JP2022066108A - Wiper blade and coupling member for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a wiper blade in which a coupling member is attached to a reinforcement member incorporated into a wiping member and which streamlines attachment work of the coupling member.SOLUTION: A wiper blade 1 includes: a blade rubber 3; a vertebra 4 incorporated into the blade rubber 3; and a coupling member 10 attached to the vertebra 4. The coupling member 10 includes a center part 13, a front end part 16, and a rear end part 17. The front end part 16 is provided with a fitting groove part 16E which fits in a left side part 4A (a cutout part 6) of the vertebra 4. The rear end part 17 is provided with a fitting groove part 17E which fits in a right side part 4B of the vertebra 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a wiper blade and a wiper blade coupling member used in a vehicle wiper device.

As the wiper blade used in the wiper device for vehicles, a wiper blade (so-called tournament type wiper blade) of a type in which a rubber wiping member (blade rubber) is supported by a support member (for example, a plurality of lever members) has been conventionally used. However, in recent years, wiper blades (so-called flat blades) having only a rubber member in which a wiping member and a support portion are integrally formed have come to be widely used.

JP-A-2010-105515

Some such flat blades are provided with a vertical blade, which is a reinforcing member incorporated in the wiper rubber, and a connecting member for connecting to the wiper arm is attached to the vertical blade.

10 and 11 show an example of such a conventional wiper blade. As shown, the wiper blade 101 includes a blade body 102 and a coupling member 110 mounted on the blade body 102. The blade main body 102 includes a blade rubber 103, which is a rubber wiping member, and a vertical bra 104 (see FIG. 11) incorporated in the blade rubber 103. The vertical bra 104 is a long metal plate member having substantially the same length as the blade rubber 103.

As shown in FIG. 11, the connecting member 110 is attached to the vertical bra 104 by the claw portions 111 and 112 that hold the vertical bra 104 from both sides. This attachment is made by fitting the coupling member 110 from the end of the vertical bra 104 and moving the coupling member 110 to the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the vertical bra 104. Therefore, attaching the coupling member 110 to the vertical bra 104 has been a laborious task.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to such a problem, and provides a wiper blade capable of efficiently attaching a coupling member in a wiper blade for attaching the coupling member to a reinforcing member incorporated in the wiping member. The purpose is.

The present invention relates to a wiper blade provided with a wiping member for wiping a wiped surface, a reinforcing member incorporated in the wiping member, and a connecting member attached to the reinforcing member and forming a connecting portion with a wiper arm. The connecting member is arranged with a first fitting portion fitted to one side portion of the reinforcing member and a space between the first fitting portion and the reinforcing member in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing member. It is provided with a second fitting portion to be fitted to the other side portion of the.

The coupling member includes a central portion, a first end portion extending from the central portion, and a second end portion extending from the central portion to the side opposite to the first end portion, and the first end portion. The fitting portion of the above may be provided at the first end portion, and the second fitting portion may be provided at the second end portion.

The first fitting portion and the second fitting portion may be arranged at a position lower than the central portion.

The reinforcing member includes a notch that fits at least one of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion, and the connecting member has the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion. The movement of the reinforcing member in the longitudinal direction may be restricted by fitting at least one of the portions and the notch portion.

Each of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion may be provided with a holding claw portion for preventing the reinforcing member from falling off.

The reinforcing member may include a notch for the holding claw portion that fits with at least one of the holding claw portion of the first fitting portion and the holding claw portion of the second fitting portion.

Further, according to the present invention, in the wiper blade coupling member which is attached to the reinforcing member incorporated in the wiping member of the wiper blade and which connects the wiper blade and the wiper arm, the first one is fitted to one side of the reinforcing member. A fitting portion of 1 and a second fitting portion that is arranged at a distance from the first fitting portion in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing member and that fits to the other side portion of the reinforcing member are provided. ..

According to the wiper blade (for example, the wiper blade 1) of the present invention, the first fitting portion (for example, fitting) to be fitted to one side portion of the reinforcing member (for example, the vertical bra 4) to the connecting member (for example, the joining member 10). A second fitting portion (for example, a fitting groove portion 17E) that is arranged at a distance from the first fitting portion in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing member and that fits to the other side portion of the reinforcing member. Therefore, if the coupling member is rotated with respect to the reinforcing member, the first and second fitting portions can be fitted to the reinforcing member, and the coupling member can be attached to the reinforcing member. It can be performed. Therefore, the work of attaching the coupling member to the reinforcing member can be completed in all the steps at the mounting position of the reinforcing member, and can be performed extremely efficiently with a simple operation. Further, since the connecting member is fitted from both sides of the reinforcing member, it does not easily fall off to one side.

The coupling member has a central portion (eg, central portion 13), one end to which the first fitting portion is provided (for example, the front end portion 16), and the other end to which the second fitting portion is provided (for example, the front end portion 16). For example, if the rear end portion 17) is provided, a coupling member that can be mounted by rotating with respect to the reinforcing member can be rationally configured. Further, even if the coupling member is miniaturized, a sufficient space can be provided between the first and second fitting portions in order to appropriately perform the mounting work by rotation.

If the first and second fitting portions are arranged at a position lower than the central portion, the first and second fitting portions and the side portions of the reinforcing member can be set to the same height during the mounting operation. The first and second fitting portions can be smoothly fitted to the side portions of the reinforcing member from the side.

The reinforcing member is provided with a notch (for example, a notch 6) that fits at least one of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion, and the reinforcing member is fitted by fitting the fitting portion and the notch portion. By restricting the movement of the coupling member in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing member, the coupling member can be firmly fixed in an appropriate position in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing member. Further, during the mounting work, the coupling member can be positioned so that at least one of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion fits in the notch portion, so that the coupling member is predetermined. Can be properly mounted in position.

If the holding claws (for example, the holding claws 16F and the holding claws 17F) for preventing the reinforcing member from falling off are provided in each of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion, the connecting member can be attached. It can be appropriately prevented from rotating in the direction opposite to the time and falling off from the reinforcing member.

If the reinforcing member is provided with a notch for the holding claw that fits with at least one of the holding claw of the first fitting and the holding claw of the second fitting (for example, the notch 7). By fitting the holding claw portion and the notch portion for the holding claw portion, the movement of the reinforcing member in the longitudinal direction of the connecting member can be restricted, and the connecting member can be more reliably fixed to the reinforcing member.

Further, according to the coupling member (for example, the coupling member 10) of the present invention, the first fitting portion (for example, the fitting groove portion 16E) to be fitted to one side portion of the reinforcing member (for example, the vertical bra 4) and the first. A second fitting portion (for example, a fitting groove portion 17E) that is arranged at a distance from the fitting portion of the reinforcing member in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing member and that fits to the other side portion of the reinforcing member is provided. If the coupling member is rotated with respect to the member, the first and second fitting portions can be fitted to the reinforcing member, and the coupling member can be attached to the reinforcing member. Therefore, the work of attaching the coupling member to the reinforcing member can be completed in all the steps at the mounting position of the reinforcing member, and can be performed extremely efficiently with a simple operation. Further, since the connecting member is fitted from both sides of the reinforcing member, it does not easily fall off to one side.

It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the wiper blade in embodiment of this invention. It is also a perspective view which shows the coupling member. Similarly, it is a front view of the connecting member. It is also a rear view of the connecting member. Similarly, it is a perspective view which shows the procedure of attaching a coupling member to a vertical bra. Similarly, it is a top view which shows the procedure of attaching a coupling member to a vertical bra. Similarly, it is a top view which shows the procedure of attaching a coupling member to a vertical bra. Similarly, it is a perspective view which shows the state which the coupling member is attached to the vertical bra. Similarly, it is a plan view which shows the state which the coupling member is attached to the vertical. It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the conventional wiper blade. It is a perspective view which shows the state which the coupling member is attached to the vertical bra in the conventional wiper blade.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the wiper blade 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the wiper blade 1 includes a blade main body 2 which is a long member, and a connecting member 10 mounted at a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the blade main body 2. In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the left side of the wiper blade 1 in FIG. 1 is the front side, and the right side is the rear side.

The blade body 2 has a blade rubber 3 which is a wiping member for wiping a wiped surface (for example, a glass surface of an automobile), a vertical bra 4 which is a reinforcing member attached to the blade rubber 3, and a longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 3. It is provided with cap members 5 mounted on both ends. The blade rubber 3 includes an upper main body portion 3A and a lower wiping portion 3B.

The wiping portion 3B is a portion constituting the lower end portion of the blade rubber 3, and extends over the entire length of the wiper blade 1. When the lower end edge of the wiping portion 3B comes into contact with a wiped surface (for example, a glass surface of an automobile) (not shown), the wiped surface is wiped by the wiped portion 3B.

The main body portion 3A is a portion constituting the upper portion of the blade rubber 3, and the vertical bra 4 is incorporated inside the main body portion 3A. A mounting portion 3C, which is a notch for mounting the coupling member 10, is formed in the central portion of the main body portion 3A in the longitudinal direction, and both side portions of the mounting portion 3C of the main body portion 3A in the longitudinal direction are on the front side, respectively. Half 3D and posterior half 3E. As a result, the vertical bra 4 incorporated in the blade rubber 3 is exposed to the outside of the blade rubber 3 in the mounting portion 3C, and the coupling member 10 is mounted on the exposed portion of the vertical bra 4.

The vertical bra 4 is a long plate member for reinforcing the blade rubber 3, and is formed of, for example, metal. The vertical bra 4 is incorporated in a mounting groove (not shown) formed over the entire longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 3 (main body portion 3A), and is arranged along the longitudinal direction over the entire longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 3. The cap members 5 attached to both end portions of the blade rubber 3 prevent the vertical bra 4 from falling off from the blade rubber 3 (main body portion 3A).

Further, at a predetermined position of the vertical bra 4 (a position consistent with the fitting groove portion 16E of the coupling member 10 described later), a notch portion 6 is provided on the left side portion 4A and a notch portion 7 is provided on the right side portion 4B. , Respectively (see FIGS. 5 and 6). As will be described in detail later, when the coupling member 10 is attached to the vertical bra 4, the fitting groove portion 16E of the coupling member 10 is fitted to the notch portion 6.

The coupling member 10 is a member for coupling the wiper blade 1 to the wiper arm (not shown), and is rotatable with respect to the base 11 and the base 11, as shown in detail in FIGS. 2 to 4. It is provided with a clip member 12 attached to the. The wiper blade 1 is rotatably connected to the wiper arm by connecting the coupling portion (for example, a hook portion curved in a U shape) of the wiper arm (not shown) to the clip member 12. It is supposed to be done. The connecting member 10 (base 11 and clip member 12) is made of, for example, plastic.

The base portion 11 is a portion mounted on the blade main body 2 (vertibra 4), and has a central portion 13 extending along the longitudinal direction of the blade main body 2 and side wall portions 14 on both sides extending upward from both left and right sides of the central portion 13. , 15, and a front end portion 16 and a rear end portion 17 extending from the front and rear of the central portion 13. The clip member 12 is arranged in a space surrounded by the central portion 13 and the side wall portions 14 and 15 on both sides, and is rotatably attached to the side wall portions 14 and 15 on both sides.

The front end portion 16 of the base portion 11 extends from the central portion 13 toward the front in the longitudinal direction of the blade body 2, and has an inclined portion 16A extending slightly diagonally downward from the front end of the upper surface of the central portion 13. , An upper wall portion 16B extending horizontally forward from the inclined portion 16A, a connecting portion 16C extending downward from the left side of the upper wall portion 16B, and a lower wall portion 16D extending downward from the lower end of the connecting portion 16C. It is equipped with.

The connecting portion 16C and the lower wall portion 16D have an L-shaped cross-sectional shape that wraps around the lower side of the upper wall portion 16B, and the lower wall portion 16D is arranged parallel to the lower side of the upper wall portion 16B. .. As a result, a fitting groove portion 16E opened on the right side of the base portion 11 and in the front-rear direction is formed between the upper wall portion 16B and the lower wall portion 16D. A holding claw portion 16F protruding toward the lower wall portion 16D is formed on the lower surface of the upper wall portion 16B so as to be arranged in the fitting groove portion 16E.

On the other hand, the rear end portion 17 of the base portion 11 has a shape in which the front end portion 16 is inverted in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. That is, the rear end portion 17 of the base portion 11 extends from the central portion 13 toward the rear in the longitudinal direction of the blade main body 2, and extends slightly diagonally downward from the rear end of the upper surface of the central portion 13. An inclined portion 17A, an upper wall portion 17B extending horizontally from the inclined portion 17A to the rear, a connecting portion 17C extending downward from the right side of the upper wall portion 17B, and a lower extending to the left from the lower end of the connecting portion 17C. It is equipped with a wall portion 17D.

The connecting portion 17C and the lower wall portion 17D have an L-shaped cross-sectional shape that wraps around the lower side of the upper wall portion 17B, and the lower wall portion 17D is arranged parallel to the lower side of the upper wall portion 17B. .. As a result, a fitting groove portion 17E opened on the left side of the base portion 11 and in the front-rear direction is formed between the upper wall portion 17B and the lower wall portion 17D. Further, on the lower surface of the upper wall portion 17B, a holding claw portion 17F protruding toward the lower wall portion 17D is formed so as to be arranged in the fitting groove portion 17E.

With such a configuration, the coupling member 10 (base portion 11) can be attached to the mounting portion 3C of the blade main body 2 with the vertibra 4 sandwiched between the fitting groove portion 16E and the fitting groove portion 17E. See FIG. 8). In this case, since the fitting groove portion 16E and the fitting groove portion 17E in the base portion 11 are open on the left and right opposite sides, the fitting groove portion 16E and the fitting groove portion 17E are fitted to the vertical bra 4 from the left and right opposite sides. That is, the fitting groove portion 16E is fitted to the left side portion 4A of the vertical bra 4, and the fitting groove portion 17E is fitted to the right side portion 4B of the vertical bra 4. As described above, since the coupling member 10 is fitted to the vertical bra 4 from both the left and right sides, it is difficult for the coupling member 10 to fall off to either the left or right side.

Further, the vertical bra 4 fitted in the fitting groove portion 16E and the fitting groove portion 17E is in a state of being held from the opposite side by the holding claw portion 16F and the holding claw portion 17F, respectively. That is, the holding claw portion 16F in the fitting groove portion 16E holds the vertical bra 4 from the right side portion 4B side, and the holding claw portion 17F in the fitting groove portion 17E holds the vertical bra 4 from the left side portion 4A side. Hold. As a result, the vertical bra 4 is securely held in the fitting groove portion 16E and the fitting groove portion 17E, and the coupling member 10 does not move in the direction opposite to the fitting direction to the vertical bra 4 and fall off. There is.

The width L1 of the fitting groove portion 16E fits the width W1 (see FIG. 6) of the portion where the cutout portions 6 and 7 of the vertical bra 4 are formed, and the width L2 of the fitting groove portion 17E is the width L2 of the vertical bra 4. The widths of the connecting portions 16C adjacent to the fitting groove portions 16E are respectively formed to fit the width W2 (see FIG. 6) (parts other than the cutout portions 6 and 7). It is larger than the width of the connecting portion 17C adjacent to the groove portion 17E). Further, the holding claw portion 16F in the fitting groove portion 16E also extends to the central portion side of the fitting groove portion 16E so as to fit the width W1 (as a result, the width of the holding claw portion 16F is the fitting groove portion 17E. It is larger than the width of the holding claw portion 17F inside).

When the coupling member 10 is attached to the vertical bra 4, the fitting groove portion 16E is just fitted to the notch portion 6, and the front end portion of the connecting portion 16C is connected to the front end edge 6A of the notch portion 6 and the connecting portion 16C. The rear end portion abuts on the rear end edge 6B of the notch portion 6, respectively. Further, the holding claw portion 16F in the fitting groove portion 16E is just fitted to the notch portion 7 on the opposite side, and the front end portion of the holding claw portion 16F is fitted to the front end edge 7A of the notch portion 7 and the holding claw portion. The rear end portion of the portion 17F abuts on the rear end edge 7B of the notch portion 7, respectively. As a result, the movement of the connecting member 10 in the longitudinal direction of the vertical bra 4 is appropriately regulated.

In the present embodiment, the notches 6 and 7 of the vertical bra 4 are provided only on the fitting groove portion 16E side, but may be provided on the fitting groove portion 17E side as well. In this case, the width L2 of the fitting groove portion 17E and the width of the holding claw portion 17F are adjusted so as to match the width of the notch portion.

Next, a method of attaching the coupling member 10 to the vertical bra 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9. In the present embodiment, the wiper blade 1 is completed by assembling the coupling member 10 to the vertical bra 4 and then incorporating the vertical bra 4 into the blade rubber 3.

At the time of mounting work, first, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the connecting member 10 is arranged on the mounting position of the vertical bra 4 so as to face in the direction perpendicular to the vertical bra 4. In this case, the front end portion 16 of the base portion 11 of the coupling member 10 is arranged on the left side of the vertibra 4, and the rear end portion 17 is arranged on the right side of the vertibra.

From this state, the coupling member 10 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrows A1 and A2 (clockwise rotation direction) while sliding the central portion 13 of the coupling member 10 on the vertical roller 4. As a result, as shown in the middle state in FIG. 7, the opening of the fitting groove portion 16E of the coupling member 10 is in the notch 6 of the vertical bra 4, and the opening of the fitting groove portion 17E is (as viewed from the central portion 13). ) Approach the notch 6 of the vertical bra 4 and the opposite portion (in the longitudinal direction).

In this way, when the fitting grooves 16E and 17E reach the vertical bra 4, the fitting grooves 16E and 17E are fitted to the vertical bra 4, and the coupling member 10 is assembled to the vertical bra 4. In this case, the fitting groove portion 16E is fitted exactly into the notch portion 6 of the vertical bra 4. As a result, the coupling member 10 is aligned with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vertical bra 4, so that the coupling member 10 is appropriately mounted at a predetermined position (mounting position) of the vertical bra 4.

Further, inclined portions 16A and 17A are provided between the upper wall portion 16B and the central portion 13, and a fitting groove portion 16E and a fitting groove portion 16E are provided between the lower wall portion 16D arranged below the upper wall portion 16B. Since the 17E is formed, the positions of the fitting grooves 16E and 17E are lower than the central portion 13 and are arranged at substantially the same level as the vertical bra 4. Therefore, the fitting grooves 16E and 17E can be smoothly fitted to the vertical bra 4 from the side.

After the coupling member 10 is attached to the vertical bra 4, the central portion 13 of the coupling member 10 is in a state of floating from the upper surface of the vertical portion 4 by the amount of the inclined portions 16A and 17A, and is between the central portion 13 and the vertical bra 4. A gap is formed in. As a result, the vertical bra 4 can be appropriately bent toward the inside of this gap.

As described above, according to the wiper blade 1 of the present embodiment, the coupling member 10 can be easily coupled to the vertical bra by rotating the coupling member 10 on the vertical bra 4. Therefore, like the conventional wiper blade, the connecting member 10 can be attached to the vertical bra 4 by a simple operation at a predetermined position on the vertical bra 4, and it takes time and effort to move the connecting member in the longitudinal direction of the vertical bra as in the prior art. Since there is no such thing, it is possible to efficiently attach the connecting member 10 to the vertical bra 4.

1 Wiper blade 2 Blade body 3 Blade rubber 3A Main body 3B Wiping part 3C Mounting part 3D Front half part 3E Rear half part 4 Vertibra 5 Cap member 6 Vertibra notch 7 Bartibra notch 10 Coupling member 11 Base 12 Clip member 13 Central part of the base 14 Side wall part of the base 15 Side wall part of the base 16 Front end part 16A Inclined part 16B Upper wall part 16C Connecting part 16D Lower wall part 16E Fitting groove part 16F Holding claw part 17 Rear side of the base part End 17A Inclined 17B Upper wall 17C Connecting 17D Lower wall 17E Fitting groove 17F Holding claw

Claims (7)

A wiping member that wipes the surface to be wiped,
The reinforcing member incorporated in the wiping member and
In a wiper blade attached to the reinforcing member and provided with a connecting member constituting a connecting portion with the wiper arm.
The coupling member is arranged with a first fitting portion fitted to one side portion of the reinforcing member and a space between the first fitting portion and the reinforcing member in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing member. A wiper blade with a second fitting that fits on the other side. The coupling member comprises a central portion, a first end extending from the central portion, and a second end extending from the central portion to the opposite side of the first end portion.
The first fitting portion is provided at the first end portion and is provided.
The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein the second fitting portion is provided at the second end portion. The wiper blade according to claim 2, wherein the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion are arranged at positions lower than the central portion. The reinforcing member includes a notch that fits at least one of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion.
A claim that the coupling member is configured such that the movement of the reinforcing member in the longitudinal direction is restricted by fitting at least one of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion and the notch portion. The wiper blade according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The wiper according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion is provided with a holding claw portion for preventing the reinforcing member from falling off. blade. The fifth aspect of claim 5, wherein the reinforcing member includes a notch for a holding claw portion that fits with at least one of a holding claw portion of the first fitting portion and a holding claw portion of the second fitting portion. Wiper blade. In the wiper blade coupling member which is attached to the reinforcing member incorporated in the wiper blade wiping member and which connects the wiper blade and the wiper arm.
A first fitting portion to be fitted to one side of the reinforcing member,
A wiper blade coupling member provided with a second fitting portion that is arranged at a distance from the first fitting portion in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing member and that fits to the other side portion of the reinforcing member.

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