GB2115470A - Vehicle windows - Google Patents

Abstract

An opening window arrangement for a vehicle comprises a sheet of glass 16 having a complex curvature, rigidly mounted on a carrier 17 which slides in channel members 18 to open or close the window. The direction of movement of the glass is controlled by the shape of the channel members and is largely independent of the shape of the glass, which is thus freed to enable it to meet the requirements of aerodynamics and styling. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements to vehicle window arrangements This invention relates to vehicle windows, and in particular to opening vehicle window arrangements that have a glazing sheet movable into and out of an aperture in the vehicle body.

Such window arrangements are well known, and the majority of automobile windows are constructed with a glazing sheet, usually of glass, which can be raised or lowered by a mechanism into or out of an aperture in the vehicle body, typically located above a door panel. The glass can be flat or curved and is generally mounted in channel members extending along the edges of the glass over its range of movement, the glass sliding in seals located within the channel members. But difficulties have been experienced however, with providing adequate sealing for curved glass while maintaining moderately low the force required to raise the glass, particularly if it is desired to have a variable radius of curvature in the glass.

Again, the requirement for curved glass and in particular for glass sheets with a varying radius of curvature is increasing in view of trends in styling and the greater application of aerodynamic principles to the design of vehicle bodies.

Moreover, for the same reasons, there has arisen a requirement that the glass be arranged flush with the outside of the body when it is moved fully into the aperture.

The invention provides an opening window arrangement for a motor vehicle, comprising a sheet of glazing material, means supporting said sheet and movable therewith as the sheet moves into and out of an aperture defined in the vehicle body, and means for guiding said support means during said movement, whereby the edges of said sheet move along paths which are not aligned with their respective said edges.

While glazing sheets have previously had attached to them parts of the mechanism for moving the sheet, it has generally been the glazing sheet itself which has been used to control its movement directionally. The invention permits the glass shape to be freed by eliminating the need to seal the glass within guide channels relative to which it slides.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view in outline of one half of a vehicle, shown in transverse cross-section, and incorporating an opening window arrangement in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the window arrangement of Figure 1, shown with the glazing sheet in a raised position; Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2, but with the glazing sheet in a lowered position; and Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing an alternative embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 shows in transverse cross-section part of the outline of a vehicle body including a roof 11, a floor 12, a sill 13 and an outer door panel 14. A window aperture is defined at its upper edge by the roof, at its lower edge by the top edge 1 5 of panel 14, and at its side edges by roof supporting pillars (not shown) at each side of the door aperture. The window aperture can be closed by a glazing sheet comprising a sheet of toughened glass 1 6 bonded to a support means comprising a metal carrier 1 7. Carrier 1 7 slides in an arcuate channel member 1 8 at each side, so that the channel members 18 guide the glass and carrier as they move up or down together, into or out of the window aperture.Conventional means are provided (not shown) for raising and lowering the glass and carrier.

Glass 1 6 is shaped in the vertical cross-section shown in Figure 1 with a non-uniform radius of curvature in order to blend in with the shape of the surrounding bodywork (not shown) both for aesthetic and aerodynamic purposes. With most conventional window arrangements wherein the edges of the glass slide in channels, it would be difficult if not impossible to achieve a sufficiently good air-tight seal between the edges of the glass and the surrounding bodywork with such a glass in the raised position. With the illustrated arrangement however, the path of the glass is freed from the dictates of the shape of its edges and the edges describe an arcuate path which is not aligned with the edges.

Figure 1 shows the glass in its fully raised (corresponding to Figure 2) and fully lowered (corresponding to Figure 3) positions, and in an intermediate position.

Throughout the movement of the glass it is positively located by the close sliding fit of the carrier 1 7 over a substantial length of the guide channels 1 8 which ensures that the glass and carrier cannot pivot about the lower edge of the glass in the plane of Figure 1, relative to the channels. Thus, the top edges of the glass moves along the path shown by dotted line A, and it can be seen that when the top edge of the glass contacts a rubber seal 19, the glass has a component of movement directly onto the seal, which ensures good sealing of this so-called "frameless window".

Because the glass is not itself used as part of the guiding means, more accurate control over its path of movement can be obtained by a metal-tometal contact between the carrier and the guide channels. In some circumstances it may be preferred to provide the sliding surfaces with a low friction covering, such as PTFE, to ease window operation.

Again the sealing may be improved by arranging that the upper ends of the guide channels can be moved inwardly, that is to say, in a direction with a substantial component perpendicular to the mean plane of the sheet, such as direction I in Figure 1. Such a movement would be incorporated during or after the final movement of the glass into its raised position to urge the glass more firmly onto its seals, and could, for example, be achieved by permitting the channels a pivotal freedom of movement about their lower ends. As the carrier moves into its uppermost position, it could be caused to contact an upwardly-inwardly directed ramp on the door, forcing the glass, the carrier and the upper ends of the guide channels inwardly in direction The invention is also applicable to so-called "framed windows", an example of which is shown in Figure 4.In such an arrangement a frame (not shown) extends from the upper edge 1 5 of the door and around the window aperture. Thus the seal between the door and the rest of the vehicle body in the upper portion of the door aperture is effected between the frame and a seal, such as 19 in Figure 1, on the vehicle body.

As in Figure 1, in the arrangement of Figure 4, the glass 1 6 is carried by a carrier 1 7 which slides in arcuate channels 18. In Figure 4 however, the window is rectangular and the carrier and channels extend up within the frame on each side of the window aperture. The breakable seal at the side edges of the glass is transferred from the glass-to-rubber seal of Figure 1 to a seal between the carrier and the guide channels, the glass being permanently sealed to the carrier while the channels are permanently sealed to the door frame. The seal along the top edge of the window aperture is between the glass and a rubber seal (not shown) on the window frame.

Again it will be seen that because the glass is not required to guide itself by means of its side edges, the shape of those edges is freed to enable it to meet other requirements. In the illustrated arrangements, advantage is taken of this to enable the glass to be arranged substantially flush with laterally adjacent outer surfaces of the body in the fully raised position of the glass.

It will be clear that alternatives to the illustrated arrangements are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, instead of the carrier sliding in channels mounted in the door, the carrier could be provided with rollers which run on tracks defined by the guide channels. Such an arrangement would more readily lend itself to providing non-arcuate movement of the glass and carrier if such was desired.

Again, it might be desired that while the glass has a complex curvature, its movement should be straight: the invention can easily be arranged to accommodate such a requirement, since it allows the path of the glass to be largely freed from any constraints imposed by its curvature.

While glass has been referred to in the illustrated embodiments, it will be clear that other materials, such as clear plastics, could be used instead, if desired.

Claims (14)

1. An opening window arrangement for a motor vehicle, comprising a sheet of glazing material, means supporting said sheet and movable therewith as the sheet moves into and out of an aperture defined in the vehicle body, and means for guiding said support means during said movement, whereby the edges of said sheet move along paths which are not aligned with their respective said edges.

2. A window arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one said edge is curved and the path of said edge has zero curvature or has a centre of curvature at a different location from that of the said edge.

3. A window arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein at leat one said edge is curved and moves along a said path which has a different curvature.

4. A window arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , 2 or 3, wherein said paths are arcuate.

5. A window arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said glazing sheet is shaped with a variable radius curvature in crosssection in a plane substantially parallel to a said path.

6. A window arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said guide means comprises a channel.

7. A window arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein said support means slides along said channel.

8. An arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said support means includes a channel member.

9. A window arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein said support means includes a roller which rolls along said channel.

10. An arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, mounted in a vehicle door.

11. An arrangement as claimed in claim 10, wherein said door includes a frame which defines the window aperture, and wherein said guide means extends at least part of the way round said frame.

12. An arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, when installed in a vehicle body, wherein said glazing sheet is substantially flush with laterally adjacent outer surfaces of said vehicle body when the sheet is moved fully into said aperture.

13. An arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the final movement of said glazing sheet as it moves into said aperture is in a direction with a substantial component perpendicular to the mean plane of the sheet, whereby to seal around the edges of said aperture.

14. An arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, including a mechanism for moving said glazing sheet into said aperture.

1 5. An arrangement substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3, or Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

1 6. A motor vehicle body incorporating an opening window arrangement in accordance with any preceding claim.