Sensor Glazing Bracket With Spring Contact for Fast Defogging Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing glazings for sensors in vehicles face challenges with expensive and inaccurate electrical connections, leading to slow assembly cycles and unreliable power supply for defogging and defrosting systems.
Innovation Solution
A glazing system with a spring contact and connector integrated into a bracket for sensor mounting, featuring a print layer and adhesive layer for sensor attachment, and a method for manufacturing the same, including a spring contact biased against a contact pad and attached to a connector, which is either moulded in or clipped to the bracket, providing a reliable and cost-effective electrical connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If solder connections or adhesive tape patches are used for electrical connections, then the glazing can be manufactured with conventional techniques, but the manufacturing cost increases and assembly cycle time increases due to positioning difficulties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the electrical connection function with the bracket structure by integrating spring contacts directly into the bracket. This merging eliminates the need for separate soldering or adhesive patching operations, as the spring contacts are pre-positioned within the bracket and automatically align with contact pads on the glass sheet during assembly, thereby reducing cycle time while maintaining reliable electrical connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring contacts are designed to self-align and self-secure to the contact pads through elastic deformation and mechanical interference. The bracket with integrated spring contacts automatically positions itself during assembly, eliminating the need for external positioning tools or operations, thus improving assembly speed and reducing cycle time while ensuring reliable electrical connection.
2Reliability
If solder connections are used for electrical connections, then the electrical connection can be established, but the manufacturing cost increases and the risk of service failure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive solder connections with cheaper spring contact elements that can be easily manufactured and integrated into the bracket. These spring contacts are designed as simple metallic components that can be formed through stamping or injection molding, significantly reducing manufacturing cost compared to soldering operations while maintaining reliable electrical connection through mechanical contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal-based soldering process with a mechanical spring contact system. The spring contacts establish electrical connection through mechanical elastic deformation and contact pressure, eliminating the need for soldering equipment, flux, and heating processes, thereby reducing manufacturing cost and complexity while improving reliability through reversible mechanical connection.
3Reliability
If adhesive tape patches are used for electrical connections, then the electrical connection can be established, but the assembly positioning accuracy decreases and cycle time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the positioning function with the electrical connection function by integrating spring contacts directly into the bracket structure. The spring contacts are precisely positioned within the bracket during bracket manufacturing, and the bracket itself serves as the positioning element during assembly, eliminating the need for separate adhesive tape patches and improving positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring contacts are pre-positioned and pre-assembled into the bracket during bracket manufacturing, before the actual glazing assembly process. This preliminary action ensures that the electrical connection components are already accurately positioned, eliminating the need for time-consuming positioning operations during final assembly and improving both positioning accuracy and cycle time.
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 enables faster, accurate, and cost-effective assembly of the electrical connection, ensuring quicker defogging and defrosting, and reliable power supply for sensors in vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
a spring contact biased against the contact pad by the adhesive layer
Implementation Method 2
a heating element for heating the opening electrically connected to the contact pad
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention is a glazing (10) for a sensor, comprising: an inner glass sheet (1) for facing the sensor, a print layer (2) on part of a surface of the glazing (10), an opening (2a) in the print layer (2) for the sensor to sense via the glazing (10), a contact pad (3) on the inner glass sheet (1), a heating element (3a) for heating the opening (2a) electrically connected to the contact pad (3), an adhesive layer (4) bonded to a part of the inner glass sheet (1), a bracket (5) for the sensor bonded to the adhesive layer (4), a sensor hole (5a) in the bracket (5) for positioning the sensor, a spring contact (6) biased against the contact pad (3) by the adhesive layer (4) and attached to a connector (7) for supplying electrical power from a power source wherein the spring contact (6) or the connector (7) is moulded in, or clipped to, the bracket (5). The invention is also a method of manufacturing said glazing and use of said glazing as a window of a vehicle.