Wiper with self compensating blade park position

• US 5,062,176 A
• Filed: 04/11/1991
• Issued: 11/05/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ITT Automotive Electrical Systems, Inc. (ITT, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Benner, Mark M., Unterborn, Ralph J., McClain, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hornsby, Harvey C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Graham, Gary K.
• Application Number:
  US07/683,906
• Time in Patent Office: 208 Days
• Field of Search: 15/250.16, 15/250.23, 15/250.32, 15/250.13, 15/250 A, 15/250.35, 74/411, 74/406
• US Class Current: 15/250.23
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3406 the wiper blades being rotated with respect to the wiper arms around an axis perpendicular to the wiped field B60S1/3404 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/42 resilient
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19633 Yieldability in gear trains

Abstract

A wiper blade support is joined to a wiper arm by a yielding mechanism that maintains the two in a fixed angular relation during normal wipe, but which yields to allow the wiper blade to move more closely parallel to the windshield lower edge at park. The yielding mechanism includes a leaf spring indirectly joined between the wiper arm and blade support which buckles only when the wiper blade hits the lower edge of the windshield, allowing the compensating blade rotation, but remains flat during normal wipe.

Claims

1. A wiper for use on a vehicle having a windshield with a pair of edges that define ideal wipe pattern limits of an ideal wipe pattern in which one of two normal wipe pattern limits, in a normal wipe pattern located within said ideal wipe pattern, is not substantially parallel to one of the windshield edges, said vehicle also having a park mechanism adapted to move said wiper forcefully to a park position beyond said one normal wipe pattern limit, said wiper comprising,

an elongated wiper arm, pivoted at one end to a wiper post, adapted to be oscillated over said windshield through said normal wipe pattern,

a wiper blade and support pivoted to said wiper arm so as to rotate relative thereto about a main axis and to wipe said windshield when maintained in a fixed angular relationship to said wiper arm, and,

an elongated buckling member having an outer end rotatably joined to said blade support about a secondary axis located outwardly, with respect to said wiper post, of said main axis, so that rotation of said wiper blade support about said main axis causes said secondary axis to swing about said main axis, said buckling member also having an inner end fixed to said wiper arm inwardly, with respect to said wiper post, of said main axis so as to maintain said wiper arm and blade support in said fixed angular relationship when said buckling member is in a flat, unstressed condition, and,

a stop member engageable with said wiper blade support when said wiper is moved to said park position so as to apply a torque to said wiper blade support about said main axis sufficient to swing said secondary axis about said main axis and move said buckling member outer and inner ends together to buckle said buckling member out of its flat condition,

whereby, when said wiper arm is moved to said park position, said blade support can rotate out of said fixed angular relationship and move substantially parallel to said one windshield edge, said buckling member returning to its unstressed condition as said wiper arm is again moved away from park position, thereby rotating said wiper blade support back to its fixed angular position.

2. A wiper for use on a vehicle having a windshield with a pair of edges that define ideal wipe pattern limits of an ideal wipe pattern, in which one of two normal wipe pattern limits in a normal wipe pattern located within said ideal wipe pattern, is not substantially parallel to one of the ideal wipe pattern limits, said vehicle also having a park mechanism adapted to move said wiper forcefully to a park position beyond said one normal wipe pattern limit, said wiper comprising,

an elongated wiper arm, pivoted at one end to a wiper post, adapted to be oscillated over said windshield through said normal wipe pattern,

a wiper blade and support pivotally attached to said wiper arm so as to wipe said windshield when said support and arm are maintained in a fixed angular relationship,

a circular boss on said wiper blade support having a central axis,

a pivot, defining a pivot axis, and joining said circular boss to said wiper arm inwardly, with respect to said wiper post, of said boss central axis so that, when said wiper blade support and wiper arm rotate about said pivot axis, the central axis of said boss swings around said pivot axis,

an elongated buckling leaf spring having an annular outer end that fits cooperatively around said wiper support boss and an inner end fixed to said wiper arm such that, when said leaf spring is flat and unstressed, said wiper arm and wiper blade support are maintained in a fixed angular relationship, and,

a stop member engageable with said wiper blade support when said wiper is moved to said park position so as to apply a torque to said wiper blade support about said pivot sufficient to buckle said leaf spring,

whereby, when said wiper arm is moved to said park position, said blade support hits said stop member, thereby applying sufficient torque about said pivot to rotate said wiper blade support on said pivot and move substantially parallel to said one windshield edge as the central axis of said boss swings about said pivot axis and moves closer to the fixed end of said leaf spring and buckles said leaf spring out of its flat state, said leaf spring returning to its unstressed condition as said wiper arm is again moved away from said park position, thereby rotating said wiper blade support back to its fixed angular position.