Windshield Wiper Ice Scraper Attachment Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional windshield wipers are ineffective for removing ice and hard packed snow, often damaging the blades, and existing solutions with ice scraper attachments are either ineffective or overly complex and expensive.
Innovation Solution
A windshield wiper system with a slideable ice scraper component that can be adjusted outward to clear ice and snow, and retracted to resume water clearing functions, utilizing a simple design with few parts and a wing nut and screw attachment mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional windshield wipers are used to remove ice and snow, then the wiper blade may be damaged, but they are ineffective at removing frozen precipitation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a windshield wiper blade with an ice scraper component into a single integrated device. The scraper is positioned above the blade and can be extended forward to scrape ice and snow, while the blade remains protected from direct contact with frozen precipitation. This merging resolves the contradiction by providing both ice removal capability and blade protection simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is segmented into distinct functional components: the wiper blade for water clearing and the separate scraper component for ice removal. The scraper can be independently positioned and retracted, allowing it to perform ice scraping without damaging the blade. This segmentation enables each component to specialize in its intended function while protecting the blade from damage.
2Productivity
If ice scraper attachments are added to windshield wipers, then ice scraping capability is provided, but the device becomes complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal device that performs multiple functions: the wiper blade clears water while the integrated scraper removes ice and snow. Both functions are achieved within a single wiper assembly rather than requiring separate tools. This multi-functionality reduces device complexity compared to adding separate attachments while maintaining both clearing capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The scraper component is merged with the wiper assembly using simple attachment means (screws and wing nuts), creating a unified device that eliminates the need for separate ice scraping tools. This integration reduces the overall number of parts and simplifies the system while providing both water and ice clearing functions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If an ice scraper component is integrated into the wiper, then ice removal is enabled, but the wiper structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The scraper component is designed to be dynamically adjustable relative to the wiper blade. It can be extended forward to contact the windshield for ice scraping, then retracted behind the blade when not needed. This dynamic positioning allows the device to adapt between ice scraping and water clearing modes without requiring complex permanent structural changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The scraper component is pre-positioned above the blade in a retracted state during normal wiper operation. When ice scraping is needed, the user simply extends the scraper forward to its working position. This preliminary positioning arrangement allows the dual-function capability to be achieved with minimal structural complexity, as the scraper is already in place but inactive during water clearing.
Data Source
AI summary
A windshield wiper has a wiper arm with a window clearing blade and an ice scraper component located above the blade. The outer edges of the blade and scraper component are curved, so as to be configured to the shape of the windshield of the vehicle. Wing nut and screw attachment means allows the scraper component to be slideable between a position in which the scraper component is slid forward of the blade and contacts the windshield to perform its ice clearing function and a second position in which it is retracted away from the windshield of a vehicle to allow the blade to perform its water clearing function.