CN-122029086-A - Pivot assembly for windshield wiper system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pivot assembly for a vehicle wiper system. The assembly includes a pivot shaft rotatably supported in a central passage of the pivot housing, a lever coupled to the pivot shaft, and a cover. The cap includes a tubular portion, a cylindrical step, and a transition portion integrally formed between the tubular portion and the cylindrical step. The lid further comprises a cantilever snap extending from the inner surface of the transition portion in the longitudinal direction of the lid. A protrusion is formed in the cylindrical step at a location adjacent to the catch. The tubular portion of the cover is received on the pivot shaft and a locking profile formed at the free end of the catch is received in a recess formed in the top end of the pivot housing, thereby limiting longitudinal movement and rotational movement of the cover relative to the pivot housing.

Inventors

• J. Vasudwan
• RIBEIRO EDUARDO
• S. Neil

Assignees

• 法雷奥系统公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20241008

Priority Date

20231013

Claims (20)

1. 1. A cover for a pivot assembly of a wiper system, the cover comprising: a tubular portion; A cylindrical step; A transition portion integrally formed between the tubular portion and the cylindrical step, and At least one cantilever snap configured to extend from an inner surface of the transition portion in a longitudinal direction of the cover.
2. 2. The cap of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the cylindrical step is greater than the diameter of the tubular portion.
3. 3. The cap of claim 1, wherein the cantilever snap is configured to have a locking profile formed at a free end thereof.
4. 4. The cap of claim 1, wherein the cylindrical step includes at least one protrusion extending radially outward formed at a location adjacent the cantilever snap to provide a predetermined gap between an inner surface of the cylindrical step and the cantilever snap.
5. 5. The cap of claim 1, wherein the tubular portion has a conical shape with a diameter that decreases toward the free end.
6. 6. The cap of claim 1, wherein two or more cantilever snaps are provided at predetermined locations on the inner surface of the transition portion.
7. 7. A pivot assembly for a wiper system, the pivot assembly comprising: A pivot housing; A pivot shaft configured to be coupled to a wiper arm, wherein at least a portion of the pivot shaft is rotatably supported in a central channel of the pivot housing; a washer configured to rest on a top edge of the pivot housing, wherein the washer is restrained in its position by a circlip that engages in a circlip groove provided in the pivot shaft, and A cover configured to be received over a portion of the pivot shaft extending from the pivot housing, wherein the cover includes at least one cantilever snap for locking the cover to the pivot housing.
8. 8. The pivot assembly of claim 7, wherein the pivot housing comprises a housing body having a top end and a bottom end.
9. 9. The pivot assembly of claim 8, wherein the pivot housing includes a recess formed at a top end of the housing body.
10. 10. The pivot assembly of claim 9, wherein the recess has openings in a top edge of the top end and an outer surface of the housing body.
11. 11. The pivot assembly of claim 10, wherein the washer is configured to cover the opening of the recess in a top edge of the top end.
12. 12. The pivot assembly of claim 7, wherein the cover includes a tubular portion, a cylindrical step, and a transition portion integrally formed between the tubular portion and the cylindrical step.
13. 13. The pivot assembly of claim 12, wherein the diameter of the cylindrical step is greater than the diameter of the tubular portion.
14. 14. The pivot assembly of claim 12, wherein the cantilever snap is configured to extend from an inner surface of the transition portion in a longitudinal direction of the cover.
15. 15. The pivot assembly of claim 14, wherein the cantilever snap is configured to have a locking profile formed at a free end thereof.
16. 16. The pivot assembly of claim 14, wherein the cylindrical step includes a protrusion extending radially outward formed adjacent the cantilever snap to provide a predetermined gap between an inner surface of the cylindrical step and the cantilever snap.
17. 17. The pivot assembly of claim 12, wherein the tubular portion of the cover is configured to be received over at least a portion of the pivot shaft extending from the top end of the pivot housing.
18. 18. The pivot assembly of claim 15, wherein the locking profile of the cantilever snap is configured to deform the cantilever snap outwardly during mounting of the cover on the pivot housing.
19. 19. The pivot assembly of claim 15, wherein the locking profile of the cantilever snap is configured to be received in the recess, thereby locking the cover to the pivot housing.
20. 20. A wiper system for a motor vehicle, the wiper system comprising: A wiper arm; a pivot shaft configured to be coupled at one end of the wiper arm; a pivot housing configured to rotatably support at least a portion of the pivot shaft; A lever configured to be coupled at a lower end of the pivot shaft; A wiper motor configured to actuate the lever through a mechanical linkage, and A cover configured to be received over a portion of the pivot shaft and locked to the pivot housing; Wherein the cap comprises a tubular portion, a cylindrical step, and a transition portion integrally formed between the tubular portion and the cylindrical step, Wherein the cover comprises at least one cantilever snap extending from an inner surface of the transition portion in a longitudinal direction of the cover, Wherein the cantilever snap comprises a locking profile configured to be received in a recess formed in a top end of the pivot housing.

Description

Pivot assembly for windshield wiper system Technical Field The present invention relates to a wiper system for cleaning windows of a vehicle, and more particularly to a pivot assembly for a vehicle wiper system that includes a rain cover. Generally, a vehicle includes a windshield disposed at a front portion of the vehicle to provide a driver with an appropriate view and at the same time separate a vehicle interior space from the outside. The windshield also protects the occupants from wind, rain, etc. However, water, dirt, dust, etc. accumulate on the windshield to obstruct the driver's view, and may cause a fatal accident. Thus, a wiper system is provided that wipes any dirt and water from the windshield. Similarly, a wiper system may be provided for the rear windshield as well as the vehicle door window as desired. Background Wiper systems have conventionally consisted of a wiper arm, one end of which is connected to an output shaft of a wiper motor through a link, and a wiper blade is attached to the other end of the wiper arm. The wiper motor drives the wiper arm to oscillate between predetermined angular positions to wipe water and dirt present on the windshield. The wiper system further includes a pivot assembly having a pivot shaft with one end fixedly engaged with the wiper arm and the other end fixedly connected to the lever. When the wiper function is turned on, the wiper motor rotates the pivot shaft back and forth through a link connected to the lever. A dash panel is provided near the bottom end of the windshield, which covers the link together with the wiper motor, and a portion of the pivot assembly (such as the top end of the pivot shaft) extends to the outside from a pivot hole provided in the dash panel. During rainy days or similar environmental conditions, the pivot assemblies may be exposed to water, dirt, etc., and water accumulation may affect the operation of the pivot assemblies, resulting in abnormal noise. There is a risk that the water interacts with the grease and damages the bearings of the pivot assembly. Rain caps/covers are commonly used to prevent this water accumulation by sealingly covering the pivot shaft. However, conventional rain caps are fixed to the pivot shaft and thus rotate with the pivot shaft relative to the pivot housing. This may result in the removal of the rain cap from the pivot assembly even with minimal force applied. Since various forces will act on the pivot assembly during transportation and when the vehicle is in use on the road, the rain cap may be very easy to fall from its position. This will expose the pivot assembly to the weather conditions described above. Disclosure of Invention The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the known pivot assemblies. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cover for a pivot shaft of a pivot assembly. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cost effective cover of a simpler design for preventing water and/or dirt or any other foreign matter from entering the pivot assembly. In this context, the present invention relates to a cover for a pivot assembly of a wiper system. The cap includes a tubular portion, a cylindrical step, a transition portion integrally formed between the tubular portion and the cylindrical step, and at least one cantilever snap configured to extend from an inner surface of the transition portion in a longitudinal direction of the cap. In a non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the diameter of the cylindrical step is greater than the diameter of the tubular portion. In a non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the cantilever snap is configured to have a locking profile formed at its free end. In a non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the cylindrical step includes at least one protrusion extending radially outward formed adjacent the cantilever snap to provide a predetermined gap between an inner surface of the cylindrical step and the cantilever snap. In a non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the tubular portion has a conical shape, the diameter decreasing towards its free end. In an alternative embodiment, two or more cantilever snaps are provided at predetermined locations on the inner surface of the transition portion. The invention also relates to a pivot assembly for a wiper system comprising a pivot housing, a pivot shaft configured to be coupled to a wiper arm, a washer configured to rest on a top edge of the pivot housing, and a cover configured to be received on a portion of the pivot shaft extending from the pivot housing. At least a portion of the pivot shaft is rotatably supported in the central passage of the pivot housing. The washer is restrained in its position by a circlip which engages in a circlip groove provided in the pivot shaft. The cover includes a cantilever snap for locking the cover to the pivot housing. In a non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the pivot ho