WO2002004269A1 - Wiper device, especially for motor vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a wiper device (1), especially for motor vehicles, comprising a wiper blade that is provided with a wiper blade rubber element (2) with two opposite longitudinal grooves (4) and a support element in the form of two strip-like elongated spring rails (3) that are disposed in the longitudinal grooves and lie in one plane. A connecting element (7, 14, 15) disposed on the support element extends beyond the side of the wiper blade rubber element (2) facing away from the pane and links the wiper blade with a driven wiper arm (8). The invention is further characterized in that the connecting element is welded with the spring rails (3) in the area of the narrow sides (16) of the spring rails (3) that face away from each other. Preferably, the narrow sides are parallel to each other and extend in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade.

Description

Wiper device, in particular for motor vehicles

The invention relates to a wiper device, in particular for motor vehicles, with a wiper blade which has a squeegee with two longitudinal grooves lying opposite one another and a carrying element in the form of two elongated spring rails arranged in one plane and arranged in the longitudinal grooves, one of which faces away from the window On the side of the squeegee, connecting element arranged on the support element is provided for connecting the wiper blade to a drivable wiper arm. The invention also relates to a wiper blade.

With such a wiper device, the support element in the form of two band-like, elongated spring rails ensures optimal distribution of the wiper blade contact pressure from the wiper arm on the window. For this purpose, the support element is pre-bent in the unloaded state, that is, if the wiper blade is not in contact with the window, and assigns one of the curvature to the wiping dependent curvature on. The support element of such a wiper device thus replaces the complex support bracket construction with two spring rails arranged on the wiper strip, as has become known, for example, from DE 15 05 357.

From DE 197 29 864 AI a wiper device with a connecting element with claw-like lugs has become known, which grips around or engages behind the spring rails for holding and fixing the spring rails. Such a connecting element consists of two parts, which are pushed onto the spring rails in the transverse direction of the spring rails for mounting the wiper device and are screwed together with a screw connection. Such screwing of several individual parts for assembling the wiper device is associated with a high cost, particularly in large-scale production. In addition, no or only a limited rigid fixation and positioning of the two spring rails is achieved by means of the connecting element.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of proposing a wiper device which can be manufactured with minimal effort and assembled in a simple manner. This object is achieved according to the invention in a wiper device of the type described at the outset in that the connecting element is welded to the spring rails in the region of the narrow sides of the spring rails facing away from one another and preferably running parallel to one another and extending in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade. Such welding achieves a functionally reliable connection of the connecting element to the spring rails. Such welded connections can be implemented inexpensively, particularly in large-scale production.

Welding the spring rails to the

Connecting element also has the advantage that, on the one hand, the torsional rigidity and, on the other hand, the bending rigidity is increased transversely to the wiper blade axis. This results in a reduction in the chatter and vibration tendency of the wiper blade, in particular at higher vehicle speeds.

Due to the welding, a defined constant in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade can continue

Spring rail spacing can be guaranteed, which enables a good and smooth relative movement of the squeegee arranged between the two spring rails. A relative movement of the squeegee in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade is important because, in the case of different window curvatures, the wiper lip is optimally adapted to the window to be wiped due to the displaceability of the wiper rubber relative to the two spring rails in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade. In addition, an improved high-speed behavior of the wiper blade is achieved, since if the fixing is not carried out properly or if the spring rails do not run parallel, the wiper blade can be jerkily shifted, which can lead to unsatisfactory wiping results and to a lifting of the wiper blade from the window to be wiped.

The welding of the connecting element to the spring rails on the narrow sides of the spring rails, which face away from the space between the two spring rails, also has the advantage that welding is carried out in the area removed from the squeegee, thereby impairing the squeegee or the sides facing the squeegee the spring rails can be avoided by the welding process.

Another advantage is that the spring rails for connection to the connecting element do not have to have any special designs, for example in the form of recesses or embossments. The connecting element can advantageously be arranged in the longitudinal direction in the central region of the wiper blade. However, it is also conceivable that it can be provided on an end section of the wiper blade, depending on the intended form of application of the wiper device.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the welding is carried out by the

Connecting element so that the spring rails are connected to one another in the common contact planes with the connecting element. This has the advantage that no weld seams appear on the surface of the wiper device that could pose a risk of injury. In addition, post-treatment of the welds is also omitted, for example to protect them against corrosion.

The welding is advantageously carried out perpendicularly or at a defined angle to the common contact planes of the spring rails with the

Connecting element. Particularly in the case of a weld which is carried out from the side facing away from the wiper arm at an angle of 10 ° to 15 ° with respect to the contact planes, an advantageous and stable weld connection is achieved achieved. When welding at such an angle of attack, the melted surface is relatively large, which leads to a better and, in particular, more stable connection.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the spring rails do not protrude or only slightly in the transverse direction from the longitudinal grooves of the wiper rubber. This has the particular advantage that the wiper blade or the wiper device can be made very slim. In contrast to the prior art known from DE 197 29 864 AI, the top and bottom sides of the spring rails are not required for connecting the connecting element to the two spring rails. According to the invention, the connection element is connected to the spring rails by welding the connection element to the narrow sides of the two spring rails facing away from one another. A slim wiper blade has the particular advantage that no accumulations of leaves or, for example, leaves or snow in the cold season can occur between the windshield and the spring rails that do not protrude or only slightly in the transverse direction from the longitudinal grooves of the wiper rubber. Another advantage over the known prior art is that a slim wiper blade has better high-speed behavior. In the known wiper devices, in which the spring rails protrude relatively far in the transverse direction from the longitudinal grooves of the wiper rubber, air vortices are formed between the spring rails and the window, which can lead to the wiper blade being lifted off the window and thus adversely affect the wiping result.

Another advantage of such a slim wiper blade is that the total weight of the wiper device is significantly lower than in the known state of the art, which means that the drivable wiper arm can accelerate and brake smaller masses during the wiping process. As a result, a weaker drive unit can be used, which in turn results in weight and power savings.

Furthermore, a wiper blade, in which the spring rails do not protrude from the longitudinal grooves of the wiper rubber, or protrude only slightly in the transverse direction, offers a substantially smaller contact surface for the head wind acting on the wiper device, so that a reduction in driving noise is also achieved. In a further embodiment of the invention, the connecting element does not engage behind the spring rails. As a result, the connecting element can advantageously be made in one piece and placed perpendicular to the wiping plane, from the side facing away from the window, and welded to the spring rails. Such assembly of the wiper device is associated with enormous cost savings, particularly in large series production.

It can advantageously be provided that the spring rails have a coating, in particular an anti-corrosion coating, except for the welding areas, the connecting element completely covering the welding areas of the spring rails. When the connecting element is welded to the spring rails, which is perpendicular or at an angle of attack to the narrow sides of the spring rails, this has the particular advantage that corrosion of the spring rails does not occur or does not appear at the welding points.

In another embodiment of the invention, the regions of the connecting element of the spring rail surface facing the welding regions of the spring rails and, if appropriate, of the coating have embossments corresponding to them. Such embossments enable the spring rails to be positioned precisely on the connecting element. Due to the embossing corresponding to the spring rail surface, the contact surface of the connecting element is optimally adapted to the spring rails, whereby an exact and constant welding can take place. If the spring bars have a corrosion-resistant coating, it is necessary to remove them before welding. This can be done by burning, scraping, scraping or the like. respectively. The embossing advantageously looks at a shoulder corresponding to the thickness of the removed coating, so that an exact contact of the areas of the spring rails to be welded with the corresponding areas of the connecting element can be provided.

The connecting element is advantageously made of a corrosion-resistant material, for example of a stainless steel material.

In another embodiment of the invention, the welding is carried out by means of a laser welding. With laser welding, very precise welding, even of small components, can be carried out efficiently and cost-effectively. Another advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the connecting element is a sheet metal part, in particular a deep-drawn sheet metal part. The fact that the connecting element can be manufactured in one piece results in considerable cost savings in production. A pre-assembly of the connecting element is not necessary.

Further advantageous refinements and details of the invention can be found in the following description, in which the invention is described and explained in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawing.

Show it:

1: a wiper device according to the invention with a connecting element in a perspective view;

Fig. 2: a section of an inventive

Wiper device with a connecting element;

3: a detail from another wiper device according to the invention with a different connecting element; Fig. 4 is a side view of that shown in Fig. 2

Connecting element with a spring rail; and

5: a partial section of FIG. 4.

The wiper device 1 for motor vehicles shown in FIG. 1 has a wiper blade which has a wiper rubber 2 and a carrying element in the form of two spring rails 3 which are elongated in a plane and are in the same plane, only one spring rail 3 being visible in FIG. 1 is. The two spring rails 3 are arranged in two mutually opposite longitudinal grooves 4, which can be clearly seen in particular in FIGS. 2 and 3, on the wiper rubber 2. The wiper device 1 shown in FIG. 1 also has a connecting element 7, which connects the wiper blade to a drivable wiper arm 8. At its end of the wiper arm 8 facing the connecting element 7, a connecting part 9 is provided, which connects the wiper arm 8 to the connecting element 7 in an articulated manner via a bolt 10 connecting the connecting element 7 to the connecting part 9.

The end of the wiper rubber 2 facing away from the window has one, as can be clearly seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, spoiler-like approach 12. The spoiler-like approach 12 increases the contact pressure of the wiper device 1 on the window pane to be wiped, not shown, in particular at higher driving speeds. The wiper device 1 shown in FIG. 1 also has cover caps 13 at the free ends of the wiper blade 2. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the spring rails 3 protrude from the longitudinal grooves 4 in the transverse direction of the wiper blade.

2 and 3, which show two differently designed connecting elements 14 and 15, show that the two connecting elements 14 and 15 overlap the side of the wiper rubber 2 facing away from the window, namely the spoiler-like attachment 12. Advantageously, both connecting elements 14 and 15 are made in one piece from a sheet metal part, in particular from a deep-drawn sheet metal part. Both connecting elements 14 and 15 are each welded to the spring rails 3 on the narrow sides 16 of the spring rails 3 which face away from one another and run parallel to one another in the longitudinal direction. As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the two connecting elements 14 and 15 are welded to each spring rail 3 each with two spot welding points 17. The weld 17 is advantageously carried out with a laser welding device, the weld 17 being perpendicular to the Levels of contact of the spring rails 3 with the connecting element 14 or 15 takes place, so that the planes of contact of the spring rails 3 are connected with those of the connecting element 14 or 15. Instead of a vertical weld, the weld can also be carried out at an angle of attack.

In addition to another embodiment of the connecting element 14, FIG. 2 differs from FIG. 3 in that in FIG. 2 the spring rails 3 do not protrude from the longitudinal grooves 4 of the wiper rubber 2 or only slightly in the transverse direction. By welding the connecting element 14 to the opposite ends of the spring rails 3, it is possible according to the invention to make the wiper blade very slim. In order to ensure that the connecting element 14 bears optimally on the spring rails 3, the regions of the connecting element 14 facing the spring rail 3 have an embossing 18 corresponding to the spring rail surface.

The embossing 18 can be clearly seen in FIG. 4. The embossing is advantageously designed in such a way that there is no air gap between the spring rail 3 and the region of the connecting element 14 having the embossing 18 which negatively affects the welding could affect. Moisture or water could also enter such an air gap, which can possibly lead to corrosion of the connecting element 14 or the spring rail 3.

FIG. 4 also shows the plane of contact of the one spring rail 4 with the connecting element 14, which is indicated by the dash-dotted line 20. The weld

can advantageously take place at an angle α of approximately 13 °, which is indicated by the arrow 21.

It is clear from section V of FIG. 4 shown in FIG. 5 that the spring rail 3 has a coating, in particular a corrosion protection coating 19. In order to achieve an optimal welding of the connecting element 14 with the spring rail 3, it is necessary to remove the coating 19 at the areas of the welding. This can advantageously be done by scraping, burning or other known methods. In order to enable the embossing 18 to lie optimally on the area of the wiper strip 3 which has been freed from the coating 19, the embossing 18 provides two shoulders 22 which correspond to the thickness of the coating 19. Advantageously, as shown in FIG. 5, the Connecting element 14 completely removes the welding areas freed from the coating. Due to the embossed heels 22, corrosion of the areas of the spring rail 3 without coating, at least in the visible area, is prevented. In FIG. 5, the spot welds 17, which connect the contact planes of the connecting element 14 with the spring rail 3, can also be clearly seen. As an alternative to this, it is conceivable to provide welding along a line instead of individual welding points 17, in which case the entire areas of the spring rails freed from the coating are advantageously welded to the connecting element.

The connecting element 14 also has a circular cylindrical opening 23 for connection to the wiper arm.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3, the spring rails 3 protrude clearly from the longitudinal grooves 4 in the transverse direction. The connecting element 15 has two support sections 27 which rest on the areas of the spring rail 3 protruding from the longitudinal grooves 4 and whose free ends bent at right angles rest on the narrow sides 16 of the two spring rails 3 facing away from one another. This on the narrow sides 16 of the Areas of the connecting element 15 which are in contact with the spring rails are welded to the spring rails via the welding points 17.

The embodiments according to FIGS. 2 and 3 have in common that the connecting element 14 or 15 does not engage behind the two spring rails. This allows the connecting element 14 or 15 to be welded to the spring rails 3 from above, i.e. from the side facing away from the window, onto the wiper blade or onto the spring rails 3 inserted into the longitudinal grooves 4 of the wiper rubber 2, and are welded thereon.

In contrast to the connecting element 14 according to FIG. 2, to which a wiper arm can be articulated laterally via the opening 23, the connecting element 15 according to FIG. 3 provides articulation of the wiper arm above the wiper blade. For this purpose, the connecting element 15 has various cutouts 28 and webs 29.

All the features shown in the description, the following claims and the drawing can be essential to the invention both individually and in any combination with one another.

Claims

claims 1. Wiper device (1), in particular for motor vehicles, with a wiper blade, which has a squeegee (2) with two opposing longitudinal grooves (4) and a support element in the form of two in the longitudinal grooves (4) arranged in a plane, band-like Elongated spring rails (3), wherein a connecting element (7, 14, 15), which overlaps the side of the wiper rubber (2) facing away from the window, is provided for connecting the wiper blade to a drivable wiper arm (8), characterized in that that the connecting element (14, 15) is welded to the spring rails (3) in the region of the narrow sides (16) of the spring rails (3) facing away from one another, preferably running parallel to one another and extending in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade. 2. Wiper device according to claim 1, characterized in that the welding (17) through the connecting element (14, 15) takes place, so that the spring rails (3) with the connecting element (14, 15) in the common contact planes (20) with each other get connected. 3. Wiper device according to claim 2, characterized in that the welding takes place perpendicular to the common contact planes (20). 4. Wiper device according to claim 2, characterized in that the welding takes place at an angle. 5. Wiper device according to claim 4, characterized in that the weld of the wiper arm (8) opposite side at an angle () in the range of about 10 ° to 15 ° with respect to the contact planes (20). 6. Wiper device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spring rails (3) do not or only slightly protrude in the transverse direction from the longitudinal grooves (4) of the wiper rubber (2). 7. Wiper device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the Connecting element (14, 15) does not engage behind the spring rails (3). 8. Wiper device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spring rails (3) have a coating (19), in particular a corrosion protection coating, except for the welding regions, the connecting element (14) completely covering the welding regions of the spring rails (3). 9. Wiper device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the areas of the connecting element of the spring rail surface facing the welding regions of the spring rails (3) and optionally the coating (19) have corresponding embossments (18). 10. Wiper device according to one of the preceding claims, that the connecting element (14, 15) is made of a corrosion-resistant material. 11. Wiper device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the weld is a laser weld. 12. Wiper device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connecting element (14, 15) is a sheet metal part, in particular a deep-drawn sheet metal part. 13. Wiper blade for a wiper device according to one of the preceding claims.