GB2207342A

GB2207342A - Windscreen wiper harness/arm assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2207342A
Application number: GB08817140A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Marcello Scorsiroli
Original assignee: Champion Spark Plug Italiana SpA
Current assignee: Champion Spark Plug Italiana SpA
Priority date: 1987-07-24
Filing date: 1988-07-19
Publication date: 1989-02-01
Anticipated expiration: 2008-07-19
Also published as: BE1000826A6; IT8753549V0; GB8817140D0; FR2618398B3; GB2207342B; DE8809198U1; FR2618398A3; JPS6456353U; IT212233Z2

Abstract

A windscreen wiper harness/arm assembly comprises a mounting head 1 mountable on a drive shaft, a channel-shaped member 2 pivotably mounted on the head and biassed by means of spring 4 in a direction towards the windscreen in use, two-legged yokes 5, 6 and at least one-legged link 7 for supporting wiper blade element 9, link 7 being biassed by means of spring 11 in a direction towards the windscreen in use. Channel-shaped member 2 may be pivotably mounted on the head by means of rivet 3. The assembly is suitable for low profile wiper arm assembly designs and savings are affected by not having to use a conventional connector for connecting a wiper blade assembly to a wiper arm. <IMAGE>

Description

WIPER ARM FOR ASSEMBLY FOR MOTOR VEHICLES The present invention relates to a wiper arm assembly for motor vehicles or the like comprising a mounting head, a channel rotatably connected to the mounting head, spring means between the channel and the mounting head, a wiping element and at least one twolegged link (or bridge, or yoke) rotatably connecting the wiping element to said channel.

Practically all wiper arm assemblies presently on the market are of the above defined type.

There is therefore no need to describe in detail such prior art wiper arm assemblies. It is however to be noted (a) that most prior art wiper arm assemblies comprise a wiper arm and a removable wiper blade and (b) that in the present specification the term "wiper arm assembly" includes not only the wiper arm, but also the wiper blade which, as will be seen hereafter, is not removable from the wiper arm.

The main object of the invention is to provide a wiper arm assembly with a very low profile, i.e.

a wiper arm assembly wherein the point of the assembly which is located highest above the surface to be wiped is located nearer to the surface to be wiped than in comparable prior art wiper arm assemblies. This feature is particularly important for wiper arm assemblies which are located beneath the hood of the vehicle when they are in their rest position.

A further object of the invention is depending on the length and on the embodiment of the assembly - to provide a wiper arm assembly which is less expensive than comparable prior art wiper arm assemblies.

In this respect it is to be noted that the wiper arm assembly according to the invention is not provided with a special, separate connector for removably attaching the wiper blade to the wiper arm.

The wiper arm assembly according to the invention is substantially characterized by the fact that it also comprises at least one one-legged link and at least one spring means capable of biasing the one-legged link towards the surface to be wiped.

Further features of the wiper arm assembly according to the invention are for example that : a) the one-legged link is rotatably secured to the portion of the channel which is farthest away from the mounting head, or b) the one-legged link is rotatably secured to the portion of the channel which is nearest to the mounting head, or c) the assembly comprises two one-legged links respecti vely located near the two extremities of the channel.

The invention will be better understood when reading the following portions of the description in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B are, in two portions, side elevatio nal views, partially in section, of a first embodiment of the wiper arm assembly according the invention, Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B are, in two corresponding portions, top views of the wiper arm assembly of Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B, Fig. 3 is, at a larger scale, a sectional view of a specific element of the wiper arm assembly of Fig. 1A,1B,2A and 2B, Fig. 4 is, at a larger scale, a partially sectional view of a variant of a specific element of the wiper arm assembly of Fig. 1A,1B,2A and 2B, Fig. 5 is, at a larger scale, a sectional view along line V-V of the wiper arm assembly of Fig. 13, Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 are two top views of a variant of a specific element of the wiper arm assembly of Fig. 1A,1B,2A and 2B, Fig. 8 is, at a larger scale, a sectional view along line VIII-VIII of the wiper arm assembly of Fig. 1A, Fig, 9 is, at a larger scale, a sectional view along line IX-IX of the wiper arm assembly of Fig, 1A, Fig. 10 is, at a larger scale, a sectional view along line X-X of the wiper arm assembly of Fig. 1A, Fig. 11 is, at a larger scale, a sectional view along line XI-XI of the wiper arm assembly of Fig. 1A, Fig. 12 is a view of the wiping pattern obtained on a windshield when using one single wiper arm assembly according to Fig. 1A,1B,2A and 2B, Fig. 13 is a view of the wiping pattern obtained on a windshield when using two wiper arm assemblies according to a variant of Fig. lA,lB,2A and 2B, Fig. 14,15,16,17 and 18 respectively show schematical elevational views of a second, a third, a fourth, a fifth and a sixth embodiment of the wiper arm assembly according to the invention.

Fig. 1A,1S,2A and 2B show that the wiper arm assembly according to the first embodiment of the invention substantivally comprises the following parts or elements : a mounting head 1, a channel 2 rotatably connected to the mounting head 1 by means of the rivet 3, spring means 4 between the channel 2 and the mounting head 1, an upper two-legged link 5, two lower two-legged links 6, one one-legged link 7, spring means 11 between the one-legged link 7 and the channel 2 and a wiping element 9.

The mounting head 1 is provided with an opening la' for inserting therein the drive shaft (not shown) and with an upper, larger recess 1a" for inserting therein the cap 15 shown in Fig. 3. It is to be noted that the mounting head can also be executed as respectively shown by reference numerals 1',16 and 17 in Fig. 4,6 and 7.

The leg or legs of the lower links 6,7 are each provided with a claw 8 and thus support the wiping element 9 which, as can be seen in Fig.8 and Fig. 9, is also provided with two backing strips 18, as known in prior art.

The transverse cross section of the channel2 has substantially the form of an inverted U and said channel is thus provided with two lateral walls 2a, 2b (Fig. 5). It is to be noted that the distance between said two lateral walls 2a,2b of the channel 2 is superior to the width of the links 5,6,7. In other words, when the wiper arm assembly is working on a curved windshield the two-legged links 5,6 can enter inside the inverted U of the channel 2. Indeed, at its top portion the twolegged link S is rotatably connected to the channel 2 by means of the rivet 13 (Fig. 1A and Fig. 11) and its two legs are respectively rotatably connected to the top portion of the links 6 by means of the projections 14 (Fig. IA,lB and Fig. 10).

According to Fig. 1A and Fig. 8 the one-.

legged link 7 is rotatably connected to the channel 2 by means of the rivet 12. Hook means 10,1ova are respectively provided on the link 7 and on the channel 2 and an extension spring 11 acts between said two hook means 10,10a, so that the link 7, the corresponding claw 8 and the corresponding portion of the wiping element 9 are biased downwards, i.e. towards the surface to be wiped.

Because of the articulations 12,13,14 and because of the spring means 11 the wiping element 9 of the wiper arm assembly according to the invention can thus adapt itself very acurately to the curvature of the windshield and at the same time a wiper arm assmbly with very low profile is provided since, when the wiping element 9 is curved by the configuration of the windshield, the twolegged links 5,6 can at least partially enter into the inverted U (cross section) of the channel 2.

Fig. 12 shows the wiping pattern 20 which is obtained on a windshield 19 when one single wiper arm assembly according to the invention oscillates about one drive shaft 21 and when the mounting head of said assembly is such as shown on Fig. 1B and Fig. 2B.

Fig. 13 shows the wiping pattern 22,23 which is obtained on a windshield 19 when two wiper arm assemblies according to the invention respectively oscillate about the two drive shafts 21a, 21b and when the mounting head variant of Fig. 7 is used.

Fig. 14 through Fig. 18 show, by way of example, five further embodiments or possible configurations of the wiper arm assembly according to the invention. In Fig. 14 the two links 6 are directly articulated to the channel 2. In Fig. 15 the two links 6 are also directly articulated to the channel 2 but the one-legged link 7 is located near the mounting head 1. In Fig. 16 there are two one-legged links 7a,7b respectively located at both extremities of the channel 2. In Fig. 17 two one-legged links 7a, 7b are associated with two twolegged links 6 directly articulated to the channel 2. In Fig. 18 two one-legged links 7a, 7b are associated with one single two-legged link 6.

It is to be noted that only the embodiments of Fig. 1A,1B and of Fig. 16 comprise three two-legged links 5,6 of which the first one (5) is an intermediate link located between the channel 2 and the two other twolegged links 6.

Claims

1.- A wiper arm assembly for motor vehicles or the like comprising a mounting head (1), a channel (2) rotatably connected to the mounting head (1), spring means (4) between the channel (2) and the mounting head (1), a wiping element (9) and at least one twolegged link (5,6) rotatably connecting the wiping element (2) to said channel (2), characterized in that it also comprises at least one onelegged link (7,7a,7b) and at least one spring means (11,lla,llb) capable of biasing the one-legged link (7,7a,7b) towards the surface to be wiped.

2.- A wiper arm assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the one-legged link (7,7a) is rotatably secured to the portion of the channel (2) which is farthest away from the mounting head (1).

3.- A wiper arm assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the one-legged link (7,7b) is rotatably secured to the portion of the channel (2) which is nearest to the mounting head (1).

4.- A wiper arm assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises two-one-legged links (7a,7b) respectively located near the two extremeties of the channel (2).

5.- A wiper arm assembly according to claims 1 through 4, characterized in that it comprises three two-legged links (5,6) of which the first one is an intermediate link (5) located between the channel (2) and the two other two-legged links (6).