DESCRIPTION

Related Technical Field

The present invention relates to a protective cover that can be mounted to the wiper arm in order to protect the wiper shaft in the wiper systems of the motor vehicles against external effects such as water, dust, etc.

State of the Art The wiper systems used in the motor vehicles generally comprise a wiper blade in contact with the windshield to wipe the windshield surface, a wiper arm to which the said wiper blade is connected, a motor for moving the wiper blade forwards and backwards over the windshield and a shaft, one end of which is connected to the said motor by means of connection members and the other end of which is connected to the wiper arm. By means of this arrangement, the movement provided by the motor is transmitted to the wiper blade by means of the shaft and the wiper arm.

The wiper arms generally have an articulated structure comprising an arm body connected to the wiper blade by means of intermediate connection members and an arm connection member connected to the shaft. In the patent document no US5894628, connection of an arm connection member produced from cast metal with a wiper shaft is disclosed. In this arrangement, a housing wherein the shaft is placed is provided on the arm connection member. The side walls of the arm connection member have a cylindrical skirt-shaped structure that is extended towards the shaft bearing so as to surround all around the shaft and the housing. The said skirt-shaped structure protects the shaft against external effects such as water, dust, etc. However, instead of wiper arms produced from cast metal, arms produced from sheet metal are extensively used in the motor vehicles. In the wiper arms produced from sheet metal, a skirt-shaped member surrounding and protecting the shaft as described above cannot be obtained as integrated with the arm connection member due to difficulties encountered during the production process. In the connection between the arm connection member produced from sheet metal and the shaft, one end of the arm is open, and due to this opening, the shaft cannot be protected against external effects. In the patent document no JP2001130384, an arrangement protecting the connection between the arm connection members produced from sheet metal and the shaft against external effects is disclosed. In this arrangement, an iron support member is used in order to prevent the structural damage that may occur in the housing while the shaft is mounted into the housing on the arm connection member. The member is composed of a ring providing the connection thereof with the housing and of a cylindrical skirt portion that is longer than the housing. The said skirt portion closes the gap between the shaft bearing and the arm connection member and protects the shaft against external effects. The support member is fitted into the housing so as to surround the outer surface of the housing. Thanks to the uneven configuration of the outer surface of the housing, the support member is fixed to the housing. By means of this arrangement, the connection between the arm connection member and the shaft can be isolated from external effects. However, nowadays, metal members used on the motor vehicles are replaced with plastic members in order to lighten the motor vehicles. In case the said support member is produced from plastic, the connection that is provided with the uneven outer surface of the housing will not be safe.

In the patent document no. JP2001180449, an external protective member in the form of a skirt instead of a skirt-shaped structure integrated with the housing is disclosed. The protective member is mounted to the side wall of the arm connection member by means of methods such as adhesion, welding, etc. However, the said mounting method is not cost-effective or easily- applicable. In the patent document, it is alternatively disclosed that the protective member can be mounted to a ring-shaped metal support member. The metal support member is fitted over the outer surface of the housing formed in the arm connection member. The mounting process is realized by means of press-fitting or by means of claws provided on the protective member. However, since this arrangement necessitates the use of metal support member, it cannot be adapted to every wiper system. Moreover, it is disadvantageous in terms of weight. In the patent document no. EP0864472, a plastic protective member that covers the gap between the shaft bearing and the wiper arm to protect the shaft against external effects is disclosed. The protective member is composed of two connection ends and a body formed between the ends. One end of the protective member is fixed to the arm connection member. The other connection end is placed and fixed into the gap between the shaft and the shaft bearing. The body between the two ends covers the said gap, thus protecting the shaft. However, in the arrangement, both ends of the protective member should be fixed. Therefore, the arrangement does not provide a practical mounting process. Moreover, which method should be used for fixing the protective member is not disclosed in the patent document.

By means of the present invention, a light plastic protective cover that can be easily mounted to the wiper arm in order to protect the wiper shaft in the wiper systems of the motor vehicles against external effects such as water, dust, etc. is disclosed. The present invention is explicated below in detail with reference to the figures.

Figure 1 is the isometric view of the wiper system.

Figure 2a is the isometric view of the arm connection member produced from sheet metal. Figure 2b is the cross-sectional view of the arm connection member produced from sheet metal.

Figure 3 is the isometric view of the protective cover of the present invention.

Figure 4a is the exploded view of the arm connection member and the protective cover of the present invention.

Figure 4b is the cross-sectional view of the connection of the arm connection member and the protective cover of the present invention.

Figure 4c is another cross-sectional view of the connection of the arm connection member and the protective cover of the present invention.

Figure 4d is the detailed view of the long lateral wall of the protective cover and the upper wall of the arm connection member. Figure 4e is the detailed view of the short lateral wall of the protective cover and the side wall of the arm connection member. is the cross-sectional view of the connection of the arm connection member and shaft when the protective cover of the present invention is not used, is the cross-sectional view of the connection of the arm connection member and shaft when the protective cover of the present invention is used. is the isometric view of the alternative arrangement of the protective cover of the present invention.

is the cross-sectional view of the alternative arrangement of the arm connection member and the protective cover of the present invention,

is the isometric view of the second alternative arrangement of the protective cover of the present invention.

is the cross-sectional view of the second alternative arrangement of the arm connection member and the protective cover of the present invention, is the cross-sectional view of the third alternative arrangement of the arm connection member and the protective cover of the present invention. The elements related to the present invention are numbered as follows in the above-described figures:

Wiper System 1

Wiper Blade 2

Wiper Arm 3

Arm Body 31

Arm Connection member 32

Arm Connection member Side Wall 321

Arm Connection member Side Wall Lower

Surface 3210

Arm Connection member Side Wall Outer

Surface 3211

Arm Connection member Side Wall Inner

Surface 3212

Opening 3213

Arm Connection member Upper Wall 322 Arm Connection member Side Wall Inner

Surface 3220

Protective Cover 4 ₎ 4' 4" 4'"

Skirt 41,41',41"

Skirt Outer Surface 410',410"

Short Lateral Wall 411 _/ 411',411"

Short Lateral Wall Upper Surface 4110

Long Lateral Wall 412,412',412"

Long Lateral Wall Upper Surface 4120

Connection Arm 42,42',42"

Vertical Bearing surface 420

Horizontal Bearing surface 421

Base 422',422"

Body 423,423',423"

Claw 424',424"

Ring 43

Shaft 5

Connection Portion 50

Conic Part 51

End Part 52

Housing 6

Hole 60

Hole Wall 61

Shaft Bearing 7

Shaft Bearing End Point 70

Peripheral Gap A

Detailed Description of the Invention

Figure 1 shows a wiper system (1) to which the plastic protective cover (4) of the present invention is connected. The wiper system (1) comprises a wiper blade (2), a wiper arm (3) to which the said wiper blade (2) is connected and a shaft (5) that is connected to the arm (3) to transmit the movement provided by the motor to the arm (3) and the wiper blade (2). The protective cover (4) of the present invention is mounted to the end of the wiper arm (3) connected to the shaft (5) and surrounds and protects the shaft-arm (5, 3) connection against external effects.

The wiper arm (3) generally have an articulated structure comprising an arm body (31) connected to the wiper blade (2) and an arm connection member (32) connected to the shaft (5). Therefore, in this description, the invention will be disclosed through the connection of the arm connection member (32) and the shaft (5). However, it is clear that the cover (4) of the present invention can be used in the region where the arm (3) is connected to the shaft (5) in any alternative arm arrangements that do not comprise an arm connection member (32).

Figure 2 shows the cross-sectional and the isometric views of the arm connection member (32) to which the protective cover (4) of the present invention is mounted. The arm connection member (32) with a U-shaped cross-section, produced from sheet metal is composed of two side walls (321) and an upper wall (322). A housing (6) wherein the shaft (5) can be mounted is provided in the arm connection member (32). The housing (6) is formed by means of a hole (60) provided on the upper wall (322) of the connection member (32) and by extending the wall (61) of the said hole (6) towards the shaft (5).

Figure 3 shows the isometric view of the protective cover (4) of the present invention. The protective cover (4) is a plastic single piece comprising a skirt (41) and at least one, preferably more than one flexible connection arm (42) integrated to the said skirt (41). The skirt (41) is preferably in the form of a hollow cylinder. The lateral walls (411, 412) forming the skirt (41) are preferably provided as a short one (411) at a region and a long one (412) at another region. After the mounting process, the short lateral wall (411) is preferably in contact with the side walls (321) of the arm connection member (32) and the long lateral wall (421) is in contact with the upper wall (322) of the arm connection member (32).

The flexible arms (42) extend from the lateral walls (411, 412) of the skirt (41) with which the arms (42) are integrated towards the center of the skirt (41). The end of the arms (42) are preferably integrated with an inner ring (43). The hollow annular inner ring (43) provided at the center of the protective cover (4) is formed as a single piece with the protective cover (4). The flexible connection arms (42) have a configuration that can stretch without any damage during the mounting process. Therefore, in the preferred arrangement of the present invention, the arms (42) has a S-shaped serpentine body (423) having at least one bend. However, in the alternative arrangements of the present invention, the body (423) may have a flexible configuration in form of V, Z, etc. Preferably, horizontal bearing surfaces (421) are provided on the arms (42). Moreover, a vertical bearing surface (420) is preferably provided at the end of each arm (42). Figure 4a shows the exploded view of the protective cover (4) before being mounted to the arm connection member (43), and Figure 4b and 4c show the cross-sectional views of the protective cover (4) in the mounted state to the arm connection member (32). The protective cover (4) is mounted to the housing (6) by being pushed from the open lower side of the arm connection member (32) having a U cross-section. In the mounted state, the bearing surfaces (421) of the flexible arms (42) bear against the inner surface (3220) of the upper wall (322) of the arm connection member (32). During the mounting process, as the arms (42) are stretched and compressed some thanks to the flexible structure thereof, the vertical bearing surfaces (420) engage with the wall (61) of the hole (60). As the arms (42) try to return to their initial state like a spring, the said vertical bearing surfaces (420) peripherally grip the wall (61) of the hole (60), thus enabling the protective cover (4) to be snap-fitted to the housing (6). As shown in detail in Figure 4d and 4e, the upper surface (4110) of the short lateral wall (411) of the cover (4) mounted to the arm connection member (32) bears against the lower surface (3210) of the side wall (321) of the arm connection member (32) while the upper surface (4120) of the long lateral wall (412) bears against the inner surface (3220) of the upper wall (322) of the arm connection member (32).

Figure 5a shows the cross-sectional view of the shaft-arm (5, 3) connection wherein the protective cover (4) is not used, and Figure 5b shows the shaft-arm (5, 3) connection to which the protective cover (4) is mounted. The shaft (5) is fitted into a shaft bearing (7) and has a connection portion (50) protruding from the said bearing (7). The conic part (51) of the connection part (50) is fitted into the housing (6). The end (52) of the connection part (50) protrudes from the housing (6) and goes beyond the arm connection member (32). The end (52) of the shaft (5) remaining over the arm connection member (32) is fixed to the arm connection member (32) by means of members (not shown in figures) such as nut, etc. As shown in Figure 5a, in the case the plastic protective cover (4) is not used, a peripheral gap (A) wherein the shaft (5) is unprotected against external effects such as rain, dust, moisture, etc. is formed between the shaft bearing (7) and the arm connection member (32). As shown in Figure 5b, the side walls (411, 412) of the protective cover (4) cover the gap (A) between the arm connection member (32) and the end point (70) of the shaft bearing (7) and isolates the connection between the shaft (5) and the wiper arm connection member (32) from external effects. Thus, the shaft (5) is protected against external factors such as rain, dust, moisture, etc.

Figure 6 shows an alternative arrangement of the protective cover (4') of the present invention. The protective cover (4') is a plastic single piece comprising a skirt (4 ) and at least one connection arm (42') integrated to the said skirt (41'). The connection arm (42') comprises a base (422') integrated with the outer surface (410') of the skirt (41'), a body (423') extending upwards from the said skirt (41') and a claw (424') provided at the end of the said body (423'). The base (422') of the connection member (42') extends outwards from the outer surface (410') of the skirt (41'). The protective cover (4') has preferably three connection arms (42'). The claw (424 ¹ ) is preferably a protrusion with a triangular cross-section extending towards the center of the skirt (41'). Similar to the preferred arrangement of the present invention, the part of the hollow cylinder-shaped skirt (41') in contact with the side walls (321) of the arm connection member (32) has a short lateral wall (411') and the part thereof in contact with the upper wall (322) of the arm connection member (32) has a long lateral wall (412'). As shown in Figure 6b, openings (3212) preferably with rectangular cross-sections for receiving the claws (424') are provided on the side wall (321) of the arm connection member (32). The claws (424') enter through the outer surface (3211) of the side wall (321) of the arm connection member (32) and engage with the said openings (3213), thus realizing the connection of the connection arm member (32)-the protection cover (4').

Figure 7 shows another alternative arrangement of the protective cover (4") of the present invention. In this arrangement, differently from the protective cover (4') of the previous arrangement, the base (422") of the connection member (42") extends inwards from the outer surface (410") of the skirt (41"). The claws (424") extend outwards from the skirt (41"). The claws (424") enter through the inner surface (3212) of the side wall (321) of the arm connection member (32) and engage with the openings (3213), thus realizing the connection of the connection arm member (32)-the protection cover (4"). The protective cover (4"') of the present invention with its alternative arrangement shown in Figure 8 is obtained by applying plastic injection on the lower surface (3210) off the side walls (321) of the arm connection member (32). Thus, no additional connection member is required. The protective cover (4, 4', A", A'") of the present invention is preferably produced by the plastic injection method. However, alternatively different state of the art production methods known can be used. The protective cover (4, 4', A", A'") can be produced from a thermoplastic material such as polyamide (PA), polyphthalamide (PPA), polyphenylene sulphide (PPS), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), etc.

Although the connection arms (42,42',42") of the protective arm (4, 4', A") can be provided in serpentine form, the said arms (42,42',42") can be provided in flat or different forms in different embodiments. The said connection arms (42, 42', 42") can be arranged on the protective cover (4, A', A") at equal or different angular intervals. The number of the arms (42, 42', 42") provided on the protective cover (4, A', A") is preferably between 3 and 12; however, the said number can be increased or decreased according to the embodiment.