The invention relates to a frame construction for a glass pane according to the preamble of claim 1, and to a method for the production thereof according to claim 9.
A frame construction of this type is known from DE 198 08 113 A1. Therein, the frame construction consists of an injected or foamed polymer material, which is generally made of polyurethane. In so doing, a support part made of metal is simultaneously encapsulated therewith by injected or foamed material. A thin layer of polyurethane is also present between the support part and the glass pane, and in this case serves as a spacer between the support part and the glass pane. In that context, the separation between the support part and the glass pane in the injection or foaming, and limiting of the inward foam flow must be brought about by complex mounts and seals on the tool.
It is also known to manually stick lengths of a foam strip onto a metallic support part prior to foam-encapsulation with a glass pane, which prevents direct contact between the support and the glass pane and thus avoids stress concentrations which, in extreme cases, could cause the glass to break. In the case of a relatively large glass cover with multiple holding parts, the workload for manual application of the foam strip is very time-consuming.
Manual application is subject to errors and is therefore also not sufficiently reliable for mass production.
The invention has the object of specifying a frame construction and a method for the production thereof, by means of which the pane can be connected to at least one support simply, cost effectively and reliably.
This object is achieved with a frame construction having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims. A method particularly well-suited to the production of such a frame construction is specified in claim 9.
According to the invention, the spacer consists of at least one polymer layer or polymer bead, applied to the support and/or the pane by means of an application device. Application by means of an application device means that the polymer layer or polymer bead is applied very evenly and very rapidly, and, compared to the prior art mentioned in the introduction, the proportion of costly manual work is reduced almost to zero or is even dispensed with completely.
It is advantageously provided that the at least one polymer layer or polymer bead is made of a polyurethane and/or of a silicone. The at least one polymer layer effectively protects the glass pane from the transmission of vibrations and from pressure concentrations, such as would arise in the case of direct bearing on a metallic holding part and could cause destruction of the glass pane, in particular in the case of laminated glass or toughened glass. In that context, the polymer layer can be applied just punctually, partially, in part regions or circumferentially around the entire bearing surface. The pane can also consist of a polymer pane, for example made of polycarbonate (PC).
The polymer layer is preferably applied by means of an automatic device which in particular is activated after the glass pane and/or the metallic holding parts have been put in place in a foam-encapsulation device. The device for applying the polymer layer can preferably be combined with a device which applies a primer to those parts of the glass pane which are subsequently encapsulated by the polyurethane foam. In that context, the polymer layer can particularly preferably be applied by means of at least one additional nozzle, in parallel with application of the primer.
It is particularly preferably provided that at least two parallel polymer beads are applied as spacers to the support and/or to the glass pane. The two parallel polymer beads can be made of the same material or of different materials and can be applied simultaneously or in sequence by means of the application device. Thus, for example, a first polymer bead can be made of polyurethane while a second polymer bead—arranged parallel thereto—is made of silicone.
The spacers in the form of the polymer beads or of the applied polymer layer preferably simultaneously serve, when they are arranged circumferentially, to seal the inner region of the glass pane such that, during encapsulation by injected or foamed material, polymer material of the polymer frame cannot penetrate to the inside of the glass pane. This provides savings in terms of additional seals on the tool for encapsulation by injected or foamed material, and in terms of the effort involved in cleaning and replacing them.
There follows a more detailed explanation of exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the drawings, in which:
The metallic support 14 serves on one hand to stiffen the overall frame construction 10, and on the other hand, with a downward-curved lower leg 144, to attach the finished component to adjacent parts. For example, in the case of a cover of a sunroof, these adjacent parts consist of the actuation mechanism for raising and/or retracting the cover. The polymer frame 16 establishes a material connection between the glass pane 12 and the at least one support 14.
In order that the glass pane 12 does not bear directly on the support 14, spacers 20, which decouple the glass pane 12 from the support 14 and thus on one hand prevent the transmission of vibrations and on the other hand prevent stress concentrations which in extreme cases could cause the glass pane 12 to break, are provided at least in the bearing regions 18.
In the exemplary embodiment shown in
In a first variant of
The variant shown in
It is also possible to have mixed forms, in which at least one polymer bead 20 is applied to the support 14 and at least one other polymer bead 20 is applied to the underside of the glass pane 12. The polymer beads 20 can be made of the same material or of different materials. One preferred material for the polymer beads or the polymer layer 20 is polyurethane. Another preferred material for the polymer beads 20 or the polymer layer 20 is silicone.
The encapsulation in injected or foamed material by means of the polymer frame 16 takes place in a two-part or multi-part molding tool (not shown), into the lower tool half of which the glass pane 12 is preferably inserted first, with the top side facing down, and then multiple supports 14 are positioned on attachment elements of the upper molding tool. Then, an upper tool half is lowered and then, together with the lower tool half, encloses in the edge region a cavity which corresponds to the shape of the polymer frame 16. The polyurethane is introduced in liquid form into this cavity and is foamed to form the polymer frame 16. Foam-encapsulation in the reverse position, corresponding to the position of the pane during use, is also possible with a corresponding configuration of the molding tool.
Instead of the polyurethane foam, the polymer frame 16 can also be produced using other materials such as thermoplastics, e.g. thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or others.
During encapsulation in injected material, the tool halves are split into a nozzle side and an ejector side, which are used horizontally or vertically depending on the machine type.
The term “polymer bead” encompasses all geometric cross sections. These can for example, as shown, be semicircular, triangular or rectangular.
The term “polymer strip” encompasses in particular strips provided with an adhesive layer on the underside and having a foam-like structure above.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2014 114 414.7 | Oct 2014 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2015/059754 | 5/4/2015 | WO | 00 |