MX2008007800A - Wiper blade comprising a support mount, an internal vertebra and a connecting element - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a motor vehicle wiper blade (10), comprising:a support mount (12) which comprises a longitudinal tubular body (18);a structural element (14) in the form of a longitudinal horizontal strip, which is accommodated inside the tubular body (18);and an element (16) for connecting the blade (10) to a drive arm, which is mounted on the support mount (12) and which comprises locking means for locking the structural element (14) in position in the connecting element (16). The locking means of the connecting element (16) comprise, on the one hand, longitudinal means for locking the structural element (14) in position and, on the other hand, angular means for locking the structural element (14) in position.

Description

WIPER WIPER COMPRISING A SUPPORT ASSEMBLY, AN INTERNAL VERTEBRA AND A CONNECTION ELEMENT DESCRIPTIVE MEMORY The invention provides a motor vehicle windshield wiper boom of the "flat boom" type comprising a connection element for connection to a drive arm which provides the fastening of a structural element with a support assembly. Particularly, the invention provides a power vehicle wiper blade comprising: a support assembly having a longitudinal main direction comprising means for supporting a wiper blade and a tubular body having a longitudinal main axis; - a structural element in the form of a longitudinal horizontal strip that is accommodated within a tubular body; and - an element for connecting the boom to a drive arm which is mounted on the support assembly and which comprises locking means for locking the structural element in position in the connecting element. According to an aspect that consists of providing lower wiper blades, the articulated structure of the wiper blade carrying the cleaning pen or rubber wiper pen is omitted, and the association of a hollow support assembly with a longitudinal reinforcing vertebra constitutes the structure of the wiper blade itself. The support assembly is in the form of a segment of a longitudinal section that includes a tubular body within which the vertebra is accommodated, which is in the form of a longitudinal horizontal pen. Finally the assembly includes lower mounting hooks for the cleaning pen. The vertebra is made of a rigid material, for example steel, making it possible to press the cleaning pen against the glass surface to be cleaned. The wiper blade also includes an element for connecting the boom to a drive arm during cleaning, which is mounted around a body of the support assembly and which includes locking means for locking the vertebra during a longitudinal movement in a position mounted inside the body of the support assembly. US-A-6 161 248 discloses a wiper blade of the "flat boom" type for which the connecting element is connected to the vertebra by means of resilient tabs which are accommodated in grooves that coincide with the vertebra.

Document FR-A-2 868 376 discloses a wiper pen of the "flat-boom" type, wherein the connecting element is connected to the support assembly through locking means formed by teeth that are accommodated in notches provided at the edges lateral of the vertebra. During various tests carried out in this last clamping device, free spaces appeared between the connection elements and the vertebra. Said disadvantage results in particular from the position of the teeth with respect to the notches in the vertebra, because the second pair of teeth may not be exactly opposed to the associated notches due to the tolerances in the various parts or in the assembly means. and if a first pair of teeth provides the reference of placement. In addition, and obligatorily from an industrial point of view, the cuts in the vertebra cause that they appear right angles in the edges, and the contact of a tooth at the level of a right angle creates a localized contact area that does not extend in all the geometry of the tooth and in the corresponding notch thereof. In this way, as the wiper blade is used, the teeth progressively and permanently lose their shape, due to the free spaces that appear, so that the efficiency of the wiper blade is reduced. The object of the invention is to provide a wiper blade for which the means for locking a vertebra in the position mounted on the support assembly are sufficiently rigid so as not to progressively lose their shape and which make it possible to avoid any free space between the various elements of the windshield wiper pen, longitudinal as well as angular. For this purpose, the invention provides a wiper blade of the type previously described, wherein the means for locking the connecting element in the support assembly comprises, on the one hand, longitudinal locking means for locking the structural element in position, and another side angular means for locking a structural element in position in the connecting element. Said characteristic allows in particular the separation of the blocking functions, in order to provide a blocking of the structural element in the connection element in each direction. According to other features of the invention: the longitudinal locking means include at least one pin that is accommodated in a notch provided in the structural element; - the pins are at least two, each being accommodated in a notch provided in the side edges on either side of the structural element; - each notch has a generally rectangular shape that coincides with the associated pin; - the angular locking means include retaining teeth that cooperate with the lateral edges of the structural element; the transverse free end of each retaining tooth includes a stop surface which is pressed into the lateral edge of the structural element during assembly and / or narrowing of the connecting element in the support assembly; - the pins and retention teeth are arranged in the lateral beads of the connection element; - each pin and each retaining tooth extends transversely towards the interior of the connecting element from an internal vertical longitudinal side of the associated lateral bead; - at least one retaining pad vertically placed on either side of the pin and / or the retaining tooth is associated with each pin and with each retaining tooth; - with each pin and each retaining tooth is associated a pair of retaining pads comprising an upper pad and a lower pad vertically placed on either side of the pin and / or retaining tooth; - the retaining tooth is placed transversely in contraction with respect to each retaining pad; - the side walls of the tubular body include first and second side openings which are traversed by the pin and the stop surface of the retention tooth of the connecting element, respectively. - the first and second side openings are provided by cutting the side wall before mounting the connecting element 16 on the support assembly; - each lateral opening includes an upper cut and a lower cut, where the associated upper and lower retaining pads are inserted; - each cut and the associated retention pad have matching shapes. Other features and advantages of the invention will appear after reading the following detailed description for which reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a windshield wiper pen of the generally known type. as "flat boom", in which the locking means provided in the connecting element are not shown; Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective schematic view of a wiper blade including a connecting element complying with the invention; Figure 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a windshield wiper pen shown in Figure 1 prior to assembly of the connecting element; and Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, wherein the connecting element is mounted on the support assembly, showing the blocking elements in operation. For the description of the invention, the vertical, longitudinal and transverse orientations will be selected in a non-limiting manner according to a system V, L, T as mentioned in the figures. In the following description, identical, similar or analogous elements will be indicated with the same reference numbers. Figure 1 shows a known general structure of a windshield wiper boom 10 of the "flat boom" type, which includes the support assembly 12 having a longitudinal main direction carrying the other components of the wiper blade 10, an internal vertebra 14 in shape of a longitudinal horizontal boom, a connecting element 16 that makes it possible to connect the wiper blade 10 with a drive arm (not shown) and a cleaning pen (not shown). The connecting element 16 comprises blocking means for locking the vertebra 14 inside the assembly 12 which are not shown in figure 1. The assembly 12 includes a tubular central body 18 having a longitudinal main axis which is delimited by a wall horizontal upper 20, a horizontal lower wall 22 and by two vertical and longitudinal side walls 24. Of course, said delimitation of the tubular body 18 is not limiting. In fact, the tubular body may have a section of a circular or elliptical shape, provided that the body can accommodate a vertebra 14, whatever its shape. The assembly 12 also comprises a longitudinal upper rib 26 which extends vertically upwards from the upper face of the horizontal upper wall 20 of the body 18, and which has an aerodynamic shape, for generating pressure forces of the wiper blade 10 on the surface of glass, under the action of the wind produced by the movement of the vehicle. Finally, the support assembly 12 comprises lower means for mounting the cleaning pen, which consist of two opposite longitudinal bottom hooks 28, which delimit a tubular body that opens downwards, where a base structure that matches the cleaning pen is mounted. The vertebra 14 constitutes the structural element of the wiper blade 10 that reinforces the assembly 12. The vertebra 14 is made of a rather rigid material, for example steel or a mixed material and consists of a longitudinal horizontal pen that is disposed within the body tubular 18. The connecting element 16 is mounted longitudinally, approximately in the middle of the assembly 12 and overlaps the body 18 of the body 12, i.e., extends over the horizontal top wall 20 and on either side of the side walls 24 .

The upper rib 26 includes an opening 32 through which the connecting element 16 is mounted in the assembly 12. The connecting element 16 is composed of two identical parts 33 which are mounted in an arrangement in which an opposite one is placed to the other in body 18, according to a transverse movement. Each part 33 of the connection element 16 includes an upper base 36 which rests on the upper face of the horizontal upper wall of the body 18 and which includes means 38 for fixing the upper base 36 of the outer part 33 of the connecting element 16 The fastening means 38, particularly include a hole and a rod for each part 33 of the connecting element 16. The connecting element 16 also includes two lower side heels 34, each extending down from an upper base 36 of the associated part 33 and are distributed transversely on either side of the body 18 of the assembly 12, so as to provide the transverse placement of the connecting element 16 with respect to the body 18. The lower free end 34i of each side bead 34 is flexed inwards of the connecting element 16 and constitutes a hook extending opposite a lower face 22i of the horizontal lower wall 22 of the body 18. The ext lower pad 34 of each side bead 34 makes it possible to provide the vertical locking of the connecting element 16 in the position mounted around the body 18.

As can be seen in Figure 2, the connecting element 16 comprises locking means for locking the vertebra 14 in the position mounted inside the hollow body 18 of the support assembly 12. The locking means of the connecting element 16 are of two types: - longitudinal locking means and - angular locking means. The combination of the two types of locking means makes it possible to retain the vertebra 14 in the position in the body 18 in all directions. The longitudinal locking means includes at least one internal transverse pin 40 positioned in each part 33 of the connecting element 16. Said pin 40 cooperates with a notch 42 provided in the vertebra 14 to provide longitudinal locking of the vertebra 14 in the assembled position in the body 18 of the assembly. The pins 40 are provided in the side heels 34. The notches 42, which accommodate the pins 40, are provided at the lateral edges 14a of the vertebra 14 and according to one embodiment of the invention, the notches 42 have a shape that it coincides with that of the pins 40, for example, a rectangular shape. In this case, each lateral bead 34 includes a pin 40 and each lateral edge 14a of the vertebra 14 therefore includes a notch 42.

Each pin 40 extends transversely to the interior of the connecting element 16 from an internal longitudinal side 34a of the associated side heel 34 and its inner free end is accommodated in the associated notch 42 of the vertebra 14. The pins 40 allow easy positioning of the connection element 16 in the assembly and its cooperation with the notches 42 provides a good longitudinal mechanical retention of the vertebra 14 in the connecting element 16. The angular locking means include internal transverse retention teeth 44 placed in each part 33 of the element of connection 16 which cooperate with the lateral edges 14a of the vertebra 14. Each retaining tube 44 includes a stopping surface 45 which is adapted to make contact with a lateral edge of the vertebra during assembly. In this caseEach side bead 34 includes two teeth 44 positioned on either side of the pin 40 and each side edge 14a on the vertebra 14 thus includes two contact areas. Each tooth 44 extends transversely inwardly of the connecting elements 16 from the internal vertical longitudinal side 34a of the associated lateral heel 34 and its stopping surface 45 is pressed onto the lateral edge 14 on the vertebra during assembly and / or narrowing of element 16 in assembly 12.

The pressure of the teeth 44 on the sides of the vertebra makes it possible to obtain a good retention in torsion in the case of an angular movement between the assembly 12 and the connecting element 16, as well as vertical retention of the vertebra in the assembly. Said separation of the retaining functions according to the various directions makes it possible to adapt the locking means to the desired retention direction and improves the quality and performance of the connection between the connecting element 16 and the assembly 12. In said arrangement , the center of the notch 42 is the reference for providing the notch 42 and for assembling the wiper blade. Said arrangement with a pair of pins 40 cooperating with a pair of notches 42 does not then require any particular tolerance or free space for the manufacture and assembly of the connecting element 16 and the assembly 12. Furthermore, to provide the retention of the body 18 with With respect to the connecting element 16, each pin 40 and tooth 44 is designed to be associated with at least one retaining pad and preferably a pair of retaining pads 58, 60, each pad being placed vertically on either side of the pin or internal face tooth 34a of associated side heel 34. Said pads 58, 60 have a generally rectangular shape which makes it possible to help to place the connecting element 16 in the assembly 12 and retain the body 18 with respect to the connecting element 16 to through its cooperation with the lateral edge 14a of the vertebra 14.

In this way, the upper and lower retention pads 58 associated with a pin 40 and / or a retaining tooth 48 are vertically disposed on either side of the vertebra 14, thereby providing vertical and longitudinal positioning of the vertebra 14. with respect to the connecting element 16. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the connection element 16 is shown in cross-section before and after assembly in the assembly 12. Before assembly, the two parts 33 of the connecting element 15 are placed in the cross-section. any side of, and in a manner opposite to, the side edges 14a of the vertebra 14, so that the pins 40 coincide with the notches 42. The teeth 44, provided with their stop surfaces 45 are positioned on either side of each pin 40. , opposite the lateral edges of the vertebra 14. After assembling the element 16 in the assembly 12 and fixing both parts 33, for example by narrowing or using means s 38, the pins 40 are accommodated in the notches 42 and the stop surfaces 45 of the teeth 44 are pressed against the side edges 40a of the vertebra 14. Also, as can be seen particularly in figures 2 and 3, the side walls 24 of the body 18 include first side openings 46a and second 46b intended to cooperate with the pins 40 and teeth 44 placed in the connecting elements 16.

Said side openings give a direct access to the vertebra 14 and to the side edges 14a thereof by holding it or resting against it. Each first side opening 46a is positioned opposite each notch 42 and is traversed by the associated pin 40 of the connecting element 16. The pin 40 is thus accommodated in the lower part of the associated notch 42, thereby improving the longitudinal locking of the same. the vertebra 14 with respect to the connecting element 16. The second lateral openings 46b are placed on either side of a first lateral opening 46a and are traversed by the stopping surface 45 of the associated retaining tooth 44. Thus, tooth 44 is placed at the level of the lateral opening 46b and the stopping surface 45 is pressed against the lateral edge 14a of the vertebra 14. Said lateral openings thus give a direct access to the vertebra 14 and its side edges 14a to retain it or rest against the same The second and second side openings 46a, and 46b are made before assembling the connecting element 16 in the assembly 12 during the fabrication of the assembly 12 through molding or coextrusion or cutting operations.

As can be seen in figure 2, the side openings 46a and 46b further comprise an upper cut 52 provided in the upper horizontal wall 20 extending transversely towards the inside of the assembly 12 and a lower cut 56 provided in the horizontal bottom wall 22 and which also extends transversely towards the inside of the assembly 12. In In practice, each pair of cuts constituted by an upper cut 52 and a lower cut 56 forms a single opening with the first and second side openings 46a, 46b. The upper retention pads 58 (not visible in Figures 3 and 4 due to the transverse view) and lower retention pads 60 coincide with the upper 52 and lower 56 sections respectively, which gives a horizontal placement without any free space of the support assembly 1 12 with respect to the connecting element 16. In this case, as can be seen in Figure 2, the upper cut 52 and the matching upper pad 58 have a generally rectangular shape. In addition, the teeth 44 extend transversely in contraction from the upper pad 58 and lower pad 60. The lateral edge 14a of the vertebra is thus accommodated between the upper pads 58 and lower pads 60, thus providing vertical positioning of the vertebra 14 within of the body 18, particularly in order to retain the vertebra 14 in a horizontal position.

Said separation of the longitudinal and angular retention functions makes it possible to provide simplified cuts at the level of the vertebra 14 and lateral openings 46a and 46b as well as easy placement of the parts during the assembly of the wiper blade.

Claims (16)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. A windscreen wiper pen of a motor vehicle (10), comprising: a support assembly (12) having a longitudinal main direction, comprising means for supporting a cleaning pen and a tubular body (18) having a longitudinal main axis; a structural element (14) in the form of a longitudinal horizontal strip that is accommodated inside a tubular body (18); and an element (16) for connecting the boom (10) to a drive arm that is mounted on the support assembly (12) and that comprises locking means for locking the structural element (14) in position in the connecting elements (16), characterized in that the locking means of the connecting element (16) comprise, on the one hand, longitudinal means for locking the structural element (14) in position and, on the other hand, angular means for locking the structural element in position.

2. The wiper blade according to claim 1, further characterized in that the longitudinal locking means comprise a pin (40) that is accommodated in a notch (42) to longitudinally lock the structural element (14) with respect to the element of connection (16).

3. - The windscreen wiper pen according to claim 2, further characterized in that the longitudinal locking means comprise at least 2 pins (40) which are each accommodated in a notch (42) provided on the side edges (14a), in any side of the structural element (14).

4. The wiper blade (10) according to the preceding claim, further characterized in that each notch (42) of the structural element (14) has a generally rectangular shape that coincides with the associated pin (40).

5. The windscreen wiper boom according to previous claims 1 to 4, further characterized in that the angular locking means comprise retaining teeth (44), which cooperate with the side edges (14a) of the structural element (14) to block angularly the structural element (14) with respect to the connecting element (16).

6. The wiper blade (10) according to the preceding claim, further characterized in that the transverse free end of each retaining tooth (44) comprises a stopping surface (45) resting against the lateral edge (14a) of the element structural (14) during assembly and / or narrowing of the connection element (16) on the support assembly (12).

7. The wiper blade according to claims 2 and 5 taken together, characterized in that the tubular body (18) is delimited by an upper horizontal wall (20), a lower horizontal wall (22) and two side walls vertical longitudinals (24), the connecting element (16) is mounted on the support assembly (12) through two vertical longitudinal side heels (34) extending on either side of the side walls (24) of the tubular body (18), characterized in that the pins (40) and retaining teeth (44) are disposed in the side heels (34) of the connecting element (16).

8. The wiper blade (10) according to the preceding claim, further characterized in that each pin (40) and each retaining tooth extends transversely to the interior of the connection element (16) from an internal vertical longitudinal side (34a) ) of the associated lateral heel (34).

9. The wiper blade (10) according to claim 7 or 8, further characterized in that each pin (40) and each retaining tooth (44) is associated with at least one retaining pad (58, 60), vertically placed on either side of the pin (40) and / or the retention groove (44) in the side bead (34) to provide retention of the tubular body (18) with respect to the connecting element (16).

10. The wiper blade (10) in accordance with the preceding claim, further characterized in that each pin (40) and retaining tooth (44) is associated with a pair of retaining pads (58, 60) comprising an upper pad (58) and a lower pad (60) vertically placed on either side of the pin (40) and / or the retaining tooth (44).

11. The wiper blade (10) according to claim 7 or 8, further characterized in that the retaining tooth (44) is transversely contracted from each retaining pad (58, 60).

12. The wiper blade (10) according to any of claims 2 to 6, further characterized in that the side walls (24) of the tubular body (18) comprise at least a first side opening (46a) that is positioned opposite to each notch (42) of the structural element (14) and which is traversed by the associated pin (40).

13. The windshield wiper boom (10) according to any of claims 2 to 6, further characterized in that the side walls (24) of the tubular body (18) comprise at least two second side openings (46b) that are placed in any side of the first side opening (46a) and which are each traversed by the stop surface (45) of the associated retaining tooth (44).

14. The wiper blade (10) according to claims 12 and 13, further characterized in that the first and second side openings (46a, 46b) are provided when cutting the associated side wall (24) of the tubular body (18) before mounting the connecting element (16) in the support assembly (12).

15. - The wiper blade (10) according to the preceding claim, further characterized in that each side opening (46a, 46b) comprises an upper cut (52) and a lower cut (56) provided respectively on the upper horizontal walls (20) and lower (22) of the body (18) and wherein the upper (58) and lower (60) retaining pads associated with each pin (40) and / or retaining tooth (44) are respectively accommodated in said upper cuts (52). ) and lower (56) in order to longitudinally position the connecting element (16) with respect to the support assembly (12).

16. The wiper blade (10) according to the preceding claim, further characterized in that each cut (52, 56) and the associated retention pad (56, 60) have matching shapes.