JP2012136149A - Wiper blade - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wiper blade keeping wiping performance, that is, suppressing the deterioration of lift and drag, regardless of strength of running wind.SOLUTION: A pair of accommodation sections 31d are disposed so that a holding section 31a that holds a body section 21 is sandwiched therebetween, a vertebra 31e is accommodated in each of the accommodation sections 31d, an upstream side lower end face section 31h, which is positioned on an upstream side in the running wind flow direction and on a front glass 11 side, is provided on one side of a shorter-side direction of a holder body 31, a downstream side lower end face section 31i, which is positioned on a downstream side in the running wind flow direction and on the front glass 11 side, is provided on the other side in the shorter-side direction of the holder body 31, the upstream side lower end face section 31h and downstream side lower end face section 31i are formed so that a cross-section surface along the shorter-side direction of the holder body 31 becomes an arc shape, and a curvature of the upstream side lower end face section 31h is set larger than that of the downstream side lower end face section 31i.

Description

  The present invention relates to a wiper blade that is mounted on a wiper arm that is swingably provided in a vehicle and that performs a reciprocating wiping operation on a windshield.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicle such as an automobile is equipped with a wiper device that secures a driver's field of view by wiping rainwater, dust, and the like attached to a windshield. The wiper device includes a wiper arm that is swingably driven by an electric motor, and a wiper blade that is attached to the wiper arm. The wiper blade is held on the holder body, and a holder main body that is rotatably attached to the distal end side of the wiper arm. A blade rubber. The blade rubber is elastically contacted toward the windshield by the elastic force of the vertebra, etc., thereby driving the electric motor to swing the wiper arm, whereby the blade rubber performs a reciprocating wiping operation on the windshield.

  By the way, when the traveling wind hits the wiper blade because the vehicle travels at a high speed, the lift acting on the wiper blade deteriorates depending on the strength of the traveling wind, for example, the wiper blade is lifted. The wiping performance of the wiper blade deteriorates and wiping unevenness occurs. Therefore, a fin portion for receiving the traveling wind along the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade is integrally provided, and as a result, a down force (pressing force toward the windshield) is applied to the wiper blade to improve the wiping performance of the wiper blade. Things have been done.

  As a wiper blade having such a fin portion, for example, a technique described in Patent Document 1 is known. The wiper blade described in Patent Document 1 includes, from the windshield (window) side, a blade rubber (bottom wiping strip), a flat plate-like vertebra (longitudinal central element), and a fin portion (spoiler), that is, a three-stage structure. It is a wiper blade. Here, the vertebra is provided inside the holder main body (central tubular main body), and the fin portion is integrally formed with the holder main body.

JP-T-2007-532380 (FIG. 1)

  However, according to the wiper blade described in Patent Document 1 described above, since a three-stage structure of blade rubber (first stage), vertebra (second stage) and fin portion (third stage) is adopted, The height from the windshield is relatively large. Therefore, a lot of driving wind hits the wiper blade, which causes excessive downforce (deterioration of lift), or the wiper blade moves beyond the wiping range and places a heavy load on the electric motor (resistance force) Problems).

  An object of the present invention is to provide a wiper blade that can maintain wiping performance regardless of the strength of traveling wind, that is, can suppress the deterioration of lift and drag.

  A wiper blade of the present invention is a wiper blade that is mounted on a wiper arm that is swingably provided on a vehicle and that performs a reciprocating wiping operation on a windshield, and a lip portion that contacts the windshield, and a lip portion that is integral with the lip portion A blade rubber having a main body portion formed, a holder main body having a holding portion for holding the main body portion, a pair of accommodating portions provided so as to sandwich the holding portion on both sides in a short direction of the holder main body, A pair of vertebras housed in each housing part and elastically deforming the blade rubber in accordance with the curvature of the windshield, an arm connecting member fixed to each vertebra and connected to the wiper arm, and a short of the holder body Provided on the one side in the hand direction and below the upstream side located on the windshield side upstream of the traveling wind flow direction And a downstream lower end surface portion provided on the other side in the short direction of the holder body and located on the downstream side in the traveling wind direction and on the windshield side, the upstream lower end surface portion and the downstream lower end The surface portion is formed such that a cross section along the short direction of the holder main body has an arc shape, and the curvature of the lower end surface portion on the upstream side is made larger than the curvature of the lower end surface portion on the downstream side.

  The wiper blade of the present invention is characterized in that a fin portion is integrally provided on the holder body along the longitudinal direction thereof.

  The wiper blade of the present invention is provided with an upstream airflow surface portion and a downstream airflow surface portion on one side in the short direction and the other side in the short direction of the fin portion, respectively, and each airflow surface portion is arranged in the short direction of the fin portion. And the curvature of the upstream airflow surface portion is smaller than the curvature of the downstream airflow surface portion.

  The wiper blade according to the present invention is characterized in that a connection surface portion having a circular cross section along the short direction of the fin portion is provided between the upstream lower end surface portion and the upstream airflow surface portion.

  The wiper blade of the present invention is characterized in that the holder main body and the fin portion are two-color molded from materials having different hardnesses.

  According to the wiper blade of the present invention, a pair of accommodating portions are provided so as to sandwich the holding portion that retains the main body portion, and the vertebra is accommodated in each accommodating portion. An upstream lower end surface portion located on the upstream side in the flow direction and on the windshield side is provided, and a downstream lower end surface portion located on the downstream side in the flow direction of the traveling wind and on the wind shield side is provided on the other side in the short side of the holder body. The upstream lower end surface portion and the downstream lower end surface portion are formed such that the cross section along the short direction of the holder main body has an arc shape, and the curvature of the upstream lower end surface portion is larger than the curvature of the downstream lower end surface portion.

  Therefore, since the vertebra is arranged on both sides of the main body part forming the blade rubber and the height dimension of the wiper blade can be made smaller than before, it is possible to suppress the excessive travel wind. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the wiper blade from moving beyond the wiping range and applying a large load to the electric motor (deterioration of drag). Also, since the curvature of the upstream lower end surface portion is larger than the curvature of the downstream lower end surface portion, the traveling wind is smoothly guided from the upstream lower end surface portion to the surface of the holder main body, and along the surface of the holder main body. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the separation of the traveling wind from the holder main body, suppress the generation of negative pressure due to the separation, and stabilize the lift acting on the wiper blade (improvement of wiping performance).

  According to the wiper blade of the present invention, since the fin portion is integrally provided on the holder main body along the longitudinal direction thereof, the running wind is smoothly guided from the lower end surface portion of the upstream side to the surface of the holder main body and the fin portion, and the holder It can be along the surface of the main body and the fin part. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the traveling wind from peeling from the holder main body and the fin part, to suppress the generation of negative pressure due to peeling, and to stabilize the lift acting on the wiper blade (improvement of wiping performance). it can.

  According to the wiper blade of the present invention, the upstream airflow surface portion and the downstream airflow surface portion are provided on one side in the short direction and the other side in the short direction of the fin portion, respectively, and each airflow surface portion is disposed in the short direction of the fin portion. Since the cross section along the arc is formed and the curvature of the upstream airflow surface portion is smaller than the curvature of the downstream airflow surface portion, a sufficient amount of traveling wind can be applied to the upstream airflow surface portion, and the wiper blade Sufficient downforce can be given to it.

  According to the wiper blade of the present invention, the upstream lower end surface portion is provided between the upstream lower end surface portion and the upstream air flow surface portion, since the connection surface portion having a circular section in the short direction of the fin portion is provided. And the upstream airflow surface portion can be smoothly connected, and the deterioration of the drag and lift acting on the wiper blade can be further suppressed.

  According to the wiper blade of the present invention, since the holder main body and the fin portion are two-color molded with materials having different hardnesses, the manufacturing process of the wiper blade can be simplified. For example, the fin body can be easily deformed by the traveling wind while making the holder body sufficiently strong, and in this case, the drag and lift acting on the wiper blade are optimized according to the strength of the traveling wind. Can do.

It is explanatory drawing explaining the wiper apparatus mounted in the vehicle. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the wiper blade of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. (A) is an enlarged view of the broken-line circle F part of FIG. 3, (b) is an enlarged view of the broken-line circle G part of FIG. It is sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 3 explaining the flow state of driving | running | working wind. It is sectional drawing which follows the BB line of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the connection structure (center part) of a vertebra. It is a perspective view which shows the detailed structure of a 1st cover member. It is a perspective view which shows the detailed structure of a 2nd cover member. It is sectional drawing which follows the CC line of FIG. 2 explaining the mounting procedure to the wiper arm of a wiper blade. It is sectional drawing which follows the DD line | wire of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the connection structure (end part) of a vertebra. (A), (b) is a perspective view explaining the detailed structure of an end cap. (A), (b) is sectional drawing which follows the EE line | wire of FIG. 2 explaining the attachment procedure to the holder member of an end cap. (A), (b) is a perspective view explaining the attachment procedure (initial stage) to the holder member of a blade rubber. (A), (b) is a perspective view explaining the attachment procedure (late stage) to the holder member of a blade rubber.

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

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory view for explaining a wiper device mounted on a vehicle, FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the wiper blade of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 4A is an enlarged view of a broken-line circle F portion of FIG. 3, FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of a broken-line circle G portion of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. Each figure is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a windshield 11 as a windshield is provided on the front side of a vehicle 10 such as an automobile, and on the front side of the windshield 11, rainwater, dust, etc. attached to the windshield 11 (see FIG. 1). A wiper device 12 is provided for wiping away the driver's field of view. The wiper device 12 is mounted inside a bulkhead (not shown) that forms an engine room of the vehicle 10.

  The wiper device 12 includes a wiper motor 13 as an electric motor that is rotationally driven by operating a wiper switch (not shown) provided in a passenger compartment or the like, and a driver seat side that is rotatably provided in the vehicle 10 ( DR side) and passenger side (AS side) pivot shafts 14a, 14b, and the proximal end side is fixed to each pivot shaft 14a, 14b, and the distal end side swings on the windshield 11 and the AS side wiper arm 15a, 15b and a link mechanism 16 that converts the rotational motion of the wiper motor 13 into the swing motion of the wiper arms 15a and 15b.

  DR-side and AS-side wiper blades 17a and 17b, which are similarly formed, are mounted on the distal ends of the wiper arms 15a and 15b, respectively, so as to be rotatable with respect to the vertical direction of the windshield 11, and the wiper blades 17a and 17b. Are elastically brought into contact with the windshield 11 by springs (not shown) provided on the wiper arms 15a and 15b. Then, by rotating the wiper motor 13, the wiping ranges 18a and 18b indicated by the two-dot chain line in the drawing on the windshield 11, that is, between the lower inversion position (wiper arm stop position) LRP and the upper inversion position URP. The wiper blades 17a and 17b perform a reciprocating wiping operation.

  FIG. 2 shows the DR-side wiper blade, and since the DR-side and AS-side wiper blades have the same configuration, only the DR-side wiper blade will be described below. In describing the DR-side wiper blade, the DR-side wiper blade components are simply referred to as “wiper blades” without adding the “DR-side”, and the DR-side and AS-side are distinguished. “A, b” at the end of the code is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the wiper blade 17 includes a blade rubber 20 that contacts the windshield 11, a holder member 30 that holds the blade rubber 20, an arm connecting member 40 that is provided in the longitudinal intermediate portion of the holder member 30, The cover 50 which covers the member 40, and a pair of end cap 60 with which the longitudinal direction both ends of the holder member 30 were mounted | worn are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the blade rubber 20 includes a main body portion 21, a body portion 22, a neck portion 23, and a lip portion 24. The blade rubber 20 is formed in an elongated shape by extruding an elastic material such as rubber, and the cross-sectional shape thereof is uniform throughout the entire length. The thickness dimension of the neck part 23 is set smaller than the thickness dimension of the body part 22 and is easily elastically deformed. Thereby, when the wiper blade 17 slides on the windshield 11, the inclination of the lip portion 24 is allowed, and as a result, the tip portion of the lip portion 24 smoothly follows the sliding direction of the wiper blade 17, and the windshield 11 Make sure to wipe off rainwater and dust adhering to the surface.

  The holder member 30 includes a holder main body 31 and a fin portion 32. The holder main body 31 and the fin portion 32 are integrated and formed into a long shape by two-color molding (extrusion molding) of materials having different hardnesses. ing. Thereby, the manufacturing process of the wiper blade 17 can be simplified. Here, a two-dot chain line L in the figure indicates a boundary line between the holder main body 31 and the fin portion 32.

  The holder main body 31 is made of a resin material such as plastic having flexibility in order to be able to follow the windshield 11 while ensuring sufficient strength to hold the blade rubber 20. A holding portion 31 a extending along the longitudinal direction of the holder main body 31 is formed at the intermediate portion in the short direction of the holder main body 31 (the intermediate portion in the left-right direction in the drawing). The holding portion 31 a includes a holding groove 31 b into which the main body portion 21 of the blade rubber 20 enters. A pair of holding claws 31c are provided on the windshield 11 side (lower side in the drawing) of the holding portion 31a so as to cover the windshield 11 side of the main body portion 21 and face each other with the body portion 22 interposed therebetween. As described above, the holding portion 31a is formed of the holding groove 31b for holding the main body portion 21 and the holding claws 31c, whereby the blade rubber 20 is reliably held without dropping off from the holder main body 31. .

  A pair of accommodating portions 31d having a substantially rectangular cross section are provided on both sides in the short direction (left and right sides in the figure) of the holder body 31. Each housing portion 31 d is formed so as to extend along the longitudinal direction of the holder main body 31 similarly to the holding portion 31 a, and is provided so as to sandwich the holding portion 31 a from both sides in the short side direction of the holder main body 31. The height position of each housing portion 31d from the windshield 11 is substantially the same as the height position of the holding portion 31a from the windshield 11.

  Each accommodating portion 31d accommodates a plate-like vertebra 31e made of a steel material having spring properties, and each vertebra 31e is provided inside each accommodating portion 31d so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction thereof, that is, in an unfixed state. It has been. Thereby, the elastic force of each vertebra 31e is efficiently transmitted to the holder body 31 and the blade rubber 20. Each of the vertebras 31e is curved with a curvature larger than the curvature of the windshield 11 in a natural state where no external force is applied, and the holder body 31 and the blade rubber 20 are elastically deformed according to the curvature of the windshield 11, thereby The entire region along the longitudinal direction of the lip portion 24 is in close contact with the windshield 11.

  A rubber pressing portion 31 f that presses the main body portion 21 of the blade rubber 20 toward the windshield 11 is formed at a portion of the holding groove 31 b facing the windshield 11. Moreover, the holder which presses the holder main body 31 toward the windshield 11 by the elastic force of each vertibra 31e in the part facing the windshield 11 of each accommodating part 31d and the windshield 11 side rather than the rubber press part 31f. Each pressing portion 31g is formed.

  Each vertebra 31e presses each holder pressing portion 31g of each accommodating portion 31d with a pressing force F1 (arrow in the figure), and each pressing force F1 is transmitted to the rubber pressing portion 31f as a combined force F2 (arrow in the drawing). The As a result, the combined force F2 is transmitted to the main body portion 21 through the rubber pressing portion 31f, and the holder main body 31 and the blade rubber 20 are elastically deformed according to the curvature of the windshield 11, and the lip portion 24 is extended in the longitudinal direction. It adheres to the windshield 11 in the whole area. Here, since each holder pressing part 31g is located on the windshield 11 side with respect to the rubber pressing part 31f, for example, even if the holder main body 31 may be twisted, a stable combined force F2 on the rubber pressing part 31f. Can be transmitted, and the entire region along the longitudinal direction of the lip portion 24 can be securely adhered to the windshield 11.

  An upstream lower end surface portion 31 h is provided on one side (right side in the drawing) of the holder body 31 in the short direction. The upstream lower end surface portion 31h is located on the upstream side in the traveling wind direction of the holder main body 31 and on the windshield 11 side, and a cross section along the short direction of the holder main body 31 is as shown in FIG. It is formed in an arc shape with a radius R1. Here, the flow direction of the traveling wind is directed from the right side in the figure to the left side in the figure. This is because the wiper blade 17 is positioned at the lower reversal position LRP (wiper arm stop position), and the wiper blade 17 is moved to the wiper blade 17 in this state. The driving wind is in a state of being hit.

  A downstream lower end surface portion 31 i is provided on the other side of the holder main body 31 in the short direction (left side in the figure). The downstream lower end surface portion 31i is located on the downstream side in the traveling wind direction of the holder main body 31 and on the windshield 11 side, and the cross section along the short direction of the holder main body 31 is as shown in FIG. It is formed in an arc shape with a radius R2. The radius R2 of the downstream lower end surface portion 31i is set larger than the radius R1 of the upstream lower end surface portion 31h (R2> R1), that is, the curvature of the upstream lower end surface portion 31h is set larger than the curvature of the downstream lower end surface portion 31i. Has been. Thus, the upstream side of the traveling direction of the traveling wind in the holder body 31 is sharpened so that the traveling wind can be smoothly guided along the holder body 31 and the fin portion 32 from the traveling wind branch point P toward the left side in the figure. ing.

  Here, the traveling wind branch point P is formed on the most distal side (most right side in the figure) on the upstream side in the traveling direction of the traveling wind along the short direction of the holder main body 31, and the traveling wind branch point P is the wiper blade. The traveling wind toward 17 is divided into the fin 32 side of the holder body 31 and the blade rubber 20 side of the holder body 31.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the fin portion 32 is formed long by an elastic material such as rubber, and is provided integrally with the holder main body 31 along the longitudinal direction thereof. The hardness of the fin part 32 is set to a hardness lower than the hardness of the holder main body 31, whereby the fin part 32 can be elastically deformed by the wind pressure of the traveling wind (see FIG. 5).

  The fin portion 32 is provided on the opposite side of the holder body 31 from the front glass 11 side, and a top portion 32a farthest from the windshield 11 is formed on the tip side (the upper side in the figure). The top portion 32a is disposed on the downstream side (left side in the drawing) of the traveling wind along the short direction of the holder main body 31, and therefore, the blade is disposed on the upstream side (right side in the drawing) of the traveling wind of the fin portion 32. Rubber 20 will be arranged. As a result, downforce (not shown) generated when the traveling wind hits the fin portion 32 can be efficiently applied to the blade rubber 20.

  One side of the fin portion 32 in the short direction (right side in the drawing) is provided with an upstream airflow surface portion 32b along which the traveling wind flows, and the upstream airflow surface portion 32b has a cross section along the short direction of the fin portion 32. It is formed in an arc shape and is set to a radius R3. Between the upstream airflow surface portion 32b and the upstream lower end surface portion 31h, there is provided a connection surface portion 32c whose cross section along the short direction of the fin portion 32 has an arc shape, and the connection surface portion 32c is the upstream airflow surface portion 32b. And the upstream lower end surface portion 31h are connected smoothly and continuously. Further, a downstream air flow surface portion 32d set to a radius R4 is provided on the other side of the fin portion 32 in the short direction (left side in the figure), and a cross section along the short direction of the fin portion 32 is formed in an arc shape. Has been.

  The radius R3 of the upstream airflow surface portion 32b is set larger than the radius R4 of the downstream airflow surface portion 32d (R3> R4), that is, the curvature of the upstream airflow surface portion 32b is set smaller than the curvature of the downstream airflow surface portion 32d. Has been. Thereby, a sufficient amount of traveling wind can be applied to the upstream air flow surface portion 32b, and the down force applied to the blade rubber 20 can be made sufficiently large. Further, the length dimension (height dimension) h1 from the traveling wind branch point P to the top portion 32a is set longer than the length dimension (height dimension) h2 from the traveling wind branch point P to the tip of the lip portion 24. (H1> h2), so that a large amount of traveling wind strikes the fin portion 32 side of the holder body 31. That is, it is possible to obtain a sufficient down force without enlarging the fin portion 32 so much that the wiper blade 17 can be reduced in weight while improving the appearance of the wiper blade 17.

  Next, the flow state of the traveling wind will be described based on FIG. When the wiper blade 17 receives the traveling wind W1, the traveling wind W1 is divided at the traveling wind branch point P into the traveling wind W2 on the fin portion 32 side and the traveling wind W3 on the blade rubber 20 side. At this time, since the traveling wind branch point P is formed on the upstream lower end surface portion 31h, most of the traveling wind W1 flows to the fin portion 32 side as the traveling wind W2.

  The traveling wind W2 flows from the upstream lower end surface portion 31h toward the top portion 32a along the connection surface portion 32c and the upstream air flow surface portion 32b, and then the other side in the short side of the holder body 31 via the top portion 32a (left side in the figure). ). At this time, since the upstream lower end surface portion 31h and the upstream airflow surface portion 32b are smoothly connected by the connection surface portion 32c, the traveling wind W4 from the surfaces of the holder main body 31 and the fin portion 32 as indicated by the broken line in the figure. Separation does not occur, and negative pressure (dashed circle in the figure) does not occur on the upper side of the upstream air flow surface portion 32b in the figure. Therefore, the lift force F4 that lifts the wiper blade 17 upward in the figure is not generated, and a sufficiently large and stable lift force F3 (downforce) can be applied to the windshield 11 by the wind pressure of the traveling wind W2. The wiping performance of the wiper blade 17 is improved.

  Here, when the traveling wind W2 is too strong, as shown by an arrow T in the figure, the narrow top portion 32a side of the fin portion 32 bends, and the traveling wind W2 moves to the other side in the short direction of the holder body 31. Opened. Therefore, it is possible to optimize the size of the lift F3 by suppressing the lift F3 from becoming excessively large. Similarly, the wiper blade 17 can be prevented from moving beyond the wiping ranges 18a and 18b (see FIG. 1) by the traveling wind W2, and overload (overload) to the wiper motor 13 (see FIG. 1) can be prevented.

  6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 2, FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a connecting structure (central part) of the vertebra, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a detailed structure of the first cover member. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the detailed structure of the second cover member, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 2 for explaining the procedure for mounting the wiper blade to the wiper arm.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, an arm connecting member 40 and a cover 50 are provided at an intermediate portion along the longitudinal direction of the holder main body 31. A connecting member mounting portion 33 is formed in the intermediate portion along the longitudinal direction of the holder body 31 by partially cutting off the fin portion 32. The connecting member mounting portion 33 includes four cutout portions 33a for exposing the respective vertical bars 31e corresponding to the connecting member mounting portion 33 to the outside. Each notch 33a is formed by partially cutting the holder main body 31, and each vertical bar 31e exposed from each notch 33a is provided with a long hole 34 extending along the longitudinal direction of each vertical bar 31e. The hole 34 penetrates in the thickness direction (vertical direction in the figure) of each vertical bar 31e.

  The arm connecting member 40 is formed into a predetermined shape by pressing a steel plate, and is fixed to four caulking leg portions 41 (three in the drawing), a pair of main body wall portions 42, and the main body wall portions 42. The pin 43 and the hook mounting member 44 rotatably provided on the rotation pin 43 are provided. Each caulking leg 41 and each main body wall 42 are bent so as to face in opposite directions, and each caulking leg 41 is caulked and fixed to each vertebra 31e exposed from each notch 33a.

  As shown in FIG. 6, positioning protrusions 41 a are respectively formed on the base end sides of the caulking leg portions 41, and the positioning protrusions 41 a enter the respective long holes 34. As a result, the arm connecting member 40 can be assembled while accurately positioning the arm connecting member 40 with respect to each of the vertical braces 31e. Then, with the positioning protrusions 41a positioned in the elongated holes 34, the crimping jigs (not shown) are used to bend the leading ends of the crimping leg portions 41 as shown by broken line arrows in FIG. Thereby, the arm connection member 40 can be firmly fixed to each vertebra 31e.

  Here, when the caulking leg portions 41 are caulked and fixed, the holder main body 31 corresponding to the connecting member mounting portion 33 is elastically deformed, so that the arm connecting member 40 causes a problem such as rattling with respect to each vertibra 31e. Absent. As described above, in the present embodiment, the steel members (the arm connecting member 40 and each of the vertebras 31e) are fixed by caulking, so that it is necessary to worry about melting of the holder main body 31 and the like when fixing by welding or the like. There is no.

  A rotation pin 43 made of a columnar steel material is fixed to each main body wall portion 42 so as to extend along the short direction of the holder main body 31. The pivot pin 43 is fixed between the main body wall portions 42 by caulking and fixing both axial ends thereof. The pivot pin 43 has a hook mounting member 44 formed in a predetermined shape by a resin material such as plastic. Is rotatably provided. Here, the hook mounting member 44 is connected to a U-shaped hook 19 (see FIG. 10) formed at the tip of the wiper arm 15.

  In the vicinity of the rotation pin 43 in each main body wall portion 42, a through hole 42 a (one in the drawing) penetrating along the short direction of the holder main body 31 is provided. Respective claw portions 51f (one in the figure) formed in the first cover member 51 that forms the cover 50 enter the respective through holes 42a. Thereby, the cover 50 is fixed to the arm connecting member 40.

  The cover 50 covers and conceals the arm connecting member 40 and the connecting member mounting portion 33 and improves the appearance of the wiper blade 17, and includes a first cover member 51 and a second cover member 52. Each cover member 51, 52 is formed in a predetermined shape by injection molding a molten plastic material or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the first cover member 51 is formed in a substantially U shape, and includes a pair of arm portions 51 a extending along the longitudinal direction of the holder body 31. On the distal end side (left side in the figure) of each arm portion 51a, a connecting portion 51b that connects the distal end sides of each arm portion 51a is provided, thereby ensuring a predetermined strength so that the arm portions 51a are not separated from each other. ing.

  A pair of pins 51c for rotatably supporting the second cover member 52 is provided on the tip side of the connecting portion 51b of each arm portion 51a, and each pin 51c is a pin provided on the second cover member 52. It is adapted to enter the hole 52a. In addition, a pair of lock pins 51d for holding the second cover member 52 in a closed state is provided on the base end side (right side in the drawing) of the connecting portion 51b of each arm portion 51a. Each lock hole 52c provided in each lock claw 52b of the second cover member 52 enters into each lock hole 52c. Each lock pin 51d is provided with a guide inclined surface 51e for guiding the overtaking of the front end of each lock claw 52b, whereby the second cover member 52 can be easily closed.

  A pair of claw portions 51f (one in the figure) for fixing the cover 50 to the arm connecting member 40 is provided on the proximal side of each arm portion 51a with respect to each lock pin 51d. Each of the through holes 42 a provided in the arm connecting member 40 is inserted into the through hole 42 a. Each claw 51f enters each through hole 42a while elastically deforming each arm 51a outward when fixing the first cover member 51 to the arm connecting member 40. Is not easily removed from

  The second cover member 52 is formed in a substantially bowl shape as shown in FIG. 9, and a pair of pin holes 52 a are provided on the distal end side (left side in the drawing) of the second cover member 52. Each pin 51c of the first cover member 51 is rotatably inserted into each pin hole 52a, so that the second cover member 52 is centered on each pin 51c with respect to the first cover member 51. It is freely rotatable (see FIG. 10).

  A pair of lock claws 52 b is provided at an intermediate portion along the longitudinal direction of the second cover member 52. A lock hole 52c is formed on the distal end side (lower side in the figure) of each lock claw 52b, and each lock pin 51d provided in the first cover member 51 is inserted into each lock hole 52c. . On the distal end side of each lock claw 52b, there is provided a guide inclined surface 52d that slides in contact with each guide inclined surface 51e provided on each lock pin 51d and guides the engagement of each lock pin 51d with each lock hole 52c. ing.

  A gripping portion 52e is provided on the base end side (upper side in the drawing) of each lock claw 52b, and each gripping portion 52e is formed in an uneven shape to be easily gripped. Here, the respective gripping portions 52e are gripped and the respective lock claws 52b are elastically deformed so as to be close to each other, and the second cover member 52 is pulled up under the state, whereby the lock holes 52c of the respective lock pins 51d are moved to the respective lock holes 52c. Can be released, whereby the second cover member 52 can be opened.

  A cutout groove 52 f is provided on the distal end side of the second cover member 52. The fin portion 32 of the holder member 30 is inserted into the notch groove 52f, so that the second cover member 52 can be opened and closed smoothly. In addition, the fin part 32 does not contact the notch groove 52f, and the damage of the fin part 32 accompanying opening and closing of the 2nd cover member 52 is prevented.

  Next, a procedure for mounting the wiper blade 17 to the wiper arm 15 will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown by the arrow (1), the second cover member 52 forming the cover 50 is rotated and opened with respect to the first cover member 51. Thereby, a space in which the U-shaped hook 19 of the wiper arm 15 can enter appears on the front side (left side in the drawing) of the hook mounting member 44. Thereafter, as indicated by the arrow (2), the wiper blade 17 is moved, and the hook mounting member 44 is inserted inside the U-shaped hook 19.

  Here, the U-shaped hook 19 is provided with an engagement hole 19a, and the hook mounting member 44 is provided with an operation piece 44b having an engagement convex portion 44a. Thus, by inserting the hook mounting member 44 inside the U-shaped hook 19, the engaging convex portion 44 a enters the engaging hole 19 a and the mounting of the wiper blade 17 to the wiper arm 15 is completed. When removing the wiper blade 17 from the wiper arm 15, the operation piece 44b is operated in the direction of the arrow (3) to release the engagement between the engagement convex portion 44a and the engagement hole 19a, and the U-shaped hook. The hook mounting member 44 is removed from the inner side of 19.

  Thereafter, as indicated by the arrow (4), the second cover member 52 is rotated and closed with respect to the first cover member 51, and the lock pins 51d are inserted into the lock holes 52c. Thereby, the mounting of the wiper blade 17 to the wiper arm 15 and the mounting of the cover 50 are completed.

  11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 2, FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing a connecting structure (end portion) of the vertebra, and FIGS. 13A and 13B are detailed structures of the end cap. 14 (a) and 14 (b) are cross-sectional views taken along the line E-E in FIG. 2 for explaining the procedure for attaching the end cap to the holder member, and FIGS. 15 (a) and 15 (b). FIG. 16A is a perspective view for explaining a procedure for attaching the blade rubber to the holder member (initial stage), and FIGS. 16A and 16B are perspective views for explaining a procedure for attaching the blade rubber to the holder member (late stage). Represents each.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a pair of end caps 60 are attached to both longitudinal ends of the holder member 30, and each end cap 60 extends from both longitudinal ends of the holder body 31 forming the holder member 30. The projecting portion of each protruding vertebra 31e is covered and the blade rubber 20 is prevented from falling off the holder body 31. Since each end cap 60 has the same shape, only one end cap 60 is illustrated and described in the following description.

  A predetermined amount of the end of each vertical bar 31e protrudes from the end of the holder body 31 in the longitudinal direction, and a long hole 35 extending along the longitudinal direction of each vertical bar 31e is provided in the protruding part of each vertical bar 31e. ing. Each vertebra 31e is connected by a connecting member 36, and the connecting member 36 is formed in a plate shape by punching (pressing) a steel plate.

  The connecting member 36 is provided with a pair of positioning convex portions 36a corresponding to the long holes 35 of the vertical bars 31e, and the positioning convex portions 36a enter the long holes 35. Thereby, the space | interval of the protrusion part of each vertebra 31e can be made constant, and the protrusion part of each vertebra 31e can be connected so that the said space | interval may not change. Then, with the positioning projections 36a positioned in the respective long holes 35, the both sides in the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 36 are bent as shown by broken line arrows in FIG. Thus, the connecting member 36 is firmly fixed to the protruding portion of each vertebra 31e.

  The end cap 60 is formed into a predetermined shape by injection molding of molten plastic or the like, and includes a cap body 61 that covers the connecting portion (connecting member 36) of each vertebra 31 e and the fin portion 32 that forms the holder member 30. And a fin covering portion 62 that covers a part thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 13, a pair of retaining claws 61 a are formed on the side of the cap body 61 opposite to the fin covering portion 62, and each retaining hook 61 a is a short side of the end cap 60. Oppositely arranged along the direction (left-right direction in FIG. 11). The base end side of each retaining hook 61a is integrally connected to the cap body 61, and a protrusion 61b that protrudes toward the inside of the cap body 61 is provided on the distal end side of each retaining hook 61a. . Each retaining claw portion 61 a is elastically deformable as shown in FIG. 14, and is elastically deformed by the connecting member 36 when the end cap 60 is attached to the end portion of the holder member 30. .

  Here, in order to attach the end cap 60 to the end portion of the holder member 30, the end cap 60 is caused to face along the longitudinal direction of the holder member 30 as shown by an arrow (5) in FIG. Next, when the end cap 60 is pushed forward with respect to the holder member 30, the connecting member 36 fixed to each vertebra 31e comes into contact with each projection 61b, and each retaining claw portion is shown by an arrow (6). Press 61a down. Thereafter, when the end cap 60 is further pushed forward with respect to the holder member 30, as shown in FIG. 14 (b), the connecting member 36 gets over each protruding portion 61b, and is detached as shown by the arrow (7). The pawl portion 61a returns to the original state. As a result, each of the retaining claws 61a is hooked on the connecting member 36, and the end cap 60 is prevented from being detached from the holder member 30.

  As shown in FIG. 13, a notch 61 c is provided on the side of the cap body 61 opposite to the fin covering portion 62, and the notch 61 c is provided at an intermediate portion along the short direction of the end cap 60. Yes. As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the notch 61 c is formed between the end cap 60 and the holder main body 31 between the end cap 60 and the holder main body 31 with the end cap 60 mounted on the end of the holder member 30. An insertion opening O for inserting the portion 21 is formed.

  Further, a pair of cap side holding claws 61 d is provided on the side of the cap body 61 opposite to the fin covering portion 62 side, and each cap side holding claw 61 d is similar to each holding claw 31 c provided on the holder body 31. The main body 21 is configured to support the windshield 11 side. That is, each cap-side holding claw 61 d is disposed on the extension of each holding claw 31 c along the longitudinal direction of the holder body 31 as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16.

  On the holder main body 31 side (right side in the figure) along the longitudinal direction of each cap-side holding claw 61 d, that is, on the end cap 60 side forming the insertion opening O, the main body portion 21 faces the holding portion 31 a of the holder main body 31. Guide portions 61e are provided for guidance. Each guide portion 61e includes an inclined surface 61f that is inclined from the outside of the end cap 60 toward the holding portion 31a, thereby making it easy to guide the main body portion 21 to the holding portion 31a.

  Next, a procedure for attaching the blade rubber 20 to the holder body 31 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16.

[Early stage]
First, the blade rubber 20 corresponding to the length dimension of the holder body 31 is prepared, and the holder member 30 to which the end cap 60 is attached is prepared. Next, as shown in FIG. 15A, the blade rubber 20 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the holder main body 31, and one end portion (right side in the drawing) of the blade rubber 20 faces the insertion opening O. Here, the inclination angle of the blade rubber 20 with respect to the holder main body 31 is set to be the inclination angle of each inclined surface 61f provided in each guide portion 61e. Then, as shown by an arrow (8), by bringing one end portion of the blade rubber 20 close to the insertion opening O, the main body portion 21 is guided to each inclined surface 61f, and one end portion of the blade rubber 20 is placed in the holding portion 31a. It will be inserted into. As the insertion of the blade rubber 20 into the holding portion 31a proceeds, the blade rubber 20 is gradually attached to the holder main body 31 with elastic deformation as shown in FIG.

[Late stage]
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 16 (a), the blade rubber 20 is continuously attached to the holder main body 31, and the blade rubber 20 is pressed in the longitudinal direction as shown by an arrow (9). The blade rubber 20 is once compressed. Thereby, the main-body part 21 is completely inserted in the holding part 31a. Next, by releasing the pressing force on the blade rubber 20, the blade rubber 20 returns to its natural length as shown by an arrow (10) in FIG. 16B, and the other end of the blade rubber 20 (FIG. The middle left) moves toward the end cap 60. Thereby, each cap side holding claw 61d on the extension of each holding claw 31c comes to support the windshield 11 side of the main body portion 21, and the mounting operation of the blade rubber 20 to the holder main body 31 is completed.

  As described above in detail, according to the wiper blade 17 according to the present embodiment, the pair of storage portions 31d are provided so as to sandwich the holding portion 31a that holds the main body portion 21, and the vertical portions 31e are stored in the respective storage portions 31d. And the fin part 32 is provided so that the longitudinal direction of the holder main body 31 may be provided, and the upstream lower end surface part 31h located in the short direction of the holder main body 31 on the upstream side in the flow direction of the traveling wind and on the windshield 11 side. A downstream lower end surface portion 31i located on the downstream side in the flow direction of the traveling wind and on the windshield 11 side is provided on the other side in the short direction of the holder body 31, and an upstream lower end surface portion 31h and a downstream lower end surface portion 31i are provided. The cross section of the holder body 31 along the short direction is formed in an arc shape, and the curvature of the upstream lower end surface portion 31h is larger than the curvature of the downstream lower end surface portion 31i. Kushida.

  Therefore, since the vertebra 31e is arrange | positioned on both sides of the main-body part 21 which forms the blade rubber 20, and the height dimension of the wiper blade 17 can be made smaller than before, it can suppress that driving | running | working wind hits too much. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the wiper blade 17 from moving beyond the wiping ranges 18a and 18c and applying a large load to the wiper motor 13 (deterioration of drag). Further, since the curvature of the upstream lower end surface portion 31h is made larger than the curvature of the downstream lower end surface portion 31i, the traveling wind is smoothly guided from the upstream lower end surface portion 31h to the surfaces of the holder main body 31 and the fin portion 32, and the holder main body 31 and the surface of the fin part 32. Therefore, the traveling wind is prevented from peeling from the holder main body 31 and the fin portion 32, the generation of negative pressure due to the peeling is suppressed, and the lift acting on the wiper blade 17 is stabilized (improvement of wiping performance). Can be planned.

  Moreover, according to the wiper blade 17 according to the present embodiment, the upstream airflow surface portion 32b and the downstream airflow surface portion 32d are provided on one side in the short direction and the other side in the short direction of the fin portion 32, respectively. 32b and 32d are formed so that the cross section along the short direction of the fin portion 32 has an arc shape, and the curvature of the upstream airflow surface portion 32b is smaller than the curvature of the downstream airflow surface portion 32d, so that a sufficient amount of travel is achieved. The wind can be applied to the upstream air flow surface portion 32 b, and sufficient down force can be applied to the wiper blade 17.

  Furthermore, according to the wiper blade 17 according to the present embodiment, the connection surface portion 32c in which the cross section along the short direction of the fin portion 32 has an arc shape between the upstream lower end surface portion 31h and the upstream airflow surface portion 32b. Since the upstream lower end surface portion 31h and the upstream airflow surface portion 32b can be connected smoothly, the drag acting on the wiper blade 17 and the deterioration of lift can be further suppressed.

  Further, according to the wiper blade 17 according to the present embodiment, since the holder main body 31 and the fin portion 32 are two-color molded with materials having different hardnesses, the manufacturing process of the wiper blade can be simplified. In the present embodiment, the fin body 32 is easily deformed by the traveling wind while the holder body 31 is sufficiently strong, and the drag and lift acting on the wiper blade 17 are optimized according to the strength of the traveling wind. .

  It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the wiper blade 17 is applied to the wiper device 12 for wiping the windshield 11 as the windshield. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rear glass as the windshield is used. It can also be applied to a wiper device for wiping.

10 Vehicle 11 Windshield (windshield)
12 Wiper device 13 Wiper motor (electric motor)
14a DR side pivot shaft 14b AS side pivot shaft 15 Wiper arm 15a DR side wiper arm 15b AS side wiper arm 16 Link mechanism 17 Wiper blade 17a DR side wiper blade 17b AS side wiper blade 18a, 18b Wiping range 19 U-shaped hook 19a Engagement hole 20 Blade rubber 21 Body portion 22 Body portion 23 Neck portion 24 Lip portion 30 Holder member 31 Holder body 31a Holding portion 31b Holding groove 31c Holding claw 31d Housing portion 31e Vertibra 31f Rubber pressing portion 31g Holder pressing portion 31h Upstream lower end surface portion 31i Downstream Side lower end surface portion 32 Fin portion 32a Top portion 32b Upstream airflow surface portion 32c Connection surface portion 32d Downstream airflow surface portion 33 Connecting member mounting portion 33a Notch portion 34, 35 Long hole 36 Connecting member 36a position Determining convex part 40 Arm connecting member 41 Caulking leg part 41a Positioning convex part 42 Main body wall part 42a Through hole 43 Rotating pin 44 Hook mounting member 44a Engaging convex part 44b Operation piece 50 Cover 51 First cover member 51a Arm part 51b Connection 51c pin 51d lock pin 51e guide inclined surface 51f claw 52 second cover member 52a pin hole 52b lock claw 52c lock hole 52d guide inclined surface 52e gripping portion 52f notch groove 60 end cap 61 cap body 61a retaining claw 61b protrusion Part 61c Notch part 61d Cap side holding claw 61e Guide part 61f Inclined surface 62 Fin covering part O Insertion opening part P Running wind branch point LRP Lower reverse position URP Upper reverse position

Claims (5)

A wiper blade that is mounted on a wiper arm that is swingably provided on a vehicle and that performs a reciprocating wiping operation on a windshield,
A blade rubber having a lip portion in contact with the windshield, and a body portion formed integrally with the lip portion;
A holder body having a holding portion for holding the body portion;
A pair of accommodating portions provided so as to sandwich the holding portion on both sides in the short direction of the holder body;
A pair of vertebras housed in each of the housing parts and elastically deforming the blade rubber in accordance with the curvature of the windshield;
An arm connecting member fixed to each vertebra and connected to the wiper arm;
Provided on one side in the short direction of the holder body, an upstream lower end surface portion located on the upstream side in the flow direction of the traveling wind and on the windshield side;
Provided on the other side in the short direction of the holder body, and provided with a downstream lower end surface portion located on the downstream side in the flow direction of the traveling wind and on the windshield side,
The upstream lower end surface portion and the downstream lower end surface portion are formed such that a cross section along the short direction of the holder main body has an arc shape, and the curvature of the upstream lower end surface portion is larger than the curvature of the downstream lower end surface portion. A wiper blade characterized by   2. The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein a fin portion is integrally provided on the holder main body along a longitudinal direction thereof.   3. The wiper blade according to claim 2, wherein an upstream airflow surface portion and a downstream airflow surface portion are respectively provided on one side in the short direction and the other side in the short direction of the fin portion, and each airflow surface portion is disposed on the short side of the fin portion. A wiper blade characterized in that a cross section along a hand direction is formed in an arc shape, and a curvature of the upstream airflow surface portion is smaller than a curvature of the downstream airflow surface portion.   4. The wiper blade according to claim 3, wherein a connecting surface portion in which a cross section along the short direction of the fin portion has an arc shape is provided between the upstream lower end surface portion and the upstream airflow surface portion. Wiper blade.   The wiper blade according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the holder body and the fin portion are two-color molded from materials having different hardnesses.

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