Window-wiping device for double headlights on motor vehicles

A device for wiping the windows of double headlights on a motor vehicle, which includes two wipers angularly spread out and set in motion in accordance with an alternative circular movement on a joint motor shaft located inside a zone included between two neighboring headlights characterized in that one of the wipers is directly set in motion by the shaft on the tip of which it is mounted, whereas the other wiper is set in motion by way of a delayed coupling mounted on the joint shaft in such a way as to provide a delay in its motion and therefore to reduce its wiping range in relation to the range of the first wiper.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates generally to a wiping device for the windows 
on headlights of a motor vehicle and more particularly, on windows of 
doubled headlights separately ensuring functions of headlights and dipped 
or low beam headlights. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
In the case of doubled headlights placed side by side, either substantially 
in the same plane, or in slightly inclined planes within the axle of the 
vehicle, wiping devices are known in which the wipers of each headlight 
are activated simultaneously by an identical alternative angular movement 
from a joint motor shaft located in a zone included between the two 
headlights of a same couple. 
In the case of two headlights located in shifted planes, it is known that 
each window-wiping arm is set in motion by each tip of a spacer locked 
onto the shaft, so that the displacement between the arms corresponds with 
the displacement between the windows. 
When the vacuum is filled, which exists in the vicinity between the 
headlights, for esthetic reasons, with the help of an escutcheon made of 
plastic and/or insignias surrounding the headlights, one must avoid, 
especially if the external curved surface of the windows is slightly 
embedded into the escutcheon, the wipers stumbling against the sides of 
these surrounding parts, by applying trims in such parts so as not to 
encumber the wiper and reduce the wiping range, which is already affected 
by the pronounced curvature of the headlight-wipers. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
For the purpose of reducing the trims applied to the surrounding parts 
(escutcheon, insignias), or even suppressing them entirely, at least in 
the case of one of the headlights, this invention offers a window-wiping 
device for double headlights with a wiper drive from a joint motor shaft, 
in which the clearance, and therefore the wiping range, of one of the 
wipers is lesser than the clearance of the other wiper. 
This result is obtained by the fact that the shaft, which also sets the 
wiper of the "standard sweep" into direct drive, sets the wiper of the 
"reduced sweep" by way of a delaying coupling comprised of two parts 
mounted on the shaft, one of which may have a lug which first engages in 
free travel within the curvilinear port of the other part, before setting 
the latter into rotation. 
The angular hop of the lug within the port corresponds with the delay in 
the drive of the delayed wiper and thus with the difference between the 
wiping ranges of the two respective wipers. 
Such a device is of interest if one maintains the standard sweep for the 
projectors of the headlights, the function of which is deemed a priority 
for safety reasons, and of which the useful surface of the window is 
greater than that of the dipped headlights. 
With respect to the latter, one can be content with reduced wiping, where 
the wipers, which are tightly bent, do not exceed the window surface at 
the end of the sweep, which precisely avoids the above-mentioned trims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to FIG. 1, seen from the front of the vehicle, a pair of 
projectors or headlights, one of which, 1, on the left, is assigned to the 
headlight and the other of which 2, on the right, is kept for the dipped 
headlight. 
The projectors are equipped with a device for wiping windows comprised 
mainly of two wipers 3, 4 tightly bent so as to embrace, in their 
illustrated resting position, the silhouette of the circular projectors, 
being driven by two arms 5, 6 mounted on a joint motor shaft 7 located in 
a zone included between the two neighboring projectors. The motor 
transmits to the wipers a conventional alternative circular movement. 
In accordance with the invention, the first wiper 3 (or its arm) is driven 
directly by the shaft 7 on which it is locked to perform an angular sweep 
.alpha., whereas the second wiper 4 is driven by way of a delaying 
coupling 8 mounted on the joint shaft 7 so that its start can be triggered 
when the first wiper 3 has already performed the travel .beta. and 
reducing, therefore, its wiping range at a corresponding angular value 
.beta. in relation to the range .alpha. of the first wiper. 
As one can see in FIG. 1, if the tip of the wiper 3 of the dipped or low 
beam headlight overflows at the end of the sweep 31 of the window surface 
9, on the other hand, the wiper of the headlight projector remains inside 
41 of the window surface 10, which first of all avoids an additional trim 
to be carried out on the surrounding parts, such as the escutcheon 11 or 
the insignia 12, or the planning of a withdrawn curve in the parts inside 
the striped zone 14. 
FIG. 2 shows the drive of arms 5, 6 of the wipers, brought back inside the 
same plane for better clarity. 
The wiper 3 on arm 5 of the headlight projector is shown in direct drive on 
the tip of the motor arm 7, equipped in this case with a threaded head 15 
crossing the flange 16 and tightened by a nut 17. The lock is obtained by 
squeezing a conic reduction 18 of the shaft into a corresponding bore of 
the flange 16. 
The other wiper 4 on arm 6, described as delayed, is mounted on the joint 
shaft by way of a coupling 8 made of two adjacent parts, one of which 19 
attached to the shaft in both rotation and translation, drives the other, 
20, which is assembled freely around the shaft 7, with a lug 21 thereof 
being received in a curvilinear port 22 of the part 19. 
The depicted embodiment, serving as an illustration, uses for the first 
time the bush part 19 (FIG. 4), secured at 23 onto the shaft and including 
a curvilinear port 22 which is concentric on the axle, of which the 
angular length corresponds with the delay in the drive and the predefined 
reduction of the sweeping range. 
The second part of the coupling (FIG. 3) is another bush 20 which bears the 
lug 21 engaging itself into the port of the first part, and also has a 
wing or tread portion 24 for assembling the articulation of the delayed 
wiper 4. 
The part 20, which supports the delayed wiper, is sustained in a 
translation motion onto the shaft 7, between the wedged bush 19 and the 
flange of the wiper in direct drive, although maintaining a weak 
longitudinal play to preserve the free rotation of the part 20 around the 
shaft. 
As depicted in FIG. 2, it is possible to intersperse between the two 
wipers, while respecting the preceding play 25, a tubular spacer 26, 
fitted on the shaft, of a length corresponding to the displacement 
ultimately present between the windows of the two projectors 1, 2 in the 
axle of the vehicle. 
The operation of the device is simple. Starting from the rest position of 
the two wipers in FIG. 1, when the motor shaft 7 performs the "go" phase 
of its alternative movement, the "direct" wiper 3 is driven immediately, 
as well as the bush 19, which pivots in a .beta. angle which corresponds 
to the curvilinear length of its port 22. 
When the port arrives on the lug 21 in a thrust-like manner (broken line 
position of FIG. 4), which corresponds to the position 27 of the wiper 3 
(FIG. 1), the coupling achieved between the two bushes triggers the drive 
of the "delayed" wiper 4, which then ends its sweep at the same time as 
the first wiper. 
Thus, when the shaft 7 and the "direct" wiper 3 clear an angular motion 
.alpha., the delayed wiper 4 clears an angular motion of (.alpha.-.beta.), 
in conformity with the invention. 
The return phase of the movement of the shaft performs the same functions, 
but in the reverse order. 
The invention is not restricted to the depicted embodiment, but encompasses 
all basic technical equivalencies which lead to an identical result, 
especially in regard to the delayed coupling, of which the port and lug 
can be worn indiscriminately by either one of the bushes present. 
Accordingly, many modifications and variations are possible in light of 
the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the 
scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise 
than as specifically described herein.