Wiper blade for vehicle window panes

• US 6,161,248 A
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 12/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Merkel, Wilfried, Reiss, Juergen, Kotlarski, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Graham, Gary K.
• Application Number:
  US09/101,131
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 15/250.361, 15/250.43, 15/250.32, 15/250.44, 15/250.33, 15/250.41
• US Class Current: 15/250.32
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/38 Wiper blades provided with liquid spreading means B60S1/524; provided with gas spreading means B60S1/546
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3853 Snap-fit, e.g. elastic connection
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3856 Gripping the blade
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3858 with protrusions cooperating with holes
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3867 pin formed on the interior of side walls
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/4006 for arms provided with a hook-shaped end
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/3812 Means of supporting or holding the squeegee or blade rubber

Abstract

A proposed wiper blade serves to clean the windshields of motor vehicles. The wiper blade (10) has an elongated rubber-elastic wiping strip which can be placed in contact against the windshield to be wiped and which is held substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis at an elongated, springing-elastic carrying element (12). A connection device (16) for complementing connection means of a driven wiper arm (18) which are loaded toward the windshield is arranged at the center portion of the carrying element (12). The connection device has two stop surfaces (36) which are located at a distance from one another, extend transverse to the driving direction, are parallel to one another and oriented in planes extending vertical to the windshield, and cooperate with counter-stops of the wiper arm. A problem-free and economical arrangement of the connection device at the carrying element is carried out in that one of the two structural component parts (12 or 16) which are connected with one another is provided with elastically deflectable catch means which cooperate with the complementing catch means of the other structural component part (16 or 12) in such a way that the two structural component parts are locked together.

Claims

1. Wiper blade (10) for windshields of motor vehicles, said blade adapted to be driven over the windshield in a driving direction, said blade having an elongated rubber-elastic wiping strip (14) which can be placed in contact against the windshield to be wiped and which is held substantially parallel to and along a longitudinal axis directly by an elongated, springing-elastic carrying element (12) as a first structural component part, said carrying element is elongated between first and second ends thereof and has an upper and lower side, a connection device (16) for complementing connection means (20) of a driven wiper arm (18) being arranged as a further structural component part at a center portion of the carrying element (12), wherein the connection device (16) has at least one stop surface (36) which cooperates with at least one counter-stop of the wiper arm (18), the two structural parts (12,16) which are connected with one another have two catch means arranged so that the connection device (16) is provided with first elastically deflectable catch means which cooperate with second complementing catch means of the carrying element (12) in such a way that the two structural component parts (12,16) are locked together, the first elastically deflectable catch means comprising at least one deflectable tongue defining a retaining shoulder and the second catch means comprising a cutout in said carrying element which defines a catch shoulder, characterized in that the springing elastic carrying element (12) has a lower surface in continuous contact all along its length between the first and second ends with a back surface of the elongated rubber-elastic wiping strip.

2. Wiper blade according to claim 1, characterized in that the retaining shoulder is arranged transverse to the longitudinal extension of the carrying element, and in that the catch shoulder complements the retaining shoulder.

3. Wiper blade according to claim 1, characterized in that the retaining shoulder is arranged at the free end of the tongue and spring-loaded in the direction of the carrying element (12).

4. Wiper blade according to claim 3, characterized in that the connection device (16) is manufactured from an elastic plastic, and in that the tongue (38) is connected integral with the connection device (16).

5. Wiper blade according to claim 1, characterized in that the connection device (16) has two cheeks which are located at a distance from one another, extend transverse to the driving direction, are parallel to one another and oriented in planes vertical to the windshield, wherein the catch means of the connection device (16) are connected with the cheeks.

6. Wiper blade according to claim 5, characterized in that each of the cheeks (32, 34) has a strip-shaped extension (40) extending beyond a U-base (30), wherein the distance (42) between these strip-shaped extensions (40), measured in the driving direction (29) of the wiper blade (10), is adapted to the width (44) of the carrying element (12) measured in the driving direction.

7. Wiper blade according to claim 6, characterized in that said at least one tongue (38) is formed on at least one of the two U-legs (32, 34) of the connection device (16), this tongue (38), which can be deflected out of the plane of a respective U-leg, extending into a region of the strip-shaped extensions (40) of the U-legs, in that a catch hook is arranged with the catch shoulder (48) facing the base of the "U" at the free end of the tongue located in the above-mentioned region, and in that the spacing between the catch shoulder and the U-base is adapted to the thickness of the carrying element.

8. Wiper blade according to claim 1, characterized in that the connection device (16) has a base plate (30) which can be placed on the upper side of the carrying element (12), said catch means (150, 152) of the connection device (16) being provided on this base plate (30).

9. Wiper blade according to claim 8, characterized in that the tongue (150) is connected with the base plate (30) and spring-loaded in the direction of the carrying element (12) and includes a projection (152) which faces the carrying element and has the retaining shoulder (154) therein.

10. Wiper blade (10) for windshields of motor vehicles, with an elongated rubber-elastic wiping strip (14) which can be placed in contact against the windshield to be wiped and which is held substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis directly by an elongated, springing-elastic carrying element (12) as a first structural component part, a connection device (16) for complementing connection means (20) of a driven wiper arm (18) which are loaded toward the windshield being arranged as a further structural component part at the center portion of the carrying element (12), wherein the connection device (16) has two stop surfaces (36) which are located at a distance from one another, extend transverse to a driving direction, are parallel to one another and oriented in planes extending vertical to the windshield, and cooperate with counter-stops of the wiper arm (18), characterized in that the two structural parts (12, 16) which are connected with one another have two catch means arranged so that one of the two structural component parts (12 or 16) is provided with first elastically deflectable catch means which cooperate with second complementing catch means of the other structural component part (16 or 12) in such a way that the two structural component parts (12 and 16) are locked together, the connection device (16) has two cheeks which are located at a distance from one another, extend transverse to the driving direction, are parallel to one another and oriented in planes vertical to the windshield, wherein catch means of the connection device (16) are connected with the cheeks, characterized in that the connection device (16) has a substantially U-shaped cross section viewed transverse to the longitudinal extension of the wiper blade (10), wherein the base (30) of the "U" contacts the carrying element (12) and the legs (32, 34) of the "U" form the cheeks.

11. Wiper blade (10) for windshields of motor vehicles, with an elongated rubber-elastic wiping strip (14) which can be placed in contact against the windshield to be wiped and which is held substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis directly by an elongated, springing-elastic carrying element (12) as a first structural component part, a connection device (16) for complementing connection means (20) of a driven wiper arm (18) which are loaded toward the windshield being arranged as a further structural component part at the center portion of the carrying element (12), wherein the connection device (16) has two stop surfaces (36) which are located at a distance from one another, extend transverse to a driving direction, are parallel to one another and oriented in planes extending vertical to the windshield, and cooperate with counter-stops of the wiper arm (18), that the two structural parts (12, 16) which are connected with one another have two catch means arranged so that one of the two structural component parts (12 or 16) is provided with first elastically deflectable catch means which cooperate with second complementing catch means of the other structural component part (16 or 12) in such a way that the two structural component parts (12 and 16) are locked together, the first catch means are arranged at the connection device, the connection device (16) has a base plate (30) which can be placed in the upper side of the carrying element (12), said first catch means (150, 152) of the connecting device (16) being arranged at the base plate (30);

the catch means (152) are arranged at the free end of a tongue (150) which is connected with the base plate (30) and spring-loaded in the direction of the carrying element (12) and are formed by a projection (152) which faces the carrying element and has a retaining shoulder (154);

the complementing retaining shoulder facing the retaining shoulder (154) is formed by a cutout (156) at the carrying element (12);

characterized in that the connection device (16) has, on the side of its base plate (30) facing the windshield, at least two guide strips (136) which extend in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the carrying element and are L-shaped in cross section, wherein first L-legs (138) remote of the base plate (30) are directed toward one another in a claw-shaped manner, wherein the distance between other second L-legs (140) is adapted to the width (144) of the carrying element (12), and the distance (146) between the first L-legs (138) and the base plate (30) are adapted to the thickness (148) of the carrying element (12).