KR102324509B1 - Snow-removing apparatus of windshiedl glass and vehicle comprising the same, control method for the snow-removing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention proposes a snow removal apparatus for a windshield capable of removing snow or ice accumulated on a windshield using microwaves, and a method for controlling a vehicle and a snow removal apparatus including the same.
To this end, according to the windshield snow removal apparatus and the vehicle including the same, and the method for controlling the snow removal apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention, a microwave generator is installed in the rearview mirror, and microwaves are generated from the rearview mirror in the windshield direction to protect the windshield. It is possible to increase the convenience of vehicle operation by quickly removing the ice accumulated in the vehicle or the frozen snow. In addition, since the amount of power required to generate microwaves is small and the microwaves are radiated in the direction of the windshield, ice making and snow removal are possible without affecting the driver (including passengers) inside the vehicle. In addition, when the snow is frozen at an extremely low temperature, since the bonding force between molecules is strong, an additional liquid component such as a washer solution can be used to shorten the ice making time.

Description

SNOW-REMOVING APPARATUS OF WINDSHIEDL GLASS AND VEHICLE COMPRISING THE SAME, CONTROL METHOD FOR THE SNOW-REMOVING APPARATUS

The present invention relates to a windshield snow removal apparatus capable of removing snow or ice accumulated on a windshield using microwaves, a vehicle including the same, and a method for controlling the snow removal apparatus.

In addition to basic driving functions, the vehicle includes additional functions for driver convenience such as audio functions, video functions, navigation functions, air conditioning control, seat control, and lighting control.

In addition, a windshield (also referred to as windshield glass) is installed on the front of the vehicle to secure the driver's forward view. The windshield can ensure sufficient visibility of the driver in normal times, but when snow or frost accumulates on the windshield in winter, the driver's view is obscured.

Therefore, in order to secure the driver's view, the snow or frost accumulated on the windshield must be removed as soon as possible. In particular, in a long and cold winter environment like Russia, it must be possible to quickly remove the snow or frost accumulated on the windshield.

For snow removal and ice removal of the windshield, a technology using a hot wire and warm air is most commonly applied to a vehicle. However, if a lot of snow is accumulated on the windshield due to heavy snowfall or the snow is frozen due to extremely low temperatures, it is difficult to remove it quickly with hot wire and warm air.

One aspect of the present invention provides a windshield snow removal apparatus capable of removing snow or ice accumulated on a windshield by installing a microwave generator in a rearview mirror, and a vehicle including the same, and a method of controlling the snow removal apparatus.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a windshield snow removal apparatus, comprising: a rearview mirror installed on a windshield of a vehicle; and a microwave generator installed inside the room mirror and generating microwaves, wherein the microwave generator radiates microwaves in a windshield direction.

The microwave generator includes a magnetron for generating microwaves; An antenna for guiding microwaves generated from the magnetron; includes.

In addition, the microwave generator further includes a guide part for guiding the microwave induced through the antenna in the windshield direction, and a discharge port is formed in the guide part.

The microwave is radiated toward the windshield through the outlet.

In addition, an apparatus for snow removal of a windshield according to an aspect of the present invention includes an input unit for adjusting the intensity of microwave energy generated by the microwave generator; It further includes; a control unit for controlling the time when the voltage is applied to the magnetron according to the operation signal of the input unit.

The control unit adjusts the intensity of microwave energy by step-by-step control of the time for which the voltage is applied to the magnetron according to the manipulation signal.

In addition, the control unit adjusts the intensity of microwave energy delivered to the windshield by differently controlling the time at which the voltage is applied to the magnetron for a predetermined time according to the manipulation signal.

In addition, the control unit injects the washer liquid when the microwave is generated.

In addition, the control unit counts the total operating time of the microwave generator, and blocks the voltage applied to the magnetron when the counted time passes the reference time.

And, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a windshield snow removal apparatus, comprising: a rearview mirror installed on a windshield of a vehicle; a microwave generator installed inside the rearview mirror and radiating microwaves in a windshield direction; an input unit for adjusting the intensity of microwave energy generated from the microwave generator; and a control unit for controlling the time when a voltage is applied to the magnetron according to a manipulation signal of the input unit to adjust the intensity of microwave energy.

The control unit adjusts the intensity of microwave energy by step-by-step control of the time when the voltage is applied to the magnetron according to the manipulation signal; The total operating time of the microwave generator is counted, and when the counted time passes the reference time, the voltage applied to the magnetron is cut off.

And, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a windshield snow removal apparatus, comprising: a rearview mirror installed on a vehicle windshield; It is installed in the interior of the room mirror, the microwave generator for emitting microwaves in the windshield direction; including, the microwave generator, a magnetron for generating microwaves; It further includes an antenna for guiding the microwave generated by the magnetron in the direction of the windshield.

In addition, a vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention includes a rearview mirror installed on a windshield; and a microwave generator installed inside the rearview mirror and generating microwaves, wherein the microwave generator installs a windshield snow removal device emitting microwaves in a windshield direction therein.

Another aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling a snow removal apparatus including a rearview mirror installed on a windshield of a vehicle, and a microwave generator installed inside the rearview mirror and generating microwaves. receiving an operation signal for adjusting the intensity of energy; and adjusting the intensity of microwave energy by controlling the time when the voltage is applied to the magnetron according to the manipulation signal.

Adjusting the intensity of microwave energy is to adjust the intensity of microwave energy delivered to the windshield by differently controlling the time when a voltage is applied to the magnetron according to a manipulation signal for each predetermined time.

In addition, the control method of the snow removal apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention, spraying a washer liquid to the windshield when the microwave is generated; further includes.

In addition, the control method of the snow removal apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention, counting the total operating time of the microwave generator; When the counted time passes the reference time, blocking the voltage applied to the magnetron; further includes.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a windshield snow removal apparatus, a vehicle including the same, and a method for controlling a snow removal apparatus include a microwave generator installed in a rearview mirror, and microwaves are generated in the windshield direction from the rearview mirror to accumulate on the windshield. It is possible to increase the convenience of driving a vehicle by quickly removing snow or ice that has been frozen due to freezing of snow. In addition, since the amount of power required to generate microwaves is small and the microwaves are radiated in the direction of the windshield, ice making and snow removal are possible without affecting the driver (including passengers) inside the vehicle. In addition, when snow is frozen at an extremely low temperature, since the bonding force between molecules is strong, an additional liquid component such as washer fluid can be used to shorten the ice making time.

1 is a view showing the exterior of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an exploded perspective view of a rearview mirror having a built-in microwave generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a view in which the rearview mirror of FIG. 3 is combined.
5 is a view for explaining a mechanism for generating thermal energy of microwaves applied to the present invention.
6 is a view illustrating a state in which a rearview mirror having a built-in microwave generator is installed on a windshield of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a control configuration diagram of a snow removal apparatus for a vehicle windshield according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is an operation flowchart illustrating an algorithm for generating microwaves through a user operation in a snow removal apparatus for a windshield according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The configuration shown in the embodiments and drawings described in this specification is a preferred example of the disclosed invention, and there may be various modifications that can replace the embodiments and drawings of the present specification at the time of filing of the present application.

In addition, the same reference numbers or reference numerals in each drawing in the present specification indicate parts or components that perform substantially the same functions.

In addition, the terms used herein are used to describe the embodiments, and are not intended to limit and/or limit the disclosed invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present specification, terms such as "comprise", "comprising" or "have" are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one It does not preclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of other features or numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof, or other features.

In addition, terms including an ordinal number such as "first", "second", etc. used herein may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited by the terms, and the terms are It is used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, a second component may also be referred to as a first component. The term “and/or” includes a combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the disclosed windshield snow removal apparatus, a vehicle including the same, and a control method of a user interface apparatus will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a view showing the exterior of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1 , a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a body 10 forming the exterior of the vehicle 1 , wheels 21 and 22 for moving the vehicle 1 , and wheels 21 and 22 . ), a door 14 that shields the inside of the vehicle 1 from the outside, a windshield 17 that provides a view of the front of the vehicle 1 to a driver inside the vehicle 1, and the driver It includes side mirrors 18 , 19 which provide a view of the rear of the vehicle 1 to the vehicle 1 .

The wheels 21 and 22 include a front wheel 21 provided at the front of the vehicle 1 and a rear wheel 22 provided at the rear of the vehicle, and the driving device 24 allows the main body 10 to move forward or rearward. A rotational force is provided to the front wheel 21 or the rear wheel 22 to move. Such a driving device 24 may employ an engine for generating rotational force by burning fossil fuel or a motor for generating rotational force by receiving power from a capacitor (not shown).

The door 14 is rotatably provided on the left and right sides of the main body 10 so that the driver can get on the inside of the vehicle 1 when it is opened, and shields the inside of the vehicle 1 from the outside when it is closed .

The windshield 17 is provided on the front upper side of the main body 10 so that the driver can secure visual information on the front of the vehicle 1 , and is also called windshield glass or windshield glass.

The windshield 17 is provided with a wiper 20 to facilitate the driver's visibility.

In addition, the side mirrors 18 and 19 include a left side mirror 18 provided on the left side of the main body 1 and a right side mirror 19 provided on the right side of the main body 1 , and the driver can view the side and rear side of the vehicle 1 . to obtain visual information.

In addition, the vehicle 1 may include a sensing device such as a proximity sensor for detecting obstacles or other vehicles in the rear, and a rain sensor for detecting whether or not precipitation is present and the amount of precipitation.

As an example of the proximity sensor, a detection signal is transmitted to the side or rear of a vehicle, and a reflected signal reflected from an obstacle such as another vehicle is received. In addition, based on the waveform of the received reflected signal, the presence or absence of an obstacle behind the vehicle 1 may be detected, and the position of the obstacle may be detected. Such a proximity sensor may employ a method of transmitting an ultrasonic wave and detecting a distance to the obstacle using the ultrasonic wave reflected from the obstacle.

2 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 2 , inside the vehicle 1 , seats DS and PS on which the occupant sits, and a dashboard 30 are provided for controlling the operation of the vehicle 1 and displaying driving information of the vehicle 1 ; dashboard) and a steering wheel 60 for manipulating the direction of the vehicle 1 may be provided.

The seats DS and PS may include a driver's seat DS on which the driver sits, a passenger seat PS on which a passenger sits, and a rear seat (not shown) positioned at the rear of the vehicle 1 .

The dashboard 30 includes an instrument panel 31 such as a speed gauge, a fuel gauge, an automatic shift selection lever indicator, a tachometer, and an odometer indicating driving-related information, a gearbox 40, and a center fascia 50 etc. may be provided.

A shift gear 41 for shifting a vehicle is installed in the gearbox 40 . In addition, as shown in the drawing, the operation unit 110 for the user to input a user command for controlling the performance of the AVN device 51 or the main function of the vehicle is installed.

In the center fascia 50 , an air conditioner, a watch, an AVN device 51 , and the like may be installed. The air conditioner maintains the interior of the vehicle 1 comfortably by controlling the temperature, humidity, air cleanliness, and air flow inside the vehicle 1 . The air conditioner may include at least one outlet installed in the center fascia 50 and discharging air. The center fascia 50 may be provided with a button or a dial for controlling an air conditioner or the like. A user such as a driver may control the air conditioner of the vehicle 1 by using a button or a dial disposed on the center fascia 50 .

The steering wheel 60 is a device for adjusting the driving direction of the vehicle, and is connected to the rim 61 held by the driver and the steering device of the vehicle, and a spoke connecting the rim 61 and the hub of the rotation shaft for steering. 62) may be included. According to an embodiment, a manipulation device for controlling various devices in the vehicle 1 , for example, the AVN device 51 , may be formed on the spoke 62 .

The AVN device 51 is a device implemented as a system in which audio, a multimedia device, and a navigation device are integrated in the vehicle 1 , and a radio that plays a radio based on a terrestrial radio signal to a user in the vehicle 1 . service, an audio service that plays a CD (Compact Disk), a video service that plays a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), etc., a navigation service that guides a user on a route to a destination, and a phone call of a mobile terminal connected to the vehicle 1 It provides phone services that control whether or not to receive calls. In addition, the AVN device 51 may also provide a voice recognition service that receives a voice instead of a user's operation and provides the aforementioned radio service, audio service, video service, navigation service, and phone service.

In addition, the AVN device 51 is equipped with a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, etc. to connect with portable multimedia devices such as PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer-3) player, and PDA (Personal Digital Assistants). It is connected and can also play audio and video files.

The AVN device 51 may be mounted on the dashboard 30 , or may be installed by being embedded in the center fascia 50 .

A user may be provided with a radio service, an audio service, a video service, and a navigation service through the AVN device 51 .

Here, the AVN device 51 may be referred to as a navigation terminal or a display device, and may be referred to as various other terms used by those skilled in the art.

The AVN device 51 may selectively display at least one of a radio screen, an audio screen, a video screen, a navigation screen, and a phone screen through the touch screen unit 120 , and various kinds of control related to the vehicle 1 . A control screen or a screen related to an additional function executable by the AVN device 51 may be displayed.

According to an embodiment, the AVN device 51 may display various control screens related to the control of the air conditioning device through the touch screen unit 120 in association with the above-described air conditioning device. In addition, the AVN device 51 may control the operating state of the air conditioner to adjust the air conditioning environment in the vehicle 1 . Also, the AVN device 51 may display a map on which a route to a destination is displayed to the driver through the touch screen unit 120 .

The touch screen unit 120 may be implemented as a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, a light emitting diode (LED) panel, or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel, etc. It can perform display function and input function of instruction or command.

The touch screen unit 120 externally displays a screen including a predetermined image according to an operating system (OS) for driving and controlling the AVN device 51 and an application running in the AVN device 51 . It can be output as , or can receive instructions or commands as input.

The touch screen unit 120 may display a basic screen according to a running application. The basic screen means a screen displayed by the touch screen unit 120 when no touch manipulation is performed.

The touch screen unit 120 may display a touch manipulation screen according to circumstances. The touch manipulation screen refers to a screen that can receive a touch manipulation input from a user.

In addition, the input method of the touch screen unit 120 includes a resistive touch screen method for detecting a user's touch operation, a capacitive touch screen method for detecting a user's touch operation using a capacitive coupling effect, and an optical type using infrared rays. A touch screen method or an ultrasonic touch screen method using ultrasonic waves may be used. In addition, various input methods may be used, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

In addition, a room mirror 200 is installed on the upper inner surface of the windshield 17 so that the driver can check the rear road condition through the glass installed at the rear of the vehicle 1 . The room mirror 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .

3 is an exploded perspective view of a room mirror having a built-in microwave generator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a view in which the room mirror of FIG. 3 is combined.

3 and 4 , the rearview mirror 200 is attached to or coupled to the upper side of the windshield 17 so as to be rotatable in at least two degrees of freedom through a pivot device.

The rearview mirror 200 is fixed to the upper inner surface of the windshield 17 using the support 250 in advance of the room.

The rearview mirror 200 is formed in a form in which a mirror unit 210 is coupled to a housing 220 forming an exterior, and the mirror unit 210 is coupled to the housing 220 by a mirror fixing unit 230 .

A microwave generator 240 for generating microwaves is installed inside the housing 220 .

The microwave generator 240 includes a magnetron 241 for generating microwaves, an antenna 242 for inducing microwaves generated from the magnetron 241, and a microwave induced through the antenna 242 in the windshield 17 direction. It includes a guide portion 243 for radiating.

The magnetron 241 is a high-frequency oscillation tube that generates microwaves of about 2.45 GHz.

The guide part 243 forms an outlet 243a so that microwaves generated from the magnetron 241 and induced through the antenna 242 are radiated, and the microwaves radiated through the outlet 243a are directed toward the windshield 17 . designed to occur.

That is, when microwaves are generated in the direction of the windshield 17 in consideration of the straightness of radio waves, the microwaves radiated through the outlet 243a do not affect the driver (including passengers) inside the vehicle 1, and snow removal and ice making are possible. do.

As described above, the microwave generator 240 is a device for heating an object to be heated by generating microwaves, and is a device for heating an object to be heated by using a dielectric heating phenomenon caused by microwaves, which are high-frequency electromagnetic waves. Specifically, when an object to be heated is exposed to an electric field, polarization occurs while molecules having a dipole moment such as water molecules inside the object are oriented in the direction of the electric field. If the object to be heated is exposed to an alternating electric field such as microwaves, the dipole orientation is repeated in a short time and the dipole vibrates or rotates while generating heat to heat the object. The microwave generator 240 may heat the object to be heated by using the dielectric heating phenomenon by microwaves. As described above, a mechanism for generating thermal energy of microwaves for heating the object to be heated will be described with reference to FIG. 5 .

5 is a view for explaining a mechanism for generating thermal energy of microwaves applied to the present invention.

In FIG. 5 , when a molecule constituting a liquid or a solid has a dipole, the microwave induced rotation of the molecule while passing between the anode and the cathode. At this time, as the rotating molecules collide with other molecules, high-frequency vibrations occur, and thermal energy is generated through this phenomenon. A representative example of a molecule that effectively exhibits this phenomenon is water. The microwave can effectively remove the snow or ice accumulated on the windshield 17 by using the principle of generating heat easily by inducing vibration of water molecules. In addition, when snow freezes at extremely low temperatures, since the bonding force between molecules is strong, an additional liquid component such as a washer liquid may be used to shorten the ice making time.

Since the microwave requires a small amount of power, the 12V voltage of the basic battery applied to the vehicle 1 can be used. Microwaves target near-field and require only enough energy to turn snow and ice into liquid. Therefore, according to an appropriate design goal, it is possible to manufacture as small as possible to be installed inside the rearview mirror 200 . In addition, since there is no harmfulness to the human body, it is suitable for application to the vehicle 1 .

6 is a view illustrating a state in which a rearview mirror having a built-in microwave generator is installed on a windshield of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the microwave generator 240 installed inside the rearview mirror 200 radiates microwaves generated from the magnetron 241 in the direction of the front windshield 17 of the vehicle 1 through the outlet 243a. is configured to do so.

That is, the microwaves generated by the microwave generator 240 radiate the discharge port 243a in the direction of the front windshield of the vehicle 1 , so that the driver (including passengers) riding inside the vehicle 1 is not affected.

Meanwhile, in one embodiment of the present invention, the microwave generator 240 is installed in the interior of the rearview mirror 200 as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. 1) It goes without saying that the same object and effect as the present invention can be achieved by installing it at any position radiating in the direction of the windshield 17 in the front.

7 is a control configuration diagram of a snow removal apparatus for a vehicle windshield according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 , the snow removal apparatus 300 of a vehicle windshield according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes an input unit 310 , a sensor unit 32 , a control unit 330 , a storage unit 350 , and a communication unit 360 . include

The input unit 310 is a crush pad for generating microwaves to remove the snow or ice accumulated on the windshield 17 when a lot of snow is accumulated on the windshield 17 due to heavy snow or when the snow is frozen at an extremely low temperature. Includes an action button.

The operation button inputs an operation signal in a plurality of stages (stage 1, stage 2, or stage 3) to control the energy of microwaves generated according to the degree of freezing of snow or ice accumulated on the windshield 17 .

The first stage applies a voltage to the microwave generator 240 for a first time (about, 1 second) every predetermined time (about, 5 seconds) to generate microwaves.

The second stage applies a voltage to the microwave generator 240 for a second time (about, 2 seconds) every predetermined time (about, 5 seconds) to generate microwaves. The thermal energy transferred to the windshield 17 when the microwaves are generated for the second time is greater than the thermal energy transferred to the windshield 17 when the microwaves are generated for the first time.

Stage 3 applies a voltage to the microwave generator 240 for a third time (about, 3 seconds) every predetermined time (about, 5 seconds) to generate microwaves. The thermal energy transferred to the windshield 17 when the microwaves are generated for the third time is greater than the thermal energy transferred to the windshield 17 when the microwaves are generated for the second time.

In the case of generating microwaves for the third time, liquid components such as washer fluid are additionally sprayed. This is to inject additional liquid along with the generation of microwaves in order to shorten the time required to remove the ice frozen on the windshield 17 when the snow that fell overnight is frozen due to the extreme low temperature.

In this way, the input unit 310 transmits a signal manipulated by the user to the control unit 330 .

The sensor unit 320 detects driving information and surrounding environment information of the vehicle 1 , a proximity sensor detecting obstacles or other vehicles in the rear, a rain sensor detecting whether precipitation and amount of precipitation, and driving of the vehicle 1 . It may include an inertial sensor that detects speed, travel distance, and travel speed.

The control unit 330 is a microprocessor that controls general operations of the snow removal apparatus 300 of the windshield, and controls the time for which a voltage is applied to the magnetron 241 according to a manipulation signal input through the input unit 310 every predetermined time. Control for 1 hour, 2nd hour or 3rd hour.

In addition, the control unit 330 counts the total operating time Tm of the microwave generator 240 and does not elapse the reference time Ts; the snow and ice making time required to remove snow or ice accumulated on the windshield, about 10 minutes). control not to

Accordingly, when the operating time Tm of the microwave generator 240 elapses the reference time Ts, the controller 300 blocks the voltage applied to the magnetron 241 to forcibly turn off the microwave generation.

That is, when the first stage, second stage, or third stage operation signal is transmitted from the input unit 310 , the control unit 330 controls the time for which a voltage is applied to the magnetron 241 according to the transmitted operation signal to the magnetron 241 . Controls the intensity of microwave energy generated from This effectively removes the snow or ice in a short time by controlling the microwave energy according to the degree of freezing of the snow or ice accumulated on the windshield 17 .

The storage unit 350 stores various data necessary for the operation of the snow removal apparatus 300 . That is, the storage unit 130 may store various applications necessary for providing an operating system or information necessary for controlling the intensity of microwave energy generated according to the first, second, or third stage manipulation signal.

Specifically, the storage unit 350 includes a control program 351 for driving and controlling the vehicle 1 and control data 353 for controlling the operation of the snow removal apparatus 300, map data and load data. The map database 355 and the destination information 357 related to the destination selected by the user are stored.

Here, the map data is a map for the AVN device 51 to guide a route to the user, and the load data is road related information included in the map displayed to the user by the AVN device 51 to guide the user on the route. .

The road data may include road information necessary for driving and route guidance of the vehicle, such as the location of the road, the length of the road, and the speed limit of the road. In addition, a road included in the map may be divided into a plurality of road sections based on a distance or whether it intersects another road, and the road data may include road information for each divided road section.

The destination information 357 is information related to a destination for which the user searches for a route through the AVN device 51 . The destination information 357 may include the date the user searches for the destination, the name of the destination, the address of the destination, the longitude and latitude of the destination, and the like.

In addition, the storage unit 350 may store operation data and the like generated while the snow removal apparatus 300 performs a predetermined operation.

The storage unit 350 includes a flash memory, a hard disk, a card-type memory (eg, an SD or XD memory, etc.), a random access memory (RAM), and a static random access (SRAM). memory), ROM (Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), magnetic memory, magnetic disk, optical disk can

The communication unit 360 is a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity: WiFi) communication module 361 that accesses a local area network (LAN) through a wireless access point, etc., in a one-to-one manner with a single external device. Receives location information of the vehicle 1 from a Bluetooth communication module 363 that communicates or communicates one-to-many with a small number of external devices, a broadcast signal reception module 365 that receives a digital broadcast signal, and a satellite. It may include a location information receiving module 367 and the like.

In addition, the communication unit 360 may be connected to another device using a wireless communication protocol such as a GSM/3GPP series communication method (GSM, HSDPA, LTE advanced), a 3GPP2 series communication method (CDMA, etc.) or WiMAX.

In addition, the communication unit 360 may transmit/receive data to and from the GPS satellite to transmit/receive location information of the current vehicle 1 from the GPS satellite, or may transmit/receive map information from a server located at a remote location. Such location information and map information of the vehicle 1 may be used to provide a route for moving to a destination set by a user.

Also, the communication unit 360 may be connected to another device to transmit/receive multimedia data. Specifically, the communication unit 360 may be connected to a mobile terminal located near the vehicle 1 or a server located in a remote location to transmit multimedia data from the mobile terminal or the server. For example, the communication unit 360 may be connected to the user's smart phone to receive multimedia stored in the smart phone.

Hereinafter, an operation process and effects of a windshield snow removal apparatus, a vehicle including the same, and a method for controlling a snow removal apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

8 is an operation flowchart illustrating an algorithm for generating microwaves through a user operation in the snow removal apparatus of the windshield according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 8 , the user checks the degree of freezing of snow or ice accumulated on the windshield 17 , and inputs a first, second, or third stage operation signal through the input unit 310 ( 400 ). The manipulation signal input through the input unit 310 is transmitted to the control unit 330 .

Accordingly, the control unit 330 determines whether the manipulation signal input through the input unit 310 is the first stage ( 402 ).

As a result of the determination in step 402, if it is the first stage, the controller 330 applies a voltage to the magnetron 241 installed inside the rearview mirror 200 for a first time every predetermined time ( 404 ).

When a voltage is applied to the magnetron 241 , the magnetron 241 generates a microwave of about 2.45 GHz for the first time ( 406 ), and the microwave generated for the first time in the magnetron 241 is transmitted through the antenna 242 . induced

The microwave induced through the antenna 242 is guided through the guide unit 243 and radiated to the outside through the outlet 243a. Since the discharge port 243a is designed in the windshield 17 direction, the emitted microwave is radiated in the windshield 17 direction as shown in FIG. 6 ( 408 ).

As the microwaves are radiated in the direction of the windshield 17 , thermal energy is transferred to the windshield 17 for the first time, so that snow or ice accumulated on the windshield 17 can be effectively removed.

Then, the control unit 330 counts the total operating time (Tm) of the microwave generator 240 for generating microwaves by applying a voltage to the magnetron 241 to remove the snow or ice accumulated on the windshield for a reference time (Ts). It is determined whether the required snow-making and ice-making time, about 10 minutes) has elapsed ( 410 ).

As a result of the determination in step 410, if the reference time Ts does not elapse, the operation is fed back to step 402 to apply a voltage to the magnetron 241 for a first time every predetermined time until the reference time elapses to continue the operation of generating microwaves. proceed with

Meanwhile, if it is determined in step 402 that it is not the first stage, the control unit 330 determines whether the operation signal input through the input unit 310 is the second stage ( 412 ).

As a result of the determination in step 412 , if there is a second stage, the controller 330 applies a voltage to the magnetron 241 installed inside the rearview mirror 200 for a second time every predetermined time ( 414 ).

When a voltage is applied to the magnetron 241 , the magnetron 241 generates a microwave of about 2.45 GHz for a second time, and the microwave generated for the second time at the magnetron 241 is induced through the antenna 242 .

The microwave induced through the antenna 242 is radiated through the outlet 243a formed in the guide part 243 .

As the microwaves are radiated toward the windshield 17 , thermal energy is transferred to the windshield 17 for a second time. At this time, since the thermal energy transferred to the windshield 17 when the microwaves are generated for the second time is greater than the thermal energy transferred to the windshield 17 when the microwaves are generated for the first time, the windshield 17 ), the accumulated snow or ice can be removed more quickly.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 412 that the second stage is not the second stage, the control unit 330 determines whether the manipulation signal input through the input unit 310 is the third stage (416).

As a result of the determination in step 416, if it is not step 3, the controller 330 feeds back to step 402 to proceed with the subsequent operation.

Meanwhile, as a result of the determination in step 416 , if there is a third stage, the controller 330 applies a voltage to the magnetron 241 installed inside the rearview mirror 200 for a third time every predetermined time ( 418 ).

When a voltage is applied to the magnetron 241 , the magnetron 241 generates a microwave of about 2.45 GHz for a third time, and the microwave generated for the third time at the magnetron 241 is induced through the antenna 242 .

The microwave induced through the antenna 242 is radiated through the outlet 243a formed in the guide part 243 .

As the microwaves are radiated in the direction of the windshield 17 , thermal energy is transferred to the windshield 17 for a third time period. At this time, since the thermal energy transferred to the windshield 17 when the microwave is generated for the third time is greater than the thermal energy transferred to the windshield 17 when the microwave is generated for the second time, the windshield 17 ), the accumulated snow or ice can be removed the fastest.

On the other hand, when the three-stage operation signal is input through the input unit 310 , the user judges that the degree of freezing of the ice accumulated on the windshield 17 is severe and it is expected that it will take a long time to remove the ice.

Accordingly, the control unit 330 additionally injects the washer liquid when the microwave is generated for the third time period. This is to inject additional liquid along with the generation of microwaves in order to shorten the time required to remove the ice frozen on the windshield 17 when the snow that fell overnight is frozen due to the extreme low temperature.

In this way, the user determines the degree of freezing of the snow or ice accumulated on the windshield 17 and inputs the first, second, or third stage operation signal, and the first time, the second By applying a voltage to the magnetron 241 for 2 or 3 hours to generate microwaves, it is possible to remove snow or ice accumulated on the windshield 17 .

Meanwhile, as a result of the determination in step 410, when the total operating time Tm of the microwave generator 240 has passed the reference time Ts, the control unit 330 determines that the snow or ice accumulated on the windshield 17 has been removed, The voltage applied to the magnetron 241 is cut off ( 420 ).

When the voltage applied to the magnetron 241 is cut off, the generation of microwaves is forcibly stopped and the operation is terminated ( 422 ).

Meanwhile, in one embodiment of the present invention, it has been described as an example that microwaves are generated in one stage, two stages, or three stages in order to remove snow or ice accumulated on the windshield 17, but the present invention is not limited thereto. can be further subdivided or the microwave generation time in each step can be adjusted.

Those of ordinary skill in the art related to the embodiments of the present invention will understand that it may be implemented in a modified form without departing from the essential characteristics of the description. Therefore, the disclosed methods are to be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The scope of the present invention is indicated in the claims rather than in the detailed description of the invention, and all differences within the equivalent scope should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

1: vehicle 200: rearview mirror
240: microwave generator 241: magnetron
242: antenna 243: guide part
243a: outlet 300: snow removal device
310: input unit 320: sensor unit
330: control unit 350: storage unit
360: communication department

Claims (10)

a rearview mirror installed on the vehicle's windshield;
a microwave generator installed inside the room mirror and generating microwaves;
an input unit for adjusting the intensity of energy of microwaves generated by the microwave generator;
A control unit for controlling a time for which a voltage is applied to the microwave generator according to an operation signal of the input unit and controlling the injection of the washer fluid to the windshield while the microwave is generated by the microwave generator; and
The microwave generator,
A windshield snow removal device that radiates the microwave in the windshield direction. According to claim 1,
The microwave generator,
a magnetron generating the microwave;
Windshield snow removal apparatus comprising a; antenna for guiding microwaves generated by the magnetron. 3. The method of claim 2,
The microwave generator,
The windshield snow removal apparatus further comprising: a guide part including an outlet and guiding the radiation of the induced microwave so that the microwave induced through the antenna is radiated in the direction of the windshield through the outlet. 3. The method of claim 2,
The control unit is
A windshield snow removal apparatus for controlling the intensity of the microwave energy by step-by-step control of a time for which a voltage is applied to the magnetron according to a manipulation signal of the input unit. 5. The method of claim 4,
The control unit is
A windshield snow removal apparatus for adjusting the intensity of the energy of the microwave transmitted to the windshield by differently controlling a time at which a voltage is applied to the magnetron at a predetermined time according to a manipulation signal of the input unit. 6. The method of claim 5,
The control unit is
A windshield snow removal device that counts the total operating time of the microwave generator, and blocks the voltage applied to the magnetron when the counted time elapses a reference time. a rearview mirror installed on the windshield; and
a microwave generator installed inside the room mirror to generate microwaves and radiate the generated microwaves in a direction of the windshield; and
and a control unit for controlling an operation of the microwave generator, and controlling the washer fluid to be sprayed on the windshield when the microwave generator is controlled to generate microwaves. A method for controlling a snow removal apparatus comprising: a rearview mirror installed on a windshield of a vehicle; and a microwave generator installed inside the rearview mirror and generating microwaves, the method comprising:
receiving a manipulation signal for controlling the intensity of microwave energy generated by the microwave generator;
Controlling the time when a voltage is applied to the magnetron according to the manipulation signal to adjust the intensity of the energy of the microwave;
and spraying a washer liquid to the windshield when the microwave is generated. 9. The method of claim 8,
Controlling the intensity of the energy of the microwave is,
A method of controlling a snow removal apparatus in which the intensity of the microwave energy transmitted to the windshield is adjusted by differently controlling a time when a voltage is applied to the magnetron at a predetermined time according to the manipulation signal. 9. The method of claim 8,
count the total operating time of the microwave generator;
When the counted time elapses a reference time, blocking the voltage applied to the magnetron; Control method of the snow removal apparatus further comprising a.

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