Wiper arm for vehicle wiper, wiper and vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wiper arm for a vehicle wiper, a wiper, and a vehicle. The wiper arm comprises an arm body (1) extending in a longitudinal direction (X), the arm body (1) being movable back and forth between a return wiper position and an inner wiper position, a cover cap (2) at least partially covering the arm body (1) so as to form a chamber (5) between the arm body (1) and the cover cap (2), and at least one hose used for delivering a fluid and extending in the longitudinal direction (X) in the chamber (5), wherein at least one hose guide (6) is provided in the chamber (5), the hose guide forms a bent channel (7) for guiding the hose, and the bent channel (7) has a bent shape.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wiper arm for a vehicle wiper, a wiper including a wiper arm, and a vehicle including a wiper. [Background technology]

[0002] A windshield wiper is an essential component of a vehicle, and its main purpose is to wipe away rainwater, snow, dust, etc. that falls on the windshield of a vehicle in bad weather (e.g., when it is raining or snowing, or during a sandstorm), thereby ensuring an unobstructed view for the driver and ensuring driving safety. Windshield wipers are usually installed on the windshield and / or rear windshield of a vehicle.

[0003] Generally, a wiper includes a wiper arm base connected to a drive mechanism, a wiper arm connected to the wiper arm base and used to hold a wiper blade, and a nozzle for spraying cleaning fluid toward the windshield, and the wiper arm may also include an arm body, a cover cap connected to the arm body to form a chamber, and a hose disposed in the chamber and used to deliver cleaning fluid.

[0004] Generally, the wiper can move back and forth between the return wiper position and the inside wiper position under the driving action of the motor. During this movement of the wiper, especially after the wiper has moved to the return wiper position multiple times, the hose can easily slip out of the chamber formed by the arm body and the cover cap of the wiper arm under the action of the driving mechanism, which affects the appearance of the wiper.

[0005] Furthermore, the orientation of the hoses within the chamber formed by the wiper arm body and cover cap can affect the connection of the hoses to the washer fluid reservoir outside the chamber. For example, the orientation of two hoses within the chamber can require them to be twisted to connect to the washer fluid reservoir, making assembly difficult and affecting the appearance of the wiper due to the exposed hoses. Summary of the Invention

[0006] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a wiper arm for a wiper of a vehicle, a wiper including a wiper arm, and a vehicle including a wiper, which are able to at least partially solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0007] The above object is achieved by the wiper arm, wiper, and vehicle described below.

[0008] In one aspect, the present invention provides a wiper arm for a vehicle wiper, comprising: a longitudinally extending arm body movable back and forth between a return wiper position and an internal wiper position; a cover cap at least partially covering the arm body to form a chamber between the arm body and the cover cap; and at least one hose used to deliver fluid and extending longitudinally within the chamber, wherein at least one hose guide is provided within the chamber, the hose guide forming a curved channel for guiding the hose, the curved channel having a curved shape.

[0009] The curved channel formed by the hose guide increases friction between the hose and the wiper arm, so that the hose does not easily slip out of the chamber formed by the arm body and cover cap of the wiper arm.

[0010] In one embodiment, the hose guide comprises a protrusion that protrudes from the base of the cover cap and / or the arm body into the chamber.

[0011] In one embodiment, the protrusion comprises a plurality of walls extending towards the chamber (5), at least one pair of the walls having portions extending opposite each other, thereby forming a channel for guiding the hose.

[0012] In one embodiment, the plurality of walls comprises straight walls and / or curved walls.

[0013] This configuration prevents the hose from easily slipping out of the chamber due to friction between the hose and the protrusions that form the curved channel.

[0014] In one embodiment, the cover cap further comprises a stop portion having a portion extending transverse to the longitudinal direction to prevent the hose from moving towards the arm body and / or away from the base of the cover cap and thereby disengaging from the bending channel.

[0015] In one embodiment, the stop is located on the protrusion.

[0016] In one embodiment, the stop portion is located on the inner wall of the arm body and / or the cover cap and is separate from the protrusion.

[0017] In one embodiment, the cover cap and / or arm body, the protrusion and the stop are integrally formed.

[0018] The stop prevents the hose from being removed from the bend channel.

[0019] In one embodiment, the at least one hose comprises a first hose and a second hose, the first hose and the second hose being arranged to be stacked in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the base of the cover cap, and the cover cap and / or the arm body having at least one end guide arranged on an inner wall thereof, the end guide being arranged at an end opposite the free end of the wiper arm so that the first hose and the second hose are separated and their arrangement direction is deflected.

[0020] In one embodiment, the end guide includes two clamping portions for clamping the first hose and the second hose, respectively, and the arrangement direction of the two clamping portions is different from the stacking direction of the first hose and the second hose.

[0021] In one embodiment, the cover cap and / or the arm body are integrally formed with the end guide.

[0022] The end guide allows the two hoses to be separated from each other and their arrangement direction to be deflected, so that the hoses can be easily fitted to the cleaning fluid reservoir on the vehicle by means of a connector, and the part of the hose exposed to the outside of the wiper does not need to be twisted, so the neat appearance of the wiper is not affected.

[0023] The invention further relates to a vehicle wiper comprising a wiper arm as described above.

[0024] The invention further relates to a vehicle equipped with a wiper arm as described above.

[0025] A better understanding of the advantages and objects of the present invention can be had from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which: To better illustrate the relationship between the elements shown in the drawings, the drawings are not drawn to scale. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1]1 shows a schematic view of a wiper arm for a vehicle wiper according to the invention; [Figure 2] 2 shows an exploded schematic view of the wiper arm of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 1 shows a schematic internal view of an embodiment of a wiper arm for a vehicle wiper according to the present invention; [Figure 4] 4 shows an enlarged view of a portion of the wiper arm of FIG. 3, showing the hose guide. [Figure 5] 4 shows a schematic view of the arm body of the wiper arm of FIG. 3. [Figure 6] 4 shows an enlarged view of a portion of the wiper arm of FIG. 3, showing the end guide. [Figure 7] 7 shows an enlarged view of the end guide shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 4 shows a front view of a portion of the wiper arm of FIG. 3. [Figure 9a] 9 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of the wiper arm of FIG. 8, the cross-section being taken along plane BB of FIG. 8. [Figure 9b] 9 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of the wiper arm of FIG. 8, showing a cross-section along plane CC of FIG. 8. [Figure 9c] 9 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of the wiper arm of FIG. 8, showing a cross-section along plane DD of FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 1 shows a schematic view of a portion of a wiper arm as viewed from outside the vehicle when facing the windshield of the vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] In order to clarify the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings of specific embodiments of the present invention. In the drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. It should be noted that the described embodiments are only some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the described embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without the efforts of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] Unless otherwise defined, technical or scientific terms used herein shall have the common meaning understood by those skilled in the art to which this invention belongs. The words "first," "second," and the like used in the specification and claims of this patent application do not denote order, quantity, or importance, but are used only to distinguish between different components. Similarly, words such as "a" or "1" do not necessarily denote a limitation of quantity. Words such as "comprising," "including," or "having" mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed thereafter and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Words such as "connected" or "communicating" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections or communications shown in the drawings, but may include equivalent connections or communications, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "top," "bottom," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate relative positions, and if the absolute positions of the objects described change, the relative positions may change accordingly.

[0029] Various embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

[0030] Fig. 1 shows a wiper arm for a vehicle wiper, Fig. 2 shows an exploded view of the wiper arm, and Fig. 3 shows some of the internal components of the wiper arm. The wiper arm comprises an arm body 1, a cover cap 2, a first hose 3, and a second hose 4.

[0031] The arm body extends longitudinally and can move back and forth between a return wiper position and an inner wiper position. The longitudinal direction of the arm body 1 referred to in this specification is not a completely linear direction in the strict sense as a whole, but rather a combination of the longitudinal directions of the extensions of various portions of the arm body 1. The longitudinal direction may be considered to be a substantially horizontal direction from right to left in FIGS. 1 and 2, as indicated by arrow X, or may be considered to be the direction of extension of the arm body. The wiper arm further includes an arm base 5, one end of which is connected to the wiper drive mechanism, e.g., the output of a motor, and the other end of which is connected to the arm body 1 via, e.g., a hinge structure. The arm body 1 moves back and forth between the return wiper position and the inner wiper position under the driving action of the drive mechanism. The arm body 1 of the wiper arm shown in FIG. 1 is positioned in the inner wiper position, i.e., the stowed position. When the arm body 1 stands substantially vertically or has a larger rotation angle, the arm body 1 is in the return wiper position, ie, the maximum wiping position.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9a, 9b, and 9c, which are cross-sectional views of various portions of the cover cap 2, the cover cap 2 at least partially covers the arm body 1, forming a chamber 5 between the arm body 1 and the cover cap 2. As shown in the exploded schematic view of FIG. 2, the cover cap 2 may cover most of the arm body 1 in the longitudinal direction X. In other embodiments, the cover cap 2 may cover only a portion of the arm body 1. Referring again to FIGS. 9a, 9b, and 9c, for example, the cover cap 2 may have a substantially flat base 21 and curved portions 22 and 23 extending on both sides from the base 21 to mate with the arm body 1 having a substantially U-shaped cross section. For example, the cover cap 2 may be snap-fitted onto the arm body 1. Generally, the arm body 1 may be made of metal, and the cover cap 2 may be made of plastic, although embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

[0033] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the first hose 3 and the second hose 4 are used to deliver fluids and extend in a longitudinal direction X within the chamber 5, e.g., to the upper and lower nozzles of the wiper, respectively. The fluids delivered by the hoses may be configured as needed. For example, the first hose 3 is used to deliver cleaning fluid in the longitudinal direction X relative to the windshield being wiped, and the second hose 4 is used to deliver clean water in the longitudinal direction X relative to the windshield being wiped. However, it is also possible for the first hose 3 to deliver clean water and the second hose 4 to deliver cleaning fluid. In other embodiments, both the first hose 3 and the second hose 4 deliver cleaning fluid. As shown more clearly in FIGS. 9 a and 9 b , the first hose 3 and the second hose 4 are arranged substantially stacked in a first direction Y perpendicular to the base 21 of the cover cap 2 (i.e., transverse to the longitudinal extension direction X), which is substantially vertically upward in the figures.

[0034] To prevent the first hose 3 and the second hose 4 from slipping out of the chamber 5 during movement of the arm body 1, a hose guide 6 is provided in the chamber 5. The hose guide 6 forms a curved channel 7 for guiding the first hose 3 and the second hose 4. The curved channel 7 may have any curved shape, for example, but is not limited to, a substantially V-shape or U-shape. The hose guide 6 is a protrusion that protrudes from the base 21 of the cover cap 2 into the chamber 5. To form the curved channel 7, in one example, the protrusion may include two curved walls extending opposite each other, and the curved walls may be substantially perpendicular to the base 21. In another example, the protrusion may include multiple straight and / or curved walls extending from the base 21. That is, the curved channel 7 is formed by an arranged combination of multiple walls, at least one pair of which may include portions extending opposite each other, and the walls may be substantially perpendicular to the base 21.

[0035] 4 and 5, the protrusion comprises a plurality of V-shaped walls 60, 61 and 62, the V-shaped walls being substantially perpendicular to the base 21, and a branch of the V-shaped wall 60 extending to an opposite branch of the V-shaped wall 61 and the V-shaped wall 62, respectively, to form the curved channel 7. In one variation, the left V-shaped wall 61 or the right V-shaped wall 62 may be replaced with a straight wall.

[0036] In other embodiments, the hose guide 6 may be arranged, for example, on the arm body 1 or on both the arm body 1 and the cover cap 2 .

[0037] Although the above embodiment shows one hose guide 6 and two hoses, it will be appreciated that multiple hose guides 6 may be used to bend and guide the hose. Furthermore, the number of hoses may be set as needed, for example, including only one hose or three or more hoses.

[0038] The curved channel formed by the hose guide 6 increases the friction between the inner wall of the cover cap 2 and the hose, so that the hose does not easily slip out of the chamber 5 formed by the arm body 1 of the wiper arm and the cover cap 2.

[0039] To prevent the first hose 3 and the second hose 4 from disengaging from the bending channel 7 and away from the base 21, i.e., moving toward the arm body 1 and thus disengaging from the bending channel 7, the cover cap 2 further includes a stop portion 8, which includes a portion extending transverse to the longitudinal direction X. The stop portion 8 may be formed by a part of the hose guide 6, for example, but not limited to, it may be disposed on a protrusion functioning as the hose guide 6. For example, the stop portion 8 may be located at the end of the hose guide 6 far from the base 21, and the size of the opening formed between the stop portion 8 and the hose guide 6 may be smaller than the size of the bending channel 7 (more precisely, smaller than the diameter of the hose), thereby preventing the hose located in the bending channel 7 from disengaging in the absence of sufficient external force. In another embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the stop portion 8 is disposed on the inner wall of the cover cap and is separate from the protrusion functioning as the hose guide 6. For example, the stop portion 8 may be disposed near the end of a V-shaped wall and / or a straight wall. 4 and 5, two stop portions 8 (left and right) protrude from the inner wall of the cover cap 2, and are located near both ends of the intermediate V-shaped wall 60, respectively, and form openings with the left and right V-shaped walls 61, 62, which are smaller than the diameter of the hose. The opening formed between the intermediate stop portions 8 and the intermediate V-shaped wall 60 is also smaller than the diameter of the hose. This prevents the hose from coming off the bending channel 7.

[0040] For ease of processing, the cover cap 2, the projection acting as the hose guide 6 and the stop 8 may be made of plastic and integrally formed, for example by injection molding.

[0041] In another embodiment, the hose guide 6 is disposed on the arm body 1, in which case the arm body 1, the protrusion functioning as the hose guide 6, and the stop portion 8 may be integrally formed.

[0042] The first hose 3 and the second hose 4 of the present invention may be arranged so as to be stacked in the hose guide 6 and / or another hose clip, more specifically, so as to be stacked in a first direction Y substantially perpendicular to the base 21, i.e., the arrangement direction is the first direction. The portions of the two hoses located outside the chamber 5, for example, the portions thereof close to the drive mechanism, are still stacked together. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 10, the orientations of the connectors 9 of the first hose 3 and the second hose 4 (i.e., the orientations of the input ends of the connectors 9) can be freely changed and may therefore deviate from the mounting position of the washer fluid reservoir on the vehicle, for example, from the windshield to be washed. As a result, the hoses need to be twisted during installation, resulting in an untidy appearance of the wiper.

[0043] Taking this into consideration, the cover cap 2 further includes an end guide 10 arranged on its inner wall, as shown in Figures 3, 6, 7, and 8. The end guide 10 is arranged at the proximal end of the cover cap 2, i.e., the end of the cover cap 2 closer to the arm base 5 or the drive mechanism, and is located opposite the free end of the wiper arm, which is the end of the arm body 1 of the wiper arm that holds the wiper blade. The end guide 10 allows the first hose 3 and the second hose 4 to be separated from each other and their orientation can be varied. As shown in Figures 9a, 9b, and 9c, in the part of the wiper arm where the end guide 10 is not present, the first hose 3 and the second hose 4 in the chamber 5 of the wiper arm are arranged in a first direction Y, which is substantially vertically upward. Meanwhile, in the end guide 10, the first hose 3 and the second hose 4 are separated from each other, and their orientation (shown by the dotted line in Figure 9c) is varied by a certain angle relative to the first direction Y. For example, as shown in Figures 6, 7 and 9c, the end guide 10 includes two clamping portions 101 and 102, which are offset relative to each other in a first direction Y and a second direction Z perpendicular to the first direction, e.g., a horizontal direction from right to left in Figure 9c. For example, the first clamping portion 101 is used to clamp a first hose 3, and the second clamping portion 102 is used to clamp a second hose 4. In an alternative embodiment, the clamping portions 101 and 102 may also be arranged side by side in the second direction Z or another direction different from the stacking direction of the hoses, as long as the arrangement of the clamping portions causes the hoses to separate from the stack.

[0044] The end guide 10 separates the two hoses in the wiper of the present invention from each other and biases the arrangement direction of the two hoses so that they are arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the base 21 of the cover cap 2, thereby making it possible to fix the orientation of the connector 9 so that it is substantially perpendicular to the base 21 of the cover cap 2 (i.e., facing toward the windshield of the vehicle) as shown in Fig. 10. Therefore, the two hoses can be connected to the washer fluid reservoir without twisting, which simplifies assembly, prevents the twisted hoses from rubbing against each other during wiper operation, and ensures that the exposed parts of the wiper and hoses have a neat appearance.

[0045] For ease of processing, both the cover cap 2 and the end guide 10 may be made of plastic and integrally formed, for example by injection molding.

[0046] Although the above embodiment has been described showing one end guide 10 with two clamping portions 101 and 102 for securing two hoses, it will be understood that it is also possible to provide more clamping portions or to use more than one end guide to secure more hoses. Additionally, the hose guide 10 may be disposed on the arm body 1 or on both the arm body 1 and the cover cap 2.

[0047] Furthermore, the technical features disclosed above are not limited to the disclosed combinations with other features, and those skilled in the art may also bring about other combinations of the technical features according to the object of the present invention to achieve the object of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wiper arm for a vehicle wiper, an arm body (1) extending in a longitudinal direction (X), the arm body (1) being movable back and forth between a return wiper position and an internal wiper position; a cover cap (2) at least partially covering the arm body (1) so as to form a chamber (5) between the arm body (1) and the cover cap (2); at least one hose used to deliver a fluid and extending in said longitudinal direction (X) within said chamber (5); At least one hose guide (6) is provided in the chamber (5), and the hose guide forms a bending channel (7) for guiding the hose, and the bending channel (7) has a bending shape for bending the hose. A wiper arm characterized by:

2. 2. The wiper arm according to claim 1, characterized in that the hose guide (6) comprises a protrusion protruding from the base (21) of the cover cap (2) and / or from the arm body (1) into the chamber (5).

3. 3. A wiper arm according to claim 2, characterized in that the projection comprises a plurality of walls extending towards the chamber (5), at least one pair of said walls comprising portions extending in opposite directions to each other.

4. 4. The wiper arm according to claim 3, characterized in that the walls comprise straight walls and / or curved walls.

5. 3. The wiper arm according to claim 2, characterized in that the cover cap (2) further comprises a stop portion (8) with a portion extending transversely to the longitudinal direction (X) to prevent the hose from moving towards the arm body (1) and / or the base (21) of the cover cap (2) and thereby coming out of the curved channel (7).

6. 6. A wiper arm according to claim 5, characterized in that the stop (8) is arranged on the projection.

7. 6. The wiper arm according to claim 5, wherein the stop (8) is arranged on an inner wall of the arm body (1) and / or the cover cap (2) and is separate from the protrusion.

8. 6. The wiper arm according to claim 5, wherein the cover cap (2) and / or the arm body (1), the projection and the stop (8) are formed in one piece.

9. Two of said hoses are used to deliver fluid; the two hoses comprise a first hose (3) and a second hose (4), the first hose (3) and the second hose (4) being arranged to be stacked in a first direction (Y) substantially perpendicular to a base (21) of the cover cap (2); The cover cap (2) and / or the arm body (1) have at least one end guide (10) arranged on the inner wall thereof, and the end guide is arranged at the end opposite to the free end of the wiper arm, thereby separating the first hose (3) and the second hose (4) and deflecting their arrangement direction. A wiper arm according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it comprises:

10. 10. The wiper arm according to claim 9, characterized in that the end guide (10) comprises two clamping portions (101, 102) for clamping the first hose (3) and the second hose (4), respectively, and the arrangement direction of the two clamping portions is different from the stacking direction of the first hose (3) and the second hose (4).

11. 10. Wiper arm according to claim 9, characterized in that the cover cap (2) and / or the arm body (1) are formed integrally with the end guide (10).

12. A wiper for a vehicle, characterized in that it is provided with a wiper arm described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

13. A vehicle comprising the wiper according to claim 12.

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