Automobile windshield wiper blade

• US 7,484,264 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2007
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch LLC (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch LLC (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Kraemer, Godelieve, Mayer, Juergen
• Primary Examiner(s): Graham; Gary K
• Application Number:
  US11/760,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20070226941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 152/504.3, 152/504.4, 152/502.01, 152/504.51, 152/504.52, 152/504.8, 152/503.61
• US Class Current: 15/250.201
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/381 Spoilers mounted on the squeegee or on the vertebra
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3877 embedded in the squeegee
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3879 placed in side grooves in the squeegee
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/382 the backing strip being an essentially planar reinforcing strip, e.g. vertebra
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/3836 characterised by cross-sectional shape

Abstract

A wiper blade that cleans panes, in particular of motor vehicles. The wiper blade (10) comprises a strip-shaped, elongated, elastically resilient support element (12), the lower strip surface of which faces the pane (14) and is provided with an elongated, elastic wiper strip (24) running parallel to the longitudinal axis. The upper strip surface (16) of the element is provided with a wind deflector strip (42), which consists of an elastic material, extends in the longitudinal direction of the support element and has an oncoming stream surface (54) that faces the principal flow direction, (arrow 52), of the air stream. A particularly advantageous wiper blade, which is cost-effective to produce, can be achieved if the wind deflector strip, (when viewed in cross-section), comprises two limbs (48, 50), diverging from a common base (46) but mutually attached thereto, the free ends of said limbs facing the pane (14) and being supported on the wiper blade, and if in addition, the oncoming stream surface (54) is configured on the external face of one limb (50) and the cross-sectional profile of the wind deflector strip is the same over its entire length.

Claims

1. A wiper blade (10) for an automobile windshield (14), with an elongated belt-shaped, flexible resilient support element (12) having a longitudinal axis, on the lower belt surface (22) of which that faces the windshield is located an elastic rubber wiper strip 24 sitting against the windshield that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis, and on the upper belt surface (16) of which a wind deflection strip (42 or 112) is located that has an incident surface (54 or 140) facing the main flow direction of a driving wind (arrow 52), said deflection strip extending in the longitudinal direction of the support element, characterized in that the wind deflection strip has two sides (48, 50 or 136, 138) that diverge from a common base point (46 or 134) as seen in a cross section, that the incident surface (54 or 140) is located at the exterior of one side (50 or 138) and that the profile of the cross section of the wind deflection strip is the same along its entire length, wherein the support element has outer edges, and wherein the sides of the wind deflection strip have respective free ends having thereon respective claw-like extensions that fittingly grip around the outer edges of the support element at least in sections, so that the wind deflection strip can be snapped onto the outer edges or slid onto the outer edges in a longitudinal direction, wherein between the two sides (48, 50 or 136, 138) of the wind deflection strip (42 or 112) there is at least one support means (58 or 144) located at a distance from their common base point (46 or 134) that stabilizes the sides, wherein the support means is made up of a wall (58 or 144) connected to both sides (48, 50 or 136, 138) that extends in the longitudinal direction of the wind deflection strip (42 or 112), and wherein the wall (58 or 144) extends along the entire length of the wind deflection strip (42 or 112).

2. A wiper blade according to claim 1, characterized in that the support element (12) includes two flexible rails (36) each of which sits in a longitudinal notch (34) associated with it, respectively, said longitudinal notches being open toward the opposite lateral sides of the wiper strip (24), that the outer strip edges (38) of each of said flexible rails extend out of these notches, and that the support means (58 or 144) are positioned at a distance from the support element (12).

3. A wiper blade according to claim 1, characterized in that the wind deflection strip (42) is designed as a binary component whose longitudinal area provided with the claw-like extensions (56) is made of a harder material than a longitudinal area lying closer to the base point (46).

4. A wiper blade according to claim 3, characterized in that a transition from the harder longitudinal area to the softer longitudinal area occurs near the wall (58).

5. A wiper blade according to claim 1, characterized in that the wind deflection strip (42 or 112) has a longitudinal center section, and in that a recess (65) is located in the center section of the wind defection strip (42 or 112) at which to place a device (18) to connect a drive wiper arm (20).

6. A wiper blade according to claim 1, characterized in that the wind deflection strip (42 or 112) is made of a flexible plastic.