Visibility enhancement system for a CNC machine center

A visibility enhancement system for a CNC machine center that incorporates a windshield wiper assembly. The CNC machine center has a door with a window for viewing machining operations therein. The windshield wiper arm and its wiper blade are mounted on the inner surface of the window in the door. The windshield wiper assembly has structure on the outer surface of the door for reciprocally rotating the windshield wiper arm back and forth through a predetermined angle. The windshield wiper assembly has spring means for constantly pressing the wiper blade against the inner surface of the window. The windshield wiper arm has an adjustable length arm that allows different lengths of wiper blades to be used.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The visibility enhancement system for a CNC machine center will now be described by referring to FIGS. 1 - 4 of the drawings. The CNC machine center is generally designated numeral 10 . It has a console 12 , a CNC cutting machine 14 , a door 16 and a door 18 . Door 18 has a window 20 and a handle 22 . Window 20 has a peripheral edge 24 having a top edge 25 , a bottom edge 26 , a left edge 27 and a right edge 28 . A windshield wiper assembly 30 is mounted adjacent the intersection of top edge 25 and left edge 27 . The structure of the windshield wiper assembly 30 and the manner in which it is mounted on door 18 is best understood by referring to FIGS. 2 - 4 . It has an elongated spindle or shaft 32 having a crank arm 33 secured to its front end. A knob 34 is secured to crank arm 33 . The rear end of spindle 32 has a pair of diametrically opposed flat sections 36 that are interspersed by external threads 37 . A snap ring groove 38 is located intermediate the length of spindle 32 . The function of these elements will be described later. A cylindrically-shaped spindle housing has a flange 41 adjacent its front end having ring shaped flange portions 43 and 44 . The wing-shaped flange portions 43 and 44 have respective apertures 45 and 46 passing therethrough. Cylindrically-shaped spindle housing 40 has a diameter DI and a neck portion 50 . It has a bushing 52 having a bore hole 53 . Spindle 32 is journaled in bushing 52 so that it rotates freely. Spindle housing 40 is installed in door 18 by drilling a hole from its outer surface all the way through to its inner surface. This hole would have a diameter slightly larger than D 1 so that it is easily insertable therein. Laterally spaced holes would be drilled through door 18 to align with the apertures 45 and 46 in flange 41 . Washers 55 and nuts 56 would be screwed onto the ends of a screws 57 to keep spindle housing 40 stationary and prevent spindle housing 40 from rotating. A flat washer 58 is inserted over the rear end of spindle 32 as it passes through spindle housing 40 and a snap ring 60 would be inserted into snap ring groove 38 . The rear end of spindle 32 also passes through a bore hole 62 in a tapered splined sleeve 61 that internal is diametrically opposed flat surface areas 64 that mate with the flat portions 36 on spindle 32 so that rotation of spindle 32 also causes rotation of tapered splined sleeve 61 . Spindle arm 66 has a splined bore 68 that mates with the splines on the outer surface of tapered spine sleeve 61 . Spindle arm 66 also has a bore hole in its rear end that allows the front end of spindle 32 to pass therethrough and a lock washer 68 and a castle nut 69 are screwed on to its end. A pivot pin 71 secures windshield wiper arm 73 to spindle arm 66 . A coil spring 74 has its one end captured by a pin 75 . The opposite end of coil spring 74 is secured to a link 77 whose other end is secured to spindle arm 66 and that applies a spring tension causing the windshield wiper arm 73 to be pressed against the inner surface of window 20 . A length adjustment arm 80 can have its length adjusted by locking lever 82 so that different lengths of wiper blades can be utilized. A bracket 84 is mounted adjacent the front end of adjustable length arm 80 and it has diametrically opposed apertures 85 that receive pins 86 extending outwardly from blade frame 88 that holds the wiper blade 90 . FIG. 1 shows that window 20 has a film of lubricants and machine cuttings sprayed against its inner surface. The path of wiper blade 90 over the inner surface of window 20 shows how the visibility is dramatically improved thereby allowing a person on the outside of door 18 to view the machining operations in the CNC machine center. A person can continually crank arm 33 up and down through an angle A that is approximately 90° to provide a clear area on the inside surface of the window. It is understood that a D.C. motor or a pneumatic motor could be utilized to reciprocally rotate spindle 32 back and forth through the predetermined angle A.