Wiper blade, in particular for motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a wiper blade (10), in particular for a motor vehicle. The wiper blade at least comprises a support element (23) with at least one spring strip (16) and a wiper strip (12). According to the invention, a replacement element (24) is provided, which comprises the wiper strip (12) and a stabilizing element (14), and the stabilizing element (14) is detachably fastened to the carrier element (23).

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a wiper blade, in particular for a motor vehicle, according to the preamble of the independent claim. Background Art

[0002] A large number of wiper blades for motor vehicles are known, which have a carrier element with at least one spring strip and a wiper strip. It is also known that in such wiper blades, the wiper strip needs to be replaced. The problem here is that when replacing the wiper strip, the wiper strip is not correctly placed in the wiper blade, so that only a unsatisfactory wiping result is obtained after replacing the wiper strip. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Advantages of the Invention

[0004] The wiper blade according to the invention having the features of the main claim has the advantage that a replacement element is provided, which includes a wiper strip and a stabilizing element, and the stabilizing element is detachably fastened to the carrier element. In this way, the wiper strip can be easily replaced without disturbing the wiping result.

[0005] Advantageous modifications and improvements of the features specified in the main claim are obtained by the measures listed in the dependent claims.

[0006] In a simple, cost-effective and thus advantageous embodiment, the stabilizing element has fastening means for fastening to the spring strip.

[0007] In a particularly simple, easy-to-operate and thus advantageous embodiment, the fastening means is configured as a form-fitting connection, in particular a snap connection, preferably configured as a push-snap connection.

[0008] It is particularly advantageous that the carrier element has a heating device for heating the wiper blade, because in this way an optimal wiping result is achieved even at low temperatures.

[0009] The rapid and easy replacement of the replacement part is advantageously achieved by the fact that the carrier element, the stabilizing element and the wiper strip have substantially the same length, and the stabilizing element can be connected to the carrier element by being pushed along its longitudinal extension.

[0010] A particularly good wiping result is advantageously achieved by the fact that the stabilizing element stabilizes the wiper strip in the longitudinal direction and is in particular configured as a separate part.

[0011] It is particularly simple, cost-effective and thus advantageous that the stabilizing element has a holding means into which the wiper strip can be introduced in the longitudinal direction. This makes the assembly during the manufacture of the replacement part easier.

[0012] In a cost - low and thus advantageous embodiment, the stabilizing element in particular overlaps the wiper strip in a clip - like manner.

[0013] The high stability of the replacement part is advantageously achieved by the stabilizing element being made of a material that is more resistant to compression than the wiper strip.

[0014] By the stabilizing element having a higher modulus of elasticity than the wiper strip, an easy and thus advantageous replacement of the replacement part can be achieved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings and are explained in detail in the following description. Among them:

[0016] Figure 1 A wiper blade according to the present invention is shown in a schematic side view;

[0017] Figure 2 A schematic partial cross - sectional view of a wiper blade according to the present invention is shown;

[0018] Figure 3 An exploded view of the components of a wiper blade according to the present invention is shown; and

[0019] Figure 4 A wiper blade according to the present invention is shown in a schematic three - dimensional view. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] In Figure 1 a wiper blade 10 according to the present invention is shown in a schematic side view.

[0021] The wiper blade 10 according to the present invention has a longitudinal extension L and includes a wiper strip 12 and a stabilizing element 14. The stabilizing element 14 is fastened to the spring strip 16 of the wiper blade 10.

[0022] The spring strip 16 is made of flat strip steel. However, in a variant of the present invention, the spring strip 16 can also be constructed of plastic.

[0023] The spring strip 16 is pre - bent such that the wiper strip 12 of the assembled wiper blade 10 is placed substantially along its entire longitudinal extension L on the curved window pane to be wiped.

[0024] Above the spring strip 16, thus on the side of the cross - section of the spring strip that faces away from the wiper strip 12, a wind deflector strip 18 is provided. Here, the wind deflector strip 18 is constructed of an elastomer.

[0025] A fastening device 22 is disposed substantially centrally between the two end portions 20 of the longitudinal extension L for fastening the wiper blade 10 to the wiper arm of a motor vehicle. The fastening device 22 is integrally formed of plastic and is directly injection-molded onto the spring strip 16. In a variant of the invention, a retaining element made of metal is arranged, for example welded or embossed, on the spring strip 16. As a supplementary solution, the retaining element can cooperate with another plastic part.

[0026] The spring strip 16, together with the fastening device 22 and the windscreen strip 18, forms a load-bearing element 23.

[0027] At the end portions 20 of the longitudinal extension L, end caps 24 made of plastic are respectively arranged, which substantially enclose the wiper blade 10 with respect to its longitudinal extension L.

[0028] In Figure 2 a schematic partial sectional view of the wiper blade 10 according to the invention is shown.

[0029] The wiper blade 10 includes a wiper strip 12 and a stabilizing element 14 fastened to the spring strip 16.

[0030] The spring strip 16 is equipped with a heating device. The heating device is here applied to the spring strip 16 as a diaphragm.

[0031] The stabilizing element 14 is integrally formed of plastic and is connected to the wiper strip 12.

[0032] Here, the wiper strip 12 is clip-shapedly surrounded by the stabilizing element 14 via a retaining element.

[0033] The wiper strip 12 and the stabilizing element 14 together form a replacement part 24. The stabilizing element 14 has a higher elastic modulus than the wiper strip 12, so the stabilizing element 14 is harder than the wiper strip 12 and thus stabilizes the wiper strip in the longitudinal direction L.

[0034] A windscreen strip 18 is fastened to the upper side of the spring strip 16 facing away from the replacement part 24.

[0035] The wiper strip 12 itself includes a wiper lip 26 which, during operation, is placed on the window pane to be wiped and wipes moisture and dirt from the window pane when moving on the window pane. In addition, the wiper strip 12 includes a head 28 for fastening the wiper strip 12 to the stabilizing element 14.

[0036] The stabilizing element 14 clip-shapedly surrounds the head 28 of the wiper strip 12.

[0037] The wiper lip 26 is connected to the head 28 by means of an inclined tab 30. This connection is designed such that the wiper lip 26 can be tilted about the head 28 by means of the inclined tab 30, so that the wiper lip 26 is dragged across the window pane during operation when moving transversely to the longitudinal direction L.

[0038] The wiper strip 12 is made of a relatively flexible material, usually a natural rubber-based elastomer or EPDM.

[0039] When assembling the wiper blade 10, for example, the head 28 is pushed into the stabilizing element 14 and then fixed at the stabilizing element 14. The stabilizing element 14 can, for example, be squeezed at least sectionally after the head 28 has been introduced for fixing the wiper strip 12. In a variant, a material-locking connection, such as a welded connection or an adhesive connection, can also be established at least sectionally after introduction.

[0040] In Figure 3 a exploded view of the spring strip 16 and the replacement part 24 of the wiper blade 10 according to the invention is shown, which replacement part includes the wiper strip 12 and the stabilizing element 14. The fastening device 22 is not shown here for reasons of clarity.

[0041] The stabilizing element 14 has approximately the same length as the wiper strip 12 and the spring strip 16 along the longitudinal extension L.

[0042] However, in a variant of the invention, the spring strip 16 can also be slightly longer than the stabilizing element 14.

[0043] The wiper strip 12 and the stabilizing element 14 together form the replacement element 24.

[0044] The wiper strip 12 is fastened to the stabilizing element 14 at its head 28 such that the replacement part 24 has a lower rigidity than the spring strip 16 but a higher rigidity than the wiper strip 12 without the stabilizing element 14.

[0045] The spring strip 16 has at least one opening as a first form-locking element 32, which cooperates with the latching projection of the stabilizing element 14 as a second form-locking element 34 and thus forms a form-locking connection as the fastening device 36 between the stabilizing element 14 and the spring strip 16.

[0046] The stabilizing element 14 is provided with fastening means on its lower side, which lower side faces the wiper strip 12 in the assembled position, and the fastening means are, for example, constructed as clips, adhesive layers or guide channels.

[0047] The stabilizing element 14 has, on its upper side, a second form-locking element 34 which is configured as a latching projection. The latching projection has a projection which interacts with the opening of the first form-locking element 32 of the spring strip 16. The latching projection is configured here such that it points in different directions along the longitudinal extension L of the stabilizing element 14, thus forming a clamping connection.

[0048] However, in a variant of the invention, the projections can also point in the same direction with respect to the longitudinal extension L, thus forming a push-clamp connection.

[0049] The stabilizing element 14 or the replacement part 24 is configured such that it can be plugged onto the spring strip 16, wherein the second form-locking element 34 engages into the opening which serves as the first form-locking element 32. By pushing along the longitudinal extension L of the replacement element 24, the projection of the second form-locking element 34 catches at the spring strip 16. The pushing here is only a few millimeters, in particular less than 10 mm, preferably less than 5 mm.

[0050] As an additional option, a blocking element can also be provided here to prevent the replacement part 24 from moving back. The blocking element is preferably configured elastically in order to enable easy replacement of the replacement part 24.

[0051] In Figure 4 the wiper blade 10 according to the invention in the assembled state is shown. The windscreen strip 18 ( Figure 1 ) has been omitted in this illustration.

[0052] The fastening element 22 is arranged approximately centrally with respect to the longitudinal extension L. The fastening element 22 is non-removably fastened at the spring strip 16.

[0053] The wiper strip 12 is fixedly, in particular materially locked, connected to the stabilizing element 14 to form a replacement element 24. The fixed connection between the wiper strip 12 and the stabilizing element 14 can be designed, for example, as an adhesive connection, a welding connection, in particular a welding connection achieved by ultrasonic welding.

[0054] However, in a variant, a force-locking connection is also provided between the wiper strip 12 and the stabilizing element 14. A form-locking connection, in particular a non-removable form-locking connection, is also provided. In this case, "non-removable" should be understood in particular as a form-locking connection which cannot be disassembled without deformation of at least one of the parts, in particular the wiper strip 12 and / or the stabilizing element 14.

[0055] The stabilizing element 14 of the replacement part 24 has a second form-locking element 34 configured as a latching projection that penetrates an opening in the spring strip 16, and the opening constitutes a first form-locking element 32.

[0056] For clamping and fixing, the latching projection serving as the second form-locking element 34 has protrusions that point in different directions. Here, the protrusions point in the direction of the fastening element 22 respectively. Thus, the protrusion on the left side of the fastening element 22 points to the right, and the protrusion on the right side of the fastening part 22 points to the left. In a variant of the present invention, the protrusions of adjacent latching projections can also point in opposite directions respectively, for example.

[0057] In another variant, only one of the latching projections among the latching projections can also be configured to block against longitudinal movement along the longitudinal extension L and is thus referred to as a blocking element. The latching projections then protrude in the same direction accordingly, such that the replacement element 24 is inserted onto the spring strip, so that the second form-locking element 34 penetrates the opening of the first form-locking element 32, and then the protrusions are latched with the first form-locking element 32 by being pushed along the longitudinal extension. One of the latching projections among the latching projections can be configured as a second form-locking element 34 without a protrusion here, such that it can penetrate the opening even when the remaining latching projections are latched.

[0058] In another variant of the present invention, other fastening devices 36 between the replacement element 24 and the spring strip 16 are also feasible and in line with the present invention. For example, a magnetic connection, an adhesion connection, or a force-locking connection can be provided between the replacement element 24 and the spring strip 16 as the fastening device 36.

Claims

1. A wiper blade (10), in particular for a motor vehicle, said wiper blade at least comprises: a carrier element (23) having at least one spring strip (16) and a wiper strip (12), characterized in that a replacement element (24) is provided, said replacement element comprising the wiper strip (12) and a stabilizing element (14), and the stabilizing element (14) is detachably fastened to the carrier element (23).

2. The wiper blade (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the stabilizing element (14) has fastening means (36) for fastening to the spring strip (16).

3. The wiper blade (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that the fastening means (36) is configured as a form-fitting connection, in particular a clamping connection, preferably configured as a push-clamp connection.

4. The wiper blade (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the carrier element (23) has a heating device for heating the wiper blade (10).

5. The wiper blade (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the carrier element (23), the stabilizing element (14) and the wiper strip (12) have substantially the same length, and the stabilizing element (14) can be connected to the carrier element (23) by being pushed along its longitudinal extension (L).

6. The wiper blade (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stabilizing element (14) stabilizes the wiper strip (12) in the longitudinal direction (L) and is in particular configured as a separate component fixedly connected to the wiper strip (12).

7. The wiper blade (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stabilizing element (14) has a clip-shaped holding means into which the wiper strip (12) can be introduced in the longitudinal direction (L).

8. The wiper blade (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stabilizing element (14) is made of a material that is more resistant to compression than the wiper strip (12).

9. The wiper blade (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stabilizing element (14) has a higher modulus of elasticity than the wiper strip (12).

10. A replacement element (24) for a wiper blade (10) according to any one of the preceding claims.

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