A connecting mechanism that connects the wiper blade to the wiper arm

Abstract

To provide a coupling mechanism that couples a wiper blade to a wiper arm while preventing unintentional decoupling. [Solution] In the connecting mechanism (1), the slider (50) has a pair of guide pieces (54). Each of the pair of guide pieces (54) has a protruding end portion (54a) that protrudes so that a tip surface (54b) is positioned in the intra-arm space (S) when the slider (50) is attached to the wiper arm (10). The clip (40) has an elastically deformable lever piece (44). The lever piece (44) abuts against the tip surface (54b) of the protruding end portion (54a) while housed in the intra-arm space (S). The surface (44d) of the lever piece abutting against the tip surface (54b) of the protruding end portion (54a) has a locking claw (44c) that locks the protruding end portion (54a) from the direction opposite to the direction in which the wiper arm (10) is inserted into the slider (50) when the slider (50) is in the restricting position.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a coupling mechanism that connects a wiper blade to a wiper arm. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as part of a wiper device used in a vehicle such as an automobile, there is a coupling mechanism that detachably couples a wiper blade to a wiper arm. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology relating to a coupling device that includes a slider for maintaining the coupled state of the wiper blade to the wiper arm and that restricts the operation of the slider within a certain angle range of the wiper blade's operating angle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2016-538197 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the connecting device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the angle range in which the operation of the slider is restricted is a part of the operating angle of the wiper blade. In other words, if the angle of the wiper arm relative to the wiper blade exceeds the angle range in which the operation of the slider is restricted, the slider becomes free to move relative to the wiper arm, which may result in the connection being unintentionally released and the wiper blade falling off the wiper arm.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present disclosure is to provide a coupling mechanism that couples a wiper blade to a wiper arm while preventing unintentional decoupling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a coupling mechanism for coupling a wiper blade to a wiper arm, the coupling mechanism comprising: a clip base for attaching the wiper blade; a clip rotatably supported by the clip base, at least a portion of which is accommodated in an intra-arm space sandwiched between a pair of side walls at the arm tip of the wiper arm; and a slider attached to the arm tip so as to be slidable between an attachment / detachment position that allows the clip to be attached / detached to / from the wiper arm and a restriction position that restricts the clip from being detached from the wiper arm. The slider has a portion at an end on the side where the wiper arm is inserted in the sliding direction. The clip has a pair of guide pieces that individually face the edges of each side wall portion of the wiper arm in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction, and each of the pair of guide pieces has a protruding end portion that protrudes so that its tip surface is positioned in the space within the arm when the slider is attached to the wiper arm.The clip has a lever piece that is elastically deformable, and the lever piece abuts the tip surface of the protruding end portion while being accommodated in the space within the arm.The clip also has a locking claw on the surface on the side that abuts the tip surface of the protruding end portion that locks the protruding end portion from the direction opposite to the direction in which the wiper arm is inserted into the slider when the slider is in the restricted position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a coupling mechanism that couples a wiper blade to a wiper arm while preventing unintentional decoupling. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the front side of a connecting mechanism according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the back side of a connecting mechanism according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connecting mechanism as viewed in the direction corresponding to FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the connecting mechanism as viewed in the direction corresponding to FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the connecting mechanism immediately before connecting the wiper blade. [Figure 8A] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the state of the connecting mechanism at the stage when the clip attachment operation is started. [Figure 8B] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the state of the coupling mechanism at the stage of accommodating the protrusion of the clip. [Figure 8C] 10 is a diagram showing the state of the connecting mechanism at the stage when the clip attachment operation is completed. FIG. [Figure 9A] FIG. 10 is a view of the coupling mechanism when the clip is in a neutral position. [Figure 9B] 10 is a diagram of the connecting mechanism when the clip is rotated and displaced at the maximum rotation angle. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, the dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values ​​shown in the embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the present disclosure unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are designated by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant explanation, and elements not directly related to the present disclosure are not shown.

[0010] 1 and 2 are perspective views of a connecting mechanism 1 according to one embodiment. FIG. 1 is a view showing the front side of the connecting mechanism 1 when the side to which the wiper blade 20 is connected is the back side. FIG. 2 is a view showing the back side of the connecting mechanism 1. Note that FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a portion of the wiper blade 20 held by the connecting mechanism 1. For convenience, the wiper blade 20 will not be illustrated in the following drawings other than FIG. 1.

[0011] Figures 3 and 4 are exploded perspective views of the connecting mechanism 1. Figure 3 is a view seen from a direction corresponding to the perspective view shown in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a view seen from a direction corresponding to the perspective view shown in Figure 2. Note that Figures 3 and 4 show only the slider 50 attached to the arm tip 10a, which is the tip of the wiper arm 10.

[0012] Generally, a vehicle such as an automobile is equipped with a wiper device that rotates a wiper arm 10 to wipe rainwater and debris off a windshield or the like with a wiper blade 20. The connecting mechanism 1 according to this embodiment is a mechanism that detachably connects the wiper blade 20 to the arm tip 10a of the wiper arm 10.

[0013] First, prior to describing the connecting mechanism 1, the main parts of the wiper arm 10 and the wiper blade 20 that are directly related to the structure and operation of the connecting mechanism 1 will be described.

[0014] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of arm tip 10a, which is drawn so that the back side of arm tip 10a, on which clip 40 is attached, can be seen.

[0015] The wiper arm 10 is, for example, a rod-shaped member made of metal. The arm tip 10a has a top wall 11 and a pair of side walls 12 that are continuous with either side end of the top wall 11 and face each other. Therefore, a cross section of the arm tip 10a perpendicular to the extension direction is roughly inverted U-shaped. Hereinafter, the internal space between the pair of side walls 12 in the arm tip 10a will be referred to as the "internal arm space S."

[0016] Each side wall 12 has a plurality of notches 12b spaced apart in the extension direction. Each notch 12b is open at an edge 12a on the side of the side wall 12 opposite the continuous end that is continuous with the top wall 11. In this embodiment, two notches 12b are formed in each side wall 12, and one set of notches 12b formed in one side wall 12 and the other set of notches 12b formed in the other side wall 12 are symmetrical in shape.

[0017] The wiper blade 20 holds a wiper rubber (not shown) and presses the wiper rubber against a glass surface such as a windshield so that the wiper rubber is in close contact with the glass surface. Although there are several structural types of typical wiper blades, the type of wiper blade 20 to be connected by the connecting mechanism 1 is not particularly limited.

[0018] The connecting mechanism 1 includes a clip base 30, a clip 40, and a slider 50.

[0019] The clip base 30 holds the wiper blade 20 and rotatably supports the clip 40. The clip base 30 has a base body 31 and a clip support portion 32.

[0020] The base body 31 is a block-shaped member to which the wiper blade 20 is directly attached. Although the base body 31 is simply depicted as a rectangular parallelepiped in Fig. 1 and subsequent figures, it may have a connecting portion that allows the wiper blade 20 to be connected by sliding a part of the wiper blade 20, for example.

[0021] The clip support portion 32 is supported by the base body 31 and has a pair of cylindrical shafts 32a that serve as fulcrums when the clip 40 rotates. A portion of the clip support portion 32 has a thickness that allows it to be sandwiched between a pair of side wall portions 42 provided on the clip 40. The pair of shafts 32a are formed with the thickness direction as the axial direction.

[0022] As described above, the clip 40 is rotatably supported by the clip base 30 and is connected to the arm tip 10a. The clip 40 can also be described as a swinging member because it rotates within a certain angular range relative to the clip base 30. The clip 40 has a top wall 41 and a pair of side walls 42 that face each other and are continuous with either side end of the top wall 41. Therefore, a cross section of the clip 40 perpendicular to the extension direction is roughly inverted U-shaped. The extension direction of the clip 40 is a direction that is parallel to the top wall 41 and perpendicular to the direction in which the pair of side walls 42 face each other.

[0023] Each side wall portion 42 has an engagement hole 42a that slidably engages with one of a pair of shafts 32a provided on the clip base 30. When each engagement hole 42a engages with one of the shafts 32a, the clip 40 can rotate around a rotation axis AX1 (see FIG. 7).

[0024] The pair of side walls 42 are spaced apart from each other to such an extent that they sandwich a part of the clip support part 32 of the clip 40 and that at least a part of the clip 40 is accommodated in the arm space S at the arm tip 10a.

[0025] The clip 40 also has a plurality of protrusions 43 and a lever piece 44 .

[0026] When the clip 40 is connected to the arm tip 10a, the multiple protrusions 43 engage with the multiple notches 12b provided on the arm tip 10a. The multiple protrusions 43 protrude outward from the outer surface opposite the inner surface that houses the clip 40, and are arranged at intervals in the extension direction of the clip 40 for each side wall 42. In this embodiment, as described above, two notches 12b are formed on each side wall 12 of the arm tip 10a. Therefore, in the clip 40, two protrusions 43 corresponding to the two notches 12b are provided on each side wall 42. The set of protrusions 43 formed on one side wall 42 and the set of protrusions 43 formed on the other side wall 42 are symmetrical to each other. In this case, an engagement hole 42a is formed between the two protrusions 43 for each side wall 42.

[0027] Lever piece 44 is elastically deformable about an imaginary axis AX2 extending in a direction along rotation axis AX1 of clip 40, more specifically, about an imaginary axis AX2 (see FIG. 8B) parallel to rotation axis AX1. Furthermore, lever piece 44 is housed in intra-arm space S when clip 40 is attached to arm tip 10a.

[0028] In this embodiment, the lever piece 44 has a tip piece 44a and a pair of arm pieces 44b. The tip piece 44a functions as an operating part for releasing the locking by the locking claws 44c provided on each arm piece 44b. One end of the pair of arm pieces 44b is supported at a side end of one side wall portion 42, and the other end is supported at a side end of the other side wall portion 42. Here, the side end of the side wall portion 42 on which the arm piece 44b is supported is the side end that faces the base of the arm tip portion 10a when the clip 40 is attached to the arm tip portion 10a, among both ends perpendicular to the extension direction of the clip 40. Furthermore, the other ends of the pair of arm pieces 44b are connected to each other via the tip piece 44a, which is parallel to the rotation axis AX1. Therefore, the planar shape of the lever piece 44 is approximately U-shaped.

[0029] When the clip 40 is attached to the arm tip 10a, a surface 44d of each arm piece 44b opposite to the surface facing the top wall 11 of the arm tip 10a abuts against a tip surface 54b of a protruding end 54a provided on the slider 50. Each surface 44d is provided with a locking claw 44c that locks the protruding end 54a from the direction opposite to the direction in which the wiper arm 10 is inserted into the slider 50 when the slider 50 is in a restricted position described in detail below.

[0030] Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the slider 50. In Fig. 6, the slider 50 is depicted so that the back side, which is the side to which the clip 40 is attached, can be seen.

[0031] The slider 50 is attached to the arm tip 10a with the sliding direction being along the extension direction of the arm tip 10a, and is slidable at least between a detachable position and a restricting position. Here, the detachable position refers to a position where the clip 40 is detachable from the wiper arm 10. The restricting position refers to a position where the clip 40 is restricted from being removed from the wiper arm 10. In other words, when the slider 50 is in the restricting position, the connection between the wiper arm 10 and the wiper blade 20 held by the clip 40 is maintained.

[0032] The slider 50 has a top wall 51, a pair of side walls 52 that are continuous with either side end of the top wall 51 and face each other, multiple ribs 53, a pair of guide pieces 54, and a front wall 55 that closes the front ends of the top wall 51 and the pair of side walls 52. Therefore, the cross section of the slider 50 that is perpendicular to the extension direction and at a position where the ribs 53 and the guide pieces 54 are not present is roughly inverted U-shaped. Here, the extension direction of the slider 50 is a direction that is parallel to the top wall 51 and perpendicular to the direction in which the pair of side walls 52 face each other.

[0033] The plurality of ribs 53 are arranged at intervals in the extension direction on an edge 52a of each side wall 52. Here, the edge 52a of the side wall 52 on which the plurality of ribs 53 are arranged is an edge on the side of the side wall 52 opposite the continuous end that continues to the top wall 51. The plurality of ribs 53 provided on one side wall 52 and the plurality of ribs 53 provided on the other side wall 52 protrude in opposite directions from the edge 52a on which they are provided. In this embodiment, two ribs 53 are provided on each side wall 52, and one set of ribs 53 formed on one side wall 52 and the other set of ribs 53 formed on the other side wall 52 have mutually symmetrical shapes.

[0034] 4, when the slider 50 is in the attachment / detachment position, the rib 53 faces the edge 12a of the arm tip 10a, but does not face the open end of the notch 12b formed in the side wall 12 of the arm tip 10a. On the other hand, when the slider 50 is in the restricted position, the rib 53 closes the open end of one of the notches 12b.

[0035] The pair of guide pieces 54 are arranged at the end of the edge 52a of each side wall 52 on the side where the wiper arm 10 is inserted in the sliding direction, with a gap in the extension direction from the adjacent rib 53. One guide piece 54 provided on one side wall 52 and the other guide piece 54 provided on the other side wall 52 protrude in opposite directions from the edge 52a on which they are provided, and have mutually symmetrical shapes.

[0036] After the slider 50 is attached to the arm tip 10a, a portion of the guide piece 54 always faces the edge 12a of each side wall portion 12 in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction, regardless of whether the slider 50 is in the attachment / detachment position or the restriction position.

[0037] Each guide piece 54 has a protruding end 54a that protrudes so that a tip surface 54b is positioned in the arm internal space S when the slider 50 is attached to the arm tip 10a. Therefore, the cross section of the guide piece 54 that is perpendicular to the extension direction of the slider 50 is approximately L-shaped.

[0038] When the slider 50 is in the attachment / detachment position, as shown in Fig. 4, the ribs 53 and guide pieces 54 do not cover the open ends of any of the notches 12b in the arm tip 10a. Therefore, when attaching the clip 40 to the arm tip 10a, the protrusions 43 of the clip 40 can be accommodated in the notches 12b. When detaching the clip 40 that has already been attached from the arm tip 10a, the protrusions 43 can be released outward from the notches 12b.

[0039] On the other hand, when the slider 50 is in the restricted position, each rib 53 closes the open end of the corresponding notch 12b. That is, each rib 53 functions to prevent the protrusion 43 already housed in the notch 12b from coming off, and the wiper blade 20 is maintained connected to the wiper arm 10.

[0040] Next, a procedure for connecting the wiper blade 20 to the wiper arm 10 will be described.

[0041] 7 is a perspective view showing the connecting mechanism 1 immediately before connecting the wiper blade 20 to the wiper arm 10. In the connecting mechanism 1 shown in FIG. 7, the slider 50 is already attached to the arm tip 10a of the wiper arm 10, and the clip 40 is rotatably supported by the clip base 30.

[0042] 8A to 8C are partial cross-sectional views showing in chronological order the states of the connecting mechanism 1 starting from the pre-connection state shown in Fig. 7 until the completion of connection of the wiper blade 20. For convenience, in these figures, the combination of the wiper arm 10 and the slider 50 is depicted as a vertical cross section cut along the extension direction of each, and the combination of the clip base 30 and the clip 40 is depicted as a side view.

[0043] FIG. 8A is a diagram showing the state of the coupling mechanism 1 at the stage when the attachment operation of the clip 40 to the arm tip 10a is initiated. At this stage, the slider 50 is first slid to the attachment / detachment position. When the slider 50 slides from the restricting position to the attachment / detachment position, the front wall 55 of the slider 50 moves in a direction away from the tip of the arm tip 10a. Next, the clip 40 is inserted into the intra-arm space S while maintaining an inclined posture that is inclined relative to the coupled posture when the slider 50 is in the restricting position. Here, as shown in FIG. 8C , when the clip 40 is in the coupled posture, the extension direction of the clip 40 roughly aligns with the extension directions of the arm tip 10a and the slider 50. In other words, when the clip 40 is in the inclined posture, the extension direction of the clip 40 intersects with the extension directions of the arm tip 10a and the slider 50. The clip 40 may be inserted into the arm space S until a part of the clip 40 other than the lever piece 44 comes into contact with the guide piece 54 of the slider 50.

[0044] 8A, when the clip 40 is inserted into the arm space S, the lever piece 44 is inserted into the space between the top wall portion 11 of the arm tip portion 10a and the pair of guide pieces 54 of the slider 50. At this time, as the lever piece 44 is inserted, the surfaces 44d of the tip piece 44a and the pair of arm pieces 44b, which are parts of the lever piece 44, sequentially face the tip surfaces 54b of the protruding ends 54a of the guide pieces 54.

[0045] 8B is a diagram showing the state of the coupling mechanism 1 at the stage where the protrusion 43 of the clip 40 is accommodated in the notch 12b of the arm tip 10a. At this stage, with the slider 50 maintained in the attached / detached position, the clip 40 is rotationally displaced in the direction indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. 8B so as to change from the inclined posture to the coupled posture. This rotational displacement causes each protrusion 43 of the clip 40 to be accommodated in each notch 12b of the arm tip 10a.

[0046] 8B, as clip 40 rotates, each of locking claws 44c provided on surface 44d of lever piece 44 abuts against tip surface 54b of protruding end 54a of each guide piece 54. Lever piece 44 then elastically deforms about imaginary axis AX2, which corresponds to the fulcrum supported by the main body of clip 40, and applies a biasing force to tip surface 54b. Therefore, a reaction force that tends to rotate clip 40 in the direction indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. 8B continues to be generated.

[0047] 8C is a diagram showing the state of the connecting mechanism 1 at the stage where the attachment operation of the clip 40 to the arm tip 10a is completed, and as a result, the connection of the wiper blade 20 to the wiper arm 10 is completed. At this stage, the slider 50 is slid from the detachment position to the restriction position with the clip 40 maintained in the connected position. Here, when the slider 50 slides from the detachment position to the restriction position, the front wall portion 55 of the slider 50 moves in a direction approaching the tip of the arm tip 10a.

[0048] First, when the slider 50 is moved to the restricted position, each rib 53 on the slider 50 closes the open end of the corresponding notch 12b, and therefore each protrusion 43 of the clip 40 can no longer be released outward, thereby maintaining the connection of the wiper blade 20 to the wiper arm 10.

[0049] Furthermore, as the slider 50 moves to the restricted position, the pair of guide pieces 54 provided on the slider 50 also move toward the base of the arm tip 10a. As a result, the locking claws 44c provided on the lever piece 44 eventually climb over the tip surfaces 54b of the protruding ends 54a of the guide pieces 54, and the lever piece 44 undergoes restoration deformation. Due to the restoration deformation of the lever piece 44, the locking claws 44c lock the protruding ends 54a from the direction opposite to the direction in which the wiper arm 10 was inserted into the slider 50, as described above. This restricts unintended sliding movement of the slider 50 at the arm tip 10a, and as a result, restricts release of the wiper blade 20 from the wiper arm 10.

[0050] 8B, the biasing force exerted by the lever piece 44 on the tip surface 54b is no longer exerted due to the return deformation of the lever piece 44. In other words, the biasing force exerted by the lever piece 44 on the tip surface 54b is generated when the slider 50 slides between the attachment / detachment position and the restriction position.

[0051] Next, a procedure for releasing the connected state when the wiper blade 20 is connected to the wiper arm 10 by the connecting mechanism 1 will be described.

[0052] First, the worker pushes up the tip piece 44a of the lever piece 44 in a direction that moves the pair of surfaces 44d away from the tip surfaces 54b of the protruding ends 54a of the pair of guide pieces 54. In other words, the worker pushes up the tip piece 44a of the lever piece 44 in a direction that moves it closer to the top wall 11 of the arm tip 10a. Here, the lever piece 44 is located in the intra-arm space S of the arm tip 10a. Therefore, when pushing up the tip piece 44a, the worker needs to intentionally press the tip piece 44a by inserting one of the worker's own fingers or a separately prepared rod-shaped member into the intra-arm space S. This releases the engagement of the guide piece 54 by the engagement claws 44c of the lever piece 44.

[0053] Next, the operator slides the slider 50 from the restricted position to the detached position while keeping the tip piece 44a pressed up. While the slider 50 moves from the restricted position to the detached position, the lever piece 44 applies a biasing force to the tip surface 54b of each guide piece 54, as described above. Therefore, due to the reaction force generated by the biasing force, the clip 40 easily disengages from the arm tip 10a when the slider 50 reaches the detached position, and the wiper blade 20 is released from the wiper arm 10. Here, the reaction force generated by the biasing force corresponds to a reaction force that rotates in the direction indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. 8B.

[0054] Next, the effects of the connecting mechanism 1 will be described.

[0055] The connecting mechanism 1 connects the wiper blade 20 to the wiper arm 10. The connecting mechanism 1 includes a clip base 30 to which the wiper blade 20 is attached, and a clip 40 that is rotatably supported on the clip base 30 and at least a portion of which is accommodated in an intra-arm space S sandwiched between a pair of side walls 12 at the arm tip 10a of the wiper arm 10. The connecting mechanism 1 also includes a slider 50 that is attached to the arm tip 10a and is slidable between an attachment / detachment position that allows the clip 40 to be attached / detached to / from the wiper arm 10, and a restriction position that restricts removal of the clip 40 from the wiper arm 10. The slider 50 has a pair of guide pieces 54 at the end on the side where the wiper arm 10 is inserted in the sliding direction, portions of which individually face the edges 12a of the side walls 12 of the wiper arm 10 in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction. The pair of guide pieces 54 each have a protruding end portion 54a that protrudes so that a tip surface 54b is positioned in the intra-arm space S when the slider 50 is attached to the wiper arm 10. The clip 40 has an elastically deformable lever piece 44. The lever piece 44 abuts against the tip surface 54b of the protruding end portion 54a while housed in the intra-arm space S. The lever piece 44 also has a locking claw 44c on a surface 44d on the side that abuts against the tip surface 54b of the protruding end portion 54a, which locks the protruding end portion 54a from the direction opposite to the direction in which the wiper arm 10 is inserted into the slider 50 when the slider 50 is in the restricted position.

[0056] 9A and 9B are side views of the coupling mechanism 1 for explaining the effect of the coupling mechanism 1. Fig. 9A is a diagram of the coupling mechanism 1 when the clip 40 is in a neutral position where it is not rotationally displaced relative to the clip base 30. Fig. 9B is a diagram of the coupling mechanism 1 when the clip 40 is rotationally displaced at a maximum rotation angle θ relative to the clip base 30. Note that the maximum rotation angle θ of the clip 40 relative to the clip base 30 is synonymous with the maximum operating angle of the wiper blade 20 relative to the wiper arm 10.

[0057] First, in the connecting mechanism 1, when the slider 50 is in the restricted position, unintentional sliding movement of the slider 50 is restricted by engagement between a pair of guide pieces 54 provided on the slider 50 and locking claws 44c of the lever piece 44 provided on the clip 40. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9B , the clip 40 rotates integrally with the slider 50 while restricting the sliding movement of the slider 50.

[0058] As a comparative example, let us assume that the sliding movement of the slider 50 is restricted by the clip base 30, which does not rotate integrally with the slider 50. In this case, the clip base 30 will be provided with some kind of restricting portion that engages with a part of the slider 50. However, if the wiper blade 20 rotates beyond the angle range restricted by the restricting portion, the slider 50 will become movable relative to the wiper arm 10. Therefore, considering the need to ensure an angle that allows the slider 50 to move freely and releases the connection of the wiper blade 20 to the wiper arm 10, the maximum operating angle of the wiper blade 20 relative to the wiper arm 10 will be limited.

[0059] In contrast, according to the connecting mechanism 1 of this embodiment, unintentional sliding movement of the slider 50 is restricted by the engagement between a part of the slider 50 and a part of the clip 40, so that the movement of the slider can be restricted at any angle within the range of the maximum rotation angle θ.

[0060] Furthermore, in the connecting mechanism 1, as described above, the movement of the slider 50 is restricted by the locking claw 44c of the lever piece 44, which is a part of the clip 40. That is, by operating the lever piece 44 (specifically, by pushing up the tip piece 44a, which functions as the operating portion of the lever piece 44), the locking by the locking claw 44c can be released, allowing the slider 50 to be intentionally moved. Here, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B , the lever piece 44 is always housed in the intra-arm space S at the arm tip 10a. That is, in the connecting mechanism 1, the locking portion for restricting the movement of the slider 50 and the operating portion for releasing the movement restriction by the locking portion are not exposed to the outside. Therefore, the connecting mechanism 1 can prevent unintentional contact with the lever piece 44, thereby preventing the wiper blade 20 from falling off the wiper arm 10 due to unintentional release of the connection, thereby improving safety.

[0061] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide the connecting mechanism 1 that connects the wiper blade 20 to the wiper arm 10 while preventing unintentional disconnection.

[0062] Also, in the connecting mechanism 1, it is assumed that the slider 50 is in the detachable position and the clip 40 is attached to the wiper arm 10. At this time, with the clip 40 maintaining an inclined posture that is inclined relative to the connected posture when the slider 50 is in the restricted position, the lever piece 44 may be inserted into the intra-arm space S so that a portion of the lever piece 44 faces the tip surface 54b of the protruding end 54a. Furthermore, when the slider 50 slides from the detachable position to the restricted position, with the clip 40 changing from the inclined posture to the connected posture, the lever piece 44 may apply a biasing force to the tip surface 54b of the protruding end 54a while bringing the locking claw 44c into contact with the tip surface 54b of the protruding end 54a.

[0063] In the connecting mechanism 1, as described with reference to FIG. 8B , before the slider 50 moves to the restricted position, the lever piece 44 continues to apply a biasing force to the tip surface 54b of the protruding end 54a of each guide piece 54. When the slider 50 has not yet moved to the restricted position and the connection is not yet complete, the entire clip 40 attempts to rotate in a direction to disengage from the arm tip 10a. Therefore, if the worker does not properly slide the slider 50 to the restricted position during the connecting operation, the clip 40 will pop out from the arm tip 10a. Therefore, the connecting mechanism 1 makes it easier for the worker to recognize that they have forgotten to slide the slider 50 during the connecting operation, thereby preventing incorrect installation of the wiper blade 20.

[0064] In the above description, the lever piece 44 provided on the clip 40 has a U-shaped planar shape. With such a lever piece 44, the inner space sandwiched between the pair of arm piece portions 44b is continuous with the space sandwiched between the pair of side wall portions 42, which is advantageous in that it is easy to avoid interference with the clip support portion 32 of the clip base 30 when the clip 40 rotates. However, for example, if the rotation of the clip 40 is not hindered, the lever piece 44 may be a simple plate-like portion without an inner space.

[0065] Although the embodiments have been described above, the embodiments can be modified or varied based on the above disclosure. All components of the above embodiments and all features described in the claims may be individually extracted and combined as long as they are not mutually inconsistent. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1 Connection mechanism 10 Wiper arm 10a Arm tip 12 Side wall 12a Edge 20 wiper blades 30 Clip Base 40 clips 44 Lever piece 44c Locking claw 44d surface 50 sliders 54 Guide piece 54a Projecting end 54b Tip surface AX1 Rotation Axis AX2 virtual axis S Arm space

Claims

1. A connecting mechanism for connecting a wiper blade to a wiper arm, a clip base for attaching the wiper blade; a clip that is rotatably supported by the clip base and at least a portion of which is accommodated in an arm internal space sandwiched between a pair of side walls at the arm tip of the wiper arm; a slider attached to the arm tip portion so as to be slidable between an attachment / detachment position at which the clip is detachably attached to the wiper arm and a restriction position at which the clip is restricted from being detached from the wiper arm, the slider has a pair of guide pieces at an end portion on the side where the wiper arm is inserted in a sliding direction, the guide pieces partially facing the edges of the respective side wall portions of the wiper arm in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction, The pair of guide pieces each have a protruding end portion that protrudes so that a tip end surface thereof is positioned in the arm internal space when the slider is attached to the wiper arm, The clip has an elastically deformable lever piece, The lever piece is The arm is accommodated in the space within the arm and abuts against the tip surface of the protruding end portion. A connecting mechanism having a locking claw on the surface of the protruding end that abuts the tip surface, which locks the protruding end from the direction opposite to the direction in which the wiper arm is inserted into the slider when the slider is in the restricted position.

2. When the slider is in the detachable position and the clip is attached to the wiper arm, the lever piece is inserted into the space within the arm so that a portion of the lever piece faces the tip surface of the protruding end portion while the clip maintains an inclined posture that is inclined relative to the connected posture when the slider is in the restricting position, and 2. The coupling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein when the slider slides from the detachment position toward the restriction position, the clip changes from the inclined posture to the coupled posture, and the lever piece applies a biasing force to the tip surface of the protruding end while abutting the locking claw against the tip surface.

Images