WINDSCREEN WIPER DEVICE

Abstract

A windscreen wiper device comprising an elongated wiper blade of the flat blade type made of a flexible material, adapted to be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, where the wiper blade includes at least one groove in which a longitudinal elastic strip is disposed. The windscreen wiper device includes an oscillating arm connected to the wiper blade. The oscillating arm is able to move between a downward reversal position in use facing towards a bottom edge of the windscreen to be wiped and an upward reversal position in use facing away from the bottom edge of the windscreen to be wiped. The windscreen wiper device also comprises a washing unit having at least one nozzle for spraying a washing liquid onto the windscreen to be wiped. The washing unit is arranged for automatically disposing a washing liquid onto the windscreen to be wiped in a direction of movement of the oscillating arm and ahead of the wiper blade.

Claims

1. A windscreen wiper device comprising: an elongated wiper blade of the flat blade type made of a flexible material, adapted to be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, wherein said wiper blade includes at least one grooved in which a longitudinal elastic strip is disposed; an oscillating arm connected to said wiper blade, wherein said oscillating arm is able to move between a downward reversal position in use facing towards a bottom edge of the windscreen to be wiped and an upward reversal position in use facing away from the bottom edge of the windscreen to be wiped; and a washing unit having at least one nozzle for spraying a washing liquid onto the windscreen to be wiped, wherein said washing unit is arranged for automatically disposing a washing liquid onto the windscreen to be wiped in a direction of movement of said oscillating arm and ahead of said wiper blade.

2. The windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, wherein said washing unit is arranged for disposing the washing liquid onto the windscreen to be wiped in a direction away from the bottom edge of the windscreen to be wiped only upon movement of said oscillating arm towards the upward reversal position.

3. The windscreen wiper device according to claim 2, wherein said washing unit is arranged for disposing the washing liquid onto the windscreen to be wiped during a time period in which said oscillating arm encloses an angle α between 0° and 70° with the horizontal, particularly between 0° and 60°, more in particular between 0° and 45°.

4. The windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, wherein said washing unit is arranged for disposing a washing liquid onto the windscreen to be wiped in a direction towards the bottom edge of the windscreen to be wiped only upon movement of said oscillating arm towards the downward reversal position.

5. The windscreen wiper device according to claim 4, wherein said washing unit is arranged for disposing the washing liquid onto the windscreen to be wiped during a time period in which said oscillating arm encloses an angle α between 90° and 30° with the horizontal, particularly between 90° and 45°.

6. The windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, wherein said nozzle comprises a spraying head detachably connected thereto.

7. The windscreen wiper device according to claim 6, wherein said spraying head is detachably connected to said nozzle through a snapping connection.

8. The windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, wherein one end of said oscillating arm is adapted to be pivotally connected to a mounting head mounted on a drive shaft and wherein another end of said oscillating arm is adapted to be pivotally connected to said wiper blade, wherein said oscillating arm can oscillate to-and-from between the downward reversal position and the upward reversal position, and wherein said washing unit is mounted on said oscillating arm.

9. The windscreen wiper device according to claim 8, wherein at least a part of said oscillating arm comprises a single sheet material, wherein parts of said sheet material are folded outwardly to form legs of a U-shaped cross-section of said oscillating arm, and wherein said washing unit is mounted on one of said legs.

10. The windscreen wiper device according to claim 8, wherein the other end of said oscillating arm adapted to be pivotally connected through a bayonet connection to said wiper blade.

11. The windscreen wiper device according to claim 1, wherein said washing unit is mounted on said wiper blades.

12. The windscreen wiper device according to claim 11, wherein said wiper blade comprises a central groove for said longitudinal elastic strip, wherein said central groove is defined by a bottom wall, a top wall and side walls, and wherein said washing unit is mounted on one of said side walls.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to figures illustrated in a drawing, wherein:

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a windscreen wiper arm equipped with a wiper blade of the flat blade type;

[0020] FIG. 2 is a schematic bottom view of the windscreen wiper arm of FIG. 1;

[0021] FIG. 3 shows diagrammatically how the washing unit (with a control device) is arranged for disposing a washing liquid onto the windscreen to be wiped; and

[0022] FIG. 4 shows diagrammatically how the washing unit (with a control device) is arranged for disposing a washing liquid onto the windscreen to be wiped only in a direction of movement of the oscillating arm and ahead of the wiper blade.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a windscreen wiper arm 1, particularly for automobiles, that is able to oscillate to-and-from between a first reversal position and a second reversal position over a windscreen to be wiped (not shown). The windscreen wiper arm 1 includes a wiper arm member 2 having a substantially U-shaped cross-section and a wiper rod 3. A first free end of the wiper arm member 2 is arranged to be pivotally connected to a mounting head (not shown) mounted on a drive shaft (not shown). The drive shaft is rotatable by a small motor alternately in a clockwise and in a counter-clockwise sense carrying the mounting head into rotation. Thus, in turn the mounting head draws the windscreen wiper arm 1 into rotation and thereby moves a wiper blade 4 of the flat blade type connected thereto. A second free end of the wiper arm member 2 (opposite the first free end) is rigidly connected to the wiper rod 3. The wiper arm member 2 is made integrally from a single sheet material, for example a metal, where parts of the sheet material are folded outwardly to form legs 5, 6 of a U-shaped cross-section of the wiper arm member 2. The legs 5, 6 of the U-shaped cross-section of the wiper arm member 2 are locally folded around the wiper rod 3 to form a rigid interconnection. As shown, a first free end of the wiper rod 3 extends inside the U-shaped cross-section of the wiper arm member 2. A second free end of the wiper rod 3 (opposite the first free end) is connected to the wiper blade 4 to be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the windscreen wiper arm 1 is provided with a nozzle 7, which is part of a washing unit for spraying a washing liquid onto the windscreen to be wiped. The nozzle 7 is detachably snapped to the wiper rod 3 inside the U-shaped cross-section of the wiper arm member 2 to allow its repair and/or replacement. As shown, the nozzle 7 includes two spraying openings 11, 12 for spraying the washing fluid onto the windscreen to be wiped. Further, the nozzle 7 includes an inlet pipe 13 for conveying the washing liquid towards the nozzle 7. The nozzle 7 may include a spraying head detachably connected to the nozzle through a snapping connection.

[0025] FIG. 3 shows schematically that washing liquid may be sprayed onto the windscreen to be wiped only in a direction of movement of the windscreen wiper arm 1 and ahead of the wiper blade 4. Hence, the nozzle 7 of the washing unit—upon activation thereof by hand, for example—does not randomly spray the washing fluid onto the windscreen to be wiped, but instead sprays the washing liquid onto the windscreen to be wiped in a predetermined direction, namely always in a direction of movement of the oscillating arm 1 and ahead (i.e. in front of) of the wiper blade 4. Thus, the washing liquid on the windscreen to be wiped is always directly wiped away by the windscreen wiper arm 1, either in an upward movement in the direction of arrow A or in a downward movement in the direction of arrow B. For example, if the windscreen wiper arm 1 is moving upwardly in the direction of arrow A, the washing liquid would be sprayed by the nozzle 7 in the direction of arrow A. If the windscreen wiper arm 1 is moving downwardly in the direction of arrow B, the washing liquid would be sprayed by the nozzle 7 in the direction of arrow B.

[0026] In addition to what is depicted in FIG. 3, FIG. 4 shows schematically that washing liquid is disposed by the nozzle 7 onto the windscreen to be wiped not only in a direction of arrow A during an upward movement of the windscreen wiper arm 1, but also only during a time period in which the windscreen wiper arm 1 encloses an angle α between 0° and 70° with the horizontal, particularly between 0° and 60°, and more particularly between 0° and 45°. No washing liquid is sprayed during the rest of the upward movement of the windscreen wiper arm 7 (i.e. the rest of its upward stroke), or during the downward movement of the wiper arm 7 (i.e. the full downward stroke). Less washing liquid is thus required, while the windscreen to be wiped can still be cleaned effectively.

[0027] Alternatively, washing liquid may also be disposed by the nozzle 7 onto the windscreen to be wiped in a direction of arrow B during a downward movement of the windscreen wiper arm 1. The washing liquid may be disposed only during a time period in which the windscreen wiper arm 1 encloses an angle α between 90° (i.e. the oscillating arm is in its upward reversal position) and 30° with the horizontal, and particularly between 90° (i.e. the oscillating arm is in its upward reversal position) and 45°. No washing liquid is sprayed during the rest of the downward movement of the windscreen wiper arm 7 (i.e. the rest of its downward stroke).

[0028] The present invention is not restricted to the embodiment shown in the figures, but extends also to other preferred variants falling within the scope of the appended claims.