Pivoting Automotive Windshield Assembly for Stowed Storage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional automotive windshields are fixed in place, limiting their ability to be moved or removed for maintenance or storage, which can obstruct the view and create a gap when stowed, compromising safety and convenience.
Innovation Solution
A releasably mounted windshield assembly with a control mechanism that includes pivots and links, allowing the windshield to be moved from a fixed position to a stowed position, where the inner surface faces the vehicle and the outer surface remains visible, using elastomeric seals for a fluid-tight seal in both positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the windshield is fixed in place with mechanical fasteners and adhesive, then the passenger compartment is sealed and protected from intrusion, but the windshield cannot be moved or removed for maintenance or storage
Solution Approach 1:
The windshield is transformed from a static fixed structure to a dynamic movable one by introducing a control mechanism with pivots and links. The windshield can pivot between a first position (sealed and protective) and a second position (open or stowed), allowing it to adapt between providing protection and enabling access for maintenance or storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The windshield assembly is divided into separable components: the windshield itself, the control mechanism with pivots and links, and the mounting structure. This segmentation allows the windshield to be independently moved and removed while the mounting structure remains on the vehicle, enabling both movability and maintained sealing integrity through proper reconfiguration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the windshield is made movable with a control mechanism, then the windshield can be moved for maintenance or storage, but the mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The control mechanism uses asymmetric pivot placements and link configurations to achieve the required motion. The first pivot connects the control mechanism to the vehicle at a specific location, while the second pivot connects to the windshield at a different location, creating an asymmetric arrangement that enables the windshield to pivot between positions without requiring complex symmetric mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The control mechanism acts as an intermediary between the fixed vehicle structure and the movable windshield. The pivots and links serve as intermediate elements that transfer motion and force, allowing the windshield to move smoothly between positions while the vehicle structure remains stationary, simplifying the overall system by decoupling the fixed and movable components.
3Ease of operation
If the windshield is moved to a stowed position with inner surface facing the vehicle, then access and storage are improved, but visibility above the hood is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
In the stowed position, the windshield is inverted relative to its normal operating orientation, with the inner surface facing toward the vehicle and the outer surface facing outward. This inversion allows the windshield to be positioned above the hood for storage or maintenance access while understanding that visibility is reduced in this configuration, which is acceptable since the windshield is not in its primary viewing function.
Data Source
AI summary
In at least one implementation, a releasably mounted windshield assembly for a vehicle having a passenger compartment includes a windshield and a control mechanism. The windshield has an inner surface defining part of the passenger compartment when the windshield is in a first position and the control mechanism is coupled at one end to the vehicle and at its other end to the windshield. The control mechanism includes a pivot that permits the windshield to move relative to the vehicle so that the inner surface of the of the windshield faces the vehicle when the windshield is in a second position.