Windscreen wiper control system
By combining the low-speed control module and the high-speed control module with the series connection of the inductor coil, the relay failure and noise problems in the traditional wiper system are solved, realizing the high-speed and low-speed switching of the wiper and improving the safety and reliability of the system.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-27
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-10
AI Technical Summary
In traditional windshield wiper systems, relays are prone to malfunctions such as poor contact, sticking, and burning out, causing the wipers to malfunction and emit noisy electromagnetic noise, which affects the driver's comfort.
It employs a low-speed control module and a high-speed control module, using a first inductor coil and a second inductor coil connected in series to control the high and low speed operation of the wipers, replacing the traditional relay, and using the principle of electromagnetic induction to control the speed of the wiper motor.
It enables high and low speed switching of the windshield wipers, avoids malfunctions and electromagnetic noise, and improves the safety and reliability of the system.
Smart Images
Figure CN223982504U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of vehicle control technology, and more particularly to a windshield wiper control system. Background Technology
[0002] In traditional windshield wiper systems, a rain sensor is typically installed to detect the presence of rain. When the sensor detects rain, it sends a signal to the control circuit. Upon receiving the signal, the circuit controls a relay to switch on and off, thereby controlling the operation of the wipers.
[0003] The relays in the windshield wiper system are prone to malfunctions such as poor contact, sticking, and burning out, which can cause the wipers to malfunction. In addition, the relays emit noisy electromagnetic noise when they are working, which affects the driver's comfort. Utility Model Content
[0004] In view of this, this application provides a wiper control system to solve the problems of easy malfunction and excessive noise during operation of wipers in the prior art.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solution:
[0006] This application discloses a windshield wiper control system, including:
[0007] The system includes a low-speed control module, a high-speed control module, and a wiper motor; wherein the wiper motor comprises a first inductor coil and a second inductor coil connected in series; the wiper motor is used to drive the wipers.
[0008] The low-speed control module is used to control the windshield wipers to operate at low speed.
[0009] The high-speed control module is used to control the windshield wipers to operate at high speed.
[0010] When the wipers are in low-speed operation mode, the first inductor coil and the second inductor coil are connected in series in the circuit through the low-speed control module;
[0011] When the windshield wipers are in high-speed operation, the second inductor coil is connected to the circuit through the high-speed control module, while the first inductor coil is not connected to the circuit.
[0012] Optionally, in the aforementioned wiper control system, the low-speed control module includes a first driver chip, a first power supply, a first field-effect transistor, and a second field-effect transistor.
[0013] First driver chip, first power supply, first field-effect transistor and second field-effect transistor;
[0014] The first terminal of the first field-effect transistor is connected to the first terminal of the first driver chip, the second terminal of the first field-effect transistor is connected to the first inductor coil, and the third terminal of the first field-effect transistor is connected to the first power supply.
[0015] The first terminal of the second field-effect transistor is connected to the second terminal of the first driver chip, and the second terminal of the second field-effect transistor is grounded.
[0016] Optionally, in the aforementioned wiper control system, the high-speed control module includes a second driver chip, a second power supply, a third field-effect transistor, and a fourth field-effect transistor.
[0017] The first terminal of the third field-effect transistor is connected to the first terminal of the second driver chip, the second terminal of the third field-effect transistor is connected to the second inductor coil, and the third terminal of the third field-effect transistor is connected to the second power supply.
[0018] The first terminal of the fourth field-effect transistor is connected to the second terminal of the second driver chip, and the second terminal of the fourth field-effect transistor is grounded.
[0019] Optionally, the aforementioned wiper control system may also include:
[0020] First diode and second diode;
[0021] The first diode is connected between the gate and source of the first field-effect transistor;
[0022] The second diode is connected between the gate and source of the third field-effect transistor.
[0023] Optionally, the aforementioned wiper control system may also include:
[0024] Transistors and fifth field-effect transistors.
[0025] The transistor is connected between the source (S) terminal of the first diode and the source (S) terminal of the first field-effect transistor.
[0026] The fifth field-effect transistor is disposed between the first power supply and the first field-effect transistor.
[0027] Optionally, in the aforementioned wiper control system, when the wiper is in low-speed operation, the first driver chip controls the first field-effect transistor to turn on, while the second, third, and fourth field-effect transistors are turned off, and the first and second inductors are connected in series in the circuit through the first field-effect transistor.
[0028] Optionally, in the above-mentioned wiper control system, when the wiper is in high-speed operation, the second driver chip controls the third field-effect transistor to turn on, the first field-effect transistor, the second field-effect transistor, and the fourth field-effect transistor are turned off, the second inductor is connected in series with the third field-effect transistor, and the first inductor is not connected in the circuit.
[0029] As can be seen from the above technical solution, the wiper control system provided in this application includes a low-speed control module, a high-speed control module, and a wiper motor. The wiper motor includes a first inductor coil and a second inductor coil connected in series. The wiper motor drives the wipers. The low-speed control module controls the wipers to operate at low speed. The high-speed control module controls the wipers to operate at high speed. When the wipers are in low-speed operation, the first and second inductor coils are connected in series in the circuit through the low-speed control module. When the wipers are in high-speed operation, the second inductor coil is connected in the circuit through the high-speed control module, and the first inductor coil is not connected in the circuit. Therefore, by using the wiper control system of this application, the number of inductor coils connected is controlled by the low-speed control module and the high-speed control module to control the high-speed and low-speed operation of the wipers. This eliminates the need for relays to control the wipers, reducing the likelihood of malfunctions and preventing noisy electromagnetic noise during operation. This results in a higher level of functional safety, ensuring the safety and reliability of the vehicle. Attached Figure Description
[0030] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.
[0031] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a wiper control system provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0032] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of another wiper control system provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0033] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of another wiper control system provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0034] Figure 4 Timing diagrams of high and low speed wiper commands and actual states provided for embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation
[0035] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0036] In this application, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.
[0037] Furthermore, in this document, relational terms such as first and second are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations.
[0038] As is known from the background technology, the relays in the windshield wiper system are prone to malfunctions such as poor contact, sticking, and burning out, which can cause the wipers to malfunction. In addition, the relays emit noisy electromagnetic noise when they are working, which affects the driver's comfort.
[0039] In view of this, this application provides a wiper control system to solve the problems of easy failure and excessive noise in the prior art.
[0040] This application provides a wiper control system, the overall architecture of which is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, it specifically includes: a low-speed control module, a high-speed control module, and a wiper motor; wherein, the wiper motor includes a first inductor coil and a second inductor coil connected in series; the wiper motor is used to drive the wipers;
[0041] The low-speed control module is used to control the windshield wipers to operate at low speeds.
[0042] The high-speed control module is used to control the high-speed operation of the windshield wipers;
[0043] When the wipers are operating at low speed, the first and second inductors are connected in series in the circuit via the low-speed control module.
[0044] When the windshield wipers are in high-speed operation, the second inductor coil is connected to the circuit through the high-speed control module, while the first inductor coil is not connected to the circuit.
[0045] It should be noted that the wiper control system provided in this embodiment includes a low-speed control module, a high-speed control module, and a wiper motor. The low-speed control module controls the wipers to operate at low speed, the high-speed control module controls the wipers to operate at high speed, and the wiper motor includes a first inductor coil L1 and a second inductor coil L2 connected in series. The wiper motor drives the wipers. The wiper motor operates based on the principle of electromagnetic induction. When the wiper motor is energized, its coils generate a back electromotive force (EMF), which balances the applied voltage. The more coils connected in series, the lower the generated back EMF, and the lower the motor speed. Therefore, the motor speed can be controlled by changing the number of coils connected in series.
[0046] When the external MCU sends a control command to the windshield wipers, it determines whether the command is for high-speed operation. If it is not a high-speed command, the first inductor coil and the second inductor wire are connected in series in the circuit via the low-speed control module. In this case, the wiper motor rotates at a lower speed, achieving low-speed operation of the wipers. If the command is for high-speed operation, the second inductor wire is connected in series in the circuit separately via the high-speed control module, and the first inductor coil is not connected in the circuit. In this case, the wiper motor rotates at a higher speed, achieving high-speed operation of the wipers. This embodiment uses the low-speed control module and the high-speed control module to control the number of coils connected in the circuit to achieve high-speed / low-speed switching of the wipers.
[0047] The wiper control system provided in this application includes a low-speed control module, a high-speed control module, and a wiper motor. The wiper motor includes a first inductor coil and a second inductor coil connected in series. The wiper motor drives the wipers. The low-speed control module controls the wipers to operate at low speed. The high-speed control module controls the wipers to operate at high speed. In the low-speed wiper operation state, the first and second inductor coils are connected in series in the circuit through the low-speed control module. In the high-speed wiper operation state, the second inductor coil is connected in the circuit through the high-speed control module, and the first inductor coil is not connected in the circuit. Therefore, by using the wiper control system of this application, the number of inductor coils connected is controlled by the low-speed control module and the high-speed control module to control the high-speed and low-speed operation of the wipers. This eliminates the need for relays to control the wiper operation, reducing the likelihood of malfunctions and eliminating electromagnetic noise during operation. This results in a higher level of functional safety, ensuring vehicle safety and reliability.
[0048] Optionally, in another embodiment of this application, such as Figure 2 As shown, the aforementioned low-speed control module may include:
[0049] The first driver chip, the first power supply, the first field-effect transistor, and the second field-effect transistor.
[0050] The first terminal of the first field-effect transistor is connected to the first terminal of the first driver chip, the second terminal of the first field-effect transistor is connected to the first inductor coil, and the third terminal of the first field-effect transistor is connected to the first power supply.
[0051] The first terminal of the second field-effect transistor is connected to the second terminal of the first driver chip, and the second terminal of the second field-effect transistor is grounded.
[0052] It should be noted that, in Figure 2 In this circuit, Q1 is the first field-effect transistor (FET), Q2 is the second FET, GH1 is the gate (G) of the first FET, SH1 is the source (S) of the first FET, GL1 is the gate (G) of the second FET, and GND is ground. The first and second FETs are MOSFETs (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor transistors). The first FET is driven on the high side, and the second FET is driven on the low side. In this circuit, high-side driving means the MOSFET is connected between the positive and negative terminals of the power supply, i.e., between the power supply and the load, while low-side driving means the MOSFET is connected between the load and ground. The gate (G) of the first FET is connected to the first terminal of the first driver chip, the source (S) of the first FET is connected to the first inductor, and the drain (D) of the first FET is connected to the first power supply. The gate (G) of the second FET is connected to the second terminal of the first driver chip, and the source (S) of the second FET is grounded. When the first driver chip (i.e., driver chip #1 in the figure) receives the wiper control command, it controls the first field-effect transistor and the second field-effect transistor to turn on or off through the output current of the first driver chip, and connects the first inductor coil and the second inductor coil into the circuit, thereby controlling the operation of the wiper motor.
[0053] Optionally, in another embodiment of this application, such as Figure 2 As shown, the high-speed control module described above may include:
[0054] The second driver chip, the second power supply, the third field-effect transistor, and the fourth field-effect transistor.
[0055] The first terminal of the third field-effect transistor is connected to the first terminal of the second driver chip, the second terminal of the third field-effect transistor is connected between the first inductor and the second inductor, and the third terminal of the third field-effect transistor is connected to the second power supply.
[0056] The first terminal of the fourth field-effect transistor is connected to the second terminal of the second driver chip, and the second terminal of the fourth field-effect transistor is grounded.
[0057] It should be noted that, in Figure 2In the diagram, Q3 and Q4 are the third field-effect transistors (FETs), GH2 is the gate (G) of the third FET, SH2 is the source (S) of the third FET, and GL2 is the gate (G) of the third FET. The third FET is driven by the high-side, and the fourth FET is driven by the low-side. The gate (G) of the third FET is connected to the first terminal of the second driver chip, the source (S) of the third FET is connected between the first and second inductors, and the drain (D) of the third FET is connected to the second power supply. The gate (G) of the fourth FET is connected to the second terminal of the second driver chip, and the source (S) of the fourth FET is grounded. When the second driver chip (i.e., driver chip #2 in the diagram) receives a wiper control command, it controls the switching on or off of the third and fourth FETs through its output current, connecting the second inductor to the circuit, thereby controlling the operation of the wiper motor. The first and second power supplies can be the vehicle's battery.
[0058] Optionally, in another embodiment of this application, such as Figure 2 As shown, the aforementioned wiper control system may further include:
[0059] First diode and second diode.
[0060] The first diode is connected between the gate and source of the first field-effect transistor.
[0061] The second diode is connected between the gate and source of the third field-effect transistor.
[0062] It should be noted that, in order to prevent the MOSFET from being damaged by instantaneous high voltage caused by interference coupling on the circuit, a first diode D1 is placed between the gate and source of the first field-effect transistor, and a second diode D2 is placed between the gate and source of the second field-effect transistor. The first and second diodes are used to absorb instantaneous interference pulses in the circuit, thus protecting the circuit.
[0063] Optionally, in another embodiment of this application, such as Figure 3 As shown, the aforementioned wiper control system may further include:
[0064] Transistors and fifth field-effect transistors.
[0065] The transistor is connected between the source (S) terminal of the first diode and the source (S) terminal of the first field-effect transistor.
[0066] The fifth field-effect transistor is positioned between the first power supply and the first field-effect transistor.
[0067] It's important to note that both high-speed and low-speed wipers utilize freewheeling via the lower edge of the low-speed wiper. When the high-speed wiper is operating normally, L1 rotates and stores energy. Freewheeling in a circuit refers to the phenomenon where current continues to flow within the device even when the switching transistor (such as a thyristor or MOSFET) is off. This is because the energy stored in the inductive element (such as an inductor) continues to provide current when the switching transistor is off, preventing the inductor current from suddenly dropping to zero.
[0068] Therefore, to prevent excessive energy from generating a large voltage that could damage diode D1, transistor S1 is connected between the source (S) of the first diode and the first field-effect transistor (FET). The fifth FET Q5 is positioned between the first power supply and the first FET. The gate (G) of the fifth FET is connected between the first FET and the first driver chip, and the drain (D) of the fifth FET is connected to the first power supply. The transistor's on / off state is controlled by a transistor on / off signal (SLOW_OFF signal). When the SLOW_OFF signal is high (high level), transistor S1 is turned on; when the SLOW_OFF signal is low (low level), transistor S1 is turned off. During high-speed wiper operation, the SLOW_OFF signal must be pulled low to turn off transistor S1, preventing excessive energy from generating a large voltage that could damage diode D1. During low-speed wiper operation, current only flows through the low-side of the low-speed wiper and not through the low-side of the high-speed wiper. Therefore, high-speed wipers do not require the addition of transistors or the placement of two pairs of MOSFETs on the high-speed side.
[0069] Optionally, in another embodiment of this application, in the above-mentioned wiper control system, when the wiper is in a low-speed working state, the first driver chip controls the first field-effect transistor to turn on, the second field-effect transistor, the third field-effect transistor and the fourth field-effect transistor to turn off, and the first inductor coil and the second inductor coil are connected in series in the circuit through the first field-effect transistor.
[0070] When the windshield wipers are in high-speed operation, the second driver chip controls the third field-effect transistor to turn on, while the first, second, and fourth field-effect transistors are turned off. The second inductor is connected in series with the third field-effect transistor and the first inductor is not connected in the circuit.
[0071] It should be noted that when the wipers are operating at low speed, the first driver chip is selected via the chip select signal. The first driver chip outputs a drive current to turn on the first field-effect transistor (FET), while the second, third, and fourth FETs are turned off. At this time, the first inductor L1 and the second inductor L2 are connected in series in the circuit through the first FET and are powered by the first power supply. The low-speed tap of the wiper motor operates, and the wiper motor runs at low speed, achieving low-speed operation of the wipers. The chip select signal, in digital circuit design, is used to select a specific chip. In a multi-chip system, the chip select signal is generated by logic circuits to divide the address space, ensuring that data, addresses, or commands can be independently transmitted to a specific chip.
[0072] When the wiper is in high-speed operation, the second driver chip is selected by the chip select signal. The second driver chip outputs a drive current to control the third field-effect transistor to turn on, while the first, second, and fourth field-effect transistors are turned off. At this time, the second inductor L2 is connected in series with the third field-effect transistor and is connected to the circuit. The first inductor is not connected to the circuit and is powered by the second power supply. The high-speed tap of the wiper motor is working, and the wiper motor runs at high speed, realizing the high-speed operation of the wiper.
[0073] Figure 4 This is a timing diagram showing the high and low speed wiper commands and their actual states. The red curve represents the on state, and the black curve represents the off state. The high-speed wiper drive command activates the high-speed wiper. The actual command received by the high-speed wiper is ON, and the high-speed wiper is activated. The SLOW_OFF signal is pulled low, causing transistor S1 to be turned off. Then, the low-speed wiper drive command activates the low-speed wiper. The SLOW_OFF signal is pulled high, causing transistor S1 to be activated. The actual command received by the low-speed wiper is ON, and the low-speed wiper is activated.
[0074] The wiper control system provided in this application embodiment can perform offline fault diagnosis when the wiper malfunctions. Because the internal coils of the wiper motor are connected, high and low speed wipers need to be used in conjunction for diagnosis. This activates offline diagnosis at the high-speed wiper end, and the diagnosis is performed by sampling the voltage from both the high and low speed wiper ports.
[0075] Wiper short power supply: The voltage feedback for both high and low speed wipers is high.
[0076] Wiper short circuit: The voltage feedback for both high and low speed wipers is low.
[0077] Windshield wiper open circuit: If the high-speed wiper voltage feedback is an offline diagnostic square wave, and the low-speed wiper voltage feedback is always low while the corresponding high-speed wiper chip's internal offline diagnostic report indicates an open circuit, then the high-speed wiper is open circuit; if the high-speed wiper voltage feedback is an offline diagnostic square wave, and the low-speed wiper voltage feedback is always low while the corresponding high-speed wiper chip's internal offline diagnostic report does not indicate an open circuit, then the low-speed wiper is open circuit.
[0078] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to mutually. Each embodiment focuses on its differences from other embodiments. In particular, for system or system embodiments, since they are fundamentally similar to method embodiments, the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions in the method embodiments. The systems and system embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. Components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs. Those skilled in the art can understand and implement this without creative effort.
[0079] Those skilled in the art will further recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, the components and steps of the various examples have been generally described in terms of functionality in the foregoing description. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this invention.
[0080] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
Claims
1. A wiper control system, characterized by, include: The system includes a low-speed control module, a high-speed control module, and a wiper motor; wherein the wiper motor comprises a first inductor coil and a second inductor coil connected in series; the wiper motor is used to drive the wipers. The low-speed control module is used to control the windshield wipers to operate at low speed. The high-speed control module is used to control the windshield wipers to operate at high speed. When the wipers are in low-speed operation mode, the first inductor coil and the second inductor coil are connected in series in the circuit through the low-speed control module; When the windshield wipers are in high-speed operation, the second inductor coil is connected to the circuit through the high-speed control module, while the first inductor coil is not connected to the circuit.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein, The low-speed control module includes a first driver chip, a first power supply, a first field-effect transistor, and a second field-effect transistor. First driver chip, first power supply, first field-effect transistor and second field-effect transistor; The first terminal of the first field-effect transistor is connected to the first terminal of the first driver chip, the second terminal of the first field-effect transistor is connected to the first inductor coil, and the third terminal of the first field-effect transistor is connected to the first power supply. The first terminal of the second field-effect transistor is connected to the second terminal of the first driver chip, and the second terminal of the second field-effect transistor is grounded.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein, The high-speed control module includes a second driver chip, a second power supply, a third field-effect transistor, and a fourth field-effect transistor. The first terminal of the third field-effect transistor is connected to the first terminal of the second driver chip, the second terminal of the third field-effect transistor is connected to the second inductor coil, and the third terminal of the third field-effect transistor is connected to the second power supply. The first terminal of the fourth field-effect transistor is connected to the second terminal of the second driver chip, and the second terminal of the fourth field-effect transistor is grounded.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein, Also includes: First diode and second diode; The first diode is connected between the gate and source of the first field-effect transistor; The second diode is connected between the gate and source of the third field-effect transistor.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein, Also includes: Transistors and fifth field-effect transistors; The transistor is connected between the source (S) terminal of the first diode and the source (S) terminal of the first field-effect transistor. The fifth field-effect transistor is disposed between the first power supply and the first field-effect transistor.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein, When the wipers are in low-speed operation, the first driver chip controls the first field-effect transistor to turn on, while the second, third, and fourth field-effect transistors are turned off. The first and second inductors are connected in series in the circuit through the first field-effect transistor.
7. The system of claim 5, wherein, When the windshield wipers are in high-speed operation, the second driver chip controls the third field-effect transistor to turn on, while the first, second, and fourth field-effect transistors are turned off. The second inductor is connected in series with the third field-effect transistor in the circuit, and the first inductor is not connected in the circuit.