Patent Application
20240283141
The invention relates to a vehicle glazed unit, and in particular a roof glazed unit, including a glazed element, a molded seal portion and an antenna plate, as well as a method for manufacturing such a glazed unit.
The glazed element has an exterior face intended to be oriented toward an exterior space, an edge face and an interior face intended to be oriented toward an interior space.
The molded seal portion has an exterior face intended to be oriented toward said exterior space and an interior face intended to be oriented toward said interior space, said molded seal portion being attached to at least one edge of said glazed element with the exterior face of said molded seal portion in surface continuity with the exterior face of said glazed element.
The antenna plate has an exterior face intended to be oriented toward said exterior space and an interior face intended to be oriented toward said interior space and having an attachment part which is integrated into said molded seal portion and an external part extending outside said molded seal portion.
Such glazed unit is known from the prior art in patent application No. DE102007012486.
When this configuration is observed in cross-section, at the location where the antenna plate penetrates the seal portion, the angle between the antenna plate and the molded seal portion is an acute angle. There is a clearance between the molded seal portion and the antenna plate.
This known configuration is not satisfactory because dirt may be caught at the location where the antenna plate penetrates into the molded seal portion.
Furthermore, an acute angle causes the emission of acoustic waves when the vehicle is moving.
The present invention aims to propose a solution that facilitates the maintenance of the glazed unit and the maintenance of the vehicle.
In addition, the proposed solution improves penetration through the air and reduces aerodynamic noise from the prior configuration.
The present invention is based on the surprising discovery that it is possible to produce a double flush fit both of the molded seal portion with the glazed element as well as of the antenna plate with the seal portion, even though the glazed element and the antenna plate are two relatively solid elements which have different manufacturing tolerances and different expansion coefficients.
Furthermore, it is then possible to produce a recess in the exterior face of the tapered tip portion, the shape of which is suitable for removing water and dirt and reducing aerodynamic noise. It is thus possible to produce a recess in the exterior face of the tapered tip portion between the two flush parts, the angles of which are rounded.
The present invention relates to a vehicle glazed unit according to claim 1. This vehicle glazed unit may in particular be a roof glazed unit; it includes:
The concept of surface continuity within the meaning of the present invention, or “flush”, means that visually, from the exterior space, the two surfaces appear in continuity with one another. In practice, it is possible to measure a difference in height of up to 1 mm due to manufacturing tolerances. Although desired, a 0.0 mm value for 100% of the two flush-fits of the glazed units is not achievable in practice; as the person skilled in the art knows well.
When viewed in cross section, it is possible for the exterior face of said molded seal portion to be in the same surface continuity (even straight or curved) both with the exterior face of said glazed element as well as with the exterior face of said antenna plate.
The exterior face of said molded seal portion may have a step located between the glazed element and said external part of the antenna plate, in order to facilitate the manufacture of the glazed unit, said step preferably having a height of no more than 1 mm in order to facilitate the removal of water, dirt, and to reduce aerodynamic noise.
The exterior face of said molded seal portion may have a recess oriented toward said interior space and which is located between the glazed element and said external part of the antenna plate in order to allow the removal of water and dirt and to the reduction; said recess preferably having rounded angles in order to facilitate the removal of water, dirt, and to reduce aerodynamic noise. Said recess may be located closer to the external part of the antenna plate than to the glazed element.
In order to facilitate the implementation of the integration of the attachment part of said antenna plate inside said molded seal portion, it is possible for this attachment part of said antenna plate to extend essentially facing the edge face of the glazed element; it is possible for this attachment part of said antenna plate not to include a part oriented substantially parallel to the internal face of said glazed element; it is possible for this attachment part of said antenna plate not to extend facing the inner face of said glazed element.
Said attachment part has at least one, and preferably several, hole(s) to increase the mechanical anchoring of the attachment part in said molded seal portion.
The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a vehicle glazed unit, and in particular roof glazed unit, and in particular a glazed unit according to the invention, said glazed unit including:
Said molding face can be unique, that is to say in a single piece.
Said molding face may be in two contiguous parts, with a separation located in contact with the exterior face of said molded seal portion.
A part of said molding face in contact with the exterior face of said glazed element can then be made of metal or metal alloy and a part of said molding face in contact with the exterior face of said antenna plate can be in] made of a material having a Shore A hardness of between 45 and 90, or even between 55 and 85.
Said separation is preferably located in a recess oriented toward said interior space and which is located between the glazed element and said exterior part, so that the mark of the separation on the exterior face of the molded seal portion is more discreet, as appropriate.
By virtue of the double flush fit, there is a double surface continuity which prevents dirt from remaining as well as improves the aesthetics, air penetration and reduction of aerodynamic noise.
By virtue of the recess with rounded corners, the water and the dirt are correctly removed, and little noise is created when the vehicle moves forward.
Advantageously, the method according to the invention makes it possible to carry out a simple, reliable, and precise adaptation of the contours of the molding cavity to the various variations of curve necessarily found in a series of identical curved glazed units (same general bending, in order to close the same opening).
Advantageously, the invention can be implemented for a peripheral molded bead, that is, going completely around the window. Such a molded bead is particularly difficult to produce.
Advantageously, furthermore the invention makes it possible to use molds with a single molding cavity for the entire periphery of the glazed element.
The vehicle glazed unit 1 consists of at least one glazed element 2, a molded seal portion 3, as well as an antenna plate 4.
The glazed unit 1 is intended to close an opening, and in particular an opening of a vehicle roof, by producing a separation between an exterior space E which is outside the vehicle and an interior space I, which is inside the vehicle. The glazed element 2 thus has an exterior face 20 intended to face toward the exterior space E, an interior face 22 intended to face toward the interior space I, and a peripheral edge face 21 located between these two faces.
The glazed element 2 may be monolithic, meaning it is made up of a single sheet of material, or it may be composite, meaning it is made up of several sheets of material between which at least one layer of adhesive material is inserted in the case of laminated glazed units, or between which there is at least one interlayer space in the case of multiple glazed units (double glazed units, triple glazed units, etc.). The sheet(s) of material may be mineral, particularly made of glass, or organic, particularly made of plastic material.
The molded seal portion 3 has an exterior face 30 intended to be oriented toward the exterior space E and an interior face 32 intended to be oriented toward the interior space I. The molded seal portion 3 is attached both to an edge of the glazed element 2 and to an edge of the antenna plate 4.
Since the antenna plate 4 has an exterior face 40 intended to be oriented toward the exterior space E and an interior face 42 intended to be oriented toward the interior space I, the antenna plate 4 has two parts: an attachment part 45 which is integrated into the molded seal portion 3 (it is molded into this molded seal portion) and an external part 46 extending outside said molded seal portion 3 and allowing the attachment of an electronic cell 5 and a protective cover 6.
In the case of a vehicle glazed unit, the glazed unit generally has, at least partially at its periphery, a decorative strip, not shown here. This decorative strip is generally formed by a deposit of enamel formed on the interior face of the glazed element if the latter is monolithic, or on an intermediate face of the glazed unit in the case of composite glazed units, but it may also be produced by partial and/or peripheral coloring of a sheet of material used, notably a sheet of organic material.
As can be seen in the cross-sectional views of
The molding device 10 further includes means for opening and closing the mold, as well as means for applying pressure to the mold during the injection of the material forming the molded seal portion into the molding cavity; these means are not illustrated here.
To manufacture the molded seal portion by molding, the glazed element 1 is positioned in a mold part, here the lower fixed mold part 11, then an upper mold part 12, 12′, is positioned onto the fixed mold part 11 in order to form the molding cavity in the closed space between these two mold parts.
The edge of the glazed element thus penetrates into the molding cavity in order to be able to mold the molded seal portion at the periphery of the glazed element 2.
The opening and closing movement of the mold, that is to say the movement of the movable mold part 12, 12′ relative to the fixed mold part 11, is here a movement in the vertical direction, but this movement could also be in the horizontal direction or in any other direction, optionally curved.
The plastic material constituting the molded seal portion is injected into the molding cavity via at least one injection port (not shown).
Because the glazed element 2 is not flat but curved (although this is not visible in the figures), there is a problem of adapting the glazed elements 2 in the mold for the same series of glazed units. Indeed, the technologies which make it possible to produce a curved glazed element, and in particular the technique for bending mineral glass sheet(s), do not make it possible to guarantee an absolute reproducibility of the curve from one glazed element to another within a series. There is always a manufacturing tolerance, which is at best of the order of 1.0 or even 1.5 millimeters, depending on the size of the glazed element.
A suction system is located in the fixed mold part; this suction system creates a depression between two seals and during the injection of the plastic material in order to allow the glazed element to be kept in place in the mold.
As can be seen in
The molding cavity also includes the attachment part 45 which is intended to be integrated into the molded seal portion 3. Preferably, this part does not touch the walls of the molding cavity in order to facilitate the filling of this molding cavity. It thus has an end 48 which is completely incorporated into the molded seal portion 3.
Thus, in the variants of
Thus, this is to produce a double surface continuity, or a double flush fit.
During the injection of the material into the molding cavity, the fixed mold part 11 carries out a counter-support directly for the glazed element 2 and indirectly for the antenna plate 4, by virtue of a seal 101.
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Each seal 101, 102 may be of the type described in international patent application No. WO2018/002502.
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A part of the molding face 120 in contact with the exterior face 20 of the glazed element 2 is made of metal or metal alloy (for example steel) and a part of the molding face 120 in contact with the exterior face 40 of the antenna plate 4 is made of a material having a Shore A hardness of between 45 and 90, or even between 55 and 85; it may for example be made of Hytrel, registered trademark of Dupont.
In
The external part 46 is a plate having an edge that is located facing the edge face 21 of the glazed element 2, with the material of molded seal portion 3 interposed between two. The edge of the external part 46 is thus in surface continuity with the molded seal portion 3.
The attachment part 45 extends from the external part 46 at an angle α, preferably greater than 90° and here 110°. It extends inside the molded seal portion 3 and is here completely integrated into the molded seal portion 3. Here, it has a hole 47 through which the material of the molded seal portion 3 penetrates during the molding step. This hole 47 is thus filled with the material of the molded seal portion 3 and increases the attachment of the attachment part 45 in the molded seal portion 3.
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| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR2107060 | Jun 2021 | FR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2022/067217 | 6/23/2022 | WO |
