Automotive Window Inverted Channel for Crash Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automotive side windows with HPR laminated glazing or advanced ejection mitigation glazing do not effectively absorb impact when partially open, leading to increased risk of injury during collisions or rollovers due to excessive deformation causing the window to dislodge from its channels.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an inverted U-shaped channel bonded to the upper edge of the window glass, extending into side channels, providing additional rigidity and pull-out resistance, allowing the window to perform as if fully rolled up during crashes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If HPR laminated glazing or advanced ejection mitigation glazing is used, then penetration resistance and occupant containment are improved, but when the window is partly open, crash forces cause excessive deformation and the window pulls out of its channels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines HPR laminated glazing with an integrated channel structure made of rigid material. The channel is bonded to the glass assembly to create a composite structure that provides both penetration resistance and pull-out resistance, solving the contradiction between occupant containment and structural strength during crashes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a third dimension by extending the channel structure laterally beyond the edges of the glass assembly. This lateral extension into the door frame creates additional engagement points and increases pull-out resistance without affecting the glass material properties, resolving the contradiction between containment reliability and structural strength.
2Ease of operation
If the window is designed to be opened by rolling downward into a door frame, then ease of operation is improved, but it is impossible to adhere the upper edge and sides to the door frame, requiring special retention measures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the retention function with the window assembly itself by integrating the channel structure directly to the glass. This eliminates the need for separate retention shields or complex door frame channels, reducing device complexity while maintaining ease of operation through a simpler integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated channel structure serves multiple functions: it provides retention during operation, prevents pull-out during crashes, and maintains occupant containment. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate retention measures, simplifying the overall device while improving reliability.
3Reliability
If the window is partly open during a collision, then the window should still absorb impact, but conventional designs allow excessive deformation and dislodgement from channels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-insts the rigid channel structure on the window assembly before any collision occurs. This preliminary structural reinforcement ensures that when impact occurs at any window position, the channel is already in place to prevent excessive deformation and maintain structural integrity, reliably absorbing impact forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated channel structure acts as a pre-positioned protective element that cushions against pull-out forces during crashes. By having this structural support in place before impact, the window maintains stability and structural integrity even when partly open, preventing dislodgement from channels.
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 effectively absorbs impact and reduces the likelihood of full or partial ejection, even when the window is partially open, by maintaining the glass in place and preventing penetration by a simulated passenger head during side impact collisions up to 12.5 miles per hour.
Implementation Method 1
An inverted U-shaped channel is bonded to an upper edge of the sheet of laminated window glass... The channel has a U-shaped cross-section and is composed of two parallel, horizontally elongated strips... bridged by a third horizontally elongated strip... The channel is bonded to the sheet of window glass and is composed of steel, rigid plastics, or other rigid material
Implementation Method 2
A laminated sheet of window glass... is movable upward from within a space between the inner and outer door panels... The sheet of window glass is also adjustable so that its upper edge can be positioned at an intermediate location within the window opening... effectively absorbs impact
Implementation Method 3
HPR (High Penetration Resistance) interlayer laminated glazing is a type of laminated glass introduced in the early 1960s, and is composed of a thin (e.g., 0.030 inch) layer of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) sandwiched between two layers of glass
Implementation Method 4
The channel is bonded to the sheet of window glass... The door frame channel has flanges that prevent the laminated glass from dislodging from the channel during crash incidents
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle side window, composed of HPR laminated glazing or advanced ejection mitigating laminated glazing, is provided with an inverted U-shaped channel, bonded to its upper edge, and extending into side channels of the door frame. The inverted U-shaped channel acts as a movable upper door channel, providing the door glazing with sufficient rigidity and pull-out resistance that it performs in an accident as if it were fully rolled up.