FR2743042A1 - CURVED WINDSCREEN WIPER BLADE - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a curved wiper blade, of the type in which a flexible wiper blade (14) is pressed against a window to be wiped by an articulated structure which comprises a main stirrup (16), and, at each from its terminal ends, a hooking claw (26) of the squeegee (14), of the type in which at least one of the claws (26) is arranged longitudinally opposite a section (30) of the main stirrup ( 16), characterized in that the median longitudinal axis (L3) of the claw (26) which is opposite the stirrup (16) is substantially coincident with the median longitudinal axis (L1) of said section (30) of the stirrup (16) so that the claw (26) can be received between two wings of the section (30) of the stirrup (16) when the articulated structure is deformed.

Description

I The invention relates to a curved wiper blade for a vehicle

  automobile with a squeegee offset transversely. The invention relates more particularly to a wiper blade for a motor vehicle of the type in which a flexible wiper blade is pressed against a window to be wiped by an articulated structure which comprises a main stirrup at at least one longitudinal end of which is articulated lifting beam, and which is deformable in a longitudinal plane substantially perpendicular to the general plane of the window, of the type in which the main stirrup, formed by two lateral wings joined by an upper transverse back, has a U-shaped cross section overturned, of the type in which the articulated structure comprises, at each of its terminal ends, a hooking claw for the squeegee, of the type in which at least one of the spreader's claws is arranged longitudinally opposite a section of the main stirrup, and of the type in which the articulated structure is arranged so as to curve the squeegee in a long plane itudinal substantially parallel to the general plan of the

wiping glass.

  A curved wiper blade has a wiper blade which extends along a curved line substantially in a semicircle, and whose radius of curvature must be the greatest

  uniform possible throughout the broom.

  This constraint requires that the claws of the articulated structure have a precise position in space so as to

  impose this desired curved shape on the squeegee.

  However, the articulated structure is composed of elements generally made of metal or rigid plastic material, which are hinged together by substantially rectilinear portions so as not to prevent pivoting

relative elements between them.

  In this way, the articulated structure of curved brooms generally presents a profile, seen from above, closer to a broken line than to the ideal curve which one wishes to impose.

with raclette.

  In a known manner, the stirrup and the lifting beams which make up the articulated structure generally have a cross-sectional shape of an inverted U inside of which the claws carrying the squeegee are likely to be

  received when the articulated structure is deformed.

  However, because the wiping squeegee and the articulated structure do not extend exactly according to the same profile, there may exist a transverse offset such between the squeegee and the stirrup of the articulated structure that the claw is susceptible

  to interfere with one of the stirrup's wings.

  To avoid this, it may be necessary to increase the transverse width of the stirrup or to provide cutouts in the lateral wings, which is detrimental to the aesthetics and to

the resistance of the broom.

  Also, in order to provide a solution to this problem, the invention proposes a wiper blade of the type described above, characterized in that the longitudinal center axis of the claw which is opposite the stirrup is substantially coincident with the median longitudinal axis of said section of the stirrup so that the claw can be received between the two wings of the section of the stirrup when the articulated structure

is distorted in its plan.

  According to other characteristics of the invention - the claw is centered transversely with respect to the wings of said section of the main stirrup; the articulated structure comprises at least one primary spreader articulated on the stirrup and a secondary spreader articulated on the primary spreader, the secondary spreader comprises at least one hooking claw which is arranged longitudinally opposite a section of the stirrup main or secondary lifter, and the median longitudinal axis of said claw is substantially coincident with the median longitudinal axis of said section so that the claw can be received between the two wings of said section when the articulated structure is deformed; the main stirrup has a central portion by which it is articulated at the end of a wiper arm, and the squeegee is offset transversely relative to the median longitudinal axis of the central portion of the stirrup; - The central articulation portion of the main stirrup and one of its longitudinal ends which carry a lifting beam are substantially rectilinear in a longitudinal plane substantially parallel to the general plane of the window; - The central bracket has at least one section which is curved in a longitudinal plane substantially parallel to the general plane of the window; and the main stirrup is substantially symmetrical relative to its median longitudinal axis; Other characteristics and advantages of the invention

  will appear on reading the detailed description which follows

  for the understanding of which reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in which: - Figures 1 and 2 are views, respectively from the side and from above, of a wiper blade in accordance with the teachings of the invention; - Figure 3 is an enlarged partial view of a detail of Figure 2; - Figure 4 a cross-sectional view along line 4-4 Figure 1; and - Figure 5 a cross-sectional view along the

line 5-5 in figure 3.

  There is shown in the figures a wiper blade for a motor vehicle which has an articulated structure 12 intended to press a wiper blade 14

  against a wiping glass of the vehicle, such as its screen

  broken. The articulated structure 12 comprises a main bracket 16 which is rotatably mounted about a transverse axis A1 at the front longitudinal end of a wiper arm (not shown). At each of the longitudinal ends 18 of the main stirrup 16, a primary lifter 20 is rotatably mounted, by a substantially central portion, around a transverse axis

A2, A3.

  In the exemplary embodiment which is shown in the figures, each primary lifter 20 carries, at a first end 22, a secondary lifter 24 which has two

  hooking claws 26 of the squeegee 14.

  Each primary lifter 20 carries, at its second opposite end, a hooking claw 26 of the squeegee

  14 similar to the claws 26 of the secondary spreaders 24.

  The secondary spreaders 24 are rotatably mounted around transverse axes A4, A5 on the primary spreaders

22, 24.

  In known manner, the articulated structure 12 is thus deformable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the general plane of the window to be wiped so that it presses the squeegee 14 by imposing on it, by means of the claws 26, a pressure contact substantially

uniform over its entire length.

  As can be seen in Figure 2, the brush 10 is of the type in which the squeegee 14 extends, not strictly in one plane, but in a curved direction in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the glass. To this end, the whole of the articulated structure 12 is also curved so that the claws 26 of the primary and secondary spreaders 24 impose on the squeegee 14, which is made of elastic material, the desired profile. However, the main stirrup 16 and the primary 20 and secondary spreaders 24 are generally made of rigid material in the form of parts having in cross section an inverted U profile. Thus, as can be seen in particular in FIG. 4, the main stirrup 16 comprises two longitudinal lateral wings 15 joined by a back

upper transverse 17.

  At the articulation of two parts, one of them is received inside the U-profile of the other part and it is therefore necessary that their articulation portions be substantially rectilinear in the longitudinal direction for avoid any jamming likely to block the rotation of the two parts and thus block any deformation of the

articulated structure 12.

  For example, the main stirrup 16 comprises a central portion 28 for its rotational mounting in a known manner on the wiper arm and which is therefore rectilinear, and, in the same way, each of its longitudinal ends 18

is also straight.

  However, the central portion 28 is connected to each

  ends 18 by curved sections.

  Consequently, and as can be seen more particularly in FIG. 3, the median longitudinal axis L1 of the main stirrup 16, which is an axis of symmetry of the stirrup 16, is not a regular curve and n is not confused with the longitudinal axis

center L2 of the squeegee 14.

  In the embodiment which is shown in the figures, it can be seen that each claw 26 which is carried by 10 one of the ends of the primary spreaders 20 is arranged vertically below a section 30 of the stirrup 16 which is located substantially between its central attachment portion 28 on the arm and its longitudinal end 18 of articulation of the

primary lifter 20.

  Thus, as can be seen in FIG. 4, when the articulated structure 12 deforms so that the squeegee 14 follows the curve of the window, the claw 26 is liable to become

  move closer to section 30, or even find itself

  above the lower edge 32 of the wings 15 of the section 30.

  In this way, in order to prevent the claw 26 from coming into contact with one of the wings 15, provision is made, according to a first aspect of the invention, only for the median longitudinal axis L3 of the claw 26, which coincides with the median longitudinal axis L2 of the squeegee 14, or also substantially coincides with the median longitudinal axis L1 of the stirrup 16 at the section 30. In fact, it is at the claws 26, the transverse width is greater than that of the squeegee 14, that the

  risk of interference with stirrup 16 is most important.

  Preferably, we will choose to center transversely

  the claw 26 relative to the section 30 of the stirrup 16.

  This choice of the position of the claw 36 causes, if it is desired that the curvature of the squeegee 14 is regular, that, on the contrary, the squeegee 14 is offset transversely relative to the central axis L1 of the central stirrup 16 in its central portion 28 for mounting on the arm. However, as can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, this does not represent a major handicap insofar as the central portion 28 of the stirrup 16 is its widest portion because at this level, a connector articulation (no

  0o shown) must be received between the two wings of the stirrup 16.

  In addition, the central portion of the squeegee 14 is generally devoid of hooking claws 26 so that there is sufficient clearance j between a lateral face of the

  squeegee 14 and a wing 15 of the stirrup 16.

  The invention can be applied to all the claws 26 liable to interfere with the main stirrup 16 or with a

secondary spreader 20.

  It can also, of course, be applied to wiper blades, each primary lifter 20 of which carries two intermediate spreaders 24 so as to have eight points.

hooking the squeegee.

  In general, the invention is to provide for coinciding, in the zones in which they risk coming into contact, the median longitudinal axes of the

  different components of the broom.

Claims (7)

  1. Wiper blade for a motor vehicle windscreen wiper, of the type in which a flexible wiper blade (14) is pressed against a window to be wiped by an articulated structure (12) which comprises a main caliper ( 16) at least one longitudinal end (18) of which is articulated a lifter (20), and which is deformable in a longitudinal plane substantially perpendicular to the general plane of the window, of the type in which the main stirrup (16), formed by two lateral wings (15) joined by an upper transverse back (17), has in cross section an inverted U shape, of the type in which the articulated structure (12) comprises, at each of its terminal ends, a claw of attachment (26) of the squeegee (14), of the type in which at least one of the claws (26) of the lifter (20) is arranged longitudinally opposite a section (30) of the main stirrup (16), and of the type in which the articulated structure (12) is arranged e so as to curve the squeegee (14) in a longitudinal plane substantially parallel to the general plane of the window to be wiped, characterized in that the median longitudinal axis (L3) of the claw (26) which is opposite the stirrup (16) is substantially coincident with the median longitudinal axis (L1) of said section (30) of the stirrup (16) so that the claw (26) can be received between the two wings (15) of the section (30) of the stirrup (16) when the articulated structure (12) is deformed in its plane. 2. Wiper blade according to claim 1, characterized in that the claw (26) is centered transversely relative to the wings (15) of said section (30) of the main stirrup (16).   3. Wiper blade according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that the structure   articulated (12) comprises at least one primary spreader (20) articulated on the stirrup (16) and a secondary spreader (24) articulated on the primary spreader (20), in that the secondary spreader (24) comprises at least one attachment claw (26) which is arranged longitudinally opposite a section (30) of the main stirrup (16) or of the secondary lifter (20), and in that the median longitudinal axis (L3) of said claw (26) 0o is substantially coincident with the median longitudinal axis (L1) of said section (30) so that the claw (26) can be received between the two wings (15) of said section (30) when the structure articulated (12) is deformed.   4. Wiper blade according to any one of   is previous claims, characterized in that the stirrup   main (16) has a central portion (28) by which it is articulated at the end of a wiper arm, and in that the squeegee (14) is offset transversely relative to the median longitudinal axis (L1) of the central portion (28) of the stirrup (16).   5. Wiper blade according to claim 4, characterized in that the central articulation portion (28) of the main stirrup (16) and one of its longitudinal ends (18) which carry a lifter (20) are substantially rectilinear in a longitudinal plane substantially parallel to the plane general of the glass.   6. Wiper blade according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that the stirrup   central (16) comprises at least one section which is curved in a longitudinal plane substantially parallel to the general plane of the window.   7. Wiper blade according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that the stirrup   main (16) is substantially symmetrical with respect to its median longitudinal axis (L1).