Wiper blade for a vehicle windscreen wiper device

• US 6,088,872 A
• Filed: 09/04/1998
• Issued: 07/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc. (ITT, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc. (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Egner-Walter, Bruno, Scholl, Wolfgang, Schmid, Eckhardt
• Primary Examiner(s): Till, Terrence R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALDAG, ANDREW J
• Application Number:
  US09/051,174
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 15/250.201, 15/250.44, 15/250.361, 15/250.46
• US Class Current: 15/250.201
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3806 Means, or measures taken, for influencing the aerodynamic quality of the wiper blades

Abstract

In order to improve on a known wiper blade with a wind-directing device, which is manufactured as an integral component of the main support in one piece with this main support, especially with regard to a still greater amplification of the down-force of the wiper blade against the windshield to be wiped, the effective area of the wind-directing device is enlarged as follows: the wind-directing device on its opposite ends has cantilevered, wing-like elongations which protrude beyond the main support in its longitudinal direction.

Claims

1. A wiper blade for a windshield wiper device of a vehicle, with a wind-directing device for amplifying the down-force of a wiper squeegee against a windshield by means of oncoming relative wind, and with a support frame system comprising:

an elongate main support having a spine, a rear wall extending an entire length of the spine, and spaced front wall sections located only at selected portions of the spine to define U-shaped transverse cross sections only in regions of a suspension case for a wiper arm and for hinge points of claw supports, said rear wall and said front wall sections being parallel at said U-shaped transverse cross sections, the main support being connectable rotatably around an axis transverse to a longitudinal direction of the wiper blade with a wiper arm and including opposite ends;

claw supports connected to the main support through hinge points; and

a wind-directing device turned toward the relative wind and mounted on a longitudinal side of the wiper blade and formed on the main support including a spine, said wind-directing device overlying said front wall sections, wherein the wind-directing device emerges from a front edge of the main support spine and extends toward the windshield and against the relative wind, and wherein the wind-directing device, in the longitudinal direction, has opposite ends with cantilevered, elongate wings, which protrude beyond the opposite ends of the main support in the longitudinal direction.

2. The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein the elongate wings extend in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade across most of the claw supports of the support frame.

3. The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein the claw supports further comprise:

primary and secondary claw supports arranged in a hierarchy of support with respect to the main support and, in the hinge points, secondary supports are engaged by a cross-sectional profile of a primary support, wherein secondary supports, in the region of their hinge points, are formed in stepped reductions in external cross-sectional profiles, so that the primary support and the secondary supports have similar external cross-sectional profiles in close proximity to and substantially adjoining one another.

4. The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein the main support spine is provided with pigeonholes, that extend across its entire width and permit the relative wind streaming along under the wind-directing device to pass through.

5. The wiper blade according to claim 1, further comprising joint bolts for connecting the supports to one another, wherein the entire support frame system, including the wind-directing device end joint bolts are made of plastic.

6. The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein the claw supports further comprise:

primary and secondary claw supports arranged in a hierarchy with respect to the main support and additionally, in the regions of inner ends of secondary supports, a front side wall of the main support is present for lateral guidance of the secondary support.

7. The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein the region of a suspension case for the wiper arm end, a front side wall of the main support is integrally formed to define the wind-direction device.

8. The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein the claw supports further comprise:

primary and secondary claw supports arranged in a hierarchy with respect to the main support and, in the hinge points, secondary supports are engaged by a cross-sectional profile of a primary support, and joint bolts are mounted at the hinge points in aligned boreholes of the primary support and secondary support and are in each case non-rotatably connected with the secondary support and axially secured, and mounted rotatably in the primary support.

9. The wiper blade according to claim 1, wherein the wind-directing device is formed integrally as one piece on the main support for amplifying the down-force of the wiper blade in response to an oncoming relative wind.

10. A wiper blade for a windshield wiper for a windshield of a vehicle comprising:

an elongate main support having a spine, a rear wall extending an entire length of the spine, and spaced front wall sections located only at selected portions of the spine to define U-shaped transverse cross-sections only in regions of a suspension case for a wiper arm and for hinge points of claw supports, said rear wall and front wall sections being parallel at said U-shaped transverse cross-sections, the main support being connectable rotatably around an axis to a wiper arm, the main support including opposite ends;

claw supports connected to the main support through hinge points to each end of the main support, the claw supports, in the region of the hinge points, formed with a stepped reduction in external cross-sectional profile defining at least one shoulder, so that the claw supports have substantially similar external cross-sectional profiles in proximity to the region of the hinge points defining a substantially smooth aerodynamic profile for a transitional region from the end of the main support to the claw supports; and

a wind-directing device formed integrally as one piece on the main support for amplifying the down-force of the wiper blade in response to an oncoming relative wind, the wind-directing device turned toward the relative wind and mounted on a longitudinal side of the wiper blade, the wind-directing device emerging from a front edge of the main support spine overlying said front wall sections and extending toward the windshield and against the relative wind, and the wind-directing device, in the longitudinal direction, having opposite ends with cantilevered, elongate wings, protruding beyond the opposite ends of the main support in the longitudinal direction.

11. The wiper blade according to claim 10, wherein the elongate wings extend in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade across most of the claw supports of the support frame.

12. The wiper blade according to claim 10, wherein the claw supports further comprise:

primary and secondary claw supports arranged in a hierarchy with respect to the main support and, in the hinge points, secondary supports are engaged by a cross-sectional profile of a primary support, wherein secondary supports, in the region of their hinge points, are formed in stepped reductions of external cross-sectional profiles, so that the main support and the secondary supports have similar external cross-sectional profiles in close proximity to and substantially adjoining one another.

13. The wiper blade according to claim 10, wherein the main support spine is provided with pigeonholes, that extend across its entire width and permit the relative wind streaming along under the wind-directing device to pass through.

14. The wiper blade according to claim 10, further comprising joint bolts for connecting the supports to one another, wherein the entire support frame system, including the wind-directing device and joint bolts are made of plastic.

15. The wiper blade according to claim 10 wherein the claw supports further comprise:

primary and secondary claw supports arranged in a hierarchy with respect to the main support and additionally, in the regions of inner ends of secondary supports, a front side wall of the main support is present for lateral guidance of the secondary support.

16. The wiper blade according to claim 10, wherein the region of a suspension case for the wiper arm end, the area between a front side wall of the main support and a rear side of the wind-direction device is closed.

17. The wiper blade according to claim 10, wherein the claw supports further comprise:

primary and secondary claw supports arranged in a hierarchy with respect to the main support and, in the hinge points, secondary supports are engaged by a cross-sectional profile of a primary support, and joint bolts are mounted at the hinge points in aligned boreholes of the primary support and secondary support and are in each case non-rotatably connected with the secondary support and axially secured, and mounted rotatably in the primary support.