JPS6055335B2 - Wiper device for outside mirror - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a wiper device for an outside mirror that employs a temperature sensitive member such as a shape memory alloy or bimetal as a wiper arm.

In general, conventional wiper devices for outside mirrors include a motor disposed within the housing of the outside mirror, and this motor operates a link mechanism. A wiper blade configured to move up and down on the mirror surface by the operation of a mechanism to wipe the Miu surface;
For example, those described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 54-1845 can be mentioned. However, in such a configuration,
The structure becomes complicated because it requires parts such as a motor and link mechanism, and the outside mirror itself needs to be made more compact because the motor, link mechanism and other parts require a large space inside the outside mirror housing. The drawback was that it could not be measured. Therefore, a wiper device as described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 51-132734 was proposed. This device consists of a wiper that is pivotally supported on a body that holds a fender mirror, a return spring that is stretched between the shaft of the wiper and the body side member, and one end of which is placed on the wiper side and the other end of which is placed on the side of the vehicle. The wiper is normally held stationary by the return spring, but when the wire is operated, the upper wiper rotates against the spring force of the return spring. However, in this device, when the wiper is moved negatively, the wire is moved by the operating force that resists the spring force of the return spring. The operation was troublesome because it had to be pulled.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, and its object is to provide a wiper device for an outside mirror that is easy to operate, has a simple structure, and does not take up much space.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an outside mirror in which a mirror is housed in a housing, which is formed of a shaft-shaped temperature sensitive member whose shape changes according to temperature changes, and one end of which is connected to the housing of the outside mirror. a wiper arm that is supported within the outside mirror and whose other end swings along the mirror surface of the outside mirror with one end as a fulcrum by deformation caused by temperature changes; The wiper blade includes a wiper blade that comes into contact with the mirror surface of the outside mirror when the wiper arm swings, and a heating means that heats the wiper arm to change the shape of the wiper arm.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail using embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the position of the outside mirror wiper device according to the present invention at room temperature, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the position of the outside mirror wiper device according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the position of the wiper device for the outside mirror when it is at room temperature.

The outside mirror wiper device 1 includes a pair of first and second arm portions 2a and 2b that are substantially parallel to each other, and a third arm portion 2c that connects the first and second arm portions 2; The shape is approximately U-shaped in plan view, and the first
, a wiper arm 2 with one end portions 2d and 2e of the second arm portions 2a and 2b mounted and supported within the housing 4 of the outside mirror 3, and a third wiper arm 2 of the wiper arm 2;
The wiper blade 5 is fixed to the inner surface of the arm portion 2c and comes into contact with the mirror surface. The present invention is characterized in that, in the above configuration, the wiper arm 2 is formed of a temperature sensitive member whose shape changes depending on the temperature, in this embodiment, a shape memory alloy. Another feature is that a heating means, in this embodiment, a heater 6 is wound around the wiper arm 2 to change the shape of the wiper arm 5-arm 2.

By the way, to explain in detail about shape memory alloys, shape memory alloys are metals that have mechanical memory ability, and when heated, this metal θ "remembers" its original shape. The spring springs back to its original shape.Moreover, this deformation generates a considerable amount of deformation.Also, this metal is not a thermally balanced bimetal, but a single alloy, and its physical 5
The changes occur due to changes in the crystal structure of the alloy composition. After the alloy is formed into the required shape, it is annealed to "fix" the shape. The formed part is then cooled and the compositional grain structure changes from austenite to martensite. It has a low elastic modulus and can easily change its memorized shape, and when reheated, the structure returns to the austenite phase and does not remember its original shape. Notably, the forces generated when this alloy part returns to its original shape are much greater than those required to deform it. Compared to bimetals, shape memory alloys generate force and change shape with a relatively small temperature difference, and when the alloy is heated above its transformation point, it suddenly deforms and becomes large. In contrast, bimetals change shape slowly over a large temperature range. Shape memory alloy is an alloy with the above-mentioned properties.
Next, the operation will be explained. At room temperature, the wiper blade 5 is stopped at a position above the mirror 7, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

When the heater 6 is energized from this stopped state, the wiper arm 2 made of a shape memory alloy is heated by the heater 6. Then, when the heating temperature of the wiper arm 2 reaches a transformation point or higher, the wiper arm 2 suddenly deforms as shown in FIG. 2, whereby the wiper blade 5 wipes the surface of the mirror 7. It's going to be. Next, when the power supply to the heater 6 is cut off, the wiper arm 2 is cooled down, and thereby the wiper arm 2 is cooled down again as shown in FIG.
The state returns to the state shown in FIG. It is also possible to create a timer for the energization switch 8 and repeat the ON-OFF operation, but if it is water droplets on the outside mirror, you only need to wipe it off once or twice, so you can do it manually. All you have to do is turn it 0N and 0FF. FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the wiper device of the present invention. In this embodiment, the wiper arm 2 is connected to the first
, the middle of the second arms 2a, 2b is bent outward at a substantially right angle, so that the wiper blade 5 is bent at a normal temperature of 4 o'clock.
is formed so as to be separated from the surface of the mirror 7,
Moreover, a second heater 9, separate from the heater 6, is wound around the bent portion 2f.

In addition, in the wiper arm 2, the second arm part 2b is formed in the same manner as the first arm part 2a, and illustration thereof is omitted. In a wiper device having such a configuration, at room temperature the wiper blade 5 is spaced apart from the surface of the mirror 7 by a distance 1 as shown in FIG.
When the wiper arm 2 is heated above its transformation point by simultaneously energizing the heater 6 and the second heater 9, the bent portion 2f of the wiper arm 2 is deformed as shown in FIG. 5b, and the wiper blade 5
is pressed against the surface of the mirror 7, and at the same time the wiper arm 2 is bent downward, thereby causing the wiper blade 5 to
This will wipe the surface of the mirror 7.

Furthermore, when the power supply to the heater 6 and the second heater 9 is cut off, the wiper arm 2 is cooled down and returns to the normal temperature state again. Note that it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the return from FIG. 5b to FIG. 5a is delayed by slowing down the heat dissipation of the bent portion 2f around which the second heater 9 is wound. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a case is described in which a shape memory alloy is used as the temperature range responsive member forming the wiper arm 2, but the invention is not limited to this, and for example, a structure employing bimetal may be used. It can be anything.

The structure of a wiper device using this bimetal as a wiper arm is shown in FIG. In the same figure, wiper arm 10
The first member 10a has a large coefficient of thermal expansion and the second member 10a has a small coefficient of thermal expansion.
The first member 10a and the second member 10b are provided with a heater 1.
1 is wrapped around it. Therefore, in this wiper device, at room temperature, the wiper blade 5 is stopped at a position above the mirror 7, as shown in FIG.
When the heater 11 is energized from this stopped state, the wiper arm 10 made of bimetal is heated by the heater 11. At this time, the first member 10a having a larger coefficient of thermal expansion extends more than the second member 10b, so the wiper arm 10 itself bends downward about its base 10c as a fulcrum, and thereby the wiper blade 5 wipes the surface of mirror 7. Next, when the power supply to the heater 11 is cut off, the wiper arm 10 is cooled down, thereby returning to the state shown in FIG. 6 again. As explained above, the wiper device for an outside mirror according to the present invention includes a wiper arm formed of a temperature sensitive member such as a shape memory alloy or a bimetal, a wiper blade supported by the wiper arm, and a heating means for heating the wiper arm. Since it is an extremely simple structure consisting of Therefore, the outside mirror itself can be made more compact and its operability can be improved, which is an excellent effect.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the position of the outside mirror wiper device according to the present invention at room temperature, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the position of the outside mirror wiper device when heated, and FIG. A perspective view showing the position of the wiper device for the outside mirror at room temperature, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of main parts showing another embodiment of the wiper device for the outside mirror, and FIGS. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the position of the wiper device for an outside mirror according to another embodiment of the present invention at room temperature. 1...Wiper device for outside mirror, 2,
10... Wiper arm, 2f... Bent part, 3... Outside mirror, 4...
・Housing, 5... Wiper blade, 6...
...Heater, 7...Mirror 9...
Second heater, 11... Heater.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An outside mirror in which a mirror is housed in a housing, which is formed of a shaft-shaped temperature-sensitive member whose shape changes with temperature changes, and one end of which is supported within the housing of the outside mirror. Due to the deformation caused by temperature changes, the wiper arm has one end as a fulcrum and the other end swings along the mirror surface of the outside mirror. A wiper device for an outside mirror, comprising: a wiper blade that contacts a mirror surface of a side mirror; and heating means that heats the wiper arm to change the shape of the wiper arm. 2. A wiper device for an outside mirror according to claim 1, wherein a shape memory alloy is used as the temperature sensitive member. 3. The outside mirror device according to claim 1, using a bimetal as the temperature sensitive member. 4. The outside mirror wiper device according to claim 1, which uses a heater wrapped around the wiper arm as the heating means. 5. For an outside mirror according to claim 1, wherein a bent portion is provided in the middle of the wiper arm, a heater is wound around the bent portion, and the wiper blade is brought into contact with the mirror surface only when the heater is energized. wiper device.