Rear windowpane wiper stowage

A rear windowpane wiper stowage arrangement in an automobile having a rear windowpane, comprising:

• an automobile rear body structure in a region adjacent the rear windowpane, said rear body structure including a generally double wall rear end structure having an opening, the rear window pane fitted to the rear body structure to close the opening;
• a rear wiper means having a wiper blade assembly supported for movement back and forth across the windowpane and retained at a home position when not in use, said rear wiper means including a wiper drive motor housed in a space defined between outer and inner panels forming the double wall rear end structure and the wiper blade assembly positioned exteriorly of the inner panel;
• a lid member mounted on the rear body structure for movement between opened and closed positions for opening and closing the space;
• lid drive means including an actuator for selectively driving the lid member between said opened and closed positions, said lid drive means positioned within the double wall rear end structure;
• said actuator including an electric motor and a linkage system for translating a rotary motion of said electric motor into a linear motion, said linkage system including a rack and pinion rotatable with the electric motor, and a link mechanism transmitting the linear motion from the rack to the lid member;
• and
• a rear spoiler secured to said rear body structure along a peripheral edge region of the rear windowpane.

A rear windowpane stowage space arrangement in an automobile having a rear windowpane, comprising:

• an automobile rear body structure including a generally double wall rear end structure having inner and outer panels and an opening, the rear windowpane fitted to the rear body structure to close the opening;
• a lid member mounted on the rear body structure for movement between opened and closed positions for opening and closing the space, the lid member in a closed position having an exterior surface flush with an exterior surface of the rear body structure to facilitate a smooth flow of air;
• a lid member mounted on the rear body structure for movement between opened and closed positions;
• a lid drive means including an actuator for driving the lid member between said opened and closed positions, said actuator including an electric motor and a linkage system for translating a rotary motion of said electric motor into a linear motion, said linkage system including a rack and pinion rotatable with the electric motor, and a link mechanism transmitting the linear motion from the rack to the lid member;
• and
• a rear spoiler secured to said rear body structure along the outer panel, said lid drive means being positioned in the space with the space defined between the rear spoiler and the outer panel of the rear end structure.