JP2008155801A - Wiper control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wiper control device capable of efficiently performing work for removing snow and ice by a user for a short time. <P>SOLUTION: The wiper control device is provided with a wiper for wiping a window glass of a vehicle; a wiper blade heat generation mechanism for carrying an electric current to a heating element built in a wiper blade or a primary lever etc. of the wiper and heating the heating element; an engine start determination means for determining whether or not an engine of the vehicle is started by a remote engine starter; and a current-carrying and heating means for performing heat generation operation of the wiper blade heat generation mechanism when a predetermined current-carrying and heating condition is achieved on the assumption that engine start is determined by the remote engine starter. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wiper control device used in a vehicle.

  If the windshield of the vehicle freezes or accumulates snow in the winter, manual removal using a spray or spatula is a work outside the cold car, requiring labor and causing a problem that the departure is delayed due to the removal work. To do. There is also a method of removing snow and ice by blowing warm air on the window using an air conditioner or defroster, but since warm air does not come out until the engine is sufficiently warm, it takes time to remove it, It is necessary to enter the passenger compartment and activate the air conditioner and defroster, or set in advance when getting off.

  In view of this, a heat generating wiper has been devised in which an energized heat generating wire is disposed in the vicinity of the wiper blade to prevent freezing and snow accumulation by transmitting and generating heat to the energized heat generating wire (see Patent Document 1).

  Also, using heat energy exhausted from the internal combustion engine such as exhaust gas, water droplets such as raindrops adhering to the windshield, side glass and rear glass of the car and the door mirror are scattered, and condensation is prevented. In order to solve this problem, a warm air type air wiper device has been devised (see Patent Document 2).

  In addition, a remote engine starter is a device that allows a user to start an engine with a portable transmitter in order to warm up the engine before getting into the vehicle or to start an air conditioner in the passenger compartment in advance. is there. The user gets on and starts after the engine is warmed up or the temperature in the passenger compartment is in a desired state. Therefore, there is also a method of removing snow and ice attached to the window glass by raising the room temperature by operating the air conditioner at the timing when the engine is started with the remote engine starter.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 07-037835 JP 2002-087219 A

  In the configuration of Patent Document 1, since it is necessary to perform an operation after the user gets on, the problem that the departure is delayed due to the work of removing snow and ice still remains.

  In the configuration of Patent Document 2, sufficient heat energy is not generated until the engine is sufficiently warmed, so that the problem that it takes time to remove snow and ice still remains.

  In addition, the air conditioner does not always operate just by starting the engine with the remote engine starter. Especially in the case of an auto air conditioner that changes the air outlet and the amount of air flow depending on the temperature inside the car, the air is sent from the air outlet at the foot during heating. The window glass is not always warmed first.

  Against the background of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a wiper control device that can perform a user's snow and ice removal work efficiently and in a short time.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

  A wiper control device for solving the above problems includes a wiper for wiping a window glass of a vehicle, a wiper blade heating mechanism for energizing and heating a heating element built in the wiper blade of the wiper, and a vehicle engine comprising a remote engine starter. Assuming that the engine start is determined by the remote engine starter and the engine start determination means for determining whether or not the engine has been started by the remote engine starter, the wiper blade heat generating mechanism is operated to generate heat when a predetermined energization heating condition is satisfied. And an electric heating means. In addition to the wiper blade, the heating element may be attached to a primary lever (described later) or the like.

  With the above configuration, since the removal of snow and ice is automatically started after the engine is started by the remote engine starter, the user only has to go to the parking area of the vehicle when the engine warms up. There is no need to remove snow and ice, and it is possible to get on and start immediately, so the problem of delayed departure is solved.

  In addition, the wiper control device of the present invention includes a temperature information acquisition unit that acquires temperature information around the wiper blade, and the energization heating condition is an energization temperature condition in which the acquired temperature information is less than a predetermined energization temperature threshold. It can also comprise so that it may contain.

  With the above configuration, the heating heating is performed only when necessary, so that the snow and ice can be removed efficiently and in a short time, and the load on the battery can be reduced.

  Further, the wiper control device of the present invention includes an operation command input means for inputting an operation command for the wiper blade heat generating mechanism, and the energization heating condition is an operation command input generation condition in which the operation command input is generated in the operation command input means. It can also be configured to include.

  With the above configuration, the heating element can be energized and heated in addition to the case where the engine is started by the remote engine starter.

  Further, the operation command input means in the wiper control device of the present invention can be configured to be provided in a remote control that wirelessly transmits various command inputs to the remote engine starter.

  With the above configuration, since the user can also issue an operation command, it is possible to more reliably energize and heat the heating element regardless of the temperature information.

  In addition, the operation command input means in the wiper control device of the present invention can be configured to be provided in the vehicle interior of the vehicle.

  Also with the above configuration, it is possible to reliably heat the heating element regardless of the temperature information.

  In addition, the wiper control device of the present invention can be configured to include diffusion promoting means for promoting the diffusion of the heat generated by the electrically heated heating element to the periphery of the wiper blade.

  With the above configuration, it is possible to remove snow and ice other than those attached to the wiper blade, and the time required for removing snow and ice can be shortened.

  Further, the diffusion accelerating means in the wiper control device of the present invention includes air intake means for taking in air in the engine room of the vehicle, and air blowing means that is attached to the wiper blade and blows the air in the engine room around the wiper blade. It can also be configured as follows.

  In the hot air type air wiper device of Patent Document 2, the injection nozzle is merely disposed in the vicinity of the windshield, and no mention is made of the cooperative operation with the wiper. On the other hand, in the above configuration, the heat generated in the heating element is diffused and promoted around the wiper blade by the blowing means, so that the synergistic effect of the heating element and the blowing means can remove snow and ice in a shorter time. Can do.

  In the wiper control device of the present invention, the wiper driving means for wiping the wiper, the wiper blade temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the wiper blade, and the temperature of the wiper blade are predetermined by energization heating to the heating element. A wiper drive control means for operating the wiper when the moving temperature threshold is exceeded can also be provided.

  In the exothermic wiper of Patent Document 1, the main purpose is to prevent the wiper from freezing, and only the snow and ice around the wiper blade are removed. The removal state (melting condition) of snow and ice around the wiper blade can be estimated by detecting the temperature of the wiper blade. With the above-described configuration, snow and ice are removed from the entire wiper wiping range of the window glass, so that a field of view necessary for driving can be ensured without requiring user operations and operations.

  In addition, the wiper control device of the present invention includes an energization heating time measuring unit that measures an energization heating time for the heating element, and the wiper drive control unit exceeds a predetermined time threshold. In this case, the wiper can be configured to operate.

  From the characteristics of the heating element and the energization heating time, the amount of heat generated in the heating element can be determined, and the amount of snow or ice that can be melted (the degree of melting) can be estimated based on the amount of generated heat. Even with the above configuration, a field of view necessary for driving can be ensured without requiring user operations and operations.

  Further, the wiper drive control means in the wiper control device of the present invention is configured to operate the wiper so that the average sweep speed of one stroke of the wiping operation is lower than normal in the energization heating to the heating element. You can also.

  The degree of melting of snow and ice varies depending on the amount attached to the glass. For this reason, at a normal sweep speed, the wiper may be damaged in an attempt to forcefully remove unmelted snow or ice. However, with the above configuration, by operating the wiper so that it is slower than normal, the heating element contained in the wiper moves while melting the surrounding snow and ice, so it is easy to remove snow and ice, The wiper will not be damaged.

  Further, the wiper drive control means in the wiper control device of the present invention causes the wiper to intermittently operate in the wiping operation direction from the wiper stop position on the window glass in an operation unit that is repeatedly operated and stopped in an operation unit shorter than the wiping operation stroke. It can also be configured.

  When the wiper is stopped, the temperature of the surrounding glass rises, and the snow and ice attached to the glass easily melt. If the wiper is operated thereafter, snow and ice can be easily removed. With the above configuration, it becomes easier to remove snow and ice, and the wiper is not damaged.

  In the wiper control device of the present invention, the wiper driving means for wiping the wiper, the wiper blade temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the wiper blade, and the temperature of the wiper blade are predetermined by energization heating to the heating element. Wiper drive control means for operating the wiper when the movement temperature threshold is exceeded, the wiper drive control means waits until the movement temperature threshold is exceeded after moving the operation unit, and then It can also be configured to move by an operation unit.

  When the wiper blade is in contact with snow or ice, the temperature of the wiper blade is close to that of snow or ice. When the heating element is heated and snow and ice begin to melt, the temperature of the wiper blade gradually increases and finally reaches the rated temperature of the heating element. Further, even if the accumulated snow or ice does not melt completely, if the snow or ice attached to the glass melts, the snow or ice can be removed. With the above configuration, if the temperature at which the snow and ice attached to the glass melt is used as the moving temperature threshold, the snow and ice can be removed efficiently and automatically.

  The wiper control device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the wiper control device 1 and related on-vehicle equipment. A remote engine starter 20 is connected to the wiper control device 1 so that communication is possible.

  The wiper control device 1 includes a glass temperature sensor 2, a wiper blade temperature sensor 3, a vehicle interior operation switch 4, a setting switch 5, a water temperature sensor 6, a heating element 11, a wiper motor 13, a blower device 61, and a control circuit to which these are connected. 8 mag.

  The glass temperature sensor 2 includes a known thermistor and thermocouple, and measures the temperature (glass temperature) of the windshield 65 (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 100 is installed in a place where visibility is ensured and driving is not hindered, such as the four corners of the windshield 65 of the vehicle 100 and the rearview mirror mounting portion 2b. There is no restriction on the number of installations. Further, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, an infrared camera capable of capturing an infrared ray emitted from an object and displaying it as a thermal image by converting the amount of the infrared ray into temperature data to perform temperature measurement and temperature measurement. The infrared thermography 2a may be installed at the center of the front part of the ceiling in the passenger compartment. The glass temperature sensor 2 corresponds to the temperature information acquisition means of the present invention.

  2 and 3 show the windshield wiper of the vehicle 100, the configuration of the present invention can be applied to a wiper other than the windshield such as a rear window wiper, or a headlight wiper. It is.

  The wiper blade temperature sensor 3 includes a known thermistor and thermocouple, and is attached to the primary lever 32 of the wiper blade (31, 41), for example, as shown in FIG. The temperature measured by the wiper blade temperature sensor 3 may be used as the glass temperature. The wiper blade temperature sensor 3 corresponds to the wiper blade temperature detection means of the present invention.

  For example, a mechanical switch is used as the vehicle interior operation switch 4, and is installed in or near the instrument panel of the vehicle 100. The vehicle interior operation switch 4 is used for conducting and stopping energization of a heating element 10 (described later). The vehicle interior operation switch 4 corresponds to the operation command input means of the present invention.

For example, a mechanical switch is used as the setting switch 5 and is installed in the instrument panel of the vehicle 100 or in the vicinity thereof. The setting switch 5 is used to set under what conditions energization to the heating element 11 (described later) is performed. The set content is one of the following, and the set content (setting information) is stored in the flash memory 90. The setting switch 5 corresponds to the operation command input means of the present invention.
(1) When the engine of the vehicle 100 is started by the remote engine starter, the heating element 11 is energized based on the glass temperature information (automatic mode).
(2) When the engine of the vehicle 100 is started by the remote engine starter, the heating element 11 is energized regardless of the glass temperature information (ice and snow removal setting).
(3) The energization of the heating element 11 is not performed.
(4) The heating element 11 is energized (in manual mode) according to an instruction from the ice / snow removal command switch or the vehicle interior operation switch.

  The water temperature sensor 6 includes a known thermistor and a thermocouple, and measures the temperature of the cooling water used for cooling the engine of the vehicle 100.

  The control circuit 8 is configured as a normal computer and includes a well-known CPU 81, ROM 82, RAM 83, I / O 84 as an input / output circuit, A / D converter 86, communication I / F (interface) 87, flash memory 90, And a bus line 85 for connecting these components. The CPU 81 performs control based on the control program 82p and data stored in the ROM 82. The control circuit 8 corresponds to the wiper blade heat generation mechanism, engine start determination means, energization heating means, wiper drive control means, wiper drive means, and energization heating time measurement means of the present invention.

  The A / D conversion unit 86 includes a well-known A / D (analog / digital) conversion circuit. For example, the CPU 81 calculates analog data input to the control circuit 8 from each of the temperature sensors (2, 3, 6) and the like. It converts it into possible digital data.

  The communication I / F 87 is a communication interface circuit such as a LAN (Local Area Network) card for exchanging data with the controller 21 of the remote engine starter 20.

  The flash memory 90 is an electrically rewritable semiconductor storage medium in which information and data necessary for the operation of the wiper control device 1 are stored. The flash memory 90 is configured to retain the stored contents even when the wiper control device 1 is turned off.

  For example, a nichrome wire is used for the heating element 11 and is embedded in a blade rubber 35 of a wiper 31 (described later) as shown in FIG. In addition, electrodes 12 are provided at both ends of the heating element 11 and are connected to the control circuit 8. The heating element 11 is heated by applying a predetermined voltage to the electrode 12 from the control circuit 8. The electrode 12 corresponds to the wiper blade heating mechanism of the present invention. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, electrodes 32 c and 32 d may be provided at both ends of the primary lever 32, and a heating element (not shown) may be disposed on the primary lever 32. Further, at least a part of the primary lever 32 may be a heating element. Furthermore, at least a part of the entire wiper blade excluding the blade rubber 35 may be used as a heating element.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the blower 61 is installed in the engine room 66 of the vehicle 100, and takes in air from the engine room 66 and air from the engine room 66, and wiper blades (described later). And a fan motor 63 for supplying air to the wiper blade and an air supply pipe 64 for supplying air from the engine room 66 to the wiper blade. A compressor may be used instead of the fan motor 63. The blower 61 corresponds to the diffusion promoting means of the present invention, the air intake 62 corresponds to the air intake means of the present invention, and the fan motor 63, the air supply pipe 64, and the injection nozzles 64a to 64f (described later) are the main. It corresponds to the blowing means of the invention.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the wiper motor 13 is for reciprocating the wipers (30, 40), and includes a motor drive circuit (not shown). Details will be described with reference to FIGS. The rotational movement of the wiper motor 13 is converted into a reciprocating movement (in the direction of a double arrow in FIG. 6) by the crank mechanism 14 and the link mechanism 15, and the wiper reciprocates between the lower end position and the upper end position around the rotation shafts 31a and 41a. Operate. When the wiper motor 13 rotates once, the wiper reciprocates once.

  The configuration of the wiper blade 31 will be described with reference to FIGS. The configuration of the wiper blade 41 is the same. The wiper blade 31 is connected to a wiper arm 34 attached to the rotary shaft 31a via a clip 32a.

  The wiper blade 31 is a metal fitting that disperses the force applied to the blade rubber 35 as uniformly as possible, a yoke 33a that supports the blade rubber 35 and the vertical bra 36, a secondary lever 33 that supports the blade rubber 35 and the yoke 33a, and a secondary lever. A primary lever 32 that supports 33 is included.

  An air supply pipe 64 is attached to the wiper arm 34 and the wiper blade 31. In the air supply pipe 64, injection nozzles 64b, 64d, 64c, and 64e are provided in the vicinity of the primary lever 32 and the secondary lever 33, respectively. In addition, injection nozzles 64 a and 64 f are also provided at the end of the secondary lever 33. The injection nozzles (64a to 64f) are for injecting air from the engine room 66.

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the wiper blade 31 in FIG. The injection nozzles 64c (the same applies to 64b, 64d, and 64e) are provided on both sides of the primary lever 32 so as to straddle the primary lever 32. The angle θ of the injection nozzle 64c with respect to the glass surface is determined by the amount of air injection, the inclination angle of the windshield 65, and the like.

  FIG. 9 shows a configuration example of the injection nozzle 64a. The injection nozzle 64f has the same configuration. FIG. 9 shows the wiper blade 31 as viewed from above (wiper arm 34 side). The injection nozzle 64a is bifurcated into 64a1 and 64a2, and the injection angle is adjusted so that air is injected not only on both sides of the wiper blade 31 but also on the end of the blade rubber 35. There are no restrictions on the number or direction of branches.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the remote engine starter 20 includes a controller 21, a remote controller 25 carried by the user, and a starter drive circuit 29 for driving a starter device (not shown) for starting the engine (not shown). Composed.

  The controller 21 includes a communication unit 22 that performs wireless communication with a remote controller 25 carried by the user, a communication I / F 24 that performs data communication with the wiper control device, and a control unit 23 that includes a CPU that controls the entire controller 21. Consists of.

  In addition, the remote controller 25 includes a display unit 26 including a liquid crystal display, a starter switch 27a for transmitting an engine start request signal, and an ice / snow removal command switch 27b for transmitting a signal for starting / stopping energization of the heating element. , And an audio output unit 28 including a speaker. When the user operates the starter switch 27a, an engine start request signal is transmitted from the remote controller 25. The remote controller 25 corresponds to the operation command input means of the present invention. Further, when the user operates the remote controller 25, a message or information corresponding to the operation is output from the display unit 26 or the audio output unit 28.

  The ice / snow removal control process will be described with reference to FIG. This process is included in the control program 82p and is repeatedly executed together with other processes of the control program 82p. First, remote engine starter information is acquired from the controller 21 of the remote engine starter 20 via the communication I / F 87 (S11).

  When the remote engine starter information includes information indicating that the engine of the vehicle 100 has been started by the remote engine starter (S12: Yes), the setting information stored in the flash memory 90 is acquired (S15). .

  When the setting information is the “automatic mode” described above (S16: Yes), the glass temperature information is acquired from the glass temperature sensor 2 (S17). Then, when the glass temperature falls below a predetermined energization temperature threshold such as −3 ° C. (S18: Yes), an ice / snow removal process is executed (S19, described later).

  Further, when the setting information is not “automatic mode” described above but “ice and snow removal setting”, or when the remote engine starter information includes an ice and snow removal command (S16: No → S20: Yes), the ice and snow removal is performed. Processing is executed (S19, described later).

  On the other hand, when the remote engine starter information does not include information indicating that the engine of the vehicle 100 has been started by the remote engine starter (S12: No), the information on the vehicle interior operation switch 4 is acquired. When the operation is performed and an ice / snow removal request is generated (S14: Yes), an ice / snow removal process is executed (S19, described later).

  The ice / snow removal process corresponding to step S19 in FIG. 10 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the heating element 11 is energized (S31). Next, water temperature information is acquired from the water temperature sensor 6 (S32). When the water temperature information exceeds a predetermined water temperature threshold (S33: Yes), the blower 61 is activated to supply the air in the engine room 66 to the wiper blades (31, 41) (S34).

  Next, the wiper blade temperature is acquired from the wiper blade temperature sensor 3 (S35). When the wiper blade temperature exceeds a predetermined moving temperature threshold (S36: Yes), a wiper blade moving process is executed (S39, described later).

  When the wiper blade temperature falls below a predetermined moving temperature threshold (S36: No), energization heating time information (an energization heating time counter value described later) is acquired (S37). When the energization heating time exceeds a time threshold corresponding to a predetermined time such as 5 minutes (S38: Yes), a wiper blade movement process is executed (S39, described later).

  The wiper blade movement process corresponding to step S39 in FIG. 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the wiper blade temperature is acquired from the wiper blade temperature sensor 3 (S51). When the wiper blade temperature exceeds a predetermined moving temperature threshold (S52: Yes), the wiper blade (31, 41) is moved by a predetermined operation unit (S53). The moving temperature threshold is a temperature at which snow or ice starts to melt and is considered to be able to be wiped with a wiper.

  The operation unit is set to 1/20 of the wiping area (see FIG. 5) of the wiper (30, 40), for example. This is because when the wiper motor 13 completes one rotation, when the reciprocating operation (sweep) of the wiper is completed, the unit of operation is equivalent to 9 degrees in terms of the rotation angle of the wiper motor 13. Therefore, a control command (applied voltage) is sent from the control circuit 8 to the wiper motor 13 so as to rotate the wiper motor 13 by 9 degrees.

  Further, the drive control of the wiper motor 13 may be performed so that the average sweep speed of the wiper at this time is lower than the normal time.

  FIG. 13 is a timing chart showing the relationship between the temperature and the position of the wiper blade (31, 41). When energization of the heating element 11 is started and the wiper blade temperature rises and exceeds the movement temperature threshold, the wiper blade moves toward the upper end position by the movement unit represented by d1. When the wiper blade moves to the upper end position, it moves toward the lower end position. The wiper blade continues to move until a predetermined condition (described later) is satisfied.

  Another example of the wiper blade movement process corresponding to step S39 in FIG. 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, when the energization heating time is not measured during the execution of the ice / snow removal processing, that is, when the energization heating time counter value in which the area is secured in the flash memory 90 or the RAM 83 is zero (S71: No), the energization heating time counter is set. It starts and the measurement of energization heating time is started (S72).

  Whether or not the ice / snow removal process is being executed is determined by an ice / snow removal process execution flag that secures an area in the flash memory 90 or the RAM 83. The ice / snow removal process execution flag is set while the ice / snow removal process is being executed, and is cleared when the ice / snow removal process is completed.

  When the energization heating time counter value exceeds a time threshold corresponding to a predetermined time such as 5 minutes (S73: Yes), the measurement of the energization heating time is terminated (S74), and the same as in the example of FIG. Then, the wiper blade (31, 41) is moved by a predetermined operation unit (S75).

  FIG. 15 is a timing chart showing the relationship between the energization heating time and the position of the wiper blade (31, 41). When energization of the heating element 11 is started and the energization heating time exceeds the time threshold t2, the wiper blade moves toward the upper end position by the movement unit represented by d2. When the wiper blade moves to the upper end position, it moves toward the lower end position. The wiper blade continues to move until a predetermined condition (described later) is satisfied.

  In the wiper blade moving process, only the process in FIG. 12 or only the process in FIG. 14 may be performed, or the process in FIG. 12 and the process in FIG. 14 may be performed in succession. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 17, it is good also as a structure performed when two conditions, wiper blade temperature and energization heating time, are satisfied. In FIG. 17, steps S111 and S112 and steps S113 to S116 are the same as steps S51 and S52 in FIG. 12 and steps S71 to S74 in FIG. Further, the operation unit in step S117 may be either d1 in FIG. 13 or d2 in FIG. 15, or may be a value determined separately.

  The ice / snow removal stop process will be described with reference to FIG. This process is performed on the assumption that the ice / snow removal process is being executed, that is, the ice / snow removal process execution flag is set. First, glass temperature information is acquired from the glass temperature sensor 2 (S91). When the glass temperature, which is the current heating condition of the present invention, exceeds the current temperature threshold (S92: Yes), the ice / snow removal process is stopped (S98, details will be described later).

  When the glass temperature does not exceed the energization temperature threshold (S92: No), the wiper movement number information is acquired (S93). The wiper movement frequency information is stored in the flash memory 90 or the RAM 83, and is counted as one when the wiper blade (31, 41) makes one reciprocation from the lower end position to the upper end position to the lower end position. Then, when the wiper movement frequency reaches a predetermined frequency threshold value such as 3 (S94: Yes), the ice / snow removal process is stopped (S98, details will be described later).

  When the number of wiper movements is not a predetermined number of times threshold (S94: No), remote engine starter information is acquired (S95). Next, vehicle interior operation switch information is acquired (S96). When the remote engine starter information or the vehicle interior operation switch information includes an instruction to stop the removal of ice and snow (S97: Yes), the ice and snow removal process is stopped (S98, details will be described later).

The details of the suspension of the ice / snow removal process are as follows.
(1) Clear the ice / snow removal processing execution flag.
(2) Stop energization of the heating element 11.
(3) Return the wiper blade (31, 41) to the lower end position.
(4) The energization heating time counter value is cleared to zero.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the knowledge of those skilled in the art can be used without departing from the spirit of the claims. Various modifications based on this are possible.

The block diagram which shows the structure of a wiper control apparatus. The figure which shows the example of attachment of a glass temperature sensor and an air blower. The figure which shows the example of attachment of a glass temperature sensor and an air blower. The figure which shows the structural example of a heat generating body. The figure explaining operation | movement of a wiper. The figure explaining operation | movement of a wiper. The figure which shows the structural example of a wiper blade. The figure which shows the structure of the AA cross section of the wiper blade of FIG. The figure which shows the structure of the wiper blade edge part of FIG. The flowchart explaining an ice-snow removal control process. The flowchart explaining an ice-snow removal process. The flowchart explaining a wiper blade movement process. The timing chart explaining the wiper blade movement process of FIG. The flowchart explaining another example of a wiper blade movement process. The timing chart explaining the wiper blade movement process of FIG. The flowchart explaining an ice-snow removal stop process. The flowchart explaining the further another example of a wiper blade movement process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wiper control apparatus 2 Glass temperature sensor (temperature information acquisition means)
3 Wiper blade temperature sensor (wiper blade temperature detection means)
4 Car interior operation switch (operation command input means)
5 Setting switch (operation command input means)
6 Water temperature sensor 8 Control circuit (wiper blade heat generation mechanism, engine start determination means, energization heating means, wiper drive control means, wiper drive means, energization heating time measurement means)
11 Heating element 12 Electrode (Wiper blade heating mechanism)
13 Wiper motor 20 Remote engine starter 21 Controller 25 Remote control (operation command input means)
30, 40 Wiper 31, 41 Wiper blade 35 Blade rubber 61 Blower (Diffusion promoting means)
62 Air intake (air intake means)
63 Fan motor (air blowing means)
64 Air supply pipe (air blowing means)
64a to 64f spray nozzle (air blowing means)
100 vehicles

Claims (12)

A wiper that wipes the window glass of the vehicle;
A wiper blade heating mechanism for energizing and heating a heating element built in the wiper blade or primary lever of the wiper;
Engine start determination means for determining whether the engine of the vehicle is started by a remote engine starter;
On the assumption that the engine start is determined by the remote engine starter, when a predetermined energization heating condition is further established,
A wiper control device comprising: Temperature information acquisition means for acquiring temperature information around the wiper blade;
The wiper control device according to claim 1, wherein the energization heating condition includes an energization temperature condition in which the acquired temperature information is lower than a predetermined energization temperature threshold. An operation command input means for inputting an operation command for the wiper blade heat generating mechanism;
The wiper control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the energization heating condition includes an operation command input generation condition in which the operation command input is generated in the operation command input means.   The wiper control device according to claim 3, wherein the operation command input means is provided in a remote controller that wirelessly transmits various command inputs to the remote engine starter.   The wiper control device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the operation command input means is provided in a passenger compartment of the vehicle.   The wiper control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a diffusion promoting unit that promotes diffusion of heat generated by the heating element that is energized and heated to the periphery of the wiper blade. The diffusion promoting means includes air intake means for taking in air from the engine room of the vehicle;
The wiper control device according to claim 6, further comprising: a blowing unit that is attached to the wiper blade and blows air in the engine room to the periphery of the wiper blade. Wiper driving means for wiping the wiper;
Wiper blade temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the wiper blade;
A wiper drive control means for operating the wiper when the temperature of the wiper blade exceeds a predetermined moving temperature threshold by energization heating to the heating element;
The wiper control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: An energization heating time measuring means for measuring the energization heating time to the heating element,
The wiper control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the wiper drive control unit operates the wiper when the measured energization heating time exceeds a predetermined time threshold value.   10. The wiper drive control means operates the wiper so that an average sweep speed of one stroke of the wiping operation is lower than normal during energization heating of the heating element. Wiper control device.   The said wiper drive control means is intermittently operated in the form of repeating operation | movement and a stop in the operation unit shorter than the stroke of the said wiping operation | movement from the stop position of the said wiper in the said window glass to the said wiping operation | movement direction. Item 11. The wiper control device according to any one of Item 10. Comprising the requirements of claim 8;
The wiper control device according to claim 11, wherein the wiper drive control unit waits until the movement temperature threshold is exceeded after moving the operation unit, and then moves by the next operation unit.

Images