angle θ is within the range corresponding to the specified region (for example, the range from the rotation angle θa to the rotation angle θb) is determined. It becomes possible to detect whether an abnormal condition has occurred in the wiping operation in the area.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Wiper apparatus, 12... Windshield glass, 14, 16... Wiper, 20... Link mechanism, 22... Washer apparatus, 24... Control part, 26, 28... Wiper arm 30, 32 Wiper blade 50 Output shaft 54 Washer pump 56 Washer motor 58A, 58B Nozzle 62 Control circuit 62A Microcomputer 62B memory 64 wiper motor drive circuit 66 washer drive circuit 68 rotation angle sensor 70 vehicle ECU 72 wiper switch 74. Washer switch 76 Rain sensor (rain amount detection unit) 78 Current detection sensor (load detection unit) 80 Notification unit 82 Audio output unit (auditory notification unit) 84... display (visual notification unit), 86... vibrator (vibration notification unit), 88... stop switch, 90... camera, 90A... transmission area, 92... specific area, 94 . . non-specific area (area other than the specific area).

Claims (8)

a motor to which a voltage is applied to rotate; a wiper arm that is reciprocally moved along the windshield glass by transmission of the rotation of the motor; a wiping part including a wiper blade for wiping the surface of the windshield;
a control unit that controls the rotation of the motor;
a rainfall detection unit that detects the amount of rainfall adhering to the surface of the windshield glass;
a load calculation unit that calculates the load amount of the motor;
a load determination unit that determines whether the load amount is equal to or greater than a reference amount set for the rainfall;
a notification unit that notifies an occupant according to the determination result of the load determination unit when the load determination unit determines that the load amount is equal to or greater than the reference amount;
wiper device including and
The load calculation unit calculates a load amount of the motor in a specific area within the wiping range of the wiper blade and a load amount of the motor in an area other than the specific area within the wiping range of the wiper blade,
The load determination unit determines whether or not the load amount in the specific area is equal to or greater than the reference amount, and whether or not the load amount in areas other than the specific area is equal to or greater than the reference amount,
The notification unit performs different notifications depending on whether the load amount in the specific area is determined to be equal to or greater than the reference amount and when the load amount in areas other than the specific area is determined to be equal to or greater than the reference amount,
In a vehicle provided with imaging means for imaging an image in front of the vehicle transmitted through the windshield glass from a vehicle interior, the specific area is an area through which an image captured by the imaging means is transmitted. A wiper switch that is operated to select the wiping speed of the wiper blade,
The control unit controls the rotation of the motor so that the wiping speed of the wiper blade becomes the wiping speed selected by the wiper switch,
2. The wiper device according to claim 1, wherein the load determination unit determines whether or not the load amount is equal to or greater than a reference amount set for the amount of rainfall for each wiping speed of the wiper blade. The notification unit includes at least one of an auditory notification unit that notifies via the occupant's sense of hearing, a visual notification unit that notifies via the occupant's sight, and a vibration notification unit that notifies by vibrating a predetermined part. A wiper device according to claim 1 or claim 2. 4. The wiper device according to claim 3, wherein said auditory notification unit notifies by at least one of voice and warning sound. The wiper device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the visual notification section includes at least one of a warning light and a display medium on which a character image is displayed. The wiper device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control section suppresses the rotation speed of the motor when it is determined that the load amount is equal to or greater than the reference amount. further comprising a washer device that ejects a cleaning liquid onto the windshield glass when the washer pump is actuated;
The controller operates the washer pump when it is determined that the amount of rainfall is equal to or less than a predetermined amount and the amount of load is equal to or greater than the reference amount for the amount of rainfall equal to or less than the predetermined amount. A wiper device according to any one of the preceding claims. The wiper device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a stop switch capable of stopping notification by said notification unit at a predetermined timing.

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