Wiper and wiper blade for vehicles

The present invention relates to automobile wipers, and more particularly, to wiper blades connected pivotally to wiper arms and automobile wipers provided with wiper blades.

A prior art automobile wiper includes an arm and a wiper blade attached to the arm. A rubber piece is attached to the wiper blade to wipe the windshield. The wiper blade includes a primary frame having an upper surface on which an opening extends at the longitudinally middle section. A pin extends between the two side walls of the primary frame near the opening. A clip is pivotally coupled to the distal end of the pin. The distal end of the arm is fixed to the clip to fasten the wiper blade to the arm. Accordingly, the wiper blade pivots about the pin relative to the arm.

The rubber piece is normally pressed against the windshield by the arm. Normally, the arm and the wiper blade are substantially parallel to each other such that they do not contact each other. When the arm is pivoted in this state, the rubber piece is pivoted along the surface of the curved windshield to wipe the windshield.

The wiper blade is separated from the windshield and held upright relative to the windshield (lock-back state) when, for example, washing the automobile. In this state, the wiper blade pivots about the pin and may come into contact with the arm. Contact between the wiper blade and the arm may damage the film of rust preventive applied to the arm or the wiper blade. Such damage would degrade the appearance of the wiper and decrease the durability of the wiper.

Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. 3-23404 describes an automobile wiper having a projection formed on the inner surface of a primary frame. A clip (connector) is pivotally supported by the primary frame. The clip has an arcuate guide groove to guide the projection of the primary frame. The projection is arranged in the guide groove. When the wiper blade is pivoted relative to the arm, the projection of the primary frame moves along the guide groove. The relative pivoting between the clip and the primary frame is restricted when the projection contacts the terminal end of the guide groove. In other words, further pivoting of the wiper blade relative to the arm is restricted at the terminal end of the guide groove.

However, the other end of the guide groove is opened to permit attachment of the clip to the primary frame. Accordingly, the relative pivoting of the wiper blade is restricted only at the position where the projection contacts the terminal end of the guide groove. In this structure, pivoting of the wiper blade is not restricted when the projection moves away from the opened end, or when the wiper blade pivots in the reverse direction. Thus, the wiper blade contacts the arm when in the lock-back state.

An automobile wiper that prevents damage to the film applied to the arm and the wiper blade by attaching resin parts to the locations of contact between the arm and the wiper blade has been proposed. However, due to the attachment of the additional parts, the costs related to the parts and to the assembling processes is increased. Furthermore, the shape of the arm and the wiper blade is restricted.

In recent years, long wiper blades have come to be employed to enlarge the wiped surface. Long wiper blades have a large moment of inertia. Thus, when the wiper blade hits the arm, the film is further apt to be damaged at the locations of contact. Furthermore, a great force acts on the portion supporting the wiper blade when using a long wiper blade. Thus, the wiper blade is apt to come loose. If the wiper blade is held loosely by the arm, some parts of the windshield will not be wiped.

Accordingly, it is a first objective of the present invention to provide an automobile wiper and wiper blade that can restrict the relative pivoting between the arm and the wiper blade without increasing costs.

It is a second objective of the present invention to provide an automobile wiper and wiper blade that suppresses loosening between the arm and the wiper blade.

To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect of the present invention, a wiper for wiping an automobile windshield is provided. The wiper includes an arm, a wiper blade having an upper wall and a pair of side walls, and a connecting member. The upper wall has an opening. A pivot extends between the pair of side walls at the opening. The connecting member is supported pivotally relative to the wiper blade by the pivot in the opening. The connecting member is connected to the arm. The connecting member includes an extended portion extending perpendicular to the pivot. The extended portion contacts a predetermined portion of the wiper blade during relative pivoting between the connecting member and the wiper blade.

In a second aspect of the present invention, a wiper blade used in a windshield wiper, which has an arm, is provided. The wiper blade includes a pair of side walls, an upper wall having an opening, a pivot extending between the pair of side walls at the opening, and a connecting member supported pivotally relative to the wiper blade by the pivot in the opening. The connecting member is connected to the arm. The connecting member includes an extended portion extending perpendicular to the pivot. The extended portion contacts a predetermined portion of the wiper arm during relative pivoting between the connecting member and the wiper blade.

In a third aspect of the present invention, a wiper for wiping an automobile windshield is provided. The wiper includes an arm, a wiper blade including an upper wall and a pair of side walls, a pivot, and a connecting member. The arm has a coupling portion formed at a distal end of the arm. The upper wall has an opening. The pivot extends between the pair of side walls at the opening. The connecting member is supported pivotally relative to the wiper blade by the pivot in the opening. The connecting member has an extended portion and a connecting portion extending perpendicular to the pivot in opposite directions. The connecting portion engages the coupling portion. The extended portion contacts a predetermined portion of the wiper blade during relative pivoting between the connecting member and the wiper blade.

FIG. 1 a is an enlarged plan view showing an automobile wiper according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1 b is a side view of FIG. 1 a;

FIG. 1 c is a cross-sectional view taken along line 1 c — 1 c of FIG. 1 a;

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the automobile wiper of FIG. 1 a;

FIG. 3 a is an enlarged plan view showing the primary frame;

FIG. 3 b is a side view of FIG. 3 a;

FIG. 3 c is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3 c — 3 c of FIG. 3 a;

FIG. 4 a is an enlarged plan view showing a clip;

FIG. 4 b is a side view of FIG. 4 a;

FIG. 4 c is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4 c — 4 c of FIG. 4 a;

FIG. 4 d is a bottom view of FIG. 4 a;

FIG. 5 a is a side view showing a coupling portion of an arm piece;

FIG. 5 b is a bottom view of FIG. 5 a;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the wiper blade arranged at a minimum inclination position relative to the arm; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side view showing the wiper blade arranged at a maximum inclination position relative to the arm.

A first embodiment according to the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7 .

The automobile wiper shown in FIG. 2 includes an arm 1 and a wiper blade 2 . The wiper blade 2 is pivotally connected to the arm 1 . The arm 1 has an arm head 3 fixed to a pivot shaft (not shown) of the automobile, a retainer 4 connected to the distal end of the arm head 3 , and an arm piece 5 fixed to the distal end of the retainer 4 . As shown in FIGS. 5 a and 5 b , a hook-like coupling portion 5 a is formed on the distal end of the arm piece 5 . A rectangular slot 5 c is formed near the distal end of the coupling portion 5 a.

The wiper blade 2 includes a primary frame 6 connected to the arm 1 , a pair of second frames 7 connected to the ends of the primary frame 6 , two pairs of third frames 8 , each pair of which is connected to the ends of each second frame 7 , and a single rubber piece 9 held by the two pairs of third frames 8 . In other words, the wiper blade 2 has a fractional frame structure. The third frames 8 each have a retaining piece 8 a arranged at each of their ends. Thus, the rubber piece 8 a is supported by eight retaining pieces.

As shown in FIGS. 3 a to 3 c , the primary frame 6 includes a pair of parallel side walls 6 b , and an upper wall 6 c connecting the side walls 6 b . A rectangular opening 6 a extends through the upper wall 6 c at the longitudinally middle section of the primary frame 6 .

As shown in FIG. 3 c , a bent piece 6 d is bent downward from the upper wall 6 c at one longitudinal end of the opening 6 a . A pin hole 6 e is formed in each side wall 6 b near the opening 6 a . As shown in FIGS. 3 a and 3 b , a pair of opposed projections 6 f are formed on the inner side of the side walls 6 b . Each projection 6 f is located on the right side of the pin hole 6 e as viewed in FIGS. 3 a and 3 b.

As shown in FIGS. 1 a to 1 c , a clip 10 , which serves as a connecting member, is arranged between the two side walls 6 b of the primary frame 6 . The clip 10 is preferably made of resin and is pivotal in a plane parallel to the side walls 6 b . The primary frame 6 is connected to the arm 1 by the clip 10 . As shown in FIGS. 4 a , 4 c , and 4 d , the clip 10 has a connecting portion 10 a , which corresponds to the coupling portion 5 a of the arm piece 5 . As shown in FIG. 4 c , the cross-section of the connecting portion 10 a is generally U-shaped to correspond with the coupling portion 5 a. The coupling portion 5 a of the arm piece 5 clamps the connecting portion 10 a when assembled. An elastic piece 10 b , which deforms elastically, is formed on the lower portion of the connecting portion 10 a . A protrusion 10 c , which engages the slot 5 c of the arm piece 5 , is formed in the middle of the elastic piece 10 b.

As shown in FIGS. 4 a to 4 d , the clip 10 has a pair of side plates, or flanges 10 d . The two flanges 10 d extend parallel to each other from an end 10 e of the connecting portion 10 a . The distal ends of the two flanges 10 d are connected to each other by a reinforced portion 10 f . A cavity is formed between the two flanges 1 d , the end 10 e of the connecting portion 10 a , and the reinforced portion 10 f.

A pin hole 10 g extends through the two flanges 10 d and the connecting portion 10 a midway along the side plates of the clip 10 . More specifically, the pin hole 10 g extends through the connecting portion 10 a near the end 10 e.

The clip 10 further has an arcuate guide groove 10 h formed on each side surface to the right of the pin hole 10 g , as viewed in FIGS. 4 a , 4 b . Each guide groove 10 h has a terminal end 10 i and an open end located at the top of the side surface of the clip 10 .

To attach the clip 10 to the primary frame 6 , the clip 10 is inserted into the space between the side walls 6 b from below the primary frame 6 , as shown in FIG. 1 . The projections 6 f of the primary frame 6 are arranged in the guide grooves 10 h of the clip 10 . The outer surfaces of the two flanges 10 d are substantially parallel to and separated by a slight gap (not shown) from the side walls 6 b of the primary frame 6 . A pin 11 is then inserted through the pin holes 6 e , 10 g . This connects the clip 10 to the primary frame 6 pivotally about the pin 11 , or pivot. When the clip 10 pivots relative to the primary frame 6 , the projections 6 f move along the arcuate guide grooves 10 h.

The left end of the clip 10 (i.e., the reinforced portion 10 f and the distal ends of the two flanges 10 d ) is located at the left side of the bent piece 6 d of the primary frame 6 , as viewed in FIG. 1 c . In other words, the reinforced portion 10 f is engaged with the bent piece 6 d.

The distance L 1 , shown in FIG. 1 a , between the end 10 e of the connecting portion 10 a and the bent piece 6 d is longer than the distance L 2 , shown in FIGS. 5 a and 5 b , between an end 5 d and a distal end 5 b of the coupling portion 5 a of the arm piece 5 .

The procedure for attaching the arm piece 5 to the clip 10 will now be described. As shown by the broken lines in FIG. 6, the coupling portion 5 a of the arm piece 5 is inserted into the space between the end 10 e of the connecting portion 10 a and the bent piece 6 d . The arm piece 5 is then moved to the position shown by the solid lines in FIG. 6 . This elastically deforms the elastic piece 10 b and causes the connecting portion 10 a to be clamped by the coupling portion 5 a . Furthermore, the protrusion 10 c engages the slot 5 c of the coupling portion 5 a . Accordingly, the arm piece 5 is fixed to the clip 10 .

The position of the pin 11 and the position of contact between the reinforced portion 10 f and the lower surface of the upper wall 6 c is determined so that the upper surface of the connecting portion 10 a of the clip 10 is separated from the upper wall surface 6 g of the primary frame 6 by distance H when the reinforced portion 10 f contacts the lower surface of the upper wall 6 c . Thus, the wiper blade 2 moves between a first restricting position (minimum inclination position) shown in FIG. 6 and a second restricting position (maximum inclination position) shown in FIG. 7 . As a result, the wiper blade 2 does not contact the arm 1 .

The automobile wiper of the first embodiment has the advantages described below.

(1) In the automobile wiper of the first embodiment, the engagement of the distal portions of the two flanges 10 d and the reinforcing portion 10 f with the lower surface of the upper wall 6 c of the primary frame 6 limits the relative pivoting range of the clip 10 with respect to the primary frame 6 . Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the relative pivoting range of the clip 10 relative to the primary frame 6 is limited by the contact between the projections 6 f of the primary frame 6 and the terminal ends 10 i of the guide grooves 10 h of the clip 10 so that the maximum angle between the arm piece 5 and the wiper blade 2 is θ degrees or less. That is, the automobile wiper restricts the relative pivoting between the primary frame 6 and the clip 10 (i.e., the relative pivoting between the arm 1 and the wiper blade 2 ) within a range such that the arm 1 and the wiper blade 2 do not contact each other. As a result, the wiper blade 2 does not contact the arm 1 even if, for example, the arm 1 and the wiper blade 2 are held upright relative to the windshield in a lock-back state. Accordingly, since the applied film is prevented from being damaged, the outer appearance of the wiper remains the same. Furthermore, the high durability of the wiper is maintained.

(2) The outer surface of the clip 10 is separated from the side walls 6 b of the primary frame 6 by a slight distance. Since the distance is relatively small, the clip 10 is not loosely held between the side walls 6 b of the primary frame 6 . As a result, loosening of the wiper blade 2 relative to the arm 1 is restricted.

Furthermore, the wiper arm 1 is fixed to the clip 10 by engagement of the coupling portion 5 a with the connecting portion 10 a , which extends perpendicular to the pin 11 . The flanges 10 d extend in a direction opposite to that of the connecting portion 10 a . In other words, the flanges 10 d extend from one side of the pin 11 and the connecting portion 10 a extends from the other side of the pin 11 so that the clip 10 extends longitudinally. This prevents loosening of the coupled portions of the wiper blade 2 .

The clip 10 is separated by a slight gap from the side walls 6 b of the primary frame 6 . However, the clip 10 is provided with the pair of long flanges 10 d . Accordingly, when the clip 10 receives an external force, the outer surfaces of the two flanges 10 d come into substantial surface contact with the side walls 6 b of the primary frame 6 (planar contact). This restricts inclination of the side surfaces of the clip 10 relative to the side walls 6 b of the primary frame 6 and loosening of the clip 10 . As a result, the wiper 1 wipes the windshield without leaving any unwiped areas.

(3) The two flanges 10 d are connected at the reinforcing portion 10 f . This prevents damage that may be caused when the distal end of the two flanges 10 d contact the lower surface of the upper wall 6 c of the primary frame 6 . In addition, the reinforcing portion 10 f prevents the outer surface of the thin flanges 10 d from being deformed when the outer surfaces of the two flanges 10 d contact the side walls 6 b of the primary frame 6 to restrict loosening of the clip 10 . In other words, the reinforcing portion 10 f functions to prevent loosening of the clip 10 .

(4) Furthermore, the reinforcing portion 10 f prevents the distal portions of the two flanges 10 d from being deformed downward when the distal portions of the two flanges 10 d engage the bottom surface of the upper wall 6 of the primary frame 6 . This limits pivoting of the clip 10 relative to the primary frame 6 .

(5) The clip 10 is made of resin. Thus, even if the distal portions of the two flanges 10 d and the reinforcing portion 10 f contact the primary frame 6 , the film applied to the portions of contact are not damaged.

(6) The distal portions of the flanges 10 d and the reinforcing portion 10 f contact the lower surface of the upper wall 6 c of the primary frame 6 . Thus, even if such contact damages the film applied to the points of contact, the outer appearance of the automobile wiper is not affected.

(7) The distance L 1 between the end 10 e of the connecting portion 10 a and the bent piece 6 d of the primary frame is slightly longer than the distance L 2 between the end 5 d and the distal end 5 b of the coupling portion 5 a of the arm piece 5 . Accordingly, the coupling portion 5 a of the arm piece 5 is inserted into the space between the end 10 e of the connecting portion 10 a and the bent piece 6 d to engage the coupling portion 5 a with the connecting portion 10 a . In addition, when inserting the coupling portion 5 a into the space, the end 5 d of the coupling portion 5 a is guided into the space by the bent piece 6 d . This facilitates attachment of the coupling portion 5 a.

The first embodiment may be modified as described below.

The flange 10 d may be provided on only one side of the connecting portion 10 a of the clip 10 . In this case, the reinforcing portion 10 f need not be formed. Instead, a contact portion extending from the distal end of the flange 10 d and engaging the lower surface of the upper wall 6 c of the primary frame 6 may be formed. In such structure, the distal portion of the flange 10 d or the reinforcing portion 10 f contacts the lower surface of the upper wall 6 c of the primary frame 6 . Thus, pivoting of the clip 10 relative to the primary frame 6 is limited.

The reinforcing portion 10 f connecting the distal portions of the two flanges 10 d may be eliminated. Such a structure also has the above advantages (1), (2), and (5) to (7).

The bent piece 6 d need not be formed at the end portion of the upper wall 6 c of the primary frame 6 . Such a structure also has the above advantages (1) to (6).

The pivoting of the clip 10 relative to the primary frame 6 is limited by the contact between the projections 6 f of the primary frame 6 and the terminal ends 10 i of the arcuate guide grooves 10 h of the clip 10 . However, the pivoting may be limited through other means. For example, a projection extending from the lower portion of the primary frame 6 toward the upper wall 6 c may be formed integrally with the primary frame 6 . When the distal portion of the flanges 10 d contacts the upper wall 6 c and lower portion (projection), pivoting of the clip 10 relative to the primary frame 6 is limited.

The present examples and embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalence of the appended claims.