FR3065419A1 - WIPING BLADE AND LONGITUDINAL BODY FOR A WIPER BLADE, AND WIPER BLADE COMPRISING SUCH A BLADE AND SUCH BODY - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention proposes a wiper blade (16) which comprises a wiping lip (38), a fastening heel (34), an intermediate portion (40) for connection between the wiper lip (38) and the wiper blade (38). heel (34), characterized in that the heel (34) is hollow and comprises a cavity (54) outlet configured to receive a portion of a rail of a longitudinal body of a wiper blade. The bead (34) has two attachment portions (38) each of which is configured to be at least partially inserted into an associated complementary groove which is part of said wiper blade longitudinal body rail and which is open to the outside.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a wiper blade for a wiper blade for wiping a window of a motor vehicle, a longitudinal body for a wiper blade, and a wiper blade. glass comprising such a wiping blade and such a body.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In known manner, a wiper blade - also called a wiper blade - of the exterior surface of a window of a motor vehicle such that the windshield comprises a longitudinal body and means for holding a wiping blade, generally made of rubber or elastomeric material.

An arrow-shaped lower portion of the wiping blade called a wiping lip is intended to rub against the vehicle window to evacuate water by bringing it outside the driver's field of vision.

The wiper blade may further comprise means for retaining at least one longitudinal reinforcing element such as a longitudinal vertebra which has the role of stiffening the wiper blade, so as to favor the application of this blade against the surface to be wiped.

For its connection with the longitudinal body, the wiping blade has a heel which is received in a complementary housing of the longitudinal body.

The heel is connected to the wiping lip by an intermediate connecting part which also allows alternating tilting movements of the wiping lip relative to the longitudinal body, when wiping a glazed surface.

The wiper blade is carried by a wiper arm - also called a drive arm - which is driven back and forth by an electric motor.

Means for connecting the wiper blade to the wiper arm generally comprise a connector which is integral with the body and an adapter which is mounted articulated on the body and which is fixed to one end of the wiper arm. ice.

Different examples of such designs are for example illustrated in the documents FR-3,012,395, FR-2,923,788, FR-2,963,595 or FR-2,871,127.

There is a need to reduce the total height of the longitudinal body equipped with its complementary wiping blade, while in particular retaining a high reliability of the connection between the wiping blade and the longitudinal body.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention proposes a wiper blade for a wiper blade which extends along a longitudinal axis and which comprises:

- a wiping lip;

- a heel, characterized in that the heel is hollow and has a through cavity configured to receive part of a rail of a body of a wiper blade.

According to other characteristics of the wiping blade:

- the heel has two fixing parts, each of which is configured to be at least partially inserted in an associated complementary groove which belongs to said longitudinal body rail of the wiper blade and which is open towards the outside;

- Each fixing part successively comprises a first section, a second section and a third section, in particular at least one of the first and third sections has a polygonal cross section, in particular triangular, square or rectangular, circular or oval;

- in section through a transverse plane, each fixing part includes a hook;

the wiping lip comprises at least one lateral wing, in particular two opposite lateral wings, arranged to cooperate with at least one protruding part of the heel during the sweeping movements of the wiping lip on a surface to be wiped, in particular during alternating tilting movements, on a surface to be wiped. Such cooperation advantageously has a damping effect;

- the heel has at least one bulge;

- Said at least one bulge is arranged at a free end of a heel fixing part;

- the wiping blade has symmetry with respect to a median longitudinal plane.

The invention also provides a body for a wiper blade which extends along a longitudinal axis and which comprises

- a housing to receive a reinforcing element

- A support rail of at least one wiping blade which is configured to cooperate with a through cavity of a hollow heel of said at least one wiping blade.

According to other characteristics of the longitudinal body:

- It has two side walls arranged to cooperate with side faces of the heel;

- It comprises at least one accessory in particular chosen from a part forming an aerodynamic deflector, and at least one liquid distribution channel;

- The reinforcing element comprises in particular at least one metallic vertebra.

The invention also provides a wiper blade, in particular for wiping a window of a motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises:

- A body as described above comprising a support rail for at least one wiping blade;

- And a wiping blade as described above, the heel cavity receives part of the body rail.

According to another characteristic of the wiper blade, the rail has a part, in particular central, which is received in a complementary manner in the heel cavity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear during the reading of the detailed description which will follow for the understanding of which reference will be made to the appended drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the main components of a wiper system of known design of the prior art;

- Figure 2 is a partial exploded perspective view of a longitudinal body, according to a design known from the prior art;

- Figure 3 is a partial perspective view of a longitudinal body according to the invention, and an associated wiper blade according to a first embodiment of the invention;

- Figure 4 is a partial sectional view through a transverse and vertical plane of the longitudinal body and the wiper blade of Figure 2, and on which the aerodynamic deflector is not shown;

- Figure 5 is a detail half-view on a larger scale of Figure 4;

- Figure 6 is a detail view on a larger scale of the wiper blade shown in Figure 4;

- Figure 7 is a schematic representation of several wiper body / wiper blade assemblies according to the state of the art to compare the total height with respect to the assembly illustrated in Figures 3 and 4;

- Figures 8 and 9 are views similar to those of Figures 4 which illustrate two alternative embodiments of the heel of the wiping blade;

- Figures 10 and 11 are views similar to those of Figures 3 and 4 which illustrate a second embodiment of the invention; and

- Figure 12 is a sectional view of a longitudinal body according to the invention, and an associated wiping blade according to an alternative embodiment of the first embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In the following description, elements having an identical structure or analogous functions will be designated by the same references.

In the following description, longitudinal, vertical and transverse orientations indicated by the trihedron L, V, T in the figures will be adopted without limitation.

A horizontal plane is also defined which extends longitudinally and transversely.

Thus, in the description, the longitudinal or lateral names refer to the orientation of the wiper blade.

The longitudinal direction corresponds to the main axis of the wiper blade along which it extends from back to front according to the orientation of the axis L of the trihedron L, V, T.

The internal, external, interior or exterior directions can refer to a room as a whole, and relate for example to the interior or exterior of this room.

FIG. 1 shows an assembly of known design for wiping a motor vehicle windshield. This assembly or system comprises a wiper blade 10 and a wiper arm 12 intended to carry and drive the wiper blade 10, which is shown in exploded form and which is intended to be driven by an electric motor to follow an angular sweeping movement back and forth making it possible to evacuate the water and possibly to sweep and eliminate other undesirable elements covering the external surface of the windshield.

The wiper blade 10 here comprises a longitudinal body 14, a wiper blade 16 and a vertebra 18 which stiffens the blade 16 and promotes its application on the windshield.

The longitudinal body 14 of the wiper blade 10 comprises an upper aerodynamic deflector 20 - which is here made in one piece with the longitudinal body 14 - which is intended to improve the operation of the wiping system, the purpose of the deflector 20 being to improve the plating of the wiper blade and therefore of the wiper blade 16 against the windshield, and therefore to improve the aerodynamic performance of the system.

The wiper blade 10 further comprises end pieces 22 arranged at each of the longitudinal ends of the longitudinal body 14.

The longitudinal body 14 is here produced in two independent parts which are arranged substantially end to end and which are connected to one another by an intermediate connector 24.

The connector 24 is inserted longitudinally between the two parts of the body 14 and it comprises means for fixing to these two parts.

A longitudinal body can also be produced in a single piece or part, in which is provided a cutout intended to serve as a housing for an intermediate connector 24 according to a variant not shown.

To ensure its mounting on the wiper arm 12, the system includes an adapter 26 which is mounted on the connector 24 and which allows articulation of the wiper blade 10 relative to the wiper arm 12.

The articulation of the wiper blade 10 with respect to the wiper arm 12 is an articulation according to a rotational movement about a transverse pivot axis Y which is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis X of the blade d wiper 10.

The wiper blade 10 must in fact have at least one degree of freedom in pivoting with respect to the wiper arm 12, and more specifically with respect to an end piece 28 of the wiper arm 12, to allow the wiper blade 10 to follow the curvature of the windshield.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a known design according to which a longitudinal body 14 - here devoid of an aerodynamic reflector - is formed, in particular by extrusion or by molding, in a single piece and comprises in the upper part a longitudinal housing 30 open at at least one of its two ends to receive and retain the longitudinal reinforcing vertebra 18.

In the lower part, the longitudinal body 14 comprises a longitudinal slide 32 - open at at least one of its two ends - which is designed to receive a heel of a wiping blade 16 of known design which also includes a lip d wiping 38.

There is shown in Figure 3 the front end section of a wiper blade according to the invention which essentially comprises a longitudinal body 14 according to the invention, which here comprises an upper deflector 20 and a blade associated and complementary wiping 16.

The longitudinal body 14 is for example made by co-molding or co-extrusion, in one or more thermoplastic materials. In the example illustrated, the aerodynamic deflector 20 is made of a thermoplastic material different from that used for a central part of the longitudinal body 14.

The central part is arranged to receive at least one longitudinal reinforcing element and the heel of the wiping blade.

In another variant, the longitudinal body is made of a single material.

As in the prior art mentioned above, in the upper part, the longitudinal body 14 comprises a housing 30, in particular of generally rectangular section, the length of which is oriented horizontally, and which is designed and dimensioned to receive a reinforcement element in particular in the form of a metallic stiffening vertebra (not shown).

In a nonlimiting manner of the invention, in the example illustrated, an upper face of the housing 30 is open over its entire length towards the inside of the deflector 20 by a longitudinal slot 21 delimited by edges 29 in particular parallel.

In the lower part, the longitudinal body 14 comprises a rail 42, in particular having an inverted "T" section, which extends longitudinally, preferably over the entire length of the longitudinal body 14.

The longitudinal body 14 with its inverted “T” lower rail is for example produced by extrusion.

The longitudinal body 14 with its lower rail 42 and the upper deflector 20 has here a symmetry with respect to the vertical and longitudinal median plane PVM indicated in FIG. 4.

In section through a transverse vertical plane, in the example illustrated, the lower rail 42 comprises a thin vertical branch in particular central 44 and a lower branch in particular horizontal in two sections 46 transversely opposite.

The vertical branch 44 extends downwards from a horizontal bottom wall 31 of the longitudinal body 14, and it is delimited by two vertical lateral lateral faces 45.

In section through a transverse vertical plane, each section 46 of the lower horizontal branch of the rail 42 has, in the example illustrated, a right triangular outline whose hypotenuse 46a is oriented towards the horizontal lower wall 31 of the longitudinal body 14, the side of which 46c opposite the hypotenuse is horizontal and the third side 46b of which is vertical and distal with respect to the vertical branch 44.

The longitudinal body 14 here comprises two opposite vertical walls 48 which extend vertically downwards and substantially over the entire length of the longitudinal body 14.

Each vertical wall 48 is delimited by an internal vertical face 48b - arranged to cooperate with a lateral face 57b of the heel 34 - and it extends for example substantially to the level of the lower side 46c of the adjacent section 46 of the horizontal lower branch of rail 42.

On either side of the median vertical plane PVM, the rail 42 defines with the longitudinal body 14 a longitudinal groove 50.

In section through a transverse plane, the groove 50, for example has an inverted "L" shape.

Thus, in the example illustrated, the longitudinal groove 50 comprises a first horizontal segment 50a of triangular outline delimited by the hypotenuse 46a, the internal face 45 and a portion of the lower face 31 of the longitudinal body 14.

The longitudinal groove 50 then comprises a second vertical segment 50b, which opens vertically downwards, of rectangular contour, and which is delimited by a portion of the lower face 31 of the longitudinal body 14, the side 46b and the internal face 48b.

The wiping blade 16 is here of constant section and it is for example produced by extrusion.

In section through a transverse plane and as can be seen in particular in FIG. 6, the lip 38 of the wiping blade 16 has an arrow-shaped outline which is delimited at its lower end by a lower wiping edge 37 , and at its upper end by an upper “V” face open upwards.

The intermediate connecting portion 40 is a connecting strip which extends vertically upwards between two lateral wings.

At the upper end of the intermediate connecting portion 40, the wiping blade 16 has its heel 34 connecting the wiping blade 16 to the longitudinal body 14.

According to the invention, the heel 34 is hollow. It has over its entire length an internal cavity 54 which is open and opens out in particular vertically upwards thanks to a longitudinal central channel 56.

As will be explained in detail below, the hollow heel is designed and configured in such a way that the cavity 54 houses the lower branch of the rail 42 of the longitudinal body 14. The channel 56 receives in particular the vertical branch 44 of the rail 42 of the longitudinal body 14. In the example illustrated, the cavity 54 accommodates in each of its two transversely opposite halves a lateral section 46 of the lower branch of the rail 42.

In section through a transverse plane, symmetrically with respect to the median vertical plane PVM, the hollow heel 34 has two upper fixing parts 58, each of which is generally in the form of a “C” hook, the open face of each hook being oriented towards the vertical vertical plane PVM, in such a way that the two hooks 58 in C face each other and delimit the internal cavity 54.

Each upper fixing part 58 successively comprises a first horizontal upper section 58a, a second vertical intermediate section 58b and a third horizontal lower section 58c.

In section through a vertical transverse plane, each first horizontal upper section 58a of the fixing part 58 has a right triangular outline whose hypotenuse is oriented downwards, whose side opposite the hypotenuse is horizontal and whose third side is vertical and proximal with respect to the median vertical plane PV.

Thus, as can be seen in particular in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first horizontal upper section 58a is received in a complementary manner in a first associated segment 50a of the longitudinal groove 50 of the longitudinal body 14.

The free end 60 of larger section of each horizontal upper section 58a constitutes a bulge 60 of retention and resistance to tearing of the fixing part 58 relative to the longitudinal body 14.

In section through a vertical transverse plane, each second vertical intermediate section 58b of the fixing part 58 has a rectangular outline which is delimited by two parallel vertical sides or faces.

Thus, as can be seen in particular in FIGS. 4 and 5, the second vertical intermediate section 58b of the fixing part 58 is received in a complementary manner in a second associated segment 50b of the longitudinal groove 50 of the longitudinal body 14.

In section through a transverse vertical plane, each third horizontal lower section 58c of the fixing part has a right triangular outline whose hypotenuse is oriented downwards, whose side opposite the hypotenuse is horizontal, and whose third side is vertical and distal with respect to the median vertical plane PV, extending in the extension of the external vertical face of the second vertical intermediate section 58b which is extended by the third horizontal lower section 58c of the fixing part 58

Thus, as can be seen in particular in FIGS. 4 and 5, the third horizontal lower section 58c of the fixing part 58 extends outside the groove 50 and is adjacent to the lower side 46c of the associated adjacent section 46 of the horizontal lower branch of rail 42.

Thus, the third horizontal lower section 58c of the fixing part 58 constitutes an external part of the heel 34, here of triangular contour which is delimited by a lower face 59 inclined downwards.

It comprises a projecting part 61 which is able to cooperate with a portion facing the upper “V” face of the lower wiping lip 38, when, during the sweeping movements, and / or reversing the scanning direction, the wiping lip rocks laterally about a horizontal axis arranged substantially in the center of the upper end of the intermediate connecting portion 40 in the form of a flexible strip.

Each upper fixing part 58 comprises elements in relief 62 forming contact points intended to cooperate with portions of internal surface facing the longitudinal body 14.

These relief elements are produced by means of ribs which extend along the longitudinal axis of the heel 34 of the wiping blade 16.

As illustrated schematically in Figure 7, a set of a longitudinal body 14 for a wiper blade and a wiper blade 16 according to the invention allows a reduced height design compared to different designs depending on the state of the art.

By way of variants, it is possible to envisage different forms of bulges 60, for example of square, rectangular, circular, oval or triangular section as illustrated.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show two design variants of the hollow heel 34 each of which differs from that which has just been described in detail only by the shape or contour of the bulge 60 which, instead of being rectangular, is square with Figure 8 and round in Figure 9.

In the first embodiment which has just been described, the longitudinal body may or may not be provided with an aerodynamic deflector 20.

By way of nonlimiting example, FIG. 12 shows an alternative embodiment in which the aerodynamic deflector 20 has an asymmetrical shape with respect to a plane of symmetry of the wiping blade 16.

This dysmetry here concerns both the shape and the transverse position of the upper part and the lower connecting part with the central part of the longitudinal body 14 which has one side lower than the other.

In this way, we can improve aerodynamic performance, and the phenomenon known as "Water Pull Back".

The second embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 and by comparison with the first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

This embodiment differs from the previous one by the design of the deflector 20 and of its means of attachment to the longitudinal body 14.

For a detailed description of this method of attachment, or can refer to the content of document FR-2,963,595.

The longitudinal body comprises two horizontal lateral fins of transversely opposite longitudinal orientation 64. These horizontal lateral fins 64 allow the aerodynamic deflector 20 to be fixed by fitting complementary fins 66 formed in the lower part of the deflector 20.

According to a possible example of assembly, the deflector 20 is assembled on the central part of the longitudinal body 14 by mutual introduction of their ends and sliding of the two pieces.

Each said fin 64 defines a housing for a complementary harpoon 68 arranged on a horizontal fin of the deflector 20.

The longitudinal body 14 can also be fitted with other 15 accessory (s). It is for example equipped with at least one, or even two, pipe (s) for the passage of cleaning liquid from the window to be wiped.

The invention is not limited to the examples which have just been described. It covers in particular a wiper blade body in a single part with a deflector or a wiper blade body comprising an attached deflector. The invention also covers a wiper blade body without a deflector.

Claims (14)

1. Wiping blade (16) for a wiper blade which extends along a longitudinal axis (X) and which comprises: - a wiping lip (38); - a heel (34); characterized in that the heel (34) is hollow and has a through cavity (54) configured to receive a portion of a rail of a longitudinal body (14) of a wiper blade. 2. wiping blade (16) according to claim 1, characterized in that the heel (34) comprises two fixing parts (58) each of which is configured to be at least partly inserted in an associated complementary groove (50) which belongs to said rail (42) of longitudinal body (14) of a wiper blade and which is open towards the outside. 3. Wiping blade (16) according to claim 2, characterized in that each fixing part (58) successively comprises a first section (58a), a second section (58b) and a third section (58c), and in that at least one of the first (58a) and third (58c) sections has a polygonal cross section, in particular triangular, square or rectangular, circular or oval. 4. Wiping blade (16) according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that, in section by a transverse plane, each fixing part (58) has a hook. 5. Wiping blade (16) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wiping lip (38) comprises at least one lateral wing (39), in particular two opposite lateral wings, arranged to cooperate with a projecting part (61) of the heel (34) during the sweeping movements of the wiping lip (38) on a surface to be wiped. 6. Wiping blade (16) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heel (34) has at least one bulge (60). WFR2763 Rev 7. wiping blade (16) according to the preceding claim taken in combination with claim 2, characterized in that said at least one bulge (60) is arranged at a free end of a portion (58a) for fixing the heel (34). 8. Wiping blade (16) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has symmetry with respect to a median longitudinal plane (PVM). 9. Longitudinal body (14) for a wiper blade which extends along a longitudinal axis and which comprises - a housing (30) for receiving a reinforcing element; a rail (42) for supporting at least one wiping blade (16) which is configured to cooperate with a cavity (54) emerging from a hollow heel (34) of said at least one wiping blade ( 16). 10. longitudinal body (14) according to claim 9, characterized in that the support rail (42) has two grooves open towards the outside which are configured to each receive a fixing part (58) of a heel (34 ) of said at least one wiping blade (16). 11. Longitudinal body (14) according to one of claims 9 or 10, characterized in that it comprises two side walls (48) arranged to cooperate with side faces (57b) of the heel (34). 12. Longitudinal body (14) according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that it comprises at least one accessory chosen from a part (20) forming an aerodynamic deflector and a liquid distribution channel. 13. Wiper blade, in particular for wiping a window of a motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises: - a longitudinal body (14) according to any one of claims 9 to 12 comprising a rail (42) for supporting at least one wiping blade (16); WFR2763 Rev - And a wiping blade (16) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the cavity (54) of the heel (34) receives a part of said rail (42) of the longitudinal body (14). 14. Wiper blade according to claim 13, characterized in that the rail (42) has a part, in particular central, which is received in a complementary manner in the cavity (54) of the heel (34). ^1/6 1Q 2/6