JP6740099B2 - Method for manufacturing wiper blade - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is connected to an arm which is swung by a driving source, about the wiper blade manufacturing how to dispel wiping surface.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a wiper device is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and the wiper device is activated by turning on a wiper switch provided inside the vehicle compartment. As a result, rainwater, dust, and other adhering substances that adhere to the wiping surface (windshield) are wiped to ensure a good field of view. The wiper device includes an arm (wiper arm) swung by a drive source (electric motor), and a wiper blade connected to the arm. The wiper blade forming the wiper device includes, for example, the technique described in Patent Document 1.

The wiper blade described in Patent Document 1 includes a blade rubber having a lip portion, a rubber holder that holds a head portion (main body portion) of the blade rubber, a mounting portion provided at a central portion in the longitudinal direction of the rubber holder, and a rubber. And a vertibra housed in the vertibra housing part of the holder. A total of six cutout holes are provided on the tip end side (outer peripheral side) of the vertibla. As a result, the bending rigidity of the tip end side of the vertibra is reduced to enable flexible elastic deformation, and thus the wiping performance of the wiper blade is improved.

JP2012-148766A

The wiper blade described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 adopts a structure in which the vertibra is accommodated in the vertibra accommodating portion of the rubber holder. Accordingly, the width dimension of the vertibra can be increased as compared with a general-purpose wiper blade in which the vertibra is attached to the main body of the blade rubber. Therefore, in the wide vertibler described in Patent Document 1, a cutout hole for reducing the rigidity of the vertibler can be easily formed by punching using a punch and a die, and a stable product with little variation can be obtained. Can be supplied.

However, in the case of a general-purpose wiper blade having a narrow vertibler, it becomes necessary to perform punching processing using a smaller punch. Therefore, not only the life of the punch is shortened, but also the variation of each product is increased due to the deterioration of the punch. As a result, depending on the product, the wiping performance of the wiper blade may not reach the standard (pass point), and the yield may be deteriorated. As described above, the conventional manufacturing method cannot be simply applied to the narrow vertibra, and it is necessary to consider a new manufacturing method.

An object of the present invention may be a vertebra of the narrow, to provide a preparation how the wiper blade with less variation stable wiping performance can be obtained.

The method for manufacturing a wiper blade of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a wiper blade that is connected to an arm that is swung by a drive source and wipes a wiping surface, wherein the wiper blade is a connecting member that is connected to the arm. A blade rubber provided with a body portion supported by the connecting member and a lip portion in contact with the wiping surface, a groove portion provided in the body portion, extending in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber, and attached to the groove portion, A first heating step that includes a vertibra curved with a predetermined curvature, and heats and melts one side in the longitudinal direction and one side in the lateral direction of the vertibra to form a recessed portion that is recessed in the lateral direction of the vertibra. And a second heating step of heating one side in the longitudinal direction and the other side in the lateral direction of the vertibra to correct the warp of the vertibra in the first heating step.

In another aspect of the present invention, a laser irradiation device that irradiates a laser beam is used for the heat treatment of the vertibra.

In another aspect of the present invention, in the second heating step, a heating mark by heating and melting is provided on one side in the longitudinal direction and the other side in the lateral direction of the vertibra.

In another aspect of the present invention, the heating mark extends straight in the longitudinal direction of the vertibla.

In another aspect of the present invention, the heating mark is a groove recessed in the lateral direction of the vertiblah.

In another aspect of the present invention, the concave portion includes a concave portion and a convex portion arranged in a longitudinal direction of the vertibra, and a portion of an end portion of the concave groove, which is closer to the longitudinal direction other side of the vertibra, is the vertibra. Is opposed to the protrusion from the lateral direction.

In another aspect of the present invention, the vertibras are provided on both sides of the blade rubber in a wiping direction, and the heat treatment of the first heating step is performed on mutually opposite sides of the vertibras, and the opposite sides of the vertibras are opposite to each other. The opposite side is subjected to the heat treatment of the second heating step.

According to the present invention, in the first heating step, one side in the longitudinal direction and one side in the lateral direction of the vertibra are heated and melted to form a recessed portion in the lateral direction of the vertibra, and in the second heating step, One side in the longitudinal direction and the other side in the lateral direction of the vertibra are heated to correct the warpage of the vertibra due to the first heating step.

Thus, even if the processing target is a narrow vertibler, for example, the recessed portion or the like can be accurately formed by heating by irradiation with a laser beam or the like that enables precise metal processing. Therefore, even with a general-purpose wiper blade having a narrow vertibler, stable wiping performance with little variation can be obtained.

It is a perspective view of the wiper blade concerning the present invention. It is the elements on larger scale which looked at the wiper blade of FIG. 1 from the arrow A direction. It is sectional drawing which follows the BB line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the CC line of FIG. It is the perspective view which decomposed|disassembled the wiper blade of FIG. (A) is an inner peripheral side portion of the blade rubber, (b) is a central portion of the blade rubber, and (c) is a partially enlarged perspective view of an outer peripheral side portion of the blade rubber. FIG. 6A is a partially enlarged view of an inner peripheral side portion of a pair of vertiblers, and FIG. FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a front side portion of the connecting member, and FIG. FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a front side portion of the cover member, and FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the DD line of FIG. (A) is the perspective view which looked at the cap from the back side, (b) is sectional drawing which follows the EE line of FIG. It is sectional drawing explaining the state where the wiper blade is straight. It is sectional drawing explaining the bending state (the 1) of a wiper blade. It is sectional drawing explaining the curved state (the 2) of a wiper blade. 15A is a partially enlarged view of the periphery of the support portion and the vertibra contact portion of FIG. 4, and FIG. 15B is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 15A showing a modified example of the support portion. (A) is sectional drawing explaining the positioning protrusion of a cover member, (b) is sectional drawing explaining the hooking nail of a cover member. (A), (b), (c), (d) is a partial expanded sectional view explaining a vertibra positioning part and a cap positioning part. 17A is a partially enlarged view of the identification mark provided on the blade rubber, and FIG. 18B is a partially enlarged view of the identification mark in the modification of FIG. (A), (b) is explanatory drawing explaining the processing procedure of a vertibula.

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

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a wiper blade according to the present invention.

The wiper blade 10 shown in FIG. 1 forms a wiper device for wiping a windshield (wiping surface) 11 of a vehicle such as an automobile. The wiper blade 10 includes a holder 20 and a blade rubber 30. The holder 20 holds the blade rubber 30 and is rotatably connected to a U-shaped hook 12a provided at the tip of the wiper arm (arm) 12 shown by a chain double-dashed line (imaginary line).

Here, the base end portion of the wiper arm 12 is fixed to a pivot shaft (not shown) that is swung by a wiper motor (driving source). As a result, the wiper arm 12 and the wiper blade 10 connected to the wiper arm 12 are swung by the drive of the wiper motor, and the rainwater, dust and the like adhering to the windshield 11 are wiped off. A link mechanism (not shown) is provided between the wiper motor and the pivot shaft to convert the rotary motion of the wiper motor into the swing motion of the pivot shaft. Further, the base end portion of the wiper arm 12 may be directly fixed to the output shaft of the wiper motor that is driven to swing.

2 is a partially enlarged view of the wiper blade of FIG. 1 viewed from the direction of arrow A, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. Are shown respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the holder 20 includes one connecting member 40, a pair of holder covers 60, and a pair of caps 70. The connecting member 40 holds the blade rubber 30 and is rotatably connected to the U-shaped hook 12 a of the wiper arm 12. Further, the pair of holder covers 60 are provided so as to cover the main body 31 of the blade rubber 30, and are arranged on both sides of the connecting member 40 in the longitudinal direction. Further, the pair of caps 70 is provided on the opposite side of the pair of holder covers 60 from the side of the connecting member 40 along the longitudinal direction, is fixed to the blade rubber 30, and covers the end portion of the blade rubber 30. ..

5 is an exploded perspective view of the wiper blade of FIG. 1, FIG. 6(a) is an inner peripheral side portion of the blade rubber, (b) is a central portion of the blade rubber, (c) is an outer peripheral side portion of the blade rubber. Each is shown in a partially enlarged perspective view.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the blade rubber 30 includes a main body portion 31 supported by the connecting member 40 and a lip portion 32 that comes into contact with the windshield 11. A neck portion 33 is provided between the portion 32 and the portion 32. The neck portion 33 has a width narrower than that of the lip portion 32 and is more flexible than the lip portion 32. Therefore, the lip portion 32 is tilted by the movement of the blade rubber 30 toward the forward path and the backward path, and the rainwater, dust, and the like adhering to the windshield 11 are wiped off cleanly.

The blade rubber 30 extends along the longitudinal direction of the holder 20, and the cross-sectional shape of the blade rubber 30 is the same in almost the entire region along the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30. Specifically, the blade rubber 30 has the same shape except the portions (inner peripheral side portion, central portion, outer peripheral side portion) shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C.

The body portion 31 is provided with a pair of groove portions 31 a and 31 b extending along the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30. These groove portions 31a and 31b are opposed to each other in a direction (wiping direction) intersecting the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 31. A pair of vertibras (leaf springs) 34a, 34b made of elongated stainless steel plates are mounted in the groove portions 31a, 31b, respectively.

These vertibras 34a and 34b are pre-curved with a predetermined curvature larger than the curvature of the windshield 11 under a natural state in which no external force is applied. Then, due to the elastic force of the vertibras 34a and 34b, the entire region of the lip portion 32 along the longitudinal direction is brought into close contact with the windshield 11. Thereby, sufficient wiping performance of the blade rubber 30 is secured.

FIG. 7A is a partially enlarged view of the inner peripheral side portions of the pair of vertiblers, and FIG. 7B is a partially enlarged view of the outer peripheral side portions of the pair of vertiblers.

Here, the vertibras 34a, 34b are mounted in the groove portions 31a, 31b provided in substantially the entire region along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 31, and specifically have a shape as shown in FIG.

The vertibras 34a and 34b are formed in substantially the same manner, but as shown in FIG. 7A, only the positions of the first positioning recesses 34a1 and 34b1 provided on the inner circumferential side of the vertibras 34a and 34b in the longitudinal direction. Are different. That is, the first positioning concave portion 34b1 of the returning path-side vertibula 34b is arranged closer to the inner circumferential side in the longitudinal direction of the vertibras 34a, 34b (left side in the drawing) than the first positioning concave portion 34a1 of the outward-path side vertibra 34a. ing. The opening sides of these first positioning recesses 34a1 and 34b1 are directed toward the inside in the wiping direction of the blade rubber 30 so as to face each other, that is, toward the center side along the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30.

Then, the first positioning recesses 34a1 and 34b1 are provided with the first vertibra positioning parts 31a1 and 31b1 (see FIGS. 6A and 17B) provided on the inner circumferential sides of the grooves 31a and 31b in the longitudinal direction. It is designed to enter each. As a result, the inner circumferential sides of the vertibras 34a, 34b in the longitudinal direction are positioned with respect to the blade rubber 30, and rattling of the vertibras 34a, 34b with respect to the blade rubber 30 is prevented. Here, the first positioning recesses 34a1 and 34b1 are provided so as to be displaced in the longitudinal direction of the vertibras 34a and 34b, thereby preventing erroneous assembly of the vertibras 34a and 34b into the grooves 31a and 31b.

As shown in FIG. 7B, second positioning recesses 34a2 and 34b2 are provided on the outer peripheral sides (right side in the drawing) in the longitudinal direction of the vertibras 34a and 34b. These second positioning recesses 34a2 and 34b2 are arranged at the same positions along the longitudinal direction of the vertibras 34a and 34b, respectively. Also on the opening sides of the second positioning recesses 34a2, 34b2, they are directed toward the inner side in the wiping direction of the blade rubber 30 so as to face each other, that is, toward the center side along the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30.

The second positioning recesses 34a2 and 34b2 are respectively fitted with the second vertibra positioning parts 31a2 and 31b2 (see FIGS. 6(c) and 17(c)) provided on the outer circumferential sides of the grooves 31a and 31b in the longitudinal direction. It has become. As a result, the longitudinal outer peripheral sides of the vertibras 34a, 34b are positioned with respect to the blade rubber 30, and rattling of the vertibras 34a, 34b with respect to the blade rubber 30 is prevented.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, a rigidity weakened area AR in which the rigidity is weakened is provided on the outer peripheral side in the longitudinal direction of the vertibras 34a, 34b. The length dimension of the weak rigidity region AR along the longitudinal direction of the vertibras 34a, 34b is approximately ⅕ of the overall length dimension of the vertibras 34a, 34b.

Here, on the outer circumferential side of the blade rubber 30 in the longitudinal direction, the portion of the windshield 11 having a relatively large curvature is wiped. Therefore, in order to flexibly follow the outer peripheral side in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30 in accordance with a large curvature, the rigidity weak area AR is provided. As a result, the lip rubber 32 is prevented from being excessively strongly pressed against the windshield 11 while improving the followability of the blade rubber 30 on the outer peripheral side in the longitudinal direction.

A first notch portion 35 and a second notch portion 36 are provided in the weak rigidity regions AR of the vertibras 34a and 34b. That is, by providing the first cutout portion 35 and the second cutout portion 36 in the vertibras 34a and 34b, the rigidity of the portions is weakened. The first cutout portion 35 is on the outer peripheral side (one side in the longitudinal direction) of the vertibras 34a, 34b and inside the blade rubber 30 in the wiping direction, that is, the center side along the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30 (short side direction) One side). On the other hand, the second cutout portion 36 is on the outer peripheral side (one side in the longitudinal direction) of the vertibras 34a, 34b and on the outer side in the wiping direction of the blade rubber 30, that is, the central side along the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30. Is provided on the opposite side (the other side in the lateral direction).

As described above, by providing the second notch 36 having a smaller depth dimension (shallow depth) than the first notch 35 on the outer side in the wiping direction of the blade rubber 30, it is caused by snowfall or the like during operation of the wiper blade 10. It is possible to effectively suppress bending of the vertibras 34a and 34b against a large load.

The 1st notch part 35 is provided with six recessed parts 35a dented in the width direction (vertical direction crossing the plate thickness direction) of the vertibras 34a, 34b. Then, the depth dimension of the two recesses 35a arranged on the inner circumferential side (left side in the drawing) of the vertibras 34a, 34b among the six recesses 35a is D1. On the other hand, the depth dimension of the four recesses 35a arranged on the outer circumferential side (the right side in the figure) of the vertibras 34a, 34b among the six recesses 35a is D2 (D2<D1).

Further, the six concave portions 35a are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vertibras 34a and 34b so as to sandwich the convex portions 35b. That is, a total of five convex portions 35b are provided in the weak rigidity region AR of the vertibras 34a and 34b. Then, the tops of the convex portions 35b are arranged at positions recessed by the depth dimension D3 in the width direction of the vertibras 34a, 34b (D3<D2).

Thus, as shown in FIG. 7, the first cutout portion 35 having the six concave portions 35a and the five convex portions 35b is provided in the lateral direction of the vertibras 34a and 34b so as to be concave. Is composed of. Further, the six concave portions 35a form the concave portions in the present invention, and the five convex portions 35b form the convex portions in the present invention. Further, the pair of vertibras 34a, 34b are provided on both sides of the blade rubber 30 in the wiping direction, and the first cutouts 35 are provided on the opposite sides of the vertibras 34a, 34b, respectively.

The second cutout portion 36 is formed by a single groove that is recessed in the lateral direction of the vertibras 34a and 34b. That is, the second cutout portion 36 extends straight in the longitudinal direction of the vertibras 34a and 34b, and has a linear shape. Then, the second cutout portion 36 is provided so as to be recessed in the width direction of the vertibras 34a and 34b with a depth dimension D4 (D4≈D3).

Further, among the end portions on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the second cutout portion 36, the end portion WP closer to the inner peripheral side (the other side in the longitudinal direction) in the longitudinal direction of the vertibras 34a and 34b is the depth of the concave portion 35a having the depth dimension D1. It is arranged at the portion of the convex portion 35b between the concave portion 35a having the dimension D2. That is, the end portion WP of the second cutout portion 36 on the inner circumferential side in the longitudinal direction faces the convex portion 35b from the lateral direction of the vertibras 34a and 34b. The pair of second cutout portions 36 are respectively provided on the opposite sides of the vertibras 34a, 34b opposite to each other.

In addition to weakening the rigidity of the vertibras 34a and 34b on the outer peripheral side in the longitudinal direction, the second cutout portion 36 has a “warp on the outer peripheral side in the longitudinal direction of the vertibras 34a and 34b that occurs when the first cutout portion 35 is formed. It is provided to correct "." The processing procedure of the first cutout portion 35 and the second cutout portion 36 will be described in detail later. As described above, the depths of the four recesses 35a are set to be D2 to be shallow (D2<D1), thereby suppressing the rigidity of the vertibras 34a and 34b from becoming too weak due to the formation of the second notch 36.

Here, the width dimensions of the vertibras 34a and 34b are small dimensions of about 5 mm. Therefore, the first cutout portion 35 including the six concave portions 35a and the five convex portions 35b and the second cutout portion 36 including one concave groove are irradiated with a laser beam capable of performing highly precise and fine processing (by heat. Melt). The second cutout portion 36 constitutes the concave groove of the present invention.

As described above, the first cutout portion 35 and the second cutout portion 36 are both formed by heating and melting the outer edge portions of the vertibras 34a and 34b by irradiation with a laser beam. Therefore, as shown by the shaded portion in FIG. 19, the first cutout portion 35 and the second cutout portion 36 are heating marks HT in which the surfaces are discolored and roughened. In addition, these 1st notch part 35 and 2nd notch part 36 (heating mark HT) are not exposed outside in the state which assembled the wiper blade 10 (refer FIG. 1). Therefore, the appearance of the wiper blade 10 does not deteriorate. Note that the heating mark HT is not shown in FIG. 7.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the groove portions 31a and 31b of the blade rubber 30 are provided on the arm side wall portion 31c arranged on the wiper arm 12 side (upper side in the drawing) and on the lip portion 32 side (lower side in the drawing). It is formed by the arranged lip side wall portion 31d. Here, the lip side wall portion 31d supports the vertibras 34a and 34b. Then, inside the groove portions 31a and 31b, the first vertibra positioning portions 31a1 and 31b1 and the second vertibra positioning portions 31a2 and 31b2, which are formed in a protrusion shape, are provided so as to fill the groove portions 31a and 31b, respectively. There is.

The width W1 of the arm side wall 31c along the direction (wiping direction) intersecting the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30 is smaller than the width W2 of the lip side wall 31d along the wiping direction of the blade rubber 30. (W1<W2). As a result, the side opposite to the lip 32 side along the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the vertibras 34a, 34b is exposed from the grooves 31a, 31b (see FIG. 4). The exposed portions of the vertibras 34a, 34b are exposed portions 34a3, 34b3. More specifically, on the side opposite to the lip portion 32 side along the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the vertibras 34a, 34b, substantially half of the vertibras 34a, 34b in the lateral direction is covered by the arm side wall portion 31c. Furthermore, on the lip portion 32 side along the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the vertibras 34a and 34b, substantially the entire lateral direction of the vertibras 34a and 34b is covered by the lip side wall portion 31d.

Then, on these exposed portions 34a3, 34b3, there are provided first vertibra contact portions 46a, 46b and second vertibra contact portions 47a, 47b (see FIG. 8B) provided on the connecting member 40 of the holder 20. It comes to abut.

On both sides of the lip side wall 31d along the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30, that is, on the end of the lip side wall 31d, cutouts 31d1 are formed by cutting out the lip side wall 31d. These notches 31d1 are provided to avoid interference with the caps 70 (see FIG. 11) mounted on both sides of the blade rubber 30 in the longitudinal direction.

Further, by providing the cutout portion 31d1, a part of the vertibras 34a, 34b on the lip portion 32 side on both sides in the longitudinal direction is exposed from the groove portions 31a, 31b. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11B, both sides of the vertibras 34a, 34b along the plate thickness direction are brought into contact with the cap 70, and the rattling of the cap 70 with respect to the vertibras 34a, 34b is effectively prevented. It can be suppressed.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a pair of concave grooves 31e is provided between the groove portions 31a and 31b of the main body portion 31 and the lip portion 32 (neck portion 33). These concave grooves 31e extend in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30 and face each other in the wiping direction of the blade rubber 30, like the groove portions 31a and 31b. Then, the first claw portions 44a, 44b and the second claw portions 45a, 45b provided on the connecting member 40 of the holder 20 are adapted to enter the inside of the concave groove 31e.

As a result, the connecting member 40 of the holder 20 grips the exposed portions 34a3, 34b3 and the lip portion 32 side of the lip side wall portion 31d. Therefore, the main body 31 of the blade rubber 30 including the vertibras 34a and 34b is attached to the connecting member 40 without rattling and without falling off. That is, in the wiper blade 10 of the present embodiment, the blade rubber 30 is held only by the connecting member 40.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the first cap positioning portions 31e1 are provided on the inner circumferential sides of the pair of concave grooves 31e in the longitudinal direction (only one side is shown in the figure). Further, as shown in FIG. 6C, second cap positioning portions 31e2 are provided on the outer circumferential sides of the pair of concave grooves 31e in the longitudinal direction (only one side is shown in the figure). These first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 are provided corresponding to the arrangement portions of the cutout portions 31d1, respectively, and are recessed in the wiping direction of the main body portion 31.

Then, the engaging claws 72e (see FIG. 11A and FIG. 17A) provided on the pair of caps 70 come into the inside of the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2. There is. As a result, the cap 70 is positioned with respect to the blade rubber 30, and the cap 70 is prevented from falling off from both sides in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30.

The pair of first cap positioning portions 31e1 are arranged at the same position along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 31, and the pair of second cap positioning portions 31e2 are also arranged at the same position along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 31. ing. In addition, the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 are arranged closer to the end portion along the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30 than the first vertibla positioning portions 31a1 and 31b1 and the second vertibla positioning portions 31a2 and 31b2. (See FIG. 17).

As shown in FIG. 6B, a positioning portion 31f for positioning the connecting member 40 (see FIG. 8) with respect to the blade rubber 30 is provided at a substantially central portion along the longitudinal direction of the pair of concave grooves 31e. There is. The positioning portion 31f has an engaging recess 31f1 into which the first claw portions 44a and 44b of the connecting member 40 are inserted and engaged, and an inclination that guides engagement of the first claw portions 44a and 44b with the engaging recess 31f1. The wall portion 31f2 is provided. That is, the connecting member 40 is attached to the blade rubber 30 from the side (right side in the drawing) where the inclined wall portion 31f2 along the longitudinal direction of the groove 31e is located.

In addition, the positioning portion 31f includes a movement restricting protrusion 31f3 formed in a protrusion shape so as to fill the concave groove 31e. The movement restricting protrusion 31f3 is arranged on the side opposite to the inclined wall portion 31f2 side along the longitudinal direction of the concave groove 31e, and from the engaging concave portion 31f1 of the first claw portions 44a and 44b (see FIG. 8B). It prevents the connecting member 40 from moving in the longitudinal direction with respect to the blade rubber 30 (positioning). Here, the positioning portion 31f is provided in each of the pair of concave grooves 31e, and these positioning portions 31f are arranged at the same position along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 31.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6C, a taper for guiding the mounting of the cap 70 (see FIG. 11) is provided on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the main body 31, that is, a pair of end portions of the blade rubber 30. A portion 31g is provided. The tapered portion 31g is formed of an inclined surface as shown in the drawing, and is tapered toward the end of the main body 31. As a result, the mounting of the cap 70 is guided to the tapered portion 31g, and thus the cap 70 can be easily mounted on the end of the main body 31.

Here, as shown in FIG. 4, a facing surface 31h facing the windshield 11 is provided between the concave groove 31e of the blade rubber 30 and the neck portion 33. The facing surface 31h has a function of returning rainwater or the like, which has been wiped and splashed by the lip portion 32, toward the windshield 11 side.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 18A, the facing surface 31h is provided with an identification mark 31k. The identification mark 31k is provided so as to be recessed from the facing surface 31h, and serves as a mark indicating whether or not the cap 70 is correctly attached to the blade rubber 30 (whether or not it is properly positioned). How to use the identification mark 31k will be described in detail later.

As shown in FIG. 6, at different positions along the longitudinal direction of the recessed groove 31e, the first vertibra positioning parts 31a1, 31b1, the second vertibula positioning parts 31a2, 31b2, the first and second cap positioning parts 31e1, 31e2 and The positioning portion 31f and the like are provided. Therefore, the blade rubber 30 is formed by supplying the softened rubber material into a plurality of dies (cavities) that are butted against each other at a predetermined injection pressure. That is, the blade rubber 30 is an injection molded product.

Therefore, a parting line PL as shown by the imaginary line (two-dot chain line) in FIG. 6 is formed in the portion corresponding to the abutting surface of the mold. The parting line PL is a trace of the rubber material leaking from the abutting surface of the mold, and more specifically, it is a minute protrusion.

8A is a perspective view of the front side portion of the connecting member, FIG. 8B is a perspective view of the back side portion of the connecting member, FIG. 9A is a front side portion of the cover member, and FIG. 9B is a perspective view of the back side portion of the cover member. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line D-D of FIG. 2, FIG. 11(a) is a perspective view of the cap seen from the back side, and FIG. 11(b) is a sectional view taken along the line E-E of FIG. Showing.

The connecting member 40 forming the holder 20 has a shape as shown in FIG. The connecting member 40 is formed into an elongated shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30 by injection molding a resin material such as plastic.

The connecting member 40 is formed in a hollow shape, and a housing chamber 42 for housing the clip member 41 (see FIG. 3) is formed inside thereof. The accommodation chamber 42 is formed by a forward side wall 42a and a return side wall 42b extending in the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 40, and an inner peripheral side wall 42c and an outer peripheral side wall 42d extending in the lateral direction of the connecting member 40. ing. Here, in FIG. 8, the clip member 41 is not shown in order to clarify the structure of the accommodation chamber 42.

A support pin 43 made of steel is provided in the accommodation chamber 42 of the connecting member 40 so as to cross the connecting member 40 in the lateral direction. The support pin 43 is arranged at substantially central portions along the longitudinal direction of the outward side wall 42a and the return side wall 42b, one side in the axial direction is fixed to the outward side wall 42a, and the other side in the axial direction is fixed to the return side wall 42b. The support pin 43 is fixed by insert molding when the connecting member 40 is injection molded.

As shown in FIG. 3, the clip member 41 is rotatably attached to the support pin 43. Therefore, when the support pin 43 is made of steel, the driving force from the wiper arm 12 fixed to the clip member 41 is efficiently transmitted to the wiper blade 10. Therefore, the wiping performance of the wiper blade 10 is improved.

As shown in FIG. 8B, a pair of first claw portions 44a and 44b and a pair of second claw portions 45a and 45b are provided on the windshield 11 side (back side) of the connecting member 40. ing. The first claws 44a and 44b are provided near the inner peripheral side wall 42c (left side in the drawing) along the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 40, and the second claws 45a and 45b are outer peripheral side walls along the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 40. It is provided near 42d (right side in the figure). Then, the first claw portions 44a, 44b and the second claw portions 45a, 45b are respectively projected toward the inner side in the wiping direction of the blade rubber 30, that is, toward the center side along the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30. ..

The first claw portions 44a and 44b and the second claw portions 45a and 45b are respectively inserted in the concave grooves 31e of the blade rubber 30 (see FIG. 4). That is, the first claw portions 44a and 44b and the second claw portions 45a and 45b support the body portion 31 of the blade rubber 30 from the lip portion 32 side. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the first claw portions 44a, 44b provided near the inner peripheral side wall 42c enter the engaging recess 31f1 of the positioning portion 31f of the blade rubber 30. As a result, the connecting member 40 is positioned at a predetermined position along the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30 while being prevented from coming off.

As shown in FIG. 8B, on the windshield 11 side (back side) of the connecting member 40, and in the vicinity of the first claw portions 44a, 44b and the second claw portions 45a, 45b, there is a pair of first vertices. Abutting portions 46a and 46b and a pair of second vertibra abutting portions 47a and 47b are provided. Then, from the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 40, the first vertibra contact parts 46a, 46b are opposed to the first claw parts 44a, 44b, and the second vertibra contact parts 47a, 47b are the second claw parts 45a. , 45b.

The first vertibra contact portions 46a, 46b and the second vertibra contact portions 47a, 47b extend in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30. Specifically, the length dimensions of the first vertibra contact portions 46a, 46b and the second vertibra contact portions 47a, 47b are the same as those of the blade rubber 30 of the first claw portions 44a, 44b and the second claw portions 45a, 45b. It is made longer than the length dimension along the longitudinal direction.

Further, the end portions of the first vertibra contact portions 46a, 46b and the second vertibra contact portions 47a, 47b are inclined so as to guide the attachment of the main body 31 including the vertibras 34a, 34b to the connecting member 40. .. Then, the first vertibra contact parts 46a, 46b and the second vertibra contact parts 47a, 47b are respectively in contact with the exposed parts 34a3, 34b3 of the vertibras 34a, 34b.

Here, the first vertibra contact portions 46a, 46b and the second vertibra contact portions 47a, 47b, and the first claw portions 44a, 44b and the second claw portions 45a, 45b are along the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 40. It is located in the same position. As a result, the main body 31 of the blade rubber 30 including the pair of vertibras 34a, 34b includes the first vertibra contact parts 46a, 46b and the second vertibra contact parts 47a, 47b, the first claw parts 44a, 44b, and the first claw parts 44a, 44b. It is gripped by the two claw portions 45a and 45b and is supported without rattling (see FIG. 4).

In addition, the first vertibra abutting portions 46a, 46b and the second vertibra abutting portions 47a, 47b are not exposed through the rubber portion (flexible portion) of the blade rubber 30, but exposed portions of the vertibra 34a, 34b which are rigid bodies. The blade rubber 30 is brought into direct contact with the parts 34a3, 34b3, and the mounting rigidity of the blade rubber 30 to the connecting member 40 is sufficiently enhanced. On the other hand, since the first claw portions 44a and 44b and the second claw portions 45a and 45b support the rubber portion (lip side wall portion 31d) of the blade rubber 30, generation of abnormal noise due to contact between rigid bodies. Can be effectively suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 8B, a pair of first support members is provided on the windshield 11 side (back side) of the connecting member 40 and near the first claw portions 44a and 44b and the second claw portions 45a and 45b. Portions 48a and 48b and a pair of second support portions 49a and 49b are provided. The first support portions 48a and 48b are arranged between the first vertibra contact portions 46a and 46b, and the second support portions 49a and 49b are arranged between the second vertibra contact portions 47a and 47b. The first support parts 48a, 48b and the second support parts 49a, 49b support the arm side wall part 31c (see FIG. 4) on the side opposite to the lip part 32 side of the main body part 31.

Here, the length dimensions of the first support portions 48a, 48b and the second support portions 49a, 49b along the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30 are the same as those of the first vertibra contact portions 46a, 46b and the second vertibra contact portions 47a, 47a. It is approximately half the length dimension of 47b. As a result, the contact portion between the connecting member 40 (made of plastic) and the blade rubber 30 (made of rubber) is minimized, the occurrence of rattling is suppressed, and the bending operation of the blade rubber 30 with respect to the connecting member 40 is smooth. Done. That is, the increase in the frictional resistance between both members is minimized to prevent the wiping performance of the blade rubber 30 from decreasing.

Note that the friction resistance between the first vertibra contact portions 46a, 46b and the second vertibra contact portions 47a, 47b (made of plastic) and the exposed portions 34a3, 34b3 (made of steel material) is the plastic connecting member 40 and the rubber. It is significantly smaller than the frictional resistance with the manufactured blade rubber 30. Therefore, there is no problem even if the lengths of the first and second vertibra contact portions 46a and 46b and the second and second vertibra contact portions 47a and 47b are increased. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the length of the first vertibra contact portions 46a, 46b and the second vertibra contact portions 47a, 47b is increased to stabilize the support of the blade rubber 30 by the connecting member 40. There is.

Here, even at the end portions of the first support portions 48a, 48b and the second support portions 49a, 49b, similarly to the end portions of the first vertibra contact portions 46a, 46b and the second vertibra contact portions 47a, 47b, It is inclined so as to guide the mounting of the main body portion 31 including the vertibras 34a and 34b to the connecting member 40.

The first support parts 48a, 48b and the second support parts 49a, 49b, and the first claw parts 44a, 44b and the second claw parts 45a, 45b extend along the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 40 (blade rubber 30). It is located in the same position. As a result, the arm side wall portion 31c and the lip side wall portion 31d in the main body portion 31 of the blade rubber 30 have the first support portions 48a and 48b and the second support portions 49a and 49b, the first pawl portions 44a and 44b, and the second pawl portion. The parts 45a and 45b are gripped and supported without rattling (see FIG. 4).

Further, the first support portions 48a and 48b and the second support portions 49a and 49b are provided with recesses 48c and 49c, respectively. More specifically, the recessed portion 48c is provided between the first support portions 48a and 48b along the short side direction of the connecting member 40, and the recessed portion 49c is the second support along the short side direction of the connecting member 40. It is provided between the parts 49a and 49b. These recesses 48c and 49c are arranged in the central portion along the lateral direction of the connecting member 40, and the center portion along the width direction of the arm side wall portion 31c is opposed to the recesses 48c and 49c.

As a result, the recesses 48c and 49c accommodate the parting line PL (see FIG. 6) provided on the opposite side of the main body 31 from the lip 32 side. In other words, the recessed portions 48c and 49c function as "escapes" of the parting line PL formed by the minute protrusions. Therefore, instability (occurrence of variation) of the bending operation of the blade rubber 30 with respect to the connecting member 40 due to the parting line PL being pressed against the connecting member 40 is suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 8A, rotation of the clip member 41 (see FIG. 3) on the inner circumferential side (left side in the drawing) of the connecting member 40 with respect to the connecting member 40 is restricted by a predetermined angle or more. A rotation restricting portion 40a is provided. The rotation restricting portion 40a is projected so as to be exposed to the inside of the accommodation chamber 42, and is substantially perpendicular to the inner peripheral side wall 42c. Further, on the back side of the rotation restricting portion 40a, as shown in FIG. 8(b), first vertibra contact portions 46a, 46b, first supporting portions 48a, 48b, and a recessed portion 48c are provided. ing. That is, the rotation restricting portion 40a is provided on the opposite side of the first supporting portions 48a and 48b from the main body portion 31 side. Here, the rotation restricting portion 40a includes the first vertibra contact portions 46a and 46b, the first support portions 48a and 48b, and the recess portion 48c, which are portions (supporting portions) near the center along the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 40. It also has a function of arranging it on a portion close to the pin 43).

Then, the protrusion 41b (see FIG. 3) of the clip member 41 can come into contact with the rotation restricting portion 40a. As a result, rotation of the clip member 41 with respect to the connecting member 40 by a predetermined angle or more is restricted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the clip member 41 from coming into contact with the blade rubber 30 and strongly pressing the blade rubber 30. Therefore, the blade rubber 30 can be protected and its life can be extended. Further, when the clip member 41 is to be removed from the connecting member 40 for cleaning the wiper blade 10 or the like, the pressing member 41c is pulled to the opposite side to the blade rubber 30 so that the convex portion 41b and the rotation restricting portion 40a are connected. The abutting portion of the above serves as a fulcrum, and the clip member 41 can be easily removed.

Here, both sides in the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 40 are substantially mirror-image symmetric with respect to the support pin 43. Therefore, a bridging portion 40b having the same shape as the rotation restricting portion 40a is provided on the outer peripheral side in the longitudinal direction (right side in the drawing) of the connecting member 40. Then, on the back side of the bridging portion 40b, as shown in FIG. 8B, second vertibra contact portions 47a, 47b, second support portions 49a, 49b, and a recessed portion 49c are provided. .. Also in this bridging part 40b, the second vertibra contact parts 47a, 47b, the second support parts 49a, 49b, and the recessed part 49c are located near the center along the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 40 (close to the support pin 43). Part) has the function of placing. The tip portion 41d (see FIG. 3) of the clip member 41 can also come into contact with the bridging portion 40b, and rotation of the clip member 41 with respect to the connecting member 40 by a predetermined angle or more can be restricted.

In this way, by providing the rotation restricting portion 40a and the bridging portion 40b which are projected so as to be exposed inside the accommodation chamber 42, the first vertibra contact portions 46a and 46b, the first support portions 48a and 48b, and the recessed portion. 48c, the second verti-blade contact portions 47a, 47b, the second support portions 49a, 49b, and the recessed portion 49c are arranged at portions near the support pins 43, respectively. As a result, protection of the blade rubber 30 and reduction in size and weight of the connecting member 40 are realized.

As shown in FIG. 8B, the cover member 50 (see FIGS. 5 and 9) is attached to the outward side wall 42a and the return side wall 42b of the connecting member 40, respectively. Specifically, a pair of positioning holes 42e for mounting the cover member 50 and a pair of hooking holes 42f are provided on the windshield 11 side (rear side) of the outward side wall 42a and the return side wall 42b, respectively. .. The cover members 50 attached to the outward side wall 42a and the return side wall 42b are the same.

The pair of positioning holes 42e extend straight in the height direction of the outward side wall 42a and the return side wall 42b, and have a substantially square cross section. The depth dimension of the positioning hole 42e is set to H1 (see FIG. 16A). On the other hand, the pair of hook holes 42f extend in the height direction of the outward side wall 42a and the return side wall 42b, and extend in the plate thickness direction of the outward side wall 42a and the return side wall 42b. That is, the hook hole 42f has a substantially L-shaped cross section. The depth dimension of the hook hole 42f is set to H2 (see FIG. 16B), which is shallower than the depth dimension H1 of the positioning hole 42e (H2<H1).

Thus, the positioning hole 42e is formed in a straight shape, and the hooking hole 42f is formed in a substantially L shape. Therefore, the connecting member 40 is formed by using a slide mold (not shown) that is moved in the left-right direction, in addition to an upper-lower mold (not shown) that is moved in the vertical direction. Then, a pair of positioning protrusions 52 (see FIG. 9) of the cover member 50 are respectively inserted into the pair of positioning holes 42e, and a pair of hooking claws 53 of the cover member 50 (see FIG. 9) are inserted into the pair of hooking holes 42f. ) Are hooked respectively.

As shown in FIG. 8B, holder cover accommodating portions 40c are provided on both sides of the connecting member 40 in the longitudinal direction. These holder cover accommodating portions 40c are formed in a mirror image symmetrical shape around the support pin 43 provided on the connecting member 40, and are recessed from the back side of the connecting member 40 toward the front side. The holder cover accommodating portion 40c accommodates the end portion of the holder cover 60, and the holder cover accommodating portion 40c covers the end portion of the holder cover 60 (see FIG. 12). As a result, the vertibras 34a, 34b and the like are not exposed to the outside, and the appearance of the wiper blade 10 is improved.

The cover member 50 shown in FIG. 9 suppresses formation of a flow path of rainwater or the like between the inside of the storage chamber 42 (see FIG. 8) of the connecting member 40 and the outside of the blade rubber 30 side. is there. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 16, two cover members 50 are mounted on the blade rubber 30 side of the connecting member 40 so as to face each other around the blade rubber 30. As shown in FIG. 9, the cover member 50 includes a cover body 51 formed in a substantially flat trapezoidal shape, and a positioning protrusion 52 and a hook claw 53 are provided on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the cover body 51. There is. That is, one cover member 50 is provided with a total of four protrusions and claws. Note that the hooking claw 53 is arranged closer to the longitudinal end of the cover body 51 than the positioning protrusion 52. Further, since the cover main body 51 is formed into a substantially flat trapezoidal shape, it is easy to confirm the orientation of the cover member 50 in the lateral direction by visual observation or touch, and it is possible to reduce erroneous assembly of the cover member 50.

The positioning protrusion 52 has a substantially square cross section and is inserted into the positioning hole 42e (see FIG. 8B) of the connecting member 40. The projection height of the positioning protrusion 52 from the cover body 51 is set to be slightly smaller than the depth dimension H1 of the positioning hole 42e (see FIG. 16A). Therefore, the cover body 51 is brought into contact with the outward side wall 42a and the return side wall 42b of the connecting member 40.

Further, the hooking claw 53 is formed to have a substantially L-shaped cross section, and a claw main body 53a is provided at a tip end portion thereof. The claw body 53a is adapted to be hooked in a hooking hole 42f (see FIG. 8B) of the connecting member 40. The height of the hook claw 53 protruding from the cover body 51 is slightly smaller than the depth H2 of the hook hole 42f (see FIG. 16B). Further, the cover main body 51 is brought into contact with the outward path side wall 42a and the return path side wall 42b of the connecting member 40 in a state where the claw main body 53a is hooked in the hooking hole 42f.

In this way, the positioning protrusion 52 and the hooking claw 53 extend in the mounting direction of the cover member 50 with respect to the connecting member 40, and the length of the positioning protrusion 52 is longer than the length of the hooking claw 53. There is. Further, with the pair of cover members 50 attached to the connecting member 40, the blade rubber 30 side of the cover body 51, that is, a part of the cover body 51 is inserted into the concave groove 31e of the blade rubber 30 in a non-contact state. (See FIG. 16). That is, a minute gap Δt is formed between the cover body 51 and the blade rubber 30. In this way, the cover member 50 is brought into non-contact with the blade rubber 30. Therefore, the cover body 51 does not distort the blade rubber 30, and sufficient wiping performance is secured.

Then, as shown in FIG. 16, when the connecting member 40 is viewed from a direction intersecting the wiping direction of the blade rubber 30 (the left-right direction in the drawing), the connecting member 40 and the blade rubber 30 (lip side wall portion 31d). Although a gap S is formed between the cover body 51 and the cover body 51, the cover body 51 closes the gap S from the windshield 11 side. That is, the cover body 51 is arranged on the extension of the gap S along the vertical direction in the figure, and the labyrinth structure is formed by the blade rubber 30 and the cover body 51. As a result, it is possible to prevent rainwater or the like that has entered the storage chamber 42 from leaking to the windshield 11. The pair of cover members 50 may be omitted (removed) depending on the required specifications of the wiper blade 10 (see FIG. 1).

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the clip member 41 is housed inside the housing chamber 42 of the connecting member 40. The clip member 41 is formed of a resin material such as plastic into a predetermined shape, and is rotatably attached to the support pin 43.

The clip member 41 includes a clip body 41a attached to the support pin 43 at the center in the longitudinal direction, and the U-shaped hook 12a of the wiper arm 12 is connected to the clip body 41a. Further, on the inner circumferential side (left side in FIG. 3) in the longitudinal direction of the clip body 41a, a convex portion 41b capable of contacting the rotation restricting portion 40a of the connecting member 40 is provided. Further, a holding member 41c for holding the U-shaped hook 12a connected to the clip body 41a is rotatably provided on the outer peripheral side in the longitudinal direction of the clip body 41a (right side in FIG. 3).

As described above, the clip member 41 rotatably provided on the support pin 43 includes the clip body 41a and the pressing member 41c. Then, in order to connect the U-shaped hook 12a to the clip body 41a, the pressing member 41c is rotated about the rotation center CE and raised. After that, the U-shaped hook 12a is connected to the clip body 41a, and the pressing member 41c is rotated so as to return to the original state (state of FIG. 3) and is tilted with respect to the clip body 41a. As a result, the U-shaped hook 12a is sandwiched between the clip body 41a and the pressing member 41c, and the wiper blade 10 is connected to the wiper arm 12.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 5 and 10, holder covers 60 are provided on both sides of the connecting member 40 along the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade 10. All of these holder covers 60 are the same, and are formed in a long shape by extruding an elastic material such as rubber. The holder cover 60 includes a first holder body 61, a second holder body 62, and a fin portion 63.

Each of the first holder body 61 and the second holder body 62 has a substantially U-shaped cross section, and their opening portions face each other. The first holder main body 61 and the second holder main body 62 have first holder claws 61a and 62a and second holder claws 61b and 62b. The first holder main body 61 and the second holder main body 62 cover the side portions of the main body 31 of the blade rubber 30 so as to be held, and specifically, the first holder claws 61a and 62a are a pair of blade rubber 30. It has entered into each of the concave grooves 31e. The second holder claws 61b and 62b are in contact with the exposed portions 34a3 and 34b3 of the pair of vertibras 34a and 34b.

As a result, the holder cover 60 covers the other part of the main body 31 except the part where the connecting member 40 is present. Note that the holder cover 60 does not support the blade rubber 30 like the connecting member 40, but covers the arm side wall portion 31c of the main body portion 31 and the exposed portions 34a3, 34b3 of the vertibras 34a, 34b to hide the wiper blade 30. It makes 10 look good. Then, the holder cover 60 is attached by sliding on the blade rubber 30 from both sides in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30.

Here, the fin portion 63 is provided with an inclined surface 63a and a top portion 63b connected to the inclined surface 63a. The fin portion 63 suppresses lifting of the blade rubber 30 from the windshield 11 in response to the traveling wind of the vehicle, and prevents deterioration of the wiping performance during high-speed traveling or the like. Therefore, the inclined surface 63a is inclined forward toward the outward path (the right side in the drawing), and the top portion 63b is arranged on the return path (the left side in the drawing).

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, a recess 64 is provided in the central portion of the holder cover 60 along the wiping direction (the left-right direction in the drawing). The recess 64 is provided so as to be recessed from the first and second holder bodies 61, 62 side (back side) to the fin portion 63 side (front side). Inside the recess 64, the arm side wall portion 31 c of the blade rubber 30 is provided. Is housed. As a result, the holder cover 60 is attached to the blade rubber 30 without rattling.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 5 and 11, a cap 70 is attached to each end of the holder cover 60 along the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30 opposite to the connecting member 40 side. That is, the pair of caps 70 are provided on both sides of the blade rubber 30 in the longitudinal direction, and cover the end of the holder cover 60 and the end of the main body 31. These caps 70 are formed in substantially the same manner, but differ only in that they are mirror-image symmetric shapes. Hereinafter, only one of the caps 70 (the cap 70 on the outer peripheral side in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade 10) will be illustrated, and the structure thereof will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 11, the cap 70 includes a cap body 71 that is formed by injection molding a resin material such as molten plastic and has a hollow inside. The cap body 71 covers both sides of the blade rubber 30 including the pair of vertibras 34a and 34b in the longitudinal direction and the end portion of the holder cover 60 on the side opposite to the connecting member 40 side so that both sides of the wiper blade 10 in the longitudinal direction. Is looking good. Further, by fixing the caps 70 to both sides of the blade rubber 30 in the longitudinal direction, the holder cover 60 is prevented from falling off from the blade rubber 30.

Inside the cap body 71, a blade rubber end accommodating portion 72 for accommodating the longitudinal end portion of the blade rubber 30 including the pair of vertibras 34a and 34b is provided. As shown in FIG. 11B, the blade rubber end accommodating portion 72 is provided with a recess 72a into which the parting line PL (see FIG. 6) of the blade rubber 30 is inserted, and in the vicinity of the recess 72a. A recess 72b for accommodating the arm side wall portion 31c of the blade rubber 30 is provided.

Further, a pair of support surfaces 72c for supporting the exposed portions 34a3, 34b3 of the vertibras 34a, 34b are provided on both sides of the recess 72b along the wiping direction of the blade rubber 30 (left-right direction in the drawing). Further, the blade rubber end accommodating portion 72 is provided with a pair of support convex portions 72d for respectively supporting the back surfaces 34a4, 34b4 on the side opposite to the exposed portions 34a3, 34b3 side along the plate thickness direction of the vertibras 34a, 34b. There is. In this way, the pair of support surfaces 72c and the pair of support protrusions 72d of the cap 70 support the vertibras 34a and 34b without rattling from the plate thickness direction.

In addition, a pair of engagement claws 72e protruding in the wiping direction of the blade rubber 30 are provided near the pair of support protrusions 72d. These engaging claws 72e are opposed to each other in the wiping direction of the blade rubber 30 and are respectively provided to the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 (see FIG. 6) provided on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30. Get in.

As shown in FIG. 11A, each of the pair of engaging claws 72e is provided with a tapered surface 72f. These tapered surfaces 72f guide the mounting of the respective engaging claws 72e to the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 when mounting the cap 70 on the end portion of the blade rubber 30. As a result, the cap 70 can be easily attached to the blade rubber 30. That is, the tapered surfaces 72f are inclined toward the opening side of the cap 70 (left side in FIG. 11A) so that the space between the tapered surfaces 72f gradually expands.

Inside the cap 70 and on the opening side, a holder cover end accommodating portion 73 is provided. An abutting surface 73a is provided between the holder cover end accommodating portion 73 and the blade rubber end accommodating portion 72, against which the end of the holder cover 60 opposite to the connecting member 40 side abuts. As a result, the end of the holder cover 60 on the side opposite to the connecting member 40 side is accommodated inside the holder cover end accommodating portion 73 without rattling.

Next, the operation of the wiper blade 10 formed as described above will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a straight state of the wiper blade, FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a curved state (1) of the wiper blade, and FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a curved state (2) of the wiper blade. Fig. 15(a) is a partial enlarged view of the periphery of the supporting portion and the vertibra contact portion of Fig. 4, and Fig. 15(b) is a sectional view corresponding to Fig. 15(a) showing a modified example of the supporting portion. ing.

The wiper blade 10 shown in FIG. 12 shows a state in which the lip portion 32 of the blade rubber 30 is in contact with the relatively flat portion of the windshield 11. Therefore, the blade rubber 30 including the pair of vertibras 34a and 34b is substantially straight. Here, the tip portion (the portion of the U-shaped hook 12a) of the wiper arm 12 is pressed toward the windshield 11 by the spring force of a spring (not shown). Therefore, the central portion of the lip portion 32 in the longitudinal direction is brought into close contact with the windshield 11, and the longitudinal sides of the lip portion 32 are also brought into close contact with the windshield 11 by the spring force of the vertibras 34a and 34b. Therefore, sufficient wiping performance can be obtained in the entire region of the lip portion 32 in the longitudinal direction.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, the pressing force F1 transmitted from the wiper arm 12 is paired via the first vertibra contact parts 46a, 46b and the second vertibra contact parts 47a, 47b of the connecting member 40. Is transmitted to the vertical blasters 34a and 34b. The rubber blade rubber 30 does not exist in the transmission path of the pressing force F1. Therefore, the connection rigidity of the blade rubber 30 to the connecting member 40 is increased, and the blade rubber 30 can follow the swinging motion of the connecting member 40 without swinging. Therefore, the occurrence of wiping unevenness due to the runout of the blade rubber 30 is effectively suppressed, and sufficient wiping performance is obtained.

Further, when the wiper arm 12 swings, a relatively large centrifugal force F2 acts on the wiper blade 10. Therefore, the blade rubber 30 tends to come off from the connecting member 40. At this time, the first claw portions 44a and 44b of the connecting member 40 are pressed against the movement restricting protrusion 31f3 instead of the inclined wall portion 31f2 of the blade rubber 30. Therefore, the blade rubber 30 does not come off from the connecting member 40.

In the wiper blade 10 shown in FIG. 13, the lip portion 32 of the blade rubber 30 is in contact with the portion of the windshield 11 having a large curvature, or the wiper arm 12 (wiper blade 10) is locked back (standing up). State). For example, when the lip portion 32 comes into contact with a portion of the windshield 11 having a large curvature, the blade rubber 30 including the pair of vertibras 34 a and 34 b is curved according to the curvature of the windshield 11. Specifically, the vertibras 34a and 34b approach a natural state (original curved state), and the blade rubber 30 is also curved following the natural state. Therefore, the entire region of the lip portion 32 in the longitudinal direction is brought into close contact with the windshield 11.

At this time, the pressing force F1 transmitted from the wiper arm 12 is transmitted from the first vertibra contact portions 46a, 46b and the second vertibra contact portions 47a, 47b to the pair of vertibras 34a, 34b. There is no rubber blade rubber 30 that increases the frictional resistance. Therefore, the first vertibra contact portions 46a, 46b and the second vertibra contact portions 47a, 47b and the pair of vertibras 34a, 34b can slide smoothly, and the vertibras 34a, 34b can easily be brought into a natural state without substantial resistance. You can get closer.

That is, the first vertibra contact parts 46a, 46b and the second vertibra contact parts 47a, 47b are brought into smooth sliding contact with the respective exposed parts 34a3, 34b3 in accordance with the curvature of the pair of vertibras 34a, 34b. It has become. As a result, the blade rubber 30 can be smoothly curved without increasing the rigidity of the vertibras 34a and 34b and increasing the spring force, which in turn reduces the size and weight of the wiper blade 10 and reduces the cost. It can be applied to automobiles.

Further, when the wiper arm 12 is locked back when the vehicle is washed, or when the wiper blade 10 is transported as a single item, the clip member 41 rotates counterclockwise around the support pin 43 as shown by an arrow R1 in FIG. It may be rotated in the direction. Then, when the clip member 41 is rotated by the predetermined angle α° with respect to the connecting member 40, the convex portion 41b of the clip body 41a is brought into contact with the rotation restricting portion 40a of the connecting member 40. Therefore, rotation of the clip member 41 with respect to the connecting member 40 by a predetermined angle α° or more is restricted. Similarly, as shown by an arrow R2 in FIG. 14, the clip member 41 may be rotated clockwise around the support pin 43. Then, when the clip member 41 is rotated by a predetermined angle β° with respect to the connecting member 40, the tip portion 41d of the clip body 41a is brought into contact with the bridging portion 40b of the connecting member 40. This prevents the clip member 41 and the U-shaped hook 12a from contacting the blade rubber 30, and prevents the blade rubber 30 that is softer than the clip member 41 and the U-shaped hook 12a from being damaged early. Further, when releasing the lockback, by restricting the rotation of the clip member 41 in the R2 direction by the bridging portion 40b, the fluttering of the wiper blade 10 can be suppressed and the blade rubber 10 collides with the vehicle body or the like and is damaged. Can be prevented. Since the clip member 41 does not directly press the blade rubber 30 even during the swing motion, the lip portion 32 is secured to the windshield while ensuring the rotation angle (predetermined angles α° and β°) required for wiping. It is possible to prevent excessive pressing against 11.

Here, when the blade rubber 30 including the pair of vertibras 34a and 34b is curved, as shown in FIG. 15A, the first vertibra contact portions 46a and 46b are slidably contacted with the exposed portions 34a3 and 34b3, respectively. In addition, the first support portions 48a and 48b are in sliding contact with the arm side wall portion 31c (made of rubber), respectively. However, since the recess 48c is provided between the first support portions 48a and 48b, an increase in the contact area between the first support portions 48a and 48b and the arm side wall portion 31c is suppressed to a minimum. .. Therefore, the smooth curvature of the blade rubber 30 with respect to the connecting member 40 is not adversely affected.

However, in order to further suppress the increase in the contact area between the first support parts 48a and 48b and the arm side wall part 31c, the structure of [Modification] as shown in FIG. 15B may be adopted. Specifically, in place of the first supporting portions 48a and 48b of FIG. 15A, first supporting protrusions Ta and Tb are provided, and a recess 48c is provided between the first supporting protrusions Ta and Tb. But good. As a result, recesses Da and Db are formed on the sides of the first support protrusions Ta and Tb on the side of the first vertibra contact portions 46a and 46b, respectively, and the contact area between the first support protrusions Ta and Tb and the arm side wall portion 31c. Can be further suppressed.

Next, a procedure for assembling the wiper blade 10 formed as described above will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

16A is a cross-sectional view illustrating the positioning protrusion of the cover member, FIG. 16B is a cross-sectional view illustrating the hooking claw of the cover member, and FIGS. 17A, 17B, 17C, and 17D. 18A is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the vertibra positioning portion and the cap positioning portion, FIG. 18A is a partially enlarged view of the identification mark provided on the blade rubber, and FIG. 18B is a partially enlarged view of the identification mark in the modification of FIG. 19(a) and 19(b) are explanatory views for explaining the processing procedure of the vertibra.

[Blade rubber assembly process]
First, as shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 7, the forward route side vertibula 34a, the backward route side vertibula 34b and the blade rubber 30 are prepared. Next, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, the vertibra 34a is attached to the groove 31a on the forward path side in the main body 31 of the blade rubber 30, and the vertibra 34b is installed in the groove 31b on the backward path in the main body 31 of the blade rubber 30. Mounting.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 17B, the first vertibula positioning portions 31a1 and 31b1 are respectively inserted into the first positioning recesses 34a1 and 34b1. As a result, as shown in FIG. 17C, the second vertibra positioning portions 31a2 and 31b2 enter the second positioning recesses 34a2 and 34b2, respectively. Therefore, the pair of vertibras 34a, 34b are correctly attached to the grooves 31a, 31b of the main body 31, and the assembling of the vertibras 34a, 34b to the blade rubber 30 is completed.

[Connecting member assembly process]
Next, as shown in FIGS. 5, 8 and 9, the connecting member 40, the clip member 41 and the pair of cover members 50 are prepared. Then, the clip body 41a of the clip member 41 is rotatably attached to the support pin 43 of the connecting member 40. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the protrusion 41b of the clip member 41 and the rotation restricting portion 40a of the connecting member 40 are mounted so as to face each other.

Next, as shown in FIG. 16, the pair of cover members 50 are attached to the outward side wall 42a and the return side wall 42b of the connecting member 40. At this time, the tip side of the positioning protrusion 52 and the hooking claw 53 is made to face the back side (lower side in FIG. 16) of the connecting member 40. After that, when the cover member 50 is brought closer to the connecting member 40, the positioning protrusion 52 having a high protruding height first enters the positioning hole 42e. Next, the hook claw 53 having a low protruding height enters the hook hole 42f.

At this time, the mounting operation of the positioning projection 52 into the positioning hole 42e serves as a guide for the hooking operation of the hooking claw 53 into the hooking hole 42f, and the mounting of the positioning projection 52 into the positioning hole 42e is advanced, so that FIG. As shown in (b), the claw body 53a is hooked in the hook hole 42f. As a result, the pair of cover members 50 are fixed to the outward passage side wall 42a and the return passage side wall 42b without rattling, and the assembly of the connecting member 40 is completed.

[Blade rubber installation process]
Next, a blade rubber 30 having a pair of vertibras 34a and 34b attached thereto is prepared through a blade rubber assembly process. Further, through the connecting member assembling step, the connecting member 40 to which the clip member 41 and the pair of cover members 50 are attached is prepared. Then, the outer circumferential side of the blade rubber 30 in the longitudinal direction faces the inner circumferential side of the connecting member 40 in the longitudinal direction.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 8B, the first claw portions 44a and 44b and the second claw portions 45a and 45b of the connecting member 40 are mounted in the concave grooves 31e of the main body portion 31, respectively. As a result, the connecting member 40 connected to the wiper arm 12 (see FIG. 3) is attached to the main body 31 from the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30. At this time, the first vertibra contact portions 46a, 46b and the second vertibra contact portions 47a, 47b are brought into contact with the exposed portions 34a3, 34b3, respectively, and the first claw portions 44a, 44b and the second claw portions 45a, 45b are contacted. Respectively support the main body portion 31 of the blade rubber 30 from the lip portion 32 side.

Then, the first vertibra contact parts 46a, 46b and the second vertibra contact parts 47a, 47b are brought into contact with the exposed parts 34a3, 34b3, and the main body part is formed by the first claw parts 44a, 44b and the second claw parts 45a, 45b. The blade rubber 30 and the cover member 50 are brought into the state shown in FIG. 16 by supporting the lip portion 32 side of 31. That is, the cover main bodies 51 of the pair of cover members 50 smoothly and automatically enter the pair of concave grooves 31e of the main body 31 without being caught. As a result, the cover main body 51 is provided inside the concave groove 31e in a non-contact state, and a minute gap Δt is formed between the concave groove 31e and the cover main body 51.

Next, the first claw portions 44a and 44b and the second claw portions 45a and 45b are slid in the concave groove 31e, and the connecting member 40 is moved to a substantially central portion along the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30. After that, the first claw portions 44a and 44b are further moved to the engaging recess 31f1 (see FIG. 6B) via the inclined wall portion 31f2. As a result, the first claw portions 44a and 44b are respectively engaged with the engagement concave portions 31f1, and the movement of the connecting member 40 in the axial direction of the blade rubber 30 is restricted. This completes the attachment of the blade rubber 30 to the connecting member 40.

[Holder cover mounting process]
Next, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 10, a pair of holder covers 60 is prepared. Further, through the blade rubber attaching step, the connecting member 40 attached with the blade rubber 30 is prepared. Then, the holder covers 60 are attached to the main body 31 from both sides of the blade rubber 30 in the longitudinal direction. At this time, the first holder claws 61a and 62a of the holder cover 60 are mounted in the concave grooves 31e of the main body portion 31, and the arm side wall portion 31c of the blade rubber 30 is housed in the concave portion 64 of the holder cover 60. To do so.

After that, the mounting of the holder cover 60 on the main body portion 31 is further advanced, and the end portions of the pair of holder covers 60 are respectively accommodated in the holder cover accommodating portions 40c of the connecting member 40. As a result, the holder covers 60 are attached to both sides of the connecting member 40 along the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30 so as to cover the main body 31, and the attachment of the holder cover 60 to the blade rubber 30 is completed.

[Cap mounting process]
Next, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 11, a pair of caps 70 is prepared. Further, the blade rubber 30 (the connecting member 40) to which the holder cover 60 is attached is prepared through the holder cover attaching step. Then, the caps 70 are attached to both sides of the blade rubber 30 in the longitudinal direction. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 11B and 17A, the pair of engaging claws 72e are inserted into the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2, respectively.

At this time, the tapered surface 72f provided on the engaging claw 72e facilitates the engaging claw 72e to enter the inside of the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2. As a result, the end portion of the blade rubber 30 including the pair of vertibras 34 a and 34 b is accommodated in the blade rubber end accommodating portion 72, and the end portion of the holder cover 60 is accommodated in the holder cover end accommodating portion 73. As shown in FIG. 11B, since the support surface 72c and the support protrusion 72d of the cap 70 directly support both sides of the vertibras 34a and 34b in the plate thickness direction, the cap 70 against the blade rubber 30 is not supported. Tatsuki is effectively suppressed.

Here, since the blade rubber 30 is made of rubber, it is determined whether or not the engaging claw 72e is correctly engaged with the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 by the touch (feeling) of the operator. Hard to do. Further, it is difficult to visually check from the outside to determine whether or not the engaging claw 72e is properly engaged with the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 18A, the boundary wall portion BW provided between the blade rubber end accommodating portion 72 of the cap 70 and the holder cover end accommodating portion 73 is provided on the facing surface 31h of the main body portion 31. When the identification mark 31k is provided, the cap 70 is properly attached to the blade rubber 30 as shown in FIG. 17(a). Here, the state of being properly mounted is a state in which the engaging claw 72e is engaged with the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2. That is, the correct mounting state of the cap 70 on the blade rubber 30 can be easily visually judged from the outside.

In this way, the boundary wall BW of the cap 70 is arranged at the portion of the identification mark 31k on the facing surface 31h, whereby the attachment of the cap 70 to the blade rubber 30 is completed. As a result, the wiper blade 10 is completed, the holder cover 60 is prevented from falling off from the blade rubber 30, and the end portions of the holder cover 60 and the main body portion 31 are covered with the cap 70, so that the wiper blade 10 is removed. The appearance of is also improved.

Further, as shown in FIG. 17, when the position of the end portion of the main body portion 31 is set to the reference position P0, the positions P1 of the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 from the reference position P0 side, The position P2 of the 1-vertiver positioning unit 31b1, the second Vertiblah positioning units 31a2 and 31b2, and the position P3 of the first Vertiblah positioning unit 31a1 are arranged in this order. That is, in the wiper blade 10 according to the present embodiment, when the cap 70 is mounted on the end portion of the blade rubber 30, the pair of engaging claws 72e provided on the cap 70 have positions P2 and P3. Do not cross the part. Therefore, the cap 70 can be easily attached to and detached from the blade rubber 30 when the blade rubber 30 is replaced. In addition, when the cap 70 is attached and detached, the first vertibler positioning portions 31a1 and 31b1 and the second vertibler positioning portions 31a2 and 31b2 are prevented from being pulled, compressed, or deformed.

However, it is also possible to use a cap CA having a shape as shown in [Modification] of FIG. 17D or FIG. 18B. The cap CA is longer than the cap 70 shown in FIG. 11, and the positions of the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 are set to the position P3 of the first vertiblah positioning portion 31a1 with respect to the reference position P0. The difference is that the position P4 is farther than the position P4. That is, in [Modification] shown in FIG. 17D and FIG. 18B, the first and second caps 31a1, 31b1 and 31a2, 31b2 are the first and second caps. It is provided closer to the end of the blade rubber 30 than the positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2.

Further, since the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 are provided at the position P4, the position of the identification mark 31k provided on the facing surface 31h is also changed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 18, in the cap 70, the distance (insertion depth) from the end of the main body portion 31 to the boundary wall portion BW was L1, whereas in the cap CA, the main body portion 31. The distance from the end of the to the boundary wall BW is L2 (L2>L1).

In such a [modified example], when the cap CA is mounted, the positions of the pair of engaging claws 72e exceed the portions where the positions P2 and P3 are located. Therefore, the mounting strength of the cap CA to the blade rubber 30 can be increased, and the cap CA can be more reliably prevented from coming off from the blade rubber 30. Note that the engagement of the engagement claw 72e with the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 is released in the middle of attachment/detachment of the cap CA. Therefore, when the position of the engaging claw 72e passes through the positions P2 and P3, a great tensile force does not act in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30.

Here, the pair of vertibras 34a and 34b (see FIG. 7) according to the present embodiment are formed of elongated stainless steel plates having a width dimension of about 5 mm. Therefore, it is difficult to supply a stable product to the weak rigidity region AR including the first cutout portion 35 and the second cutout portion 36 shown in FIG. 7 by punching using a punch and a die. Specifically, since the punch is small, the punch is damaged early, and not only the dimensional error of each product becomes large, but also the life cycle of the punch is shortened and the manufacturing cost is increased.

Therefore, in the pair of vertibras 34a and 34b according to the present embodiment, the rigid weak area AR including the first cutout portion 35 and the second cutout portion 36 is formed by using the laser irradiation device LS as shown in FIG. It is formed by heating and melting (heating treatment) by irradiation with a laser beam. Specifically, the heat of the laser beam (600 W to 900 W) emitted from the laser irradiation unit LB of the laser irradiation device LS melts the outer edge portions of the vertibras 34a and 34b, whereby the first cutout portion 35 and the second cutout portion are formed. The part 36 is formed.

Hereinafter, the forming procedure (manufacturing method) of the weak rigidity region AR by the laser irradiation device LS will be described as a representative of the return-side vertibula 34b.

[Molding process for the first notch]
First, as shown in FIG. 19(a), a vertibra 34b (workpiece) having no rigid weak area AR is prepared, and the vertibra 34b is placed at a predetermined position on a base (not shown). Then, the laser irradiation unit LB of the laser irradiation device LS is moved with respect to the base, and the laser irradiation unit LB is set at a portion closer to the center in the longitudinal direction of the vertibra 34b.

Next, as shown by the two-dot chain line arrow in FIG. 19A, while irradiating the laser beam from the laser irradiation unit LB toward the outer edge portion of the vertibra 34b, the laser irradiation unit LB is moved at a predetermined speed. As a result, a part of the outer edge portion of the vertibra 34b is cut out by heating and melting, and the first cutout portion 35 (the cutout portion by laser irradiation) including the six concave portions 35a and the five convex portions 35b is continuously formed. It Here, since the top of the convex portion 35b is arranged at a position recessed by the depth dimension D3 in the width direction of the vertibras 34a, 34b, the laser irradiation unit LB is moved without turning on/off the laser irradiation device LS. This is sufficient, and the first cutout portion 35 can be formed quickly. Further, compared with the case where the depth dimension D3=0, the moving distance of the laser irradiation part LB is shortened, and energy such as electric power required for laser irradiation can be reduced. Further, if the depth dimension D3=0, the amount of heat given by the laser irradiation device LS is different between the concave portion 35a and the convex portion 35b, so that the setting of the thermal stress necessary for correcting the vertibras 34a, 34b is complicated. Turn into.

After the formation of the first cutout portion 35, the heated first cutout portion 35 is cooled and hardened, and the contraction force of the stainless steel plate at that time causes the outer peripheral side in the longitudinal direction (the right side in the figure) of the vertibra 34b to be broken. From the state shown by (3), it bends back in the direction of the solid arrow M1 (on the side of the first cutout portion 35). Therefore, subsequent to the molding of the first cutout portion 35, the second cutout portion 36 is formed at the outer edge portion of the vertibra 34b on the side opposite to the side where the first cutout portion 35 is present.

Here, the above-mentioned [formation step of the first cutout portion] constitutes the first heating step in the present invention.

[Step of forming second notch]
Subsequent to the above-described step of forming the first cutout portion 35, the laser irradiation portion LB is moved to form the second cutout portion 36 (heat processing portion by laser irradiation). Specifically, first, the laser irradiation portion LB is located at the outer edge portion on the side opposite to the side where the first cutout portion 35 of the vertibra 34b is located, and is second from the inner circumferential side in the longitudinal direction where the first cutout portion 35 is formed. Is set in a portion corresponding to the convex portion 35b of the.

Next, as shown by the two-dot chain line arrow in FIG. 19B, while irradiating the laser beam from the laser irradiation section LB to the outer edge portion of the vertibra 34b, the laser irradiation section LB is moved at a predetermined speed. As a result, a part of the outer edge portion of the vertibra 34b is cut out by heating and melting, and the second cutout portion 36 formed of a concave groove that extends straight in the longitudinal direction of the vertibra 34b is formed.

Then, after the second notch portion 36 is formed, the heated second notch portion 36 is cooled and hardened, and the contraction force of the stainless steel plate at that time causes the longitudinal outer peripheral side (right side in the figure) of the vertibra 34b to move. The state indicated by the broken line is corrected in the direction of the broken line arrow M2 (the second cutout portion 36 side). As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the warp of the vertibra 34b is straightened with high accuracy and the molding of the weak rigidity region AR for the vertibra 34b is completed.

Here, the above-mentioned [formation step of the second cutout portion] constitutes the second heating step in the present invention.

It should be noted that when forming the weak rigidity region AR in the vertibra 34b, depending on the specifications of the vertibra 34b, only the first cutout portion 35 may be provided and the second cutout portion 36 may be omitted. However, even in this case, as shown in FIG. 19A, since the vertibra 34b warps back, the above-described correction process is necessary. In order to perform the correction process without forming the second cutout portion 36, the laser beam emitted from the laser irradiation portion LB may be brought close to the outer edge portion of the vertibra 34b. That is, the outer edge portion of the vertibra 34b may not be heat-melted and cut out by the heat of the laser beam, but may be stopped only by heat-melting to form a heat-processed portion by laser irradiation. Further, if it can be straightened sufficiently, heating (broiling) may be performed without heating and melting.

Even when such a correction process is performed, a heating mark HT (a discolored and rough part or the like) remains on the appearance of the vertibra 34b, but the heating mark HT is due to the function of the wiper blade 10. It does not cause any problems and is not exposed to the outside. Therefore, the heating mark HT is left as it is without being subjected to processing such as polishing and erasing, so as to avoid an increase in manufacturing cost. However, the heating mark HT may be removed by polishing.

As described in detail above, according to the method for manufacturing the wiper blade 10 of the present embodiment, in the [first notch forming step], one side in the longitudinal direction and one side in the lateral direction of the vertibra 34b are heated and melted. Then, the first cutout portion 35 recessed in the lateral direction of the vertibra 34b is formed, and in the [forming step of the second cutout portion], one side in the longitudinal direction and the other side in the lateral direction of the vertibra 34b are heated, The warp of the vertibra 34b due to the [first notch forming step] is corrected.

As a result, even if the processing target is the narrow vertibra 34b, the first notch 35 and the like can be accurately formed by heating and melting by irradiation with a laser beam that enables precise metal processing. Therefore, even with a general-purpose wiper blade having a narrow vertibler, it is possible to obtain stable wiping performance with little variation.

Further, according to the method for manufacturing the wiper blade 10 according to the present embodiment, since the laser irradiation device LS that irradiates the laser beam is used for the heat treatment of the vertibra 34b, the first cutout portion 35 is accurately and in a short time. Etc. can be formed.

Further, according to the method for manufacturing the wiper blade 10 according to the present embodiment, in the [second notch forming step], the second notch formed by heating and melting is provided on one side in the longitudinal direction and the other side in the lateral direction of the vertibra 34b. Since the portion 36 (heating mark HT) is provided, it is possible to sufficiently heat the vertibra 34b until it is melted, and to provide sufficient thermal stress to correct the "warp" of the vertibra 34b.

Further, according to the method for manufacturing the wiper blade 10 according to the present embodiment, the second cutout portion 36 (heating mark HT) extends straight in the longitudinal direction of the vertibra 34b, so the second cutout portion 36 concerned. It is possible to easily adjust the correction condition (strength of correction) of the vertibra 34b by arbitrarily adjusting the length of the. Therefore, it becomes possible to manufacture the more accurate vertibra 34b.

Further, according to the method for manufacturing the wiper blade 10 according to the present embodiment, the second cutout portion 36 (heating mark HT) is a concave groove that is recessed in the lateral direction of the vertibra 34b, and thus the cutout cannot be made. Control of the laser irradiation device LS, that is, the intensity control of the laser beam, the position control of the laser irradiation part LB, and the like can be simplified rather than heating (broiling) in this manner, and variations among products can be suppressed more reliably. be able to.

Further, according to the method for manufacturing the wiper blade 10 and the wiper blade 10 according to the present embodiment, the first cutout portion 35 includes the concave portion 35a and the convex portion 35b arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vertibra 34b, and the second cutout portion. Of the end portions on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the portion 36, the end portions WP closer to the inner circumferential side in the longitudinal direction of the vertibra 34b face the convex portion 35b in the lateral direction of the vertibra 34b. As a result, the rigidity of the portion where the end portion WP on the inner peripheral side in the longitudinal direction of the vertibra 34b is arranged can be increased, and the occurrence of problems such as bending of the vertibra 34b due to stress concentration on the portion can be prevented. be able to.

Further, according to the method for manufacturing the wiper blade 10 and the wiper blade 10 according to the present embodiment, the vertibras 34a, 34b are provided on both sides of the blade rubber 30 in the wiping direction, and the vertibras 34a, 34b are provided on opposite sides of each other. 1 cutout portion forming step] is performed to provide the first cutout portion 35, and the heat treatment of [second cutout portion forming step] is performed on the side opposite to the opposite sides of the vertibras 34a and 34b. The second cutout portion 36 is provided. As a result, it is possible to effectively suppress bending of the vertibras 34a and 34b against a heavy load caused by snowfall or the like during operation of the wiper blade 10.

It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment and can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the wiper blade 10 is applied to the wiper device for wiping the windshield 11 of a vehicle such as an automobile, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the wiper blade 10 can be used for an automobile. The present invention can also be applied to a rear wiper device mounted on the rear side of a vehicle such as a vehicle, a wiper device mounted on a ship, an aircraft, a railway vehicle, and the like.

In addition, the material, shape, size, number, installation location, etc. of each constituent element in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited to the above-described embodiment.

10 Wiper blade 11 Windshield (wiping surface)
12 Wiper arm (arm)
12a U-shaped hook 20 Holder 30 Blade rubber 31 Main body part 31a, 31b Groove part 31a1, 31b1 1st vertibra positioning part 31a2, 31b2 2nd vertibra positioning part 31c Arm side wall part 31d Lip side wall part 31d1 Notch part 31e Recessed groove 31e1 1st Cap positioning portion 31e2 Second cap positioning portion 31f Positioning portion 31f1 Engagement concave portion 31f2 Inclined wall portion 31f3 Movement restriction projection 31g Tapered portion 31h Opposing surface 31k Identification mark 32 Lip portion 33 Neck portion 34a, 34b Vertibra 34a1, 34b1 First positioning concave portion 34a2, 34b2 2nd positioning recessed parts 34a3, 34b3 exposed part 34a4, 34b4 back surface 35 1st notch part (recessed part)
35a recess (recess)
35b Convex part (convex part)
36 Second notch (concave groove, heating mark)
40 connecting member 40a rotation restricting part 40b bridging part 40c holder cover accommodating part 41 clip member 41a clip body 41b convex part 41c pressing member 41d tip part 42 accommodating chamber 42a outward side wall 42b return side wall 42c inner peripheral side wall 42d outer peripheral side wall 42e positioning hole 42f Hooking hole 43 Support pin 44a, 44b 1st claw part 45a, 45b 2nd claw part 46a, 46b 1st vertibra contact part 47a, 47b 2nd vertibra contact part 48a, 48b 1st support part 49a, 49b 2nd Supports 48c, 49c Dimples 50 Cover member 51 Cover body 52 Positioning protrusion 53 Hooking claw 53a Claw body 60 Holder cover 61 First holder body 62 Second holder body 61a, 62a First holder claw 61b, 62b Second holder claw 63 Fin portion 63a Inclined surface 63b Top portion 64 Recessed portion 70 Cap 71 Cap body 72 Blade rubber end accommodating portion 72a Recessed portion 72b Recessed portion 72c Supporting surface 72d Supporting convex portion 72e Engaging claw 72f Tapered surface 73 Holder cover end accommodating portion 73a Surface AR Rigid weak area BW Boundary wall CA Cap (Modification)
CE Rotation center Da, Db Depression (Modification)
F1 Pressing force F2 Centrifugal force HT Heating mark LB Laser irradiation part LS Laser irradiation device PL Parting line S Gap Ta, Tb First support protrusion (modification)
WP end

Claims (7)

A method of manufacturing a wiper blade, which is connected to an arm swung by a drive source and wipes a wiping surface,
The wiper blade is
A connecting member connected to the arm,
A blade rubber having a main body supported by the connecting member and a lip portion in contact with the wiping surface;
A groove portion provided in the main body portion and extending in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber,
A vertibra mounted in the groove and curved with a predetermined curvature,
Have
A first heating step of heating and melting one side in the longitudinal direction and one side in the lateral direction of the vertibra to form a recessed portion which is recessed in the lateral direction of the vertibra;
A second heating step of heating one side in the longitudinal direction and the other side in the lateral direction of the vertiblah to correct the warp of the vertibra due to the first heating step;
With
Method for manufacturing wiper blade. The method for manufacturing a wiper blade according to claim 1,
A laser irradiation device that irradiates a laser beam is used for the heat treatment of the vertibra.
Method for manufacturing wiper blade. The method for manufacturing a wiper blade according to claim 1 or 2,
In the second heating step, a heating mark by heating and melting is provided on one side in the longitudinal direction and the other side in the lateral direction of the vertibla,
Method for manufacturing wiper blade. The method for manufacturing a wiper blade according to claim 3,
The heating trace extends straight in the longitudinal direction of the vertibla,
Method for manufacturing wiper blade. The method for manufacturing a wiper blade according to claim 3 or 4,
The heating mark is a groove recessed in the lateral direction of the vertibla,
Method for manufacturing wiper blade. The method for manufacturing a wiper blade according to claim 5,
The recess includes a recess and a protrusion arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vertibla,
Of the end portion of the groove, the other side in the longitudinal direction of the vertibra is opposed to the convex part from the lateral direction of the vertibra,
Method for manufacturing wiper blade. The method for manufacturing the wiper blade according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The vertibra is provided on both sides of the blade rubber in the wiping direction,
The heat treatment of the first heating step is performed on mutually opposite sides of the vertibra,
A heat treatment of the second heating step is performed on the opposite sides of the vertibras to each other.
Method for manufacturing wiper blade.

Images