WO2007102404A1

WO2007102404A1 - Wiper blade

Info

Publication number: WO2007102404A1
Application number: PCT/JP2007/053954
Authority: WO
Inventors: Masaru Fujiwara; Jun Abe; Ken Machida
Original assignee: Mitsuba Corporation
Priority date: 2006-03-07
Filing date: 2007-03-01
Publication date: 2007-09-13
Also published as: JP5123167B2; JPWO2007102404A1; BRPI0708557A2

Abstract

A wiper blade has a rubber holder, a pair of holding sections is provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the rubber holder, and blade rubber is held by the rubber holder, at the pair of holding sections. A pair of covers (17) formed of a resin material is provided on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the rubber holder. Connection legs (41) formed integrally with the covers (17) by a resin material are provided at the covers (17). The covers (17) are rotatably connected to the rubber holder, at the connection legs (41). A metal reinforcement member (43) is embedded in a connection leg (41) and in a cover (17) by insert molding, and the reinforce member (43) increases the rigidity of the connection leg (41) relative to the cover (17).

Description

Specification

Wiper blade

Technical field

The present invention relates to a wiper blade that is attached to the tip of a wiper arm and wipes a windshield of a vehicle.

Background art

[0002] Passenger cars, buses, trucks, and other vehicles are provided with wiper blades to secure the driver's visibility by wiping rain, snow, and splashes from the front car. ing. Such a wiper blade has a rubber blade rubber that directly contacts the window glass and a rubber holder that holds the blade rubber. The rubber holder is attached to the tip of the wiper arm, and the wiper motor is driven by the wiper motor. Then, the glass surface is wiped by reciprocating the wiping range on the window glass.

[0003] As such a wiper blade, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, a leaf spring member that is curved more strongly than the glass surface is attached to a mounting groove formed in the blade rubber, and the leaf spring member is attached. A blade rubber that is held by a two-point holding type rubber holder is known. In this case, holding portions are provided at both ends of the rubber holder in the longitudinal direction, and the rubber holder holds the blade rubber in these holding portions. As a result, the pressing force from the wiper arm is held from the two points on both ends of the rubber holder to the middle part of the blade rubber, and the leaf spring member is deformed elastically into a shape along the glass surface. The glass surface comes into contact with pressure

[0004] However, in such a wiper blade, the blade rubber is held by the rubber holder at two points on both ends in the longitudinal direction! Therefore, the front side portion protruding from the rubber holder of the blade rubber is external. Is exposed. For this reason, the mounting groove in which the leaf spring member is mounted and the burrs generated when the blade rubber is molded are visually recognized by the external force, which causes a problem that the appearance of the wiper blade is poor. [0005] Therefore, a pair of covers are provided on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the rubber holder, and the wiper is designed to improve the aesthetics of the wiper blade by covering the front side portion of the rubber cover where the rubber holder force protrudes. A blade has been developed. In this case, the base end portion of the cover is provided with a connecting leg protruding toward the rubber holder, while the rubber holder is provided with a rotating shaft, and the connecting leg is engaged with the rotating shaft. ing. As a result, the cover is connected to the rubber holder so as to be rotatable in a direction perpendicular to the window glass, so that the follow-up of the blade rubber to the glass surface is not hindered.

Patent Document 1: JP-A 63-145155

Disclosure of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

[0006] However, the connecting leg portion provided on the cover as described above is formed thinner than the cover due to space reasons and the like, and protrudes greatly from the cover. When the cover is rotated with respect to the rubber holder, a large bending force due to an external force is applied to the root part, and the root part force may be damaged in some cases. For this reason, it is necessary to make the connecting leg thick and strong so as to resist this bending force, which hinders the reduction in size and weight of the wiper blade.

An object of the present invention is to reduce the size and weight of a wiper blade having a pair of covers on both sides of a rubber holder that holds a blade rubber.

Means for solving the problem

The wiper blade of the present invention is a wiper blade that is attached to the tip of a wiper arm and wipes the windshield of a vehicle, and is a blade rubber that comes into contact with the window glass and elastic in a direction perpendicular to the wind glass. A plate spring member formed to be deformable and attached to the blade rubber, and provided with a pair of holding portions at both ends in the longitudinal direction, covers the intermediate portion of the blade rubber and holds the blade rubber against the holding portion. A rubber holder and a connecting leg formed of a resin material and projecting toward the rubber holder are rotatably connected to a connecting portion provided on the rubber holder on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the rubber holder. A pair of covers provided to cover the front side portion of the blade rubber, and embedded between the cover and the connecting leg portion. , Against the cover And a reinforcing member for increasing the rigidity of the connecting leg.

In the wiper blade of the present invention, the reinforcing member is made of metal, and is embedded in the cover and the connecting portion by insert molding.

[0010] In the wiper blade of the present invention, the connecting portion is formed to protrude in a convex shape toward the window glass, and the inner surface of the connecting leg portion formed in an annular shape is engaged with the outer surface of the connecting portion. The connecting leg portion is connected to the connecting portion.

[0011] The wiper blade of the present invention is provided with a pair of rotating shafts that are coaxial with each other on both sides of the connecting portion and project in the wiping direction, and is formed on the connecting leg portion. The concave portion is rotatably engaged with the rotation shaft.

In the wiper blade of the present invention, the reinforcing member is formed by punching a steel plate in an annular shape.

[0013] In the wiper blade of the present invention, the connecting leg portion is connected to the connecting portion inside the rubber holder.

The invention's effect

[0014] According to the present invention, since the reinforcing member is embedded in the connecting leg portion and the cover to reinforce the connecting structure of the connecting leg portion to the cover, the cover is rotated with respect to the rubber holder by an excessive external force. Even if it moves, the bending force due to the external force can be supported by the reinforcing member, and the load on the connecting leg can be reduced. Accordingly, the connecting leg portion can be formed thin and small, and this wiper blade can be made small and light.

[0015] According to the present invention, since the reinforcing member is made of metal and is embedded in the connecting leg portion and the cover by insert molding, the rigidity of the connecting leg portion with respect to the cover is sufficiently increased. In addition, the embedding operation of the reinforcing member can be facilitated.

[0016] Further, according to the present invention, the reinforcing member is formed by punching the steel plate in an annular shape, and this is embedded in the connecting leg portion formed in the annular shape. The cost of the wiper blade can be reduced.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wiper blade according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3] (a) and (b) are explanatory diagrams showing details of the holding unit shown in FIG.

[FIG. 4] (a) to (d) are explanatory views showing changes in the shape of the blade rubber when the wiper blade shown in FIG. 1 is in contact with the window glass.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing details of the rubber holder and the cover shown in FIG. 1.

6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing details of a connecting leg portion.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing details of a connecting boss part.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG.

FIG. 10 (a) is a front view showing the arrangement of reinforcing members on the cover and the connecting leg, and FIG. 10 (b) is a side view showing the arrangement of reinforcing members on the force bar and the connecting leg.

[FIG. 11] (a) and (b) are explanatory views showing modifications of the reinforcing member shown in FIG.

12 is a perspective view showing a modification of the cover shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the wiper blade shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing details of the rubber holder and cover shown in FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

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

As shown in FIG. 1, this wiper blade 11 is attached to the tip of a wiper arm 13 of a vehicle 12. When the wiper arm 13 is driven to swing by a wiper motor (not shown), the wiper blade 11 swings together with the wiper arm 13. Wipe the windshield 14 of the vehicle 12 (hereinafter referred to as “wind glass 14”).

The wiper blade 11 has a blade rubber 15 that directly contacts the window glass 14 and a rubber holder 16 that holds the blade rubber 15. A pair of covers 17 are provided on both sides of the rubber holder 16 in the longitudinal direction. Is provided! /

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory views showing details of the holding portion shown in FIG.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 2, the blade rubber 15 is formed of a natural rubber or a synthetic rubber or the like as a material, and is formed in a bar shape having a uniform cross section in the longitudinal direction, including a head section 21 having a rectangular section, a lip section 22 and a neck section 23. So that the lip 22 contacts the windshield 14. ing. The neck portion 23 is formed so that the width in the wiping direction is narrower than that of the head portion 21 and the lip portion 22, whereby the lip portion 22 is tiltable in the wiping direction with respect to the head portion 21.

[0023] Between the head portion 21 and the neck portion 23, there are formed holding grooves 24 that open on both side surfaces in the wiping direction and extend in the longitudinal direction, and mounting grooves 21a are formed on both side surfaces of the head portion 21, respectively. It extends in the longitudinal direction. A leaf spring member 25 is attached to each of the attachment grooves 21a.

[0024] The leaf spring member 25 is formed into a flat plate having the same length as the blade rubber 15 by punching a plate material such as a steel plate, and is elastically deformable in a direction perpendicular to the wind glass 14. As a result, the blade rubber 15 to which the leaf spring member 25 is attached is elastically deformable in the direction perpendicular to the window glass 14, that is, the degree of curvature thereof, integrally with the leaf spring member 25. . Further, in the natural state, the leaf spring member 25 is curved more strongly than the curvature of the wind glass 14 in the direction in which the plate spring member 25 can freely deform, and thus the blade rubber 15 to which the leaf spring member 25 is attached is also windshield 14. It is curved more strongly than the windshield 14 in a state away from the window.

[0025] In the case shown in the figure, the leaf spring member 25 is a force formed by a steel plate, but is not limited to this. If it's free!

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the rubber holder 16 includes a ceiling wall portion 16a extending in the longitudinal direction by a resin material and a pair of side wall portions 1 extending from both sides of the ceiling wall portion 16a toward the wind glass 14. 6b is formed in a U-shaped cross-section, and the length thereof is approximately half of the blade rubber 15. The blade rubber 15 is disposed inside the intermediate partial force rubber holder 16 and is covered with the rubber holder 16, and only the lip portion 22 is exposed to the outside. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a mounting portion 26 is fixed to a substantially intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of one side wall portion 16b, and the rubber holder 16 is attached to the tip of the wiper arm 13 at the mounting portion 26. . Further, fins 27 are formed on the top wall portion 16a, and the aerodynamic characteristics of the wiper blade 11 are improved by the fins 27. As shown in FIG. 1, a holding portion 31 is provided at one end in the longitudinal direction of the rubber holder 16 (the side closer to the swing center of the wiper arm 13 when the wiper blade 11 is attached to the wiper arm 13). Is provided. As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the holding portion 31 is provided with a pair of holding claws 32 (in the figure, only one side is shown, but the other side is also provided with similar holding claws). The claws 32 are formed in the shape of a rectangular cross section projecting from the side wall portion 16b in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 15 and parallel to the wiping direction, and engage with the holding grooves 24, respectively. Holding. Also, the blade rubber 15 is provided with a pair of stopper portions 33a and 33b that sandwich the holding claws 32 in the longitudinal direction. The holding claws 32 are held against the blade rubber 15 by these stopper portions 33a and 33b. Movement in the direction along the groove 24 is restricted. That is, the blade rubber 15 is held by the rubber holder 16 in a state where the holding portion 31 is positioned in the longitudinal direction.

[0028] Similarly, a holding portion 34 is provided at the other end in the longitudinal direction of the rubber holder 16, and FIG.

As shown in (b), the holding portion 34 includes a pair of holding claws 35 each having a rectangular cross section (only one side is shown in the figure, but the same holding claws are provided on the other side). These holding claws 35 are engaged with the holding grooves 24, thereby holding the blade rubber 15. Further, the blade rubber 15 is not provided with a stopper at the portion where the holding claw 35 is engaged, and the holding claw 35 is movable along the holding groove 24. That is, the blade rubber 15 is held by the holding portion 34 so as to be movable in the axial direction with respect to the rubber holder 16.

Thus, in this wiper blade 11, a pair of holding portions 31, 34 are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the rubber holder 16, and the blade rubber 15 is held at two points of these holding portions 31, 34. I have to. Therefore, when the pressing force from the wiper arm 13 is applied to the rubber holder 16 via the mounting portion 26, the pressing force is applied to the blade rubber 15 from two points at both ends of the rubber holder 16, that is, from each holding portion 31, 34. In addition, this causes the blade rubber 15 to elastically contact the windshield 14.

FIGS. 4 (a) to 4 (d) are explanatory diagrams showing changes in the shape of the blade rubber when the wiper blade shown in FIG. 1 is in contact with the window glass. The wiper blade 11 has a blade rubber 15 as shown in FIG. When not in contact with the windshield 14, as shown in Fig. 4 (a) One drubber 15 is curved in the direction of closing toward the glass surface with a larger curvature than the maximum curvature in the wiping range of the windshield 14. In this state force, when the wiper blade 11 is set on the wind glass 14, first, both ends in the longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 15 come into contact with the glass surface. When the pressing force of the wiper arm 13 (indicated by the arrow in the figure) is applied to the blade rubber 15 via the rubber holder 16 with both ends of the blade rubber 15 in contact with the glass surface, as shown in FIG. 4 (b). In addition, the blade rubber 15 is deformed into an M shape so that the central portion in the longitudinal direction is in contact with the glass surface. At this time, since the blade rubber 15 is restricted from moving in the axial direction relative to the rubber holder 16 in the holding portion 31 and is allowed to move in the axial direction in the holding portion 34, the pressing force from the wiper arm 13 is reduced. As it increases, the blade rubber 15 can be deformed along the glass surface. Then, as shown in FIG. 4 (c), the blade rubber 15 is gradually deformed so as to be along the glass surface, and when fully set on the glass surface, as shown in FIG. Due to the pressing force from the wiper arm 13, the entire longitudinal direction comes into contact with the glass surface. At this time, the leaf spring member 25 is also elastically deformed along the glass surface in the same manner as the blade rubber 15, so that the pressing force of the wiper arm 13 applied to the rubber holder 16 via the mounting portion 26 is the elasticity of the leaf spring member 25. Due to the deformation, the blade rubber 15 is dispersed in the longitudinal direction, and the blade rubber 15 contacts the wind glass 14 with a uniform distributed pressure in the longitudinal direction. Accordingly, the blade rubber 15 can be wiped in a state where the entire longitudinal direction is uniformly in contact with the window glass 14, and good wiping performance can be exhibited.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing details of the rubber holder and cover shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. In the present embodiment, the wiper blade 11 is provided with a pair of covers 17! /, But these covers 17 have substantially the same structure except that they are bilaterally symmetrical. Only one cover 17 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cover 17 is formed separately from the rubber holder 16, and a connecting leg portion 41 is provided at the base end portion thereof, and the connecting leg portion 41 is connected to the rubber holder 16. It has become like this. As shown in FIG. 6, this cover 17 is formed of a grease material into a U-shaped cross section having a top wall portion 17a and a pair of side wall portions 17b. A fin 42 connected to the fin 27 of one holder 16 is formed in a body to enhance its aerodynamic characteristics.

As shown in FIG. 1, one cover 17 is arranged side by side on the rubber holder 16 on one side in the longitudinal direction of the rubber holder 16, and the other cover 17 is on the other side in the longitudinal direction of the rubber holder 16. The front side portions of the blade rubber 15, which are arranged side by side with the rubber holder 16, and from which both side forces of the rubber holder 16 protrude, are covered with the cover 17. In other words, only a part of the lip portion 22 of the blade rubber 15 is exposed to the outside, and the other part is entirely covered by the rubber holder 16 and the cover 17.

Thus, since the wiper blade 11 is provided with the pair of force bars 17 on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the rubber holder 16, the entire blade rubber 15 can be covered with the rubber holder 16 and the cover 17. it can. Therefore, the leaf spring member 25 attached to the blade rubber 15 and the burrs generated when the blade rubber 15 is molded are hidden by the cover 17 so that they cannot be seen from the outside, thereby improving the aesthetics of the wiper blade 11. be able to

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing details of the connecting leg portion, FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing details of the connecting boss portion, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the connecting leg portion 41 provided on the cover 17 is formed of a grease material integrally with the cover 17 so as to protrude from the base end portion of the cover 17 toward the rubber holder 16. A metal reinforcing member 43 is insert-molded inside. The details of the reinforcing member 43 will be described later.

[0037] The connecting leg portion 41 is formed in a plate shape whose thickness in the direction perpendicular to the wind glass 14 is thin with respect to the cover 17, and a long hole 44 extending in the longitudinal direction is formed in the center portion thereof. As a result, the ring shape is obtained. The connecting leg 41 is provided with a pair of engaging recesses 45 located on both sides of the elongated hole 44, and these engaging recesses 45 are arranged opposite to each other with their axes aligned with each other. Has been. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, the rubber holder 16 has, as a connecting portion formed in a convex shape protruding from the top wall portion 16a toward the wind glass 14 side, integrally with the top wall portion 16a. The connecting boss part 46 is provided, and both side parts of the connecting boss part 46 are coaxial with each other and protrude toward the wiping direction. A pair of pivot shafts 47 are provided. As shown in FIG. 9, the connecting leg portion 41 has the connecting boss portion 46 disposed in the elongated hole 44 so that the inner surface thereof engages with the outer surface of the connecting boss portion 46, and the engaging recess 45 corresponds. The rubber holder 16 is coupled to the coupling boss 46 so as to be pivotably engaged with the rotating shaft 47. As a result, the cover 17 is connected to the rubber holder 16 so as to be rotatable in the direction perpendicular to the window glass 14 around the rotation shaft 47 in the connecting leg 41. Therefore, even if the wiper blade 11 starts the wiping operation and the blade rubber 15 is elastically deformed so as to follow the window glass 14, the cover 17 rotates with respect to the rubber holder 16 and the elastic deformation of the blade rubber 15 occurs. This prevents the shape from being obstructed, thereby improving the followability of the wiper blade 11 to the glass surface.

FIG. 10 (a) is a front view showing the arrangement of the reinforcing member on the cover and the connecting leg, and FIG. 10 (b) is a side view showing the arrangement of the reinforcing member on the cover and the connecting leg. .

As shown in FIG. 10, the wiper blade 11 increases the rigidity of the connecting leg portion 41 with respect to the cover 17, that is, the bending strength of the base portion of the connecting leg portion 41 with respect to the base end portion of the cover 17. For this purpose, a reinforcing member 43 is provided.

[0040] The reinforcing member 43 is formed by punching a steel plate with a press device, and has a width that is slightly narrower than the connecting leg 41 and a length that is approximately twice that of the connecting leg 41. It has a plate shape. Further, an escape hole 43a extending in the longitudinal direction is formed in the central portion of the reinforcing member 43, whereby the reinforcing member 43 is annular. Further, the reinforcing member 43 has a bent portion 43b which is bent in a crank shape substantially at the center in the longitudinal direction (in the vicinity of the end portion of the cover 17). Thereby, when the cover 17 rotates with respect to the rotation shaft 47 of the rubber holder 16, the reinforcing member 43 on the cover 17 side can be prevented from interfering with the back surface of the blade rubber 15.

[0041] The reinforcing member 43 is insert-molded into the cover 17 and the connecting leg portion 41 when the cover 17 and the connecting leg portion 41 are formed of a resin material, whereby the cover 17 and the connecting leg portion are connected. Part 41 is buried. That is, about half of the reinforcing member 43 on one side in the longitudinal direction is embedded in the cover 17 by insert molding, and about half on the other side in the longitudinal direction is embedded in the connecting leg 41 by insert molding. Hippopotamus From 17 to the connecting leg 41, they are buried. Therefore, even if the connecting leg 41 has a thin plate thickness in the direction perpendicular to the window glass 14 and is formed in a plate shape, the connecting portion of the connecting leg 41 and the cover 17 is reinforced by the reinforcing member 43. Thus, the rigidity of the connecting leg 41 with respect to the cover 17 can be ensured.

[0042] The escape hole 43a of the reinforcing member 43 is arranged in alignment with the long hole 44 of the connecting leg 41, so that the replenishing member 43 is arranged avoiding the connecting leg 41 and the engaging recess 45. It has become. Further, notches 51 are provided on both sides of the distal end portion of the connecting leg 41, and a part of the reinforcing member 43 is exposed to the outside from these notches 51. A pair of positioning grooves 52 are formed in a portion exposed from the notch 51 of the reinforcing member 43, and when the reinforcing member 43 is insert-molded into the cover 17 and the connecting leg 41, these are formed. The positioning groove 52 is engaged with a positioning projection (not shown) of the mold so that the reinforcing member 43 is positioned in the mold. The notch 51 of the connecting leg 41 is inevitably generated when the reinforcing member 43 is in contact with the portion of the molding die where the positioning protrusion is provided.

As described above, in the wiper blade 11, the connection structure of the connection leg 41 to the cover 17 is reinforced by embedding the reinforcing member 43 in the connection leg 41 and the cover 17. Since the rigidity of the portion 41 is increased, even if the cover 17 rotates with respect to the rubber holder 16 due to an excessive external force, the bending force due to the external force is supported by the reinforcing member 43 so that the connecting leg portion 41 The burden can be reduced. Accordingly, the connecting leg portion 41 can be formed thin and small, and this makes it possible to make the wiper blade 11 small and light.

In this wiper blade 11, the reinforcing member 43 is made of metal and is embedded in the connecting leg 41 and the cover 17 by insert molding. Therefore, the rigidity of the connecting leg 41 with respect to the cover 17 is increased. In addition to being able to raise the height sufficiently, the reinforcing member 43 can be easily embedded in these members when the cover 17 and the connecting leg portion 41 are molded with resin.

Furthermore, in the wiper blade 11, the reinforcing member 43 is formed by punching a steel plate in an annular shape and is embedded in the connecting leg portion 41 formed in an annular shape. Therefore, the reinforcing member 43 is made of a steel plate. It can be manufactured by an easy process called punching work, The cost of the host 11 can be reduced.

FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b) are explanatory views showing modifications of the reinforcing member shown in FIG.

[0047] In the case shown in FIG. 10, the reinforcing member 43 is formed in a ring shape having a long hole 44 at the center thereof, and is formed into a plate shape substantially parallel to the window glass 14 by punching a steel plate with a press device. Is formed.

On the other hand, in the case shown in FIG. 11 (a), the reinforcing member 61 is formed in a substantially U shape by bending a wire having a circular cross section (for example, a piano wire). Then, the reinforcing member 61 is insert-molded across the cover 17 and the connecting leg 41 with the opening side directed toward the distal end side of the connecting leg 41, thereby increasing the rigidity of the connecting leg 41 with respect to the cover 17. It ’s like that. Thus, by bending the wire to form the reinforcing member 61, the cost of the reinforcing member 61, that is, the wiper blade 11, can be reduced.

On the other hand, in the case shown in FIG. 11 (b), the steel plate is punched into a U-shape to form the reinforcing member 71 in consideration of the punchability of the steel plate by the press device. Then, the reinforcing member 71 is insert-molded across the cover 17 and the connecting leg 41 with the opening side facing the distal end side of the connecting leg 41, whereby the rigidity of the connecting leg 41 with respect to the cover 17 is increased. Is becoming higher.

In these cases, the reinforcing members 61 and 71 are arranged so as to avoid the long holes of the connecting leg portion 41.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a modification of the cover shown in FIG.

[0052] In the cover 17 shown in FIG. 10, the force that causes the connecting leg 41 to be formed integrally with the cover 17 using a grease material. In the cover 81 shown in FIG. 12, the cover 81 and the connecting leg 82 are separated. The cover 81 and the connecting leg portion 82 are connected to each other by a reinforcing member 83 embedded therein. That is, a gap is provided between the cover 81 and the connecting leg portion 82, and the reinforcing member 83 is exposed from this gap. As a result, even if the cover 81 force S is rotated with respect to the rubber holder 16 due to an excessive external force, the bending force due to the external force is applied to the connecting portion of the connecting leg 82 with the force bar 81, that is, the cover 81 and the connecting leg 82. Therefore, it is concentrated on the reinforcing member 83 exposed between the two and the connecting leg portion 82 is hardly held. Therefore, reinforcement Even when an excessive external force is applied to such an extent that the member 83 is elastically deformed, it is possible to prevent cracks and the like from being generated in the base grease portion of the connecting leg portion 82.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a modification of the wiper blade shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing details of the rubber holder and cover shown in FIG.

In the wiper blade 11 shown in FIG. 1, the attachment portion 26 to the wiper arm 13 is shifted in the wiping direction from the axial center of the wiper blade 11 to the middle portion of the side wall portion 16b of the rubber holder 16 in the longitudinal direction. Provided side coupling type force The wiper blade 91 shown in FIG. 13 has an attachment portion 26 to the wiper arm 13 and a shaft of the wiper blade 91 in the middle portion of the top wall portion 16a of the rubber holder 16 in the longitudinal direction. It is a center connection type provided along the heart. In such a center-coupled type wiper blade 91, since the pressing force from the wiper arm 13 is directly applied to the rubber holder 16 from the axial center of the rubber holder 16, the wipeability of the wiper blade 91 is further improved. be able to.

[0055] Covers 17 are provided on both longitudinal sides of the rubber holder 16 of the wiper blade 91 in the same manner as the wiper blade 11 shown in Fig. 1, and the blade rubber 15 protrudes from both sides of the rubber holder 16 by these covers 17. The front part of is covered. As shown in FIG. 14, the connecting structure between the rubber holder 16 and each cover 17 is the same as the connecting structure between the rubber holder 16 and the cover 17 in the wiper blade 11. The cover 17 includes a rubber holder 16 A connecting leg 41 projecting to the side is provided, and the rubber holder 16 is provided with a connecting boss connected to the connecting leg 41.

[0056] In FIGS. 12 to 14, the members corresponding to the members described above are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0057] Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the wiper blade 11 wipes the windshield 14 of the vehicle 12, but is not limited thereto, and may wipe the rear windshield of the vehicle 12, etc. Good.

[0058] In the present embodiment, the reinforcing members 43, 61, 71, 83 are made of metal. The present invention is not limited to this, and the grease forming the covers 17, 81 and the connecting leg portions 41, 82 Any material other than metal can be used as long as it is more rigid than the material! /. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the leaf spring member 25 is attached to the attachment groove 2 la of the blade rubber 15, but not limited to this, the leaf spring member 25 is directly attached to the blade rubber 15 by bonding or the like. It is good also as a structure to fix.

Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to wiper blades used in various types of wiper devices such as a tandem type and a counter wiping type.

Industrial applicability

The present invention is applied to a wiper blade that wipes a windshield of a vehicle.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] A wiper blade attached to the tip of a wiper arm for wiping a vehicle windshield,

A blade rubber in contact with the window glass;

A leaf spring member formed to be elastically deformable in a direction perpendicular to the window glass and attached to the blade rubber;

A rubber holder that includes a pair of holding portions at both ends in the longitudinal direction, covers a middle portion of the blade rubber, and holds the blade rubber in the holding portion;

The blade is formed on the both sides in the longitudinal direction of the rubber holder in a state in which the connecting leg portion formed of a resin material and protruding to the rubber holder side is rotatably connected to the connecting portion provided on the rubber holder. A wiper blade comprising: a pair of covers that cover a front side portion of a rubber; and a reinforcing member that is embedded between the cover and the connecting leg portion and increases the rigidity of the connecting leg portion with respect to the cover.

[2] The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member is made of metal and embedded in the cover and the connecting portion by insert molding.

[3] The wiper blade according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connecting portion is formed to protrude in a convex shape toward the window glass, and an inner surface of the connecting leg portion formed in an annular shape is defined as an outer surface of the connecting portion. The wiper blade is characterized in that the connecting leg part is connected to the connecting part by engaging with the connecting part.

[4] The wiper blade according to claim 3, wherein a pair of rotating shafts that are coaxial with each other and project in the wiping direction are provided on both side portions of the connecting portion, and are formed on the connecting leg portion. A wiper blade characterized in that a mating recess is pivotally engaged with the pivot shaft.

[5] The wiper blade according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the reinforcing member is formed by punching a steel plate in an annular shape.

[6] The wiper blade according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the connecting leg portion is connected to the connecting portion inside the rubber holder.

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