WO2013042997A2

WO2013042997A2 - Windshield wiper assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2013042997A2
Application number: PCT/KR2012/007616
Authority: WO
Inventors: 이춘배; 리앨버트
Original assignee: (주)에이피아이코리아
Priority date: 2011-09-21
Filing date: 2012-09-21
Publication date: 2013-03-28
Also published as: WO2013042997A3

Abstract

A windshield wiper assembly, according to the present invention, comprises: one pair of leaf springs which are supported generally so as to be in parallel; a squeegee, which is supported from between the one pair of leaf springs; and a spoiler, which is coupled to the one pair of leaf springs, for putting the squeegee and the windshield into close contact by means of wind pressure when a car is being driven, wherein the spoiler comprises a soft material portion, which is made from a malleable material so as to be extended along a lengthwise direction of the one pair of leaf springs, a hard material portion, which is made from a hard material compared to the soft material portion, for maintaining a constant distance between end portions of each of the one pair of leaf springs.

Description

Windshield wiper assembly

The present invention relates to a windshield wiper assembly.

In general, a vehicle is provided with a windshield made of glass in order to secure an external view from the vehicle cabin and to prevent foreign substances such as wind, rain, snow or dust from entering the vehicle interior.

The windshield is provided on the front and rear of the vehicle compartment and doors disposed on the left and right sides of the vehicle compartment. Typically, the windshield provided in front of the vehicle compartment is provided with a wiper assembly for wiping foreign matter such as rain, snow or dust.

In a conventional wiper assembly, a wiper blade (or squeegee) is sandwiched between a pair of leaf springs and a spoiler is fastened to the pair of leaf springs. While the vehicle is running, the wiper blade is pressed by the wind pressure applied to the spoiler, so as to be in close contact with the windshield.

Such a conventional windshield wiper assembly requires that the spacing between the pair of leaf springs be kept constant so that the wiper blade does not escape between the pair of leaf springs. Welding was made between the pair of leaf springs. This method is difficult to replace the wiper blades.

In addition, the conventional wiper assembly not only stably shakes at high speeds of the vehicle, thereby failing to operate stably, but also causes a problem in that the spoiler is removed due to extreme shaking. In addition, there is a problem that the severe wind blowing sound is caused as the wind encounters the vehicle running at high speed is interfered by the spoiler.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a windshield wiper assembly in which the spacing between a pair of leaf springs is kept constant by a spoiler.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a windshield wiper assembly that can prevent the leaf spring is twisted.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is that the spoiler is formed integrally, including a soft portion made of a deformable material and a hard portion made of a harder portion than the soft portion, and the end of the pair of leaf springs by the hard portion. It is to provide a windshield wiper assembly to maintain a constant distance from each other.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a windshield wiper assembly that is easy to replace the wiper blade.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a windshield wiper assembly that simplifies the manufacturing and assembly process.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wiper assembly that can operate stably even at high speeds of a vehicle.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a windshield wiper assembly which does not cause wind noise even when the vehicle travels at high speed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a windshield wiper assembly that improves the cleaning power of the windshield.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a windshield wiper assembly in which the spoiler is not removed even at high speeds of the vehicle.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects that are not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The windshield wire assembly of the present invention comprises: a pair of leaf springs supported substantially parallel to each other; A wiper blade supported between the pair of leaf springs; And a spoiler coupled to the pair of leaf springs so that the wiper blade is in close contact with the windshield by a wind pressure applied when the vehicle is driven, and the spoiler is made of a deformable material. A soft portion extending along the direction; And a hard part that is harder than the soft part and maintains a predetermined interval between each end of the pair of leaf springs.

Alternatively, the windshield wiper assembly of the present invention includes a pair of leaf springs bent to a predetermined curvature; A bracket disposed at a central portion of the pair of leaf springs to support the pair of leaf springs in parallel with each other; A wiper blade supported between the pair of leaf springs; And spoilers disposed on both sides of the bracket and coupled to the pair of leaf springs, wherein the spoiler is made of a deformable material and is deformed according to a change in curvature of the pair of leaf springs. And a hard part coupled to an end of the pair of leaf springs, the hard part being formed of a hard material so that the ends of the pair of leaf springs can be maintained at regular intervals.

Alternatively, the windshield wire assembly of the present invention comprises a pair of leaf springs supported generally parallel to each other; A wiper blade supported between the pair of leaf springs; And a spoiler surrounding the pair of leaf springs and extending along the longitudinal direction of the leaf spring, the spoiler having a lower height toward the end of the leaf spring.

The windshield wiper assembly of the present invention is to provide a windshield wiper assembly in which the spacing between a pair of leaf springs is kept constant.

In addition, the windshield wiper assembly of the present invention has an effect that can prevent the leaf spring is twisted.

In addition, the windshield wiper assembly of the present invention includes a spoiler made of a portion coupled to the end of the pair of leaf springs, there is an effect that can prevent the gap between the ends of the pair of leaf springs.

In addition, the windshield wiper assembly of the present invention is easy to replace the wiper blade.

In addition, there is an effect that can simplify the manufacturing and assembly process.

In addition, it is possible to operate stably without shaking even during high-speed driving of the vehicle, and thus there is an effect of ensuring excellent washing power without lifting from the windshield.

In addition, the windshield wiper assembly of the present invention can wind smoothly over the spoiler encountered during high-speed driving of the vehicle, there is an effect that can prevent the generation of wind noise.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

1 is a perspective view of the combination of the windshield wiper assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the windshield wiper assembly shown in FIG. 1;

3 is a plan view (a), side view (b) and bottom view (c) of the windshield wiper assembly shown in FIG.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C of FIG.

6 is a partial side cross-sectional view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 1.

Advantages and features of the present invention, and methods for achieving them will be apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various forms, and only the present embodiments are intended to complete the disclosure of the present invention, and the general knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertains. It is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

Hereinafter, a windshield wiper assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 is a perspective view of the combination of the windshield wiper assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the windshield wiper assembly 100 shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a wind shown in Figure 1 Top view (a), side view (b) and bottom view (c) of shield wiper assembly 100.

1 to 3, the windshield wiper assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a pair of leaf springs 10 and a pair of leaf springs which are spaced apart from each other and supported in substantially parallel. 10, a wiper blade 30 supported between the pair of leaf springs 10, and a bracket 50 for supporting the bracket 50, and coupled to the pair of leaf springs 10, respectively. And a spoiler 110 that becomes.

The spoiler 110 presses the leaf spring 10 by the wind pressure acting when the vehicle travels, so that the wiper blade 30 is in close contact with the windshield without lifting.

The spoiler 110 is made of a soft material deformable and extends along the longitudinal direction of the pair of leaf springs 10 and a pair of leaf springs that are made harder than the soft portion 40. And a hard portion 70 that maintains at regular intervals between the ends of 10).

Here, the soft part 40 is made of a material that can be deformed so that deformation can be made in response to the curvature change of the leaf spring 10. Examples of the deformable material include natural or synthetic rubber.

The hard part 70 is coupled to the ends of the pair of leaf springs 10 so that the ends of the pair of leaf springs 10 do not open. The hard part 70 should be formed of a hard material as compared with the soft part 40 so that the end of each leaf spring 10 is fixed at regular intervals. For example, the hard part 70 may be formed by injecting a synthetic resin, in this case, some plastic deformation may be made when a significant amount of external force is applied due to the characteristics of the synthetic resin, but this is in comparison with the deformation of the soft part 40. Will be ignored.

Since the leaf spring 10 is bent as a whole, as the curvature is changed elastically by external force, the length of the string, which is a straight line connecting both ends of the leaf spring 10, is changed, and the wiper blade 30 is windshielded. Press to close contact with. Since the soft portion 40 is made of a deformable material, the curvature of the leaf spring 10 can be smoothly changed, but even in this case, the spacing between the ends of the pair of leaf springs 10 must be kept constant. Therefore, the hard parts 70 made of a hard material are coupled to the ends of the pair of leaf springs 10. Therefore, not only the twisting of the leaf spring 10 is prevented, but also the wiper blade 30 is stably supported without being separated between the pair of leaf springs 10.

Meanwhile, the soft part 40 and the hard part 70 may be integrally formed. The method of integrally molding two or more elements made of different materials may be variously implemented. For example, first forming the hard part 70, which is an injection molding, and then inserting the hard part 70 in a predetermined mold for molding the soft part 40, and then filling the molten resin in the mold, and melting the molten resin. After the resin is hardened, the spoiler 110 in which the soft part 40 and the hard part 70 are integrally formed may be formed by removing the mold.

The wiper blades 30 are supported between the pair of leaf springs 10. The wiper braid 30 has an upper end inserted into the spoiler 110, and the lower end protrudes out of the spoiler 110 to be in close contact with the windshield. More specifically, the wiper blade 30 forms a base portion 32 inserted into the spoiler 110 and a support groove 33 into which the leaf spring 10 is inserted between the base portion 32. It may include a support 35, a blade 34 for wiping the windshield, and a hinge 36 for connecting the support 35 and the blade 34.

The support groove 33 is formed long along the longitudinal direction of the spoiler 110, and a pair is provided and fastened to the inner side of the leaf spring 10, respectively.

The base part 32 is prevented from being separated out of the spoiler 110 by being caught between the pair of leaf springs 10. Of course, a predetermined space for accommodating the base part 32 should be secured inside the spoiler 110.

When the windshield wiper assembly 100 pivots along the surface of the windshield, the blade 34 is elastically curved about the hinge portion 36 according to the bending of the windshield or the uneven state of the surface. The close contact between the part 34 and the windshield is maintained.

The wiper blade 30 may be formed of a flexible material such as soft plastic and natural / synthetic rubber so that the wiper blade 30 may be deformed according to the bending of the windshield.

On the other hand, the soft part 40 includes a pair of leaf spring fastening portions 42 fastened to the pair of leaf springs 10, respectively. Each leaf spring fastening portion 42 may be formed with an insertion groove 45 into which the outer side of the leaf spring 10 is inserted.

In addition, the soft part 40 may include a deformable part 44 which is deformed by wind pressure acting while driving the vehicle, and the leaf spring fastening part 42 may be formed at both ends of the deformable part 44, respectively. have. The deformable portion 44 may include a first wind pressure action surface 44a on which wind pressure acts, and a second wind pressure action surface 44b. The first wind pressure working surface 44a and the second wind pressure working surface 44b form a gradient in opposite directions to each other.

When the wind travels over the deformable portion 44 while driving the vehicle, the deformable portion 44 is deformed by the difference in the wind pressure acting on the first wind pressure acting surface 44a and the second wind pressure acting surface 44b, and the wiper The pressure that the blade 30 exerts on the windshield is increased. Therefore, the wiper blade 30 can be in close contact with the windshield without lifting.

The first wind pressure acting surface 44a and the second wind pressure acting surface 44b form a curved surface of the indented shape to secure a wide area to which wind pressure acts, as well as a pair of leaf spring fastening portions by external force. (42) When the gap is about to open, it is elastically deformed together. Accordingly, the elastic force is applied in the direction in which the pair of leaf spring fastening portions 42 approach each other by the first wind pressure action surface 44a and the second wind pressure action surface 44b.

Meanwhile, the bracket 50 allows the pair of leaf springs 10 to be supported in parallel at regular intervals. In addition, a wiper arm (not shown) is connected to the bracket 50 so that the windshield wiper assembly 100 moves along the windshield according to the movement of the wiper arm.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 1. 1, 2, 3, and 7, fixing tabs 54 for fixing the leaf spring 10 are formed on both sides of the lower end of the bracket 50, and fixed to each leaf spring 10. A fixing slot 14 is formed into which the tab 54 is inserted. The fixing tab 54 is bent inward while surrounding the outer side of the leaf spring 10, and an end thereof is inserted into the fixing slot 14. In this embodiment, the fixing tabs 54 are formed in pairs on both sides of the bracket 50, respectively, and a pair of fixing slots 14 are formed in the leaf springs 10.

In addition, a pressure distribution tab 56 is formed between the pair of fixing tabs 54 at both lower ends of the bracket 50, and each of the leaf springs 10 has a positioning hole in which the pressure distribution tabs 56 are accommodated. 16 is formed. The curvature of the leaf spring 10 changes according to the pressure exerted by the pressure dissipation tab 56, so that the wiper blade 30 may always be in close contact with the windshield.

The spoiler holder 60 fixes the spoiler 110, and spoiler fixing parts 62 may be formed on both sides of the spoiler holder 60, respectively.

In addition, the center portion of the spoiler holder 60 is formed by cutting, the fastening between the bracket 50 and the leaf spring 10 is made through the cut center portion. The upper portion of the spoiler holder 60 is in contact with both sides of the bracket 50, the lower portion is extended to a sufficient length to cover the fastening structure of the bracket 50 and the leaf spring 10 to form a cover (65). Here, the cover 65 is bent outward from the top of the spoiler holder 60 so as to cover up to the fixing tab 54 formed in the bracket 50 and extended downward.

A pair of bracket seating tabs 64 are formed between the pair of spoiler fixing parts 62 to be spaced apart from each other. When the bracket 50 is seated between the pair of bracket seating tabs 64, the pair of bracket seating tabs 64 are each disposed between both sidewalls 58 of the bracket 50. Each of the positioning holes 16 formed in the pair of leaf springs 10 after the pressure distribution tabs 56 and the securing tabs 54 formed in the bracket 50 are inserted into the spoiler holder 60. And fixing slots 14 can be inserted.

On both lower ends of the spoiler holder 60, cover 65 bent inward is formed. The cover 65 wraps the central portion of the pair of leaf springs 10 and simultaneously wraps each of the soft portions 40 and the pressure distribution tabs 56 formed in the bracket 50.

The hard part 70 is coupled with the ends of the pair of leaf springs 10. A groove 18 is formed at the end of the leaf spring 10, and a detent inserted into the groove 18 may be formed in the hard part 70. The groove 18 is preferably formed to a sufficient length so that the end of the leaf spring 10 can be displaced in accordance with the change in curvature of the leaf spring 10 in the state that the detent is inserted.

For example, the groove 18 shown in FIG. 2 is formed by cutting the edge of the leaf spring 10. However, both ends of the leaf spring 10 in the state in which the hard part 60 is coupled to the leaf spring 10 are illustrated. As long as it can be displaced, a slot may be formed in the leaf spring 10 instead of a groove, and in this case, the slot can be displaced within a predetermined distance while being inserted into the slot. The length of can be determined.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a partial side cross-sectional view of FIG.

4 to 6, in the windshield wiper assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the height of the spoiler 110 is gradually lowered toward the end side of the leaf spring 10.

The soft part 40 may include a connection surface 44c connecting between the first wind pressure action surface 44a and the second wind pressure action surface 44b, and the height of the connection surface 44c is the spoiler 110. On the basis of the state that is fastened to the leaf spring 10, it may be gradually lower toward the end side of the leaf spring (10).

In addition, at least one of the first wind pressure action surface 44a and the second wind pressure action surface 44b may be formed to have a narrower width toward the end side of the leaf spring 10. (a1> a2)

On the contrary, the width of the connection surface 44c may become wider toward the end side of the leaf spring 10 based on the state in which the spoiler 110 is fastened to the leaf spring 10. More specifically, the distance between the boundary S1 between the connection surface 44c and the first wind pressure action surface 44a and the boundary S2 between the connection surface 44c and the second wind pressure action surface 44b are determined. The distance toward the end side of the spring 10 may be farther away. (b2> b1)

The wind encountered during high-speed driving of the vehicle can smoothly ride over the end of the spoiler 110, thereby preventing the flutter of the spoiler 110 and the noise caused by it, the wiper blade 30 is stably along the surface of the windshield Allow turning to work.

Meanwhile, in order to prevent the hard part 70 from being easily separated from the soft part 40, the soft part 40 may be formed in a step with an adjacent portion of the receiving part 46 in which the hard part 70 is accommodated. . 3C and 4, the soft portion 40 shown in FIG. 4 has a width d on both sides of the accommodating portion 46 in which the hard portion 70 is accommodated inward from each other.

The first boundary S1 formed between the connection surface 44c and the first wind pressure acting surface 44a described above, and the second boundary formed between the connection surface 44c and the second wind pressure acting surface 44b. S2 may be clearly distinguished as shown in FIGS. 1, 4, 6, and the like, but alternatively from the connection surface 44c to the first wind pressure working surface 44a or the second wind pressure working surface 44b. Even if the pattern changes continuously, when a number of lines are drawn to pass through each of the

surfaces

44a, 44b, 44c, the inflection point according to the gradient change of the

surfaces

44a, 44b, 44c on each of the lines In this case, by connecting these inflection points, a first boundary and a second boundary can be defined.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the following claims rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and the equivalent concept are included in the scope of the present invention. Should be interpreted.

Claims

A pair of leaf springs supported generally parallel to one another;

A wiper blade supported between the pair of leaf springs; And

A spoiler coupled to the pair of leaf springs to allow the wiper blade to be in close contact with the windshield by a wind pressure applied when the vehicle is driven;

The spoiler,

A soft part made of a deformable material and extending along the longitudinal direction of the pair of leaf springs; And

Windshield wiper assembly comprising a hard portion made of a harder than the soft portion to maintain at regular intervals between each end of the pair of leaf springs.
The method of claim 1,

The spoiler,

A windshield wiper assembly in which the soft portion is accommodated inside the hard portion.
The method of claim 2,

And the soft part and the hard part are integrally molded.
The method of claim 2,

The soft part,

Windshield wire assembly formed with a step between the accommodating portion and the periphery of the hard portion is accommodated.
The method of claim 4, wherein

The soft part,

The windshield wire assembly, the width of the receiving portion accommodated in the hard portion is larger than the peripheral portion.
A pair of leaf springs bent at a predetermined curvature;

A bracket disposed at a central portion of the pair of leaf springs to support the pair of leaf springs in parallel with each other;

A wiper blade supported between the pair of leaf springs; And

A spoiler disposed on both sides of the bracket and coupled to the pair of leaf springs,

The spoiler,

A soft part made of a deformable material and deformed according to a change in curvature of the pair of leaf springs; And

And a hard portion coupled to an end of the pair of leaf springs, the hard portion being formed of a hard material such that the ends of the pair of leaf springs can be maintained at regular intervals.
The method of claim 6,

The spoiler,

A windshield wiper assembly in which the soft portion is accommodated inside the hard portion.
The method of claim 7, wherein

And the soft part and the hard part are integrally molded.
The method of claim 7, wherein

The soft part,

Windshield wire assembly formed with a step between the accommodating portion and the periphery of the hard portion is accommodated.
The method of claim 9,

The soft part,

The windshield wire assembly, the width of the receiving portion accommodated in the hard portion is larger than the peripheral portion.
A pair of leaf springs supported generally parallel to one another;

A wiper blade supported between the pair of leaf springs; And

And a spoiler surrounding the pair of leaf springs and extending along the longitudinal direction of the leaf spring, the spoiler being lowered toward an end side of the leaf spring.
The method of claim 11,

The spoiler,

It is formed to be gradient to the opposite side, and comprises a first, second wind pressure action surface acting wind pressure by the wind encountered while driving the vehicle,

At least one of the first and second wind pressure action surfaces,

A windshield wiper assembly, the width of which narrows toward the end side of the leaf spring.
The method of claim 12,

The spoiler,

Further comprising a connection surface for connecting between the first wind pressure action surface and the second wind pressure action surface,

A windshield wiper assembly in which a distance between a first boundary between the connecting surface and the first wind pressure acting surface and a second boundary between the connecting surface and the second wind pressure acting surface is further toward the end side of the leaf spring.
The method of claim 13,

And a distance from the leaf spring to the connecting surface becomes shorter toward the end of the leaf spring.
The method of claim 13,

At least one of the first wind pressure action surface and the second wind pressure action surface,

Windshield wiper assembly to form a curved surface indented to secure a wide range of wind pressure.
The method of claim 11,

The leaf spring is,

Bent to a predetermined curvature,

The spoiler,

A soft part formed of a deformable material to be deformable according to the curvature change of the leaf spring; And

And a hard portion coupled to an end of the pair of leaf springs, the hard portion being formed of a hard material such that the ends of the pair of leaf springs can be maintained at regular intervals.