Glass cover for a vehicle roof and production method therefor

Abstract

The invention relates to a glass cover (10) for a vehicle roof, comprising an at least partially transparent pane (14) of safety glass and optionally a support arrangement (18), which is mounted on the pane lower side in the pane edge area by means of a foam block (16) provided there. Said pane (14) is provided, on the lower side thereof, with a transparent composite film (26), which contains an adhesive film (28) and a tear- and scratch-resistant shatterproof film (30) as well as optionally embedded solar cells (62). According to the present invention, said shatterproof film (30) is bonded on the pane lower side by means of said adhesive film (28) in the center of the pane and incorporated into the foam block (16)

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a glass cover for a motor vehicle roof as claimed in the preamble of claim 1 and a process for producing the same.

[0002] A glass cover which is provided in addition with solar cells as claimed in the preamble of claim 1 is known for example from DE 43 23 140 A1. A cover on the bottom is foamed into an enclosing frame with a very narrow edge area so that when the glass pane breaks the cover with the glass fragments can fall into the vehicle interior.

[0003] The object of this invention is to devise a glass cover with or without a solar function for a motor vehicle roof which offers protection as good as possible to the passengers and to the vehicle interior when the glass cover breaks and is still easy to produce. Furthermore the corresponding production process will be devised.

[0004] This object is achieved as claimed in the invention by a glass cover with the features named in claim 1 and by a corresponding process as claimed in claim 14. In these approaches as claimed in the invention it is advantageous that when the glass pane breaks on the one hand the fragments of the broken glass pane remain suspended on the protective film composite and on the other hand in that the protective film composite in the edge area is securely joined to the carrier arrangement, the protective film composite no longer being flexurally stiff, but like a collecting net which is securely clamped on the edges, being held in place in the cover. In this way the glass fragments can be prevented from reaching the vehicle interior, passengers can be prevented from being thrown through the broken glass to the outside, articles from the outside can be prevented from being able to penetrate through the broken pane into the interior or the interior is prevented from being freely accessible when the glass pane is destroyed in case of a burglary.

[0005] Preferred embodiments of the invention follow from the dependent claims.

[0006] The invention is detailed below using the attached drawings by way of example.

[0007] FIG. 1 shows a section through the side edge area of the glass cover as claimed in the invention;

[0008] FIG. 2 shows a view of the film composite which is used in the manufacture of the cover;

[0009] FIG. 3 shows a section similar to FIG. 1 before cementing the film composite on and peripheral foaming; and

[0010] FIG. 4 shows a view similar to FIG. 1, but an embodiment of a glass cover provided with solar cells being shown.

[0011] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the glass cover 10 which is designed for closing or selectively clearing the opening in a fixed roof skin. It can be for example the cover of a sliding roof, sliding and lifting roof, raising roof or spoiler roof or also a fixed roof window. The glass cover 10 comprises a transparent glass pane 14 which in its edge area is provided with peripheral foam 16 (for example, polyurethane foam), by means of which preferably a carrier arrangement 18 made for example as the inside cover sheet is attached in the edge area of the pane 14 to its bottom. The inside cover sheet 18 is used as a carrier arrangement for the glass pane 14 in order to join it to an adjustment mechanism (not shown) for the cover 10. On the outside periphery of the foam 16 there is a seal 20 to prevent penetration of moisture into the vehicle interior 22 with the cover 10 closed. Furthermore, in the edge area of the pane 14 on the bottom in the area of the foam 16 or of the inside cover sheet 18 there is a glass filter in the form of printing which is used as nontransparent visual protection to cover the peripheral foam 16 and the inside cover sheet 18 from the top.

[0012] The glass pane 14 is made preferably from thermally prestressed single-pane safety glass.

[0013] In its central, transparent area the pane 14 on its bottom is laminated or cemented to a film composite 26, this central area extending as far as the inner edge of the glass filter 24. The film composite 26 is provided on its top, i.e. on the side facing the pane 14, with an adhesive film or an adhesive layer 28 which is used to cement the underlying protective film 30 to the pane 14 in its central area. The protective film 30 is made to be tear-resistant and scratch-resistant. The film composite 26 with respect to its base surface is smaller than the glass pane 14, but larger than its central transparent area.

[0014] The inside cover sheet 18 is foamed on the glass pane 14 by means of the peripheral foam 16. In doing so the edge area 50 of the film composite 26 which is provided with numerous perforations 52 is foamed into the peripheral foam 16 at the same time. The foam mass passes through the perforations 52 and thus nondetachably embeds the film composite 26 into the peripheral foam 16 by form-fit. Between the edge area 50 and the area of the film composite 26 which is cemented to the central area of the pane 14 there is preferably a tension relief fold 42 which among others prevents the cement connection of the film composite 26 in the central area of the glass pane 14 from being exposed to a tensile load by the attachment of the edge area 50 to the peripheral foam 16 when the cover 10 is for example elastically deformed by the forces which occur in high speed driving. In this way the service life of the cover 10 can be increased.

[0015] Prior fixing or additional fixing of the edge area of the film composite 26 can take place by means of a screw connection or in some other mechanical way, for example, by means of a clamp connection, to the inside cover sheet 18.

[0016] The described construction is used to ensure that even when the glass pane 14 breaks a certain mechanical integrity of the cover 10 is maintained by the film composite 26, even with the pane 14 broken, remaining clamped in its edge area 50 to the cover frame which is formed by the peripheral foam 16 and the inside cover sheet 18 and which is also preserved with the glass pane broken. In doing so the film composite 26 loses its flexural stiffness, but remains in the cover 10 in place and can thus prevent on the one hand passengers from being thrown to the outside through the broken pane 14 and on the other, fragments of the pane 14 or articles being able to penetrate from the outside into the interior 22. Furthermore, the film composite 26 provides for a certain burglary protection in the case of intentional destruction of the glass pane 14. The fragments of the broken glass pane 14 remain suspended on the film composite 26 as a result of the adhesive action of the adhesive film 28.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the adhesive film-free edge area 50 is provided with perforations or openings 52 which are distributed essentially regularly over the edge area 50.

[0018] Proceeding from the state which is shown in FIG. 3, first the film composite 26 is cemented to the bottom of the pane in the central area of the glass pane 14 by means of the adhesive layer 28. The adhesive film-free edge area 50 therefore is not joined to the glass pane 14. Then the glass pane 14 which is cemented to the film composite 26 in this way is peripherally foamed in a conventional foaming tool with a suitable material, for example polyurethane, in order to attach the inside cover sheet 18 to the glass pane 14, the foam material travelling through the perforations 52. In this way the protective film 30 is anchored in the peripheral foam 16.

[0019] In doing so, the anchoring of the protective film 30 can be additionally reinforced by mechanical attachment of the edge area 50 of the film composite 26 on the inside cover sheet 18.

[0020] The adhesive film is preferably a polyvinylbutyral film (PVB film) or a transparent polyurethane film (PU film) while the protective film 30 is preferably a plastic film which is coated to be scratch-proof, preferably a polyethylene terephthalate film (PET film) which is coated with polysiloxane.

[0021] FIG. 4 shows an embodiment in which the above described safety concept is applied to a solar cover, the bottom of the glass pane 14 being provided with a solar cell film composite 60 which has a plurality of solar cells 62 which are electrically interconnected and which are located between two hot-melt adhesive films 64 and 66, preferably of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA). The solar cell film composite 60 is attached to the bottom of the glass pane 14 by means of the upper hot-melt adhesive film 64. The protective film composite 26 is attached by means of the adhesive film 28 on the bottom hot-melt adhesive film 66 to the solar cell film composite 60 and thus to the glass pane 14.

[0022] In the edge area 50 which is free of the adhesive film the protective film composite 26 is anchored as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 by means of the perforations 52 in the peripheral foam 16. Between the area which is anchored in the peripheral foam 16 and the area of the protective film composite 26 cemented to the solar cell film composite 60 there is a relief fold 42 to prevent delamination with the pane 14 intact as a result of tensile loading of the adhesive connection between the protective film composite 26 and the solar cell film composite 60 which could occur as a result of the anchoring of the area 50 of the protective film composite 26 in the peripheral foam 16.

[0023] When the glass pane 14 breaks, the protective film composite 26 which is anchored in the peripheral foam 16 prevents fragments of the pane and the solar cell film composite 60 from falling in and out and thus protects especially the vehicle interior and the vehicle passengers.

[0024] In one modified embodiment the lower hot-melt adhesive film 66 of the solar cell film composite 60 can be omitted so that the adhesive film 28 of the protective film composite 26 is cemented directly to the solar cells 62 or the upper hot-melt adhesive film 64 of the solar cell film composite 60.

[0025] Reference Number List

[0026] 10 glass cover

[0027] 14 glass pane

[0028] 16 peripheral foam

[0029] 18 carrier arrangement (inside cover sheet)

[0030] 20 seal

[0031] 22 vehicle interior

[0032] 24 glass filter

[0033] 26 film composite

[0034] 28 adhesive film

[0035] 30 protective film

[0036] 42 relief fold

[0037] 50 edge area (free of adhesive film) of 26

[0038] 52 perforations in 50

[0039] 60 solar cell film composite

[0040] 62 solar cells

[0041] 64 ,66 hot melt adhesive films of 60

Claims

1. Glass cover for a motor vehicle roof, with a pane (14) of safety glass which is at least partially transparent, with a carrier arrangement (18) which is attached to the bottom of the pane (14) in the edge area of the pane (14) by means of peripheral foaming (16), with a transparent film composite (26) which is located on the bottom of the pane (14), which comprises an adhesive film (28) and a tear-resistant and scratch-resistant fragment protective film (30), the protective film (30) being cemented to the bottom of the pane (14) by means of the adhesive film in the central area of the pane (14) and in the edge area of the pane (14) being foamed into the peripheral foam (16), characterized in that the film composite (26) in the edge area (50) is provided with perforations (52) for passage of the foaming mass (16).

2. Glass cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein the edge area (50) of the film composite (26) is attached free of tensile stress with respect to the cemented area by providing a relief fold (42) between the cemented area and the edge area (50).

3. Glass cover as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the glass pane (14) in its edge area is made nontransparent especially by a printed glass filter (24) and the peripheral foam (16), the carrier arrangement (18) and the edge area (50) of the film composite (26) being located underneath the nontransparent area (24).

4. Glass cover as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the edge area (50) of the film composite (26) is not provided with an adhesive film (28).

5. Glass cover as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the adhesive film (28) is a polyvinylbutyral film (PVB film) or a polyurethane film (PU film).

6. Glass cover as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the fragment protective film (30) is a plastic film which is coated with a scratch-proof enamel.

7. Glass cover as claimed in claim 7, wherein the fragment protective film (30) is a polyethylene terephthalate film (PET film).

8. Glass cover as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the fragment protective film (30) is coated with polysiloxane.

9. Glass cover as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the carrier arrangement is made as an inside cover sheet (18).

10. Glass cover as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the film composite (26) is attached to the carrier arrangement (18).

11. Glass cover as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the pane (14) consists of single-pane safety glass.

12. Glass cover as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one solar cell (62) is integrated into the film composite (26, 60).

13. Glass cover as claimed in claim 12, wherein there is at least one hot-melt adhesive film (64, 66), preferably of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) for embedding the solar cell(s) (62) in the film composite (26, 60).

14. Process for producing a glass cover (10) for a motor vehicle roof, characterized by the following process steps: Cementing a transparent film composite (26) which has an adhesive film (28) and a tear-resistant and scratch-resistant fragment protective film (30) in the central area on the bottom of an at least partially transparent pane (14) of safety glass by means of the adhesive film (28) which is provided in this central area, Embedding of the edge area (50) which has a tear-resistant and scratch-resistant fragment protective film (30), but no adhesive film (28), into peripheral foam (16) which is applied to the bottom of the bottom of the pane (14) in its edge area, the adhesive film-free edge area (50) of the film composite (26) is anchored by means of the perforations (52) provided there for passage of the peripheral foaming mass in the peripheral foam (16).

15. Process as claimed in claim 14, wherein in addition a carrier arrangement (18) for the pane (14) is embedded in the peripheral foam (16) and the film composite (26) is fixed on it before the foaming process.

16. Process as claimed in claim 14 or 15, wherein at least one solar cell (62) is integrated into the film composite (26, 60).