Wiper blade with hot air outlet, in particular for motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a wiper blade (1), in particular for a motor vehicle, comprising an elongate main body (6) and a wiper strip (7) arranged on the main body (6), at least one cavity (8) being provided on the main body (6), said cavity extending along a longitudinal extension (3) of the main body (6). According to the invention, at least one hot air inlet (9) is provided, through which hot air can be conducted into the at least one cavity (8) during operation, and at least one hot air outlet (10, 11, 12, 13) is provided between the base body (6) and the wiper strip (7).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a wiper blade, in particular for a motor vehicle. The invention relates in particular to the field of passenger cars (PKW) and trucks (LKW). Background Art

[0002] A wiper blade is known from DE 102021212195 A1, which has a windshield strip and a wiper strip. The windshield strip has a cavity. The wiper strip is connected to the windshield strip via two spring rails.

[0003] A flat wiper blade for a windshield wiper system is known from DE 10 2009 032 375 A1, which has a wiper blade body. The wiper blade body comprises a wiper lip, a spring rail and a heating foil which extends over at least a part of the wiper blade and has an electrical heating conductor.

[0004] The flat wiper blade known from DE 102009032375 A1 has the following disadvantages: when operating at the usual vehicle voltage, high currents are required to heat the heating foil. Due to the high currents, complex structures are required to ensure reliable electrical contact and electrical insulation over the entire service life of the wiper blade. The electrical contact on the wiper arm is particularly complex, since the wiper arm is usually not replaced during the service life of the vehicle. This is also due to the fact that the wiper arm and the wiper blade are often exposed to moisture as expected. In addition, the heating power of the known heating foil is limited. In addition, the heating foil is an additional component, which increases the manufacturing costs of the wiper blade, which is regularly replaced.

[0005] Furthermore, the electric heating foil or wire is expensive and must also be applied (usually glued) to the bent spring rail in a separate production step. After this, important production steps for the assembly of the wiper blade, such as welding the adapter to the spring rail, are no longer possible. This complicates the production process of electrically heatable wiper blades. Summary of the invention

[0006] The wiper blade according to the invention having the features of the independent claims has the advantage that an improved design and functionality can be achieved. In this case, a more cost-effective production of the wiper blade and / or an improved heating effect and / or a simpler structure of the wiper blade can be achieved.

[0007] Furthermore, advantageous developments and refinements of the features indicated in the independent claim result from the measures listed in the dependent claims.

[0008] The wiper arm is not a component of the wiper blade according to the invention. In particular, the wiper blade can also be manufactured and sold independently of the wiper arm.

[0009] The elongated base body can be open on one side, so that when the wiper blade is assembled from its components, a cavity is formed in the base body at least partially from the open side. However, the cavity can also be designed in the base body as, for example, a tubular cavity, so that the base body surrounds the cavity in the circumferential direction, except for at least one hot air outlet. Furthermore, a plurality of cavities can also be provided.

[0010] Advantageously, at least one hot air outlet is configured such that during operation, the hot air guided into the cavity via the hot air inlet is guided to the wiper strip via the hot air outlet. This allows effective heat action on the wiper strip. In particular, defrosting can be achieved at the wiper strip.

[0011] Advantageously, at least one hot air outlet is designed as a hot air gap extending at least sectionally along the longitudinal extension. In this case, a plurality of hot air gaps of sectionally designed can be arranged one after the other along the longitudinal extension. It is also possible to arrange a plurality of hot air gaps in such a way that they are offset next to one another, i.e. parallel to one another, when viewed transversely to the longitudinal direction.

[0012] Advantageously, at least one hot air outlet extends at least substantially over the entire longitudinal extension of the base body. This allows a uniform supply of hot air over the entire length of the wiper strip. In this case, a plurality of such hot air gaps can also be arranged next to one another, i.e. offset parallel to one another, when viewed transversely to the longitudinal direction.

[0013] Advantageously, the base body has a longitudinal opening along the longitudinal extension on the side facing the wiper strip, at which the wiper strip is arranged; at least one spring rail arranged at the longitudinal opening is provided, by means of which the wiper strip is fastened to the base body; and at least one hot air outlet is provided between the spring rail and the base body and / or between the spring rail and the wiper strip. In a preferred embodiment, the spring rail can be designed as a metallic spring rail. In this case, the one-sided or two-sided receptacle of the wiper strip can be realized at least partially with such a large gap on the one hand on the base body and on the other hand on the wiper strip that a hot air outlet or multiple hot air outlets are formed there. This simplifies the production.

[0014] Advantageously, the fastening of the wiper strip to the base body by means of the spring rail is designed in such a way that during operation, the hot air is guided at the spring rail at least primarily through at least one hot air outlet between the spring rail and the wiper strip. This allows the hot air to be discharged as close as possible to the wiper strip, thereby improving the heat transfer at the wiper strip, in particular for defrosting.

[0015] Advantageously, the spring rail is received closely on the base body, thereby forming a certain degree of sealing in the structure, at least significantly reducing or completely preventing the air discharge at this position.

[0016] Advantageously, a further spring rail is provided which is arranged at the longitudinal opening, by means of which the wiper strip is fastened to the base body, the wiper strip is arranged between the spring rail and the further spring rail, and at least one further hot air outlet is arranged between the further spring rail and the base body and / or between the further spring rail and the wiper strip. Thus, corresponding advantages can be achieved in a design with, in particular, two spring rails.

[0017] Advantageously, the fastening of the wiper strip to the base body by means of the further spring rail is designed in such a way that during operation, the hot air is guided at the further spring rail at least primarily through at least one hot air outlet between the further spring rail and the wiper strip. Thus, corresponding advantages can be achieved in a design with, in particular, two spring rails.

[0018] Advantageously, the further spring rail is received in close contact with the base body. Thus, corresponding advantages can be achieved in a design with, in particular, two spring rails.

[0019] Advantageously, a hot air hose is provided which can be connected to the hot air inlet and which in the assembled state is at least indirectly connected to a hot air heating device, in particular a hot air heating device of a motor vehicle, so that the hot air of the hot air heating device can be utilized, thereby significantly reducing the expenditure associated with the additional required components.

[0020] Advantageously, the base body is configured as an air spoiler. In this case, the contour shape of the air spoiler can be advantageously utilized to form the cavity.

[0021] Advantageously, the wiper strip and the base body are configured as separate components. Thus, in a possible design, a cavity can be realized on the open base body and at the same time a hot air outlet or multiple hot air outlets can be simply formed. This can simplify the manufacture of the base body.

[0022] Advantageously, exactly one cavity is provided, which at least substantially extends over the entire longitudinal extension of the base body. In this case, the structural design of the base body of the wiper blade can be retained as necessary or only minor structural changes can be made.

[0023] Advantageously, an end cap is provided at the first end of the base body, which closes the cavity at the first end, and / or an end cap is provided at the second end of the base body, which closes the cavity at the second end. In this way, a cost-effective solution for closing at least one cavity at the end side can be achieved.

[0024] According to the design scheme, one or more of the following features and advantages can be achieved.

[0025] A wiper blade (wiper blade) which is heated by hot air can be realized.

[0026] The functional element to be heated is usually a wiper strip, which can be designed in particular as a wiper rubber strip and is generally a poor heat conductor. In conventional designs, the electrically heated spring rail does not heat the wiper strip sufficiently, while the base body (head) in contact with the spring rail is heated. By means of the hot air flow of the proposed and possibly correspondingly modified solution, the wiper strip, in particular the tilting rod and the lip of the wiper strip, can be improved and can be heated or defrosted sufficiently, in particular in winter. Since the lip and the tilting rod are no longer blocked by ice and snow due to the improved defrosting effect, a good wiper function can be achieved under winter conditions.

[0027] Preferably, the flat rod wiper blade is heated by the existing interior heat ventilation heating in the vehicle. For this purpose, preferably a thin hose is guided to the wiper blade on the wiper arm. The hot air is preferably guided through the central wiper blade adapter into the cavity of the base body, in particular the spoiler.

[0028] The air spoilers of flat-bar wiper blades can advantageously be used as a construction basis so that they can be adapted with little effort if they already have a suitable cavity which can also be hermetically sealed toward the wiper blade end by two end caps.

[0029] The hot air which is fed into the hollow space, for example via an adapter, preferably passes through at least one hot air outlet which is designed as a spring rail gap and then passes through a wiper strip, in particular a wiper rubber strip.

[0030] It is preferably possible to effectively heat the tilting lever and the lip, which are important for the wiper function. This makes it possible to dispense with complex electrical heating foils or the like as well as insulation and connection measures.

[0031] In a possible design, the spring rail is held closely by the base body, in particular the spoiler, so that essentially only a gap remains between the respective spring rail and the wiper strip, which is preferably configured as a wiper rubber strip, for the escape of hot air. This also intensifies the heating, in particular the defrosting, of the wiper rubber strip, which is critical for the function. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] In the following description, preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which corresponding elements are provided with consistent reference numerals.

[0033] Figure 1A wiper blade on a wiper arm is shown in a schematic top view, wherein the course of the hot air hose is shown in a schematic and greatly simplified manner.

[0034] Figure 2 The schematic diagram shows the first feasible design scheme. Figure 1 a cross-section of the wiper blade shown; and

[0035] Figure 3 The schematic diagram shows the second feasible design scheme. Figure 1 A cross section of a wiper blade is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Figure 1 A wiper blade 1 is shown in a schematic top view on a wiper arm 2 to explain an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The wiper blade 1 is particularly suitable for a wiper arm 2 of a motor vehicle. Such a motor vehicle can be designed in particular as a passenger car or a truck.

[0037] The wiper blade 1 has a longitudinal extension 3. During operation, the wiper blade 1 is moved in a swiveling manner on the windshield of a motor vehicle by means of a wiper arm 2, wherein an imaginary swivel axis is formed by the swivel movement. At a first end 15 of the wiper blade 1 close to the swivel axis, this end 15 moves on an inner trajectory 4. Correspondingly, a second end 17 of the wiper blade 1 further away from the swivel axis moves on an outer trajectory 5. In this case, the inner trajectory 4 and the outer trajectory 5 are circular or elliptical trajectories, wherein the radius of the inner trajectory 4 is smaller than the radius of the outer trajectory 5.

[0038] The wiper blade comprises an elongated main body 6 and a wiper strip 7 arranged on the main body 6. In this embodiment, the main body 6 is designed as an air spoiler.

[0039] Also refer to the following Figure 2 Possible embodiments of the wiper blade 1 are described in more detail below.

[0040] Figure 2 The schematic diagram shows the first feasible design scheme. Figure 1 The wiper blade 1 is shown in cross section. A cavity 8 is provided on the base body 6. The cavity 8 extends along the longitudinal extension 3 of the base body 6. In the exemplary embodiment, exactly one cavity 8 is provided, which extends at least substantially over the entire longitudinal extension 3 of the base body 6.

[0041] Furthermore, in this exemplary embodiment, a hot air inlet 9 is provided on the base body, via which hot air is conducted into the cavity 8 during operation. Furthermore, in this exemplary embodiment, a plurality of hot air outlets 10, 11, 12, 13 are provided between the base body 6 and the wiper strip 7.

[0042] At a first end 15 of the base body 6, an end cap 16 is provided, which closes the cavity 8 at the first end 15. Correspondingly, at a second end 17 of the base body 6, an end cap 18 is provided, which closes the cavity 8 at the second end 17. The hot air guided into the cavity 8 via the hot air inlet 9 is thus at least substantially discharged from the cavity 8 via the hot air outlets 10, 11, 12, 13, as indicated in a greatly simplified manner by arrows or flow lines.

[0043] In this embodiment, the hot air outlets 10, 11, 12, 13 are configured so that the hot air discharged from the cavity 8 via the hot air outlets 10, 11, 12, 13 is directed to the wiper strip 7 accordingly. In this embodiment, the hot air outlets 10, 11, 12, 13 are configured so that they extend in parallel to each other in the form of hot air gaps 10, 11, 12, 13, respectively, at least substantially over the entire longitudinal extension 3 of the base body 6. However, in a variant design, one or more of these hot air gaps 10, 11, 12, 13 can also extend only in sections along the longitudinal extension 3. A plurality of shorter hot air gaps can be connected to each other over the entire longitudinal extension. In addition, the hot air gaps 10, 11, 12, 13 extending over the entire longitudinal extension 3 can be interrupted at individual locations.

[0044] The main body 6 has a longitudinal opening 21 along the longitudinal extension 3 on a side 20 facing the wiper strip 7 . The wiper strip 7 is arranged on this side 20 or on the longitudinal opening 21 .

[0045] The wiper strip 7 has longitudinal sides 22, 23. Receptacles 24, 25 are formed on the base body 6, facing the longitudinal sides 22, 23 of the wiper strip 7, respectively, and preferably extend along the entire longitudinal extension 3. The wiper strip also has receptacles 26, 27 on its longitudinal sides 22, 23, and preferably extend along the entire longitudinal extension 3.

[0046] In this embodiment, spring rails 28, 29 are provided. The wiper strip 7 is fastened to the base body 6 at its two longitudinal sides 22, 23 by means of the spring rails 28, 29. In this case, suitable elevations, in particular cams or ribs, can be provided on the receptacles 24, 25, 26, 27, for example, so that in the rest position of the wiper arm the spring rails 28, 29 are held as centrally as possible in the receptacles 24, 25, 26, 27, so that hot air can flow between the receptacles 24, 25, 26, 27 and the spring rails 28, 29 and then escape.

[0047] In this case, Figure 2In the embodiment shown, the spring rail 28 is received with such a large gap on both receptacles 24, 26 that the hot air can escape at both receptacles 24, 26. In this embodiment, hot air outlets 10, 11 are thus formed.

[0048] In addition, Figure 2 In the embodiment shown, the spring rail 29 is received with such a large gap on both receptacles 25, 27 that the hot air can escape at both receptacles 25, 27. In this way, the hot air outlets 12, 13 are formed in the present embodiment.

[0049] Figure 3 The schematic diagram shows the second feasible design scheme. Figure 1 . In this embodiment, the spring rails 28, 29 are each received closely on the base body 6. The receptacles 24, 25 of the spring rails are therefore formed so closely on the base body 6 that an at least substantially gas-tight seal is achieved there between the receptacles 24, 25 and the spring rails.

[0050] The receptacles 26, 27 of the spring rails 28, 29 on the wiper strip are arranged according to Figure 2 The described construction scheme is implemented.

[0051] The fastening of the wiper strip 7 to the base body 6 by means of the spring rails 28 , 29 is therefore designed in such a way that during operation, hot air is guided at the spring rails 28 , 29 at least primarily through the hot air outlets 11 , 12 between the spring rails 28 , 29 and the wiper strip 7 , as is indicated in a very simplified manner by arrows or flow lines.

[0052] If the wiper blade 1 is mounted on a wiper arm 2 mounted on a motor vehicle, hot air can be guided into the cavity 8 via a hot air hose 30 connected to the hot air inlet 9. The hot air hose 20 is connected in a suitable manner to a hot ventilation heating device 31 of the motor vehicle.

[0053] The invention is not restricted to the described embodiments.

Claims

1. A wiper blade (1), in particular for a motor vehicle, comprising an elongated base body (6) and a wiper strip (7) arranged on the base body (6), wherein at least one cavity (8) is provided on the base body (6), the at least one cavity extending along a longitudinal extension (3) of the base body (6), It is characterized in that At least one hot air inlet (9) is provided, through which hot air can be guided into the at least one cavity (8) during operation, and at least one hot air outlet (10, 11, 12, 13) is provided between the base body (6) and the wiper strip (7).

2. The wiper blade according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The at least one hot air outlet (10, 11, 12, 13) is designed such that during operation, hot air guided into the cavity (8) via the hot air inlet (9) is guided via the hot air outlet (10, 11, 12, 13) to the wiper strip (7).

3. The wiper blade according to claim 1 or 2, It is characterized in that a) at least one hot air outlet (10, 11, 12, 13) is designed as a hot air gap (10, 11, 12, 13), which extends at least sectionally along the longitudinal extension (3), and / or b) At least one hot air outlet (10, 11, 12, 13) extends at least substantially over the entire longitudinal extension (3) of the base body (6).

4. The wiper blade according to any one of claims 1 to 3, It is characterized in that The base body (6) has a longitudinal opening (21) along the longitudinal extension (3) on the side (20) facing the wiper strip (7), the wiper strip (7) being arranged at the longitudinal opening; at least one spring rail (28) arranged at the longitudinal opening (21) is provided, the wiper strip (7) being fastened to the base body (6) by means of the spring rail; and at least one hot air outlet (10, 11) is provided between the spring rail (28) and the base body (6) and / or between the spring rail (28) and the wiper strip (7).

5. The wiper blade according to claim 4, It is characterized in that The fastening of the wiper strip (7) to the base body (6) by means of a spring rail (28) is designed in such a way that during operation, hot air is guided at the spring rail (28) at least predominantly through at least one hot air outlet (11) between the spring rail (28) and the wiper strip (7).

6. The wiper blade according to claim 4 or 5, It is characterized in that The spring rail (28) is received closely on the base body (6).

7. The wiper blade according to any one of claims 4 to 6, It is characterized in that A further spring rail (29) is provided at the longitudinal opening (21), with which the wiper strip (7) is fastened to the base body (6); the wiper strip (7) is arranged between the spring rail (28) and the further spring rail (29); and at least one further hot air outlet (12, 13) is arranged between the further spring rail (29) and the base body (6) and / or between the further spring rail (29) and the wiper strip (7).

8. The wiper blade according to claim 7, It is characterized in that The fastening of the wiper strip (7) to the base body (6) by means of a further spring rail (29) is designed in such a way that during operation, hot air is guided at the further spring rail (29) at least predominantly through at least one hot air outlet (12) between the further spring rail (29) and the wiper strip (7).

9. The wiper blade according to claim 7 or 8, It is characterized in that The further spring rail (29) is received closely on the base body (6).

10. The wiper blade according to any one of claims 1 to 9, It is characterized in that a) a hot air hose (30) is provided, which can be connected to the hot air inlet (9) and which in the assembled state is at least indirectly connected to a hot ventilation and heating device (31), in particular to a hot ventilation and heating device (31) of a motor vehicle, and / or b) the base body (6) is designed as an air spoiler, and / or c) the wiper strip (7) and the base body (6) are designed as separate components from one another, and / or d) exactly one cavity (8) is provided, which extends at least substantially over the entire longitudinal extension (3) of the base body (6), and / or e) an end cap (16) is provided at the first end (15) of the base body (6), the end cap closing the cavity (8) at the first end (15), and / or an end cap (18) is provided at the second end (17) of the base body (6), the end cap closing the cavity (8) at the second end (17).

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