EP2349796A1

EP2349796A1 - A windscreen wiper

Info

Publication number: EP2349796A1
Application number: EP09786791A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Banu Bicici; Murat Bozkurtlu; Bekir Sonmez
Original assignee: TEKLAS KAUCUK SANAYI VE TICARET AS
Current assignee: TEKLAS KAUCUK SANAYI VE TICARET AS
Priority date: 2008-08-05
Filing date: 2009-08-04
Publication date: 2011-08-03
Also published as: WO2010016000A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a connector element (10, 10', 10'') providing the connection of a' windshield wiper to a wiper arm (93) or to an intermediary-adapter (80, 80', 80'', 80''') component to which the wiper arm (93) can be connected, in the windshield wiper systems used in vehicles consisting of a longitudinal, flat resilient metal carrier frame (70) bent like a bow, an elastic wiper profile (60) having an end portion for wiping the glass surface and mounted on the carrier frame, end caps at each end providing the unity of the system by clasping the system from both free ends and an integrated connector element (10, 10', 10'') used for connection of the wiper arm (90).

Description

Description Title of Invention: A WINDSCREEN WIPER

[1] The present invention relates to a connector element providing the connection of the windshield wiper to a wiper arm connected to the vehicle or to an intermediary adapter component to which the wiper arm can be connected, in the windshield wiper systems used in vehicles consisting of a longitudinal, flat resilient metal carrier frame bent like a bow, an elastic wiper profile having an end portion for wiping the glass surface and mounted on the carrier frame, end caps at each end providing the unity of the system by clasping the system from both free ends and an integrated connector element used for connection of the wiper arm.

[2] Prior Art

[3] The wiper systems called 'flat-blade' wherein an elastic, preferably rubber, wiper profile which wipes the surface of the windscreen is carried by a flat, long, resilient metal carrier frame, also known as vertebra, bent like a bow and wherein the system is connected to the wiper arm from a point preferably at the longitudinal center have been known for a long time. In these wiper systems, there are different versions wherein the vertebra is one-piece and is mounted into a rectangular shaped channel or wherein the vertebra consists of two halves and each half seats in the housings at the both sides of the wiper profile such that it carries the wiper profile by clamping it at the center. In the flat-blade wiper systems, end caps providing the unity of the system by being mounted generally on the free longitudinal ends of the wiper blade and a spoiler provided on the upper portion of the vertebra according to the windscreen are provided; however, in all these embodiments a connector element mounted almost on the longitudinal center of the wiper blade and also known as bracket, is used.

[4] The bracket has two important functions: On the one hand, the bracket provides the unity of the system by clamping the vertebra and the wiper profile with its legs provided at its lower side facing the windscreen surface to be wiped; on the other hand, it forms a structure which enables the articulated connection of the body remaining above these legs and the free end of the wiper arm. In different embodiments of the art, the bracket can be directly connected to the wiper arm or this connection can be provided by means of an intermediary element called adapter. The adapter is an intermediary element which can be connected to the bracket such that it can rotate around the pin and which embodies, therein, a mechanism onto which the wiper arm can be mounted and locked.

[5] Even though the body part of the bracket to which the wiper arm or the adapter is connected changes according to the arm or the adapter used, all brackets have legs at the lower side to surround the vertebra and to provide the said first function. These legs are usually of a tilted U shaped cross-section, where the open sides face each other, and they hold the vertebra and the wiper profile there between together by surrounding them tightly at both sides, from above and partially from below. The legs can be in a continuous form which extends along the bracket length or can be formed of two or more extensions disposed at intervals.

[6] The bracket is required to surround the vertebra and the wiper profile in a tight manner, but in addition to this, it should be mounted easily on the system and on the other hand it shall not become loose or open or slide over the vertebra under working conditions. Due to the force applied by the wiper arm during the wiping, bracket can easily slide back and forth on the blade. However, this kind of movement considerably weakens the wiping performance since it changes the point on the blade where the force is applied.

[7] The state of the art embodiments used to prevent the bracket from sliding longitudinally on the vertebra are divided into two types:

[8] The first method bases on the connection of the bracket and the vertebra inseparably by means of welding, adhesion or similar methods. After the preferably one-piece, rigid bracket is brought to its working position in the center by being inserted from the free end onto the vertebra and the wiper profile, and slid longitudinally, it is fixed onto the vertebra by adhesion or welding (Figure 1-a). The Federal Mogul patent application no EP1745997, the Bosch patent application no EP0914269 or the Valeo patent application no DE10033779 can be shown as examples of this method. Although the bracket can be easily mounted to the system by means of these methods, fixing the bracket to its final position by adhesion or welding makes the assembly process complex and expensive. Furthermore, this method has important quality risks since the adhesive spreads on the visible parts of the element or it is not easy to distinguish whether or not the welding quality is at the desired level.

[9] The second method, which is more widely used, is to use mechanic supports. In this method, bulges facing each other are provided on the interior surface of the bracket legs and recesses are provided on the positions, corresponding to these bulges, on the outer sides of the vertebra. When the bulge on the interior surface of the bracket leg is seated into the recess on the vertebra, since the opposite surfaces of the recess and the bulge bear against each other, a mechanical locking preventing the longitudinal movement of the bracket over the vertebra is provided. However, when such mechanical stops are used, mounting the bracket onto the vertebra from one end and bringing to assembly position by sliding is not possible due to the bulge disposed on the bracket leg to seat into the recess on the vertebra.

[10] In the connection mechanisms wherein the longitudinally fixing of the bracket onto the vertebra is provided by means of mechanical supports, there are different techniques used to facilitate the assembly. The most widely used technique is to manufacture the bracket as two pieces and to align the bulges of the bracket legs and the recesses of the vertebra so that they will correspond to each other, then to mount the two halves onto the vertebra from both sides and then to connect these two halves of the bracket by techniques such as snap fit, mechanical deformation or welding. The Valeo patent FR2868376 and FR2894544, and the Bosch patent DE10036115 can be shown as examples of this technique, the view of which is given in Figure 1-b. However, all of these processes increase the cost of the product and make the assembly process harder and complex since they require the interlocking of the two independent halves of the bracket such that they cannot disconnect from each other. Furthermore, this method comprises an important quality risk since the opening of the two halves of the bracket, which were connected to each other after being manufactured separately, or the loosening of the connection cause the disconnection of the wiper profile and the vertebra from each other and the complete dysfunction of the wiper.

[11] A method which enables the usage of the mechanical stops as described above despite the production of the bracket as one-piece is to manufacture the bracket in a flexible manner and to fit it onto the vertebra by stretching its legs on the final assembly position, as described in Valeo patent FR2893896 (Figure 1-c). By means of this technique, seating of the bulges provided on the bracket leg into the recesses provided on the vertebra can be easily realized with a relatively simple assembly process. However, since there will be a need for a rigid bracket which will tightly hold the vertebra and which will not be deformed after assembly, this method is risky and there can be a possibility that the flexible bracket legs do not clench the vertebra and the wiper rubber with the desired force after the long-term usage.

[12] Another method which enables the usage of the mechanical stops to prevent the sliding of the one-piece bracket over the vertebra is to bend the bracket legs over the vertebra during the assembly. The bracket is manufactured from sheet metal such that the legs which will surround the vertebra are in open form (Figure 1-d), it is positioned to align these open legs with the recesses on the vertebra, and then it is fixed in this position by bending the legs by mechanic deformation such that they surround the vertebra . With this method, the examples of which are described in the Bosch patent no DE19641042 and Valeo patent no DE10038397, it is possible to fix the bracket on the vertebra in a secure way. However, in this technique, a significant force should be applied to the bracket and thus the vertebra whereon the bracket is disposed, therefore during this operation, there is a high risk of damaging the form of the vertebra, which is manufactured precisely to have its special curvilinear form. Although not visible, this causes serious problems since it can adversely affect the wiping performance of the wiper on the vehicle. [13] Alternatively, as described in the Bosch patent no DE19909971, it is possible to hold the one-piece bracket fixed and to dispose the vertebra on the wiper profile into the bracket by lifting its two halves such that it forms a V. However, this method is far from being a suitable assembly technique for assembly lines.

[14] An alternative embodiment, the view of which is shown in Figure 1-e, is described in patent no DE202005012619. Bulges extending to the channel into which the vertebra is seated are provided on the one-piece rigid bracket of this embodiment and recesses are provided on the vertebra in suitable positions for these bulges. The principle of the assembly is to insert each time only one half of the vertebra into the channel by tilting, and to seat it in the channel by adjusting its angle such that the bulges are disposed into the corresponding recesses. The wiper profile is mounted afterwards into the orifice remaining between these two halves. This technique offers advantages for the conditions wherein only manual production can be realized; however, this technique is not suitable for high-capacity production lines, since it is unsuitable for automatic assembly. Furthermore, since it is not possible to dispose a one-piece vertebra into the channel due to the fixed bulges on the bracket, this bracket can be used only with two- piece vertebra.

[15] In terms of production cost, assembly and quality requirements, the most advantageous option is producing the bracket from a rigid material as one-piece and bringing it to its assembly position by inserting from one free end and sliding longitudinally over the vertebra, then fixing it thereon in a secure and fast way. However, state of the art methods used to fix the bracket on the vertebra to prevent sliding under working conditions make the assembly process complex and expensive or cause problems in the product quality.

[16] In the design of the present invention, a connection mechanism wherein a rigid bracket manufactured as one-piece is used, wherein the bracket is inserted from one free end of the vertebra and wiper profile and brought to the assembly position by being slid and wherein the bracket can be easily fixed on the vertebra and/or wiper profile there between easily by mechanical means without the need of expensive operations like deformation, adhesion or welding and thus which is suitable and practical for manual production, and half or fully automatic production lines is described.

[17] The present invention will be explicated in detail with reference to the attached drawings in which:

[18] Figure 1 (a, b, c, d, e) shows examples of the state of the art.

[19] Figure 2 shows the exploded view of an embodiment of the wiper blade wherein a connector element of the present invention is used.

[20] Figure 3 (a, b, c, d, e) shows the various vertebra forms with which the connector element of the present invention can be used. [21] Figure 4 shows the general assembly principles of the bracket which is used in the connector element of the present invention. [22] Figure 5 shows the isometric exploded view of a preferred embodiment of the connector element of the present invention. [23] Figure 6 shows the cross-sectional view of the assembled first embodiment of the connector element of the present invention [24] Figure 7 shows an isometric exploded view of an alternative embodiment of the connector element of the present invention. [25] Figure 8 shows the detailed cross-sectional view of the seating of the tongue (16') during assembly (8a) and in the assembled state (8b) of the embodiment of the Figure

7. [26] Figure 9 (a, b) shows the exploded view (9a) of a third embodiment of the connector element of the present invention and a cross-sectional view (9b) of the connector element of the present invention mounted on the wiper blade. [27] Figure 10 (a, b, c, d, e, f) shows the exploded and isometric, after the assembly, views of a compact alternative use of all three embodiments of the connector element of the present invention. [28] Figure 11 shows the cross-sectional view of an alternative method which enables the fixing of the cap on the bracket and which can be used in all three embodiments of the connector element of the present invention. [29] Figure 12 shows the exploded isometric and cross-sectional views of an alternative method which enables the fixing of the cap on the bracket and which can be used in all three embodiments of the connector element of the present invention. [30] Figure 13 shows the cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the first embodiment of the connector element of the present invention which can be used without a cap and the isometric view of the adapter in this embodiment. [31] Figure 14 shows the cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the second embodiment of the connector element of the present invention which can be used without a cap and the isometric view of the adapter in this embodiment. [32] Figure 15 (a, b, c) shows the cross-sectional view of an alternative use of the third embodiment of the connector element of the present invention which can be used without a cap and the isometric view of the adapter in this use. [33] Parts shown in the drawings are enumerated as follows:

[34] [Table 1] [Table ]

Detailed Description of the Invention

[35] The present invention relates to a connection mechanism for windshield wiper systems used in vehicles, mechanism comprising a connector element (10) known as bracket and providing attachment of a wiper blade (900) directly to the wiper arm (93) or to an intermediary adapter component (80) to which the wiper arm (93) can be connected, such that the blade (900) which is consisting of an arc shaped resilient carrier frame (70) known as vertebra, an elastic wiper profile (60) mounted on this frame (70) and having an end profile which wipes the windscreen, end caps (92) providing the unity of the system by clasping the system from both free ends (75) and the connection element (10) disposed at the longitudinal center, can rotate around a pin (91).

[36] Figure 2 shows the example of the exploded view of the wiper blade (900) of the present invention.

[37] In these wiper blades (900), also known as 'Flat Blade', the vertebra (70) which functions as a carrier frame, can consist of one or two pieces. The connector element of the present invention can be used with a one-piece vertebra form which is in a joint form at two ends as shown in Figure 3-b and which has a channel into which the wiper profile (60) can be seated or with a solid one-piece vertebra form as shown in Figure 3-c which can be used by being seated into the wiper profile. In a similar way, also the holes on the vertebra (72), which are elements with which the connector element of the present invention functions, can be provided on the sides of the vertebra (70) facing outside in recess form as shown in Figure 3-d or one or more holes (72) can be provided on the vertebra body in channel form as shown in Figure 3-e. However, for ease of expression, the connection mechanism of the present invention is described, but its embodiment not limited to, in description and figures, with a vertebra form which consists of two independent pieces (7O.a, 7O.b) which are joined from their longitudinal free ends by means of end caps (92) during the assembly of the system, and on each long side of which the said holes (72) are provided in recess form. This form is shown in Figure 3-a.

[38] Figure 4 shows a view of the bracket (10), vertebra (70) and the wiper profile (60) before and after the assembly such that the common characteristics of various embodiments of the bracket (10) of the present invention are illustrated. The bracket (10), preferably, consists of a reverse U-shaped body (11) and two tilted U-shaped legs (12) which are formed by bending each flange of this 'U' outwards, downwards and inwards. The preferably rectangular vertebra channel (14) formed on the inner sides of these legs (12) is in such a manner that it encloses the vertebra (70) and the wiper profile (60) by surrounding the protruding portions of the vertebra (7 La, 7 Lb) when the two halves (7O.a, 7O.b) are seated into the vertebra seatings (61) provided on the wiper profile (60). Thus, the elastic wiper profile (60) and the two halves of the vertebra (70. a, 7O.b) are held together by being surrounded by the bracket legs (12). A transverse pin hole (13) is provided preferably on the bracket body (11). This pin hole (13) is used for the articulated connection of the adapter (80) or directly the wiper arm (93) with the bracket (10) by means of a pin (91).

[39] In the free state, the width (190) of the vertebra channel (14) formed by bracket legs

(12) corresponds to the total width (790) of the vertebra (70) mounted onto the wiper profile (60). Thus, the bracket (10) can be inserted from one of the free longitudinal ends of the wiper profile (60) and the vertebra (70), and can be easily brought to the assembly position at the center by sliding longitudinally.

[40] In the preferred embodiment of the connection mechanism of the present invention shown in Figures 5 and 6, at least one rectangular orifice (15) is provided on the upper surface (120) of at least one or preferably both legs (12) of the bracket (10). The orifices (15) are positioned such that, in the assembly position, they align with the holes (72) provided on the vertebra (70).

[41] The cap (50) is an intermediary element which has a structure that can be fitted onto the bracket (10) from above and which has a shape that partially or completely covers the bracket body (11) and that is partially or completely seated on the upper surface (120) of the bracket leg (12). In order to provide these characteristics, the cap (50) consists of a preferably reverse U-shaped body (51) and legs (52) which are formed by bending each flange of this 'U' outwards. Extensions (55) which vertically extend downwards and which are aligned such that they enter the said holes (72) provided on the vertebra (70) by passing through the orifices (15) of the bracket when the cap (50) is seated onto the bracket (10), are provided on at least one, preferably both legs (52) of the cap (50). These extensions (55) are preferably rectangular and their ends (56) are planar such that they are seated on the bottom of the vertebra channel (14) of the bracket. In the assembly position, the said extensions (55) on the cap (50) pass through the orifices (15) on the bracket (10) legs and are seated into the holes (72) provided on the vertebra (70), and by means of this connection system, the bracket (10) is prevented from sliding longitudinally over the vertebra (70) during the wiping.

[42] A pin hole (53) is provided preferably on the body (51) of the cap (50) such that it is coaxial with the pin hole (13) on the bracket (10) when the cap (50) is mounted. During the connection of the wiper arm (93) and/or the adapter (80), the pin (91), which passes through these two pin holes (13, 53) at the same time, assures that the extensions (55) on the cap legs (52) remain inside the holes (72)on the vertebra, by preventing the cap (50) from moving with respect to the bracket (10) during the wiping.

[43] Figures 7 and 8 show a second embodiment of the connection mechanism of the present invention. Also in this embodiment, the bracket (10') embodies a preferably rectangular orifice (15') on the upper surface (120) of at least one, preferably both legs (12). A tongue (16') integrated with the upper surface (120) of the bracket leg (12) is provided such that it aligns with this orifice (15'). The tongue (16') is connected, at one side, to the upper surface (120) of the bracket leg (12) around a stretching zone (170') such that it can be resiliently bent. The free end (19') at the other side, first protrudes upwards and then forming an elbow (18') turns downwards and enters into the orifice (15') on the bracket. In the free position of the bracket (10'), the said tongue (16') has a bias which enables that the said elbow (18') is above the upper surface (120) of the bracket leg to form a bulge and thus the free end (19') remains above the vertebra channel (14) of the bracket (10'). Thus, at the first stage of the assembly, when the bracket (10') is fitted on the vertebra (70) and the wiper profile (60) from one end (75), the free end (19') of the tongue (16') remains on the vertebra (70) so it does not prevent the bracket (10') from being brought to the assembly position by sliding.

[44] When the bracket (10') comes to the suitable assembly position, the free end (19') of each tongue (16') provided on the bracket leg (12) is, as shown in Figure 8-a, aligned with the hole (72) provided on the vertebra (70). At this stage, the cap (50') which also has a structure that it can be mounted onto the bracket (10') by being fitted from above consists of a preferably reverse U-shaped body (51) and legs (52) which are formed by bending each flange of this 'U' outwards. The cap leg (52) has a structure that can be completely seated on the upper surface (120) of the bracket leg (12). Thus, when the cap (50') is mounted onto the bracket (10'), the cap leg (52) pushes said tongue (16') downwards so that its free end (19') passes through the said orifice (15') and seats into the said hole on the vertebra (72). Since the cap (50') can be fixed onto the bracket (10') by means of a pin (91) passing through the coaxial pin holes (13, 53) on the cap (50') and the bracket (10'), these legs (52) hold the free end (19') of the tongue inside the hole (72) on the vertebra during the expected life of the product, so prevent the bracket (10') from sliding longitudinally over the vertebra (70).

[45] Figure 9 shows a third embodiment of the connection mechanism of the present invention. In this version, the orifice (15") is provided on the top surface (110) of the bracket (10"). The cap (50") has a structure that can be seated onto the bracket (10") by being fitted from above, it consists of a preferably reverse U-shaped body (51) and legs (52) which are formed by bending each flange of this U outwards, and extensions (55") which extend downwards from the top (54) of the cap (50") such that they pass through the said orifice (15") on the bracket when seated onto the bracket (10") are provided. The free ends (56") of these said extensions (55") on the top (54) of the cap (50") have a knurled structure.

[46] During the assembly, the cap (50") is also seated onto the bracket (10") by being fitted from above and at the same time, the extensions (55") on the cap extend towards the wiper profile (60) by passing through the orifice (15") on the top surface of the bracket. As shown in Figure 9-b, the extensions (55") have a length that their knurled ends (56") pierce into the top of the wiper profile (62). After the assembly is completed and the cap (50") and the bracket (10") are fixed to each other by means of a pin (91) passing through the coaxial pin holes (13, 53) provided on both the cap (50") and the bracket (10"), the knurled end (56") of the said extension (55") of the cap is permanently embedded into the top of the wiper profile (62) and prevents the bracket (10") from sliding longitudinally over the blade (900).

[47] Figure 10 shows a more compact and alternative use of all three embodiments described so far of the connection element of the present invention. In these uses, an indentation (28) in the form of a recess which is suitable for the form of the cap (50, 50', 50") is provided on the bracket (10, 10', 10"). When the cap (50, 50', 50") is mounted onto the bracket (10, 10', 10"), the cap body and the cap legs (51, 52) are completely seated into this indentation (28) and thus the outside dimensions of the bracket (10, 10', 10") do not change. Thus, a smaller sized alternative of the connector element can be provided in all three embodiments. [48] Since, in the connector element of the present invention, the sliding off of the cap

(50, 50', 50") upwards over the bracket (10, 10', 10") during the operation causes the tongue or extensions (55, 16', 55"), which fix the cap (50, 50', 50") and the bracket (10, 10', 10") onto the vertebra (70) or the wiper profile (60), to detach from the holes (72) into which they are seated on the vertebra or the top of the wiper profile (62), it can also cause the bracket (10, 10', 10") to slide over the vertebra (70) and thus the connection mechanism to become dysfunctional.

[49] There are three mechanisms to prevent this and to hold the cap (50, 50', 50") on its final assembly position on the bracket (10, 10', 10") under all circumstances.

[50] The first one is, as described so far, to fix the bracket (10, 10', 10") and the cap (50,

50', 50") to each other by means of a common pin (91) which passes through the coaxial pin holes (13, 53) on both the bracket (10, 10', 10") and the cap (50, 50', 50").

[51] As an alternative to this, the position of the cap (50, 50', 50") on the bracket (10, 10',

10") can be secured with a support (81) provided inside the adapter (80) and positioned such that it bears against the top (54) of the cap from above. As shown in Figure 11, this support (81) is preferably in the form of a bridge inside the adapter (80) and it has a preferably circular contact surface (82) which does not prevent the rotation of the adapter (80) around the pin (91) and which allows the adapter (80) to continue applying pressure on the cap (50, 50', 50") in all the operating positions.

[52] In the situations wherein the cap (50, 50', 50") and the bracket (10, 10', 10") can not be fixed to each other by means of a pin (91), wherein an adapter (80) is not used in the system and/or wherein there is not a support (81) inside the adapter (80) due to its structure, fixing the cap (50, 50', 50") onto the bracket (10, 10', 10") can be provided with the locking detents (57), as shown in Figure 12. In this use, the locking detents (57) which extend downwards from the cap leg (52) are seated into the locking recesses (17) provided on the upper surface (120) of the bracket leg (12). As shown in Figure 12-b, the detents (57) have preferably triangular cross-sections which provide them to enter easily into the said recesses (17) when being pushed from above and the recesses (17) on the bracket have preferably L- shaped profile which prevents the said detents (57) from coming out after they enter therein. After the detent (57) enters into the recess (17), the detent locking surface (571) on the horizontal plane and the horizontal locking surface (171) on the corresponding recess on the bracket prevent the detent (57) from coming out of the housing with vertical movement by bearing against each other and fix the cap (50, 50', 50") on the bracket (10, 10', 10").

[53] The connection mechanism, of which three different embodiments described so far, can also be used directly with the intermediary adapter element (80', 80", 80'") without using a cap (50, 50', 50").

[54] Figure 13 shows the embodiment of the use, directly by means of the adapter without a cap, of the first embodiment of the connector element described in Figures 5 and 6. In this use, on at least one, but preferably both sides of the adapter (80') extensions (85'), extending vertically downwards and positioned to enter into the orifices (15) on the bracket (10), are provided. When the adapter (80') is placed onto the bracket (10) during the assembly, these extensions (85') are seated into the holes (72) provided on the vertebra (70) by passing through the said orifices (15) on the bracket (10). Since the adapter (80') and the bracket (10) are fixed to each other by means of a pin (91) passing through their center points, the extensions (85') on the adapter cannot come out of the holes (72) on the vertebra during the wiping and this prevents the bracket (10) and the adapter (80') from sliding longitudinally over the wiper. The ends (86') of these extensions (85') provided on the adapter (80') are preferably rounded such that they do not prevent the adapter (80') from rotating around the pin (91).

[55] Figure 14 shows the embodiment of the use, directly by means of the adapter without a cap, of the second embodiment of the connector element of the present invention described in Figures 7 and 8. In this alternative embodiment, extensions (85") are provided on at least one, preferably both sides of the adapter (80") such that they extend vertically downwards in alignment with the tongue (16') on the bracket (10') and they have a length that in assembled position they contact with the upper surface (120) of the bracket (10') leg (12). When the adapter (80") is placed onto the bracket (10'), these extensions (85") pushes said tongue (16') downwards so that its free end (19') passes through the said orifice (15') and seats into the said hole on the vertebra (72).

[56] Since the adapter (80") and the bracket (10') are fixed to each other by means of a pin

(91) passing through their pin holes, the extensions (85") on the adapter (80") continue to apply pressure on the tongue (16') during the wiping and thus, the free end of the tongue (19') stays in the hole on the vertebra (72) and prevents the bracket (10) and the adapter (80") from sliding longitudinally over the wiper. The ends (86") of these extensions (85") are preferably rounded such that they do not prevent the rotation of the adapter (80") around the pin (91).

[57] Figure 15 shows the embodiment of the use, directly by means of the adapter without a cap, of the third embodiment of the connector element of the present invention described in Figure 9. As shown in Figure 15-a, in this embodiment, extensions (85'") provided on the adapter (80'") extend towards the wiper profile (60) by passing through the orifice (15") of the bracket (10"). These extensions (85'") can have variable lengths that do not prevent the rotation of the adapter (80'") around the pin (91), that, on the other hand, some of its knurled free ends (86'") pierce into the top of the wiper profile (62) in every position.

[58] All connection mechanisms of the present invention are realized by mounting the one-piece bracket (10, 10', 10") onto the vertebra and the wiper profile at one free end (75), bringing it to its assembly position by sliding longitudinally, and then mounting a cap (50, 50', 50") or an adapter (80', 80", 80'") onto the bracket by simply lowering from top.

[59] Any one or all of the bracket (10, 10', 10"), the cap (50, 50', 50") and/or adapter (80',

80", 80'") can be manufactured from plastic or metal. Thus, a practical, easy-to-use and safe connection mechanism, wherein the longitudinal position of the bracket on the vertebra is enabled with mechanical stops and which is suitable for manual production and half or fully automatic production with very cheap components, is obtained.

Claims

[Claim 1] A windscreen wiper, comprising a vertebra (70) which is formed of one or more flat resilient metal elements bent in an arc shape, an elastic wiper profile (60) disposed on this vertebra (70) having an end portion for wiping the glass surface and a one-piece bracket (10, 10', 10") which is located preferably at the longitudinal center, which provides the connection of the blade (900) to a wiper arm (93) and/or to an adapter (80, 80', 80", 80'") to which the wiper arm (93) can be connected, and which consists of a body portion (11) and clamp-shaped legs (12) located below this body (11) and bent such that they form a channel (14) into which the vertebra (70) and the wiper profile (60) can be seated; characterized in that the said bracket (10, 10', 10") can be inserted from one free end (75) of the vertebra (70) and the wiper profile (60) and then slid longitudinally to be brought to the assembly position at the center, and it can be fixed to the vertebra (70) or to the wiper profile (60) mechanically by means of orifices (15, 15', 15") in the form of an indentation, hole or aperture provided on the body (11) and/or the leg (12).

[Claim 2] A wiper as in Claim 1, wherein the said body (11) of the said bracket ( 10, 10', 10") is preferably reverse U-shaped and wherein the said clamp-shaped legs (12) are in the form of two tilted 'U' open to each other, which are formed by bending each flange of this 'U' outwards, downwards and inwards.

[Claim 3] A wiper as in Claims 1 to 2, wherein the width (190) of the vertebra channel (14) formed by the said legs (12) of the said bracket (10, 10', 10") in the free state, corresponds to the total width (790) of the vertebra (70) mounted onto the wiper profile (60).

[Claim 4] A wiper as in Claims 1 to 3, wherein there are one or more holes (72) provided on the vertebra (70) in the form of an indent, hole, slit or channel in the position where the said bracket (10, 10') is fixed into.

[Claim 5] A wiper as in Claims 1 to 4, wherein the said orifice (15) is provided on the upper surface (120) of at least one, preferably both legs (12) of the said bracket (10) such that it aligns with the said hole (72) on the vertebra (70) in the assembly position.

[Claim 6] A wiper as in Claim 1 comprising a cap (50, 50', 50") which, in the assembly position, can be seated onto the said bracket (10, 10', 10") by being fitted from above and which consists of a preferably reverse U- shaped body (51) and legs (52) formed by bending each leg of this U outwards such that the said cap (50, 50', 50") partially or completely covers the body (11) of the said bracket (10, 10', 10") and is partially or completely seated on the upper surface (120) of the bracket legs (12

)•

[Claim 7] A wiper as in Claim 6, wherein at least one rectangular extension (55) which extends vertically downwards, is provided on at least one, preferably both legs (52) of the said cap (50).

[Claim 8] A wiper as in Claims 1 to 7, wherein said extension (55) is aligned such that when the cap (50) is seated onto the bracket (10), said extension (

55) can enter into the said holes (72) provided on the vertebra (70) by passing through the said orifice (15) on the bracket (10).

[Claim 9] 2. A wiper as in Claim 8, wherein the ends (56) of the said extension (

55) are planar such that they are seated onto the base of the said vertebra channel (14) on the bracket (10).

[Claim 10] A wiper as in claims 1 to 4, wherein the said orifice (15') is provided on the upper face (120) of at least one, preferably both legs (12) of the said bracket (10') such that it aligns with the said hole (72) on the vertebra (70) in the assembly position and a tongue (16') integrated with the upper surface (120) of the bracket leg (12) is provided such that it aligns with this orifice (15').

[Claim 11] A wiper as in Claim 10, wherein the said tongue (16') is connected, at one side, to the upper surface (120) of the bracket leg (12), with a stretching zone (170') such that it can be resiliently bent, and the free end (19') at the other side has a structure that enters into the orifice (15'

) on the bracket (10') by first protruding upwards, and then turning downwards following an elbow (18').

[Claim 12] A wiper as in Claim 11, wherein, the said tongue (16') has a bias which enables that the said elbow (18') is above the upper surface of the bracket leg (120) to form a bulge and thus the free end (19') remains above the vertebra channel (14) in the free position of the said bracket (

10').

[Claim 13] A wiper as in Claim 6, wherein the leg (52) of the said cap (50') has a structure that it can be completely seated on the upper surface (120) of the bracket leg (12).

[Claim 14] A wiper as in claims 10 to 13, wherein the said leg (52), by pushing the said tongue (16') on the bracket (10') downwards, provides that the free end (19') of the tongue is seated into the hole (72) on the vertebra (70) by passing through the said orifice (15') on the bracket, when the cap (50') is seated onto the said bracket (10').

[Claim 15] A wiper as in claims 1 to 3, wherein the said orifice (15") is provided as a preferably rectangular hole on the top surface (110) of the body (11 ) of the said bracket (10").

[Claim 16] A wiper as in Claim 6, wherein one or more extensions (55") at different lengths and shapes which extend downwards beginning from the top (54) of the U-shaped body (51) of the said cap (50") are provided.

[Claim 17] A wiper as in Claims 15 and 16, wherein the said extensions (55") on the cap (50") have a length that they pierce into the top (62) of the wiper profile (60) by passing through the said orifice (15") on the bracket (10"), when the said cap (50") is seated onto the said bracket ( 10").

[Claim 18] A wiper as in claims 1 to 17, wherein the said bracket (10, 10', 10") embodies, on the said body (11), a pin hole (13) orthogonal to the longitudinal axis.

[Claim 19] A wiper as in claims 1 to 18, wherein the said cap (50, 50', 50") embodies, on the said body (51), a pin hole (53) such that it is coaxial with the said pin hole (13) on the bracket (10, 10', 10") when it is mounted on the bracket.

[Claim 20] A wiper as in claims 1 to 19, wherein fixing of the said cap (50, 50', 50") on the said bracket (10, 10', 10") is enabled by means of a common pin (91) which passes through the said coaxial pin holes (13, 53) provided on both the cap (50, 50', 50") and the bracket (10, 10', 10").

[Claim 21] A wiper as in claims 1 to 20, wherein fixing of the said cap (50, 50', 50") on the said bracket (10, 10', 10") is enabled by means of a support (81) which is provided inside the adapter (80) such that it bears against the top (54) of the cap from above and which has a preferably circular contact surface (82).

[Claim 22] A wiper as in claims 1 to 21, wherein preferably triangular locking detents (57) which extend downwards are provided on the said leg (52) of the said cap (50, 50', 50").

[Claim 23] A wiper as in claims 1 to 22, wherein preferably L-shaped locking recesses (17) are provided on the upper surface (120) of the said leg (12 ) of the said bracket (10, 10', 10") and wherein fixing of the said cap ( 50, 50', 50") on the said bracket is enabled by the said locking detents ( 57) being seated into the said locking recesses (17) on the bracket.

[Claim 24] A wiper as in claims 1 to 23, wherein an i ndentation (28) in the form of a recess which is suitable for the form of the said cap (50, 50', 50") and into which the body and leg of the cap (51, 52) are seated when the cap is mounted onto the bracket, is provided on the said bracket (10, 10', 10").

[Claim 25] A wiper as in claims 1 to 24, wherein the said bracket (10, 10', 10") is manufactured from plastic or metal.

[Claim 26] A wiper as in claims 1 to 25, wherein the said cap (50, 50', 50") is manufactured from plastic or metal.

[Claim 27] A wiper as in claims 1 to 5, comprising an adapter (80') which embodies a mechanism onto which the said wiper arm (93) can be mounted and locked, which can be seated and fixed onto the said bracket (10) and which has extensions (85') which can be seated into the said holes (72) provided on the vertebra (70) by passing through the said orifices (15) provided on the said bracket (10).

[Claim 28] A wiper as in claims 10 to 13, comprising an adapter (80") which embodies a mechanism onto which the said wiper arm (93) can be mounted and locked, which can be seated and fixed onto the said bracket (10') and which has extensions (85") which enable, by pushing said tongue (16') provided on the said bracket (10') downwards, that the free end of the tongue (19') is seated into the said holes (72) provided on the vertebra (70) by passing through the orifice (15') on the bracket (10').

[Claim 29] A wiper as in Claim 15, comprising an adapter (80'") which embodies a mechanism onto which the said wiper arm (93) can be mounted and locked, which can be seated and fixed onto the said bracket (10") and which has extensions (85'") which can pierce into the top (62) of the wiper profile (60) by passing through the said orifice (15") provided on the said bracket (10").