DE29716719U1 - Wiper blade - Google Patents

Description

STRASS: &' ^

Patent attorneys
European Patent Attorneys · European Trademark Attorneys

Patent attorneys

European Patent Attorney °

European Trademark Attorney ■

Dipl.-lng. JOACHIM STRASSE ^0A Dr.rer.nat ALFONS J. HOFSTETTER °*

Authorized representatives at

° European Patent Office ' European Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)

Attorney file: 24344

FRANZ-PETER JENNISSEN

Pfarrer-Bezler-Straße 19

86316 Friedberg-Stätzling

New German utility model application Wiper blade

BALANSTRASSE 57 · D-81541 MUNICH

TELEPHONE +49/(0)89 - 45 09 18 0 · FAX +49/(0)89 - 45 09 18 M ■ VOICE +49/(0)89 - 45 09 18 20

EMAIL Strasse-Hofstetter@T-Online.de

Franz-Peter Jennissen

New German utility model application

Attorney file: 24344

Wiper blade

The invention relates to a wiper blade, in particular a wiper blade for a windscreen wiper.

Windscreen wipers are used in automobiles, for example, to clean dirt from the front and rear windows and headlights of vehicles.

This has two disadvantages: in particular, the residues of dead insects dry quickly on the windshield or headlights and cannot be effectively removed despite using water from the windshield washer system, which is sprayed onto the windshield or headlights via spray nozzles. Instead, dangerous streaks form, which often make the condition look even worse after an attempt to clean it than without any attempt to clean it. Another disadvantage is that, for example, at temperatures just below freezing, the water from the windshield washer system is still in a liquid state due to the addition of antifreeze, which would make it possible to clean the windshield, but due to the evaporative cooling caused by the wind in the area of the windshield washer nozzle, the windshield washer water freezes at exactly this point and makes cleaning the windshield impossible.

It is also known that windscreen washer systems can be converted to operate at higher pressures to remove insect residues, for example. However, this leads to a significant increase in costs and to a significant increase in washer water consumption, although even then the cleaning result is not

is satisfactory.

Accordingly, the object of the invention is to further develop a wiper blade or a windshield wiper using such a wiper blade in such a way that reliable cleaning of windows and headlights is possible with economical water consumption and even at low temperatures. In addition, a cost-effective implementation using units already present in the vehicle should be possible.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a wiper blade which comprises a cleaning device which is activated by liquid or gas pressure.

In a particularly advantageous manner, the fluid pressure is generated by the windshield washer system already present in the vehicle. The wiper blade comprises at least one hollow space, which is enlarged by filling it with water from the windshield washer system. The hollow body can be enlarged by unfolding or stretching the material forming the hollow body, whereby the material forming the hollow body is rubber, plastic, leather, fabric or fleece. In particularly advantageous embodiments, the material forming the hollow body is also provided with a sponge, bristles or fleece strips. The material forming the hollow body has openings through which fluid can pass or which is permeable to fluids. The wiper blade according to the invention can be realized with one or more wiper lips.

In the activated state, i.e. when the windscreen washer system is activated, the material forming the expanding hollow body or the bristles or fleece strips connected to the material or the sponge come into contact with the surface of the windscreen or the headlight, whereby the existing wiper lip(s) in this state either also come into contact with the windscreen or the headlight to be cleaned or do not come into contact.

A particularly advantageous feature of the present invention is that the windshield washer fluid is not sprayed only onto a narrowly defined area of the windshield, as in the prior art, where it is applied in excess, but rather is applied evenly over the entire swept area of the windshield with economical use.

Because the water from the windscreen washer system is pressed through the openings in the material forming the hollow body or the associated bristles, fleece strips, etc., this leads to self-cleaning.

Due to the large number of openings, or the possibility of providing larger openings through which windscreen washer fluid is pressed into a composite of bristles or fleece strips, etc., and due to the arrangement of these openings protected from the wind, the wiper blade according to the invention can be used to clean the windscreen or headlight down to temperatures at which the windscreen washer fluid in the container itself just does not freeze. In this respect, use over a wide temperature range is achieved in a cost-effective manner without the use of heated nozzles from windscreen washer systems. The antifreeze usually added to the washer fluid is completely sufficient for this. The windscreen washer nozzle on the hood and the associated manufacturing effort are eliminated.

Further advantages and features of the wiper blade according to the invention are apparent from the following description of embodiments based on the attached drawings.

Figure 1 shows a windscreen wiper according to the invention with a wiper blade according to the invention;

Figure 2a shows a cross section through a wiper blade according to the invention in the non-activated state for a first embodiment;

- 4 Figure
2b the wiper blade according to Figure 2a in the activated state;

Figure 3 shows a cross section through a wiper blade according to a second embodiment;

Figure 4 shows a cross section through a wiper blade according to a third embodiment;

Figure 5a shows a cross section through a wiper blade according to a fourth embodiment in the non-activated state;

Figure 5b shows a cross-section through the wiper blade according to Figure 5a in the activated state;

Figure 6a shows a cross section through a wiper blade according to a fifth embodiment in the non-activated state and

Figure 6b shows a cross section through the wiper blade according to Figure 6a in the activated state.

Figure 1 shows a windshield wiper 10 with a wiper lever 12, to which a wiper arm 14 with a profile carrier 16 and a wiper blade 18 is attached. A water hose 20 runs on the wiper lever or in the wiper lever, in which water 22 from the windshield washer system is transported.

Figure 2a shows a cross section through the profile carrier 16 and a first embodiment of the wiper blade 18 in the non-activated state. In the non-activated state, two wiper lips 22 rest with their contact surface on a vehicle window 24 or a vehicle headlight. In the wiper blade 18 there is a cavity 26 which is connected to the hose 20 via a hose. The area 28 of the wiper blade 18 is spaced from the window 24. The wiper blade 18 can be made of rubber, for example. By using a single material into which the cavity is molded,

This results in low manufacturing costs. Furthermore, when the wiper blade 18 becomes worn, it can be easily removed from the profile carrier 16 and replaced with a new one.

Figure 2b shows the embodiment shown in Figure 2a in an activated state. By activating the windshield washer system, which is usually done by pressing a button or lever in the vehicle cockpit, washing water 22 flows into the hollow body 26 via the hose 20, or more washing water flows in, the volume of which increases due to the elasticity of the material, which is particularly favored by the choice of wall thickness. By choosing a suitable shape for the cavity, it is achieved that the area 28 of the wiper blade comes into contact with the window 24 in addition to the wiping lips. The hollow body 26 can, however, also be dimensioned such that the wiping lips 22 lose contact with the window 24 due to the deformation of the wiper blade 18 that occurs as a result of the change in volume. Washing water 22 is applied to the window 24 through small openings in the area of the wiper blade 18 that is located between the wiper lips 22, preferably near the area 28. By simultaneously moving the wiper lever 12, the entire window area swept by the wiper is evenly and economically wetted with water. After this "soaking step" has ended, the water pressure in the hollow body 26 is reduced by reducing the water pressure, i.e. by stopping the operation of the window washer system, whereby the wiper blade 18 returns to the state shown in Figure 2a. In this state, the wiper lips 22 now ensure reliable removal of the soaked dirt on the window 24. This embodiment is particularly robust with regard to sealing problems when replacing the wiper blade 18. As shown in Figure 1, the hose 20 only needs to be connected to the wiper blade 18 at a single point. At the pressures generated by conventional windshield washer systems, simple plug connections are sufficient to ensure reliable sealing.

Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of the wiper blade. Here, the outer part of the wiper blade 18 is made of rubber in the usual way, while the part of the wiper blade 18 whose volume has to change when activated is made of a different material 30. This can be, for example, rubber of a different hardness, nonwoven material, leather, fabric or plastic. When not activated, the material 30 is unstretched or folded. With water-impermeable material 30, openings must be provided in the material for wetting the window 24, while with materials 30 that are naturally permeable to water, this is not necessary, but can be the case in addition. The material 30 is connected to the rest of the wiper blade 18 in a manner known to those skilled in the art. There is no need to place too great demands on the tightness of the connection, since when the wiper blade 18 is activated, water should escape into the area between the two wiper lips 22 anyway. This also makes it possible to provide the area 3 0 of the embodiment shown in Figure 3 in an exchangeable manner, for example by holding the material 3 0 in the rest of the wiper blade 18 by means of a suitable surface design 32. In order to ensure that the area 2 8 of the wiper blade 18 comes into contact with the window 24, the porosity of the material or the size of the openings must be adapted to the elasticity of the material and the available water pressure.

Figure 4 shows a further embodiment in which bristles 34 are attached in the area 28 of the wiper blade 18, which further improve the cleaning effect. Instead of the bristles 34, fleece strips can also be provided. In an embodiment not shown, the part of the wiper blade that bulges out when activated is covered with a sponge or the material 30 is formed by a sponge with suitable properties.

Figures 5 and 6 show embodiments with only one wiper lip 22. For the sake of simplicity, only embodiments made of one material are shown, but these embodiments can

The shapes can be varied by using different materials for a wiper blade, see Figure 3 and the associated description. Figure 5a shows an embodiment with a hollow body 26 which inflates when activated and ensures that the area 28 comes into contact with the disk 24, whereby the wiper lip 22 is lifted off the disk 24.

Optimum cleaning conditions are also achieved with the embodiment shown in Figures 6a and 6b. Figure 6a shows an embodiment with a scraper lip 22 in which two cavities 26 are provided which, when activated, ensure that the scraper lip 22 is lifted off the disk, while the areas 28 come into contact with the disk 24.

In an embodiment not shown, the pressure in the hollow body 26 is increased during activation. In this case, any liquid or any gas can be used to fill the cavity 26. This brings about one part of the desired effect, namely bringing the area 28 of the wiper blade 18 into contact with the window 24 and lifting the wiper lip(s) 22 from the window 24. However, in this embodiment, the water is not applied to the window through openings in the wiper blade 18 or through the porosity of the material 30, but through separate spray nozzles. These are preferably attached to the wiper arm 14. This embodiment is particularly suitable for retrofitting to existing spray nozzles of this type. However, the self-cleaning effect of the material 30 is eliminated. In this embodiment, too, the pressure fluctuation in the hollow body 26 can advantageously be triggered by connecting the cavity to the windshield washer system.

Claims (11)

Franz-Peter Jennissen Attorney file: 24344 German utility model new application wiper blade claims: 1. Wiper blade, characterized in that the wiper blade comprises a cleaning device which is activated by liquid or gas pressure. 2. Wiper blade according to claim 1, characterized in that the cleaning device comprises at least one hollow body, the volume of which is increased during activation by filling with liquid or gas. 3. Wiper blade according to claim 2, characterized in that the liquid is water from the windscreen washer system. 4. Wiper blade according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the cleaning device is activated by operating the windscreen washer system. 5. Wiper blade according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the volume of the hollow body is increased by unfolding or by stretching the material forming the hollow body. 6. Wiper blade according to claim 5, characterized in that the material forming the hollow body is rubber, plastic, leather, fabric or fleece. 7. Wiper blade according to claim 6, characterized in that the material forming the hollow body is provided with bristles, fleece strips or a sponge. 8. Wiper blade according to claim 5, 6 or 7, characterized in that the material forming the hollow body has openings through which liquid can pass or which is permeable to liquids. 9. Wiper blade according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one wiper lip. 10. Wiper blade according to claim 9, characterized in that in the activated state only the cleaning device or the cleaning device and at least one wiper lip is in contact with the surface to be cleaned. 11. Windscreen wiper with at least one wiper blade according to one of the preceding claims.