NZ205101A

NZ205101A - Plastics latching insert for connecting windscreen wiper blade to wiper arm

Info

Publication number: NZ205101A
Application number: NZ205101A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: E J Sumins
Original assignee: Trico Folberth Ltd
Priority date: 1982-08-23
Filing date: 1983-08-01
Publication date: 1985-10-11
Also published as: ES274064Y; IT8348869A1; AU561840B2; IT8348869A0; ZA835417B; JPH0464898B2; AR231822A1; BE897583A; AU1830483A; DE3328998A1; GB2125691A; BR8304484A; JPS5959544A; DE3328998C2; GB2125691B; FR2531920A1; KR840005691A; GB8322425D0; ES274064U; IT1168637B

Description

<div class="application article clearfix" id="description"> 205101 . 23-8-S2 Priority Date(s): Complete Specification Filed: Class: Publication Date: . ft A .9PT .$§?,...,, P.O. Journal, No: N E W Z E A L A N D The Patents Act, 19 53 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION "WIPER BLADE COMPONENTS " We, TRICO-FOLBERTH LIMITED, a British Company of Great West Road, Brentford, Middlesex TW8 9HP, England, 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 ana by the following statement : - 1 (Followed by 1A.) 205101 1A This invention relates to wipers such as can be used for vehicle windscreens, vehicle rear windows, or other purposes. One existing type of wiper blade comprises a 5 harness including a yoke having along its back an elongated aperture intermediate the ends of the yoke and defined by opposite side walls, and having a pair of holes, one in each side wall, aligned transversely of the yoke. As part of a means for connecting the harness to a wiper arm, 10 there is a cylindrical pin having portions which can fit in the holes and having a circumferential groove between the said portions. The present invention is concerned with enabling a wiper arm to be placed alongside the yoke, and connected 15 to the yoke in a manner which is secure, but releasable. According to one aspect of the present invention, wiper blade components comprise a harness and a pin as described above, and a latching insert of plastics material. This latching insert includes a body which can 20 fit in the aperture and which has at each end a lip which then overlaps the back of the yoke, the insert having opposite sides having lateral rigidity^wnioh are thon substantiallyToooxt'cnoiffc"'with the length of the aperture and closely adjacent to the side walls of the 25 yoke, and a strap-like member which has end portions each integrally connected to the body, and has a central portion >• / -j :i ^ ~N ■ - v, 2 0 510 1 which, when the body is in the aperture and the pin is in the holes, lies in part of the groove in the pin, while the pin lies between the body and the strap-like member; the strap-like member having lateral rigidity 5 but being resiliently flexible away from the body so as to resist disengagement of the central portion from the groove but to permit displacement of the central portion away from the body in the course of manipulations for assembly and separation of the yoke and pin. 10 According to another aspect of the present invention, a wiper blade component in the form of a latching insert of plastics material comprises a generally rectangular body having a length substantially greater than its width, and having a lip projecting longitudinally 15 of the body at each end, and also comprises a strap-like member having a central portion and two end portions, the central portion, when the insert is unstressed, being spaced away from one of the two larger faces of the body, and being of width less than the width of the body, 20 the strap-like member being of thickness such as to be resiliently flexible away from the body, while being substantially rigid in a direction parallel to the width of the body, and the end portions connecting ends of the central portion to the body adjacent to the ends of the 25 body, each lip projecting longitudinally of the body beyond the respective end portion of the strap-like member. The accompanying drawings show two examples of wiper blade components embodying the present invention. In these drawings:-30 Figure 1 is a plan of the central part of a main yoke; Figure 2 is a side elevation of a latching insert, with the positions of yoke and pin shown in chain lines; Figure 3 is a section on the line III-III in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a view of the latching insert from below, 35 with the position of the yoke shown in chain lines; 2 0 51 - 1 Figure 5 is a side elevation of a second insert; Figure 6 is an end elevation of the second insert; Figure 7 is a view of the second insert from below; and 5 Figure 8 is a side elevation, on a smaller scale, of parts of a wiper arm and blade in assembled condition. Figure 8 shows a wiper blade 50, associated with a harness comprising a main yoke 1 and subsidiary yokes 52, 54. The wiper arm 56 terminates in a connector 58, 10 which lies alongside the main yoke 1, and is pivoted to the main yoke by a discrete pin 17 (indicated in chain lines in Figure 3) which is separable from both the blade 50 and arm 56. Alternatively the pin can be a permanent part of a wiper arm but releasably latchable to the blade 15 in the same mode as the discrete pin 17. A latching insert 11, as shown in Figures 2 to 4, or Figures 5 to 7, and described more fully below, contributes to connecting the pin 17 to the main yoke 1. Figure 1 shows a main yoke 1 made of sheet metal. 20 The majority of the yoke is of inverted channel section with a web 2 and flanges 4, 6. In a central portion, the yoke is slightly widened, and there is a rectangular aperture 8 along its back. This aperture 8 extends the full width between the inner surfaces 9, 9 of the flanges 25 4 and 6. Thus the flanges constitute opposite side walls defining the aperture 8. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the flanges 4 and 6 are extended somewhat upwards along each side of the aperture 8 to upper edges 10. The latching insert 11 shown in Figures 2 to 4 is 30 of a plastics material including a body 12 and a strap-like member 14, The body is generally rectangular, having a length substantially greater than its width, and a width substantially greater than its thickness. The proportions of the body are such that it has lateral rigidity (i.e. 35 rigidity in the direction left-right in Figure 3), and in this example it is rigid or nearly so in a vertical 205101 4 direction. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the body 12 can fit in the aperture 8, and has at each end a lip 16 which then overlaps the back of the yoke, i.e. rests on top of the 5 web 2, so that the body cannot move downwards from the position shown in Figures 2 and 3. The body has opposite sides 13 in vertical planes. These sides have lateral ro* r--* soivve. fe«vriU as rigidity, 1 and aro substantially' oooxt-onoivo with the length of the aperture 8 and lie closely adjacent to the 10 sides of the yoke, i.e. to the inner surfaces 9, 9 of the flanges 4 and 6, just below the upper edges 10. Where the ends of the strap-like member 14 join the body 12, there are small vertical end faces 15 beneath the lips 16. These end faces abut the web 2 where it 15 terminates at each end of the aperture 8. The latching insert also cooperates with the pin 17, details of which are shown in Figure 3. The pin has a central collar 18, and two cylindrical end parts, of slightly different dimensions. The part on the right in 20 Figure 3 has a circumferential groove 20 and is intended to cooperate in a known manner with an end fitting on a wiper arm. The part on the left in Figure 3 comprises two cylindrical portions 22, 24 and a circumferential groove 25 26. In addition there is a tapering extremity 28. In the assembled condition of the components, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, a central portion 30 of the strap^like member 14 lies in part of the groove 26. By so doing it restrains the pin 17 from moving axially 30 relatively to the yoke 1. The strap-like member also includes end portions 32, 34 which are integrally connected to the body 12. As shown in Figure 4, the width of the end portions 32, 34 is equal to the width of the body 12, that is to say 35 there are lateral enlargements along each side of eac-lfv^'t^v fy > 2 0 510 1 end portion, while the width of the central portion 30 is such as to fit in the groove 26. The left-hand boundary of the groove 26, as seen in figure 3, is a shoulder perpendicular to the axis of the pin, and this 5 shoulder cooperates with the left-hand side of the central portion 30, that left-hand side being in a vertical plane. The strap-like member has lateral rigidity, and has resilience towards and away from the body 12. This resilience restrains disengagement of the central portion 10 30 from the groove 26, but permits displacement of the central portion away from the body in the course of manipulations for assembly and separation of the yoke and pin, as explained more fully below. Abreast of the aperture 8 there is a pair of holes 15 36, 38 aligned with each other in opposite sides of the yoke, i.e. passing through the flanges 4 and 6. The axis of these yokes is indicated at 40 in Figures 2 and 4. Because the yoke is also intended for other possible uses, this axis is not central in the length of the apert-20 ure 8, but is displaced somewhat towards the left end of the aperture as seen in Figures 2 and 4. In assembling the components, first the latching insert is introduced into the aperture from above, until it is in the operative position shown in Figures 2 and 3. 25 Then the pin is introduced from right to left in Figure 3, by inserting the tapering extremity 28 into the hole 36, and pushing the pin to the left. The result is that the extremity;28 deflects the central portion 30 of the strap-like member downwards, so that the portion 24 of 30 the pin can pass over the strap-like member until the pin reaches the position shown in Figure 3, whereupon the resilience of the strap-like member restores the central portion 30 to the position shown in Figures 2 and 3. The components have thus reached the assembled 35 condition, in which as mentioned above, the left-hand 6 2 0 510 1 side Cas seen in Figure 3) of the central portion 30 cooperates with the left-hand boundary of the groove 26, and thereby resists separation of the pin 17 from the yoke 1. At the same time, the collar 18 is closely 5 adjacent to the external face of the flange 6, so that relative axial movement of the pin 17 and yoke 1 is minimal but allows relative pivoting between the yoke 1 and the arm connector 58 in the assembly in Figure 8. Disassembly can be caused by a person exerting 10 upward pressure as indicated at Y near the right-hand end of the latching insert 11 in Figure 2, while exerting pressure to the right, as indicated by the arrow X, applied to the left-hand end of the latching insert. The first result is that the pressure Y causes the 15 latching insert to tilt slightly (in a direction which is anti-clockwise as seen in Figure 2) until the end portion 34 of the strap-like member can ride to the right over the upper surface of the web 2 of the yoke. The resilience of the strap-like member enables the right-20 -hand end of the body 11 to rise relatively to the pin 17. Once the right-hand end has risen, the pressure X causes the insert to move to the right. As soon as the left-hand lip 16 is clear of the web 2, the left-hand end of the insert will descend somewhat through the 25 aperture 8. Movement to the right continues until a groove 42 in the underside of the body 12 lies above the pin 17. This groove 42 has the effect of increasing the gap between the strap-like member and the body from the dimension a in Figure 2 to the dimension b. By the time 30 the pin is beneath the groove 42, the strap-like member 14 is in unstressed relationship to the body 12, and the dimension b is sufficient to enable the pin to be withdrawn. To enable the latching insert to be used in the 35 aperture 8 either way round, despite the fact that the 2 0 51Q1 axis 40 is not central in the length of the aperture, there are in fact two grooves 42 in the underside of the body 12. The latching insert 11 shown in Figures 2 to 4 5 has a number of advantageous features. The rigid sides 13 of the body 12 support and stiffen the yoke laterally where it has been weakened by the presence of the aperture 8, i.e. by removal of the web 2. The operation of the latching insert is independent of the thickness of the 10 metal of the web 2. The operation is also independent of the depth of the flanges 4 and 6. A certain amount of variation in the position of the axis 40 of the holes 36, 38 in the direction of the length of the yoke will not prevent operation of the latching insert, provided 15 of course that, in the assembled condition, the pin is out of register with the grooves 42. Figures 5 to 7 show an alternative latching insert, intended to be used with the same yoke and pin as shown in Figures 1 and 3. The following differences should be 20 noted. The strap-like member 14a has throughout its length the width of the central portion 30a with the exception of extensions 44 from each side of the end portions 32a, 34a at both ends of the central portion 30a. When the 25 insert is in operative position, these extensions fit within the side walls of the yoke with no substantial play. In line with these extensions, the strap-like portion is thickened vertically, by a part-cylindrical rib 45 on its upper surface. The area of the end face 30 of each extension 44 is thus sufficient to be engaged by one of several ejectors which act to free the insert from the mould in which the insert is made. The grooves 42a are wider, as seen in Figure 5, to facilitate the separation operation. 35 The strap-like member 14a is also thickened to 2 0 510 1 8 provide alternative concave-sided ribs 47 opposite the inner boundaries of the grooves 42a. The concaye side 48 of each rib 47 extends the area of engagement between the side of the central portion 30a and the shoulder on 5 the pin. Figure 5 illustrates the fact that, when the central portion 30a is in the groove in the pin 17, the strap-like member is not necessarily in the unstressed condition in which it was manufactured (shown in solid lines in 10 Figure 5), but may be in a slightly downwardly deflected position, as indicated by chain lines 49 in Figure 5. Although the presence of grooves 42 or 42a is preferred, it is possible to omit such grooves, in which case it may be necessary to prise the central portion 30 15 or 30a downwards by means of a tool when the components are to be separated. The yoke shown in Figure 1 is of sheet metal of inverted channel section. The invention is also applicable to arrangements in which the yoke is of a plastics material 20 and is of solid cross section except for the presence of the aperture (corresponding to the aperture 8) which then passes completely through the yoke from back to bottom. </div>

Claims

<div class="application article clearfix printTableText" id="claims"> 205101 - 9 - WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. Wiper blade components comprising: a harness including a main yoke having along its back an elonqated aperture intermediate the ends of the yoke and defined by ooposite side walls, and having a pair of holes, one in each side wall, aligned transversely of the yoke; a cylindrical pin having portions which can fit in the holes and having a circumferential groove between the said portions; and a latching insert of plastics material, including a body which can fit in the aperture and which has at each end a lip which then overlaps the back of the yoke, the insert having opposite sides having lateral rigidity, of substantially the same length as the length of the aperture and closely adjacent to the side walls of the yoke, and a strap-like member which has end portions each integrally connected to the body, and has a central portion which, when the body is in the aperture and the pin is in the holes, lies in part of the groove in the pin, while the pin lies between the body and the strap-like member; the strap-like member having lateral rigidity but being resiliently flexible away from the body so as to resist disengagement of the central portion from the groove but to permit displacement of the central portion away from the body in the course of manipulations for assembly and separation of the yoke and pin. 10 2 0 51 ■"* 1

2. Wiper blade components according to claim 1, in which there is a groove in a face of the body directed towards the strap-like member, this groove extending transversely across the body. 5

3. Wiper blade components according to claim 1, in which there are two grooves in a face of the body directed towards the strap-like member, each groove extending transversely across the body, and the grooves being equally spaced from a transverse centre line of the body. 10

4. Wiper blade components according to any of claims 1 to 3, in which the groove in the pin has a width less than the distance between the side walls of the aperture, and the central portion of the strap-like member has a width which fits in the groove in the pin. 15

5. Wiper blade components according to any of claims 1 to 4, in which the strap-^like member also has two pairs of opposed lateral enlargements terminating in faces which define a width equal to, and aligned with, the width of the body. 20

6. Wiper blade components according to any of claims 1 to 5, in which the central portion of the strap has a transverse rib directed towards the body and placed so that the rib is a part of the central portion which lies in the groove in the pin. 25

7. A wiper blade component in the form of a latching insert of plastics material, comprising a generally rectangular body having a length substantially greater than its width, and having a lip projecting longitudinally of the body at each end; and also compris-30 ing a strap-like member having a central portion and two end portions, the central portion, when the insert is unstressed, being spaced away from one of the two larger faces of the body, and being of width less than the width of the body, the strap-like member being of thickness 35 such as to be resiliently flexible away from the body, 11 2 0 f 1 i while being substantially rigid in a direction parallel to the width of the body, and the end portions connecting ends of the central portion to the body adjacent to the ends of the body, each lip projecting longitudinally of 5 the body beyond the respective end portion of the strap--like member.

8. A latching insert according to claim 7, in which there is a groove in the said larger face of the body which is nearer to the strap-like member, this groove 10 extending transversely across the body.

9. A latching insert according to claim 7, in which there are two grooves in the said larger face of the body which is nearer to the strap-like member, each groove extending transversely across the body, and the grooves 15 being equally spaced from a transverse centre line of the body.

10. A latching insert according to claim 7, substantially as described with reference to Figures 2 to 4 or Figures 5 to 7 of the accompanying drawings. </div>