Method for determining the wiping use of a wiper blade, and wiper system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10769871-B2
Application number	US-201716335985-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2017
Priority date	Sep 28, 2016
Publication date	Sep 8, 2020
Grant date	Sep 8, 2020

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for determining the wiping use of a wiper blade (14) pertaining to a wiper system (10) used to wipe a window pane (12) of a motor vehicle, with a view to replacing said wiper blade once it exceeds a determined wear threshold, the wiper blade carrier (16) being movable between a position of use, called a service position, and a maintenance position, said method being characterised in that it successively comprises: a step a) of acquiring at least one data element representing the presence of the wiper blade (14) in the maintenance position; a step b) of determining the replacement of the wiper blade with a new wiper blade; and a step (c) of estimating the wiping use of the new wiper blade.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for determining wiping use of a wiper of a wiping system for a motor vehicle window, with a view to replacing the wiper once a wiping use threshold is exceeded, the wiping system comprising:
at least one wiper carried by a wiper carrier which is movable from a service position in which the wiper is in contact with an outer surface of the motor vehicle window to carry out wiping thereof by sweeping back and forth, to a maintenance position in which the wiper is not in contact with said outer surface of the motor vehicle window,
the method successively comprising:
acquiring, by a control unit, at least one data item which is representative of presence of the wiper in the maintenance position;
determining, by the control unit, replacement of the wiper with a new wiper; and
estimating, by the control unit, the wiping use of the new wiper,

wherein determining the replacement of the wiper with the new wiper comprises emitting an interrogation message destined for a user of the motor vehicle and/or for a person tasked with the maintenance of the wiper.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the estimating comprises comparing, by the control unit, the wiping use of the new wiper with respect to the wiping use threshold.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the wiping use threshold is a determined use limit value of the new wiper.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the estimating is followed by emitting, by the control unit, a warning signal when the wiping use of the new wiper is above said wiping use threshold.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said warning signal is an information signal with a view to replacing the new wiper with another new wiper.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said message is a message asking the user of the vehicle and/or the person tasked with the maintenance of the wiper if he or she has replaced the wiper with the new wiper.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , in which said wiping system comprises at least one motor for driving the wiper carrier to sweep back and forth,
wherein the determining of the replacement of the wiper with the new wiper comprises measuring, by the control unit, power consumption of said at least one motor during the wiping use of the wiper carried by the wiper carrier.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said acquiring of the at least one data item representative of the presence of the wiper in the maintenance position comprises:
measuring, or estimating, by the control unit, at least one parameter for determining the maintenance position or service position;
comparing, by the control unit, a value of the measured, or estimated, said at least one parameter with a reference value or a range of reference values; and
determining, by the control unit, from the results of the comparison, whether the wiper carrier is in the maintenance position or the service position.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein said at least one parameter is chosen from the group consisting of:
power consumption of at least one motor that drives the wiper carrier to sweep back and forth;
output torque of said motor;
frictional torque of the wiper on the motor vehicle window; and
a coefficient of friction of the wiper on the motor vehicle window.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the estimating of the wiping use of the new wiper comprises counting, by the control unit, a number of back-and-forth sweeping cycles carried out after said replacement of the wiper with the new wiper.

11. A wiping system for a motor vehicle window, comprising:
at least one wiper carried by a wiper carrier which is movable from a service position in which the wiper is in contact with an outer surface of the motor vehicle window to carry out wiping thereof by sweeping back and forth, to a maintenance position in which the wiper is not in contact with said outer surface of the motor vehicle window;
at least one motor for driving the wiper carrier to sweep back and forth; and
a control unit that successively:
acquires at least one data item which is representative of presence of the wiper in the maintenance position,
determines replacement of the wiper with a new wiper, and
estimates a wiping use of the new wiper,

wherein determining the replacement of the wiper with the new wiper comprises emitting an interrogation message destined for a user of the motor vehicle and/or for a person tasked with the maintenance of the wiper.

Assignees

• Valeo Systemes Dessuyage

Inventors

• Billiauws Stijn
• Coquet Damien
• Jomard Olivier
• Poton Eric

Classifications

• B60S1/08 Primary

  electrically driven {(conjoint control of windscreen wiper motor and liquid supply of windscreen washer B60S1/482; conjoint control of windscreen wiper motor and means for cleaning parts o parts other than windscreens or front windows B60S1/56, B60S1/58, B60S1/606)} · CPC title

• B60S5/00

  Servicing, maintaining, repairing, or refitting of vehicles (vehicles adapted to carry a workshop for servicing or maintenance B60P3/14; servicing rail locomotives B61K) · CPC title

• B60Q9/00

  Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 {, e.g. haptic signalling} · CPC title

• G07C5/0816 Primary

  Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction · CPC title

• B60S2001/3844

  equipped with means to indicate wear or usage of blade · CPC title