Plastic Wiper Blade Bracket with Integral Pivots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wiper blade designs have high production costs due to the diversity of components and visible functional elements, which interfere with the visual appearance and are complex to manufacture and install.
Innovation Solution
The supporting bracket system is manufactured from plastic by injection molding, with pivots cast on the inside of the superordinate bracket, reducing visible components and manufacturing costs, and featuring a rolling bearing bridge for stable contact pressure transmission, along with guide surfaces and installation slopes for simplified assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple separate components (main bracket, intermediate bracket, claw bracket, connecting pieces, bearing pins) are used to form the supporting bracket system, then the joint stability and force transmission capability are improved, but the production costs increase and the visual appearance deteriorates due to visible functional elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate components (main bracket, intermediate bracket, claw bracket, connecting pieces, and bearing pins) into a single integrated supporting bracket system manufactured as one piece. This merging eliminates the need for multiple discrete parts while maintaining the structural stability and force transmission capabilities through carefully designed internal geometry and integral joints.
Solution Approach 2:
The single-piece supporting bracket system performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support, enables articulated movement through integral hinges, transmits contact pressure forces through built-in bearing surfaces, and maintains aesthetic appearance by hiding all functional elements. This multi-functionality is achieved by designing the bracket to incorporate what were previously separate components into a unified structure.
2Force
If multiple separate components with various connecting pieces and bearing pins are used, then the force transmission capability is improved, but the manufacturing costs and installation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates force transmission functions directly into the bracket structure itself, eliminating the need for separate bearing pins and connecting pieces. The single-piece design incorporates integral bearing surfaces and articulated joints that transmit contact pressure forces equally effectively while significantly reducing manufacturing steps and assembly operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The supporting bracket system is designed to perform its own force transmission functions through its inherent structure, without requiring additional specialized components. The integral hinges and bearing surfaces are built directly into the bracket, allowing it to self-support and self-transmit forces without external assistance from separate mechanical elements.
3Ease of operation
If functional elements such as bearing openings and clip connections are made visible on the outside of the bracket, then the installation and force transmission are simplified, but the visual appearance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges all functional elements (bearing openings, clip connections, hinges) into the internal structure of the single-piece bracket. These elements remain fully functional for installation and force transmission but are positioned inside the bracket structure, making them invisible from the outside and preserving the clean aesthetic appearance of the wiper blade.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the functional elements from visible external positions and relocates them to internal hidden positions within the bracket structure. The bearing surfaces, connection points, and articulated joints are all positioned inside the bracket body, separating their functional role from their visual presence, thereby maintaining both operational simplicity and aesthetic appeal.
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
This design reduces production costs, enhances visual appeal by hiding functional elements, and provides a stable joint capable of transmitting large contact forces while simplifying the manufacturing and installation processes.
Implementation Method 1
a curved bead which serves as a rolling bearing for the subordinate bracket, and on which the latter is supported. Via the rolling bearing, the main contact pressure forces of the wiper blade are transmitted by the wiper arm to the wiper strip
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is based on a wiper blade (10) with a supporting bracket system which can be connected to a wiper arm in an articulated manner and has at least one main bracket (12, 24) and a plurality of secondary brackets (24, 28) which are connected pivotably to one another by means of joints (20, 26), wherein, in the region of at least one joint (20, 26), the main bracket (12, 24) has a U-shaped cross-sectional profile, the side walls (18, 44) of which laterally enclose the secondary brackets (24, 28), and, on the insides of the side walls (44), has pivots (50) which, together with lateral clip cutouts (54) on the secondary bracket (28), form a clip connection and a bearing point, while the secondary bracket (28) is supported via a rolling bearing (34, 66) on a top wall (58) of the main bracket (24). It is proposed that the pair of brackets (12, 24 or 24, 28), which in this way are connected to each other in an articulated manner, is manufactured from plastic in an injection-moulding process, with the pivots (50) being integrally cast on the insides of the side walls (18, 44) of the main bracket (18, 24).