EP2791033B1 - Protective element for storing, handling and transporting a glass element for a motor vehicle, such as a windshield, a rear window - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a protective element for the storage, handling and transport of glazed element for a motor vehicle such as a windshield, a rear window.

Motor vehicle windshields and rear windows are fragile elements that require precautions during their transport from the place of production to the assembly site on vehicles, whether in the factory or as spare parts , where in particular the different shapes and curves require suitable protection elements.

Various types of protective elements and commonly used packages are known.

Thus, there is provided cardboard "boxes" of generally parallelepiped shape within which the glazed element is placed and which also comprises shims polystyrene and / or cardboard. Such packages are however very bulky from the point of view of storage.

It has also been proposed in FR 2,760,729 , a cardboard packaging consisting of a cardboard blank or cellular plastic with fold lines for folding the blank around a glazed element for packaging. This protects the entire surface of the glazed element and reduces the size relative to a box. However, there is always a risk of shocks between glazed elements during storage and / or transport, especially in case of shock to the extent that no means of shock damping is provided.

Another type of protective element consists of a section of a synthetic foam, of U-shaped cross-section and engaged around the periphery of the glazed element and then held in place on said element with the aid of a plastic film. retractable. For ease of transport, it is generally put in place cardboard parts, for example at corners, to materialize a "box" to ensure better protection during transport and facilitate storage. This type of profile is described in particular in EP 0 621 207 . However, again, it may be that for some windshields of a very pronounced curve this type of protection is not enough.

We also know by DE 9114168 a U-shaped protection element whose outer face is provided with a ratchet rib for snapping into a complementary groove of an adjacent protective element, the wings of the U being thus against each other.

Also, many glazed elements arrive broken, especially at the corners, on the assembly site or have scratches or impacts on their surface, which are caused during their establishment or during storage. Moreover, the coefficient of expansion between bare room and conditioned room is important.

The object of the present invention is therefore to propose a protective element of the synthetic foam profile type having, for example, a U-shaped cross section but which has improved damping qualities while being of simple and economical manufacture.

Thus, the invention relates to a protection element in the form of a profile having an internal face shaped to be applied to at least two adjacent faces of elements to maintain spaced apart from each other and to protect during storage, handling and transport, against shocks, said section being made of a synthetic material absorbing shocks, characterized in that said profile is shaped to have on its outer face at least one protrusion formed projecting from said outer face.

Advantageously, said protuberance is made in one piece with said profile and therefore in the same resilient synthetic shock-absorbing material as the latter, which gives said protection element additional damping qualities and also serves as a wedge. between said protection element and another surface such as a wall, floor or other adjoining element.

Thus, this protuberance makes it possible to maintain a gap between two elements such as adjacent glazed elements or between a glazed element provided with this device and a surface against which it rests. This protuberance or protuberance on the outer face of the profile thus forms a damping wedge to absorb the various shocks occurring during transport and the fall of the piece flat or vertically.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the protection element is in the form of a main section having a U-shaped cross-section, at least one of the branches of the U having on its outer face the minus one projection protruding from the outer face of said branch.

According to one embodiment, this protrusion can be arranged along the entire length of the profile continuously.

Preferably, this protuberance is then in the form of a wall of dimensions equivalent to that of the U branch and extending parallel thereto and connected thereto by a thinned portion. This protuberance thus has with said branch of the U, a cross section of said section secondary substantially X-shaped, or in the form of H.

This X shape of the secondary profile gives the protection element thus produced a significant improvement in the damping imparted during flat or vertical side drops.

According to an alternative embodiment, this protuberance may be formed along the entire length of the profile discontinuously. Thus, the outer face of the protective element may thus comprise at least one boss as an outgrowth or protuberance, and preferably, a plurality of bosses arranged projecting along said profile.

According to another variant embodiment, the protection element is in the form of a main section having a U-shaped cross-section, each branch of the U having on its outer face at least one protrusion projecting from the outer face. of said branch.

Advantageously, a resilient shock-absorbing material such as polyethylene foam having improved softness and cushioning and a large shape memory capacity after deformation is used.

In addition, with such a protective element is removed shims polystyrene that could require a windshield cleaning phase related to the deposition of polystyrene beads on glazing electrostatic effect.

Furthermore, the protection element according to the invention is adaptable to glazed elements of various shapes and shapes.

• La figure 1 représente une vue en perspective latérale d'un élément de protection selon une forme de réalisation préférée de la présente invention ;
• La figure 2 représente une vue en coupe transversale du profilé de la figure 1 ;
• La figure 3 représente une vue en perspective latérale d'une variante d'un élément de protection selon la figure 1 ; et
• Les figures 4a et 4b représentent respectivement une vue en perspective avant et latérale d'un élément vitré emballé à l'aide d'éléments de protection selon l'invention.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawing in which

• The figure 1 is a side perspective view of a protection member according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
• The figure 2 represents a cross-sectional view of the profile of the figure 1 ;
• The figure 3 represents a side perspective view of a variant of a protection element according to the figure 1 ; and
• The Figures 4a and 4b represent respectively a front and side perspective view of a glazed element packaged using protection elements according to the invention.

As can be seen at figure 1 , the protective element 1 is a profile made of an elastic material such as a polyethylene foam.

This element 1 has a main section having a substantially U-shaped cross-section corresponding to the surrounding portion A and a secondary profile having an X-shaped or H-shaped cross section corresponding to the surrounding portion B on the figure 2 .

The main section A of U-shaped cross section has two branches 2 and a base 3 whose inner face 2 is shaped to be applied to at least two contiguous faces of elements to be protected such as glazed elements such as a windshield or a rear window.

Thus, the inner face of the U forms a housing 4 in which the edge of a glazed element engages, the main section of the protection element 1 according to the invention is thus applied to the two opposite faces of said glazed element and their common edge.

As can be seen on the figure 2 , the gap between the branches 2 of the U is of dimensions smaller than the thickness of a glazed element and the dimensions of the bottom 4a of this receiving housing 4 so that the engagement of the glazed element s is done by forcing the spacing of the branches 2 of the U which allows to engage and holding the protection element 1 on the edge of the glazed element in the manner of a resilient clip.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottom 4a of the housing 4 is covered with a layer of material 6 having a greater resistance to piercing, shearing, abrasion and tearing than the material constituting the element. protection 1 which is in the form of a foam.

One of the branches 2 of the U is provided on its outer face with at least one protuberance 5 formed projecting from said face and intended to constitute both a spacer to maintain spaced apart from each other adjacent glazed elements and a additional cushioning cushion to protect them during storage, handling and transport against shocks.

Preferably, this protrusion is made in one piece with the main section A during the manufacture of said protection element 1.

This protrusion 5 consists of a protrusion 5a of shape and dimensions substantially similar to those of the branch 2 and extending parallel to said branch 2, this portion 5a being connected to said branch 2 by a thinned portion 5b.

As can be seen in the figure, the protuberance 5 has with the branch 2 from which it protrudes, a substantially X-shaped cross section or H.

Such an X-shaped cross section provides a damping function by progressive deformation.

As can be seen at figure 3 , the protective element 1 'is similar to the protection element 1 but also comprises cutouts 7 arranged along an axis y perpendicular to the longitudinal axis x of the profile constituting the protection element 1', these cuts 7 being formed obliquely so as to form a V. Such V-shaped cutouts 7 make it possible in particular to put in place said protection element 1 'along a curved periphery of a glazed element as can be seen in FIG. figure 4a .

Thus, the protective element 1 is manually deposited along the lower right periphery of a glazed element such as a windshield, the latter being held by a vacuum manipulator arm.

The protective element 1 'is then deposited along the upper curved portion of the windshield. The side edges of the windshield may be provided with a single protective element 8 consisting of a U-shaped profile. They may also be provided with a protective element 1 according to the invention.

The assembly is then routed to a filming station before passing to the oven for retraction of the film and evacuation.

The invention avoids any use of cardboard while improving the damping qualities in case of flat or vertical falls.

Claims (10)

1. Protective element (1, 1') in the form of a profile having an internal face conformed so as to be applied to at least two contiguous faces or elements to be kept spaced apart from each other and to be protected against impacts during storage, handling and transport thereof, said profile being produced from an impact-absorbing synthetic material, characterised in that said profile is conformed so as to have, on its external face, at least one protuberance (5) provided projecting from said external face intended to constitute both a spacer for keeping adjacent glazed elements spaced apart from each other and a complementary damping shim for protecting them against impacts during storage, handling and transport thereof.
2. Protective element according to claim 1, characterised in that said protuberance (5) is produced in a single piece with said profile, from the same impact-absorbing elastic synthetic material such as a polyethylene foam.
3. Protective element (1, 1') according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the protective element (1, 1') is in the form of a main profile (A) having a U-shaped cross-section, at least one of the arms (2) of the U having on its external face at least one protuberance (5) projecting from the external face of said arm (2).
4. Protective element (1, 1') according to claim 3, characterised in that the internal face of the U forms a housing (4) in which the edge of an element to be protected such as a glazed element can be engaged, the separation between the arms (2) of the U having smaller dimensions than the thickness of a glazed element and than those of the bottom (4a) of this reception housing (4) so that the element to be protected is engaged by forcing the separation of the arms (2) of the U, which makes it possible to engage and hold the protective element (1,1') on the edge of the element to be protected in the manner of an elastic clamp.
5. Protective element (1, 1') according to one of claims 3 and 4, characterised in that the protuberance (5) is provided over the entire length of the profile (1,1') continuously.
6. Protective element (1, 1') according to claim 5, characterised in that said protuberance (5) is in the form of a wall (5a) with dimensions equivalent to that of the arm (2) of the U and extending parallel thereto, and which is connected thereto by a thinned part (5b), said protuberance (5) thus has, with said arm (2) of the U, a so-called secondary profile cross-section (B) substantially in an X shape.
7. Protective element (1, 1') according to one of claims 3 and 4, characterised in that the protuberance (5) is provided over the entire length of the profile (1,1') discontinuously.
8. Protective element (1, 1') according to claim 7, characterised in that the at least one external face of the protective element (1) comprises a plurality of protrusions formed projecting along said profile.
9. Protective element (1, 1') according to claim 3, characterised in that the protective element is in the form of a main profile having a U-shaped cross-section, each arm (2) of the U having on its external face at least one protuberance projecting from the external face of said arm (2).
10. Protective element (1') according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the protective element (1') comprises cutouts (7) formed along an axis y perpendicular to the main longitudinal axis x of the profile constituting the protective element (1'), these cutouts (7) being formed obliquely so as to form a V.

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