Outputting air using combination of air and spray nozzles on wipers to prevent windshield wiper runoff and clear rain
AssigneesToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorJesse Dwayne Rydell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods are provided for operating a windshield wiper comprising a one or more nozzles for outputting a gas. Examples include a windshield wiper system that comprises a wiper blade, a windshield wiper arm configured to couple to the wiper blade at a distal end and couple to a vehicle at a proximal end, one or more nozzles disposed at the distal end of the windshield wiper arm, and a processor communicatively coupled to the one or more nozzles. The processor is configured to control the one or more nozzles to selectively output a gas based a position of the wiper blade on a windshield.
Claims20
A windshield wiper system comprising:
- a wiper blade;
- a windshield wiper arm configured to couple to the wiper blade and couple to a vehicle;
- a plurality of nozzles disposed on the windshield wiper arm, wherein the plurality of nozzles comprises a spray nozzle configured to output a cleaning liquid and a gas nozzle configured to output a gas;
- and
- a processor communicatively coupled to the plurality of nozzles, the processor configured to control the gas nozzle to selectively change a gas parameter that controls a gas output from the gas nozzle based on a direction of movement of the wiper blade and a position of the wiper blade on a windshield, wherein selectively changing the gas parameter comprises:
- outputting a first amount of the gas during a first phase of wiper movement, the first phase comprising an initial upward stroke, and outputting a second amount of the gas during a second phase of the wiper movement, the second phase comprising an opposite trajectory relative to the first phase, wherein the first amount is larger than the second amount.
A method of operating a windshield wiper system, the method comprising:
- tracking operating conditions on a windshield of a vehicle;
- outputting gas from a first gas nozzle of a plurality of nozzles disposed on a windshield wiper assembly, the plurality of nozzles further comprising a spray nozzle;
- and
- adjusting a gas parameter indicative of a gas output from the first gas nozzle based on the tracked operating conditions, wherein the tracked operating conditions comprise:
- a position of a wiper blade of the windshield wiper assembly;
- and
- a direction of movement of the wiper blade;
- and
- outputting a higher amount of the gas when the wiper blade is at a first position and outputting a lower amount of the gas when the wiper blade is at a second position corresponding to a farthest permitted range of motion of the wiper blade and being at an opposite end of a permitted range of motion compared to the first position.
A windshield wiper system comprising:
- a windshield wiper arm configured to couple to a wiper blade and couple to a vehicle;
- a plurality of nozzles disposed on the windshield wiper arm, wherein the plurality of nozzles comprises a spray nozzle configured to output a cleaning liquid and a gas nozzle configured to output a gas;
- and
- one or more processors communicatively coupled to the plurality of nozzles and configured to selectively change a gas parameter to control the gas output from the gas nozzle based on a direction of movement of the wiper blade and a position of the wiper blade on a windshield, wherein controlling the gas output from the gas nozzle comprises:
- outputting a higher amount of the gas when the wiper blade is at a first position;
- and
- outputting a lower amount of the gas when the wiper blade is at a second position corresponding to a farthest permitted range of motion of the wiper blade and being at an opposite end of a permitted range of motion compared to the first position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.