Vehicular Window Heater Connector Assembly Without Solder
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional slider window assemblies for vehicles, particularly those with heating elements, face challenges in providing reliable and solder-free electrical connections for heater grids and busbars, which can lead to inconsistent defogging or defrosting performance.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of solderless electrical connectors, such as metal connector elements with flexible tabs or spring-loaded connectors, that are directly bonded to the window panel and busbars, ensuring secure and reliable electrical connections without the use of solder, allowing for effective heating or defogging of both fixed and movable window panels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If solderless electrical connectors are used to connect heater grids to wire harness, then reliability of electrical connection is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connection system is divided into separate components: the heater grid with integrated busbar, the solderless electrical connector with bonding tabs, and the wire harness. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently and assembled without soldering, improving reliability while managing complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The solderless electrical connector acts as an intermediary component between the heater grid busbar and the wire harness. It features bonding tabs that make direct contact with the busbar and provide electrical connection without solder, eliminating soldering-related reliability issues while maintaining a manageable structural complexity.
2Ease of manufacture
If electrical connectors are directly bonded to window panel and busbar, then ease of manufacture is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bonding tabs of the electrical connector are pre-formed with appropriate geometry and material properties to facilitate direct bonding to the busbar. This preliminary preparation of the connector structure enables straightforward assembly processes while accommodating the precision requirements through pre-engineered bonding surfaces and alignment features.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector design incorporates specific material parameters and geometric parameters (such as tab flexibility, bonding surface area, and contact pressure) that can be adjusted to balance manufacturing precision requirements with ease of assembly. These parameter optimizations allow for reliable bonding without excessive manufacturing complexity.
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
This solution provides consistent and reliable defogging or defrosting capabilities for vehicle window panels, enhancing the operational efficiency and durability of the window assemblies by eliminating solder-related issues and ensuring robust electrical connections.
Implementation Method 1
The heater grids are disposed at a surface of the window panel and electrically conductive traces or busbars at which electrical connectors are disposed for electrically connecting the busbars and heater grids to a wire harness of the vehicle
Implementation Method 2
via bonding a metal connector element directly to the window panel and/or via a cover or retaining element that is bonded to the window panel
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicular window assembly includes a window panel having an inner surface and an outer surface, electrically conductive traces established at the inner surface of the window panel, a pair of busbars established at the inner surface and in electrical connection with respective portions of the electrically conductive traces, and an electrical connector affixed at each busbar and configured to electrically connect to a wire harness of a vehicle when the vehicular window assembly is installed at the vehicle. The electrical connector includes a bonding portion, a connecting terminal and a busbar-connecting portion. The connecting terminal is configured to electrically connect to the wire harness of the vehicle. The bonding portion is adhesively bonded at the window panel. The electrical connector is bonded at the window panel with the busbar-connecting portion electrically connected to the respective busbar without use of solder.