Patent Publication Number: US-8539634-B2

Title: Wiper blade

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/912,416, filed Aug. 28, 2008, which is a U.S. 371 National Phase filing of PCT/EP2006/060795, filed Mar. 16, 2006, which claims priority to German Patent Application No. 102005019389.7, filed Apr. 28, 2005, the contents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a wiper blade. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A windshield wiper with a wiper blade, which is connected in an articulated manner to a wiper arm via a so-called sidelock system, is known from DE 101 13 680 A1. This is accomplished by a fixing element, whose formed-on form closure elements clasp the resilient rails of the wiper blade that serve as a support element laterally and from below. A covering cap made of plastic covers the fixing element that is manufactured of sheet metal as a rule. A connection element connected to the free end of the wiper arm, e.g., a wiper rod of the wiper arm, has a bearing pin, which is inserted into the connection element laterally and transverse to the longitudinal direction of the wiper arm and pointing towards the wiper blade and is preferably welded or riveted. The bearing pin is pivoted in a bearing borehole of the fixing element. The connection element can be manufactured separately in one piece with the bearing pin and a securing element in the form of a clip using casting or injection molding and can be slid on the end of the rectangular (in cross section) wiper rod of the wiper arm and be fastened there. 
     Arranged parallel to the bearing pin on the connection element in the longitudinal direction offset towards the drive end is the clip, which is bent on its free end towards the side of the wiper blade. In an assembly position in which the wiper blade is held transverse to the longitudinal direction of the wiper arm, the bearing pin can be slid into a bearing borehole of the fixing element. If the wiper blade is then rotated parallel to the longitudinal direction of the wiper arm, the clip grips over the covering cap and the fixing element and locks it with its bent end so that lateral guide surfaces of the covering cap are guided in a mounted state between the bent end of the bridge element and an opposing surface of the connection element. When the wiper blade is in an operating position, the clip dips into a corresponding groove on the upper side of the covering cap and terminates approximately flush with it. For disassembly, the wiper blade must be swiveled in the opposite direction until the bent end is disengaged and the wiper blade can be pulled from the bearing pin. The wiper blade has a spoiler on its upper side. With an increasing air stream, it increases the application force of the wiper blade against the vehicle window. In the direction of the fixing element, the spoiler grips into recesses of the fixing element, which are adapted to the outer contour of the spoiler. The wiper arm or the wiper rod lies on the inflow side of the spoiler and partially covers said spoiler. 
     GB 2 140 287 B discloses a windshield wiper with a wiper blade, whose supporting bracket system is connected in an articulated manner to a wiper rod of a wiper arm according to the sidelock principle. The wiper blade has a spoiler on both sides of the sidelock connection, whereby the wiper arm is arranged with its wiper rod on the inflow side of the spoiler and of the wiper blade. The wiper rod, which is firmly connected on one end to an articulated part of the wiper arm, has a rectangular cross section, whose wide side runs on the ends approximately parallel to the vehicle window, while between the end regions it is rotated around the longitudinal axis such that it runs inclined to the vehicle window to support the spoiler. Embodiments are also known in which the wiper rod is straight and the inclination toward the vehicle window is achieved by a corresponding design of the articulated part and a correspondingly designed connection element on the other end of the wiper rod. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the invention, the covering cap features an opening or recess for the bent leg of the clip on its side facing away from the rubber profile in the region of the clip element, which clip only partially overlaps the covering cap in the mounted position. As a result, this prevents water from spraying back onto the cleaned vehicle window during the downward movement of the wiper blade into the lower reversal position or parking position. Furthermore, it is advantageous that a covering wall of the covering cap beneath the clip element slopes from the opening towards the outside inclined towards the inflow direction so that water can flow off better towards the downwardly pointed side of the wiper blade and can be washed downwardly away. In order to improve the lateral guidance of the wiper blade by the connection element, it is expedient for the covering cap to have guide ribs on the opening or the recess and on an outer side that faces the wiper arm, on which the bent end of the clip or the wiper rod or the connection element abuts. The guide ribs can be manufactured with a slight play with respect to the connection element or wiper arm without negatively impacting the ease of the swivel movement of the wiper blade. The guide ribs on the outer side of the covering cap also prevent incorrect assembly. They make sure that the bearing pin can be inserted a maximum of three millimeters into the bearing opening if one attempts to mount the wiper blade parallel to the wiper arm. 
     If the wiper blade has a spoiler, the covering cap blends expediently on its ends with a connecting profile harmoniously into the profile of the spoiler so that the effect of the spoiler is disturbed as little as possible by the fixing element and the covering cap. Also serving this purpose is the fact that the wiper rod of the wiper arm, which has a rectangular cross section, when it runs on the inflow side of the wiper blade is rotated around its longitudinal axis in such a way that, at least in the region of the wiper blade, its wide side for supporting the spoiler runs inclined to the inflow direction and its end is arranged with the wide side parallel to the guide ribs on the outer side of the covering cap. 
     The connection element can be fastened to the wiper rod in a simple manner, if, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, it has a fastening plate running parallel to a wide side of the wiper rod, on which fastening plate the clip is formed. In this case the bearing pin has a rivet pin on one end, with which the fastening plate is fastened to the wiper rod. The rivet pin, which can be pre-mounted in an advantageous manner in the fastening plate by means of a press fit, is inserted through an opening on the end of the wiper rod and riveted or wobbled. To prevent the fastening plate from twisting with respect to the wiper rod under stress during wiper operation, the connection element has, on its longitudinal sides, bracket-like edges that are bent towards the wiper rod, which abut the outer contour of the end of the wiper rod with a press fit in the region of its rounded tips. As a result, the clearance between the bracket-like edges is less than the width of the end of the wiper rod so that a press fit results when they are joined transverse to the wiper rod. Another possibility consists of the clearance between the bracket-like edges being greater than the width of the end of the wiper rod so that the press fit is produced by crimping the bracket-like edges. 
     The fastening plate expediently overlaps the front side of the end of the wiper rod with a front angle. As a result, any sharp edges on the wiper rod are covered. 
     In order to achieve a shape of the connection between the connection element and the wiper rod that is favorable for the airflow and to improve the design of the wiper blade, it is proposed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention that the fastening plate be attached on the inner side of the end of the wiper rod and a covering be provided on the opposite outer side. A front wall of said covering expediently covers the front side of the end of the wiper rod and of the connection element. The covering can be fastened on the end of the wiper rod in that a snap-in peg of the covering is clipped into a snap-in hole of the end of the wiper rod. Clipping devices can also be attached on the edges of the covering. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Additional advantages are yielded from the following description of the drawings. Exemplary embodiments of the invention are depicted in the drawings. The drawings, the description and the claims contain numerous features in combination. The person skilled in the art will also observe individual features expediently and combine them into additional, meaningful combinations. 
       The drawings show: 
         FIG. 1  A perspective partial view of a wiper blade on a wiper rod 
         FIG. 2  A top view of a covering cap of a connection element 
         FIG. 3  A perspective view of a covering cap according to  FIG. 2   
         FIG. 4  A section corresponding to Line IV-IV in  FIG. 1   
         FIG. 5  A perspective partial view of a connection element on a wiper rod 
         FIG. 6  A view in the longitudinal direction of the wiper arm 
         FIG. 7  A perspective partial view of a connection element without a wiper rod 
         FIG. 8  An assembly cross section through a connection element and a wiper rod 
         FIG. 9  A variation of  FIG. 8   
         FIG. 10  A partially exploded depiction of a connection element with a wiper rod and a covering 
         FIG. 11  A variation of  FIG. 5   
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  depicts the following parts of a wiper blade  10 : a spoiler  12  and a fixing element  14  with a covering cap  16 . A wiper arm with its wiper rod  18  is coupled to the fixing element  14  in accordance with the sidelock principle so that it can pivot around a pivoting axis  20 . The wiper arm and the wiper rod  18  run essentially parallel to the wiper blade  10 . If the wiper rod  18  runs on the inflow side of the wiper blade  10 , the wiper rod is twisted around the longitudinal axis in the region of the wiper blade  10  in such a way that the wide side of its rectangular cross section profile runs inclined toward an inflow direction  42  of the spoiler  12 , thereby supporting its effect. In a transitional area  24  towards an end  26  of the wiper rod  18 , this is also twisted in such a way that the wide side of the end  26  runs approximately parallel to the neighboring side wall of the covering cap  16 , which features guide ribs  36  for lateral guidance of the wiper blade  10  ( FIG. 3 ). 
     Connected to the end  26  of the wiper rod  18  is a connection element  22 , which partially overlaps the covering cap  16  with a clip  52  opposite from the pivoting axis  20  in the longitudinal direction offset towards the drive end of the wiper rod  18 . A bent end  54  of the clip  52  dips into an opening  34  of the covering cap  16 . The opening  34  also has guide ribs  36  on the side facing the wiper rod  18  so that the wiper blade  10  is guided through the clip  52  laterally as well as is locked in the longitudinal direction of the pivoting axis  20  in the operating position depicted in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 4 . As a result, the covering cap  16  acquires a continuous smooth outer wall  32  on the inflow side on which no water can accumulate. Furthermore, it connects the connecting profile  30  harmoniously to the ends of the covering cap  16 , into which the spoiler  12  is fit. The connecting profiles  30  together with the outer wall  32  produce a covering cap  16  that is favorable for the airflow, thereby supporting the effectiveness of the spoiler  12 . The covering cap  16  has a bearing opening  40  in the region of the pivoting axis  20  through which a bearing pin  28  is guided, which is firmly connected either to the fixing element  14  or the wiper rod  18 , while it is pivoted in the respective other part. So that the water can flow off well on the inflow side, the covering cap  16  is expediently open towards the vehicle window at least in the region of the opening  34 . 
     In the depicted exemplary embodiments, the bearing pin  28  has a rivet pin  62 , which is inserted through a borehole in the fastening plate  56  of the connection element  22  and the wiper rod  18  and riveted during assembly. The covering cap  16  has a covering wall  38  on its upper side in the region of the clip element  22 , and said wall is expediently downwardly inclined towards the wiper rod  18  so that when it is raining water can easily drain off from the covering cap  16  towards the wiper arm side. 
     The spoiler  12  has two opposing, inwardly open, longitudinal grooves  44  towards a rubber profiled element  48  ( FIG. 4 ). These grooves each accommodate a resilient rail  46 , which serve as supporting elements for the rubber profiled element  48 . The resilient rails  46  are pre-bent in such a way that, under the application force of the wiper rod  18 , they press the rubber profiled element  48  with a wiper lip  50  uniformly against a vehicle window (not shown). 
     In the case of the connection element  22  according to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 4 , its fastening plate  56  is attached on the outer side of the end  26  of the wiper rod  18 . In the process, the clip  52  grips over the end  26  and follows the contour of the rounded tip  58  of the wiper rod  18 , which is therewith embedded with a form fit in the clip. A rivet pin  62  on the end of a bearing pin  28  is used to fix the connection element  22  on the wiper rod  18 . This rivet pin is inserted through a borehole in the wiper rod  18  and in the fastening plate  56  and subsequently riveted or wobbled. In addition, the wiper rod  18  can have a hole  78  offset in the longitudinal direction from the rivet pin in which an indentation  80  of the fastening plate  56  engages. Moreover, on the narrow side of the end  26  of the wiper rod  18  that is opposite from the clip  52 , the fastening plate  56  can have an additional bracket  82 , which abuts the end  26 . In the embodiment according to  FIG. 1 , the fastening element  22  has a front angle  60  in the extension of the wiper rod, which covers the front side of the end  26  of the wiper rod  18  and covers any sharp edges. 
     In the case of the embodiment according to  FIG. 5 , the fastening plate  56  is arranged on the inner side of the end  26  of the wiper rod  18 . On its longitudinal sides it has bracket-like edges  64  or brackets, which are bent toward the end  26  of the wiper rod  18 . Thus, the clearance between the bracket-like edges  64  can be less than the width of the end  26  of the wiper rod  18 . In this case, the fastening plate is pressed over the wiper rod so that a press fit is produced between the edges  64  and the rounded tips  58  of the end  26  of the wiper rod  18  ( FIG. 8 ). Another possibility consists of the clearance between the edges  64  being greater than the width of the wiper rod. The edges  64  are then crimped with the end  26  during assembly so that a press fit is produced on its bearing surfaces ( FIG. 9 ). In order to facilitate the crimping, it is advantageous if the bearing pin  28  with its rivet pin  62  is pre-mounted with a press fit in the fastening plate. The bracket-like edges  64  can grip around the cross-sectional profile of the end  26  of the wiper rod  18  enough that the connection element  22  is secured with form closure in the direction of the bearing pin  28 . 
     In order to provide the connection between the connection element  22  and the end  26  of the wiper rod  18  with a profile that is favorable for the airflow and to improve the design of the windshield wiper, a covering  70  is provided ( FIG. 10 ) on the end  26  of the wiper rod  18 , which is expediently clipped on the end  26  of the wiper rod with a snap-in peg (not shown) in a snap-in hole  68  of the wiper rod  18 . The covering is harmoniously adjacent to the connection element  22  and covers the front sides of the end  26  of the wiper rod  18  and of the connection element  22  with a front wall  72 . 
     In the case of the embodiment according to  FIG. 11 , the connection element  76  encircles the end  26  of the wiper rod  18  on its two wide ends. It forms an open profile  76 , of which at least one side wall serves as a fastening plate  56 . The cross-sectional profile  76  is closely adapted to the profile of the end  26  of the wiper rod  18 . It can be slid over the end  26  starting from the front side and is then crimped with the end  26  of the wiper rod  18 . In order to guarantee a firm fit on the wiper rod  18  and support the frictional connection via a form closure, warts or projections that act in a similar manner (not shown) are provided on the wiper rod  18 .