Interval control system for intermittent windshield wiper

US5982123A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Sidler Inc. · DE

Inventors

• Siegfried Hornung · Trostberg, DE
• Dieter Dorsch · Ober-Ramstadt, DE
• Jürgen Dorsch · Ebnat-Kappel, CH

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 15, 1997
• Grant date: Nov 9, 1999
• Expiry date: Sep 15, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S318/02
• WIPO field: Transport
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

An automatic, self-adaptive controller for varying the interval between wipes of a windshield wiper arrangement for a vehicle measures current drawn by the windshield wiper arrangement during a forward and return portions of the windshield wiper wipe cycle and calculates an integration of the current over each portion of the windshield wiper wipe cycle to establish forward portion and return portion integration. The magnitude of the portions, which graphically appear as current lobes over time, are indicative of wiper-to-windscreen friction, and hence, wetness. The difference between the forward and return integration is representative of vehicle air speed. The windshield is characterized as wet when the first and second summation values are small, and in that case, a short interval between wipes is established. When the first and second integration values are large, the windshield is deemed to be dry, and a long interval is established between wipes. The windshield wiper system may automatically be turned off when the weather is determined to be dry. When the air speed value is small, the computed interval is not changed. However, when the air speed value is large, the interval is…