Method for preparing a plate member for a window with a resinous frame

A method of preparing a window panel with a resinous frame, comprises relatively moving a window panel and a die for extruding a resinous material so that the die is moved along a peripheral portion of the window panel, and extruding the resinous material from the die in a predetermined shape to form a shaped product for a resinous frame on the peripheral portion of the window panel; wherein the relative movement of the die and the window panel is carried out by using an operating robot which has been taught a track to follow; and wherein the operating robot has been taught another track so as to separate the die and the panel when the die has moved around the peripheral portion of the window panel and has returned at a position just before a beginning of the shaped product, thereby to form the frame on the window panel in a one-piece construction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a method of preparing a window panel with 
a resinous frame, which is suitable for a window pane fitted into a window 
opening in vehicles and buildings. 
2. Prior Art 
A window for vehicles or buildings is constituted by attaching a resinous 
frame such as a molded member or a gasket in a space between a window 
panel such as glass sheet or plastic sheet, and an opening with the window 
panel fitted therein. Thus, ornamentality and sealing feature of the 
window can be improved. 
In conventional attachment of such a resinous frame, there have been 
carried out post-attachment methods wherein a resinous frame which has 
been shaped by e.g. injection molding or extrusion molding is bonded to a 
peripheral portion of a window panel, and wherein a resinous frame shaped 
by extrusion molding and so on is press-fitted into the space after the 
window panel is put into the opening, as described in e.g. JP-A-57158479 
and JP-A-57158480. However, those methods have created problems in that it 
is difficult to automate operations because of need for human hands in 
most of the operations, and that presence of a lot of operation steps 
requires a substantial cost. 
In the conventional post-attachment methods, the window panel and the 
resinous frame are bonded together, using a moisture setting urethane type 
sealant or a two component reactive setting urethane type sealant which 
has in general high bonding strength to glass and excellent durability. 
The sealant is normally injected into a groove which works as a bonding 
surface of the resinous frame for the window panel. It is difficult to 
apply the sealant evenly and thinly because the sealant is highly viscous 
and in a sol state. 
Accordingly, when the resinous frame is forcibly fitted to a surface of the 
window panel, an excessive amount of the adhesive agent has been squeezed 
out from an edge of the bonding surface. As a result, it has been 
necessary to cut off the squeezed portion by hand. In addition, unevenness 
in applying thickness of the sealant has sometimes produced irregularities 
on a surface of the resinous frame, creating a deficiency such as poor 
appearance. 
Since the time required for the adhesive agent to set is a long period 
ranging from several hours to a full day, there have been required many 
jigs which apply a pressure to the resinous frame after having fitted the 
resinous frame into the window panel, and a lot of equipment and spaces 
where window panels with the resinous frame are stored until the adhesive 
agent has set. 
In order to solve those problems, there has been proposed a method wherein 
a synthetic resin or its raw material is injected into a mold cavity with 
a window panel arranged therein to form a resinous frame and so on on a 
peripheral portion of the panel in a one-piece construction (see 
JP-A-57158481 and JP-A-5873681). 
In this method, the window panel is sandwiched between stiff mold halves 
made of metal and so on, and a synthetic resinous material or its raw 
material is injected into the cavity defined by the peripheral portion of 
the window panel and an inner surface of the mold. Although this method 
has an advantage of minimizing labor on shaking and of giving a high 
degree of dimensional accuracy to a product, the method creates a problem 
wherein when the window panel is glass sheet, the glass sheet is very 
fragile on clamping because of in particular a warp or insufficient 
bending working accuracy thereof. In order to prevent the glass sheet from 
being broken on clamping, there has been proposed a mold which is 
contrived to arrange elastic members on surfaces of the mold halves which 
the glass sheet contacts with, or to use means such as springs to press 
the glass sheet at a constant pressure, and which can not completely solve 
the problem of breakage in the window panel. 
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,265, there is proposed a method wherein a synthetic 
resinous material is extruded from a die in a predetermined shape along a 
peripheral portion of glass sheet to form a shaped product of a resinous 
frame on the peripheral portion of the glass sheet, and the shaped product 
of the resinous frame is set to unify the glass sheet and the resinous 
frame. 
When the synthetic resinous material is extruded along the peripheral 
portion of the glass sheet, the extruded material has a beginning and an 
end inevitably produced. When the frame is formed along the entire 
circumference of the glass sheet, the beginning and the end of the 
resinous material produce a seamed portion in the shaped product 
therebetween in order to unite the end to the beginning. When the end of 
the extruded resinous material is to be conformed to the beginning of the 
already formed shaped product at that time, the beginning of the shaped 
product obstructs the movement of the die. As a result, a defective 
portion in shape of the shaped product due to e.g. a gap without the 
shaped product formed therein or protuberance of the resinous material is 
produced at the seamed portion in the shaped product. 
In the method disclosed in the U.S. patent, after the die has been moved 
immediately upward at the seamed portion, the die is moved toward a 
peripheral portion of the glass sheet. As a result, the seamed portion has 
protuberance of the resinous material formed thereon so as to almost 
contact with the beginning of the shaped product. After the die has been 
away, the seamed portion is pinched by a punch from above and below of the 
seamed portion to modify the shape of the shaped product by clamping, thus 
finishing the appearance of the shaped product at the seamed portion. 
However, this method can not give good appearance to the shaped product in 
a sufficient manner by punching the seamed portion from upward and 
downward when the resinous material is excessively supplied or the 
resinous material is insufficiently supplied. For example, when the 
resinous material is excessively supplied, the resinous material is 
squeezed out from a gap formed in the punch. When the resinous material is 
insufficiently supplied, an appearance modified portion surrounded by an 
inner wall of the punch is filled with the resinous material 
insufficiently, forming irregularities on a surface of the frame. 
In the case of pinching by the punch, it is necessary to firmly clamp the 
shaped product together with the glass sheet in order to modify the 
appearance of the shaped product. This operation step becomes complicated, 
and there is a possibility that the glass sheet might be broken. 
There has also been proposed that some length of a gap is formed between 
the beginning and the end without bringing the die to the beginning, and 
that a partial frame member separately formed is inserted into the gap. 
However, this proposal also has problems in that the operation step 
becomes complicated, a bonding force between the glass sheet and the frame 
member is insufficient, and connecting portions between the frame member 
and the shaped product extruded from the die have poor appearance. 
As stated earlier, these proposals which intend to improve the appearance 
and the bonding force at the seamed portion of the resinous frame have 
failed to achieve sufficient improvement in complication of the operation 
step and the appearance. It is an object of the present invention to solve 
the problems of the prior art as mentioned above, and to provide a new 
method of preparing a window panel with a resinous frame which has not 
been known. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is proposed to solve the problems, and the subject 
matter of the invention is a method of preparing a window panel with a 
resinous frame, comprising relatively moving a window panel and a die for 
extruding a resinous material so that the die is moved along a peripheral 
portion of the window panel, and extruding the resinous material from the 
die in a predetermined shape to form a shaped product for a resinous frame 
on the peripheral portion of the window panel, wherein the relative 
movement of the die and the panel is carried out by using an operating 
robot which has been taught a track to follow, and wherein the operating 
robot has been taught the track so as to separate the die and the panel 
when the die has moved around the peripheral portion of the panel and has 
returned at a position just before a beginning of the shaped product. 
Another subject matter of the present invention is a method of preparing a 
window panel with a resinous frame wherein the window panel includes a 
surface, a rear surface thereof and an end surface, comprising relatively 
moving a window panel and a die for extruding a resinous material so that 
the die is moved along a surface, or a surface and an end surface at a 
peripheral portion of the window panel, and extruding the resinous 
material from the die in a predetermined shape to form a shaped product 
for a resinous frame on the surface, or the surface and the end surface at 
the peripheral portion of the window panel in a one-piece construction, 
wherein the relative movement of the die and the panel is carried out by 
using an operating robot which has been taught a track to follow, and 
wherein the operating robot has been taught the track to follow so as to 
separate the die and the panel when the die has moved around the 
peripheral portion of the panel and has returned as a position just before 
a beginning of the shaped product.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Now, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to 
the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing 
an example of the method of preparing a window panel with a resinous frame 
according to the present invention. A panel 1 was put on and secured to a 
holding table 10. A die 2 for extruding a material for a shaped product 4 
to be shaped at a peripheral portion of the panel 1 was mounted to an arm 
of an operating robot 11. To the die 2 was mounted a heat-resistant hose 
13 which supplies the material to the die from a material supplying device 
12. 
Under such an arrangement, the die was driven by the operating robot 11 to 
be moved along the peripheral portion of the panel 1. While carrying out 
the movement, the resinous material was extruded from an orifice 20 of the 
die 2 which had a cross-section in opening to substantially conform with 
the cross-section of the shaped product 4. The shaped product thus 
extruded was cut to separate the die and the shaped product, and the 
shaped product was solidified or cured, causing a resinous frame to be 
formed at the peripheral portion of the panel in a one-piece construction. 
FIGS. 2 are views as viewed from one side of essential portions of FIG. 1. 
In FIG. 2(a), there is shown shaping of a portion before reaching a seamed 
portion, and in FIG. 2(b) there is shown shaping of the seamed portion. By 
dotted lines in the die 2 are indicated a resinous material passage 22 and 
a material supplying path communicating with the resinous material 
passage. 
In FIG. 2(a), the panel 1, and a forward bottom 21 of the die 2 which is 
substantially in parallel with a surface of the panel 1 were opposed so as 
to contact with or be slightly apart from each other. In this case, the 
operating robot was taught a track to move the die 2, and the die 2 was 
moved along the peripheral portion of the panel 1. As a result, the 
positional relationship between the panel 1 and the die 2 was also 
controlled by the operating robot. 
When the die moved around the peripheral portion of the panel and returned 
to a beginning of the shaped product, the die 2 was moved apart from the 
panel 1 diagonally upward in an advancing direction. Such movement of the 
die 2 was also realized by having previously taught the required movement 
to the operating robot. In order to readily understand the movement of the 
die 2, there are shown chain lines between FIG. 2(a) and (b) to clarify 
the vertically positional relationship to the panel. Because the position 
of the die 2 moved upward with respect to the panel 1 while the die 2 
continued to advance, the die 2 was moved apart from the panel 1 
diagonally upward in the advancing direction. 
As shown later, the passage 22 in the die 2 has a cross-section to 
substantially conform with the cross-section of the shaped product. The 
resinous material is passed through the passage 22, causing the resinous 
material to be shaped to give a predetermined cross-section to the shaped 
product 4. This means that the shaped product 4 is extruded to have the 
predetermined cross-section from the die 2 even after the die 2 has 
separated from the panel 1. 
In FIG. 3(a) is shown a sectional view of a portion of the die 2 which is 
located upstream in the flowing direction of the material and behind the 
extruding orifice 20, i.e. a sectional view taking along line A--A of FIG. 
2(b) if FIG. 2(b) is given as an example, and in FIG. 3(b) is shown a 
front view of the die as viewed from the extruding orifice. The passage 22 
is surrounded by an inner wall of the die 2 on all sides, and has a 
cross-section to substantially conform with the cross-section of the 
shaped product. The passage 22 was arranged in substantial parallel with a 
rear bottom 23. The resinous material supplying path which was located 
further upstream from the portion of the passage near to the rear bottom 
was raised up substantially vertically with respect to the passage, and 
was connected to the heat-resistant hose for supplying the resinous 
material (see FIG. 2). The extruding orifice 20 was opened at a side 
facing the panel. The cross-section of the opening defined by the panel 
and the inner wall of the die 2 was substantially conformed with the 
cross-section of the shaped product. The panel and the extruded resinous 
material contacted together at this opened side, causing the shaped 
product extruded from the orifice to be formed on the panel in a one-piece 
construction. 
In the example, the die was moved by the operating robot, causing the die 
to carry out relative movement around the panel along its peripheral 
portion. Conversely, the panel may be mounted to the arm of the operating 
robot, and the panel may be moved by the operating robot, causing the die 
to carry out the relative movement around the panel along its peripheral 
portion. In addition, the die and the panel may be independently moved 
with predetermined timing, causing the die to carry out the relative 
movement along the peripheral portion of the panel. 
In FIG. 5, there is shown a example of an arrangement wherein the panel is 
driven and the die is fixed, presently one of the relative movement 
measures. The die 2 which extrudes the material for the shaped product 4 
to be formed on the peripheral portion of the panel 1 is fixed on a 
leading end of the main body 42 of the extruder. The panel 1 is attached 
to the arm of the operating robot 11. Under such an arrangement, the panel 
1 is driven by the operating robot 11 so that the die 2 is relatively 
moved along the peripheral portion of the panel 1. While carrying out the 
movement the shaped product 4 for the resinous frame is formed on the 
peripheral portion of the panel in a one-piece construction by extruding 
the resinous material from the extruding orifice of the die which has a 
cross-section in opening to substantially conform with the cross-section 
of the shaped product. 
In this case as well, the frame can be formed to have good appearance by 
extruding the material under the positional relationship of the die and 
the panel shown in FIG. 6. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the panel 1, 
and the forward bottom of the die which is substantially in parallel with 
the surface of the panel 1 are opposed so as to contact with or be 
slightly apart from each other. The operating robot is taught a track to 
move the panel 1, causing the panel 1 to be moved so that the die 2 moves 
along the peripheral portion of the panel. When the panel moves around the 
die 2 and returns to the beginning of the shaped product, panel 1 is moved 
diagonally downward with respect to the die 2 to be apart from the die. 
Such movement of the panel 1 can be also realized by having previously 
taught the required movement to the operating robot. In order to readily 
understand the movement of the panel 1, there are shown chain lines 
between FIGS. 6(a) and (b) to clarify the vertically positional 
relationship with respect to the die. Since the position of the panel 1 is 
moved downward with respect to the die 2 at the seamed portion and the 
panel 1 continues to advance, the panel 1 is moved apart from the die 2 
diagonally downward in the advancing direction. 
As seen from FIG. 2(a), FIG. 3(b) and 6(a), when a portion of the shaped 
product which has not arrived at the seamed portion is shaped, the forward 
bottom 21 opposed to the panel 1 has a lower side opened at the extruding 
orifice 22 of the die 2. The operating robot is controlled so that the die 
2 and the panel 1 are arranged so as to form substantially the same 
cross-section as the cross-section of the shaped product by the surface of 
the panel 1 and the inner wall at the three sides of the die 2 except for 
the opened side. 
In FIG. 4, there is shown a schematic view explaining an example of a 
process to bond an already formed shaped product to the panel in 
accordance with the present invention. The extruded shaped product 4 is 
sometimes prevented from being bonded to the panel 1 at the seamed portion 
where the die is apart from the panel. In that case, the shaped product 
has the seamed portion pressed by a suitable pressing jig 14 to bond the 
seamed portion of the shaped product 4 to the panel. 
The pressing jig may either pinch the panel 1 and the shaped product 4 from 
upper and lower surfaces of the panel 1 as shown or press the shaped 
material 4 from only upward. In particular, in accordance with the present 
invention, the material is extruded from the extruding orifice so as to 
sufficiently form the shaped product in a desired shape, eliminating the 
need for firmly pinching the panel and the shaped product to give the 
desired shape to the shaped product. This minimizes the danger of the 
panel being broken. 
As the material for the pressing jig, a metallic material, a heat-resistant 
plastic material, a rubber material, a ceramic material and so on can be 
used. The pressing jig may be e.g. substantially in the shape of a rod, be 
in the shape of a rod with curved in section, or be formed to have a 
recessed portion similar to the cross-section of the shaped product. The 
shape of the pressing jig has no limitation as long as the pressing jig 
has such a shape to be able to press the shaped product to the panel in a 
sufficient manner. From the viewpoint that better appearance is given to 
the shaped product, it is preferable that the pressing jig is formed to 
have a recessed portion similar to the cross-section of the shaped product 
including the panel. 
As the panel used in the present invention, various types of materials such 
as ordinary single glass sheet, tempered glass subjected to heat treatment 
or chemical treatment, laminated glass, and a transparent organic resinous 
plate can be used. The frame can be unified to the panel regardless of 
that the panel is of a flat plate shape or a curved shape. 
As the thermoplastic resin which is one of the resinous material for 
shaping the frame according to the present invention and which is heated 
and melted for use, e.g. a polyvinyl chloride, a copolymer of a vinyl 
chloride and an ethylene, a styrene resin, or an olefin resin can be used. 
As a thermoset resin which is shaped at an ordinary temperature, a 
moisture setting urethane resin or silicone resin can be used. Besides, 
e.g. a vinyl chloride in a sol state which forms the frame by post heating 
the shaped product extruded from the die and shaped by the die can be 
used. Using the thermoplastic resin among those material is preferable 
because the shaped product can be solidified only by being left for 
cooling after shaping, eliminating an additional curing space or a curing 
process. 
The die in the example is formed to have a corner cut at a bottom portion 
shaped in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The resinous 
material passage is arranged in substantially parallel with the bottom 
portion (the rear bottom thereof). As a result, the passage is partly 
exposed at the forward bottom having the corner cut, and the resinous 
material can be extruded onto the surface of the panel in such a state 
that the forward bottom is arranged in substantial parallel with the 
surface of the panel. The shape of the die which has the corner cut is 
schematicly shown in FIG. 7. When the shape of the die is such a 
substantially rectangular parallelepiped, a region 77 of a die model 72 
indicated by broken lines is a portion cut from the rectangular 
parallelepiped. 
With regard to the shape of the die, the die may be formed to have the 
passage curved or inclined therein so as to give a predetermined 
inclination to the passage with respect to the bottom portion of the die 
without cutting the corner of the rectangular parallelepiped, besides the 
example shown. To sum up, it is a preferred mode that the passage for 
shaping the resinous material is inclined with respect to a portion of the 
die in parallel with the surface of the panel. 
A die which is formed so that a portion of the die opposed to the panel is 
not parallel with the panel can be also used as the die according to the 
present invention. In that case, it is sufficient that the passage has a 
portion formed inclined with respect to and out of parallel with the 
surface of the panel. Formation of the die in such a manner can not only 
sufficiently shape the resinous material as desired but also prevent the 
material from being supplied to the panel in an unstable manner even if 
the die and the panel are separated at the seamed portion. Avoidance of an 
unstable supply of the material can stabilize the shape of the shaped 
product and obtain the frame having good appearance. 
The die which is formed to have the corner cut from the rectangular 
parallelepiped as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6 can be readily obtained by using 
e.g. a die base portion 24, a first plate-shaped portion 25 and a second 
plate-shaped portion 26 as constituent parts. The die base portion 24 has 
a rear side communicated with the extruder and has the passage 22 formed 
therein. The first plate-shaped portion 25 is arranged downstream of the 
die base portion 24 and has a lower surface inclined. The first 
plate-shaped portion has a passage formed therein to have the same 
cross-section as the passage 22 in the die base portion 24. The second 
plate-shaped portion 26 is arranged at the front of the die and has a 
lower surface (21) inclined. The second plate-shaped portion 26 has a 
passage formed therein so that the lower surface (21) is opened. The 
passage in the second plate-shaped portion may have the same cross-section 
as the passages in the die base portion 24 and the first plate-shaped 
portion 25, or have a slightly smaller cross-sectional area than the 
passages in the die base portion 24 and the first plate-shaped portion 25 
by the cut portion at the bottom surface of the second plate-shaped 
portion. 
Referring to FIG. 3 with respect to this example, the sectional view of the 
die base member 24 corresponds to FIG. 3(a), and the front view of the 
second plate-shaped portion 26 corresponds to FIG. 3(b). 
It has been stated that a thermoplastic resinous material is preferable as 
the resinous material. The thermoplastic resinous material is heated to a 
temperature ranging from 150.degree. C. to 300.degree. C. in order to be 
extruded. It requires that the heat-resistant hose be provided between the 
material supplying device and the die to move the die. The provision of 
the heat-resistant hose sometimes makes treatment of the die by the 
operating robot difficult. The arrangement where the die is fixed and the 
panel is movable as shown in the example of FIG. 5 is preferable because 
it is possible to overcome this difficulty. 
The frame may be unified only to one surface at a peripheral portion of the 
panel or one surface and the end surface at the peripheral portion 
according to designing. The frame may be also unified to one surface, the 
end surface and the rear surface of the panel though a control system is 
slightly complicated. For unification to the three surfaces it is 
sufficient that when the shaped product has been formed until a position 
near to the seamed portion, the die and the panel are relatively moved so 
that the die escapes toward an outer circumference of the panel. In this 
case, the operating robot which moves the panel and the die is taught a 
track so that the robot and the die is separated from the panel in a 
surface direction at a location near to the seamed portion. 
As explained, in accordance with the present invention, the resinous 
material can be extruded the die to have a predetermined shape in section 
by conserving a die passage enough to shape the resinous material and 
separating the die and the panel. The shaped product can be formed on the 
panel so as to have excellent shape without the beginning of the already 
formed shaped interfering with the die at the seamed portion. 
In particular, the presence of a cut corner in the die and the provision of 
a short opened portion at the passage opposed to a surface of the panel 
can give good appearance to the frame while keeping a bonded force between 
the panel and the frame. 
In addition, the cut corner can be opposed to the panel surface so as to be 
in substantial parallel with the surface to realize smooth relative 
movement between the panel and the die. In that case, the passage can be 
arranged to be in parallel with a portion without a cut corner to easily 
form the passage by only an inner wall of the die for shaping the resinous 
material. In that manner, the shaped product, which is excellent in shape 
as stated earlier, can be easily formed on the panel. 
Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention 
are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be 
understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may 
be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.