WO2012022590A1

WO2012022590A1 - Wiper system with a spring element for storing energy

Info

Publication number: WO2012022590A1
Application number: PCT/EP2011/062883
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mario Huesges
Original assignee: Robert Bosch Gmbh
Priority date: 2010-08-19
Filing date: 2011-07-27
Publication date: 2012-02-23
Also published as: EP2605941A1; CN103052544A; DE102010039524A1; CN103052544B

Abstract

The invention relates to a wiper system (100) for wiping a window, the wiper system having a wiper arm (110), a driving means (120) and a spring element (150) for storing energy. The driving means (120) is designed to move the wiper arm (110) in a first and in a second direction of rotation in order to wipe the window. The spring element (150) is designed to absorb energy during the movement of the wiper arm (110) in the first direction of rotation and to output energy during the movement of the wiper arm (110) in the second direction of rotation. The spring element (150) is connected directly to the wiper arm (110).

Description

description

title

Wiper system with a spring element for energy storage

The present invention relates to a scrubber for wiping a disc, which has at least one Wscharm, a drive device and a spring element for energy storage.

State of the art

Wiper systems are used in various technical applications, in particular for wiping the windows of vehicles. Such wiper systems comprise one or more wiper arms, which are designed to hold a wiper blade with a wiper lip made of a rubber material. In the wiping operation, the wringing blade provided with the blade, also referred to as a wiper lever, is cyclically guided over the disc to be cleaned in order to remove moisture or dirt from the disc surface. As a drive for the or the rocker arm is usually an electric motor whose movement is implemented either directly or via a corresponding crank gear in the desired wiping movement.

During the movement of the wiper lever or over the window of a vehicle, in particular of a motor vehicle or a passenger car, there may be a different torque requirement between an upward movement and a downward movement. This is due in particular to a flow of the wiper lever caused by the airstream. When wiping upwards, the wind motion is supported by the wind, whereas the downward movement of the airstream slows or impedes the wind motion. In order to enable a reliable wiping operation despite this circumstance, the electric motor used for the drive is usually in view of the larger

Moment laid out. The different wrung the wind has further different speeds of the wiper lever during up and down wiping result, which is also referred to as acyclic.

DE 103 12 982 A1 describes a windshield wiper device with a spring element for energy storage. The spring element, which is arranged in the region of a drive device of the windshield wiper device, absorbs energy when wiping upwards. When swiping downwards, in which due to the flow of the wiper lever, the largest load acts on the drive means, the stored energy is released again.

Disclosure of the invention

The object of the invention is to provide an improved system for wiping a windscreen.

This object is achieved by a system according to claim 1. Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

According to the invention, a wiper system for washing a disc is proposed, which has a wiper arm, a drive device and a spring element for storing energy. The drive device is designed to move the wiper arm for wiping the disk in a first and in a second rotational direction. The spring element is designed to absorb energy during the movement of the Wscharms in the first direction of rotation and emit energy in the movement of the Wscharms in the second direction of rotation. The wiper system is characterized in that the spring element is connected directly to the wiper arm. The use of the spring element as energy storage offers the possibility that

Drive device of the scrubber smaller or weaker interpret. As a result, the drive means can have a small and light construction, as well as be realized with less material and low cost. Also, the azyklism caused by wind during washing in different directions can be reduced. When not operating the scrubber, the spring element can also suppress an optionally caused by the wind independent movement of the wiper arm. Since it is provided to connect the spring element directly to the wiper arm, a simple construction of the system is further favors. Also, a production or assembly of the system is simplified. In addition, the possibility of a simple uncomplicated replacement of the spring element is given.

In a preferred embodiment, the drive device has a shaft connected to the wiper arm, which is mounted in a housing of a wiper bearing. In this embodiment, the spring element on the housing of the

Wiper bearing arranged. As a result, a simple assembly and replacement of the spring element further favors.

In a preferred embodiment it is provided that the housing of the wiper bearing is substantially tubular. This makes it possible to perform the system with the spring element relatively space-saving.

A space saving is further facilitated by the fact that the spring element according to a further preferred embodiment is a helical spring.

In a further preferred embodiment, the Wscharm between a first and a second reversal position is movable, and the spring element is adapted to receive energy during the movement of the Wscharms from the first and to the second reversal position, and in the movement of the Wscharms of the second and to give energy to the first reversal. Furthermore, the spring element is biased when the Wscharm is in the first reversal position. In this way, a movement latitude or play of the drive device can be counteracted, whereby a noise associated therewith can be suppressed during operation of the system.

In a further preferred embodiment, the Wscharm on a fastening part for attachment to a shaft. The spring element is in this case connected directly to the fastening part of the wiper arm.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to FIGS. Show it: Figure 1 is a side view of a section of a wiper system with a spring accumulator, which is arranged between a rocker arm and a wiper bearing; and Figure 2 is an illustration of a torque requirement in the case of a laundry with and without a spring store.

1 shows a side sectional view of a section of a wiper system 100, which can be used for wiping a windshield of a motor vehicle, in particular a passenger car. The scrubber

100 comprises a wiper arm 10, of which only one fastening part 11 or a partial area of the fastening part 11 is shown in FIG. The wiper arm 110 is connected to a rotatably mounted output shaft 121 of a drive device 120 used for driving the Wscharms 110 via the fastening part 11.

The Wscharm 1 10 may be formed, for example, in several parts, and in addition to the fastening part 1 11 comprise a hinge part, at the end of a wiper blade is arranged. In such an embodiment, the fastening part 11 and the joint part can be connected to one another via a wiper arm joint, so that a folding away of the joint part with respect to the fastening part 11 is made possible.

In addition to the output shaft 121, the drive device 120 of the wiper system 100 further includes an electric motor, not shown, and one with the

Electric motor connected crank mechanism, of which in Figure 1, only a joint ball 132 and a portion of a connected to the output shaft 121 crank plate 131 is shown. The electric motor can be designed, for example, as a rotary motor whose circumferential movement is converted via the crank gear into a periodic rotational movement of the output shaft 121 with opposite directions of rotation. During operation of the wiper system 100, the wiper arm 110 connected to the output shaft 121 is therefore also moved periodically in different directions of rotation between a lower and an upper reversal position, and thus alternately up and down on the wiper to be wiped. Instead of a revolving electric motor and the use of a reversing electric motor in the drive device 120 is possible. The output shaft 121 is mounted to a substantial extent in a housing 125 of a wiper bearing. The housing 125 is designed essentially in the form of a space-saving tubular housing part, and is therefore also referred to below as a molding tube 125 in the following. For the purpose of storage, 125 two bearing sleeves or bearing bushes 124 are arranged on the output shaft 121 within the mold tube 125. The bushings are located in the region of the ends of the forming tube 125th

Based on these regions or on this basis, the output shaft 121 also has subsections 122, 123 projecting from the forming tube 125. The partial section 122 of the output shaft 121 is connected to the fastening part 11 1 of the wiper arm or rocker arm 10, and the partial section 123 is connected to the crank plate 123.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, further structures and elements are arranged on the forming tube 125. This includes a mounting portion 127, with the aid of the mold tube 125 can be attached to a body of a motor vehicle. With the aid of a further attachment section 128 provided on the forming tube 125, the forming tube 125 can be connected to another, not shown, component of the system 100, in particular a housing of the electric motor of the drive device 120.

The system 100 also includes a spring element 150 for energy storage. The spring element 150, which is designed as a helical spring, is arranged peripherally on the forming tube 125 in a region between the fastening section 127 and the fastening part 11 of the wiper arm 110. The embodiment in the form of a coil spring arranged on the forming tube 125 favors the space-saving construction of the wiper system 100. For this purpose, the spring element 150 also extends relatively close along the outer sides of the forming tube 125.

One end portion of the helical spring member 150 is attached to the fixing member 11 of the wringer 110, and the other end and the other end portion are fixed to the forming tube 125, respectively. For this purpose, usual

Types of attachment and means, such as a tightening, sticking, clamping, hanging, undercut, etc. come into consideration. In this the ends of the spring element 150 can have correspondingly formed fastening sections or fastening structures, or can be provided with such elements. Also, the attachment part 11 of the wiper arm 110 and the forming tube 125 may be provided with corresponding support structures, receptacles, recesses, etc. for attaching or inserting the ends of the spring element. The spring element 150 installed between the upright forming tube 125 and the rotatable fastening part 11 can thus act in the form of a torsion spring or in the form of a spring accumulator during the periodic pivoting movement of the wiper arm 110.

The spring element 150 is in this case arranged on the forming tube 125, that the spring element 150 during the movement of the Wscharms 110 from the lower to the upper Wendelage or during upward wiping by the drive means 120 (additional) wound or stretched, whereby mechanical (poten - Tielle) energy is stored. In this regard, the drive device brings

120 both energy for the upward movement of the wiper arm 1 10, as well as for the mounting of the spring element 150 on. During the movement of the wiper arm 10 from the upper to the lower reversal position or during the downward wiping, the previously stored spring energy is (re) released and fed into the scrubber 100. In other words, the spring element 150 supports the drive device 120 during the downward movement of the wiper arm 10.

During operation of the scrubber system 100 when the vehicle is moving, the energy input of the spring element 150, which takes place during swiping down, counteracts the airstream or its braking influence on the swaying movement.

This circumstance offers the possibility of making the drive device 120 or its electric motor weaker or smaller in spite of the additional energy occurring during upward wiping as a result of the spring element 150 being pulled up. This results in a small and lightweight construction of the drive device 120, which can therefore be produced with less material and lower costs. The different spring action of the spring element 150, depending on the wiping movement or the direction of rotation, furthermore makes it possible to compensate for or reduce the effect of different speeds of the wsharm or rocker lever 110 during upwards and downwards wiping (acyclic). The spring element 150 can furthermore ensure that, when the wiper system 100 is not in operation, an independent movement of the Wscharms 1 10, possibly caused by the travel wind, is suppressed. In this regard, it is further preferably provided that the spring element 150 is already biased when the wiper arm 1 10 in the lower reversing position (which may be identical to a parking position of the wiper arm 110) is located. In this way, the spring element 150 can also counteract a range of motion or play of the drive device 120, as a result of which an associated noise development during operation of the system 100 can be suppressed.

Since in the wiper system 100, the spring element 150 is directly connected to the wiper arm 1 10 and its attachment part 1 11, a simple structure and consequently a simple production of the scrubber 100 (farther) favors. As part of the assembly of the scrubber 100, the spring element 150 can be relatively easily pushed onto the forming tube 150 prior to joining of fastening part 11 1 and output shaft 121, and optionally rotated to provide a spring bias to a certain extent. For fixing the spring part 150 to the fastening part 11 and the forming tube 125, conventional types of fastening can be provided, as already stated above. It is also possible to attach the spring element 150 in advance to the Wscharm 1 10 or its attachment part 1 11, and postpone together with this on the forming tube 125, wherein the fastening part 11 1 is placed here on the mounting portion 122 of the output shaft 121.

The design of the spring element 150 connected directly to the Wscharm 110 also offers the possibility of a simple uncomplicated replacement of the spring element 150. Such an exchange can be considered, for example in the event of a defect, or adjusting the scrubber 100 to other torque requirements.

With regard to the wiper system 100, it is pointed out that the wiper system 100 can comprise two stationary molding tubes 125 with output shafts 121 guided therein and corresponding rocker levers 110. In this regard, a spring element 150 having the above-described properties and features can be provided on each of the two molding tubes 125. FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of the curves 201, 202 of a torque requirement M over a wiping angle W for a wiping operation on a window of a moving vehicle. Here, the waveform 201 shown by the solid line represents an operation without, and the course 202 shown by the broken line represents an operation with a spring element or spring memory. The angle W refers to the changing position of a rocker lever, starting from a lower Reversal position U to an o- beren reversal position O and back to the lower reversal position U. Furthermore, a mean torque requirement 200 is indicated by a horizontal solid line.

With reference to FIG. 2, it becomes clear that without a spring accumulator during upward wiping (course 201 between lower traffic situation U and upper reversal position O), a smaller torque requirement M to a drive device of the abatement system exists than during downward wiping (course 201 between upper reversal position O and lower reversal position U). This is due to the flow of the rocker arm by the wind, which supports the upward movement of the rocker arm and thus the drive means when wiping upwards, however, hinders the downward movement of the rocker arm and therefore counteracts the downward wiping of the drive means.

By using the spring accumulator whose rotation on the drive device is counter to the influence of the airstream both during upwards and downwards wiping, the difference of the torque requirement M during upward and downward wiping can be reduced or suppressed. The course 202 therefore has no (significant) difference for up and down wiping.

The embodiments explained with reference to the figures represent preferred or exemplary embodiments of the invention. In addition to the described and illustrated embodiments, further embodiments are conceivable which may comprise further modifications of a wiper system with a spring element directly connected to a Wscharm for energy storage. In particular, such wiper systems may comprise more than the components shown or described. For example, in the wiper system 100 of FIG. 1, it is possible to place an additional (for example tubular) cover around the spring element 150, by means of which the spring element 150 can be protected against external influences.

Instead of using a wiper arm 110 with a fastening part 1 11 and a hinge part, which are connected to each other via a hinge, the use of a joint-free Wscharm is conceivable. Also in this embodiment, a spring element can be attached directly to the Wscharm.

In addition, it is pointed out that the use of a directly connected to a wiper arm spring accumulator is not limited to aprons with a lever or crank gear, but in a corresponding manner is also conceivable in wiper systems in which no such transmission is provided. Such wiper systems may have a reversing drive or electric motor instead of a rotary motor, wherein the reversing movement is transmitted directly to an associated wiper lever. Even with such wiper systems, a spring element used for energy storage can be provided, which is connected directly to a squeegee or wiper arm. In this case, the spring element can be arranged, for example, between the rocker arm and the electric motor, wherein the ends of the spring element can engage or be attached to the wiper lever and to the electric motor (or its housing).

Claims

claims

1. Wiper system (100) for wiping a pane, comprising:

a Wscharm (1 10),

a drive device (120), and

a spring element (150) for energy storage,

wherein the drive means (120) is adapted to move the wiper arm (110) to wipe the disk in a first and a second rotational direction,

and wherein the spring element (150) is designed to absorb energy during the movement of the wiper arm (110) in the first direction of rotation and to release energy during the movement of the wiper arm (110) in the second direction of rotation,

characterized,

that the spring element (150) is directly connected to the Wscharm (1 10).

2. Wiper system according to one of the preceding claims,

wherein the drive means (120) comprises a shaft (121) connected to the wiper arm (110), the shaft (121) being mounted in a housing (125) of a wiper bearing, and wherein the spring element (150) is attached to the housing (125 ) of the wiper bearing is arranged.

3. Wiper system according to claim 2,

wherein the housing (125) of the wiper bearing is substantially tubular.

4. Wiper system according to one of the preceding claims,

wherein the spring element (150) is a coil spring.

5. Wiper system according to one of the preceding claims,

wherein the wiper arm (1 10) is movable between a first and a second reversal Läge, wherein the spring element (150) is formed, in which

Movement of the Wscharms (110) from the first to the second reversal position to absorb energy and the movement of the Wscharms (110) of the second energy to the first reversal position, and wherein the spring element (150) is biased when the wiper arm (110) is in the first reversal position.

6. Wiper system according to one of the preceding claims,

wherein the wiper arm (1 10) has a fastening part (11 1) for attachment to a shaft (121), and wherein the spring element (150) is directly connected to the fastening part (11 1) of the Wscharms (1 10).