Wiper Articulation System Oval Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current windshield wiper systems with fixed length wiper blades and complex articulating mechanisms are inefficient in clearing the curved and steeply raked windshields of modern vehicles, as they fail to effectively cover the necessary surface area due to their design complexity and high manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A wiper arm system with a wiper arm base and extension that slides during rotation, connected through a linkage group including motion, pivot, and stabilizing links, allowing the wiper blade to traverse an oval-shaped arc, ensuring maximum coverage of the windshield surface area with reduced complexity and cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a fixed length wiper blade with fixed arc length swing is used, then the mechanism is simple, but the surface area of the windshield that can be cleared is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The wiper blade system transitions from a fixed length to a dynamically variable length through a telescoping mechanism. The inner wiper arm rotates within the outer wiper arm, allowing the effective wiper length to change during operation. This dynamic adjustment enables the wiper to clear a larger oval-shaped area on curved windshields while maintaining mechanical simplicity through straightforward rotational and sliding joints.
2Area of stationary object
If articulating wiper arms that extend and contract the wiper blade are used, then the wiper blade can cover larger surface area, but the mechanism becomes complex and costly to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The wiper arm is divided into two distinct segments: an outer wiper arm and an inner wiper arm. The inner arm rotates independently within the outer arm, creating a segmented telescoping structure. This segmentation allows the wiper to extend and contract in a controlled manner, covering larger windshield areas while keeping each individual arm structurally simple and easy to manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The wiper mechanism is designed to traverse an oval-shaped arc rather than a traditional semi-circular path. This curved trajectory matches the contour of modern steeply raked windshields, allowing the segmented arms to extend and retract in harmony with the windshield's geometry, maximizing cleaning coverage while maintaining simple mechanical components.
3Length of moving object
If traditional semi-circular travel arc is used, then the mechanism is simple, but the wiper cannot reach further upward on curved and steeply raked windshields
Solution Approach 1:
The inner wiper arm dynamically adjusts its rotational position within the outer arm during the wiping cycle. As the outer arm follows its oval-shaped trajectory, the inner arm rotates to extend the effective reach of the wiper blade upward and outward, allowing it to access higher portions of curved windshields without requiring complex articulated joints or multiple actuators.
Data Source
AI summary
An automobile vehicle wiper arm system includes a wiper arm base rotatably connected to a fixed structural member. A wiper arm extension is slidably disposed to the wiper arm base during wiper arm base travel about an arc of travel. A motion link is rotatably connected to the wiper arm extension and is rotatably connected to the fixed structural member. The motion link induces the wiper arm extension to outwardly displace and inwardly displace opposite to the outward displacement during wiper arm base rotation about the arc of travel. A wiper blade is connected to the wiper arm extension and traverses an oval-shaped travel arc along a vehicle windshield by the slidable displacement of the wiper arm extension during wiper arm base rotation. A linkage group connects the wiper arm extension to a wiper motor with rotation of the wiper arm base induced by operation of the wiper motor.