Wiper lever comprising a wiper arm and a wiper blade which is connected to the same in an articulated manner, for cleaning windows, especially windows pertaining to motor vehicles

• US 7,945,987 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2009
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Wilms, Christian, Beelen, Hans, Verelst, Hubert, Vertongen, Robert, Windmolders, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Graham; Gary K
• Application Number:
  US12/507,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20100017995A1
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 152/503.2, 152/504.3, 152/504.4, 152/503.61, 152/502.01, 152/503.51
• 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 1/3856 Gripping the blade
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3868 pin formed on the exterior of side walls
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/4038 for arms provided with a channel-shaped end
• 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 2001/382 the backing strip being an essentially planar reinforcing strip, e.g. vertebra
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/3843 equipped with removable cover or protective elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/4051 the intermediate element engaging the side walls of the arm
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/4061 covered by a removable cover mounted on the blade

Abstract

Wiper lever (10) with a driven wiper arm (12) and a wiper blade (14) linked to it for cleaning the windows of motor vehicles in particular, which is provided with a band-like, long-stretched-out, elastic supporting element (22) that is curved in the longitudinal direction over its band surfaces (26, 28), which features a rubber elastic wiper strip (30) that can be applied to the window on its concave curved band surface (26), on whose convex curved band surface (28) a coupling element (20) sits to connect the wiper blade to a coupling piece (18) of the wiper arm and the articulated connection is covered by a cap (100) that is held on the wiper blade. A well-designed, pleasing transition between the wiper arm and the wiper blade of the wiper lever along with good protection of the articulated connection that exists between these two components of the wiper lever are achieved without impairing the handling of the securing means in that this articulated connection has at its disposal means to secure the connection between the wiper arm (12) and the wiper blade (14) that can be actuated with at least one handle (80) and that the cap (100) accommodates the handle (80).

Claims

1. Wiper lever (10) with a driven wiper arm (12) and a wiper blade (14) for cleaning windows, which is provided with a band-like, elongated elastic supporting element (22) which is curved in the longitudinal direction over its band surfaces (26, 28) and on the concave curved band surface (26) of which there is a rubber-elastic wiper strip (30) engageable with a surface of a window to be cleaned, the wiper strip (30) having a width transverse to the longitudinal direction and generally parallel to the surface of the window, and on the convex curved band surface (28) of which a coupling element (20) for connecting the wiper blade (14) to the driven wiper arm (12) in an articulated manner is arranged, wherein the coupling element (20) is provided with an adapter (40), and wherein the coupling element (20) and its adapter (40) are covered by a cap (100) which has a passage (104) for the wiper arm (12), characterized in that the adapter (40) has means for securing the wiper blade (14) to the wiper arm (12), which securing means are moveable from a locking position into a release position in an actuation direction generally parallel to the width of the wiper strip (30), and the design of the cap (100) permits the actuation of the securing means;

wherein the securing means includes a first projection and a second projection formed on one of the adapter (40) and the wiper arm (12) and a first recess and a second recess formed on the other of the adapter (40) and the wiper arm (12), the first projection and the second projection being respectively engageable in the first recess and the second recess in the locking position to secure the wiper blade (14) to the wiper arm (12), the cap (100) permitting actuation of the securing means from the locking position to the release position, in which the first projection and the second projection are disengaged from the first recess and the second recess such that the wiper blade (14) can be unsecured from the wiper arm (12); and

wherein the securing means includes a first handle (80) operable to move the first projection and a second handle (80) operable to move the second projection, the first handle (80) and the second handle (80) extending generally parallel to the actuation direction.

2. Wiper lever according to claim 1, characterized in that the adapter (40), which can be connected to the coupling piece (18) of the wiper arm and is a part of the articulated connection, is linked to the coupling element (20) of the wiper blade, on which adapter a handle (80) for the securing means is arranged.

3. Wiper lever according to claim 2, characterized in that the cap (100) is embodied to be trough-like with a trough edge (102) facing the supporting element (22), that the cap is provided with a penetration opening (104) for the wiper arm and that the adapter (40) is equipped with the handle (80) projecting towards a longitudinal trough wall (106) of the cap.

4. Wiper lever according to claim 3, characterized in that the trough wall (106) of the cap (100) that is adjacent to the handle (80) is provided with a recess (112) allocated to this handle.

5. Wiper lever according to claim 3, characterized in that the trough wall (131) of the cap (130) manufactured of an elastic plastic that is adjacent to the handle (80) features an elastically yielding area (133) that is allocated to the handle.

6. Wiper lever according to claim 5, characterized in that the elastically yielding area (133) of the trough wall (131) is provided with a support (136) on its inner side that extends towards the handle (80).

7. Wiper lever according to claim 1, characterized in that the handles (80) are arranged at a distance from one another in their deflected direction, wherein the securing of the connection between the wiper arm (12) and the wiper blade (14) is detached in the deflected position of the handles (80) when they approach one another.

8. Wiper lever according to claim 1, characterized in that the cap (130) is locked with the supporting element (22) of the wiper blade (14).

9. Wiper lever according to claim 1, characterized in that the supporting element (22) is provided with at least two limit stops (36) each pointing in opposing longitudinal directions, to which corresponding counter limit stops (143) of the cap (130) are allocated.

10. Wiper lever according to claim 1, characterized in that the securing means is movable from the locking position to the release position with the cap covering the coupling element and the adapter.

11. Wiper lever according to claim 1, characterized in that the securing means is movable from the locking position to the release position without adjustment of the cap from a covering position.

12. Wiper blade for cleaning windows with a band-like, elongated, elastic supporting element (22) that is curved in the longitudinal direction over its band surfaces (26, 28), on whose concave curved band surface (26) a rubber elastic wiper strip (30) is situated and on whose convex curved band surface (28) a coupling element (20) is arranged to connect the wiper blade (14) to a driven wiper arm (12) in an articulated manner, wherein the coupling element (20) is provided with an adapter (40), which features means to secure the wiper blade on the wiper arm, which can be moved from a locked position into an unlocked position in an actuation direction, wherein the coupling element (20) and its adapter (40) are covered by a cap (100) featuring a passage (104) for the wiper arm (12), the cap (100) permitting the actuation of the securing means, wherein the securing means includes a first projection and a second projection formed on one of the adapter (40) and the wiper arm (12) and a first recess and a second recess formed on the other of the adapter (40) and the wiper arm (12), the first projection and the second projection being respectively engageable in the first recess and the second recess in the locking position to secure the wiper blade (14) to the wiper arm (12), the cap (100) permitting actuation of the securing means from the locking position to the release position, in which the first projection and the second projection are disengaged from the first recess and the second recess such that the wiper blade (14) can be unsecured from the wiper arm (12), wherein the securing means includes a first handle (80) operable to move the first projection and a second handle (80) operable to move the second projection, the first handle (80) and the second handle (80) extending generally parallel to the actuation direction.

13. Wiper lever according to claim 12, characterized in that the adapter (40) composed of an elastic plastic has locking means that form the securing means, that can be actuated via one of the first handle (80) and the second handle (80) and that can be deflected against a restoring force transverse to the longitudinal extension of the supporting element (22) in an at least almost parallel plane to a band width defined in a plane parallel to a surface of a window to be cleaned, which locking means cooperate with counter locking means embodied on the coupling piece (18) of the wiper arm.

14. Wiper lever according to claim 13, characterized in that the cap (100) is embodied to be trough-like with a trough edge (102) facing the supporting element (22), that the cap is provided with a penetration opening (104) for the wiper arm and that the adapter (40) is equipped with the handle (80) projecting towards a longitudinal trough wall (106) of the cap.

15. Wiper lever according to claim 12, characterized in that the securing means is movable from the locking position to the release position with the cap covering the coupling element and the adapter.

16. Wiper lever according to claim 12, characterized in that the securing means is movable from the locking position to the release position without adjustment of the cap from a covering position.