Wipier blade having lever connected to wiper arm

• US 20040250369A1
• Filed: 06/03/2004
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASMO Company Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ASMO Company Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakano, Hiroyuki, Matsumoto, Hiroshi, Aoyama, Toshiharu, Kiyama, Masaaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,526,832 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/250.201
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3801 characterised by a blade support harness consisting of several articulated elements B60S1/3803, B60S1/3806 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/381 Spoilers mounted on the squeegee or on the vertebra
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3856 Gripping the blade
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3863 Connectors having a spoiler
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3867 pin formed on the interior of side walls
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3879 placed in side grooves in the squeegee
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/4006 for arms provided with a hook-shaped end
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/382 the backing strip being an essentially planar reinforcing strip, e.g. vertebra
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/3822 characterised by additional means to prevent longitudinal sliding of squeegee in support, e.g. clips

Abstract

A connecting arrangement of a lever is rotatably connected to a wiper arm. Arms of the lever are located on longitudinal sides, respectively, of the connecting arrangement and extend in the longitudinal direction of a wiper strip. Each arm of the lever includes a holding portion, which is provided in a longitudinal distal end of the arm to hold the wiper strip together with backing plates. The holding portion of each arm of the lever is positioned in an intermediate location between the connecting arrangement and a corresponding longitudinal end of the wiper strip.

Claims

1. A wiper blade for a wiper system that wipes a wiping surface, the wiper blade comprising:

a wiper strip that directly wipes the wiping surface, wherein the wiper strip includes at least one backing groove that extends in a longitudinal direction of the wiper strip;

at least one backing plate that is made of a spring material having a predetermined rigidity and is received in a corresponding one of the at least one backing groove, wherein each of the at least one backing plate is convexly curved in a relaxed state in such a manner that a longitudinal center of the backing plate projects in a direction away from the wiping surface; and

a lever that includes;

a connecting arrangement that is rotatably connected to a wiper arm of the wiper system; and

first and second arms that are located on first and second longitudinal sides, respectively, of the connecting arrangement, wherein the first and second arms extend from the connecting arrangement toward first and second longitudinal ends, respectively, of the wiper strip in the longitudinal direction of the wiper strip, wherein;

each of the first and second arms includes a holding portion, which is provided in a longitudinal distal end of the arm to hold at least one of the wiper strip and the at least one backing plate;

the holding portion of the first arm is positioned in an intermediate location between the connecting arrangement and the first longitudinal end of the wiper strip; and

the holding portion of the second arm is positioned in an intermediate location between the connecting arrangement and the second longitudinal end of the wiper strip.

2. The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein:

the holding portion of the first arm is spaced generally one-third of an entire length of the wiper strip from the first longitudinal end of the wiper strip; and

the holding portion of the second arm is spaced generally one-third of the entire length of the wiper strip from the second longitudinal end of the wiper strip.

3. The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein the holding portion of each of the first and second arms is positioned along the wiper strip in such a manner that when the wiper blade swings along the wiping surface, the holding portion moves along a corresponding path in the wiping surface, wherein the corresponding path shows a relatively small change in surface curvature in comparison to the rest of the wiping surface.

4. The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein:

the holding portion of each of the first and second arms holds the at least one of the wiper strip and the at least one backing plate in a slidable manner;

the wiper strip includes first and second end follower sections, which substantially freely and elastically conform to the wiping surface;

the first end follower section is located between the holding portion of the first arm and the first longitudinal end of the wiper strip; and

the second end follower section is located between the holding portion of the second arm and the second longitudinal end of the wiper strip.

5. The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein the lever and a top surface of the wiper strip, which is opposite from the wiping surface, define at least one space therebetween.

6. The wiper blade according to claim 1, further comprising a fin member that is made of an elastic material and includes at least one sloped surface, which is sloped relative the wiping surface, wherein the fin member is secured to the lever and extends in the longitudinal direction of the wiper strip on both the first and second longitudinal sides of the connecting arrangement.

7. The wiper blade according to claim 6, wherein:

the wiper strip includes;

a wiping lip that directly wipes the wiping surface; and

a connecting portion that is held by the holding portions of the first and second arms of the lever and is located on one side of the wiping lip, which is opposite from the wiping surface; and

the fin member includes at least one receiving portion, which is recessed in the fin member in a direction away from the wiping lip and extends in the longitudinal direction of the wiper strip to receive at least a top side portion of the connecting portion of the wiper strip, which is opposite from the wiping lip.

8. The wiper blade according to claim 6, wherein:

the at least one sloped surface includes first and second sloped surfaces; and

the fin member further includes;

first and second fin portions, which are positioned on the first and second longitudinal sides, respectively, of the connecting arrangement of the lever and include the first and second sloped surfaces, respectively; and

first and second cover portions, which connect between the first fin portion and the second fin portion and cover first and second lateral side surfaces, respectively, of the connecting arrangement.

9. The wiper blade according to claim 6, further comprising at least two retaining members, which are secured to the fin member to hold both the wiper strip and the at least one backing plate, wherein at least one of the at least two retaining members is located between the holding portion of the first arm and the first longitudinal end of the wiper strip, and at least another one of the at least two retaining members is located between the holding portion of the second arm and the second longitudinal end of the wiper strip.

10. The wiper blade according to claim 9, wherein:

the wiper strip includes;

a wiping lip that directly wipes the wiping surface; and

a connecting portion that is held by the holding portions of the first and second arms of the lever and is located on one side of the wiping lip, which is opposite from the wiping surface; and

the fin member includes at least one receiving portion, which is recessed in the fin member in a direction away from the wiping lip and extends in the longitudinal direction of the wiper strip to receive at least a top side portion of the connecting portion of the wiper strip, which is opposite from the wiping lip; and

each of the at least two retaining members is provided in a corresponding one of the at least one receiving portion of the fin member.

11. The wiper blade according to claim 10, wherein:

the at least one backing groove is formed in the connecting portion of the wiper strip;

the connecting portion of the wiper strip further includes at least one holding groove that is arranged on one side of the at least one backing groove where the wiping lip is located; and

the at least one holding groove extends in the longitudinal direction of the wiper strip and receives the holding portions of the first and second arms in such a manner that the holding portions of the first and second arms are slidable in the at least one holding groove in the longitudinal direction of the wiper strip.

12. The wiper blade according to claim 11, wherein the at least one holding groove of the connecting portion of the wiper strip further receives the at least two retaining members in such a manner that the at least tow retaining members are slidable in the at least one holding groove in the longitudinal direction of the wiper strip.

13. The wiper blade according to claim 12, wherein:

the connecting portion of the wiper strip further includes an anchoring portion, which is located at a longitudinal end of the at least one holding groove; and

one of the at least two retaining members is anchored in the anchoring portion.

14. The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein the lever includes at least one fin portion, which is formed integrally therein, wherein each of the at least one fin portion of the lever includes a sloped surface, which is sloped relative to the wiping surface.

15. The wiper blade according to claim 14, wherein the at least one fin portion includes first and second fin portions, which are provided integrally in the first and second arms, respectively, of the lever.