Vehicle windshield wiper assembly incorporating cable and pulley drive system and remote positioned electric motor

{
  "publication_number": "US6266844B1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B1",
  "title": "Vehicle windshield wiper assembly incorporating cable and pulley drive system and remote positioned electric motor",
  "abstract": "A windshield wiper assembly for use in a motor vehicle. An electric motor is operatively connected to and powered by an on-board electrical supply provided by the vehicle. The motor forms a part of a housing mounted within an engine compartment of the vehicle at a location remote from the vehicles windshield. A driving wheel and linkage member convert a rotary output of the motor into a translating and reciprocating driving force. A drive mechanism is mounted proximate a lower edge of the windshield with a first wiper arm pivotally securing to the drive mechanism at a first location and a second wiper arm likewise pivotally securing to the drive mechanism at a second location. The drive mechanism provides a gear and belt arrangement for actuating the first and second wiper arms in a synchronous manner. One or more elongated and internally hollowed sleeves extend between the housing and the drive mechanism. Each sleeve encloses a flexible and incompressible cable securing to the motor and drive housing at a first end and to the drive mechanism at a second end. The cable is acted upon by the driving wheel and linkage of the housing and imparts the reciprocating and translating driving force to the gear and belt arrangement of the drive mechanism to operate the wiper arms and blades and so as to permit mounting of the motor and housing within the engine compartment at a location remote from the firewall separating the occupant compartment.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A windshield wiper assembly for use in a motor vehicle, the vehicle including an engine compartment which is capable of generating an on-board electrical power supply, an occupant compartment, and a windshield extending upwardly from a location contiguous a firewall separating the engine compartment and the occupant compartment, said wiper assembly comprising: an electric motor operatively connected to and powered by the on-board electrical supply, said motor forming a part of a housing mounted within the engine compartment at a location remote from the windshield, said housing including a conversion means for converting an output of said motor into a reciprocating and translating driving force; said assembly further including a drive mechanism mounted proximate a lower edge of the windshield, a first wiper arm pivotally securing to said drive mechanism at a first location and a second wiper arm likewise pivotally securing to said drive mechanism at a second location, each of said first and second wiper arms further including an elongate wiper blade which overlays and contacts an exterior face of the windshield; said drive mechanism including actuating means for driving said first and second wiper arms in a synchronized manner; said drive mechanism further comprising: an elongate body having a length, a width and a height; a first externally toothed gear rotatable secured to a first pin at said first location and a second externally toothed gear rotatable secured to a second pin at said second location, a circular disk being likewise rotatably secured to said first pin and engageable by said at least one cable, an outer circumferential and channeled recess being formed in said disk and guidingly receiving therein a selected end portion of said cable during reciprocal and driven rotation of said selected ends of said first and second wiper arms opposite said wiper blades securing to upper extending ends of said first and second pins, respectively; and an elongate and closed loop timing belt having a toothed inner surface, said belt mounting at opposite ends about said externally toothed gears such that said toothed inner surface interengages with said externally toothed gears; and at least one elongated and internally hollowed sleeve extending between said housing, and said drive mechanism, said sleeve enclosing a flexible and incompressible cable securing to said conversion means of said housing at a first end and to said actuating means of said drive mechanism at a second end; said cable being acted upon by said conversion means and imparting said reciprocating and translating driving force to said drive mechanism to operate said wiper arms and blades.",
    "2. The windshield wiper according to claim 1, said conversion means further comprising: a driving wheel operatively connected to said motor and rotatable about a first shaft; a driven member rotatably mounted to said housing about a second shaft a spaced location from said driving wheel, said second shaft defining an axis of rotation parallel to an axis of rotation defined by said first shaft; and an elongate linkage member rotatably mounted to an outer radial location of said driving wheel at a first end and to said driven member at a second end.",
    "3. The windshield wiper assembly according to claim 2, said driven member further comprising a second wheel, said linkage member mounting to an outer radial location of said driven wheel.",
    "4. The windshield wiper assembly according to claim 3, further comprising first and second elongated and internally hollowed sleeves extending between said housing and said drive mechanism, first and second flexible and incompressible cables being enclosed within said first and second sleeves, respectively.",
    "5. The windshield wiper assembly according to claim 4, further comprising said first and second cables securing to selected outer radial locations of said second wheel, an outer circumferential and channeled recess being formed in said second wheel and guidingly receiving therein selected first end portions of said first and second cables during reciprocal and driven rotation of said second wheel, said cables securing to said disk in said drive mechanism at said second ends such that said outer circumferential and channeled recess of said disk guidingly receives therein selected end portions of said cable during reciprocal and driven rotation of said disk.",
    "6. The windshield wiper assembly according to claim 2, said driven member further comprising an elongate plate having first and second selected ends extending opposite said second shaft, said linkage member mounting in pivotal fashion to said first selected end of said plate.",
    "7. The windshield wiper assembly according to claim 6, further comprising said first end of said cable securing to said second selected end of said elongate plate.",
    "8. The windshield wiper assembly according to claim 1, said housing capable of being secured to a location along the vehicle firewall.",
    "9. The windshield wiper assembly according to claim 1, the vehicle engine compartment further being defined by first and second side walls, said housing capable of being secured to a location along one of the side walls.",
    "10. The windshield wiper assembly according to claim 1, said at least one elongated sleeve being constructed of a steel conduit and encapsulated with nylon for slidingly receiving said cable.",
    "11. A windshield wiper assembly for use in a motor vehicle, comprising: an electric motor forming a part of a housing mounted at a first location within the vehicle, said housing converting an output of said motor into a reciprocating and translating driving force; a drive mechanism mounted at a second location within the vehicle, said drive mechanism including first and second windshield wiper arms secured at first and second locations to first and second gears, said drive mechanism further comprising an elongate and closed loop timing belt which is mounted at opposite ends about said first and second gears for synchronously actuating said first and second wiper arms; and an elongate conduit extending between said housing and said drive mechanism said elongate conduit further including an internally hollowed sleeve within which is slidably and reciprocally secured an incompressible cable for transferring said reciprocating and translating driving force from said housing to said drive mechanism."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "1. Field of the Invention\n\nThe present invention relates generally to windshield wiper assemblies and, more particularly, to a wiper assembly for use with a vehicle which incorporates a cable and pulley drive system and which permits positioning of the electric motor at a remote location from the interior cabin for driving the wiper assembly and for reducing cabin noise.\n\n2. Description of the Prior Art\n\nStandard vehicle windshield wiper assemblies are well known in the art. The purpose behind such assemblies, as is clearly evident, is to remove accumulations of rain, dirt or other impediments which would otherwise affect the ability of the driver to clearly view the area in front of the vehicle windshield.\n\nOne of the more well known prior art windshield wiper assemblies contemplates the use of an electric motor mounted in close proximity to a firewall of the vehicle and for operatively engaging a steel linkage arm. The linkage arm in turn engages first and second wiper arms at respective ends of the linkage arm and, responsive to the driving force of the motor, actuates the wiper arms in reciprocating fashion. The shortcomings of this conventional design are twofold. Firstly, the steel linkage arm can tend to deflect during operation, resulting in the respective wiper arms reciprocating in less than a desired synchronous manner. Secondly, the requirements of the mechanical linkage connection between the motor and the linkage arm are such that the motor must be mounted in fairly close proximity to the vehicle firewall and windshield; thus the sounds of the motor are clearly audible to the occupants within the vehicle.",
  "cpc": [
    "B60S 1/26",
    "B60S 1/20",
    "Y10T 74/18152",
    "Y10T 74/182",
    "Y10T 74/18856",
    "Y10T 74/20402"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B60S 1/20",
    "B60S 1/26"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Norwood Enterprises LLC"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Mary Conflitti",
    "Robert Schank"
  ],
  "filing_date": "1999-09-13",
  "publication_date": "2001-07-31",
  "grant_date": "2001-07-31",
  "priority_date": "1999-09-13",
  "application_number": "US-39449299-A",
  "family_id": "23559186",
  "cited_by_count": 11,
  "citations": [
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}