Abstract:
A wiper for a vehicle including: a wiper stripe; a plurality of supports combined with the wiper strip; first and second yokes slidably supporting the plurality of supports; a first auxiliary lever having one end combined with a middle portion of the first yoke; a second auxiliary lever having one end combined with a middle portion of the second yoke; and a primary lever having one end combined with the first auxiliary lever and another end combined with the second auxiliary lever and including an arm combination hole in which a wiper arm is combined with a center of the primary lever, wherein the primary lever is combined with the first auxiliary lever and the second auxiliary lever, the first auxiliary lever and the first yoke are combined with each other, and the second auxiliary lever and the second yoke are combined with each other.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of Korean Utility-model Application No. 20-2009-0015874, filed on Dec. 7, 2009, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a wiper for a vehicle having improved assembling efficiency of components and reduced weight. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Generally, in a wiper assembly, a motor drives a link device connected to a body of a vehicle and connected to a wiper arm, and the link device makes a repeated reciprocating motion, so as to remove foreign substances on a windshield or rear window of the vehicle. 
         [0004]    The wiper assembly is an essential component for safely driving the vehicle. 
         [0005]    In a conventional wiper, a pair of supports made of metal are combined with a wiper strip made of rubber. The pair of supports are supported by a plurality of yokes. The plurality of yokes are connected to each other by a plurality of auxiliary levers. 
         [0006]    However, in the conventional wiper, the yokes and the auxiliary levers are rotatably combined with one another or the auxiliary levers are rotatably combined with one another by using a pin or rivet. A spacer having a low coefficient of friction or the like is combined with a portion in which the yokes and the auxiliary levers are rotatably combined with one another or in which the auxiliary levers are rotatably combined with one another by using a pin or rivet, so as to reduce a frictional resistance. Thus, the number of components that constitute one wiper may be between  15  and  20 . Also, in the conventional wiper, a primary lever and an auxiliary lever each formed of metal are used. Thus, the conventional wiper may be heavy. The conventional wiper having a large number of components and being heavy gives rise to an increased load on a wiper arm as well as an increased load on a window of a vehicle when the wiper is installed to the vehicle, causes malfunction and adversely affects the reliability of the wiper. Thus, a wiper that is light and that has improved assembling efficiency needs to be developed. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention provides a wiper for a vehicle having improved assembling efficiency and reduced weight, in which the number of components of the wiper is remarkably reduced compared to a conventional wiper for a vehicle. 
         [0008]    According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wiper for a vehicle having improved assembling efficiency and reduced weight, the wiper including: a wiper strip disposed in sliding contact with a glass pane of a vehicle and for removing foreign substances on the glass pane; a plurality of supports combined with the wiper strip, disposed in a lengthwise direction of the wiper strip and having elasticity; a first yoke slidably supporting the plurality of supports on ends of the first yoke; a second yoke disposed separate from the first yoke and slidably supporting the supports on ends of the second yoke; a first auxiliary lever having one end combined with a middle portion of the first yoke in such a way that the first auxiliary lever is able to be rotated relative to the first yoke and another end slidably supporting one end of the supports; a second auxiliary lever having one end combined with a middle portion of the second yoke in such a way that the second auxiliary lever is able to be rotated relative to the second yoke and another end slidably supporting one end of the supports; and a primary lever having one end combined with the first auxiliary lever in such a way that the primary lever is able to be rotated relative to the first auxiliary lever and another end combined with the second auxiliary lever in such a way that the primary lever is able to be rotated relative to the second auxiliary lever and including an arm combination hole in which a wiper arm is combined with a center of the primary lever, wherein the primary lever is combined with the first auxiliary lever and the second auxiliary lever, the first auxiliary lever and the first yoke are combined with each other, the second auxiliary lever and the second yoke are combined with each other, the first yoke and the second yoke each include a through hole by which the first yoke and the second yoke are combined with the first auxiliary lever and the second auxiliary lever, respectively, the first yoke and the second yoke accommodate portions of the wiper strip and the supports, and a combination protrusion protruding from sidewalls of inner circumferences of the first auxiliary lever and the second auxiliary lever toward the through hole is formed to be elastically accommodated in the through hole. 
         [0009]    The primary lever may include a pair of protrusion combination portions extending from an upper portion of an inner circumference of the ends of the primary lever to a lower portion thereof, and the first auxiliary lever and the second auxiliary lever each may include an accommodation hole in which the protrusion combination portion is accommodated. 
         [0010]    The pair of protrusion combination portions each may include: a protrusion accommodation portion formed concavely at a side surface of one protrusion combination portion; and a protrusion protruding from a side surface of the accommodation hole toward the protrusion accommodation portion. 
         [0011]    The wiper may further include: a cover combination portion protruding from sidewalls of the arm combination hole in a vertical direction; and a cover having a hole of which one side to be combined with the cover combination portion is opened, wherein a cross-section of the cover combination portion is non-circular, and the non-circular cross-section tapers in a direction in which the cover is combined with the cover combination portion. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a schematic exploded perspective view of a wiper according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is another view of the wiper of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  illustrates an assembling structure of portions a and b illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0016]      FIGS. 4 through 6  illustrate an assembling structure of a portion c illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  illustrates a structure of a portion d illustrated in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view taken along a line VIII-VIII of  FIG. 7 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  illustrates a structure of conventional yokes corresponding to  FIG. 7 ; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view taken along a line X-X of  FIG. 9 .  FIG. 1  is 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0021]    The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a schematic exploded perspective view of a wiper according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         [0023]      FIG. 1  is a schematic exploded perspective view of a wiper  10  for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 2  is another view of the wiper  10 , and  FIG. 3  illustrates an assembling structure of portions a and b illustrated in  FIG. 1 , and  FIGS. 4 through 6  illustrate an assembling structure of a portion c illustrated in  FIG. 1 , and  FIG. 7  illustrates a structure of a portion d illustrated in  FIG. 2 , and  FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view taken along a line VIII-VIII of  FIG. 7 . 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 8 , the wiper  10  according to the current embodiment of the present invention includes a wiper strip  20 , a pair of supports  25 , a first yoke  30 , a second yoke  32 , a first auxiliary lever  40 , a second auxiliary lever  42 , a primary lever  60 , and a cover  70 . 
         [0025]    The wiper strip  20  is disposed in sliding contact with a glass pane of a vehicle and removes foreign substances on the surface of the glass. The wiper strip  20  is generally formed of rubber. The wiper strip  20  includes recesses (not shown) formed in sides of the wiper strip  20  in which the pair of supports  25 , which will be described later, are to be combined. The wiper strip  20  used in the present invention is not largely different from a wiper strip used in a conventional tournament type wiper strip and thus, a detailed description thereof will not be provided here. 
         [0026]    The pair of supports  25  are combined with the wiper strip  20 . The supports  25  are disposed on the wiper strip  20  along a lengthwise direction of the wiper strip  20 . The supports  25  have elasticity. Two supports  25  are disposed in the current embodiment, but three or more supports  25  may be disposed instead. The supports  25  are inserted in the recesses formed in the sides of the wiper strip  20  to be combined with the wiper strip  20 . The supports  25  give elasticity and rigidity to the wiper strip  20  and are not largely different from those used in a conventional tournament type wiper assembly. 
         [0027]    The first yoke  30  slidably supports the supports  25 . The first yoke  30  is different from a yoke used in a conventional tournament type wiper assembly. In other words, the first yoke  30  can accommodate the wiper strip  20  and the supports  25 . Thus, a problem in which there is a limitation in reducing the overall height of a wiper when a conventional tournament type yoke is used can be solved. The first yoke  30  supports the supports  25  on two ends of the first yoke  30 . The first yoke  30  is separated from ends of the supports  25  and supports the supports  25  at positions near the centers of the supports  25  in a lengthwise direction of the supports  25 . 
         [0028]    The first yoke  30  includes a through hole  33  through which the first yoke  30  is combined with the first auxiliary lever  40 . The through hole  33  is formed in a widthwise direction of the first yoke  30 . A combination protrusion  48  formed in the first auxiliary lever  40 , which will be described later, is elastically combined with the through hole  33 . In other words, the through hole  33  is one of components by which the first yoke  30  and the first auxiliary lever  40  are combined with each other. 
         [0029]    The second yoke  32  has the same structure as that of the first yoke  30 . The second yoke  32  is disposed separate from the first yoke  30 . In other words, the second yoke  32  slidably supports the supports  25  on two ends of the second yoke  32 . The ends of the first yoke  30  and the second yoke  32  are separated from one another and are separated from the ends of the supports  25  by a predetermined distance. In other words, the first yoke  30  and the second yoke  32  do not support the ends of the supports  25  but support middle portions of the supports  25 . 
         [0030]    One end of the first auxiliary lever  40  is combined with a middle portion of the first yoke  30  so that the first auxiliary lever  40  may be rotated relative to the first yoke  30 . The other end of the first auxiliary lever  40  slidably supports one end of the supports  25 . In other words, the first auxiliary lever  40  performs a function similar to the functions of the first yoke  30  and the second yoke  32 . In detail, the first auxiliary lever  40  slidably supports one end of the supports  25 , thereby performing the same function as that of a third yoke in a conventional tournament type wiper assembly. The first auxiliary lever  40  includes a spoiler  45 . The spoiler  45  is integrally formed on a top surface of the first auxiliary lever  40 . In detail, the spoiler  45  forms the shape of the top surface of the first auxiliary lever  40 . The spoiler  45  causes air that flows toward the glass pane of the vehicle during a wiping operation to push the first auxiliary lever  40  towards the glass pane of the vehicle. The first auxiliary lever  40  includes an extension  47  accommodated in the primary lever  60 , which will be described later. The extension  47  includes an accommodation hole  49  in which a protrusion combination portion  62  disposed in the primary lever  60  is accommodated. A protrusion  50  is disposed protruding from inside the accommodation hole  49  toward a protrusion accommodation portion  64  disposed in the protrusion combination portion  62  so that the protrusion  50  may be elastically combined with the protrusion accommodation portion  64 . 
         [0031]    Also, the combination protrusion  48  is formed on a free end of the extension  47 . The combination protrusion  48  protrudes from sidewalls of an inner circumference of the first auxiliary lever  40  toward the through hole  33  so that the combination protrusion  48  may be elastically accommodated in the through hole  33 . For example, a pair of combination protrusions  48  may be formed, and the combination protrusions  48  are opposite to each other. The combination protrusion  48  and the through hole  33  are combined with each other so that the first yoke  30  and the first auxiliary lever  40  may be combined with each other in such a way as to be able to be rotated relative to each other. 
         [0032]    The second auxiliary lever  42  has a structure symmetrical with respect to the first auxiliary lever  40 . In other words, one end of the second auxiliary lever  42  is combined with a middle portion of the second yoke  32  in such a way as to be able to be rotated relative to each other. Another end of the second auxiliary lever  42  is combined with the supports  25  to slidably support one end of the supports  25 . A detailed structure of the second auxiliary lever  42  may be the same as that of the first auxiliary lever  40 , and thus a detailed description thereof will not be provided here. 
         [0033]    The primary lever  60  connects the first auxiliary lever  40  and the second auxiliary leer  42  to each other. One end of the primary lever  60  is combined with the first auxiliary lever  40  in such a way as to be able to be rotated relative to each other. Another end of the primary lever  60  is combined with the second auxiliary lever  42  in such a way as to be able to be rotated relative to each other. In detail, the protrusion combination portion  62  is disposed in each of the ends of the primary lever  60 . The protrusion combination portion  62  extends from an upper portion of an inner circumference each of the ends of the primary lever  60  to a lower portion thereof. The protrusion combination portion  62  includes the protrusion accommodation portion  64 . The protrusion accommodation portion  64  is formed concavely at a side surface of the protrusion combination portion  62 . The protrusion accommodation portion  64  is symmetrical with respect to side surfaces of the protrusion combination portion  62 . The protrusion accommodation portion  64  is combined with the protrusion  50  of the accommodation hole  49  so that the primary lever  60  and the first auxiliary lever  40  may be combined with each other in such a way as to be able to be rotated relative to each other. Thus, a bearing for reducing friction between components, unlike in a conventional wiper structure, does not need to be disposed in a portion in which the primary lever  60  and the first auxiliary lever  40  are combined with each other. In detail, a frictional coefficient between the primary lever  60  and the first auxiliary lever  40  formed of plastic is relatively small compared to a frictional coefficient between similar elements in a conventional wiper structure. 
         [0034]    An arm combination hole  66  that combines with a wiper arm  100  is formed in the center of the primary lever  60  in a lengthwise direction of the primary lever  60 . A clip  80  is combined with the arm combination hole  66 . The clip  80  is rotatably assembled with a central axis  67  formed in a widthwise direction of the arm combination hole  66 . The wiper arm  100  is assembled with the clip  80 . The primary lever  60  is formed by injection molding plastic, such as polypropylene. The primary lever  60  includes a spoiler  65 . The spoiler  65  is integrally disposed on the primary lever  60 . The spoiler  65  disposed on the primary lever  60  causes air that flows toward the glass pane of the vehicle during a wiping operation to push the primary lever  60  towards the glass pane of the vehicle. The arm combination hole  66  is a hole formed in a vertical direction. A cover combination portion  68  is disposed at sidewalls of the arm combination hole  66 . The cover combination portion  68  protrudes from the sidewalls of the arm combination hole  66  in the vertical direction. For example, a pair of cover combination portions  68  may be disposed, and the cover combination portions  68  may protrude from sidewalls of the arm combination hole  66  symmetrically. The cover  70  is combined with the cover combination portion  68 . The cover  70  includes a circular hole of which one side is opened so that the cover  70  may be combined with the cover combination portion  68 . A cross-section of the cover combination portion  68  is non-circular. In other words, the non-circular cross-section of the cover combination portion  68  tapers in a direction in which the cover  70  is combined with the cover combination portion  68 . The tapered cross-section of the cover combination portion  68  gradually increases from a portion smaller than a distance between opened portions of a circular hole of the cover  70  to a portion larger than a distance between the opened portions of the circular hole of the cover  70 . The cover combination portion  68  having the tapered structure prevents the cover  70  from easily escaping from the cover combination hole  68  when the cover  70  is combined with the cover combination portion  68 . 
         [0035]    The wiper arm  100  applies pressure against the glass pane of the vehicle by pressing against the wiper  10  according to the present invention and rotatably connects the wiper  10  to the body of the vehicle. 
         [0036]    Hereinafter, the function of the wiper  10  having the structure described above will be described in detail while describing the order of assembling the wiper  10 . 
         [0037]    First, the order of assembling the wiper  10  will be described with reference of the exploded perspective view of  FIG. 1 . 
         [0038]    The first auxiliary lever  40  and the first yoke  30  are rotatably combined with each other. In detail, the combination protrusion  48  disposed on the first auxiliary lever  40  and the through hole  33  disposed on the first yoke  30  are elastically combined with each other. In the same manner, the second auxiliary lever  42  and the second yoke  32  are combined with each other. The primary lever  60  and the first auxiliary lever  40  are rotatably combined with each other. In detail, the protrusion combination portion  62  disposed on the primary lever  60  and the accommodation hole  49  disposed on the first auxiliary lever  40  are elastically combined with each other. In this procedure, the protrusion  50  is elastically accommodated in the protrusion accommodation portion  64  disposed on the protrusion combination portion  62 . Thus, the primary lever  60  and the first auxiliary lever  40  are combined with each other in such a way as to be able to be rotated relative to each other. In the same manner, the primary lever  60  and the second auxiliary lever  42  are combined with each other. Now, the clip  80  and the cover  70  are combined with the primary lever  60 . In particular, a way to combine the cover  70  with the primary lever  60  will now be described. The opened portions of the circular hole formed in the cover  70  are combined with the cover combination portion  68 . In this procedure, since the cross-section of the cover combination portion  68  is non-circular, the cover  70  needs to be combined with the primary lever  60  in a predetermined orientation, as illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . Since the cover combination portion  68  has a tapered cross-section, the cover  70  needs to be slightly deformed elastically so that the cover combination portion  68  may enter the circular hole of the cover  70 . After the cover  70  is combined with the cover combination portion  68 , the cover  70  is then rotated to be fixed on the primary lever  60 , as illustrated in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0039]    The supports  25  are combined with the wiper strip  20 . A hook  43  disposed on the second auxiliary lever  42 , hooks  34  disposed on the first yoke  30  and the second yoke  32 , and a hook  44  disposed on the first auxiliary lever  40  are respectively combined with the wiper strip  20  and the supports  25 . Then, the wiper arm  100  is combined with the clip  80 . Through this procedure, assembling of the wiper  10  is completed. The above-described assembling method is only an embodiment and thus the order of assembling components may be changed. 
         [0040]    In the wiper  10  having the structure described above, the number of components is reduced between ½ and ⅔ compared to a conventional wiper and thus manufacturing costs of the components are remarkably reduced. Also, the wiper  10  according to the present invention has a smaller number of components to be assembled. Thus, assembling efficiency of the components is remarkably improved, and the weight of the wiper  10  is reduced. In particular, combination between the first yoke  30  and the first auxiliary lever  40 , combination between the second yoke  32  and the second auxiliary lever  42 , and combination between the first auxiliary lever  40 , the second auxiliary lever  42 , and the primary lever  60  are elastically performed due to corresponding shapes of the components so that the components may be assembled without using tools. Thus, assembling efficiency of the components is remarkably improved compared to a conventional wiper. Also, disassembling and assembling of the components are easily performed. Thus, when portions of the wiper  10  are damaged, the wiper  10  can be easily repaired. 
         [0041]    Also, the first auxiliary lever  40 , the second auxiliary lever  42 , and the primary lever  60  are formed of plastic. Thus, the weight of the wiper  10  can be reduced and the wiper  10  does not rust compared to when the first auxiliary lever  40 , the second auxiliary lever  42 , and the primary lever  60  are formed of metal. 
         [0042]    Also, referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , in the structure of the wiper  10  according to the present invention, a rivet is not necessary when the second auxiliary lever  42  and the second yoke  32  are combined with each other. Thus, the supports  25  are inserted in the second yoke  32  so that a moving space can be obtained up to an m-surface of  FIG. 7  and the overall height of a blade can be reduced. The structure applies to combination between the first auxiliary lever  40  and the first yoke  30 . However, in a conventional wiper, top surfaces of the supports  25  contact an n-surface, that is, a bottom surface of the yoke disposed below the rivet, as illustrated in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . Thus, there is a limitation in obtaining the moving space. Two-dot dashed lines in  FIGS. 7 and 9  are virtual expressions of the maximum rising position of the supports  25 . 
         [0043]    Also, the first yoke  30  has a structure in which the wiper strip  20  and the supports  25  are accommodated in the first yoke  30 . Thus, a problem in which there is a limitation in reducing the overall height of the wiper when the conventional tournament type yoke is used can be solved. 
         [0044]    As described above, in the wiper according to the present invention, combination between a yoke and an auxiliary lever and combination between a primary lever and the auxiliary lever are performed simply and thus assembling efficiency of components of the wiper can be improved, the number of the components can be remarkably reduced, and the overall weight of the wiper can be reduced. 
         [0045]    Furthermore, the primary lever and the auxiliary lever are formed of plastic so that the effect of reducing the weight of the wiper can be increased. Furthermore, since ends of the auxiliary lever are non-symmetrical with respect to each other, a combination space after the primary lever and the auxiliary lever are assembled with each other, is reduced so that the flow space of the air during driving is reduced and damage of the wiper can be prevented. 
         [0046]    While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.