JPS6341258A - Mirror for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To remove icing and fogging automatically and prevent unnecessary power consumption by arranging paired detection electrodes having a detection gap on the front surface of a base plate while arranging paired auxiliary electrodes on the back side. CONSTITUTION:A mirror main body 3 is formed by applying a reflective film 2 on the front side of a base plate 1. On the reflective film 2 is formed a detection gap G and also paired electrodes 2a and 2b are formed. On the back side of the base plate 1 on the other hand, paired auxiliary electrodes 6 and 7 are formed so that they correspond to the electrodes 2a and 2b. And on an intermediate sheet 8 is arranged a heater 1. When icing occurs on the surface of the mirror main body 3, both the capacitance Co between the electrodes 2a and 2b and a series capacitance between terminals 10a and 15a increase. When the increase exceeds a certain value, the heater 11 is energized via an oscillator circuit, a low-pass filter and an amplifier circuit 20 to make the moisture evaporate.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a vehicle mirror installed outside the vehicle for purposes such as rearward visibility.

(Prior Art) For example, automobiles are equipped with door mirrors or fender mirrors for rearward visibility, but since these types of mirrors are installed outside the automobile, they are greatly affected by the climate. Become.

That is, for example, in winter, ice forms on the mirror surface,
During warm seasons, the mirror surface becomes cloudy due to humidity, and when it rains or snows, water droplets adhere to the mirror surface. In such cases, the image reflected by the mirror may become cloudy. Distortion occurs and the ability to see behind the vehicle is significantly reduced, impeding safe driving of the vehicle.

In order to deal with these problems regarding safe driving of cars, conventionally, a heater was attached to the back of the mirror, and
An operation switch is installed in the driver's seat to control the energization and disconnection of the heater, and when the mirror surface becomes icy, foggy, or has water droplets attached, the driver turns on the heater using the operation switch, and the heat generated by the heater prevents the above-mentioned icing. It is being considered to have a structure that removes fogging and the like.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the conventional configuration in which a heater and an operation switch are provided as described above, the operation switch must be turned on every time it is necessary to remove ice, scratches, etc. from the mirror surface. There is a problem that the operation becomes troublesome.

Additionally, since drivers do not always keep their eyes on the mirror while driving, the mirror surface may become foggy or have water droplets attached to it without the driver even noticing. In such cases, even if the heater is energized, rearward visibility may not be immediately ensured, which may impede safe driving. Moreover, after the fog on the mirror surface has been removed by energizing the heater, there is a risk of forgetting to turn the operation switch back to the off state, and in such a case, the heater will remain energized, resulting in wasted power. This is not desirable in terms of battery life.

The present invention was made in view of the two circumstances, and its purpose is to automatically remove ice, fog, etc. when ice or fog forms or water droplets adhere to the surface of the mirror body. This eliminates the need for extra operations, increases vehicle driving safety, and further improves the durability of the structure for detecting moisture on the surface of the mirror body and its detection reliability. It is an object of the present invention to provide a mirror for a vehicle that has the effect of reducing power consumption and suppressing wasteful power consumption.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention is directed to a vehicle mirror including a mirror body having a reflective film on the surface side of the substrate. A pair of detection electrodes having a predetermined detection gap between each other is provided, and a pair of auxiliary electrodes corresponding to the pair of detection electrodes is attached to the back side of the substrate, At least one of the auxiliary electrodes is capacitor-coupled to the corresponding detection electrode via the substrate, and the other is connected to the corresponding detection electrode either by the same capacitor coupling as above or directly via the peripheral edge of the substrate. The heater is configured to be energized to heat the mirror body while the impedance between the pair of auxiliary electrodes changes by a predetermined amount.

(Function) When freezing, clouding, or water droplets form on the surface of the mirror body, the resulting moisture changes the impedance between the pair of detection electrodes. At this time, since the auxiliary electrodes forming the same pair are connected to each of the two pairs of detection electrodes by capacitor coupling or the like, the impedance between the auxiliary electrodes also changes. When the impedance between the pair of auxiliary electrodes changes by a predetermined amount, the heater is automatically energized to evaporate and remove moisture attached to the surface of the mirror body. Furthermore, when moisture is removed in this manner, the impedance between the auxiliary electrodes returns to the original state, and the heater is automatically turned off.

(Example) First, the first example of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 10.
This will be explained with reference to the figures.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a substrate made of glass, for example, and a mirror body configured to obtain a reflected image using the reflective film 2 by attaching a metal reflective film 2 to the front surface thereof by vacuum evaporation or sputtering. 3 is formed. The mirror main body 3 is housed in a frame-shaped case 4 and rotatably supported, as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the reflective film 2 is formed with a detection gap G having a predetermined shape and a very narrow width (for example, a width that does not impede the visibility of the mirror body 3). As a result, a pair of detection electrodes 2a and 2b using the reflective film 2 are formed. In particular, in this case, the detection gap G is formed in an endless ring shape,
Thus, one detection electrode 2a is set in a positional relationship such that it is surrounded by the other detection electrode 2b.

The detection gap G may be formed by etching in post-processing, or may be formed simultaneously when the reflective film 2 is vacuum deposited or sputtered. A transparent dielectric film 5 is attached onto the detection electrodes 2a and 2b by vacuum evaporation or sputtering so as to cover the detection gear 910 as well. As a result of this configuration, the impedance, that is, the capacitance QC, (see FIG. 1) between the detection electrodes 2a and 2b changes in size depending on the amount of moisture attached to the surface of the mirror body 30.

6 and 7 are a pair of thin film auxiliary electrodes attached to the back side of the substrate 1 by vacuum evaporation or sputtering, and as shown in FIG. A slit F having a shape approximately corresponding to the gap G is provided, and is formed to correspond to the detection electrodes 2a and 2b, respectively. In this way, the auxiliary electrode 6
and 7, one of the auxiliary electrodes 6 is electrostatically coupled to the detection electrode 2a with a constant capacitance C4 (see Figure 1), and the other auxiliary electrode 7 is also connected to the detection electrode 2b.
and are capacitively coupled with a constant capacitance ff1c2 (see FIG. 1).

Reference numeral 8 denotes an intermediate sheet made of insulating material attached to the auxiliary electrode 6.7 by stone contact, and a predetermined gap E is provided between the sheets on the non-adhesive side as shown in FIG. A pair of thin film-like intermediate electrodes 9 and 10 are attached by vacuum evaporation, sputtering, or the like. At this time, the intermediate electrodes 9 and 10 are formed so as to have a shape that corresponds to the auxiliary electrode 6 as a whole. Capacitance H
C5 and C3 become electrostatically coupled. Terminals 9a and 10a are protruded from each intermediate electrode 9 and 10 at positions close to each other, respectively.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a planar heater attached to the intermediate sheet 8 by adhesive, and this will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 as well. That is, numeral 12 is an insulating sheet having a young attachment layer 13 with respect to the intermediate sheet 8 on its back surface, and a pair of comb-like electrode films 14 on its surface with a predetermined distance between them.
15 is attached by printing etc. A heating element 16 is attached to each of the electrode films 14 and 15'' by printing, for example, a paste-like low antibody so as to cover these, so that electricity is applied between the electrode films 14 and 15. The heating element 16 is configured to sometimes generate heat. At this time, one electrode film 14 is located to correspond to the intermediate electrode 9, and the other electrode film 15 is located to correspond to both the intermediate electrode 9 and the auxiliary electrode 7. As a result, the electrode film 14 is electrostatically coupled to the intermediate electrode 9 with a constant capacitance QCT, and the electrode film 15 is
They are electrostatically coupled to the auxiliary electrode 7 and intermediate electrode 9 with fixed capacitances C1 and C8, respectively.

Further, each of the electrode films 14 and 15 has a terminal 14a and a terminal 15a serving as a ground terminal protruding from each other at positions close to each other. Furthermore, the insulation sheet 12
, each terminal 9a, 10 of the intermediate electrode 9.10
A window 17 is provided for deriving a.

Note that, in order to facilitate understanding of the laminated structure shown in FIG. 1, FIG.
Auxiliary electrodes 6 and 7. Intermediate sheet 8° Intermediate electrodes 9 and 10
．． The cross-sectional structure of the heater 11 is shown as a model.

As a result of the above, one detection electrode 2a is capacitor-coupled to the terminal 10a of the intermediate electrode 10 with the capacitance f, C4°C3 connected in series, and the other detection electrode 2b has the heater 11. The terminal 15a of the electrode film 15 is capacitor-coupled with capacitances C2 and C1 connected in series. Therefore, the above terminal 10
As shown in the electrical circuit diagram of FIG. Appendix i
It can be considered that a series circuit of capacitors is connected in which an electrostatic field fa CQ changes depending on the amount of water absorbed. In addition, the capacitance c between the auxiliary electrode 6 and the intermediate electrode 9
s, the capacitances C7 and C6 between the intermediate electrode 9 and the electrode films 14 and 15 can be considered to be connected as equivalently shown in FIG. Therefore, in Fig. 1-2, 18 is an oscillation circuit that is supplied with power from the positive terminal B of the battery, which is connected to the terminals 10a and 15d.
The capacitance between the two is used as a time constant capacitor, and the first
As shown in FIG. 0, the structure is such that the period T of the output pulse signal Ps becomes longer as the electrostatic field QC6 becomes larger (in other words, when there are more plates of attached moisture on the surface of the mirror body 3). There is.

In FIG. 10, Cd indicates the value of capacitance CQ when there is no moisture on the surface of the mirror body 3, and Cw indicates the value when there is moisture on the surface of the mirror body 3 (freezing on the surface of the mirror body 30, The value of the electrostatic field QC8 is shown in a state where there is cloudiness or water droplets are attached.

In FIG. 9, 19 is a resistor 19a and a capacitor 19.
This is a low-pass filter constructed by b, which is set at +f/i so as to allow passage of the pulse signal Ps only when the pulse signal Ps is longer than a predetermined set period τ (see FIG. 10). Note that the set period τ of the pulse signal Ps in item 1 is selected to be a value corresponding to the period of the pulse signal Ps when a predetermined amount or more of moisture adheres to the surface of the mirror body 3.

20 is an amplifier circuit for amplifying the pulse signal Ps that has passed through the two-leg low-pass filter 19, and its amplified output is used to energize the front heater 111.

Note that the amplifier circuit 20 includes an npn type transistor 20.
a, pnp transistor 20b, resistors 20c, 20
It is constructed by connecting d as shown in the figure.

According to the above configuration, when freezing, scratching, or water droplets adhere to the surface of the mirror body 3, the detection electrode 2a,
The capacitance C8 between terminals 2b and □terminal 1 (la,
The series electrostatic charge 82 between 15d and 15d increases. When such a change in capacitance exceeds a predetermined amount, the period T of the pulse signal Ps output from the oscillation circuit 18 becomes longer, and when the period T exceeds the set period τ, the pulse signal PS increases. Passes through a low-pass filter 19 to an amplifier circuit 20
will be done manually. As a result, the heater 11 is energized by the output of the amplifier circuit 20, so that the water attached to the surface of the mirror body 3 is evaporated and removed by the heat generated by the heater 11. Visibility will be ensured. In other words, according to the present embodiment, ice, ice, and water droplets on the surface of the mirror body 3 are automatically removed, thereby increasing the safety of driving the vehicle and making it possible to drive the vehicle as usual. This eliminates the need for a person to turn on an operation switch as necessary. Furthermore, when the moisture on the surface of the mirror body 3 is removed as described above, the electrostatic field QC8 between the detection electrodes 2a and 2b decreases, and the period T of the pulse signal Ps becomes shorter than the set period τ. The low-pass filter 19 blocks passage of the pulse signal Ps, and the power supply to the heater 11 by the amplifier circuit 20 is automatically stopped. Therefore, according to this embodiment, wasteful power consumption due to forgetting to return the operating switch as in the conventional case does not occur, and there is no possibility that the life of the battery will be adversely affected.

In addition, in order to transmit a detection signal indicating the presence or absence of moisture in the mirror body 3 (that is, a signal corresponding to a change in the capacitance C between the detection electrodes 2a and 2b) from the front surface of the mirror body 3 to the back surface, a substrate is provided. 1. Since the configuration utilizes capacitor coupling via the auxiliary electrode 6.7 and the intermediate electrodes 9, 10, etc., the following effects can be achieved. That is, if the capacitor coupling described above is not adopted, 1. It is necessary to connect the detection electrodes 2a, 2b on the front side of the mirror body 3 and the back side of the mirror body 3 via the peripheral edge of the mirror body 3, so that the detection electrodes 2a, 2b are inevitably connected to the mirror body 3. It will be located at the periphery of the However,
Water droplets tend to remain on the periphery of the mirror body 30 due to surface tension between the mirror body 30 and the case 4, and this is relatively difficult to dry, so the detection electrodes 2a and 2b may be oxidized due to the influence of the remaining moisture. This may cause problems such as reduced durability or errors in the detection capacitance C8 by the detection electrodes 2a and 2b. Since the mirror body 3 is no longer affected by the adverse effects of residual moisture, durability and reliability in detecting moisture adhering to the surface of the mirror body 3 are improved.

Also. Since there is no need to provide a structural part for connecting the front side and the back side of the mirror body 3 on the outer periphery of the mirror body 3, there is no need to take extra dimensions on the outer periphery of the mirror body 3. , its effective area can be expanded.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the detection electrode 2a.

2b is formed by using the reflective film 2 originally provided on the mirror body 3, it is possible to realize a cost reduction due to the simplification of the structure. In addition, in this way, the detection 71
When forming the poles 2a and 2b, only an extremely thin slit F is provided in the reflective film 2, so there is no risk of hindering rearward visibility of the mirror body 3. Furthermore, since the detection electrodes 2a and 2b are configured to have a long creepage distance, even a slight scratch will not adversely affect the moisture detection function.

In addition, the intermediate electrode 9°10 provided in Example 1
exists in order to eliminate the adverse effect of unnecessary distributed capacitance occurring between the auxiliary electrode 6.7 and the electrode film 14.15 of the heater 11, and may be provided as necessary.

A second embodiment of the present invention is shown as a model in FIG. 11, and only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described below. That is, in this embodiment, only the detection electrode 2a and the auxiliary electrode 6 are capacitor-coupled, and there is a peripheral edge between the detection electrode 2b and the auxiliary electrode 7, which are positioned so as to surround the detection electrode 2a. By extending the whole, it is formed integrally through the peripheral part of M[1,
The two are directly connected. According to the third embodiment, the reflective film 2 and the auxiliary electrodes 6.7 can be formed simultaneously from the same material, so that manufacturing thereof can be facilitated.

FIG. 12 shows a model of a third embodiment of the present invention, which is a further development of the second embodiment, and FIG. 13 shows the electric circuit configuration of the same embodiment. Therefore, only the portions of this third embodiment that are different from the second embodiment will be described below. That is, in this embodiment, the 12th
As shown in the figure, for example, by connecting a pair of terminals 6a and 6b to the auxiliary electrode 6 portion at a distance from each other,
The auxiliary electrode 6 is also used as a heater 21 for heating the mirror body, and accordingly, the heater 11 in the second embodiment is
Then, the intermediate sheet 8 (including the intermediate electrodes 9 and 10) is removed, and the terminal 7a is connected to the auxiliary electrode 7 portion. As a result, the detection electrode 2a becomes the auxiliary electrode 6 and thus the terminal 5a.

6b through capacitances HCB and C5, respectively. For this reason, terminal 6a,
There is a capacitance c (3, CB,
C9 is connected as shown in FIG. 13, and the capacitance between the terminals 7a and 6b changes depending on the amount of moisture on the surface of the mirror body 3. In FIG. 13, 22 is the terminal 7a, 6
Drive signal Sd only when the capacitance between b exceeds a predetermined value
23 is a drive circuit that energizes the heater 21 in a state where the L drive signal Sd is output. Therefore, according to the third embodiment configured in this way, the heater 21 can be formed using the auxiliary electrode 6, and the structure can be simplified.

A fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown as a model in FIG. 14, and only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described below. That is, this embodiment is characterized in that a non-metallic reflective film 24 is provided which also serves as a dielectric film. Titanium dioxide (T
i 02 ) It is formed by stacking the thin film 24c between them. Further, 25a and 25b are detection electrodes interposed between the surface of the substrate 1 and the reflective film 24.

Incidentally, in each of the first to third embodiments, the dielectric film 7 is provided on the negative side, but this may be provided as necessary.

In other words, even if one conductive film 7 is not provided, the impedance between the detection electrodes 5 and 6 changes depending on the type of moisture, so moisture can be detected based on that change. .

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and is applicable not only to door mirrors for automobiles but also to general vehicle mirrors installed on the outside of a vehicle. Various modifications can be made without departing from the above.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, when freezing, clouding, or water droplets adhere to the surface of the mirror body, the freezing, clouding, etc. can be automatically removed. This not only eliminates the need for extra operations, but also improves the safety of vehicle operation, and further improves the durability of the structure for detecting moisture on the surface of the mirror body and its detection reliability. This has excellent effects such as improving performance and suppressing wasteful power consumption.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 10 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the main parts in an exploded state, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the main parts as a model. , Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the overall appearance, Fig. 4 is an N-side view of the detection electrode portion, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the overall appearance.
The figure is a plan view of the auxiliary electrode section, FIG. 6 is a plan view of the intermediate electrode section, FIG. 7 is a plan view of the heater section, FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a part of the heater, and FIG. 9 is an electric circuit diagram. , FIG. 10 is a characteristic diagram of changes in capacitance between detection electrodes. Also, the first
Figure 1 is a diagram corresponding to Figure 2 showing the second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 showing the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
3 is an electric circuit diagram of the third embodiment, and FIG. 14 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 showing the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a substrate, 2, 24 are reflective films, 2a, 2b, 25
a, 25b are detection electrodes, G is detection gap, 3 is mirror body, 4 is case, 5 is dielectric film, 6.7 is auxiliary electrode, F is slit, 8 is intermediate sheet, 9.10 is intermediate Electrodes, 9a and 10a are terminals, 11.21 is a heater,
172 is insulation sea!・, 13 is an adhesive layer, 14.15 is an electrode film, 14a, 15a are terminals, 16 is a heating element, 1
8 is an oscillator, 19 is a low-pass filter, 20 is an amplifier circuit, 22 is a detection circuit, and 23 is a drive circuit. Applicant Atsushi Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho Co., Ltd. 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Z Figure 6 Figure 9 Figure % 10 Figure Isamu 11 Figure 12, Figure 14 Procedural Amendments June 1986 Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office on the 24th J.M.'') 1. Indication of the case Japanese Patent Application No. 185613/1983 2. Name of the invention Vehicle mirror 3. Person making the amendment Relationship to the case Patent applicant 4. Agent Address: 460 Nagoya 6-15 Sakae 4-chome, Ichinaka-ku, Nissan Life Insurance Company Tel: 052-251-2707 6. Subject of the amendment: Detailed explanation of the invention in Book 1 of Meiji ≠ temple section. 7. Contents of the amendment (1) Description Delete "largely" written on page 2, line 15. (2) Delete the phrase "to deal with..." from page 2, line 19 to page 3, line 4, and replace the deleted part with [ It may extend. For this reason," is added. . (3) From the 14th line on page 3 to the 2nd line on page 4, it says, ``It must be turned on...there is a risk that it may occur.''
This is a configuration that deletes the lexicon and turns on the deleted part. ” to join. (4) As stated in page 4, line 4, “There is a risk of forgetting to put it back.
Correct "like this" to "I forgot to put it back." (5) Delete the statement "This is unfavorable in terms of battery life" from lines 6 to 7 on page 4. (6) From page 4, line 11 to line 13, “
Delete the phrase ``With this, you can increase the extra...''. (7) From line 10 to line 12 on page 13 of the same document, it is stated that ``rearward visibility is ensured.''
Delete the lexical. (8) Delete the words "It is a thing and will no longer be needed" from lines 14 to 17 on page 13. (9) Delete the words [not, and there is a risk of causing] from line 6 to line 7 of page 14. (10) "Adverse effect" stated in line 8 of page 15 is corrected to "impact." (11) Delete the phrase "There is no risk of this happening" from page 15, line 19 to page 16, line 6. (12) "Adverse effect" stated on page 16, line 9 of the same is corrected to "impact." (13) Delete the words ``This makes it possible to increase the extra...'' from page 19, line 20 to page 20, line 2.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A mirror body having a reflective film on the surface side of the substrate, a pair of detection electrodes provided on the surface of the substrate so as to have a predetermined detection gap therebetween; At least one of the detection electrodes is attached to the back side of the substrate so as to correspond to the pair of detection electrodes, and at least one is capacitor-coupled to the corresponding detection electrode via the substrate, and the other is connected to the corresponding detection electrode as described above. comprising a pair of auxiliary electrodes connected directly via a similar capacitor coupling or a peripheral edge of the substrate, and a heater arranged to heat the mirror body;
A vehicle mirror characterized in that the heater is energized in a state where impedance between the pair of auxiliary electrodes changes by a predetermined amount. 2. The reflective film is formed of a metal film, and the paired detection electrodes are provided using the reflective film by forming a detection gap in the reflective film. The vehicle mirror described in scope 1. 3. The vehicle mirror according to claim 1, wherein the heater utilizes an auxiliary electrode.