Wiper apparatus with rise-up mechanism

A wiper mechanism comprising:

• a crank, which is rotatable about a crank axis;
• a rod for transmitting motion from the crank to a wiper arm, which supports a wiper blade, the rod having a crank end and a wiper end, the crank end being connected to the crank, wherein the axis about which the crank end of the rod pivots is a rod pivot axis;
• a joint located between the crank and the rod, wherein the joint includes a shift mechanism for changing the axis about which the rod pivots with respect to the crank, the shift mechanism comprising:
• a shaft supported by the crank, wherein the axis of the shaft is parallel to the crank axis;
• an eccentric rotor, which is supported on the shaft to eccentrically rotate about the axis of the shaft, wherein the eccentric rotor has a center axis that is offset from the axis of the shaft;
• a connecting plate, which is fixed to the crank;
• a key for selectively locking either the crank or the rod to the eccentric rotor, the key being supported by the eccentric rotor to move in the axial direction of the eccentric rotor, wherein the key is operated by the rotation of the crank, and wherein the key enters an opening on the rod to lock the eccentric rotor to the rod when the crank rotates in a first direction and the key enters an opening in the connecting plate to lock the eccentric rotor to the crank when the crank rotates in a second direction, which is opposite to the first direction, wherein the axis of rotation between the rod and the crank coincides with the axis of the shaft when the eccentric rotor is locked to the rod, and the axis of rotation between the rod and the crank coincides with the center axis of the eccentric rotor when the eccentric rotor is locked to the crank;
• an engaging projection formed on the eccentric rotor wherein when the crank rotates in one direction by a predetermined angle while the key is received in the opening of the connecting plate, the engaging projection engages a wall formed on the rod, which generates a force that rotates the eccentric rotor with respect to the connecting plate to move the key out of the opening of the connecting plate;
• and
• a shutter, which is located between the connecting plate and the eccentric rotor, wherein the shutter can rotate about the shaft with respect to the connecting plate, the shutter including an opening corresponding to the opening of the connecting plate, wherein the shutter permits the entry of the key into the opening of the connecting plate when the opening of the shutter is axially aligned with the opening of the connecting plate, and the shutter otherwise prevents the entry of the key into the opening of the connecting plate when the opening of the shutter is misaligned with the opening of the connecting plate.

A wiper mechanism comprising:

• a crank, which is rotatable about a crank axis;
• a rod for transmitting motion from the crank to a wiper arm, which supports a wiper blade, the rod having a crank end and a wiper end, the crank end being connected to the crank, wherein the axis about which the crank end of the rod pivots is a rod pivot axis;
• a joint located between the crank and the rod, wherein the joint includes a shift mechanism for changing the axis about which the rod pivots with respect to the crank, the shift mechanism comprising:
• a shaft supported by the crank, wherein the axis of the shaft is parallel to the crank axis;
• an eccentric rotor supported on the shaft to eccentrically rotate about the axis of the shaft, wherein the eccentric rotor has a center axis that is offset from the axis of the shaft;
• a connecting plate fixed to the crank;
• a key for selectively locking either the crank or the rod to the eccentric rotor, wherein the key is operated by the rotation of the crank, and wherein the key enters an opening of the rod to lock the eccentric rotor to the rod when the crank rotates in a first direction and the key enters an opening of the connecting plate to lock the eccentric rotor to the crank when the crank rotates in a second direction, which is opposite to the first direction, wherein the axis of rotation between the rod and the crank coincides with the axis of the shaft when the eccentric rotor is locked to the rod, and the axis of rotation between the rod and the crank coincides with the center axis of the eccentric rotor when the eccentric rotor is locked to the crank;
• and
• a shutter located between the connecting plate and the eccentric rotor, wherein the shutter can rotate about the shaft with respect to the connecting plate between a first limit position and a second limit position, the first limit position being angularly spaced from the second limit position by a predetermined angle, the shutter including an opening corresponding to the opening of the connecting plate, wherein, when the shutter is at the first limit position, the opening of the shutter is axially aligned with the opening of the connecting plate to permit the entry of the key into the opening of the connecting plate, and when the shutter is at a position other than the first limit position, the opening of the shutter is misaligned with the opening of the connecting plate to prevent the entry of the key into the opening of the connecting plate.