GB1603288A

GB1603288A - Vehicle windscreen wiper assembly

Info

Publication number: GB1603288A
Application number: GB21133/78A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Ducellier et Cie
Current assignee: Ducellier et Cie
Priority date: 1977-05-25
Filing date: 1978-05-22
Publication date: 1981-11-25
Also published as: IT7823638A0; ES236090U; FR2391882A1; ES236090Y; IT1094782B; DE2822822A1

Description

(54) VEHICLE WINDSCREEN WIPER ASSEMBLY (71) We, DUCELLIER & CIE, a French Body Corporate located at Echat 950,94024 Creteil Cedex, France, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a Patent may be granted to us and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement :- The present invention concerns a windscreen wiper blade assembly, particularly for a motor vehicle, including a wiper blade of shaped rubber in which is embedded a flexible pressure distribution core, a plurality of yokes having hooks gripping the back of the blade to connect it to a driving arm, and at least one stop ar ranged to engage an end of the blade in such a manner as to oppose longitudinal movement of the blade with respect to the core.

In known windscreen wiper assemblies of this type, in which longitudinal movement of the blade with respect to the core is avoided by means of the stop, it is necessary to ensure re tention of the yokes to the core by ancillary means such as anchoring notches on the core or 'on the wiper blade.

The present invention has for an object el- iminate these ancillary means which substanti- ally increase the manufacturing cost of the assembly.

According to the invention, a windscreen wiper blade assembly comprises a wiper blade of shaped rubber having a longitudinal cavity extending lengthwise of the latter from one end to the other thereof, a flexible pressure distrib ution core disposed within and being shorter than the cavity, a plurality. of yokes having hooks gripping the back of the blade and adapted to connect the blade to a driving arm, and a pair of stops disposed at respective ends of the blade and each having an abutment extending into the cavity into engagement with the ad jacent end of the core to immobilise the latter within the cavity, the stops straddling the ends of the blade and being arranged to provide res pective abutment surfaces for adjacent parts of the yokes.

The portion of the stop which acts as the core abutment is preferably a plug having a cross-section corresponding to that of the longitudinal cavity, the plug being provided with transverse lips of which the exterior dimensions are greater than the dimensions of the blade cavity in which it is engaged by resilient deformation of the said blade.

In order to obtain an improved flexibility of the blade and thus better contact of the latter with the windscreen, the core is composed of several parts which are juxtaposed end to end at locations generally coinciding with the points of connection of the yokes with the blade.

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings will facilitate a better understanding of how the invention can be carried out.

Figure I is a exploded perspective view of a windscreen wiper blade assembly according to the invention and a stop before assembly with the blade assembly; Figure 2 is a side view of one end of the windscreen wiper blade assembly provided with a stop according to Figure 1 of which part is in section; Figure 3 is a side view in cross-section of another embodiment of the wiper blade assembly of the invention.

The motor vehicle windscreen wiper blade assembly shown in the drawings includes in known ma : mer a wiper blade I of shaped rubber in which is embedded a flexible pressure distribution core 2 of metal or plastics material, yokes 3 having hooks 4 which grip the back la of the blade t connecting it to a driving arm (not shown) and stops 5 disposed at the ends 6 of the blade 1, of which only one is shown, so as to oppose any longitudinal movement of the blade 1 with respect to the core 2 which is preferably of cylindrical section adapted to be introduced into a corresponding longitudinal cavity 7 of the blade 1, so as to extend substantiaily from one end to the other thereof.

The cylindrical core 2 is of such a length as to permit the introduction of a stop 5 on each end of the cavity 7 of the blade 1, the stop 5 abutting against each end 2a of the core 2 to immobilise it in translation in its cavity 7 and straddling the dorsal end portion la of the blade I in a manner such as to constitute abutment surfaces for the yokes 3.

Each stop provides the aforesaid abutment for the core 2 by means of a plug 8 of section corresponding to the longitudinal cavity 7, the plug being provided with transverse lips 9 of which the external dimensions are greater than the dimensions of the cavity 7 of the blade I into which it is engaged by resilient deformation of the said blade to anchor it therein.

The abutment surfaces for the yokes are each constituted by a cap 10 extending parallel and made in one piece with the plug 8 and constituting the stop 5. Each cap 10 includes a portion lOa in the form of a channel opening downwardly in use in order to define hooks l l adapted to slide in the grooves 12 ouf the blade during assembly of the stop 5. The cap 10 is extended by a straight portion lOb on which the yoke 3 comes into abutment.

The embodiment shown in Figure 3 differs essentially from the preceding one in that the core is composed of parts 13 juxtaposed end to end and retained by the plugs 8. The junctions between the core parts are arranged generally to coincide with the points of application of the hooks 4 of the yokes 3 on the blade 1, in order to endow the blade. l with improved flexibility and thereby enhance its ability to follow the curve of the windscreen to be cleaned.

Claims

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A windscreen wiper blade assembly comprising a wiper blade of shaped rubber having a longitudinal cavity extending lengthwise of the latter from one end to the other thereof, a flexible pressure distribution core disposed within and being shorter than the cavity, a plurality of yokes having hooks gripping the back of the blade and adapted to connect the blade to a driving arm, and a pair of stops disposed at respective ends of the blade and each having an abutment extending into the cavity into engagement with the adjacent end of the core to immobilise the latter within the cavity, the stops straddling the ends of the blade and being arranged to provide respective abutment surfaces for adjacent parts of the yokes.
An An assembly according to Claim 1, wherein the core abutments of the stop are plugs having a cross-section corresponding to that of the the longitudinal cavity and provided with transverse lips of which the external dimensions are greater than the transverse dimension of the cavity, the abutment being accommodated within the cavity by resilient deformation of the blade.
3. An assembly according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein each stop is in the form of a cap extending parallel to and made in one piece with the abutment, said caps providing the abutment surfaces for the yokes.
4. An assembly according to any one of Claims I to 3, wherein the core is composed of several parts which are juxtaposed end to end at locations generally coinciding with the points of connection of the yokes with the blade.
5. A windscreen wiper blade assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.