FR2855475A1 - Vehicle wind shield wiper mechanism positioning and fixing device, has three male and female fixation units forming connection by elastic interlocking along common axis, where bearing blocks with rigid support forms female units - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has three rigid supports (3) integrated on a part of a vehicle body. Each of the rigid support is provided with a bearing block (17) complementary to respective male fixation units (15) and forming a female fixation unit with the rigid support. The male and female fixation units forms a connection by elastic interlocking along a common axis of the male units, bearing blocks and a collar (21) formed in the support. An independent claim is also included for a vehicle including a wind shield wiper mechanism fixed on the body and a device of positioning and fixing of the wind shield wiper mechanism.

Description

2855475-,

  The present invention relates to a device for positioning and fixing a wiper mechanism on a body part of a motor vehicle, comprising at least two pairs of fastening elements, each comprising a first fastening element integral with the wiper mechanism, and a second fastening element integral with the body part.

  Generally, known positioning and fixing devices of this type comprise three pairs of screws / nuts ensuring rigid fixing of the mechanism at three points of the body part, and possibly an indexing tongue making it possible to center the mechanism before tightening. of the three screw / nut pairs.

  Such fasteners are not entirely satisfactory.

  - Indeed, rigid fixing by screws and nuts of the wiper mechanism on the body is hardly compatible with certain safety objectives, currently pursued by many automobile manufacturers, consisting in minimizing injuries caused to a pedestrian in the event of an impact. At the base of this trend, certain standards or specifications aim to reduce the impact resistance of the fasteners of the vehicle, which is the case of the wiper mechanisms. It has been found, in fact, that a wiper mechanism can cause serious injuries to a pedestrian during an impact, when this is projected onto the hood of the vehicle. However, the fixing of a wiper mechanism to the body by screws and nuts leaves the designer little opportunity to reduce the impact resistance of the mechanism, and to absorb such a shock.

  The object of the invention is to propose a device for positioning and fixing a wiping mechanism, as described above, which complies with the standards and specifications, mentioned above, in terms of safety in the event of a pedestrian impact. .

  To this end, according to the invention, the second element provides a deformable connection between the first element and the body part, and the second element is provided with a damping member interposed between the first element and the body part. , so as to deform in compression upon impact on the wiper mechanism in a coupling direction of the first and second fixing elements 10.

  According to optional features of the invention, taken alone or according to any technically conceivable combination: - said pairs form connections by elastic engagement in the same coupling direction, in particular substantially oriented from the outside towards the inside of the box; - The first and second fastening elements of the same pair have complementary parts whose shape is of revolution relative to the direction of coupling; - The device comprises three such pairs of fixing elements, so that it defines a device with three fixing points; the second element comprises a rigid fixing support, integral with the body part, and a carrier block fixed to said support and made of at least one more flexible material; the carrier block comprises a hollow sleeve open at an upper end, internally having a main recess, the lower part of which is of complementary shape to an end part of the first element, the main recess having a bottom on the lower side which defines an insertion stop, and an inlet neck giving access to said lower part of the recess in the coupling direction, the neck being elastically deformable and defining a notch for inserting the first element into the second element ; - The sleeve is provided with at least one water evacuation passage connecting the main recess and the outside of the sleeve; the damping member comprises a block of compressible material, in particular of foam, fixed to the lower end of the sleeve, and intended to bear on the body part and to absorb, by deforming in compression, a depression of the block carrier to the body part; - The carrier block is fixed to the rigid support so - to be able to detach at least partially under the effect of an impact on the wiper mechanism, the intensity of which exceeds a predetermined threshold; - The rigid fixing support has an opening 20, the edge of which forms a collar, while the carrier block externally has a peripheral groove which can engage in the collar to fix the carrier block to the rigid support; and - the carrier block internally has a peripheral groove 25 which extends so that the section of the carrier block between the bottom of said groove and the outer surface of the carrier block defines a thinner section, and thus a frangible region under the effect of a shock.

  The invention also relates to a motor vehicle equipped with a device for positioning and fixing a wiper mechanism on a body part, as described above.

  A particular embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the Figures of the accompanying drawings, in which: - Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wiper mechanism and a device according to l invention, in non-assembled configuration; - Figure 2 is a similar view in assembled configuration 10; - Figure 3 is a schematic sectional view, in an axial plane, of a pair of fastening elements, in the assembled configuration of Figure 2; - Figure 4 is a perspective view on a larger scale of a fixing sleeve shown in Figures 1 to 3; and - Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3, after rupture of a part of a fixing sleeve, following an impact of the wiper mechanism with a pedestrian.

  In Figure 1, there is shown a wiper mechanism 1 for a motor vehicle and three rigid supports 3 for fixing, integral with a body part of a motor vehicle (not shown). These supports are, for example, made of sheet metal and welded to the body.

  The mechanism 1 essentially comprises: - a central support plate 5, - a drive motor 7 mounted on the plate 5, - a transverse bar 9 extending on either side of the plate 5, - two shafts 11 rotatably mounted each at one end of the bar 9, and each intended to drive a wiper blade in rotation, and - a linkage 13 provided for transmitting the driving movement of the motor 7 to each of the shafts 11.

  The mechanism 1 further comprises three male fastening elements 15 integral with the crossbar 9, which protrude respectively at each end of the bar 9, in the vicinity of the respective shaft 11, and of the plate 5 10 in the vicinity of the motor. 7.

  Correspondingly, each rigid support 3 integral with the body part is provided with a carrier block 17, complementary to the respective male fastening element 15, and forming with the rigid support 3 a female fastening element. The three pairs of male and female fastening elements 3, 17 together define the device for fixing and positioning the mechanism 1 on the body part.

  Each rigid support 3 comprises a flat part 19, 20 in which a collar 21 is formed in an arc of a circle, complementary to the carrier block 17.

  Each pair of fastening elements, formed on the one hand of the male fastening element 15 and on the other hand of the female fastening element 3, 17, forms an elastic snap connection in the same direction of engagement, determined by the common axis X of the male element 15, of the hollow carrier block 17, and of the collar 21 formed in the rigid support 3.

  In what follows, the constituent elements of the fixing device and of the wiper mechanism are assumed to be in their arrangement corresponding to the assembled configuration of the wiper mechanism on the body of the vehicle. In this configuration, the X axis will be assumed to be almost vertical and oriented from bottom to top.

  The free end of the male fastening element 15 is directed towards the body element, so that the locking direction 5 is oriented substantially from the outside towards the inside of the body.

  The male element 15 consists, in the example shown, of a cylindrical arm 25 for connection to the plate 5 or to the crossbar 9, and at its free end 10, a ball 27 intended to engage with form cooperation in the carrier block 17.

  The carrier block 17 has an essentially cylindrical external shape with a peripheral groove 31 intended to receive the collar 21 by force engagement, so as to secure the carrier block 17 on the rigid support 3.

  In Figure 2, there is shown the wiper mechanism 1 as mounted on the body part, that is to say in the assembled configuration of the fastening device, consisting of the male fastening elements 15 and the elements female fixing 3, 17 respectively.

  With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, a description will now be given with greater precision of the carrier block 17, and the method of assembling this carrier block with the male fixing element 15.

  The carrier block 17 comprises a hollow cylindrical sleeve 35 made of elastic material, for example rubber, and a cylindrical damping block 37, made of compressible foam-type material. The damping block 37 is coaxial with the sleeve 35, and fixed at its lower end, in its extension.

  The sleeve 35 has, at its upper end, an opening 41 for insertion of the male element 15. The opening 41 gives access to a main recess 43 inside the sleeve, which has a flared upper part and a 5 lower part 47, closed by a wall 49 at the bottom of the sleeve.

  The entrance to the main recess, defined by the opening 41 and the upper part 45, is flared upwards with a frustoconical shape, so as to guide the male element 15 when it is inserted into the sleeve 35.

  In the frustoconical internal face of the sleeve 35 is formed a peripheral groove 50, the bottom of which extends in the vicinity of the bottom of the groove 31.

  The lower part 47 of the recess has a shape complementary to that of the ball joint 27. The bottom wall 49 defines an axial insertion stop for the first element 15 in the carrier block 17.

  In an intermediate internal part, the sleeve 35 has a constriction 51 towards the axis X, forming an inlet neck. This neck 51 gives access to the lower part 47 of the recess in the latching direction X. The neck 51, during the insertion of the male element 15, elastically deforms radially as the ball 27 passes, and, 25 when the ball 27 is housed in the lower part 47 of the recess, defines a latch of engagement of the male element 15 in the carrier block 17.

  On the other hand, a peripheral recess 53 relative to the main recess 43, open on the lower part 30 of the sleeve 35, is formed in the latter.

  The sleeve is provided with a series of passages 55, distributed regularly over the periphery of the internal wall 2855475-8 which delimits the main recess 43. These passages 55 are tubular and inclined radially from the top to the bottom. They connect the main recess 43 and the peripheral recess 53, so as to allow the evacuation of water from the inside to the outside of the sleeve.

  Naturally, the cylindrical arm 25, the ball joint 27 and the arrangement of the passages 55 are provided so that in the engagement position of the male element 15 in the sleeve 35, neither the rod 25 nor the ball 27 close the passages 55.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the damping block 37 rests by its lower surface, in the mounted position of the wiper mechanism, on a flat surface 15 for supporting the body part, shown diagrammatically under the reference 60.

  On reading the above description, it will be understood that the mounting of the wiper mechanism 1 on the body part is very simple: the operator simply has to present the wiper mechanism with the ball joints 27 in line with the openings 41 of the respective carrier blocks 17, and in pressing the mechanism 1 practically from top to bottom, along the axis X, to introduce the ball joints 27 into the corresponding recess parts 47. After the passage of the hard point corresponding to the neck 51, passage felt by the operator, the fastening device is in the engaged position.

  Due to the relative flexibility of the bearing blocks 17, the tolerances for the relative positioning of the male elements 30 on the wiper mechanism 1 are compensated. The device is said to be "self-centering". In addition, the vibrations appearing on the vehicle are largely absorbed by the elastic sleeves 35.

  2855475-9 Of course, for the stability of the fixing, the three pairs of fixing elements are preferably not aligned.

  The disassembly of the wiper mechanism is made extremely simple since it suffices to remove, by a simple tensile force, the mechanism 1 from the support blocks 17. The reliability of the fixing is not altered, the mechanism of 'wiper 1 not undergoing, in normal operation, significant efforts directed upwards.

  With reference to FIG. 5, a description will now be given of the behavior of the fixing device when an impact occurs on the wiper mechanism 1, of which a force component is directed along the engagement axis X, from top 15 to bottom.

  It will be understood that the groove 50 formed over the entire periphery of the interior wall of the sleeve 35 defines a region of weakness of the sleeve, corresponding to the section of least thickness between the bottom of the groove 50 and the exterior surface of the sleeve. 35, more precisely the bottom of the groove 31. Thus, the groove 50 and the groove 31 define between them a frangible region.

  A shock to the mechanism 1 with an axial component directed downwards produces a depression of the male element 25 which, coming into abutment with the bottom wall 49 of the sleeve, deforms the latter by stretching it. Simultaneously, the damping block 37 is stressed in compression.

  When the axial component of the force F exceeds a predetermined threshold, the deformation of the sleeve 35 leads to a tearing of the latter at the level of the groove 50 and the peripheral groove 31, the latter being initially engaged on the rigid collar 21 support 3.

  The situation of rupture of the sleeve 35 at its frangible region, under an impact with an axial component exceeding a predetermined threshold, is that illustrated in FIG. 5.

  The device is for example provided to be able to undergo compression of the blocks 37 of about 40 mm.

  The advantage of such a device is to increase the safety of a pedestrian struck by the vehicle, which would strike the wiper mechanism. When such an impact occurs, with the positioning and fixing device 10 according to the invention, the wiper mechanism can be retracted into a hollow part of the body, by rupture of a part of the fixation.

  The shock is then absorbed by the compression of the damping block 37.

  Regarding vehicle maintenance, after such a shock on the wiper mechanism 1, the latter is not damaged and, in the fixing device, only the bearing blocks 17 are damaged and must be replaced.

2855475.

Claims (12)

  1. Device for positioning and fixing a wiper mechanism on a body part of a motor vehicle, comprising at least two pairs 5 of fastening elements, each comprising a first fastening element integral (15) with the mechanism wiper (1), and a second fixing element (3, 17) integral with the body part (60), characterized in that said second element (3, 17) provides a deformable connection 10 between the first element (15 ) and the body part (60), and the second element (3, 17) is provided with a damping member (37) interposed between the first element and the body part (60), so as to deform in compression upon impact on the wiper mechanism 15 (1) in a coupling direction (X) of the first (15) and second (3, 17) fixing elements.   2. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said pairs form connections by elastic engagement in the same coupling direction (X), in particular substantially oriented from the outside towards the inside of the body.   3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first (15) and second (3, 17) fixing elements of the same pair have complementary parts (27, 47) whose shape is of revolution with respect to the coupling direction (X).   4. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises three such pairs of fixing elements, so that it defines a device with three fixing points.   5. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the second element (3, 17) comprises a rigid fixing support (3), integral with the body part (60), and a carrier block (17) fixed to said support (3) and made of at least one more flexible material.   6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the carrier block (17) comprises a hollow sleeve (35) open at an upper end, internally having a main recess (43) whose lower part (47) is of complementary shape an end portion (27) of the first element (15), the main recess (43) having a bottom (49) on the lower side which defines an insertion stop, and an inlet neck (51 ) giving access to said lower part (47) of the recess in the coupling direction (X), the neck (51) being elastically deformable and defining a notch for inserting the first element (15) in the second element (3, 17).   7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the sleeve (35) is provided with at least one passage (55) for discharging water bringing the main recess (43) into communication with the outside of the muff.   8. Device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the damping member (37) comprises a block of compressible material, in particular foam, fixed to the lower end of the sleeve (35), and intended to carry 25 on the body part (60) and to absorb, by deforming in compression, a depression of the carrier block (17) towards the body part (60).   9. Device according to any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that the carrier block 30 (17) is fixed to the rigid support (3) so as to be able to detach from it at least partially under the effect of an impact on the wiper mechanism (1), the intensity of which exceeds a predetermined threshold. 2855475.   10. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that the rigid fixing support (3) has an opening whose edge forms a collar (21), while the carrier block (17) externally comprises a peripheral groove (31) can engage in the collar (21) to achieve the fixing of the carrier block (17) on the rigid support (3).   11. Device according to any one of claims 5 to 10, characterized in that the carrier block 10 (17) has internally a peripheral groove (50) which extends so that the section of the carrier block between the bottom of said groove (50) and the outer surface of the carrier block define a thinner section, and thus a frangible region under the effect of an impact.   12. Motor vehicle comprising a body part (60) and a wiper mechanism (1) fixed on said body part (60), characterized in that it comprises a positioning and fixing device according to the any one of claims 1 to 11, by means of which said wiper mechanism (1) is fixed to said body part (60).