GB2220844A - Wiper blade - Google Patents

Abstract

In a wiper blade assembly 1 comprising main yoke 4 connectable to wiper arm 5 by connector 4b, secondary yokes 3, and wiper blade rubber 2, each secondary yoke is pivotably connected to the main yoke by a connector 6 provided with projections 6h engageable in holes 3e in yoke 3 and projections 6f engageable in holes 4e in yoke 4. <IMAGE>

Description

WIPER BLADE Field of The Invention This invention relates to a wiper blade used for wiping a windshield or other window of, for example, an automobile.

Description of The Prior Art Heretofore, there has been such a wiper blade as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

Namely, a wiper blade 100 shown in figures has a blade rubber 101 made of rubber in contact with a wiped surface such as a windshield, a yoke 103 attached with said blade rubber 101 and provided with a leverconnecting part 103a for connecting to a lever 102, the lever 102 provided with a yoke-connecting part 102a for connecting to the yoke 103 and provided with a wiper armconnecting part 102b for connecting to a wiper arm 104, and a connector for connecting the yoke 103 and the lever 102 by fitting to the lever-connecting part 103a and the yoke-connecting part 102a respectively.

Hereupon, as shown in Figure 5, said connector 105 is a synthetic resinous goods shaped like the inverted letter U, which is provided with a covering part 105a covering an outside of the yoke 10s on the inner peripheral side thereof and inner projections 105b protruding inward and facing each other, and which is provided with a contacting part 105c in contact with an inside of the lever 102 on the outer peripheral side thereof and outer projections 105d protruding outside in the opposite directions respectively.

At the state in which the yoke 103 attached with the blade rubber 101 is covered with the covering part lOSa of the connector 105, the inner projections 105b of the connector 105 are fitted to the lever-connecting part 103a provided to the yoke 103 as shown in Figure 5.

And, the outer projections 105d of the connector 105 are fitted respectively to the yoke-connecting part 102a provided to the lever 102 by putting the contacting part 105c of the connector 105 on the inner periphery of the lever 102 spreaded out at the down side in the figure as shown with two-dot chain lines in Figure 5 and bending back the lever 102 at the same time in directions of the allows in the figure, that is toward the yoke 103.

Hereby, said yoke 103 attached with the blade rubber 101 is so structured as to engage rotatably to the lever 102.

However, in the conventional wiper blade 100 as described above, the inner projections lOSb and 105b of the connector 105 are fitted to the lever-connecting part 103a of the yoke 103 respectively at the state in which the yoke 103 is covered with the covering part 3.05a of the connector 105, the outer projections 105d and 105d of the connector 105 are fitted respectively to the yoke connecting part 102a of the lever 102 by putting the contacting part 105c of the connector 105 on the inner periphery of the lever 102 spreaded out at the lower side in Figure 5 and bending back the lever 102 toward the yoke 103 at the same time. Therefore, there is a problem in that work required for assembly is so troublesome that it is difficult to automate the assembly operation.It is desirable to automate the assembly operation by simplifying the work requied for assembly.

The present invention is made in view of the above mentioned problems of the prior art as a result of particular considerations of the structure. It is an object to provide a wiper blade possible to assemble very easily.

The construction of the wiper blade according to a preferred embodiment of this invention for attaining the above-mentioned object is characterized by having a blade rubber in contact with a wiped surface, a yoke attached with said blade rubber and provided with a lever-connecting part, and a lever provided with a yoke-connecting part for connecting to the lever-connecting part of said yoke and through a connector and attached to a wiper arm, said connector being provided with a lever-engaging part for engaging to said lever by fitting into said yoke-connecting part and a yoke-holding part for holding said yoke rotatably by fitting into said lever-connecting part.

In a wiper blade according to this arrangement, the lever is engaged by fitting the lever-engaging part provided to the connector into the yoke-connecting part and the yoke is holded rotatably by fitting the yokeholding part provided to said connector into the leverconnecting part, therefore it is so designed as possible to assemble very easily.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective outside view of respective members illustrating the assembling relations of the lever, the connector and the yoke of the wiper blade according to an embodiment of this invention Figure 2 is a partially sectional side view of the neighborhood of the connector in the assembled state of the wiper blade shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional view along section lines ,-A of Figure 2 Figure 4 is a side view of a conventional wiper blade ; and Figure 5 is a sectional view along section lines a-a of Figure 4.

An embodiment of the wiper blade according to this invention will be described below on basis of Figure 1 to 3.

In a wiper blade 1 shown in the figures, numeral 2 is a blade rubber in contact with a wiped surface (not shown), numeral 3 is a yoke attached with said blade rubber 2 and provided with a lever-connecting part 3a for connecting to a lever 4 through a connector 6, numeral 4 is the lever provided with a yoke-connecting part 4a for connecting to said yoke 3 through the connector 6 and connected to a wiper arm 5, and numeral 6 is the connector for connecting the yoke 3 and the lever 4 by fitting to said lever-connecting part 3a and said yokeconnecting part 4a respectively.

Said blade rubber 2 is made of rubber and has a nearly T-shaped cross section, nd it is provided with a base part 2a for attaching the yoke 3 on the upper side in Figure 1 along the longitudinal direction thereof and is equipped with a vertebra 2b energizing the said blade rubber 2 into straight line at the lower side of the base part 2a in Figure 1, furthermore it is provided with a contact part 2c slide-contacting on the wiped surface (not shown) in the lower end side in Figure 1.

On the one hand, in this embodiment two yokes 3 are attached to said blade rubber 2, but three or four yokes 3 can be used in case the full length of the blade rubber 2 is long.

Said yoke 3 as shown in Figure 2, is provided with a fitting part 3b for fitting the base part 2a of the blade rubber 2 at both ends in the figure respectively, and is provided with a lever-connecting part 3a for connecting to the lever 4 through the connector 6 at the nearly middle position in the figure.

And said lever-connecting part 3a is provided with an opening 3c cut off through the yoke 3 vertically in Figure 2, and is provided with holes 3e and 3e at opposed positions on side walls 3d and 3d existing in the left and right side under said opening 3c in Figure 3 in this embodiment.

On the other hand, as sbown in Figure 1, said lever 4 is provided with a connecting part 4b for connecting to an end of the wiper arm 5 at nearly middle position thereof, and is provided with the yoke-connecting part 4a for connecting to the yoke 3 through the connector 6 at both ends thereof respectively.

And, in this embodiment respective yoke-connecting part 4a is provided with holes 4e and 4e at opposed positions on side walls 4d and 4d existing in the left and right side in Figure 3 of an end wall 4c shaped like the inverted letter U.

Furthermore, said connector 6 is made of synthetic resin with elasticity and provided as one body with a base 6a at the upper end in Figure 3, lever-engaging parts 6b, 6b and yoke-holding parts 6c, 6c spreading out in the left and right side with the downward stretching in Figure 1 from said base 6a, and a stopper 6d is contact with a stop end 4c' of the end wall 4c of the lever 4.

And, as shown in Figure 3, said connector 6 is provided respectively in the nearly center of the leverengaging parts 6b and 6b with engaging projections 6f and 6f which protrude from stretching walls 6e and 6e toward the left and right side in the figure respectively, and of which protruding distance decrease as shifting to the upper side in the figure for engaging the lever 4 by fitting them into the holes 3 and 4e of the yoke- connecting part 4a equipped to said lever 4.

Also as shown in Figure 3, said connector 6 is provided respectively in the nearly center of the yokeholding parts 6c and 6c with holding projections 6h and 6h which protrude from stretching walls 6g and 6g at the inside of said lever-engaging parts 6b and 6b toward the left and right side in the figure respectively, and of which protruding distance decrease as shiftting to the lower side in the figure for holding the yoke 3 rotatably by fitting them into the holes 3e and 3e of the leverconnecting part 3a equipped to the yoke 3.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, said connector is provided with gaps 6i and 6i slightly larger than thickness of the side walls 3d and 3d of the yoke 3 between the stretching walls 6e,6e of said lever-engeging parts 6b, 6b and the stretching walls 6g, 6g of said yoke-holding parts 6c, 6c.

Hereupon, at the state in which the base part 2a of the blade rubber 2 is attached to the fitting parts 3b provided to the yoke 3, inserting the yoke-holding parts 6c and 6c provided to the connector 6 into the opening 3c of the lever-connecting part 3a of the yoke 3, the holding projections 6h and 6h provided to the connector 6 are fitted into the holes 3e and 3e provided to the lever-connecting part 3a respectively.

And, putting the end wall Ac of the yoke-connecting part 4a of the lever 4 over the lever-engaging parts 6b and 6b provided to the connector 6 from above in Figure 1 that is, in the same direction as the assembling direction in case of the connection of the connector 6 with the yoke 3, and contacting the base 6a of the connector 6 to the end wall 4c and contacting the stopper 6d to the stop end 4c' of said end wall 4c, the engaging projection 6f and 6f provided to the connector 6 are fitted into the holes 4e and 4e of the yoke-connecting part 4a respectively.

Hereby, the yoke 3 attached with the wiper rubber 2 is connected to the lever 4 through the connector 6, said yoke 3 is so structured as to hold rotatably.

As mentioned above, the wiper blade according to this invention has a blade rubber in contact with a wiped surface, a yoke attached with said blade rubber and provided with a lever-connecting part, and a lever provided with a yoke-connecting part for connecting to the lever-connecting part of said yoke through a connector and attached to a wiper arm, said connector is provided with a lever-engaging part for engaging to said lever by fitting into said yoke-connecting part and a yoke-holding part for holding said yoke rotatably by fitting into said lever-connecting part. Therefore it is possible to assemble very easily bacause troublesome work such as bending is not required at all differently from a conventional wiper blade, an excellent effect is obtained that it is possible to automate the assembling very easily.

Claims (5)

1. A wiper blade comprising a blade rubber in contact with a wiped surface.

a yoke attached with said blade rubber and provided with a lever-fitting part, and a lever provided with a yoke-connecting part for connecting to the lever-connecting part of said yoke through a connector and attached to a wiper arm, said connector being provided with a lever-engaging part for engaging to said lever by fitting into said yoke-connecting part and a yoke-holding part for holding said yoke rotatably by fitting into said leverconnecting part.

2. A wiper blade as set forth in claim 1, wherein said yoke is provided with an opening to the lever-connecting part thereof.

3. A wiper blade as set forth in claim 1, wherein said connector is provided with a holding projection having a slope so inclined as to facilitate a fitting into a hole of said lever-connecting part to the yoke-holding part thereof.

4. A wiper blade as set forth in claim 1, wherein said connector is provided with an engaging projection having a slope so inclined as to facilitate a fitting into a hole of said vwoke-connecting part to Lhe part thereof.

5. A wiper blade substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to or as shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.