Headlamp cleaner arrangements

Claim 2

Motor vehicle headlamp cleaner arrangement comprising: a headlamp lens with a curved surface; bearings on said vehicle adjacent said headlamp lens; an elongate member journalled in said bearings and reciprocable along a longitudinal axis of said elongate member; an arm extending from said elongate member, and terminating in a free end remote from said elongate member; a wiper mounted on said free end of said arm and including a wiper blade engageable with said lens surface, said wiper being movable to and fro to move said blade over said lens surface upon reciprocation of said elongate member; guide means on said vehicle associated with said elongate member, which guide means co-act with said wiper, whereby when the elongate member is reciprocated it is also rotated in said bearings to effect movement of the wiper towards and away from said lens surface and the wiper is constrained to follow a path having a curvature similar to the curvature of the lens surface so that the wiper blade engages said lens surface with a substantially constant pressure throughout the movement of said wiper to and fro over the lens surface.

Claim 3

A motor vehicle headlamp cleaner arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said wiper has a blade carrier comprising two portions hinged together one of said portions being connected to said free end of said arm and the other of said portions having the wiper blade thereon; a spring between said portions and bearing on each said portion urges said wiper blade into engagement with said lens surface; and reaction force from said engagement is transmitted through said arm to said guide means, to provide said substantially constant wiper pressure.

Claim 4

Motor vehicle headlamp cleaner arrangement comprising: two headlamp lenses with curved surfaces; a rod journalled in bearings on the vehicle and reciprocable along the longitudinal axis of each rod adjacent said lenses; two arms extending from said rod, each arm terminating in a free end remote from said rod; two wipers mounted one on each of a respective one of said free ends of said arms, and each wiper including a wiper blade engageable with one of said lens surfaces, each said wiper being movable to and fro over said one lens surface upon reciprocation of said rod; guide means on said vehicle associated with said rod, which guide means co-operate with said wipers, whereby when the rod is reciprocated it is also rotated about said longitudinal axis to effect movement of said wipers towards and away from each of said lens surfaces and each wiper is constrained to follow a path having a curvature similar to the curvature of the lens surface so that the blade of each wiper engages its respective lens surface wIth a substantially constant pressure throughout the movement of said wipers to and fro over said lens surfaces.

Claim 5

Motor vehicle headlamp cleaner arrangement comprising: two headlamp lenses with curved surfaces; a rod journalled in bearings on the vehicle and reciprocable along the longitudinal axis of each rod adjacent said lenses; two arms extending from said rod, each arm terminating in a free end remote from said rod; two wipers mounted one on each of a respective one of said free ends of said arms, and each wiper including a wiper blade engageable with one of said lens surfaces, each said wiper being movable to and fro over said one lens surface upon reciprocation of said rod; guide means on said vehicle associated with said rod, which guide means co-operate with said wipers, whereby when the rod is reciprocated it is also rotated about said longitudinal axis to effect movement of said wipers towards and away from each of said lens surfaces and each wiper is constrained to follow a path having a curvature similar to the curvature of the lens surface so that the blade of each wiper engages its respective lens surface wIth a substantially constant pressure throughout the movement of said wipers to and fro over said lens surfaces.

Claim 6

A motor vehicle headlamp cleaner arrangement according to claim 3, wherein each said wiper has a blade carrier comprising two portions hinged together one of said portions extending from said free end of said arm and the other of said portions carrying the wiper blade of said wiper; two springs, one on each of said carrier and bearing on the respective portions thereof to urge said blade into engagement with the lens surface over which said blade is moved; and reaction forces from said engagement are transmitted through said arms to said guide means to provide said substantially constant wiper pressure.

Claim 7

Motor vehicle headlamp cleaner arrangement comprising: two spaced apart headlamp lenses with curved surfaces; bearings mounted on said vehicle between said lenses; a rod journalled in said bearings and reciprocable along a longitudinal axis of said rod; said rod terminating at each end in a cranked portion, each cranked portion constituting an arm terminating in a free end; two wipers carried one on each of said arms at the free end thereof, each wiper including a blade carrier comprising two portions hinged together, one of said portions being carried at the free end of said respective arm, and a wiper blade mounted on the other of said two portions; a spring on each wiper bearing against the two portions of the blade carrier thereof, which spring urges the blade of said wiper into engagement with the lens surface over which the blade is movable to and fro upon reciprocation of the rod; two cranked arms each secured at one end thereof on said rod, and each carrying at its other end a roller; two curved rails mounted on said vehicle, each rail having a curvature similar to that of one of the lens surfaces, said rails constituting tracks upon which the rollers ride, said cranked arms, said rollers and said rails constituting guide means; and reaction force from said spring-urged engagement of said wiper blades with said lens surfaces is transmitted through said arms to said guide means, whereby when said rod is reciprocated said wipers and said guide means co-act to rotate said rod in said bearings to effect movement of the wipers towards and away from said lens surfaces and said wipers are constrained to follow a path having a curvature similar to that of the lens surfaces so that the wiper blades engage the lens surfaces with a substantially constant pressure throughout the movement of said wiper to and fro over said surfaces.

Claim 8

Motor vehicle headlamp cleaner arrangement comprising: two spaced apart headlamp lenses with curved surfaces; bearings mounted on said vehicle between said lenses; a rod journalled in said bearings and reciprocable along a longitudinal axis of said rod; said rod terminating at each end in a cranked portion, each cranked portion constituting an arm terminating in a free end; two wipers carried one on each of said arms at the free end thereof, each wiper including a blade carrier comprising two portions hinged together, one of said portions being carried at the free end of said respective arm, and a wiper blade mounted on the other of said two portions; a spring on each wiper bearing against the two portions of the blade carrier thereof, which spring urges the blade of said wiper into engagement with the lens surface over which the blade is movable to and fro upon reciprocation of the rod; two cranked arms each secured at one end thereof on said rod, and each carrying at its other end a roller; two curved rails mounted on said vehicle, each rail having a curvature similar to that of one of the lens surfaces, said rails constituting tracks upon which the rollers ride, said cranked arms, said rollers and said rails constituting guide means; and reaction force from said spring-urged engagement of said wiper blades with said lens surfaces is transmitted through said arms to said guide means, whereby when said rod is reciprocated said wipers and said guide means co-act to rotate said rod in said bearings to effect movement of the wipers towards and away from said lens surfaces and said wipers are constrained to follow a path having a curvature similar to that of the lens surfaces so that the wiper blades engage the lens surfaces with a substantially constant pressure throughout the movement of said wiper to and fro over said surfaces.

Claim 9

Motor vehicle headlamp cleaner arrangement according to claim 5 wherein the headlamp lenses lie on parallel axes.

Claim 10

Motor vehicle headlamp cleaner arrangement according to claim 5 wherein the headlamp lenses lie on mutually divergent axes; and said rod is formed in two portions, coupled together for reciprocation as a unit but capable of rotation relative to one another whereby different amounts of movement of one wiper relative to the other can be accommodated in said arrangement.