Device for retaining a pipe, notably for windscreen washer liquid

Abstract

A driver for retaining a windscreen washer liquid pipe includes an orifice arranged to receive a rotation shaft, an outer contour when the driver is observed along the rotation axis, and a housing arranged to receive a curved portion of the windscreen washer liquid pipe around the orifice. The rotation shaft is rotated about a rotation axis. The housing is arranged so that, when the driver is Observed along the rotation axis and when the windscreen washer liquid pipe is installed on the driver, the curved portion of the windscreen washer liquid pipe is set back from the outer contour of the driver.

Claims

1. A cap that retains a windscreen washer liquid pipe of a windscreen wiper, the cap being capable of being fitted to a driver for retaining the windscreen washer liquid pipe, the cap comprising: a first housing, formed on the said cap between a radially inner skirt and a radially outer skirt, that receives a curved portion of the windscreen washer liquid pipe, a second housing, delimited by a surface of the radially inner skirt that faces away from the windscreen washer liquid pipe, that receives a nut that attaches the driver to a drive shaft of the windscreen wiper, and wherein the second housing is a cavity comprising striations that engage with one or more surfaces of the nut.

2. The cap according to claim 1, wherein the cap comprises at least one click-and-ratchet fastener arranged to retain the curved portion of the windscreen washer liquid pipe in the first housing of the cap.

3. The cap according to claim 1, wherein the cap comprises an entrance slot opening into the first housing and an exit slot from the first housing and the curved portion of the windscreen washer liquid pipe extends from the entrance slot to the exit slot.

Description

(1) FIG. 1 illustrates a driver 10 forming part of a blade holder 110 installed on a vehicle. The blade holder 110 comprises, in addition to the driver 10, an arm 130 secured to the driver 10 by means of a pivot assembly 120 known per se. The pivot assembly 120 allows the user to be able to pivot the arm 130 relative to the driver 10 and thus allow the handling of a wiper blade 60 placed at one end of the arm 130.

(2) The wiper blade 60 clears away the water that is present on the windscreen 140 of the vehicle. Such a wiper blade 60 is for example of the flat blade type, that is to say comprising a squeegee, one or more stiffening vertebrae and a single central fastening made by a mechanical connector linked to the end of the arm 130. Such a flat blade may also comprise an air deflector secured to the blade and arranged to make use of the dynamic effect of the movement of the vehicle to increase the pressure of the wiper blade 60 on the windscreen 140.

(3) The blade holder 130 or the wiper blade 60 are associated with a device 90 for spraying a liquid for washing the windscreen 140. According to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the spraying device 90 may comprise a duct incorporated into the wiper blade 60, which duct runs along the longitudinal axis of this wiper blade 60. Such a duct may for example be formed in a portion of the structure of the air deflector. According to an exemplary embodiment not shown, the spraying device 90 may comprise a spray bar separate from the wiper blade 60 and fitted to the arm 130.

(4) The device 90 for spraying the windscreen washer liquid is fed with windscreen washer liquid by a pipe 2. In the example described, the pipe 2 extends from an exit under the bonnet to the wiper blade 60. This pipe 2 may, for example, be secured to the arm 130 by means of securing clips (not shown) which keep the pipe 2 in position on the arm 130.

(5) The pipe 2 is connected at a first end under the bonnet to a reservoir 50 of windscreen washer liquid associated with a pump 70 making it possible to carry the windscreen washer liquid from the reservoir 50 to the spraying device 90. The pump 70 is arranged so as to be able to be initiated from the inside of the vehicle by the vehicle driver or by an automatic system.

(6) The driver 10, according to the invention, is produced in one piece by moulding a material of the aluminium or Zamak type.

(7) The driver 10 extends generally longitudinally along an axis Y, that is to say in a direction that is parallel, or substantially parallel, to a direction of extension of the arm 130 between two opposite longitudinal ends 28 and 29.

(8) The first end 28 of the driver 10 is configured to allow the fastening of the driver 10 to the arm 130 via the pivot assembly 120.

(9) The second end 29 is arranged to secure the driver 10 to a drive shaft 80 that can be seen in FIG. 1, with a rotation axis X. The driver 10 is used to transmit the rotary movement of the shaft 80 to the arm 130.

(10) The driver 10 is secured to the drive shaft 80 by a nut (not shown in FIG. 1) which is screwed onto the shaft 80. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the nut is covered by a cap 20 which comes on top of the driver 10.

(11) The driver 10 comprises, at the second end 29, an outer contour 13 that is circularly arcuate when the driver 10 is observed along the axis X. The driver 10 comprises, around an orifice 11 and on its lower face 14, a housing 30 that can be seen in FIG. 2a arranged to receive a curved portion 12 of the windscreen washer liquid pipe 2

(12) As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2a and 2b, the curved portion 12 of the pipe 2 is set back from the outer contour 13 of the driver 10 when the device 1 is observed along the rotation axis X.

(13) Thus, when the driver 10 is folded down against the windscreen 140 as illustrated in FIG. 1, the curved portion 12 is invisible when the device 1 is observed along the rotation axis X.

(14) This makes it possible to enhance the appearance of the device 1.

(15) The housing 30 of the driver 10 is described in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 2a and 2b.

(16) The driver 10 comprises, at the second end 29, the orifice 11 that is of circular shape when it is observed along the axis X, arranged to receive the drive shaft 80.

(17) The housing 30 is formed on the substantially fiat lower face 14. The housing 30 of the driver 10 is formed between a radially inner rib 16 and two radially outer ribs 17. These ribs 16 and 17 make it possible to effectively retain the curved portion 12 of the pipe during the oscillatory movements of the windscreen wiper arm 130. The inner rib 16 and the outer ribs 17 are circularly arcuate, centred on the orifice 11, when the driver 10 is observed along the rotation axis X.

(18) The outer ribs 17 extend parallel to the outer contour 13 of the driver 10.

(19) The inner rib 16 extends over an angular aperture of at least 300, as shown in FIG. 2b.

(20) The shorter outer ribs 17 each extend over less than

(21) The driver 10 also comprises two click-and-ratchet fasteners 18 arranged to retain the curved portion 12 of the pipe 2 in the housing 30. These click-and-ratchet fasteners 18 are connected to the top of the inner rib 16.

(22) The two click-and-ratchet fasteners 18 are each formed by a return which extends parallel to the lower face 14 of the driver 10, and this return rests on the curved portion 12 of the pipe 2.

(23) The driver 10 also comprises an element 19 for guiding the windscreen washer liquid pipe 2, arranged to guide the curved portion 12 of the pipe 2 towards the housing 30. The main role of this guiding element 19 is to ensure a good curvature for the pipe during the oscillations of the windscreen wiper arm 130 and to allow the pipe 2 to be better retained by the driver 10. This guiding element 19 is pin shaped.

(24) By virtue of this housing 30, the mounting of the pipe 2 on the driver 10 is removable making it possible, if necessary, to change the pipe 2 relatively easily.

(25) The thickness of the driver 10 is reduced in a zone 31 so as to limit the overall weight of the driver.

(26) In order to mount the pipe 2 in the driver 10, the pipe 2 is inserted substantially radially into the housing 30 of the driver 10. The pipe 2 is then deformed so as to have the curved portion 12 inserted into the housing 30.

(27) In the example that has just been described, the driver 10 comprises an inner rib 16 and two outer ribs 17. Naturally, there is no departure from the context of the invention when the number and/or the shape of these ribs vary.

(28) For example, FIG. 3 shows a driver 10 comprising an inner rib 16 which is cylindrically closed around the orifice 11.

(29) The driver 10 comprises a single outer rib 17 extending over an angle of approximately 60. The driver 10 is provided with orifices 33, in line with the click-and-ratchet fasteners 18, these orifices 33 being moulded together with the driver 10.

(30) FIGS. 4a and 4b represent a driver 10 according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention.

(31) The driver 10 comprises an inner rib 16 extending over approximately 270 around the orifice 11. This inner rib 16 comprises, at one of its ends, facing the guiding means 19, a wall 34 destined to come into contact with the pipe 2. This wall 34, associated with the guiding means 19, makes it possible to hold the pipe with a pinching effect.

(32) In the examples that have just been described, the housing of the curved portion of the pipe is formed on the driver. There is no departure from the scope of the present invention when this housing is formed on a cap.

(33) Shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b is such a device 1b comprising a driver 10b and a cap 20b, which cap 20b comprises a housing 30b for receiving the curved portion 12 of the pipe 2.

(34) The cap 20b comprises a radially inner skirt 24 and a radially outer skirt 25. These two skirts, inner skirt 24 and outer skirt 25, have a substantially axi-symmetric shape with an axis X.

(35) These skirts 24 and 25 are connected to an upper wall 21 that is substantially domed towards the top.

(36) The housing 30b is formed between these two skirts 24 and 25. The inner skirt 24 defines a cavity 32 and comprises striations 29 capable of engaging on the nut 35 as can be seen in FIG. 5b.

(37) The outer skirt 25 comprises, on its inner face, two click-and-ratchet fasteners 18b arranged to retain the curved portion 12 of the pipe 2 in the housing 30b of the cap 20b, this click-and-ratchet fastener 18b advantageously being connected to the outer skirt of the cap. The click-and-ratchet fasteners 18b each comprise a return which extends parallel to the lower face 14 of the driver 10 and which rests on the curved portion 12 of the pipe 2.

(38) The housing 30b of the cap 20b is arranged such that the curved portion 12 of the pipe 2 extends over an angular aperture of approximately 180.

(39) The cap 20b is in one piece and is obtained by injection moulding in plastic.

(40) The cap 20b also comprises an entrance slot 26 opening into the housing 30b and an exit slot 27 from the housing 30b and the curved portion of the pipe 2 extends from the entrance slot 26 to the exit slot 27. The entrance slot 26 and exit slot 27 are formed on the outer skirt of the cap 25.

(41) The cavity 32 of the cap 20b makes it possible to cover a nut 35. As can be seen in FIG. 5b, the cap 20b is placed on the substantially flat upper face 15 of the driver 10b. The striations 29 of the cap 20b engage with the outer periphery of the nut 35.

(42) The driver 10b comprises a recess 36 on which the outer skirt 25 of the cap 20b rests.

(43) The driver 10b has no elements coming into contact with the portion 12 of the pipe 2, this curved portion being retained only by virtue of the cap 20b.

(44) In order to mount the pipe 2 in the cap 20b, the pipe 2 is inserted substantially axially into the housing 30b of the cap 20b.

(45) The cap 20b is attached removably to the nut 35.