A WINDSCREEN WIPER ARM, PARTICULARLY FOR AUTOMOBILES

Abstract

A windscreen wiper arm, particularly for automobiles, that is able to oscillate upwardly and downwardly between a downward position and an upward position. The windscreen wiper arm comprises a wiper arm member having a substantially U-shaped cross-section, as well as a wiper rod. The wiper arm member at one end is adapted to be pivotally connected to a mounting head mounted on a drive shaft. The wiper arm member at another end is rigidly connected to the wiper rod. The wiper rod at one end extends inside the U-shaped cross-section of the wiper arm member, and the wiper rod at another end is rigidly connected to an adapter adapted to be connected to an elongated wiper blade to be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped. The adapter, at the location of its connection to the wiper blade, has a U-shaped cross-section with a base and two spaced-apart legs. The U-shaped cross-section is mounted offset in a plane of the base relative to a longitudinal axis of the wiper rod. The windscreen wiper arm is provided with a nozzle for spraying a washing liquid onto the windscreen to be wiped. The nozzle is detachably connected to the adapter at a lateral side of the windscreen wiper arm facing towards the upward position.

Claims

1. A windscreen wiper arm having a wiper arm member with a substantially U-shaped cross-section, wherein one end of the wiper arm member is adapted to be pivotally connected to a mounting head mounted on a drive shaft, wherein the windscreen wiper arm comprises: a wiper rod; an adapter adapted to be connected to an elongated wiper blade to be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, wherein one end of said wiper rod extends inside the U-shaped cross-section of the wiper arm member, and wherein another end of said wiper rod is rigidly connected to said adapter, wherein said adapter, at a location of its connection to the wiper blade, has an adapter U-shaped cross-section with a base and two spaced-apart legs, and wherein said adapter U-shaped cross-section is mounted offset in a plane of said base relative to a longitudinal axis of said wiper rod; and a nozzle for spraying a washing liquid onto the windscreen to be wiped, wherein said nozzle is detachably connected to said adapter at a lateral side of the windscreen wiper arm in use facing towards an upward position.

2. The windscreen wiper arm according to claim 1, wherein said nozzle is detachably connected to said adapter at a side of said adapter in use facing towards the mounting head.

3. The windscreen wiper arm according to claim 1, wherein said nozzle is snapped onto said adapter.

4. The windscreen wiper arm according to claim 1, further comprising a joint part detachably connected to said adapter and a spraying part detachably connected to said joint part.

5. The windscreen wiper atm according to claim 4, wherein said joint part includes a protrusion pivotally cooperating with a correspondingly shaped recess in one leg of said adapter U-shaped cross-section.

6. The windscreen wiper arm according to claim 5, wherein said one leg is facing away from said wiper rod, and wherein said recess is provided at a side of said one leg in use facing towards the mounting head.

7. The windscreen wiper arm according to claim 5, wherein said protrusion and said recess allow a rotational movement of said joint part around a pivot axis defined by said protrusion and said recess between a mounting position and a working position.

8. The windscreen wiper arm according to claim 7, wherein in said working position said joint part is snapped onto said wiper rod.

9. The windscreen wiper arm according to claim 4, further comprising a washing liquid tube is snapped onto said joint part.

10. The windscreen wiper arm according to claim 9, wherein said washing liquid tube is snapped onto said joint part at an interconnection of said joint part and said wiper rod.

11. The windscreen wiper arm according to claim 5, wherein said joint part includes a resilient tab opposite said protrusion, and wherein said resilient tab snaps behind a transverse wall of said adapted.

12. The windscreen wiper arm according to claim 11, wherein said adapter and said wiper rod are interconnected by folding walls of said adapter around said wiper rod, and wherein one of said folded around walls forms said transverse wall.

13. The windscreen wiper arm according to claim 4, wherein said joint part includes a transverse grooved, and wherein a wall of said adapter rests inside said groove.

14. The windscreen wiper arm, according to claim 4, wherein said spraying part is snapped onto said joint part.

15. The windscreen wiper arm according to claim 14, wherein said spraying part abuts one leg of said adapter U-shaped cross-section facing away from said wiper rod.

16. A nozzle for spraying a washing liquid onto a windscreen to be wiped, wherein said nozzle comprises: a joint part adapted to be detachably connected to an adapter of a windscreen wiper arm; and a spraying part adapted to be detachably connected to said joint part, wherein said joint part comprises: a protrusion adapted to pivotally cooperate with a correspondingly shaped recess in a leg of a U-shaped cross-section of the adapted; a resilient tab opposite said protrusion, wherein said resilient tab is adapted to snap behind a transverse wall of the adapter; and a transverse groove adapted to receive a wall of the adapter.

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. 1A shows a schematic, top perspective view of a part of a windscreen wiper atm and a joint part of a nozzle according to the invention;

[0020] FIG. 1B shows a schematic, top perspective view of the part of the windscreen wiper arm pivotally cooperating with the joint part of the nozzle of FIG. 1A;

[0021] FIG. 1C shows a schematic, bottom perspective view of the part of the windscreen wiper arm pivotally cooperating with the joint part of the nozzle of FIG. 1A;

[0022] FIG. 2A shows a schematic, top perspective view of the part of the windscreen wiper arm assembled with the nozzle of FIGS. 1A-C;

[0023] FIG. 2B shows a schematic, bottom perspective view of the part of the windscreen wiper arm and the nozzle of FIG. 2A;

[0024] FIG. 2C shows an enlarged schematic, bottom perspective view of portion “A” from FIG. 2B of the part of the windscreen wiper arm and the nozzle;

[0025] FIG. 3A shows a top view of the part of the windscreen wiper arm with the nozzle of FIG. 2A;

[0026] FIG. 3B shows a cross-sectional view of the part of the windscreen wiper arm with the nozzle along lines B-B in FIG. 3A; and

[0027] FIG. 3C shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of portion “C” from FIG. 3B of the part of the windscreen wiper arm with the nozzle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a windscreen wiper arm 1, particularly for automobiles, being able to oscillate to-and-from between reversal positions, i.e. between a downward position and an upward position over a windscreen to be wiped (not shown). The windscreen wiper arm 1 includes a wiper arm member (not shown) having a substantially U-shaped cross-section, as well as a wiper rod 2. The wiper arm member at a first free end thereof is adapted 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 flat blade (not shown) connected thereto. The wiper arm member at second free end thereof (opposite to its first free end) is rigidly connected to the wiper rod 2. The wiper arm member is made integrally from a single sheet material, for example a metal, where parts of the sheet material are folded outwardly to form legs of the U-shaped cross-section of the wiper arm member, and where the legs of the U-shaped cross-section of the wiper arm member are locally folded around the wiper rod 2 to form their rigid interconnection. The wiper rod 2 at a first free end thereof extends inside the U-shaped cross-section of the wiper arm member. The wiper rod 2 at a second free end thereof (opposite to its first free end) is rigidly connected to an adapter 3 adapted to be connected to an elongated wiper blade to be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped. As shown, the adapter 3, at the location of its connection to the wiper blade, has a U-shaped cross-section with a base 4 and two spaced-apart legs 5,6, where the U-shaped cross-section is mounted offset in a plane of the base 4 relative to a longitudinal axis 7 of the wiper rod 2.

[0029] The windscreen wiper arm 1 with the adapter 3 is connected to a unit including a connector and a wiper blade through a so-called bayonet connection as follows. The connector comprises a resilient tongue extending outwardly and engaging in an identically shaped hole 8 provided in the base 4 of the U-shaped cross-section of the adapter 3. The connector with the wiper blade is mounted onto the adapter 3 as follows. First, the connector is easily slid on a free end of the adapter 3. During this sliding movement the resilient tongue is initially pushed in against a spring force and then allowed to spring back into the hole 8 in the adapter 3, thus snapping, that is clipping, the resilient tongue into the hole 8 of the adapter 3. By subsequently pushing in again the resilient tongue against the spring force (as if it were a push button), the connector together with the wiper blade may be released from the adapter 3. Dismounting the connector with the wiper blade from the adapter 3 is thus realized by sliding the connector together with the wiper blade in a direction away from the adapter 3. Reference is made to European patent publication no. 1 403 156 of the same Applicant, which is herewith incorporated by reference.

[0030] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the windscreen wiper arm 1 is provided with a nozzle 9 for spraying a washing liquid onto the windscreen to be wiped. The nozzle 9 is detachably connected to, and preferably snapped or clicked onto, the adapter 3 at a lateral side of the windscreen wiper arm 1 in use facing towards an upward position during its oscillatory movement along the windscreen to be wiped. In other words, the longitudinal axis 7 of the wiper rod 2 and the main direction of extend of the nozzle 9 are parallel, such that in use the wiper rod 2 is always behind the nozzle 9 during an upward movement of the wiper rod 2 towards its upward position during its oscillatory motion. As shown, the nozzle 9 is arranged at a side of the adapter 3 in use facing towards the mounting head. The nozzle 9 is provided with a joint part 10 snapped onto the adapter 3, as well as with a spraying part 11 snapped onto the joint part 10. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the spraying part 11 partly abuts a leg 5 of the U-shaped cross-section of the adapter 3, that faces away from the wiper rod 2. Both parts 10,11 are each made in one piece of plastic material.

[0031] As depicted in FIG. 1C, the joint part 10 is provided with a protrusion 12 pivotally cooperating with a correspondingly shaped recess 13 in a leg 5 of the U-shaped cross-section of the adapter 3. By rotating the protrusion 12 inside the recess 13, the joint part 10 can be snapped onto the wiper rod 2. Use is made of two C-shaped clamps interconnected back to back and integral with the joint part 10, where one C-shaped clamp 14 is snapped onto the wiper rod 2 and the other C-shaped clamp 15 is snapped onto a washing liquid tube 16 for guiding washing liquid to the spraying part 11. Reference is made to FIGS. 2A and 2B.

[0032] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the adapter 3 and the wiper rod 2 are interconnected by folding walls of the adapter 3 around the wiper rod 2. One of the folded around walls forms a transverse wall 17, behind which a resilient tab 18 of the joint part 10 snaps after completing the rotational movement of the joint part 10 around a hinge axis defined by the protrusion 12 and the recess 13. Reference is made to FIG. 2C.

[0033] Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the joint part 10 has a transverse groove 19. A wall 20 of the adapter 3 rests inside the groove 19 after completing the rotational movement of the joint part 10 around a hinge axis defined by the protrusion 12 and the recess 13. Reference is also made to FIGS. 1B and 1C showing the groove 19 in the joint part 10 and the wall 20 of the adapter 3.

[0034] 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. For example, a skilled person would immediately realize that the joint part can be connected to the adapter and the wiper rod in many ways.