Control for passive wiper system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12545214-B2
Application number	US-202318502130-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2023
Priority date	Oct 31, 2014
Publication date	Feb 10, 2026
Grant date	Feb 10, 2026

Abstract

A system includes a dome, a wiper assembly, a position sensor and a control device. The wiper assembly includes a wiper blade configured to rotate around the dome. The position sensor may be configured to send a signal to a control device when a wiper blade passes the position sensor. The control device may include one or more processors configured to receive the signal from the position sensor and determine a location of the wiper blade relative to the dome based on the received signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A system comprising:
a housing; a wiper blade assembly configured to move around a circumference of the housing, the wiper blade assembly including a wiper blade configured to rotate around the circumference of the housing; and a pivotable ramp configured to be pivoted to a first position when the wiper blade rotates in a first direction around the circumference of the housing, and be pivoted to a second position when the wiper blade rotates in a second direction around the circumference of the housing.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the housing is in a shape of a dome.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first direction is a clockwise direction and the second direction is a counter-clockwise direction.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a 360 degree curved surface.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises one or more spray nozzles configured to dispense wiper fluid onto a surface of the housing.

6 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a post extending from the wiper blade assembly, wherein the post moves along a first surface of the pivotable ramp when the wiper blade rotates in the first direction, and moves along a second surface of the pivotable ramp when the wiper blade rotates in the second direction.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the rotation of the wiper blade in the first direction causes the wiper blade to be deployed into an actuated position, and the rotation of the wiper blade in the second direction opposite the first direction causes the wiper blade to be stowed into a collapsed position.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein a length of the wiper blade extends along a height of the housing when the wiper blade is in the actuated position.

9 . The system of claim 7 , further comprising a connector including a tab configured to keep the wiper blade in the actuated position and to limit a pivot angle of the connector.

10 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the post is configured to interact with the first surface of the pivotable ramp and cause the wiper blade to pivot into the actuated position.

11 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the post is configured to interact with the second surface of the pivotable ramp and cause the wiper blade to pivot into the collapsed position.

12 . The system of claim 7 , further comprising:
a bearing ring extending around the circumference of the housing and fixed relative to the housing; and a top plate configured to rotate about the bearing ring in the first direction and the second direction in order to rotate the wiper blade assembly, the wiper blade being coupled to the top plate.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the bearing ring further comprises a top surface and a bottom surface, the first surface of the pivotable ramp comprising a first slope extending away from the top surface of the bearing ring, and the second surface of the pivotable ramp comprising a second slope extending away from the top surface of the bearing ring, the second slope being greater than the first slope.

14 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is positioned on a vehicle.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the housing is used to house cameras and laser scanning equipment.

16 . A wiper blade assembly comprising:
a wiper blade configured to rotate around a circumference of a housing; and a pivotable ramp configured to be pivoted to a first position when the wiper blade rotates in a first direction around the circumference of the housing, and be pivoted to a second position when the wiper blade rotates in a second direction around the circumference of the housing.

17 . The wiper blade assembly of claim 16 , further comprising a post extending from the wiper blade assembly, wherein the post moves along a first surface of the pivotable ramp when the wiper blade rotates in the first direction, and moves along a second surface of the pivotable ramp when the wiper blade rotates in the second direction.

18 . The wiper blade assembly of claim 16 , wherein the rotation of the wiper blade in the first direction causes the wiper blade to be deployed into an actuated position, and the rotation of the wiper blade in the second direction opposite the first direction causes the wiper blade to be stowed into a collapsed position.

19 . The wiper blade assembly of claim 18 , wherein a length of the wiper blade extends along a height of the housing when the wiper blade is in the actuated position.

20 . The wiper blade assembly of claim 18 , further comprising a connector including a tab configured to keep the wiper blade in the actuated position and to limit a pivot angle of the connector.

Assignees

• Waymo Llc

Inventors

• Doorley Graham
• Karplus Paul Thomas Hansen
• Avram Peter

Classifications

• G02B27/0006

  with means to keep optical surfaces clean, e.g. by preventing or removing dirt, stains, contamination, condensation (G02B1/18 takes precedence; cleaning in general B08B) · CPC title

• B08B1/34

  rotating about an axis parallel to the surface · CPC title

• B08B1/16

  Rigid blades, e.g. scrapers; Flexible blades, e.g. wipers · CPC title

• B60S1/566

  including wiping devices (B60S1/563, B60S1/583 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60S1/482

  combined with the operation of windscreen wipers · CPC title