GB2162420A

GB2162420A - Windscreen wiping apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2162420A
Application number: GB08419635A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Han-Hun Liu
Original assignee: LIU HAN HUN
Current assignee: LIU HAN HUN
Priority date: 1984-08-01
Filing date: 1984-08-01
Publication date: 1986-02-05
Also published as: GB8419635D0

Abstract

A windscreen wiper has two blades, (13) and (14) mounted on a common arm (10) and a spray means (15) located between them. When the switches of the wiper arm (10) and the spray means (15) are opened, the combined blades (13) and (14) begin to move and simultaneously water-nozzles spray the cleaning fluid, e.g. water, pumped through the pipe (16). The leading blade (13) scrapes the dirt from the glass surface of the windscreen, then the water-nozzles (101) spray the cleaning fluid, e.g. water, on the glass surface already scraped by the leading blade (13) for cleaning purposes. The trailing blade (14) quickly scrapes away any dirt which has not been removed by the leading blade (13). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Windscreen wiping apparatus The present invention relates to apparatus of the type for wiping windscreens.

A windscreen wiper is mounted on the front or rear windscreen of a vehicle, and is virtually indispensable apparatus whose chief purpose is to wipe away the rain and other moisture on the windscreen to maintain good visibility. The apparatus also includes a water spray. Moreover, during driving in dry dusty conditions, the windscren is apt to be coated with dust lingering in the air. In this situation the spray and the starting of the windscreen wiper must be co-ordinated for an effective cleaning operation. Thus the above two devices (spray and wiper) are of very great significance in the maintenance of the windscreen condition, as well as the driving safety of every motor vehicle.

However, even although the motor industry is highly developed, the windscreen wipers of cars of even quality makes still have the same old structure that has been in use for decades.

The ordinary windscreen wipers of the traditional kind are all of single-blade type, with an independent spray system and have the following defects: 1. the water pumped from the water tank by the motor pump sprays from the water-nozzle and creates a sudden spray that affects the view of the driver. 2. It often happens that the failure of the nozzle to co-ordinate with the movement of the windscreen wiper leads to the phenomenon that the spray cannot be quickly removed from the surface of the glass to make it clean and shiny. 3. After one scrape or two, the mixture of the water and the dust on the glass surface still turns into mush that makes the glass surface all the more blurry, thus seriously blocking the driver's view. In high-speed driving, very serious danger is caused by the blocked view of the driver. 4.The traditional device, being incapable of fast removal of dirt, must scrape to and fro repeatedly; and the repeated scrapes are apt to cause scratches on the glass surface, thus indirectly shortening the life of the windscreen.

It is an object of the present invention to provide improved windscreen wiping apparatus which obviates or mitigate the above disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided windscreen wiping apparatus comprising a movable arm, a wiper blade support member carried by said arm, and wiper blade means mounted on said support member comprising a first leading wiper blade and a second trailing wiper blade spaced from said first blade.

Preferably, there is provided spray means for spraying cleaning fluid, e.g. water onto the windscreen, said spray means including nozzle means located between the leading and trailing wiper blades, whereby there is facilitated removal of any mixture of cleaning fluid and adhesive dirt from the windscreen surface by the wiper blade means.

By means of the above apparatus according to this invention it is possible for a single scrape of the wiper to rapidly clean the surface of the glass, which will bring benefits to the life of the glass, and furthermore to the safety of the driver.

The 'double-blade spray windscreen wiper structure', has the secondary benefit of fixing the water-nozzle between the two blades to make it move with the blades so that operation of the spray means will not block the driver's view by causing a sudden spread out spray on the windscreen.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a side view of a windscreen wiper according to the present invention; Figure 1b shows a front view of the spray pipe of the wiper; Figure 2 shows a sectional end view of the spray nozzle and wiper blade arrangement of the wiper of Fig. 1; and Figures 3 and 4 show views of the wiper of Fig. 1 while in operation.

Referring to the drawings, a windscreen wiper of this invention includes a wiper arm 10 connecting frame 11, and a blade carrying frame 12. In general terms the three items 10, 11, 12 represent the traditional wiper form. The frame 12 carries a first wiper blade 13 (leading) and a second wiper blade 14 (trailing) and a spray pipe 15, of which the first blade 13 and the second blade 14 are fixed on the frame 12 in a thrust-and-turn (bayonet) type fixture for easy changing. A pipe 16 has one of its ends connected to a motor pump (not shown) and the pipe 16 runs through preformed tunnel holes in the wiper arm 10, connecting frame 11, and blade carrying frame 12 and then connects with the spray pipe 15, which is in strip form and is equipped with a plurality of spaced water-nozzles 101.As shown in the drawing, the jet sprayed from each water-nozzle is located between the first 13 and the second 14 blade and a hose coupling is used in the pipe so that the spray can be co-ordinated with the movement of the driven wiper. The switches of the above-mentioned pumping motor and wiper can operate together or independently in accordance with the choice of environment and occasion.

Referring to Fig. 4, when the wiper moves from position A to position B, the glass surface of this part will be completely cleaned.

The cleaning process involves the first blade 13 scraping away the dust on the glass surface; but the surface is still coated with dirt of a more adhesive nature. Thereupon, the leftover dirt is mixed with the water jets sprayed from the water-nozzles 101 whereby the two blades 13, 14 can easily scrape the water and dust away from the glass surface.

While the above apparatus is described in connection with wiping of motor vehicle windscreens, it will be readily appreciated that the wiping apparatus could be used to wipe other screens or panels.

Claims

1. Windscreen wiping apparatus comprising a movable arm, a wiper blade support member carried by said arm, and wiper blade means mounted on said support member comprising a first leading wiper blade and a second trailing wiper blade spaced from said first blade.

2. Windscreen wiping apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein there is provided spray means for spraying cleaning fluid, e.g.

water onto the windscreen, said spray means including nozzle means located between the leading and trailing wiper blades, whereby there is facilitated removal of any mixture of cleaning fluid and adhesive dirt from the windscreen surface by the wiper blade means.

3. Windscreen wiping apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the spray means includes a strip form nozzle device located between the wiper blades, said nozzle device comprising a plurality of spaced nozzles and being connected to a cleaning fluid tank by conduit means extending through the movable arm, and the wiper blade support member.

4. Windscreen wiping apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the wiper support member comprises a fixed carrying frame and blade mounting plate means, said plate means and the nozzle device being linked to said carrying frame.

5. Windscreen wiping apparatus as claimed in any one of the claims 2 to 4, wherein means are provided to enable simultaneous movement of said movable arm for windscreen wiping and operation of said spray means.

6. Windscreen wiping apparatus comprising a movable arm, a wiper blade support member, wiper blade means mounted on said support member, and spray means for spraying cleaning fluid, e.g. water onto the windscreen, said spray means including a nozzle device and conduit means for delivery of cleaning fluid to the nozzle device, said nozzle device being movable with the wiper blade support member.

7. Windscreen wiping apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.