JP2003025963A - Wiper arm - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wiper arm in which the floating of a wiper blade caused by traveling wind while a vehicle is running at high speeds is efficiently prevented. SOLUTION: The wiper arm is provided with a fin part 5 integrally formed and extended from an arm piece body 11d, and adjacently to the wiper blade 2 coupled to a coupling part 11a in the tip of the arm piece, the fin part 5 is placed. Accordingly, the pressing force of the fin part 5 obtained by the traveling wind greatly acts on the wiper blade 2 as a moment force around a connecting part 13a for an arm head 13 and a retainer 12. In addition, the fin part 5 is integrally extended and formed with the same plate material as a steel plate forming the arm piece 11, which allows the construction without separate members.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wiper arm of a wiper device for wiping a windshield glass surface of a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a wiper device for wiping raindrops, mud, etc. adhering to the windshield glass surface of a vehicle converts the rotational movement of a wiper motor into a reciprocating swing movement by a wiper link mechanism to swing the vehicle body. By reciprocally rotating the freely supported pivot shaft, the wiper arm fixed to the pivot shaft and the wiper blade connected to the connecting part of the wiper arm reciprocally rotate within a predetermined range on the windshield glass surface. It is configured to do.

However, in this wiper device, there is a problem that the wind when the vehicle is traveling at high speed causes the wiper blade to float above the windshield glass surface, impairing the wiping property.

In order to solve this, in the related art, DE3343 has been conventionally used.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 318, a structure is known in which a wiper arm is provided with fins to prevent the wiper blade from rising. That is, the wiper arm shown in the above publication is connected to an arm head whose base end is fixed to a pivot shaft and a connecting portion of the arm head so as to be rotatable in a direction in which the windshield glass surface can be contacted and separated. It consists of a retainer and an arm piece that has a connecting part that is fixed to the tip of the retainer and to which the wiper blade is connected.The fin is integrated with the retainer to prevent the wiper blade from rising. ing.

More specifically, the steel plate forming the retainer body is bent, and its cross section has a substantially U-shaped cross section having a pair of side walls open toward the windshield glass surface. One of the side walls extends from the retainer to the vehicle. The fins are provided to extend in the longitudinal direction to receive the wind when traveling at high speed.

The wiper arm is provided with a spring on the windshield glass surface side between the arm head and the retainer, one end of the spring is locked to the arm head, and the other end is locked to the retainer. is doing. As a result, a predetermined moment force is applied around the connecting portion between the arm head and the retainer via the arm piece fixed to the tip of the retainer, and the wiper blade is pressed with an appropriate pressing force. . Therefore, when the fin is formed on the retainer, the fin and the wiper blade are located apart from each other because they are connected to the wiper blade via the arm piece in the middle, and the pressing force of the fin obtained by traveling wind is the above-mentioned connection. Since the moment force around the part acts on the wiper blade as a small moment force, there is a problem that the effect of preventing the wiper blade from being lifted by the running wind when the vehicle is traveling at high speed is small.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and by improving the wiper arm, it is possible to effectively prevent the wiper blade from being lifted up by the running wind when the vehicle runs at high speed. The purpose is to provide.

[0008]

The present invention employs the following technical means in order to achieve the above object. However, the reference numerals in parentheses of the respective means described below indicate the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described later, and are not limited to these.

Wiper arm (1) of the invention according to claim 1
Is an arm head (13) having a base end (13b) fixed to a pivot shaft (31) swingably supported by a vehicle body.
A retainer (12) rotatably connected to a connecting portion (13a) of the arm head (13) in a direction in which the windshield glass surface (6) can be brought into contact with and separated from the windshield glass surface (6), and a tip of the retainer (12). Has a fixed part (12a) fixed to the windshield glass surface (6) at the tip.
An arm piece (11) having a connecting portion (11a) to which a wiper blade (2) for wiping the upper part is connected. The arm piece (11) comprises an arm piece body (11d) and a steel plate forming the body.
It is characterized in that it is provided with a fin portion (5) integrally formed by extending from (d).

Since the wiper arm (1) according to claim 1 is provided with the fin portion (5) integrally formed from the arm piece body (11d), it is connected to the connecting portion (11a) at the tip of the arm piece. Since the fin portion (5) is located close to the wiper blade (2) that has been removed, the pressing force of the fin portion (5) obtained by the traveling wind causes the arm head (13) and the retainer (12) to move. Connection part (13
As a momental force around a), it acts largely on the wiper blade (2). Moreover, since the fin portion (5) is integrally formed by using the same plate material as the steel plate forming the arm piece (11), it can be configured without using a separate member. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the wiper blade (2) from being lifted up when the vehicle is traveling at high speed, and the number of parts and the number of assembling steps are small, so that the wiper blade can be constructed at a low cost.

The wiper arm (1) of the invention according to claim 2
Is the connecting portion (11a) of the arm piece (11)
And a fixing part (11c), which is formed by folding back and bending the steel plates so as to abut each other in a flat shape, and having a bending part formed to a thickness T larger than the plate thickness t of the steel plate.
The fin portion (5) is characterized in that the fin portion (5) is integrally formed to extend from the arm piece body (11d) with a thickness dimension T1 equal to or less than the plate thickness t.

In the wiper arm (1) according to the second aspect, since the connecting portion (11a) and the fixing portion (11c) of the arm piece (11) have a bent portion by bending the steel plate, Since the plate thickness of the bent portion is substantially thick, high rigidity is obtained, and the thick plate can also suppress rattling in the connecting portion (11a). Further, since it is sufficient that the fin portion (5) has strength enough to withstand the running wind when the vehicle is traveling at high speed, it is integrally formed so as to be thinner than the steel plate forming the arm piece (11). Can be lightened. Therefore, the arm piece (11) integrally formed with the fin portion (5) by the thin steel plate has the fixing portion (12a) fixed to the connecting portion (11a) to which the wiper blade (2) is connected and the retainer (12). ), It is possible to form a thick plate by bending the portion requiring rigidity, so even if the finned arm piece is formed using a thin steel plate,
The required rigidity can be secured at low cost.

The wiper arm (1) of the invention according to claim 3
Is characterized in that the fin portion (5) is formed adjacent to the connecting portion (11a) of the arm piece (11).

In the wiper arm (1) according to the third aspect, since the fin portion (5) is adjacent to the connecting portion (11a) of the arm piece, the wiper arm (1) is disposed away from the vehicle body mounting portion, and is separated from the vehicle body. Is less likely to be restricted, and the fin shape can be formed with a design suitable for the vehicle.

Wiper arm (1) of the invention according to claim 4
Is characterized in that the fin portion (5) is integrally extended from the arm piece body (11d) along the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade (2).

In the wiper arm (1) according to claim 4, since the fin portion (5) is along the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade (2), the wind that hits the wiper blade (2) is shielded, and the wiper arm travels. Not only can the wind be used as a pressing force, but also the generation of wind noise caused by the wind passing through the wiper blade (2) can be prevented.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The wiper arm 1 of the present invention will be described below.
One embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings shown in FIGS. In a wiper device for wiping a windshield glass surface 6 of a vehicle, a wiper arm 1 includes an arm head 13, a retainer 12 connected to the arm head 13, and an arm piece 11 fixed to the retainer 12, as shown in FIG. It consists of and. The arm head 13 is formed by, for example, aluminum die casting. A base end portion 13b at the rear end of the arm head 13 is fastened with a mounting nut 4 to a tip end portion 31 of a wiper pivot shaft 30 which is rotatably supported in a bearing of a pivot holder 3 fixed to a vehicle body as shown in FIG. It is fixed. Also, the arm head 1
The connecting portion 13a at the three tips is connected to the retainer 12.

In the connecting portion 13a, the tip end of the arm head 13 and the base end portion of the retainer 12 are connected by a pin 13c as a rotating shaft so that the retainer 12 can contact and separate from the windshield glass surface 6. Has been done.

The retainer 12 has a tension spring 1 in the direction of the windshield glass surface with respect to the arm head 13.
It is urged by 4 with a predetermined spring force. As shown in FIG. 2, one end of the tension spring 14 is locked to the rivet 13d fixed to the arm head 13, and the other end is locked to the rivet 12d fixed to the retainer 12. The wiper blade 2 connected to the tip of the wiper arm is pushed by the spring force of the tension spring 14 thereof by the moment force M generated around the axis C of the pin 13c (rotating shaft) of the connecting portion 13a. It is pressed against the windshield glass surface 6 by pressure.

The retainer 12 is formed by bending a steel plate such as a galvanized steel plate as a material, and has a cross section having a pair of side walls 12b and 12c.
It is formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section that is open in the direction of the windshield glass surface 6. A fixing portion 11c of the arm piece 11 described later is fixed to the tip of the retainer 12.

The arm piece 11 is formed by bending, for example, a steel plate such as a galvanized steel plate by press working, and its expanded shape is connected to the connecting portion 11a to the wiper blade 2 and the retainer 12 as shown in FIG. The fixing portion 11c and the fin portion 5 integrally formed by extending from the arm piece body 11d are integrally provided with the above-mentioned steel plate.

The connecting portion 11a and the fixing portion 11c of the arm piece 11 are formed by bending back steel plates so as to abut each other in a flat shape as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, and having a thickness larger than the plate thickness t of the steel plates. It is formed to a size T. In order to connect the wiper blade 2, the tip 11b of the connecting portion 11a is bent and formed in a U-hook shape as shown in FIG. Also, this fixed portion 11c is
It is fixed to the retainer 12, and more specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, it is bent and fixed so as to be held by both side walls 12b and 12c of the retainer 12, and further fixed to the rivet 15.

The fin portion 5 is pressed to a thickness T1 which is equal to or less than the thickness t of the steel plate as a raw material. The tip portion 51 of the fin portion 5 is integrally formed to extend from the arm piece body 11d along the tip direction of the wiper blade 2, and the rear end portion 52 extends from the arm piece body 11d along the rear end direction of the wiper blade 2. It is formed so as to extend integrally. In this way, the fin portion 5 is formed so as to extend along the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade 2, and its dimension is suppressed in the height direction (the direction orthogonal to the wiper blade 2 and away from the windshield glass surface). There is. Therefore, it is possible to secure a necessary area while suppressing the height dimension so that the wiper blade 2 does not float up at a predetermined speed due to the wind when the vehicle is running at high speed. It has a good-looking appearance that can be stored in, and is formed with a design suitable for sporty vehicles.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. When the wiper device (not shown) is operated while the vehicle is stopped or running at low speed, the wiper blade 2 causes the wiper blade 2 to swing within the predetermined range on the windshield glass surface 6 as the wiper arm 1 having the above configuration swings. Rotate back and forth to wipe off raindrops. At this time, as shown in the explanatory view of FIG. 7, if the moment force generated around the axis C by the tension spring 14 is M and the distance from the axis C to the wiper blade center is L, the wiper blade 2
The pressing force f1 of the piper arm 1 acting on
It becomes L. The pressing force f1 causes the wiper blade 2 to be appropriately pressed onto the windshield glass surface 6.

Next, as Comparative Example 1, when the above vehicle is driven at high speed, lift α which lifts the wiper blade 2 is generated by the traveling wind at the time of high speed running, and therefore acts on the wiper blade 2 at that time. If the pressing force of the piper arm 1 is f2, then f2 = (M / L) −α. Therefore, since f2 <f1, the wiper blade 2 may not be properly pressed onto the windshield glass surface 6 depending on the traveling speed.

Further, as Comparative Example 2, when the retainer 12 (the position shown by the broken line in FIG. 7) of Comparative Example 1 is provided with a fin portion, the distance from the axis C to the center of the fin portion is L3,
When the force in the windshield glass surface 6 direction acting on the fin portion due to the running wind at high speed is F3, the pressing force f3 of the piper arm 1 acting on the wiper blade 2 at that time is f3 = {(M + F3.L3 ) / L} -α. That is, by supplementing the lift α for lifting the wiper blade 2 with the F3 · L3, the wiper blade 2 is properly pressed onto the windshield glass surface 6.

Next, as an embodiment of the present invention, when the fin portion 5 is integrally formed on the arm piece 11 as described above, the distance from the axis C to the center of the fin portion is L4,
When the force in the windshield glass surface 6 direction acting on the fin portion 5 due to the traveling wind at high speed is F4, the pressing force f4 of the wiper arm 1 acting on the wiper blade 2 at that time is f4 = {(M + F4. L4) / L} -α. That is, if the lift amount α for lifting the wiper blade 2 is compensated by F4 · L4, the wiper blade 2 is appropriately pressed onto the windshield glass surface 6, as in Comparative Example 2 above. Here, the fin portion 5 of the present embodiment
Is a position farther from the axis C than the fin portion of Comparative Example 2,
That is, since it is provided at a position closer to the wiper blade 2, L4> L3. Moreover, if a fin portion having the same shape as that of Comparative Example 2 (the area and the inclination of the inclined surface of the fin are the same) is applied, F3 = F4, and the pressing force f4 of the wiper arm 1 acting on the wiper blade 2 is obtained. Is larger than f3 in Comparative Example 2 above.

As is apparent from the above description, the wiper arm 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is the arm piece 1.
By providing the fin portion 5 on the wiper blade 1
It has a great effect of preventing the rising of the. Moreover, the wiper arm 1 does not require a separate part,
Since the fin portion 5 is integrally formed to extend, the number of parts and the number of assembling steps can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, since the wiper arm 1 is provided with the fin portion 5 integrally formed from the arm piece body 11d, the connection portion 1 between the arm head 13 and the retainer 12 is formed.
3a, that is, at a position further away from the axis C and closer to the wiper blade 2, the pressing force of the fin portion 5 obtained by the traveling wind is effective for the wiper blade 2 as a moment force around the axis C. Greatly affects. Therefore, the floating effect of the wiper blade 2 can be obtained even with a relatively small wind receiving area (air receiving area), so that the fin portion 5 can be made smaller and lighter.

Further, of the arm pieces 11, the retainer fixing portion 12a and the arm piece connecting portion 1 which require strength.
1a is formed by bending back the steel plates so that they are in contact with each other in a flat shape, and is formed as a thickness dimension T larger than the plate thickness t of the steel plate. Is obtained. Moreover, the connecting portion 11a
In the above, rattling can also be suppressed. On the other hand, the fin portion 5 which requires a predetermined wind-receiving area has only to have strength enough to withstand the wind when the vehicle is traveling at high speed, and therefore it is thinner than the steel plate forming the arm piece 11 and extends integrally. It can be made lighter by forming it. Therefore, the arm piece 1 in which the fin portion 5 is integrally formed of a thin steel plate
Even if it is 1, the connecting portion 1 to which the wiper blade 2 is connected
1a and the fixed portion 12a fixed to the retainer 12 can be formed to have a substantial thickness by bending portions such as the fixing portion 12a, so that even if the finned arm piece is formed using a thin steel plate. The required rigidity can be secured at low cost.

Further, since the fin portion 5 can have a relatively small wind receiving area as described above and is adjacent to the connecting portion 11a of the arm piece, it is arranged apart from the vehicle body mounting portion. However, the restriction from the vehicle body is less likely to occur, and the vehicle body can be formed with a design suitable for a sporty vehicle that has a good appearance, for example, it can be stored in the rear edge of the vehicle body engine hood when the wiper is stopped.

Further, the fin portion 5 includes the wiper blade 2
Since the traveling wind hitting the wiper blade 2 is shielded because it is along the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade, not only the traveling wind is used as a pressing force, but also a wind noise generated by the wind passing between the plurality of levers of the wiper blade 2 is generated. Can also be prevented.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a wiper arm and a wiper blade according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an overall configuration of a wiper arm and a wiper blade, a part of which is cut away in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged development view of the arm piece according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing a tip portion of the arm piece according to the embodiment of the present invention.

6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a function of a fin.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Wiper arm, 2 ... Wiper blade, 3 ... Pivot holder, 4 ... Mounting nut, 5 ... Fin part, 6 ... Windshield glass surface, 11 ... Arm piece, 12 ... Retainer, 13 ... Arm head, 14 ... Spring.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An arm head having a base end fixed to a pivot shaft swingably supported by a vehicle body, and a connecting portion at a tip end of the arm head rotatable in a direction in which the windshield glass surface can be brought into contact with and separated from the windshield glass surface. A retainer that is movably connected, and an arm piece that has a fixing portion that is fixed to the tip of the retainer, and has a connecting portion that is connected to the tip of the wiper blade that wipes the windshield glass surface. Also, in the wiper arm, the arm piece includes an arm piece body, and a fin portion integrally formed with a steel plate forming the arm piece body from the arm piece body. 2. The connecting portion and the fixing portion of the arm piece are formed by bending the steel plates so that they are in contact with each other in a flat shape, and forming a thickness T larger than the plate thickness t of the steel plates. A bent portion, and the fin portion extends from the arm piece body to the plate thickness t.
The wiper arm according to claim 1, wherein the wiper arm has a thickness T <b> 1 and is integrally formed so as to extend. 3. The wiper arm according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fin portion is formed adjacent to the connecting portion of the arm piece. 4. The fin portion is integrally formed along the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade from the arm piece body, and the fin portion is integrally formed. The wiper arm described in.