Wiper blade

• US 8,020,246 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2005
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Mai, Stefan, Bauer, Peter-Josef, Wilms, Christian, Van Baelen, David, Beelen, Hans, Verelst, Hubert, De Block, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAHAM, GARY K
• Application Number:
  US11/587,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20080276404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,401 Days
• Field of Search: 152/504.4, 152/504.3, 152/502.01, 152/503.2, 152/503.1, 152/504.51
• US Class Current: 15/250.201
• 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 1/3806 Means, or measures taken, for influencing the aerodynamic quality of the wiper blades
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3856 Gripping the blade
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3863 Connectors having a spoiler
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3868 pin formed on the exterior of side walls
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3889 cooperating with holes in the vertebra
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/40 Connections between blades and arms
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/382 the backing strip being an essentially planar reinforcing strip, e.g. vertebra
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/3822 characterised by additional means to prevent longitudinal sliding of squeegee in support, e.g. clips

Abstract

A non-articulated wiper blade (10), which is constructed of a wiper strip (12) having a wiper lip (14), two spring rails (30, 32) and a connecting device (22), wherein the spring rails (30, 32) engage in lateral longitudinal grooves of the wiper strip (12) that are open towards the outside and are clasped by claw feet (28, 68, 76, 108) of a sheet metal claw (24, 64, 72, 106) of the connecting device (22) from an outer narrow side. The claw feet (28, 68, 76, 108) are bent around the narrow sides of the spring rails (30, 32) during the assembly of the sheet metal claws (24, 64, 72, 106), wherein at least one layer (70) and/or an intermediate layer (48, 84) of plastic are provided between the claw feet (28, 68, 76, 108) on the one hand and the spring rails (30, 32) on the other hand, which layers are manufactured separately from the wiper strip (12) and are adapted to the claw feet (28, 68, 76, 108) as well as have a high coefficient of friction on their surface towards the sheet metal claw (24, 64, 72, 106) and towards the spring rails (30, 32).

Claims

1. Wiper blade (10), which is constructed of a wiper strip (12) having a wiper lip (14), two spring rails (30, 32) and a connecting device (22), wherein the spring rails (30, 32) engage in lateral longitudinal grooves of the wiper strip (12) that are open towards the outside and are clasped by claw feet (28, 68, 76, 108) of a sheet metal claw (24, 64, 72, 106) of the connecting device (22) from an outer narrow side, characterized in that the claw feet (28, 68, 76, 108) are bent around the narrow sides of the spring rails (30, 32) during the assembly of the sheet metal claws (24, 64, 72, 106), wherein an intermediate layer (48, 84) of plastic is provided between the claw feet (28, 68, 76, 108) and the spring rails (30, 32), which layers are manufactured separately from the wiper strip (12) and are adapted to the claw feet (28, 68, 76, 108) as well as have a high coefficient of friction on their surface towards the sheet metal claw (24, 64, 72, 106) and towards the spring rails (30, 32), and characterized in that each claw foot extends to a free end providing an inner longitudinal edge of the claw foot, the intermediate layer covering the inner longitudinal edge of each claw foot.

2. Wiper blade (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the claw feet (28, 68, 76, 108) press the layer (70) or the intermediate layer (48, 84) together against the spring rails (30, 32).

3. Wiper blade (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the intermediate layer (48) has a profile that is L-shaped or Z-shaped in cross section and a bent crosspiece on the inner longitudinal edge of the associated claw foot (28).

4. Wiper blade (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the intermediate layer (84) is an extruded profile that is U-shaped in cross section and open towards the spring rails (30, 32), which is adapted in terms of its length to the width of a claw foot (28) or to the distance of the outer fore parts (78) of two adjacent claw feet (76).

5. Wiper blade (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the claw feet (68) are coated at least on their inner surfaces with a layer (70) of plastic.

6. Wiper blade (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sheet metal claw (24) is cast in a plastic cap (46), which supports itself with counter surfaces (50) on upper wide sides of the spring rails (30, 32), in that the counter surfaces (50) protrude towards the spring rails (30, 32) relative to the upper legs (40) of the claw feet (28).

7. Wiper blade (10) according to claim 1 with a spoiler (16) on each of two front sides of a plastic cap (46), characterized in that the plastic cap (46) has the same outer cross-sectional contour as the spoiler (16) towards the spoilers (16) and overlaps a projection (52) on the spoilers (16) with a projection (54) in an axially displaceable manner.

8. Wiper blade (10) according to claim 7 with end caps (18, 20), characterized in that the spoilers (16) are arranged in an axially displaceable manner on the spring rails (30, 32) between the connecting device (22) and the end caps (18, 20), wherein the end caps (18, 20) are fastened on the spring rails (30,32), have the same outer cross-sectional contour as the spoilers (16) towards the spoilers (16) and overlap projections (104) on front sides of the spoilers (16) with projections (102) on their front sides (98) with play.

9. Wiper blade (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sheet metal claw (24) is cast in a plastic cap (46).

10. Wiper blade (10) according to claim 9, characterized in that the plastic cap (46) has counter surfaces (50) supported on upper wide sides of the spring rails (30, 32), and in that the counter surfaces (50) protrude towards the spring rails (30, 32) relative to the upper legs (40) of the claw feet (28), the upper legs (40) of the claw feet (28) not engaging the upper wide sides of the spring rails (30, 32).

11. Wiper blade (10) which is constructed of a wiper strip (12) having a wiper lip (14), two spring rails (30, 32) and a connecting device (22) with a connecting portion for connection to a wiper arm, wherein the spring rails (30, 32) engage in lateral longitudinal grooves of the wiper strip (12) that are open outwardly and are clasped by claw feet (28, 68, 76, 108) of a sheet metal claw (24, 64, 72, 106) of the connecting device (22) from an outer narrow side, characterized in that the sheet metal claw (106) has at least two claw feet (108) on an outer side of one spring rail (30, 32), between which the spring rail (30, 32) has a protuberance (110, 112, 114, 116), which overlaps the claw feet (108) upwardly, downwardly and/or laterally, characterized in that the one spring rail (30, 32) has opposite wide sides, and characterized in that the claw feet (108) are connected via a bridge (118), the bridge (118) engaging along one opposite wide side of the one spring rail (30, 32), the connecting portion of the connecting device (22) being on the other opposite wide side of the one spring rail 30, 32).

12. Wiper blade (10) according to claim 11, characterized in that the protuberance (116) has at least two elevations.

13. Wiper blade (10) according to claim 11, characterized in that the claw feet (28, 68, 76, 108) have at least one predetermined bending point (80) on one of their inner hollow channels.

14. Wiper blade (10) according to claim 13, characterized in that the claw feet (28, 68, 76, 108) have a further predetermined bending point (82) between their inner hollow channels.

15. Wiper blade (10), which is constructed of a wiper strip (12) having a wiper lip (14), two spring rails (30, 32) and a connecting device (22), wherein the spring rails (30, 32) engage in lateral longitudinal grooves of the wiper strip (12) that are open towards the outside and are clasped by claw feet (28, 68, 76, 108) of a sheet metal claw (24, 64, 72, 106) of the connecting device (22) from an outer narrow side, characterized in that the claw feet (28, 68, 76, 108) are bent around the narrow sides of the spring rails (30, 32) during the assembly of the sheet metal claws (24, 64, 72, 106) to provide upper legs (40) above the spring rails (30, 32) and lower legs (42) below the spring rails (30, 32), wherein at least one layer (70) and/or an intermediate layer (48, 84) of plastic are provided between a portion of the claw feet (28, 68, 76, 108) and the spring rails (30, 32), which layers are manufactured separately from the wiper strip (12) and are adapted to the claw feet (28, 68, 76, 108) as well as have a high coefficient of friction on their surface towards the sheet metal claw (24, 64, 72, 106) and towards the spring rails (30, 32), the at least one layer (70) and/or an intermediate layer (48, 84) of plastic not being provided between the upper legs (40) of the claw feet (28, 68, 76, 108) and upper wide sides of the spring rails (30, 32), and characterized in that the sheet metal claw (24) is cast in a plastic cap (46), the plastic cap (46) having counter surfaces (50) supported on the upper wide sides of the spring rails (30, 32), the counter surfaces (50) protruding further towards the spring rails (30, 32) relative to upper legs (40) of the claw feet (28) and preventing the upper legs (40) of the claw feet (28) from engaging the upper wide sides of the spring rails (30, 32).