Wiper apparatus with mechanism for switching spraying direction of washing fluid

• US 5,203,049 A
• Filed: 05/19/1992
• Issued: 04/20/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsuba Corporation
• Original Assignee: Jidosha Denki Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Nogawa, Katsuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Hornsby, Harvey C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Graham, Gary K.
• Application Number:
  US07/885,360
• Time in Patent Office: 336 Days
• Field of Search: 15/250.01, 15/250.02, 15/250.03, 15/250.04, 15/250 A, 15/250.34, 239/284.1, 239/284.2, 137/625.44
• US Class Current: 15/250.02
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3415 with means for supplying cleaning fluid to windscreen cleaners, e.g. washers arrangement of nozzles B60S1/52
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/522 moving liquid spreading means, e.g. arranged in wiper arms
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86847 Pivoted valve unit

Abstract

A wiper apparatus is provided with a switching mechanism for spraying washing fluid in the leading direction of movement of a wiper blade at all times by actuating a valve synchronously with the oscillating movement of the wiper blade. The switching mechanism is composed mainly of a base member secured to the vehicle body and a casing member secured to the wiper arm which are disposed coaxially with a pivot shaft and coupled rotatably with each other to form a valve chest therebetween. A pair of valves attached to a disc member having an arcuate slot is disposed in the valve chest so as to alternately block ducts communicating with washer nozzles disposed on opposite sides of the wiper arm according to the engagement of opposite ends of the arcuate slot of the disc member with a contact piece on the base member every time the wiper blade arrives at the lower and the upper turning positions.

Claims

1. A windshield wiping apparatus for a vehicle with a windshield, a washer pump and a reservoir containing washing fluid to be sprayed onto the windshield by the washer pump, said apparatus comprising:

a pivot holder fixed on the vehicle, said pivot holder having a reservoir duct receiving port communicating with the reservoir through a feed pipe;

a pivot shaft supported rotatably by said pivot holder;

a wiper arm having an end base secured to said pivot shaft for swinging reciprocatively over the windshield of the vehicle, the end base of said wiper arm having an end face with an elongated end groove therein and opposite side faces with a elongated side groove in each side face, said grooves being disposed orthogonally to an axis of said pivot shaft;

a wiper blade attached to said wiper arm for wiping the windshield of the vehicle between a lower turning position and an upper turning position thereof;

a first washer nozzle on said wiper arm for spraying a washing fluid stored in the reservoir toward the windshield of the vehicle on a leading side of said wiper blade during movement in a first direction;

a second washer nozzle on said wiper arm for spraying said washing fluid stored in the reservoir of the vehicle toward the windshield on a leading side of said wiper blade during movement in a second direction opposite to said first direction; and

a fluid switching mechanism for alternatively supplying the washing fluid stored in the reservoir of the vehicle to one of said first and second washer nozzles, which is on the leading side of said wiper arm, in accordance with the reciprocative movement of the wiper arm;

a base member detachably attached to said pivot holder coaxially with the pivot shaft and provided with a reservoir duct communicating with said reservoir duct receiving port of said pivot holder;

a casing member including an upper wall having a cylindrical support with a pivot hole through which said pivot shaft extends and a side wall having a first duct and second duct in communication with said first washer nozzle and said second washer nozzle respectively, the upper wall having a pair of side projections engaged with the side grooves of said end base of said wiper arm and an end projection engaged with the end groove in the end base of said wiper arm, whereby said casing member is slidably and detachably engaged with said wiper arm, said casing member being coupled rotatably with said base member to form a valve chest communicating with the first duct, the second duct and the reservoir duct of said base member; and

a valve means disposed in said valve chest composed of said base member and said casing member and having a first valve blocking the first duct while the wiper blade is moving in said first direction toward a lower turning position from an upper turning position and a second valve blocking the second duct while the wiper blade is moving in said second direction toward the upper turning position from the lower turning position.

2. A wiper apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said valve means is attached to a disc member having an arcuate slot, said disc member being disposed between said base member and said casing member coaxially and movable with said casing member when said upper arm moves between the upper and lower turning positions and a contact piece on said base member extending into said slot whereby upon engagement of said contact piece with opposite ends of said slot when said upper arm reaches the upper and lower turning edges, said disc member will move relative to said casing member to move said first and second valves into and out of blocking engagement with said first and second ducts.