Heated wiper device for a vehicle, in particular a snowgroomer, and snowgroomer comprising such a heated wiper device

Abstract

Heated wiper device for a vehicle, in particular for a snowgroomer, the wiper device comprising: a wiper blade configured for being springily against the windscreen's outer surface of the vehicle; a wiper blade carrier; wherein the wiper blade carrier supports and at least partially houses the wiper blade; a box supporting and at least partially housing the wiper blade carrier; a wiper arm comprising a first end coupled to the box and a second end configured for being rotatably coupled to the vehicle to enable the wiper blade to move on the windscreen; and an electrical heating device coupled to the box in a position such that the electrical heating device is facing the wiper blade carrier.

Claims

1. A heated wiper device comprising: a wiper blade springily pressable against a windscreen outer surface of a vehicle; a wiper blade carrier supporting and at least partially housing the wiper blade, the wiper blade carrier comprising a C-shaped section having side walls and a bottom wall; a box supporting and at least partially housing the wiper blade carrier via a fastener through the bottom wall of the C-shaped section of the wipe blade carrier and a bottom wall of the box, wherein the box comprises a C-shaped section comprising a plurality of C-shaped pieces coupled together with a pin along a longitudinal extension of the wiper blade, the C-shaped section having side walls engaging the side walls of the C-shaped section of the wiper blade carrier and a bottom portion configured to receive the wiper blade carrier; an electrical heating device coupled to the box and positioned such that the electrical heating device is facing the wiper blade carrier, wherein the electrical heating device comprises an electrical heating resistor in the form of a heating resistor foil affixed to the bottom wall of the box; and a wiper arm comprising a first end coupled to the box and a second end rotatably coupleable to the vehicle to enable the wiper blade to move on the windscreen outer surface of the vehicle.

2. The heated wiper device of claim 1, wherein the box is made of a material with a designated heat distribution capacity.

3. The heated wiper device of claim 2, wherein the box is made of aluminum.

4. The heated wiper device of claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor configured to monitor at least one of a wiper device temperature and a surrounding environment temperature.

5. The heated wiper device of claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises a snowgroomer.

6. The heated wiper device of claim 1, wherein the heating resistor foil is glued on the bottom wall of the box.

7. A snowgroomer comprising: a windscreen outer surface; and a heated wiper device comprising: a wiper blade springily pressed against the windscreen outer surface; a wiper blade carrier supporting and at least partially housing the wiper blade, the wiper blade carrier comprising a C-shaped section having side walls and a bottom wall; a box supporting and at least partially housing the wiper blade carrier via a fastener through the bottom wall of the C-shaped section of the wipe blade carrier and a bottom wall of the box, wherein the box comprises a C-shaped section comprising a plurality of C-shaped pieces coupled together with a pin along a longitudinal extension of the wiper blade, the C-shaped section having side walls engaging the side walls of the C-shaped section of the wiper blade carrier and a bottom portion that receives the wiper blade carrier; an electrical heating device coupled to the box and positioned such that the electrical heating device is facing the wiper blade carrier, wherein the electrical heating device comprises an electrical heating resistor in the form of a heating resistor foil affixed to the bottom wall of the box; and a wiper arm comprising a first end coupled to the box and a second end rotatably coupled to the snowgroomer to enable the wiper blade to move on the windscreen outer surface.

8. The snowgroomer of claim 7, further comprising a switch for a manual activation of the electrical heating device of the heated wiper device.

9. The snowgroomer of claim 7, further comprising a control unit configured to automatically activate the electrical heating device of the heated wiper device.

10. The snowgroomer of claim 7, wherein the heating resistor foil of the electrical heating device of the heated wiper device is glued on the bottom wall of the box of the heated wiper device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure will become clear from the following description of a non-limiting embodiment thereof, with reference to the figures in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a snowgroomer;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a wiper device according to the present disclosure;

(4) FIG. 3 shows the wiper device of FIG. 2 applied to the windscreen of a snowgroomer;

(5) FIG. 4 shows an exploded schematic view of the wiper device of FIG. 2; and

(6) FIGS. 5 and 6 show details of the wiper device of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) Referring now to the example embodiments of the present disclosure illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, a schematic view of a snowgroomer is shown with reference to FIG. 1. In certain embodiments, snowgroomers are the vehicles in which to install the present disclosure's windscreen device.

(8) This snowgroomer 2 is a tracked vehicle and is motorized to advance along a slope 12 in a forward direction 13. The snowgroomer 2 is also equipped with a plurality of operating units such as, for example, a cutter 30 configured to groom the snow on ski slopes, a shovel 29 configured to move masses of snow along the ski slopes, and/or a winch group 31. The snowgroomer 2 comprises a support frame 14, a driver's cabin 15 mounted on the support frame 14 and two tracks 16 mounted on opposite sides of the support frame 14. Each track 16 comprises a plurality of belts 10′ between a front wheel 19 and a rear wheel 18 and a plurality of cross bars 11 fixed to the belts 10′. The snowgroomer 2 comprises a windscreen 4 that can have a curved profile and large dimensions. FIG. 3 shows a portion of the windscreen 4 of a snowgroomer on which a special wiper device 1 operates when required.

(9) With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the wiper device 1 comprises; a windscreen wiper blade 3 configured for being pressed in a sprung manner against the outer surface of the windscreen 4; a wiper blade carrier 5; wherein the wiper blade carrier 5 supports and at least partially houses the wiper blade 3; a box 6 supporting and at least partially housing the wiper blade carrier 5; a wiper arm 7 comprising a first end 8 coupled to the box and a second end 9 configured for being rotatably coupled to the vehicle to enable the wiper blade 3 to move on the windscreen 4.

(10) According to the embodiment shown, both the carrier 5 and the box 6 are drawer-shaped (i.e., they have a substantially C-shaped section) wherein the carrier 5 houses the blade 3 and the box 6 houses the carrier 5. In FIG. 4 we can also see how the box 6 is made of a central piece and two opposite side pieces coupled with a pin to the central part. A fastener passes through a bottom wall of both the wiper blade carrier and the box as shown in FIG. 4.

(11) FIGS. 5 and 6 show the bottom of the box 6 (i.e., the receiving seat of the carrier 5). These figures show that there are electrical heating resistors 10 on the bottom of the box 6 that are made in the form of electrical heating resistor foils glued right on the bottom of the box 6 and powered by special electric cables 11′.

(12) As described earlier, this particular solution, as well as the general concept of the present disclosure from which it derives, makes it possible to overcome certain of the problems of certain of the prior art that have been described and that concern the possible formation of ice and snow.

(13) Lastly, it is clear that modifications and variations can be made to the disclosure described herein without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, various changes and modifications to the presently disclosed embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art.