U.S. patent application number 13/877220 was filed with the patent office on 2013-09-26 for windscreen wiper device.
The applicant listed for this patent is Xavier Boland. Invention is credited to Xavier Boland.
Application Number | 20130247325 13/877220 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44140746 |
Filed Date | 2013-09-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130247325 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Boland; Xavier |
September 26, 2013 |
WINDSCREEN WIPER DEVICE
Abstract
A windscreen wiper device comprising an elastic, elongated
carrier element, as well as an elongated wiper blade of a flexible
material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be
wiped, which wiper blade includes at least one longitudinal groove,
in which groove at least one longitudinal strip of the carrier
element is disposed, which windscreen wiper device comprises a
connecting device for an oscillating arm, wherein said oscillating
arm is pivotally connected to said connecting device about a pivot
axis near one end thereof, with the interposition of a joint part,
wherein said wiper blade comprises a spoiler at a side thereof
facing away from the windscreen to be wiped, characterized in that
a free end of said spoiler, facing towards an A-pillar of the
windscreen to be wiped, is provided with a beveled surface, seen
from the windscreen to be wiped.
Inventors: |
Boland; Xavier; (Arlon,
BE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Boland; Xavier |
Arlon |
|
BE |
|
|
Family ID: |
44140746 |
Appl. No.: |
13/877220 |
Filed: |
September 30, 2010 |
PCT Filed: |
September 30, 2010 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP10/64579 |
371 Date: |
June 11, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/250.201 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60S 1/3877 20130101;
B60S 1/0461 20130101; B60S 1/381 20130101; B60S 2001/3898 20130101;
B60S 1/3808 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/250.201 |
International
Class: |
B60S 1/38 20060101
B60S001/38 |
Claims
1-4. (canceled)
5. A windscreen wiper device comprising an elastic, elongated
carrier element, as well as an elongated wiper blade of a flexible
material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be
wiped, which wiper blade includes at least one longitudinal groove,
in which groove at least one longitudinal strip of the carrier
element is disposed, which windscreen wiper device comprises a
connecting device for an oscillating arm and a joint part, wherein
said wiper blade comprises a spoiler at a side thereof facing away
from the windscreen to be wiped, wherein a free end of said
spoiler, facing towards an A-pillar of the windscreen to be wiped
when installed on a vehicle is provided with a bevelled surface,
wherein the height of said spoiler decreases along said bevelled
surface, seen from the windscreen to be wiped, wherein the free end
of said spoiler is cut to obtain the bevelled surface, and wherein
said spoiler is made in one piece with the wiper blade and
extending along the entire length thereof.
6. The windscreen wiper device according to claim 5, wherein the
ratio between the height of said wiper blade at a location of the
lowest height of said spoiler and the height of said wiper blade at
a location of the highest height of said spoiler varies between 1.5
and 8.
7. The windscreen wiper device according to claim 5, wherein the
free end of said spoiler does not comprise a connecting piece or
"end cap".
8. The windscreen wiper device according to claim 6, wherein the
ratio varies between 6 and 2.
9. The windscreen wiper device according to claim 5 wherein said at
least one longitudinal strip consists of a single strip of spring
bend material.
10. The windscreen wiper device according to claim 9 wherein said
single strip is biased in a curved position.
11. The windscreen wiper device according to claim 9 wherein said
wiper blade includes a holding part, a wiping part and an
intermediate tilting web.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The present invention relates to a windscreen wiper device
comprising an elastic, elongated carrier element, as well as an
elongated wiper blade of a flexible material, which can be placed
in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, which wiper blade
includes at least one longitudinal groove, in which groove at least
one longitudinal strip of the carrier element is disposed, which
windscreen wiper device comprises a connecting device for an
oscillating arm, wherein the oscillating arm is pivotally connected
to the connecting device about a pivot axis near one end thereof,
with the interposition of a joint part, wherein the wiper blade
comprises a spoiler at a side thereof facing away from the
windscreen to be wiped.
[0003] 2. Related Art
[0004] Such a windscreen wiper device is known from European patent
publication no. 1 491 416 of the same Applicant. The prior art
windscreen wiper device is in particular designed as a "yokeless"
wiper device or "flat blade", wherein use is no longer made of
several yokes pivotally connected to each other, but wherein the
wiper blade is biased by two longitudinal strips of the carrier
element, as a result of which it exhibits a specific curvature.
According to the prior art a connecting piece (in practice also
called an "end cap") is slided over neighboring ends of the strips
-or vice versa, that is the neighboring ends of the strips are
slided into the connecting piece--so that a snap connection between
these parts is realized. In the prior art the connecting piece is
provided with an opening at its free end so that the wiper blade
can freely slide through the connecting piece. In other words, the
connecting pieces do not retain the wiper blade, so that the
connecting pieces allow a relative movement of the wiper blade
along the longitudinal strips in the connecting pieces.
[0005] One drawback of the prior art windscreen wiper device is the
fact that, during oscillatory movements of the wiper blade, the
connecting pieces may touch the respective A-pillars of the vehicle
concerned, resulting in a rattling noise, air turbulence and
sometimes in damages to the connecting pieces and/or longitudinal
strips. As a result, the wiping properties may deteriorate, whereas
the wiper blade may come loose from the connecting pieces,
particularly when the wiper blade and the connecting pieces are not
connected in a durable, solid manner. Hence, the life span of the
prior art windscreen wiper device may be seriously shortened.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The object of the invention is to improve the prior art as
indicated above, in particular to provide a windscreen wiper
device, wherein the wiping properties are improved.
[0007] In order to accomplish that objective, a windscreen wiper
device of the kind referred to in the introduction according to the
invention is characterized in that a free end of the spoiler,
facing towards an A-pillar of the windscreen to be wiped, is
provided with a beveled surface, wherein the height of the spoiler
decreases along the beveled surface, seen from the windscreen to be
wiped. Preferably, the ratio between the height of the wiper blade
at a location of the lowest height of the spoiler and the height of
the wiper blade at a location of the highest height of the spoiler
varies between 1.5 and 8, particularly between 6 and 2.
[0008] In case of left hand drive vehicles and right hand drive
vehicles the spoiler is provided at both free ends with the beveled
surface, so that any reverse mounting is by definition avoided.
[0009] It is noted that the present invention is not restricted to
windscreen wiper devices for cars, but that it also relates to
windscreen wiper devices for rail coaches and all other (fast)
vehicles.
[0010] In a preferred embodiment of a windscreen wiper device in
accordance with the invention the free end of the spoiler is cut to
obtain the beveled surface.
[0011] In a further preferred embodiment of a windscreen wiper
device according to the invention the free end of the spoiler does
not comprise a connecting piece.
THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The invention will now be explained in more detail with
reference to figures illustrated in a drawing, wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a total perspective, schematic view of a
windscreen wiper device according to the invention (a), as well as
a cross-sectional view thereof (b) along the line A-A;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a standard windscreen wiper
device according to the prior art, mounted on a vehicle;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a windscreen wiper device
according to the invention, mounted on a vehicle;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a perspective view and a side view of parts of a
wiper blade equipped with a spoiler, as used in the windscreen
wiper device of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] FIG. 1 shows a preferred variant of a windscreen wiper
device 1 according to the invention. the windscreen wiper device is
built up of an elastomeric wiper blade 2, wherein a central
longitudinal groove 3 is formed, and of a central longitudinal
strip 4 made of spring band steel, which is fitted in the
longitudinal groove 3. the strip 4 forms a flexible carrier element
for the rubber wiper blade 2, as it were, which is thus biased in a
curved position (the curvature in operative position being that of
a windscreen to be wiped). Free ends 5 of the strip 4 and/or wiper
blade 2 remain free, that is there are no connecting pieces or end
caps connected thereto on either side of the windscreen wiper
device 1. The windscreen wiper device 1 is furthermore built up of
a connecting device 6 of plastic material for connecting an
oscillating wiper arm thereto, with the interposition of a joint
part 8. Connecting device 6 comprises clamping members that are
integral therewith, which engage round longitudinal sides of the
wiper blade 2 that face away from each other, as a result of which
the connecting device 6 is firmly attached to the unit consisting
of wiper blade 2 and strip 4. The oscillating wiper arm 7 is
pivotally connected to the connecting device 6 about a pivot axis
near one end. The preferred embodiment of FIG. 1 according to the
invention comprises a spoiler or "air deflector" 9 which is made in
one piece with the rubber wiper blade 2 and which extends along the
entire length thereof.
[0018] As can be seen in FIG. 1, the joint part 8 comprises a
resilient tongue 10' extending outwardly, while the oscillating arm
7 has an U-shaped cross-section at the location of its connection
to the joint part 8, so that the tongue 10' engages in an
identically shaped hole 10'' provided in a base of the U-shaped
cross-section. The connecting device 6 with the wiper blade 2 is
mounted onto the oscillating arm 7 as follows. The joint part 8
being already clipped onto the connecting device 6 is pivoted
relative to the connecting device 6, so that the joint part 8 can
be easily slided on a free end of the oscillating arm 7. During
this sliding movement the resilient tongue 10' is initially pushed
in against a spring force and then allowed to spring back into the
hole 10'', thus snapping, that is clipping the resilient tongue 10'
into the hole 10''. This is a so-called bayonet-connection. The
oscillating arm 7 together with the joint part 8 may then be
pivoted back in a position parallel to the wiper blade 2 in order
to be ready for use. By subsequently pushing in again the resilient
tongue 10' against the spring force (as if it were a push button),
the connecting device 6 and the joint part 8 together with the
wiper blade 2 may be released from the oscillating arm 7.
Dismounting the connecting device 6 with the wiper blade 2 from the
oscillating arm 7 is thus realized by sliding the connecting device
6 and the joint part 8 together with the wiper blade 2 in a
direction away from the oscillating arm 7. As can be seen from FIG.
1, the rubber wiper blade 2 consists of an elongated upper holding
part 11 holding the longitudinal strip 4 in the groove 3 formed
therein, an elongated lower wiping part 12 having a wiping lip 13,
as well as an intermediate "striplike" titling web 14
interconnecting the holding part 11 and the wiping part 12. the
holding part 11, the wiping part 12 and the tilting web 14 are in
one piece of rubber.
[0019] As can be seen in FIG. 2, a normal, that is standard wiper
blade 2 comprises the spoiler 9 at a side thereof facing away from
the windscreen to be wiped, wherein a free end 15 of the spoiler 9,
facing towards an A-pillar 16 of the windscreen to be wiped, would
interfere with the A-pillar 16, with all negative consequences
involved. However, as shown in FIG. 3, the free end 15 of the
spoiler 9 according to the invention is provided with a beveled
surface 17. As shown, the height of the spoiler 15 decreased along
the beveled surface 17, seen from the windscreen to be wiped.
[0020] As can be seen from FIG. 4, the ratio between the height (A)
of the wiper blade (2) at a location of the lowest height of the
spoiler (9) and the height (B) of the wiper blade (2) at a location
of the highest height of the spoiler (9) varies between 1.5 and
8.
[0021] Although not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but fully understood by
a skilled person, the oscillating arm 7 is connected to a mounting
head fixed for rotation to a shaft driven by a small motor. In use,
the shaft rotates alternately in a clockwise and in a
counter-clockwise sense carrying the mounting head into rotation
also, which in turn draws the oscillating arm 7 into rotation and
by means of the connecting device 6 moves the wiper blade 2.
[0022] The invention is not restricted to the embodiments shown,
but also extends to other preferred embodiments falling within the
scope of the appended claims.
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