DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure generally relates to a windscreen wiper system. Embodiments of the disclosure relate to an intelligent windscreen wiper system of an automobile.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Many vehicle manufacturers in the modern era are building cars with a primary aim of safety, convenience and customer satisfaction in mind. In order to achieve these features, vehicle manufacturers go a step above in making convenient usage of the vehicle as one of the priorities. Many of the modern cars are equipped with in-car entertainment (ICE), air conditioning, air bags and other convenience and safety features. One of the major safety equipment is the windscreen wiper assembly.

Windscreen wiper assemblies are equipped in almost all the vehicles and in some vehicles such as passenger cars including but not limiting to hatch backs and Multi utility vehicle (MUV’s), Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV’s) windscreen wiper assemblies are installed at both the front and rear windscreens. The windscreen wipers help in cleaning out the water droplets, snow, dust and other foreign particles settled on the windscreen. Some of the windscreen wiper assemblies have an inbuilt water jet system wherein, the water from a storage tank are sprayed onto the front or rear windscreens of the vehicle.

Generally, when the vehicles are parked or while moving foreign particles such as snow, dust and rain droplets may be accumulated on the windscreen. In such circumstance the user spends considerable amount of time just to clear the foreign particles settled on the windscreens. This also leads to the user hands unhygienic and hence this operation becomes messy. Moreover, accumulation of such water droplets, snow, dust and other foreign particles creates visibility issues to the user and may create temporary blind spots leading to accidents. This not only becomes a major threat to the driver and passenger inside the vehicle, but becomes a threat to others on the road which may lead to untoward events. The user if in an emergency situation has to immediately travel in his vehicle; the foreign particles may cause visibility issues and are prone to accidents. This kind of situation may be encountered in the night time also wherein, the visibility is already low.

Conventionally the windscreen wiper assembly is operated by the user only by seating within the vehicle. Also, there is a separate selector switch in order to operate the front windscreen wiper and the rear windscreen wiper. Alternatively, a combination switch is also provided to operate both the wipers simultaneously. In some of the vehicles, functions like engine start, air conditioning, vehicle alarm system etc. can be operated remotely with the remote control of the vehicle. However, the windscreen wiper assembly has to be operated manually. There exists no system at present for operating the windscreen wiper assembly remotely/automatically leading to inconvenience to users and also consuming users valuable time during emergency situations.

Hence, there is a need to develop an intelligent windscreen wiper system which can be operated automatically to overcome the limitations stated above.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The shortcomings of the prior art are overcome and additional advantages are provided through the provision of the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the disclosure.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for operating a windscreen wiper system of a vehicle, the method comprising acts of: receiving, a signal from a remote control for unlocking a vehicle door. Determining ignition condition of the vehicle by a control unit and determining vehicle door unlock condition by the control unit. Performing, by the control unit, upon determining the vehicle door unlock condition and the ignition condition to be OFF, at least one of: operating at least one front wiper arm and at least one rear wiper arm upon determining state of charge of total battery capacity above first battery charge value, wherein the at least one front wiper arm and the at least one rear wiper arm are operated along with at least one front windscreen sprayer and at least one rear windscreen sprayer. Provided, volume of the windscreen spray solution in a reservoir is more than first reservoir level of total reservoir capacity; operating the at least one front wiper arm upon determining the state of charge of total battery capacity in the range of second battery charge value, wherein the at least one front wiper arm is operated along with the at least one front windscreen sprayer. Provided volume of the windscreen spray solution is in the range of second reservoir level of total reservoir capacity.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, sensing fluid droplets on the front windscreen and the rear windscreen by a sensor fitted in the vehicle and operates the at least one front wiper arm and the at least one rear wiper arm without spraying windscreen spray solution from the reservoir.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, includes stopping the operation of the at least one rear wiper arm and the at least one rear windscreen sprayer when state of charge of total battery capacity is determined to be less than first battery charge value.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, includes stopping the operation of the at least one front wiper arm, the at least one rear wiper arm, the at least one front windscreen sprayer and the at least one rear windscreen sprayer is stopped when the state of charge of total battery capacity is determined to be less than second battery charge value and volume of the windscreen spray solution reduces to less than second reservoir level.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first battery charge value is in the range of about 50% to about 100% state of total battery charge, and the second battery charge value is in the range of about 40% to about 50% state of total battery charge.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first reservoir level is in the range of about 60% to about 100% of total reservoir capacity, and the second reservoir level is in the range of about 40% to about 60% of total reservoir capacity.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, operation of the windscreen wiper system is stopped when the at least one front wiper arm and the at least one rear wiper arm reaches a home position.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a windscreen wiper system comprising: a door lock controller for receiving a signal from a remote control for unlocking the vehicle door. A control unit configured to determine door unlock condition and ignition condition of the vehicle. At least one front wiper arm, at least one rear wiper arm, at least one front windscreen sprayer and at least one rear windscreen sprayer interfaced to the control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to operate: the at least one front wiper arm and the at least one rear wiper arm along with the at least one front windscreen sprayer and at least one rear windscreen sprayer for spraying windscreen solution onto a front windscreen and a rear windscreen, upon determining state of charge of total battery capacity above first battery charge level and volume of the windscreen spray solution being more than first reservoir level of total reservoir capacity. The at least one front wiper arm along with the at least one front windscreen sprayer for spraying windscreen solution onto a front windscreen, upon determining state of charge of total battery capacity in the range of second battery charge value and the volume of the windscreen spray solution is in the range of second reservoir level of total reservoir capacity. The at least one front wiper arm and the at least one rear wiper arm without spraying windscreen spray solution from the windscreen spray solution reservoir upon sensing fluid droplets on the front windscreen and rear windscreen by a sensor fitted in the vehicle.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a sensor fitted in the vehicle senses fluid droplets on the front windscreen and rear windscreen and operates the at least one front wiper arm and the at least one rear wiper arm without spraying windscreen spray solution from the reservoir.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first battery charge value is in the range of about 50% to about 100% state of total battery charge, and the second battery charge value is in the range of about 40% to about 50% state of total battery charge.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first reservoir level is in the range of about 60% to about 100% of total reservoir capacity, and the second reservoir level is in the range of about 40% to about 60% of total reservoir capacity.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The features of the present disclosure are set forth with particularity in the following description. The disclosure itself, together with further features and attended advantages, will become apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanied drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:

Figure 1a illustrates schematic diagram of the vehicle electronics architecture for operating the windscreen wipe system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 1b illustrates schematic diagram of the vehicle electronics architecture for operating the windscreen wipe system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 1c illustrates schematic diagram of the vehicle electronics architecture for operating the windscreen wipe system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 1d illustrates schematic diagram of the vehicle electronics architecture for operating the windscreen wipe system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 1e illustrates schematic diagram of the vehicle electronics architecture for operating the windscreen wipe system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 1f illustrates schematic diagram of the vehicle electronics architecture for operating the windscreen wipe system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 2 illustrates a flow diagram of the operation of the windscreen wiper system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the and the scope of the disclosure.

To overcome one or more limitations stated in the background, the present disclosure provides an intelligent windscreen system for an automobile which configured to automatically operate to clean the windscreen when the user unlocks the door of the vehicle. This will help to clean the windscreen before the user occupies the vehicle, and thereby saves time. The intelligent windscreen wiper system of the present disclosure is equipped with plurality of sensors such as rain sensor, automatic wiper sensor and wash sensor etc. The operation sequence of such sensors is controlled by a control unit which receives feedback from the sensors equipped in the vehicle. The vehicle architecture is constructed in such a way so as to sense various parameters such as, state of charge of total battery capacity, windscreen spray solution level, accumulation of various foreign particles on the windscreen and then execute suitable operations before the user starts to drive the vehicle. The vehicle architecture is constructed so as to provide safety to the user during driving conditions and also to provide easiness for cleaning the foreign particles from the windscreen. However, certain aspects such as state of charge of total battery capacity and windscreen spray solution levels are diagnosed before any signals of operation are given to the windscreen wiper system. This diagnosis is carried in order to avoid drainage of battery due to the operation of automatic windscreen wiper system. The automated windscreen wiper system checks the parameter mentioned above and takes decisions based on the state of charge of total battery capacity and the windscreen spray solution level. When the battery and windscreen spray solution level is at an acceptable level, the control unit sends signal to the front wiper arm and the rear wiper arm along with sequential spraying of the front windscreen sprayer and the rear windscreen sprayer on to the front and rear windscreens. If the battery and windscreen spray solution level is substantially below the acceptable level, the control unit sends signals of operation only to the front wiper arm and the front windscreen sprayer. Further, if the battery and windscreen spray solution level is at an unacceptable level, the control unit does not send signals of operation and stops the automatic windscreen wiper system.

The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or apparatus.

Reference will now be made to the windscreen wiper system of the vehicle, and is explained with the help of figures. The figures are for the purpose of illustration only and should not be construed as limitations on the arrangement. Where ever possible referral numerals will be used to refer to the same or like parts.

Figures 1a to 1f are exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure which illustrates block diagram of the vehicle electronics architecture (100A) for operating the windscreen wiper system. The vehicle electronics architecture (100A) comprises a vehicle battery (1) which delivers power to electronic equipment’s installed in the vehicle such as starter motor, headlamps, power windows, and the like. The vehicle battery (1) in the present disclosure provides power to a door lock controller (2). The door lock controller (2) locks/unlocks the vehicle door on operation of the remote control or manual operation of the door unlock unit by the user. At least one control unit (4) is installed in the vehicle which receives inputs from various sensors equipped in the vehicle and provides operational logic for specific operation.

Generally, the vehicle windscreen wiper system (100) consisting of a pair of wiper arms drive motors (not shown) installed at front and rear windscreens of the vehicle, and each of the wiper arms are equipped with windscreen sprayers (7, 8). In an embodiment of the disclosure, at least one front and at least one rear wiper arms (5, 6) are equipped with replaceable wiper blades. At least one front wiper arm (5) is equipped on a front windscreen of the vehicle, and is configured to be moved between home position and end position by the drive motors for performing wipe and wash operations of the front windshield of the vehicle. Similarly, the at least one rear wiper arm (6) is equipped on a rear windscreen of the vehicle and is configured to be moved between home position and end position by the drive motor for performing wipe and wash operations on the rear windshield of the vehicle. Further, the front and rear windscreen sprayers (7, 8) are used to spray windscreen sprayer solution onto the front and rear windscreen respectively while operating the at least one front and at least one rear wiper arms (5, 6).

In an operation, when the user unlocks the door/door latch by operating the input button provided on the remote control/central locking unit (CLU) (3), the door lock controller (2) unlocks the door latch rendering the doors of the vehicle in an unlocked condition. When the unlock condition of the vehicle door is achieved, the control unit (4) is configured to generate diagnostic signal and checks if the ignition of the vehicle is in OFF condition through an ignition sensor of the vehicle. If the ignition of the vehicle is in OFF condition, the control unit (4) transmits signal to a battery level sensor (10) for diagnosing the state of charge of total battery capacity. If the state of charge of total battery capacity is in the acceptable limits, then the control unit (4) initiates a second diagnosis. The second diagnosis involves, the control unit (4) checking the level of the windscreen spray solution in a reservoir (9). If the volume of windscreen spray solution in the reservoir (9) is within acceptable limit, then the control unit (4) operates the drive motors and the windscreen sprayers (7 and 8) to perform the operation of wipe and wash.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the vehicle described above is equipped with a wiper control unit (11), which receives signal from the control unit (4) for executing the operational sequence. However, in the foregoing description it is described such that, the control unit (4) controls the operational sequence of the windscreen wiper system (100). However, the configuration one control unit (4) to perform all the operations in the vehicle should not be construed as limitation of the disclosure. One skilled in the art may provide a separate controller to operate the windscreen.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, figure 1b illustrates operation of the windscreen wiper system (100) when the state of charge of total battery (1) capacity and the level of windscreen spray solution in the reservoir (9) is at the first level [i.e. as an example 50% to 100% state of charge of total battery capacity and 60 % to 100% total reservoir capacity].

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, figure 1c illustrates operation of the windscreen wiper system (100) when the state of charge of total vehicle battery (1) capacity and the level of windscreen spray solution in the reservoir (9) is at the second level [i.e. as an example 40% to 50% state of charge of total battery capacity and 40 % to 60% total reservoir capacity].

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, figure 1d illustrates operation of the windscreen wiper system (100) when the sensor (10) detects liquid droplets on the front windscreen and the rear windscreen [operation of only the front wiper arm (8) and the rear wiper arm (9) without operation of the front or rear windscreen sprayers (12, 13)].

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, figure 1e illustrates operation of the windscreen wiper system (100) when the sensor (10) detects liquid droplets on the front windscreen [operation of only the front wiper arm (8), rear wiper arm (9) and rear windscreen sprayer (13) without operation of the front windscreen sprayer (12)].

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, figure 1f illustrates operation of the windscreen wiper system (100) when the sensor (10) detects liquid droplets on the rear windscreen [operation of only the front wiper arm (8), rear wiper arm (9) and front windscreen sprayer (12) without operation of the front windscreen sprayer (13)].

Figure 2 is an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure which illustrates a flow diagram of the operation of the windscreen wiper system. The windscreen wiper system (100) is configured to be operated automatically for cleaning the front and rear windscreens when the user unlocks the vehicle. As shown in the Figure. 2 at step 201, when the remote control/central locking unit (CLU) (3) is pushed by the user, the control unit (4) detects the status of the doors. If the vehicle doors are in unlocked condition as disclosed in step 202, then the control unit (4) checks ON/OFF condition of the ignition at step 203 of the vehicle through the ignition sensor. If the doors remain locked, no action is taken by the control unit (4). If the doors are in an unlocked condition (as in step 202), the control unit (4) on detection of the unlocking/unlatching of the door generates a signal for operation as per the sequence. The control unit (4) checks the state of charge of the vehicle battery (1) through a battery sensor at step 205 and checks the level of windscreen spray solution in the reservoir (9) at step 206 through a sensor. If the state of charge of total battery capacity is above first battery charge level, and the level of windscreen spray solution in the reservoir (9) is above first windscreen solution level, the control unit (4) generates operational signal for the drive motors which operate the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6) along with operation of the front windscreen sprayer (7) and rear windscreen sprayer (8) as disclosed in step 207. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first battery charge value is in the range of about 50 % to about 100 % of state of charge of the vehicle battery, and the first reservoir level is in the range of about 60% to about 100% of total reservoir (9) capacity. During this operational sequence, the control unit (4) provides signal to at least one drive motor equipped in each of the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6) as well as to at least one drive motors of the front windscreen sprayer (7) and the rear windscreen sprayer (8).

Further, the control unit (4) continuously monitors the state of charge of total battery capacity and the level of windscreen spray solution in the reservoir (9). If the state of charge of total battery capacity reduces below first battery charge value, the control unit (4) stops the operation of the at least one rear wiper arm (6) and the rear windscreen sprayer (8) as disclosed in step 208. Simultaneously, the control unit (4) also checks the level of the windscreen sprayer solution in the reservoir (9) and if the level of the windscreen sprayer solution reduces to about second reservoir level the reservoir (9) capacity, the control unit (4) only generates operational signal to the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the front windscreen sprayer (7). In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second battery charge value is in the range of about 40% to about 50% of state of charge of the vehicle battery, and the second reservoir level is in the range of about 40% to about 60% of total reservoir (9) capacity.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, sensors (10) are configured on the front windscreen and the rear windscreen which sense liquid droplets. The sensors (10) sense a predetermined amount of liquid droplets on the front windscreen and the rear windscreen and provide feedback signals to the control unit (4). The control unit (4) then provides operational signals only to the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6) without the operation of the front windscreen sprayer (7) and the rear windscreen sprayer (8). If the control unit (4) detects level of windscreen spray solution in the reservoir (9) is less than second reservoir level or battery charge less than second battery charge level, the control unit (4) sends no operational signal to the windscreen wiper system and stops the operation as disclosed in step 209.

Further, if the windscreen wiper system is equipped with a sensor (10) for detecting presence of liquid droplets on the front windscreen and the rear windscreen, then the sensor (10) provides feedback signal to the control unit (4) for operation of only the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6). The control unit (4) upon sensing presence of liquid droplets on the front windscreen and the rear windscreen restrains operation of the front windscreen sprayer (7) and the rear windscreen sprayer (8).

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, if the sensors (10) sense liquid droplets only on the rear windscreen, the control unit (4) receives feedback from the sensors (10) and provides operational signals to the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6) along with operational signals to only the front windscreen sprayer (7).

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, if the state of charge of total battery capacity and the level of the windscreen sprayer solution in the reservoir (9) reduces below second battery charge value and second reservoir level, the control unit stops the operation of the windscreen wiper system.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, if the vehicle is not equipped with the sensor (10) then, the control unit (4) diagnosis the status of state of charge of total battery capacity and the level of windscreen sprayer solution in the reservoir (9) and accordingly provides operational signal based on the above mentioned sequence.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the user can set predetermined number of wipe cycles to the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6).

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the user can set predetermined number of spray cycles to the front windscreen sprayer (7) and the rear windscreen sprayer (8).

The control unit 4 may be used for implementing all the computing systems that may be utilized to implement the features of the present disclosure. Control unit 4 may comprise a processing unit. The processing unit may comprise at least one data processor for executing program components for executing user- or system-generated requests. The processor may include specialized processing units such as integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management control units, floating point units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc. The processing unit may include a microprocessor, such as AMD Athlon, Duron or Opteron, ARM’s application, embedded or secure processors, IBM PowerPC, Intel’s Core, Itanium, Xeon, Celeron or other line of processors, etc. The processing unit may be implemented using mainframe, distributed processor, multi-core, parallel, grid, or other architectures. Some embodiments may utilize embedded technologies like application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), etc.

The processing unit may be disposed in communication with one or more input/output (I/O) devices via I/O interface. The I/O interface may employ communication protocols/methods such as, without limitation, audio, analog, digital, monoaural, RCA, stereo, IEEE-1394, serial bus, universal serial bus (USB), infrared, PS/2, BNC, coaxial, component, composite, digital visual interface (DVI), high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), RF antennas, S-Video, VGA, IEEE 802.n /b/g/n/x, Bluetooth, cellular (e.g., code-division multiple access (CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA+), global system for mobile communications (GSM), long-term evolution (LTE), WiMax, or the like), etc.

Using the I/O interface, the control unit 4 may communicate with voltage measuring instrument. Output of the computing unit may be displayed on the display of the same computing unit or any other display (e.g., cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED), plasma, or the like).etc.

In some embodiments, the processor may be disposed in communication with one or more memory devices (e.g., RAM, ROM etc.) via a storage interface. The storage interface may connect to memory devices including, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as serial advanced technology attachment (SATA), integrated drive electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, universal serial bus (USB), fiber channel, small computing system interface (SCSI), etc. The memory drives may further include a drum, magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive, redundant array of independent discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives, etc.

In some embodiments, control unit 4 may store data as described in this disclosure. Such databases may be implemented as fault-tolerant, relational, scalable, secure databases such as Oracle or Sybase. Alternatively, such databases may be implemented using standardized data structures, such as an array, hash, linked list, struct, structured text file (e.g., XML), table, or as object-oriented databases (e.g., using ObjectStore, Poet, Zope, etc.). Such databases may be consolidated or distributed, sometimes among the various computing units discussed above in this disclosure. It is to be understood that the structure and operation of the any computer or database component may be combined, consolidated, or distributed in any working combination.

Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term “computer-readable medium” should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals, i.e., are non-transitory. Examples include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, hard drives, CD ROMs, DVDs, flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.

Advantages

In one embodiment, the user can remotely operate the windscreen wiper system and perform wipe and wash cycles before entering the car. This reduces the time involved in manual cleaning of the windscreens of the vehicle.

In one embodiment, the control unit automatically determines the state of charge of total battery capacity and the level of windscreen spray solution in the reservoir and performs sequential operation.

EQUIVALENTS

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

REFERRAL NUMERALS

Windscreen Wiper System 100
Vehicle architecture 100A
Vehicle battery 1
Door lock controller 2
Remote control/Central locking unit 3
Control unit 4
Front wiper arm 5
Rear wiper arm 6
Front windscreen sprayer 7
Rear windscreen sprayer 8
Reservoir 9
Sensor 10
Wiper ECU 11

We Claim:

1. A method for operating a windscreen wiper system (100) of a vehicle, the method comprising acts of:
receiving, a signal from a remote control (3) for unlocking a vehicle door;
determining ignition condition of the vehicle by a control unit (4);
determining vehicle door unlock condition by the control unit (4);
performing, by the control unit (4), upon determining the vehicle door unlock condition and the ignition condition to be OFF, at least one of:
operating at least one front wiper arm (5) and at least one rear wiper arm (6) upon determining state of charge of total battery capacity above first battery charge value, wherein the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6) are operated along with at least one front windscreen sprayer (7) and at least one rear windscreen sprayer (8) provided, volume of the windscreen spray solution in a reservoir (9) is more than first reservoir level of total reservoir (9) capacity;
operating the at least one front wiper arm (5) upon determining the state of charge of the total battery capacity in the range of second battery charge value, wherein the at least one front wiper arm (5) is operated along with the at least one front windscreen sprayer (7) provided, volume of the windscreen spray solution is in the range of second reservoir level of total reservoir (9) capacity.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein, sensing fluid droplets on the front windscreen and the rear windscreen by a sensor (10) fitted in the vehicle and operates the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6) without spraying windscreen spray solution from the reservoir (9).

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 further including step of,
stopping the operation of the at least one rear wiper arm (6) and the at least one rear windscreen sprayer (8) when state of charge of the total battery capacity is determined to be less than first battery charge value.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including step of,
stopping the operation of the at least one front wiper arm (5), the at least one rear wiper arm (6), the at least one front windscreen sprayer (7) and the at least one rear windscreen sprayer (8) is stopped when the state of charge of the total battery capacity is determined to be less than second battery charge value and volume of the windscreen spray solution reduces to less than second reservoir level.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first battery charge value is in the range of about 50% to about 100% state of total battery charge, and the second battery charge value is in the range of about 40% to about 50% state of total battery charge.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first reservoir level is in the range of about 60% to about 100% of total reservoir (9) capacity, and the second reservoir level is in the range of about 40% to about 60% of total reservoir (9) capacity.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein operation of the windscreen wiper system (100) is stopped when the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6) reaches a home position.

8. A windscreen wiper system (100) comprising:
a door lock controller (2) for receiving a signal from a remote control (3) for unlocking the vehicle door;
a control unit (4) configured to determine door unlock condition and ignition condition of the vehicle;
at least one front wiper arm (5), at least one rear wiper arm (6), at least one front windscreen sprayer (7) and at least one rear windscreen sprayer (8) interfaced to the control unit (4),
wherein the control unit (4) is configured to operate:
the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6) along with the at least one front windscreen sprayer (7) and at least one rear windscreen sprayer (8) for spraying windscreen solution onto a front windscreen and a rear windscreen, upon determining state of charge total battery capacity above first battery charge level and volume of the windscreen spray solution being more than first reservoir level of total reservoir (9) capacity;
the at least one front wiper arm (5) along with the at least one front windscreen sprayer (7) for spraying windscreen solution onto a front windscreen, upon determining state of charge of total battery capacity in the range of second battery charge value and the volume of the windscreen spray solution is in the range of second reservoir level of total reservoir (9) capacity; and
the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6) without spraying windscreen spray solution from the windscreen spray solution reservoir (9) upon sensing fluid droplets on the front windscreen and rear windscreen by a sensor (10) fitted in the vehicle.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein a sensor (10) fitted in the vehicle senses fluid droplets on the front windscreen and rear windscreen and operates the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6) without spraying windscreen spray solution from the reservoir (9).

10. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first battery charge value is in the range of about 50% to about 100% state of total battery charge, and the second battery charge value is in the range of about 40% to about 50% state of total battery charge.

11. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first reservoir level is in the range of about 60% to about 100% of total reservoir (9) capacity, and the second reservoir level is in the range of about 40% to about 60% of total reservoir (9) capacity.

Dated this 11th Day of November, 2014 NIKHIL S R
IN/PA-2127
K & S PARTNERS
AGENT OF THE APPLICANT

TITLE: A WINDSCREEN WIPER SYSTEM AND OPERATING METHOD THEREOF

ABSTRACT

A method for operating a windscreen wiper system (100) of a vehicle, the method comprising acts of: receiving, by a door lock controller (2), a signal from a remote control (3) for unlocking the vehicle door; determining ignition condition of the vehicle by a control unit (4). Determining vehicle door unlock condition by the control unit (4) and performing, by the control unit (4), upon determining the vehicle door unlock condition and the ignition condition to be OFF the operational sequences.
Figure 2
,CLAIMS:We Claim:

1. A method for operating a windscreen wiper system (100) of a vehicle, the method comprising acts of:
receiving, a signal from a remote control (3) for unlocking a vehicle door;
determining ignition condition of the vehicle by a control unit (4);
determining vehicle door unlock condition by the control unit (4);
performing, by the control unit (4), upon determining the vehicle door unlock condition and the ignition condition to be OFF, at least one of:
operating at least one front wiper arm (5) and at least one rear wiper arm (6) upon determining state of charge of total battery capacity above first battery charge value, wherein the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6) are operated along with at least one front windscreen sprayer (7) and at least one rear windscreen sprayer (8) provided, volume of the windscreen spray solution in a reservoir (9) is more than first reservoir level of total reservoir (9) capacity;
operating the at least one front wiper arm (5) upon determining the state of charge of the total battery capacity in the range of second battery charge value, wherein the at least one front wiper arm (5) is operated along with the at least one front windscreen sprayer (7) provided, volume of the windscreen spray solution is in the range of second reservoir level of total reservoir (9) capacity.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein, sensing fluid droplets on the front windscreen and the rear windscreen by a sensor (10) fitted in the vehicle and operates the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6) without spraying windscreen spray solution from the reservoir (9).

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 further including step of,
stopping the operation of the at least one rear wiper arm (6) and the at least one rear windscreen sprayer (8) when state of charge of the total battery capacity is determined to be less than first battery charge value.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including step of,
stopping the operation of the at least one front wiper arm (5), the at least one rear wiper arm (6), the at least one front windscreen sprayer (7) and the at least one rear windscreen sprayer (8) is stopped when the state of charge of the total battery capacity is determined to be less than second battery charge value and volume of the windscreen spray solution reduces to less than second reservoir level.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first battery charge value is in the range of about 50% to about 100% state of total battery charge, and the second battery charge value is in the range of about 40% to about 50% state of total battery charge.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first reservoir level is in the range of about 60% to about 100% of total reservoir (9) capacity, and the second reservoir level is in the range of about 40% to about 60% of total reservoir (9) capacity.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein operation of the windscreen wiper system (100) is stopped when the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6) reaches a home position.

8. A windscreen wiper system (100) comprising:
a door lock controller (2) for receiving a signal from a remote control (3) for unlocking the vehicle door;
a control unit (4) configured to determine door unlock condition and ignition condition of the vehicle;
at least one front wiper arm (5), at least one rear wiper arm (6), at least one front windscreen sprayer (7) and at least one rear windscreen sprayer (8) interfaced to the control unit (4),
wherein the control unit (4) is configured to operate:
the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6) along with the at least one front windscreen sprayer (7) and at least one rear windscreen sprayer (8) for spraying windscreen solution onto a front windscreen and a rear windscreen, upon determining state of charge total battery capacity above first battery charge level and volume of the windscreen spray solution being more than first reservoir level of total reservoir (9) capacity;
the at least one front wiper arm (5) along with the at least one front windscreen sprayer (7) for spraying windscreen solution onto a front windscreen, upon determining state of charge of total battery capacity in the range of second battery charge value and the volume of the windscreen spray solution is in the range of second reservoir level of total reservoir (9) capacity; and
the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6) without spraying windscreen spray solution from the windscreen spray solution reservoir (9) upon sensing fluid droplets on the front windscreen and rear windscreen by a sensor (10) fitted in the vehicle.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein a sensor (10) fitted in the vehicle senses fluid droplets on the front windscreen and rear windscreen and operates the at least one front wiper arm (5) and the at least one rear wiper arm (6) without spraying windscreen spray solution from the reservoir (9).

10. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first battery charge value is in the range of about 50% to about 100% state of total battery charge, and the second battery charge value is in the range of about 40% to about 50% state of total battery charge.

11. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first reservoir level is in the range of about 60% to about 100% of total reservoir (9) capacity, and the second reservoir level is in the range of about 40% to about 60% of total reservoir (9) capacity.