Abstract:
A windshield wiper lever, wherein a single contact slide operates both as a contact element and as a detent plunger, enabling both wiper wash and wipe functions. To this end, the steering column lever comprises: (i) a hollow knob having an inner wall that defines a plurality of axially disposed detents; (ii) a first slide adapted for translational movement having a cam at one end adapted to engage one of the detents; and (iii) a substrate supporting translational movement of the first slide, the substrate having a trace adapted to engage a conductive member of a second slide to form an electrical connection, wherein one of the detents maintains the electrical connection.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates generally to windshield wiper lever assemblies. More particularly, the present invention relates to windshield wiper lever assemblies adapted to enable the driver to initiate a windshield wash and/or a windshield wipe.  
           [0003]    2. Discussion of the Background  
           [0004]    Automobiles commonly provide one or more functional levers that extend outwardly from the steering column. One well known functional lever operates the turn signals. In many instances, the levers are multifunctional. For instance, an automobile manufacturer may wish to combine the turn signal lever with the head light controls, such that pivoting the turn signal lever in one plane controls the turn signals, while moving the turn signal lever in another plane toggles the headlights between normal lighting and fog lighting.  
           [0005]    Another well known multifunctional lever controls windshield wiping and cleaning. These levers typically enable the driver to turn the front and/or rear windshield wipers on as well as to set the speed of one or both of the front and rear windshield wipers. The levers also typically enable the driver to operate the front and/or rear window wash alone or in combination with the wipers. Since, in many instances, the driver will be operating the wipers and the wash in bad driving conditions, an important feature of the windshield wiper lever is that it be fully operable with one hand and without requiring the driver to observe the lever.  
           [0006]    Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic sectional view illustrates that a known multifunctional wiper lever assembly  10  includes a rotating device or knob  12  that an automobile driver can manually rotate and translate. The knob  12  is manually translationally moveable along the center of the section (i.e., into or out of the page), whereby a portion of the knob  12  linearly engages a contact slide  14  and translates the slide over a printed circuit board (“PCB”)  16  having conductive traces. The slide  14  has a conductive member, which touches or electrically connects to a plurality of traces of the PCB  16  to thereby initiate an automobile function.  
           [0007]    Rotating the known wiper lever assembly  10  initiates a plurality of additional automobile functions, such as setting various wiper speed settings, via electrical connections created by a contact slide and a PCB as previously described. If the electrical connection is a maintained or latching type, i.e., does not return to a starting position upon the driver&#39;s release of the knob  12 , the assembly  10  must have the ability to provide tactile feedback to the driver to inform the driver when a particular electrical connection, e.g., a particular wiper speed has been set.  
           [0008]    Until now, the known assembly has required an additional detent plunger  18  and an additional detent spring  20 . The detent spring  20  is compressed between the plunger  18  and a surface  22  that is fixed with respect to the assembly  10 . The detent spring  20  thereby applies a constant compressive force to the plunger  18 , so that the plunger “rides” along the dynamic profile created by the plurality of inwardly radially spaced detents  24 , which are defined by an inner wall  26  of the knob  12 . That is, when the driver turns the knob  12  clockwise or counterclockwise, as illustrated, the plunger  18  moves radially inward or outward along the detent profile. The driver preferably feels a tactile “click” when the plunger  18  “bottoms out” or engages the bottom or valley of one of the radially disposed detents  24 , which corresponds to a simultaneous electrical connection taking place in the assembly  10 , so that the driver knows that a particular function has been set.  
           [0009]    While the known wiper lever assembly provides adequate tactile feedback to the driver, the known assembly  10  requires the additional detent plunger  18 , spring  20  and radially disposed detents. The additional plunger  18  and spring  20 : (i) add cost to the wiper lever; (ii) complicate the necessary design and tooling; and (iii) complicate the assembly process. Original equipment manufacturers (“OEM&#39;s”) are the primary users of wiper levers. Maintaining the same functionality at even a small decrease in cost provides a substantial benefit to the OEM&#39;s. Accordingly, a need exists to provide a lower cost wiper lever.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    The present invention provides an improved steering column lever assembly. More specifically, the present invention provides an improved windshield wiper lever, wherein a single contact slide operates both as a contact element and as a detent plunger, enabling both wiper wash and wipe functions.  
           [0011]    To this end, in an embodiment of the present invention, a steering column lever comprises: (i) a hollow knob having an inner wall that defines a plurality of axially disposed detents; (ii) a first slide adapted for translational movement having a cam at one end adapted to engage one of the detents; and (iii) a substrate supporting translational movement of the first slide, the substrate having a trace adapted to engage a conductive member of a second slide to form an electrical connection, wherein one of the detents maintains the electrical connection.  
           [0012]    In an alternative of this embodiment, the first slide includes a conductive member and the substrate includes a trace adapted to engage the conductive member of the first slide. In one alternative of this embodiment, an electrical connection between the conductive member of the first slide and its associated trace initiates a windshield wash. In another, an electrical connection between the conductive member of the first slide and its associated trace is formed by translating at least a portion of the knob.  
           [0013]    In one alternative of this embodiment, the electrical connection created by the second slide initiates a windshield wipe. In another, the electrical connection created by the second slide is formed by rotating at least a portion of the knob.  
           [0014]    In an alternative of this embodiment, one detent receives the cam at a different axial position than another detent. An alternative of this embodiment includes a spring contacting the knob, the spring adapted to oppose manual translational movement of the knob. In an alternative of this embodiment, a detent is a notch in the inner wall having a shape adapted to provide a predetermined resistance to rotational movement of the knob.  
           [0015]    An alternative of this embodiment includes a spring contacting the first slide at an end opposite the cam, the spring adapted to compress the cam into the detents of the knob. In one alternative of this embodiment, the spring has a characteristic spring constant adapted to provide a predetermined resistance to rotational movement of the knob. In another, the spring is compressed upon assembly so as to provide a predetermined resistance to rotational movement of the knob. In a further, the cam has a shape adapted to provide a predetermined resistance to rotational movement of the knob.  
           [0016]    In another embodiment of the present invention, a steering column lever comprises: (i) a hollow knob having an inner wall that defines a plurality of axially disposed detents; (ii) a first slide adapted for translational movement having a cam at one end adapted to engage one of the detents; and (iii) a substrate supporting translational movement of the first slide, the substrate having a trace adapted to engage a conductive member of a second slide to form an electrical connection, wherein one of the detents provides tactile feedback for the electrical connection.  
           [0017]    In an alternative of this embodiment, the substrate has a plurality of traces adapted to individually engage the conductive member of the second slide to form a plurality of individual electrical connections. In another, a particular detent provides tactile feedback for one of the electrical connections. In a further, a particular electrical connection is created by rotating the knob such that the cam engages a particular detent.  
           [0018]    In a further embodiment of the present invention, a hollow knob for engaging a cam end of a slide contained in a windshield wiper lever comprises: (i) an opening on one end of the knob for receiving the slide; and (ii) an inner wall that defines an inner radius and an outer radius of a detent ring, wherein the detent ring includes a plurality of axially disposed detents that face the opening.  
           [0019]    In an alternative of this embodiment, a detent is a notch in the detent ring having a shape adapted to provide a predetermined resistance to rotational movement of the knob. In another, one detent receives the slide at a different axial distance than another does another detent.  
           [0020]    An advantage of the present invention is to provide an improved windshield wiper lever assembly.  
           [0021]    Another advantage of the present invention is to provide an improved detent structure inside the knob for engaging the contact slide. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
       [0022]    A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 1 is a schematic elevation sectional view taken through a known knob, illustrating known radially disposed detents in combination with a known radially disposed detent plunger;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 2 is a top-front perspective exploded view of the windshield wiper lever assembly of the present invention having a combined contact slide and detent plunger.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the contact slide of the present invention illustrating the slide&#39;s conductive member and its arch shaped cam;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 4 is a bottom plan cross-sectional view of the knob of the present invention, taken through the line IV-IV of FIG. 2, illustrating axially disposed detents that mate with the cam portion of the combined contact slide and detent plunger; and  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 5 is a rear end elevation cross-sectional view of the knob of the present invention, taken through the line V-V of FIG. 2, illustrating a radial ring of axially disposed detents that mate with the cam portion of the combined contact slide and detent plunger. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0028]    Referring now to FIG. 2, an exploded view illustrates the windshield wiper lever assembly  50  of the present invention. The wiper lever assembly  50  includes a knob  52 , which preferably manually rotates clockwise and counterclockwise about the axis of its substantially cylindrical shape. It should be appreciated that the knob  52  includes having any desired outer shape, which is preferably ergonomically compatible with the driver&#39;s use of a single hand to operate the knob  52 . That is, the knob includes having flats or other types of configurations which aid a person&#39;s fingers and hand in gripping, turning and pushing the knob  52  towards a steering column (not illustrated). The knob  52  is made of any suitable strong, light weight, preferably inexpensive and preferably non-conductive material, such plastic or polycarbonate.  
         [0029]    The knob  52  is also preferably manually translationally moveable along the axis of its substantially cylindrical shape towards and away from a substrate  54  and a housing  56 . The housing  56  slides over the substrate  54  and mates with an inner surface of the knob  52 . A contact slide  58  engages and inner wall of the knob  52 , as described in detail below, and slides or translates linearly in a direction parallel to the axis of the center of the cylindrical knob  52 . The contact slide  58  moves or slides along the substrate  54 . As described above, when the driver pushes or translates the knob  52  towards the substrate  54  and the housing  56 , i.e., towards the steering column (not illustrated), the slide  58 , which is constantly contacting an inner surface of the knob  52  (described below), moves the same distance as the knob  52 . The maximum distance that the knob  52  and slide  58  are able to move is preferably 3 to 5 mm (0.12 to 0.20 inch).  
         [0030]    The slide  58  of the present invention is preferably made of plastic, metal or polycarbonate. The slide  58  has a conductive member  60 , which touches or electrically connects to one or a plurality of electrical contact traces  62  imbedded in the substrate  54 . The conductive member  60  of the slide  58  includes one or more conductive leads that extend from the slide  58  onto the substrate  54 . In one preferred embodiment, the conductive member  60  is a U-shaped copper lead wherein the legs of the U-shape extend onto the substrate  54  and are spaced apart such that they touch a plurality of traces  62 , close a circuit that initiates an automobile function. The slide  58  includes having a plurality of conductive members  60  and the substrates  54  includes having a plurality of preferably copper traces  62 . Imbedding traces into a substrate or PCB is well known to one skilled in the art.  
         [0031]    When the driver pushes or translates the knob  52  and the slide  58  the maximum distance (3 to 5 mm or 0.12 to 0.20 inch) the conductive member  60  of the slide  58  preferably touches or electrically connects with the electrical contact trace  62  dedicated to the front windshield wash feature of the automobile. The electrical connection created between the conductive member  60  and the front wash contact trace  62  initiates the front windshield wash function as is well known in the art. It should be appreciated that the electrical connection created by pushing or translating the knob  52  and the slide  58  is adaptable to initiate any windshield wiper or wash function. For example, instead of initiating the front wash, the translational connection includes initiating the rear wash, turning the wipers on or off, setting the wipers to a fast wipe or a slow wipe or setting the wipers to any of the variable wipe speeds described below.  
         [0032]    When, after pushing or translating the knob  52 , the driver releases the knob  52 , i.e., desires to stop the windshield wash, a knob spring  64  pushes and returns the knob  52  to its normal position. Simultaneously, a slide spring  66  pushes and maintains the slide  58  in constant contact with an inner wall of the knob  52 . The knob spring  64  pushes against a fixed and stable surface  68  that is located either on a rotational contact slider  69  or on a vertical wall of the substrate  54 , as is illustrated in two places in FIG. 2. The knob spring  64  contacts an inner wall or surface of the of the knob  52  as illustrated below. The slide spring  66  pushes against a fixed and stable catch  70  extending upward from the top of the substrate  54  as illustrated. The slide spring  66  contacts a portion of the slide  58  opposite to the end of the slide having a cam  72 .  
         [0033]    Referring now to FIG. 3, a bottom plan view of the slide  58  illustrates the conductive member  60 , illustrated as a U-shaped contact, and the cam  72 . It should be appreciated that the conductive member  60  includes having any number of leads and is not limited to two, as illustrated. The cam  72 , as illustrated, generally has an arch or elliptically shaped face. The cam  72  includes the arch or ellipse having any severity or angle, such as a very steep angle, wherein the arch is more pointed. The arch also includes having a dull angle or even being circular. The arch, however, preferably includes a rounded rather than a sharply pointed edge. As described in more detail below, the shape of the arch is one of the factors leading the overall tactile sensation that the driver feels as the driver rotates the knob  52  and sets different wiper speeds.  
         [0034]    Referring now to FIG. 4, a bottom sectional view taken through the knob  52  of the present invention illustrates that an inner wall  74  of the knob  52  defines a plurality of axially spaced apart detents  76 . For illustration purposes, FIG. 4 also includes the bottom plan view of the slide  58  having the conductive member  60  and the cam  72 . The cam  72  is shown engaged with one of the detents  76 . The slide spring  66  is compressed between the slide  58  and the catch  70 , which thereby constantly compresses the slide  58  up against the profile created by the detents  76 . The knob spring  64  is compressed between a mating surface  78  integral to the inner wall  74  and the stable surface  68 , e.g., on the rotational slider  69  or vertical wall of the substrate  54 , which thereby returns the knob  52  to its normal position after the driver pushes or translates the knob  52  towards the stable surface  68 .  
         [0035]    In FIG. 4, the detents  76  are not illustrated as being sectioned because they reside on a radial ring, which is better illustrated in FIG. 5. The detents  76  are radially spaced apart in that they form a plurality of peaks  76   a  and valleys  76   b , i.e., a plurality of connected triangular shaped notches, which face axially towards the cam  72  of the slide  58 . That is, they face in a direction parallel to the center line of the knob  52  The peaks  76   a  and valleys  76   b  include being rounded, chamfered or filleted as desired. The rounding or chamfering of the peaks  76   a  and the rounding or filleting of the valleys  76   b  are also factors leading to the overall tactile sensation that the driver feels as the driver rotates the knob  52  and sets different wiper speeds.  
         [0036]    The valleys or bottoms of the notches of the detents  76  are preferably each at a slightly different axial distance (exaggerated for illustration) from the catch  70 , so that the cam  72  rests at a slightly different axial distance from the catch  70 , depending upon which detent  76  that the cam  72  engages. Thus, the axial force generated by spring  64  is different for each detent location. Consequently, the torque required to alter the detent location setting also is different for each detent location. The cam  72  and the slide spring  66 , which are necessary for the momentary wash contact as described in FIG. 2 perform a dual role and replace the extra detent plunger  18  and detent spring  20  of the known lever  10 , as described below. When a driver rotates the knob  52 , the knob engages and rotates a well known rotational contact slider  69 . At certain points during the travel of the knob  52 , a conductive member of the rotational contact slider  69  engages a particular set of traces  62  on the vertical leg of the substrate  54  and activates an automobile function, preferably a different windshield wiper speed or turn the windshield wiper off. It should be appreciated that the present invention includes configuring other windshield wiper layouts for the linear momentary contact slider  58  and the rotational maintained contact slider  69  or having the sliders control non-wiper functions such as lighting, turn signal or radio control functions.  
         [0037]    Referring now to FIG. 5, a rear end sectional view taken through the knob  52  of the present invention illustrates that a detent ring  80  defines the axially facing peaks  76   a  and valleys  76   b  of the detents  76  of the present invention. The detent ring  80  is defined by an outer radius, which is preferably the inner wall  74  of the knob  52 , and an inner radius  82 , which is preferably integral to the inner wall  74 . The difference between the outer and inner radii defines the thickness of the detents  76 , which is preferably substantially the same as the thickness of the cam  72 . In one embodiment, the knob  52  including the inner substantially cylindrical wall  74 , the detent ring  80 , the detents  76  of the ring, the knob spring mating surfaces  78  and other features not illustrated are all preferably integrally formed or molded as one solid piece. One skilled in the art should be familiar with obtaining the necessary tooling and with the injection molding or blow molding techniques for producing the knob  52 .  
         [0038]    Referring to both FIGS. 4 and 5, when the driver turns the knob  52  of the present invention clockwise or counterclockwise, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the cam  72  of the slide  58  engages a different detent  76 , as illustrated in FIG. 4. The slide  58  constantly engages an end of the slide spring  66 , which provides a constant compressive force on the cam  72 , so that the cam “rides” along the dynamic profile created by the plurality of closely spaced detents  76  of the detent ring  80  of the knob  52 . As stated above, the cam  72  and the slide spring  66  replace the extra detent plunger  18  and detent spring  20  of the known lever  10 . That is, when the rotational slider  69  makes an electrical connection with one or more of the traces  62  of the vertical leg of the substrate  54 , initiating an automobile function, the cam  72  simultaneously bottoms out or engages the valleys  76   b  of one of the detents  76 . The simultaneous engagement temporarily locks the cam in place, wherein the automobile&#39;s vibration or movement of the steering column does not cause the knob  52  to rotate, so that the circuit remains closed and the function continues. The simultaneous engagement also provides tactile feedback to the driver, which informs the driver that a particular automobile function has been set.  
         [0039]    As described above, the shape of the cam  72  as well as the shape of the detents  76 , including the peaks  76   a  and valleys  76   b  of the detents  76 , are factors leading to the overall tactile sensation that the driver feels as the driver rotates the knob  52  and sets different wiper speeds. Additionally, the spring rate or spring constant of the slide spring  66 , both of which define in general the amount of force necessary to compress a spring a unitary distance, is a factor leading to the driver&#39;s overall tactile sensation. Further, the loading of the spring, i.e., the average distance that the slide spring  66  is compressed when the spring  66  is set in place, is a factor leading to the driver&#39;s overall tactile sensation. That is, the more the spring  66  is compressed upon assembly, the more force that the spring applies to the slide  58  and the cam  72 , which would result in requiring a greater torsional force from the driver to rotate the knob  52 . Other factors, such as the inherent surface friction of the materials used for the detents  76  and the cam  72  may also have a small contribution to the driver&#39;s overall tactile sensation. Mechanical advantage provided by the knob  52  and relatively non-stiff spring rates easily enable the driver to break the temporary locking force of the detent spring  66 .  
         [0040]    It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages.