JP2000038118A - Wiper blade - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wiper blade that stops its blade rubber piece and packing pieces from slipping off the holding portions of its levers. SOLUTION: This wiper blade comprises a plurality of turnably interconnected holding levers 5, a blade rubber piece 7 held by holding portions 51, and packing pieces 8. The blade rubber piece 7 has a wiping portion 72, and a base portion 71 having insertion grooves 74 with one longitudinal end stopped and the other opened where the holding portions 51 are inserted at least one of which is locked at the closed ends, and having fitting grooves 73 with one longitudinal end opened corresponding to the open ends of the insertion grooves 74 where the packing pieces 8 are fitted. The packing pieces 8 each have an engagement portion 81 adapted to engage the blade rubber piece 7 against longitudinal movement relative to it, and a locking portion 82 formed in accordance with the open ends of the fitting grooves 73. A stopper member 6 is fitted in the fitting grooves 73 so that it also engages the locking portions 82 to restrict any movement of the holding portions 51 relative to the blade rubber piece 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wiper blade, and more particularly to a structure for preventing a blade rubber from coming off.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a wiper blade 100, a primary lever 110 is rotatably connected to a wiper arm, and secondary levers 120 are rotatably connected to both ends of the primary lever 110. A yoke lever 130 is rotatably connected to an end of the yoke lever 130. Then, the yoke lever 130
Gripping parts 122 formed at both ends of the secondary lever and at ends of the secondary lever (ends to which the yoke lever is not connected);
The blade rubber 200 is held by 131.

[0003] Blade rubber 2 of wiper blade 100
Reference numeral 00 denotes a long body made of rubber, which includes a base 201 and a wiping unit 202. On both sides of the base 201 of the blade rubber, grooves 203 and 204 are formed in two upper and lower stages. Of these, backings 140 made of a steel material having spring properties are fitted into the pair of left and right grooves 203 at the upper stage, respectively, so that the blade rubber 200 is given rigidity. Also, a pair of left and right grooves 204 in the lower row
, The claw 121 of the grip portion 122 of each lever is engaged. (See Fig. 5)

However, the blade rubber 200 described above is used.
Are consumables, which must be replaced when the wiping performance is reduced due to wear or deterioration, and a structure that can be easily replaced by a user is desired. In addition, since a blade rubber is prepared for each vehicle type, the user has to search for a type suitable for the vehicle type from among various types of blade rubbers, so the replacement work of the blade rubber is troublesome for the user. .

[0005] To solve this, the blade rubber 20
It is possible to manufacture the blade rubber 0 in advance and cut it appropriately according to the type of vehicle.
However, since one end is closed but the cut side is opened, the blade rubber 20 is moved by the wiping operation.
There is a new problem that the backing 140 is shifted from 0 to the outside in the longitudinal direction and jumps out. This is shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, a forked clip 150 is inserted into the end on the cut side, and is engaged with the grip portion 122 of the lever 120. The opening of the groove 203 is sealed by the bent portion 151 of the clip 150, and the backing 140 is closed. The above displacement and pop-out were prevented and solved.

[0006]

However, in winter or cold regions, the wiper blade 100 may freeze and stick the blade rubber 200 to the glass surface. Without knowing this state, the user may dislike the accumulation of snow on the wiper arm and the wiper blade 100, and may perform a so-called lockback in which the wiper arm is in an upright posture.
Figure 4 shows that the central part of
As shown in FIG. 4, the blade rubber 200 is bent in the direction of arrow A and is pulled inward (in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 4) and moves. For this reason, there is a problem that the grip portion 122 of the lever 120 comes out of the groove 204 of the blade rubber 200, in other words, the blade rubber 200 comes out of the grip portion 122 of the lever.

The present invention solves such a problem. The blade rubber can be exchanged by cutting it to an appropriate length in accordance with the type of the vehicle. An object of the present invention is to provide a wiper blade that is securely supported by a grip portion of each lever over the entire longitudinal direction without falling out of the portion.

[0008]

The present invention employs the following technical means to achieve the above object. However, the symbols in parentheses of the following means indicate the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiment described later, and the present invention is not limited to this.

According to the present invention, a plurality of holding levers (2, 4, 5) rotatably connected to each other and a plurality of holding portions (41, 51) of the holding levers (2, 4, 5) are used. In the wiper blade (1) having the blade rubber (7) provided and a backing (8) for imparting a predetermined rigidity in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber (7), the blade rubber (7) is disposed in the longitudinal direction. One end is closed, at least one of the grips (41, 51) is locked, and the other end in the longitudinal direction is opened, and an insertion groove (74) through which the plurality of grips (41, 51) are inserted. A base (71) having a fitting groove (73) in which the other end in the longitudinal direction is opened and the backing (8) is fitted, and a wiping surface formed integrally with the base (71). Wiping unit (72) The backing (8),
An engaging portion (8) which is engaged with the blade rubber (7) and is prevented from moving in the longitudinal direction with respect to the blade rubber.
1) and an engaging portion (82) formed corresponding to the open end side of the fitting groove (73), and the fitting groove (73) of the blade rubber (7). A stopper member (6) is inserted into the backing (8), and is engaged with the locking portion (82) of the backing (8) to move the gripping portions (41, 51) of the lever relative to the blade rubber (7). Is limited. Further, the open end of the backing (8) has a guide portion (83) formed in a smooth tapered or curved shape.

[0010]

According to the wiper blade of the present invention, one end in the longitudinal direction of the insertion groove formed in the base of the blade rubber is closed, and at least one of the gripping portions of the plurality of levers is locked to the blade rubber. The blade rubber and the lever are movably inserted through the insertion groove of the blade rubber except for the gripping portion locked by the blade rubber.
Also, since the other end of the insertion groove and the fitting groove formed in the base of the blade rubber is open, the cross-sectional shape of the blade rubber can be the same in the longitudinal direction except for the other end, and Can be used after being cut into appropriate lengths according to the above. Further, the backing has an engaging portion that engages with the fitting groove of the blade rubber, and the backing is immovably attached to the blade rubber in the longitudinal direction by the engaging portion. In this case, the backing is prevented from jumping outward from the open side of the blade rubber. Further, the backing has a locking portion corresponding to the open end side of the fitting groove, and a stopper member is inserted through the fitting groove from the open end side to engage with the locking portion of the backing. By attaching, the stopper member is attached to the backing immovably attached to the blade rubber. Since the gripping portion that is not locked is movably held in the insertion groove by the stopper member, the gripping portion of the lever comes out of the open end side when the blade rubber is bent as shown in FIG. However, the gripper abuts against the stopper member and further movement is restricted, so that the gripper is prevented from coming off from the open end side.

Further, since the backing has a guide portion whose end portion on the open end side is formed into a smooth tapered or curved shape, the guide is inserted by inserting the stopper member into the fitting groove. It is easily engaged with the engaging portion of the backing.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is a top view of a wiper blade showing an embodiment to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a main part thereof, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a part of the wiper blade of FIG. is there.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wiper blade 1
Is rotatably connected to a tip of a wiper arm (not shown) via a holder 3. In this wiper arm, one end of an arm head constituting the wiper arm is fixed to a pivot shaft (not shown) rotatably fixedly supported on a vehicle body, and a retainer is rotated at a predetermined angle to the other end of the arm head. It is connected as possible. A spring (not shown) is attached between the arm head and the retainer, and constantly biases the retainer toward the surface to be wiped such as windshield glass. In addition, a so-called lockback is possible in which the retainer is held upright in the direction away from the surface to be wiped against the urging force.

The wiper blade 1 has a primary lever 2
A pair of secondary levers 4 rotatably connected to both ends of the primary lever 2, and a pair of yoke levers 5 rotatably connected to one end (outside in the longitudinal direction) of the pair of secondary levers 4. And the blade rubber 7 held by gripping portions 41 and 51 provided at both ends of the yoke lever 5 and the other ends (in the longitudinal direction) of the pair of secondary levers 4.

The primary lever 2 has a pair of leg walls 22 and 23 at the center, and a holder 3 is rotatably connected to a pin (not shown) spanned between the leg walls.
The first spoiler 21 is formed integrally with the leg walls 22 and 23 on the side of the leg wall 22, that is, in the wiper closing movement direction (in other words, on the upstream side of the relative airflow), and forms a so-called air dam. . The first spoiler 21 is formed to extend from one leg wall 22 to both outer sides in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade 1. Each of the connecting portions 24 provided at both ends of the first spoiler 21 has a secondary lever 4
Are connected.

The secondary lever 4 has an arm 44 extending from the connecting portion 24 to the longitudinal center of the wiper blade 1 and holding the blade rubber 7, and extending from the connecting portion 24 to the outside in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade 1. The second spoiler 43 is formed integrally. This second spoiler 43
Are formed on the same side as the first spoiler 21. Further, a crank portion 42 is formed between the arm portion 44 and the second spoiler 43, and is bent from the connecting portion 24 to the second spoiler 43 to be bent.
3 are formed continuously. Thus, the gripping portions 41 and 51 of each lever described later are arranged on the same straight line M. Further, the yoke lever 5 is connected to each of the connecting portions 52 provided at the longitudinal outer end of the second spoiler 43.

The yoke lever 5 has grip portions 51 at both ends. The grip portion 51 has a substantially U-shaped cross section, and is inserted into an insertion groove 74 of the blade rubber 7 described later to hold the blade rubber 7.

The above-described blade rubber 7 is a long body made of rubber and includes a base 71 and a wiping portion 72 formed integrally with the base 71 to wipe the surface to be wiped. On both sides of the base 71, a fitting groove 73 and an insertion groove 74 are formed vertically adjacent to each other.

The fitting groove 73 is provided at one end 7A of the base 71.
To the other end 7B. More specifically, the fitting groove 73 is open at one end 7A (hereinafter, referred to as an open side), but is closed at the other end 7B (hereinafter, referred to as a closed side). . In the fitting groove 73, a narrow backing 8 (see FIG. 3) made of a springy steel material is fitted. The backing 8 is formed with an engaging portion 81 corresponding to the closing side of the blade rubber 7. The engaging portion 81 is inserted into the fitting groove 73 by fitting the backing 8 into the fitting groove 73. Engagement with the formed projection (not shown) prevents the backing 8 from moving in the longitudinal direction with respect to the blade rubber 7.

At the position of the backing 8 corresponding to the open side 7A of the blade rubber 7, there is provided a locking member which is opened toward the lateral outside of the fitting groove 73 (outward in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber). A portion 82 is formed, and a locking piece 62 of the stopper member 6 described below is engaged and fixed.

On the other hand, the insertion groove 74 is provided on the open side 7A of the base 71.
And the vicinity of the closing side 7B, and the insertion groove 74 has the opening side 7A open and the closing side 7B closed as a matter of course. An inclined surface 77 is formed at the end of the insertion groove 74 on the closing side 7B. Further, on the extension of the insertion groove 74, a short groove locking hole 75 constituting the insertion groove is provided.
Are formed. One of the gripping portions 51 of the plurality of yoke levers 5 (for example, the rightmost gripping portion 51 in FIG. 1) is locked in the locking hole 75, and the insertion groove 7 is provided.
The remaining gripping portions 41 and 51 are inserted and engaged in 4.

The stopper member 6 includes a stopper body 61 having substantially the same shape (a substantially U-shaped cross section) as the grip portion 51, a pair of opposing locking pieces 62 formed to project from the stopper body 61, and a stopper. A pair of claws 63 formed at the opening side end of the main body 61 are integrally formed of a resin material.
The stopper member 6 is configured such that the claw 63 is inserted into the insertion groove 74, and the locking piece 62 is inserted into the fitting groove 73.
And the locking pieces 62 are inserted into the locking portions 82 of the backing 8.
Are fitted and immovably mounted in the longitudinal direction.

With the above construction, the blade rubber 7 and the backing 8 are prevented in the longitudinal direction by the engagement between the engaging portion 81 and the projection (not shown) formed in the fitting groove 73, and the blade rubber 7 and the backing 8 are moved to the side of the blade rubber. Of the backing is prevented by the plurality of grippers 41 and 51. In addition, it can be seen that the backing 8 and the stopper member 6 cannot be moved in the longitudinal direction because the locking piece 62 is engaged with the locking portion 82 of the backing 8. Therefore, the stopper member 6 cannot be indirectly moved in the longitudinal direction even with respect to the blade rubber 7.

On the other hand, the removal of the gripping portions 41 and 51 of the levers from the blade rubber 7 is caused by the claw 53 of one gripping portion 51.
Are locked in the locking holes 75 formed in the blade rubber 7, so that the blade rubber 7 is prevented from falling off from the holding lever formed by each lever. However, the other gripping parts that are not locked in the locking holes 75 are the insertion grooves 7.
Since the blade rubber 7 is only movably engaged in the gripper 4, the gripper tends to come out of the insertion groove 74 partially, particularly on the open side 7 </ b> A, when the blade rubber 7 bends. 8, the gripper abuts against the stopper body 61 of the stopper member 6, and further movement of the gripper to the open side 7 </ b> A is restricted. The blade rubber 7 is prevented from coming off.

The other gripping portions that are not locked by the locking holes 75 are movably engaged in the insertion grooves 74. However, when the surface to be wiped is a curved surface, the other This is because the lever and the blade rubber 7 can smoothly follow the curved surface.

Next, the replacement operation of the blade rubber 7 will be described. First, the locking of the locking piece 62 of the stopper member 6 is released from the locking portion 82 of the backing 8, the grip portions 41, 51 of each lever are pulled out from the insertion groove 74 of the blade rubber 7, and the fitting groove of the blade rubber 7 is fitted. By pulling out the backing 8 fitted on the 73, the worn out old blade rubber can be removed.

Next, a new blade rubber fitting groove 73 is provided.
Then, the backing 8 is fitted on the basis of the closed side. At this time, the engaging portion 81 is engaged with the projection in the fitting groove 73. Then, referring to the length of the backing 8, the blade rubber 7 is appropriately cut to a length suitable for the vehicle type, and the blade rubber 7 (including the backing 8) is inserted into the insertion groove 73 from the open side 7 </ b> A. The grip portions 41 and 51 are inserted. Then, when the claw 53 of the grip portion 51 (for example, the rightmost grip portion 51 with respect to the paper surface of FIG. 1) reaches the closing side 7B, it is guided by the inclined surface 77 to get over the insertion groove 74 and into the locking hole 75. Locked. At this time, the remaining gripper 4
The claws 53 of 1 and 51 are sequentially engaged in the insertion groove 74 so as to be movable following the deflection of the blade rubber 7.

Thereafter, the stopper member 6 is inserted through the blade rubber 7 from the open side 7A and attached to the backing 8. More specifically, the claw 63 of the stopper member 6 is inserted into the insertion groove 74 from the open side 7A, and the locking piece 62 is inserted into the fitting groove 73 at the same time. Then, when reaching the backing 8, the locking piece 62 is guided by the guide portion 83 having a curved edge portion of the backing 8 to engage with the locking portion 82, and the stopper member 6 moves in the longitudinal direction. Mounted impossible. Thus, the blade rubber 7 can be easily replaced.

The guide portion 83 has a curved shape, but the shape is not limited to this, and the guide portion 83 may have a tapered shape gradually widening from the open side to the closed side, or a shape having a predetermined radius R. . In addition, the stopper member 6 is provided with a grip portion (FIG. 1) closest to the open side 7 </ b> A of the blade rubber 7.
It is desirable to attach to the leftmost grip part 51).

[0030]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the blade rubber can be used by cutting the open side of the blade rubber to an appropriate length according to the type of the vehicle. In spite of being held by the holding lever so as to follow the curvature of the surface, the blade rubber and the backing can be reliably supported over the entire longitudinal direction without falling out of the holding lever.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view of a wiper blade showing an embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a main part in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view in which a part of the wiper blade of FIG. 1 is cut away.

FIG. 4 is an overall view showing a conventional wiper blade.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory end view showing an end structure of the wiper blade of FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Wiper blade, 2 ... Primary lever (holding lever), 4 ... Secondary lever (holding lever), 5 ... Yoke lever (holding lever), 6 ... Stopper member, 7 ... Blade rubber, 8 ... Backing, 41, 51 ... Gripping part 53: Claw, 61: Stopper body, 62: Locking piece, 63:
Claw, 71: base 72: wiping part, 73: fitting groove, 74: insertion groove, 75: locking hole (insertion groove), 76: mounting part, 81: engaging part, 82 ...
Locking part, 83 ... guide part

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of holding levers rotatably connected to each other, a blade rubber held by a plurality of holding portions of the holding lever, and a backing for providing a predetermined rigidity in a longitudinal direction of the blade rubber. Wherein the blade rubber has an insertion groove in which one end in the longitudinal direction is closed, at least one of the gripping portions is locked, and the other end in the longitudinal direction is opened, and the plurality of gripping portions are inserted. A base having a fitting groove in which the other end in the longitudinal direction is opened and the backing is fitted, and a wiping unit formed integrally with the base and wiping a surface to be wiped, An engaging portion that engages with the blade rubber to prevent the blade rubber from moving in the longitudinal direction, and a locking portion formed corresponding to an open end side of the fitting groove. Having a stopper member inserted into the fitting groove of the blade rubber and engaging and stopping with the locking portion of the backing to limit the movement of the grip portion of the lever with respect to the blade rubber. A wiper blade characterized by the following. 2. The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein the open end of the backing has a guide portion formed into a smooth tapered or curved shape.