WO2011026512A1

WO2011026512A1 - Windscreen wiper device

Info

Publication number: WO2011026512A1
Application number: PCT/EP2009/061310
Authority: WO
Inventors: Xavier Boland
Original assignee: Federal-Mogul S.A.
Priority date: 2009-09-02
Filing date: 2009-09-02
Publication date: 2011-03-10

Abstract

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 at least one longitudinal groove, in which groove at least one longitudinal strip of the carrier element is disposed, wherein ends of said longitudinal strip are connected to a respective connecting piece,which windscreen wiper device comprises a connecting device for an oscillating arm, wherein said oscillating arm is pivotally connected to said connecting device about a pivot axis near one end thereof, wherein at least part of the outer surface of the windscreen wiper device is coated with a fluid repellent coating.

Description

WINDSCREEN WIPER DEVICE 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 at least one longitudinal groove, in which groove at least one longitudinal strip of the carrier element is disposed, wherein ends of said longitudinal strip are connected to a respective connecting piece, which windscreen wiper device comprises a connecting device for an oscillating arm, wherein said oscillating arm is pivotally connected to said connecting device about a pivot axis near one end thereof.

Such a windscreen wiper device is generally known. This prior art windscreen wiper device is designed as a so-called "flat blade" or "yokeless blade", wherein no use is 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. A

disadvantage of such a wiper device is that said wiper device cannot clean the windscreen completely.

It is an object of the invention to obviate these

disadvantages, in the sense that a windscreen wiper device is presented that cleans the windscreen completely and/or efficiently.

In order to accomplish that objective, a windscreen wiper device of the kind referred to in the introduction is characterized in that at least part of the outer surface of the windscreen wiper device is coated with a fluid repellent coating. A fluid repellent coating has the advantage that water and/or cleaning liquid accumulation on the windscreen wiper device is prevented. With the known wiper device, droplets of water and/or cleaning liquid accumulating on the wiper device are blown by the wind onto the windscreen. In particular after the last oscillating stroke of the wiper device, the droplets dry up on the windscreen so that the windscreen is not completely clean. Therefore, because water and/or cleaning liquid accumulation on the windscreen wiper device is prevented, no droplets of water and/or cleaning fluid can be blown by the wind on the windscreen so that the windscreen can be completely cleaned. Another advantage of the windscreen wiper device according to the invention is that because of the preventing of water accumulating on the wiper device, this water cannot become frozen in the winter when temperatures are below the freezing point. Also snow and ice accumulation on the wiper device is prevented by the fluid repellent coating. Therefore, the windscreen wiper device according to the invention shows better performance in cold conditions compared to the known wiper device. With outer surface is meant the surface of the wiper device that is exposed to the outer air.

In one preferred embodiment of a windscreen wiper device according to the invention, the outer surface of the wiper blade is coated with the fluid repellent coating. In another preferred embodiment of a windscreen wiper device according to the invention, the outer surface of the

connecting device is coated with the fluid repellent

coating . In another preferred embodiment of a windscreen wiper device according to the invention, the outer surface of the

connecting piece is coated with the fluid repellent coating.

In another preferred embodiment of a windscreen wiper device according to the invention, the outer surface of the

oscillating arm is coated with the fluid repellent coating. In another preferred embodiment of a windscreen wiper device according to the invention, the windscreen wiper device further comprises a spoiler extending from the wiper blade, from the part of the wiper blade that is facing away from the windscreen to be wiped, and wherein the spoiler is coated with the fluid repellent coating.

In another preferred embodiment of a windscreen wiper device according to the invention, the wiper blade comprises an upper holding part that comprises the longitudinal groove for holding the flexible strip, wherein the wiper blade further comprises a head extending from said upper holding part, wherein the wiper blade further comprises a neck extending from said head, wherein the wiper blade further comprises a body extending from said neck, wherein the wiper blade further comprises a wiping lip extending from said body, and wherein said upper holding part and/or said head and/or said neck and/or said body and/or said wiping lip are coated with said fluid repellent coating. An advantage is that the several parts of the wiper blade can be coated with different coatings.

In another preferred embodiment of a windscreen wiper device according to the invention, the fluid repellent coating is chosen from the group consisting of silicone and ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) . An advantage of such fluid repellent coatings is that these coatings are highly

resistant to UV radiation by the sun and/or to other climate influences.

The invention further relates to a method of applying a coating on at least part of the outer surface of the

windscreen wiper device referred to in the introduction.

The invention will now be explained more in detail with reference to figures illustrated in a drawing, wherein figure 1 is a perspective, schematic view of a

windscreen wiper device according to the invention; figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the wiper blade in figure 1; and - figure 3 is a perspective view of a cross-section of the wiper blade in figure 1 and 2.

Figure 1 shows a windscreen wiper device 1, which is built up of an elastomeric wiper blade 2 comprising a central longitudinal groove 3, wherein a longitudinal strip or

"flexor" 4 made of spring band steel is fitted in said longitudinal groove 3. Said strip 4 forms 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) . An end of said strip 4 is connected on either side of the windscreen wiper device 1 to respective connecting pieces or "end caps" 5 functioning as closing parts. In this embodiment, the connecting pieces 5 are separate constructional elements, which may be form-locked as well as force-locked to both ends of said strip 4. In another preferred variant, said connecting pieces 5 are in one piece with the strip 4 made of spring band steel. The windscreen wiper device 1 is furthermore built up of a connecting device 6 for connecting an oscillating wiper arm 7 thereto. The oscillating wiper arm 7 is pivotally connected to the connecting device 6 about a pivot axis near one end. The wiper blade further comprises a spoiler or "air deflector" 8 which is made in one piece with the rubber wiper blade 2.

In order to avoid water accumulating on the surface of the wiper device 1, the outer surface of wiper blade 2 and/or the spoiler 8 are treated with a fluid repellent coating, such as silicone or ethyleen-propyleen-pieen monomeer

(EPDM) . As is shown in figure 2, the wiper blade 2 can be divided in different parts fas far as their basic material is concerned, wherein upper holding part 9 comprises the longitudinal groove 3 for holding the flexible strip 4, wherein head 10 extends from said upper holding part 9, wherein neck 11 extends from said head 10, wherein body 12 extends from said neck 11, wherein wiping lip 13 extends from said body 12, and wherein the different parts are made in one piece. An example of basic raw material used to the different parts is shown in the table, wherein the numbers apply to the different parts of the wiper blade 2 and to the spoiler 8, and wherein the letters apply to different material options.

8 9 10 11 12 13

A NR NR NR NR NR NR

B EPDM EPDM EPDM EPDM EPDM EPDM

C CR CR CR CR CR CR D EPDM EPDM EPDM EPDM EPDM NR

E EPDM EPDM NR NR NR NR

F EPDM EPDM EPDM EPDM NR NR

G EPDM EPDM EPDM NR NR NR

Please note that NR stands for natural rubber, CR for chloroprene rubber and EPDM for ethylene propylene diene monomer .

Although not shown in figure 1, but fully understood by a skilled person, said oscillating arm 7 is connected to a mounting head fixed for rotation to a shaft driven by a small motor. In use, 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 7 into rotation and by means of said

connecting device 6 moves said wiper blade 2. Figure 3 shows the wiper blade 2 and spoiler 8, wherein a coating is applied to the outer surface of the spoiler 8 and upper holding part 9 of the wiper blade 2.

A coating can preferably also applied to the outer surface of the other external parts of the wiper device 1, such as the connecting device 6, the oscillating arm 7 and the end caps 5.

The invention is not restricted to the variants shown in the drawing, but it also extends to other preferred embodiments that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. 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 at least one longitudinal groove, in which groove at least one longitudinal strip of the carrier element is disposed, wherein ends of said longitudinal strip are connected to a respective connecting piece, which windscreen wiper device

comprises a connecting device for an oscillating arm, wherein said oscillating arm is pivotally connected to said connecting device about a pivot axis near one end thereof, characterized in that at least part of the outer surface of the windscreen wiper device is coated with a fluid repellent coating.

2. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the wiper blade is coated with the fluid repellent coating.

3. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the outer surface of the connecting device is coated with the fluid repellent coating.

4. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the outer surface of the connecting piece is coated with the fluid repellent coating.

5. A windscreen wiper device according to any of the

preceding claims 1-4, wherein the outer surface of the oscillating arm is coated with the fluid repellent coating .

A windscreen wiper device according to any of the preceding claims 1-5, wherein the windscreen wiper device further comprises a spoiler extending from the wiper blade, from the part of the wiper blade that is facing away from the windscreen to be wiped, and wherein the spoiler is coated with the fluid repellent coating .

A windscreen wiper device according to any of the preceding claims 1-6, wherein the wiper blade comprises an upper holding part that comprises the longitudinal groove for holding the flexible strip, wherein the wiper blade further comprises a head extending from said upper holding part, wherein the wiper blade further comprises a neck extending from said head, wherein the wiper blade further comprises a body extending from said neck, wherein the wiper blade further comprises a wiping lip extending from said body, and wherein said upper holding part and/or said head and/or said neck and/or said body and/or said wiping lip are coated with said fluid repellent

coating .

A windscreen wiper device according to any of the preceding claims 1-7, wherein the fluid repellent coating is chosen from the group consisting of silicone and ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) .

A method of applying a fluid repellent coating 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 at least one longitudinal groove, in which groove at least one longitudinal strip of the carrier element is disposed, wherein ends of said longitudinal strip are connected to a respective connecting piece, which windscreen wiper device

comprises a connecting device for an oscillating arm, wherein said oscillating arm is pivotally connected to said connecting device about a pivot axis near one end thereof, characterized in that said coating is applied on at least part of the outer surface of the windscreen wiper device.