Segmented Wiper Blade Washer Apparatus for High-Speed Wetting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wiper blades with long flow passages increase in size, cost, and suffer from decreased high-speed wiping performance and frozen washer liquid issues, which can lead to incomplete wetting and increased refilling needs.
Innovation Solution
A wiper blade design with a washer apparatus having forward-side and backward-side washer mechanisms, including injection nozzles and connection tubes, where the washer apparatus is shorter than the blade rubber, ensuring efficient washer liquid distribution to the blade's ends without a conventional long flow passage, preventing freezing and size increase.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a long flow passage is provided over the entire region in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade, then washer liquid can be supplied to the entire length of the blade rubber, but the wiper blade increases in size and cost, and high-speed wiping performance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The flow passage is divided into multiple sections with injection nozzles positioned at different locations along the blade rubber. Instead of using a single long flow passage, the system segments the washer liquid delivery into multiple shorter passages with distributed injection points, allowing comprehensive coverage without requiring excessive overall length
Solution Approach 2:
The injection nozzles are oriented at different angles and positions to deliver washer liquid in multiple directions simultaneously. By adding dimensional complexity to the injection pattern rather than simply extending the flow passage length, the system achieves complete coverage across the blade rubber surface
2Reliability
If a relatively long flow passage is provided, then washer liquid can reach the entire blade rubber, but washer liquid remaining inside the flow passage may be partially frozen
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the flow passage into shorter sections with multiple injection nozzles distributed along the blade, the total volume of washer liquid held in the flow passage is reduced. This minimizes the amount of liquid that could freeze, while still ensuring complete coverage through strategic positioning of multiple injection points
Solution Approach 2:
The injection nozzles are positioned to deliver washer liquid just before the blade rubber contacts the windshield, ensuring that liquid is injected at the optimal moment rather than being held in long passages where it could freeze. The system prepares the washer liquid delivery in advance at multiple points along the blade
3Reliability
If washer liquid is injected from a nozzle installed on the hood, then the windshield can be wetted, but the injection position may intercept the driver's field of view and may be deviated by traveling wind
Solution Approach 1:
The single injection point on the hood is replaced with multiple injection nozzles distributed along the blade rubber. This segments the wetting function across multiple locations that are all within the driver's normal field of view, eliminating the need to position a nozzle in a location that would block visibility
Solution Approach 2:
The blade rubber itself serves as an intermediary carrier for the injection nozzles, bringing the washer liquid delivery system directly to the windshield surface through the blade's natural motion. This eliminates the need for a separate hood-mounted nozzle system that would interfere with driver visibility
4Reliability
If a relatively large amount of washer liquid is used in a flow passage, then the windshield can be effectively wetted, but the washer tank may be frequently refilled
Solution Approach 1:
The injection nozzles are positioned to deliver washer liquid locally at specific points along the blade rubber where it is most needed. This localized delivery approach ensures effective wetting of the windshield surface without wasting liquid in unnecessary areas, reducing overall consumption while maintaining effectiveness
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 design allows for stable washer liquid supply to the blade's edges, maintaining high-speed performance, preventing washer liquid freezing, and reducing the wiper blade's size and cost, ensuring effective wetting without the need for frequent refilling.
Implementation Method 1
a washer apparatus provided to a coupling portion between the blade rubber and the holder member, and includes a forward-side washer mechanism and a backward-side washer mechanism, so that blade rubber is sandwiched between them, each washer mechanism having injection nozzles
Data Source
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AI summary
A washer apparatus 50 is provided to a coupling portion CN between a blade rubber 20 and a holder member 30, and has a length in a longitudinal direction of the blade rubber 20, which is set to be shorter than that of the blade rubber 20 in the longitudinal direction, and inner-peripheral-side-oriented injection nozzles 53a and 55a and an outer-peripheral-side-oriented injection nozzle 54a have openings oriented to respective ends of the blade rubber 20 in the longitudinal direction.