Laminated glass article

Abstract

A laminated glazing for a vehicle windshield is described that includes a first sheet of glazing material bonded to a second sheet of glazing material by at least one sheet of adhesive interlayer material. Each of the first and second sheets of glazing material has a respective first major surface and a second major surface, with the second major surface of the first sheet of glazing material facing the first major surface of the second sheet of glazing material. The second sheet of glazing material includes at least a first aperture therein that abuts an outer peripheral edge of the laminated glazing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a laminated glass component for use in automobiles, particularly a laminated glass component used as a windshield in automobiles. Background Technology

[0002] Conventional laminated glass components used in automotive windshields consist of two layers of soda-lime silicate glass bonded together by polyvinyl butyral (PVB) sheets. Typically, each glass sheet is 2.1 mm thick, and the PVB sheet is usually 0.76 mm thick.

[0003] As is known in the art, layered car windshields offer improved safety benefits for vehicle drivers. However, vehicle manufacturers are also addressing vehicle safety issues in the event of a forward collision with a pedestrian.

[0004] In a collision with a pedestrian, the pedestrian may hit the vehicle's windshield, causing further injury to the pedestrian.

[0005] US2019 / 322161A1 describes a laminated side window for a vehicle, the side window comprising at least a first window glass and a second window glass connected to each other via a thermoplastic interlayer, wherein the first window glass, the second window glass and the thermoplastic interlayer each have a hole, and wherein the holes of the first window glass, the second window glass and the thermoplastic interlayer overlap such that a through hole for securing a clamping element extends through the entire side window.

[0006] US2018 / 178482A1 describes a composite glass panel having a through-hole mounting hole. The composite glass panel has a first and a second window pane bonded together by a thermoplastic interlayer, and at least one channel extending through the entire composite glass panel, wherein an integrally formed polymer element is disposed at the edge of the channel, the polymer element having a through-hole extending through the channel.

[0007] EP0555991A2 describes a glass laminate assembly comprising two glass sheets and a cured resin interlayer formed by in-situ casting. An aperture for attaching a device is formed in at least one glass sheet, and a resilient adhesive seal is formed between the surfaces of the glass sheets surrounding the aperture.

[0008] EP0825076A2 describes a windshield comprising an outer glass sheet and an inner glass sheet separated by a polyvinyl butyral layer. The inner glass sheet and the intermediate layer have through-holes that accommodate an ultrasonic transducer disposed on the inner surface of the outer glass sheet. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The present invention aims to provide a vehicle windshield that is configured to reduce the risk of serious injury to pedestrians in the event of a collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian.

[0010] Therefore, from a first aspect, the present invention provides a laminated glass element for a vehicle windshield, the laminated glass element comprising a first glass element sheet bonded to a second glass element sheet by at least one adhesive interlayer material, the first glass element sheet and the second glass element sheet each having a first main surface and a second main surface, wherein the second main surface of the first glass element sheet faces the first main surface of the second glass element sheet, and further wherein the second glass element sheet includes at least a first hole, the first hole in the second glass element sheet being adjacent to the outer peripheral edge of the laminated glass element.

[0011] Preferably, the laminated glass component is a vehicle windshield.

[0012] Preferably, the first hole in the second glass element sheet is not aligned with the hole in the first glass element sheet.

[0013] Preferably, the first glass sheet has no pores.

[0014] Preferably, the outer peripheral edge is the lower outer peripheral edge when the laminated glass is installed as a windshield in a vehicle.

[0015] Preferably, the first hole in the second glass element sheet extends between the second main surface of the second glass element sheet and the first main surface of the second glass element sheet.

[0016] Preferably, the depth of the first hole in the second glass element sheet is between 5% and 100% of the thickness of the second glass element sheet, more preferably between A% and B% of the thickness of the second glass element sheet, wherein A is 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30, and B is 95, 90, 80, 75, 70, 65, 60, 55, 50, or 49.

[0017] In some embodiments, a first hole in the second glass element sheet extends between a first main surface and a second main surface of the second glass element sheet, such that the first hole is a first through hole, and wherein the first through hole has a first opening in the first main surface of the second glass element sheet and a second opening in the second main surface of the second glass element sheet, the first opening being opposite to a portion of the at least one piece of adhesive interlayer material.

[0018] In such an embodiment, preferably, the second main surface of the first glass element sheet cannot be directly accessed through the first through-hole. Preferably, at least one piece of adhesive interlayer material covers the first opening in the first through-hole; more preferably, at least one piece of adhesive interlayer material covers the entire first opening in the first through-hole.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first hole in the second glass element sheet is one of a plurality of holes in the second glass element sheet, and the area of ​​the first hole in the second main surface of the second glass element sheet is 0.01 cm². 2 and 200cm 2 Between, preferably within 0.01cm 2 and 100cm 2 Between, more preferably within 0.01cm 2 and 10cm 2 Between, or even more preferably within 0.01cm 2 and 5cm 2 Between, or even more preferably within 0.01cm 2 and 0.5cm 2 between.

[0020] Preferably, the area of ​​one or more other holes in the second glass element sheet is less than 0.01 cm². 2 and 200cm 2 Between, preferably within 0.01cm 2 and 100cm 2 Between, more preferably within 0.01cm 2 and 10cm 2 Between, or even more preferably within 0.01cm 2 and 5cm 2 Between, or even more preferably within 0.01cm 2 and 0.5cm 2 between.

[0021] In some embodiments, the first hole in the second glass element sheet is one of a plurality of holes in the second main surface of the second glass element sheet, and two or more holes have the same area.

[0022] Preferably, all the holes in the second glass sheet have the same area.

[0023] In some embodiments, the first hole in the second glass material sheet is spaced apart from the second hole by a first distance, wherein the first distance is between 0.5 cm and 50 cm, more preferably between 0.5 cm and 40 cm, more preferably between 0.5 cm and 30 cm, more preferably between 0.5 cm and 20 cm, and more preferably between 0.5 cm and 10 cm.

[0024] In some embodiments, the first hole in the second glass element sheet is spaced apart from the outer peripheral edge of the laminated glass element.

[0025] Preferably, the distance between the first hole in the second glass element sheet and the outer peripheral edge of the laminated glass element is between 1 cm and 20 cm, more preferably between 1 cm and 15 cm, even more preferably between 1 cm and 10 cm, and even more preferably between 1 cm and 9 cm, 8 cm, 7 cm, 6 cm, or 5 cm.

[0026] In some embodiments, the first hole in the second glass element sheet is spaced apart from the outer peripheral edge of the laminated glass element, which is configured to be the lower edge of the laminated glass element when installed in a vehicle.

[0027] Preferably, the first hole in the second glass element sheet is one of a plurality of holes in the second glass element sheet, the plurality of holes being spaced apart from the outer peripheral edge of the laminated glass element, the outer peripheral edge being configured to be the lower edge of the laminated glass element when installed in a vehicle.

[0028] Preferably, the holes in the plurality of holes in the second glass element sheet are spaced apart from the outer peripheral edge of the laminated glass element, which is configured to be the lower edge of the laminated glass element when installed in a vehicle. The holes are arranged in a straight line, and preferably, the straight line is parallel to the outer peripheral edge of the laminated glass element, which is configured to be the lower edge of the laminated glass element when installed in a vehicle.

[0029] When the first hole in the second glass element sheet is one of a plurality of holes in the second glass element sheet, it is preferable that each hole has the same... + Area within 20%.

[0030] When the first hole in the second glass element sheet is one area of ​​a plurality of holes in the second glass element sheet, it is preferable that each hole has the same area.

[0031] In some embodiments, the thickness of the first glass element sheet is between 1 mm and 5 mm, preferably between 1.3 mm and 3 mm.

[0032] In some embodiments, the thickness of the second glass sheet is between 1 mm and 5 mm, preferably between 1.3 mm and 3 mm.

[0033] In some embodiments, the second glass sheet is thinner than the first glass sheet.

[0034] In some embodiments, the first main surface of the first glass material sheet is convex, and the second main surface of the second glass material sheet is convex.

[0035] The laminated glass component has other preferred features.

[0036] Preferably, the laminated glass element is bent in at least one direction. Preferably, the radius of curvature in at least one direction is between 500 mm and 20,000 mm, more preferably between 1,000 mm and 8,000 mm.

[0037] Preferably, the at least one adhesive interlayer material comprises polyvinyl butyral (PVB), acoustically modified PVB, ethylene copolymers (e.g., ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)), polyurethane (PU), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), copolymers of ethylene and methacrylic acid (EMA), or Uvekol (a liquid curable resin).

[0038] Preferably, the at least one adhesive interlayer material is a sheet of polyvinyl butyral (PVB), EVA, PVC, EMA, polyurethane, acoustically modified PVB, or Uvekol (a liquid curable resin).

[0039] Preferably, the at least one piece of adhesive interlayer material does not have a hole aligned with the first hole in the second glass element sheet; more preferably, the at least one piece of adhesive interlayer material does not have a hole.

[0040] Preferably, the thickness of the at least one adhesive interlayer material is between 0.3 mm and 2.3 mm, more preferably between 0.3 mm and 1.6 mm, and most preferably between 0.3 mm and 0.8 mm.

[0041] Preferably, the thickness of the first glass sheet and / or the second glass sheet is between 1 mm and 3 mm.

[0042] Preferably, the thickness of the first glass element sheet and / or the second glass element sheet is between 1.4 mm and 2.8 mm, more preferably between 1.6 mm and 2.3 mm.

[0043] Preferably, the first glass element sheet and / or the second glass element sheet are soda-lime silicate glass sheets. Soda-lime silicate glass is commonly referred to as soda-lime silicate glass, or simply as "soda-lime" glass sheet.

[0044] Preferably, the first glass material sheet and / or the second glass material sheet are sodium-calcium silicate glass sheets, especially float glass sheets.

[0045] Preferably, the second glass element material sheet is an alkali aluminosilicate glass sheet.

[0046] Preferably, the second glass sheet contains at least about 6 wt% (by weight) aluminum oxide (Al2O3).

[0047] Preferably, the second glass element sheet is chemically strengthened, i.e., chemically strengthened glass. When the second glass element sheet is chemically strengthened, preferably, the thickness of the second glass element sheet is less than 1.2 mm, more preferably between 0.3 mm and 1 mm, and even more preferably between 0.4 mm and 0.9 mm. Attached Figure Description

[0048] The invention will now be described with reference to the following figures, in which:

[0049] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the laminated glass component according to the present invention;

[0050] Figure 2 This is a plan view of the laminated glass component according to the present invention; and

[0051] Figure 3 This is a view of the interior of a vehicle having a windshield according to the invention. Detailed Implementation

[0052] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a curved laminated glass element according to the present invention is shown.

[0053] The laminated glass element 1 has a first sodium-calcium silicate glass sheet 3, which has a composition such as that of clear float glass, and typically has iron oxide added as a colorant to provide some form of solar control to the laminated glass element. The first sheet 3 has a thickness of 2.3 mm, although this thickness can be in the range of 1.4 mm to 2.5 mm or in the range of 1.6 mm to 2.3 mm.

[0054] A typical soda-lime silicate glass composition (by weight) is: SiO2 69–74%; Al2O3 0–3%; Na2O 10–16%; K2O 0–5%; MgO 0–6%; CaO 5–14%; SO3 0–2%; Fe2O3 0.005–2%. This glass composition may also contain other additives, such as refining aids, typically present in amounts up to 2%. Soda-lime silicate glass compositions may contain other colorants, such as Co3O4, NiO, and Se, to impart the desired color when the glass is viewed under transmitted light. The color of the transmitted glass can be measured according to recognized standards such as BS EN410.

[0055] The laminated glass element 1 also has a second sodium calcium silicate glass sheet 7 with a thickness of 1.6 mm, but the thickness of the second sheet can be in the range of 1.4 mm to 2.5 mm, and preferably is not the same as the thickness of the first sheet 3.

[0056] The first sheet 3 is connected to the second sheet 7 via an adhesive interlayer 5. The adhesive interlayer 5 is a 0.76 mm thick PVB sheet. The thickness of the adhesive interlayer 5 can be between 0.3 mm and 1.8 mm.

[0057] Other suitable adhesive interlayers include PVC, EVA, EMA, and polyurethane.

[0058] The laminated glass element 1 is bent in one or more directions. The radius of curvature in one of the one or more directions is between 1000 mm and 8000 mm.

[0059] When laminated glass is bent in two directions, each bending direction is preferably orthogonal to the other. Preferably, the radius of curvature in one or both curvature directions is between 1000 mm and 8000 mm.

[0060] The first sheet 3 has a convex first surface 9 and an opposing concave second surface 11. The second sheet 7 has a convex first surface 13 and an opposing concave second surface 15. The concave surface 11 of the first sheet 3 contacts the adhesive interlayer 5, and the convex surface 13 of the second sheet 7 contacts the adhesive interlayer 5. Using conventional terminology, the convex surface 9 of the first sheet 3 is “surface one” (or S1) of the laminated glass 1, the concave surface 11 of the first sheet 3 is “surface two” (or S2) of the laminated glass 1, the convex surface 13 of the second sheet 7 is “surface three” (or S3) of the laminated glass 1, and the concave surface 15 of the second sheet 7 is “surface four” (or S4) of the laminated glass 1.

[0061] The second sheet 7 contains a hole array 17. For example... Figure 1 As shown, in this example, each hole in the hole array 17 extends through the thickness of the second sheet 7, and each hole has an opening in the first surface 13 and an opening in the second surface 15. The PVB sheet 5 has no holes opposite to the openings of the holes in the first surface 13, such that the PVB sheet 5 covers the openings of the holes in the first surface 13.

[0062] In this example, neither the first sheet 3 nor the PVB sheet 5 has holes, such that the holes in the first sheet 3 or the PVB sheet 5 are aligned with the corresponding holes in the hole array 17.

[0063] Figure 2 It is along Figure 1 A plan view of the laminated glass component 1 in the direction of arrow 10.

[0064] exist Figure 2 In this case, the outer periphery of the laminated glass component is typical of a car windshield. The laminated glass component has a lower outer peripheral edge 19, and the inner side of the lower outer peripheral edge 19 has six holes 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, and 17f forming a hole array 17.

[0065] Each hole 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, and 17f is a circle with a diameter of approximately 0.5cm.

[0066] Holes 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, and 17f are equally spaced, such that the distance between holes 17a and 17b is the same as the distance between holes 17b and 17c, and so on.

[0067] Holes 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, and 17f are located on a straight line parallel to the lower outer peripheral edge 19.

[0068] These holes can be located in the area of ​​the concave surface 15 of the second sheet 7 of the laminated glass piece where there is a dark band.

[0069] By providing holes 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, and 17f, the second sheet 7 can more easily break upon impact with the convex first surface 9 of the first sheet 3, thus reducing the stiffness of the laminated glass component 1. When the laminated glass component 1 is installed as a windshield in a vehicle, the reduced windshield stiffness upon impact with the convex first surface 9 in the event of a pedestrian-vehicle collision reduces the severity of pedestrian injury.

[0070] Although the lower outer perimeter 19 is straight in this example, the lower outer perimeter can be curved, and the hole array can be arranged in a straight line or can be arranged to follow the curvature of the curved lower outer perimeter.

[0071] Figure 3 Another embodiment of the invention is shown.

[0072] Figure 3 A view of the interior of a vehicle having a windshield 100 according to the invention is shown.

[0073] The windshield 100 is essentially the same as the aforementioned laminated glass 1. The vehicle windshield has a lower outer peripheral edge extending between points E and F. The vehicle windshield has an upper outer peripheral edge extending between points D and G.

[0074] There are multiple holes on the four inward-facing surfaces of the windshield 100. The first hole array 174 has 20 circular holes (only one of which is marked 175). The dimensions of each hole 175 are between 1cm x 1cm and 3cm x 3cm. Preferably, all holes 175 have the same dimensions and / or area. The holes 175 are arranged in a straight line parallel to the lower outer peripheral edge EF, i.e., the diameters of the holes 175 are aligned and parallel to the lower outer peripheral edge EF.

[0075] In this embodiment, similarly, on surface four of the windshield 100, there is a second array of holes 172 extending along the left outer peripheral edge DE of the windshield 100 and a third array of holes 176 extending along the right outer peripheral edge FG. The second array of holes 172 has seven circular holes (only one of which is marked as 173) arranged on a line parallel to the left outer peripheral edge DE. The third array of holes 176 also has seven circular holes (only one of which is marked as 177) arranged on a line parallel to the right outer peripheral edge FG.

[0076] Each hole in the second and third arrays has the same size and / or the same area.

[0077] As an alternative to a circular hole, another hole configuration can be used, such as a hole that is essentially square.

[0078] Reference Figure 2 Before assembling the laminated glass components, holes 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, and 17f are drilled using conventional diamond drill bits. Drilling holes before any tempering of the glass sheets can cause the glass sheets to break when drilled using conventional diamond drill bits or the like. In this example, each hole 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, and 17f is drilled to the same depth, which can be between 5% and 100% of the thickness of the second sheet 7. These holes can have different depths.

[0079] In embodiments where a hole is drilled through the entire thickness of the second glass sheet, the hole is referred to as a through hole, and the PVB sheet 5 is prevented from directly contacting the second surface 11 through the through hole because there are no holes in the PVB sheet 5, and in particular, there are no holes in the PVB sheet 5 that are at least partially aligned with the through hole.

[0080] It has been found that by placing holes on the inward-facing surface of the laminated windshield, and preferably by placing holes extending through the entire thickness of the inward-facing glass sheet, the inner glass sheet is more likely to break in the event of a pedestrian collision with the outward-facing surface of the laminated windshield. The location of these holes does not distract the driver's visual attention, nor does it reduce the windshield's performance in stone impact tests.

Claims

1. A laminated glass element (1) for a vehicle windshield, the laminated glass element comprising a first glass element sheet (3) connected to a second glass element sheet (7) by at least one adhesive interlayer (5), the first glass element sheet and the second glass element sheet each having a first main surface, a second main surface, and a thickness, in, The second main surface of the first glass element sheet faces the first main surface of the second glass element sheet. The first main surface of the first glass material sheet (3) is a convex surface (9), which is the "surface one" of the laminated glass component (1) used for the vehicle windshield. The "surface one" is the surface facing the outside of the vehicle. The first glass sheet (3) has no holes. The second main surface of the second glass material sheet (7) is a concave surface (15), which is the "surface four" of the laminated glass component (1) for the vehicle windshield, and the "surface four" is the surface facing the interior of the vehicle. The second glass element sheet (7) includes at least a first hole, and the first hole in the second glass element sheet (7) is adjacent to the outer peripheral edge of the laminated glass element (1). The first hole extends through the entire thickness of the second glass material sheet (7).

2. The laminated glass component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer peripheral edge is the lower outer peripheral edge when the laminated glass is installed in the vehicle as a windshield.

3. The laminated glass component according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that, The first hole in the second glass material sheet is one of a plurality of holes in the second glass material sheet, and the area of ​​the first hole on the second main surface of the second glass material sheet is 0.01 cm². 2 and 200cm 2 between.

4. The laminated glass component according to claim 3, characterized in that, The area of ​​the first hole in the second main surface of the second glass sheet is 0.01 cm². 2 and 100cm 2 between.

5. The laminated glass component according to claim 3, characterized in that, The area of ​​the first hole in the second main surface of the second glass sheet is 0.01 cm². 2 and 10cm 2 between.

6. The laminated glass component according to claim 3, characterized in that, The area of ​​the first hole in the second main surface of the second glass sheet is 0.01 cm². 2 and 5cm 2 between.

7. The laminated glass component according to claim 3, characterized in that, The area of ​​the first hole in the second main surface of the second glass sheet is 0.01 cm². 2 and 0.5cm 2 between.

8. The laminated glass component according to claim 3, characterized in that, The area of ​​one or more other holes among the plurality of holes in the second glass material sheet is 0.01 cm². 2 and 200cm 2 between.

9. The laminated glass component according to claim 8, characterized in that, The area of ​​one or more other holes among the plurality of holes in the second glass material sheet is 0.01 cm². 2 and 100cm 2 between.

10. The laminated glass component according to claim 8, characterized in that, The area of ​​one or more other holes among the plurality of holes in the second glass material sheet is 0.01 cm². 2 and 10cm 2 between.

11. The laminated glass component according to claim 8, characterized in that, The area of ​​one or more other holes among the plurality of holes in the second glass material sheet is 0.01 cm². 2 and 5cm 2 between.

12. The laminated glass component according to claim 8, characterized in that, The area of ​​one or more other holes among the plurality of holes in the second glass material sheet is 0.01 cm². 2 and 0.5cm 2 between.

13. The laminated glass component according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that, The first hole in the second glass material sheet is spaced apart from the other hole by a first distance, wherein the first distance is between 0.5 cm and 50 cm.

14. The laminated glass component according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first spacing is between 0.5cm and 40cm.

15. The laminated glass component according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first spacing is between 0.5cm and 30cm.

16. The laminated glass component according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first spacing is between 0.5cm and 20cm.

17. The laminated glass component according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first spacing is between 0.5cm and 10cm.

18. The laminated glass component according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that, The first hole in the second glass sheet is spaced apart from the outer peripheral edge of the laminated glass.

19. The laminated glass component according to claim 18, characterized in that, The distance between the first hole in the second glass sheet and the outer peripheral edge of the laminated glass is between 1 cm and 20 cm.

20. The laminated glass component according to claim 19, characterized in that, The distance between the first hole in the second glass sheet and the outer peripheral edge of the laminated glass is between 1 cm and 15 cm.

21. The laminated glass component according to claim 19, characterized in that, The distance between the first hole in the second glass sheet and the outer peripheral edge of the laminated glass is between 1 cm and 10 cm.

22. The laminated glass component according to claim 19, characterized in that, The distance between the first hole in the second glass sheet and the outer peripheral edge of the laminated glass is between 1 cm and 9 cm, or 8 cm, or 7 cm, or 6 cm, or 5 cm.

23. The laminated glass component according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that, The thickness of the first glass sheet is between 1 mm and 5 mm.

24. The laminated glass component according to claim 23, characterized in that, The thickness of the first glass sheet is between 1.3 mm and 3 mm.

25. The laminated glass component according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that, The thickness of the second glass sheet is between 1 mm and 5 mm.

26. The laminated glass component according to claim 25, characterized in that, The thickness of the second glass sheet is between 1.3 mm and 3 mm.

27. The laminated glass component according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that, The second glass element sheet is chemically strengthened and the thickness of the second glass element sheet is less than 1.2 mm.

28. The laminated glass component according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that, The second glass sheet is thinner than the first glass sheet.

29. The laminated glass component according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the thickness of the laminated glass component is between 3 mm and 10 mm.

30. The laminated glass component according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that, The first hole has a first opening in a first main surface of the second glass material sheet and a second opening in a second main surface of the second glass material sheet, the first opening being opposite to a portion of the at least one adhesive interlayer.

31. The laminated glass component according to claim 30, characterized in that, The second main surface of the first glass sheet cannot be directly accessed through the first hole.

32. The laminated glass component according to claim 31, characterized in that, The at least one adhesive interlayer covers the first opening in the first hole.

33. The laminated glass component according to claim 31, characterized in that, The at least one adhesive interlayer covers the entire first opening in the first hole.

34. The laminated glass component according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that, The first hole in the second glass material sheet is not aligned with the hole in the at least one adhesive interlayer.

35. The laminated glass component according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that, The at least one adhesive interlayer has no pores.

36. A vehicle windshield comprising a laminated glass element according to any one of claims 1 to 35.

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