JPH0328056A - Cleaning device for car mirror - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To maintain good field of rear view by driving a cleaning device driving means for a car mirror with a switch for removal of water drops from the rear glass, and stopping after a certain period using a timer means. CONSTITUTION:When a rear defogger heater or a rear wiper to make water drop removal from the rear glass is to be driven associate with operation of a switch, current is supplied to at least either of an ultrasonic vibrator 10 for the side mirror 1 of car and a heater 2 consisting of a sheet-shaped heater pattern or the like, and after a certain period of time the drive is stopped by a timer means. Together with the rear glass, this allows securing the field of rear view obtained through the rear glass and also the field of rear view obtained through the mirror 1 through removal of blur by the heater 2 and removal of water drops with ultrasonic vibration of the vibrator 10. Thus good field of rear view can be secured.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a cleaning device for automobile mirrors that maintains the visibility of mirror surfaces such as side mirrors. This invention relates to the control of a cleaning device for automobile mirrors that removes fog and the like.

[Prior Art] A conventional example of this type of automobile mirror cleaning device includes the technology described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 61-30552.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of an automobile mirror cleaning device disposed outside the vehicle, which is disclosed in the above-mentioned publication.

In the figure, the rearview mirror installed on the outside of the vehicle is
Rearview mirror body 92 with glass mirror 91 attached
is supported by a stay 93, and an ultrasonic vibrator 94 made of ceramics, for example, is provided between the rearview mirror main body 92 and the stay 93. This ultrasonic transducer 94 is connected to an operation switch 95 inside the vehicle so that it can be operated from inside the vehicle. A drive circuit 96 and a power source 97 are connected in series between the ultrasonic transducer 94 and the operation switch 95.

The drive circuit 96 amplifies the signal generated by the oscillator using an amplifier, sends it to the ultrasonic transducer 94, and vibrates the ultrasonic transducer 94 appropriately.

The conventional automobile mirror cleaning device using an ultrasonic transducer configured as described above can operate as follows.

When water droplets or the like adhere to the mirror surface of the rearview mirror, an operation switch 95 in the vehicle interior is operated to vibrate the ultrasonic transducer 94. The vibration of the ultrasonic transducer 94 can remove water droplets and the like attached to the mirror surface by vibrating the entire rearview mirror body 92.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the operation switch 95 that uses the ultrasonic transducer 94 to completely remove water droplets etc. adhering to the surface of the mirror 91 does not require heating means bonded to the back surface of the mirror 91. or a switch for a storage driving means that moves the mirror 91 between a storage position and a use position of the vehicle body, or a switch that sets the angle of the surface of the mirror 91; Due to the increase in the number of switches and the like due to electronics, it is becoming difficult to distinguish between switch types.

Furthermore, even if water droplets etc. on the surface of the mirror 91 can be removed, if the water droplets adhere to the side windows, rear windows, etc. and become cloudy, visibility for the driver cannot necessarily be ensured, and as a result, In some cases, users were forced to operate multiple switches, and these operations were troublesome.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to simplify the switch operation for ensuring good rearward visibility.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The automobile mirror cleaning device according to claim 1 is driven by a switch that removes water droplets from a rear window, and the drive means is operated by a timer means that stops after a predetermined time. It is something that makes you

A cleaning device for an automobile mirror according to a second aspect of the present invention uses a rear defogger heater or a rear wiper to remove water droplets from a rear window according to the first aspect.

[Function] According to the first aspect, when the removing means operates in response to the operation of the switch, at least one of the ultrasonic vibrator and the heater operates. Therefore, depending on the operation of the switch, both the rear view obtained through the rear window and the rear view obtained through the rearview mirror are secured.
The field of view that allows you to check the rear is expanded.

As described above, according to the present invention, good rearward visibility can be ensured with a simple switch operation, and the initial objective can be achieved.

In the second aspect of the present invention, water droplets from the rear window are removed by a rear defogger heater or a rear wiper, and good rearward visibility can be ensured with a simple switch operation.

[Example] Examples of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 2 is a front view of an automobile mirror cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention, as seen from the back side of the mirror, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along section line AA in FIG. 2.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, a heater 2 is formed on the back surface of the mirror 1 by using an adhesive, vapor deposition, sputtering, etc., such as a silver electrode or a sheet-shaped heater pattern. A lead wire 3 and a lead wire 4 are connected to the heater 2 which is the heating means. Further, a disc-shaped ultrasonic transducer 10 is bonded to the back surface of the mirror 1 with an adhesive. Specifically, an electrode terminal 11 made of a flexible printed circuit board on the mirror side of the ultrasonic transducer 10 is bonded to the back surface of the mirror 1.

In particular, as the ultrasonic transducer 10 of this embodiment, an ultrasonic transducer element 12 made of piezoelectric ceramics using a piezo effect element is used. As shown in FIG. 3, the ultrasonic transducer 10 is composed of an electrode terminal 11 on the side of the mirror 1, an electrode terminal 13 on the side opposite to the mirror, and an ultrasonic transducer element 12. The lead wire 14 is connected to the electrode terminal 11 on the mirror side.
The lead wire 15 is crimped to the electrode terminal 13 on the opposite side of the mirror using a crimping tool or the like, or by caulking or the like, and is electrically and mechanically connected.

The mirror 1 of this embodiment, the heater 2 and the ultrasonic vibrator 10 bonded to the back surface of the mirror 1 are installed in the housing 21 of the mirror body along with circuit components such as a driving means to be described later, and the light side mirror 2OR Or used as a left side mirror (not shown).

When power is supplied between the lead wires 14 and 15 of the electrode terminal 11 on the mirror side and the electrode terminal 13 on the anti-mirror side shown in FIG.
(vertical direction in FIG. 3) and the ultrasonic transducer 10
It expands or contracts in the radial direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 3).

That is, in general, the ultrasonic transducer 10 has a longitudinal effect in which it expands and contracts in the same direction as the direction of the applied electric field, and a lateral effect in which it expands and contracts in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the applied electric field. and,
It has a characteristic that the resonant frequency due to the transverse effect is lower than the resonant frequency due to the longitudinal effect.

Therefore, in this embodiment, a bending wave is generated in the mirror 1 using the transverse effect. However, in some cases, such as the mirror 1 having a high resonance frequency, it may be preferable to utilize the longitudinal effect. Therefore, when implementing the present invention, the present invention is not limited to generating refracted waves on the mirror 1 by using the transverse effect, but by using the longitudinal effect.
It can also include things that expand and contract.

Next, the principle of bending the mirror 1 using the transverse effect of this embodiment will be explained in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a bending wave of an automobile mirror cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, when the (+) terminal of the DC power source E is connected to the lead wire 14 and the (1) terminal of the DC power source E is connected to the lead wire 15, a strong contraction force acts on the ultrasonic vibrator 10 in the radial direction due to the transverse effect. Then, the mirror 1 is bent downward as shown in FIG. 4(a).

Furthermore, when the (-) terminal of the DC power source E is connected to the lead wire 14 and the (+) terminal of the DC power source E to the lead wire 15, a strong stretching force acts on the ultrasonic vibrator 10 in the radial direction due to the transverse effect. Then, the mirror 1 bends upward as shown in FIG. 4(b).

Then, when the output of the alternating current power supply AC is supplied to the ultrasonic transducer 10, the mirror 1 is repeatedly bent as shown in FIG. 4(C). Here, if the frequency of the AC power applied to the ultrasonic transducer 10 is selected to be an appropriate frequency, the mirror 1
resonates, and a standing wave that is uniform and large in amplitude is generated throughout the mirror 1.

This standing wave causes the mirror surface of mirror 1 to vibrate at high speed. At this time, the water droplets adhering to the mirror surface are given high kinetic energy by the mirror 1 and are removed from the surface of the mirror 1 by being dropped or atomized by gravity, and as a result, the surface of the mirror 1 is cleaned. That means that.

Further, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the main parts of a light side mirror of an automobile mirror cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the rear right side of the vehicle, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the main parts of the mirror viewed from the interior side of the vehicle, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the main parts of the rear window of an automobile mirror cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the rear left side of the vehicle.

In FIGS. 5 to 7, a light side mirror 2OR is constituted by a mirror body housing 21 that includes the mirror 1 and a housing base 22. The light side mirror 2OR is disposed near the light side window 30R so that the mirror 1 can be viewed from inside the vehicle through the light side window 30R. The housing base 22 is attached to the vehicle body 31, and the mirror main body housing 21 is rotatably supported on the housing base 22, and can be moved from the use position to the folding position. It is set so that it can rotate within a range of 180 degrees between storage positions.

In addition, a light side window wiper 40R for removing water droplets adhering to the light side window 30R is disposed on the light side window 30R between the light side mirror 2OR and the driver's line of sight.

The light side window wiper 40R removes water droplets in a predetermined area by its moving area 41R.

Note that the side mirrors include not only the right side mirror 3OR on the right side of the vehicle, but also a left side mirror (not shown) on the left side. However, the side mirror disposed on the left side of the vehicle is the light side mirror 3.
Since it has the same structure and function as the OR, a detailed explanation of the left side mirror will be omitted hereafter.

Further, the rear window 30B of the vehicle of this embodiment is provided with a rear f fogger heater 80, which is a heating means for removing water droplets and fog attached to the rear window 30B. The rear defogger heater 80 removes water droplets and fog adhering to the rear window 30B by heating, and a rear window wiper or the like may be provided in addition, or both may be provided in parallel. .

Next, the automobile mirror cleaning device of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be explained using an overall configuration diagram of an electrically controlled control device.

In FIG. 1, an ignition key switch 51 is a key for driving and controlling the engine, or is connected in parallel with the key, and is turned on when the engine is being driven. The side wiper switch 52 mainly drives the right side window wiper 40R of the right side window 3OR and the left side window wiper of the left side window. The rear defogger switch 53 is mainly used for rear window 30B.
This is used to supply power to the rear defogger heater 80 and operate it to remove water droplets and fog. Note that the side wiper switch 52 and the rear defogger switch 53
is arranged as a switch panel together with the ignition key switch 51 at a position in the vehicle interior where the driver can easily operate it.

These ignition key switch 51, side wiper switch 52, and rear defogger switch 53 are inputted to the microcomputer 55 via an input circuit 54, and when turned on, "L" is inputted to the input circuit 54,
Input "H" when it is off.

The microcomputer 55 includes a vehicle battery 5.
Power is supplied from a power supply circuit 57 that is supplied with power from 6.

The output of the microcomputer 55 is sent to the relay circuit 5.
8 to the right drive circuit 60 and the left drive circuit 70.

AC power in the ultrasonic frequency band to be supplied to the ultrasonic transducer 64 (10 in FIG. 2) of the light side mirror 2OR is supplied from the transducer drive circuit 63. The input of the vibrator drive circuit 63 is supplied from a voltage control oscillation circuit (V-F conversion circuit) 62, and the output frequency of the voltage control generation circuit 62 is determined by the output voltage of the sawtooth wave generation circuit 61. The output voltage of the sawtooth wave generating circuit 61 is applied to a relay circuit 58 driven by a microcomputer 55.
controlled by The mirror 1 also has a heater 66 (2 in FIG. 2), and the heater 66 is controlled by a relay circuit 58 driven by a microcomputer 65.

These, sawtooth wave generation circuit 61, voltage control generation circuit 62
, the vibrator drive circuit 63, the ultrasonic vibrator 64, and the heater 65 constitute a right side drive circuit 60 that generates ultrasonic vibrations necessary to remove water droplets etc. attached to the surface of the mirror 1 of the light side mirror 2OR. .

Further, the light side wiper motor 66 driven by the relay circuit 58 operates the light side window wiper 40R for removing water droplets etc. attached to the light side window 30R in units of one cycle, which is a unit of repeated operation a plurality of times. Rotate.

Similarly, the ultrasonic transducer 74 (second
The AC power in the ultrasonic frequency band supplied to 10) in the figure is supplied from the transducer drive circuit 73. The input of the vibrator drive circuit 73 is supplied from a voltage controlled oscillation circuit 72, and the output frequency of the voltage controlled generation circuit 72 is determined by the output voltage of the sawtooth wave generation circuit 71. The output voltage of the sawtooth wave generating circuit 71 is controlled by a relay circuit 58 driven by a microcomputer 55. The mirror 1 is heated by a heater 75 (2 in FIG.
), and the heater 75 is controlled by a relay circuit 58 driven by a microcomputer 55.

These, sawtooth wave generation circuit 71, voltage control generation circuit 72
, the vibrator drive circuit 73, the ultrasonic vibrator 74, and the heater 75 constitute a left side drive circuit 70 that generates ultrasonic vibrations necessary to remove water droplets and the like adhering to the surface of the mirror 1 of the left side mirror. . Further, the right side wiper motor 76 driven by the relay circuit 58 rotates the left side window wiper, which removes water droplets and the like adhering to the left side window, in units of one cycle, which is a unit of repeated operation a plurality of times.

Furthermore, the rear defogger heater 80 of the rear window 30B
is controlled by a relay circuit 58 driven by a microcomputer 55.

Note that the right drive circuit 60 and the left drive circuit 70 are
This constitutes a driving means for operating the ultrasonic transducer 10 and/or the heater 2 of this embodiment. Further, the microcomputer 55 constitutes a timer means that is driven by a switch input under the program control and supplies an output to the driving means that becomes stopped after a predetermined period of time.

The ROM of the microcomputer 55 stores a control program for controlling the automobile mirror cleaning device of this embodiment, and controls as follows.

8 to 11 are flowcharts for program-controlling an automobile mirror cleaning device according to embodiments of the present invention.

When the in-vehicle battery 56 is connected to the power supply circuit 57, power is supplied to the microcomputer 55 by the power supply circuit 57, and the microcomputer 55 thereby starts operating this program.

In step S1, to initialize each flag, all flags are vibrator operating flag, side wiper operating flag, mirror heater operating flag, defogger operating flag, side wiper switch flag, defogger switch flag, and water droplet removal operation inspection flag. to the reset state, i.e. “0”
shall be. Ignition switch 51 at step S2
When the ignition switch 51 is turned off, the standby state (that is, all flags and memory contents are secured and the timer is cleared) is maintained in step S3.

When it is determined in step S2 that the ignition switch 51 is turned on, it is determined in step s4 whether the side wiper switch flag is set, that is, "1", and in step S5, the defogger switch flag is set. determine whether it is. When the side wiper switch flag is set, it means that the side wiper switch 52 is on, so step s2
The routine of step S30 is executed from 0, and the process of step S5 is entered. Further, when the defogger switch flag is set in step s5, it means that the rear defogger switch 53 is turned on, so in step S4
The routine of step S49 is executed from 0, and the process of step s6 begins.

Then, when the side wiper switch flag is not set in step S4 and the defogger switch flag is not set in step s5, the process proceeds to step S6.

In step S6, it is determined whether the side wiper switch flag is set, and if it is set, the process proceeds to step S9. Further, when it is determined that the side wiper switch flag is not set and it is determined in step S7 that the side wiper switch 52 is not on, the process proceeds to step S9. That is, after the side wiper switch 52 is turned on, manual operation of the side wiper switch 52 is refused until the side wiper switch flag is reset. Further, when it is determined that the side wiper switch flag is not set, it is determined in step S7 whether the side wiper switch 52 is on, and when it is on, the vibrator operating flag and the side wiper operating flag are set in step S8. , sets the side wiper switch flag and resets the mirror heater operating flag. At the same time, the heater 2 of the mirror 1, that is, the heater 65 of the right drive circuit 60 and the heater 75 of the left drive circuit 70, is turned off, the side wiper timer is started, and the process of step S9 is entered, and as a result, From step 820, the routine of step S30 is entered.

In step S9, it is determined whether the defogger operating flag is set, and in step S10, it is determined whether the rear defogger switch 53 is turned on. When the defogger operating flag is set and when the rear defogger switch 53 is not on, the process of step Sll is entered. That is, after turning on the rear defogger switch 53, re-input of the rear defogger switch 53 is rejected until the defogger switch flag is reset.

In step 811, it is determined whether the mirror heater operating flag is set, and if it is set, in step 812, the 30
Determine how many seconds have passed. When the mirror heater operating flag is not set and when the mirror heater timer that sets the mirror heater energization time in step S12 has not passed the set time of 30 seconds in this embodiment,
Go through this routine. Further, when it is determined that the mirror heater operating flag is set and it is determined in step 812 that 30 seconds have elapsed on the mirror heater timer, the heater 2 of the mirror 1, that is, the right drive circuit 60 is activated in step 813.
The heater 65 and the heater 75 of the left drive circuit 70 are turned off, the mirror heater operating flag is reset, and the routine returns to step S2.

If it is determined in step 810 that the rear defogger switch 53 is turned on, in step S14 the rear defogger heater 80 of the rear window 30B is turned on, the defogger switch flag is set, and the defogger is set to 15 minutes in this embodiment. A timer is started, and in step 315 it is determined whether the water droplet removal operation flag has been reset. If it has not been reset, the processing of the routine from step 811 is directly entered. When it is reset, in step S16, the heater 2 of the mirror 1, that is,
Turn on the heater 65 of the right drive circuit 60 and the heater 75 of the left drive circuit 70, set the mirror heater operating flag, start the mirror heater timer set to 30 seconds in this embodiment, and proceed from step S11 to step 813. The process returns to the routine from step S2 via the routine.

If it is determined in step S4 that the side wiper switch flag is set, the routine starts from step S20 to step S30.

In the routine from step 320 to step S30, first, in step S20, the water droplet removal operation flag is set, in step 821, it is determined whether the vibrator operation flag is set, and in step S26, the side wiper operation flag is set. It is set. to judge.

When it is determined in step 321 that the transducer operating flag is set, in step S22 the ultrasonic transducer 10
In order to drive the sawtooth wave generating circuit 6 of the right drive circuit 60,
1. The ultrasonic transducer 64 is generated by the voltage control generation circuit 62 and the transducer drive circuit 63, and the ultrasonic vibration is generated by the sawtooth wave generation circuit 71, voltage control generation circuit 72, and transducer drive circuit 73 of the left drive circuit 70. The child 74 is brought into operation.

Then, in step 323, the progress of the mirror heater timer is checked, and in this embodiment, this routine is continued until 5 seconds have elapsed, and when 5 seconds have elapsed, in step S24, the ultrasonic transducer 10 is driven to the right in order to stop. The sawtooth wave generation circuit 61 of the circuit 60 and the sawtooth wave generation circuit 71 of the left drive circuit 70 are stopped, the vibrator operation flag and the water droplet removal operation flag are reset, and the heater of the mirror 1 is turned off in step S25. 2. That is, the heater 65 of the right drive circuit 60 and the heater 75 of the left drive circuit 70 are turned on, the mirror heater operating flag is set, and this routine is passed.

Further, when it is determined in step S26 that the side wiper operating flag is set, in step 827, the right side wiper motor 66 and the left side wiper motor 76 are turned on to drive the right side wiper 40R and the left side wiper. , step 32
In step S29, it is determined whether the right side wiper 40R and the left side wiper have completed one cycle consisting of a predetermined number of rotations, and this routine is continued until the one cycle is completed. In order to stop the 4OR and the left side wiper, the right side wiper motor 66 and the left side wiper motor 76 are turned off, the side wiper operating flag is reset, the side wiper switch flag is reset in step S30, and the side wiper switch flag is reset in step S5.
Start processing.

Then, when the vibrator operating flag and the side wiper operating flag are not set, the side wiper switch flag is reset in step S30, and the side wiper switch flag is reset in step S30.
Go to step 5.

If it is determined in step S5 that the defogger switch flag is set, steps S40 to 84
Step 9 begins routine processing.

In the routine from step S40 to step 849, first, when it is determined in step S40 that the mirror heater operating flag is set, the routine waits for 2 seconds to elapse in step S44, and then the routine is passed through. Step S
When it is determined in step S44 that two seconds have passed, step S45
In order to cancel the function of removing water droplets and fog attached to the rear window 3OB, the rear defogger switch 53 is repeatedly operated after 2 seconds, which is determined by the on state of the rear defogger switch 53, and the rear defogger switch 53 is turned on. When the switch 53 is not on, it is determined in step S46 whether 30 seconds have elapsed during the energization time of the mirror heater of this embodiment, and if 30 seconds have not elapsed, this routine is passed through. When it is determined in step S46 that 30 seconds have passed, in step S47 the heater 2 of the mirror 1, that is, the heater 65 of the right drive circuit 60 and the heater 75 of the left drive circuit 70, is turned off and the mirror heater operating flag is reset. ,
Go through this routine.

Further, when the on state of the defogger switch 53 is determined in step 845, when the rear defogger switch 53 is on, the rear defogger heater 80 of the rear window 30B is turned off in step 848, and the heater 2 of the mirror 1, that is, the right drive circuit 60 is turned off. heater 65 and left drive circuit 70
The heater 75 is turned off, and the defogger operation flag, mirror heater operation flag, and defogger switch flag are reset in step S49, and this routine is passed through.

Then, in step 840, it is determined whether the mirror heater operating flag is set, and when it is determined that it is not set, in step S41, the rear defogger switch 5
3 is turned on, and when the rear defogger switch 53 is not turned on, the rear window 30 is turned on in step S43.
Turn off the rear defogger heater 80 of B, reset the defogger operating flag and defogger switch flag,
Go through this routine.

If it is determined in step S41 that the rear defogger switch 53 is on, the process in step 843 is bypassed and the routine is passed through until 15 minutes have elapsed in step S42.

To summarize the above program control, when the side wiper switch 52 is turned on, it is detected in step S7, the ultrasonic transducer 10 is driven in step S22, and this state is maintained for 5 seconds.

Five seconds after the ultrasonic transducer 10 is driven, the heater 65 of the right drive circuit 60 of the mirror 1 and the heater 75 of the left drive circuit 70 are turned on, and 30 seconds later in step S12, the heater 65 of the right drive circuit 60 of the mirror 1 is turned on. This turns off the heater 65 and the heater 75 of the left drive circuit 70. Furthermore, five seconds after the ultrasonic transducer 10 is driven, the transducer operating flag is reset, and in step S27 the right side wiper motor 66 and the left side wiper motor 7
6 is turned on, the right side wiper 40R and the left side wiper are operated for one cycle, and then brought to a stopped state.

That is, when the side wiper switch 52 is turned on, the ultrasonic vibrator 10 is driven for 5 seconds, then the heater 65 and heater 75 of the mirror 1 are turned on for 30 seconds, and at the same time, the right side wiper motor 66 and the left side wiper are turned on. The motor 76 operates the right side wiper 40R and the left side wiper for one cycle and brings them to a stopped state.

On the other hand, when it is detected in step S10 that the defogger switch 53 is turned on, the rear defogger heater 80 of the rear window 30B is turned on, and it is determined in step S15 that the water droplet removal operation is not in progress, and the right Heater 65 of drive circuit 60 and heater 75 of left drive circuit 70
Turn on.

Note that the heater 65 of the right side drive circuit 60 and the heater 75 of the left side drive circuit 70 of this mirror 1 remain on until 30 seconds have elapsed. Note that when the rear defogger heater 80 of the rear window 30B is turned on, if the water droplet removal operation is in progress, the heater 6 of the right drive circuit 60 of the mirror 1 is turned on.
5 and the heater 75 of the left drive circuit 70 are kept on. Further, the rear defogger heater 80 of the rear window 30B remains on until 15 minutes have passed. When it is determined in step S41 or step S45 that the rear defogger switch 53 has been repeatedly operated two seconds later to cancel the function of removing water droplets and fog attached to the rear window 30B, the rear defogger heater 8
0 is turned off, and the heater 65 of the right drive circuit 60 and the heater 75 of the left drive circuit 70 of the mirror 1 are turned off.

That is, when the rear defogger switch 53 is turned on, the rear defogger heater 80 is turned on, and at this time, if the water droplet removal operation is not in progress, the heater 65 of the right drive circuit 60 and the heater 75 of the left drive circuit 70 of the mirror 1 are turned on. Turn on,
Maintain this state until 30 seconds have passed. In addition, if the water droplet removal operation is in progress, the right drive circuit 60 of the mirror 1
The heater 65 of the left drive circuit 70 and the heater 75 of the left drive circuit 70 are kept on for a predetermined period of time. Then, when Ryadefok determines that the switch 53 has been repeatedly operated,
Turn off the rear defogger heater 80, turn off the heater 65 of the right drive circuit 60 of the mirror 1, and the heater 7 of the left drive circuit 70.
5 to OFF to stop water droplet removal.

In this embodiment, when the rear defogger switch 53, which energizes the rear defogger heater 80 that removes water droplets from the rear window, is operated, only the heater 2 of the mirror 1 connected to the side mirror is energized, and the ultrasonic vibration is generated. Although the child 10 is not driven, when implementing the present invention, the driving of the ultrasonic transducer 10 and the energization of the heater 2 can be performed simultaneously or with a time difference.

In particular, in this embodiment, when the rear defogger switch 53 that removes water droplets from the rear window is operated, it is often assumed that the fog on the rear window will be removed. Only the heater 2 is energized, and the energy saving mode is set.

As described above, this embodiment uses a mirror 1 having a predetermined eruption rate.
a side mirror having an ultrasonic vibrator 10 and a heater 2 bonded to the back surface of the side window; a driving means comprising a right drive circuit 60 and a left drive circuit 70 for operating the ultrasonic vibrator 10 and/or the heater 2; Driven by a switch such as the side wiper switch 52 which drives the right side wiper 4OR and the left side wiper to remove water droplets, or a switch such as the rear defogger switch 53 which energizes the rear defogger heater 80 which removes water droplets from the rear window. and a timer means built in the microcomputer 55 which supplies the drive means with an output that causes the drive means to be in a stopped state after a predetermined time set in a side wiper timer or a mirror heater tire. This can be an embodiment of the invention No. 1.

In this type of embodiment, electricity is supplied to switches such as the side wiper switch 52 that drives the right side wiper 40R and the left side wiper, which remove water droplets from the side window, or the rear defo/solar heater 80, which removes water droplets from the rear window. A switch such as the rear defogger switch 53 controls the ultrasonic vibrator 10 and the heater 2 bonded to the mirror 1 of the side mirror, and the ultrasonic vibrator 10 or the heater 2 for a predetermined time at the same time as the water droplet removal function. The side windows and side mirrors improve the visibility of the side mirrors that allow you to check the rear with a single switch operation.It also removes water droplets from the rear windows and side mirrors, reducing the number of switch operations. be able to. In addition, by simultaneously removing water droplets from the side windows, side mirrors, rear window, and side mirrors, the visibility of the rear view mirrors can always be kept in the best condition when checking the rear. By removing water droplets from the rear window and side mirrors, it is possible to expand the field of view for checking the rear.

Further, in the above embodiment, electricity is supplied to the switches such as the side wiper switch 52 that drives the right side wiper 40R and the left side wiper that remove water droplets from the side window, or the rear defogger heater 80 that removes water droplets from the rear window. A switch such as the rear defogger switch 53 drives the drive means consisting of the right drive circuit 60 and the left drive circuit 70 that operate the ultrasonic vibrator 10 and/or the heater 2, but only the side wiper switch 52 Alternatively, only the rear defogger switch 53 may be provided with a function of driving the driving means for operating the ultrasonic transducer 10 and/or the heater 2.

When only the side wiper switch 52 is provided with the function of driving the driving means for operating the ultrasonic vibrator 10 and/or the heater 2, the side wiper switch 52 removes water droplets from the side mirror and at the same time opens the side window. Water droplets can be removed, and there is no obstruction to the line of sight when checking the rear view using the side mirrors, improving visibility.

In addition, when only the rear defogger switch 53 is provided with the function of driving the driving means for operating the ultrasonic vibrator 10 and/or the heater 2, the rear defogger switch 53 can remove water droplets from the side mirrors. At the same time, water droplets can be removed from the rear window, giving you a wider field of vision when checking the rear using the side mirrors.

Incidentally, in the above embodiment, the operation of the side wiper switch 52 for removing water droplets from the side windows or the rear defogger switch 53 for removing water droplets from the rear window is used as a trigger to activate the ultrasonic vibrator 10 and/or the heater 2. is driving the drive means that operates the
The names of the side wiper switch 52 and the rear defogger switch 53 can be changed and they can be used as switches that supply power to the driving means for operating the ultrasonic transducer 10 and/or the heater 2. That is, in the above embodiment, power is supplied to the driving means for operating the ultrasonic vibrator 10 and/or the heater 2 depending on the timing of the operation of the side wiper switch 52 or the rear defogger switch 53 that removes water droplets from the rear window. The timer means is controlled, but conversely, the function is performed by the operation of the side wiper switch 52 or the rear defogger switch 53 by a switch that supplies power to the driving means for operating the ultrasonic transducer 10 and/or the heater 2. The timing can also be set as .

Further, the water droplet removing means for the side window may be a side wiper. Further, the water droplet removing means for the rear window may be a rear defogger heater and/or a rear wiper. That is, when carrying out each of the above inventions, the side window water droplet removing means and the rear window water droplet removing means may be a known wire or heater. Further, ultrasonic vibrations can be applied to the window glass.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the automobile mirror cleaning device according to claim 1 includes a rearview mirror having an ultrasonic vibrator and a heater bonded to the back surface of the mirror, and operating the ultrasonic vibrator or heater. Since it is equipped with a driving means and a timer means that is driven by a switch that removes water droplets from the rear window and supplies an output to the driving means that causes the driving means to be in a stopped state after a predetermined period of time, it is necessary to operate the switch once. This allows water droplets to be removed from the rearview mirror and the rear window at the same time, making it possible to widen the field of view when checking the rear using the rearview mirror.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, water droplets from the rear window are removed by a rear defogger heater or a rear wiper, so that water droplets from the rear window can be removed by a simple operation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a circuit configuration for controlling an automobile mirror cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view of the automobile mirror cleaning nog device according to an embodiment of the present invention seen from the back side of the mirror. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along cutting line A-A in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of bending waves of an automobile mirror cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a perspective view of the main parts of a light side mirror of an automobile mirror cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the rear right side of the vehicle, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the light side mirror shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the main parts of a rear window of an automobile mirror cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from the rear left side of the vehicle, and FIGS. FIG. 12 is a flowchart for controlling an automobile mirror cleaning device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a conventional automobile mirror cleaning device disposed outside a vehicle. In the figure, 1: Mirror, 2: Heater 10: Ultrasonic vibrator 20R: Light side mirror 40R = Light side window wiper 51: Side wiper switch 52: Rear defogger switch 55: Microcomputer 60: Right drive circuit 70 :Left side drive circuit 80: Rear defogger heater. Note that in the drawings, the same reference numerals and symbols indicate the same or equivalent parts.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A rearview mirror having an ultrasonic transducer and a heater bonded to the back surface of the mirror having a predetermined curvature, a driving means for operating at least one of the ultrasonic transducer and the heater, and providing good rearward visibility. a removal means for removing water droplets adhering to the rear window in order to ensure that water droplets adhere to the rear window; a switch for operating the removal means; and a timer means driven by the switch for operating the drive means for a predetermined period of time. An automobile mirror cleaning device featuring: (2) The automobile mirror cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the removing means is at least one of a rear defogger heater and a rear wiper.