WO2009056376A1

WO2009056376A1 - Wiper blade

Info

Publication number: WO2009056376A1
Application number: PCT/EP2008/061652
Authority: WO
Inventors: Reiner Lay
Original assignee: Robert Bosch Gmbh
Priority date: 2007-10-29
Filing date: 2008-09-04
Publication date: 2009-05-07
Also published as: DE102007051549A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a wiper blade (10) having a rubber elastic wiper strip (12) that is held on the side opposite a vehicle windshield (18) by a wiper strip holder (20, 38), extends across the entire length of the wiper strip (12), and has a connecting element (22) for an articulated connection to a wiper arm (26). The invention proposes that the wiper strip holder (20, 38) be configured as a spring elastic carrier element, which is bent in a concave manner toward the vehicle windshield (18) in the unloaded state, and has a hollow cylindrical inner contour (32), which is open toward the vehicle windshield (18) via a longitudinal gap (50) at an opening angle (ß) less than 180° and comprises a head strip (16) having a corresponding cylindrical outer contour (30) having a small clearance (34), wherein a substantially tapered wiper lip (14) protruding through the longitudinal gap (50) is integrally formed on the head strip (16) toward the vehicle windshield (18).

Description

description

Title wiper blade

State of the art

The invention is based on a wiper blade according to the preamble of claim 1.

From DE 820 700 a wiper blade is known, the wiper strip is held in a wiper strip holder with a U-shaped profile. Through a hole in the middle of the wiper strip holder a ring is pulled. This fits resiliently in the corresponding bulged legs of a connecting element of the wiper arm. Thus, the wiper blade can pivot about the ring about a transverse axis and a smaller amount about its longitudinal axis. The pivoting movement about its longitudinal axis is limited by the opening angle of a longitudinal gap of the connecting element, from which the wiper blade protrudes toward the vehicle window.

From DE 197 34 843 Al a flat wiper blade is known which has a wiper strip. This has a wiper lip, which is connected via a tilting bridge with a head strip. A multi-part, elongated, resilient support element in the form of a hairpin is embedded in lateral longitudinal grooves of the header, with one end of the support element has an integrated connecting web between its legs, while at the other end the legs are connected in a bridge-like manner via a separate holding element. The support element is pre-curved in such a way that the contact pressure of a wiper arm, which is transmitted to the wiper blade via an articulated connection element, is distributed in a suitable manner in the longitudinal direction, wherein the wiper lip can follow the curvature of a vehicle window. On the wiper strip, a spoiler is extruded, which may consist of the same or a different plastic as the wiper strip, preferably of a softer material.

From DE 103 33 083 Al a wiper blade is known, the support element consists of two parallel spring rails made of spring steel. At the ends of the spring rails end bridges are welded from metal, which serve as spacers for the spring rails. In addition, a wiper blade is known from the document, in which the ends of the spring rails are attached directly to an end cap made of plastic, which serves as a spacer. The surface of the spring rails is coated at least in the region of the mounting surface, e.g. painted or powder coated. The spring rails can be connected by friction welding with the end cap.

Finally, DE 198 14 804 A1 discloses a wiper strip with a protective layer which is produced by a CVD process (Chemical Vapor Reduction, Chemical Vapor Deposition Process) and / or PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) process. By these methods layers of different physical and chemical properties can be produced. Among other things, the wear protection layer should have excellent gliding own properties, whereby the wear can be reduced. By changing the process parameters, the properties of the protective layer can be easily modified. The wiper strips have the same material properties over their length, in particular the same sliding properties.

Disclosure of the invention

According to the invention, the wiper strip holder is formed as a resilient support member which is concavely curved in the unloaded state in the longitudinal direction to the vehicle window and has a hollow cylindrical inner contour which is open to the vehicle window via a longitudinal gap with an opening angle less than 180 degrees and a header with a corresponding cylindrical Contours outer contour with a small clearance. On the head strip, a substantially wedge-shaped, protruding through the longitudinal gap wiper lip is integrally formed to the vehicle window.

In the wiper blade according to the invention, the wiper strip can pivot with its head strip in the wiper strip holder about its longitudinal axis, so that the wiper lip is folded in the reversing positions. In this case, the wiping angle OC, which forms the wiper lip with the vehicle window, by the opening angle of

Limited longitudinal gaps, so that can be with small tolerances an optimum wiping angle OC from the opening angle ß and a wedge angle δ, which include the flanks of the wiper lip, specify. Since the wiper strip dispenses with a usual tilting bridge, an extremely flat construction of the wiper blade is made possible. Due to the favorable Flow conditions may therefore be waived on a spoiler under certain circumstances.

By eliminating the tilting ridge further icing of the tilting groove is avoided in winter. In addition, the noise when turning the wiper lip are reduced in the turning positions. Since the wiper strip has a geometrically simple cross-sectional profile, it can be produced inexpensively without great effort. Finally, it is overwrapped by the wiper strip holder for the most part, so that it is protected against environmental influences, e.g. UV light, ozone, salt, etc. is protected.

The wiper strip holder, which has an almost closed cross-sectional profile except for the longitudinal gap, has a higher spring characteristic due to its geometry. As a result, the wall thickness of the windbar holder can be reduced or by means of material with a lower modulus of elasticity, such as e.g. Plastic, replace. Particularly suitable plastics are polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyamide (PA) and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE).

The sliding properties between the head strip and the inner contour of the wiper strip holder can be improved by suitable sliding layers. These can be produced by known CVD processes or PVD processes.

In order to improve the lateral stability of the wiper blade, it is advantageous for the wiper strip holder to have lateral longitudinal flanges on both sides of a pivot axis of the wiper strip. In addition, these can be arranged and shaped that they additionally assume the function of a spoiler.

Brief description of the drawings

Further advantages emerge from the following description of the drawing. In the drawings, embodiments of the invention are shown. The drawing, the description and the claims contain numerous features in combination.

The person skilled in the art will expediently also consider the features individually and combine them into meaningful further combinations.

Show it:

1 is a schematic side view of a wiper blade according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a section along the line II-II in Fig. 1 and

FIGS. 3 and 4 show variants of a wiper strip holder according to FIG. 2.

Embodiments of the invention

A wiper blade 10 has a wiper strip 12 with a head strip 16, which has a substantially circular cylindrical cross-sectional profile. On the head strip 16 is a wedge-shaped in cross-section wiper lip 14 with its wider

Side molded. Their narrower side, which can also taper, is in operation on a vehicle window 18 at. The head strip 16 is pivotally mounted with its outer contour 30 in a corresponding hollow cylindrical inner contour of a wiper strip holder 20 with a small clearance 34. The inner contour 32 is closed except for a longitudinal gap 50 through which the wiper lip 14 protrudes. The longitudinal gap 50 extends in the cross section of the wiper strip holder 20 via an opening angle ß, which limits the pivot angle of the wiper strip 12 about a pivot axis 48. While the wiper blade 10 slides over the vehicle window 18, the front edge of the wiper lip 14 in the direction of movement forms a wiper angle CC with the vehicle window. The optimum wiping angle CC can be precisely defined by the opening angle β, a wedge angle δ of the wiper lip 14 and the width 36 of the wiper lip 14 in the region of the opening of the wiper strip holder 20.

The wiper strip holder 20 comprises the outer contour 30 of the head strip 16 over an angular range that is greater than 180 degrees. As a result, the maximum size of the opening angle ß is limited to a value below 180 degrees. In order to optimize the friction between the head strip 16 and the wiper strip holder 20, it is expedient to provide at least the inner contour 32 of the wiper strip holder 20 and / or the outer contour of the head strip 16 with a sliding layer of the bearing technology. This can be achieved in that the material of the wiper strip holder 20 and / or the head strip 16 has suitable sliding properties or is coated with suitable materials. Among others, the above-mentioned CVD or PVD method are suitable for this purpose.

In the middle region of its length 42, the wiper strip holder 20 has a connection element 22 with a hinge axis 24, to which a wiper arm 26 is articulated via a hub 28. The front-side openings of the wiper strip holder 20 can be closed in a simple manner in each case by a plug 44 or a lid 46.

The embodiments of the wiper strip holder 38 according to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 differ from the wiper strip holder 20 according to FIG. 2 in that they have a longitudinal flange 40 on both sides of the pivot axis 4. The longitudinal flanges 40 according to the embodiment of FIG. 3 adjoin the region of the inner contour 32 adjoining the opening angle β and extend substantially parallel to the vehicle window 18. In the embodiment according to FIG. 4, the longitudinal flanges 40 additionally serve as spoilers. They are formed approximately diametrically to the pivot axis 48 and inclined to the vehicle window 18 on the wiper strip holder 38.

Claims

claims

1. Wiper blade (10) with a rubber-elastic wiper strip (12) which is held by a wiper strip holder (20, 38) on the side facing away from a vehicle window (18) extending over the entire length of the wiper strip (12) and a connection element (22) for articulated connection with a wiper arm (26), characterized in that the wiper strip holder (20, 38) is designed as a resilient support member which is concave in the unloaded state to the vehicle disc (18) and a hollow cylindrical inner contour (32) which is open to the vehicle window (18) via a longitudinal gap (50) with an opening angle (ß) smaller than 180 ° and a head strip (16) with a corresponding cylindrical outer contour (30) with a small clearance (34) , wherein on the head strip (16) to the vehicle window (18) towards a substantially wedge-shaped, by the longitudinal gap (50) projecting wiper lip (14) is formed.

2. wiper blade (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that on both sides of a pivot axis (48) on the wiper strip holder (38) lateral longitudinal flanges (40) are integrally formed.

3. wiper blade (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that the longitudinal flanges (40) at the ends of the inner contour

(32).

4. Wiper blade (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that the longitudinal flanges (40) are arranged diametrically to the pivot axis (48) and serve as spoilers.

5. wiper blade (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wiper strip holder (20, 38) is bent from a spring steel sheet.

6. wiper blade (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wiper strip holder (20, 38) on its inner contour (32) has a sliding layer.

7. wiper blade (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the wiper strip holder (20, 38) is made of a plastic.

8. wiper blade (10) according to claim 7, characterized in that the plastic is a polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyamide

(PA) or an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE).

9. wiper blade (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the end faces of the wiper strip holder (20, 38) by cylindrical plug (44) or de- disgust (46) are closed.

10. wiper blade (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the head strip (16) on its outer contour (30) has a sliding layer.