Wiper lever comprising a wiper arm and a wiper blade which is connected to the same in an articulated manner

• US 8,069,528 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2010
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Verelst, Hubert, Windmolders, Eric, Wilms, Christian, Beelen, Hans, Vertongen, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAHAM, GARY K
• Application Number:
  US12/685,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20100107354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: 152/503.2, 152/504.3, 152/504.4, 152/503.51, 152/503.61, 152/504.6
• 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 1/40 Connections between blades and arms
• 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

Abstract

A wiper lever (10) with a wiper arm (12) and a wiper blade (14) linked to it to clean windows of motor vehicles in particular is proposed, whose wiper blade 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) an articulated part (20) sits, on which an adapter (40) is positioned so that it can move in a pendulum fashion, which has walls (42) aligned in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade and standing on the band surfaces of the supporting element (22) with planes situated at a distance from one another, and locking means (72) are arranged on the adapter that are moveable against a restoring force, which cooperate with counter-locking means (66) of the wiper arm. A particularly operationally reliable connection between the wiper arm and the wiper blade to form the wiper lever is achieved if the locking means are arranged on at least one of the two walls (42) and are moveable essentially transverse to the surfaces of these walls.

Claims

1. Wiper lever (10) with a wiper arm (12) having a longitudinal extent and a wiper blade (14) linked to it to clean windows (15) which is provided with an elastic supporting element (22) that is constructed as an elongated band, that has opposite concave-curved and convex-curved band surfaces (26, 28) and 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 (15) on its concave-curved band surface (26), on whose convex-curved band surface (28) an articulated part (20) sits, on which an adapter (40) is positioned so that it can move in a pendulum fashion, which has walls aligned in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade and above the band surfaces of the supporting element with planes situated at a distance from one another, and moveable locking means (68, 70) are arranged on the adapter, which cooperate with counter-locking means (66) of the wiper arm, characterized in that the locking means are arranged on at least one of the two walls (42) and are moveable essentially transverse to the surfaces of these walls, and characterized in that guiding means on the wiper arm and on the adapter cooperate during assembly to guide the wiper arm along an assembly path relative to the adapter, the guiding means including a guide slot extending along the assembly path and transverse to the longitudinal extent of the wiper arm.

2. Wiper lever according to claim 1, characterized in that the adapter (40) has a U-shaped cross-section at least in sections, whose U-legs (42) form the two walls between which supporting walls (34) embodied on the articulated part (20) suitably dip.

3. Wiper lever according to claim 2, characterized in that the adapter (40) suitably grips over two longitudinal walls (34) of the articulated part (20), which are situated at a distance from one another, with its U-legs (42), that articulation means (50, 38) are arranged on the longitudinal walls and on the U-legs (42) and that the locking means (72) of the adapter (40) that is composed of an elastic material are located on an extension (70) of the U-legs of the adapter extending beyond the longitudinal walls (34).

4. Wiper lever according to claim 3, characterized in that the wiper arm (12) that is driven in a pendulum fashion accommodates the adapter (40) with a connecting piece (18) that is U-shaped in cross-section and that the extension (70) of the adapter extends towards the pendulum axis (16).

5. Wiper lever according to claim 4, characterized in that the counter-locking means (66) that cooperate with the locking means (72) of the adapter (40) are located on each of two U-legs (52) of the connecting piece (18).

6. Wiper lever according to claim 2, characterized in that locking means (72) are arranged on each of the two U-legs (42) of the adapter (40).

7. Wiper lever according to claim 2, characterized in that articulation means of the articulated part (20) are formed by an articulated bolt (38) arranged on each longitudinal wall (34), whose axes are aligned with one another.

8. Wiper lever according to claim 2, characterized in that articulation means of the adapter (40) are formed by bearing receptacles (50) arranged in the U-legs (42), each of which are open-edged via an assembly channel (46) terminating on a free end of the U-legs (42) that has been coordinated with a diameter of a respective articulated bolt (38).

9. Wiper lever according to claim 8, characterized in that each assembly channel (46) is provided with an elastically expandable narrowing (48).

10. Wiper lever according to claim 2, characterized in that pin-shaped supports (156) that align with one another are arranged on each outer side of the U-legs (42) of the adapter (140) at a longitudinal end area facing away from the locking means (154), to which a support bearing (158) embodied on the U-legs (159) of the connecting piece (118) is assigned.

11. Wiper lever according to claim 2, characterized in that the locking means (248) of the adapter (240) that are arranged on an extension (254) of the U-legs (242) have a locking shoulder (248) pointing toward an articulated connection, with which a counter-locking shoulder (276) of the connecting piece (268) that points away from the articulated connection cooperates, when proper positioning has been achieved between the wiper arm (12) and the wiper blade (14).

12. Wiper lever according to claim 2, characterized in that a laterally projecting handle (256) is arranged on an extension (254) of the U-legs (242) that features the locking means (248) of the adapter (240).

13. Wiper lever according to claim 1, characterized in that guiding means (260, 280) located both on the connecting piece (268) of the wiper arm and on the wiper blade cooperate during assembly of these components and force their proper positioning vis-à

-vis each other.

14. Wiper lever according to claim 13, characterized in that a projection (272) in the form of a collar is adjacent, with a supporting shoulder (288) that points towards a free end of a U-leg (242), to a counter shoulder (290) of the connecting piece (268).

15. Wiper lever according to claim 1, characterized in that the guiding means includes a guide pin engageable in and movable along the guide slot.

16. Wiper lever according to claim 15, characterized in that the guide slot is defined on the adapter and the guide pin is supported on the wiper arm.

17. Wiper lever according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking means and the counter-locking means having cooperating locking surfaces, in an assembled condition of the wiper arm and the adapter, the locking surfaces being oriented parallel to a plane, and characterized in that the guide slot extends transverse to the plane.

18. Wiper blade (14) to clean windows which is provided with an elastic supporting element (22) that is constructed as an elongated band, that has opposite concave-curved and convex-curved band surfaces (26, 28) and that is curved over its band surfaces (26, 28), which features a rubber elastic wiper strip (30) that can be applied to the window (15) on its concave-curved band surface (26), on whose convex-curved band surface (28) an articulated part (20) sits, on which an adapter (40) is positioned so that it can move in a pendulum fashion, which has a longitudinal extent and walls (42) aligned in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade and above the band surfaces of the supporting element (22) with planes situated at a distance from one another, and locking means are arranged on the adapter that are moveable against a restoring force, which can cooperate with counter-locking means (72) of a wiper arm (12) that can be connected in an articulated manner to the wiper blade, characterized in that the locking means are arranged on at least one of the two walls (42) and are moveable essentially transverse to the surfaces of these walls, characterized in that the articulated part has a longitudinal extent and includes a pin defining an articulation axis, and characterized in that, with the longitudinal extent of the articulated part extending parallel to the longitudinal extent of the adapter, the locking means and the pin are arranged along a line generally parallel to a longitudinal extent of the articulated part.