Wiper blade to clean windshields, in particular of automobiles

• US 20030159229A1
• Filed: 02/21/2003
• Published: 08/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch LLC (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Weiler, Michael, Dietrich, Jan, Zimmer, Joachim
• Granted Patent: US 7,451,520 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 1/3848 Flat-type wiper blade, i.e. without harness
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3879 placed in side grooves in the squeegee
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/3817 chacterised by a backing strip to aid mounting of squeegee in support

Abstract

A wiper blade is proposed with which to clean windshields, in particular of automobiles. The wiper blade (10) has an elongated belt-shaped, flexible spring support element (12), with a separate first component designed as an elastic rubber wiper strip (14) that can be pressed against the windshield (20) located at the bottom belt surface (13) of the support element and with a separate second component located at the other upper belt surface (11) of the support element (12) that is designed as a wind deflection strip (24) that extends at least along a longitudinal section of the wiper blade (10). A particularly low-disruption wiper blade results if the two components (14, 24) are connected together at their sides facing one another.

Claims

1. A wiper blade (10) to clean windshields (20), in particular of automobiles, provided with an elongated belt-shaped, flexible spring support element (12), with a separate first component designed as an elastic rubber wiper strip (14) that can be pressed against the windshield (20) located at the bottom belt surface (13) of the support element and with a separate second component located at the other upper belt-surface (11) of the support element (12) that is designed as a wind deflection strip (24) that extends at least along a longitudinal section of the wiper blade (10), characterized in that the two components (14, 24) are connected together at their sides facing one another.

2. A wiper blade according to claim 1, whose support element (12) has two flexible rails (28) at a distance from one another, characterized in that the two components (14, 24) are connected together through the longitudinal slot (32) remaining between the flexible rails.

3. A wiper blade according to claim 2, characterized in that one of the two components (14, 24) extends through the longitudinal slot (32) by means of a stem-like continuation (36) to the side of the belts of the support element (12) opposite said component and that the connection of the two components with one another is achieved at the continuation (36).

4. A wiper blade according to claim 3, characterized in that the continuation (36) of the first component has a profile shape, as seen in cross section, that matches a mating profile shape on the other component as seen in a cross section.

5. A wiper blade according to claim 4, characterized in that the stem-like continuation (36) is located at a wall of the wiper strip (14) facing the flexible rails, that the continuation broadens into a belt shape after penetrating the longitudinal slot (32) to create longitudinal holding notches (38) for the flexible rails (28), and that it covers the inner strip edges (30) of the flexible rails (28) that face one another.

6. A wiper blade according to claim 5, characterized in that the belt-like broadening (37) of the continuation (36) creates a positive profile shape with which a negative profile shape designed as a notched recess (46) snugly fits.

7. A wiper blade according to claim 6, characterized in that the notched recess (46) is designed into a wall (40) of the wind deflection strip (24) that faces the flexible rails (28).

8. A wiper blade according to claim 4, characterized in that the continuation (36) is located at a wall (60) of the wind deflection strip (24) that faces the flexible rails (28), that the continuation (61) widens into a belt shape after it penetrates the longitudinal slot (32), reaching beneath the inner strip edges (30) of the flexible rails (28) that face one another.

9. A wiper blade according to claim 8, characterized in that the belt-shaped widening (37) of the continuation (36) creates a positive profile shape with which a negative profile shape on the wiper strip (14), which is designed as a notched recess (46), mates snugly.

10. A wiper blade according to claim 9, characterized in that the notched recess (46) is designed at a wall of the wiper strip (14) that faces the flexible rails (28).

11. A wiper blade according to claim 2, characterized in that to connect the wiper strip (14) to the wind deflection strip (24), a separate third bar-shaped component (70) is provided that has a longitudinal notch (72) at each of two of its longitudinal sides opposite one another, said notches lying in the same plane, to hold the inner strip edges (30) of the flexible rails (28) that face one another, and that between these notches is a stem (74) whose width is determined by the width (34) of the longitudinal slot (32) and with the width of the longitudinal notches (72) being determined by the thickness of the flexible rails (28), and with the two other longitudinal sides of the bar-shaped component (70) forming positive profile shapes that mate with negative profile shapes in the wiper strip (14) as well as in the wind deflection strip (24).

12. A wiper blade according to claim 5, characterized in that the external strip edges (31) of the two flexible rails (28) of the support element (12) facing away from one another protrude at least part of the way out from their longitudinal holding notches (38) and that between the flexible rails and the wall of the wind deflection strip (24) that faces them, there is an air gap (50) that remains.

13. A wiper blade according to claim 12, characterized in that the wind deflection strip (24) is supported at the support element (12) by knife-edge stops (52) located at its longitudinal edges.

21. A wiper blade according to claim 4, characterized in that the cross section of the wind deflection strip (24, 59, 69, 78, 90) and the wiper strip (14, 66, 85, 93) are uniform along their entire respective lengths.

22. A wiper blade according to claim 1, characterized in that the wind deflection strip (24) and the wiper strip (14) are glued together at their points of connection.

14. A wiper blade (10) to clean windshields (20), in particular of automobiles, provided with an elongated belt-shaped, flexible spring support element (12), with a separate first component designed as an elastic rubber wiper strip (14) that can be pressed against the windshield (20) located at the bottom belt surface (13) of the support element and with a separate second component located at the other upper belt surface (11) of the support element (12) that is designed as a wind deflection strip (24) that extends at least along a longitudinal section of the wiper blade (10), characterized in that the two components (14, 24) are connected together at their sides facing one another, and characterized in that the wind deflection strip (24) has two diverging sides (81, 83) as seen in cross section that are connected together at a common base (79), the free ends of which that face the support element being supported off of the support element (12) in particular by means of knife-edge shaped stops, and that supplemental positive profile shapes are located at the two elastically deflectable sides (81, 83) with which negative profile shapes (84) of the wiper strip (14) cooperate.

15. A wiper blade according to claim 14, characterized in that a latch hook (80) is formed onto the inner wall of both of the two sides, said latch hook being directed toward the outer strip edges (31) of the support element (12) adjacent [to it] and constituting the positive profile shape, and with respective opposite hooks (84) associated with each of said hooks that are designed into the continuation (82) of the wiper strip and that constitute the negative profile shape.

16. A wiper blade according to claim 15, characterized in that the opposite hooks (84) are designed at the longitudinal walls of an existing longitudinal notch (86) in the continuation (82) of the wiper strip (14).

17. A wiper blade (10) to clean windshields (20), in particular of automobiles, provided with an elongated belt-shaped, flexible spring support element (12), with a separate first component designed as an elastic rubber wiper strip (14) that can be pressed against the windshield (20) located at the bottom belt surface (13) of the support element and with a separate second component located at the other upper belt surface (11) of the support element (12) that is designed as a wind deflection strip (24) that extends at least along a longitudinal section of the wiper blade (10), characterized in that the two components (14, 24) are connected together at their sides facing one another, and characterized in that the wind deflection strip (90) has two diverging sides (91, 92) as seen in cross section that are connected together at a common base (89), the free ends of said sides that face the support element (14) being supported off of the wiper blade, that at the inner wall of one of the two sides is a positive (98) profile shape with which a negative profile shape (102) associates that is designed into the continuation (96) of the wiper strip (14).

18. A wiper blade according to claim 17, characterized in that the positive profile shape (98) that is circular in cross section is connected to one side (92) of the wind deflection strip (90) via a narrow longitudinal stem (100), and that the negative profile shape is designed as a circular longitudinal notch (102) in cross section that on its side facing the wind deflection strip (24) is provided a slotted longitudinal opening (104) matched to the thickness of the longitudinal stem (100).

19. A wiper blade according to claim 18, characterized in that the diameter of the positive profile shape (98) is snugly matched to the diameter of the negative profile shape (102).

20. A wiper blade according to claim 18, characterized in that the diameter of the positive profile shape (108) that is made of an elastic material is smaller than the diameter of the negative profile shape (102), that the positive profile shape is provided with a longitudinal hole (110), and that a bar (112) is introduced into this longitudinal hole that expands the diameter of the positive profile shape to the diameter of the negative profile shape.