Windscreen wiper device

• US 8,347,449 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2009
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trico Belgium SA
• Original Assignee: Federal-Mogul SA (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Genet, Sophie, Henin, Pierre, Boland, Xavier
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAHAM, GARY K
• Application Number:
  US12/510,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20090282638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: 152/502.01, 152/504.3, 152/504.4, 152/503.61, 152/503.2, 15250451-250454
• 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 1/3879 placed in side grooves in the squeegee
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A windscreen wiper device comprising an elastic, elongated carrier element, as well as an elongated wiper blade of a flexible material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, which wiper blade includes opposing longitudinal grooves on its longitudinal sides, in which grooves spaced-apart longitudinal strips of the carrier element are disposed, wherein neighboring ends of said longitudinal strips are interconnected by a respective connecting piece, which windscreen wiper device comprises a connecting device for an oscillating wiper arm, as well as a spoiler, a special feature of which is that the spoiler as a separate constructional element is detachably connected to the wiper blade.

Claims

1. A windscreen wiper device comprising:

a flexible, elongated carrier element;

an elongated wiper blade of a flexible material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, said wiper blade extending between longitudinally opposite ends and including opposing longitudinal grooves formed on longitudinal sides thereof, said carrier element including spaced-apart longitudinal strips disposed in said grooves and interconnected by a respective connecting piece at opposite neighboring ends of said strips;

a connecting device for an oscillating wiper arm attached to said carrier element; and

a spoiler formed as a separate element from that of said wiper blade;

said spoiler including two subspoilers constructed from separate pieces of material from one another, each of said subspoilers being disposed on opposite sides of said connecting device, wherein each subspoiler extends substantially from said connecting device substantially to a respective one of said connecting pieces, and wherein each subspoiler is connected to said longitudinal strips of said carrier element and is detachable therefrom independent of the attachment of said connecting device to said carrier element.

2. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, wherein said spoiler comprises clamping features which detachably engage longitudinal sides of said longitudinal strips that face away from each other.

3. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, wherein said connecting pieces are clamping members, which form separate constructional elements.

4. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 3, wherein said connecting pieces are form-locked or force-locked to the adjacent ends of said longitudinal strips.

5. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, wherein said longitudinal strips are made of spring band material.

6. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, wherein said connecting device comprises clamping members, which engage longitudinal sides of said longitudinal strips that face away from each other.

7. A windscreen wiper device according to claim 6, wherein said connecting device and said clamping members are made in one piece.

8. A windscreen wiper device, comprising:

an elastic, elongated carrier element extending between opposite ends;

an elongated wiper blade operably attached to said carrier element;

a connecting device for attachment to an oscillating wiper arm; and

a spoiler formed as a separate piece of material from said wiper blade, said spoiler including subspoilers constructed of separate pieces of material from one another disposed on opposite sides of said connecting device and extending substantially from said connecting device substantially to a respective one of said opposite ends of said carrier element, said subspoilers being detachably connected to said carrier element.

9. The windscreen wiper device of claim 8 further comprising connecting pieces attached to said opposite ends of said carrier element, said subspoilers extending substantially to said connecting pieces.

10. The windscreen wiper device of claim 8 wherein said carrier element includes longitudinal strips spaced from one another.

11. The windscreen wiper device of claim 10 wherein said wiper blade has longitudinally extending sides with longitudinal grooves formed therein, said longitudinal strips of said carrier element being disposed in said grooves.

12. A windscreen wiper device, comprising:

a longitudinally extending wiper blade;

a carrier that is self-biased into a pre-curved shape and which extends longitudinally between opposite ends, said carrier operatively supporting and biasing said wiper blade into a pre-curved configuration and extending beyond laterally opposite sides of said wiper blade;

end caps secured to said carrier at said opposite ends;

a connecting device secured to said carrier at a location between and spaced from said end caps for connection with a wiper arm; and

a pair of subspoilers constructed as separate pieces from one another, from said wiper blade and from said end caps, said subspoilers arranged on longitudinally opposite sides of said connecting device and substantially spanning the space between said connecting device and each of said end caps, and each subspoiler having clamping edge portions that wrap around and releasably secure said subspoilers to said carrier.

13. The windscreen wiper device of claim 12, wherein said connecting device limits movement of said subspoilers.

14. The windscreen wiper device of claim 12, wherein said releasably attached subspoilers are slidable relative to said carrier and said wiper blade.