Electromagnetic windshield wiper system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10889267-B2
Application number	US-201916291186-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2019
Priority date	Mar 5, 2018
Publication date	Jan 12, 2021
Grant date	Jan 12, 2021

Abstract

An electromagnetic wiper system for a windshield of a vehicle includes a linear actuator, a wiper-arrangement, and control circuitry. The linear actuator includes at least one guide rail having permanent magnets and an electromagnetic moving block. The electromagnetic moving block includes at least one perforation that surrounds the at least one guide rail and at least one electromagnetic coil that surrounds the at least one perforation. The wiper-arrangement includes a wiper arm and a wiper blade, wherein at least the wiper arm is coupled to the electromagnetic moving block. The control circuitry controls a linear motion of the electromagnetic moving block along the at least one guide rail to steer the wiper arm that is coupled to the electromagnetic moving block back and forth across a length of the windshield to the windshield, wherein the electromagnetic moving block induces minimal friction during the linear motion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electromagnetic wiper system for a windshield of a vehicle, comprising:
a linear actuator that includes a guide rail and an electromagnetic moving block, wherein the guide rail includes a plurality of permanent magnet bars disposed horizontally along a curvature of the windshield of the vehicle, and wherein the electromagnetic moving block includes a plurality of perforations and at least an electromagnetic coil that surrounds the plurality of perforations in the electromagnetic moving block;
a wiper-arrangement including a wiper arm and a wiper blade, wherein at least the wiper arm is coupled to the electromagnetic moving block; and
a control circuitry that controls a linear motion of the electromagnetic moving block through the plurality of permanent magnet bars to steer the wiper arm that is coupled to the electromagnetic moving block, back and forth across a length of the windshield to wipe a defined region of the windshield, wherein the plurality of permanent magnet bars passes through the plurality of perforations surrounded by the electromagnetic coil in the electromagnetic moving block to induce a minimal friction that is less than a defined threshold friction value during the linear motion.

2. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 1 , wherein the wiper blade is attached to the wiper arm along a length of the wiper arm such that the wiper blade is in contact to the windshield to wipe the defined region of the windshield across the length of the windshield based on the linear motion of the electromagnetic moving block.

3. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 1 , further comprising a rotational actuator coupled to the electromagnetic moving block of the linear actuator, wherein the control circuitry is configured to stow, using the rotational actuator, the wiper-arrangement beneath a hood of the vehicle by adjusting an inclination angle of the wiper arm with respect to a reference axis.

4. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to adjust an angle of attack of the wiper arm with respect to a reference axis during the linear motion.

5. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 4 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to adjust the angle of attack of the wiper arm with respect to a reference axis during the linear motion based upon a detected weather condition.

6. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to adjust an angle of inclination of the wiper arm with respect to a reference axis during the linear motion.

7. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to communicatively couple to at least one other control unit of the vehicle via an in-vehicle network.

8. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 7 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
communicatively couple to at least one other control unit of the vehicle via an in-vehicle network;
receive detected weather condition from another control unit; and
operate the electromagnetic wiper system based upon the detected weather condition.

9. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of permanent magnet bars are curved to substantially match the curvature of the windshield of the vehicle.

10. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to cause the electromagnetic wiper system to first wipe a driver-sensitive region of the windshield.

11. An electromagnetic wiper system for a windshield of a vehicle, comprising:
a linear actuator that includes at least one guide rail and an electromagnetic moving block, wherein the at least one guide rail includes a plurality of permanent magnet bars disposed horizontally along a curvature of the windshield of the vehicle, and wherein the electromagnetic moving block includes at least one perforation that surrounds the at least one guide rail and at least one electromagnetic coil that surrounds the at least one perforation;
a wiper-arrangement including a wiper arm and a wiper blade, wherein at least the wiper arm is coupled to the electromagnetic moving block; and
a control circuitry that controls a linear motion of the electromagnetic moving block along the at least one guide rail to steer the wiper arm that is coupled to the electromagnetic moving block back and forth across a length of the windshield to the windshield, wherein the electromagnetic moving block induces a minimal friction that is less than a defined threshold friction value during the linear motion.

12. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 11 , wherein the wiper blade is attached to the wiper arm along a length of the wiper arm such that the wiper blade is in contact to the windshield to wipe a defined region of the windshield across the length of the windshield based on the linear motion of the electromagnetic moving block.

13. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 11 , further comprising a rotational actuator coupled to the electromagnetic moving block of the linear actuator, wherein the control circuitry is configured to stow, using the rotational actuator, the wiper-arrangement beneath a hood of the vehicle by adjusting an inclination angle of the wiper arm with respect to a reference axis.

14. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 11 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to adjust an angle of attack of the wiper arm with respect to a reference axis during the linear motion.

15. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 14 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to adjust the angle of attack of the wiper arm with respect to a reference axis during the linear motion based upon a detected weather condition.

16. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 11 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to adjust an angle of inclination of the wiper arm with respect to a reference axis during the linear motion.

17. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 11 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to communicatively couple to at least one other control unit of the vehicle via an in-vehicle network.

18. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 17 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
communicatively couple to at least one other control unit of the vehicle via an in-vehicle network;
receive detected weather condition from another control unit; and
operate the electromagnetic wiper system based upon the detected weather condition.

19. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 11 , wherein the plurality of permanent magnet bars are curved to substantially match the curvature of the windshield of the vehicle.

20. The electromagnetic wiper system according to claim 11 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to cause the electromagnetic wiper system to first wipe a driver-sensitive region of the windshield.

Assignees

• Tesla Inc

Inventors

• Clift Nicolas
• Prasanna Maithreya Kedambadi
• Graham Gonzalo Espinoza

Classifications

• B60S1/0818 Primary

  including control systems responsive to external conditions, e.g. by detection of moisture, dirt or the like · CPC title

• B60S1/3418

  with means for additionally adjusting the wiper arm working position with respect to the surface to be wiped · CPC title

• B60S1/06

  characterised by the drive (producing other than swinging movement B60S1/44) · CPC title

• B60S1/0402

  completely or partially concealed in a cavity · CPC title

• B60S1/3411

  with means for varying wiper-blade pressure on windshield during operation · CPC title