Windshield wiper

Details Windshield wiper Windshield wiper

1999-06-01

2002-07-09

Graham, Gary K. (Department: 1744)

Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning

Attachments

Optical-member-attachable cleaner

C015S250320

Reexamination Certificate

active

06415473

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention is based on a windshield wiper.
Known windshield wipers have a wiper arm, which is made up of a fastening element and a link element that is pivotably connected to it and that has a wiper rod, and a wiper blade, which is made up of a support bracket system with a main bracket, intermediate brackets, claw brackets, and a wiper strip. The wiper blade is pivotably connected to the wiper arm, in that a hooklike end of the wiper rod fits between two side cheeks of the main bracket and grasps a pivot bolt. The joint thus formed guides the wiper blade during the pivoting motion over the windshield, and the joint and the support bracket system make it possible for the wiper strip to adapt to the curvature of a windshield.
If the windshield is wet or damp and the sliding speed is high enough, the wiper strip slides without jerking over the windshield, such as curved motor vehicle windshields, and produces a clean, clear viewing area If the windshields are dirty, icy, or not damp enough, or if there is snow on the windshield, then the wiper blade begins to jitter as soon as the sliding speed drops below a critical point. Since the wiper blade then briefly loses its contact with the windshield, the wiping pattern is unsatisfactory. The wiper blade tends all the more to jittering, the longer its length and the more bracket parts it has. Furthermore, light wiper blades with low spring rigidity perform unfavorably.
Since the sliding speed of the wiper strip increases linearly from the inner end near its drive mechanism toward the outer end, the risk of jittering is especially high on the inner end at low angular speeds of the windshield wiper, since the coefficient of friction rises sharply as the speed drops.
From German Patent Disclosure DE 37 44 237 A1, a windshield, wiper is known which, between the wiper arm and a claw bracket, has a device for guiding the wiper blade. This device is secured to the wiper arm and with at least one guide cheek it guides the wiper blade in the region of an articulation point of a claw bracket on the side toward the drive mechanism. The cheeks have to be long enough to guide the wiper blade securely in all its positions. Depending on the curvature of the windshield and on the kinematics of the windshield wiper, there is the risk that long cheeks, in some positions, will collide with the windshield. Finding a compromise is difficult if the windshield wipers are supposed to be suitable for various windshields of quite different curvatures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, the first guide element of a device is laterally guided by a second guide element of the device in such a way that the spacing from the first guide element to the wiper arm toward the windshield can vary. Since part of the spacing change between the windshield and the wiper arm can be compensated for by the second guide element, the guide cheeks of the first guide element can be kept short, so there is no need to fear a collision with the windshield even if the windshield wiper is used for windshields of quite different curvatures.
The second guide element can be equipped, similarly the first guide element, with at least one guide cheek, which cooperates with the first guide element and allows a telescopelike displacement. The second guide element may, however, also expediently be embodied by a spring tongue, which acts as a steering arm. It laterally guides the first guide element very directly and resiliently connects it, perpendicular to the windshield, to the device. The spring tongue and the guide cheeks can also be employed in combination.
Further advantages will become apparent from the ensuing description of the drawing.
In the drawing, exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. The description and the claims include numerous characteristics in conjunction with one another. One skilled in the art will expediently also consider the characteristics individually and combine them into further appropriate combinations.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3123849 (1964-03-01), O'shei
patent: 3832751 (1974-09-01), Ursel et al.
patent: 4214344 (1980-07-01), Kohler et al.
patent: 5729861 (1998-03-01), Journee
patent: 2352536 (1975-04-01), None
patent: 37 44 237 (1989-07-01), None
patent: 38 29 343 (1990-03-01), None
patent: 44 06 131 (1995-09-01), None
patent: 196 05 428 (1997-08-01), None
patent: 2240264 (1991-07-01), None
patent: 435099 (1948-05-01), None
patent: 6-247262 (1994-09-01), None

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