JP2015123861A - Wiper blade and wiper device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wiper blade and a wiper device for a vehicle capable of suppressing an increase of friction during wiping.SOLUTION: A wiper blade comprises a long-shaped blade rubber 11 including a base part 11a and a wiping part 11b extending downward from the base part 11a, and slidingly contacting a front glass G in a width direction to wipe the front glass G. The wiping part 11b is formed with a sectional form in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction in an unloaded condition inclined with respect to a suspension direction orthogonal to the width direction. To reduce a friction force with a front glass G, a low friction part 31 is provided above the opposite side of a width direction toward which the wiping part 11b extends and which is touched with the front glass G after the touch with the wiping part 11b.

Description

  The present invention relates to a wiper blade and a vehicle wiper device.

  Conventionally, a wiper blade of a vehicle wiper device includes a lever member, and a long blade rubber having a base portion gripped by the lever member and a wiping portion extending downward from the base portion to wipe the wiping surface. Yes.

  And a general blade rubber has a neck portion extending in a drooping direction perpendicular to the width direction in a no-load state between the base portion and the wiping portion, and at the time of wiping operation, this neck portion is bent, The wiping portion wipes the wiping surface by sliding on the wiping surface in a posture inclined downward on the opposite side to the traveling direction. However, in such a blade rubber, during the reversing operation, the wiping portion tilts in the reverse direction beyond the drooping direction, and suddenly moves up and down to generate an impact sound (so-called reversing sound).

  Therefore, for example, in Patent Document 1, there is one in which a hollow portion is formed in the wiping portion as viewed from the longitudinal direction and a portion protruding in both the width direction is provided so as to prevent the reverse sound during the reverse operation.

JP 2001-322535 A

  However, in the blade rubber, the wiping portion has a high vertical rigidity and is difficult to be elastically deformed in the vertical direction. Therefore, the followability to the curved wiping surface is low, and the wiping performance may be deteriorated. .

  Therefore, the applicant of the present invention is that the cross-sectional shape of the wiping portion in the unloaded state is formed to be inclined with respect to the drooping direction orthogonal to the width direction (reciprocating operation direction), and the inclination during the wiping operation including the reverse operation A blade rubber that can reduce the reversal sound while maintaining the wiping performance by maintaining the direction (the inclination direction does not reverse) has been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-281580).

  However, in the wiper blade as described above, since the wiping portion is inclined, the wiping portion is extended in the wiper blade because the wiping portion is greatly bent during wiping or the curvature of the wiping surface is partially increased. It is conceivable that an upper part on the side opposite to the one direction side in the width direction accidentally contacts the wiping surface. Therefore, for example, the accidental contact site that accidentally contacts the wiping surface as described above may increase the frictional force (friction resistance) during wiping. This causes, for example, an increase in the load applied to the drive source that drives the wiper blade, and the generation of noise due to the accidental contact portion rubbing against the wiping surface.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wiper blade and a vehicle wiper device that can suppress an increase in frictional force during wiping.

  A wiper blade that solves the above problems includes a rubber holder, a base portion held by the rubber holder, and a wiping for wiping the wiping surface by slidingly contacting the wiping surface along the width direction extending downward from the base portion. A wiper blade having a long blade rubber having a section, wherein the wiping section has a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the longitudinal direction in an unloaded state, inclined with respect to a drooping direction perpendicular to the width direction A contingent contact portion that is formed at the upper position on the opposite side to the one direction side in the width direction in which the wiping portion extends, and comes into contact with the wiping surface next to the wiping portion. A low friction portion for reducing the frictional force with the wiping surface is provided.

  According to this configuration, the wiping portion is formed so that the cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the longitudinal direction in the no-load state is inclined with respect to the hanging direction orthogonal to the width direction. The inclination direction can be maintained up to the drooping direction (that is, the wiping posture of the wiping portion does not incline in the reverse direction beyond the drooping direction during the forward operation and during the backward operation). Accordingly, during the reversing operation, the wiping portion is prevented from inclining in the reverse direction beyond the hanging direction and suddenly moving up and down, and the reversing sound generated at that time can be reduced.

  Moreover, since the wiping portion is formed to be inclined with respect to the hanging direction, the rigidity in the vertical direction can be lowered, and the elastic deformation in the vertical direction (in other words, the curved deformation in the longitudinal direction) can be easily performed. Therefore, the followability to the curved wiping surface can be made good, and the wiping performance can be maintained.

  And it is the upper position on the opposite side to the one direction side in the width direction in which the wiping portion extends, and it is low in order to reduce the frictional force at the accidental contact portion that comes into contact with the wiping surface next to the wiping portion. Since the friction portion is provided, the wiping portion is greatly bent at the time of wiping or the curvature of the wiping surface is increased, so that an increase in frictional force at the time of wiping can be suppressed even if the accidental contact portion contacts the wiping surface. . Thereby, for example, an increase in load applied to the drive source for driving the wiper blade and a rapid change in load can be suppressed. Further, for example, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of abnormal noise due to the accidental contact portion rubbing against the wiping surface during wiping.

In the wiper blade, the low friction portion is preferably made of a resin material.
According to this configuration, since the low friction portion is made of a resin material, the effects described above can be obtained specifically.

  In the wiper blade, a wiping resin member made of a resin material that is harder than the elastic member on the base side of the wiping portion and compatible with the elastic member is coupled to the lowermost end portion of the wiping portion, and the low friction portion Is preferably made of the same resin material as the wiping resin member.

  According to this configuration, a wiping resin member made of a resin material that is harder than the elastic member on the base side of the wiping portion and is compatible with the elastic member is coupled to the lowermost end portion of the wiping portion. The contact width when pressed against the surface can be reduced, and the frictional force during wiping can be reduced. Since the wiping resin member is made of a resin material compatible with the elastic member, the wiping resin member is peeled off as compared with those bonded without considering each other material (for example, natural rubber bonded with polyethylene). The durability can be increased. And since the low friction part consists of the same resin material as the said wiping resin member, it can reduce the kind of material. Further, for example, the wiping resin member and the low friction portion can be easily formed simultaneously by extrusion molding or the like.

In the wiper blade, the low friction part is preferably provided so as to be exposed from the elastic member.
According to this configuration, since the low friction part is provided so as to be exposed from the elastic member, for example, when the lockback is released, the wiping part is inclined so that the wiping part alone cannot absorb the impact. In addition, the low friction portion may collide with the wiping surface next to the wiping portion. At this time, the impact on the wiping surface can be reduced by the elastic member that supports the low friction portion.

A vehicle wiper device that solves the above problems includes the wiper blade.
According to this configuration, the above-described effects can be obtained in the vehicle wiper device.

  According to the wiper blade and the vehicle wiper device of the present invention, an increase in frictional force during wiping can be suppressed.

The schematic plan view of the wiper for vehicles in one Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the wiper blade in one Embodiment. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the wiper blade in one Embodiment. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the wiper blade in another example. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the wiper blade in another example.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle wiper device will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle wiper of the vehicle wiper device includes a wiper arm 1 and a wiper blade 2 connected to the wiper arm 1. The vehicle wiper device of this embodiment is for wiping raindrops and the like attached to a windshield G (see FIG. 3) as a wiping surface of the vehicle, and the stop position is substantially along the lower side of the windshield G. Are arranged.

  The wiper arm 1 is fixed to a pivot shaft (not shown) whose base end is reciprocally rotated at a predetermined angle by a driving force of a wiper motor (not shown), and the distal end side thereof is a windshield G side by a biasing mechanism (not shown). Is being energized. A wiper blade 2 is rotatably connected to the tip of the wiper arm 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the wiper blade 2 has a long blade rubber 11 for wiping the windshield G, and wiping direction rigidity and wiping surface direction elasticity for the blade rubber 11. A leaf spring-like backing 12 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) and a center holder 13 for holding the base portion 11a of the blade rubber 11 and the longitudinal center portion of the backing 12 are provided. Further, both sides in the longitudinal direction protruding from the central holder 13 at the base portion 11 a of the blade rubber 11 are gripped by a pair of soft cases 14, and both end portions in the longitudinal direction are gripped by the blade cap 15. Further, both sides of the backing 12 projecting from the central holder 13 are accommodated and held in the case 14, and both end portions in the longitudinal direction are accommodated and held in the blade cap 15. The blade cap 15 is fixed to the end of the backing 12 and prevents the case 14 from moving in the longitudinal direction with respect to the blade rubber 11. In the present embodiment, the central holder 13, the case 14, and the blade cap 15 constitute a rubber holder. The backing 12 is formed to have substantially the same length as the blade rubber 11, and its plane is arranged in parallel with the width direction (reciprocating direction) substantially along the windshield G, and curved according to the curved surface of the windshield G. Is formed. Thereby, the backing 12 makes the wiping part 11b below the blade rubber 11 press and contact the windshield G well when the wiper blade 2 is urged toward the curved windshield G side. At this time, the case 14 is made of a soft resin material so as not to hinder the action of the backing 12.

The wiping portion 11b of the blade rubber 11 is formed to be inclined with respect to a drooping direction (downward in FIGS. 2 and 3) perpendicular to the width direction (left and right in FIGS. 2 and 3). Yes.
More specifically, a pair of gripping portions 14a projecting inward in the width direction are formed at the lower portion (lower portion in FIGS. 2 and 3) of the case 14 of this example. The outer surface in the width direction of the grip portion 14a is a widened surface 14b that spreads outward in the width direction as it goes upward (upward in FIGS. 2 and 3). The width direction center L1 between the pair of gripping portions 14a in this example is formed to coincide with the width direction center L2 of the backing 12.

  The blade rubber 11 includes a base portion 11a gripped by the gripping portion 14a, and extends downward from the base portion 11a (in the direction of the windshield G when mounted on the vehicle) to the width direction (left and right in FIGS. 2 and 3). A wiping portion 11b for slidably contacting the windshield G along the direction) and wiping the windshield G.

  A pair of gripping grooves 11c are recessed along the longitudinal direction on both sides in the width direction of the base portion 11a. The base portion 11a is gripped by the gripping portion 14a by fitting the tip of the gripping portion 14a into the gripping groove 11c.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the wiping portion 11b has a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the longitudinal direction in the unloaded state in the width direction (a direction substantially along the windshield G, and the left-right direction in FIG. 2). It is inclined with respect to a drooping direction (downward direction in FIG. 2) perpendicular to.

  Specifically, the base portion 11a of the blade rubber 11 of this example has a contact support portion 11d that is in contact with and supported by the widened surface 14b on the side opposite to the starting direction at the time of wiping start, and from the contact support portion 11d. The wiping portion 11b is formed. The wiping part 11b is inclined and extended toward the lower side opposite to the starting direction at the start of wiping.

  Further, at the lowermost end portion of the wiping portion 11b of this example, a wiping resin member made of a resin material that is harder than the elastic member 21 on the base portion 11a side of the wiping portion 11b and has the same system and compatibility as the elastic member 21 22 is connected. The compatibility is a property in which two or more kinds of substances have an affinity for each other and form a solution or a mixture.

  Specifically, the elastic member 21 in this example is a large part of the wiping portion 11b in addition to the base portion 11a and constitutes other than the lowermost end portion (wiping resin member 22), and is a polyester thermoplastic elastomer (TPEE). Consists of.

  The wiping resin member 22 (the resin material) is made of ester-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Thereby, the wiping resin member 22 is harder than the elastic member 21, that is, the deformation amount when a constant load is applied is smaller than that of the elastic member 21, and the system is the same and compatible.

  Further, the side surface on the opposite side of the starting direction at the time of starting wiping between the base portion 11a and the case 14 in this example is the upper side in the cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (in the opposite direction of the drooping direction, in FIGS. 2 and 3, The inclined surfaces 11e and 14c are inclined in the starting direction (upward) toward the upper side, and the inclined surfaces 11e and 14c are continuously formed without a step. In addition, the inclined surfaces 11e and 14c in this example are formed on the entire side surface opposite to the starting direction when the blade rubber 11 and the case 14 start wiping. That is, in the blade rubber 11, the inclined surface 11e is continuously formed in the base part 11a and the wiping part 11b. In addition, the inclined surfaces 11e and 14c having no step means that there is no portion that is not inclined in the starting direction toward the upper side (upward in FIGS. 2 and 3), and is not limited to one flat surface. The inclined surfaces 11e and 14c in this example are curved.

A convex portion 14d is formed on the opposite side of the starting direction in the upper portion of the case 14 so that the inclined surface 14c is added.
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, in the wiper blade 2, the wiping portion 11 b (wiping resin) is an upper position on the opposite side of the wiping portion 11 b extending in the width direction in one direction (left side in FIG. 4). A low-friction portion 31 for reducing the frictional force with the windshield G is provided at an accidental contact portion that comes into contact with the windshield G next to the member 22). As shown in FIG. 4, the accidental contact portion means that the wiping portion 11b is inclined, so that the wiping portion 11b is greatly bent during wiping or the curvature of the windshield G is partially increased. Thus, it is a part that accidentally contacts the windshield G next to the wiping portion 11b.

  The low friction part 31 of this embodiment consists of resin materials. Specifically, the low friction portion 31 is the same resin material as the wiping resin member 22 and is made of ester-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in this embodiment.

  Further, the low friction portion 31 is provided so that the base end side is embedded in the elastic member 21 (base portion 11a) so as to be exposed from the elastic member 21. Specifically, the low friction portion 31 is provided on the lower end surface (corner portion) on the starting direction side at the time of wiping start in the base portion 11a, so that it comes into contact with the windshield G next to the wiping portion 11b. .

  Further, a cooling hole 11f is formed along the longitudinal direction on the base end side of the wiping portion 11b of this example so as to be cooled well during molding. Of course, a blade rubber without the cooling holes 11f may be used.

Next, the operation of the vehicle wiper device configured as described above will be described.
First, when the wiper motor is started from the state where the wiper blade 2 is at the stop position (a position substantially along the lower side of the windshield G) and the forward movement is started, the wiping portion 11b further falls with respect to the hanging direction, and the base portion 11a is In this state, the tip of the wiping portion 11b (wiping resin member 22) is brought into sliding contact with the windshield G, and the windshield G is wiped off.

  Then, when the wiper blade 2 reaches the reversal position and reverses to start the reverse operation, the wiping portion 11b rises slightly so as to approach the drooping direction, and the base portion 11a is slightly lifted, and in that state, the wiping portion 11b The front end (wiping resin member 22) is in sliding contact with the windshield G, and the windshield G is wiped off.

Next, the characteristic effects of the above embodiment will be described below.
(1) The wiping portion 11b is formed such that the cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the longitudinal direction in the no-load state is inclined with respect to the hanging direction orthogonal to the width direction. Furthermore, the wiping portion 11b of the present embodiment maintains the tilt direction up to the drooping direction during the wiping operation including the reversing operation (that is, the wiping posture of the wiping portion 11b during the forward operation and the reverse operation). Does not incline in the reverse direction beyond the drooping direction). Thereby, during the reversing operation, the wiping portion 11b is prevented from inclining in the reverse direction beyond the drooping direction and suddenly moving up and down, and the reversing sound generated at that time can be reduced.

  Moreover, since the wiping portion 11b is formed to be inclined with respect to the hanging direction, it is possible to reduce the rigidity in the vertical direction and to easily elastically deform in the vertical direction (in other words, to be curved in the longitudinal direction). Since it can do, followability to the curved windshield G can be made favorable, and wiping performance can be maintained.

  Further, the frictional force is reduced at an accidental contact portion that is in an upper position on the opposite side to the one direction side in the width direction in which the wiping portion 11b extends and that comes into contact with the windshield G next to the wiping portion 11b. For this purpose, a low friction part 31 is provided. Therefore, when the wiping portion 11b is greatly bent at the time of wiping or the curvature of the windshield G is increased, an increase in frictional force at the time of wiping can be suppressed even if the accidental contact portion contacts the windshield G. Thereby, for example, an increase in the load applied to the drive source for driving the wiper blade 2 and a rapid change in the load can be suppressed. Further, for example, it is possible to suppress the generation of abnormal noise due to the rubbing of the accidental contact portion with the windshield G during wiping.

  (2) Since the wiping resin member 22 made of a resin material that is harder than the elastic member 21 on the base side of the wiping portion 11b and compatible with the elastic member 21 is coupled to the lowermost end portion of the wiping portion 11b. First, the contact width when pressed against the windshield G can be reduced, and the frictional force during wiping can be reduced. And since the wiping resin member 22 consists of a resin material compatible with the elastic member 21, it is compared with what was combined without considering each material (for example, what combined polyethylene with natural rubber). Peeling can be made difficult and durability can be increased. And since the low friction part 31 consists of the same resin material as the said wiping resin member 22, the kind of material can be decreased. Further, for example, the wiping resin member 22 and the low friction portion 31 can be easily formed simultaneously by extrusion molding or the like.

  (3) The low friction part 31 is provided so as to be exposed from the elastic member 21. In this way, for example, when the wiping part 11b is inclined when the lockback is released, the wiping part 11b alone cannot absorb the impact, and the low friction part 31 next to the wiping part 11b has the windshield G. In that case, the elastic member 21 supporting the low friction part 31 absorbs the impact, whereby the impact on the windshield G can be reduced.

The above embodiment may be modified as follows.
-If the low friction part 31 of the said embodiment contacts the windshield G next to the wiping part 11b, you may change into another shape.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the cross section may be changed to a low friction portion 32 that protrudes downward in a cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. The low friction part 32 of this example is formed in the shape where the lower end was sharp so that the contact area at the time of contacting with the windshield G may become small.

  In the above embodiment, the low friction portion 31 is provided so as to be exposed from the elastic member 21, but is not limited thereto, and may be provided so as to be exposed from a portion other than the elastic member of the wiper blade.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the low friction part 33 may be provided so as to be exposed from the case 34. In the case 34 of this example, the pair of gripping portions 34a in the width direction are not formed symmetrically with respect to the width direction center L2 (the hanging direction) of the backing 12, and the center line L3 is inclined with respect to the width direction center L2. Are formed symmetrically. And the accidental contact site | part becomes a part of lower surface of the case 34, and the low friction part 33 is provided in the site | part.

  Even if it does in this way, even if the wiping part 11b bends greatly at the time of wiping, or the curvature of the windshield G becomes large, even if an accidental contact site | part contacts the windshield G, the increase in the friction force at the time of wiping is suppressed. Can do. In this example, the material of the blade rubber 35 which is a consumable item can be reduced. In FIG. 6, parts that are substantially the same as those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

  -In the said embodiment, the wiping resin member 22 which consists of a resin material harder than the elastic member 21 of the base part side of this wiping part 11b and compatible with the elastic member 21 is couple | bonded with the lowest end part of the wiping part 11b. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a wiping portion to which the wiping resin member 22 is not coupled may be used. Alternatively, a wiping resin member made of a resin material not compatible with the elastic member 21 may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the low friction part 31 is made of the same resin material as the wiping resin member 22, but is not limited to this as long as the increase in frictional force during wiping can be suppressed. For example, the wiping resin member 22 It may be made of a different resin material.

  In the above embodiment, as the ester system, the wiping resin member 22 (resin material) is polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and the elastic member 21 is a polyester thermoplastic elastomer (TPEE), but if compatible, Each material may be changed. For example, you may change the wiping resin member 22 of the said other example to polyester which is ester type.

  For example, as an olefin type, the wiping resin member 22 is made of polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), or polyphenylene ether (PPE), and the elastic member 21 is made of ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) or nitrile. Rubber (NBR) or ethylene propylene rubber (EPM) may be used.

  Further, for example, as styrene, the wiping resin member 22 is made of polystyrene (PS), and the elastic member 21 is made of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), epoxy resin (EP), epoxy acrylate (EPA), ethylbenzene (EB), etc. It may be cis 1 .4 polybutadiene synthetic rubber (BR), isoprene rubber (IR), hydrogenated (styrene) butadiene rubber or hydrogenated polyisobutylene.

  Further, for example, the wiping resin member 22 may be made of silicone (resin) and the elastic member 21 may be made of silicone (elastomer). Further, for example, the wiping resin member 22 may be polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and the elastic member 21 may be fluororubber.

Of course, the low friction portions 31 to 33 may be changed to those made of the same resin material as the wiping resin member 22.
In the above embodiment, the rubber holder is composed of the center holder 13, the case 14, and the blade cap 15. However, the rubber holder may be changed to another rubber holder that holds the blade rubber. For example, the rubber holder may be a lever assembly that has a primary lever, a secondary lever, and a yoke and grips the blade rubber with the yoke.

  In the above embodiment, the wiping surface is embodied in the vehicle wiper device whose windshield G is the front glass G, but may be embodied in the vehicle wiper device whose wiping surface is the rear glass.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Wiper blade, 11, 35 ... Blade rubber, 11a ... Base part, 11b ... Wiping part, 13 ... Center holder which comprises a part of rubber holder, 14, 34 ... Case which comprises a part of rubber holder, 15 ... Blade cap constituting a part of the rubber holder, 21 ... elastic member, 22 ... wiping resin member, 31 to 33 ... low friction part, G ... windshield (wiping surface).

Claims (5)

Rubber holder,
A long blade rubber having a base portion held by the rubber holder and a wiping portion extending downward from the base portion and slidably contacting the wiping surface along the width direction to wipe the wiping surface; Wiper blade,
The wiping portion is formed such that a cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the longitudinal direction in an unloaded state is inclined with respect to a hanging direction orthogonal to the width direction,
The frictional force with the wiping surface is applied to an accidental contact portion that is in an upper position on the opposite side to the one direction side in the width direction in which the wiping portion extends, and that comes into contact with the wiping surface next to the wiping portion. A wiper blade comprising a low friction portion for reducing the size. The wiper blade according to claim 1,
The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein the low friction portion is made of a resin material. The wiper blade according to claim 2,
A wiping resin member made of a resin material that is harder than the elastic member on the base side of the wiping portion and compatible with the elastic member is coupled to the lowermost end portion of the wiping portion,
The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein the low friction portion is made of the same resin material as the wiping resin member. The wiper blade according to claim 3, wherein
The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein the low friction portion is provided so as to be exposed from the elastic member.   A vehicle wiper device comprising the wiper blade according to any one of claims 1 to 4.