Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60S—SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60S1/00—Cleaning of vehicles
  • B60S1/02—Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices
  • B60S1/04—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers
  • B60S1/32—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers characterised by constructional features of wiper blade arms or blades
  • B60S1/38—Wiper blades
  • B60S1/3848—Flat-type wiper blade, i.e. without harness
  • B60S1/3886—End caps
  • B60S1/3887—Mounting of end caps
  • B60S1/3893—Mounting of end caps cooperating with holes in the squeegee
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60S—SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60S1/00—Cleaning of vehicles
  • B60S1/02—Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices
  • B60S1/04—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers
  • B60S1/32—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers characterised by constructional features of wiper blade arms or blades
  • B60S1/38—Wiper blades
  • B60S1/3848—Flat-type wiper blade, i.e. without harness
  • B60S1/3874—Flat-type wiper blade, i.e. without harness with a reinforcing vertebra
  • B60S1/3875—Flat-type wiper blade, i.e. without harness with a reinforcing vertebra rectangular section
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60S—SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60S1/00—Cleaning of vehicles
  • B60S1/02—Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices
  • B60S1/04—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers
  • B60S1/32—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers characterised by constructional features of wiper blade arms or blades
  • B60S1/38—Wiper blades
  • B60S1/3848—Flat-type wiper blade, i.e. without harness
  • B60S1/3886—End caps
  • B60S1/3896—End caps with openings at the longitudinal extremities
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60S—SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60S1/00—Cleaning of vehicles
  • B60S1/02—Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices
  • B60S1/04—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers
  • B60S1/32—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers characterised by constructional features of wiper blade arms or blades
  • B60S1/38—Wiper blades
  • B60S2001/3812—Means of supporting or holding the squeegee or blade rubber
  • B60S2001/3817—Means of supporting or holding the squeegee or blade rubber chacterised by a backing strip to aid mounting of squeegee in support
  • B60S2001/382—Means of supporting or holding the squeegee or blade rubber chacterised by a backing strip to aid mounting of squeegee in support the backing strip being an essentially planar reinforcing strip, e.g. vertebra
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60S—SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60S1/00—Cleaning of vehicles
  • B60S1/02—Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices
  • B60S1/04—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers
  • B60S1/32—Wipers or the like, e.g. scrapers characterised by constructional features of wiper blade arms or blades
  • B60S1/38—Wiper blades
  • B60S2001/3812—Means of supporting or holding the squeegee or blade rubber
  • B60S2001/3822—Means of supporting or holding the squeegee or blade rubber characterised by additional means to prevent longitudinal sliding of squeegee in support, e.g. clips

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a windscreen wiper device comprising an elastic, elongated carrier element, as well as an elongated wiper blade of a flexible material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, which wiper blade includes opposing longitudinal grooves on its longitudinal sides, in which grooves spaced-apart longitudinal strips of the carrier element are disposed, wherein neighboring ends of said longitudinal strips are interconnected by a respective connecting piece, which windscreen wiper device comprises a connecting device for an oscillating wiper arm.
• Such a windscreen wiper device is known from European patent publication no. 1 491 416 of the same Applicant.
• the prior art windscreen wiper device is in particular designed as a "yokeless" wiper device or "flat blade", wherein use is no longer made of several yokes pivotally connected to each other, but wherein the wiper blade is biassed by the carrier element, as a result of which it exhibits a specific curvature.
• said connecting piece is slided over the neighboring ends of said strips - or vice versa, that is the neighboring ends of said strips are slided into said connecting piece - so that a reliable snap connection between these parts is realized.
• said connecting piece is provided with an opening at its free end so that the wiper blade can freely slide through said connecting piece.
• the connecting pieces do not retain the wiper blade, so that said connecting pieces allow a relative movement of the wiper blade along the longitudinal strips in the connecting pieces.
• One drawback of the prior art windscreen wiper device is the fact that the connecting pieces (in practice also called “end caps") and the wiper blade are not connected in a durable, solid manner. Particularly, when a spoiler is only retained onto said strips (and not onto an upper part of the wiper blade facing away from the windscreen to be wiped) , the wiper blade may come loose from the connecting pieces. As a result, the life span of the prior art windscreen wiper device may be seriously shortened.
• the object of the invention is to improve the prior art as indicated above, in particular to provide a windscreen wiper device, wherein the longitudinal strips and the connecting pieces ("end caps") are interconnected in a durable, solid manner, and wherein the wiping properties are improved.
• a windscreen wiper device of the kind referred to in the introduction according to the invention is characterized in that an end wall of at least one connecting piece comprises an opening, wherein said wiper blade permanently extends through said opening and beyond said connecting piece.
• said connection piece can be firmly attached onto said wiper blade.
• said wiper blade and said connecting piece comprise mutually cooperating means to block a longitudinal movement of said wiper blade in outward direction relative to said connecting piece.
• the present invention is not restricted to windscreen wiper devices for cars, but that it also relates to windscreen wiper devices for rail coaches and all other (fast) vehicles.
• the grooves of said wiper blade each comprise at least one stop for blocking said longitudinal movement of said wiper blade in outward direction relative to said connecting piece.
• the stops comprise a protrusion extending laterally from a longitudinal wall of said wiper blade located between said two opposing grooves.
• said connecting piece comprises at least two protrusions extending laterally inwardly, and wherein each protrusion is adjacent a corresponding stop on said wiper blade for blocking said longitudinal movement of said wiper blade in outward direction relative to said connecting piece.
• said protrusions on said connecting piece and said stops on said wiper blade may be spaced apart during normal use of the windscreen wipe device.
• said wiper blade is allowed to move in longitudinal outward direction, causing said stops on said wiper blade to correspondingly move towards said protrusions on said connecting piece, until said protrusions on said connecting piece and said stops on said wiper blade are adjacent one another.
• said wiper blade and said strips comprise mutually cooperating means to block a longitudinal movement of said wiper blade in outward direction relative to said connecting piece.
• the grooves of said wiper blade each comprise at least one stop for blocking said longitudinal movement of said wiper blade in outward direction relative to said connecting piece.
• the stops comprise a protrusion extending laterally from a longitudinal wall of said wiper blade located between said two opposing grooves.
• each strip is provided on its interior longitudinal edge with a hole within the outer contour thereof, and wherein each stop is located within a corresponding hole in said strips.
• said holes have a non-closed circumference.
• said stops are made integral with said wiper blade. Particularly, a moulding operation would ensure that said stops can be formed in a reliable and controllable manner, without high costs as far as additional tools and equipment are concerned.
• the protrusions on said connecting piece are preferably in one piece therewith. Said hole on said strip is particularly stamped or punched, so that the shape of said hole can be accurately controlled.
• FIG. 1 is a total perspective, schematic view of a windscreen wiper device according to the invention.
• FIG. 2 and 3 are side views and perspective views of parts of a wiper blade as used in the windscreen wiper device of figure 1
• FIG. 1 shows a preferred variant of a windscreen wiper device 1 according to the invention.
• Said windscreen wiper device is built up of an elastomeric wiper blade 2, in the longitudinal sides of which opposing longitudinal grooves 3 are formed, and of longitudinal strips 4 made of spring band steel, which are fitted in said longitudinal grooves 3.
• Said strips 4 form a flexible carrier element for the rubber wiper blade 2, as it were, which is thus biassed in a curved position (the curvature in operative position being that of a windscreen to be wiped) .
• Neighboring ends 5 of strips 4 are interconnected on either side of the windscreen wiper device 1 by means of connecting pieces 6 functioning as clamping members.
• the connecting pieces 6 functioning as clamping members.
• the connecting pieces 6 functioning as clamping members.
• the windscreen wiper device 1 is furthermore built up of a connecting device 7 of plastic material for an oscillating wiper arm 8.
• Connecting device 7 comprises clamping members 9 that are integral therewith, which engage round longitudinal sides of the strips 4 that face away from each other, as a result of which the connecting device 7 is firmly attached to the unit consisting of wiper blade 2 and strips 4.
• the oscillating wiper arm 8 is pivotally connected to the connecting device
• figure 5 comprises a spoiler or "air deflector" Io including two separate sub-spoilers 11. Each sub-spoiler 11 is detachably connected in its entirety to the wiper blade 2 on opposite sides of the connecting device 7.
• FIG 2a perspective view of the wiper blade 2 of figure 1 is shown, wherein corresponding parts have been designated with the same reference numerals.
• said rubber wiper blade 2 consists of an elongated upper holding part 12 holding said longitudinal strips 4 in said grooves 3 formed therein, an elongated lower wiping part 13 having a wiping lip 14, as well as an intermediate "strip- like" titling web 15 interconnecting said holding part 12 and said wiping part 13.
• Said holding part 12, said wiping part 13 and said tilting web 15 are in one piece of rubber.
• the grooves 3 of said wiper blade 2 each comprise at least one stop 16 for blocking a longitudinal movement of said wiper blade 2 in outward direction relative to said connecting piece 6.
• these stops 16 comprise a protrusion extending laterally from a longitudinal wall 17 of said wiper blade 2 located between said two opposing grooves 3.
• said connecting piece 6 comprises at least two protrusions 18 extending laterally inwardly. Under the influence of any longitudinal outwardly directed force on said wiper blade 2, said wiper blade 2 is allowed to move in longitudinal outward direction, causing said stops 16 on said wiper blade 2 to correspondingly move towards said protrusions 18 on said connecting piece 6, until said protrusions 18 on said connecting piece 6 and said stops 16 on said wiper blade 2 are adjacent one another.
• An end wall 19 of said connecting piece 6 comprises an opening 20, wherein said wiper blade 2 permanently extends through said opening 20 and beyond said connecting piece 6 (figures 2c and 3a) .
• each strip 4 is provided on its interior longitudinal edge with a hole 21 (having a non-closed circumference) within the outer contour thereof, wherein each stop 16 is located within a corresponding hole 21 in said strips 4. Thus, a longitudinal movement of said wiper blade 2 is blocked thereby .
• said oscillating arm 8 is connected to a mounting head fixed for rotation to a shaft driven by a small motor.
• the shaft rotates alternately in a clockwise and in a counter-clockwise sense carrying the mounting head into rotation also, which in turn draws said oscillating arm 8 into rotation and by means of said connecting device 7 moves said wiper blade 2.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Transmission Devices (AREA)
• Specific Sealing Or Ventilating Devices For Doors And Windows (AREA)
• Sealing Devices (AREA)
• Pivots And Pivotal Connections (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=39581874

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Cited By (4)

Families Citing this family (6)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (15)

• 2008
  • 2008-03-19 ES ES08102748T patent/ES2387698T3/es active Active
  • 2008-03-19 EP EP08102748A patent/EP2103489B1/en active Active
• 2009
  • 2009-03-02 KR KR1020107020553A patent/KR101645739B1/ko not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2009-03-02 JP JP2011500146A patent/JP2011515263A/ja active Pending
  • 2009-03-02 CN CN200980107987.4A patent/CN102083660B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2009-03-02 US US12/933,458 patent/US8793833B2/en active Active
  • 2009-03-02 WO PCT/EP2009/052465 patent/WO2009115408A1/en not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (4)

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