Title of Invention

ADAPTER WITH WHICH TO CONNECT A WIPER BLADE TO A WIPER ARM IN AN ARTICULATED MANNER

Abstract

Abstract The invention emanates from an adapter (38, 66) for an articulated linking of a wiper blade (24) to a wiper arm (10) using the Side-lock System, whereby the adapter (38, 66) has an essentially cylindrical, longitudinally slit bearing element (40, 68) that can be inserted into rim holes (34) in the side walls (30) of a suspension box (28) of the wiper blade (24) and, using latching hooks (50), can be fixed at a first end at the edge of a rim hole (34), while its second end is connected to a contact surface (54, 78) that lies adjacent to the external side of the opposite side wall (30) and is secured against twisting by means of at least one clip (58, 80). It is proposed that the clip (58, 80) have a latching tappet (60) which points in the direction of the bearing element and latches during assembly at an edge of the allocated side wall (30) of the suspension box (28). (Fig. 1)

Full Text

ADAPTER WITH WHICH TO CONNECT A WIPER BLADE TO A WIPER ARM IN AN ARTICULATED MANNER Prior Art The invention emanates from an adapter with which to connect a wiper blade to a wiper arm in an articulated manner according to the preamble of Claim 1. Established windscreen wipers exhibit a wiper arm that sits on a wiper shaft and which is driven by a wiper motor. A wiper blade is connected in an articulated manner to the free end of the wiper arm. It usually has a multi-element gimbal system with a main clamp to which subordinate clamps are hinged, of which at least some hold a wiper arm at their ends with prongs. Wiper blades that are not articulated are also established and that, instead of the gimbal system, have a resilient, elastic supporting member, perpendicular to the vehicle's windscreen, manufactured from a synthetic material. In order to improve the resilient property, the blade can have at least one resilient bar made from spring steel. The supporting member has a stronger curvature than the vehicle's windscreen in an unloaded state, so that the wiper arm lies against the vehicle's windscreen under clamping pressure of the wiper arm with a specific pressure distribution. A windscreen wiper with a wiper blade and with a main clamp is established in DE 101 62 402 A1, which is articulated at a wiper arm using a so-called "Side-lock System". For this purpose, a pin is riveted laterally at the free end of the wiper arm that exhibits an open, U-shaped profile in the direction towards the vehicle's windscreen. The pin points diagonal to the longitudinal direction of the wiper arm and to the wiper blade. The pin is pushed into a through hole of an adapter during assembly of the wiper blade, which is inserted beforehand into two rim holes that lie opposite one another in the side walls of a suspension box of the wiper blade. For this purpose, the adapter has an essentially cylindrical bearing element that has at least one longitudinal slot and bearing surfaces at its ends with which it pivots in the rim hole of the suspension box. The slot enables the bearing element to yield elastically in a radial manner and to re-splay after passing through the rim holes. The bearing element can thus be fixed axially in the suspension box between the latching hooks at a first end and at a contact surface at its second end. If the pin is inserted into the through hole, the bearing element will not be able to yield any more in a radial manner so that the adapter can no longer come lose from the suspension box. In order to avoid relative rotation between the pin and the adapter, the adapter has a clip with a latching tappet at its second end, which latches during assembly at the side piece of the U-shaped profile of the wiper arm. This is made difficult because the latching tappet has to be set up on the side piece of the U-shaped profile. Furthermore, the relative movement takes place between the relatively narrow bearing surfaces and the low wall thickness of the rim holes, which results in high surface load of the articulated surfaces. A bond bridge, which is angled at its free end towards the side of the pin, is located at the wiper arm parallel to the pin and offset in the longitudinal direction. The pin can be pushed into the through holes of the adapter in an assembly position in which the wiper blade is held diagonal to the longitudinal direction of the wiper arm. If the wiper blade is subsequently turned in the longitudinal direction of the wiper arm, the bond bridge overlaps the wiper blade and secures it with the angled end so that the wiper blade is guided on to the pin between the angled end of the bond bridge and the wiper arm, when in the assembled state. A similar windscreen wiper is, moreover, established in DE 101 62 397 A1 with a wiper blade and a main clamp that is hinged at a wiper arm using the so-called "Side-lock System". The cylindrical adapter is pressed into the rim hole till it lies adjacent to one end of the external side of the suspension box with a collar. Since the adapter sits firmly in the wiper blade, relative movement takes place between the adapter on the one hand and the wiper arm and/or its pin on the other hand. Furthermore, the parts of the wiper arm and of the wiper blade that are, as a rule, manufactured from sheet metal, are insulated from one another by the adapter which is made from a synthetic material so that movement noises and abrasion are minimised. A plate that is made from a synthetic material is affixed at the allocated external side of the suspension box in order to ensure that the angled end of the bond bridge glides with a narrow clearance on this side of the suspension box when in the assembled state. This exhibits cut-outs for the edges of the rim holes and for the projecting end of the joint bolt at the side that faces the suspension box. Furthermore, a recess is provided in the region of the pin so that the pin and, if required, the adapter can project a short distance over the allocated rim hole and its edge respectively. The plate neutralises any unevenness on the external side of the suspension box so that the angled end of the bond bridge runs across a smooth contact surface. The plate can be screwed onto, riveted onto, be stuck onto or clipped onto the suspension box. If screws or rivets are used they should, to advantage, have a countersunk head. The number of components increases as a result of the plate. Advantage of the Invention In accordance with the invention, the clip has a latching tappet that points in the direction of the bearing element and latches at the edge of the allocated side wall of the suspension box during assembly. The adapter is thus connected to the suspension box in a torque-proof manner so that, to advantage, no relative rotational movement occurs between the rim holes and the periphery of the bearing part. The rotary movement required for the hinge takes place exclusively between the bearing bore of the adapter and the pin of the wiper arm. Here the bearing surfaces can have such large dimensions that no abrasion worth mentioning occurs. Should the adapter, nevertheless, still have to be replaced, the same can be executed easily by releasing the clip and pulling the adapter out from the rim holes. The adapter, furthermore, no longer has to be set up on the wiper arm during assembly of the wiper blade at the wiper arm. In one of the designs of the invention, the second end of the bearing element is formed at a cap that lies adjacent to the allocated side wall of the suspension box with its contact surface, when in the assembled condition, and exhibits at least one clip. The cap can fulfil several functions. It, first of all, safeguards the bearing element from twisting in the rim holes and, in addition, covers the rim holes and the joint bolts at the external side wall so that the same are protected from moisture and dirt. The cap can, furthermore, have a contact surface for an angled end of a bond bridge of a wiper arm at its external side. This simplifies assembly of the wiper blade and enables closer tolerances in an axial direction of the pin so that the wiper blade can be better guided onto the pin of the wiper arm. Drawing Further advantages arise from the following descriptions of the drawing. Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the drawing. The drawing, description and claims contain a plurality of features in combination. The expert can also appropriately consider the features individually and combine same in other expedient combinations. Figure 1 is a magnified illustration of an articulated link between a wiper arm and a wiper blade. Figure 2 is a perspective view of a variant of an adapter according to Figure 1 and Figure 3 is a perspective view of an articulated link to an adapter in an assembled state according to Figure 2. Description of the Exemplary Embodiments Only parts of a wiper arm 10 and of a wiper blade 24 (Fig. 1) of a windscreen wiper are illustrated to the extent necessary for comprehension. The wiper arm 10 has a U-shaped profile 16 at whose side pieces 18 a pin 22 is affixed laterally, diagonal to the longitudinal direction 64 and pointing to the wiper blade 24, so that the wiper blade 24 can be assembled according to the Side-lock System. Furthermore, a bond bridge 12 is formed at the free end of the wiper arm 10, which is located parallel to the pin 22 and offset relative to the same in the longitudinal direction 64. The wiper blade 24 has a gimbal system of which a main clamp 26 is illustrated. This has a suspension box 28 whose side walls 30 are connected to one another by means of joint bolts 32. Apart from this, two rim holes 34 lying opposite one another are respectively located in the side walls 30 at both sides of the joint bolts 32, offset in the longitudinal direction 64. The wiper blade 24 is linked in an articulated manner to the wiper arm 10 with the aid of an adapter 38. The adapter 38 is an essentially cylindrical component (Fig. 2) with a bearing element 40 to which bearing surfaces 42, 44 connect at the two ends. The bearing surface 44, pointing to the wiper arm 10, is bordered by a collar 52 with an axially effective contact surface 54. A clip 58, with a latching tappet 60 that points to the wiper blade 24, is formed at the periphery of the collar 52. The bearing surfaces 42 at the other end of the adapter 38 are bordered towards the outside by latching hooks 50, which form the end of spring guides. These are fabricated by longitudinal cuts 48, distributed across the periphery in the region of the bearing surfaces 42 and of the latching hooks 50. One or several longitudinal slots 48 outreach the bearing element 40, so that the external diameter of the bearing element 40 too can be temporarily reduced to the internal diameter of the rim hole 34 for assembly. The longitudinal slots 48 extend in the radial direction from the external peripheral surface up to a through hole 46 which extends in an axial direction through the adapter 38. The adapter 38 is pushed into a pair of rim holes 34 in the assembly direction while the wiper blade 24 is being assembled, whereby, the external periphery of the latching hooks 50 conform to the internal diameter of the rim holes 34. The same applies to the bearing element 40 with reference to the first rim hole 34 in assembly direction 62. The latching hooks re-splay as soon as they have passed the second rim hole 34 in assembly direction 62. The bearing element 40 too gets splayed in this position. The wiper blade 24 is axially fixed on the adapter 38 between the contact surfaces 54 of the collar 52 and the latching hook 50, which respectively lie adjacent to the edges 36 of the rim holes 34 that are directed outwards. In order to safeguard the adapter 38 from twisting in the rim holes 34, the clip 58 latches with its latching tappet 60 at an edge of the allocated side wall 30 of the suspension box 28. The wiper blade 24 together with the assembled adapter 38 is turned around a longitudinal axis of the adapter 38 by 90° to the longitudinal direction 64 of the wiper arm 10 in order to be able to push the pin 22 of the wiper arm 10 into the through hole 46 of the adapter 38. If the wiper blade 24 is now turned back on the pin 22 to its initial position, parallel to the longitudinal direction 64 of the wiper arm 10, the bond bridge overlaps the suspension box 28 of the wiper arm 10 and secures the wiper blade 24 on the pin 22 in an axial direction between its angled end 14 and a contact surface 20 at the inner side piece 18 of the U-shaped profile 16. Since the relative rotary movement of the joint takes place only between the pin 22 and the adapter 38, the same gives rise to large minimally loaded bearing surfaces with a long service life. Apart from this, the adapter 38 is simple to assemble and can be easily replaced in the case of wear and tear. In a design of the adapter 66 according to Figure 2, a latching hook 72 is provided at the first end at the essentially cylindrical bearing element 68, whereas a cap 76 is formed at the second end. The cap 76 extends in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade 24 into the area of the rim holes 34 and of the joint bolts 32 and covers the rim holes 34 as well covers the edges 36 that project outwards. The edges 36 as well as the, in circumstances, projecting end of the joint bolt 32 find place in the recesses 84 of the cap 76. Cap 76 has a contact surface 78 at the edge of the recesses 84 with which it lies against the external side of the allocated side wall 30 of the suspension box 28. The lateral rim holes 34 are thus protected from moisture and dirt. The bearing element 68 has several longitudinal slots 70 distributed along the periphery, that stretch in a radial manner from one bearing bore 74 for the pin 22 up to the external periphery. The external diameter of the latching hooks 72 can, thereby, be compressed to the inner diameter of the rim holes 34. As soon as the latching hooks 72 have passed the rim holes 34, the bearing element 68 re-splays itself, whereby the adapter 66 is fixed between the contact surface 78 and the latching hook 72 at the suspension box. In addition, the cap 76 exhibits clips 80 at its edge that faces the suspension box 28, with which the adapter 66 locks in place at the edges of the allocated side wall 30 of the suspension box 28 during assembly and the bearing element 68 is consequently secured against twisting. A contact surface 82 is provided for the angled end 14 of the bond bridge 12 at that side of the cap 76 that faces away from the bearing element 68. The smooth surface renders a simple assembly of the wiper blade 24 at the wiper arm 10 possible. In addition, the angled end 14 can be designed with a low clearance to the contact surface 82. Good guide conduct results between the wiper arm 10 and the wiper blade 24 as a result of the close tolerances. Finally, cap 76 that is closed towards the outside improves the optical impression of the articulated link. Claims 1. Adapter (38, 66) for an articulated linking of the wiper blade (24) to a wiper arm (10) using the Side-lock System, whereby the adapter (38, 66) has an essentially cylindrical, long, slit bearing element (40, 68), that can be inserted in the rim holes (34) in the side walls (30) of a suspension box (28) of the wiper blade (24) and, using latching hooks (50), can be fixed at a first end at the edge of a rim hole (34), while its second end is connected to a contact surface (54, 78), that lies adjacent to the external side of the side wall (30) lying opposite and is secured against twisting by at least one clip (58, 80), characterised in that, the clip (58, 80) has a latching tappet (60) that points in the direction of the bearing element and latches during assembly at an edge of the allocated side wall (30) of the suspension box (28). 2. Adapter (66) according to Claim 1, characterised in that, the second end is formed at a cap (76) that, in the assembled state, lies adjacent to the allocated side wall (30) with a contact surface (78) and has at least one clip (80). 3. Adapter (66) according to Claim 2, characterised in that, the cap (76) has a contact surface (82) at its external side for an angled end (14) of a bond bridge (12) of the wiper arm (10). 4. Adapter (66) according to Claim 2 or 3, characterised in that, the cap (76) has recesses (84) at the side of the bearing element (68) and, in the assembled state, covers the rim holes (34) in the external side wall (30) and a joint bolt (32) towards the outside.

Documents:

3755-CHENP-2006 AMENDED CLAIMS 05-2-2014.pdf

3755-CHENP-2006 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 22-05-2013.pdf

3755-CHENP-2006 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 08-08-2012.pdf

3755-CHENP-2006 AMENDED CLAIMS 22-05-2013.pdf

3755-CHENP-2006 AMENDED PAGES OF SPECIFICATION 22-05-2013.pdf

3755-CHENP-2006 AMENDED CLAIMS 23-11-2012.pdf

3755-CHENP-2006 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 05-2-2014.pdf

3755-CHENP-2006 EXAMIANTION REPORT REPLY RECEIVED 23-11-2012.pdf

3755-CHENP-2006 FORM-3 23-11-2012.pdf

3755-CHENP-2006 OTHER PATENT DOCUMENT 23-11-2012.pdf

3755-CHENP-2006 OTHERS 23-11-2012.pdf

3755-CHENP-2006 POWER OF ATTORNEY 23-11-2012.pdf

3755-CHENP-2006 FORM-18.pdf

3755-CHENP-2006 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS.pdf

3755-CHENP-2006 FORM 18.pdf

3755-chenp-2006-abstract.pdf

3755-chenp-2006-abstract.pdf-image.jpg

3755-chenp-2006-claims.pdf

3755-chenp-2006-correspondnece-others.pdf

3755-chenp-2006-description(complete).pdf

3755-chenp-2006-drawings.pdf

3755-chenp-2006-form 1.pdf

3755-chenp-2006-form 26.pdf

3755-chenp-2006-form 3.pdf

3755-chenp-2006-form 5.pdf