GB2242118A

GB2242118A - Wiper adaptor

Info

Publication number: GB2242118A
Application number: GB9006190A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Cedric Sheng Kao Charng
Original assignee: CHINA WIPER SPECIAL RUBBER CO; China Wiper Special Rubber Co Ltd
Current assignee: CHINA WIPER SPECIAL RUBBER CO; China Wiper Special Rubber Co Ltd
Priority date: 1990-03-20
Filing date: 1990-03-20
Publication date: 1991-09-25
Anticipated expiration: 2010-03-20
Also published as: GB9006190D0; GB2242118B

Abstract

A wiper adaptor (30) has mounting means (40-42) for releasably mounting the adaptor to a main yoke (4) of a wiper blade assembly (1), opening means (32) for receiving a transverse pivot pin of a wiper arm and latching means (33) for releasably retaining the pivot pin in the opening means (32). The adaptor is designed so that the opening means (32) is positioned above or below the main yoke (4) when the adaptor is mounted on the main yoke. <IMAGE>

Description

A WIPER ADAPTOR This invention relates to a wiper adaptor releasably connectible to a wiper blade assembly for enabling a transverse pivot pin of a wiper arm to be releasably connected to the wiper blade assembly. The invention also relates to a wiper blade assembly fitted with such an adaptor.

Conventionally it is known for a main yoke of a wiper blade assembly to be provided with opening means for receiving a transverse pivot pin of a wiper arm and latching means to releasably retain the pivot pin within the opening means. It is also known from GB-A-2168243 to provide differently dimensioned opening means in the main yoke for selectively receiving differently dimensioned pivot pins. In this latter case latching means releasably retain one or the other pivot pin in its associated opening means.

The present invention seeks to provide an alternative means for connecting a transverse pivot pin of a wiper arm to a wiper blade assembly.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a wiper adaptor for enabling releasable connection of a transverse pivot pin of a wiper arm to a main yoke of a wiper blade assembly, the wiper adaptor comprising opening means for receiving a transverse pivot pin of a wiper arm, latching means for releasably retaining the pivot pin within the opening means and mounting means for releasably mounting the adaptor on a main yoke of a wiper blade assembly so that the said opening means is positioned either above or below the main yoke.

Preferably the wiper adaptor has a main portion in which the opening means is formed and which is designed to be positioned immediately on top or immediately beneath the main yoke when the adaptor is mounted by the mounting means to the main yoke.

Conveniently the mounting means comprise spaced apart side walls arranged to embrace side walls of the main yoke so that the adaptor straddles the main yoke when releasably mounted thereon. Preferably each side wall of the adaptor has a hole therein, the holes being designed to receive, e.g. in snap fit connection, projections extending from opposite side walls of the main yoke. In this case the projections are suitably in the form of projecting collars surrounding further opening means arranged in the main yoke for receiving a differently dimensioned transverse pivot pin.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided in combination a wiper blade assembly comprising a main yoke and an adaptor according to said one aspect of the present invention.

Preferably the said main yoke is provided with further opening means for receiving a differently dimensioned further transverse pivot pin of a wiper arm and further latching means for releasably retaining the further pivot pin within the further opening means. Conveniently opposite ends of the further opening means are defined by collars projecting from opposite side walls of the main yoke and the said mounting means comprise holes in spaced apart resiliently deflectable parallel side walls of the adaptor, the said adaptor side walls being positionable externally of the side walls of the main yoke and being deflectable to enable the collars to be received within said holes to mount the adaptor on the main yoke.

Preferably the main yoke and adaptor are dimensioned and arranged so that the main portion of the adaptor in which the opening means is formed fits snugly against a top surface or a bottom surface of the main yoke in dependence on whether the opening means is to be positioned, respectively, above or below the main yoke. Conveniently the said further opening means is positioned midway between said top and bottom surfaces.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a central portion of a wiper blade assembly with an adaptor attached from above to a main yoke of the wiper blade assembly, Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of a central portion of the main yoke shown in figure 1 with the adaptor detached therefrom, and Figure 3 is a perspective sectioned view on an enlarged scale through the main yoke shown in Figure 2 and illustrating a pivot pin locked in a pivot pin receiving hole formed in the main yoke.

Figure 1 shows a central portion of a dual wiper blade assembly generally designated 1. The assembly 1 comprises flexible squeegee-receiving backing strips 2 and 3 and a yoke assembly including a main yoke 4 and subsidiary yokes 5 and 6 (only two of which are partially shown in Figure 1). The subsidiary yokes 5, 6 have claws 7 in which are received the backing strips 2 and 3.

The central portion of the main yoke 4 is shown more clearly in Figure 2 and has spaced apart side walls 8 and 9 (see Figure 3) and top and bottom walls 10 and 11. A pivot pin-receiving generally circular cylindrical through opening 12 is formed between the side walls 8 and 9 and a resiliently deflectable finger 13 is arranged in the top wall 10, the finger including a latch portion 14 which projects radially into the opening 12. The opposite ends of the opening 12 are defined by annular collars 15 and 16 which project from the side walls 8 and 9, respectively.

Figure 3 shows a pivot pin 17 of a wiper arm (not shown) received in the opening 12. The pivot pin 17 has an annular recess 18 positioned between circular cylindrical portions 19 and 20 each of the same diameter. As can be seen, the latch portion 14 of the resilient finger 13 is received in the annular recess 18 to retain the pivot pin 17 within the opening 12 and the cylindrical wall of the opening 12 supports the circular cylindrical portions 19 and 20. The pivot pin 17 is able to turn within the opening 12 and is prevented from being axially withdrawn other than by deliberately resiliently flexing the finger 13 so that the latch portion 14 is moved radially out of the annular recess 18.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2 an adaptor 30 is detachably connectible to the main yoke 4. The adaptor 30 comprises a main portion 31 having a pivot pin-receiving generally circular cylindrical through opening 32 formed therein and a resiliently deflectable finger 33 with a latch portion (not shown) projecting radially into the opening 32. In addition the adaptor 30 has resiliently deflectable spaced apart side walls 40 and 41 each having a hole 42 therein. In order to mount the adaptor 30 on the main yoke 4, the side walls 40 are urged apart and the annular collars 15 and 16 are snap fitted into the holes 42 so that the adaptor straddles the main yoke 4 as shown in Figure 1 with its side walls 40 and 41 against the side walls 8 and 9 and its main portion 31 against the top wall 10.

The opening 32 and finger 33 are similar to the opening 12 and finger 13, respectively. However, the two openings are designed to receive differently sized pivot pins. In particular opening 12 is designed to receive a standard pivot pin of 3/16 inch (4.76 mm) diameter and opening 32 is designed to receive a standard pivot pin of 0.25 inch (6.35 mm) diameter. The axial length and depth of the annular recess 18 is different for the two different standard pivot pins and the position of the latch portion of the associated resilient finger 13 or 33 is designed accordingly.

The arrow A in Figure 2 indicates the direction in which the adaptor 30 is moved in order to mount the adaptor with its main portion 31 on top of the main yoke 4.

However the adaptor 30 and main yoke 4 are designed to enable the adaptor also to be mountable from below so that the main portion 31 lies beneath and closely adjacent the bottom wall 11 of the main yoke 4. To effect bottom mounting of the adaptor, it is necessary to invert the adaptor 30 from its orientation shown in Figure 2 and move it upwardly in the direction of arrow B. The facility of being able to mount the adaptor 30 beneath the main yoke 4 - i.e. so that the pin-receiving main portion 31 is located between the main yoke 4 and the backing strips 2 and 3 - is particularly important in situations where a low profile wiper is required, e.g. on vehicles where the wiper is arranged to be parked under the hood or bonnet where the latter meets the windscreen.

Whether the adaptor 30 is mounted to straddle the main yoke 4 from above or below, the adaptor is preferably designed so that its main portion 31 projects upwardly or downwardly, as the case may be, only a minimum amount from the top or bottom wall, respectively, of the main yoke.

Accordingly the main portion 31 has a low profile and has an inner surface designed to fit closely against the top or bottom walls 10 or 11 when the adaptor is mounted from above or below, respectively. In this case the through hole 12 should therefore be positioned midway between the top and bottom walls 10 and 11 which are preferably flat and parallel to each other.

The adaptor 30 may be modified in several ways. For example, instead of being mounted to the main yoke 4 by the collars 15 and 16 being received in the holes 42, it would be possible to provide inwardly directed lugs at the bottom (as viewed in Figures 1 and 2) of each side wall 40 and 41 which snap behind the bottom wall 11 (when the adaptor 30 is mounted from above) or behind the top wall 10 (when the adaptor 30 is mounted from below). Alternatively the adaptor may be designed to be mounted on a pivot pin (not shown) permanently secured between the side walls of the main yoke. In this case mounting means could be provided in the form of a recess which makes a snap-fit connection with the pivot pin.

Claims

1. A wiper adaptor for enabling releasable connection of a transverse pivot pin of a wiper arm to a main yoke of a wiper blade assembly, the wiper adaptor comprising opening means for receiving a transverse pivot pin of a wiper arm, latching means for releasably retaining the pivot pin within the opening means and mounting means for releasably mounting the adaptor on a main yoke of a wiper blade assembly so that the said opening means is positioned either above or below the main yoke.

2. A wiper adaptor according to claim 1, further comprising a main portion in which the opening means is formed and which is designed to be positioned immediately on top or immediately beneath the main yoke when the adaptor is mounted by the mounting means to the main yoke.

3. A wiper adaptor according to claim 2, in which the mounting means comprise spaced apart side walls arranged to embrace side walls of the main yoke so that the adaptor straddles the main yoke when releasably mounted thereon.

4. A wiper adaptor according to claim 3, in which each side wall of the adaptor has a hole therein, the holes being designed to receive projections extending from opposite side walls of the main yoke.

5. A wiper adaptor constructed and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing.

6. A combination of a wiper blade assembly comprising a main yoke and wiper adaptor as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3.

7. A combination according to claim 6, in which the said main yoke is provided with further opening means for receiving a differently dimensioned further transverse pivot pin of a wiper arm and further latching means for releasably retaining the further pivot pin within the further opening means.

8. A combination according to claim 7, in which opposite ends of the said further opening means are defined by collars projecting from opposite side walls of the main yoke and the said mounting means comprise holes in spaced apart resiliently deflectable parallel side walls of the adaptor, the said adaptor side walls being positionable externally of the side walls of the main yoke and being deflectable to enable the collars to be received within said holes to mount the adaptor on the main yoke.

9. A combination according to any one of claims 6 to 8, in which the said further opening means is positioned midway between top and bottom surfaces of the main yoke.

10. A combination according to any one of claims 6 to 9, in which the main yoke and adaptor are dimensioned and arranged so that the main portion of the adaptor in which the opening means is formed fits snugly against a top surface or a bottom surface of the main yoke in dependence on whether the opening means is to be positioned, respectively, above or below the main yoke.

11. A combination of a wiper blade assembly and a wiper adaptor, the combination being substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawing.