Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Attachments – Optical-member-attachable cleaner
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-30
2001-09-25
Graham, Gary K. (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Attachments
Optical-member-attachable cleaner
C015S250300, C296S192000, C296S096170
Reexamination Certificate
active
06292975
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wiper apparatus for wiping a windshield of a motor vehicle and more particularly, to a wiper unit provided with a wiper motor, a wiper arm, a pivot shaft, a pivot arm and a link connecting rod incorporatedly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A wiper apparatus disclosed in non-examined Japanese Patent Publication Hei No.9-39742 (
FIG. 2
) has been known as a wiper unit incorporatedly provided with a wiper motor, a wiper arm, a pivot shaft, a pivot arm and a link connecting rod.
In the aforementioned wiper unit, the wiper motor is fixed with a bracket formed independently form the wiper motor, and a tubular shaped wiper frame is fixed to the bracket, accordingly there is the possibility of looseness at either in a connected portion between wiper motor and bracket or a connected portion between bracket and wiper frame and there is a problem in that deterioration in quality may be caused by the mechanical vibration on basis of the looseness in the connected portion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a wiper unit which is possible to firmly connect the wiper frame with the wiper motor without slackness by directly connecting between the wiper motor and the wiper frame.
The construction of the wiper unit according to this invention for achieving the above-mentioned object is characterized by comprising a wiper motor provided with an armature rotating in a motor yoke, a gear case screwed to the motor yoke, and an output shaft connected with the armature through a reduction gear; a motor arm fixed to the output shaft of the wiper motor; a wiper frame having a tubular shaped frame body, a body-fixation part to be fixed to the vehicle body at an end of the frame body, and a pivot shaft holder; a pivot shaft rotatably supported by the pivot shaft holder of the wiper frame; a pivot arm secured to the pivot shaft; and a link connecting rod rotatably connected with the motor arm and the pivot arm, respectively; wherein the frame body of the wiper frame is provided with a case-fixing portion; and the gear case of the wiper motor is provided with a frame-holder portion with a semi-circular cross section to be fitted with the case-fixing portion of the wiper frame for supporting the wiper frame at the case-fixing portion.
The wiper frame may be secured to the gear case of the wiper motor by tightening a screw passed through a screw hole formed in the case-fixing portion of the wiper frame into a threaded hole formed in the frame-holder portion of the gear case, or caulking a rivet passed through a rivet hole formed in the case-fixing portion of the wiper frame and a rivet through hole formed in the frame-holder portion of the gear case in a preferred embodiment of this invention.
A wiper unit according to another embodiment of this invention may be further provided with a frame cover fixed on the case-fixing portion of the wiper frame for substantially covering the whole circumference of the case-fixing portion together with the frame-holder portion of the gear case.
In a wiper unit according to the other preferred embodiment, both ends of the frame cover may be slightly separated from the frame-holder portion of the gear case. Further in a wiper unit according to the other desirable embodiment of this invention, the frame-holder portion of the gear case may be provided with cutouts for receiving both ends of the frame cover, respectively.
In the wiper unit according to this invention, the frame body of the wiper frame is provided with the case-fixing portion, and the gear case of the wiper motor is provided with a frame-holder portion for supporting the wiper frame at the case-fixing portion, and the wiper frame is directly fixed to the gear case without any intermediate member by, for example, tightening the screw passed through the screw hole formed in the case-fixing portion of the wiper frame into the threaded hole formed in the frame-holder portion of the gear case, or caulking the rivet passed through the rivet holes formed in the case-fixing portion of the wiper frame and the frame-holder portion of the gear case. Therefore, the wiper frame is secured firmly by the resiliency without looseness since the wiper frame is supported by the frame-holder portion and deformation of the wiper frame caused by tightening the screw or caulking the rivet is restrained in some degree by the frame-holder portion having the semi-circular cross section to be fitted with the case-fixing portion of the wiper frame.
In the wiper unit according to another embodiment of this invention, which is further provided with the frame cover fixed on the case-fixing portion of the wiper frame, the wiper frame is secured to the frame-holder portion of the gear case in a state where the whole circumference of the case-fixing portion is substantially covered by the frame cover and the frame-holder portion of the gear case, therefore the wiper frame is further firmly secured by the resiliency to the gear case because the deformation of the wiper frame is restrained by the frame-holder portion and the frame cover.
In the wiper unit according to the other embodiment of this invention, both ends of the frame cover are slightly separated from the frame-holder portion of the gear case, therefore the frame cover is never contact with the gear case at the time of fixing the wiper frame to the frame-holder portion of the gear case and the resiliency of the wiper frame works efficiently for combining between the wiper frame and the gear case.
Further in the wiper unit according to the other embodiment, the frame-holder portion of the gear case has cutouts to receive respective ends of the frame cover, therefore the frame cover is prevented from the deformation by the cutout of the frame-holder portion at the time of tightening the screw or caulking the rivet and the wiper frame is further firmly secured to the gear case.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5074613 (1991-12-01), Unterborn
patent: 5203602 (1993-04-01), Eustache
patent: 5222706 (1993-06-01), Hoshino
patent: 5441227 (1995-08-01), Hayashi
patent: 5878631 (1999-03-01), Muehlpforte et al.
patent: 5956800 (1999-09-01), Morin et al.
patent: 2529949 (1976-08-01), None
patent: 2621287 (1989-04-01), None
patent: 2640211 (1990-06-01), None
patent: 2227926 (1990-08-01), None
patent: 9-39742 (1997-02-01), None
Isii Yosinori
Ito Koji
Murata Yukiho
Graham Gary K.
Jidosha Denki Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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