JP6762858B2 - Wiper blade - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wiper blade that is connected to an arm that is swung by a drive source and wipes a wiping surface.

Conventionally, a wiper device is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and the wiper device is operated by turning on a wiper switch provided in the vehicle interior. As a result, good visibility is ensured by wiping off deposits such as rainwater and dust adhering to the wiping surface (windshield). The wiper device includes an arm (wiper arm) that is swung by a drive source (electric motor) and a wiper blade that is connected to the arm. The wiper blade that forms the wiper device includes, for example, the technique described in Patent Document 1.

The wiper blade described in Patent Document 1 has a blade rubber provided with a wiping portion (lip portion), a backing (vertibra) attached to the blade rubber, and a cap provided at an end portion of the blade rubber. ing. Then, the blade rubber is provided with a locking convex portion, and the locking convex portion is inserted into the locking concave portion of the backing. Further, the blade rubber is provided with a locking protrusion, and the locking protrusion penetrates into the through hole of the cap. As a result, the vertical bra and the cap are positioned with respect to the blade rubber.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-121367

However, according to the wiper blade described in Patent Document 1 described above, the blade rubber is provided so that the locking protrusion and the locking protrusion overlap when viewed from a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction thereof. ing. That is, the locking protrusions and the locking protrusions are provided at the same positions along the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber.

Therefore, when the cap is pulled and removed from the blade rubber in order to disassemble and maintain (clean, etc.) the wiper blade, the locking protrusion is pulled in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber, and the locking protrusion is also pulled along with this. Will end up. Therefore, the locking convex portion may be forcibly removed from the locking concave portion of the backing, and in some cases, the locking convex portion may be damaged.

As described above, in the wiper blade described in Patent Document 1, the locking protrusions are also elastically deformed (influence each other) with the elastic deformation of the locking projections, so that it is difficult to disassemble and maintain the wiper blades. Or, after reassembly, the wiping performance of the wiper blade may deteriorate.

An object of the present invention is to provide a wiper blade capable of facilitating disassembly and maintenance and preventing deterioration of wiping performance.

In one aspect of the present invention, the wiper blade is connected to an arm swung by a drive source to wipe the wiping surface, and has a connecting member connected to the arm, a main body supported by the connecting member, and A blade rubber having a lip portion that comes into contact with the wiping surface, a groove portion provided in the main body portion that extends in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber, a vertical bra that is attached to the groove portion and curved with a predetermined curvature, and the above. A recess provided between the groove portion and the lip portion of the main body portion and extending in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber, a cap provided at the end portion of the blade rubber, and the groove portion and the groove portion provided in the vertical portion. The vertical bra positioning portion and the cap positioning portion provided in the concave portion and the cap for positioning the cap with respect to the concave portion are provided, and the vertical bra positioning portion and the cap positioning portion are provided with reference to the vertical blade positioning portion. It is provided at different positions in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber, and the blade rubber is provided with an identification mark indicating that the cap is correctly positioned with respect to the blade rubber .

In another aspect of the present invention, the cap positioning portion is provided closer to the end portion of the blade rubber than the vertical bra positioning portion.

In another aspect of the present invention, the vertical bra positioning portion is provided closer to the end portion of the blade rubber than the cap positioning portion.

In another aspect of the present invention, a tapered portion for guiding the mounting of the cap is provided at the end portion of the blade rubber.

In another aspect of the present invention, a vertical support wall for supporting the vertical bra is provided on the lip side of the groove, and a notch portion for avoiding interference with the cap is provided at the end of the vertical support wall. ing.

In another aspect of the present invention, the cap is provided with a vertical bra support portion that supports the vertical bra from the plate thickness direction.

In another aspect of the present invention, the cap positioning portion is provided in the concave portion and recessed in the wiping direction of the blade rubber, and the engaging convex portion provided in the cap and enters the engaging concave portion. And have.

According to the present invention, the groove portion and the vertical bra are provided with a vertical bra positioning portion for positioning the vertical bra with respect to the groove portion, and the recess and the cap are provided with a cap positioning portion for positioning the cap with respect to the concave portion, and the vertical bra positioning portion and the cap positioning portion are provided. , The blade rubber is provided at different positions in the longitudinal direction.

As a result, even if the cap positioning portion is elastically deformed when the wiper blade is disassembled and maintained (cleaned, etc.), the vertical bra positioning portion can be less likely to be elastically deformed. That is, the elastic deformation of the cap positioning portion and the elastic deformation of the vertical bra positioning portion can be made less likely to affect each other. Therefore, unnecessary damage to the blade rubber can be eliminated, disassembly and maintenance can be facilitated, and further, deterioration of the wiping performance of the wiper blade after reassembly of the wiper blade can be suppressed.

It is a perspective view of the wiper blade which concerns on this invention. It is a partially enlarged view of the wiper blade of FIG. 1 as seen from the direction of arrow A. It is sectional drawing which follows the line BB of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the CC line of FIG. It is a perspective view which 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 the outer peripheral side portion of the blade rubber. (A) is a partially enlarged view of the inner peripheral side portion of the pair of vertical bras, and (b) is a partially enlarged view of the outer peripheral side portion of the pair of vertical bras. (A) is a perspective view of the front side portion of the connecting member, and (b) is a perspective view of the back side portion of the connecting member. (A) is a perspective view of the front side portion of the cover member, and (b) is a perspective view of the back side portion of the cover member. It is sectional drawing which follows the DD line of FIG. (A) is a perspective view of the cap as viewed from the back side, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG. It is sectional drawing explaining the state which the wiper blade is straight. It is sectional drawing explaining the curved state (the 1) of the wiper blade. It is sectional drawing explaining the curved state (the 2) of the wiper blade. (A) is a partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the support portion and the vertical contact portion of FIG. 4, and (b) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 15 (a) showing a modified example of the support portion. (A) is a cross-sectional view for explaining the positioning protrusion of the cover member, and (b) is a cross-sectional view for explaining the hook claw of the cover member. (A), (b), (c), and (d) are partially enlarged cross-sectional views for explaining the vertical bra positioning portion and the cap positioning portion. (A) is a partially enlarged view of the identification mark provided on the blade rubber, and (b) is a partially enlarged view of the identification mark in the modified example of FIG. (A) and (b) are explanatory views explaining the processing procedure of a vertical bra.

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

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

The wiper blade 10 shown in FIG. 1 forms a wiper device that wipes the 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 indicated by the alternate long and short dash 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 (drive 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 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 rotational 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 driven to swing.

2 is a partially enlarged view of the wiper blade of FIG. 1 as 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 12a 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 are provided on the side opposite to the connecting member 40 side along the longitudinal direction of the pair of holder covers 60, are fixed to the blade rubber 30, and cover the end portion of the blade rubber 30. ..

5 is an exploded perspective view of the wiper blade of FIG. 1, FIG. 6A is an inner peripheral side portion of the blade rubber, FIG. 5B is a central portion of the blade rubber, and FIG. 5C is an outer peripheral side portion of the blade rubber. A partially enlarged perspective view is shown respectively.

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

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

The main body 31 is provided with a pair of groove portions 31a and 31b 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, respectively. A pair of vertical bras (leaf springs) 34a and 34b made of elongated stainless steel plates are mounted on the grooves 31a and 31b, respectively.

These vertical bras 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 vertical bras 34a and 34b, the entire area along the longitudinal direction of the lip portion 32 is brought into close contact with the windshield 11. As a result, sufficient wiping performance of the blade rubber 30 is ensured.

FIG. 7A shows a partially enlarged view of the inner peripheral side portion of the pair of vertical bras, and FIG. 7B shows a partially enlarged view of the outer peripheral side portion of the pair of vertical bras.

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

The vertical bras 34a and 34b are all 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 peripheral side in the longitudinal direction of the vertical bras 34a and 34b. Is different. That is, the first positioning recess 34b1 of the vertical bra 34b on the return route side is arranged closer to the inner peripheral side in the longitudinal direction (left side in the figure) than the first positioning recess 34a1 of the vertical blade 34a on the outward route side. ing. The opening sides of these first positioning recesses 34a1, 34b1 are directed toward the inside of the blade rubber 30 in the wiping direction, that is, the central side along the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30 so as to face each other.

The first vertical positioning portions 31a1, 31b1 (see FIGS. 6A and 17B) provided in the first positioning recesses 34a1, 34b1 on the inner peripheral side of the groove portions 31a, 31b in the longitudinal direction are provided. Each is designed to get in. As a result, the inner peripheral side of the vertical bras 34a and 34b in the longitudinal direction is positioned with respect to the blade rubber 30, and rattling of the vertical bras 34a and 34b with respect to the blade rubber 30 is prevented.

Here, the first positioning recesses 34a1, 34b1 and the first vertical bra positioning portions 31a1, 31b1 constitute the vertical bra positioning portions in the present invention. Further, by providing the first positioning recesses 34a1, 34b1 so as to be offset in the longitudinal direction of the vertical bras 34a, 34b, erroneous assembly of the vertical bras 34a, 34b to the groove portions 31a, 31b is prevented.

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

The second vertical bra positioning portions 31a2 and 31b2 (see FIGS. 6 (c) and 17 (c)) provided on the outer peripheral side of the groove portions 31a and 31b in the longitudinal direction are inserted into the second positioning recesses 34a2 and 34b2, respectively. It has become. As a result, the outer peripheral sides of the vertical bras 34a and 34b in the longitudinal direction are positioned with respect to the blade rubber 30, and rattling of the vertical bras 34a and 34b with respect to the blade rubber 30 is prevented.

Here, the second positioning recesses 34a2 and 34b2 and the second vertical positionrs 31a2 and 31b2 also constitute the vertical positioners according to the present invention.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, a weak rigidity region AR with weakened rigidity is provided on the outer peripheral side of the vertical bras 34a and 34b in the longitudinal direction. The length dimension of the rigidity weak region AR along the longitudinal direction of the vertical bras 34a and 34b is approximately 1/5 of the total length dimension of the vertical bras 34a and 34b.

Here, the outer peripheral side of the blade rubber 30 in the longitudinal direction wipes a portion of the windshield 11 having a relatively large curvature. Therefore, a weak rigidity region AR is provided so that the outer peripheral side of the blade rubber 30 in the longitudinal direction can be flexibly followed according to a large curvature. As a result, the lip portion 32 is prevented from being pressed excessively strongly 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 35 and a second notch 36 are provided in the weak rigidity region AR of the vertical bras 34a and 34b. That is, by providing the first notch 35 and the second notch 36 in the vertical bras 34a and 34b, the rigidity of the portions is weakened. The first notch 35 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the vertical bras 34a and 34b in the longitudinal direction and on the inner side of the blade rubber 30 in the wiping direction, that is, on the central side along the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30. On the other hand, the second notch 36 is on the outer peripheral side in the longitudinal direction of the vertical bras 34a and 34b and on the outer side in the wiping direction of the blade rubber 30, that is, the side opposite to the central side along the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30. It is provided in.

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

The first notch 35 includes six recesses 35a recessed in the width direction (direction intersecting the plate thickness direction) of the vertical bras 34a and 34b. The depth dimension of the two recesses 35a arranged on the inner peripheral side (left side in the drawing) of the vertical bras 34a and 34b among the six recesses 35a is D1. On the other hand, the depth dimension of the four recesses 35a arranged on the outer peripheral side (right side in the drawing) of the vertical bras 34a and 34b among the six recesses 35a is D2 (D2 <D1).

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

As described above, the first notch 35 having the six concave portions 35a and the five convex portions 35b is provided so as to be recessed in the lateral direction of the vertical bras 34a and 34b, as shown in FIG. Further, the pair of vertical bras 34a and 34b are provided on both sides of the blade rubber 30 in the wiping direction, and first notches 35 are provided on the opposite sides of the vertical bras 34a and 34b, respectively.

The second notch 36 is composed of one concave groove recessed in the lateral direction of the vertical bras 34a and 34b. That is, the second notch 36 extends straight in the longitudinal direction of the vertical bras 34a and 34b and is linear. The second notch 36 is recessed in the width direction of the vertical bras 34a and 34b with a depth dimension D4 (D4≈D3).

Of the ends on both sides of the second notch 36 in the longitudinal direction, the end WP near the inner peripheral side (left side in the drawing) of the vertical bras 34a and 34b in the longitudinal direction is the recess 35a of the depth dimension D1 and the depth dimension. It is arranged in the portion of the convex portion 35b between the concave portion 35a of D2 and the concave portion 35a. That is, the end WP on the inner peripheral side in the longitudinal direction of the second notch 36 faces the convex portion 35b from the lateral direction of the vertical bras 34a and 34b. The pair of second notch portions 36 are provided on the opposite sides of the vertical bras 34a and 34b from each other.

In addition to weakening the rigidity of the vertical outer peripheral side of the vertical bras 34a and 34b, the second notch 36 also weakens the rigidity of the vertical outer peripheral side of the vertical bras 34a and 34b, which occurs when the first notch 35 is formed. It is provided to correct ". The processing procedure of the first notch 35 and the second notch 36 will be described in detail later. In this way, by making the depth dimension of the four recesses 35a shallow as D2 (D2 <D1), it is possible to prevent the rigidity of the vertical bras 34a and 34b from becoming too weak due to the formation of the second notch 36.

Here, the width dimension of the vertical bras 34a and 34b is as small as about 5 mm. Therefore, the first notch 35 composed of the six concave portions 35a and the five convex portions 35b and the second notch 36 composed of the one concave groove are irradiated with a laser beam (due to heat) capable of fine processing with high accuracy. Formed by melting).

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the groove portions 31a and 31b of the blade rubber 30 are located 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 constitutes the vertical bra support wall in the present invention, and supports the vertical bras 34a and 34b. Then, inside the groove portions 31a and 31b, first vertical bra positioning portions 31a1, 31b1 and second vertical bra positioning portions 31a2 and 31b2 are provided so as to fill the groove portions 31a and 31b, respectively. There is.

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

Then, in these exposed portions 34a3 and 34b3, the first vertical bra contact portions 46a and 46b and the second vertical bra contact portions 47a and 47b (see FIG. 8B) provided on the connecting member 40 of the holder 20 are provided. It is designed to come into contact.

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

Further, by providing the notch portion 31d1, a part of the vertical portions 32 side of the vertical bras 34a and 34b on both sides in the longitudinal direction is exposed from the groove portions 31a and 31b. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11B, both sides of the vertical bras 34a and 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 vertical bras 34a and 34b is effective. It can be suppressed.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a pair of concave grooves 31e are provided between the groove portions 31a and 31b of the main body portion 31 and the lip portion 32 (neck portion 33). Similar to the groove portions 31a and 31b, these recessed 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. The first claw portions 44a, 44b and the second claw portions 45a, 45b provided in the connecting member 40 of the holder 20 are inserted into the recessed groove 31e. Here, the concave groove 31e constitutes the concave portion in the present invention.

As a result, the connecting member 40 of the holder 20 grips the exposed portions 34a3 and 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 vertical bras 34a and 34b is attached to the connecting member 40 without rattling and 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, first cap positioning portions 31e1 are provided on the inner peripheral side of the pair of concave grooves 31e in the longitudinal direction (only one side is shown in the drawing). Further, as shown in FIG. 6C, a second cap positioning portion 31e2 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the pair of recessed grooves 31e in the longitudinal direction (only one side is shown in the drawing). These first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 are provided corresponding to the arrangement portions of the notch portions 31d1, and are recessed in the wiping direction of the main body portion 31. Here, the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 each constitute an engaging recess in the present invention.

Then, the engaging claws 72e (see FIGS. 11A and 17A) provided on the pair of caps 70 are inserted into 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. Here, the engaging claw 72e constitutes the engaging convex portion in the present invention. Further, the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 and the engaging claws 72e entering them constitute the cap positioning portion in the present invention.

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. Further, the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 are arranged closer to the ends along the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30 than the first vertical bra positioning portions 31a1, 31b1 and the second vertical bra 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 is inclined to induce engagement between the engaging recesses 31f1 into which the first claws 44a and 44b of the connecting member 40 are inserted and engaged and the engaging recesses 31f1 of the first claws 44a and 44b. It is provided with a wall portion 31f2. 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 concave groove 31e is located.

Further, the positioning portion 31f includes a movement restricting protrusion 31f3 formed in a protruding 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 is from the engaging recess 31f1 of the first claw portions 44a and 44b (see FIG. 8B). It prevents the connecting member 40 from falling off and restricts (positions) the movement of the connecting member 40 with respect to the blade rubber 30 in the longitudinal direction. Here, the positioning portions 31f are provided in each of the pair of recessed grooves 31e, and these positioning portions 31f are arranged at the same positions along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 31.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6C, a taper that guides the attachment of the cap 70 (see FIG. 11) is provided on both sides of the main body 31 in the longitudinal direction, that is, on the pair of ends of the blade rubber 30. A portion 31 g is provided. The tapered portion 31g is formed of an inclined surface as shown in the drawing, and has a tapered shape toward the end portion of the main body portion 31. As a result, the mounting of the cap 70 is guided by the tapered portion 31g, and the cap 70 can be easily mounted on the end portion of the main body portion 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 turning back rainwater or the like that has been wiped off by the lip portion 32 toward the windshield 11 side.

Further, the facing surface 31h is provided with an identification mark 31k as shown in FIG. 18A. 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 correctly positioned). The method of using the identification mark 31k will be described in detail later.

As shown in FIG. 6, at different positions along the longitudinal direction of the concave groove 31e, the first vertical bra positioning portions 31a1, 31b1, the second vertical bra positioning portions 31a2, 31b2, the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1, 31e2 and A positioning portion 31f or the like is provided. Therefore, the blade rubber 30 is formed by supplying the softened rubber material into a plurality of butted molds (inside the cavity) 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 (dashed line) in FIG. 6 is formed in the portion corresponding to the abutting surface of the mold. This parting line PL is a trace of a rubber material leaking from the abutting surface of the mold, and more specifically, it is a minute protrusion.

8 (a) is a perspective view of the front side portion of the connecting member, (b) is a perspective view of the back side portion of the connecting member, FIG. 9 (a) is a perspective view of the front side portion of the cover member, and (b) is a perspective view of the back side portion of the cover member. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 2, FIG. 11A is a perspective view of the cap as viewed from the back side, and FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG. Shown.

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 hollow, and a storage chamber 42 in which the clip member 41 (see FIG. 3) is housed is formed inside the connecting member 40. The accommodation chamber 42 is formed by an outward 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 storage chamber 42.

The accommodating chamber 42 of the connecting member 40 is provided with a support pin 43 made of a steel material so as to cross the connecting member 40 in the lateral direction. The support pin 43 is arranged at a substantially central portion along the longitudinal direction of the outward path side wall 42a and the return path side wall 42b, one side in the axial direction is fixed to the outward path side wall 42a, and the other side in the axial direction is fixed to the return path 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 mounted on the support pin 43. Therefore, by using the support pin 43 as a steel material, 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 claw portions 44a and 44b are provided closer to the inner peripheral side wall 42c (left side in the drawing) along the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 40, and the second claw portions 45a and 45b are outer peripheral side walls along the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 40. It is provided closer to 42d (on the right side in the figure). The first claws 44a and 44b and the second claws 45a and 45b are projected toward the inside of the blade rubber 30 in the wiping direction, that is, toward the center along the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30, respectively. ..

These first claw portions 44a and 44b and the second claw portions 45a and 45b each enter the concave groove 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 main body portion 31 of the blade rubber 30 from the lip portion 32 side. Here, the first claw portions 44a and 44b provided closer to the inner peripheral side wall 42c are inserted into the engaging recess 31f1 of the positioning portion 31f of the blade rubber 30 as shown in FIG. As a result, the connecting member 40 is positioned at a predetermined position along the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30 in a state of being prevented from coming off.

As shown in FIG. 8B, a pair of first vertibras are located on the windshield 11 side (back side) of the connecting member 40 and in the vicinity of the first claw portions 44a and 44b and the second claw portions 45a and 45b. Contact portions 46a and 46b and a pair of second windshield contact portions 47a and 47b are provided. Then, the first vertibra contact portions 46a and 46b face the first claw portions 44a and 44b from the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 40, and the second vertibra contact portions 47a and 47b are the second claw portions 45a. , 45b.

The first vertical bra contact portions 46a and 46b and the second vertical bra contact portions 47a and 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 blade rubbers 30 of the first claw portions 44a, 44b and the second claw portions 45a, 45b. It is longer than the length dimension along the longitudinal direction.

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

Here, the first vertibra contact portions 46a, 46b, 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. They are placed in the same position. As a result, the main body 31 of the blade rubber 30 including the pair of vertibras 34a and 34b has the first vertibra abutting portions 46a and 46b, the second vertibra abutting portions 47a and 47b, and the first claw portions 44a and 44b. It is gripped by the two claws 45a and 45b and supported without rattling (see FIG. 4).

The first vertical bra contact portions 46a and 46b and the second vertical bra contact portions 47a and 47b are exposed portions of the rigid vertical bras 34a and 34b without interposing the rubber portion (flexible portion) of the blade rubber 30. It is in direct contact with 34a3 and 34b3, and the mounting rigidity of the blade rubber 30 to the connecting member 40 is sufficiently increased. 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, abnormal noise is generated due to the contact between the rigid bodies. Is effectively suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 8B, a pair of first supports are provided 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. The 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 vertical bra contact portions 46a and 46b, and the second support portions 49a and 49b are arranged between the second vertical bra contact portions 47a and 47b. The first support portions 48a and 48b and the second support portions 49a and 49b support the arm side wall portion 31c (see FIG. 4) on the side opposite to the lip portion 32 side of the main body portion 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 first vertibra contact portions 46a, 46b and the second vertibra contact portions 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. Will be done. That is, the increase in frictional resistance between the two members is minimized, and the wiping performance of the blade rubber 30 is prevented from deteriorating.

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

Here, also at the ends of the first support portions 48a and 48b and the second support portions 49a and 49b, similarly to the end portions of the first vertical bra contact portions 46a and 46b and the second vertical bra contact portions 47a and 47b. It is inclined to guide the attachment of the main body 31 including the vertical bras 34a and 34b to the connecting member 40.

Further, the first support portions 48a, 48b and the second support portions 49a, 49b, and the first claw portions 44a, 44b and the second claw portions 45a, 45b are along the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 40 (blade rubber 30). They are placed in the same position. As a result, the arm side wall portion 31c and the lip side wall portion 31d of the main body portion 31 of the blade rubber 30 have the first support portions 48a, 48b and the second support portions 49a, 49b, and the first claw portions 44a, 44b and the second claw. It is gripped by the portions 45a and 45b 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 recessed portions 48c and 49c, respectively. More specifically, the recessed portion 48c is provided between the first support portions 48a and 48b along the lateral direction of the connecting member 40, and the recessed portion 49c is the second support along the lateral direction of the connecting member 40. It is provided between the portions 49a and 49b. These recessed portions 48c and 49c are arranged in the central portion along the lateral direction of the connecting member 40, and the recessed portions 48c and 49c face the central portion along the width direction of the arm side wall portion 31c.

As a result, the recessed portions 48c and 49c accommodate the parting line PL (see FIG. 6) provided on the side of the main body portion 31 opposite to the lip portion 32 side. In other words, the recesses 48c and 49c function as "escapes" for the parting line PL, which is composed of minute protrusions. Therefore, the destabilization (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, the rotation of the clip member 41 (see FIG. 3) with respect to the connecting member 40 by a predetermined angle or more is restricted on the inner peripheral side (left side in the drawing) of the connecting member 40 in the longitudinal direction. A rotation restricting portion 40a is provided. The rotation restricting portion 40a is projected so as to be exposed inside the accommodation chamber 42, and is substantially perpendicular to the inner peripheral side wall 42c. Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, first vertical contact portions 46a and 46b, first support portions 48a and 48b, and a recessed portion 48c are provided on the back side of the rotation restricting portion 40a. ing. That is, the rotation restricting portion 40a is provided on the side opposite to the main body portion 31 side of the first support portions 48a and 48b. Here, the rotation restricting portion 40a connects the first vertical bra contact portions 46a and 46b, the first supporting portions 48a and 48b, and the recessed portion 48c to a portion (supporting) near the center along the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 40. It also has a function of arranging it near the pin 43).

Then, the convex portion 41b (see FIG. 3) of the clip member 41 can come into contact with the rotation restricting portion 40a. As a result, the 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 it is desired to remove the clip member 41 from the connecting member 40 for cleaning the wiper blade 10, the pressing member 41c is pulled to the opposite side of the blade rubber 30 to form a convex portion 41b and a rotation restricting portion 40a. The abutment portion of the clip member 41 serves as a fulcrum, and the clip member 41 can be easily removed.

Here, both sides of the connecting member 40 in the longitudinal direction 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 (right side in the drawing) of the connecting member 40 in the longitudinal direction. Then, on the back side of the bridging portion 40b, as shown in FIG. 8B, second vertical bra contact portions 47a and 47b, second support portions 49a and 49b, and a recessed portion 49c are provided. .. Also in this bridging portion 40b, the second vertical bra contact portions 47a, 47b, the second support portions 49a, 49b, and the recessed portion 49c are connected to a portion closer to the center along the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 40 (closer to the support pin 43). Has the function of arranging in the part). The tip portion 41d (see FIG. 3) of the clip member 41 can also come into contact with the bridging portion 40b, and the 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 that project so as to be exposed inside the accommodation chamber 42, the first vertical bra contact portions 46a, 46b, the first support portions 48a, 48b, and the recessed portions are provided. The 48c and the second vertical bra contact portions 47a and 47b, the second support portions 49a and 49b, and the recessed portion 49c are arranged near the support pin 43, respectively. As a result, the blade rubber 30 is protected and the connecting member 40 is made smaller and lighter.

As shown in FIG. 8B, a 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 hook holes 42f are provided on the windshield 11 side (back side) of the outward side wall 42a and the return side wall 42b, respectively. .. The cover member 50 attached to the outward side wall 42a and the return side wall 42b is 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 the cross-sectional shape thereof is substantially square. 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 cross-sectional shape of the hook hole 42f is substantially L-shaped. 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).

As described above, the positioning hole 42e is formed in a straight shape, and the hook 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 the vertical mold (not shown) that is moved in the vertical direction. A pair of positioning protrusions 52 (see FIG. 9) of the cover member 50 are inserted into the pair of positioning holes 42e, and a pair of hook claws 53 (see FIG. 9) of the cover member 50 are inserted into the pair of hook holes 42f. ) Are hooked on each.

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 pins 43 provided on the connecting member 40, and are recessed from the back side to the front side of the connecting member 40. Then, the end portion of the holder cover 60 is accommodated in the holder cover accommodating portion 40c, and the holder cover accommodating portion 40c covers the end portion of the holder cover 60 (see FIG. 12). As a result, the vertical bras 34a, 34b and the like are prevented from being exposed to the outside, and the appearance of the wiper blade 10 is improved.

The cover member 50 shown in FIG. 9 suppresses the formation of a flow path such as rainwater between the inside of the accommodating chamber 42 (see FIG. 8) of the connecting member 40 and the outside on 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 with the blade rubber 30 at the center. As shown in FIG. 9, the cover member 50 includes a cover main body 51 formed in a substantially flat trapezoidal shape, and positioning protrusions 52 and hook claws 53 are provided on both sides of the cover main body 51 in the longitudinal direction. There is. That is, one cover member 50 is provided with a total of four protrusions and claws. The hook claw 53 is arranged at the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the cover main body 51 rather than the positioning protrusion 52. Further, since the cover main body 51 is formed in a substantially flat trapezoidal shape, it is easy to visually or touch the orientation of the cover member 50 in the lateral direction, 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 height of the positioning protrusion 52 protruding from the cover body 51 is slightly smaller than the depth dimension H1 of the positioning hole 42e (see FIG. 16A). Therefore, the cover main body 51 is in contact with the outward side wall 42a and the return side wall 42b of the connecting member 40.

Further, the hook claw 53 has a substantially L-shaped cross section, and a claw body 53a is provided at the tip portion thereof. The claw body 53a is adapted to be hooked in the hook 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 dimension H2 of the hook hole 42f (see FIG. 16B). Further, the cover main body 51 is brought into contact with the outward side wall 42a and the return side wall 42b of the connecting member 40 in a state where the claw body 53a is hooked in the hook hole 42f.

As described above, 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, respectively, 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 enters 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 in a non-contact state with the blade rubber 30. Therefore, the cover body 51 does not distort the blade rubber 30, and sufficient wiping performance is ensured.

Then, as shown in FIG. 16, when the connecting member 40 is viewed from a direction intersecting the wiping direction (left-right direction in the drawing) of the blade rubber 30, the connecting member 40 and the blade rubber 30 (lip side wall portion 31d). A gap S is formed between the cover body 51 and the cover body 51, and the cover body 51 closes the gap S from the windshield 11 side. That is, the cover main body 51 is arranged on the extension of the gap S along the vertical direction in the drawing, and the labyrinth structure is formed by the blade rubber 30 and the cover main body 51. As a result, it is possible to prevent rainwater or the like that has entered the inside of the accommodation chamber 42 from leaking to the windshield 11 side. The pair of cover members 50 can be omitted (removed) according to 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 storage 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 main body 41a whose central portion in the longitudinal direction is attached to the support pin 43, and the U-shaped hook 12a of the wiper arm 12 is connected to the clip main body 41a. Further, a convex portion 41b that can come into contact with the rotation restricting portion 40a of the connecting member 40 is provided on the inner peripheral side (left side in FIG. 3) of the clip main body 41a in the longitudinal direction. Further, a pressing member 41c that presses the U-shaped hook 12a connected to the clip body 41a is rotatably provided on the outer peripheral side of the clip body 41a in the longitudinal direction (right side in FIG. 3).

As described above, the clip member 41 rotatably provided on the support pin 43 is composed of the clip main body 41a and the pressing member 41c. Then, in order to connect the U-shaped hook 12a to the clip main body 41a, the pressing member 41c is rotated around the rotation center CE and raised with respect to the clip main body 41a. 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 in FIG. 3) and 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 long by extrusion molding an elastic material made of rubber or the like. The holder cover 60 includes a first holder main body 61, a second holder main body 62, and a fin portion 63.

Both the first holder main body 61 and the second holder main body 62 have a substantially U-shaped cross section, and their openings 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 portion of the main body portion 31 of the blade rubber 30 so as to hold the side portions thereof. Specifically, the first holder claws 61a and 62a form a pair of blade rubber 30s. Each of them enters the concave groove 31e. Further, the second holder claws 61b and 62b are in contact with the exposed portions 34a3 and 34b3 of the pair of vertical bras 34a and 34b.

As a result, the holder cover 60 covers other parts of the main body 31 except the part where the connecting member 40 is located. 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 and 34b3 of the vertical bras 34a and 34b to cover the wiper blade. It improves the appearance of 10. Then, the holder cover 60 is attached by sliding the blade rubber 30 from both sides in the longitudinal direction with respect to 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 the blade rubber 30 from rising from the windshield 11 in response to the traveling wind of the vehicle, and prevents deterioration of the wiping performance at high speeds and the like. Therefore, the inclined surface 63a is tilted forward toward the outward route side (right side in the figure), and the top portion 63b is arranged on the return route side (left side in the figure).

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, a recess 64 is provided in the central portion of the holder cover 60 along the wiping direction (left-right direction in the drawing). The recess 64 is provided so as to be recessed from the first and second holder main bodies 61, 62 side (back side) to the fin portion 63 side (front side), and inside the recess 64, the arm side wall portion 31c 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, caps 70 are attached to the ends 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 portion of the holder cover 60 and the end portion of the main body portion 31. All of these caps 70 are formed in substantially the same manner, except that they have a mirror image-symmetrical shape. Hereinafter, only one cap 70 (cap 70 on the outer peripheral side in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade 10) will be illustrated, and its structure will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 11, the cap 70 is formed by injection molding a resin material such as molten plastic, and includes a cap body 71 having a hollow inside. The cap body 71 covers both sides of the blade rubber 30 including the pair of vertical bras 34a and 34b in the longitudinal direction and the ends of the holder cover 60 on the side opposite to the connecting member 40 side in the longitudinal direction, and both sides in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade 10. It looks good. Further, by fixing the cap 70 to both sides in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30, 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 is provided in which the longitudinal end portion of the blade rubber 30 including the pair of vertical bras 34a and 34b is accommodated. As shown in FIG. 11B, the blade rubber end accommodating portion 72 is provided with a recessed portion 72a into which the parting line PL (see FIG. 6) of the blade rubber 30 enters, and is provided in the vicinity of the recessed portion 72a. , A recess 72b is provided in which the arm side wall portion 31c of the blade rubber 30 is housed.

Further, a pair of support surfaces 72c for supporting the exposed portions 34a3 and 34b3 of the vertical bras 34a and 34b are provided on both sides of the recess 72b along the wiping direction (left-right direction in the drawing) of the blade rubber 30. Further, the blade rubber end accommodating portion 72 is provided with a pair of supporting convex portions 72d for supporting the back surfaces 34a4 and 34b4 on the opposite sides of the exposed portions 34a3 and 34b3 along the plate thickness direction of the vertical bras 34a and 34b. There is. Here, the pair of support surfaces 72c and the pair of support convex portions 72d support the vertical bras 34a and 34b from the plate thickness direction, and constitute the vertical bra support portions in the present invention.

Further, in the vicinity of the pair of supporting convex portions 72d, a pair of engaging claws 72e protruding in the wiping direction of the blade rubber 30 are provided. These engaging claws 72e face each other in the wiping direction of the blade rubber 30, and are provided on both sides of the blade rubber 30 in the longitudinal direction in the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 (see FIG. 6), respectively. 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 attachment of the respective engaging claws 72e to the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 when the cap 70 is attached to 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 surface 72f is 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.

A holder cover end accommodating portion 73 is provided inside the cap 70 and on the opening side. An abutting surface 73a is provided between the holder cover end accommodating portion 73 and the blade rubber end accommodating portion 72 to which the end portion of the holder cover 60 opposite to the connecting member 40 side is abutted. As a result, the end portion of the holder cover 60 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 for explaining the straight state of the wiper blade, FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the curved state of the wiper blade (No. 1), and FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the curved state of the wiper blade (No. 2). A cross-sectional view is shown in FIG. 15 (a), which is a partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the support portion and the vertical contact portion of FIG. 4, and (b) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 15 (a) showing a modified example of the support 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 a relatively flat portion of the windshield 11. Therefore, the blade rubber 30 including the pair of vertical bras 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 both sides of the lip portion 32 in the longitudinal direction are also brought into close contact with the windshield 11 due to the spring force of the vertical bras 34a and 34b. Therefore, sufficient wiping performance can be obtained in the entire longitudinal direction of the lip portion 32.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, the pressing force F1 transmitted from the wiper arm 12 is paired via the first vertical bra contact portions 46a and 46b and the second vertical bra contact portions 47a and 47b of the connecting member 40. It is transmitted to the vertical bras 34a and 34b of. 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 can be 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 tries 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 projection 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.

The wiper blade 10 shown in FIG. 13 has a state in which the lip portion 32 of the blade rubber 30 is in contact with a portion of the windshield 11 having a large curvature, or a state in which the wiper arm 12 (wiper blade 10) is locked back (standing up). The state) is shown. For example, when the lip portion 32 is brought into contact with a portion of the windshield 11 having a large curvature, the blade rubber 30 including the pair of vertical bras 34a and 34b is curved according to the curvature of the windshield 11. Specifically, the vertical bras 34a and 34b approach the natural state (the original curved state), and the blade rubber 30 is also curved accordingly. Therefore, the entire longitudinal direction of the lip portion 32 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 vertical rubber contact portions 46a and 46b and the second vertical rubber contact portions 47a and 47b to the pair of vertical rubber contact portions 34a and 34b, but between the two. There is no rubber blade rubber 30 that increases frictional resistance. Therefore, the first vertical bra contact portions 46a, 46b and the second vertical bra contact portions 47a, 47b and the pair of vertical bras 34a, 34b slide smoothly, and the vertical bras 34a, 34b can easily be in a natural state without substantially resistance. You can get closer.

That is, the first vertibra contact portions 46a and 46b and the second vertibra contact portions 47a and 47b are smoothly slidably contacted with the exposed portions 34a3 and 34b3 according to the curvature of the pair of vertibra 34a and 34b. It has become. As a result, the blade rubber 30 can be smoothly curved without increasing the rigidity of the vertical bras 34a and 34b and increasing the spring force, and as a result, the wiper blade 10 can be made smaller and lighter and the cost can be reduced. It can also be applied to automobiles and the like.

Further, when the wiper arm 12 is locked back when the vehicle is washed, or when the wiper blade 10 is individually transported, the clip member 41 rotates counterclockwise around the support pin 43 as shown by the arrow R1 in FIG. It may be rotated in the direction. Then, when the clip member 41 is rotated with respect to the connecting member 40 by a predetermined angle α °, the convex portion 41b of the clip main body 41a is brought into contact with the rotation restricting portion 40a of the connecting member 40. Therefore, the 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 arrow R2 in FIG. 14, the clip member 41 may be rotated clockwise about the support pin 43. Then, when the clip member 41 is rotated with respect to the connecting member 40 by a predetermined angle β °, the tip portion 41d of the clip main body 41a is brought into contact with the bridging portion 40b of the connecting member 40. As a result, contact of the clip member 41 and the U-shaped hook 12a with the blade rubber 30 is prevented, and early damage to the blade rubber 30 which is more flexible than the clip member 41 and the U-shaped hook 12a is prevented. 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 from doing so. Since the clip member 41 does not directly press the blade rubber 30 even during the rocking motion, the lip portion 32 is attached to the windshield while ensuring the rotation angles (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 vertical bras 34a and 34b is bent, the first vertical bra contact portions 46a and 46b are slidably contacted with the exposed portions 34a3 and 34b3, respectively, as shown in FIG. 15A. In addition, the first support portions 48a and 48b are slidably contacted with the arm side wall portion 31c (made of rubber), respectively. However, since the recessed portion 48c is provided between the first support portions 48a and 48b, the increase in the contact area between the first support portions 48a and 48b and the arm side wall portion 31c is minimized. .. Therefore, the smooth bending 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 portions 48a and 48b and the arm side wall portion 31c, the structure of [Modification Example] as shown in FIG. 15B may be adopted. Specifically, instead of the first support portions 48a and 48b of FIG. 15A, first support protrusions Ta and Tb are provided, and a recessed portion 48c is provided between these first support protrusions Ta and Tb. But it's okay. As a result, recessed portions Da and Db are formed on the first vertical bra contact portions 46a and 46b of the first support protrusions Ta and Tb, respectively, and the contact area between the first support protrusions Ta and Tb and the arm side wall portion 31c is formed. Can be suppressed more.

Next, the assembly procedure (manufacturing method) of the wiper blade 10 formed as described above will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

16 (a) is a cross-sectional view for explaining the positioning protrusion of the cover member, and FIG. 16 (b) is a cross-sectional view for explaining the hooking claw of the cover member. 17 (a), (b), (c), (d) Is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view for explaining the vertical bra 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 modified example of FIG. 19 (a) and 19 (b) show explanatory views for explaining the processing procedure of the vertical bra.

[Blade rubber assembly process]
First, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, a vertical bra 34a on the outward route side, a vertical blade 34b on the return route side, and a blade rubber 30 are prepared. Next, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the Vertibra 34a is attached to the groove 31a on the outward path side of the main body 31 of the blade rubber 30, and the Vertibra 34b is attached to the groove 31b on the return path side of the main body 31 of the blade rubber 30. Installing.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 17B, the first vertical bra positioning portions 31a1, 31b1 are inserted into the first positioning recesses 34a1, 34b1, respectively. As a result, as shown in FIG. 17C, the second vertical bra positioning portions 31a2 and 31b2 enter the second positioning recesses 34a2 and 34b2, respectively. Therefore, the pair of vertical bras 34a and 34b are correctly attached to the groove portions 31a and 31b of the main body portion 31, and the assembly of the vertical bras 34a and 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 attached to the support pin 43 of the connecting member 40 so as to be rotatable. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the convex portion 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 end side of the positioning protrusion 52 and the hook 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 protrusion 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 protrusion 52 to the positioning hole 42e serves as a guide for the hooking operation of the hooking claw 53 to the hooking hole 42f, and the mounting of the positioning protrusion 52 to the positioning hole 42e is promoted. 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 side wall 42a and the return side wall 42b without rattling, and the assembly of the connecting member 40 is completed.

[Blade rubber mounting process]
Next, the blade rubber 30 to which the pair of vertical bras 34a and 34b is mounted is prepared through the blade rubber assembly step. Further, through the connecting member assembly process, the connecting member 40 to which the clip member 41 and the pair of cover members 50 are mounted is prepared. Then, the outer peripheral side in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30 faces the inner peripheral side in the longitudinal direction of the connecting member 40.

After that, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 8 (b), the first claw portions 44a and 44b and the second claw portions 45a and 45b of the connecting member 40 are attached to 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 and 46b and the second vertibra contact portions 47a and 47b are in contact with the exposed portions 34a and 34b3, respectively, and the first claw portions 44a and 44b and the second claw portions 45a and 45b are in contact with each other. Supports the main body 31 of the blade rubber 30 from the lip 32 side, respectively.

Then, 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, and the main body portion is formed by the first claw portions 44a, 44b and the second claw portions 45a, 45b. By supporting the lip portion 32 side of 31, the blade rubber 30 and the cover member 50 are in the state shown in FIG. That is, the cover main body 51 of the pair of cover members 50 smoothly and automatically enters 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, 44b and the second claw portions 45a, 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 engaged with the engaging recesses 31f1, respectively, and the axial movement of the blade rubber 30 of the connecting member 40 is restricted. As a result, the attachment of the blade rubber 30 to the connecting member 40 is completed.

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

After that, the attachment of the holder cover 60 to the main body 31 is further advanced, and the ends of the pair of holder covers 60 are housed in the holder cover housing 40c of the connecting member 40, respectively. 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, a pair of caps 70 are prepared, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 11. Further, the blade rubber 30 (connecting member 40) to which the holder cover 60 is mounted is prepared through the holder cover mounting step. Then, 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 makes it easier for 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 vertical bras 34a and 34b is housed 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 convex portion 72d of the cap 70 directly support both sides of the vertical bras 34a and 34b in the plate thickness direction, the cap 70 with respect to the blade rubber 30 Tapping is effectively suppressed.

Here, since the blade rubber 30 is made of rubber, it is determined by the touch (feel) of the operator whether or not the engaging claws 72e are correctly engaged with the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2. Difficult to do. Further, it is difficult to visually check from the outside whether or not the engaging claw 72e is correctly 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 formed on the facing surface 31h of the main body portion 31. When it is located at the provided identification mark 31k, the cap 70 is properly attached to the blade rubber 30 as shown in FIG. 17A. Here, the correctly mounted state is a state in which the engaging claws 72e are engaged with the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2. That is, the correct mounting state of the cap 70 with respect to the blade rubber 30 can be easily visually determined from the outside.

By arranging the boundary wall portion BW of the cap 70 at the portion of the identification mark 31k on the facing surface 31h in this way, 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 of the holder cover 60 and the end of the main body 31 are covered with the cap 70, so that the wiper blade 10 is completed. The appearance of the 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 and 1st of the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1, 31e2 from the reference position P0 side. The positions P2 of the 1-vertibra positioning unit 31b1, the 2nd vertical-positioning units 31a2 and 31b2, and the position P3 of the 1st vertical-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 attached to the end of the blade rubber 30, the positions of the pair of engaging claws 72e provided on the cap 70 are 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. Further, when the cap 70 is attached / detached, the first vertical bra positioning portions 31a1, 31b1 and the second vertical bra positioning portions 31a2, 31b2 are prevented from being pulled, compressed or deformed.

However, a cap CA having a shape as shown in [Modification] of FIGS. 17 (d) and 18 (b) can also be used. This 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 the positions P3 of the first vertical bra positioning portion 31a1 with respect to the reference position P0. The difference is that the position is P4, which is farther away than. That is, in the [modified example] shown in FIGS. 17 (d) and 18 (b), the first vertical bra positioning portions 31a1, 31b1 and the second vertical bra positioning portions 31a2, 31b2 have the first and second caps. It is provided at the end of the blade rubber 30 rather than the positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2.

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

In such a [modification example], when the cap CA is attached, the position of the pair of engaging claws 72e exceeds the portion 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 suppressed from falling off from the blade rubber 30. In the middle of attaching and detaching the cap CA, the engagement of the engaging claws 72e with the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 is released. Therefore, when the position of the engaging claw 72e passes through the positions P2 and P3, a not so large tensile force acts in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30.

Here, the pair of vertical bras 34a and 34b (see FIG. 7) according to the present embodiment are formed of an elongated stainless steel plate having a width dimension of about 5 mm. Therefore, it is difficult to stably supply the product in the weak rigidity region AR including the first notch 35 and the second notch 36 shown in FIG. 7 by punching using a punch and a die. Specifically, since the punch is small, the punch is damaged at an early stage, which not only increases the dimensional error for each product, but also shortens the life cycle of the punch and causes an increase in manufacturing cost.

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

Hereinafter, the molding procedure (processing procedure) of the weak rigidity region AR by the laser irradiation device LS will be described on behalf of the Vertibra 34b on the return path side.

[Molding process of the first notch]
First, as shown in FIG. 19A, a vertical bra 34b (work) having no weak rigidity region AR is prepared, and the vertical bra 34b is arranged 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 in the portion near the center in the longitudinal direction of the vertical bra 34b.

Next, as shown by the two-point chain line arrow in FIG. 19A, the laser irradiation unit LB is moved at a predetermined speed while irradiating the laser beam from the laser irradiation unit LB toward the outer edge portion of the vertical bra 34b. As a result, a part of the outer edge portion of the vertical bra 34b is cut out by heating and melting, and a first cutout portion 35 (notch portion by laser irradiation) composed of six concave portions 35a and five convex portions 35b is continuously formed. Laser. 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 vertical bras 34a and 34b, the laser irradiation portion LB is moved without turning on / off the laser irradiation device LS. The first notch 35 can be formed quickly. Further, the moving distance of the laser irradiation unit LB is shortened as compared with the case where the depth dimension D3 = 0, 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 differs between the concave portion 35a and the convex portion 35b, so that the setting of the thermal stress required for straightening the vertical bras 34a and 34b is complicated. To become.

After molding the first notch 35, the heated first notch 35 is cooled and hardened, and due to the contraction force of the stainless steel plate at that time, the outer peripheral side (right side in the drawing) of the vertical bra 34b is broken into broken lines. It warps in the direction of the solid arrow M1 (on the side of the first notch 35) from the state shown in. Therefore, following the molding of the first notch 35, the second notch 36 is formed on the outer edge portion of the vertical bra 34b on the side opposite to the side where the first notch 35 is located.

[Molding process of the second notch]
Following the molding step of the first notch 35 described above, the laser irradiation portion LB is moved to form the second notch 36 (heat-processed portion by laser irradiation). Specifically, first, the laser irradiation unit LB is the outer edge portion of the vertical bra 34b opposite to the side where the first notch portion 35 is located, and is the second from the inner peripheral side in the longitudinal direction forming the first notch portion 35. It is set in the portion corresponding to the convex portion 35b of.

Next, as shown by the double-point chain arrow in FIG. 19B, the laser irradiation unit LB is moved at a predetermined speed while irradiating the outer edge portion of the vertical bra 34b with a laser beam from the laser irradiation unit LB. As a result, a part of the outer edge portion of the vertical bra 34b is cut out by heating and melting, and a second cutout portion 36 formed of a concave groove extending straight in the longitudinal direction of the vertical bra 34b is formed.

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

When molding the weak rigidity region AR on the vertical bra 34b, depending on the specifications of the vertical bra 34b, only the first notch 35 may be provided and the second notch 36 may be omitted. However, even in this case, as shown in FIG. 19A, the vertical bra 34b warps, so that the above-mentioned correction treatment is necessary. In order to perform the correction process without forming the second notch 36, the laser beam emitted from the laser irradiation unit LB may be brought close to the outer edge portion of the vertical bra 34b. That is, the outer edge portion of the vertical bra 34b may be limited to heat melting by heating and melting instead of notching by heating and melting by the heat of the laser beam to form a heat-processed portion by laser irradiation. Furthermore, if it can be straightened sufficiently, it may be simply heated (broiled) without being melted by heating.

Even after such correction treatment, heating marks HT (discolored and roughened parts, etc.) remain on the appearance of the vertical bra 34b, but the heating marks HT are 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 marks HT are left as they are without any treatment such as polishing and erasing, so as to avoid an increase in manufacturing cost. However, the heating marks HT may be polished and erased.

As described in detail above, according to the wiper blade 10 according to the present embodiment, the groove portions 31a, 31b and the vertical bras 34a, 34b are positioned with respect to the groove portions 31a, 31b. The vertical positioning portions 31a1, 31b1, 31a2, 31b2 and the first and second positioning recesses 34a1, 34b1, 34a2, 34b2 are provided, and the concave groove 31e and the cap 70 are positioned with respect to the concave groove 31e. The second cap positioning portions 31e1, 31e2 and the engaging claws 72e are provided, and the first and second vertical bra positioning portions 31a1, 31b1, 31a2, 31b2, the first and second positioning recesses 34a1, 34b1, 34a2, 34b2, and the first , The second cap positioning portions 31e1, 31e2 and the engaging claws 72e are provided at different positions in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 30.

As a result, even if the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1, 31e2 are elastically deformed when the wiper blade 30 is disassembled and maintained (cleaned, etc.), the first and second vertical bra positioning portions 31a1, 31b1, 31a2, 31b2 Can be made difficult to elastically deform. That is, the elastic deformation of the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1, 31e2 and the elastic deformation of the first and second vertical bra positioning portions 31a1, 31b1, 31a2, 31b2 can be made less likely to affect each other.

Therefore, it is possible to eliminate unnecessary damage to the blade rubber 30 and facilitate disassembly and maintenance, and further, it is possible to suppress deterioration of the wiping performance of the wiper blade 30 after the wiper blade 10 is reassembled.

Further, according to the wiper blade 10 according to the present embodiment, the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1, 31e2 and the engaging claw 72e are the first and second vertical bra positioning portions 31a1, 31b1, 31a2, 31b2. The blade rubber 30 is provided closer to the end of the blade rubber 30 than the first and second positioning recesses 34a1, 34b1, 34a2, 34b2.

Therefore, the cap 70 can be easily attached to and detached from the blade rubber 30 when the blade rubber 30 is replaced. Further, when the cap 70 is attached / detached, it is possible to prevent the first vertical bra positioning portions 31a1, 31b1 and the second vertical bra positioning portions 31a2, 31b2 from being pulled, compressed or deformed.

Further, according to the wiper blade 10 according to the modified example of the present embodiment, the first vertical bra positioning portions 31a1, 31b1 and the second vertical bra positioning portions 31a2, 31b2 are the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1, 31e2. It is provided closer to the end of the blade rubber 30 than the blade rubber 30.

Therefore, when the cap CA is attached, the positions of the pair of engaging claws 72e exceed the portions where the positions P2 and P3 are located (the positions of the first vertical bra positioning portions 31a1, 31b1 and the second vertical bra positioning portions 31a2, 31b2). Therefore, the mounting strength of the cap CA to the blade rubber 30 can be increased, and the cap CA can be more reliably suppressed from falling off from the blade rubber 30.

Further, according to the wiper blade 10 according to the present embodiment, the blade rubber 30 is provided with an identification mark 31k indicating that the cap 70 is correctly positioned with respect to the blade rubber 30, so that the cap 70 is provided with an identification mark 31k. The correct mounting state for the blade rubber 30 can be easily determined by visually observing from the outside.

Further, according to the wiper blade 10 according to the present embodiment, since the tapered portion 31 g for guiding the attachment of the cap 70 is provided at the end portion of the blade rubber 30, the attachment of the cap 70 is guided by the tapered portion 31 g. This makes it easy to attach the cap 70 to the end of the main body 31.

Further, according to the wiper blade 10 according to the present embodiment, the lip side wall portion 31d for supporting the vertical bras 34a and 34b is provided on the lip portion 32 side of the groove portions 31a and 31b, and the end portion of the lip side wall portion 31d is provided. , A notch 31d1 is provided to avoid interference with the cap 70. Further, according to the wiper blade 10 according to the present embodiment, the cap 70 is provided with a support surface 72c and a support convex portion 72d that support the vertical bras 34a and 34b from the plate thickness direction.

Therefore, the support surface 72c and the support convex portion 72d of the cap 70 can support the vertical bras 34a and 34b from the plate thickness direction thereof, and the rattling of the cap 70 with respect to the blade rubber 30 can be effectively suppressed.

Further, according to the wiper blade 10 according to the present embodiment, the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 are provided in the concave groove 31e and are recessed in the wiping direction of the blade rubber 30. The positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 and the engaging claws 72e provided on the cap 70 and entering the first and second cap positioning portions 31e1 and 31e2 are provided.

Therefore, by making the cap 70 side with high rigidity "convex" and the blade rubber 30 side with low rigidity "concave", the catching load (resistance in the pulling direction) of the cap 70 on the blade rubber 30 is good. Can be. If the unevenness relationship is reversed, problems such as damage to the convex portion provided on the low rigidity side are likely to occur, and thus problems such as easy removal of the cap may occur.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in the above embodiment, the wiper blade 10 is applied to a 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 is used for an automobile. It can also be applied to a rear wiper device mounted on the rear side of a vehicle such as, and a wiper device mounted on a ship, an aircraft, a railroad vehicle, or the like.

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

10 Wiper blade 11 Windshield (wiping surface)
12 Wiper arm (arm)
12a U-shaped hook 20 Holder 30 Blade rubber 31 Main body 31a, 31b Grooves 31a1, 31b1 1st Vertibra positioning part (Vertibra positioning part)
31a2, 31b2 2nd Vertibra Positioning Unit (Vertibra Positioning Unit)
31c arm side wall 31d lip side wall (vertibra support wall)
31d1 Notch 31e Concave groove (recess)
31e1 First cap positioning part (cap positioning part, engaging recess)
31e2 2nd cap positioning part (cap positioning part, engaging recess)
31f Positioning part 31f1 Engagement recess 31f2 Inclined wall part 31f3 Movement regulation protrusion 31g Taper part 31h Opposite surface 31k Identification mark 32 Lip part 33 Neck part 34a, 34b Vertibra 34a1, 34b1 First positioning recess (vertibra positioning part)
34a2, 34b2 Second positioning recess (vertibra positioning part)
34a3, 34b3 Exposed part 34a4, 34b4 Back side 35 First notch 35a Recess 35b Convex 36 Second notch 40 Connecting member 40a Rotation control part 40b Bridging part 40c Holder cover accommodating part 41 Clip member 41a Clip body 41b Convex part 41c Holding member 41d Tip 42 Accommodation chamber 42a Outward side wall 42b Return side wall 42c Inner peripheral side wall 42d Outer peripheral side wall 42e Positioning hole 42f Hook hole 43 Support pin 44a, 44b First claw part 45a, 45b Second claw part 46a, 46b First vertical bra Contact parts 47a, 47b Second vertical bra Contact parts 48a, 48b First support part 49a, 49b Second support part 48c, 49c Depression 50 Cover member 51 Cover body 52 Positioning protrusion 53 Hooking claw 53a Claw body 60 Holder cover 61 1st holder body 62 2nd holder body 61a, 62a 1st holder claw 61b, 62b 2nd holder claw 63 Fin part 63a Inclined surface 63b Top 64 Recess 70 Cap 71 Cap body 72 Blade rubber end accommodating part 72a Recess 72b Recess Place 72c Support surface (Vertibra support part)
72d Support convex part (Vertibra support part)
72e Engagement claw (cap positioning part, engaging convex part)
72f Tapered surface 73 Holder cover end accommodating part 73a Abutting surface AR Rigidity weak region BW Boundary wall part CA cap (deformation example)
CE rotation center Da, Db recessed part (deformation example)
F1 Pressing pressure F2 Centrifugal force HT Heating mark LB Laser irradiation part LS Laser irradiation device PL Parting line S Gap Ta, Tb 1st support protrusion (deformation example)
WP end

Claims (7)

A wiper blade that is connected to an arm that is swung by a drive source and wipes the wiping surface.
A connecting member connected to the arm and
A blade rubber having a main body supported by the connecting member and a lip portion in contact with the wiping surface,
A groove provided in the main body and extending in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber,
A vertical bra mounted in the groove and curved with a predetermined curvature,
A recess provided between the groove portion and the lip portion of the main body portion and extending in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber,
A cap provided at the end of the blade rubber and
A vertical bra positioning unit provided in the groove portion and the vertical blade portion for positioning the vertical blade with respect to the groove portion.
A cap positioning portion provided in the recess and the cap to position the cap with respect to the recess.
Have,
The vertical bra positioning portion and the cap positioning portion are provided at different positions in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber .
The blade rubber is provided with an identification mark indicating that the cap is correctly positioned with respect to the blade rubber .
Wiper blade. In the wiper blade according to claim 1,
The cap positioning portion is provided closer to the end of the blade rubber than the vertical bra positioning portion.
Wiper blade. In the wiper blade according to claim 1,
The vertical bra positioning portion is provided closer to the end portion of the blade rubber than the cap positioning portion.
Wiper blade. The wiper blade according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .
A tapered portion for guiding the mounting of the cap is provided at the end of the blade rubber.
Wiper blade. The wiper blade according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .
A vertical support wall for supporting the vertical bra is provided on the lip portion side of the groove portion, and a notch portion for avoiding interference with the cap is provided at an end portion of the vertical bra support wall.
Wiper blade. In the wiper blade according to claim 5 ,
The cap is provided with a vertical bra support portion that supports the vertical bra from the plate thickness direction.
Wiper blade. The wiper blade according to any one of claims 1 to 6 .
The cap positioning unit is
An engaging recess provided in the recess and recessed in the wiping direction of the blade rubber,
An engaging convex portion provided on the cap and entering the engaging concave portion,
Is equipped with
Wiper blade.

Images