Windscreen wiper

Almost all motor vehicles, including cars, trucks, buses, train locomotives, and watercraft with a cabin—and some aircraft—are equipped with one or more such wipers, which are usually a legal requirement.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.For these types of winter conditions, some vehicles have additional heaters aimed at the windows, embedded heating wire(s) in the glass, or embedded heating wire(s) in the wiper blade; these defroster systems can melt ice or help to keep snow and ice from building up on the windscreen.At least three inventors patented windscreen cleaning devices at around the same time in 1903; Mary Anderson, Robert Douglass, and John Apjohn.[10] 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.In 1963, another form of intermittent wiper was invented by Robert Kearns, an engineering professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.Ford executives rejected Kearns' proposal at the time, but later offered a similar design as an option on the company's Mercury line, beginning with the 1969 models.In March 1970, French automotive manufacturer Citroën introduced more advanced rain-sensitive intermittent windscreen wipers on its SM model.If the windscreen was relatively dry, the wiper motor drew high current, which would set the control circuit timer to a long delay for the next wipe.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.However, various Mercedes-Benz models and other cars such as the Volkswagen Sharan employ wipers configured to move in opposite directions (Fig.A cost benefit to the auto-maker occurs when wipers configured to move in opposite directions do not need to be repositioned for cars exported to right hand drive countries such as the UK and Japan.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.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.Asymmetric wiper arrangements are usually configured to clear more windscreen area on the driver's side, and so are mostly mirrored for left and right-hand-drive vehicles (for example, Fig.On right-hand-drive models, a linkage allows the right-hand wiper to move outwards towards the corner of the windscreen and clear more area.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.)[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.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.A common alternative design used on ships, called a clear view screen, avoids the use of rubber wiper blades.
Windscreen wiper on a parked car. In this common design, the force from the arm is distributed evenly with a series of linkages known as a whippletree .
A common windscreen wiper arm and blade
A train windscreen wiper in operation (MRT Jakarta)
Patent illustration of 'window cleaner' by GEORGE J. CAPEWELL, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT
Anderson's 1903 window cleaner design
A "locomotive-cab-window cleaner" on 12 March 1903 [ 7 ]
Apjohn's 1903 window cleaning apparatus design
Pneumatic motor drive on a railroad locomotive windscreen wiper. The lever on the motor operates a valve to supply pressurized air.
Illustration showing the construction of multi-branched windshield wiper blade holder
Windscreen wiper arms and blades on a 1954 DKW-IFA F8 "Luxuscabriolet" from East Germany , using a simple radial design with no visible linkages
Lever mechanism of a windscreen wiper. The motor in the middle converts the circular rotation to an intermittent rotation. The lever arms have different lengths, so the stop position at the reverse point is different.
Simple parallelogram linkages on a boat windscreen
This 1974 Mercedes-Benz 220D uses oppositely-pivoted wiper blades. (Fig. 2)
Pantograph windscreen wipers (Fig. 6) used on Mercedes-Benz O 405 NH
Triple windshield wipers (Fig.7) used on a DAF XF truck
A V3A tram using a wiper geometry like Fig. 6, but uses a single wiper instead of two
Toyota Yaris with large single wiper
Windscreen washer in operation
Clear view screen provides a window of visibility, even in rough seas.
The Windshield WiperwhippletreeCommonwealth EnglishAmerican Englishvehicle's front windowmotor vehiclestruckslocomotiveswatercraftaircraftpivotselectric motorpneumatic powerprecipitationpantographantifreezewindow washer fluidnozzlesheatersheating wire(s)defroster systemsheadlightsGeorge J. CapewellpianistJózef HofmannBirminghamMary AndersonGladstone AdamsWhitley BayJohn R. OisheiTieneninventorelectro-mechanicalpatent applicationthermalhydraulicautomotive engineeringLucas Industriessolid-state electronicRobert Kearnsengineering professorWayne State UniversityDetroithuman eyeblinksrate of current flow into a capacitorcapacitorvoltageFord Motor CompanyexecutivesMercury linepatent dispute2008 feature filmFlash of GeniusNew YorkerCitroënSM modelcurrentcircuitPneumatic motor4-bar linkagesparallelpneumaticvacuum motormanifold vacuumthrottleLincoln ContinentalLincoln Continental Mark IIIFord ThunderbirdCitroën 2CVnatural rubberEPDM rubberethylene propylene rubbergraphiteDKW-IFA F8 "Luxuscabriolet"East GermanyMercedes-Benz O 405 NHMercedes-BenzVolkswagen Sharanright hand drivecantileversRenault ClioTwingoScénicE60 5 SeriesE63 6 SeriesPeugeot 206Nissan Almera TinoMercedes-Benz W140SEAT AlteaSEAT LeónSEAT ToledoVAZ-1111 OkaFiat PandaSEAT MarbellaFiat UnoCitroën AXCitroën BXCitroën ZXSEAT IbizaJaguar XJsSubaru XTMercedes-Benz W124Mercedes-Benz O305school busestrolleybusesIkarus 415TKenworth T600Honda CR-XPorsche 928Triumph TR7DAF XFHino 700Toyota FJ CruiserJaguar E-TypeMG MidgetAustin Healey SpriteGMC Hummer EVfire trucksZIL-131Jeep WranglerUS militaryjeepneysHummer H1HUMVEEAlpine A310Renault Alpine GTAPanhard Dyna ZPanhard PL 17Panhard 24Simca ArondeAEC RoutemasterV2A/V2B/V3A/V3BToyota YarisAudi A2Honda TodayRenault TwingoRenault KwidCity K-ZEDacia SpringCitroën C1Peugeot 107Peugeot 108Toyota AygoLamborghini MurciélagoLexus LFAMcLaren MP4-12CMercedes W140Mitsubishi iDatsun GoToyota EtiosYaris/VitzRenault PR100Renault PR180British Rail Class 92BorismasterAlexander Dennis Enviro400Alexander Dennis Enviro500Mitsubishi OutlanderToyota Camry (XV10)hatchbacksstation wagonssport utility vehiclesminivansSaab AutomobileheadlightWindscreen washer fluidalcoholdetergentfluidicoscillatorHéctor Suppici Sedesrain sensorCitroën SMCadillacsVolkswagensClear view screenbleed airwater-repellentRain-Xsafety inspectionsVolkswagen JettaArnold WorldwideAutomobile ancillary powerList of auto partsSqueegeeBuick VeranoMercedes-Benz W114Smart FortwoVolkswagen Golf PlusSEAT AlhambraVolkswagen TouranDatsun 510Mitsubishi GrandisHonda CivicOldsmobile Cutlass SupremePeugeot 307Peugeot 308Peugeot 407Peugeot 508Peugeot 3008Peugeot 5008Peugeot RCZFord Focus (third generation)Ford Mondeo (fourth generation)Ford B-MaxFord C-MaxFord S-MaxFord GalaxyFord KugaFord Transit ConnectFord Transit CustomCitroën C4Citroën Xsara PicassoCitroën C4 PicassoCitroën C5Citroën C6Citroën C8/Fiat Ulysse II/Lancia Phedra/Peugeot 807BMW i3BMW i8Opel MerivaOpel ZafiraOpel AstraOpel CascadaChevrolet VoltRenault ScénicRenault EspaceRenault Vel SatisPlymouth VoyagerDodge CaravanChrysler VoyagerChrysler Town & CountryMazda MPVToyota PreviasKia CarensWashington PostAmerican Automobile AssociationCape Cod TimesHyannis, MassachusettsHowStuffWorksAutomotive designFrameworkBackbone chassisBeltlineBody-on-frameBumperDagmarCabrio coachChassisContinental tireCrumple zoneFenderpontonskirtsGrilleshakerMonocoqueOverhangPillarPlatformQuarter panelSpoilerStressed member engineSubframeTonneauTrunk lidHood/bonnetTrunk/boot/dickieButterflyCanopyGull-wingScissorSlidingSuicideGlass run channelGreenhouseOpera windowPower windowQuarter glassSunroofWindshield/windscreenwasher fluidBumper stickerCurb feelerFront-end braHood ornamentInstrumentsJapan blackNerf barOmniview technologyTire/tyrerun-flatApproach and departure anglesBreakover angleRide heightRoll centerTurning radiusWeight distributionLightingAutomotive light bulb typesDaytime running lampHeadlamphiddenhigh-intensity dischargesealed beamtrafficatorsSide-view mirrorTow hitchWindow deflectorRegistration platevanity plateVehicle identification number (VIN)