FR2764878A1 - DEVICE FOR CUTTING WINDSHIELDS - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention proposes a device for cutting a window, in particular a windshield (12) of a motor vehicle, which is fixed by gluing in a frame of the body of a vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a motorized hammer (32) of which a blade (44), driven in an axial reciprocating movement, is provided to break the ice (12), and in that the hammer (32) is mounted in a housing (10) protection, the lower face of which rests on the glass (12), in a determined orientation so that the blade (44) protrudes from the plane of the open lower face of the housing (10).

Description

l

  DEVICE FOR CUTTING WINDSHIELDS

  The present invention relates to a device for cutting a window and in particular a windshield or

  any motor vehicle laminated glass.

  In motor vehicles, as in many other areas, recycling of materials is becoming increasingly important. Indeed, national and / or European regulations in terms of environmental protection are increasingly demanding and in particular impose io on motor vehicle manufacturers to

  recycle an increasingly large part of vehicles.

  Thus, the translucent surfaces of a vehicle, generally made of a glass-based material, are easily recyclable. For this reason, it is desirable to be able to easily recover them from end-of-life vehicles in order to be able to recycle them and recover the material that constitutes them. Since the laminated windshield constitutes a large part of the total glazed area of a vehicle, it is therefore desirable to have a device allowing

  easy recovery of this glass surface.

  However, the windshield is mounted, in general by gluing, in a frame of the vehicle body. With

  this arrangement, the recovery of glass from the barrier

  breeze presents a number of problems including

an accessibility problem.

  To recover the glass from the windshield, it is already known to use a device comprising a tool such as a

  vibrating knife. This vibrating knife is slid between the screen

  breeze and the frame of the vehicle body and is moved around the entire periphery of the windshield in order to detach the latter from the frame of the body. However, this device has drawbacks, and in particular it requires a relatively frequent blade change. It is indeed necessary to change the blade of the vibrating knife every five windshields approximately. In addition, this device is relatively slow and the handling of the vibrating knife is quite delicate. Another device exists, using a "piano cord", which is also slipped between the windshield and the frame, and which is manipulated by two operators around the entire periphery of the windshield. This device also has a certain number of disadvantages. Indeed, this device must be used by two operators, inside and outside the vehicle, and it is particularly fragile. About three "piano strings" are required for a single windshield. Finally, this device requires a particularly long operation which takes approximately one

ten minutes.

  The handling of these devices is therefore particularly disadvantageous, being generally long, expensive, awkward and therefore having to be

particularly careful.

  To overcome these drawbacks, the invention proposes a device for cutting ice, particularly simple to use, the cost price of which is advantageous and which proposes cutting the windshield which is both rapid,

safe and clean.

  To this end, the invention provides a device for cutting a window, in particular a windshield of a motor vehicle, which is fixed by gluing in a frame of the vehicle body, characterized in that it comprises a motorized hammer, a blade of which, driven in an axial back-and-forth movement, is provided for breaking the ice, and in that the hammer is mounted in a protective casing, the lower face of which is supported on the ice, in a determined orientation so that the blade protrudes

  from the plane of the open underside of the housing.

  According to other characteristics of the invention - the hammer is removably mounted and adjustable relative to the housing so as to adjust the depth of attack of the blade; - The hammer has an axial head, of generally cylindrical shape, which is extended by the blade and which is mounted in the protective casing; - The housing has a split flange which has a circular hole provided for radially tightening the head of the hammer under the action of at least one clamping screw; - the flange is fixed to the protective casing in an axially adjustable manner; the upper face of the casing is inclined, and the flange, which constitutes a face for introducing the hammer into the protective casing, is arranged perpendicular to the inclined upper face of the casing so as to determine the angle of attack of the blade on the ice to be cut; - The flange is fixed under the upper face of the protective casing by screws which pass through the lumens of the upper face oriented axially for adjusting the depth; - At least one of the flange fixing screws acts as a clamping screw for the flange; - The interior of the protective casing comprises at least one flexible membrane, placed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of the blade, and pierced with an orifice for the passage of the blade, so as to protect the head of the hammer and confine the glass shards in a front part of the casing; - the device comprises a first rear handle, constituted by the handle of the hammer situated outside the casing and oriented upwards, and a second front handle parallel to the first and arranged on the upper face of the protective casing - the device includes means for suctioning glass shards and dust inside the protective casing; - The second front handle is tubular, opens inside the protective casing and constitutes a connection for a suction duct;

  - the hammer is a pneumatic hammer.

  Other characteristics and advantages of the invention

  will appear on reading the detailed description which follows

  for the understanding of which reference will be made to the appended drawings in which: - Figure 1 is a perspective view of the protective casing, comprising a partial cutaway; and - Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the

  device, in accordance with the teachings of the invention.

  There is shown in Figure 1 a protective casing, placed on a windshield 12 near an edge 14 equipped

a trim.

  The lower part of the casing 10 comprises a brush 16 arranged along the edges which delimit the open underside of the casing 10 and which rests on the windshield 12. This brush 16 makes it possible on the one hand to protect the glass windshield 12 of the metal edges of the casing 10 and, on the other hand, to avoid all glass shards and dust coming from the breakage of the

  ice, to be ejected outside the protective casing 10.

  A front handle 18 is arranged on an upper face 20 of the casing 10. This upper face 20 of the casing further comprises openings 22 through which screws 24 and 26 pass which allow a clamping flange 28 to be fixed inside the casing 10 The clamp 28 is fixed to the casing 10 by being perpendicular to the upper face 20 of the

  s casing 10 and adjustable in depth.

  As can be seen in particular through a cutout 30, the fixing flange 28 has a hole

  circular 29 and it is split on only one of its sides.

  The screw 26 which allows the fixing of the flange 28 on the 0o protective casing 10, also acts as a clamping screw for the

flange 28.

  We can see in Figure 2 the protective housing 10 which is associated with a motorized autonomous hammer 32, electric or pneumatic, intended to break the windshield 12. The hammer 32 has an axial head 34 which is mounted in the housing 10 by clamping in the flange 28. The head 34 of the hammer 32 is clamped in the circular hole 29 of the flange 28. Thus the hammer 32 is removably mounted in the protective casing 10 and can be removed at any time, for a checking the hammer 32 or the inside of the casing 10, or for any modification of the hammer 32 and the

replacement of its blade.

  The hammer 32 has a handle 36, which serves both as a handle for the hammer 32 itself and for the entire device. This handle is oriented upwards for a better grip when the hammer 32 is mounted in the protective casing 10. The upper part of the handle 36 of the hammer 32 has a connection 38 for the supply of compressed air which serves for feeding the hammer 32 in the case of a pneumatic hammer. Finally, the handle 36 comprises a trigger 40 actuated by a lever 42. This lever 42 allows the operator to actuate the trigger 40 with the whole hand, while firmly holding the handle 36 of the hammer 32. The device therefore comprises two handles, a front handle 18 arranged at the front of the protective casing 10, and a rear handle 36, which is at the same time the handle of the hammer 32, and which comprises the trigger 40 for starting the hammer 32. The tool is so firmly held and can be

plated on the windshield.

  The head 34 of the hammer 32 is extended axially by a blade 44 driven axially, in known manner, in a reciprocating movement to break the glass 12. For this, the blade 44 protrudes from the plane of the open underside 46 of the housing and of the brush 16. The blade 44 of the hammer 32 must protrude, for example, by approximately 10 mm beyond the open open face i5 of the housing 10 and approximately 5 mm beyond the

opposite side of the glass slide.

  The upper face 20 of the protective casing is

  tilted forward relative to the plane of the underside.

  This inclination determines the angle of attack of the blade 44 of the hammer 32 on the ice 12 when the hammer 32 is in place in the protective casing 10. Indeed, the axis of the hammer 32, and therefore of the blade 44 , is parallel to the upper face 20 of the casing 10. The blade 44 of the hammer 32 therefore strikes the ice at an optimal angle, which results from the inclination of the face

upper 20 of housing 10.

  The slots 22 on the upper face 20 of the casing 10 allow the axial position of the hammer 32 and therefore the depth of attack of the blade 44 to be adjusted. In fact, the flange 28 clamps the head 34 of the pneumatic hammer 32 and its

  position can be adjusted via lights 22.

  Consequently the flange 28 makes it possible to adjust the depth

  blade 44 of the hammer 32 on the ice 12.

  As can be seen in FIG. 2, the interior of the casing 10 is provided with two flexible membranes 48 and 50, which extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the hammer 32, and which are pierced with a central hole

  to allow the passage of the hammer 32 and the blade 44.

  These membranes 48 and 50 protect the hammer 32 and in particular a spring 52 from its head 34, but also the entire device as well as the operator, from splinters and dust from

  glass from broken glass 12.

  In accordance with the teachings of the invention, the front handle 18, located perpendicular to the upper face 20 of the casing 10, is tubular and opens out to

  inside the casing 10, substantially above the blade 44.

  This front handle 18 constitutes a conduit of an external suction system I5 (not shown) of the glass fragments and dust, in order to eliminate this waste as quickly as possible. The handle 18 is therefore connected to other

  ducts themselves connected to the suction device.

  The front membrane 48 allows, in addition to the protection advantages already seen, to entrust the shards and glass dust

  under the suction hole of the handle 18.

  Without departing from the scope of the invention, the clamping flange can be arranged differently in the protective casing 10 and can be divided into two symmetrical parts, and comprise

  different clamping and adjusting means.

  The cutting of the windshield 12, using a device such as that described above, can then be carried out both quickly and easily, according to the following method The operator first places under the windshield 12 and at 3o the interior of the vehicle a protective tray intended to receive shards and pieces of glass so that these

  do not fall inside the vehicle.

  This done, the operator uses a second tool (not shown) which is somewhat special, such as a manual hammer designed for breaking the windows, and creates ice breakers 12 near the edges 14, for example at the edges. four corners of the vehicle windshield 12. Then, the operator uses the mechanical or pneumatic hammer 32 cited above associated with the casing 10, using the two handles 18 and 36 and applies this tool device to the windshield 12. The position of the two handles 18 and 36 at the front and rear of the pneumatic hammer allows the operator to have a good grip on this device and to strongly apply the tool to the windshield, in the precise position

  in which he will cut the glass.

  The operator therefore places the entire device on the windshield 12 so that the blade 44 of the hammer 32 is placed near one of the incipient fractures. By squeezing the first rear handle 36 of the tool, it actuates the trigger of the hammer 32 and, at the same time, it gradually moves the tool along the edges 14 of the windshield 12, about 5 cm from the edge 14 , so that the blade 44

  can break the ice 12 around the entire perimeter of the

breeze 12.

  In order to simplify the handling of the screen later

  breeze 12, partially broken and the displacement of the latter, the operator leaves intact part of the periphery of the windshield 12, measuring approximately 2 cm, so that the windshield 12 still holds in place for a few moments. Advantageously, this intact part of the windshield 12 is located in the upper part of the windshield 12, substantially in the middle. The operator can 3o then deposit the device described near the vehicle, and take the bottom of the windshield 12, break by hand by bending the part that remains intact, and place the windshield 12 in a nearby bin. Finally, the operator can remove the plate located under the windshield and recover the pieces of glass that have lodged in this screen. The whole operation is therefore rapid and relatively practical, presenting no major drawback, and the tool does not need to be used by specialized operators. The maneuver uses a device which

  lo is particularly robust, simple and safe.

Claims (13)

  1. Device for cutting a window, in particular a windshield (12) of a motor vehicle, which is fixed by gluing in a frame of the body of a vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a hammer motorized (32) of which a blade (44), driven in an axial reciprocating movement, is provided for breaking the ice (12), and in that the hammer (32) is mounted in a casing (10) protection to which the lower face is supported on the glass (12), in a determined orientation so that the blade (44) protrudes from the plane of the open lower face of the housing   (10) enough to pass through the ice (12).   2. Device for cutting an ice according to t5 claim 1, characterized in that the hammer (32) is removably mounted and adjustable relative to the housing   (10) so as to adjust the depth of attack of the blade (44.).   3. Device for cutting an ice cream according to claim 2, characterized in that the hammer (32) o20 comprises an axial head (34), of generally cylindrical shape, which is extended by the blade (44) and which is climb in the protective casing (10).   4. Device for cutting an ice cream according to claim 3, characterized in that the casing (10) has a split flange (28) which has a circular hole (29) provided for radially tightening the head (34) of the hammer (32)   under the action of at least one clamping screw (26).   5. Device for cutting an ice cream according to claim 4, characterized in that the flange (28) is fixed   3o to the casing (10) for axially adjustable protection.   6. Device for cutting an ice cream according to one   claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the face   It upper (20) of the housing (10) is inclined, and in that the flange (28), which constitutes an introduction face of the hammer (32) in the protective housing (10), is arranged perpendicular to the face upper (20) inclined of the casing (10) so as to determine the angle of attack of the blade   (44) on the ice (12) to be cut.   7. Device for cutting an ice cream according to claim 6 taken in combination with claim 5, characterized in that the flange (28) is fixed under the upper face (20) of the protective casing (10) by screws (24, 26) which pass through lights (22) on the upper face (20)   axially oriented for depth adjustment.   8. Device for cutting a window according to claim 7, characterized in that at least one of the screws (24, 26) for fixing the flange (28) acts as a screw (26) of tightening the flange (28).   9. Device for cutting a window according to claim 3, characterized in that the interior of the casing (10) of protection comprises at least one flexible membrane (48, 50), placed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of the blade (44), and pierced with an orifice for the passage of the blade (44), so as to protect the head (34) from the hammer (32) and confine the shards of glass in a front part of the casing (10). 10. Device for cutting an ice cream according to one   any one of the preceding claims, characterized in   that it comprises a first rear handle, constituted by the handle (36) of the hammer (32) situated outside the casing (10) and oriented upwards, and a second handle (18) before 3o parallel to the first and arranged on the upper face (20) of the protective casing (10).   I2 11. Device for cutting an ice cream according to one   any one of the preceding claims, characterized in   that it includes means of suction of the fragments and   glass dust inside the protective casing (10).   12. Device for cutting an ice cream according to claim 11, taken in combination with claim, characterized in that the second front handle (18) is tubular, opens out inside the protective casing (10) and   constitutes a connection for a suction duct.   13. Device for cutting an ice cream according to one   any one of the preceding claims, characterized in   that the hammer (32) is a pneumatic hammer.