Segmented Wiper Blade Curvature Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional windshield wiper devices struggle to maintain consistent contact with sharply curved windshields, leading to incomplete wiping and fogging, especially under varying weather and temperature conditions, due to inadequate adaptation to curvature and inconsistent pressure distribution.
Innovation Solution
A windshield wiper device featuring a wiper blade with an elongated upper and lower part, connected by spaced-apart elements that allow relative movement and varying thickness and curvature along its length, enabling adaptive contact with the windshield through a combination of bendable design and film hinges for improved curvature matching and uniform pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the wiper blade is made rigid to maintain structural strength, then strength is improved, but adaptability to windshield curvature deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The wiper blade is divided into multiple segments (first wiper blade segment, second wiper blade segment, etc.) connected by connecting elements. This segmentation allows each segment to maintain structural strength while the connections enable relative movement and adaptation to curved surfaces, resolving the contradiction between rigidity and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting elements are designed to allow relative movement between wiper blade segments during operation. This dynamic capability enables the wiper blade to adapt its shape to match curved windshield surfaces while maintaining overall structural integrity through the connected segments.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the wiper blade is made flexible to adapt to curvature, then adaptability is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the wiper blade into discrete parts connected by joints, the design achieves flexibility through assembly rather than relying on complex flexible materials or continuous curved structures. This approach maintains manufacturing precision for each individual component while achieving overall adaptability through the articulated structure.
3Manufacturing precision
If pressure distribution is made uniform across the wiper blade, then wiping quality is improved, but adaptability to varying windshield curvatures deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic connecting elements allow the wiper blade segments to adjust their relative positions based on the local curvature of the windshield. This enables the blade to maintain optimal contact pressure across varying curvatures by adapting its shape, rather than relying on a fixed uniform pressure distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the wiper blade can exert different pressures on the windshield surface, with each segment adapting locally to the specific curvature it contacts. This local adaptation ensures optimal wiping quality across the entire windshield surface with varying curvatures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures reliable, streak-free wiping by adapting to the windshield's curvature, preventing areas from being missed and reducing fogging, while maintaining a uniform contact pressure for high wiping quality and cost-effective production.
Implementation Method 1
a wiper blade with an elongated upper part and an elongated lower part, which are designed to be at least partially flexible
Implementation Method 2
the upper part of the wiper blade has a varying thickness along a longitudinal extension of the wiper blade. In particular, the thickness of the upper part decreases towards one end of the wiper blade along its longitudinal extension
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The present invention relates to a windscreen wiping device (100) for a vehicle, comprising a wiper blade (2) with an elongate upper part (10) and an elongate lower part (12), which are configured to be at least partially bendable. Furthermore, a plurality of connecting elements (18) for connecting the upper part (10) and the lower part (12) are provided, said connecting elements being spaced apart from one another along a longitudinal extent (8) of the wiper blade (2) and being designed to permit a movement of the upper part (10) and of the lower part relative to each other with a movement component along a longitudinal extent (8) of the wiper blade (2). Furthermore, the connecting elements (18) are arranged relative to the lower part (12) in such a manner that an angle α of the respective longitudinal axes of the connecting elements (18) relative to the lower part (12) at least partially changes, in particular continuously changes, along a longitudinal extent (8) of the wiper blade (2).