Transportation vehicle glazing unit

Abstract

Transportation vehicle glazing unit comprising a curved region of the side which, in the installed state, is arranged in the vicinity of a, in particular, upright pillar of the transportation vehicle body, wherein the curved region is at least partially tinted in a reduced transmission. The degree of tinting correlates with the degree of curvature.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to glass panel units for transportation vehicles, particularly for manufacturing windshields or rear windows of passenger cars, or also for manufacturing glass sunroof units for passenger cars. However, the application of this invention is not limited to the automotive industry, but can also be used in water transport vehicles and aircraft, especially in small aircraft. Background Technology

[0002] This type of windshield unit for transportation vehicles has long been known and has been widely used in the mass production of passenger cars, buses, and other vehicles for decades. It is also known to provide a partially transparent tint or color at the upper edge of the windshield unit for passenger cars (and sometimes other vehicles), which reduces the transmittance of the glass in this area to reduce glare for the driver and co-driver caused by direct sunlight.

[0003] In the evolution of bus design towards "more rounded" and more organic shapes, there has been a trend over the years of glass panel units in vehicles with very small radii of curvature and / or pronounced gradients in the curved areas of their sides. This trend is primarily present in the windshield unit, where extending the windshield into the traditional top and / or side areas of the vehicle can create a panoramic visual impression for passengers. However, this trend has now also reached the design of rear window units and sunroofs, involving short side edges of the sunroof adjacent to the top crossbeam.

[0004] Especially in the case of windshields, and under certain conditions in rear windows and sunroofs, an undesirable effect known as "double image" can occur. This is caused by the partial reflection of light passing through the glass at the glass surface. In addition to the primary image caused by light passing directly through the glass, a weaker and slightly misaligned secondary image can be produced by multiple reflections at the inner and outer glass surfaces. This effect is particularly noticeable at night and can, for example, cause the headlights of oncoming vehicles to be perceived twice. This interfering effect is especially pronounced in areas of strong curvature or significant gradients in the radius of curvature of the glass. Although double images—which are unavoidable in the case of curved glass—are permissible within certain limits according to the relevant ECE standard (ECE R 43), minimizing them is desirable and a development goal.

[0005] In this area, in addition to double images, optical distortions may also occur, interfering with the driver's (and other passengers') perception as the surrounding environment of the vehicle is perceived in a distorted manner. This poses a safety risk, particularly to the driver, as the distorted perception exposes them to the danger of reacting incorrectly or making driving errors in certain traffic situations. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a glass panel unit for a vehicle that also largely suppresses double images and optical distortion in the passenger's perception, even in the strongly curved side regions.

[0007] This objective is achieved by the transport vehicle glass plate unit according to the invention. Suitable improvements to the inventive concept are the subject of further description.

[0008] The vehicle glass panel unit according to the invention includes curved regions on its sides, which, in the installed state, are arranged near the pillars of the vehicle body, particularly near the upright pillars. According to the invention, these curved regions are at least partially tinted to reduce translucency.

[0009] This arrangement and coloring according to the invention substantially suppresses the dual image in regions with small radii of curvature and / or large radii of curvature gradients. The reduction in total transmission has a particularly significant effect on the weaker dual image, which is therefore no longer perceived or is perceived only with a further reduced intensity. For the driver or passenger, such coloring also produces a significant improvement in the perception of image content that may be significantly distorted due to strong curvature or large curvature gradients.

[0010] In the context of this invention, the term "colored" should not be understood in the narrow sense of color development (i.e., green or blue, for example), but rather generally as a reduction in transmittance (i.e., by coloring with gray) and / or a gradual change in tinting from no transmittance to 100% transmittance. Specific implementations of colors (or gray tones) will in practice take into account both safety considerations and design pre-defined or aesthetically pleasing aspects. Tinting can also be referred to as coloring. Detailed Implementation

[0011] In one embodiment of the invention, the curved regions on the sides, in the sense of the invention, have relatively strong curvature, and therefore they are more strongly curved than the average curvature of the glass panel. The radius of curvature in the curved regions on the sides is therefore smaller than the average radius of curvature of the entire glass panel. These curved regions are particularly strongly curved than the central transparent region of the glass panel. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the radius of curvature in the curved regions colored according to the invention is less than 300 mm, particularly less than 200 mm, or even more particularly less than 100 mm. Here, without the coloring according to the invention, the undesirable double image and distortion effects would be most noticeable and potentially most dangerous, thus the invention brings particularly great safety and comfort benefits. Generally, significant advantages can also be obtained in this sense if only a portion of the curved regions is significantly colored while another portion remains highly transparent to optimize visibility (particularly for the driver).

[0012] Interfering optical effects occur not only when the absolute value of curvature is high, but also when the curvature changes sharply along short sections, i.e., in cases of strong curvature gradients. In these regions, the invention also operates in a particularly advantageous manner. Therefore, in another embodiment of the invention, a gradient of at least 10, preferably at least 15, and particularly preferably at least 20 radii of curvature appears in the curved regions of the sides. This gradient is given as a change in radius in [mm] divided by a distance in [mm] on the glass plate, without units.

[0013] The curved area on the side appears near or at the pillars or supports of the vehicle body. In the context of this invention, this is understood to mean that the curved area is arranged near one or more side edges of the glass panel, which, in the installation position, face the associated pillar or support, and are thus assigned to the associated side edge. The tinting according to the invention may extend directly from the side edge towards the center of the window glass, or it may be spaced from the side edge, this distance being covered, in particular, by an opaque covering print commonly found around the perimeter for vehicle glass panels.

[0014] In one embodiment, which is particularly important from the present perspective, the vehicle glass unit is formed as the windshield unit of a passenger transport vehicle, wherein the tinted curved areas are those areas located near the A-pillar in the installed state. The tinting according to the invention is preferably arranged outside the central field of vision A in accordance with Article 43 of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN / ECE) Regulation (ECE-R43, “Einheitliche Bedingungen für dieGenehmigungder Sicherheitsverglasungswerkstoffe und ihres Einbaus inFahrzeuge”).

[0015] In another embodiment, the transport vehicle glass panel unit is formed as a rear window glass unit of a personnel transport vehicle, wherein the tinted curved area is located near the C-pillar in the installed state.

[0016] In another embodiment, the transport vehicle glass panel unit is formed as a glass skylight unit for a personnel transport vehicle, wherein the colored curved area is provided at least at or near the narrow side edge of the glass skylight unit, which, in the installed state, is located at the edge of the top frame support (Einfassungs-Strebe) or frame (Einfassungs-Rahmen).

[0017] In a novel design solution for other future embodiments, the transport vehicle glass panel unit is formed as a panoramic transport vehicle glass panel (windshield to side window glass / windshield to sunroof glass / sunroof glass to rear window glass / rear window glass to side window glass) for personnel transport, wherein a tinted curved area is provided at least at or near the narrow side edge of the sunroof glass.

[0018] This relates to curved areas, which, in the installed state, are located near, in particular, the upright pillars of the vehicle body. When the vehicle glass unit is implemented as a front window unit of a bus, the curved area is particularly the area adjacent to the A-pillar of the bus body; when implemented as a rear window unit, it is the area adjacent to the C-pillar; and when implemented as a sunroof unit, it is the front and / or rear edge area and / or side area of ​​the sunroof. Therefore, if the term "upright pillar" of the vehicle body is used in the definition of this invention, this strictly does not apply to those implemented as sunroof units. If "vehicle body" is used in the description, it should be understood in the most general sense as the outer shell of a land, water, or air vehicle, i.e., also as the outer shell of a ship or aircraft.

[0019] The coloring of the curved region according to the invention is advantageously carried out in such a way that the reduced transmittance is 50%-75%, particularly 55%-68%, of the transmittance of the remaining glass surface. For this percentage of transmittance, the average transmittance in the visible light range is used as the basis.

[0020] The coloring according to the invention can be uniformly distributed over the entire curved area. However, a color gradient or tinting gradient can also be provided, wherein the degree of tinting varies depending on the location, for example, depending on the distance to the assigned side edge.

[0021] This is particularly advantageous when the degree of tinting is related to the degree of curvature, where areas of greater curvature have stronger tinting and areas of lesser curvature have weaker tinting. Therefore, the total transmission through the window glass can be maximized, since areas of varying curvature are tinted as much as necessary to avoid optical interference. Since the areas of strongest curvature are typically not directly located at the side edges, but rather arranged slightly at intervals, it is particularly advantageous to arrange the tinting towards the edges of these tinted areas to be less pronounced, thus increasing transmission towards the edges. Similarly, transmission can be further increased from the areas of greatest tinting towards the center of the glass. This variation in tinting improves the aesthetic impression and visual perception for vehicle occupants by avoiding “hard” colors—or gray-toned edges.

[0022] The glass unit can be constructed from a single transparent glass plate, especially a glass plate, or as a composite glass plate consisting of at least two transparent glass plates, especially glass plates, and a polymer film therein. For technical implementation, on one hand, the glass or the polymer film embedded in the composite glass can be colored in the colored curved regions. The correspondingly colored glass or polymer film also has varying characteristics and can be easily achieved in mass production; therefore, a more detailed description is not necessary. Alternatively, the glass or the polymer film embedded in the composite glass can be printed in the colored curved regions. Additional film segments, which themselves provide coloring, can also be embedded in the composite glass.

[0023] The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments and aspects, but are also possible in many variations that will be apparent to those skilled in the art within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A glass panel unit for a transport vehicle, comprising a curved region on a side, said curved region being arranged near an upright post on the vehicle body in the installed state. The curved regions are at least partially colored to reduce transmission. The degree of coloration varies depending on location, and is related to the degree of curvature, with areas of greater curvature exhibiting stronger coloration and areas of lesser curvature exhibiting weaker coloration. A curvature radius gradient of at least 10 appears in the curved region of the said side. The radius of curvature in the curved region of the side is less than 300 mm.

2. The transport vehicle glass plate unit according to claim 1, wherein the curvature in the curved region of the side is more pronounced than the average curvature of the glass plate.

3. The transport vehicle glass plate unit according to claim 1, wherein the radius of curvature in the curved region of the side is less than 200 mm.

4. The transport vehicle glass plate unit according to claim 1, wherein the radius of curvature in the curved region of the side is less than 100 mm.

5. The transport vehicle glass plate unit according to claim 1, wherein a radius of curvature gradient of at least 15 appears in the curved region of the side.

6. The transport vehicle glass plate unit according to claim 1, wherein a radius of curvature gradient of at least 20 appears in the curved region of the side.

7. The transport vehicle glass unit according to any one of claims 1 to 2, which is formed as a front window glass unit of a passenger transport vehicle, wherein the tinted curved areas are those areas located near the A-pillar of the bus body in the installed state.

8. The transport vehicle glass unit according to any one of claims 1 to 2, which is formed as a rear window glass unit of a passenger transport vehicle, wherein the tinted curved areas are those areas located near the C-pillar of the bus body in the installed state.

9. The transport vehicle glass panel unit according to any one of claims 1 to 2, which is formed as a glass sunroof unit for a passenger transport vehicle, wherein the colored curved area is provided at least at or near a narrow side edge of the glass sunroof unit, the narrow side edge being located at the frame support of the bus roof in the installed state.

10. The transport vehicle glass panel unit according to any one of claims 1 to 2, which is formed as a panoramic transport vehicle glass panel for a personnel transport vehicle, wherein the tinted curved area is provided at least at or near the narrow side edge of the skylight glass.

11. The transport vehicle glass panel unit of claim 10, wherein the panoramic transport vehicle glass panel is designed as windshield to side window glass, windshield to sunroof glass, sunroof glass to rear window glass, or rear window glass to side window glass.

12. The transport vehicle glass plate unit according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the coloring of the curved region is performed such that the reduced transmittance is 50%-75% of the transmittance of the remaining glass plate surface.

13. The transport vehicle glass panel unit according to claim 12, wherein the curved region is colored such that the reduced transmittance is 55%-68% of the transmittance of the remaining glass panel surface.

14. The transport vehicle glass plate unit according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the degree of tinting varies depending on the distance from the assigned side edge.

15. The transport vehicle glass plate unit of claim 14, wherein the tinting toward the tinted area or the edge of each tinted area is less pronounced, thereby increasing the transmittance toward the edge.

16. The transport glass plate unit according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein in the colored curved region, the glass itself, the coating on the glass, or the polymer film placed in the composite glass is colored.

17. The transport vehicle glass plate unit according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the glass or polymer film embedded in multilayer glass is printed in the colored curved region.