Offset-Space Vehicle Glazing for Flush Edge-to-Edge Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing glazed units for vehicles face challenges in achieving complex shapes with high bending, often requiring rigid profiles that are difficult to implement and result in unsightly protuberances or additional weight, while existing lamination methods struggle to maintain mechanical strength and aesthetic appeal.
Innovation Solution
A glazed unit comprising at least two contiguous glass sheets with offset separation spaces and flush seals, allowing for a discreet edge-to-edge connection, enhanced mechanical strength, and reduced weight, achieved through a single lamination operation or separate lamination operations using adhesive interlayer sheets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid profiles are used to assemble glass panes for complex shapes with high bending, then the structural strength is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The glazed unit is divided into multiple glass panes (first pane, second pane, third pane) that are assembled together using profiled bodies at the edges. This segmentation allows each pane to be shaped independently for complex geometries while the profiles provide the structural connection, resolving the contradiction between handling complex shapes and maintaining structural strength without requiring overly complex assembly devices.
2Strength
If rigid profiles are used to assemble glass panes, then the mechanical support is improved, but the aesthetic appearance deteriorates due to unsightly protuberances
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element is nested within the profiled body, with the profiled body itself being integrated into or flush with the glass pane edges. This nesting arrangement allows the mechanical support function to be provided by the profiled bodies while the sealing element remains hidden, eliminating unsightly protuberances and improving aesthetic appearance without sacrificing mechanical support.
3Strength
If uprights are used to separate glazed units, then the structural separation is improved, but the weight increases and aesthetics deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The upright structure is completely removed from the design. Instead, structural separation between adjacent glazed units is achieved through the profiled bodies and sealing elements that are integrated into the edge regions of the glass panes themselves. This extraction of the upright eliminates the additional weight and unsightly appearance while maintaining the necessary structural separation through the distributed edge connections.
4Manufacturing precision
If restrictive bonding operations are used to assemble glass panes, then the assembly precision is improved, but the sealing reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A sealing element made of elastomeric material is introduced as an intermediary between the glass panes and the profiled bodies. This sealing element accommodates dimensional variations and assembly tolerances through its elastic properties, maintaining sealing reliability even when assembly precision is compromised by less restrictive bonding operations. The sealing element acts as a buffer that absorbs mismatches while maintaining the seal.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a visually appealing, lightweight glazed unit with improved mechanical strength, capable of complex shapes, and eliminates the need for opaque bonding protection, while maintaining discrete seals and avoiding the use of uprights.
Implementation Method 1
at least one interlayer sheet of adhesive material located between one of said exterior sheets and one of said interior sheets
Data Source
AI summary
A glazed unit for a vehicle of transport and its manufacturing method, the glazed unit including a first exterior sheet and a second exterior sheet, contiguous, with an exterior separating space therebetween, a first interior sheet and a second interior sheet, contiguous, with an interior separation space therebetween at least one interlayer sheet of adhesive material, wherein, seen in cross-section, the exterior separation space and the interior separation space are offset by an offset distance.