Patent ID: 8265824
Filing Date: 2012-09-11
Classification: B60S

Abstract:
1. An autowiper controller comprising: a raindrop detecting portion for optically detecting a raindrop adhering to a windshield of a vehicle; a high sensitivity rainfall check portion for checking a rainfall state with a high sensitivity based on an output of the raindrop detecting portion; a low sensitivity rainfall check portion for checking the rainfall state with a low sensitivity based on the output of the raindrop detecting portion; ambient temperature detector for detecting an ambient temperature; surface temperature detector for detecting an external surface temperature of the windshield; a first temperature check portion for determining whether the ambient temperature is lower than a first set value or not; a second temperature check portion for determining whether the external surface temperature of the windshield is lower than a second set value or not and whether a difference between the ambient temperature and the external surface temperature of the windshield is smaller than a third set value or not; a weather condition check portion for determining whether a condition that condensation occurs over the windshield is met or not based on a result of the check by the first temperature check portion and a result of the check by the second temperature check portion; and a wiper control portion for controlling a driving operation of a wiper based on a rainfall state checked by the low sensitivity rainfall check portion when the condition that the condensation occurs over the windshield is met, and for controlling the driving operation of the wiper based on the rainfall state checked by the high sensitivity rainfall check portion when the condition that the condensation occurs is not met on the basis of a result of the check by the weather condition check portion.