JP7482593B2 - Wiper blade and connecting member for wiper blade - Google Patents

Description

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

Conventionally, wiper blades used in vehicle wiper devices have been of the type in which a rubber wiping member (blade rubber) is supported by a support member (e.g., multiple lever members) (so-called tournament wiper blades). In recent years, however, wiper blades that only have a rubber member that integrates the wiping member and support part (so-called flat blades) have also come into widespread use.

Patent Publication 2010-105515

Some of these flat blades are equipped with a vertebra, which is a reinforcing member built into the wiper rubber, and a connecting member is attached to this vertebra for connecting it to the wiper arm.

Figures 10 and 11 show an example of such a conventional wiper blade. As shown in the figures, the wiper blade 101 comprises a blade body 102 and a connecting member 110 attached to the blade body 102. The blade body 102 comprises a blade rubber 103, which is a rubber wiping member, and a vertebra 104 (see Figure 11) incorporated within the blade rubber 103. The vertebra 104 is a long metal plate member having approximately the same length as the blade rubber 103.

As shown in FIG. 11, the connecting member 110 is attached to the vertebra 104 by claws 111 and 112 that hold the vertebra 104 from both sides. This attachment is done by fitting the connecting member 110 from the end of the vertebra 104 and moving the connecting member 110 to the longitudinal center of the vertebra 104. For this reason, attaching the connecting member 110 to the vertebra 104 was a time-consuming task.

The present invention was made with an eye on these problems, and aims to provide a wiper blade in which a connecting member is attached to a reinforcing member incorporated in a wiping member, and which can make the work of attaching the connecting member more efficient.

The present invention relates to a wiper blade comprising a wiping member for wiping a surface to be wiped, a reinforcing member incorporated into the wiping member, and a connecting member attached to the reinforcing member and forming a connection with a wiper arm, wherein the connecting member comprises a first fitting portion for fitting into one side of the reinforcing member, and a second fitting portion arranged at a distance from the first fitting portion in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing member for fitting into the other side of the reinforcing member , the first and second fitting portions being formed between an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion, respectively, and when the reinforcing member is fitted into the first and second fitting portions, the entire width of the reinforcing member is clamped between the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion .

The connecting member may have a central portion, a first end portion extending from the central portion, and a second end portion extending from the central portion to the opposite side to the first end portion, and the first fitting portion may be provided at the first end portion and the second fitting portion may be provided at the second end portion.

The first and second fitting portions may be positioned lower than the central portion.

The reinforcing member may have a notch that fits into at least one of the first and second fitting portions, and the connecting member may be configured such that longitudinal movement of the reinforcing member is restricted by the fit of the notch into at least one of the first and second fitting portions.

Each of the first and second fitting portions may be provided with a retaining claw portion for preventing the reinforcing member from falling off, and when the reinforcing member is fitted into the first and second fitting portions, the retaining claw portion provided on the first fitting portion may hold the other side portion of the reinforcing member in an embrace, and the retaining claw portion provided on the second fitting portion may hold the one side portion of the reinforcing member in an embrace .

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

The present invention also provides a wiper blade connecting member that is attached to a reinforcing member incorporated into a wiping member of a wiper blade and connects the wiper blade to a wiper arm, the connecting member comprising a first fitting portion that fits into one side of the reinforcing member, and a second fitting portion that is spaced from the first fitting portion in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing member and fits into the other side of the reinforcing member, the first and second fitting portions being formed between an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion, respectively, and when the reinforcing member is fitted into the first and second fitting portions, the entire width of the reinforcing member is clamped between the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion .

According to the wiper blade (e.g., wiper blade 1) of the present invention, the connecting member (e.g., connecting member 10) is provided with a first fitting portion (e.g., fitting groove portion 16E) that fits into one side of the reinforcing member (e.g., vertebra 4), and a second fitting portion (e.g., fitting groove portion 17E) that is spaced apart from the first fitting portion in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing member and fits into the other side of the reinforcing member. Therefore, by rotating the connecting member relative to the reinforcing member, the first and second fitting portions can be fitted into the reinforcing member, and the connecting member can be attached to the reinforcing member. Therefore, the work of attaching the connecting member to the reinforcing member can be completed at the installation position of the reinforcing member, and can be performed very efficiently with simple work. In addition, since the connecting member fits into both sides of the reinforcing member, it does not easily fall off to one side.

If the connecting member has a central portion (e.g., central portion 13), one end portion (e.g., front end portion 16) where the first fitting portion is provided, and the other end portion (e.g., rear end portion 17) where the second fitting portion is provided, it is possible to rationally configure the connecting member so that it can be attached by rotating it relative to the reinforcing member. Furthermore, even if the connecting member is made compact, it is possible to provide a sufficient gap between the first and second fitting portions to properly perform the attachment operation by rotation.

By positioning the first and second mating parts at a lower position than the center, the first and second mating parts and the side parts of the reinforcing member can be at the same height during installation, so that the first and second mating parts can be smoothly mated to the side parts of the reinforcing member from directly beside them.

If the reinforcing member is provided with a cutout portion (e.g., cutout portion 6) that fits into at least one of the first and second fitting portions, and the movement of the connecting member in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing member is restricted by the fitting portion and the cutout portion, the connecting member can be firmly fixed in an appropriate position in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing member. Furthermore, during the installation operation, the connecting member can be positioned so that at least one of the first and second fitting portions fits into the cutout portion, so that the connecting member can be appropriately installed in a predetermined position.

If the first and second fitting parts each have a retaining claw portion (e.g., retaining claw portion 16F and retaining claw portion 17F) for preventing the reinforcing member from falling off, the connecting member can be appropriately prevented from rotating in the opposite direction to when it was attached and falling off the reinforcing member.

If the reinforcing member is provided with a notch for the retaining claw (e.g., notch 7) that fits with at least one of the retaining claw of the first fitting portion and the retaining claw of the second fitting portion, the engagement of the retaining claw with the notch for the retaining claw can also restrict the movement of the connecting member in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing member, and the connecting member can be more securely fixed to the reinforcing member.

In addition, the connecting member (e.g., connecting member 10) of the present invention is provided with a first fitting portion (e.g., fitting groove portion 16E) that fits into one side of the reinforcing member (e.g., vertebra 4), and a second fitting portion (e.g., fitting groove portion 17E) that is spaced apart from the first fitting portion in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing member and fits into the other side of the reinforcing member. Therefore, by rotating the connecting member relative to the reinforcing member, the first and second fitting portions can be fitted into the reinforcing member, and the connecting member can be attached to the reinforcing member. Therefore, the work of attaching the connecting member to the reinforcing member can be completed at the mounting position of the reinforcing member, and can be performed very efficiently with simple work. In addition, since the connecting member fits into both sides of the reinforcing member, it does not easily fall off to one side.

1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a wiper blade according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the procedure for attaching the connecting member to the vertebra. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the procedure for attaching the connecting member to the vertebra. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the procedure for attaching the connecting member to the vertebra. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the state in which the connecting member is attached to the vertebra. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the state in which the connecting member is attached to the vertebra. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a conventional wiper blade. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which a connecting member is attached to a vertebra in a conventional wiper blade.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 shows the overall configuration of a wiper blade 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the wiper blade 1 includes a blade body 2, which is an elongated member, and a connecting member 10 attached to approximately the center in the longitudinal direction of the blade body 2. For ease of explanation, in this embodiment, the left side of the wiper blade 1 in Fig. 1 is the front side, and the right side is the rear side.

The blade body 2 comprises a blade rubber 3, which is a wiping member that wipes the surface to be wiped (e.g., the glass surface of an automobile), a vertebra 4, which is a reinforcing member attached to the blade rubber 3, and cap members 5 attached to both longitudinal ends of the blade rubber 3. The blade rubber 3 comprises an upper body portion 3A and a lower wiping portion 3B.

The wiping portion 3B is the portion that constitutes the lower end of the blade rubber 3 and extends over the entire length of the wiper blade 1. The lower edge of the wiping portion 3B comes into contact with a surface to be wiped (not shown) (e.g., the glass surface of an automobile), so that the surface to be wiped is wiped by the wiping portion 3B.

The main body 3A constitutes the upper part of the blade rubber 3, and the vertebra 4 is fitted inside it. The longitudinal center of the main body 3A is formed with a fitting section 3C, which is a cutout for fitting the connecting member 10, and the longitudinal sides of the fitting section 3C of the main body 3A are the front half 3D and the rear half 3E, respectively. As a result, the vertebra 4 fitted to the blade rubber 3 is exposed to the outside of the blade rubber 3 at the fitting section 3C, and the connecting member 10 is fitted to the exposed part of the vertebra 4.

The vertebra 4 is a long plate member for reinforcing the blade rubber 3, and is made of, for example, metal. The vertebra 4 is incorporated into an attachment groove (not shown) formed over the entire longitudinal length of the blade rubber 3 (main body portion 3A), and is arranged along the longitudinal direction over the entire longitudinal length of the blade rubber 3. The cap members 5 attached to both side ends of the blade rubber 3 prevent the vertebra 4 from falling off the blade rubber 3 (main body portion 3A).

In addition, at a predetermined position of the vertebra 4 (a position that aligns with the fitting groove portion 16E of the connecting member 10 described later), a notch portion 6 is formed on the left side portion 4A, and a notch portion 7 is formed on the right side portion 4B (see Figures 5 and 6). As will be described in detail later, when the connecting member 10 is attached to the vertebra 4, the fitting groove portion 16E of the connecting member 10 fits into the notch portion 6.

The connecting member 10 is a member for connecting the wiper blade 1 to the wiper arm (not shown), and as shown in detail in Figures 2 to 4, comprises a base 11 and a clip member 12 rotatably attached to the base 11. A connecting portion (e.g., a hook portion curved into a U-shape) of the wiper arm (not shown) is connected to this clip member 12, so that the wiper blade 1 is rotatably connected to the wiper arm. The connecting member 10 (base 11 and clip member 12) is made of, for example, plastic.

The base 11 is the part that is attached to the blade body 2 (vertebra 4) and includes a central portion 13 that extends along the longitudinal direction of the blade body 2, side wall portions 14, 15 on both sides that extend upward from the left and right sides of the central portion 13, and a front end portion 16 and a rear end portion 17 that extend from the front and rear of the central portion 13. The clip member 12 is disposed in the space surrounded by the central portion 13 and the side wall portions 14, 15 on both sides, and is attached rotatably to the side wall portions 14, 15 on both sides.

The front end 16 of the base 11 extends from the central portion 13 toward the front in the longitudinal direction of the blade body 2, and includes an inclined portion 16A that extends slightly downward from the front end of the upper surface of the central portion 13, an upper wall portion 16B that extends horizontally forward from the inclined portion 16A, a connecting portion 16C that extends downward from the left side of the upper wall portion 16B, and a lower wall portion 16D that extends rightward from the bottom end of the connecting portion 16C.

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

On the other hand, the rear end 17 of the base 11 has a shape that is the front end 16 inverted in the front-rear and left-right directions. That is, the rear end 17 of the base 11 extends from the central portion 13 toward the rear in the longitudinal direction of the blade body 2, and includes an inclined portion 17A that extends slightly downward from the rear end of the upper surface of the central portion 13, an upper wall portion 17B that extends horizontally backward from the inclined portion 17A, a connecting portion 17C that extends downward from the right side of the upper wall portion 17B, and a lower wall portion 17D that extends leftward from the lower end of the connecting portion 17C.

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

With this configuration, the connecting member 10 (base 11) is attached to the mounting portion 3C of the blade body 2 with the vertebra 4 clamped within the fitting grooves 16E and 17E (see Figure 8). In this case, the fitting grooves 16E and 17E in the base 11 open to opposite sides, so the vertebra 4 is fitted into the vertebra 4 from the opposite sides. That is, the fitting groove 16E fits into the left side 4A of the vertebra 4, and the fitting groove 17E fits into the right side 4B of the vertebra 4. In this way, the connecting member 10 is fitted into the vertebra 4 from both the left and right sides, so it is difficult for it to fall off to either the left or right.

The vertebra 4 fitted into the fitting grooves 16E and 17E is held from the opposite side by the holding claws 16F and 17F, respectively. That is, the holding claws 16F in the fitting grooves 16E hold the vertebra 4 from the right side 4B, and the holding claws 17F in the fitting grooves 17E hold the vertebra 4 from the left side 4A. This ensures that the vertebra 4 is securely held in the fitting grooves 16E and 17E, and prevents the connecting member 10 from moving in the opposite direction to the fitting direction into the vertebra 4 and falling off.

The width L1 of the fitting groove 16E is formed to fit the width W1 (see FIG. 6) of the portion where the notches 6 and 7 of the vertebra 4 are formed, and the width L2 of the fitting groove 17E is formed to fit the width W2 (see FIG. 6) of the vertebra 4 (parts other than the notches 6 and 7) (as a result, the width of the connecting portion 16C adjacent to the fitting groove 16E is larger than the width of the connecting portion 17C adjacent to the fitting groove 17E). The retaining claw portion 16F in the fitting groove 16E also extends to the center side of the fitting groove 16E to fit the width W1 (as a result, the width of the retaining claw portion 16F is larger than the width of the retaining claw portion 17F in the fitting groove 17E).

When the connecting member 10 is attached to the vertebra 4, the fitting groove 16E fits exactly into the cutout 6, and the front end of the connecting portion 16C abuts against the front edge 6A of the cutout 6, and the rear end of the connecting portion 16C abuts against the rear edge 6B of the cutout 6. The retaining claw 16F in the fitting groove 16E fits exactly into the cutout 7 on the opposite side, and the front end of the retaining claw 16F abuts against the front edge 7A of the cutout 7, and the rear end of the retaining claw 17F abuts against the rear edge 7B of the cutout 7. This appropriately restricts the movement of the connecting member 10 in the longitudinal direction of the vertebra 4.

In this embodiment, the notches 6 and 7 of the vertebra 4 are provided only on the fitting groove 16E side, but they may also be provided on the fitting groove 17E side. In this case, the width L2 of the fitting groove 17E and the width of the holding claw 17F are adjusted to fit the width of the notch.

Next, the method of attaching the connecting member 10 to the vertebra 4 will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 9. In this embodiment, the wiper blade 1 is completed by assembling the connecting member 10 to the vertebra 4 and then assembling the vertebra 4 to the blade rubber 3.

When installing, first, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the connecting member 10 is placed above the installation position of the vertebra 4 so that it faces perpendicularly to the vertebra 4. In this case, the front end 16 of the base 11 of the connecting member 10 is placed on the left side of the vertebra 4, and the rear end 17 is placed on the right side of the vertebra 4.

From this state, while sliding the central portion 13 of the coupling member 10 against the vertebra 4, rotate the coupling member 10 in the direction indicated by the arrows A1 and A2 (clockwise). As a result, as shown in the intermediate state in Figure 7, the opening of the fitting groove portion 16E of the coupling member 10 approaches the cutout portion 6 of the vertebra 4, and the opening of the fitting groove portion 17E approaches the part (as viewed from the central portion 13) opposite the cutout portion 6 of the vertebra 4 (in the longitudinal direction).

In this way, when the fitting grooves 16E and 17E reach the vertebra 4, the fitting grooves 16E and 17E fit into the vertebra 4, and the connecting member 10 is assembled to the vertebra 4. In this case, the fitting groove 16E fits exactly into the cutout portion 6 of the vertebra 4. This aligns the connecting member 10 with the longitudinal direction of the vertebra 4, so that the connecting member 10 is properly attached to the specified position (attachment position) of the vertebra 4.

In addition, inclined portions 16A and 17A are provided between the upper wall portion 16B and the central portion 13, and fitting grooves 16E and 17E are formed between the upper wall portion 16B and the lower wall portion 16D located below the upper wall portion 16B, so that the fitting grooves 16E and 17E are positioned lower than the central portion 13 and at approximately the same level as the vertebra 4. Therefore, the fitting grooves 16E and 17E can be smoothly fitted into the vertebra 4 from directly beside it.

After the connecting member 10 is attached to the vertebra 4, the central portion 13 of the connecting member 10 is raised above the upper surface of the vertebra 4 by the amount of the inclined portions 16A and 17A, and a gap is formed between the central portion 13 and the vertebra 4. This allows the vertebra 4 to bend appropriately into this gap.

In this way, according to the wiper blade 1 of this embodiment, the connecting member 10 can be easily connected to the vertebra by rotating the connecting member 10 on the vertebra 4. Therefore, unlike conventional wiper blades, the connecting member 10 can be attached to the vertebra 4 by a simple operation at a predetermined position on the vertebra 4, and there is no need to move the connecting member in the longitudinal direction of the vertebra as in the conventional technology, so the work of attaching the connecting member 10 to the vertebra 4 can be performed efficiently.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Wiper blade 2 Blade body 3 Blade rubber 3A Body portion 3B Wiping portion 3C Mounting portion 3D Front half portion 3E Rear half portion 4 Vertebra 5 Cap member 6 Cutout portion of vertebra 7 Cutout portion of vertebra 10 Connecting member 11 Base portion 12 Clip member 13 Center portion of base 14 Side wall portion of base 15 Side wall portion of base 16 Front end portion of base 16A Inclined portion 16B Upper wall portion 16C Connecting portion 16D Lower wall portion 16E Fitting groove portion 16F Retaining claw portion 17 Rear end portion of base 17A Inclined portion 17B Upper wall portion 17C Connecting portion 17D Lower wall portion 17E Fitting groove portion 17F Retaining claw portion

Claims (7)

A wiping member that wipes the surface to be wiped;
A reinforcing member incorporated in the wiping member;
a connecting member attached to the reinforcing member and constituting a connection portion with the wiper arm,
the connecting member includes a first fitting portion that fits into one side of the reinforcing member, and a second fitting portion that is disposed at a distance from the first fitting portion in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing member and fits into the other side of the reinforcing member ,
The first and second fitting portions are respectively formed between an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion, and when the reinforcing member is fitted into the first and second fitting portions, the entire width of the reinforcing member is clamped between the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion . The coupling member includes a central portion, a first end portion extending from the central portion, and a second end portion extending from the central portion to an opposite side to the first end portion,
The first fitting portion is provided at the first end portion,
The wiper blade according to claim 1 , wherein the second fitting portion is provided at the second end portion. The wiper blade according to claim 2, wherein the first and second fitting portions are positioned lower than the center portion. the reinforcing member includes a notch portion that fits with at least one of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion,
The wiper blade according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connecting member is configured to restrict longitudinal movement of the reinforcing member by engagement of at least one of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion with a cutout portion. a retaining claw portion for preventing the reinforcing member from falling off is provided on each of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion ;
5. A wiper blade as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the reinforcing member is engaged with the first and second engaging portions, the retaining claw portion provided on the first engaging portion holds the other side portion of the reinforcing member in a hugging manner, and the retaining claw portion provided on the second engaging portion holds the one side portion of the reinforcing member in a hugging manner . The wiper blade according to claim 5, wherein the reinforcing member has a notch for a retaining claw portion that fits with at least one of the retaining claw portion of the first fitting portion and the retaining claw portion of the second fitting portion. A connecting member for a wiper blade, which is attached to a reinforcing member incorporated in a wiping member of a wiper blade and connects the wiper blade to a wiper arm, comprising:
a first fitting portion that fits into one side portion of the reinforcing member;
a second fitting portion disposed at a distance from the first fitting portion in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing member and fitting into the other side portion of the reinforcing member ;
The first and second fitting portions are respectively formed between an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion, and when the reinforcing member is fitted into the first and second fitting portions, the entire width of the reinforcing member is clamped between the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion .

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