The present invention relates to a vehicle windshield wiper assembly.
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a conventional windshield wiper assembly 200 typically includes a wiper motor 210, one or more wiper blades secured to wiper arms, and a pivotable linkage mechanism therebetween.
The wiper motor 210 has a housing 211 and a motor 220 which is connected to the housing 211. The housing 211 has a top surface 212 and a side surface 213. A projection 214 extends from the top surface 212. The projection 214 pivotally supports an output shaft 230 of the wiper motor 210. When the wiper motor 210 is driven, the output shaft 230 rotates in a predetermined direction r1.
The wiper motor 210 has a mounting bracket 215 integrally formed with the side surface 213. The mounting bracket 215 is attached to a bar when mounted within a vehicle. The wiper assembly 200 is mounted to the vehicle at mounting parts 250. A link mechanism 260 which is attached to the output shaft 230 moves back and forth in predetermined ranges r2, r3 and r4 due to rotation of the wiper motor 210. As a result, the wiper arms reciprocate along a windshield.
When the wiper motor 210 rotates while under the influence of obstacles such as snow, sleet, and the like at or near the end-of-stroke reverse positions, the load on the link mechanism 260 becomes high. As a result, each part of the wiper assembly 200 undergoes considerable stress. In particular, the housing 211 of the wiper motor 210 becomes highly stressed at the top surface 211, the side surface 212 and the mounting bracket 215.