Windscreen wiper device

• US 7,690,073 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2003
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trico Belgium SA
• Original Assignee: Federal-Mogul SA (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Marmoy, Didier, Boland, Xavier, Henin, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Graham; Gary K
• Application Number:
  US10/511,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20060021177A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,534 Days
• Field of Search: 152/503.51, 152/504.4, 152/504.3, 152/503.2, 152/502.01, 152/504.52, 152/504.51, 152/503.61, 294/28, 29D/IG.48, 298/972
• US Class Current: 15/250.32
• 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 1/4041 the channel-shaped end comprising a pivot pin mounted between the side walls
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/4064 the channel-shaped end being provided with protrusions on, or holes in, the side walls to create a pivot
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/409 characterised by the arm or connecting part mounted on the arm presenting a shaped opening for bearing the pivot axis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 29/048 Welding with other step
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49622 Vehicular structural member making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A windscreen wiper device (1) comprising an elastic, elongated carrier element, as well as an elongated wiper blade (2) of a flexible material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, which wiper blade (2) includes opposing longitudinal grooves (3) on its longitudinal sides, in which grooves (3) spaced-apart longitudinal strips (4) of the carrier element are disposed, wherein neighboring ends of said longitudinal strips (4) are interconnected by a respective connecting piece (6), which windscreen wiper device (1) comprises a connecting device (7) for an oscillating wiper arm (8), wherein said oscillating arm (8) is pivotally connected to said connecting device (7) about a pivot axis near one end, a special feature of which is that said connecting device (7) comprises engaging members (9) being welded to longitudinal sides (10) of said longitudinal strips (4) that face away from each other in such a manner as to withstand shearing forces in a direction along said longitudinal strips (4).

Claims

1. A windscreen wiper device comprising an elastic, elongated carrier element, as well as an elongated wiper blade of a flexible material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, which wiper blade includes opposing longitudinal grooves on its longitudinal sides, in which grooves spaced-apart longitudinal strips of said carrier element are disposed, wherein neighbouring ends of said longitudinal strips are interconnected by a respective connecting piece, which windscreen wiper device comprises a connecting device for an oscillating wiper arm, wherein said oscillating arm is pivotally connected to said connecting device about a pivot axis near one end, characterized in that said connecting device comprises engaging members being welded to longitudinal sides of said longitudinal strips that face away from each other in such a manner as to withstand shearing forces in a direction along said longitudinal strips, said connecting device and said engaging members being constructed as one piece of thermoplastic material and said longitudinal strips having an outer thermoplastic skin welded to said connecting device.

2. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, wherein said engaging members are welded to said longitudinal sides through an ultrasonic welding operation.

3. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, wherein said connecting device and said engaging members engage around said longitudinal strips.

4. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, wherein the end of the oscillating wiper arm includes two at least substantially cylindrical protrusions, which form bearing surfaces, at the location of the pivot axis, which protrusions extend in lateral direction with respect to the oscillating wiper arm.

5. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 4, wherein said protrusions can be pivotally mounted in correspondingly shaped recesses in the connecting device.

6. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 5, wherein said protrusions can be snapped into said recesses.

7. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 5, wherein said protrusions are dimensioned such that they can be passed through insertion openings of the recesses from an at least substantially perpendicular position of the oscillating arm with respect to the wiper blade, and be locked in position in said recesses from an at least substantially parallel position of the oscillating wiper arm with respect to the wiper blade.

8. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, wherein the end of the oscillating wiper arm has an at least substantially U-shaped cross-section, said connecting device being partially positioned within said end of the oscillating arm, and wherein the end of the oscillating arm is provided, at the location of the pivot axis, with a shaft extending between the legs of the U-shaped cross-section, said shaft pivotally engaging in said connecting device.

9. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, wherein said connecting pieces are clamping members, which form separate constructional elements.

10. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 9, wherein said connecting pieces are form-locked or force-locked to the adjacent ends of said longitudinal strips.

11. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, wherein said connecting pieces are in one piece with said longitudinal strips.

12. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, wherein at least said longitudinal strips are made of spring band material.

13. A method for manufacturing a windscreen wiper device, wherein opposing longitudinal grooves are formed in longitudinal sides of an elongated wiper blade of a flexible material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, in which grooves longitudinal strips of a carrier element are subsequently fitted in spaced-apart relationship, wherein neighbouring ends of said longitudinal strips are interconnected by a respective connecting piece, wherein an oscillating arm is pivotally connected to a connecting device of the windscreen wiper device about a pivot axis near one end thereof, characterized in that said connecting device is fitted with engaging members, which are welded to longitudinal sides of said longitudinal strips that face away from each other in such a manner as to withstand shearing forces in a direction along said longitudinal strips, further including constructing said engaging members as one piece of thermoplastic material and providing said longitudinal strips with a thermoplastic skin.

14. The method of claim 13 further including welding the thermoplastic material of the engaging members to the thermoplastic skin on the longitudinal strips.