Windscreen wiper blade adapter and wiping device

Abstract

Disclosed is an adapter (4) for a windshield wiper blade (3), the adapter being configured to allow the wiper blade (3) to be mounted on a wiper arm (2), the adapter (4) comprising: an arm through housing (16) configured to receive one end of the wiper arm (2) such that the wiper arm is slidable in a longitudinal direction (L); and a locking button (20) configured to prevent a withdrawal of the wiper arm (2) in the longitudinal direction (L) in the rest position, characterized in that the adapter (4) further comprises at least one longitudinal stop (26) protruding in the arm housing (16) and configured to cooperate with a mating surface (27) formed in a section of the wiper arm (2), in order to prevent longitudinal insertion of the wiper arm (2) into the arm housing (16).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an adapter for a wiper blade, the adapter being configured to enable the assembly of the wiper blade to a wiper arm intended to be connected to a motorized wiper mechanism of a vehicle. Another subject of the invention is a wiping device comprising a wiper arm and a wiper blade connected to said arm by means of said adapter. Background Art

[0002] Motor vehicles are usually equipped with a wiper system intended to clean their glazed surfaces, in particular their windshields. Such a wiper system comprises a wiper arm and a wiper blade driven by said arm. The wiper arm is connected to the motor of the vehicle and the wiper blade comprises at least one wiper rubber adapted to come into contact with the glazed surface to be wiped. In order to be able to drive the wiper blade, an adapter is arranged between the wiper arm and the connector of the wiper blade.

[0003] There are various types of arms, such as hook arms, arms with lateral pivot pins, arms with longitudinal clip-type fasteners, lever arms, and the like.

[0004] The adapter is therefore specially configured to cooperate with the lever arm.The lever arm is flat and has the advantage of being compact due to its low thickness.

[0005] An assembly is known in which a lever arm is inserted into the housing of an adapter in a sliding manner. In use, the arm is prevented from being withdrawn by longitudinal movement in the locking zone of the adapter by releasing a button engaged in a dedicated lateral cutout of the arm.

[0006] The installation is achieved without the user having to act on the button, which is retracted during the passage of the corresponding abutment of the arm. The button then automatically adopts its locked position when its locking stud has been released in the lateral cutout of the arm. However, this installation is only possible when the structure of the blade is pivoted into the front abutment under the adapter (in other words, there is an opening angle between the rear of the blade and the arm). Conversely, during the removal phase, the button must be pressed in order to unlock it, while tilting the structure of the blade at the same angle in order to slide the adapter along the arm and allow the blade to be freely withdrawn.

[0007] However, in some devices, the housing of the adapter goes all the way through and does not have such a front stop. Therefore, there is a risk that the user will push the arm too far into the adapter and the lateral cutout of the arm will extend beyond the locking zone of the adapter. Such extension may not allow continued correct locking of the arm with the adapter and may even cause the button to become damaged or even break. Summary of the invention

[0008] One of the objects of the present invention is to propose an adapter that at least partially solves the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0009] To this end, a subject of the invention is an adapter for a wiper blade, configured to enable the assembly of the wiper blade to a wiper arm, comprising:

[0010] an arm through-housing configured to receive an end of a wiper arm by sliding in a longitudinal direction; and

[0011] a locking button configured to block, in the rest position, the withdrawal of the wiper arm in the longitudinal direction,

[0012] Characterized in that the adapter also has at least one longitudinal stop arranged to protrude into the housing of the arm and configured to cooperate with a complementary surface formed in the edge face of the wiper arm so as to block the longitudinal insertion of the wiper arm into the housing of the arm.

[0013] The longitudinal stop of the adapter limits the translational movement of the wiper arm via pressure during the insertion of the arm into the adapter to ensure the integrity of the adapter. Once the insertion of the arm into the adapter has been reinforced by the cooperation of the longitudinal stop of the adapter with the complementary surface of the arm, the user can lock the blocking of the arm without the risk of damage due to the blocking member. Therefore, the adapter provides an effective and reliable locking of the arm via a relatively simple way.

[0014] The adapter may also have one or more of the features described below, either alone or in combination.

[0015] The longitudinal stop is for example arranged in a blocking volume of the housing of the arm, between the entry cage and the end groove of the housing of the arm, which blocking volume receives a blocking member of the locking button in the rest position.

[0016] The longitudinal stop is for example formed in a projection of the adapter, which projection is arranged on the rear side of a wall of a connector housing configured to connect the adapter to a connector of the wiper blade.

[0017] According to a first exemplary embodiment, the longitudinal stop is formed by a transverse flat wall.

[0018] The transverse flat walls may be provided in the right angle corners of the boss of the adapter.

[0019] According to a second exemplary embodiment, the longitudinal stop is formed by a first plane which is inclined relative to the transverse plane.

[0020] The first inclined plane may be provided in an obtuse corner of the raised portion of the housing of the arm.

[0021] The obtuse angle may be between 110° and 160°, such as between 125° and 145°.

[0022] The first inclined plane is provided, for example, in an acute corner of the projection of the adapter.

[0023] The acute angle may be between 20° and 70°, such as between 35° and 55°.

[0024] The corner is formed, for example, by the longitudinal stop on the one hand and by a second plane which is inclined relative to the vertical plane on the other hand.

[0025] Another subject of the invention is a wiping device comprising a wiper arm, in particular a lever arm, and a wiper blade, characterized in that the wiping device comprises an adapter as described above for connecting the wiper blade to the end of the wiper arm. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Other advantages and characteristics will become apparent from a study of the following description of a particular but by no means limiting embodiment of the invention, and of the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0027] [ Figure 1A ][ Figure 1A ] is a three-dimensional diagram of the wiping device.

[0028] [ Figure 1B ][ Figure 1B ]yes[ Figure 1A ] is a view of a detail of the wiping device.

[0029] [ Figure 2 ][ Figure 2 ] shows the assembly of the arm to [ Figure 1A ] at one end of an adapter of a wiping device.

[0030] [ Figure 3A ][ Figure 3A ] shows [ Figure 2 ] is a bottom view of the component in ].

[0031] [ Figure 3B ][ Figure 3B ] shows from another angle [ Figure 3A ] in the component.

[0032] [ Figure 3C ][ Figure 3C ] shows [ Figure 3A ] is a front view of the component in ].

[0033] [ Figure 3D ][ Figure 3D ] shows [ Figure 3A] is a stereoscopic view of the end of the arm of the assembly in.

[0034] [ Figure 3E ][ Figure 3E ] shows [ Figure 3A ] is a stereoscopic view of an adapter of the components in ].

[0035] [ Figure 3F ][ Figure 3F ] shows [ Figure 3E ] is an enlarged view of the details of the adapter in FIG.

[0036] [ Figure 4A ][ Figure 4A ] shows a bottom view of a second exemplary embodiment of an arm and adapter assembly.

[0037] [ Figure 4B ][ Figure 4B ] shows [ Figure 4A ] is a stereoscopic view of the end of the arm.

[0038] [ Figure 4C ][ Figure 4C ] shows [ Figure 4A ] is a perspective view of a detail of the adapter in FIG.

[0039] [ Figure 5A ][ Figure 5A ] shows a bottom view of a third exemplary embodiment of an arm and adapter assembly.

[0040] [ Figure 5B ][ Figure 5B ] shows [ Figure 5A ] is a stereoscopic view of the end of the arm.

[0041] [ Figure 5C ][ Figure 5C ] shows [ Figure 5A ] is a perspective view of a detail of the adapter in FIG.

[0042] In these drawings, identical elements are provided with identical reference numerals. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The following embodiments are examples. Although the specification relates to one or more embodiments, this does not necessarily mean that each reference numeral relates to the same embodiment or that these features apply only to a single embodiment. Individual features of different embodiments may also be combined or interchanged to provide other embodiments.

[0044] In the remainder of the description, the following will be used in a non-limiting manner, especially Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 3CThe longitudinal direction, the vertical direction and the transverse direction are indicated by a coordinate system (L, V, T) fixed relative to the adapter. The longitudinal direction L corresponds to the main direction of the end of the wiper arm cooperating with the adapter. The vertical direction and the transverse direction are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and to each other.

[0045] Figure 1A and Figure 1B A wiping device 1 is shown, comprising a wiper arm 2 intended to be connected to a motorized wiper mechanism of a vehicle and having its end connected by means of an adapter 4 to a wiper blade 3 in order to clean a glazed surface of the vehicle, for example a windscreen.

[0046] The arm 2 is of the lever arm type, comprising a lever 5 connected to a base 6 of the arm 2, the base itself being intended to be connected to a motorized mechanism. The lever 5 extends between an end connected to the base 6 and an end cooperating with the adapter 4 to be connected to the blade 3. The term "rod" is understood to mean a solid element ( Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 3C ). The rod 5 is "flat", ie it has two faces which are flat and parallel to each other.

[0047] As in Figure 1B and Figure 2 As can be seen more particularly in FIG. 4 , the adapter 4 extends mainly along a longitudinal direction L. The adapter comprises an upper wall 11 having, for example, a smooth and curved profile, this wall being the wall that is visible when the wiping device 1 is mounted on a vehicle.

[0048] On the back side of the upper wall 11, and as in Figure 3A and Figure 3B As can be seen in FIG. 4 , the adapter 4 has a plurality of elements which, on the one hand, make it possible to lock the arm 2 to the adapter 4 and, on the other hand, to assemble the wiper blade 3 in an articulated manner to the wiper arm 2 .

[0049] In order to connect the adapter 4 to the wiper blade 3, the adapter 4 has a connector housing 12 which is configured to cooperate with the connector 8 of the wiper blade 3. The connector 8 is an element of the wiper blade 3 which passes over the wiper rubber 10 ([ Figure 1B ]).

[0050] The rotation between the adapter 4 and the connector 8 is achieved about an axis of rotation parallel to the transverse direction T.

[0051] According to an exemplary embodiment of complementary rotating members, the adapter 4 comprises, on the one hand, a cylindrical stud 13 configured to cooperate with a circular orifice of the connector 8, and, on the other hand, a circular hole 14 intended to cooperate with the cylindrical stud of the connector 8, the cylindrical stud 13 and the circular hole 14 being formed in parallel and opposite walls of the connector housing 12 ([ Figure 3A ]). The cylindrical post 13 may be formed in an elastically deformable tongue 15 provided in the wall of the connector housing 12 so as to allow the adapter 4 to be mounted on the connector 8.

[0052] In order to receive the end of the arm 2 that connects the arm 2 to the adapter 4, the adapter 4 has a housing 16 of the arm located on the side of the adapter 4 on the back side of the upper wall 11 ( Figure 3B and Figure 3C ).

[0053] The housing 16 of the arm extends all the way through in the longitudinal direction L and is configured to receive the end of the wiper arm 2 by sliding in the longitudinal direction L. The housing 16 of the arm has an entry cage 17 and an end groove 18 aligned in the longitudinal direction but at a distance from each other, so that the rod 5 of the arm 2 can be received in the entry cage 17 and the end groove 18, passing through the blocking volume 19 between the entry cage and the end groove. The entry cage 17 and the end groove 18 extend all the way through. The entry cage 17 is longer in the longitudinal direction than the end groove 18, which receives the end of the arm 2. The entry cage 17 and the end groove 18 make it possible to guide and retain the rod 5 of the arm 2 in the adapter 4. The housing 16 of the arm allows, for example, to retain the rod 5 in an inclined position relative to the vertical direction V, the parallel faces of the rod 5 being inclined, for example, at an angle of between 40° and 60°, such as 45°, to the vertical plane (L, V) of the adapter 4.

[0054] The adapter 4 further comprises a locking button 20 mounted to pivot relative to the upper wall 11 between a rest position in which it blocks the withdrawal of the arm 2 in the longitudinal direction L and an unlocked position in which it unlocks the longitudinal movement of the arm 2 ([ Figure 2 ]).

[0055] For this purpose, the locking button 20 has: an activation pad 21 on the side of the upper wall 11, on which the user can press in order to pivot the locking button 20 into an unlocked position in order to be able to withdraw the arm 2; and a blocking member 22, which is integral with the activation pad 21 and is located on the back of the activation pad.

[0056] The activation pad 21 has, for example, a parallelepiped shape. The top of the activation pad 21 may extend beyond the contour of the upper wall 11 ([ Figure 3C]). The activation pad is connected to the upper wall 11, for example, by a hinge 23 on one of the sides of the activation pad 21, so as to allow the locking button 20 to pivot. The hinge 23 has, for example, a "U"-shaped cross-section extending below the upper wall 11 ( Figure 3A and Figure 3B ).

[0057] In the rest position, the blocking member 22 is configured to block the longitudinal withdrawal of the arm 2 received in the housing 16 of the arm. For this purpose, on the side opposite to the hinge 23 of the activation pad 21, the blocking member 22 extends beyond the activation pad 21 into the housing 16 of the arm, into the blocking volume 19 located between the entry cage 17 and the end groove 18. The blocking member 22 has, for example, an "L" shape, in which one branch is integral with the activation pad 21 and the other branch supports a protruding finger. In the rest position, the other branch is received in a notch 24 of the arm 2.

[0058] The recess 24 of the arm 2 has, for example, a parallelepiped shape forming a lateral discontinuity in the edge face of the arm 2 ([ Figure 3D ]).

[0059] In the rest position, the finger of the blocking member 22 projects towards the end of the arm 2 , contacting a lateral surface 25 of the notch 24 on the side of the notch 24 at this end of the arm 2 , so as to prevent the arm 2 from being withdrawn in the longitudinal direction.

[0060] The blocking member 22 is configured to unlock the longitudinal movement of the arm 2 in the unlocked position, ie when the user presses the activation pad 21. Pivoting of the activation pad 21 moves the blocking member 22 away from the lateral surface 25 of the recess 24 and this allows the arm 2 to be withdrawn in the longitudinal direction.

[0061] The adapter 4 further comprises a reinforcing wall 30 extending in a vertical plane below the upper wall 11 in order to reinforce the rigidity of the adapter 4 .

[0062] The adapter 4 also has at least one longitudinal stop 26 arranged to protrude into the housing 16 of the arm and configured to cooperate with a complementary surface 27 formed in the edge face of the wiper arm 2 so as to block the longitudinal insertion of the wiper arm 2 into the housing 16 of the arm ( Figure 3E and Figure 3F ).

[0063] The longitudinal stop 26 is for example arranged in a blocking volume 19 of the housing 16 of the arm, interposed between the entry cage 17 and the end groove 18 , the blocking volume 19 receiving the blocking member 22 in the rest position.

[0064] The longitudinal stop 26 can be formed in a projection 28 of the adapter 4 , protruding into the housing 16 of the arm, in particular into the blocking volume 19 .

[0065] The projection 28 is arranged, for example, on the back side of a wall of the connector housing 12 which is configured to connect the adapter 4 to the blade 3. This may be the wall of the connector housing 12 provided with the tongue 15 bearing the cylindrical stud 13. In the rest position, the projection 28 is located, for example, in the longitudinal direction beside the finger of the blocking member 22.

[0066] A complementary surface 27 of the arm 2 is formed in an edge face of the rod 5, for example between the end of the arm 2 and a transverse surface 25 of the recess 24 cooperating with the finger of the blocking member 22 ([ Figure 3D ]).

[0067] In the first exemplary embodiment, FIG. 3A to FIG. 3F In the embodiment, the longitudinal stop 26 is formed by a first plane inclined relative to the transverse plane (V, T). In other words, the first inclined plane is a transverse plane ( Figure 3E and Figure 3F The complementary surface 27 carried by the edge face of the rod 5 is also formed by an inclined plane ([ Figure 3D ]).

[0068] Furthermore, in the first exemplary embodiment, the inclined plane is provided in the obtuse corner of the protrusion 28 of the adapter 4 .

[0069] According to an exemplary embodiment, the corner is formed by the longitudinal stop 26 on the one hand and by a second plane 29 inclined relative to the vertical plane (V, L) on the other hand. In other words, the second inclined plane 29 is a vertical plane that has been pivoted by a longitudinal rotation angle. The second inclined plane 29 allows the rod 5 to be guided into a position inclined relative to the vertical direction.

[0070] The obtuse angle is, for example, between 110° and 160°, such as between 125° and 145°.

[0071] The longitudinal stop 26 of the adapter 4 limits the translational movement of the rod 5 of the wiper arm 2 via pressure during the insertion of the arm 2 into the adapter 4, so as to ensure the integrity of the adapter 4. Once the insertion of the arm 2 into the adapter 4 has been reinforced by the cooperation of the longitudinal stop 26 of the adapter 4 with the complementary surface 27 of the arm 2, the user can lock the blocking of the arm 2 without risking damage due to the blocking member 22. Therefore, the adapter 4 provides an effective and reliable locking of the arm 2 via a relatively simple way.

[0072] Figure 4A , Figure 4B and Figure 4CA second exemplary embodiment is shown.

[0073] This example differs from the previous example in that, in this example, the first inclined plane is provided in an acute corner of the protrusion 28 of the adapter 4 .

[0074] The corner can also be formed by the longitudinal stop 26 on the one hand and by a second plane 29 inclined relative to the vertical plane (V, L) on the other hand, ie a vertical plane that has been pivoted by a longitudinal rotation angle.

[0075] The acute angle is, for example, between 20° and 70°, such as between 35° and 55°.

[0076] The other elements of the wiping device of the second exemplary embodiment are the same as those of the wiping device of the first exemplary embodiment.

[0077] In the third exemplary embodiment, Figure 5A , Figure 5B and Figure 5C In the embodiment, the longitudinal stop 26 is formed by a transverse flat wall (T, V) ( Figure 5A and Figure 5C The complementary surface 27 carried by the edge face of the rod 5 is also formed by a transverse flat wall (T, V) ([ Figure 5B ]).

[0078] A transverse flat wall (T, V) may be provided in a right-angled corner of the projection 28 of the adapter 4. This corner may be formed on the one hand by the longitudinal stop 26 and on the other hand by a second plane 29 inclined relative to the vertical plane (V, L).

[0079] The other elements of the wiping device of this second exemplary embodiment are the same as those of the wiping device of the aforementioned exemplary embodiment.

Claims

1. An adapter (4) for a wiper blade (3), the adapter being configured to enable the wiper blade (3) to be assembled to a wiper arm (2), the adapter (4) having: an arm through-housing (16) configured to receive the end of the wiper arm (2) by sliding in a longitudinal direction (L); and a locking button (20) configured to block, in a rest position, the withdrawal of the wiper arm (2) in the longitudinal direction (L), It is characterized in that The adapter (4) also has at least one longitudinal stop (26) which is arranged to protrude into the housing (16) of the arm and is configured to cooperate with a complementary surface (27) formed in an edge face of the wiper arm (2) so as to prevent the wiper arm (2) from being longitudinally inserted into the housing (16) of the arm.

2. The adapter (4) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that The longitudinal stop (26) is arranged in a blocking volume (19) of the housing (16) of the arm, between an entry cage (17) and an end groove (18) of the housing (16) of the arm, the blocking volume (19) receiving a blocking member (22) of the locking button (20) in the rest position.

3. The adapter (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The longitudinal stop (26) is formed in a projection (28) of the adapter (4), which projection is arranged on the back side of a wall of a connector housing (12) configured to connect the adapter (4) to a connector (8) of the wiper blade (3).

4. The adapter (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The longitudinal stop (26) is formed by a transverse flat wall.

5. Adapter (4) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that The transverse flat wall is arranged in a right-angled corner of a raised portion (28) of the adapter (4).

6. The adapter (4) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The longitudinal stop (26) is formed by a first plane inclined relative to the transverse plane (V, T).

7. The adapter (4) according to claim 6, characterized in that The first inclined plane is disposed in an obtuse corner of a raised portion (28) of the housing (16) of the arm.

8. The adapter (4) according to claim 6, characterized in that The first inclined plane is arranged in an acute corner of a raised portion (28) of the adapter (4).

9. The adapter (4) according to any one of claims 5 or 7 to 8, characterized in that The corner is formed on the one hand by the longitudinal stop (26) and on the other hand by a second plane (29) which is inclined relative to the vertical plane (V, L).

10. A wiping device (1), comprising: a wiper arm (2), in particular a lever arm; and a wiper blade (3), characterized in that the wiping device comprises an adapter (4) according to one of the preceding claims for connecting the wiper blade (3) to the end of the wiper arm (2).

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