Wiper and machining method for achieving the fixing of a support element to a connecting device

By employing a hot-melt welding process with a plastic coating between the wiper's support element and the connecting device, the problems of complexity and poor adaptability in existing wiper welding have been solved, resulting in a longer service life and better wiping quality.

CN117841910BActive Publication Date: 2025-11-11XIAMEN FUKE CAR ACCESSORIES
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202211215474.9
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2022-09-30
Publication Date
2025-11-11
Estimated Expiration
2042-09-30

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The welding process of existing wiper support components and connecting devices is complex, resulting in short product lifespan, poor wiping quality, and poor adaptability.

Method used

The support element with plastic coating and the receiving part of the connecting device made of plastic are connected by a hot melt welding process. Energy is introduced into the bottom wall or bottom wall of the receiving part by the molten welding part, so that the support element and the connecting device form a solid weld, ensuring the stable fixation of the support element in the length and width directions.

Benefits of technology

The manufacturing process has been simplified, the lifespan and cleaning performance of the wipers have been improved, the adaptability of the connecting devices has been enhanced, the shear stress at the welding points has been reduced, and the support components have been made to fit the windshield better.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

A wiper comprises a supporting element (1a, 1b) and a connecting device (2); the supporting element (1a, 1b) is made of metal and has a plastic coating (10) on the outer surface which is easy to be bonded and fused with plastic in a molten state; the connecting device (2) has a claw-shaped receiving part (21), the bottom wall (213) of the receiving part (21) is provided with a molten welding part (2131a, 2131b) at a position overlapping with the supporting element; the connecting device (2) only introduces energy from the molten welding part (2131a, 2131b), and after the plastic coating (10) of the supporting element (1a, 1b) and the plastic at the corresponding position of the receiving part (21) are mutually thermally fused and cooled, a solid-state welding object (4) is formed to realize the fixation of the connecting device (2) to the supporting element (1a, 1b).
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a windshield wiper for wiping water from vehicle windows, particularly motor vehicle windows. Background Technology

[0002] Frameless wipers are widely used in the automotive industry, such as... Figure 1It includes a support element 1a' for transmitting the pushing force applied by the wiper arm to the wiper blade, and a connector 21a on a connecting device 2a for directly or indirectly connecting the wiper arm. Direct connection means the connector 21a on the connecting device 2a can be directly hinged to the adapted wiper arm. Indirect connection means the connector 21a on the connecting device 2a needs to be connected to another wiper connector as an intermediate connector, which can be fixed to the wiper arm and then hinged to the connector 21a on the connecting device 2a. The support element 1a' is composed of one elastic sheet or two elastic sheets extending along the length direction and spaced apart. Each elastic sheet is made of metal and its outer surface does not have a plastic coating that can bond and fuse with molten plastic. The connecting device 2a has a claw-shaped component. The receiving portion 22a of the connecting device 2a is made of plastic. The receiving portion 22a at least partially surrounds the support element 1a' and substantially constrains its relative displacement in the height and width directions. In order to achieve stable fixation of the support element 1a' to the receiving portion 22a of the connecting device, the industry has developed a welding process to achieve the fixation of the two, such as the technical solution disclosed in patent publication CN1225606A. However, if the support element is only made of a metal elastic sheet, and its outer surface is not coated with a plastic coating that facilitates fusion with the plastic material, it is impossible to achieve a stable connection between the two for a long time by simply melting the plastic of the corresponding part of the connecting device into a plastic molten liquid through ultrasonic welding process.Later, the industry revealed a process for welding support elements coated with plastic onto connecting devices, such as patent publication CN103384619A. This process can at least further enhance the stability of the connection between the support element and the connecting device. However, current existing technology that discloses the use of hot-melt welding to connect the connecting device and the support element generally involves opening a blind hole or through hole (not shown) above the receiving portion 22a of the connecting device 2a to introduce energy from the ultrasonic generator 3a, thereby achieving the connection between the support element 1a' and the connecting device 2a. However, with this process, since the support element 1a' has a certain degree of curvature during prefabrication, and the aforementioned welding process, at least one of the... The welding working surface is located on the outer arc surface 11a' of the support element 1a'. Therefore, during the welding process, a force in the same direction as the curvature formed by the prefabrication of the support element will inevitably be generated. Since the welding point 4a exists between the outer arc surface 11a' of the support element 1a' and the inner top wall 221a of the receiving part 22a, even after the welding is completed, the support element 1a' will be driven to change from a bent posture under no-load conditions to an extended posture. However, the outer arc surface 11a' of the support element 1a' can never be tightly fitted with the inner top wall 221a of the receiving part 22a. This causes the support element 1a' to bend between the two welding points 4a and the inner top wall 221a of the receiving part 2a, which is similar to the prefabrication of the support element 1a'. With consistent slight curvature, the windshield wiper is placed on the vehicle's windshield for wiping. In each wiping cycle, the wiper moves continuously in the direction of the double arrow M, passing over windshields with varying curvatures. This causes the support element 1a' to move in the direction of the double arrow O between the two welding points 4a located at the receiving part 22a of the connecting device 2a. This periodic change causes the support element 1a' to synchronously switch from a curved shape to an extended shape, resulting in slight periodic changes in the distance N between the two welding points 4a. These periodic mechanical loads are the main cause of shear stress at the welding points 4a. When the welding points 4a are subjected to this shear stress for a long time, they are prone to detachment. Failure affects the product's lifespan. Furthermore, due to the slight curvature of the support element 1a' at the two welding points 4a, once welded, this slight curvature is essentially solidified. The wiper arm needs to apply sufficient downward pressure to the support element 1a' via the connecting device 2a to ensure the wiper blades at the two welding points 4a and their adjacent areas adhere better to the outer surface of the windshield. However, in actual use, the force applied by the wiper arm to the support element 1a' is limited. Therefore, the wiper blades at the two welding points 4a and their adjacent areas still exhibit slight curvature, failing to fully adhere to the outer surface of the windshield, thus affecting the wiper's wiping quality.To ensure a smooth fit between the support element 1a' and the inner top wall 221a of the receiving portion 22a of the connecting device 2a, some manufacturers introduce a pressure element (not shown) during the welding process to force a more even fit between the support element 1a' and the inner top wall 221a of the receiving portion 22a of the connecting device 2a. This undoubtedly increases the complexity of the manufacturing process. Furthermore, since the molten welding area where welding energy is introduced is located at the top of the connecting device 2a, it is prone to interference with certain types of connectors 21a. For example, some connectors 21a need to be offset parallel to one side of the longitudinal central axis of the connecting device, which causes the connectors 21a to encroach on the molten welding area of ​​the top wall of the connecting device 2a. Alternatively, even if some connectors 21a are located in the middle of the connecting device 2a, their excessive size partially encroaches on the molten welding area at the top of the connecting device 2a. Therefore, the connecting device 2a is often designed to accommodate only a single type of scraper arm, rather than being able to accommodate different scraper arms, reducing the product's adaptability.

[0003] In view of this, the inventor conducted in-depth research on the aforementioned deficiencies in the prior art, which led to the creation of this case. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The first objective of this invention is to provide a windshield wiper that is simple to manufacture, has a long service life, high cleaning efficiency, and better adaptability.

[0005] A second objective of the present invention is to provide a processing method for fixing the support element and the connecting device of the aforementioned wiper.

[0006] To achieve the first objective of this invention, a windshield wiper is disclosed, comprising a support element and a connecting device. The support element is made of metal and has a plastic coating on its outer surface that facilitates bonding and fusion with molten plastic. The connecting device has a claw-shaped receiving portion, at least of which is made of plastic. The receiving portion at least partially surrounds the support element and substantially constrains its relative displacement in the height and width directions. When the support element and the connecting device are assembled, if the support element does not have a slot for clamping the wiper blade, the bottom wall of the receiving portion has at least one fusion-welded portion staggered along its length on both sides of the longitudinal central axis X. If the support element has a slot for clamping the wiper blade, the bottom wall of the receiving portion has at least two fusion-welded portions spaced apart along its length on both sides of the longitudinal central axis X. The connecting device introduces energy only from the fusion-welded portions, and the plastic coating of the support element and the plastic at the corresponding position of the receiving portion thermally fuse and cool to form a solid weld, thereby fixing the support element to the connecting device.

[0007] In one embodiment of the fusion welded part, the fusion welded part is a plastic of the same material as the bottom wall of the receiving part. The plastic of the fusion welded part is heated and melted to form a plastic melt. Part of the plastic melt and the plastic coating at the corresponding position of the inner arc surface of the support element are thermally fused and cooled to form a first solid weld. Part of the plastic melt fills the side wall and adjacent gap of the support element and the receiving part, and thermally fuses and cools with the plastic coating at the corresponding position of the support element to form a second solid weld.

[0008] Furthermore, the support element forms a material removal part corresponding to the molten welded part (plastic) of the bottom wall of the receiving part. The material removal part is a through hole with a closed inner contour or a notch with an opening in the inner contour. The opening end of the notch forms at least a limiting surface that restricts the displacement of the support element relative to the connecting device in the width direction. The material removal part is only used to accommodate the molten plastic filling the molten welded part and forms a third solid weld after cooling.

[0009] In another embodiment of the fusion welded part, the fusion welded part forms a through hole, which is used to allow an external hot melt device to act directly on the inner arc surface of the support element and guide energy to the outer arc surface on the opposite side of the support element, causing the plastic on the inner end face of the top wall of the receiving part, which is substantially opposite to the position of the through hole, to be fused to form a plastic melt. Part of the plastic melt and the plastic coating at the corresponding position of the outer arc surface of the support element are thermally fused and cooled to form a first solid weld. Part of the plastic melt fills the side walls and adjacent gaps of the support element and the receiving part, and is thermally fused and cooled with the plastic coating at the corresponding position of the support element to form a second solid weld.

[0010] To achieve the second objective of this invention, this invention discloses a processing method for fixing a support element and a connecting device in a windshield wiper. The support element is installed into the receiving part of the connecting device, and the connecting device is fixed by a fixing seat, such that the bottom wall of the receiving part of the connecting device is opposite to the position of the hot-melt device. The hot-melt device has a number of working heads arranged in the vertical direction relative to the fusion welding part. When the working head of each hot-melt device is inserted into the fusion welding part with pressure and starts working.

[0011] When the molten welded portion is made of the same plastic as the bottom wall of the receiving portion, the plastic of the molten welded portion is heated by the working head of the hot melt device to form a molten plastic. This molten plastic generates pressure towards the inner arc surface of the support element, causing the outer arc surface of the support element to more evenly adhere to the inner end face of the top wall of the receiving portion of the connecting device in the region between the molten welded portions. At the same time, a portion of the molten plastic and the plastic coating at the corresponding position of the inner arc surface of the support element thermally fuse to form a first molten liquid, and a portion of the molten plastic fills the side walls and adjacent gaps between the support element and the receiving portion. In the process, the plastic coating at the corresponding position of the support element is thermally fused to form a second molten liquid. At the same time, when the support element has a material removal part opposite to the position of the molten welding part, part of the plastic molten liquid will also fill the space of the material removal part. The working head of the hot melt device stops working under the pressure holding state and waits for T time. After the first molten liquid, the second molten liquid and the plastic molten liquid cool and solidify at the corresponding positions, they respectively form the first solid weld, the second solid weld and the third solid weld, realizing the fixation of the support element by the receiving part of the connecting device. Then the working head of the hot melt device is moved away from the molten welding part to complete the processing.

[0012] When the fusion welding section is provided with a through hole, the through hole is used to allow the working head of the external hot melt device to directly act on the inner arc surface of the support element, at least driving the outer arc surface of the support element to more directly fit against the inner end face of the top wall of the receiving part of the connecting device in the area between the fusion welding sections, and guiding energy to the outer arc surface on the opposite side of the support element, driving the plastic on the inner end face of the top wall of the receiving part, which is substantially opposite to the position of the through hole, to form a plastic melt. Part of the plastic melt and the plastic coating at the corresponding position of the outer arc surface of the support element heat fuse with each other to form a first melt. At the same time, part of the plastic melt fills the side wall of the support element and the receiving part and the adjacent gap, and heat fuses with the plastic coating at the corresponding position of the support element to form a second melt. The working head of the hot melt device stops working under pressure and waits for time T. After the first melt and the second melt cool and solidify at the corresponding positions, they respectively form a first solid weld and a second solid weld, realizing the fixation of the supporting element by the connecting device. Then the working head of the hot melt device is moved away from the fusion welding section to complete the processing.

[0013] The wiper made using the above processing method and structural design has the advantage that the solid welds (equivalent to welding points) formed by the thermal fusion of the plastic coating of the support element and the plastic of the corresponding position of the receiving part of the connecting device are formed by introducing energy from the molten welding part of the bottom wall of the receiving part. At the same time as forming the solid welds, the support element will be driven to fit more flatly against the inner end face of the top wall of the receiving part at least between the two solid welds along the length direction, without the need for additional auxiliary tools such as top pressing parts. Furthermore, since no molten welding area is introduced into the top of the connecting device, the structural design and arrangement of the connector does not need to consider the space clearance between it and the molten welding area, which greatly increases the adaptability of the connecting device. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The specific description given as a non-limiting example better explains what the invention includes and how it can be practiced. Furthermore, this description refers to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0015] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the welding of the connecting device and supporting element of a conventional windshield wiper.

[0016] Figure 2 A 3D view of the assembled windshield wiper;

[0017] Figure 3 An exploded perspective view of the connecting device and the first type of support element for the wiper of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 4-1 A bottom view of the assembled windshield wiper of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4-2 A bottom perspective view of the connecting device of the present invention (revealing another embodiment of the fusion welded part);

[0020] Figure 5-1 A plan view of the first type of support element of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 5-2 A cross-sectional view of the first type of support element of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6-1 A cross-sectional view (without welding) of the first type of support element of the present invention assembled into the receiving part of the connecting device along the width direction of the connecting device;

[0023] Figure 6-2 A cross-sectional view (without welding) of the first type of support element of the present invention assembled into the receiving part of the connecting device along the length direction of the connecting device;

[0024] Figure 7-1 A cross-sectional view along the width direction of the connecting device of the first type of support element of the present invention assembled into the receiving part of the connecting device (first embodiment of the welded structure);

[0025] Figure 7-2 is a cross-sectional view along the length of the connecting device of the first type of support element of the present invention assembled into the receiving part of the connecting device (first embodiment of the welded structure);

[0026] Figure 8 This invention discloses schematic diagrams of a first type of support element in different embodiments;

[0027] Figure 9-1 A cross-sectional view along the width direction of the connecting device of the first type of support element of the present invention assembled into the receiving part of the connecting device (second embodiment of the welded structure);

[0028] Figure 9-2 A cross-sectional view along the length of the connecting device of the first type of support element of the present invention assembled into the receiving part of the connecting device (second embodiment of the welded structure);

[0029] Figure 10-1 A cross-sectional view along the width direction of the connecting device of the first type of support element of the present invention assembled into the receiving part of the connecting device (third embodiment of the welded structure);

[0030] Figure 10-2 A cross-sectional view along the length of the connecting device of the first type of support element of the present invention assembled into the receiving part of the connecting device (third embodiment of the welded structure);

[0031] Figure 11 This invention relates to a mounting bracket for fixing a connecting device for a windshield wiper;

[0032] Figure 12 A schematic diagram of the wiper connection device of the present invention placed on the mounting base and equipped with a first type of support element;

[0033] Figure 13 A schematic diagram of the machining and welding of the connecting device and supporting element of the wiper of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 14 A partially exploded view of the second type of support element and the wiper with a bearing clip of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 15 A bottom view of the second type of support element of the present invention assembled into the receiving part of the connecting device (first embodiment);

[0036] Figure 16 A bottom view of the second type of support element of the present invention assembled into the receiving part of the connecting device (second embodiment);

[0037] Figure 17-1 A cross-sectional view along the width direction of the connecting device (first embodiment of the welded structure) of the second type of support element and bearing clip of the present invention assembled into the receiving part of the connecting device;

[0038] Figure 17-2 A cross-sectional view along the width direction of the connecting device (second embodiment of the welded structure) of the second type of support element and bearing clip of the present invention assembled into the receiving part of the connecting device. Detailed Implementation

[0039] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0040] like Figure 2 , Figure 14 Combination Figure 5-1 and Figure 5-2 This invention discloses windshield wipers 100a and 100b for wiping water from vehicle windows. Specifically, the support elements 1a and 1b of the wipers 100a and 100b are made of metal, and their outer surfaces have a plastic coating 10 that easily bonds and fuses with molten plastic. The support elements 1a and 1b are fixed to the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2 mainly by a hot-melt welding process. The hot-melt device used in the following description is an ultrasonic generator, but it is not limited to ultrasonic generators. Those skilled in the art can use a hot-melt device similar to an ultrasonic generator to achieve short-term melting of plastic at a specified location.

[0041] First type of support element 1a: The support element 1a has a slot 15a for clamping the wiper blade 3 along the longitudinal central axis X direction. Generally, as follows: Figure 3 As shown. The support element 1a is composed of two elastic sheet-like bodies 11a that extend along the length direction and are spaced apart. The two ends of the two elastic sheet-like bodies 11a are fixed by end clips (not shown), and the two elastic sheet-like bodies 11a are pre-formed with a certain degree of curvature. In some embodiments, a support element 1a with a slot 15a can also be formed by punching a complete elastic sheet-like body 11a along the longitudinal central axis X. In the following description, only the embodiment in which the support element 1a uses two elastic sheet-like bodies 11a is described, but the inventive concept disclosed in this embodiment is also applicable to the embodiment in which the support element 1a is formed by punching a complete elastic sheet-like body 11a to form the slot 15a.

[0042] like Figure 3As shown, the connecting device 23 includes a receiving part 21 and a connector 22 from bottom to top. The connector 22 can be made into a mating part that is directly hinged to the wiper arm, or into a mating part that is connected to the wiper connector, and then connected to the wiper arm through the wiper connector. Those skilled in the art can adapt and adjust the specific structure of the connector 22 to suit different wiper arms using existing technology. The above structure is prior art and is not the focus of protection in this case. It should be emphasized that since the top of the connecting device 2 does not introduce a fusion welding part, the structural design and arrangement of the connector 22 does not need to consider the space clearance between it and the fusion welding part, which greatly increases the adaptability of the connecting device 2. The receiving part 21 is composed of two U-shaped grooves arranged opposite each other, forming a claw-like shape. Each U-shaped groove is composed of a top wall 211, a side wall 212, and a bottom wall 213 connected in sequence. The receiving part 21 is made of plastic material. Of course, for ease of manufacturing, the connector 22 and the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2 are generally integrally injection molded. When the support element 1a is assembled to the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2, the receiving part 21 at least partially surrounds the support element 1a and basically constrains its relative displacement in the height and width directions. The basic constraint is defined as the width and height of the receiving part 21 being slightly larger than the width and thickness of the support element 1a, respectively, and the gap formed by the two along the width and height directions is generally controlled within 0.3 mm.

[0043] like Figures 4-1 to 4-2 As shown, the bottom wall 213 of the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2 has at least two fusion welded parts 2131a and 2131b spaced apart along its length on both sides of the longitudinal central axis X. Each pair of fusion welded parts 2131a and 2131b is located on both sides of the longitudinal central axis X of the connecting device 2. More preferably, each of the fusion welded parts 2131a and 2131b is symmetrically distributed along the longitudinal central axis X and the lateral central axis Y of the connecting device 2, and is basically evenly distributed at the four opposite corners of the bottom wall 213 of the receiving part 21.

[0044] like Figure 6-1 Figure 7-2 shows a first embodiment of the welding structure between the support element 1a and the receiving part 21 of the wiper 100a. The fusion welded part 2131a is a non-through hole, that is, the fusion welded part 2131a is a plastic of the same material as the bottom wall 213 of the receiving part 21.

[0045] Among them, such as Figures 6-1 to 6-2The present invention discloses a cross-sectional view of the wiper 100a of the present invention, in which the support element 1a and the wiper blade 3 are assembled into the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2. From the above view, it can be clearly seen that the support element 1a is assembled into the two U-shaped grooves of the receiving part 21, and the middle gap 15a is used to hold the wiper blade 3. Since the support element 1a has a certain degree of curvature, and in order to facilitate the assembly of the support element 1a into the cavity of the receiving part 21, there are small gaps between the support element 1a and the top wall 211, side wall 212 and bottom wall 213 of the receiving part 21.

[0046] like Figure 7-1 As shown in Figure 7-2, the working head of the ultrasonic generator 5 acts only on the plastic of the molten welding section 2131a, heating and melting the plastic in the molten welding section 2131a to form a plastic melt with pressure towards the inner arc surface 111 of the support element 1a. This causes the inner arc surface 111 of the support element 1a to be squeezed by the pressurized plastic melt, driving the outer arc surfaces 112 of the two elastic sheet-like bodies 11a of the support element 1a to be more flat and fit against the inner end face of the top wall 211 of the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2. At the same time, part of the plastic melt corresponds to the inner arc surface 111 of the support element 1a. After the plastic coatings 10 at the positions are thermally fused and cooled, they form a first solid weld 41a. Part of the molten plastic fills the sidewalls 212 of the support element 1a and the receiving part 21 and the adjacent gaps, and after thermally fused and cooled with the plastic coatings 10 at the corresponding positions of the support element 1a, it forms a second solid weld 42. The first solid weld 41a and the second solid weld 42 are configured together as a solid weld 4 to ensure that the support element 1a will not be displaced relative to the connecting device 2 in the width and length directions, so that the support element 1a is fixed in the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2.

[0047] like Figure 13 Since the ultrasonic welding operation is performed from the bottom wall 213 of the receiving part 21 towards the top wall 211, the working pressure of the working head of the ultrasonic generator 5 and the molten plastic act on the inner arc surface 111 of the support element 1a. Furthermore, each elastic sheet 11a has at least two solid welded parts 4 spaced apart along its length. Therefore, the outer arc surface 112 of the elastic sheet 11a can be driven to fit more smoothly against the inner end face of the top wall 211 of the receiving part 21, reducing the formation of welds between the two weld points 4. Figure 1 The indicated arc of movement along the O direction reduces the shear stress generated by the two solid welded objects 4 (welding points), and also drives the wiper strip 3 to better adhere to the outer surface of the vehicle window glass.

[0048] Better designs, such as Figure 4-1 , Figure 4-2 Combination Figure 6-2As shown, the bottom wall 213 of the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2 forms a recess 2131a of the fusion welding part 213. The thickness of this recess can be adjusted according to actual needs, such as the power of the ultrasonic generator, heating time, etc. Finally, the plastic in the recess is adjusted to form a suitable volume of molten plastic after being melted by the ultrasonic generator 5. This molten plastic is just enough to be used to thermally fuse and cool with the plastic coating 10 at the corresponding position of the support element 1a to form the first solid weld 41a and the second solid weld 42. It should be noted that, wherein Figure 4-1 The revealed recess (counterhole) is semi-closed. Figure 4-2 The recess (counterhole) revealed is closed, and there is no substantial difference between the two. The choice of different shaped recesses depends on the size of the overlapping area between the support element 1a and the bottom wall 213 in the width direction. If the area of ​​the overlapping area is large enough, it is preferable to have a closed recess, which can form a larger area of ​​the first solid weld 41a, further enhancing the fixation of the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2 on the support element 1a.

[0049] Better designs, such as Figure 4-1 and Figure 5-1 The receiving portion 21 of the connecting device 2 is spaced apart along the length direction, and the connecting device 2 is provided with at least one positioning protrusion 23 in each interval. The supporting element 1a is provided with a positioning notch 14 at a preset position corresponding to the positioning protrusion 23. The design of the positioning protrusion 23 and the positioning notch 14 makes it easier for workers to accurately position the elastic sheet 11a and the receiving portion 21 during assembly. At the same time, it also increases the limiting component along the length direction between the supporting element 1a and the connecting device 2, ensuring that if the solid weld 4 fails, the limiting component will at least ensure that the wiper 100a will not detach from the wiper arm during wiping for a certain period of time, thus avoiding potential safety accidents.

[0050] like Figures 8 to 9-2This invention discloses a second embodiment of the welding structure between the support element 1a and the receiving part 21 of the wiper 100a. The second embodiment is basically the same as the first embodiment in structure. For example, the fusion welded part 2131a is also not a through hole. The positions of the first solid welded part 41a and the second solid welded part 42 are also basically the same. The main difference is that each elastic sheet 11a forms a material removal part 13a, 13b corresponding to the fusion welded part 2131a of the bottom wall 213 of the receiving part 21. The inner contour of the material removal part 13a, 13b has at least a limiting surface that restricts the elastic sheet 11a to the connecting device 2 along the length and width directions on the same horizontal reference plane. This invention discloses six different shapes of material removal parts 13a, 13b. The above-mentioned material removal parts 13a, 13b can be realized by punching or laser cutting. The first to fourth types of material removal parts... Material section 13a is a notch with an opening in the inner contour line. The opening end of the notch forms at least a limiting surface that restricts the displacement of the support element 1a relative to the connecting device 2 in the width direction. For example, the limiting surface of the material section 13a of type I is an arc-shaped limiting surface with a narrowing in the width direction L1, which is the area outlined by a circle in the figure. The limiting surfaces of types II to IV are barbed parts L2, which are the areas outlined by a circle in the figure. Material section 13b of types V to VI is a through hole L3 with a closed inner contour line, such as a circular or rectangular setting. Of course, the setting of material sections 13a and 13b is not limited to the above-mentioned forms. In fact, as long as the opening of the material section 13a and 13b follows a principle: after the internal space of the material section 13a and 13b is filled, the relative displacement of the elastic sheet 11a relative to the filler in the same plane in the length and width directions can be restricted.

[0051] Since the support element 1a is equipped with material removal sections 13a and 13b, the plastic in the molten welding section 2131a is heated and melted. Some of the molten plastic is inevitably squeezed into the space of the material removal sections 13a and 13b to cool and solidify, forming a third solid weld 43. This further restricts the relative displacement between the support element 1a and the receiving section 21 in the length and width directions, and further enhances the stability of the connection between the connecting device 2 and the support element 1a.

[0052] like Figure 10-1 and Figure 10-2This invention discloses a third embodiment of the welding structure between the support element 1a and the receiving part 21 of the wiper 100a. The fusion weld part 2131b forms a through hole, which allows the working head of the ultrasonic generator 5 to directly act on the inner arc surface 111 of the support element 1a, driving the outer arc surfaces 112 of the two elastic sheet-like bodies 11a of the support element 1a to be more flat and fit against the inner end face of the top wall 211 of the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2. The working head of the ultrasonic generator 5 guides energy to the outer arc surface 112 on the opposite side of the support element 1a, so that the top wall 211 of the receiving part 21, which is substantially relative to the position of the through hole, is aligned with the inner end face of the receiving part 21. The plastic on the inner end face of the support element 1a is thermally melted to form a plastic molten liquid. A portion of the plastic molten liquid and the plastic coating 10 at the corresponding position of the outer arc surface 112 of the support element 1a are thermally fused and cooled to form a first solid weld 41b. A portion of the plastic molten liquid is filled into the side wall 212 of the support element 1a and the receiving part 21 and the adjacent gaps, and is thermally fused and cooled with the plastic coating 10 at the corresponding position of the support element 1a to form a second solid weld 42. The first solid weld 41b and the second solid weld 42 are configured together as a solid weld 4 to ensure that the support element 1a is fixed in the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2.

[0053] like Figures 11 to 13 The present invention also discloses a processing method for fixing the support element 1a and the connecting device 2 in the wiper 100a. The support element 1a is installed into the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2, and the connecting device 2 is fixed by the fixing seat 6, so that the bottom wall 213 of the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2 is opposite to the ultrasonic generator 5. The ultrasonic generator 5 has the same number of working heads arranged in the vertical direction relative to the fusion welding parts 2131a and 2131b. When the working head of each ultrasonic generator 5 is inserted into the fusion welding parts 2131a and 2131b with pressure and starts to work;

[0054] When the fusion welded portion 2131a is made of plastic, constructed on the bottom wall 213 of the receiving portion 21 and of the same material, the plastic of the fusion welded portion 2131a is heated by the working head of the ultrasonic generator 5 to form a molten plastic. This molten plastic generates pressure toward the inner arc surface 111 of the support element 1a, causing the outer arc surface 112 of the support element 1a to more directly conform to the inner end face of the top wall 211 of the receiving portion 21 in the region between the fusion welded portions 2131a. At the same time, part of the molten plastic and the plastic coating 10 at the corresponding position of the inner arc surface 111 of the support element 1a thermally fuse to form a first molten liquid, and part of the molten plastic fills the side wall 212 of the support element 1a and the receiving portion 21 and adjacent... In the gap, the plastic coating 10 at the corresponding position of the support element 1a is thermally fused to form a second molten liquid. At the same time, when the support element 1a has material removal parts 13a and 13b opposite to the position of the molten welding part 2131a, part of the molten plastic liquid will also fill the space of the material removal parts 13a and 13b. The working head of the ultrasonic generator 5 stops working in the pressure holding state and waits for time T. After the first molten liquid, the second molten liquid and the molten plastic liquid cool and solidify at the corresponding positions, they respectively form the first solid weld 41a, the second solid weld 42 and the third solid weld 43, thereby fixing the support element 1a to the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2. Then the working head of the ultrasonic generator 5 is moved away from the molten welding part 2131a to complete the processing.

[0055] When the fusion welded portion 2131b is provided as a through hole, the through hole allows the working head of the external ultrasonic generator 5 to directly act on the inner arc surface 111 of the support element 1a, at least driving the outer arc surface 112 of the support element 1a to more directly conform to the inner end face of the top wall 211 of the receiving portion 21 of the connecting device 2 in the region between the fusion welded portions 2131b, and guiding energy to the outer arc surface 112 on the opposite side of the support element 1a, driving the plastic on the inner end face of the top wall 211 of the receiving portion 21, which is substantially opposite to the position of the through hole, to melt and form a plastic molten liquid. Part of the plastic molten liquid corresponds to the plastic coating at the position of the outer arc surface 112 of the support element 1a. Layer 10 is thermally fused to form a first molten liquid, and part of the plastic molten liquid is filled into the sidewall 212 of the support element 1a and the receiving part 21 and the adjacent gap, and is thermally fused with the plastic coating 10 at the corresponding position of the support element 1a to form a second molten liquid; the working head of the ultrasonic generator 5 stops working under pressure and waits for time T. After the first molten liquid and the second molten liquid cool and solidify at the corresponding positions, they respectively form a first solid weld 41b and a second solid weld 42, thereby fixing the support element 1a to the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2. Then the working head of the ultrasonic generator 5 is moved away from the molten weld 2131 to complete the processing.

[0056] The preferred design ensures that the two elastic sheet-like bodies 11a will not move towards each other during the welding process (because the molten plastic, while filling the gap between the sheet-like bodies 11a and the receiving part 21, will drive the two elastic sheet-like bodies 11a to move towards each other in the direction of the longitudinal central axis), and ensures that the spacing of the gaps 15a of the supporting element 1a meets the design requirements, such as... Figure 11 The base 61 of the fixed seat 6 has a positioning piece 63 protruding upward at both ends of the limiting cavity 62 and along the longitudinal central axis X of the connecting device 2. Each positioning piece 63 is inserted into the gap 15a formed by two elastic sheet-like bodies 11a. The two sides of the positioning piece 63 abut against the opposite sides of the corresponding elastic sheet-like bodies 11a, thereby restricting the two elastic sheet-like bodies 11a from moving towards the positioning piece 63 during the welding process. A more optimized design is that the top of the positioning piece 63 forms a cutting edge 631. The thickness of the cutting edge 631 gradually increases from top to bottom. This cutting edge 631 design facilitates the insertion of the two positioning pieces 63 into the gap 15a of the support element 1a.

[0057] The second type of support element 1b: the support element 1b does not have a slot for clamping the wiper strip 3 along the longitudinal central axis X direction, such as Figure 14 This type of wiper 100b requires at least one additional support clip 7 to connect the wiper blade 3 to the support element 1b. The support clip 7 is a conventional technology, and can be found in patent documents such as CN103619667A or CN108657127A. The inventive concept and processing method for fixing this type of support element 1b to the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2 can be found in the first type of support element 1a. The two are essentially the same, and are also achieved through the fusion welding of the bottom wall 213 of the receiving part 21 to the receiving part 21. Energy from the ultrasonic generator 5 is introduced into 131b to achieve a fixed connection between the support element 1b and the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2. There are only a few minor differences: Difference 1: Due to the introduction of the bearing clip 7, it is preferable that a notch 71 is formed at the corresponding welding point position of the bearing clip 7; Difference 2: Since the support element 1b is a complete elastic sheet 11a, only two fusion welding parts 2131a and 2131b need to be provided on the bottom wall 213 of the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2, such as... Figure 15 As shown, the two fusion-welded portions 2131a and 2131b are located on both sides of the longitudinal central axis X and are staggered along the length direction. Of course, in order to achieve a more stable connection between the support element 1b and the receiving portion 21 of the connecting device 2, such as Figure 16The bottom wall 213 of the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2 has four corresponding fusion welded parts 2131a and 2131b, each of which is symmetrically distributed along the longitudinal central axis X and the lateral central axis Y of the connecting device 2. Difference 3: The support element 1b lacks the design of the positioning notch 14, therefore the receiving part 21 of the connecting device 2 also lacks the design of the positioning protrusion 23.

[0058] like Figure 17-1 The accompanying drawing reveals the welding structure between this type of support element 1b and the receiving portion 21 of the connecting device 2. The drawing clearly shows that the plastic of the molten welding portion 2131a of the bottom wall 213 of the connecting device 2 melts upon heating, forming a molten plastic that thermally fuses with the plastic coating 10 at the corresponding position on the inner arc surface 111 of the support element 1b. After cooling, this molten plastic forms a first solid weld 41a, which fills the side wall 212 and adjacent gaps between the support element 1b and the receiving portion 21. This second solid weld 42 is formed by thermally fusing with the plastic coating 10 at the corresponding position on the support element 1b and cooling. The first solid weld 41a and the second solid weld 42 are combined to form a solid weld 4, thus fixing the support element 1b to the connecting device 2. It should also be noted that since this type of support element 1b does not have a gap, the fixing seat 6 does not need to add a positioning piece 63.

[0059] Figure 17-2 The present invention discloses an embodiment of the support element 1b having material removal parts 13a and 13b. For the specific inventive concept and welding structure, please refer to the description of the second embodiment of the first type support element 1a, which will not be repeated here.

[0060] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A windshield wiper, the wiper comprising support elements (1a, 1b) and a connecting device (2); the support elements (1a, 1b) are made of metal and have an outer surface having a plastic coating (10) that readily bonds and fuses with molten plastic; the connecting device (2) has a claw-shaped receiving portion (21), at least the receiving portion (21) of the connecting device (2) is made of plastic, the receiving portion (21) at least partially surrounds the support elements (1a, 1b) and substantially constrains their relative displacement in the height and width directions, characterized in that: When the support elements (1a, 1b) and the connecting device (2) are assembled in place, if the support element (1b) does not have a slot (15a) for clamping the wiper blade (3), the bottom wall (213) of the receiving part (21) is provided with a fusion welded part (2131a, 2131b) on both sides along its length direction located on the longitudinal central axis X; if the support element (1a) has a slot (15a) for clamping the wiper blade (3), the bottom of the receiving part (21) is provided with a fusion welded part (2131a, 2131b). The wall (213) has at least two fusion welded parts (2131a, 2131b) spaced apart along its length on both sides of the longitudinal central axis X. The connecting device (2) introduces energy only from the fusion welded parts (2131a, 2131b), and forms a solid weld (4) by the mutual thermal fusion and cooling of the plastic coating (10) of the support element (1a, 1b) and the plastic at the corresponding position of the receiving part (21), thereby fixing the support element (1a, 1b) to the connecting device (2).

2. The wiper blade as described in claim 1, characterized in that: There are a total of four fusion welded parts (2131a, 2131b), and each pair of fusion welded parts (2131a, 2131b) are located on both sides of the longitudinal central axis X of the connecting device (2).

3. The wiper blade as described in claim 2, characterized in that: Each of the fusion welded parts (2131a, 2131b) is symmetrically distributed along the longitudinal central axis X and the lateral central axis Y of the connecting device (2).

4. The wiper blade according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The fusion welded part (2131a) is made of plastic of the same material as the bottom wall (213) of the receiving part (21). The plastic of the fusion welded part (2131a) is heated and melted to form a plastic melt. Part of the plastic melt is thermally fused with the plastic coating (10) at the corresponding position of the inner arc surface (111) of the support element (1a, 1b) and cooled to form a first solid weld (41a). Part of the plastic melt is filled into the side wall (212) of the support element (1a, 1b) and the receiving part (21) and the adjacent gap, and is thermally fused with the plastic coating (10) at the corresponding position of the support element (1a, 1b) and cooled to form a second solid weld (42).

5. The wiper blade as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The fusion welded part (2131a) is a plastic with a recess formed on the bottom wall (213) of the receiving part (21). The thickness of the recess is suitable for introducing energy to heat melt the plastic in the recess, forming a plastic melt of appropriate volume. The plastic melt is just enough to heat fuse and cool the plastic coating (10) at the corresponding position of the support element (1a, 1b) to form a first solid weld (41a) and a second solid weld (42).

6. The wiper blade as described in any one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that: The support element (1a, 1b) forms a material removal part (13a, 13b) corresponding to the molten welded part (2131a) of the bottom wall (213) of the receiving part (21). The material removal part (13a, 13b) is a through hole with a closed inner contour or a notch with an opening in the inner contour. The opening end of the notch forms at least a limiting surface that restricts the displacement of the support element (1a, 1b) relative to the connecting device (2) in the width direction. The material removal part (13a, 13b) is only used to accommodate the plastic melt filling the molten welded part (2131a) and forms a third solid weld (43) after cooling.

7. The wiper blade according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The fusion welded part (2131b) forms a through hole, which allows the external hot melt device (5) to act directly on the inner arc surface (111) of the support element (1a, 1b) and guide energy to the outer arc surface (112) on the opposite side of the support element (1a, 1b), causing the plastic on the inner end face of the top wall (211) of the receiving part (21) which is substantially opposite to the position of the through hole to melt and form a plastic melt. Part of the plastic melt and the plastic coating (10) at the corresponding position of the outer arc surface (112) of the support element (1a, 1b) are thermally fused and cooled to form a first solid weld (41b). Part of the plastic melt fills the side wall (212) of the support element (1a, 1b) and the receiving part (21) and the adjacent gap, and the plastic coating (10) at the corresponding position of the support element (1a, 1b) is thermally fused and cooled to form a second solid weld (42).

8. The wiper blade according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that: When the support elements (1a, 1b) have a slot (15a) for holding the wiper strip (3), the receiving part (21) of the connecting device (2) is spaced along the length direction, and the connecting device (2) has at least one positioning protrusion (23) in the spaced section, and the support elements (1a, 1b) have a positioning notch (14a) at the position corresponding to the positioning protrusion (23).

Citation Information

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