JPH077127B2 - Water drop remover for mirror - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to a water drop removing device for outdoor mirrors such as vehicle side mirrors, rearview mirrors, and road curve mirrors, that is, by applying vibration to a mirror plate. The present invention relates to a water droplet removing device that automatically removes water droplets attached to a mirror surface, and it is possible to appropriately select the amplitude of vibration of the mirror plate. The efficiency of removing water droplets on the mirror surface can be improved by applying a vibration having an optimum amplitude in accordance with the above.

[Conventional technology]

With respect to the outdoor mirror, it is desirable to remove the water droplets when they are attached to the mirror surface due to rain or the like, and therefore it is desirable to remove the water droplets. However, it is well known that a wiper is attached as the removing means.

Further, for a relatively small outdoor mirror such as a side mirror of a vehicle, an ultrasonic wave generator is attached to the rear surface of the mirror plate in a normal one in which the peripheral edge of the mirror plate is supported by a support frame,
A technique is known in which ultrasonic vibrations generated by the ultrasonic vibration wave generator are transmitted to a mirror plate and vibrated by ultrasonic waves to remove water droplets adhering to the mirror surface (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-70745).
(Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-8548).

This one gives ultrasonic vibration with small amplitude to the mirror surface,
It removes water drops on the mirror surface by separating them from the mirror surface. The outline of this structure will be described with reference to FIG.

The end plate 10 is supported at its peripheral edge by a support frame 20, and the support frame 20 is fixed to a side mirror casing 30. A high-frequency shaker 60 is attached to the back surface of the end plate 10, and the ultrasonic transmitter 50 is connected to this shaker.

When the ultrasonic wave transmitting device 50 is energized, the high-frequency vibrator 60 vibrates with ultrasonic waves, and this vibration vibrates the end plate 10 with ultrasonic waves. Therefore, the water droplets attached to the mirror surface 10a of the mirror plate 10 are repelled and separated and removed.

Since this mechanism repels water droplets adhering to the mirror surface by ultrasonic vibration of the mirror plate to separate and remove it, the vibration of the mirror plate is extremely violent with small amplitude. Since violent ultrasonic vibration is applied, fatigue damage to the end plate and its mirror surface is likely to occur, possibly impairing the durability of the end plate. Further, since the high frequency shaker is attached to the back surface of the end plate, and the peripheral edge of the end plate is fixed to a fixed support member, the amplitude of the end plate is unique to the shaker. Since it is specified by the amplitude, the amplitude cannot be appropriately selected according to the end plate, and there is a limit to the mass of the end plate, and this is actually applied to large outdoor mirrors such as curved road mirrors. As for the above, further improvement is required.

[Problems of the Invention]

An object of the present invention is to separate and remove water droplets on a mirror surface by applying a vibration of a required minimum frequency with a large amplitude so that the above problem does not occur.

[Means taken to solve the problem]

The measures taken to solve the above-mentioned problems are constituted by the following elements (a) and (b).

(A) The end plate is pivotally supported on a fixed member such as a support bracket by means of a spherical pivot bearing, and (b) the back face of the pivotally supported part integral with the end plate and the fixed member are separated from the pivot part. The end plate was swung by fixing an exciter using a bimorph piezoelectric element at a location.

[Work]

Since the end plate is pivotally supported on a fixed member such as a support bracket by means of a spherical pivot bearing, the end plate can be freely swung with a small force with almost no resistance, and its amplitude can be increased by the support member of the end plate. Is not restricted in size. In addition, by selecting the length between the exciter using the bimorph piezoelectric element and the pivot point of the end plate, the amplitude of the swing motion of the end plate can be changed appropriately regardless of the amplitude unique to the exciter. You can

Therefore, one exciter with a relatively small amplitude can give a vibration with a relatively large amplitude to the end plate, and there is nothing that restrains the swing of the end plate, so this vibration causes an unreasonable force to be applied to the end plate. No internal strain due to vibration is generated in the end plate.

When a vibration with a relatively large amplitude and a relatively small frequency compared to a sound wave is applied to the mirror plate, the function of repelling the water droplet on the mirror surface by the vibration of the mirror surface also occurs, but it promotes the fluidization of the water droplet attached to the mirror surface, Both of these functions enable the water droplets adhering to the mirror surface to be efficiently removed from the mirror surface.

〔Example〕

Next, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an automobile fender mirror will be described with reference to FIG.

The cowling 3 of the fender mirror 1 is attached to a fender of an automobile by a stay 2, and a pivot shaft 5 projects from a support bracket 4 in the cowling 3 rearward (left in the figure). The central portion of the support member 6 of the end plate 7 is pivotally supported by the spherical pivot bearing 5a.

Although the end plate 7 has various shapes such as a circle and a quadrangle, the outer peripheral part thereof is fitted and fixed to the outer peripheral part of the support member 6, and the end plate 7 swings around the spherical pivot bearing 5a as a fulcrum together with the support member 6. It is rotatably supported by the support bracket 4.

Support bracket 4 for supporting a vibrator 8 using a bimorph piezoelectric element
It is fixed to the support member 6 and is interposed between the two.
The length between the vibration exciter 8 by the bimorph piezoelectric element and the pivot point by the support shaft 5 is appropriately determined in consideration of the natural amplitude of the exciter 8 by the bimorph piezoelectric element, the size of the end plate, and the swing amplitude of the end plate. It will be selected.

When the vibrator 8 made of the bimorph piezoelectric element vibrates, the end plate 7 together with the support member 6 vibrates left and right with the spherical pivot bearing 5a as a fulcrum.

In this example, the vibrator 8 including a bimorph piezoelectric element is used.
Ignition device for automobile gasoline engine 9
The primary side voltage is used.

The ignition device 9 is a capacitive discharge type non-contact ignition device, and the charging coil 10 is provided in a multi-pole magnet that rotates in synchronization with a crankshaft of a gasoline engine (hereinafter referred to as "engine"). The charging coil 10 is connected to the capacitor 12 via the diode 11, and this capacitor
An ignition coil 13 is connected to 12. The ignition coil 13 includes a primary coil 13a and a secondary coil 13b, and an engine ignition plug is connected to the secondary coil 13b.

A thyristor 15 is provided between the diode 11 and the capacitor 12.
Are connected, and the pulsar coil 16 is connected to the gate of the thyristor 15 via the diode 17.

The vibration exciter 8 is connected between the capacitor 12 and the ignition coil 13 via an operation switch 18.

When the operation switch 18 is turned on automatically or manually, the primary side voltage of the ignition device 9 is input to the exciter 8, and the exciter 8 responds to the fluctuating frequency of the primary side voltage generated with the conduction of the thyristor 15. Vibrate.

Due to the vibration of the vibrator 8 by the bimorph piezoelectric element, the end plate holder 6 vibrates with the spherical pivot bearing 5a of the pivot shaft 5 serving as a fulcrum, and the end plate 7 also vibrates, so that water droplets attached to the mirror surface of the end plate 7 are removed. To be done.

The drive power source for the vibrator 8 using the bimorph piezoelectric element may be obtained directly from the AC voltage of the charging coil 10 of the ignition device 9 as shown by the alternate long and short dash line.

In this embodiment, since the ignition circuit of the existing engine is used as the driving device for the vibrator with the bimorph piezoelectric element,
Although a special drive circuit can be omitted, there is a problem in that the frequency of the exciter using the bimorph piezoelectric element depends on the engine speed. However, by properly selecting the magnitude of the amplitude of the end plate, water droplets can be efficiently removed by the primary side voltage of the ignition device in a normal vehicle running state.

Further, in a device provided with a mechanism for arbitrarily adjusting the angle of the end plate 7 by changing the direction of the end plate holder, the end plate holder 6
Is used as a support body, and the end plate 7 is directly swingably supported by a pivot shaft provided on the end plate holder 6, and a vibrator with a bimorph piezoelectric element may be fixed to the end plate 7 and the end plate holder 6.

〔effect〕

The water droplet removing device of the present invention is to vibrate the end plate by a vibration exciter, but since the vibration exciter is based on a bimorph piezoelectric element, its vibration amplitude and frequency are different from those based on an ultrasonic wave oscillator. The operation is different from the conventional technique in which the water droplets on the mirror surface are repelled and separated and removed from the mirror surface solely by the high-frequency micro-vibration of ultrasonic waves, and the problem is also different.

Therefore, it can be said that the above-mentioned problem of the present invention is a novel problem. Therefore, the solution of this novel problem and the problem of the above-mentioned prior art is the effect peculiar to the present invention.

Also, since the bimorph piezoelectric element has a large driving force,
It can be applied to different outdoor mirrors and outdoor mirrors of different sizes by appropriately selecting the distance between the pivot of the end plate and the bimorph piezoelectric element. Various types of water drop removing devices can be configured by using the device.

Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be significantly reduced.

Furthermore, since the vibrator is a bimorph piezoelectric element, it is extremely inexpensive as compared to a vibrator using an ultrasonic oscillator, and by adjusting the frequency of the voltage applied to the bimorph piezoelectric element having the same specifications, Since the vibration frequency can be easily and appropriately adjusted, the optimum vibration can be applied to the mirror according to the size of the mirror, the environment in which it is used, and the conditions of use.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a conventional technique. 1 ... Fender mirror 2 ... Stay 3 ... Cowling 4 ... Bracket 5 ... Support shaft 5a ... Spherical pivot bearing 6 ... End plate holder 7 ... End plate 8 ... Bimorph vibrator 9 ... Ignition device 10 Charging coil 18 Actuation switch

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A device for removing water droplets adhering to a mirror surface by applying high-frequency vibration to a mirror plate, wherein the mirror plate is swingably supported by a fixing member such as a support bracket by means of a spherical pivot bearing so as to be integrated with the mirror plate. A water drop removing device for a mirror, characterized in that a mirror plate is swung by fixing a vibrating device by a bimorph piezoelectric element on a back surface of a pivotally supported portion and a fixing member at a location spaced from the pivotally supported portion.