Glazing with an antenna plate and method for producing this glazing

Description

Technical field

[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle glazing, and in particular a roof glazing, comprising a glazed element, a profiled seal portion and an antenna plate, as well as a method for manufacturing such glazing.

[0002] The glazed element has an outer face intended to be oriented towards an exterior space, an edge and an inner face intended to be oriented towards an interior space.

[0003] The profiled seal portion has an outer face intended to be oriented towards said outer space and an inner face intended to be oriented towards said inner space, said profiled seal portion being fixed to at least one edge of said glazed element with the outer face of said profiled seal portion in surface continuity with the outer face of said glazed element.

[0004] The antenna plate has an outer face intended to be oriented towards said outer space and an inner face intended to be oriented towards said inner space and having a fixing part which is integrated into said profiled joint portion and an outer part extending outside said profiled joint portion. Technical background

[0005] The prior art knows from patent application No. DE102007012486 such glazing according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0006] When this configuration is observed in cross-section, at the location where the antenna plate enters the profiled joint portion the angle between the antenna plate and the profiled joint portion is an acute angle. There is a clearance between the profiled joint portion and the antenna plate.

[0007] This known configuration is not satisfactory because dirt may remain where the antenna plate enters the profiled seal portion.

[0008] In addition, a sharp angle causes the emission of acoustic waves when the vehicle is moving. Summary of the invention Technical problem

[0009] The present invention aims to provide a solution that facilitates the maintenance of glazing and the maintenance of the vehicle.

[0010] Additionally, the proposed solution improves air penetration and reduces aerodynamic noise from the previous configuration. Solution to the technical problem

[0011] The present invention is based on the surprising discovery that it is possible to achieve a double flush, both of the profiled joint portion with the glazed element and of the antenna plate with the joint portion, even though the glazed element and the antenna plate are two relatively massive elements which have different manufacturing tolerances and different expansion coefficients.

[0012] In addition, it is then possible to create a hollow in the outer face of the profiled point portion, the shape of which is adapted to the evacuation of water, dirt and the reduction of aerodynamic noise. It is thus possible to create a hollow in the outer face of the profiled point portion, between the two outcrops, the angles of which are rounded.

[0013] The present invention thus relates to vehicle glazing according to claim 1. This vehicle glazing may in particular be roof glazing; it comprises: a glazed element having an outer face intended to be oriented towards an exterior space, an edge and an inner face intended to be oriented towards an interior space, a profiled seal portion having an outer face intended to be oriented towards said exterior space and an inner face intended to be oriented towards said interior space, said profiled seal portion being fixed to at least one edge of said glazed element with the outer face of said profiled seal portion in surface continuity with the outer face of said glazed element, an antenna plate having an outer face intended to be oriented towards said exterior space and an inner face intended to be oriented towards said interior space and having a fixing part which is integrated into said profiled seal portion and an external part extending outside said profiled seal portion, this glazing being remarkable in that the outer face of said antenna plate is in surface continuity with the outer face of said portion of profiled seal.

[0014] The concept of surface continuity within the meaning of the present invention, or "flush", means that visually, from the outside, the two surfaces appear to be continuous with each other. In practice, it is possible to measure a height difference of up to 1 mm due to manufacturing tolerances. Although desired, a value of 0.0 mm for 100% of the two flushes of the glazings is not achievable in practice; this is well known to those skilled in the art.

[0015] Seen in cross-section, it is possible that the outer face of said portion of profiled joint is in the same surface continuity (same straight or same curved) both with the outer face of said glazed element and with the outer face of said antenna plate.

[0016] The outer face of said profiled seal portion may have a step which is located between the glazed element and said external part of the antenna plate, in order to facilitate the manufacture of the glazing; said step preferably having a height of at most 1 mm in order to facilitate the evacuation of water and dirt and to reduce aerodynamic noise.

[0017] The outer face of said profiled seal portion may have a hollow oriented towards said inner space and which is located between the glazed element and said external part of the antenna plate, in order to allow the evacuation of water and dirt and the reduction; said hollow preferably having rounded angles in order to facilitate the evacuation of water, dirt and to reduce aerodynamic noise. Said hollow may be located closer to the external part of the antenna plate than to the glazed element.

[0018] To facilitate the integration of the fixing part of said antenna plate inside said portion of profiled joint, it is possible to provide that this fixing part of said antenna plate extends essentially opposite the edge of the glazed element; it is possible to provide that this fixing part of said antenna plate does not include a part oriented substantially parallel to the inner face of said glazed element; it is possible to provide that this fixing part of said antenna plate does not extend opposite the inner face of said glazed element.

[0019] Said fixing part has at least one, and preferably several, hole(s) to increase the mechanical anchoring of the fixing part in said portion of profiled joint.

[0020] The present invention further relates to a method of manufacturing vehicle glazing, and in particular roof glazing, according to claim 4, said glazing comprising: a glazed element having an outer face intended to be oriented towards an exterior space, an edge and an inner face intended to be oriented towards an interior space, a portion of profiled seal having an outer face intended to be oriented towards said exterior space and an inner face intended to be oriented towards said interior space, said portion of profiled seal being fixed to at least one edge of said glazed element with the outer face of said portion of profiled seal in surface continuity with the outer face of said glazed element, an antenna plate having an outer face intended to be oriented towards said exterior space and an inner face intended to be oriented towards said interior space and having a fixing part which is integrated into said portion of profiled seal and an external part extending outside said portion of profiled seal,said method comprising a molding step in which said glazed element is located in an encapsulation mold having a molding cavity corresponding to the shape of said profiled seal portion, said method being remarkable in that, during said molding step, at least one mold part has an outer molding face producing both the outer face of said profiled seal portion in surface continuity with the outer face of said glazed element and the outer face of said profiled seal portion in surface continuity with the outer face of said antenna plate.

[0021] Said molding face may be unique, that is to say in one piece.

[0022] Said molding face may be in two contiguous parts, with a separation located in contact with the outer face of said profiled joint portion.

[0023] A portion of said molding face in contact with the outer face of said glazed element may then be made of metal or metal alloy and a portion of said molding face in contact with the outer face of said antenna plate may be made of a material having a Shore A hardness of between 45 and 90, or even between 55 and 85.

[0024] Said separation is preferably located in a hollow oriented towards said interior space and which is located between the glazed element and said exterior part, so that the imprint of the separation on the exterior face of the profiled seal portion is more discreet, if necessary. Advantages of the invention

[0025] Thanks to the double flush, there is a double surface continuity and this, at the same time, prevents dirt from remaining and at the same time improves aesthetics, air penetration and the reduction of aerodynamic noise.

[0026] Thanks to the rounded corners, water and dirt are properly drained and little noise is created when the vehicle moves forward.

[0027] Advantageously, the method according to the invention makes it possible to achieve a simple, reliable and precise adaptation of the contours of the molding cavity to the different variations in curves necessarily observed in a series of identical curved glazings (same general curvature, to close the same window).

[0028] Advantageously, the invention can be implemented for a peripheral profiled bead, i.e. one that runs all the way around the window. Such a profiled bead is particularly difficult to produce.

[0029] Advantageously, the invention also makes it possible to use molds with a single molding cavity for the entire perimeter of the glazed element. Brief description of the drawings

[0030] [ Fig. 1] is an exploded perspective view of an antenna for implementing the invention. [ Fig.2 ] is a partial sectional view of a first variant embodiment of a mold for integrating an antenna according to the invention. Fig. 3 ] is a partial sectional view of a second variant of a mold for integrating an antenna according to the invention. Fig.4 ] is a partial sectional view of a third variant embodiment of a mold for integrating an antenna according to the invention. Fig.5 ] is a partial sectional view of a fourth variant embodiment of a mold for integrating an antenna according to the invention. Fig.6 ] is a partial sectional view of a first embodiment of a glazing according to the invention. [ Fig.7 ] is a partial sectional view of a second embodiment of glazing according to the invention. Detailed description of alternative implementations of the invention and embodiments of the invention

[0031] The vehicle glazing 1 consists of at least one glazed element 2, a portion of profiled seal 3, and an antenna plate 4.

[0032] The glazing 1 is intended to close a bay, and in particular a bay in a vehicle roof, by creating 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 be turned towards the exterior space E, an interior face 22 which is intended to be turned towards the interior space I, as well as a peripheral edge 21, located between these two faces.

[0033] The glazed element 2 may be monolithic, i.e. made up of a single sheet of material, or be composite, i.e. made up of several sheets of material between which at least one layer of adhesive material is inserted in the case of laminated glazing, or between which there is at least one interlayer in the case of multiple glazing (double glazing, triple glazing, etc.). The sheet(s) of material may be mineral, in particular glass, or organic, in particular plastic.

[0034] The profiled seal portion 3 has an outer face 30 intended to be oriented towards the outer space E and an inner face 32 intended to be oriented towards the inner space I. The profiled seal portion 3 is fixed both to an edge of the glazed element 2 and to an edge of the antenna plate 4.

[0035] The antenna plate 4 has an outer face 40 intended to be oriented towards the outer space E and an inner face 42 intended to be oriented towards the inner space I. The antenna plate 4 has two parts: a fixing part 45 which is integrated into the profiled joint portion 3 (it is molded into this profiled joint portion) and an outer part 46 extending outside said profiled joint portion 3 and allowing the attachment of an electronic cell 5 and a protective cover 6.

[0036] In the case of vehicle glazing, the glazing generally has at least a partial decorative strip at its periphery, not illustrated here. This decorative strip generally results from a deposit of enamel, made on the inner face of the glazing or on an intermediate face of the glazing for composite glazing, but it can also result from a partial and / or peripheral coloring of a sheet of material used, in particular a sheet of organic material.

[0037] As seen in the cross-sectional views of the figures 2 to 5, the profiled seal portion 3 is manufactured by implementing a manufacturing method called “encapsulation” because it comprises a step of molding the profiled portion in a molding device 10 comprising a mold comprising at least one fixed mold part 11 and at least one movable mold part 12, or even several movable mold parts 12, 12', which is (or which are) movable relative to the fixed mold part, said mold parts cooperating in the closed state of the mold, during the molding step, with the glazed element 2 and the antenna plate 4 to form a molding cavity having in section the shape of the profile of the profiled portion 3.

[0038] The molding device 10 further comprises means for opening and closing the mold, as well as means for applying pressure to the mold when injecting the material forming the profiled seal portion into the molding cavity; these means are not illustrated here.

[0039] To manufacture the profiled seal portion by molding, the glazed element 1 is positioned in a mold part, here the fixed mold part 11, lower, then a movable mold part 12, 12', upper, is positioned on the fixed mold part 11, in order to form the molding cavity in the closed space between these two mold parts.

[0040] The edge of the glazed element thus enters the molding cavity in order to be able to mold the portion of profiled seal at the periphery of the glazed element 2.

[0041] 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, possibly curved.

[0042] The plastic material constituting the profiled seal portion is injected into the molding cavity via at least one injection orifice (not shown).

[0043] 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 glazing. Indeed, the technologies that make it possible to produce a curved glazed element, and in particular the technique of bending mineral glass sheet(s), do not make it possible to guarantee 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 sometimes even 1.5 millimeters, depending on the dimension of the glazed element.

[0044] A suction system is located in the fixed part of the mold; this suction system creates a vacuum between two joints and during the injection of the plastic material in order to keep the glazed element in place in the mold.

[0045] As visible on the figures 2 to 5 , when the mold is closed, the outline of the molding cavity is defined, in its lower part: by a part of the internal face of the fixed mold part 11, that which is intended to form the internal face 32 of the profiled joint portion, by a part of the internal face 42 of the antenna plate, and by the edge 21 of the glazed element and a part of the peripheral edge of the internal face 22 of the glazed element, and in its upper part: by a part of the internal face of the movable part(s) of mold 12, 12', that(those) which is(are) intended to form the external face 30 of the profiled seal portion, by a part of the external face 40 of the antenna plate, and by a part of the peripheral edge of the external face 20 of the glazed element.

[0046] The molding cavity further comprises the fixing part 45 which is intended to be integrated into the profiled joint 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 profiled joint portion 3.

[0047] Thus, in the implementation variants of the figures 2 to 5, method comprises a molding step in which the glazed element 2 is located in the encapsulation mold 10 which has the molding cavity corresponding to the shape of the profiled seal portion 3, and, during this molding step, the movable mold part or parts 12, 12' have an outer molding face 120 producing the outer face 30 of the profiled seal portion 3 both in surface continuity F1 with the outer face 20 of the glazed element 2 and in surface continuity F2 with the outer face 40 of the antenna plate 4.

[0048] This involves creating a double surface continuity, or a double outcrop.

[0049] During the injection of the material into the molding cavity, the fixed mold part 11 provides counter-support directly for the glazed element 2 and indirectly for the antenna plate 4, thanks to a seal 101.

[0050] In [ Fig.2 ] And 3, the molding face 120 is a single piece; it is therefore unique for the encapsulation mold 10.

[0051] In [ Fig.2 ], the movable mold part 12 bears directly on the glazed element 2 and the antenna plate 4.

[0052] In [ Fig. 3 ], the movable mold part 12 indirectly rests on the antenna plate 4, thanks to a seal 102.

[0053] Each seal 101, 102 may be of the type described in international patent application No. WO2018 / 002502.

[0054] In figures 4 And 5, the molding face 120 is not in one piece but is in two contiguous parts, thus with a separation 125 which is located in contact with the outer face 30 of said portion of profiled joint 3, between the two surface continuities F1 and F2. The separation 125 is located at least 3 mm from each surface continuity F1 and F2 in order to limit the risk of it causing a defect at the location of these surface continuities F1 and F2.

[0055] In figures 4 And 5 , the movable mold part 12 bears directly on the glazed element 2 and the movable mold part 12' bears directly on the antenna plate 4.

[0056] A portion of the molding face 120 in contact with the outer face 20 of the glazed element 2 is made of metal or metal alloy (for example steel) and a portion of the molding face 120 in contact with the outer 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 be, for example, Hytrel, a registered trademark of the Dupont company.

[0057] In [ Fig.5 ], the outer face 30 of the profiled seal portion 3 has a hollow 35 oriented towards the interior space I and which is located between the glazed element 2 and the outer part 46 and the separation 125 is located in this hollow 35, preferably at the bottom of this hollow.

[0058] THE figures 6 And 7shows a glazing 1 obtained by implementing the method according to the invention. The outer face 30 of the profiled seal portion 3 is both in surface continuity F1 with the outer face 20 of the glazed element 2 and in surface continuity F2 with the outer face 40 of the antenna plate 4.

[0059] The external part 46 is a plate having an edge which is located opposite the edge 21 of the glazed element 2, with material of the profiled joint portion 3 interposed between the two. The edge of the external part 46 is thus in surface continuity with the profiled joint portion 3.

[0060] The fastening part 45 extends from the outer part 46 at an angle α, preferably greater than 90° and here 110°. It extends inside the profiled joint portion 3 and is here completely integrated into the profiled joint portion 3. Here it has a hole 47 through which the material of the profiled joint portion 3 penetrates during the molding step. This hole 47 is thus filled with the material of the profiled joint portion 3 and increases the fixation of the fastening part 45 in the profiled joint portion 3.

[0061] In [ Fig.6 ], the outer face 30 of the profiled seal portion 3 is flat; this embodiment corresponds to the glazing obtained by the implementation of one of the variants of the figures 2 to 4 .

[0062] In [ Fig.7], the outer face 30 of the profiled seal portion 3 has a hollow 35 oriented towards the interior space I and which is located between the glazed element 2 and the outer part 46 for the evacuation of water and dirt. The edges and the bottom of this hollow 35 are not acute angles but have rounded angles to facilitate the evacuation of water and dirt. This corresponds to the glazing obtained by the implementation of the variant of the [ Fig.5 ].

Claims

1. A vehicle glazed unit (1), and in particular roof glazed unit, including: - a glazed element (2) having an exterior face (20) intended to be oriented toward an exterior space (E), an edge face (21) and an interior face (22) intended to be oriented toward an interior space (I), - a molded seal portion (3) having an exterior face (30) intended to be oriented toward said exterior space (E) and an interior face (32) intended to be oriented toward said interior space (I), said molded seal portion (3) being attached to at least one edge of said glazed element (2) with the exterior face (30) of said molded seal portion (3) in surface continuity (F1) with the exterior face (20) of said glazed element (2), - an antenna plate (4) having an exterior face (40) intended to be oriented toward said exterior space (E) and an interior face (42) intended to be oriented toward said interior space (I) and having an attachment part (45) which is integrated into said molded seal portion (3) and an external part (46) extending outside said molded seal portion (3), characterized in that the exterior face (40) of said antenna plate (4) is in surface continuity (F2) with the exterior face (30) of said molded seal portion (3).

2. The glazed unit (1) according to claim 1, wherein the exterior face (30) of said molded seal portion (3) has a recess (35) oriented toward said interior space (I) and which is located between the glazed element (2) and said exterior part (46), said recess (35) preferably having rounded angles.

3. The glazed unit (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said attachment part (45) has at least one, and preferably several, hole(s) (47).

4. A method for manufacturing a vehicle glazed unit (1), and in particular roof glazed unit, according to any one of claims 1 to 3, said glazed unit (1) including: - a glazed element (2) having an exterior face (20) intended to be oriented toward an exterior space (E), an edge face (21) and an interior face (22) intended to be oriented toward an interior space (I), - a molded seal portion (3) having an exterior face (30) intended to be oriented toward said exterior space (E) and an interior face (32) intended to be oriented toward said interior space (I), said molded seal portion (3) being attached to at least one edge of said glazed element (2) with the exterior face (30) of said molded seal portion (3) in surface continuity (F1) with the exterior face (20) of said glazed element (2), - an antenna plate (4) having an exterior face (40) intended to be oriented toward said exterior space (E) and an interior face (42) intended to be oriented toward said interior space (I) and having an attachment part (45) which is integrated into said molded seal portion (3) and an external part (46) extending outside said molded seal portion (3), said method including a molding step wherein said glazed element (2) is located in an encapsulation mold (10) having a molding cavity corresponding to the shape of said molded seal portion (3), characterized in that, during said molding step, at least one mold part (12, 12') has an exterior molding face (120) producing both the exterior face (30) of said molded seal portion (3) in surface continuity (F1) with the exterior face (20) of said glazed element (2) as well as the exterior face (30) of said molded seal portion (3) in surface continuity (F2) with the exterior face (40) of said antenna plate (4).

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said molding face (120) is unique.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein said molding face (120) is in two contiguous parts, with a separation (125) located in contact with the exterior face (30) of said molded seal portion (3).

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein a part of said molding face (120) in contact with the exterior face (20) of said glazed element (2) is made of metal or metal alloy and a part of said molding face (120) in contact with the exterior face (40) of said antenna plate (4) is made of a material having a Shore A hardness of between 45 and 90, or even between 55 and 85.

8. The method according to claims 6 or 7, wherein said separation (125) is located in a recess (35) oriented towards said interior space (I).