Cover, closure box, transmission unit for a windscreen wiper and windscreen wiper

Abstract

A closure (2) for a closure cavity (1) comprises a sealing structure (21) for sealing engagement with an opening of the cavity, and a vent hole (22) extending through the closure, for maintaining fluid communication between an interior space of the cavity and the environment when the closure is sealingly engaged with the opening of the cavity, in a situation where the interior space is only fluidly communicable with the environment through the opening; wherein the vent hole is configured to enable formation of a closure structure of the vent hole by heat fusing material of the vent hole area, and the closure is configured to enable at least restraining flow of molten material for solidification to form the closure structure along the vent hole towards the interior space during heat fusing the closure of the vent hole. A corresponding closure box (3), a corresponding drive unit (4) for a wiper, and a corresponding wiper are also disclosed. According to certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention, full sealing of the vent hole and prevention of undesired flow of molten material can be ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cover for a closed cavity, a corresponding closed housing, a corresponding drive unit for a windshield wiper, and a corresponding windshield wiper. Background Technology

[0002] In industrial manufacturing, it is often necessary to seal a cavity to prevent foreign objects from entering the cavity and affecting or damaging the components inside, especially circuit devices.

[0003] In a vehicle's windshield wipers, the drive unit has a gearbox containing a transmission mechanism that converts the drive's power into the oscillating motion of the wiper blades. Because the drive unit operates in the external environment, and in particular, it is important to prevent water from entering the gearbox, a gearbox cover made of plastic is typically used to seal the gearbox, keeping it completely airtight.

[0004] When using a gearbox cover to seal the gearbox, vent holes need to be provided on the cover to balance the internal and external pressure differences during assembly, preventing a large pressure difference after assembly from negatively impacting the sealing effect. After the gearbox cover is placed on the gearbox, the vent holes are sealed using a hot-melt process (hot pressing) to complete the final sealing operation. However, current vent holes are usually straight through holes with a constant diameter. These vent holes allow molten plastic to flow too quickly during the hot-melt process, forming air bubbles in the hardened material. This results in a less tight seal, leading to sealing failure. It can even allow molten material to flow into the internal space of the cavity, causing damage or failure of components within that space.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for continued improvement. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies and / or other possible disadvantages existing in the prior art not mentioned herein, an improved cover for a closed cavity, a corresponding closed housing, a corresponding drive unit for a windshield wiper, and a corresponding windshield wiper are provided.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the invention, a cover for sealing a cavity is provided, comprising: a sealing structure for sealingly engaging with an opening of the cavity; and a vent extending through the cover, wherein, when the interior space of the cavity is fluidly connected to the outside only through the opening, the vent is used to maintain fluid communication between the interior space of the cavity and the outside when the cover is sealedly engaged with the opening of the cavity; wherein the vent is configured to form a sealing structure that closes the vent by heat-melting a material in the region of the vent, and the cover is configured to at least constrain the flow of molten material used to solidify and form the sealing structure along the vent toward the interior space during the heat-melting and sealing of the vent.

[0008] According to a second aspect of the invention, a closed enclosure is provided, the closed enclosure including the cover, wherein the cover is sealed to the cavity and the vent is heat-sealed.

[0009] According to a third aspect of the invention, a transmission unit for a windshield wiper is provided, the transmission unit comprising the enclosed housing and a transmission mechanism located within the enclosed housing.

[0010] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a windshield wiper is provided, the windshield wiper including the transmission unit and a drive unit that is drively coupled to the transmission unit.

[0011] According to certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention, complete sealing of the vent holes and prevention of undesirable flow of molten material can be ensured. Attached Figure Description

[0012] The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which will provide a better understanding of its principles, features, and advantages. The drawings include:

[0013] Figure 1 A perspective view of a drive device for a windshield wiper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0014] Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 A perspective view of the gearbox cover of the drive unit shown.

[0015] Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 The top view of the gearbox cover is shown.

[0016] Figure 4 It shows along Figure 3 The sectional view made along line AA in the diagram.

[0017] Figure 5 Shown in magnified view Figure 4 The part inside circle B in the diagram.

[0018] Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of the vent hole of a gearbox cover according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To make the technical problems to be solved, the technical solutions, and the beneficial technical effects of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and several exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this invention.

[0020] First, it should be noted that the main application scenario of this invention is windshield wipers, and the following description will also mainly focus on windshield wipers. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the technical concept of this invention can also be applied to other application scenarios, especially after reading the following description.

[0021] Figure 1 A perspective view of a drive device for a windshield wiper according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0022] Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 A perspective view of the gearbox cover of the drive unit shown.

[0023] Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 The top view of the gearbox cover is shown.

[0024] Figure 4 It shows along Figure 3 The sectional view made along line AA in the diagram.

[0025] Figure 5 Shown in magnified view Figure 4 The part inside circle B in the diagram.

[0026] The gearbox cover is used to seal the gearbox and prevent water or other substances from entering the gearbox during use. However, to demonstrate the general applicability of the invention, the technical solution of the invention will first be described in general terms below, but references can still be made to... Figures 1-5 To understand.

[0027] Generally, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a cover 2 for closing a cavity 1 is provided, comprising: a sealing structure 21 for sealingly engaging with the opening of the cavity 1 (see also...). Figure 4The vent 22 extends through the cover 2, and when the internal space of the cavity 1 can only be fluidly connected to the outside through the opening, the vent 22 is used to maintain fluid communication between the internal space of the cavity 1 and the outside when the cover 2 and the opening of the cavity 1 are sealed together; wherein, the vent 22 is configured to allow the material in the region of the vent 22 to form a closed structure of the vent 22, and the cover 2 is configured to at least constrain the flow of molten material used to solidify and form the closed structure along the vent 22 toward the internal space during the hot-melting and sealing of the vent 22. The term "constraint" as used herein refers to the flow of molten material relative to when the vent is a straight through-hole of constant diameter. Through the constraint, a sufficient amount of molten material can be retained and solidified to form a reliable closed structure. It is understood that, in any case, as long as the material that melts to seal the vent 22 can be reliably retained to form a closed structure, it is sufficient; in practice, not all the material melted during the hot-melting process may be used or participate in forming the closed structure or be necessary for forming the closed structure.

[0028] The sealing structure 21 can be any suitable structure, for example, such as Figure 4 The image shows a groove. In this case, adhesive can be filled into the groove to attach the cap 2 to the cavity 1. This is not the focus of the invention, and therefore will not be described further.

[0029] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the cap 2 is configured to prevent the molten material from flowing out of the vent 22 toward the interior space. Those skilled in the art will understand that, ideally, the molten material should preferably densely fill those unmelted and collapsed vents 22 without flowing out.

[0030] Furthermore, the cap 2 can be configured to prevent any molten material generated during the heat-sealing of the vent 22 from flowing out of the vent 22 toward the interior space. This means that any molten material flowing into the uncollapsed vent 22 will not flow beyond the bottom (i.e., inner) boundary of the vent 22, thereby ensuring that as much molten material as possible is used to fill the unmelted and collapsed vent 22, and preventing molten material from dripping into the interior space and damaging or affecting the function of components arranged in the interior space. Therefore, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the cap 2 is configured to prevent any molten material generated during the heat-sealing of the vent 22 from dripping into the interior space along the vent 22. For the vent 22 to be heat-sealed, at least the area around the vent 22 needs to be made of a heat-melting material, such as plastic. Preferably, the cap 2 is integrally injection molded.

[0031] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, such as Figures 1-5As shown, a boss 23 is provided on the outer side of the cover 2 (i.e., the side facing outward away from the internal space), and a vent 22 is at least partially formed in the boss 23. Preferably, the vent 22 is centrally formed in the boss 23.

[0032] The formation of the boss 23 facilitates the implementation of the hot-melt process because the hot-melt head can selectively act on the boss 23 without damaging the surrounding structure. Furthermore, the boss 23 can generate sufficient molten material during hot-melt to seal the vent 22. After hot-melt sealing, the height of the boss 23 will decrease without significant protrusion. Preferably, the boss 23 is approximately cylindrical.

[0033] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the vent 22 has a tortuous fluid path, which in particular allows fluid to flow from... Figure 5 The multiple arrows clearly show this. The term "zigzag" is primarily used to distinguish it from a straight hole; therefore, a "zigzag" hole also encompasses holes with continuous bends. Specifically, vertical (perpendicular to the extension plane of cap 2), Figure 4 A straight hole (in the horizontal direction) may cause molten material to drip directly without contacting the sidewall of the hole under the action of gravity, or form a loose hanging column.

[0034] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 5 As shown, the vent 22 has a first vent section 222 and a second vent section 223 that extends non-coaxially with and is in fluid communication with the first vent section 222, wherein the first vent section 222 leads to the outside of the cover 2, and the second vent section 223 leads to the inside of the cover 2.

[0035] Figure 5 Although only two orifice sections are shown, those skilled in the art will understand that in practice, it is not limited to this; for example, other orifice sections or structures can be added between the two sections. This tortuous flow path does not affect the pressure balance of gas through the vent 22, but it may restrict or affect the flow of viscous molten materials. The tortuous path can be designed according to specific circumstances, such as the ease of molding. Especially in injection molding, the design of the vents must take into account the ease of molding.

[0036] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 5 As shown, the second hole section 223 is laterally (i.e., in the direction of extension of the cap 2) offset from the first hole section 222, so that the bottom of the first hole section 222 has a blocking structure 224. The blocking structure 224 allows molten material to accumulate on it and prevents it from continuing to flow downward.

[0037] Specifically, the first orifice section 222 and the second orifice section 223 are arranged laterally side by side and adjacent to each other, so that the first orifice section 222 and the second orifice section 223 are in direct lateral fluid communication, such as... Figure 5 As shown. The second hole section 223 can have any suitable cross-sectional shape. It can be understood that the second hole section 223 is configured to form a recess on the inner side of the cap 2. This recess can be flexibly designed to accommodate the injection molding process of the cap 2.

[0038] From Figure 5 As can be seen, the first hole section 222 has a roughly constant diameter and is preferably arranged vertically. Furthermore, as... Figure 5 As shown, the blocking structure 224 can be configured as a protrusion located inside the cover 2.

[0039] Those skilled in the art will understand that the design of this vent 22 can even simplify the injection molding process, particularly by reducing the number of sliders used in the injection molding process, thereby reducing process costs.

[0040] Figure 4 and Figure 5 The structure of the vent 22 shown is well adapted to the injection molding process of the cap 2. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the vent 22 is not limited to this. Rather, it is only necessary to constrain the flow of the molten material used to solidify and form a closed structure along the vent 22 toward the internal space.

[0041] Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of a vent 22 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically.

[0042] like Figure 6 As shown, a throttling structure 221 is provided within the vent 22. Here, the throttling structure 221 is configured as a narrowed portion of the vent 22. It can be understood that the throttling structure 221 is not limited to this, but can be any other suitable structure, as long as it can produce a throttling effect, especially an effective throttling effect for viscous molten materials.

[0043] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the vent 22 may be at least partially tapered. For example... Figure 6 As shown, the vent sections on both sides of the throttling structure 221 are conical in shape. The upper vent section can be designed with a larger opening at the top and a smaller opening at the bottom. The lower vent section can be designed in the opposite way to form the throttling structure 221.

[0044] Of course, the lower vent section can also be a straight vent section with approximately the same diameter.

[0045] The above description, in conjunction with some exemplary embodiments, describes the working principle and example design of the cap 2, and in particular the vent 22 of the cap 2. However, those skilled in the art can make adaptive modifications or adjustments under the guidance of the ideas of this invention.

[0046] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention also relates to a closed box 3, the closed box 3 including a cover 2 according to any of the above exemplary embodiments, wherein the cover 2 is sealed to the cavity 1 and the vent 22 is heat-sealed. Figure 1 (The cavity 1 is not yet heat-sealed). This invention does not limit the specific use and structure of the sealed box 2, but according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the cavity 1 is a gearbox and the cover 2 is a gearbox cover.

[0047] Also Figure 1 As shown, the present invention also relates to a transmission unit 4 for a windshield wiper, the transmission unit 4 comprising a closed housing 3 according to any of the exemplary embodiments described above and a transmission mechanism located within the closed housing 3 (in... Figure 1 (e.g., when the mechanism is in a blocked state, such as a gear transmission mechanism).

[0048] In addition, such as Figure 1 As shown, the present invention also relates to a windshield wiper, which includes a transmission unit 4 of any of the exemplary embodiments described above and a drive unit 5, such as a motor, that is drively coupled to the transmission unit 4. Other possible components of the windshield wiper are not shown here as they are not relevant to the inventive point of the present invention.

[0049] While some embodiments have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The appended claims and their equivalents are intended to cover all modifications, substitutions, and alterations that fall within the scope and spirit of the invention.

[0050] List of reference numerals

[0051] 1 cavity

[0052] 2 caps

[0053] 3 Enclosed Box

[0054] 4 transmission units

[0055] 5 drive units

[0056] 21 Sealing Structure

[0057] 22 vents

[0058] 23 bosses

[0059] 221 Throttling Structure

[0060] Section 222, First Hole

[0061] Section 223, second borehole

[0062] 224 blocking structure

Claims

1. A closure (2) for closing a cavity (1), comprising: a sealing structure (21) for sealing engagement with an opening of the cavity (1); and a vent hole (22) extending through the closure (2), the vent hole (22) being for maintaining fluid communication between an interior space of the cavity (1) and an ambient environment when the closure (2) is in sealing engagement with the opening of the cavity (1) in a case where the interior space of the cavity (1) is only in fluid communication with the ambient environment through the opening, wherein the vent hole (22) is configured to enable formation of a closure structure closing the vent hole (22) by heat fusing a material of a region of the vent hole (22), and the closure (2) is configured to enable at least restricting flow of molten material for solidifying to form the closure structure along the vent hole (22) towards the interior space during heat fusing to close the vent hole (22), wherein the vent hole (22) has a first hole section (222) opening to an outside of the closure (2) and a second hole section (223) extending non-coaxially and in fluid communication with the first hole section (222) and opening to an inside of the closure (2), wherein the closure (2) is integrally injection molded, wherein the second hole section (223) is arranged laterally offset from the first hole section (222) such that a bottom of the first hole section (222) has a barrier structure (224) for accumulating molten material thereon to prevent it from flowing further downwards, the barrier structure (224) being configured as a protrusion located at the inside of the closure (2), and wherein the material is a part of the closure (2).

2. The closure (2) according to claim 1, wherein the closure (2) is configured to enable blocking the flow of the molten material along the vent hole (22) away from the vent hole (22) towards the interior space.

3. The closure (2) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the closure (2) is configured to enable blocking any molten material generated during heat fusing to close the vent hole (22) from flowing along the vent hole (22) away from the vent hole (22) towards the interior space.

4. The closure (2) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the closure (2) is configured to enable preventing any molten material generated during heat fusing to close the vent hole (22) from dripping along the vent hole (22) to the interior space.

5. The closure (2) according to claim 3, wherein the closure (2) is configured to enable preventing any molten material generated during heat fusing to close the vent hole (22) from dripping along the vent hole (22) to the interior space.

6. The closure (2) according to any one of claims 1-2, 5, wherein at least a region around the vent hole (22) is made of a heat fusible material; and / or an outside of the closure (2) is provided with a boss (23), the vent hole (22) being at least partially formed in the boss (23). ​ 7. The closure (2) according to claim 3, wherein at least the area surrounding the vent hole (22) is made of a hot melt material; and / or the outer side of the closure (2) is provided with a boss (23), the vent hole (22) being at least partially formed in the boss (23).

8. The closure (2) according to claim 4, wherein at least the area surrounding the vent hole (22) is made of a hot melt material; and / or the outer side of the closure (2) is provided with a boss (23), the vent hole (22) being at least partially formed in the boss (23).

9. The closure (2) according to any one of claims 1-2, 5, 7, 8, wherein the vent hole (22) has a tortuous fluid path; and / or a throttling structure (221) is provided within the vent hole (22).

10. The closure (2) according to claim 9, wherein the vent hole (22) has a constriction.

11. The closure (2) according to any one of claims 1-2, 5, 7, 8, 10, wherein the vent hole (22) is at least partially conically configured.

12. The closure (2) according to claim 3, wherein the vent hole (22) is at least partially conically configured.

13. The closure (2) according to claim 4, wherein the vent hole (22) is at least partially conically configured.

14. The closure (2) according to claim 6, wherein the vent hole (22) is at least partially conically configured.

15. The closure (2) according to claim 9, wherein the vent hole (22) is at least partially conically configured.

16. The closure (2) according to claim 11, wherein the first hole section (222) and the second hole section (223) are arranged immediately laterally side-by-side such that the first hole section (222) is in lateral direct fluid communication with the second hole section (223); and / or the first hole section (222) has a substantially constant diameter; and / or the second hole section (223) is configured as a recess formed in the inner side of the closure (2).

17. The closure (2) according to any one of claims 12-15, wherein the first hole section (222) and the second hole section (223) are arranged immediately laterally side-by-side such that the first hole section (222) is in lateral direct fluid communication with the second hole section (223); and / or the first hole section (222) has a substantially constant diameter; and / or the second hole section (223) is configured as a recess formed in the inner side of the closure (2).

18. A closed box (3) comprising a lid (2) according to any one of claims 1-17, wherein, the closure (2) is sealingly joined to the cavity (1) and the vent hole (22) is hot melt sealed.

19. The closed box (3) according to claim 18, wherein the cavity (1) is a gear box and the closure (2) is a gear box cover.

20. A transmission unit (4) for a windscreen wiper, the transmission unit (4) comprising a closed casing (3) according to claim 18 or 19 and a transmission mechanism located within the closed casing (3).

21. A windscreen wiper comprising a transmission unit (4) according to claim 20 and a drive unit (5) drivingly coupled to the transmission unit (4).

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