JPH07205766A - Wiper device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To keep the error angle between the wiper blade of the wiper device and the glass surface within the ideal range. In a wiper device for wiping a glass surface by rotating a wiper arm having a base end attached to an upper end of a pivot and a wiper blade provided at a front end, the upper end of a pivot 21 and a base end of an arm head 23 of the wiper arm. 23a, which is interposed between the pivot head and the base end of the arm head, and a support mechanism 26 that supports the arm head such that the arm head cannot rotate relative to the pivot and can swing in the wiping direction. The drive means 30 for swinging the wiper arm according to the movement is provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wiper device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Rain and snow adhering to a windshield glass of a vehicle are arranged at a predetermined lower position in front of a windshield glass (hereinafter simply referred to as "glass") 2 of a vehicle body 1 as shown in FIGS. The wiper device 3 is wiped off. The wiper device 3 includes a pivot 4 rotatably arranged on the vehicle body 1, an arm head 5 having a base end fixed to a tip end of the pivot 4, and a base end capable of undulating on a tip end of the arm head 5. A wiper arm 8 composed of a supported retainer 6 and an arm piece 7 whose base end is fixed to the distal end of the retainer 6, and a central portion that is swingable in the distal end of the arm piece 7 and in the axial direction of the arm piece 7. The wiper blade 10 supported via 9 and the spring force of a spring (not shown) provided on the wiper blade 10 and stretched between the tip end of the arm head 5 and the base end of the arm piece 7. The blade rubber 11 pressed against the surface of the glass 2 and the pivot 4 arranged on the vehicle body 1 side
And a drive device (not shown) for rotating the motor in a predetermined range. Then, the wiper arm 8 is rotated by the pivot 4 and the blade rubber 11 wipes off rain, snow and the like adhering to the surface of the glass 2.

[0003]

By the way, the glass 2
Is forced to change its curvature (large or small) due to various vehicle body shapes and cost aspects (for example, reduction of running resistance, resin vitrification, etc.), and has a naturally complicated curved surface shape. In order to wipe the wiper arm 8 along this curved surface and smoothly wipe it over the entire range of rotation, it is necessary to accurately set the attachment position and attachment state of the pivot 4 to the vehicle body 1. Generally, the angle θ between the wiper blade 10 and the surface of the glass 2 (hereinafter referred to as “error angle”) is set within ± 8 ° at any position in the wiper wiping range (wiper pattern). (FIG. 3 (a)).

On the other hand, in the pivot 4 of the wiper device 3, the axial direction is constant over the entire rotation range of the wiper arm 8. Therefore, the error angle θ greatly changes according to the change of the curvature of the range (0 ° to 85 °) in which the glass 2 is wiped, as shown by the solid line I in FIG. In general,
The value of the error angle θ is defined as a positive direction when the wiper blade 10 wipes from the stop position and a negative direction when the wiper blade 10 wipes it.
The tilt of the pivot 4 is set so as to be in the range of approximately ± 4 ° <θ <± 8 °.

However, when the error angle θ exceeds the range of the above-mentioned set value, a very thin water film 14 is formed by the water drops 13 attached to the glass surface as shown in FIG. 3B. The wiping action of the wiper becomes insufficient. Further, as shown in FIG. 3C, the wiper blade 10
At the time of reversing, the blade rubber 11 cannot be reversed and jumps on the glass surface, causing a phenomenon called so-called chattering. Further, when the error angle θ becomes smaller than the range of the set value, the blade rubber 11 wobbles left and right as shown in FIG.

Further, since the error angle θ is different at each position of the wiper blade 10, there is an adverse effect that the blade rubber 11 is twisted. In particular, such a problem may occur when the wiper arm 8 is in the stop position or in the vicinity of the reversal position, and the friction coefficient between the blade rubber 11 and the glass surface is deteriorated due to deterioration of the blade rubber 11 or foreign matter adhering to the glass surface. Becomes significant when is increased. In order to solve such a problem, it is necessary to reduce the value change amount of the error angle θ or to keep it constant.

To change the error angle,
There is a windshield wiper device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-51496. In this device, a pivot of a wiper is rotatably supported by a first bearing about a first axis, and the first bearing is supported by a second bearing in a second direction which is not parallel to the first axis. The shaft is rotatably supported around the axis of and the first bearing is changed about the second axis in synchronization with the rotational movement of the wiper arm to change the error angle.

However, when the wiper arm and the wiper blade are not in parallel with the rotation axis of the second bearing, the error angle does not change even if the first bearing is rotated. Generally, the rotation angle of the wiper is
The angle is about 85 ° to 110 °, and the error angle can be changed at either the stop position or the reversal position of the wiper arm, but at the other side, the error angle cannot be changed. Therefore, it becomes difficult to keep the error angle constant over the entire rotation range (stroke) of the wiper arm. Therefore, the wiper blade cannot always move on the glass surface with an appropriate error angle according to the shape of the glass surface.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and the wiper is designed to keep the error angle in the ideal range or constant at any position on the glass surface in the wiping range of the wiper. The purpose is to provide a device.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a wiper arm having a base end attached to an upper end of a pivot and a wiper blade provided at a tip thereof is rotated by the pivot to move the glass. In a wiper device for wiping a surface, interposed between an upper end of the pivot and a base end of the wiper arm, a support mechanism that supports the wiper arm in a relatively non-rotatable manner with respect to the pivot and swingably in a wiping direction, The drive means is interposed between the pivot and the base end of the wiper arm, and has a drive means for swinging the wiper arm according to the rotation of the pivot.

[0011]

The supporting mechanism pivots the base end of the wiper arm on the upper end of the pivot together with the pivot, and swingably supports the wiper arm in the wiping direction. The drive means operates in response to the rotation of the pivot to swing the base end of the wiper arm. As a result, the wiper arm is swung in the wiping direction while rotating, so that the error angle is maintained in the ideal range or constant.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 5 and 6, in the pivot 21 of the wiper device 20, the upper end 21b of the shaft portion 21a is formed in a spherical shape having a larger diameter than the shaft portion 21a (hereinafter referred to as "spherical portion 21b"). The continuous portion 21c with the portion 21a is formed in a tapered shape (hereinafter referred to as "tapered portion 21c"). That is, the upper end of the pivot 21 has a ball joint structure. Then, the tapered portion 2 of the pivot 21
At a position below 1c, a long hole 21d that is flat along the axial direction is provided.
Are orthogonal to the axial direction (Z-axis direction) and the axial direction (Y-axis direction) of the wiper arm (X-axis direction). A flat shaft (hereinafter referred to as "flat shaft") 22 is provided in the long hole 21d.
Is press-fitted and inserted, and both ends 22a and 22b of the pivot 2
The same length is projected on both sides of 1.

On the other hand, the base end 23a of the arm head 23 which constitutes the wiper arm has a columnar shape and has a hole 2 in the axial direction.
3b to 23d are provided, and the hole 23c is recessed in a hemisphere at an upper portion to open toward the upper hole 23b, and the lower portion is tapered to have a diameter increased to open toward a lower hole 23d. .
The holes 23b and 23d have a larger diameter than the spherical portion 21b of the pivot 21, the hole 23c has a concave portion slightly larger than the spherical portion 21b, and the tapered portion has a tapered portion 21 of the pivot 21.
The taper angle is larger than the taper angle of c, and the shaft 2
1a is allowed to penetrate with a slight gap.

Further, at the base end 23a, slits 23e, 23 which are axially flat at both ends on the diameter of the side wall of the hole 23d are formed in the axial direction from the vicinity of the upper end of the hole 23d to the lower end thereof.
f is provided. These slits 23e, 23f
The direction of the diameter in which is arranged coincides with the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the wiper arm, that is, the wiping direction of the wiper arm. The slits 23e and 23f are set slightly wider than the flat shaft 22 provided on the pivot 21.

The arm head 23 is mounted on the upper end of the pivot 21, the lower half of the spherical portion 21b is slidably fitted in the recess of the hole 23c, and both ends 22a, 22 of the flat shaft 22 are fitted.
b is in the slits 23e and 23f in the longitudinal direction (axial direction), respectively.
It is slidably fitted in. Then, the cap 2 is inserted into the hole 23b.
4 is fitted and fixed to the partition wall 23g with the hole 23c by the screw 25. The cap 24 has a hemispherical recess 24a corresponding to the recess of the hole 23c formed in the center of the lower surface, and is slidably fitted to the upper half of the spherical portion 21b of the pivot 21. That is, the base end 23a of the arm head 23 is attached to the pivot 2
It is supported by the ball joint structure at the upper end of 1.

The arm head 23 has two ends 22.
The a and 22b are supported by the flat shaft 22 fitted in the slits 23e and 23f such that they cannot rotate relative to the pivot 21. The flat shaft 22 has both flat sides of both ends 22a and 22b slidably in contact with both sides of the slits 23e and 23f, respectively, and a mounting position of the pivot 21 to the arm head 23.
The arm head 23 is positioned below (shifted from) the swing center of the pivot 21, that is, the center of the spherical portion 21b of the pivot 21, so that the arm head 23 is positioned in the axial direction of the wiper arm (Y-axis direction). It is prevented from swinging (waviness) in the direction (Z-axis direction). The shaft 22 does not necessarily have to be a flat shaft and may be a round bar.

Further, the arm head 23 can swing in the wiping direction of the wiper arm about the spherical portion 21b by moving the opposite ends 22a and 22b of the flat shaft 22 in the slits 23e and 23f in opposite directions. To be done. That is, the arm head 23 can rotate in the directions of the arrows A and A ′ together with the pivot 21, and can swing in the wiping direction of the wiper blade indicated by the arrows B and B ′. The swing range of the arm head 23 is defined by the slits 23e, 2
A desired range can be determined by adjusting the distance between each upper end surface of 3f and the opposing upper end surfaces of both ends 22a and 22b of the flat shaft 22. In this way, the support mechanism 26 that supports the arm head 23 on the pivot 21 is configured. The lower end of the pivot 21 is connected to a link (not shown) of the wiper drive device and is rotatably supported. A wiper arm and a wiper blade (both not shown) are attached to the tip 23i of the arm head 23.

A drive mechanism for swinging the arm head 23, for example, an extendable actuator 30 is interposed between the upper surface of the one end 22a of the flat shaft 22 of the pivot 21 and the lower surface of the partition wall 23g of the arm head 23. Has been done. The actuator 30 is, for example, a linear solenoid as shown in FIG. 7, and the core 32 is housed in the casing 31 so as to be slidable in the axial direction, and the solenoids 33, 34 and the return springs 35, 36 are housed at both ends. Both ends 32a and 32b of the core 32 can be moved into and out of the corresponding solenoids 33 and 34, respectively.

The rod 37 has its base end fixed to one end 32a of the core 32 by penetrating a hole formed in the end face of the casing 31. In this actuator 30, the base end of the casing 31 is fixed vertically to the upper surface of the one end 22 a of the flat shaft 22, and the tip of the rod 37 is the partition wall 2 of the arm head 23.
It is fitted in a slit 23h formed on the lower surface of 3g and is rotatably connected by a pin 38.

The core 32 is held in the center by the spring force of the return springs 35 and 36 when the solenoids 33 and 34 are deenergized, and moves upward in the figure when the solenoid 33 is energized, so that the solenoid 34 moves. When it is urged, it moves downward. The amount of movement is the solenoid 3
It changes (proportionally) according to the driving currents of 3, 34. That is, the core 32 moves to a position where the attraction force of the solenoid 33 and the spring force of the spring 35 or the attraction force of the solenoid 34 and the spring force of the spring 36 are balanced. These solenoids 33 and 34 are connected to the control circuit 40.

The control circuit 40 has a computer, and as shown in FIG. 8, a rotation direction sensor 41 for detecting the rotation direction of the wiper arm, a rotation angle sensor 42 for detecting the rotation angle of the wiper arm, and a vehicle speed sensor 44. , The outside temperature sensor 45, the water drop sensor 46, each information from the friction resistance sensor 47 for detecting the friction between the wiper blade and the glass surface, and the glass surface shape data 43 are fetched, and the actuator 30 is driven.

Rotation direction sensor 41 and rotation angle sensor 4
Reference numeral 2 is, for example, interposed between a link of the drive device for rotating the pivot 21 of the wiper device 20 and the vehicle body, and detects the moving direction and the moving amount of the link. Vehicle speed sensor 4
4 detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle. Then, the vehicle speed signal is used as a signal indicating the wind pressure received by the wiper blade during traveling. Outside temperature sensor 45, water drop sensor 4
6 is disposed so as to face the outside of the vehicle body, and the water drop detection sensor 46 detects that it is raining. The friction resistance sensor 47 detects, for example, a change in the terminal voltage of the wiper motor that rotates the pivot 21 to detect the magnitude of friction between the glass surface and the blade rubber. The glass surface shape data 43 is stored in the memory of the computer.

The operation will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The control circuit 40 includes sensors 41, 42,
A drive current is output according to the rotation of the pivot 21 (wiping operation of the wiper) by a signal input from 44 to 46 and the glass surface shape data, the solenoid 33 or 34 is energized, the actuator 30 is driven, and the arm is driven. The head 23 is swung. As the arm head 23 swings, the wiper blade attached to the arm head 23 swings to change the error angle θ.

That is, when the wiper motor is driven and the wiper operation is started, the control circuit 40 rotates the rotation direction sensor 4
The rotation direction of the pivot 21 is detected by the signal input from 1 to determine whether it is counterclockwise (wiping up) or clockwise (wiping down) (step S1 in FIG. 9), and when it is counterclockwise (FIG. 5). The rotation angle of the wiper arm is detected by the signal input from the rotation angle sensor 42 in the arrow A direction (step S).
2).

Next, the control circuit 40 sequentially reads the data of the glass surface shape corresponding to the turning angle (wiping position) of the wiper arm from the memory (step S4) and calculates the error angle according to the turning angle. The calculated error angle is corrected by the glass surface shape data to calculate the swing angle of the wiper arm (step S5). Further, when the outside air temperature is low, the elasticity of the blade rubber decreases, so it is preferable to reduce the inclination angle of the blade rubber. The control circuit 40 calculates the error angle correction value when the outside air temperature is low, based on the signal input from the outside air temperature sensor 46. Further, when the amount of rainfall is small, or when the wiper is used to remove dirt on the glass surface, the frictional resistance between the glass surface and the blade rubber increases. The control circuit 40 calculates a correction value of the error angle according to the rainfall amount based on the signals input from the water drop detection sensor 46 and the friction resistance sensor 47.

The control circuit 40 calculates the displacement amount of the swing angle of the wiper blade based on the error angle calculated in step S5 and its correction value, and outputs the drive current corresponding to the displacement amount (step S6). , Energize the solenoid 33 (FIG. 7) of the actuator 30. Actuator 3
When the solenoid 33 is urged, the core 32 moves upward and pushes up the rod 37, causing the arm head 23 to swing in the direction of arrow B in FIG. As a result, the error angle at the time of wiping the wiper is kept in the ideal range as indicated by the one-dot chain line II in FIG. 4 or constant as indicated by the two-dot chain line III.

In step S1, when the wiper arm rotates clockwise, that is, when it is wiped down (direction of arrow A'in FIG. 5), the process proceeds to step S3, in which the rotation angle of the wiper arm is detected by the signal input from the rotation angle sensor 42, Glass surface shape data corresponding to the rotation angle of the wiper arm is read (step S4). An error angle corresponding to the rotation angle is calculated, and the calculated error angle is corrected by the glass surface shape data to calculate the swing angle of the wiper arm (step S5). Further, when the vehicle speed is high, the wind pressure received by the wiper blade becomes large, and therefore the swing angle of the wiper arm when the wiper blade is wiped down is corrected by the vehicle speed signal input from the vehicle speed sensor 44. Control circuit 40
Outputs a driving current having a magnitude corresponding to the corrected displacement amount of the swing angle of the wiper arm to urge the solenoid 34 of the actuator 30 (step S4). In the actuator 30, when the solenoid 34 is energized, the core 32 moves downward to pull down the rod 37 and swing the arm head 23 in the arrow B'direction in FIG. This corrects the error angle when the wiper is wiped down. As a result,
The error angle is maintained in the ideal range as indicated by the one-dot chain line II in FIG. 4 or is kept constant as the two-dot chain line III ′.
In this way, the error angle is maintained in the ideal range or constant in the wiping range (0 ° to 85 °) shown in FIG.

Glass curved surface and various conditions (various sensors, etc.)
It is possible to obtain a correction value according to. Therefore, during wiping (wiping down), the blade and the glass surface are appropriately held (maintained) by the ideal contact force. Therefore, when the wiper arm is reversed, the tip of the blade rubber is also smoothly folded back in the wiping direction in cooperation with the swing mechanism, and a smooth wiper operation is obtained.

FIG. 10 shows a second embodiment of the drive mechanism 30 for swinging the arm head 23, and a hydraulic actuator is used as the actuator. The hydraulic actuator 50 includes a support base 51 and a hydraulic cylinder 5.
2, 53 and rods 54, 55, and links 56, 57,
It is composed of a hydraulic cylinder 60, a linear solenoid 62, and the like. The support base 51 has a disk shape, and a pivot 21 is vertically penetrated through a hole formed in the center of the support base 51 and is fixed to a lower portion of the pivot 21. Further, the lower end 21 e of the pivot 21 is connected via a link 27 to the drive device (not shown) that controls the rotation of the pivot 21.

The cylinders 52 and 53 are mounted on the support base 51.
Moreover, the arm head 23 is vertically provided below the slits 23e and 23f. On the other hand, at the lower end of the arm head 23, the link 5 is provided below the slits 23e and 23f.
The upper ends of 6 and 57 are rotatably connected, and the lower ends of the links 56 and 57 are rotatably connected to the rods 54 and 55 of the cylinders 52 and 53. In these cylinders 52 and 53, oil chambers 52a and 53 are respectively provided.
Springs 58 and 59 are contracted on the side opposite to a.

The support base 51 is provided with small holes 51a and 51b communicating with the oil chambers 52a and 53a of the cylinders 52 and 53, and these small holes 51a and 51b are connected via flexible hoses 63 and 64. Port 6 of cylinder 60
0a, 60b. A linear solenoid 62 is connected to the tip of the rod 61a of the piston 61. The linear solenoid 62 is configured similarly to the linear solenoid 30 described above, and is driven by the control circuit 40.

When the piston 61 of the hydraulic cylinder 60 is at the central position shown by the dotted line, the same amount of oil is supplied to the oil chambers 52a, 53a of the cylinders 52, 53, and the protruding lengths of the pistons 54, 55 have the same length. And the arm head 23 becomes horizontal. At this time, the wiper blade becomes vertical to the glass surface and the error angle becomes zero. When the piston 62 is moved rightward (in the direction of arrow C) by the linear solenoid 62 as shown by the solid line, the oil chamber 60 of the cylinder 60 is moved.
The oil in c moves to the oil chamber 52a of the cylinder 52, and the oil in the oil chamber 53a of the cylinder 53 moves to the cylinder 6
It moves to the 0 oil chamber 60d. As a result, the piston 54 of the cylinder 52 moves upward against the spring force of the spring 58, and pushes up the right side of the arm head 23 via the link 56. On the other hand, the piston 55 of the cylinder 53 has the link 5
7 and the spring force of the spring 59 pushes it down to pull down the left side of the arm head 23. This causes the arm head 23 to swing in the direction of arrow B.

The piston 61 is on the left side in the figure (direction of arrow C ').
To the rod 55 of the cylinder 53, contrary to the above.
Moves up and the rod 54 of the cylinder 52 moves down. As a result, the arm head 23 swings in the arrow B'direction. That is, the arm head 23 swings as the piston 61 reciprocates. This causes the error angle to change. On the other hand, the pivot 21 rotates according to the reciprocating movement of the link 27, and rotates the arm blade along the glass surface. Therefore, by swinging the arm head 23 according to the rotation of the pivot 21 by the control circuit 40, the error angle can be held within a predetermined range.

In FIG. 11, the hydraulic cylinder 60 of FIG. 10 is reciprocated by an electric motor 65. That is, the rotation of the motor 65 is transmitted to the worm gear 67 through the gear mechanism 66, and the rod 61a is connected to the slider 68 that meshes with the worm gear 67 and moves in the axial direction. And the rod 61a is reciprocated via the slider 68 according to the rotation speed.

The movement amount of the rod 61a depends on the worm gear 6
It is proportional to the number of rotations of 7 and the pitch. Therefore, the gear mechanism 66
Of the worm gear 67 and the gear ratio of the worm gear 67 are arbitrarily set, and a predetermined gear in the gear mechanism 66, for example, the gear 66a.
The counter 69 measures the number of rotations of the motor and controls the rotation speed of the motor 65 based on the measured value and the pitch, whereby the movement amount (stroke) of the piston 61 can be controlled. Further, the rotation direction of the motor 65 is switched by a signal from the rotation direction sensor 41 (FIG. 8) that detects the rotation direction of the pivot 21.

FIG. 12 shows a third embodiment of the drive mechanism 30 for swinging the arm head 23. The hydraulic actuator 70 includes a support base 71, hydraulic cylinders 72, 73, a linear solenoid valve 80 and a hydraulic pump 87. Etc. The support 71 is the support 51 (FIG. 10).
Pivot 2 in the hole formed in the center like a disk
1 is vertically penetrated and fixed to the lower part of the pivot 21.

The cylinders 72 and 73 are mounted on the support base 71.
In addition, a small hole 71 is provided vertically below the slits 23e and 23f of the arm head 23 and communicates with the oil chambers 72a and 73a of the cylinders 72 and 73 on the support base 71.
a and 71b are provided. Also, the cylinders 72, 7
The oil chambers 72b and 73b of No. 3 have ports 72c and 73c, respectively.
Is provided. On the other hand, at the lower end of the arm head 23, the links 76, 77 are provided below the slits 23e, 23f.
The upper ends of the links 76 and 77 are rotatably connected, and the lower ends of the links 76 and 77 are rotatably connected to the upper ends of the rods 74 and 75 of the cylinders 72 and 73, respectively.

The linear solenoid valve 80 has a casing 81 in which a spool 82 is slidably accommodated, and solenoids 83 and 84 are accommodated and fixed at both ends thereof.
Both ends of 2 can be moved in and out of these solenoids 83 and 84 with a slight gap. Also, the spool 82
Return springs 85 and 86 are provided between the opposite end surfaces of the casing 81 and the opposite end surfaces of the casing 81, respectively.
The casing 81 is provided with oil chambers 81A to 81C, and the oil chambers 81A to 81C have ports 81a to 81c, respectively.
However, a port 81d is provided between the oil chambers 81A and 81C, and a port 81e is provided between the oil chambers 81C and 81B.

Port 81 of linear solenoid valve 80
c is connected to the discharge side of the hydraulic pump 87 via the oil passage 90, ports 81a and 81b are connected to the oil tank 88 via the oil passage 91, and the suction side of the hydraulic pump 87 is connected to the oil tank 88. There is. Further, the port 81d is connected to the oil chambers 72b of the cylinders 72 and 73 via the oil passages 92 and 93,
The port 81e is connected to the oil chambers 72a and 73b of the cylinders 72 and 73 through the oil passages 94 and 95, respectively. The oil passages 90 to 95 are composed of flexible hoses. The solenoids 83 and 84 are connected to the control circuit 40.

The spool 82 has a return spring 85, when the solenoids 83 and 84 are both deenergized.
The solenoid 8 holds the neutral position by the spring force of 86.
When 3 is energized, it moves to the right in the figure, and when the solenoid 84 is energized, it moves to the left in the figure. The amount of movement changes according to the drive current of the solenoids 83 and 84. When the spool 82 is in the neutral position, the oil chamber 81
A and 81B are cut off from the oil chamber 81C, and ports 81d,
81e communicates with the oil chamber 81C. When the spool 82 moves to the right, the oil chamber 81A is shut off from the oil chamber 81C,
The oil chamber 81B communicates with the oil chamber 81C. When the spool 82 moves to the left, the oil chamber 81B is cut off from the oil chamber 81C and the oil chamber 81A communicates with the oil chamber 81C as shown in the figure.

When the control circuit 40 biases the solenoid 84 of the linear solenoid valve 80 when the wiper blade is being wiped, the spool 82 moves leftward as shown in the figure. The pressure oil discharged from the hydraulic pump 87 is supplied to the oil chamber 81C from the oil passage 90, passes through the port 81e, the oil passages 94 and 95, and the oil chamber 72a of the cylinders 72 and 73,
It is supplied to 73b. At the same time, the hydraulic oil in the oil chambers 72b and 73a of the cylinders 72 and 73 flows into the oil chamber 81A through the oil passages 92 and 93 and the port 81d, and the port 81
a to the oil tank 88 through the oil passage 91. As a result, the rod 74 of the cylinder 72 is pushed up and the right side of the arm head 23 is pushed up via the link 76, the rod 75 of the cylinder 73 is pushed down and the left side of the arm head 23 is pulled down via the link 77, and the arm head 23 is moved by the arrow. Tilt to a predetermined angle in the B direction.

The control circuit 40 deactivates the solenoid 84 after the arm head 23 has obtained a predetermined inclination. When the solenoid 84 is deenergized, the linear solenoid valve 80 returns the spool 82 to the neutral position by the spring force of the return springs 85 and 86, shuts off the oil chambers 81A and 81B from the oil chamber 81C, and the port 81d, 81e communicates with the oil chamber 81C. As a result, the hydraulic pump 8
The oil pressure generated in No. 7 is transmitted from the oil chamber 81C through the port 81d and the oil passages 92, 93 to the oil chamber 72 of the cylinders 72, 73.
b, 73a are distributed and added to the oil chambers 72a, 73b through the port 81e and the oil passages 94, 95. The oil pressures of the same pressure are applied to these oil chambers 72a, 72b, 73a, 73b, and the rods 74, 75 are It is stopped and held at that position. As a result, the arm head 23 is held at the tilt angle.

When the solenoid 83 is energized, the spool 82 moves to the right in the figure and the arm head 23 swings in the direction of arrow B'in the opposite direction to the above, and is controlled to a predetermined tilt angle. . Then, when the solenoid 83 is deenergized after the arm head 23 obtains a predetermined inclination, the spool 82 returns to the neutral position, and the rods 74 and 75 are stopped and held at that position as described above. As a result, the arm head 23 is held at the tilt angle. In this way, the arm head 23 is controlled to swing at a predetermined tilt angle according to the rotation of the pivot 21 by the movement of the spool 82 in the left-right direction.

13 and 14 show another embodiment of the support mechanism of the arm head 23. The support mechanism 28 swings the arm head 23 by a shaft 29 instead of the spherical portion 21b at the tip of the pivot 21. It is intended to be supported. That is, a large-diameter hole 23b 'is formed in the base end 23a' of the arm head 23 'to form a cylindrical shape, while the upper end of the pivot 21 is orthogonal to the pivot 21 and the axial direction of the wiper arm of the arm head 23'. A shaft 29 is rotatably passed through a shaft hole 21f formed along the shaft. And
Both ends of the shaft 29 are fitted and fixed to shaft holes 23m 'and 23n' formed near the upper end of the inner surface of the hole 23b 'and in the axial direction of the wiper arm. As a result, the arm head 23 'is swingably supported with respect to the pivot 21 in the wiping direction of the wiper arm.

The lower end of the arm head 23 'and the pivot 21
Drive mechanism between the support base 51 fixed to the lower part of
The retractable actuators 30, 30 are interposed.
The actuators 30 have slits 23e ′ and 23e.
It is placed below f '. Then, these actuators 30 and 30 are alternately extended and contracted in synchronization with the rotation of the pivot 21 (directions of arrows A and A ′), and the arm head 23 ′.
Is swung in the wiping direction of the wiper arm (arrow B, B'direction).

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention, the error angle can be maintained at a value within an ideal range or substantially constant at any position of the wiping locus on the glass surface of the wiper. It is possible to prevent the wiper from wobbling left and right, and it is possible to always perform an ideal wiping operation. Further, since the reversing movement of the wiper blade can be smoothly performed, an unnecessary force is not applied to the blade, twisting of the blade rubber, uneven wear, etc. are prevented, and the life of the blade rubber is prolonged. There is an effect.

Further, since the error angle can be set within an ideal range, it is possible to freely design a glass having a complicated curved surface shape, so that the running resistance is reduced and the fuel consumption is further improved. It is possible to obtain the effect of improving the visibility and the effect of improving the degree of freedom of design by virtue of the use of resin glass.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wiper device and a glass surface of a vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a wiper arm of the wiper device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a relationship with a glass surface when a wiper blade of the wiper device of FIG. 1 is wiped.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship between a rotation angle of a wiper arm and an error angle.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of essential parts showing a state in which an arm head of a wiper arm is supported on an upper end of a pivot in a wiper device according to the present invention.

6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG.

7 is an enlarged sectional view of a drive mechanism of the arm head of FIG.

8 is a block diagram of a control circuit of the drive mechanism shown in FIG.

9 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the drive mechanism of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the drive mechanism shown in FIG.

11 is a configuration diagram showing another embodiment of the control unit of the drive mechanism of FIG.

12 is a configuration diagram showing a third embodiment of the drive mechanism of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a main part showing another embodiment of the support structure of the arm head of the wiper arm.

14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20 wiper device 21 pivot 22 flat shaft 23, 23 'arm head 26, 28 support mechanism 30, 50, 70 drive mechanism 40 control circuit 41, 42, 44-47 sensor 51, 71 support base 52, 53, 60, 72, 73 Hydraulic Cylinder 62 Linear Solenoid 63, 64, 90-95 Oil Path 65 Motor 66 Gear Mechanism 67 Worm Gear 68 Slider 80 Linear Solenoid Valve 81 Casing 82 Spool 87 Hydraulic Pump

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Watakatsu Goto No. 1 Nakashiniri, Hashime-cho, Okazaki-shi, Aichi Mitsubishi Motors Engineering Co., Ltd. Okazaki Plant

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A wiper device for wiping a glass surface by rotating a wiper arm having a base end attached to an upper end of a pivot and a wiper blade provided at the front end, the upper end of the pivot and the base end of the wiper arm. And a support mechanism that supports the wiper arm so that the wiper arm cannot rotate relative to the pivot and can swing in the wiping direction, and is interposed between the pivot and the base end of the wiper arm, A wiper device, comprising: a drive unit that swings the wiper arm in response to rotation. 2. A control circuit for controlling the drive amount of the drive means, wherein the control circuit sets the control amount of the drive means based on the glass surface shape data, the rotation angle of the wiper arm, and the environmental condition outside the vehicle. The wiper device according to claim 1, wherein the error angle is held within a predetermined range. 3. The pivot comprises a shaft portion and a spherical body formed on an upper end of the shaft portion, a proximal end of a wiper arm has a cylindrical shape, and the spherical body is formed in the cylindrical shape by a ball joint structure. The shaft portion is connected and is inserted into the cylinder with a gap from the cylindrical side wall, and a long hole extending in the shaft portion direction is formed in the side wall,
The wiper device according to claim 1, wherein the shaft portion is provided with a shaft that extends in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the shaft member and the axial direction of the wiper arm and that is fitted into the elongated hole. 4. The pivot includes a shaft portion and a shaft provided at an upper end of the shaft portion and extending in a direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the shaft portion and a direction along the axial direction of the wiper arm, and further includes a base of the wiper arm. The end has a cylindrical shape, and the shaft portion is inserted into the cylindrical shape with a gap between the side wall and the side wall, and the shaft supports the wiper arm so as to be swingable in the wiping direction of the wiper arm with respect to the shaft portion. The wiper device according to claim 1, wherein the wiper device is provided.