wiper blade

Abstract

The invention relates to a wiper blade (100), in particular for cleaning vehicle windows (1), with an adapter (15) for attaching the wiper blade (100) to a wiper arm (10), wherein the adapter (15) consists of a first adapter element (28) on the wiper blade side and a second adapter element (27) on the wiper arm side, and wherein the two adapter elements (27, 28) are pivotally connected to each other. According to the invention, the first adapter element (28) on the wiper blade side is designed in at least two parts and comprises a first adapter part (30) connectable to the adapter element (27) on the wiper arm side and a second adapter part (31) connectable to the wiper blade (100).

Description

State of the art

[0001] The invention relates to a wiper blade according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] A wiper blade according to the preamble of claim 1 is already known from FR 2 916 715 A1. The known wiper blade comprises an adapter with a wiper blade-side adapter element, which is formed in two parts, wherein the two parts of the wiper blade-side adapter element are connected to each other by means of a positive connection.

[0003] Another wiper blade is known from DE 10 2007 062 304 A1 by the applicant. In this wiper blade, the wiper arm and the wiper blade are articulated together by means of an adapter. The adapter consists of an adapter element on the wiper arm side and an adapter element on the wiper blade side, which are articulated together. Flexible connectors for supplying washer fluid from the adapter element on the wiper arm side to the adapter element on the wiper blade side are arranged between the two adapter elements. The adapter element on the wiper blade side, in turn, directs the washer fluid via channels in a wiper blade element directly to various locations in front of the wiper lip of a wiper rubber. The two adapter elements are each made of plastic and formed as a single piece.Because the adapter elements are each formed in one piece, it is necessary to design the tool, particularly in the form of an injection molding tool, in a relatively complex manner, or only relatively few adapter elements can be produced with an injection molding tool per production step.

[0004] From the applicant's subsequently published DE 10 2009 043 695 A1, a wiper blade is also known in which the wiper arm-side adapter element consists of two parts that can be locked together and enclose the one-piece adapter element on the wiper blade side. Furthermore, from the latter document, it is also known to guide the washer fluid through through holes into bearing pins that articulately connect the two adapter elements, thus eliminating the need for additional connecting pieces between the adapter elements, which are subject to wear under alternating loads. Disclosure of the invention

[0005] Based on the prior art described above, the invention seeks to further develop a wiper blade according to the preamble of claim 1 in such a way that it can be manufactured particularly inexpensively and efficiently while maintaining good mechanical properties. This object is achieved by a wiper blade having the features of claim 1.

[0006] Advantageous further developments of the wiper blade according to the invention are specified in the subclaims.

[0007] It is particularly preferred if the two adapter parts are made of plastic and are injection-molded. This allows for a relatively simple connection of the two adapter parts, e.g., by adhesive or welded joints. Furthermore, the first adapter element is relatively lightweight and has good corrosion resistance.

[0008] To simplify the assembly process between the two adapter parts, it is intended that the two adapter parts are connected directly to each other, i.e. without the additional use of separate auxiliary parts.

[0009] To further secure or reinforce the connection between the two adapter parts, and thus, in particular, to enable the transmission of particularly high forces between the two adapter parts, a preferred embodiment of the invention provides for an additional material-to-material connection between the two adapter parts. In particular, the material-to-material connection may be formed as a welded joint, particularly an ultrasonic welded joint, or as an adhesive joint. Such connections can be implemented relatively inexpensively and reliably in large-scale production.

[0010] In order to form an articulated connection between the two adapter elements, it is provided in a further preferred embodiment of the invention that at least one bearing pin is formed on the first adapter part.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the at least one bearing pin has an opening for supplying washer fluid to a spray channel of the wiper blade. Thus, no additional components or elements are required for supplying the washer fluid to the wiper blade, enabling a particularly compact design of the wiper blade and cost-effective manufacturing by eliminating the need for additional components and assembly steps.

[0012] In a particularly preferred embodiment, a through-opening is formed on the peripheral surface of the at least one bearing journal, at least indirectly connected to a washer fluid reservoir, through which the washer fluid is introduced into the at least one bearing journal. This makes the adapter particularly narrow, since the washer fluid does not have to be supplied via the central region of the adapter. Furthermore, with such a design, the formation of additional channels or flow paths for the washer fluid in the central region of the adapter can be dispensed with, thus simplifying the adapter's design.

[0013] Further advantages, features and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments and from the drawings.

[0014] These show in: Fig. 1 a wiper lever, consisting of a wiper arm and a wiper blade, for cleaning a vehicle window in a perspective view, Fig. 2 a wiper blade-side adapter element in assembled state in a perspective view, Fig. 3 the wiper blade side adapter element according to Fig. 2 in its individual parts, also in a perspective view, Fig. 4 a combined wiper blade-side adapter element in conjunction with two wiper arm-side parts of the wiper arm-side adapter element before their assembly in a perspective view, Fig. 5 a front view of the adapter, Fig. 6 a longitudinal section through the adapter consisting of the two adapter elements in direction VI-VI according to Fig. 5 and Fig. 7 a tool device for producing the wiper blade-side adapter element in a simplified representation.

[0015] Identical components or components with the same function are provided with the same reference numbers in the figures.

[0016] In the Fig. 1 shows a wiper arm 10, which serves in particular as part of a windshield wiper system for cleaning a vehicle windshield 1 on a motor vehicle. The wiper arm 10 comprises, in a known manner, a bearing piece 11, which serves for attachment to a wiper shaft (not shown) of the windshield wiper system. The bearing piece 11 is pivotally connected to a wiper rod 12, to the end of which, opposite the bearing piece 11, an interchangeable adapter 15 is attached. A wiper blade 100 can be attached to the wiper arm 10 by means of the adapter 15.

[0017] The wiper blade 100 consists, among other things, in the usual manner of a wiper rubber 17, manufactured as a profile from a rubber-elastic material, which extends over the entire length of the wiper blade 100 and forms a wiper lip 18 resting against the vehicle window 1, as well as two flat spring rails 19 made of spring steel or another suitable elastic material, each of which is received in grooves formed on the long sides of the wiper rubber 17. The grooves each extend over the entire length of the wiper blade and protrude with a portion of their width beyond the long sides of the wiper rubber 17.End pieces 23, 24 made of plastic are provided at the two wiper blade ends, which close off the wiper blade 100 there and hold together the wiper rubber 17, the spring rails 19 and also the spoiler profiles 25 forming the upper side of the wiper blade 100, the latter extending from the respective wiper blade end to the adapter 15 provided in the middle of the wiper blade or approximately in the middle of the wiper blade and being held in a suitable manner, for example by encompassing the spring rails 19.

[0018] The wiper blade 100 is designed, in particular, as a so-called "aqua wiper blade," i.e., with fluid and spray channels (not shown in the figures) extending along both longitudinal sides of the wiper blade. These spray channels are provided, for example, in the spoiler profile 25 and each have a plurality of nozzles or spray openings through which a cleaning or washing fluid (e.g., water, possibly with cleaning and antifreeze additives) can be applied to the vehicle window 1 during wiping.

[0019] The particularly in the Fig. The adapter 15 shown in more detail in Figures 4 to 6 consists of two adapter elements 27 and 28, wherein one adapter element 27 is referred to as the wiper arm-side adapter element 27, while the other adapter element 28 is referred to as the wiper blade-side adapter element 28.

[0020] In the Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 shows the wiper blade-side adapter element 28 in more detail. The adapter element 28 is made of plastic and is preferably manufactured by injection molding. The adapter element 28 consists of two adapter parts 30 and 31. The first adapter part 30 is connected to the first adapter element 27, while the second adapter part 31 is coupled to the wiper rubber 17. The first adapter part 30 has two bearing pins 33 and 34, via which the first adapter part 30 is pivotally mounted on the first adapter element 27. Furthermore, openings 35 can be seen on the circumferential surfaces of the two bearing pins 33 and 34, through which the cleaning or washing fluid for the wiper blade 100 can be supplied by means of the wiper arm-side adapter element 27. The cleaning or washing fluid is passed on or discharged to the wiper blade 100 by means of an outlet opening 37 formed concentrically in the bearing pins 33 and 34.Furthermore, an annular groove 36 can be seen on the bearing journals 33 and 34 for receiving a sealing ring (not shown).

[0021] The first adapter part 30 has a slot-shaped recess 39, which cooperates in a form-fitting manner with a tongue-shaped guide web 40 formed on the second adapter part 31. Furthermore, retaining tabs 41 projecting in a horizontal plane on the first adapter part 30 can be seen, which engage in a form-fitting manner in corresponding recesses 42 of the second adapter part 31.

[0022] The connection between the two adapter parts 30 and 31 is made, on the one hand, by means of positive locking connections by means of the recess 39 and the guide web 40 as well as between the retaining tabs 41 and the recesses 42, which may additionally be designed to be lockable, and, on the other hand, by an additional material-locking connection in the form of an adhesive connection or an ultrasonic welding connection in the connection area between the two adapter parts 30 and 31.

[0023] The second adapter part 31 has line nozzles 43 and 44 arranged parallel to each other for supplying the cleaning or washing liquid to the spray channels in the spoiler profiles 25.

[0024] In the Fig. 4 shows, in addition to the wiper blade-side adapter element 28, which, as described, is formed from two adapter parts 30 and 31, the wiper arm-side adapter element 27. The wiper arm-side adapter element 27 also consists of two parts 46 and 47, each having a round receiving opening 48 that encloses the respective bearing pin 33, 34. Furthermore, it can be seen that the two parts 46 and 47 are connectable to one another. The connection is made by means of a locking connection 49, which, for example, comprises two locking hooks 50 on part 47 and two locking openings 51 on part 46.

[0025] Furthermore, it can be provided that the wiper blade 100 is designed as an electrically heatable wiper blade 100. For this purpose, at least one electrical heating element (not shown) is provided in the wiper blade 100, which extends over the entire length of the wiper blade 100. The heating element can be designed, for example, in the form of a heating foil or a heating wire. The electrical connection for operating the heating element is made via the adapter 15 by means of the wiper arm-side adapter element 27, which for this purpose has a connecting piece 55 in which a cable connection 56, in particular a pluggable one, is arranged (see Fig. 4 and Fig. 6).

[0026] In the Fig. 7 shows a tool device 60 for producing the wiper blade-side adapter element 28. The tool device 60 comprises a lower part 61 and an upper part 62, which can be separated from one another for demolding and each have corresponding recesses or cavities 64, 65 for forming the outer shape of the wiper blade-side adapter element 28. It is essential that the tool device 60 allows the production of multiple adapter elements 28, or multiple adapter parts 30 or adapter parts 31 of the adapter element 28, during a single process step using the injection molding process.

[0027] In the Fig. 8 shows a further connection method of the two adapter parts 30a, 31a. The adapter part 30a has a nose 67, which engages in a corresponding recess 68 of the adapter part 31a in a form-fitting manner. Furthermore, the adapter part 31a has a first recess 69 for a fixing wedge 70. In the assembled state, the fixing wedge 70 projects into second recesses 71 of the adapter part 30a, so that the two adapter parts 30a, 31a are connected to one another in a form-fitting and force-fitting manner. The connection just described between the two adapter parts 30a, 31a preferably takes place in addition to a material connection. Furthermore, in modification of the Fig. 8, it may also be provided to provide a connection by means of an additional element or fixing wedge instead of the nose 67.

[0028] The wiper blade 100 described so far can be modified or altered in a variety of ways without deviating from the inventive concept. This consists in a multi-part design of the wiper blade-side adapter element 28 to simplify its manufacture. Furthermore, the wiper blade 100 can also be designed as a conventional wiper blade and not, as described and illustrated, as a so-called "aqua wiper blade." List of reference symbols 1 vehicle window 10 wiper arm 11 bearing piece 12 wiper rod 15 adapters 17 Wiper rubber 18 Wiper lip 19 Spring rail 23 Final piece 24 final piece 25 Spoiler profile 27 Adapter element 28 Adapter element 30 adapter part 31 Adapter part 33 bearing journals 34 bearing journals 35 breakthroughs 36 ring groove 37 Exit opening 39 recess 40 guide bar 41 Retaining tab 42 recesses 43 pipe sockets 44 pipe sockets Part 46 Part 47 48 Recording opening 49 Snap connection 50 locking hooks 51 locking opening 55 connecting piece 56 Cable connection 60 tool device 61 Lower part 62 top 64 recess 65 recess 67 Nose 68 recess 69 recess 70 Fixing wedge 100 wiper blades

Claims

[1] Wiper blade (100), with an adapter (15) for fastening the wiper blade (100) to a wiper arm (10), wherein the adapter (15) consists of a first adapter element (28) on the wiper blade side and a second adapter element (27) on the wiper arm side, wherein the two adapter elements (27, 28) are connected to one another in an articulated manner, wherein the first adapter element (28) on the wiper blade side is formed in at least two parts and has a first adapter part (30; 30a) that can be connected to the wiper arm side adapter element (27) and a second adapter part (31; 31a) that can be connected to the wiper blade (100), and wherein the two adapter parts (30, 31; 30a, 31a) are connected to one another at least by means of a positive connection, characterized bythat the positive connection comprises a guide web (40) on the second adapter part (31), which engages in a recess (39) of the first adapter part (30), and two retaining tabs (41) which engage in corresponding recesses (42) of the second adapter part (31), or that the positive connection comprises a nose (67) on the first adapter part (30a), which engages in a recess (68) of the second adapter part (31a), and that the two adapter parts (30a, 31a) are additionally connected to one another by means of at least one fixing element (70). [2] Wiper blade according to claim 1, characterized by that in addition a material connection is provided between the two adapter parts (30, 31; 30a, 31a), which is designed as a welded connection or as an adhesive connection. [3] Wiper blade according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the two adapter parts (30, 31; 30a, 31a) are made of plastic and are designed as injection-molded parts. [4] Wiper blade according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that at least one bearing pin (33, 34) is formed on the first adapter part (30). [5] Wiper blade according to claim 4, characterized by that the at least one bearing pin (33, 34) has an opening (37) for supplying a washing liquid to a spray channel of the wiper blade (100). [6] Wiper blade according to claim 4 or 5, characterized by that on the peripheral surface of the at least one bearing journal (33, 34) there is formed a through-opening (35) which is at least indirectly connected to a washing liquid reservoir and via which the washing liquid is guided into the at least one bearing journal (33, 34). [7] Wiper blade according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by that the wiper blade (100) is designed as a heatable wiper blade (100) with a heating device. [8] Wiper blade according to claim 7, characterized bythat the heating device is electrically contacted by means of a cable connection (56), wherein the cable connection (56) is arranged at least partially in the wiper arm-side adapter element (27).

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