Title of Invention

WIPER BLADE

Abstract

The invention emanates from a wiper blade (10) with a rubber elastic wiper arm (12) in whose lateral longitudinal grooves resilient bars (18, 20) are inserted as support elements and project laterally from the longitudinal grooves, whereby the resilient bars (18, 20) are held together at their ends and fixed in the longitudinal direction relative to the wiper arm (12) as well as have an end cap (24). It is proposed that the end caps (24) exhibit removable fixing agents (34) that engage with a headpiece (16) of the wiper arm (12), whereby the axial repeatability of the resilient bars (18, 20) relative to the wiper arm (24) is restricted by the end caps. (Fig. 1)

Full Text

WIPER BLADE Prior Art The invention emanates from a wiper blade according to the preamble of Claim 1. A hinge-free wiper blade is established in DE 101 13 680 A1 whose wiper aiTm is made from an elastomer material and has a spoiler at its upper side. This can be placed directly and can be made from the same material as the wiper arm or can be a separate component from an appropriate other material. The spoiler can serve as a support member either alone or together with resilient bars that are inserted into lateral longitudinal grooves of the wiper arm's profile. Caps are placed at the ends of the wiper blade, whose conducting surfaces run in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade and connect to the conducting surface of the spoiler with a narrow passage. They hold the wiper arm and the resilient bars together at the ends. A connecting device in accordance with the so-called "Sidelock System" is affixed in one cut-out of the spoiler in the central region of the wiper blade to the support member, in which case the wiper arm runs laterally parallel to the wiper blade in the region of the connecting device. A so-called "Overlock System" is also established in which the wiper arm runs above the wiper blade in the region of the connecting device. The connecting device has two claws respectively at its side frames that laterally surround and hold the resilient bars of the support member. A so-called hinge-free wiper blade is established in DE 100 25 710 A1 that has a rubber elastic wiper arm with a wiper seal. Lateral longitudinal grooves are provided between the wiper seal and a headpiece in which resilient bars that function as support members are inserted. The resilient bars are held together by bridging elements at their ends and by a central connecting element. The bridging elements have an appendage as a fixing agent that extends in the longitudinal direction of the wiper arm with a projection that is directed towards the headpiece. The appendage is curved in the direction of the headpiece during assembly so that the projection engages with the headpiece and the resilient bars are fixed in the longitudinal direction relative to the wiper arm. Lastly, the bridging elements are covered with end caps. Advantages of the Invention In accordance with the invention, the end caps of the wiper blade exhibit removable fixing agents that engage with the headpiece of the wiper arm, whereby the axial relocatability of the resilient bars relative to the wiper arm is restricted by the end caps. The end caps, that are preferably injection moulded parts made from a synthetic material, are pushed from the ends onto the wiper arm and the resilient bars, whereby the resilient bars are guided into internal guiding profiles of the end caps. The guiding profiles are closed at the end-sided front side so that the resilient bars are fixed in the longitudinal direction relative to the end caps by the closed front surfaces. Since the end caps on their part are fixed by removable fixing agents in the longitudinal direction relative to the headpiece of the wiper arm, the resilient bars are also fixed relative to the wiper arm by end caps. Other components are not required, whereby, apart from the reduction in a plurality of parts, the work steps for the connection of these components too are cut down on. In the design of the invention, the end caps have spring guides respectively as fixing agents, running essentially parallel to the upper side of the headpiece and which have locking projections at their undersides which engage with the headpiece when in an assembled state. The spring guides are lifted when disassembling the end caps, so that the locking projection disengages.and the end caps can be pulled off from the wiper arm. In order to prevent the locking projection from coming loose independently when in the assembled position, the spring guide is advantageously blocked by a bolt that is guided into a recess of the end cap that faces the outer front side and presses the spring guide with the locking projection against the headpiece into a locking position. The bolt is first released during disassembly before the spring guide is lifted. In order to facilitate standard assembly, the bolt is connected to the end cap by at least one pre-determined breaking point when in the unbolted position so that end caps and bolts are appropriately delivered as one component for first assembly, whereby the plurality of wiper blade parts is reduced. Erroneous assembly of the bolt is, in addition, ruled out since the same is fixed in a pre-assembled position. The connection at the pre-determined breaking point is released during assembly and the bolt is pushed into the locking position. Erroneous assembly of the end caps with regard to the wiper arm is also ruled out since the outer shape and the inner guiding profiles of the end caps correspond to the contours of the wiper arm and/or to a spoiler. In order to additionally arrest the resilient bars, the same can exhibit latching holes in the region of the end caps with which latching pins located at the underside of the spring guides engage. Spring guides, which, with regard to their elastic characteristics, are better suited to diverse tasks and that are separated from one another can be allocated to the locking projection and the latching pins. The end caps in accordance with the invention can be disassembled very easily. For this purpose, only the bolt need be pulled out of the recess and, in fact, only to the extent that the spring guides lift and the locking projection disengages. A worn out wiper arm can, for example, be interchanged in this condition. In order to better grasp the bolt for disassembly and assembly respectively, especially when the same, for example, is difficult to move due to dirt deposits or other environmental influences, the same advantageously exhibits several lateral recessed grips in accordance with its design of the invention. Drawing Other advantages result from the following description of the drawings, which present exemplary embodiments of the invention. The drawing, description and claims contain several features in combination. The expert can also appropriately consider the features individually and combine the same in other expedient combinations. Figure 1 presents a magnified, perspective partial view of a wiper blade end with an end cap; Figure 2 presents a view of a wiper blade end from below according to Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective partial view of an assembled end cap; Figure 4 is a drawing of the wiper blade function with locking elements of the end caps; Figure 5 presents an end cap in side view and Figure 6 illustrates a variant to the end cap according to Figure 1. Description of the Exemplary Embodiments Only those parts of a hinge-free wiper blade 10 of a windscreen wiper are presented in so far as they are required for comprehension of the invention (Fig. 1). The wiper blade 10 exhibits a wiper arm 12 made from an elastomer material, whose underside that faces the vehicle's windscreen, which is not illustrated here, is designed as a wiper seal 14, while the upper side forms a headpiece 16. The wiper blade, moreover, has a spoiler, that is not illustrated, above the headpiece 16. In order to improve the elastic characteristics of the wiper blade 10, the same has two resilient bars 18 and 20 made from spring steel that are inserted in lateral longitudinal grooves between the wiper seal 14 and the headpiece 16 and serve as a support member. When in an unloaded state, the resilient bars 18 and 20 exhibit a stronger curvature than the vehicle's windscreen and cause the wiper blade 10 to lie against the vehicle's windscreen with a defined contact pressure and with appropriate pressure distribution along its entire length. The resilient bars 18 and 20 are held together at their ends in order to restrict a relative movement between the wiper arm 12 and the resilient bars 18 and 20 in the longitudinal direction. An end cap 24 is provided at the ends of the wiper arm 12 respectively. The end cap 24 has an inner guiding profile 26 that is formed by two bearing surfaces and flanges respectively that run parallel to the longitudinal direction of the wiper arm 12. While the bearing surfaces guide the end caps 24 to the longitudinal sides of the resilient bars 18 and 20 that project at the longitudinal grooves, the flanges support themselves at the side surfaces of the wiper arm 12 below the resilient bars 18 and 20 (Fig. 2). The end cap 24 is, advantageously, an injection moulded part made from a synthetic material and exhibits a spring guide 30 that is formed at and runs essentially parallel to the upper side of the headpiece 16. The spring guide 30 has a locking projection 34 at its side that faces the headpiece 16. This is wedge-shaped and increases in height towards the end so that end cap 24 assembly is facilitated. The spring guide 30 works together with a bolt 38 that is guided into a recess 28 of the end cap 24 and presses and blocks the spring guide 30 against the headpiece 16 when in the locking position (Fig. 3), whereby the projection 34 engages with the headpiece 16. The flank of the wedge-shaped locking projection 34 that faces the end becomes increasingly straight during a swivelling movement of the spring guide 30 so that the end cap is secured against being pulled off. After disengaging the bolt 38, the spring guide 30 returns again to its starting position, whereby the locking projection 34 disengages with the help of the elasticity of the headpiece 16. In order to increase the pressure of the bolt 38 on the spring guide 30, the spring guide 30 can exhibit a wedge-shaped projection 32, which reduces in height towards the end of the wiper arm 12, at that side that faces away from the locking projection 34. In addition to the locking projection 34, the spring guide 30 can exhibit two latching pins 36 located symmetrically and laterally from it and which, when in the assembled state, engage with latching holes 22 that are located in the end region of resilient bars 18 and 20 and serve as additional guides. The latching holes 22 are appropriately designed as longitudinal holes so that the resilient bars 18, 20 have restricted play in the longitudinal direction, which is necessary for the varying curvature of the wiper blade 10. The latching pins 36, furthermore, determine the distance between the resilient bars 18, 20. The flange of the wiper arm 12, thereby, has sufficient head room between the resilient bars for good functioning. When in the assembled state, the end caps 24 cover the end of the wiper blade 10 (Fig. 3). An aerodynamic, convenient outer contour of the wiper blade 10 emerges due to the end cap bordering the spoiler with a connecting profile 40 in a form-fit manner. For assembly, the end caps 24 are pushed over the end of the wiper arm 12 with the pre-assembled resilient bars 18 and 20. In order to achieve precise positioning of the end caps 24 in the longitudinal direction of the wiper arm 12, the inner guiding profile 26 is closed at the end of the front side. These bearing surfaces can serve as assembly stoppers. In the assembled state, the end caps 24 surrounds the end of the wiper blade 12 and of the i resilient bars 18, 20 with its dimensioned and contour-corresponding, precisely aligned inner guiding profile 26 and fixes the position of the parts to one another in a removable manner. The bolt 38 is located in a recess 28 that faces towards the outer front side of the end cap 24 and is connected to the end caps 24 before final assembly through pre-determined breaking points 42, whereby, advantageously, only one component need be used and the bolt 38 can not get lost during transport (Fig.5). The pre-determined breaking points 42 can be narrow passages, pins or film hinges. The pre-determined breaking point 42 is released during final assembly and the bolt 38 is pushed into the recess 28 and over the spring guide 30 up to a locking position. In the event, for example, a worn out wiper arm 12 is to be interchanged, the end cap 24, in accordance with the invention, can be disassembled in a simple manner. The bolt 38 is pulled out of the recess 28 for this purpose, whereby the spring guide 30 lifts up and the locking projection 34 disengages from its snap-fit. In order to facilitate handling the bolt 38 during disassembly and assembly respectively, one design of the invention has a bolt 46 with several, lateral recessed grips 48 (Fig.6). The design, furthermore, exhibits a slatted spring guide 44. The wedge-shaped projection 32 and the locking projection 34 are thereby located at the central part, while the outer parts of the spring guide 44 are provided for the latching pins 36. Claims 1. Wiper blade (10) with a rubber elastic wiper arm (12), in whose lateral longitudinal grooves resilient bars (18, 20) are inserted as support elements, whereby the resilient bars (18,20) are held together at their ends and are fixed in the longitudinal direction relative to the wiper arm (12) as well as have an end cap (24), characterised in that, the end caps (24) have removable fixing agents (34), that engage with the headpiece (16) of the wiper arm (12), whereby the axial relocatability of resilient bars (18, 20) relative to the wiper arm (24) is restricted by the end caps. 2. Wiper blade (10) according to Claim 1, characterised in that, the end cap (24) has a spring guide (32, 44) that runs essentially parallel to the upper side of the headpiece (16) and has a locking projection (34) at its underside which engages with the headpiece (16). 3. Wiper blade (10) according Claim 2, characterised in that, the end cap (24) has a recess (28) towards the outer front side into which a bolt (38, 46) is guided that presses the spring guide (30, 44) with its locking projection (34) against the headpiece (16) when in a locking position. 4. Wiper blade (10) according to Claim 3, characterised in that, the spring guide (30, 44) has a wedge-shaped projection (32) at its side that faces the bolt (38, 46), which increases in height in the opening direction of the bolt (38, 46) (Fig. 4). 5. Wiper blade (10) according to one of Claims 2 to 4, characterised in that, the locking projection (34) increases wedge-shaped in height in the opening direction of the bolt (38, 46). (Fig. 4). 6. Wiper blade (10) according to one of Claims 3 to 5, characterised in that, the bolt (38, 46) is connected before final assembly to the end cap (24) by at least one pre-determined breaking point (42). 7. Wiper blade (10) according to one of Claims 2 to 6, characterised in that, the spring guide (30) exhibits latching pins (36) at that side that faces the resilient bars (18, 20), these pins engaging with the latching holes (22) of the resilient bars (18, 20). 8. Wiper blade (10) according to one of Claims 3 to 7, characterised in that, the bolt (46) has lateral recessed grips (48).

Documents:

4373-CHENP-2006 AMENDED CLAIMS 07-12-2012.pdf

4373-CHENP-2006 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 11-09-2012.pdf

4373-CHENP-2006 EXAMINATION REPORT REPLY RECEIVED 07-12-2012.pdf

4373-CHENP-2006 FORM-3 07-12-2012.pdf

4373-CHENP-2006 POWER OF ATTORNEY 07-12-2012.pdf

4373-CHENP-2006 ABSTRACT.pdf

4373-CHENP-2006 CLAIMS.pdf

4373-CHENP-2006 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS.pdf

4373-CHENP-2006 FORM-18.pdf

4373-CHENP-2006 OTHER PATENT DOCUMENT 07-12-2012.pdf

4373-chenp-2006-abstract.pdf

4373-chenp-2006-abstractimage.jpg

4373-chenp-2006-claims.pdf

4373-chenp-2006-correspondnece-others.pdf

4373-chenp-2006-description(complete).pdf

4373-chenp-2006-drawings.pdf

4373-chenp-2006-form 1.pdf

4373-chenp-2006-form 3.pdf

4373-chenp-2006-form 5.pdf

4373-chenp-2006-pct.pdf