Vehicle rear wiper system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10793115-B2
Application number	US-201816120845-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2018
Priority date	Sep 4, 2018
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

A vehicle includes a rear window having hydrophobic portion, and a non-hydrophobic portion below the hydrophobic portion. A rear wiper system is mounted adjacent to a top of the rear window and includes a pivotable nozzle and a blower to direct an airstream through the nozzle onto the rear window.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a rear window having a hydrophobic portion, and a non-hydrophobic portion below the hydrophobic portion;
wherein the non-hydrophobic portion is adjacent to a bottom of the rear window, and extends generally horizontally, with a downward curvature in a middle section and increasing downward curvature at each end toward vertical; and
a rear wiper system, mounted adjacent to a top of the rear window, including a pivotable nozzle and a blower configured to direct an airstream through the pivotable nozzle onto the rear window.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the rear wiper system further includes a liquid supply configured to selectively feed liquid into the airstream.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the rear wiper system is mounted to a center high mount stop light assembly.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the rear wiper system includes a rotary actuator operatively engaging the pivotable nozzle to pivot the nozzle back and forth across an arcuate path.

5. The vehicle of claim 4 further including a controller configured to activate the blower and the rotary actuator.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the rear wiper system further includes a liquid supply configured to selectively feed liquid into the airstream, and a controller configured to activate the blower and liquid supply.

7. A method of clearing a vehicle rear window comprising:
activating a blower to direct air though a nozzle, located adjacent to a top of the rear window, onto the rear window, which has a hydrophobic portion and a non-hydrophobic portion below the hydrophobic portion;
providing the non-hydrophobic portion adjacent to a bottom of the rear window, extending generally horizontally, with a downward curvature in a middle section and increasing downward curvature at each end toward vertical; and
pivoting the nozzle as the air is directed through the nozzle to push debris on the rear window from the hydrophobic portion to the non-hydrophobic portion.

8. The method of claim 7 further including entraining liquid into the air directed through the nozzle onto the rear window.

9. The method of claim 8 further including a controller controlling the dispensing of the liquid.

10. The method of claim 7 further including controlling a speed of the blower with a vehicle controller.

11. The method of claim 10 including the controller controlling the pivoting of the nozzle.

12. The method of claim 7 further including providing a center high mount stop light assembly and mounting the blower thereto.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Krishnan Venkatesh
• Patil Sunil
• Nichols Mark E
• Alkharabsheh Sami A
• Surineedi Raghuraman

Classifications

• B60S1/586

  including defroster or demisting means · CPC title

• B08B3/024

  Cleaning by means of spray elements moving over the surface to be cleaned · CPC title

• B60S1/481

  the operation of at least part of the liquid supply being controlled by electric means (electrical washing liquid warming-up means B60S1/488) · CPC title

• B60S1/52 Primary

  Arrangement of nozzles; {Liquid spreading means}(nozzles per se B05B) · CPC title

• B60S1/54

  using gas, e.g. hot air · CPC title