Recent Patents on Windshield Wiper Device

The windshield wiper is among the main components of the vehicle. The windshield wiper system is composed of three major subsystems: one or more wipers and their arms, transmission assemblies and an electric motor. The paper reviews various patents of the wiper through adopting different structures and devices to attain new functions in recent years. Compared with the new structures, the traditional wiper has a limited wiped area. The function of the windshield wiper has been limited to clean the rain, frost, insects, thin snow, dust and other materials from the windshield, rather than the heavy snow or ice. Besides, it is not capable of adjusting its speed in respond to the change of the weather. Thus, several types of new structures of windshield wipers have been established to optimize these problems, such as the limited wiped area, the cleanup of heavy snow, the simplification of the structure, the reduction of noise, vibration, and harshness (namely NVH), the convenience of replacing the blade and the automatic control of the wiper. The new types of the windshield wiper are more compacted, reliable and especially suitable for use in various types of weather conditions whether they are moderate or severe. Moreover, the cost of the new machine will be reduced by introducing the new devices.