EP0854804A1

EP0854804A1 - Drive device for at least two vehicle windscreen wipers

Info

Publication number: EP0854804A1
Application number: EP96924885A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bruno Egner-Walter; Eckhardt Schmid
Original assignee: ITT Automotive Europe GmbH; Alfred Teves GmbH
Current assignee: Valeo Wischersysteme GmbH
Priority date: 1995-10-27
Filing date: 1996-07-04
Publication date: 1998-07-29
Also published as: US6101664A; DE19539972A1; WO1997016332A1

Abstract

The drive device for at least two vehicle windscreen wipers, in particular for a motor vehicle, has a drive motor (1) including a motor gear mounted in a gear housing (2) closed off with a cover unit. On the end of an output shaft (3) which protrudes from the gear housing (2), a motor crank (4) is non-rotatably mounted and serves to drive the wiper shafts (8) of the minimum of two wiper bearings (5, 11) via a linkage. The aim is to improve the drive device in such a way as to make it easily adaptable to the space and fitting characteristics of a particular vehicle while also reducing manufacturing costs compared to known drive units by reducing the number of parts. This is done by making one wiper bearing (5) an integral part of the gear housing (2) or of the housing cover, while at least one other wiper bearing (11) is mounted on a carrier (12) of adjustable length and is in turn connected to the gear housing (2) or to the housing cover.

Description

Drive device for at least two windshield wipers of a vehicle

The invention relates to a drive device for at least two windshield wipers of a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, with the features of the preamble of claim 1.

From DE-GM 7103702 a drive device for two windshield wipers is known, to which a drive motor with a motor gear belongs. The motor transmission is housed in a gear housing which is connected directly to the drive motor and which is also designed such that two wiper bearings are incorporated in the gear housing and the gear housing also receives the drive linkage for the two wiper bearings. The gearbox produced as a cast part is closed overall by a cover, so that, in principle, the entire drive device is completely encapsulated. Because of its compact design, such a drive device has the essential advantage of simple handling when it is mounted on the vehicle. On the other hand, the gear housing is relatively complicated in shape, so that its production is relatively expensive. In addition, the position of the wiper shafts or the distance between them are due to the shape of the gear housing the wiper shafts immutable. A change in the bearing points of the wiper shafts or the geometry of the drive device is thus always associated with the production of a differently shaped gear housing. This known drive device is therefore not readily adaptable to different geometric conditions of different vehicles, so that this drive device can in principle only be used for the same vehicle.

Another drive device for at least two windshield wipers is known from EP 0 409 944 B1. This drive device also has a drive motor, to which a motor gear belongs, which is accommodated in a gear housing manufactured as a cast part and closed with a cover. The drive device includes two wiper bearings, each of which is connected to the transmission housing or to the cover of the transmission housing via a tubular support. The opposite ends of the tubular carriers are each attached to a pin connected to the wiper bearing and to a pin connected to the gear housing or to the cover of the gear housing and fastened thereon by caulking. This drive device has the essential advantage that it can be adapted to very different geometrical relationships of different vehicles in an extremely flexible manner. Such adjustments to the available space in the respective vehicle are made on the one hand by the appropriate choice of the length of the carriers which connect the wiper bearings to the gear housing or the cover of the gear housing. On the other hand, a further adjustment can be made by bending the carrier or by changing the angular position of the wiper bearings around the longitudinal axis of the carrier. A disadvantage of this drive device is the relatively large number of individual components that make up this device. This relatively large number of individual components is associated with a greater assembly outlay for producing the device, a greater weight of the drive device, and more extensive dispositions with regard to the individual parts.

The object of the invention is now to improve a drive device for at least two windshield wipers in such a way that on the one hand it is relatively easy to adapt to the space available in different vehicles and on the other hand a cost-effective producibility is ensured by reducing the number of components required.

According to the invention, the object is achieved by a drive device for at least two windshield wipers of a vehicle with the features of claim 1.

The fact that the one wiper bearing is a direct component of the gear housing, in which only the motor gear belonging to the drive motor is accommodated, or its cover, means that the carrier, which otherwise is omitted, can be dispensed with in comparison with a known drive device according to EP 0 409 944 B1 Most this connects a wiper bearing with the drive motor. This saves material, weight, assembly effort and disposition effort. Fastening the at least one further wiper bearing via a carrier to the gear housing or to the cover of the gear housing, on the other hand, ensures the possibility of adapting the drive device to different space conditions of vehicles, that is to say to different geometric conditions. The length of this beam is freely selectable, so that the stood between the at least two wiper bearings depending on the predetermined installation locations of the wiper bearings on the vehicle. In addition, it is possible to freely select or change the relative position of the at least one further wiper bearing to the one wiper bearing directly connected to the gear housing or cover or to the drive motor by means of corresponding bends of the carrier. Likewise, the relative angular position of the wiper shaft of the at least one further wiper bearing can be determined by bending the carrier or choosing a corresponding angular position about the longitudinal axis of the carrier in accordance with the conditions.

It can thus be seen that a drive device according to claim 1 combines the advantages of the known drive devices described above.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are characterized by the features of claims 2 to 7.

An advantageous embodiment according to claim 2 provides that the one wiper bearing, which is part of the transmission housing or its cover, is arranged on the outside of the transmission housing. This has the advantage that the interior of the gear housing only has to be large enough and its geometric shape can be selected such that only the motor gear is to be accommodated in the gear housing. It is therefore not necessary to provide a special place for this one wiper bearing within the gear housing.

An advantageous embodiment is characterized by the features of claim 3, in which on the gear housing

or attachment eyes for attaching the drive device to the vehicle are provided on the cover of the transmission housing. This makes it possible to fasten the drive device directly to the vehicle without a separate fastening device. In particular, the heaviest part of the drive device, the drive motor, is thereby attached directly to the vehicle. It is particularly advantageous here if, in addition, a fastening eye is formed directly on the wiper bearing, which component is part of the gear housing or the cover of the gear housing. This also ensures that this wiper bearing, which is exposed to different mechanical stresses during operation of the windshield wiper device, is also to be fastened directly to the vehicle.

For the connection of the at least one further wiper bearing to the gear housing or the cover of the gear housing, an advantageous embodiment according to claim 5 is recommended. For the connection of this at least one further Wi¬ bearing, an elongated support is used, which has a profiled cross section. This profiled carrier of corresponding length is, with its opposite end sections, each attached to a pin and fastened to it in a positive and / or non-positive manner. One of these pins belongs to the at least one further wiper bearing and is preferably produced in one piece with it, and the other pin belongs to the gear housing or the cover of the gear housing and is likewise made in one piece with it. The particular advantage of this embodiment is that the length of the carrier can be freely selected and, consequently, the otherwise quite compact drive device can be easily accommodated in different spaces can be adapted to the vehicle. In addition, such a carrier offers the possibility of further adapting to limited space on the vehicle by means of various bends.

A further advantageous embodiment according to claim 6 is that the cover of the transmission housing is simultaneously designed as a mounting plate for mounting the entire drive device on the vehicle. In this case, it is possible to optionally provide the drive device with a cover designed as a fastening plate, the shape and arrangement of the fastening eyes depending on the installation conditions on the vehicle. In various vehicles, it proves to be more favorable to fasten such a drive device to the vehicle via the cover of the transmission housing and not directly with fastening eyes provided on the transmission housing. Here again the installation conditions on the vehicle, in particular the required position of the output shaft of the drive motor in relation to the at least two wiper bearings, play an important role.

A further advantageous embodiment is characterized by the features of claim 7. The particular advantage of this embodiment is that the carrier, to which the at least one additional wiper bearing is attached, is manufactured in one piece with the cover of the gear housing made of sheet metal using inexpensive sheet metal technology. Here, too, there is the possibility of changing the length and shape of the carrier depending on the installation conditions of different vehicles. Corresponding changes can either be made before connecting this wiper bearing to the support. eng or directly in connection with the process of connecting.

An exemplary embodiment is described in more detail with reference to FIG. 1.

1 shows a drive device for a windshield wiper device of a motor vehicle with two windshield wipers.

1 shows a drive motor 1 to which the transmission housing 2 belongs, in which a motor transmission is housed. The gear housing 2 is made as a cast part made of metal or plastic and is directly connected to the pot of the drive motor 1. One end of the output shaft 3 of the motor transmission is guided through a corresponding opening in the transmission housing 2 to the outside. A motor crank 4 is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to this outwardly directed end of the output shaft 3. On the outside of the gear housing 2, which has essentially a hollow cylindrical shape, there is a wiper bearing 5, which is a direct component of the gear housing 2. The wiper bearing 5 is thus made in one piece with the gear housing 2. In addition, the mounting eye 6 and the mounting eye 7 can be seen, the mounting eye 6 being molded directly onto the gear housing 2 and the other mounting eye 7 onto the wiper bearing 5 belonging to the gear housing 2.

The wiper bearing 5, which is part of the gear housing 2, is aligned parallel to the output shaft 3 of the drive motor 1. The wiper shaft 8 is rotatably mounted in the wiper bearing 5 and is connected to the bearing crank 9 in a rotationally fixed manner. A pin 10 is integrally formed on the gear housing 2 in approximately parallel alignment to the drive motor 1. The pin 10 is arranged essentially tangentially to the gear housing 2. A second wiper bearing 11 is arranged at a distance predetermined by the vehicle from the wiper bearing 5. It is also aligned parallel to the output shaft 3 of the drive motor 1 and also has a pin 10 formed in one piece. A carrier 12 with a profiled cross section is intended to connect the second wiper bearing 11 to the gear housing 2 or to fasten it to the latter. The cross-sectional shapes of the tenons 10 are each adapted to the cross-sectional shape of the carrier 12. If the carrier 12 is a tube and accordingly has a circular cross-section, as shown at position 13, the opposite ends of the carrier 12 are each slipped onto a pin 10 in the longitudinal direction. In order to achieve a firm connection between the carrier 12 and the pin 10, for example, sections of the carrier are pressed into recesses 14 in the pin 10. It would also be possible to provide aligned holes in the pin 10 and the support 12 instead of the recesses 14 and to implement the fastening by means of a corresponding screwing or riveting.

If the carrier 12, as shown at point 15, has a U-like cross-sectional profile, the pins 10 received by the opposite ends of the carrier 12 can advantageously be fastened to the carrier 12 by riveting or screwing. In this case too, corresponding aligned bores would be provided in the pins 10 and in the ends of the carrier 12 instead of the recesses 14. On the other hand, it would also be possible to use the

To provide side walls of the carrier 12 protruding fastening tabs, which are to be bent for fastening the carrier 12 to the pin 10 of the gear housing 2 or to the pin 10 of the second wiper 11 in corresponding recesses or recesses in the pin 10 in order to produce a positive connection.

A wiper shaft 8 is likewise rotatably mounted in the second wiper bearing 11, to which a wiper lever can in turn be fastened in a manner known per se. A bearing crank 16 designed as a double crank, which has two sections diametrically opposite to the wiper shaft 8, is fastened to the wiper shaft 8 in a rotationally fixed manner. In order to convert the revolving rotary motion of the engine crank 4 into an oscillating rotary movement of the wiper shafts 8, the two articulated rods 18 and 19 are provided, which are shown schematically in FIG. 1 as dash-and-dot lines. The steering rod 18 is connected via swivel bearings or ball joints 17 on the one hand to the engine crank 4 and on the other hand to the one section of the bearing crank 16 of the second wiper bearing 11. The wiper shaft 8 of the second wiper bearing 11 is thus driven via this joint rod 18. The second joint rod 19 is connected via further swivel bearings or ball joints 17 on the one hand to the second section of the bearing crank 16 of the second wiper bearing 11 and on the other hand to the bearing cube 9 of the first wiper bearing 5 belonging to the transmission housing 2. Thus, the wiper shaft 8 of the first wiper bearing 5 is driven secondarily by the bearing crank 16 of the second wiper bearing 11.

1 that the second wiper bearing 11 is also directly equipped with a fastening eye 20, so that this second wiper bearing 11 is additionally to be attached directly to the vehicle.

The invention is not limited to a drive device with exactly two wiper bearings. In order to obtain a drive device with three wiper bearings, it would be possible to connect a third wiper bearing to the transmission housing 2 or its cover in the same way via a second carrier 12. For this purpose, the gear housing 2 or its cover would have a second pin 10 which, for example, could be exactly opposite the first pin 10 in the axial direction. In the case of FIG. 1, this second pin could then also be molded onto the first wiper bearing 5 instead of the fastening eye 7. However, it would also be possible, depending on the installation conditions on the vehicle, to provide the second pin 10 at a different location on the gear housing 2 or its cover and in a different orientation. The wiper shaft of the third wiper bearing could then be driven via a further articulated rod, which is connected on the one hand to the bearing crank of the third wiper bearing and on the other hand either to the engine crank 4 or to the bearing crank 9 of the first wiper bearing 5. In this case, the ball joint 17 on the engine crank 4 or on the bearing crank 9 could be designed in a manner known per se as a double ball joint. Reference list

1 drive motor

2 gear housings

3 output shaft

4 engine crank

5 wiper bearings

6 mounting eye

7 mounting eye

8 wiper shaft

9 crank

10 cones

11 wiper bearings

12 carriers

13 digit

14 deepening

15 digit

16 storage rack

17 ball joint

18 articulated rod

19 link rod

20 mounting eye

Claims

claims

1. Drive device for at least two windshield wipers of a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, with a drive motor (1), to which a motor transmission belongs, which is accommodated in a gear housing (2) made of metal or plastic and closed with a cover , An output shaft (3) penetrates the gear housing (2) or its cover and the end of the wiper shaft (3) protruding from the gear housing (2) is connected to a motor crank (4) in a rotationally fixed manner, and to at least two wiper bearings (5 and 11), in each of which a wiper shaft (8) is mounted, the wiper shafts (8) being able to be set into an oscillating rotational movement by means of a drive linkage from the engine crank (4) and the wiper shafts (8) each being rotatably connected to a windshield wiper are characterized in that the one wiper bearing (5) is a direct component of the gear housing (2) or its cover and that mi at least one further wiper bearing (11) is fastened to a carrier (12) of selectable length, which in turn is fastened to the gear housing (2) or to its cover.

2. Drive device according to claim 1, characterized gekennzeich¬ net that a wiper bearing (5) on the outside of the gear housing (2) is arranged.

3. Drive device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that fastening eyes (6, 7) are provided on the gear housing (2) or on the cover thereof for fastening the drive device to the vehicle.

4. Drive device according to one of the preceding Ansprü¬ che, characterized in that a fastening eye (7) on which a wiper bearing (5) is formed, which is part of the gearbox housing (2) or its cover.

5. Drive device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a pin (10) is present on the at least one further wiper bearing (11) on the one hand and on the gearbox housing (2) or on the cover thereof on the other hand and that a carrier (12) with an open or closed cross-sectional profile with its opposite ends in each case on one of these pins (10), the cross-sectional profile of which is adapted to that of the carrier (12), and is positively and / or non-positively attached to this.

6. Drive device according to one of the preceding Ansprü¬ che, characterized in that the cover of the gear housing (2) is designed as a fastening plate for fastening the entire drive device to the vehicle.

7. Drive device according to one of the preceding Ansprü¬ surface, characterized in that the cover of the gear housing (2) is made of sheet metal and also as 16332 PC17EP96 / 02951

14 -

Sheet metal frame or sheet metal carrier is designed such that the at least one further wiper bearing (11) is attached to this sheet metal frame or sheet metal carrier.