JPH02216351A - Cleaning device for automobile mirror - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a cleaning device for automobile mirrors that maintains the visibility of mirror surfaces such as fender mirrors and door mirrors. , relates to a drawing of an automobile mirror cleaning device for removing ice, frost, fog, etc.

[Prior Art] A conventional example of this type of automobile mirror cleaning device includes the technology described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 61-30552.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an automatic heavy-duty mirror cleaning device disposed outside of a vehicle, which is disclosed in the above-mentioned publication.

In the figure, the rearview mirror installed on the outside of the vehicle is
Rearview mirror body 72 with glass mirror 71 attached
is supported by a stay 73, and an ultrasonic vibrator 74 made of ceramics, for example, is provided between the rearview mirror body 72 and the stay 73. An operation switch 75 is connected to the ultrasonic transducer 74 inside the vehicle so that it can be operated from inside the vehicle. A drive circuit 76 and a power source 77 are connected in series between the ultrasonic transducer 74 and the operation switch 75.

The drive circuit 76 amplifies the signal generated by the oscillator using an amplifier, sends it to the ultrasonic vibrator 74, and vibrates the ultrasonic vibrator 74 appropriately.

The conventional automobile mirror cleaning device using an ultrasonic vibrator configured as described above can operate as follows.

When water droplets or the like adhere to the mirror surface of the rearview mirror, an operation switch 75 in the vehicle interior is operated to vibrate the ultrasonic transducer 74. The vibration of the ultrasonic vibrator 74 can remove water droplets and the like attached to the mirror surface by vibrating the entire rearview mirror body 72.

In addition, in this type of car mirror cleaning device, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-8548, when power is supplied to the ultrasonic vibrator 74, water droplets adhering to the mirror 71 are removed for a short period of time. is atomized. For this reason, the time for supplying power to the ultrasonic transducer 74 is limited using a timer or the like, or power is supplied to the ultrasonic transducer 74 at fixed time intervals in conjunction with a wiper.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in order to remove water droplets etc. adhering to the mirror surface of the mirror 71 using the ultrasonic vibrator 74, the ultrasonic vibration is generated every certain repeated operation in conjunction with a wiper. If power is supplied to the child 74 or if the operation is performed intermittently at predetermined time intervals,
For example, if the car is running at high speed and the mirror 7
Even if it becomes difficult for water droplets or other dirt to adhere to the 1, the ultrasonic vibrator 74 is operated in conjunction with the wiper at a certain number of repetitions under the same conditions of 30 to 40 [Ka+/h] or less during normal road driving. When power is supplied or the ultrasonic vibrator 74 is operated intermittently at predetermined time intervals, power is supplied to the ultrasonic transducer 74 even when the mirror 71 is in a running state where dirt such as water droplets is difficult to adhere to.
The life of the ultrasonic transducer 74 may be shortened, or the ultrasonic transducer 7
This results in a waste of the supplied energy applied to 4.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an automobile mirror cleaning device that can control power consumption in response to the occurrence of dirt or the like (for example, water droplets) on the mirror.

[Means for Solving the Problems] An automobile mirror cleaning device according to a first invention vibrates an ultrasonic vibrator bonded to the back surface of a mirror having a predetermined curvature at a predetermined frequency. The timing interval for driving the power supply means is changed according to the vehicle speed.

A cleaning device for an automobile mirror according to the second invention operates a power supply means for vibrating an ultrasonic vibrator bonded to the back surface of a mirror having a predetermined curvature at a predetermined frequency at a predetermined vehicle speed. This will stop the process.

A cleaning device for an automobile mirror according to a third invention includes a vehicle speed corresponding control means for controlling the power supply means according to the first invention and a control stop means for controlling the power supply means according to the second invention. .

[Function] In the first invention, a signal of a predetermined frequency is supplied from the power supply means to the ultrasonic vibrator bonded to the back surface of the mirror to generate ultrasonic vibration, and the ultrasonic vibration is generated by Remove water droplets, ice, frost, fog, etc.

At this time, the ultrasonic vibrator changes the drive timing interval according to the vehicle speed by a vehicle speed corresponding control means so that the drive timing interval becomes longer as the vehicle speed increases.As the vehicle speed increases, water droplets appear on the mirror surface. To cope with the fact that ice, frost, fog, etc. become difficult to adhere to.

In the second invention, a signal of a predetermined frequency is supplied from a power supply means to an ultrasonic vibrator bonded to the back surface of the mirror to generate ultrasonic vibrations, thereby removing water droplets, ice, and frost attached to the mirror surface. , remove cloudiness, etc.

At this time, the ultrasonic vibrator uses a control stop means to stop the driving of the power supply means when the vehicle speed reaches a predetermined speed or higher, and when the vehicle speed increases (if the vehicle speed increases, water droplets, ice, frost, fog, etc.) may appear on the mirror surface. This corresponds to the fact that it becomes difficult to adhere to the surface.

The third invention is provided with a vehicle speed corresponding control means for controlling the power supply means of the first invention and a control stop means for controlling the power supply means of the second invention. This invention has the effect of the second invention.

[Example] Examples of the present invention will now be described.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the mirror 12 of an automobile mirror cleaning device which is an embodiment of the third invention, and FIG.
FIG. Further, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a bending wave of a cleaning device for an automobile mirror, which is an embodiment of the third invention.

In FIGS. 2 to 4, a disk-shaped ultrasonic transducer 20 is bonded to approximately the center of the mirror 12 with an adhesive. Specifically, the mirror-side electrode terminal 23 of the ultrasonic transducer 20 is bonded to the back surface of the mirror 12 . In particular, as the ultrasonic transducer 20 of this embodiment, an ultrasonic transducer element 22 made of piezoelectric ceramics using a piezo effect element is used. The ultrasonic transducer 20 is a third
As shown in the figure, it is composed of an electrode terminal 23 on the mirror side, an electrode terminal 21 on the anti-mirror side, and an ultrasonic vibration element 22.

Then, the lead wire 15 is crimped to the electrode terminal 23 on the mirror side, and the lead wire 16 is crimped to the electrode terminal 21 on the anti-mirror side with a crimping tool or the like, or by crimping or the like.
electrically and mechanically connected.

When power is supplied between the lead wires 15 and 16 of the electrode terminal 23 on the mirror side and the electrode terminal 21 on the anti-mirror side shown in FIG.
thickness direction (lower direction in Figure 3) and ultrasonic transducer 2
It expands or contracts in the radial direction of 0 (horizontal direction in FIG. 3).

That is, in general, the ultrasonic transducer 20 has a longitudinal effect in which it expands and contracts in the same direction as the direction of the applied electric field, and a lateral effect in which it expands and contracts in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the applied electric field. and,
It has a characteristic that the resonant frequency due to the transverse effect is lower than the resonant frequency due to the longitudinal effect.

Therefore, in this embodiment, a bending wave is generated in the mirror 12 using the transverse effect. However, in some cases, such as mirrors with high resonance frequencies, it may be preferable to utilize the longitudinal effect. Therefore, when implementing the present invention, the present invention is not limited to generating bending waves in the mirror 12 using the transverse effect, but may also include a method in which the mirror 12 is expanded and contracted using the longitudinal effect. .

Next, the principle of bending the mirror 12 using the transverse effect of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

First, when the (+) terminal of the DC power source E is connected to the lead wire 15 and the (=) terminal of the DC power source E is connected to the lead wire 16, a strong contraction force acts on the ultrasonic vibrator 20 in the radial direction due to the transverse effect. As a result, the mirror 12 is bent downward as shown in FIG. 4(a).

Furthermore, when the (-) terminal of the DC power source E is connected to the lead wire 15 and the (+) terminal of the DC power source E to the lead wire 16, a strong stretching force acts on the ultrasonic vibrator 20 in the radial direction due to the transverse effect. As a result, the mirror 12 is bent upward as shown in FIG. 4(b).

Then, when the output of the alternating current power supply AC is supplied to the ultrasonic transducer 20, the mirror 12 is repeatedly bent as shown in FIG. 4(C). Here, if the frequency of the AC power is selected to an appropriate value, the mirror 12 resonates, and a standing wave that is uniform and large in amplitude is generated throughout the mirror 12. This standing wave causes the mirror surface of the mirror 12 to vibrate at high speed. At this time, the water droplets adhering to the mirror surface are given high kinetic energy by the mirror 12, and are dropped or atomized by gravity and removed from the surface of the mirror 12, thereby removing water droplets etc. from the mirror surface. Become.

Note that at this time, since there is a unique resonant frequency determined by the shape of the ultrasonic transducer 20, the resonant frequency needs to be determined by considering both the resonant frequencies of the ultrasonic transducer 20 and the mirror 12. be. Incidentally, in this embodiment, the resonant frequency is set to 30[KIIz] by using the natural vibration of the mirror 12 existing at 30
IIzl ~50 [KIIzl ultrasonic transducer 20 is used. However, since this natural frequency exists from a low frequency to a high frequency, other frequencies may be used.

As a result of many experiments by the inventors, the ultrasonic transducer 20
It was confirmed that even if the fixing position of the mirror 12 was changed, there was almost no change in the vibration generated in the mirror 12. Therefore, if the ultrasonic transducer 20 is fixed to a part of the mirror 12, almost the same vibration can be obtained as when the mirror 12 is fixed to the center of gravity.

Mirror 12 and ultrasonic transducer 2 configured as above
0 is configured as a mirror body as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 5, a metal frame 2 is fixed with tapping screws 3 within a synthetic resin mirror case 1 fixed to a vehicle body (not shown). A mirror base 4 made of synthetic resin is fixed to the frame 2 using a flexible ball (not shown) so as to be tiltable vertically and horizontally.

Further, a mirror position driving device 5 is fixed to the frame 2 with screws. The mirror position driving device 5 has two output lots (not shown) that can be driven independently. One ends of the two output lots are connected to different positions on one surface of the mirror base 4, respectively. The mirror base 4 tilts vertically or horizontally when one or two output rods are driven by an operation by a vehicle occupant.

The two output lots of the mirror position driving device 5 are each covered with a cover 6 or 7 made of synthetic rubber.

One end of the cover 6 or 7 is connected to the mirror position driving device 5.
The other end of the cover 6 or 7 is joined to the mirror base 4.

Note that the cover 6 or 7 is attached to the mirror base 4.
A bellows is used to prevent the tilting movement from being obstructed.

A mirror holder 8 made of synthetic resin, aluminum, etc. is bonded to the mirror base 4. An engagement recess 11 is provided on the outer periphery of the mirror holder 8.
A holding member 9 made of a material having an acoustic impedance smaller than that of the mirror 12, such as synthetic rubber or a synthetic resin such as urethane, is inserted into the mirror 1 over the entire circumference of the mirror 12. The engagement recess 11 holds the entire circumference of the plate-shaped mirror 12 via the holding member 9, and the mirror 12 is attached to the mirror holder 8.

A vibrator control device 14 is disposed on the mirror case 1 side of the mirror base 4 and between the mirror case 1 and the mirror case 1. The transducer control device 14 incorporates a control circuit including a voltage controlled oscillation circuit for driving the ultrasonic transducer 20, a power supply circuit, and the like. The drive and stop of the vibrator control device 14 is controlled by an automatic start switch 41, an automatic stop switch 42, and a manual switch 43 provided inside the vehicle.

Further, the vibrator control device 14. is a connector portion disposed on the mirror holder 8, which is electrically and mechanically connected. A mold part oil 13 is embedded between the back surface of the mirror 12 and the electrode terminal 21 on the side opposite to the mirror, thereby interfering with vibration between the two.

Next, the overall configuration diagram of a control device for electrically controlling the automobile mirror cleaning device of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the control switches and the like for controlling the automobile mirror cleaning device of this embodiment shown in FIG. The front layout diagram will be explained.

In FIGS. 1 and 6, automatic start switch 41
, the automatic stop switch 42, and the manual switch 43 are switches located on the instrument panel or the like so that they can be easily operated by the driver in the vehicle that drives the automobile mirror cleaning device of this embodiment. The automatic start switch 41, automatic stop switch 42, and manual switch 43 are manually input to a microcomputer 53 via an input circuit 52, and when they are turned on, "L" is manually input to the input circuit 52, and when they are off, they are input "H". manually. The automatic start switch 41 drives the ultrasonic transducer 20 at predetermined time intervals, and the automatic stop switch 4
2 is for stopping the automatic start switch 41 from being driven. The manual switch 43 drives the ultrasonic transducer 20 for only the operating time.

Further, the output of the speed sensor 44 is inputted to a microcomputer 53 via an input circuit 52, and is a known detector for determining vehicle speed.

The microcomputer 53 shown in FIG. 1 is supplied with power from a power supply circuit 55 that is supplied with power from an on-vehicle battery 54. Further, the microcomputer 53 has an expansion memory 60 for storing data and the like. The expanded memory 60 is a non-volatile memory or the data is retained by a backup power source.
If the microcomputer 53 receives power from the vehicle battery 54 regardless of whether the ignition switch is turned on or off, the microcomputer 53
You can also use the built-in memory.

The output of the microcomputer 53 is supplied to power supply means consisting of a D/A converter 56, a voltage controlled oscillation circuit 57, and a vibrator drive circuit 58.

That is, the frequency of AC power supplied to the ultrasonic transducer 20 is supplied from the transducer drive circuit 58.

The vibrator drive circuit 58 is supplied from a voltage controlled oscillation circuit (V-F conversion circuit) 57, and is further supplied from the voltage controlled oscillation circuit 5.
The output frequency of 7 is supplied by the output voltage of the D/A converter 56, and the output voltage of the D/A converter 56 is controlled by a digital signal from the microcomputer 53.

The analog output voltage of the D/A:7 inverter 56 is always supplied to the voltage controlled oscillation circuit 57, and the voltage controlled oscillation circuit 57 applies an output of a predetermined frequency to the vibrator drive circuit 58. The output of the vibrator drive circuit 58 is controlled by a strobe signal 61 output from the microcomputer 53, and only when the strobe signal 61 is "1", the vibrator drive circuit 58 converts AC power of a predetermined frequency into ultrasonic vibrations. child 20. The predetermined frequency at this time is a frequency of a predetermined frequency bandwidth that is repeated at every time interval.

A control program for controlling the automobile mirror cleaning device of this embodiment is stored in the ROM of the microcomputer 53, and is controlled as follows.

7 and 8 are flowcharts of a main program for controlling an automobile mirror cleaning device according to an embodiment of the third invention. Further, FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the "r vehicle speed detection routine" called by the main program of FIG. 7.

First, when the in-vehicle battery 54 is connected in step S1, this main program starts 7 and is initialized in step S2. When the initialization is completed, the on state of the manual switch 43 is determined in step S3, and when the manual switch 43 is in the off state, the on state of the automatic start switch 41 is determined in step S4, and the manual switch is turned on in step S3 or step S4. 43 or the automatic start switch 41 is turned on. When it is determined that the manual switch 43 is on, the process proceeds to step S9, but the explanation from step S9 is based on the automatic start switch 4.
This will be explained using No. 1 on-state routine.

When it is determined in step S4 that the automatic start switch 41 is on, a "r vehicle speed detection routine" is called in step S5.

When the "r vehicle speed detection routine" is called in step S5, it is determined in step S31 whether the current vehicle speed is 60 [Ka+/h1 or more, and when the current vehicle speed is 60 [Km/h1 or more], a timer is activated in step S32. The avoidance flag is set to "1" and this routine is exited. That is, if the vehicle speed is 60 [Km
/h] or more, water droplets, ice, frost, etc. may appear on the surface of the mirror 12.
The timer avoidance flag is set to "1" in order to stop the driving of the ultrasonic transducer 20 in response to the fact that fog etc. become difficult to adhere to.
''. In step S31, the current vehicle speed is 60 [Km
/h], in order to drive the ultrasonic transducer 20 at predetermined time intervals, the timer avoidance flag is set to "0" in step 833, and the routine starts from step 834. In step S34, the current vehicle speed is 60.
Less than [Km/h] and greater than or equal to 50 [Kn+/h], that is, 60 [Km/hl > Vehicle speed ≧ 50 [Km/h]
h], and when the speed is within the speed range, the timer T is set to 3 minutes in step S35, and the ultrasonic transducer 2
0 is driven at 3 minute intervals. Similarly, it is determined in step 836 whether the current vehicle speed is less than 50 [Km/h1 and greater than or equal to 40 [Km/h1], and when it is within the speed range, timer T is set to 1 minute in step S37, and , in step 838, the current vehicle speed is 40 [K
m/h] and 30 [Kn+/h: 1 or more. If the speed is within the speed range, the timer T is set to 45 seconds in step S39. Then, in step S40, the current vehicle speed is less than 30 [Km/h] and 20 [Km/h].
h] or more, and if it is within that speed range,
In step S41, the timer T is set to 30 seconds, and if it is determined in step S40 that the current vehicle speed is less than 20 [Km/h], the timer T is set to 20 seconds in step 842. Break out of this routine.

In this way, in this r vehicle speed detection routine, the vehicle speed is 6
0 [Km/h1 or more, the timer avoidance flag is set to "1" in order to stop the driving of the ultrasonic transducer 20 in response to the fact that water droplets, ice, frost, fog, etc. become difficult to adhere to the surface of the mirror 12. ”, and when the vehicle speed is less than 60 [Km/h1,
The timer avoidance flag is set to "0", and the timing at which the ultrasonic transducer 20 is driven is set in accordance with the probability of water droplets, ice, frost, fog, etc. adhering to the surface of the mirror 12 in accordance with the vehicle speed range.

After the process of the "vehicle speed detection routine", it is determined in step S6 whether the manual switch 43 is on, and when the manual switch 43 is on, the process proceeds to step S9. Manual switch 43
is off, the timer avoidance flag is set to “1” in step S7.
” and the timer avoidance flag is “1”, the vehicle speed is 60 [Km/h] or more, so the vehicle speed is 60 [Km/h] or more.
The routine from step S5 to step S7 is processed until the value becomes less than 0 [Ks+/h]. That is, if the vehicle speed is 60
While the vehicle is running at [Ka/h] or higher, when it is determined in step S6 that the manual switch 43 is turned on, the routine from step S5 to step S7 is exited.

If it is determined in step S7 that the timer avoidance flag is "0", step S8 waits for the timer T set in the "vehicle speed detection routine" to elapse, and when timer T times out, the timer The initial value of the variable ultrasonic vibration frequency for varying the output frequency is output to the transducer drive circuit 58, and in step S10, the strobe signal 61 is set to "1" to drive the ultrasonic transducer 20 at a frequency in a predetermined frequency band at a predetermined time. Start vibrating.

In step S11, it is determined that 5 seconds have elapsed, and before 5 seconds have elapsed, in step 812, the input to the D/A converter 56 is changed in order to change the current frequency at predetermined intervals. Then, when determining that 5 seconds have passed in step Sll,
At step 813, the strobe signal 61 is set to "0",
The vibration of the ultrasonic transducer 20 is stopped, and step 81
4, it is determined whether the automatic stop switch 42 is on, and when the automatic stop switch 42 is on, the ultrasonic transducer 2
Since this means ending the drive of 0, step S3
The routine returns to step S3 and step S4 and waits for the manual switch 43 or automatic start switch 41 to be turned on. Further, when it is not determined in step 314 that the automatic stop switch 42 is turned on, in order to continue driving the ultrasonic transducer 20, the routine starts from step S5, and the "r vehicle speed detection routine" is called again.

As described above, in the car mirror cleaning device of this embodiment, the frequency applied to the ultrasonic vibrator 20 is changed within a predetermined frequency band, and thereby the ultrasonic vibrator 20 expands and contracts in the radial direction. Then, the mirror 12 is made to reach a resonant frequency multiple times at which continuous bending waves surrounding the outer periphery of the ultrasonic transducer 20 are generated, and the water droplets attached to the mirror surface are
It can increase the efficiency of removing ice, frost, fog, etc. Therefore, by using the disk-shaped ultrasonic transducer 20, even a single ultrasonic transducer 20 can generate uniform bending wave vibrations over the entire mirror 12, and the frequency applied to the ultrasonic transducer 20 can be adjusted to a predetermined frequency. By varying only the bandwidth, mirror 12
By moving the antinodes and nodes of the standing waves generated in the vibration, it is possible to eliminate water droplets that do not become atomized at the nodes of vibration.

In addition, the current traveling vehicle speed is set to 60 in "r vehicle speed detection routine".
[When the speed exceeds Km/h1, the timer avoidance flag is set to "1" to stop the driving of the ultrasonic transducer 20 in response to the fact that water droplets, ice, frost, fog, etc. become difficult to adhere to the surface of the mirror 12. Thus, driving of the ultrasonic transducer 20 is avoided.

However, when the current traveling vehicle speed is less than 60 km/h1, the timer avoidance flag for determining the timing to drive the ultrasonic transducer 20 in accordance with the vehicle speed is set to "0", and the mirror 12 is set to "0".
The timing for driving the ultrasonic transducer 20 is set depending on the vehicle speed range corresponding to the probability that water droplets, ice, frost, fog, etc. will adhere to the surface of the vehicle.

Therefore, when the vehicle speed is 60 [Km/h] or more on a highway, etc., the surface of the mirror 12 is in a deep negative pressure region due to the fluid dynamics at that time, but the flow around the mirror 12 is fast. This makes it difficult for water droplets, ice, frost, fog, etc. to adhere to the surface of the mirror 12. At this time, the ultrasonic transducer 20 is not driven because dirt is not generated on the surface of the mirror 12 due to the speed of the traveling vehicle.

However, when the vehicle speed is less than 60 km/h on a highway, etc., the air flow around the mirror 12 slows down, causing water droplets, ice, frost, fog, etc. to adhere to the surface of the mirror 12. It becomes easier to do. At this time, it is assumed that dirt is likely to occur on the surface of the mirror 12 in accordance with the speed of the traveling vehicle, and the drive timing of the ultrasonic transducer 20 is determined based on the probability of dirt occurrence. Therefore, the unnecessary ultrasonic transducer 20
, the life of the ultrasonic transducer 20 can be extended, and wasteful energy consumption can be suppressed.

As described above, the automobile mirror cleaning device of the above embodiment has a mirror 12 having a predetermined curvature, an ultrasonic vibrator 20 bonded to the back surface of the mirror 12, and a specified ultrasonic vibrator 20. power supply means consisting of a D/A converter 56 that vibrates at a predetermined frequency, a voltage controlled oscillation circuit 57, and a vibrator drive circuit 58; and a vehicle speed sensor 44 that changes the timing interval for driving the power supply means according to the vehicle speed. and a microcomputer 53, which mainly sets the timing by detecting the vehicle speed.
“Vehicle speed detection routine” and step S of the main program
5 to step S8, the timer avoidance flag is set to "1" when the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined speed. ”, and includes control stopping means for stopping subsequent control at step S7 of the main program.

That is, this type of embodiment can be an embodiment corresponding to the third invention.

However, when the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined speed in the vehicle speed detection routine that stops the drive of the power supply means at a predetermined vehicle speed or higher, the timer avoidance flag is set to "1" and subsequent control is stopped in step S7 of the main program. The control stop means stops the driving of the power supply means at a predetermined vehicle speed or higher, since it is sufficient to set a predetermined time limit to a timer T that obtains the timing of driving the ultrasonic transducer 20 for each speed range. The control stop means can be omitted. This type of embodiment can be considered as an embodiment of the first invention.

Specifically, step 833 of the "vehicle speed detection routine" is omitted, and a predetermined long time period, for example, 10
It is sufficient to set the minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, etc. Accordingly, step S7 of the main program can be omitted.

Further, the vehicle speed corresponding control means for changing the timing interval for driving the power supply means according to the vehicle speed may be omitted. That is, it mainly consists of a vehicle speed sensor 44 and a microcomputer 53 that change the timing interval for driving the power supply means according to the vehicle speed, and sets the timing by detecting the vehicle speed.
and steps S5 to S8 of the main program
In the embodiments of the first and third inventions, a plurality of vehicle speed corresponding control means processed in the routine are set according to the vehicle speed range, but depending on the form of the vehicle body and the mirror 12, There are some vehicles where the speed at which dirt adheres is very low. As an embodiment corresponding to this type of vehicle, step S31 of the "vehicle speed detection routine" is set to the predetermined speed, the routine after step S34 is omitted, and step S8 of the main program is omitted accordingly. be able to. This kind of embodiment can be an embodiment of the second invention.

By the way, the power supply means for vibrating the ultrasonic transducer at a specified frequency in the above embodiment is the D/A converter 56.
, a voltage-controlled oscillation circuit 57, and a transducer drive circuit 58. However, when carrying out the present invention, a power supply means that vibrates the ultrasonic transducer 20 only at a specified predetermined frequency may be used. Basically, any circuit that can drive the ultrasonic transducer 20 may be used.

Further, the vehicle speed corresponding control means for changing the timing interval for driving the power supply means according to the vehicle speed in the above embodiments of the first invention and the third invention is composed of a vehicle speed sensor 44 and a microcomputer 53, and is based on the vehicle speed detection. Set the timing. The processing is mainly carried out by 4 "vehicle speed detection routine" and the routine from step S5 to step S8 of the main program, but when implementing the present invention, the timing interval for driving the power supply means is changed according to the vehicle speed. Alternatively, a memory table or the like may be prepared in advance, and the predetermined timing may be obtained from the memory table.

In any case, it is only necessary that the interval at which the ultrasonic transducer 20 is driven can be changed in accordance with the vehicle speed related to the dirt on the surface of the mirror 12.

The control stop means for stopping the drive of the power supply means at a predetermined vehicle speed or higher in the above-mentioned embodiments of the second invention and the third invention is the "vehicle speed detection means" for stopping the drive of the power supply means at a predetermined vehicle speed or higher. When the speed exceeds a predetermined speed in "Routine", the timer avoidance flag is set to "1" and subsequent control is stopped in step S7 of the main program.
A logic circuit may be configured at the input end or output side of the microcomputer 53 so that a signal for the automatic start switch 41 or the automatic stop switch 42 is generated based on the output of a predetermined vehicle speed sensor 44.

Although the ultrasonic transducer 20 is disk-shaped in this embodiment, the ultrasonic transducer 20 does not need to be disk-shaped when implementing the present invention. Further, the automatic start switch 41 can be used as a switch for driving a wiper or a sensor for detecting rain, and can also be installed in parallel with these.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the automobile mirror cleaning device of the first invention vibrates the ultrasonic vibrator bonded to the back surface of the mirror having a predetermined curvature at a specified predetermined frequency. Since the device is equipped with a power supply means and a vehicle speed corresponding control means that changes the timing interval for driving the power supply means according to the vehicle speed, a signal of a predetermined frequency is sent from the power supply means to the ultrasonic transducer. By supplying ultrasonic vibrations, it is possible to remove water droplets, ice, frost, fog, etc. attached to the mirror surface. The timing interval for generating ultrasonic vibrations at this time can be changed so that the driving timing interval becomes longer as the vehicle speed increases. It can cope with the fact that it becomes difficult to adhere. Therefore, when there is no possibility that the mirror surface will become dirty, wasteful power consumption can be suppressed by delaying the timing interval for generating ultrasonic vibrations.

A cleaning device for an automobile mirror according to a second aspect of the invention includes: a power supply means for vibrating an ultrasonic vibrator bonded to the back surface of a mirror having a predetermined curvature at a specified predetermined frequency; The vehicle is equipped with a control stop means for stopping the drive at a predetermined vehicle speed. Therefore, at a predetermined vehicle speed, a signal of a predetermined frequency is supplied from the power supply means to the ultrasonic vibrator bonded to the back surface of the mirror to generate ultrasonic vibrations, thereby eliminating water droplets, ice, etc. attached to the mirror surface. Can remove frost, fog, etc.

When the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined value, the control stop means stops driving the power supply means, and when the vehicle speed increases, it becomes difficult for water droplets, ice, frost, fog, etc. to adhere to the mirror surface. Correspondingly, when there is no possibility of the mirror surface becoming dirty, by delaying the timing interval for generating ultrasonic vibrations, wasteful power consumption can be suppressed.

The automobile mirror cleaning device of the third invention is equipped with a vehicle speed corresponding control means for controlling the power supply means of the first invention and a control stop means for controlling the power supply means of the second invention. , the effects of the first invention and the effects of the second invention can be achieved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a control device for electrically controlling an automobile mirror cleaning device according to an embodiment of the third invention;
Fig. 2 is a front view of a mirror of a car mirror cleaning device according to an embodiment of the third invention, Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a car mirror cleaning device according to an embodiment of the third invention. An explanatory diagram of bending waves in a mirror cleaning device, FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a mirror body of an automobile mirror cleaning device according to an embodiment of the third invention, and FIG. 6 is an illustration of a mirror body according to an embodiment of the third invention. A layout diagram of switches of an automobile mirror cleaning device; FIGS. 7 to 9 are flowcharts for controlling the automobile mirror cleaning device according to the third embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a conventional automobile mirror cleaning device disposed outside a vehicle. In the figure, 12: Mirror 20: Ultrasonic transducer 44: Vehicle speed sensor 53: Microcomputer 56: D/A converter 57: Voltage controlled oscillation circuit 58: Transducer drive circuit 60:
Extended memory. In the drawings, the same reference numerals and the same symbols indicate the same or equivalent parts. Island 4 Figure 1 Patent applicant Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A mirror having a predetermined curvature, an ultrasonic transducer bonded to the back surface of the mirror, a power supply means for vibrating the ultrasonic transducer at a specified predetermined frequency, and the power supply means. 1. A cleaning device for an automobile mirror, comprising: a vehicle speed corresponding control means that changes a driving timing interval according to the vehicle speed. (2) a mirror having a predetermined curvature; an ultrasonic transducer bonded to the back surface of the mirror; a power supply means for vibrating the ultrasonic transducer at a specified predetermined frequency; 1. A cleaning device for an automobile mirror, comprising: control stopping means for stopping the drive at a predetermined vehicle speed or higher. (3) a mirror having a predetermined curvature, an ultrasonic transducer bonded to the back surface of the mirror, a power supply means for vibrating the ultrasonic transducer at a specified predetermined frequency, and the power supply means. A cleaning device for an automobile mirror, comprising: a vehicle speed corresponding control means for changing a drive timing interval according to the vehicle speed; and a control stop means for stopping the driving of the power supply means at a predetermined vehicle speed or higher.