Windscreen Wiper Blade Interlocking Rib Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing windscreen wiper blades are difficult to assemble and costly, with existing solutions requiring complex assembly processes that can damage the elastic material or lead to relative movements between components, resulting in unreliable and short-lasting performance.
Innovation Solution
A windscreen wiper blade design featuring interlocking members that facilitate easy insertion of a rib into the blade body using harpoon-like structures, which secure the rib in place, allowing for simple assembly and preventing premature wear, combined with a drive device with adjustable angular position and snap-fitting mechanisms for easy assembly and disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If crimping elements are used to attach the rib to the blade body, then attachment strength is improved, but assembly complexity and risk of damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the crimping elements from the assembly, replacing them with a simplified interlocking mechanism where the rib directly engages with the blade body through complementary geometric shapes. This extraction of the complex crimping mechanism while maintaining attachment strength resolves the contradiction between strength and assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The rib is nested within a housing in the blade body, with the interlocking members engaging directly into recesses in the housing. This nesting arrangement provides secure attachment without requiring additional crimping elements, thus improving strength while reducing assembly complexity.
2Reliability
If crimping elements are used to prevent relative movement, then attachment reliability is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the crimping elements entirely, relying instead on the geometric interlocking between the rib and blade body housing. This extraction simplifies the manufacturing process while maintaining attachment reliability through the interlocking geometry that prevents relative movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The rib and housing are designed with self-aligning interlocking features that automatically ensure proper positioning and prevent relative movement during assembly, without requiring additional fastening elements. This self-service mechanism maintains reliability while improving ease of manufacture.
3Ease of operation
If interlocking members with harpoon shape are used, then ease of assembly is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using complex crimping elements that require closing actions, the patent inverts the approach by using interlocking members with harpoon shapes that guide and facilitate insertion in one direction while preventing removal. This inversion simplifies the assembly process while the integration of these members into the rib structure minimizes added complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The interlocking members with harpoon shapes are integrated directly into the rib structure, combining the rib function with the interlocking function. This merging reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall structure while maintaining ease of assembly through the guiding harpoon shapes.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4
AI summary
The invention relates to a blade (1) for a windscreen wiper device and to a corresponding windscreen wiper device. The blade (1) comprises a blade body (2) for wiping said windscreen surface and a longitudinal rib (6). The body (2) has a first housing (12) extending longitudinally inside the body (2) and having at least one insertion end (14). The rib (6) has a cross-section complementary to the cross-section of the first housing (12). Furthermore, the rib (6) comprises a plurality of interlocking members (16) protruding from its surface by way of a harpoon with an interlocking end (18). The plurality of interlocking members (16) is oriented such that they allow the insertion of the first end (8) of the rib (6) through the insertion end (14) for assembling the blade, but prevent the extraction of the rib (6) from the first housing (12).