Windscreen wiper
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A windscreen wiper (
A wiper generally consists of a metal arm; one end
On some vehicles, a windscreen washer system is also used to improve and expand the function of the wiper(s) to dry or icy conditions. This system sprays water, or an
History
Early versions
One of the earliest recorded patents for the windscreen wiper is by George J. Capewell of Hartford Connecticut, which was filed on August 6, 1896.[1] His invention was for "windows of slow-moving craft; but it is more particularly adapted and intended for windows of rapidly-moving vehicles, such as high-speed locomotives and cars, with which it is necessary that the observer or driver should have a clear view of the path or track." Similar to current automotive wiper designs, his invention involves "usually two of these wipers, and they can be secured to the frame below the front board of the vehicle or behind the housing surrounding the window in position to be out of sight and in such manner that one will scrape off the heaviest part of the substance collected upon the glass." His patent illustration shows a circular window, although the patent notes "it is not essential that the glass be circular in form."
Other early designs for the windscreen wiper are credited to Polish concert
American inventor Mary Anderson is popularly credited with devising the first operational windscreen wiper in 1903.[3][4] In Anderson's patent, she called her invention a "window cleaning device" for electric cars and other vehicles. Operated via a lever from inside a vehicle, her version of windscreen wipers closely resembles the windscreen wiper found on many early car models. Anderson had a model of her design manufactured, then filed a patent (US 743,801) on June 18, 1903 that was issued to her by the US Patent Office on November 10, 1903.[5][6]
Irish born inventor James Henry Apjohn (1845–1914) patented an "Apparatus for Cleaning Carriage, Motor Car and other Windows" which was stated to use either brushes or wipers and could be either motor driven or hand driven. The brushes or wipers were intended to clean either both up and down or in just one direction on a vertical window. Apjohn's invention had a priority date in the UK of 9 October 1903.[8]
Inventor William M. Folberth and his brother, Fred, applied for a patent for an automatic windscreen wiper apparatus in 1919, which was granted in 1921.[11] It was the first automatic mechanism to be developed by an American, but the original invention is attributed by others to Hawaiian, Ormand Wall.[11] Trico later settled a patent dispute with Folberth and purchased Folberth's Cleveland company, the Folberth Auto Specialty Co. The new vacuum-powered system quickly became standard equipment on automobiles, and the vacuum principle was in use until about 1960. In the late 1950s, a feature common on modern vehicles first appeared, operating the wipers automatically for two or three passes when the windscreen washer button was pressed, making it unnecessary to manually turn the wipers on as well. Today, an electronic timer is used, but originally a small vacuum cylinder mechanically linked to a switch provided the delay as the vacuum leaked off.
Intermittent wipers
The
In 1963, another form of intermittent wiper was invented by
In March 1970, French automotive manufacturer
Power
Wipers may be powered by a variety of means, although most in use today are powered by an
Vehicles with air-operated brakes sometimes use
Early wipers were often driven by a
Some cars, mostly from the 1960s and 1970s, had variable-speed, hydraulically-driven wipers, most notably the '61–'69 Lincoln Continental,[13] '69–'71 Lincoln Continental Mark III (but not all '70 models),[14] and '63–'71 Ford Thunderbird.[15] These were powered by the same hydraulic pump also used for the power steering mechanism.
On the earlier Citroën 2CV, the windscreen wipers were powered by a purely mechanical system, a cable connected to the transmission; to reduce cost, this cable also powered the speedometer. The wipers' speed was therefore variable with car speed. When the car was stationary, the wipers were not powered, but a handle under the speedometer allowed the driver to power them by hand.[citation needed]
Shape
Most early wipers used a rubber blade attached to a flat metal base. But as aerodynamic and styling concerns introduced curved windshields, these proved insufficient. In 1945, John W. Anderson, founder of Trico rival Anco, filed a patent for a wiper with branched arms to keep the blade pressed uniformly against both curved and flat glass,[16] adaptable to almost any windscreen curvature.[17] As curved windshields became more popular and widespread, following the debut of the 1947 Studebaker Starlight Coupe,[18] these soon became standard equipment. While they have been superseded by "beam-type" wipers with bodies made of flexible material, this type still remains the most popular.
Wiper blades are made of natural rubber, EPDM rubber (or ethylene propylene rubber)[19] or a combination of both, as natural rubber performs better in cold weather but EPDM rubber doesn't "set" and resists better to thermal aging, UV, ozone and tearing.[20] Some manufacturers coat them with graphite.[20]
Geometry
Most wipers are of the pivot (or radial) type: they are attached to a single arm, which in turn is attached to the motor. These are commonly found on many cars, trucks, trains, boats, airplanes, etc.
Modern windscreen wipers usually move in parallel (Fig. 1, below). However, various
Another wiper design (Fig. 6) is pantograph-based, used on many commercial vehicles, especially buses with large windscreens. Pantograph wipers feature two arms for each blade, with the blade assembly itself supported on a horizontal bar connecting the two arms. One of the arms is attached to the motor, while the other is on an idle pivot.[citation needed] The pantograph mechanism, while being more complex, allows the blade to cover more of the windscreen on each wipe. However, it also usually requires the wiper to be "parked" in the middle of the windscreen, where it may partially obstruct the driver's view when not in use. A few models of automobile sometimes employ a pantograph arm on the driver's side and a normal arm for the passenger. The Triumph Stag, Lexus and several US makes employ this method to cover more glass area where the windscreen is quite wide but also very shallow. The reduced height of the windscreen would need the use of short wiper arms which would not have the reach to the edge of the windscreen.
A simple single-blade setup with a center pivot (Fig. 4) is commonly used on rear windscreens, as well as on the front of some cars. Mercedes-Benz pioneered a system (Fig. 5) called the "Monoblade", based on cantilevers, in which a single arm extends outward to reach the top corners of the windscreen, and pulls in at the ends and middle of the stroke, sweeping out a somewhat M-shaped path. This way, a single blade is able to cover more of the windscreen, displacing any residual streaks away from the centre of the windscreen.
Some larger cars in the late '70s and early '80s, especially
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Fig. 1: Most common geometry, found on vast majority of vehicles, mainlyLHD cars; RHD Mercedes-Benz W140and some earlier British cars
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Fig. 2: Widely used alternative configuration suiting either LHD or RHD operation[a]
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Fig. 4: Simple-arc single-blade system, used on theVAZ-1111 Oka, Fiat Panda I/SEAT Marbella, Fiat Uno, Citroën AX, Citroën BX, Citroën ZX, SEAT Ibiza I and 1986-2003 Jaguar XJs
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Fig. 5: Complex- or eccentric-arc system, used on theW210; eccentric design used for passenger wiper on most late-model Mercedes-Benzes
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Fig. 6: Pantograph system, used on someIE 29000 Class) and the Kenworth T600 as well as the rear wiper for the Honda CR-X Si and the Porsche 928 and for the driver's side of the Triumph TR7
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Fig. 7:Austin Healey Sprite, GMC Hummer EV(a 1968 US-only ruling required a certain percentage of the windscreen to be wiped).
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Fig. 8: Obsolete design, found on some olderschool buses; same design on single windscreen for Jeep WranglerYJ
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Fig. 9:HUMVEE
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Fig. 10: Like Fig. 1 but mirror-reversed, mainly seen onRHD cars, LHD Mercedes-Benz W140
Other wiper geometries
- Works similar to Fig. 8 but not a split screen windscreen and rest state is at the bottom of the windscreen facing outwards.
- Works similar to Fig. 2 but one wiper has its resting position up and the other down.
- Works similar to Fig. 9, but uses a single wiper.
- Works similar to Fig. 6, but uses only one wiper.
Unusual wiper geometries
- Works as would Fig. 1, but uses a large, single pantograph wiper.
- Audi A2
- Honda Today
- Renault Twingo I
- City K-ZE
- Dacia Spring
- Citroën C1
- Peugeot 107
- Peugeot 108
- Toyota Aygo
- Lamborghini Murciélago
- Lexus LFA
- McLaren MP4-12C
- Mercedes W140
- Mitsubishi i
- Datsun Go
- Toyota Etios/Yaris/Vitz (XP130)
- Works as would Fig. 6, but the wipers are arranged upside down.
- Renault PR180.2
- British Rail Class 92
- Works as would Fig. 1 or Fig. 10, but the wipers are arranged upside down.
Other automotive applications
Rear wipers
Some vehicles are fitted with wipers (with or without washers) on the back window as well. Rear-window wipers are typically found on
Headlight wipers
In the 1960s, as interest in auto safety grew, engineers began researching various headlamp cleaning systems. In late 1968, Chevrolet introduced high pressure fluid headlamp washers on a variety of their 1969 models. In 1970,
Headlamp wipers have all but disappeared today with most modern designs relying solely on pressurized fluid spray to clean the headlights. This reduces manufacturing cost, minimizes aerodynamic drag, and complies with EU regulations limiting headlamp wiper use to glass-lensed units only (the majority of lenses today are made of plastic.)
Other features
Windscreen washer
Most windscreen wipers operate together with a windscreen washer; a
In warmer climates, water may also work, but it can freeze in colder climates, damaging the pump. Although automobile antifreeze is chemically similar to windscreen wiper fluid, it should not be used because it can damage paint. The earliest documented idea for having a windscreen wiper unit hooked up to a windscreen washer fluid reservoir was in 1931, Richland Auto Parts Co, Mansfield, Ohio.[22][23] Uruguayan racecar driver and mechanic Héctor Suppici Sedes developed a windscreen washer in the late 1930s.[24]
Since 2012, nozzles are replaced on some cars (Tesla, Volvo XC60 2018-2021, Citroen C4 Cactus) by a system called AquaBlade, developed by the company Valeo. This system supplies the washing liquid directly from the spoiler element of the wiper blade. This system suppresses visual disturbances during driving and so reduces the reaction time of the driver in case of incident.[25]
Hidden wipers
Some larger cars are equipped with hidden wipers (or depressed-park wipers). When wipers are switched off in standard non-hidden designs, a "parking" mechanism or circuit moves the wipers to the lower extreme of the wiped area near the bottom of the windscreen, but still in sight. For designs that hide the wipers, the windscreen extends below the rear edge of the bonnet. The wipers park themselves below the wiping range at the bottom of the windscreen, but out of sight. Late model vehicles that hide wiper blades under the windscreen need to be placed in a service position in order to lift the wiper blade from the windscreen using the wiper service position.
Rain-sensing wipers
Some vehicles are now available with automatic or driver-programmable windscreen wipers that detect the presence and amount of rain using a rain sensor. The sensor automatically adjusts the speed and frequency of the blades according to the amount of rain detected. These controls usually have a manual override.
Rain-sensing windscreen wipers appeared on various models in the late 20th century, one of the first being the Citroën SM. As of early 2006[update], rain-sensing wipers are optional or standard on all Cadillacs and most Volkswagens, and are available on many other mainstream manufacturers.
The rain-sensing wipers system currently employed by most car manufacturers today was originally invented and patented in 1978 by Australian, Raymond J. Noack, see U.S. Patents 4,355,271 and 5,796,106. The original system automatically operated the wipers, lights and windscreen washers.
Bladeless alternatives
A common alternative design used on ships, called a clear view screen, avoids the use of rubber wiper blades. A round portion of the windscreen has two layers, the outer one of which is spun at high speed to shed water.
High speed aircraft may use
Legislation
Many jurisdictions have legal requirements that vehicles be equipped with windscreen wipers. Windscreen wipers may be a required safety item in auto
In popular culture
In the 1999 television commercial Synchronicity for the Volkswagen Jetta automobile,[28] windscreen wipers were synchronized with events seen through the car windows, and with the song "Jung at Heart", which was commissioned for the advertising agency Arnold Worldwide and composed by Peter du Charme[29] under the name "Master Cylinder".[30]
See also
- Automobile ancillary power
- List of auto parts
- Squeegee
Notes
- Chrysler Town & Country, Mazda MPV, some first generation Toyota Previas, third generation Kia Carens
References
- ^ "WINDOW CLEAN". google.com. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-300-09401-5.
- ^ a b c "The Windshield Wiper". American Heritage. Archived from the original on 2007-09-11. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
- ^ "Windshield Wipers". Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- ^ "Mary Anderson". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Archived from the original on 2014-03-13. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
- ^ "Window-Cleaning Device". United States Patent and Trademark Office.
- ^ "Locomotive-cab-window cleaner". google.com. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
- ^ Espacenet – Bibliographic data
- ^ Robert Bosch GmbH (2009-01-16). "BoschLive". Bosch.com.au. Archived from the original on 2011-09-11. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
- ^ "The Evolution of Wind Shield Wipers - A Patent History - IPWatchdog.com | Patents & Patent Law". IPWatchdog.com | Patents & Patent Law. 2014-11-09. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
- ^ a b "Automatic Windshield Wipers - Ohio History Central". www.ohiohistorycentral.org. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
- Washington Post. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
- ^ "The Cars of James Bond: Lincoln Continental". wordpress.com. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
- ^ "Automotive Mileposts, 1969-1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III". Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- ^ "Automotive Mileposts, 1955-1979 Ford Thunderbird". Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- ^ "Windshield Wipers 101". Top Gear Philippines.
- ^ "Windshield wiper blade linkage assembly".
- ^ "Tech 101: What you need to know about windshield wipers". hemmings.com.
- ^ 20150047142, Gotzen, Nicolaas, "Epdm Wiper Rubber", issued 2015-02-19
- ^ a b "The science and ingenuity behind the humble wiper blade". www.imeche.org. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
- ^ "The Rear Wiper: A Vital Strand of Porsche DNA". wordpress.com. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
- ^ Windshield Freed Of Snow With Alcohol Wiper", February 1931, Popular Mechanics article bottom half of page
- ^ "car detailing services".
- ^ Supicci Sedes, un espíritu creador - La Voz del Interior, 1 January 2001
- ^ ATZ, Automobiltechnische Zeitschrift, June 2015
- ^ "AAA Digest of Motor Laws: Headlight Use: United States Canada". drivinglaws.aaa.com. American Automobile Association. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- ^ Tuoti, Gerry (7 April 2015). "New state law: Wipers on, lights on". Cape Cod Times. Hyannis, Massachusetts. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- ^ Warner, Judy (January 11, 1999). "VW Unveils 'Da Da Da'-Like Jetta Spot". Adweek. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ Kattleman, Terry (February 1, 2003). "Sound & Vision: Music: The Latest Drive-Time Hit from VW Follows in a Winning Indie Tradition". Ad Age. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ du Charme, Peter. "Jung at Heart by Peter du Charme". Bandcamp. Retrieved January 30, 2020.