Laminated Windshield Vent With Clamped Housing Plate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laminated glass windshields typically cannot incorporate a venting option due to the difficulty of cutting holes in laminated glass, which limits their application in marine and sport vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A windshield vent system featuring a housing plate with a vent opening and a rotatable vent flap secured by clamps with ball and spring plungers, allowing for adjustable positioning and secure attachment to a laminated glass windshield with a pre-manufactured recess.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a vent is incorporated into a laminated glass windshield, then venting functionality is achieved, but the manufacturing complexity increases due to the difficulty of cutting holes in laminated glass
Solution Approach 1:
The windshield system is divided into separate components: the laminated glass windshield and a separate vent assembly. The vent assembly includes a housing plate, vent flap, and clamps that attach to the windshield without requiring holes to be cut in the glass itself. This segmentation allows the venting functionality to be added while preserving the integrity and ease of manufacture of the laminated glass windshield.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing plate serves as an intermediary component that attaches to the windshield surface and provides mounting points for the vent assembly. The clamps secure the housing plate to the windshield, creating an intermediate attachment structure that eliminates the need to cut holes directly in the laminated glass while still providing secure mounting for the vent mechanism.
2Reliability
If a secure venting mechanism is integrated into the windshield, then reliability of attachment is improved, but the device complexity increases due to multiple components including clamps, plungers, and detents
Solution Approach 1:
The vent flap is designed to be rotatable on an axle between closed and open positions, providing dynamic functionality. The ball and spring plunger with detents creates a mechanism that can selectively engage at different positions, allowing the vent to be secured in multiple orientations while maintaining reliable attachment through the rotatable connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The ball and spring plunger mechanism is nested within the clamp structure, with the plunger fitting into recesses in the clamp and the detents being integrated into the clamp body. This nesting reduces the overall space required and consolidates multiple functions into a compact arrangement, thereby reducing apparent complexity while maintaining secure attachment.
3Ease of operation
If the vent flap is made rotatable for adjustable positioning, then ease of operation is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase due to the need for precise axle and clamp alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The axle is extracted as a separate, pre-manufactured component that can be precisely made independently and then installed in the clamps. The clamps are designed with apertures that receive the axle, allowing the rotational mechanism to be assembled from separate precision components rather than requiring the entire assembly to be manufactured as a single precision unit. This modular approach facilitates easier assembly while maintaining operational precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A windshield vent includes a housing plate with a vent opening securable to a windshield. A vent flap secured in the opening is rotatable on an axle between a closed position and an open position. The vent system is suitable for laminated glass windshields including a recess in which the housing plate is secured.