GB1568489A - Screen wiper arrangement for a motor vehicle - Google Patents

Description

(54) A SCREEN WIPER ARRANGEMENT FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE (71) We, ROBERT BOSCH GMBH, a German company of Postfach 50, 7 Stuttgart I, Federal Republic of Germany, 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 follow mg statement: The invention concerns a wiper arrangement.

A wiper device is already known wherein there is fixed on a first wiper shaft a double lever to whose ends a cable is attached the cable being connected to a double lever of a drive unit, said second double lever resting on another wiper shaft. In the known wiper device the two double levers have to be connected to the wiper shafts and suitably adjusted in separate working processes.

This also applies to the two wiper arms which are likewise connected to the two wiper shafts.

According to the invention, a wiper arrangement has a drive unit for oscillating a first wiper shaft which is operationally connected by rigid transmission means to a second wiper shaft, each wiper shaft being connected to a respective wiper arm by means of a respective hub part having a lever part which is integral therewith and which is provided with means for connection to the transmission means.

By comparision with the known arrangement the invention has the advantage that only one adjusting and fixing process is required per wiper shaft.

The invention is described further, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a wiper arrangement in which two wipers are coupled to one another; Figure 2 is a plan view of a hub part of a wiper arm as in Figure 1 to an enlarged scale; and Figure 3 is a view of the hub part seen in the direction of the arrow III.

Figure 1 shows a wiper device which is used to clean a screen 10 shown by dash-dot lines. The screen 10 may be, for example, the cover plate of a motor vehicle light or a windscreen. Part of the wiper device is a drive unit 12 which transmits a swinging drive movement to an output shaft. The output shaft of the drive unit 12 serves as a wiper shaft for a first wiper arm 14 which is placed and fixed by means of a hub part 16 onto the wiper shaft. Disposed on the other end of the wiper arm 16 is a wiper blade 18 which sweeps over a wiper field 20 during operation of the wiper device. In the bodywork of the vehicle (not shown) at a distance from the output shaft of the drive unit a second wiper shaft is supported on which a second wiper arm 22 is fixed by means of its hub part 24. A wiper blade 26 which sweeps over a wiper field 28 during operation of the wiper device, is also disposed on the free end of the wiper arm 22.

The two hub parts 16 and 24 of the wiper arms 14 and 22 are completely identical in construction and are shown more clearly with reference to Figures 2 and 3. In its central region 30, the hub part 16 has a hub bore 32 by means of which it may be placed on the respective wiper shaft. The central region 30 of the hub part 16 also has a lever part 34 which is connected integrally to the central region 30 of the hub part 16. Near the free end of the lever part 34, the latter has a pin 36 on which a spherical bushing (shown by dash-dot lines) 38 may be rested.

Finally the hub part 16 is also provided with a bearing block 40 which is connected integrally to the hub part 16 and on which the lever of the wiper arm 14 is hinged. For this purpose, the bearing block 40 has a bore 42 which serves as a pivot for a joint pin of the wiper arm 14. Relative to the hub bore 32, the lever part 34 or the ball pin 36,38 form a specific angle a with the swivel bearing 40,42 for the wiper arm lever. The size of the angle a is dependent upon the shape of the screen and the disposition of the wiper shafts relative to the screen 10.

To assemble the wiper device, the hub part 16 is firstly fixed on the first wiper shaft. In so doing, the hub part and the wiper arm 14 are adjusted in such a manner that the wiper blade 18 occupies its prescribed position in each possible working position. A push rod 44 is then fixed on the spherical bushing 38 resting on the ball pin 36 in that the push rod 44 is placed with a swivel cup 46 disposed on one of its ends onto the spherical bushing 38 of the ball pin 36,38. On its other end the push rod 44 also has a swivel cup 48 which is used for application on the spherical bushing 38 of the ball pin 36,38 connected to the other hub part 24. Because the hub parts 16 and 24 are absolutely identical and also the distance between the two wiper shafts and the two swivel cups 46,48 of the push rod 44 is the same, by connecting the push rod 44 to the two ball pins 36,38 the second wiper arm 22 and its wiper blade 26 are brought into their regulation position directly without any further adjustment. Through the connection of the two ball pins 36,38 of the hub parts 16 and 24, the two wiper shafts are operationally connected to one another.

As a result of the above-described arrangement and construction of the wiper device, a rigid movement transmission means formed by the push rod 44 therefore acts upon lever parts 34 which are each connected in one piece to the hub parts 16 and 24.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A wiper arrangement for screens of motor vehicles having a drive unit for oscillating a first wiper shaft which is operationally connected by rigid transmission means to a second wiper shaft, each wiper shaft being connected to a respective wiper arm by means of a respective hub part having a lever part which is integral therewith and which is provided with means for connection for the rigid transmission means.

2. A wiper arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which the transmission means are formed by a push rod whose two end portions are each provided with a respective swivel cup within which an associated pin comprising said means for connection, is received.

3. A wiper arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which each hub part has a swivel bearing for the associated wiper arm.

4. A wiper arrangement as claimed in claim 3, in which the swivel bearing and the pin of each hub part are disposed at an angle to one another relative to the hub bore.

5. A wiper arrangement as claimed in claim 4, in which the angle is the same for each hub part.

6. A wiper arrangement as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, in which the distance between the axes of the swivel cups on the push rod corresponds to the distance between the axes of the wiper shafts.

7. A wiper arrangement as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, in which the hub parts for each wiper arm are completely identical in construction.

8. A wiper arrangement substantially as herein particularly described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (8)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. form a specific angle a with the swivel bearing 40,42 for the wiper arm lever. The size of the angle a is dependent upon the shape of the screen and the disposition of the wiper shafts relative to the screen 10. To assemble the wiper device, the hub part 16 is firstly fixed on the first wiper shaft. In so doing, the hub part and the wiper arm 14 are adjusted in such a manner that the wiper blade 18 occupies its prescribed position in each possible working position. A push rod 44 is then fixed on the spherical bushing 38 resting on the ball pin 36 in that the push rod 44 is placed with a swivel cup 46 disposed on one of its ends onto the spherical bushing 38 of the ball pin 36,38. On its other end the push rod 44 also has a swivel cup 48 which is used for application on the spherical bushing 38 of the ball pin 36,38 connected to the other hub part 24. Because the hub parts 16 and 24 are absolutely identical and also the distance between the two wiper shafts and the two swivel cups 46,48 of the push rod 44 is the same, by connecting the push rod 44 to the two ball pins 36,38 the second wiper arm 22 and its wiper blade 26 are brought into their regulation position directly without any further adjustment. Through the connection of the two ball pins 36,38 of the hub parts 16 and 24, the two wiper shafts are operationally connected to one another. As a result of the above-described arrangement and construction of the wiper device, a rigid movement transmission means formed by the push rod 44 therefore acts upon lever parts 34 which are each connected in one piece to the hub parts 16 and 24. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A wiper arrangement for screens of motor vehicles having a drive unit for oscillating a first wiper shaft which is operationally connected by rigid transmission means to a second wiper shaft, each wiper shaft being connected to a respective wiper arm by means of a respective hub part having a lever part which is integral therewith and which is provided with means for connection for the rigid transmission means.

2. A wiper arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which the transmission means are formed by a push rod whose two end portions are each provided with a respective swivel cup within which an associated pin comprising said means for connection, is received.

3. A wiper arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which each hub part has a swivel bearing for the associated wiper arm.

4. A wiper arrangement as claimed in claim 3, in which the swivel bearing and the pin of each hub part are disposed at an angle to one another relative to the hub bore.

5. A wiper arrangement as claimed in claim 4, in which the angle is the same for each hub part.

6. A wiper arrangement as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, in which the distance between the axes of the swivel cups on the push rod corresponds to the distance between the axes of the wiper shafts.

7. A wiper arrangement as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, in which the hub parts for each wiper arm are completely identical in construction.

8. A wiper arrangement substantially as herein particularly described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.