Title of Invention

WIPER SYSTEM

Abstract

The invention relates to a wiper system having at least one wiper bearing which is fastened to a vehicle body of a vehicle via at least one supporting region (20).It is proposed for the bearing housing (10) of the wiper bearing to have three supporting regions (20, 22, 24), specifically a first supporting region (20) which includes a longitudinal axis (18) of the bearing housing (10) and is provided at one end which faces a wiper, a second supporting region (22) and third supporting region (24), which region~ are provided relative to the first supporting region and offset axially with respect to the other end, and with respect to each other are arranged approximately diametrically with respect to the longitudinal axis (18) of the bearing housing (10).

Full Text

The invention relates to a wiper system. Wiper systems for motor vehicles are generally fastened to the body of a motor vehicle by means of a wiper carrier, a so-called sheet blank or tubular sheet blank - if the wiper carrier also consists of tubes. The sheet blank carries a wiper drive having a wiper motor and a transmission which is mounted thereon and whose driven shaft as a rule drives, via a crank and link rods, cranks which are connected fixedly to a drive shaft for each wiper. The sheet blank determines the position of the wiper motor with respect to wiper bearings in which the drive shafts of the wipers are mounted. It also absorbs the forces caused by the wiper drive. The bearing housings of the wiper bearings are fastened to or integrally formed on the ends of the sheet blank. The sheet blank is fastened directly to a vehicle body via bearing housings or via fastening lugs which are integrally formed on the bearing housing, on the sheet blank and/or the motor sheet blank. In each case, however, additional components are required in order to connect the wiper system to the vehicle body in a manner which is largely free of vibration and is torsionally stiff If the sheet blanks are composed of a large number of components this leads to numerous intersecting points with corresponding tolerances. Imprecise setting of the angular positions and positions of the wiper bearings with regard to the wiper motor and/or the wiper blade causes a deterioration in the wiping result. In order to obtain sufficient quality of the connections, the components which are to be fitted have to have great accuracy, which in turn increases the outlay on manufacturing. In addition, the installation costs rise because of the numerous installation steps. Wiper bearings are therefore also screwed directly to the front wall of the vehicle body by means of fastening screws or are held in holding brackets which are ^welded onto the front wall. The front wall may be produced from sheet metal in a deep-drawing process. Front walls having an extruded profile as the carrier element are also known. German Utility Model 74 34 119 discloses a tubular sheet blank which is produced from a rectangular tube to which a plate serving as the motor sheet blank is welded. A wiper bearing is fixed to each of the ends of the rectangular tube. Tubular sheet blanks or tubular frame systems of this type are very stable despite being of lightweight construction. For cost reasons, a straight carrier tube which does not require a prior bending operation is sought. However, the parts serving for fastening the wiper bearing have to be designed in such a manner that sufficient resistance is brought against forces which are being applied. For this reason, the said parts have to have a certain strength which leads to an increased use of material. Another tubular sheet blank is disclosed in DE 29 20 899 C2, tubular connecting branches having corresponding projections being inserted into the hollow profile of the sheet-blank tube. The projections bear at least partially against the walls of the sheet- blank tube and have at least one cutout into which sections of the sheet-blank tube are pressed in order to form a form-fitting connection between the sheet-blank tube and the tubular connecting branch. The wiper bearings are arranged in these tubular connecting branches. The number of parts is reduced as compared to screw connections, but the joining process still requires numerous premanufactured component parts requiring a large number of manufacturing steps. This makes storing and logistics more expensive. Furthermore, in spite of the cutouts, the solid projections have a considerable weight. Advantages of the invention Accordingly, the present invention provides a. wiper system having at least one wiper bearing which is fastened to a vehicle body of a vehicle via at least one supporting region, characterized in that the bearing housing of wiper bearing has three supporting regions, specifically a first supporting region which comprises a longitudinal axis of the bearing housing and is provided at one end which faces a wiper, a second supporting region and third supporting region, which regions are provided relative to the first supporting region and offset axially with respect to the other end, and with respect to each other are arranged approximately diametrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the baring housing. The first supporting region is formed by a flange, while the second and third supporting regions are expediently designed as plug-in feet which are connected to the bearing housing and engage in pockets on the holding device. Mounted in the bearing housing of the wiper bearing is a drive shaft for a wiper, the said drive shaft being connected to a crank of a coupler mechanism mounted thereon. The forces and moments exerted on the wiper bearing by the drive are reliably and precisely absorbed by the three supporting regions and conducted over a short distance into the vehicle body without having to worry about vibration and deformation which might adversely affect the quality of wiping. In general, a special sheet blank may be dispensed with, especially if the front wall is produced as a die-cast part on which are integrally formed a holding bracket having a receiving opening and pockets for receiving plug-in feet which are connected to the bearing housing. This reduces the multiplicity of parts. Furthermore, the outlay on installation is reduced by the bearing housing being plugged from below through the receiving opening, the plug-in feet sliding at the same time into the pockets. The position is then fixed by means of a screw nut which is screwed onto a cast thread on the bearing housing and presses a flange of the bearing housing against the holding bracket. The reaction force to the bearing force of the wiper blade on the vehicle window/lens glass, which reaction force acts on the bearing housing via the drive shaft and is applied upwards approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis, acts as a compressive force on that end of the bearing housing which faces the lever mechanism- It is taken into the wiper bearing via the supporting regions and supports the holding force of the screw connection. The force, which is introduced by the moment of the wiper motor via the crank, likewise lies within a supporting triangle formed by the three supporting regions, the supporting regions being at relatively large distances from one another, This type of support is very stable and results in an optimum and uniform transmission of force onto the vehicle body. Decoupling elements made of an elastomeric material are expediently provided between the bearing housing and the holding bracket and on the plug-in feet. Said decoupling elements prevent movement noises of the wiper blades and motor noises from being able to be transmitted to the vehicle body via the wiper bearing. At the same time, the decoupling elements prevent contact corrosion which might occur if metallic materials are used for the bearing housing and magnesium or magnesium alloys are used for the front wall. The decoupling elements can therefore be fitted securely and easily, the decoupling element can, in particular, be formed in one piece on the holding bracket and can have a circumferential groove enabling it to be threaded into the receiving opening of the holding bracket during the prior installation, In the case of a two-part design, one part having a projection is plugged into the holding bracket, while a second associated part is placed onto the flange of the bearing housing. Between the plug-in feet and the pockets, the decoupling elements have recesses by means of which they are plugged onto the plug-in f eet. A simplified variant makes provision for the decoupling elements to be injection-molded onto the plug*-in feet, thereby rendering their installation superfluous. According to the invention, the bearing housing of the wiper bearing and the front wall of the vehicle body are produced by die-casting and holding elements are cast or injection-molded onto the two parts. Die-casting provides the best results with regard to dimensional accuracy, surface quality and state of the fine limbs of the castings. Very complex • castings having different wall thicknesses can be produced. As a rule, it is possible to dispense with any finishing work, thereby resulting in low manufacturing costs. Finally, the die-cast parts contribute to reducing the weight of the component. Drawing Further advantages emerge from the following description of the drawing. In the drawing, exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated. The drawing, the description and the claims contain numerous features in combination. The expert will expediently also consider the features individually and combine them into meaningful further combinations. In the drawing: Fig. 1 shows a perspective illustration of a bearing housing, Fig, 2 shows a perspective illustration of a partially fitted wiper bearing, Fig. 3 shows a partial longitudinal section of the wiper bearing together with a single-part decoupling element, along the line III-III in Fig. 2, and Fig, 4 shows a variant of Fig. 3 with a two-part decoupling element. Description of the exemplary embodiments A wiper bearing of a wiper system is fastened to a front wall 12 of a vehicle body. It has a bearing housing 10 in which a drive shaft 26 of a wiper (not illustrated) is mounted. It is driven by a wiper motor via a lever mechanism whose crank 14 is connected fixedly to its end facing away from the wiper (Fig. 2), Figure 1 shows the bearing housing 10 to which a force 16, which is introduced by the crank 14, is applied along a longitudinal axis 18 of the bearing housing 10. In order to support moments and transmit force into the vehicle body, the bearing housing 10 has three supporting regions 20, 22 and 24 which are at a relatively large distance from one another, The first supporting region 20 is formed by a flange 30 which is cast onto the bearing housing 10 at an end facing the wiper, A second supporting region 22 and a third supporting region 24 form the plug-in feet 32 and 34 which are cast onto the crank side of the bearing housing 10 in a manner offset along the longitudinal axis 18 • The plug-in feet 32 and 34 are arranged at a distance 38 from each other approximately diametrically with respect to the longitudinal axis 18 and lie in a common plane -36 which runs at a slight inclination with respect to the longitudinal axis 18 of the bearing housing 10, The plug-in feet 32 and 34 are advantageously connected to the bearing housing 10 by a plurality of webs 40 with the result that when the use of material is reduced there is nevertheless sufficiently great torsional and flexural strength. Furthermore, they are in the form of a cuboid whose side surfaces 54 and 56 serve as receiving and guiding surfaces. The end surface 44 and a bearing surface 42, which is integrally formed on the other end side, of the plug-in feet 32 and 34, support the side surfaces 54, 56 during the supporting of forces and moments. They furthermore form a stop for plugged-on, elastomeric decoupling elements 46 and 48 which have a corresponding recess 5Q, As an alternative and simplified solution, these decoupling elements may' be replaced by decoupling elements which are injection-molded on - According to the invention, the bearing housing 10 is a die-cast part and has an injection-molded thread 28 at one end facing the wiper, The bearing housing 10 is designed structurally for the die-casting in such a manner that it tapers from the plug-in feet 32 and 34 towards the injection-molded thread 2 8 in the main direction of the release from the mold. In order to fasten the bearing housing 10 to the front wall 12 of the vehicle body, the front wall 12 has a holding bracket 60 having a receiving opening 58 into which the wiper-side end of the bearing housing 10 is inserted for insertion purposes. Furthermore, pockets 62 and 64, which are open downwards and towards the bearing axis, are provided on the front wall 12 (Fig, 2) and the plug-in feet 32 and 34 slide into said pockets during installation and are then held. The front- wall 12 is produced by die-casting, the holding bracket 60 and the pockets 62 and 64 being cast on, The main release from the mold expediently takes place in the arrow direction 52 and therefore lies in the installation direction of the wiper bearing. The bearing housing 10 together with the decoupling elements 4 6, 48, which are plugged on and/or injection-molded on, is fitted into the holding bracket 60 and the pockets 62 and 64 in the arrow direction 52. In order to facilitate the joining together of the components, the latter are designed structurally in such a manner that the mutually facing edges 38 of the bearing housing 10 and/or of the holding bracket 60 and the pockets 62 and 64 are rounded and/or beveled as a centering aid. A [sic] the drive shaft 26 is likewise fitted in the arrow direction 52 into the bearing housing 10. It protrudes over the bearing housing 10 at the wiper-side end onto which a wiper arm (not illustrated) can be fitted. During prior installation, an elastomeric decoupling element 70 is threaded into the receiving opening 58 of the holding bracket 60, said decoupling element preventing transmission of vibration from the bearing housing 10 to the vehicle body and also corrosion between the bearing housing 10 and the holding bracket 60 (Fig, 3) - A further variant of the damping is shown in Figure 4 where the decoupling element consists of two parts 72 and 74 . After the installation sequence, provision is made for a washer 66 to be fitted onto that side of the decoupling element 70 or 72 which faces the wiper, and for a nut 68 to be screwed onto the thread 28, said nut securing the bearing housing 10 on the holding bracket 60, WE CLAIM : 1. Wiper system having at least one wiper bearing which is fastened to a vehicle body of a vehicle via at least one supporting region (20), characterized in that the bearing housing (10) of wiper bearing has three supporting regions (20, 22, 24), specifically a first supporting region (20) which comprises a longitudinal axis (18) of the bearing housing (10) and is provided at one end which faces a wiper, a second supporting region (22) and third supporting region (24), which regions are provided relative to the first supporting region and offset axially with respect to the other end, and with respect to each other are arranged approximately diametrically with respect to the longitudinal axis (18) of the baring housing (10). 2. Wiper system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first supporting region (20) is formed by a flange (30) on the bearing housing (10) and the two other supporting regions (22, 24) are formed by two plug-in feet (32, 34) which are integrally formed on the bearing housing (10) essentially transversely with respect to its longitudinal axis (18) and engage in pockets (62, 63) in a holding device (12) of the bearing housing (10). 3. Wiper system as claimed in any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the bearing housing (10) has an injection-molded thread (28) outwardly connected in the longitudinal direction (52) to the flange (30). 4. Wiper system as claimed in any one of claims 2 or 3, wherein, in addition to guide surfaces (54, 56) essentially running radially, the plug-in feet (32, 34) have stop surfaces (42, 44) directed transversely with respect to the said guide surfaces. 5. Wiper system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a front wall (12) of the vehicle body is produced by die-casting and has a holding bracket (60) having a receiving opening (58) for plugging in the wiper-side end of the bearing housing (10) and pockets (62, 64) for receiving the plug-in feet (32, 34). 6. Wiper system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the holding bracket (60) and the pockets (62, 64) are cast onto the front wall (12). 7. Wiper system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the mutually facing edges (38) of the bearing housing (10) and/or of the holding bracket (60) and the pockets (62, 64) are rounded and/or beveled as a centering aid. 8. Wiper system as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the front wall (12) is designed in such a manner that the main direction (52) of its release from the mold lies opposed to the installation direction of the wiper bearing. 9. Wiper system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the bearing housing (10) is designed in such a manner that its release from the mold and installation takes place in a same main direction (52), 10. Wiper system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein elastomeric decoupling elements (70, 72, 74; and 46, 48,) are provided between the bearing housing (10) and the holding bracket (60) and between the plug-in feet (32, 34) and the pockets (62, 64), 11. Wiper system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the decoupling elements (46, 48) are plugged or injection-molded onto the plug-in feet (32, 34). 12. Wiper system as claimed in claim 10, wherein, during the prior installation, the decoupling element (70) is threaded into the receiving opening (58) of the holding bracket (60). 13. Wiper system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the decoupling element (72, 74) for the receiving opening (58) of the holding bracket (60) is in two parts. 14. Wiper system, substantially as hereinabove described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Documents:

abs-in-pct-2001-123-che.jpg

in-pct-2001-123-che-abstract.pdf

in-pct-2001-123-che-claims filed.pdf

in-pct-2001-123-che-claims granted.pdf

in-pct-2001-123-che-correspondnece-others.pdf

in-pct-2001-123-che-correspondnece-po.pdf

in-pct-2001-123-che-description(complete)filed.pdf

in-pct-2001-123-che-description(complete)granted.pdf

in-pct-2001-123-che-drawings.pdf

in-pct-2001-123-che-form 1.pdf

in-pct-2001-123-che-form 26.pdf

in-pct-2001-123-che-form 3.pdf

in-pct-2001-123-che-form 5.pdf

in-pct-2001-123-che-other documents.pdf

in-pct-2001-123-che-pct.pdf