Windshield wiper

#The present invention relates to a windshield wiper.

#Windshield wipers may have a wiper arm, which may be made up of a driven mounting part and a hinge member, which may be connected to it via a hinged joint. The mounting part and the hinged part may have a u-shaped cross-section profile that is open toward the vehicle windshield. Additional components may be located in the interior space of the profile. Located in the interior space of the cross-section profile of the hinge member, for instance, may be an extention spring, which may prestress the hinge member with the mounting part. In some exemplary embodiments, water lines and/or spray nozzles of a windshield-washer system may also be accommodated in the u-shaped cross-section profile of the hinge member.

#A hinge member is discussed in German Published Patent Application No. 198 15 171 in which the front area of the integrated wiper rod is folded over several times and bent in the shape of a hook. This may require several method steps in the manufacture. Furthermore, exposing galvanized sheet material to heavy 180° bending may carry a risk that the tin coating will tear and/or detach in the heavily deformed areas. Furthermore, due to the low height of the material accumulation in the area of the hook, the moment of resistance against bending and torsion may be relatively low, so that the wiper rod may elastically deform in response to pressure, and may tend to rattle.

#FIG. 1 shows a wiper rod having a hinged wiper blade.

#FIG. 2 shows an end region of a wiper rod according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, viewed from above, in comparison to another wiper rod.

#FIGS. 3-5 show an end region of a wiper rod according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, viewed from below, in comparison to another wiper rod, along a line VI—VI in FIG. 2.

#A wiper blade 12, made up of a bracket assembly 14 and a wiper strip 16, is rotatably connected to a wiper rod 10 via a hinge, so that wiper strip 16 may adapt to the differently curved contour of a vehicle windshield 18 during the wiping movement (FIG. 1). The hinge is provided with a hinge pin 20, which is located on bracket assembly 14 and locks into place in an open hub 66 of a retaining spring 22 formed by feather tongues 80.

#Wiper rod 10 has a u-shaped cross-section profile, which, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, extends to the free end. At this free end, crosspiece pairs 38 and 40, which have a clearance 58 with respect to one another, are punched from side flanges 32 and 34 of the u-shaped cross-section profile. At each free end of a crosspiece of a crosspiece pair 38, 40, flaps 44, 46 are premolded, which are bent toward the inside at an approximately 900 angle and thus extend approximately parallel to top wall 42 of the u-shaped cross-section profile. Crosspiece pair 38 and 40, respectively, top wall 42 and flaps 44, 46 surround a cavity 94 that is open in the longitudinal direction (FIG. 2).

#The u-shaped cross-section profile of wiper rod 10 is produced from a flat sheet metal piece, which may be punched from a galvanized sheet metal panel. Side flanges 32, 34 having crosspieces 38, 40 and flaps 44, 46 are bent at a right angle to top wall 42 (FIG. 3). In a further bending step, flaps 44, 46 are bent an additional 90° with respect to the crosspieces. According to FIGS. 2 through 5 and FIGS. 11, 12, 15, the crosspieces of crosspiece pairs 38 and 40 each have a flap 44 and 46 on the same side flange 32 in each case, which extends parallel to top wall 42 and reaches up to the respective crosspiece of the other side flange 34 located across from it, while flaps 44 and 46 of crosspiece pairs 38, 40, in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 13, are assigned different side flanges 32, 34. FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 show short flaps 44 starting from crosspiece pairs 38 lying opposite one another and forming a small gap in the center between the crosspieces. Clearance 58 between crosspieces 38 and 40 is formed by a cut-out 36 in the sheet metal part (FIG. 3). It may be dimensioned in accordance with the requirements of the particular application case. Furthermore, height 88 of side flanges 32, 34 is reduced in front of retaining spring 22, facilitating the assembly of retaining spring 22. Crosspiece pairs 38, 40 and flaps 44, 46 are used to attach retaining spring 22 on wiper rod 10 (FIG. 17). Retaining spring 22 has two side walls 76 and 78, which are connected by an open hub 66, and a front wall 68 at the end of retaining spring 22. Between side walls 76 and 78, two plugs 70 and 74 extend in the longitudinal direction of retaining spring 22, one plug 70 being connected at one end to front wall 68, and the other plug 74 being connected at one end to hub 66. Between the free end of first plug 70 and hub 66 is an assembly shaft 72. For assembly purposes, crosspiece pair 40 is introduced into assembly shaft 72 and then slid axially onto plug 70 together with flap 46, while crosspiece pair 38 with flap 44 glides over plug 74. In the assembled state, plug 70 will then engage with a slight pressure fit or sliding fit in cavity 94 of crosspiece pair 40, front wall 68 being used as stop (FIG. 18).