JP2008201269A - Winter wiper blade - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a winter wiper blade capable of securing good wiping-out performance, by effectively restraining a cover from contacting with a glass surface by deflecting outside near blade rubber, while preventing floating of the blade rubber. <P>SOLUTION: A side wall part 52 on the side for receiving wind pressure of a primary lever 5 constituting a holding lever mechanism LM, is extended to the vertebra 3 side, and an opening part 54 into which a part of the cover 4 enters, is arranged in an extended part of this side wall part 52. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wiper blade used in a wiper device, and more particularly to a winter wiper blade adapted for use in a cold region or winter.

  For example, a wiper device mounted on an automobile or the like transmits a rotational force of a motor to a wiper arm via a link, and the wiper arm presses a wiper blade connected to the wiper blade against a glass surface of an automobile windshield or the like. The glass surface is wiped off by reciprocating rotation.

  The wiper blade has a structure in which a blade rubber that contacts and wipes a glass surface is held by a holding lever mechanism connected to a wiper arm. The holding lever mechanism has a structure in which a plurality of lever members such as a primary lever, a secondary lever, and a yoke are connected and combined with rivets, etc., and a rubber blade rubber is used in three dimensions such as the windshield of an automobile. It is held displaceably corresponding to the curved glass surface. Further, a vertebra is interposed between the holding lever mechanism and the blade rubber. The vertebra is for dispersing the force acting on the blade rubber from the holding lever mechanism so as not to concentrate on the holding position but to be uniform over the entire length of the blade rubber.

  When the wiper device is used in a cold region or in winter, if a droplet of water adheres to the holding lever mechanism of the wiper blade, it freezes, and the movement of the holding lever mechanism may be hindered to prevent proper wiping. Therefore, as a wiper blade that can be used in cold regions and in winter, a holding lever mechanism excluding blade rubber and the entire vertebra are covered with a rubber cover to prevent water droplets from adhering. Such a cold region type wiper blade is called a winter wiper blade.

  The rubber cover used for the winter wiper blade is formed in a cylindrical shape corresponding to the outer shape of the holding lever mechanism in order to ensure water tightness. Then, by inserting and pushing in the holding lever mechanism to which the vertebra is attached from one end side of the cylindrical cover, the cylindrical cover is mounted so as to cover the entire holding lever mechanism and the vertebra. For this reason, if there is no allowance for the size of the cover, the holding lever mechanism to which the vertebra is attached will be caught when inserted into the cover, resulting in poor workability. Therefore, the size of the cover is made larger than the size of the entire holding lever mechanism so that it can be easily mounted.

  By the way, the winter wiper blade used in the wiper device of the automobile receives the wind pressure of the running wind while the automobile is running. Here, as described above, the cover of the winter wiper blade is formed to have a margin with respect to the holding lever mechanism, so that the side receiving the wind pressure of the traveling wind may be greatly bent inward. There is a case where the blade rubber is lifted due to this, and sufficient wiping performance may not be ensured.

In view of such a problem, in Patent Document 1, a side wall portion on the side of receiving the wind pressure of the primary lever of the holding lever mechanism is extended to the side of the vertebra, or a plate member is provided on the side wall portion of the side of the primary lever receiving the wind pressure. It has been proposed to regulate the inward bending of the cover by attaching the.
JP 11-105675 A

  However, as described in Patent Document 1, when the side wall portion of the primary lever is extended or a plate member is attached to the side wall portion of the primary lever so that the cover does not bend inward, the blade rubber It has been found that the lift of the cover can be effectively prevented, but the cover swells outward at a position close to the blade rubber and the wiping performance may be deteriorated.

  That is, when the side wall portion of the primary lever is extended or the plate member is attached to the side wall portion of the primary lever, the cover receives the wind pressure of the traveling wind and contacts the extended side wall portion or plate member of the primary lever. However, at this time, the cover formed with a sufficient size is bent so as to bulge outward at a position close to the blade rubber because the bending toward the inside on the side receiving the wind pressure is restricted. When the blade rubber comes into contact with the glass surface at an appropriate tilt angle and wipes the glass surface, the bent part that swells outside the cover comes into contact with the glass surface and prevents proper wiping. There is. In particular, when the tilt angle of the blade rubber is large at the time of high-speed wiping, such a contact frequently occurs on the glass surface, which causes a reduction in high-speed wiping performance.

  The present invention was devised to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and while preventing the blade rubber from lifting, the cover bends outward near the blade rubber to the glass surface. An object of the present invention is to provide a winter wiper blade capable of effectively suppressing contact and ensuring good wiping performance.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a blade lever for wiping the glass surface and a holding lever which is a combination of a plurality of lever members and holds the blade rubber and is connected to the wiper arm. In a winter wiper blade comprising a mechanism, a vertebra installed between the blade rubber and the holding lever mechanism, and a cover covering the holding lever mechanism and the vertebra, at least a wiper arm among a plurality of lever members constituting the holding lever mechanism The side wall portion of the lever member closest to the side receiving the wind pressure is extended to the vertebra, and an opening into which a part of the cover enters is provided in the side wall portion.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a blade rubber for wiping the glass surface and a plurality of lever members are combined to hold the blade rubber and be connected to the wiper arm. In a winter wiper blade comprising a holding lever mechanism, a vertebra installed between the blade rubber and the holding lever mechanism, and a cover covering the holding lever mechanism and the vertebra, at least of a plurality of lever members constituting the holding lever mechanism A plate member is attached to a side wall portion of the lever member closest to the wiper arm that receives the wind pressure, and an opening portion into which a part of the cover enters is provided in the plate member.

  According to the winter wiper blade according to the present invention, when a wind pressure such as traveling wind is received, a part of the cover is in contact with the side wall portion or the plate member of the lever member extended to the vertebra side, while the side wall portion or Because it enters the opening provided in the plate member, it can effectively prevent the cover from flexing inward or flexing outward near the blade rubber, ensuring good wiping performance. Can do.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIGS. 1 to 5 are views showing the winter wiper blade of the first embodiment, FIG. 1 is a front view of the winter wiper blade 1 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows the cover 4 of the winter wiper blade 1 of FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially broken view, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the winter wiper blade 1 of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2, and FIG. .

  The winter wiper blade 1 of the present embodiment is a wiper blade used in a wiper device for a windshield of an automobile. The winter wiper blade 1 includes a blade rubber 2 that contacts and wipes the glass surface of a windshield of an automobile, a holding lever mechanism LM that holds the blade rubber 2, and a blade rubber 2 and a holding lever mechanism. The vertebra 3 is interposed between the LM and the cover 4 that covers the holding lever mechanism LM and the vertebra 3.

  The blade rubber 2 is a rubber part formed in a long shape having a predetermined length. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the blade rubber 2 is formed on the upper end of the barrel portion 21 having a substantially triangular cross section having a lip portion 21 a that contacts the glass surface at the tip. The head portion 22 having a rectangular cross section and the neck portion 23 that integrally connects the trunk portion 21 and the head portion 22 are formed into a cross sectional shape.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the holding lever mechanism LM is a structure in which a primary lever 5, a secondary lever 6, and a yoke (tertiary lever) 7 are combined step by step in a tournament shape. The rubber 2 is held so as to be displaceable in correspondence with the glass surface of the front window glass that is curved three-dimensionally.

  The primary lever 5 is formed, for example, by bending a thin steel plate, and is formed into an arch-like outer shape as a whole. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the top plate portion 51 and the top plate portion are formed. 51 is formed in a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape having a pair of side wall portions 52 and 53 bent downward from both ends in the width direction. Here, in particular, in the winter wiper blade 1 of the present embodiment, of the side wall portions 52 and 53 of the primary lever 5 constituting the holding lever mechanism LM, the side wall portion 52 on the side receiving the wind pressure of the traveling wind accompanying the traveling of the automobile. However, it extends further below the other side wall 53 (in a direction approaching this vertical bar 3 when a vertical bar 3 to be described later is attached). An opening 54 into which a part of the cover 4 attached so as to cover the holding lever mechanism LM is provided in the extended portion of the side wall 52 of the primary lever 5. The opening 54 is formed, for example, by performing a punching process or the like on a steel plate that is to be the primary lever 5.

  A clip mechanism 8 is attached to the upper side of the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the primary lever 5 via a cover 4 that is mounted so as to cover the holding lever mechanism LM. The primary lever 5 is connected to the tip of a wiper arm 9 for reciprocally rotating the winter wiper blade 1 by the clip mechanism 8. Moreover, the center part of the secondary lever 6 is each attached to the longitudinal direction both ends of the primary lever 5 so that rotation is possible by the rivet 5p.

  Similar to the primary lever 5, the secondary lever 6 is formed by bending a thin steel plate, for example, and is formed into an arch-like outer shape as a whole, and has a substantially rectangular shape having a top plate portion and a pair of side wall portions. It is formed into a letter-shaped cross-sectional shape. At the both ends in the longitudinal direction of the secondary lever 6, the central portion of the yoke 7 is rotatably attached by a rivet 6p.

  The yoke 7 is formed by bending, for example, a thin steel plate, like the primary lever 5 and the secondary lever 6, and is formed into an arch-like outer shape as a whole, and has a top plate portion and a pair of side wall portions. It has a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape. Holding yokes 71 are provided at both longitudinal ends of the yoke 7, and the blade rubber 2 is held by the holding claws 71 via the vertebra 3. The holding claws 71 are formed by bending the lower ends of the pair of side wall portions of the yoke 7 inward at substantially right angles.

  The vertebra 3 is for dispersing the force acting on the blade rubber 2 from the holding lever mechanism LM so as to be uniform over the entire length of the blade rubber 2 without concentrating on the position of the holding claw 71 of the yoke 7. It is a metal part or a resin part having a predetermined hardness formed in a long shape corresponding to the blade rubber 2. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the vertical bra 3 is engaged with a pair of left and right engaging protrusions 31 that engage with the holding claws 71 of the yoke 7 on the upper end side, and with the neck portion 23 of the blade rubber 2 on the lower end side. The claw portion 32 is formed in a cross-sectional shape having a groove portion 33 in which the head portion 22 of the blade rubber 2 is accommodated. This vertical bra 3 is attached to the holding lever mechanism LM by engaging a pair of engaging protrusions 31 with the holding claws 71 of the yoke 7, and engages the claw portions 32 with the neck portion 23 of the blade rubber 2 so as to be within the groove portion 33. The blade rubber 2 is held between the blade rubber 2 and the holding lever mechanism LM in a state where the blade rubber 2 is held by accommodating the head 22 of the blade rubber 2.

  The cover 4 covers the entire holding lever mechanism LM to which the vertebra 3 is attached to ensure water tightness, and prevents the holding lever mechanism LM from malfunctioning due to freezing. It is a rubber part formed in a cylindrical shape corresponding to the outer shape. The cover 4 is formed in a size that is slightly larger than the entire holding lever mechanism LM to which the vertebra 3 is attached in consideration of mounting workability, and has a margin. Further, a concave portion 41 that is recessed in a bag shape is provided in the lower portion of the cover 4, and the concave portion 41 is pushed into the groove portion 33 of the vertebra 3 at the time of mounting. Therefore, the head portion 22 of the blade rubber 2 is accommodated in the groove portion 33 of the vertical bra 3 via the concave portion 41 of the cover 4, and thereby the holding lever mechanism LM to which the vertical rib 3 is attached in a state where water tightness is ensured. The blade rubber 2 is held on the surface. Note that both ends of the cover 4 are closed by the pair of stoppers 10 when the cover 4 is mounted, thereby ensuring water tightness at both ends.

  Here, an example of the assembly process of the winter wiper blade 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

  First, the holding lever mechanism LM is assembled by connecting the primary lever 5, the secondary lever 6 and the yoke 7 provided with the opening 54 in the side wall 52 by the rivets 5p and 6p.

  Next, the engaging projection 31 of the vertebra 3 is engaged with the holding claw 71 of the yoke 7 of the holding lever mechanism LM, and the vertebra 3 is attached to the holding lever mechanism LM.

  Next, one end side of the cover 4 is spread using a tool, and the holding lever mechanism LM to which the vertebra 3 is attached is pushed from one end side and inserted into the cover 4. When the holding lever mechanism LM to which the vertebra 3 is attached is completely inserted into the cover 4, the recess 41 of the cover 4 is pushed into the groove 33 of the vertebra 3 using a tool.

  Next, the blade rubber 2 is slid in the horizontal direction, and the head portion 22 of the blade rubber 2 is inserted into the groove portion 33 of the vertebra 3 where the concave portion 41 of the cover 4 is pushed, The blade rubber 2 is attached by engaging the neck 23 of the blade rubber 2.

  Next, stoppers 10 are attached to both ends of the cover 4. Finally, the clip mechanism 8 is attached to the primary lever 5 of the holding lever mechanism LM covered with the cover 4 using screws or the like, and the assembly of the winter wiper blade 1 of the present embodiment is completed.

  The winter wiper blade 1 of the present embodiment assembled as described above is connected to the distal end portion of the wiper arm 9 by the clip mechanism 8. The wiper arm 9 reciprocally rotates the windshield wiper blade 1 while being pressed against the glass surface of the front window glass by transmitting the rotational force of a wiper motor (not shown) via the link. As a result, the winter wiper blade 1 displaces the blade rubber 2 according to the glass surface of the windshield that is curved three-dimensionally by the holding lever mechanism LM, and inclines the blade rubber 2 to the optimum tilt angle. The glass surface is wiped by the lip portion 21a that reciprocally rotates on the glass surface while contacting the glass surface.

  The winter wiper blade 1 of the present embodiment is used for a windscreen windscreen wiper device of an automobile, and receives wind pressure of the running wind while the automobile is running. At this time, the cover 4 mounted so as to cover the entire holding lever mechanism LM to which the vertebra 3 is attached is formed to have a margin with respect to the holding lever mechanism L. It will be deformed upon receipt. Here, in the winter wiper blade 1 of the present embodiment, the side wall portion 52 on the side receiving the wind pressure of the primary lever 5 constituting the holding lever mechanism LM is extended to the side of the vertebra 3, and the side wall portion 52 is extended. Since the opening 54 is provided in the portion, the deformation of the cover 4 when receiving the wind pressure of the traveling wind is optimized by the shape of the side wall 52 of the primary lever 5 and the arrangement of the opening 54. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent inconveniences such as lifting of the blade rubber 2 due to deformation of the cover 4 and contact with the glass surface of the front window glass, thereby ensuring good wiping performance.

  FIG. 6 shows a state where the winter wiper blade 1 of the present embodiment is performing the wiping operation while receiving the wind pressure of the traveling wind. Moreover, the case where the opening part 54 is not provided in the side wall part 52 of the primary lever 5 which comprises the holding lever mechanism LM is shown in FIG. 7 as a comparative example.

  In the winter wiper blade 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, the side wall 52 on the side receiving the wind pressure of the primary lever 5 constituting the holding lever mechanism LM is extended to the vertibra 3 side. When receiving, the part of the cover 4 comes into contact with the side wall portion 52 so that it is suppressed from being greatly bent inward. Here, if the inward bending of the cover 4 is completely restricted by the side wall 52, the lower end side of the cover 4 is bent so as to bulge outward at a position close to the blade rubber 2, as shown in FIG. The portion swelled outside the cover 4 may come into contact with the glass surface of the front window glass, thereby preventing proper wiping. In particular, when the tilt angle of the blade rubber 2 is large during high-speed wiping, such contact of the cover 4 with the glass surface frequently occurs, which causes a reduction in high-speed wiping performance.

  On the other hand, in the winter wiper blade 1 of the present embodiment, an opening 54 is provided in a portion of the side wall 52 of the primary lever 5 that extends toward the vertical bra 3 and receives wind pressure as shown in FIG. Since a part of the cover 4 can enter the opening portion 54 when the cover 4 is touched, the lower end side of the cover 4 does not bulge outward at a position close to the blade rubber 2, and contact with the glass surface can be effectively prevented. .

  As described above, according to the winter wiper blade 1 of the present embodiment, the side wall portion 52 on the side receiving the wind pressure of the primary lever 5 constituting the holding lever mechanism LM is extended to the vertibra 3 side. Since the opening 54 is provided in the extended portion, the blade rubber 2 is lifted due to the cover 4 being greatly bent inward when subjected to wind pressure of the traveling wind, and the lower end side of the cover 4 is outside. Both of the contact with the glass surface caused by bending to swell can be effectively prevented, and good wiping performance can be ensured.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view (a cross-sectional view at the same position as in FIG. 4) showing the winter wiper blade 100 of the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the winter wiper blade 100 of the present embodiment has a plate member 101 attached to the side wall portion 52 on the side receiving the wind pressure of the primary lever 5 constituting the holding lever mechanism LM. In addition, an opening 102 into which a part of the cover 4 mounted so as to cover the holding lever mechanism LM enters is provided. That is, in the above-described first embodiment, the side wall 52 of the primary lever 5 is extended to the vertebra 3 side, and the opening 54 is provided in the extended portion of the side wall 52. In the winter wiper blade 100 of this embodiment, the plate member 101 is attached to the side wall portion 52 of the primary lever 5, and the opening portion 102 is provided in the plate member 101. Since the other configuration of the winter wiper blade 100 of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, only the characteristic part of the present embodiment will be described below, and the same part as the first embodiment will be described. Are omitted using the same reference numerals.

  The plate member 101 is formed using, for example, a thin steel plate as in the case of the primary lever 5, and the opening 102 is formed by performing a punching process or the like on the steel plate to be the plate member 101. The plate member 101 provided with the opening 102 is attached to the side wall 52 of the primary lever 5 by, for example, screwing.

  When assembling the winter wiper blade 100 of the present embodiment, first, the plate member 101 is attached to the side wall 52 of the primary lever 5 when the holding lever mechanism LM is assembled. Then, the winter wiper blade 100 is assembled by the same process as that of the first embodiment described above. Therefore, the cover 4 is mounted so as to cover the entire holding lever mechanism LM in a state where the plate member 101 is attached to the side wall portion 52 of the primary lever 5.

  Also in the winter wiper blade 100 of the present embodiment, the cover 4 is deformed by receiving the wind pressure of the traveling wind while the automobile is traveling, as in the first embodiment described above. Here, in the winter wiper blade 100 of the present embodiment, the plate member 101 is attached to the side wall portion 52 on the side receiving the wind pressure of the primary lever 5 constituting the holding lever mechanism LM, and the opening portion 102 is provided in the plate member 101. Therefore, similarly to the first embodiment, the deformation of the cover 4 when receiving the wind pressure of the traveling wind is optimized by the shape of the plate member 101 and the arrangement of the openings 102. As a result, when the wind pressure of the traveling wind is received, the blade rubber 2 is lifted due to the cover 4 being greatly bent inward, and the glass surface is caused by being bent so that the lower end side of the cover 4 is expanded outward. It is possible to effectively prevent both of the contact and the good wiping performance.

  As described above, the winter wiper blade 1 according to the first embodiment and the winter wiper blade 100 according to the second embodiment have been exemplified and described as specific embodiments of the present invention. Is merely illustrative of an embodiment of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the technical matters disclosed in the description of the above embodiment, and is based on the above disclosure. In addition, modifications and applications that are naturally derived in view of general technical common sense are also included. For example, in the winter wiper blade 1 of the first embodiment, the opening 54 is provided only in the side wall 52 of the primary lever 5 constituting the holding lever mechanism LM, and the winter wiper of the second embodiment. In the blade 1, the plate member 101 is attached only to the primary lever 5, and the opening 102 is provided in the plate member 101. However, the same opening is also provided in the side wall of the secondary lever 6 and the yoke 7. Alternatively, a similar plate member may be attached to the secondary lever 6 or the yoke 7 and an opening may be provided in the plate member.

  Further, the holding lever mechanism LM in the winter wiper blades 1, 100 of the first and second embodiments described above has eight blade rubbers 2 via the vertebra 3 by the holding claws 71 at both ends of the four yokes 7. Is supported at both ends of one primary lever 5, and a two-point support mechanism that supports two points with the two holding claws and two ends of two secondary levers 6. Other support structures, such as a four-point support mechanism in which holding claws are provided and supported by the four holding claws at four points, may be used.

  The winter wiper blades 1 and 100 of the first and second embodiments described above are wiper blades used in a windscreen wiper device for automobiles, but are used for headlamps and other automotive lamps. The present invention can also be effectively applied to a wiper device, a wiper device for a door mirror and other automotive mirrors, and a wiper blade used in other automotive wiper devices. Furthermore, the present invention can be effectively applied to a wiper blade of a wiper device used other than an automobile.

It is a front view of the winter wiper blade of a 1st embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially broken view showing a cover of the winter wiper blade of FIG. 1. It is a disassembled perspective view of the winter wiper blade of FIG. It is AA sectional drawing in FIG. It is BB sectional drawing in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows a mode when the winter wiper blade of 1st Embodiment is performing wiping operation, receiving the wind pressure of driving | running | working wind. It is sectional drawing which shows the comparative example by which the opening part is not provided in the side wall part of the primary lever which comprises a holding lever mechanism. It is sectional drawing of the winter wiper blade of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Winter wiper blade 2 Blade rubber 3 Vertibra 4 Cover 5 Primary lever 6 Secondary lever 7 Yoke 52 Side wall part 54 Opening part 100 Winter wiper blade 101 Plate member 102 Opening part LM Holding lever mechanism

Claims (2)

A blade rubber for wiping the glass surface, a holding lever mechanism in which a plurality of lever members are combined to hold the blade rubber and connected to the wiper arm, and between the blade rubber and the holding lever mechanism In a winter wiper blade comprising an interverted vertebra, and a cover that covers the holding lever mechanism and the vertebra,
Among the plurality of lever members constituting the holding lever mechanism, at least a side wall portion on the side receiving the wind pressure of the lever member closest to the wiper arm extends to the vertebra side, and the side wall portion includes the cover member. A winter wiper blade characterized in that an opening into which a part thereof is provided is provided. A blade rubber for wiping the glass surface, a holding lever mechanism in which a plurality of lever members are combined to hold the blade rubber and connected to the wiper arm, and between the blade rubber and the holding lever mechanism In a winter wiper blade comprising an interverted vertebra, and a cover that covers the holding lever mechanism and the vertebra,
Of the plurality of lever members constituting the holding lever mechanism, at least an opening in which a plate member is attached to a side wall portion on the side receiving the wind pressure in the lever member closest to the wiper arm, and a part of the cover enters the plate member The windshield wiper blade is provided with a portion.

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