Support for the joint hinge of wiper blade

A support (30) for the joint hinge of a wiper blade (10) at a hook-shaped end (20) of a bar (18) in a windshield wiper. Owing to an open hub on part of its periphery (28), the support can be slipped on a bearing shank of the wiper blade (10) and, so mounted, be maintained by the hook-shaped end (20) above hub surfaces (46, 62, 66) and ratchet elements (70, 76, 78). The two side walls (32, 34) which are connected by the hub (36) and a plurality of crossbars (60, 64, 70) extend in the longitudinal direction (38), on both sides, towards the hub (34) and the inside widths (40, 42) between the side walls (32, 34) are different at their opposite ends.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention is based on a bearing element for hinging a wiper blade.

Known windshield wipers have a wiper arm that is comprised of a fastening part and an articulating part hinged to it that has a wiper rod. Furthermore, the have wiper blade that is comprised of a support bracket system with a primary center bracket and articulatingly connected, subordinate intermediary brackets as well as claw brackets and a wiper strip. The wiper blade is linked to the wiper arm by virtue of the fact that a hook-shaped end of the wiper rod holds a bearing element that is disposed between two side-pieces of the center bracket and, with a hub that is open over a circumference region, constitutes a hinge bolt of the center bracket. The articulation thus formed guides the wiper blade during the pivoting motion over the windshield, wherein the articulation and the support bracket system make it possible for the wiper strip to be able to adapt to a convexity of the windshield.

While the wiper arm is as a rule embodied in a vehicle specific manner and experiences practically no wear during the service life, the wiper blade wears particularly at the articulations and on the wiper strip so that it must be replaced frequently during the service life of the vehicle. In this connection, as a rule not only is the wiper strip replaced but also the entire wiper blade, which is commercially available.

In order to keep the number of wiper blade types low, plastic bearing elements are packaged along with the wiper blades and have a number of receiving devices for the wiper rod thus permitting the same wiper to be used with wiper rods of different material thicknesses and widths as well as different material thicknesses and widths as well as different bending radii and detent elements. From the available bearing elements, the user selects the one suited for his vehicle and discards the rest. The excess bearing elements increase the wiper blade packaging and lead to an increase in waste. Furthermore the transport and storage volume is increased.

EP 0 234 525 B1 has disclosed a bearing element of this generic type, which has a lateral strut that is offset from the open hub in the longitudinal direction and, when the bearing element is mounted on the hook-shaped end of the wiper rode, serves as a fixing in the longitudinal direction. To that end, the lateral strut has a distance from the rotational axis of the hub, which corresponds to the external bending radius of the hook-shaped end of the wiper rode. The wiper rode therefore does not require any detent opening for the longitudinal securing of the bearing element. The bearing element is consequently suited for wiper rods with and without a detent opening.

Furthermore, EP 0 655 373 A1 has disclosed a similar bearing element, which has two lateral struts disposed offset from the hub in the longitudinal direction, which serve as a longitudinal securing device for a hook-shaped end of a wiper rod, and the lateral strut that is disposed closest to the rotational axis is used for a hook-shaped end with a smaller bending radius and the other lateral strut is used for a hook-shaped end with a larger bending radius. The hook-shaped end with a larger-bending radius rests with its curved inner surface against a correspondingly shaped contact face of the first lateral strut. Consequently this bearing element is suited for wiper rods whose hook-shaped ends have two different bending radii. In order to keep the wiper rode from rotating in relation to the wiper rod it has an additional lateral strut and a detent projection disposed offset toward the hub. When mounting, the wiper rod is locked in detent fashion between the lateral strut and the detent projection.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, the bearing element has two side walls that are connected by way of an open hub and a number of lateral struts. The side walls extend in the longitudinal direction of the bearing element on both sides of the hub wherein the clearances of the side walls are different sizes on the opposite ends. The bearing element can consequently be used for wiper rods of a different widths by virtue of the fact that on the one hand, a wide wiper rod is guided laterally between the end regions of the side walls that have a large clearance and on the other hand a narrower wiper rod is guided between the end regions on the opposite end of the bearing element.

Advantageously, the bearing element has the same external width at both ends so that it is favorably guided between the side-pieces of the center bracket. This is achieved by means of beads that define the smaller clearance of the side walls at one end.

According to one embodiment of the invention, an outer contour of the hub has a contact face for the hook-shaped end of the wiper rod with a small bending radius and a smaller material thickness. In the clearance that corresponds to the material thickness, a first lateral strut is disposed offset from the hub in the longitudinal direction and when mounted, rests against the outer bending radius of the hook-shaped end and consequently fixes the bearing element to the wiper arm the longitudinal direction. As a result, an otherwise customary detent projection which engages in a detent opening of the hook-shaped end of the wiper rod, is no longer necessary consequently, the bearing element is suited for wiper rods with different detent openings or those that do not have any detent opening.

For wiper rods with a hook-shaped end that has a larger bending radius, the first lateral strut has a contact face on its outer contour remote from the hub. At a distance from this contact face corresponding to the larger material thickness of the wiper rod, a second lateral strut is disposed, which represents a stop for the wiper rod in the longitudinal direction when mounted.

The second lateral strut has a flattened contact face toward the hub for a narrower wiper rod with a hook-shaped end that has a smaller bending radius and a smaller material thickness. In this instance, the first lateral strut is used to fix the wiper rod in the longitudinal direction when mounted. In this connection, the flattening selected so that is the central, flattened region of the contact face, the distance to the first lateral strut corresponds to the larger material thickness of the wiper rod with a larger bending radius.

In order to limit the pivoting motion of the wiper rod in the relation to the bearing element, additional lateral struts are provided against which there wipe rod rests when mounted suitably, a detent projection is provided on the side walls, at least on one end which connection with the additional lateral struts, secure the wiper rod in the mounted position. The legs of the wiper rod on its hook-shaped end are disposed virtually parallel to the longitudinal direction, wherein the wiper rod is fixed between the additional lateral struts and the respective detent projections. So that wiper rods with a different material thickness can be fixed in a play-free manner, it is advantageous to dispose the detent projection as offset in relation to the other struts, toward the hub in the longitudinal direction. As a result the, wiper rod with the smaller material thickness is given a greater inclination in relation to the longitudinal direction so that it fills the intermediary space projection in the longitudinal direction between additional lateral strut and the detent hub in a play-free manner.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The windshield wiper shown inFIG. 1has a wiper arm12with a fastening part14and an articulating part16to which a wiper rod18is attached. The articulating part16and the wiper rod18can also be embodied as being of one piece. With its hook-shaped end20(FIG. 5), the wiper rod18holds a bearing element30, which is disposed between side-pieces of a center bracket22and includes a supporting bolt28of the center bracket22with an open hub36. The center bracket22is part of a wiper blade10whose wiper strip26is articulatingly connected to the center bracket22by way of claw brackets24.

The bearing element30has two side walls32,34extending in the longitudinal direction38, which are connected to each other by way of the hub36, a first lateral strut60, a second lateral strut64, and additional lateral struts70. The side walls32,34have different sized clearances40,42on their ends, wherein the smaller clearance4is formed by beads44so that externally, the width of the bearing element30is the same at both ends despite the different clearances40,42and as a result, the bearing element30is reliably guided in the center bracket22. The different clearances40,42are provided for wiper rods18with a corresponding width, which are guided with the hook-shaped end20between the side walls32and34. Consequently, the bearing element30can be used for wiper rods18with two different widths.

The lateral struts60,64,70are arranged in the longitudinal direction38at both sides of the hub36.

The hook-shaped end20with a smaller material thickness52and a smaller bending radius (FIG. 5) is slid lateral to the longitudinal direction38through the bearing element30and is pulled over the hub36until the inner contour rests against the hub36. Then it is pivoted by approx. 90° until it rests with its longer leg72against the addition strut70and engages in detent fashion between it and a detent projection76(FIG. 5). In the mounted position (FIG. 5), the legs72,74of the wiper rod18are disposed nearly parallel to the longitudinal direction38, but with a slight inclination so that the inner and outer sides of the longer leg72rest in a play-free manner against the detent projection76or against the additional lateral strut70. This is achieved in particular by virtue of the fact that in relation to the additional lateral strut70, the detent projection76is disposed offset toward the hub36in the longitudinal direction38.

In the longitudinal direction38, the hook-shaped end20is held by the first lateral strut60, which is disposed at a distance56from the hub36that corresponds to the smaller material thickness52. On the side remote from the hub36, the first lateral strut60has a contact fact62for a wiper rod18with a hook-shaped end20, which has a larger bending radius50and a larger material thickness54(FIG. 6). The hook-shaped end20according toFIG. 6is mounted in a manner similar to the one according toFIG. 5, but it is pulled over the hub36and the first lateral strut60and is then pivoted by 90° around a virtual axis that is disposed between the contact face62and the hub36until the longer leg72engages in detent fashion between the additional lateral strut70and the detent projection76. Corresponding recesses82are provided on the hub6so that the hook-shaped end20can be pulled over the hub36and the first lateral strut60, and can then be rotated.

The elements70,76,78are actually detent means which hold the bearing element30by the hook-shaped end20.

For securing in the longitudinal direction38, a second lateral strut64is provided at the distance58from the first lateral strut60. Toward the first lateral strut60, this second lateral strut has a contact face66, which has a flattening68in its central region. The contact face66is used to receive a hook-shaped end20of a narrower wiper rod18with a smaller bending radius and a smaller material thickness52(FIG. 7). The flattening68achieves the fact that the contact face62of the first lateral strut60can provide for the axial securing of the hook-shaped end20with the smaller material thickness52according toFIG. 7, and a spacing58is nevertheless achieved for a hook-shaped end20with a larger material thickness54according toFIG. 6.

InFIG. 7the longer and shorter legs are identified as72′ and74′.

In order to mount the bearing element30on the supporting bolt28, recesses80are provided in the side walls32,34and are connected to the open side of the hub36. Through the elasticity of the material, the bearing element30can be clipped onto the supporting bolt28and consequently can be packaged and supplied in a pre-assembled state with the wiper blade10.

The bearing element30according to the invention can be used for wiper rods18with two different widths, material thickness52,54, and bending radii48,50. As a result, the requirements for the three most common wiper rods18, namely with a cross sectional profile of 8×3 mm, 9×3 mm, and 9×4 mm, can be fulfilled by one bearing element30. It replaces and reduces the bewildering array of bearing element that are normally packaged along the wiper blade10. Furthermore, it can be pre-assembled in a user-friendly manner and additionally reduces the packaging size.