Vehicular wiper device

Abstract

To provide a vehicular wiper device which includes only one wiper arm and can expand a wiping area over the whole of the window glass.SOLUTION: In a vehicular wiper device 1 having one wiper arm, the wiper arm is provided with a link mechanism 2 of 4 nodes. The link mechanism 2 includes: a main arm 21; a sub arm 22; and a wiper arm head 23 which is connected with the main arm 21 and the sub arm 22 and connected with a wiper blade 4 through a wiper arm body 3. The wiper blade 4 is pushed out toward an upper region of a front window glass FG through activation of the link mechanism 2 at a time of rotation of the wiper device 1 so as to be capable of expanding a wiping area of the upper region of the front window glass FG.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle wiper device, and more particularly to an improvement for increasing the wiping area. [Background technology]

[0002] Various wiper devices have been proposed for vehicles. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wiper device having one wiper arm configured with a link mechanism. Patent Document 2 discloses a wiper device having two wiper arms, only one of which is provided with a link mechanism.

[0003] Specifically, the wiper device disclosed in Patent Document 1, as shown in Figure 4(a), comprises a main arm a and a sub-arm b, and a connecting arm d is rotatably connected between the tip of the main arm a closer to the wiper blade c and the tip of the sub-arm b closer to the wiper blade c.

[0004] On the other hand, the wiper device disclosed in Patent Document 2, as shown in Figure 4(b), has two wiper arms e and f, and a link mechanism g is provided at the base end of one of the wiper arms f to expand the wiping area only for the wiping area covered by this one wiper arm f. The link mechanism g is a four-section link made up of an arm head i connected to the retainer h of the wiper arm f, a main lever k having one end connected to the pivot shaft j and the other end connected to the arm head i, and a sub-lever n disposed at a predetermined distance from the pivot shaft j and having one end connected to the driven shaft m and the other end connected to the arm head i. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-168165 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-142499 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In recent years, vehicles with a small inclination angle for the windshield have become more common, taking into consideration the vehicle's aerodynamic characteristics and design. However, in this case, the length dimension of the windshield in the vertical direction (the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle body) tends to be longer, and a means is required to expand the wiping area to the top of the windshield.

[0007] Increasing the length of the driver's side wiper blade in a wiper device with two wiper arms is one way to increase the wiping area on a windshield that has a long vertical dimension. However, this increases the overlapping area between the driver's side wiper blade and the passenger side wiper blade, resulting in a decrease in wiping efficiency.

[0008] In a wiper device having only one wiper arm, such as the one shown in FIG. 4(a) disclosed in Patent Document 1, the overlapping portion does not exist, and therefore the above problem can be solved. However, the link mechanism in the wiper device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is only for bringing the wiper blade c closer to being parallel to the vertical frame p of the windshield o in the upper inverted position (a rotation position in which the wiper blade c is aligned with the vertical frame p of the windshield o), and does not contribute to expanding the wiping area.

[0009] On the other hand, if the length of the wiper blade on the driver's seat side is set long and the length of the wiper blade on the passenger seat side is set short, the area of ​​the overlapping portion can be reduced, but in this case, a large unwiped area will be left at the top of the front windshield on the passenger seat side.

[0010] Although the wiper device disclosed in Patent Document 2 (shown in FIG. 4(b)) can reduce the unwiped area by providing a link mechanism g at the base end of one of the wiper arms f, the wiper device disclosed in Patent Document 2 is configured such that the link mechanism g is provided only on one of the wiper arms f, and therefore does not aim to expand the wiping area across the entire front windshield o using only one wiper arm. In other words, the wiper device disclosed in Patent Document 2 is a technology premised on a wiper device equipped with two wiper arms e, f.

[0011] For these reasons, no proposals have been made to increase the wiping area of ​​the entire front windshield for wiper devices equipped with only a single wiper arm, which allows for a reduction in the number of parts.Similarly, no proposals have been made to increase the wiping area of ​​the entire rear windshield for wiper devices equipped with only a single wiper arm.

[0012] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle wiper device that has only one wiper arm and can increase the wiping area across the entire windshield. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] The solution to achieve the above object is a vehicle wiper apparatus including a wiper arm rotatably supported on a vehicle body and a wiper blade supported on the wiper arm, wherein the wiper arm is provided with a four-section link mechanism, a fulcrum of the link mechanism located closer to the wiper blade is located on the opposite side of the wiper blade from a hinge of the wiper arm, and when the wiper blade is at the bottom of the windshield, one of the arms constituting the link mechanism that is connected to a drive shaft is positioned below the drive shaft, and the drive shaft and the wiper arm rotate in the same direction.

[0014] With this feature, when the wiper arm rotates back and forth, the four-section link mechanism operates to push the wiper blade toward the outer region of the windshield (particularly the upper region) (shifting the movement path of the outer edge of the wiper blade toward the upper region of the windshield), thereby expanding the wiping area of ​​the upper region of the windshield. In other words, even with a wiper device that has only one wiper arm, it is possible to expand the wiping area of ​​the entire windshield (particularly the upper region).

[0015] Another solution to the above problem is as follows. As with the above-described solution, the vehicle wiper device is based on a wiper arm rotatably supported on a vehicle body and a wiper blade attached to the wiper arm. The vehicle wiper device is characterized in that the wiper arm includes a four-section link mechanism, a fulcrum of the link mechanism located closer to the wiper blade is located closer to a power input fulcrum of the link mechanism than a hinge of the wiper arm, and when the wiper blade is at the bottom of the windshield, one of the arms constituting the link mechanism that is connected to a drive shaft is positioned below the drive shaft, and the drive shaft and the wiper arm rotate in the same direction.

[0016] As with the above-described solution, this specific feature also makes it possible to increase the wiping area of ​​the entire windshield in a wiper device equipped with only one wiper arm.

[0017] The configuration of the link mechanism and the operation thereof are as follows: That is, when the wiper blade is at the lower end of the windshield, the link mechanism includes a main arm extending in the vehicle width direction, a sub-arm extending in the vehicle width direction above the main arm, and a wiper arm head connected across the main arm and sub-arm and to which the wiper blade is connected via a wiper arm body, the drive shaft is connected to the main arm, and the link mechanism operates so that the main arm receives power from the drive shaft to cause the wiper blade to perform a reciprocating pivoting motion. The angle formed between the extension direction of the main arm and the extension direction of the wiper arm head, and the angle formed between the extension direction of the sub-arm and the extension direction of the wiper arm head, each change as the wiper blade moves from a state where it is at the bottom end of the windshield to a state where it is at the side end of the windshield, and the distance between the connection position of the sub-arm and the wiper arm head and the position of the drive shaft becomes longer.

[0018] As the wiper blade moves from the bottom edge of the windshield to the side edge of the windshield, the angles change and the distance between the connection point between the sub-arm and the wiper arm head and the position of the drive shaft increases, causing the movement locus of the outer edge of the wiper blade, which is connected to the wiper arm head via the wiper arm body, to shift toward the upper area of ​​the windshield, thereby realizing a link mechanism configuration that can expand the wiping area across the entire windshield.

[0019] Furthermore, the rotation angle of the drive shaft when the wiper blade rotates from a state in which it is located at the lower end of the window glass to a state in which it is located at the side end of the window glass is within a predetermined range of 150° or more. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] In this invention, a wiper device with a single wiper arm is equipped with a four-section link mechanism, and when the wiper arm rotates, the link mechanism operates to push the wiper blade toward the upper area of ​​the windshield, thereby expanding the wiping area of ​​the upper area of ​​the windshield.This allows for a larger wiping area over the entire windshield compared to a wiper device with only a single wiper arm, which reduces the number of parts required. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1(a) is a front view showing the wiper device together with the front windshield, FIG. 1(b) is an enlarged view showing the link mechanism of the wiper device, and FIG. 1(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 1(b). [Figure 2] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating a wiping operation of the wiper device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the results of an experiment conducted to compare the present invention with several conventional techniques. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a wiper device according to a conventional technique together with a front windshield. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a wiper device for wiping a front windshield.

[0023] - Wiper device configuration - Figure 1 shows a wiper device 1 according to this embodiment, where Figure 1(a) is a front view showing the wiper device 1 together with the front windshield FG, Figure 1(b) is an enlarged view of the link mechanism 2 of the wiper device 1, and Figure 1(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in Figure 1(b).

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, the wiper device 1 of this embodiment wipes away rainwater, snow, etc. adhering to the front windshield FG of a vehicle, and includes a wiper motor (not shown), a link mechanism 2 and a wiper arm main body 3 that constitute a wiper arm, and a wiper blade 4.

[0025] The wiper motor is the power source for the wiper device 1 and is attached to the body (cowl portion) of the vehicle. This wiper motor is connected to an output shaft (drive shaft) 51 (see FIG. 1(b)) via a well-known conversion mechanism that converts continuous rotational motion into reciprocating rotational motion, and the reciprocating rotational motion of the output shaft 51 caused by the operation of the wiper motor causes the wiper arm main body 3 to perform a reciprocating rotational motion. Note that since the wiper arm main body 3 rotates integrally with the wiper blade 4, hereinafter, this rotation may be referred to as the rotation of the wiper arm main body 3 or the rotation of the wiper blade 4. It may also be simply referred to as the rotation of the wiper device 1.

[0026] The link mechanism 2 includes a main arm 21, a sub-arm 22, and a wiper arm head 23.

[0027] The positions of the main arm 21, sub-arm 22 and wiper arm head 23 are such that when the wiper device 1 is in the lower inverted position (position along the lower edge of the front windshield FG) as shown in Figure 1(a) (the state in which the wiper blade is at the lower edge of the windshield in this invention), the main arm 21 is positioned below the sub-arm 22, and the wiper arm head 23 is positioned on the wiper arm body 3 side (right side in Figure 1(a)) of each of the main arm 21 and sub-arm 22.

[0028] The main arm 21 is a generally L-shaped member that extends generally along the vehicle width direction when in the lower inverted position. Specifically, the main arm 21 includes an arm body 21a having a predetermined length, and a support portion 21b that is continuous with the arm body 21a and is bent in a direction generally perpendicular to the extension direction of the arm body 21a. An output shaft 51 is connected to the center of the support portion 21b, and the rotational force from the wiper motor is transmitted to the link mechanism 2 from the support portion 21b.

[0029] 1, the support portion 21b is continuous with the arm main body portion 21a on the side opposite to the wiper arm main body 3 (the left side in FIG. 1(b)), and extends upward by a relatively short distance from the portion continuous with the arm main body portion 21a. The posture of the arm main body portion 21a in the lower inverted position shown in FIG. 1 is such that it is inclined slightly downward from the portion continuous with the support portion 21b toward the wiper arm main body 3 (the right side in FIG. 1(b)). This posture of the arm main body portion 21a corresponds to the fact that "among the arms constituting the link mechanism, the arm connected to the drive shaft is disposed below the drive shaft" in the present invention.

[0030] The sub-arm 22 is also a substantially L-shaped member that extends substantially in the vehicle width direction when in the lower inverted position. Specifically, the sub-arm 22 also includes an arm main body 22a having a predetermined length, and a support portion 22b that is continuous with the arm main body 22a and is bent in a direction substantially perpendicular to the extension direction of the arm main body 22a. A sub-shaft 52 attached to the vehicle body is connected to the center of the support portion 22b, and the sub-arm 22 is rotatable around the sub-shaft 52.

[0031] The sub-shaft 52 is positioned above the output shaft 51 at a predetermined distance and on the opposite side (left side in FIG. 1(b)) from the wiper arm main body 3. The position of the sub-shaft 52 is set to a position that allows the distance between the output shaft 51 and the sub-shaft 52 to be as short as possible within a range that does not cause interference between the main arm 21 and the sub-arm 22 when the wiper device 1 rotates from the lower reversing position to the upper reversing position (a position in an orientation along the vertical frame 6 of the front windshield FG: see FIG. 2(c)), as will be described later. This allows the link mechanism 2 to be made smaller.

[0032] 1, the support portion 22b is continuous with the arm main body portion 22a on the side opposite to the wiper arm main body 3 (the left side in FIG. 1(b)), and extends downward by a relatively short distance from the portion continuous with the arm main body portion 22a. In addition, the posture of the arm main body portion 22a in the state of being in the lower inverted position shown in FIG. 1 is such that the arm main body portion 22a is slightly inclined downward from the portion continuous with the support portion 22b toward the wiper arm main body 3 (the right side in FIG. 1(b)).

[0033] The wiper arm head 23 is made up of a substantially L-shaped member that connects the main arm 21, the sub-arm 22, and the wiper arm body 3. Specifically, the wiper arm head 23 includes a first arm head portion 23a and a second arm head portion 23b that is continuous with the first arm head portion 23a.

[0034] The first arm head portion 23a is connected across the main arm 21 and the sub-arm 22. That is, a portion near one longitudinal end of the first arm head portion 23a is rotatably connected to the tip of the main arm 21 (arm main body portion 21a) by a connecting shaft 53. When the first arm head portion 23a is in the lower inverted position shown in FIG. 1, a portion near the lower end of the first arm head portion 23a is rotatably connected to the right end of the main arm 21 by the connecting shaft 53. Furthermore, the other longitudinal end of the first arm head portion 23a is rotatably connected to the tip of the sub-arm 22 (arm main body portion 22a) by a connecting shaft 54. When the first arm head portion 23a is in the lower inverted position shown in FIG. 1, an upper portion of the first arm head portion 23a is rotatably connected to the right end of the sub-arm 22 by the connecting shaft 54.

[0035] With this configuration, the output shaft 51 and the sub-shaft 52 can be considered as one link arm, and a four-section link mechanism 2 is formed by this link arm, the main arm 21, the sub-arm 22, and the first arm head portion 23a of the wiper arm head 23.

[0036] The second arm head 23b transmits the rotational force of the link mechanism 2 to the wiper arm body 3. When the second arm head 23b is in the lower inverted position shown in FIG. 1, it is continuous with the upper portion of the first arm head 23a and extends horizontally (to the right in FIG. 1(b)). The second arm head 23b supports the wiper arm body 3 so that it can rotate toward and away from the front windshield FG (see the states shown by solid lines and phantom lines in FIG. 1(c)). That is, with the tip of the second arm head 23b disposed inside a recess 31 provided at the base end of the wiper arm body 3, a support pin 32 is inserted between the base end of the wiper arm body 3 and the tip of the second arm head 23b, allowing the wiper arm body 3 to rotate about the axis L of the support pin 32. In other words, the support pin 32 constitutes a hinge that enables the wiper arm body 3 to rotate.

[0037] The wiper blade 4 has its longitudinal center supported by the wiper arm body 3, and a wiper rubber (not shown) is attached to the side facing the front windshield FG. The wiper blade 4 is pressed toward the front windshield FG together with the wiper rubber by a wiper spring (not shown) built into the wiper arm body 3.

[0038] A feature of this embodiment is that, in the state where the link mechanism is in the lower reversal position shown in Fig. 1, the positions of the connecting shafts 53, 54 are located on the opposite side of the wiper blade 4 from the position of the axis L of the support pin 32. In other words, in the state where the link mechanism is in the lower reversal position, the positions of the connecting shafts 53, 54 are located closer to the output shaft 51 (toward the power input fulcrum) than the position of the axis L of the support pin 32. In other words, in the state shown in Fig. 1(a), the positions of the connecting shafts 53, 54 are located to the left of the position of the axis L of the support pin 32. Therefore, the connecting shafts 53, 54 correspond to the "fulcrum in the link mechanism located closer to the wiper blade" in the present invention. Furthermore, specifying the positions of connecting shafts 53, 54 in this manner corresponds to what is said in the present invention: "The fulcrum located closer to the wiper blade in the link mechanism is located on the opposite side of the wiper blade from the position of the hinge of the wiper arm," and "The fulcrum located closer to the wiper blade in the link mechanism is located closer to the power input fulcrum in the link mechanism from the position of the hinge of the wiper arm."

[0039] 1, the connecting shaft 54 ​​is positioned above the connecting shaft 53 at a predetermined distance and on the opposite side from the wiper arm body 3 (the left side in FIG. 1(b)). As a result, the angle formed between the extension direction of the arm body 21a of the main arm 21 and the extension direction of the first arm head portion 23a of the wiper arm head 23 is angle θ1 shown in FIG. 1(b), and the angle formed between the extension direction of the arm body 22a of the sub-arm 22 and the extension direction of the first arm head portion 23a of the wiper arm head 23 is angle θ2 shown in FIG. 1(b). These angles θ1 and θ2 increase as the wiper device 1 rotates from the lower reversal position to the upper reversal position (see FIG. 2, which shows the wiping operation of the wiper device 1). As the angles θ1 and θ2 increase, the distance between the output shaft 51 and the connecting shaft 54 ​​increases, and the resulting change in the position of the wiper arm head 23 relative to the arms 21 and 22 pushes the wiper arm body 3 and the wiper blade 4 toward the upper region of the windshield FG (the outer end of the wiper blade 4 moves away from the output shaft 51). The dashed-dotted line B in FIG. 1(a) represents the path of movement of the outer end of the wiper blade 4 when the output shaft 51 is the center of rotation, assuming that the link mechanism 2 is not provided. The dashed line A in FIG. 1(a) represents the path of movement of the outer end of the wiper blade 4 resulting from the wiper arm body 3 and the wiper blade 4 being pushed toward the upper region of the windshield FG by the provision of the link mechanism 2. Thus, the provision of the link mechanism 2 allows for an expansion of the wiping area above the windshield FG.

[0040] - Wiping operation of wiper device - Next, the wiping operation of the wiper device 1 configured as described above will be described. Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the wiping operation of the wiper device 1. When the wiper motor is activated while the wiper device 1 is in the lower reversal position as shown in Figure 2(a), the output shaft 51 (see Figure 1(b)) rotates (counterclockwise in the figure) in response to this operation. This rotational force is transmitted to the wiper arm body 3 via the link mechanism 2, and the wiper arm body 3 rotates toward the upper reversal position as shown by the arrow in Figure 2(a), while the wiper rubber attached to the wiper blade 4 wipes the front windshield FG. In other words, the rotational direction of the output shaft 51 and the rotational directions of the wiper arm body 3 and the wiper blade 4 are the same, and the front windshield FG is wiped.

[0041] As the wiper arm body 3 rotates toward the upper inverted position in this manner, due to the relative positions of the axes 51, 52, 53, and 54 connected to the main arm 21 and the sub-arm 22, respectively, the angle θ1 (the angle between the extension direction of the arm body portion 21a in the main arm 21 and the extension direction of the first arm head portion 23a in the wiper arm head 23) and the angle θ2 (the angle between the extension direction of the arm body portion 22a in the sub-arm 22 and the extension direction of the first arm head portion 23a in the wiper arm head 23) become larger as described above. In other words, when the first arm head portion 23a of the wiper arm head 23 rotates (rotates clockwise in the drawing) relative to the main arm 21 around the connecting shaft 53 as the rotation center, the position of the connecting shaft 54 ​​moves away from the output shaft 51, thereby increasing the distance between the output shaft 51 and the connecting shaft 54, and accordingly the wiper arm body 3 and the wiper blade 4 are pushed toward the upper region of the front windshield FG (the outer end of the wiper blade 4 moves away from the output shaft 51). As a result, compared to the movement locus of the outer end of the wiper blade 4 in the case where the link mechanism 2 is not provided (the two-dot chain line B in FIG. 1(a)), the movement locus of the outer end of the wiper blade 4 is shifted outward (upward) (dashed line A in FIG. 1(a)), and the wiping area of ​​the upper region of the front windshield FG is expanded.

[0042] 2(c), when the wiper device 1 reaches the upper inverted position, the angles θ1 and θ2 are at their maximum (maximum within the range of change of the angles θ1 and θ2). In other words, the relative displacement of the extending direction of the wiper blade 4 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2(c) relative to the extending direction of the main arm 21 and the sub-arm 22 increases, and the extending direction of the wiper blade 4 substantially coincides with the extending direction of the vertical frame 6 of the front windshield FG. In this way, the wiper blade 4 is positioned to rotate along the vertical frame 6 of the front windshield FG, thereby preventing the occurrence of unwiped areas around the vertical frame 6.

[0043] In addition, when the wiper device 1 rotates from the upper reversal position to the lower reversal position, the wiper blade 4 moves in the same manner as when rotating from the lower reversal position to the upper reversal position, and in this case too, the wiping area of ​​the upper region of the front windshield FG can be increased.

[0044] -Effects of the embodiment- As described above, in this embodiment, the wiper blade 4 is pushed toward the upper region of the front windshield FG (the outer edge of the wiper blade 4 is moved toward the upper region of the front windshield FG) by the operation of the link mechanism 2 during reciprocal rotation of the wiper device 1, thereby increasing the wiping area of ​​the upper region of the front windshield FG. In other words, the wiper device 1 having only one wiper arm can increase the wiping area of ​​the entire front windshield FG.

[0045] In the wiper device disclosed in the aforementioned Patent Document 1 (see FIG. 4(a)), the rotation angle of the output shaft when reciprocating the wiper arm between the lower reversing position and the upper reversing position is approximately 110°. In contrast, in this embodiment, the rotation angle of the output shaft 51 is approximately 150° or more. The upper limit of this rotation angle is determined by the size of the front windshield FG, the position of the output shaft 51, and other factors. By specifying the rotation angle of the output shaft 51 to be a relatively large value in this way, the operation of the link mechanism 2 to expand the wiping area can be reliably performed.

[0046] In the wiper apparatus disclosed in the aforementioned Patent Document 2 (see FIG. 4(b)), when the wiper apparatus is in the lower reversal position, the main lever k extends upward relative to the pivot shaft j, and the sub-lever n also extends upward relative to the driven shaft m. Therefore, when the wiper apparatus is in the lower reversal position, the levers k and n and the arm head i protrude significantly (upward) from the lower end of the windshield o, resulting in insufficient visibility. In contrast, in this embodiment, the arm body 21a in the lower reversal position is tilted slightly downward from a portion connected to the support portion 21b to which the output shaft 51 is connected toward the wiper arm body 3 (the right side in FIG. 1(b)). Furthermore, the arm body 22a in the lower reversal position is tilted slightly downward from a portion connected to the support portion 22b to which the sub-shaft 52 is connected toward the wiper arm body 3 (the right side in FIG. 1(b)). Therefore, when the arms 21, 22 are in the lower inverted position, the amount of projection of the arms 21, 22 from the lower end of the front windshield FG can be reduced, ensuring sufficient visibility.

[0047] -Experimental example- The results of an experiment conducted to confirm the above-mentioned effects will be described below. In this experiment, as shown in Fig. 3, the wiping area, wiping evaluation, number of parts, and required space were compared between three types of conventional wiper devices (Prior Art 1 to Prior Art 3) and the wiper device 1 according to the present invention.

[0048] 3 shows only the outer edge of the windshield (broken line) and the area wiped by the wiper blade (solid line) for each of the wiper devices of Prior Art 1 to Prior Art 3 and the wiper device 1 according to the present invention.

[0049] Prior Art 1 is a typical wiper device equipped with two wiper arms, with the driver's side wiper blade (the wiper blade located on the left in the figure) set to a long length and the passenger side wiper blade set to a short length. Prior Art 1 leaves a large unwiped area (shown by the dashed line in the figure) on the upper passenger side of the front windshield, resulting in a low wiping rating. Furthermore, the need for two wiper arms results in a large number of parts and a large amount of space being required.

[0050] Prior art 2 has two wiper arms, and one of the wiper arms (the wiper arm located on the right in the drawing) has a link mechanism at its base end, thereby reducing the area that remains unwiped. Prior art 2 has a high wiping rating, but requires two wiper arms and a link mechanism on one of the wiper arms, resulting in a large number of parts and requiring a large amount of space.

[0051] Prior Art 3 is a so-called opposed-type wiper device. In Prior Art 3, the use of long wiper arms results in a high wiping rating, but the need for two wiper arms and the need for long wiper arms results in a large number of parts and a large required space.

[0052] In contrast to the above-described conventional technologies, the wiper device 1 according to the present invention has a high wiping performance due to the adoption of the link mechanism 2, and since there is only one wiper arm, the number of parts and the required space can be reduced.

[0053] -Other embodiments- The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and all modifications and applications within the scope of the claims and equivalents thereto are possible.

[0054] For example, in the above embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to a wiper device 1 for wiping a front windshield FG. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to a wiper device for wiping a rear windshield.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the wiper device 1 that is stopped at the lower reversal position in the initial state (the wiper device 1 is in the OFF state). However, the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to a wiper device that is stopped at the upper reversal position in the initial state. [Industrial Applicability]

[0056] The present invention is applicable to a vehicle wiper device that aims to enlarge the wiping area. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1. Wiper device 2 Link mechanism 21 Main Arm 21a Arm body (arm) 22 Sub-arm 23 Wiper arm head 3 Wiper arm body 4 wiper blades 51 Output shaft (drive shaft) 53,54 Connecting shaft (fulcrum) FG Front windshield (windshield) L Support pin axis (hinge position)

Claims

1. A vehicle wiper device having a wiper arm rotatably supported on a vehicle body and a wiper blade supported on the wiper arm, the wiper arm includes a four-joint link mechanism, and a fulcrum of the link mechanism located closer to the wiper blade is located on the opposite side of the wiper blade from a hinge position of the wiper arm, When the wiper blade is at the lower end of the windshield, the arm connected to the drive shaft among the arms constituting the link mechanism is positioned below the drive shaft, A vehicle wiper apparatus, wherein the drive shaft and the wiper arm rotate in the same direction.

2. A vehicle wiper device having a wiper arm rotatably supported on a vehicle body and a wiper blade provided on the wiper arm, the wiper arm includes a four-section link mechanism, and a fulcrum of the link mechanism located closer to the wiper blade is located closer to a power input fulcrum of the link mechanism than a hinge of the wiper arm, When the wiper blade is at the lower end of the windshield, the arm connected to the drive shaft among the arms constituting the link mechanism is positioned below the drive shaft, A vehicle wiper apparatus, wherein the drive shaft and the wiper arm rotate in the same direction.

3. 3. The vehicle wiper device according to claim 1, the link mechanism includes a main arm extending in a vehicle width direction when the wiper blade is at the lower end of the windshield, a sub-arm extending in the vehicle width direction above the main arm, and a wiper arm head connected across the main arm and the sub-arm and to which the wiper blade is connected via a wiper arm body, The drive shaft is connected to the main arm, and the link mechanism operates so that the main arm receives power from the drive shaft to cause the wiper blade to perform a reciprocating rotational motion, A vehicle wiper device characterized in that the angle formed between the extension direction of the main arm and the extension direction of the wiper arm head, and the angle formed between the extension direction of the sub-arm and the extension direction of the wiper arm head, each change as the wiper blade moves from a state where it is at the bottom edge of the windshield to a state where it is at the side edge of the windshield, and the distance between the connection position of the sub-arm and the wiper arm head and the position of the drive shaft becomes longer.

4. 3. The vehicle wiper device according to claim 1, A vehicle wiper device characterized in that the rotation angle of the drive shaft when the wiper blade rotates from a state where it is at the bottom end of the windshield to a state where it is at the side end of the windshield is within a predetermined range of 150° or more.

Images