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Title:
SURFACE WIPER CONTROL SYSTEM
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2017/118976
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention there is provided a surface wiper control system for wiping a surface. The system includes a rotating wiper arm pivoting at one end, a wiping device, a linear motionmeans for allowing said wiping device to slide independently along said rotating wiping arm. The system further includes a power source to allow an independently linear motion and a shaft for moving said wiper device which slides linearly by said linear motionmeans along said rotating wiper arm. The system further includes a linear motioncontrol. The rotating wiper arm is connectable to the wiping device designed to wipe said defined surface, the power source for the independently linear motion and the linear motionmeans are able to slide the connectable wiping device along the rotating wiper arm, the wiper control system is able to control said wiping device in linear sliding movement, in any desired manner, independently of the rotating motion of the rotating wiper arm.

Inventors:
GARTI EFRAIM (IL)
Application Number:
PCT/IL2017/050010
Publication Date:
July 13, 2017
Filing Date:
January 04, 2017
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
GARTI EFRAIM (IL)
International Classes:
B60S1/36; B60S1/24
Domestic Patent References:
WO1998009852A11998-03-12
Foreign References:
DE2430831A11976-01-08
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
SLYOMOVICS, Noe (IL)
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS 1. A wiper control system for wiping a defined surface comprising:

a rotating wiper arm pivoting at one end;

a linear motionmeans;

a power source for independent linear motion;

wherein, said rotating wiper arm is connectable to a wiping device designed to wipe said defined surface, said power source for independent linear motion and said linear motionmeans are able to slide said connectable wiping device along said rotating wiper arm, said wiper control system enables to control said wiping device in linear motionmovement, in any desired manner.

2. A wiper control system according to claim 1, wherein said wiping device is a wiper blade.

3. A wiper control system according to claim 1, wherein said system further comprising a controller means for synchronizing the position of the sliding wiper blade with said arm rotating direction, said arm angular velocity and position of said wiper arm motor shaft rotation.

4. A wiper control system according to claim 1, wherein said rotating arm is having an elongated grove and said linear motionmeans comprising a rack and a pinion; said wiping device is attached to said rack and wherein, rotational motion applied to the said pinion causes said rack to move relative to said pinion, thereby translating the rotational motion of said pinion into linear motion. 5. A wiper control system according to claim 1, wherein said rotating arm is having an elongated grove and said linear motionmeans comprising pulleys system which includes two pulleys each on a shaft, connected by a belt, wherein said windshield wiper is attached to said belt.

6. A wiper control system according to claim 1, wherein said controller means is a microcontroller.

7. A wiper control system according to claim 1, wherein said rotating wiper arm further comprising a position encoder. 8. A wiper control system according to claim 1, wherein said power source for independent linear motion further comprising a position encoder.

9. A wiper control system according to claim 1, wherein said power source for independent linear motion is a servo motor.

10. A wiper control system according to claim 1, wherein when said rotating wiper arm rotates in one direction said wiping device is located in a fixed position and when said rotating wiper arm rotates in the opposite direction said wiping device linearly slides along said wiper arm to reach the edges of said defined surface, thereby said wiper control system will wipe the pane of said defined surface in a completed one cycle, after this reversed rotation is ended, said defined surface wiper control system will do this cycle repeatedly during the operation of said defined surface wiper system. 11. A wiper control system according to any of the claims 1-9 wherein, when said rotating wiper arm rotates in both rotating directions said wiping device slides in accordance to any pattern and dependent with at least one variable parameter. 12. A wiper control system according to claim 11 wherein said variable parameter(s) is selected from a group of:

Surface shape and size; Rotating movement of said rotating wiper arm;

Weather conditions;

Water, ice, snow or debris placed on the surface or on a particular area of the surface;

Vehicle speed and movement;

The use of another, nearby, wiping device;

Selection of intermittent wiper operation

Selection of different wiping speeds

A wiper control system according to claim 1 wherein said wiping device in accordance with a manual control;

FOR THE APPLICANT

Description:
SURFACE WIPER CONTROL SYSTEM

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a surface wiper control system such as but not limited to a vehicle windshield wiper control system, more particularly to an improved wiper system for wiping surfaces of different shapes and sizes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A surface wiper is a device used to remove rain, snow, ice and debris from a surface such as a windshield. Almost all vehicles, including cars, trucks, train locomotives, watercraft with a cabin and some aircraft, are equipped with such wipers, which are usually a legal requirement. A wiper generally includes of a metal arm, pivoting at one end and with a long rubber blade attached close to the other. The arm is powered by a motor, often an electric motor, although pneumatic power is also used in some vehicles. The blade rotates back and forth over the glass, pushing water or other precipitations from its surface. The speed is normally adjustable, with several continuous speeds and often one or more "intermittent" settings. Most automobiles use two synchronized radial type arms, while many commercial vehicles use one or more pantograph arms.

In the conventional windshield wiper systems the wiper blade moves on the windshield, leaving un-wiped zones on it τ In order to prevent the occurrence of such un-wiped zones on the windshield, it has been tried to develop windshield wiper systems as disclosed for example in US 4,570,283, US 2,629,891, US 4,584,734, US 4,813,095 and US 2,222,222.

US 4,570,283 discloses a windshield wiper system that includes a transmission shaft on a vehicle body rotatable about an axis thereof through a wipe arc, a drive plate on the transmission shaft perpendicular to the axis, a wiper support arm rotatable with the drive plate and radially movable relative to the axis, a scissors linkage pivoted at one end in the transmission shaft and connected at the opposite end to the support arm, and a cam channel on the vehicle body in which is received a follower connected to the scissors linkage at a control pivot of the latter between the ends thereof. As the transmission shaft angularly oscillates, the drive plate and wiper arm and the latter, in turn, angularly oscillates the scissors linkage, the cam channel causes the follower to radially displace the scissors linkage control pivot so that the scissors linkage expands and contracts and concurrently radially extends and retracts the wiper arm thereby to vary the radial reach thereof.

US 2,629,891 discloses an auxiliary wiper blade mounted along side of, and generally parallel to the conventional fixed blade. And constructed and arranged to be reciprocated in and out generally radially during the accurate reciprocation of the wiper arm and fixed blade, the radial reciprocation of the auxiliary being affected through the action, inter alia, of a pattern cam corresponding in shape to the contour of the windshield. The auxiliary blade, in extended position wherein it only partially overlaps the main blade, will sweep those portions of the windshield which are not reached by the main blade.

US 4,584,734 describes a windscreen wiper system comprising a frame, a motor driven reducer, a bar drive mechanism and two windscreen wipers one of which has two controlled movements, one for sweeping, the other for extension- retraction. Said system comprises three coaxial shafts anchored to the frame, the arms of said two windscreen wipers are carried by two of said shafts which drive them with sweeping movements in the same direction, the extension-retraction is controlled from the third shaft driven with a reciprocating movement of the same frequency as the other two but in the opposite direction and said drive mechanism comprises three rocking levers fixed respectively to each of said coaxial shafts.

US 4,813,095 discloses a compound windshield wiper having a blade assembly consisting of a main wiper blade and an adjacent and secondary reciprocating blade in sliding registry therewith. The secondary sliding blade, attached to the main blade by an interlocking bearing-in-slot assembly, is driven towards an extended position during the wiper's arcuate sweep along the windshield, thus allowing the secondary blade, called a traveler blade, to clean portions of the windshield that are normally uncleaned by the traditional windshield wiper blade system. The means for extending the secondary blade comprises a simple cable system that both extends and retracts the secondary blade. The cable may be driven by either a motor means that is synchronized with the wiper sweep, similar to or identical with modern vehicle wiper system motors or, by anchoring the terminus of the cable (the proximal end) to some point of the window frame or vehicle body. Then, as the wiper arm draws closer to or further from the proximal connection, the relative cable length will be either shortened or lengthened, thus extending or retracting the secondary blade.

DE3742635 discloses wiper systems with a stroke-controlled rotary motion the forward motion and return motion of the wiper take place on the same paths of motion. A higher wiping frequency can, as a result, only be achieved by increasing the driving power. This leads to higher load moments and to higher stresses on the mechanical parts. The intention with the wiper system is to obtain a higher wiping frequency without also increasing the driving power. A non- uniformly transmitting gear mechanism causes different paths of motion for the forward motion and return motion of the wiper. In particular, the forward motion can take place on a stroke-controlled wiping path and the return motion on a central wiping path. Wiper system for cleaning windows/lens glasses in motor vehicles.

In order to improve the windshield wiper system, many ideas and concepts were introduced and described in many patents for example as described hereinabove. Some of them discuss mechanical mechanisms that would wipe a non circular wiping area when the wiper arm extends itself differently in different angular positions as the wiper rotates. This will allow a non circular wiping area to be wiped and is actually able to track the contour of the area to be wiped. However, an area in the middle of the screen is being left un-wiped. Moreover, the un-wiped area is now the most important area through which the sight through the screen is needed. Hence these mechanisms do not significantly improve the sight of the driver. Moreover, a mechanism that regularly wipes different paths of forward and return motion couldn't be useful in vehicle windshield, especially not with one having two wiping arms, since a complete wiping of the surface typically uses both motions for a complete removal of water or other materials off the surface.

One objective of the present invention is to provide a wiping system, which is simple in construction, yet is able to wipe a defined surface without leaving un-wiped zones.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a wiping system that is able to wipe practically any sized and shaped surface without leaving un- wiped zones.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a wiping system that can be adjusted, controlled and configured for any size and shape of a windshield and leaving no un-wiped zones.

Other objectives and advantages of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description, appended claims and accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to surface wiper system, more particularly to an improved surface wiper system for wiping surfaces such as vehicle windshield of practically any shapes and sizes.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention there is provided a surface wiper control system for wiping a surface. The system includes a rotating wiper arm pivoting at one end, a wiping device, a linear motionmeans for allowing said wiping device to slide independently along said rotating wiping arm. The system further includes a power source to allow an independently linear motion and a shaft for moving said wiper device which slides linearly by said linear motionmeans along said rotating wiper arm. The system further includes a linear motioncontrol. The rotating wiper arm is connectable to the wiping device designed to wipe said defined surface, the power source for the independently linear motion and the linear motionmeans are able to slide the connectable wiping device along the rotating wiper arm, the wiper control system is able to control said wiping device in linear sliding movement, in any desired manner, independently of the rotating motion of the rotating wiper arm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be understood upon reading of the following detailed description of non-limiting exemplary embodiments thereof, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a windshield wiper system in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a windshield wiper system as illustrated in

Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front view of a windshield wiper system in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention showing the swapped windshield areas and the un-swapped windshield areas when the wiper is in a fixed position and rotates for example in the clockwise direction;

Fig. 4 is a front view of a windshield wiper system in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention showing simultaneously the swapped windshield areas and the un-swapped windshield areas when the wiper blade is shown in two opposite positions on the wiper arm and where the wiper arm rotates in both clockwise and counter clockwise directions;

Fig. 5 is a perspective sectional view of the windshield wiper system in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a side view of a windshield wiper system in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;

Fig. 7 is a side view of the windshield wiper system opposite to the side view shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a side view of a windshield wiper system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 9 is a side view of the windshield wiper system opposite to the side view shown in Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is an exemplary schematic block diagram of the hardware of the windshield wiper system in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings referred to above. Dimensions of components and features shown in the figures are chosen for convenience or clarity of presentation and are not necessarily shown to scale. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same and like parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown a windshield wiper system in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention used to remove for example rain, snow and ice from a windshield 10. Windshield wiper system 20 includes a rotating wiper arm 22 pivoting at one end with a long wiper blade 24 attached to the arm 22. Windshield wiper system 20 further includes a slider means 28 (that will be described later in further details) which allows the wiper blade to slide along wiper arm 22. A wiper arm motor 23 is connected to the pivoting end of the wiper arm 22 for rotating the wiper arm 22 when the wiper motor is operated. The wiper motor 23 may further include a position encoder 30 so that a microprocessor or any other suitable computing means, not shown, can compute the rotation angle position of wiper arm 22. Windshield wiper system 20 further includes a wiper blade linear motion power source 34 for controlling the extension of the wiper blade which slides linearly along wiper arm 22. The wiper blade linear motion power supply 34 is preferably a servo motor type, but could be any other power source which may have also an encoder, not shown, indicating the motor rotation angle so that a microprocessor, microcontroller or any other suitable computing means, not shown, can compute the desired linear position of the wiper blade 24 on wiper arm 22. power sources or linear motion means 23 and 34 are controlled and synchronized for allowing wiping of windshields in any size and shapes without leaving un-swapped areas on the windshield.

Referring also to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a windshield wiper system that when it is operated, slider means allows the wiper blade to slide along wiper arm 22 in the upward or downward direction. When arm 22 rotates for example clockwise as designated by arrow 40, the windshield wiper 24 is located in a fixed position during the clockwise arm rotation, thereby windshield wiper 24 wipes area A, and areas B, C and D are kept un-wiped. When arm 22 rotates in the reverse direction, counter clockwise, as designated by arrow 42 the windshield wiper 24 is linearly slides along the arm 22 during the clockwise arm rotation in order that the upper end of the wiper 24 will reach the edges of the windshield, thereby windshield wiper system 20 will wipe area E and area G, is kept un-wiped. After this reversed rotation is ended, the wiper will do this cycle of clockwise and counter clockwise arm rotations again and again during the operation of the windshield wiper system, thereby only a very small area F which is insignificant area to the driver might be left un-wiped. It should be noted that the mechanism of the sliding wiper can be implemented in some embodiments of the present invention mechanically while in other embodiments of the present invention the sliding wiper mechanism can be implemented electro-mechanically.

A more flexible windshield wiping pattern or cycle can be accomplished when the rotation mechanism of both modes of wiping, fixed length semicircle wiping mode (wiper 24 is in a fixed position), and variable reach wiping mode (wiper 24 slides linearly on arm 22) are controlled to operate not only alternatingly, but in any order of modes cycle required by the operator. Such a need may arise when a car windshield needs to be wiped in heavy rain situation, where the center of the screen needs to be wiped at an extremely high speed. In this case a wiping cycle can be selected where every number of fixed length circle wiping will be followed by one variable reach wiping. In other cases of a very tiny rain, it may be preferred to set the system to a wiping cycle of several variable reach wiping modes followed by one fixed length circle wiping mode.

Referring now also to Figs 5, 6 and 7. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention arm 22 is further having an elongated groove 50. The windshield wiper system 20 further includes a rack 54 and a pinion 56 which is a type of linear actuator that comprises a pair of gears which convert rotational motion into linear motion. Windshield wiper 24 is attached to the rack 54 by any suitable attaching means 55 known in the art such as but not limited to latch release 55 shown for example in Fig. 7. A circular gear called "the pinion" 56 which is a round cog, engages teeth on a linear "gear" flat bar called "the rack" 54. Rotational motion applied to the pinion 56 causes the rack 54 to move relative to the pinion 56, thereby translating the rotational motion of the pinion 56 into linear motion. In operation, when motor 34 is activated, a shaft 60 (see Fig. 6) that is attached to the motor 34 starts to rotate clockwise or counter clockwise. The motor 34 can be controlled by any suitable controller means in order to control the direction of the motor shaft rotation and to control the angular velocity of the motor shaft 60.

Referring now also to Fig. 10, in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention controller means can be implemented as a microcontroller, a processor, a digital processor or other device 70 capable of executing program instructions from a memory for controlling the direction of the motor shaft rotation and to control the angular velocity of the motor shaft 60. Power drivers 74 are used to drive wiper blade linear power source 34 and wiper arm motor 23. power drivers 74 are controlled by controller 70. All the electrical components that are shown in Fig. 10 can be powered by an electrical power source 78 which can be the vehicle rechargeable battery. The data that comes from shafts encoders 30 and 76 are received by controller 70. The shaft encoders 30 and 56 76 which may also called rotary encoders are typically an electro-mechanical device that converts the angular position or motion of a shaft or axle of the motors 34 and 23 23 and 34 respectively to an analog or digital data received by controller 70. It should be noted that, in accordance with present invention controller 70 can control the motor 34, in any desired velocity and position and with suitable algorithm can be applied for programming any desired wiping pattern in order that in any windshield size and shape and in any weather condition the windshield wiper of the invention will wipe all of the windshield areas.

Referring now also to Figs 8 and 9, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention arm 22 is further having an elongated groove, not shown. The windshield wiper system 20 further includes pulleys system which includes two pulley wheels 80 and 82 each on a shaft 84, connected by a belt 86. This transmits rotary motion and force from the input, or driver shaft, to the output, or driven shaft. Alternatively, the windshield wiper system 20 includes toothed, notch, cog, or synchronous belt 86 which is a positive transfer belt and can track relative movement. This belt has teeth that fit into matching toothed pulleys 80 and 82. Windshield wiper 24 is attached to the belt 86 by any suitable attaching means 55 known in the art such as but not limited to latch release 86 shown for example in Fig. 8. In operation, when motor 34 is activated, a shaft 84 (see Fig. 8) that is attached to the motor 34 starts to rotate clockwise or counter clockwise. Typically, linear power source 23 is fully controlled by the driver through the existing electrical car system, linear power source 23 can be instructed to start/stop. Motor 23 can be instructed to elect the motor rotational speed and select/deselect intermittent operation. While the motor 34 can be controlled by any suitable controller means in order to control the direction of the motor shaft rotation and to control the angular velocity of the motor shaft 84. Synchronized to this wiper arm motion, the belt 86 sliding wiper position is controlled accordingly.

In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention when the rotating wiper arm rotates in both rotating directions the wiping device can slide in accordance to any sliding pattern which can be dependent with one or more variable parameters such as but not limited to surface shape and size, rotating movement of the rotating wiper arm, weather conditions, water, ice, snow or debris placed on the surface or on a particular area of the surface, vehicle speed and movement, the use of another, nearby, wiping device, selection of intermittent wiper operation and selection of different wiping speeds.

It should be understood that the above description is merely exemplary and that there are various embodiments of the present invention that may be devised, mutatis mutandis, and that the features described in the above-described embodiments, and those not described herein, may be used separately or in any suitable combination; and the invention can be devised in accordance with embodiments not necessarily described above.