RU2548651C2 - Windshield wiper cover - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transport.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to cover 100 for wiper system wherein wiper flat brush is secured to wiper lever by hooked end. Cover is fitted at hinge section and comprises case 20 shaped to jacket. The latter has sidewalls 2, front and rear walls 3 and 4, bottom and top openings 212, 222 and solid top cover 30 articulated with case 20 with the help of flexible section 31 arranged at front wall. Sidewalls 2 have ribs 202, 203 at their inner surfaces to make the guides so that ledges arranged on the support sidewalls extend there between while said ribs support said cover 100 on the brush in assembly.

EFFECT: better aesthetic and aerodynamic characteristics.

13 cl, 10 dwg

Description

The present invention relates to a cover that is mounted on a connector for attaching a “flat” windshield wiper brush to a wiper arm with a conventional (hook-shaped) end.

Known wiper systems known as “flat-wiper blades” in which an elastic, preferably rubber, wiper strip wiping a surface of a windshield are mounted on a long flat elastic metal support frame, also known as a base curved like an arc, and in which the system connected to the wiper arm from a point, preferably in the center in the longitudinal direction. In flat brush wiper systems, end caps are also provided, in general, to ensure the unity of the system by mounting the wiper blades in the longitudinal direction at the free ends, and a cover that attaches to the upper portion of the base, however, in all of these embodiments, a connector must also be used, also known as a bracket mounted, in fact, in the center of the wiper blade in the longitudinal direction.

The bracket, on the one hand, ensures the unity of the system by clamping the wiper base and profile and, on the other hand, together with an auxiliary component called an “adapter”, forms a structure that provides a hinged connection to the free end of the wiper arm. For attaching a flat wiper blade to a standard type wiper arm with a hook-shaped end, which is still widely used on many vehicles, the above bracket has a transverse axis located between two side walls. DE 19641042 describes such a bracket, and EP 0158991 describes a typical adapter used to connect such a bracket to a hook arm.

However, in such an application, the joint use of various materials, such as metal, plastic, and rubber, at the junction of the lever and the brush, as well as the necessary working gaps between the components, creates an unaesthetic appearance, which causes consumer dissatisfaction. In addition, the aforementioned working clearances or sudden changes in cross sections in the aforementioned joint portion, which is located approximately in the center of the brush in the longitudinal direction, negatively affect the aerodynamic characteristics of the wiper blade. In addition, since the connection section is open and exposed to the external environment, as a rule, functionality deteriorates due to exposure to rain, dust, dirt, etc. for a long service life.

To eliminate the above problems, according to the present invention, there is provided a cover that can be mounted on such an arm and creates an improved appearance and improves aerodynamic characteristics at the connection site.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cover for structures where a flat wiper blade is connected to a standard wiper arm in order to close the hinge between the arm and the brush and improve the aesthetic appearance of the structure and its aerodynamic characteristics.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a top cover and a hinge area that allows opening and closing the above cover in a simple, quick and easy way.

The present invention is illustrated by drawings, which represent the following:

figure 1 is a perspective view of a wiper blade comprising a cover according to the invention;

figure 2 is a detailed view of the lever, adapter and bracket on which the cover is installed;

figure 3 is a cover in section;

4 is a front view (a) and a side view (b) of the cover assembly;

5 is a perspective view of the lid with the open top lid;

6 is a perspective view of the lid with the upper lid closed;

Fig. 7 is an exemplary sectional view of a locking tongue locked at a far end.

end;

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 show the corresponding steps of separating the wiper arm from

brushes.

1 shows a windshield wiper brush (900) according to the present invention, which is attached to the wiper arm (7) by a hook-shaped end. The wiper blade (900) comprises a base (9), a wiper strip (8), an arm (5), an adapter (6) and a cover (100) mounted on the above-mentioned arm and adapter (5, 6).

Figure 2 shows in detail the bracket (5) and the adapter (6) on which the cover (100) according to the invention is mounted together with the wiper arm (7).

The bracket (5) essentially consists of two parallel side walls (51) and an axis (52) extending between them. On the bottom side, the bracket (5) has legs (53) that cover the base (9), surrounding it on both sides and on the bottom surface. The adapter (6) is mounted rotatably to the axis (52) of the bracket (5). The wiper arm (7) of the wiper is mounted on this adapter (6) and secured in this position using the locking means of the adapter. The result is a swivel between the wiper arm (7) and the brush (900).

The cover (100) according to the invention shown in FIG. 3 essentially consists of a housing (20) and a top cover (30).

The housing (20) has the form of a casing, which consists of two parallel side walls (2), continuing along the longitudinal axis of the brush, and the front (3) and rear walls (4), each of which is connected at the edges with the above side walls (2) ; the casing is open (222, 212) from the upper and lower sides. The aforementioned lower aperture (212) serves to install the cover (100) on the aforementioned bracket (5), while the upper aperture (222) serves to install the wiper arm (7) on the adapter (6) or to dismantle the wiper arm (7).

Due to the aforementioned lower opening (212), the cover (100) is elastically deformed in the assembly state, so that it can slide on top of the bracket (5). As can be seen in FIG. 4 (a), in the assembled state of the assembly, the inwardly projecting projections (211) located on the lower portion (21) of the lid (100) are engaged with the lower surfaces (531) of the legs (53) of the bracket. Thus, the cover (100) cannot slide upward, as a result of which the separation of the cover from the bracket (5) is prevented. The number and shape of the protrusions (211) may vary depending on the shape of the bracket (5) used. As an exemplary embodiment, each protrusion (211) can be made as a separate continuous protrusion along the bracket (5). In the embodiment described here, and also, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), on each side wall are two projections (211) spaced apart from each other.

As shown in FIG. 3, the inner surfaces of the opposing side walls (2) have ribs (201-204). These ribs (201-204) act as fixing means after assembly by blocking any longitudinal movement of the cover (100) on the bracket (5) and, accordingly, on the brush (900) and, on the other hand, they serve as guiding means during assembly stage by ensuring the correct longitudinal arrangement of the cover (100). To perform the first function as described above, at least two ribs (201, 204) are positioned so that they abut against the longitudinally extending front and rear surfaces (54, 55) of the bracket legs, as shown in FIG. 4 (b) . On the other hand, the other two ribs (202, 203) are arranged so that the protrusions (511) on the side walls (51) of the bracket extend between them, and these ribs serve as guiding means during assembly and provide a second function.

As shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and (b), there are openings (41, 32) on the rear (4) and front (3) walls of the housing (20). The above front and rear openings (32, 41) correspond to the upper contour of the wiper strip (8). When the cover (100) is mounted on top of the bracket (5), by moving perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the above wiper strip (8) sits in the above openings (32, 41), as can be seen in Fig. 1.

The top cover (30) is pivotally attached to the housing (20) using a flexible section (31) located immediately above the above opening (32) on the front wall (3). The top cover (30), which is shown in the open position in FIG. 5, can rotate to the housing (20) around a flexible portion (31), which has the shape of a flexible hinge, and then can be locked in this position on the housing (20) with locking tabs (311) provided on the top cover.

As shown in FIG. 6, the shape of the top cover (30) exactly matches the curvature of the side walls (2), and when the top cover is in the closed position on the housing (20), it completes the upper opening (222). In this case, the upper cover (30) does not completely cover the upper opening (222), but only a part of it near the front wall (3). Thus, the middle and rear parts of the upper opening (222) are always open, providing the necessary space for the wiper arm to work; on the other hand, thanks to the upper cover (30), the upper part, which only functions when the lever (7) needs to be replaced, can open and close if necessary. When operating under normal conditions, this creates an advantage in relation to the aesthetic and aerodynamic characteristics of the cover (100).

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the side walls (2) of the housing (20) have opposite supporting walls (221) located on the upper portion (22) parallel to the horizontal axis. The supporting walls (221) are in the form of inwardly protruding sections located on the upper portion (22) of the side walls (2), the length of which corresponds to the length of the upper cover (30). When the top cover (30) is closed on the housing (20), as can be seen in Fig.6, it rests on these support walls (221) on the sides, as a result of which these support walls (221) close from below a possible gap between the side edges top cover (30) and the corresponding edges of the housing (20), which ensures aesthetic integrity.

The top cover (30) is held in the locked position on the housing (20) by locking engagement of the locking tabs (311) on the free end (301) of the top cover (30) with the distal edges (2211) of the above supporting walls (211). As shown in FIG. 7, the locking tabs (311), which are in the form of a latch, engage like a hook with the distal end (2211) of the support wall (211), preventing the upper cover from opening. Lock tabs (311) may be provided in other forms and quantities.

According to the present invention, the upper cover (30) is opened during assembly or disassembly of the flat wiper blade (900) and the conventional wiper arm (7) to maximize the size of the upper opening (222), and immediately after assembly, the upper cover (30) closes again by resting on the supporting walls (221) and subsequent engagement of the stop tabs (311) with the distal edges (2211) of the walls (221). On Fig and 9 shows the open and closed state of the top cover (30). If the wiper arm (7) is to be disassembled, the top cover (30) shown in the closed state in FIG. 8 is pulled upward to separate the locking tabs (311) from the distal edges (2211) of the support walls. Since the top cover (30) is inseparably connected to the cover body (20) of the cover (100) by means of a flexible portion (31), in the open state shown in Fig. 9, it does not completely detach, fall, fall, etc. and without the need for any support or element.

When the top cover is open, the wiper arm (7) can be easily separated from the brush (900), as shown in FIG. 10, and then the top cover can be closed again by turning it on the housing (20), resting on supporting walls and engagement of retaining tongues with distant edges.

During assembly on the bracket (5), the element (100) must, to some extent, deflect elastically. The above deviation causes a significant concentration of stresses, especially in places where the above walls (2) are connected to the front and rear walls (3, 4). In the case where the hinge connection between the top cover (30) and the housing (20) is provided not by means of a flexible section (31), as proposed here, but by an alternative solution, such as a hinge axis or a similar shape, the hinge area near the front the wall should be significantly reinforced to support such an axis or axis hole, etc. However, as a result of the aforementioned stress concentration occurring during assembly, the rigid structure in this section of the swivel joint undergoes cracking and fracture after assembly, which leads to component inoperability. This disadvantage is eliminated by the present invention through the use of an elastic hinge, which, by definition, must have high elasticity in places where the highest stresses occur during assembly.

The cap (100) described in the present invention is made by injection in one operation from plastic, preferably from polyoxymethylene (POM) or a thermoplastic elastomer to obtain a wall of small thickness.

Claims (13)

1. The cover (100) for windshield wipers of a car made with the possibility of mounting on an arm (5) intended for fastening a flat-type wiper brush (900) to a wiper arm (7), mainly with a hook-shaped end, wherein the cover consists of housing (20) in the form of a casing having side walls (2), front and rear walls (3, 4) and lower and upper openings (212, 222), and the upper cover (30), which is pivotally connected to the housing (20) ) using a flexible section (31) located on the front wall (3), characterized The fact that the side walls (2) have ribs (202, 203) on the inner surfaces that serve as guiding means so that the protrusions (511) located on the side walls (51) of the bracket (5) pass between them, and these ribs provide a predetermined longitudinal arrangement of the cover (100) on the brush (900) during the assembly phase. 2. A cover according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper cover (30) has locking tabs (311) in the form of a hook on the free end (301) for locking on the housing (20). 3. The cover according to claim 2, characterized in that the locking tabs (311) are made with the possibility of locking by engagement with the distal edge (2211) of the supporting wall (211) located on the side wall (2). 4. The cover according to claim 3, characterized in that the support wall (221) is made in the form of an inwardly protruding section located on the upper section (22) of the side walls (2) and having a length corresponding to the length of the upper cover (30). 5. A cover according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the upper cover (30) is arranged to open by separating the locking tabs (311) from the distal edges (2211) of the supporting walls (221) as a result of the removal of the upper cover (30 ) up. 6. A cover according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the flexible section (31) is elastic and is made in the form of an elastic hinge. 7. Cover according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one of the side walls (2) has at least one inwardly directed protrusion (211) in the lower portion (22), which engages with the lower surface (531) of the legs (53) of the bracket. 8. Cover according to claim 7, characterized in that preferably two protrusions (211) face each other in the lower section (21) of each side wall (2). 9. A cover according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the side walls (2) have at least two ribs (201, 204) on the inner surfaces, which abut against the front and rear surfaces located in the longitudinal direction (54, 55) the legs (53) of the bracket and fix the cover (100) on the brush (900) in the longitudinal direction. 10. A cover according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the front and rear openings (32, 41) corresponding to the upper profile of the strip (8) are respectively made on the front and rear walls (3, 4). 11. A cover according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the cover has an upper opening (222) for assembling / disassembling the wiper arm (7) and a lower opening (212) for assembling the cover (100) on the brush (900). 12. The cover according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is made by injection method in one operation from a thermoplastic elastomer. 13. The cover according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is made by injection method in one operation from polyoxymethylene.

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