Wiper Arm Tilting Arrangement for Curved Windshield Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wiper systems struggle to maintain effective contact with highly curved windshields, leading to intermittent wiping performance due to varying attack angles during the wiping motion.
Innovation Solution
A wiper system incorporating a spring arrangement and tilting mechanism, combined with a constant-velocity joint and ball-and-race groove configuration, allows the wiper arm to maintain contact and adjust its inclination relative to the windshield curvature, ensuring consistent wiping performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional wiper system is used with a highly curved windscreen, then the wiper blade cannot maintain a normal attack angle throughout the wiping motion, but the structure remains simple
Solution Approach 1:
The wiper arm is designed with a tilting arrangement that allows it to dynamically adjust its inclination angle relative to the windscreen surface during the wiping motion. This dynamic adjustment enables the wiper blade to maintain a substantially constant normal attack angle throughout the complete wiping stroke, even on highly curved windscreens, thereby resolving the technical contradiction between wiping performance consistency and structural simplicity.
2Reliability
If the wiper arm inclination is varied to match windscreen curvature, then contact stability may be compromised, but wiping effectiveness on curved surfaces is improved
Solution Approach 1:
The tilting arrangement enables the wiper arm to dynamically vary its inclination angle during the wiping motion, allowing adaptation to different windscreen curvatures while maintaining stable contact through the spring arrangement's resilient pressing force.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring arrangement applies a resilient pressing force that compensates for variations in contact pressure caused by changing inclination angles. This parameter change in applied force ensures stable and reliable contact between the wiper blade and the windscreen surface throughout the wiping motion, even as the arm tilts to match curvature.
3Reliability
If a spring arrangement is added to maintain contact pressure, then contact stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring arrangement introduces a resilient pressing force that dynamically adjusts contact pressure to maintain consistent contact between the wiper blade and windscreen. This parameter change in applied force compensates for variations caused by tilting motion and windscreen curvature, improving contact pressure consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring arrangement is integrated into the existing wiper arm structure, combining the contact pressure maintenance function with the tilting mechanism. This merging approach minimizes additional complexity by utilizing the existing structural elements while adding the spring component for resilient pressing.
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 stabilizes the wiper arm throughout its rotation and tilting motion, providing a consistent wiping result even on highly curved windshields by resiliently pressing the wiper arm against the windshield and allowing for efficient force transfer and controlled tilting.
Implementation Method 1
a spring arrangement configured to resiliently press the wiper arm against the connecting arrangement in the axial direction
Implementation Method 2
said connecting arrangement forms part of a constant-velocity joint, which may also be referred to as a CV joint. A CV joint allows a drive shaft to transmit power through a variable angle at a constant rotational speed
Implementation Method 3
the connecting arrangement comprises at least one ball configured to mate with said race groove and to transmit the rotating force of the shaft to the wiper arm via engagement with the race groove wall
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a
AI summary
A wiper system (10), comprising a wiper arm (12)having a geometrical axis of rotation (x), a connecting arrangement (14) configured to connect the wiper arm to a motor-driven rotating shaft (100), wherein the connecting arrangement is configured to transfer the rotating motion of the shaft into a rotating motion of the wiper arm about said geometrical axis of rotation, a spring arrangement (24) configured to resiliently press the wiper arm against the connecting arrangement in the axial direction, and a tilting arrangement (30) configured to vary the inclination of the pressed wiper arm relative to said geometrical axis of rotation based on the rotational position of the wiper arm about said geometrical axis of rotation. There is also provided a vehicle comprising such a wiper arm system.