Window wiper system incorporating window moisture and torque sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9963112-B2
Application number	US-201414481162-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2014
Priority date	Sep 9, 2014
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

A window wiper system includes a wiper assembly, a window moisture sensor, a wiper torque sensor and a control module. The control module is responsive to the window moisture sensor and the torque sensor to control the operation of the window wiper assembly.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A window wiper system, comprising:
a window wiper assembly including a wiper blade, a wiper arm holding said wiper blade and a wiper motor driving said wiper arm;
an optical sensor detecting presence of moisture on a window;
a wiper torque sensor including a plurality of magnetoelastic bands carried on a pivot shaft extending between said wiper arm and said wiper drive motor and a plurality of field sensors that measure differences in magnetic field between said plurality of magnetoelastic bands; and
a control module responsive to said optical sensor and said wiper torque sensor to control operation of said window wiper assembly.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said optical sensor includes a light source, a lens for directing light from said light source onto a window to be cleaned by said window wiper assembly and a light receptor to detect light from said light source being reflected back from said window.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said system further includes a window heating element, said window heating element being controlled by said control module.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein said system further includes a heated fluid jet cleaning subsystem including a fluid reservoir, a fluid heating element, a nozzle jet and a pump for pumping heated fluid from said reservoir through said nozzle onto said window in response to a control signal from said control module.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said system further includes a heated fluid jet cleaning system including a fluid reservoir, a fluid heating element, a nozzle jet and a pump for pumping heated fluid from said reservoir through said nozzle onto said window in response to a control signal from said control module.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Shami Salman Nazir

Classifications

• B60S1/485

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

• G01L3/102

  involving magnetostrictive means (magnetostrictive sensors H10N35/101) · CPC title

• B60S1/026

  using electrical means · CPC title

• G01N2021/4709

  Backscatter · CPC title

• B60S1/488

  electrically · CPC title