GB2163043A

GB2163043A - Windscreen wipers

Info

Publication number: GB2163043A
Application number: GB08520197A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Mower
Original assignee: Trico Ltd
Current assignee: Trico Ltd
Priority date: 1984-08-16
Filing date: 1985-08-12
Publication date: 1986-02-19
Also published as: JPS6157451A; GB8420847D0; BE903060A; GB8520197D0; GB2163043B

Abstract

A windscreen wiper assembly comprises: a wiper blade (10) having a yoke with sides (12) and connecting web (14), and a pivot pin (16) extending transversely between sides (12) at an opening (18) in the web; a wiper arm (30) having an aperture (38) at its end; and a connector (50) comprising body (52) having bearing (54) for pivot pin (16), and guide and latching parts for respectively locating and securing the arm end to the connector, the latching part (58) including a resilient tongue (60) having a detent (64) for engagement with aperture (38); resilient tongue (60) overlapping web (14) beyond opening (18), the arrangement being such that on downward clockwise pivotal movement of the wiper blade web (14) is pressed on tongue (60) so as to flex it and thereby cause detent (64) to be disengaged from aperture (38). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Windscreen or like surface wipers The present invention relates to windscreen or like surface wipers comprising an arm and a blade capable of being releasably retained in assembly by a connector for relative pivoting.

Indeed, the present invention relates more particularly to such wipers of the well known kind, in which: the blade has an elongate yoke of inverted channel cross-section with parallel sides and a connecting web, and a pivot pin extending transversely between the sides of the yoke at an opening in the web; the arm has a termination with an aperture, projection or recess; and the connector comprises a body having a bearing therein towards one end for engaging the pivot pin, and guide means and latching means for respectively locating and securing the arm termination to the connector for pivotal movement therewith, the latching means including a resilient tongue having a latch for engagement with the aperture, projection or recess in the arm termination.

In a known procedure for disassembly of wiper components of the kind described, the blade is steeply inclined with respect to the arm and the connector by pulling the arm away from a windscreen or other surface to be wiped and then swinging the blade so that the blade no longer lies generally parallel to the arm, thereby enabling a free end of the tongue to be accessible to manipulation by fingers introduced between the blade and the arm.

There are, however, several disadvantages asssociated with that known procedure for disassembly. Firstly, it is necessaryforthe latch on the tongue of the connector to be unlatched from the aperture, projection or recess in the termination of the arm by finger manipulation of the tongue, which is awkward for many people and is especially difficult for enfeebled people. Secondly, if the arm cannot be pulled away from for example a windscreen to a locked back position, it may be tiring to hold the arm against the force of for example a tension spring continuously urging the arm towards the windscreen, and may lead to the fingers being painfully trapped if the arm is inadvertently released.Thirdly, in some wiper installations the end of the arm remote from the blade and a retainer by which the arm is secured to an oscillating wiper shaft are always concealed in a slot in a vehicle bodywork scuttle, which prevents the arm from being pulled sufficiently far back to enable the tongue of the connector to be accessible to finger manipulation.

According to the present invention, there is provided a windscreen or like surface wiper comprising: a blade having an elongate yoke of inverted channel cross-section with parallel sides and a connecting web, and a pivot pin extending transversely between the sides of the yoke at an opening in the web; an arm having a termination with an aperture, projection or recess; and a connector comprising a body having a bearing therein towards one end for engaging the pivot pin, and guide means and latching means for respectively locating and securing the arm termination to the connector for pivotal movement therewith, the latching means including a resilient tongue having a latch for engagement with the aperture, projection or recess in the arm termination; wherein the resilient tongue overlaps the web beyond the opening in the yoke and is engageable with the web for disassembly of the arm from the connector whereby pressure of the web on the tongue causes flexing of the tongue in such a way that the latch is disengaged from the aperture, projection or recess in the arm termination.

It will be appreciated that because the unlatching is a result of the pressure exerted by the web on the tongue, no finger manipulation of the tongue is needed and the blade need not be inclined quite so steeply with respect to the arm as hitherto when the tongue has been manipulated to unlatch it.

Preferably, the latching means forms an integral part of the connector even though it is possible for the tongue to be formed separately from the body ol the connector.

Preferably, the termination of the arm includes a semi-circular bend merging with parallel main and limb portions of the arm to form a hook termination even though it is possible for the termination of the arm to be in the form of a straight termination.

Preferably, the tongue presents a latch in the form of a projecting detent for releasable engagement with an aperture formed in either the main portion or the limb portion of a hook termination of the arm.

Two windscreen or like surface wipers, in accordance with the present invention, will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a fragmentary side view, partly in section, showing an arm and a blade assembled by a connector; Figure 2 shows the wiper components of Figure 1 during an intermediate stage of disassembly procedure; Figures 3 to 6 are, respectively, side, longitudinal section, partly sectioned underplan and end views to an enlarged scale of the connector of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 7 is a fragmentary side view, partly in section, similar to Figure 1, but showing a blade assembled with a different arm by a different connector; and Figures 8 to 10 are, respectively, longitudinal section, plan and end views to an enlarged scale of the connector of Figure 7.

Before discussing the construction of the connectors, it will be convenient to discuss the wiper blade and the wiper arms.

The blade 10 is of the known type including an elongate yoke of inverted channel cross-section having parallel sides 12 and a connecting web 14. A pivot pin 16 extends transversely between the sides 12 of the yoke at an opening 18 in the web 14 of the yoke. The pivot pin 16 thereby effects nominal division of the opening 18 into two longitudinallyextending portions which may be of equal or unequal length.

The arm 30 (Figures 1 and 2) and the arm 30a (Figure 7) are of the known types including a hook termipation. Each of the hook terminations has a semi-circular bend 32, 32a merging with parallel main 34, 34a and limb 36, 36a portions of the arms 30, 30a respectively. In the arm 30 an aperture 38 extends through the limb portion 36, whereas in the arm 30a an aperture 38a extends through the main portion 34a. Each of the hook terminations may be inclined at a slight angle to the remaining length of the respective arm 30, 30a.

The fundamental advantage of the present invention is that the blade 10, by the use of appropriate connectors, can be simply released from either the arm 30 orthe arm 30a without need for any finger manipulation of the connectors.

The connector 50, shown in Figures 1 to 6, is an integral plastics moulding and includes a body 52 having a bearing 54 therein towards one end of the body 52 for engaging the pivot pin 16, the bearing 54 being formed as a keyhole-type recess so as to be snap engageable with the pivot pin 16, and further includes guide means 56 and latching means 58 for respectively locating and securing the termination of the arm 30 so that the connector 50 is pivotable with the arm 30, the latching means 58 including a resilient tongue 60 having a free end 62 extending beyond the other end of the body 52 of the connector 50, and having a latch in the form of a projecting detent 64 for snapping into engagement with the aperture 38 extending through the limb portion 36 of the arm 30.

The connector 50 is in fact identical to an existing connector, whose salient features as regards formation and function are well known, with the result that there is no need to address the skilled reader of this specification with further description, apart from pointing outthatthe length ofthetongue 60 has been significantly increased.

The purpose of the increased length of the tongue 60 is to enable the tongue 60 to overlap the web 14 beyond the opening 18. More particularly, as shown in Figure 1,thefreend 62 of the tongue 60 lies beneath the adjacent end of the web 14 defining one of the short edges of the opening 18. Figure 1 shows the blade 10 and the arm 30 inclined in a mean working position, the probable range of working movement being 50on each side of the mean working position. Therefore, the tongue 60 is usually spaced from the web 14 and does not interfere with normal working pivotting of the blade 10 with respect to the arm 30.

During disassembly, however, as shown in Figure 2, the blade 10 is pivoted with respect to the arm 30 in the direction of the arrow A so that the web 14 is brought into contact with the tongue 60, and the web 14 then flexes the tongue 60 to bring the detent 64 out of the aperture 38 in the limb portion 36 of the arm 30. More particularly, pivotting the blade 10 after engagement of the free end 62 of the tongue 60 with the adjacent end of the web 14 causes the tongue 60 to fulcrum on the free rear edge of the limb portion 36 of the arm 30. Eventually, after the detent 64 has been lifted out of the aperture 38, the blade 10 can be slid to the right as shown in Figure 2 to release the arm 30 from both the connector 50 and the blade 10.

The blade 10 may need to be pivotted with respect to the arm 30 to an angle a, shown in Figure 2, of possibly up to 150 to effect said unlatching. On the other hand, as indicated in phantom in Figure 1,the blade 10 may be assembled to the arm 30 even whilst the blade 10 is lying generally parallel to the arm 30, provided that the portion of the opening 18 in the blade 10 for receiving the bend 32 and the limb portion 36 of the arm 30 is sufficiently long.

In the modification of Figures 7 to 10, it is merely necessary to explain that the tongue 60a, as an alternative to the tongue 60 of Figures 1 to 6, is shaped to permit snap engagement of the projecting detent 64a thereon with the aperture 38a in the main portion 34a of the arm 30a. During disassembly, the free end 62a is contacted by the web 14 and continued pivotting of the blade 10 with respect to the arm 30a after said initial contact causes the detent 64a to be withdrawn from the aperture 38a. In this modification, the detent 64a is withdrawn from the aperture 38a before the tongue 60a contacts the free rear edge of the limb portion 36a of the arm 30a.

It will be appreciated that various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, the tongues 60 and 60a could be provided separately from the body of the connector but mounted thereon. Thus the body could still be moulded from plastics materials while the tongue could be formed from a resilient metal strip.

A version of connector could be formed for use with a straight termination of the arm. In this case, the connector would be provided with a slot into which the termination could be inserted, a suitably positioned spring tongue having a detent engageable with an aperture in the termination.

While all the arm terminations have been described as having apertures therein for receiving a detent, the terminations could have recesses therein or have detents receivable in apertures or recesses in the connector tongues. This could also apply to straight terminations. As will be realised, the remaining parts of the connector would be the same as for the described embodiments.

As can be seen, in marked and significant contrast to all previous thinking and practice, which has been to avoid interference to free pivotting at all inclinations of the blade with respect to the arm, the present invention deliberately provides interference in a controlled manner to give easier and more convenient unlatching of the blade and the arm.

Claims

1 A windscreen or like surface wiper comprising: a blade having an elongate yoke of inverted channel cross-section with parallel sides and a connecting web, and a pivot pin extending transversely between the sides of the yoke at an opening in the web; an arm having a termination with an aperture, projection or recess; and a connector comprising a body having a bearing therein towards one end for engaging the pivot pin, and guide means and latching means for respectively locating and securing the arm termination to the connector for pivotal movement therewith, the latching means including a resilient tongue having a latch for engagement with the aperture, projection or recess in the arm termination; wherein the resilient tongue overlaps the web beyond the opening in the yoke and is engageable with the web for disassembly of the arm from the connector whereby pressure of the web on the tongue causes flexing of the tongue in such a way that the latch is disengaged from the aperture, projection or recess in the arm termination.

2. A wiper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connector comprises a plastics moulding with the resilient tongue of the latching means being moulded integrally with the connector body.

3. A wiper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resilient tongue of the latching means is separate from the body of the connector and is mounted thereon.

4. 4. A wiper as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the arm termination includes a semi circular bend merging with parallel main and limb portions of the arm to form a hook termination.

5. A wiper as claimed in claim 4, wherein the hook termination is provided with an aperture in either the main or limb portions thereof and the latch comprises a projecting detent engageable in the aperture.

6. A wiper as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the arm has a straight termination with an aperture therein and the latch comprises a projecting detent engageable in the aperture.

7. A wiper as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the bearing is formed as a keyhole-type recess so as to be snap engageable with the pivot pin.

8. A windscreen or like surface wiper substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 6, or Figures 7 to 10, of the accompanying drawings.