Vehicle window

A vehicle window with a glass plate (1) bonded to the mounting flange (8) of the window frame is characterized in that to the glass plate (1) is connected a frame-like profile strand (4) made from a polymer, which cooperates with the edge (7) of the mounting flange (8). The part of the frame-like profile strand (4) cooperating with the edge (7) of the mounting flange (8) is arranged on the surface of the glass plate (i) directed towards the outside of the vehicle and the glass plate (1) is bonded to the mounting flange (8) on its side directed towards the interior of the vehicle.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to a vehicle window with a mounting flange forming 
part of the window frame of the vehicle body and a glass plate bonded to 
the mounting flange by means of an adhesive strand and which is provided 
with a polymer frame or frame-like profile cooperating with the mounting 
flange. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
A vehicle window with these features is e.g. known from EP 307 317 B1. In 
the case of the known vehicle window the glass plate is inserted in the 
window frame from the outside of the vehicle body. The frame-like profile 
strip cooperating with the mounting flange is located on the side of the 
glass plate directed towards the vehicle interior and has a projecting 
part, which engages over the inner edge of the mounting flange directed 
towards the window opening. Outside this part engaging over the mounting 
flange, i.e. between the same and the circumferential edge of the glass 
plate, is located the adhesive strand or ribbon. In order to protect the 
adhesive material against UV-rays, which lead to an embrittlement of the 
adhesive, on the glass plate side directed towards the mounting flange is 
provided an opaque, frame-like enamel coating. This frame-like coating 
also serves to make it impossible to see the adhesive area from the 
outside through the glass plate. 
The vehicle window according to the invention differs from the known 
vehicle windows in that the part of the frame or frame-like profile strand 
cooperating with the mounting flange, as well as the adhesive strand are 
located on the glass plate surface directed towards the outside of the 
vehicle body and the glass plate is bonded to the mounting flange side 
directed towards the vehicle interior, the adhesive strand being located 
on the side of the profile frame or frame-like profile strand cooperating 
with the mounting flange. 
The inventive construction of a vehicle window leads to a number of 
important advantages compared with the known vehicle windows. Firstly 
there is no need to provide a coating on the glass plate preventing the 
passage of UV-rays because this function is fulfilled in the case of the 
window according to the invention by the actual mounting flange. This not 
only brings about a significant simplification in the manufacturing 
process of the glass plates, but also leads to an improvement in the 
protective action, because the conventional printed enamel protective 
coatings do not always provide an absolute protection against 
UV-radiation. It is also advantageous that the outermost marginal area of 
the glass plate which, due to the glass plate manufacturing process, often 
has minor deformations, which are still visible to the critical eye, is 
now covered from the outside by the mounting flange and is consequently no 
longer visible. This makes it possible to use for the manufacture of glass 
plates production methods, which necessarily lead to greater marginal 
deformations, but which lead to advantages, in particular, of economic 
nature. As the edge of the glass plate, i.e. its circumferential surface, 
is located in the vehicle interior and can be covered by the vehicle 
interior panelling, there is also no need for the grinding smooth or 
polishing of the circumferential surfaces. Moreover, unlike in the case of 
conventional fitting methods, the size of the glass plates is less 
critical, so that it is possible to increase the tolerance range with 
respect to the plate size, which can in turn lead to economic advantages. 
Finally, it is possible in the case of the fitting method according to the 
invention, to provide the glass plates on the inside with a transparent 
conductive coating serving as an antenna, without disadvantageously 
influencing the function of said coating, as in the known vehicle windows 
with an internal, electrical conductive coating, by the adhesive producing 
the connection to the metal flange. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The fitting technique of the invention may be used with any type of vehicle 
glazing: monolithic, laminated or even innerly coated with plastic sheets. 
With this type of glazing, the so-called "bilayer glazing", the fitting 
method according to the invention allows a direct adhesion between the 
glass and the mounting flange which is a well-known problem and avoids the 
question of an adhesion with the plastic side of the glazing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle window is provided with a 
monolithic glass plate 1 made from heat-tempered safety glass. Instead the 
glass plate 1 can obviously be constituted by a multilayer safety glass 
plate such as laminated glass or innerly plastic sheeted glass. On the 
outwardly directed surface 2 of the glass plate 1 a profile strand 4 is 
arranged parallel to the circumferential surface 3 with a spacing A. The 
profile strand 4 is bonded in fixed, durable manner to the glass surface. 
The profile strand 4 is produced directly on the glass surface by the 
extrusion of an appropriate, extrudable polymer adhering to the glass 
plate. This extrusion technology and suitable polymer materials are known. 
Particularly suitable are single-component polyurethane prepolymers in 
pasty from which, after extrusion and under the influence of atmospheric 
humidity, harden completely to high modulus elastomers. Such polyurethane 
systems are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,779,794. It is also possible to 
use corresponding two-component polyurethane systems, e.g. adhesive 
systems, as described in European patent application 83 797 or European 
patent 24 501. It is also possible to use thermoplastic elastomers, e.g. 
certain types of the SANTOPRENE product produced by Monsanto. As a 
function of the adhesive material used, appropriate pretreatment takes 
place to the glass surface which is provided with a corresponding coupling 
agent coating and on which the polymer strand is extruded with the aid of 
a suitable extrusion die. 
Extrusion of the profile strand 4 takes place with the aid of an extrusion 
head having the extrusion die, the extruder head being moved with the aid 
of a correspondingly programmed robot or some other program-controlled 
machine along the border of the glass plate at a constant distance from 
the circumferential surface 3. 
The profile strand 4, which can fundamentally have any cross-section, is 
provided on its surface 5 directed against the circumferential edge 3 of 
the glass plate 1 with a locking groove 6, in which engages the edge 7 of 
the mounting flange 8, which forms part of the window frame. In the 
represented embodiment the mounting flange 8 is part of the outer skin 9 
of the vehicle body. However, instead, it is also possible for it to be 
part of the window frame independent of the outer skin. 
On fitting the glass plate into the vehicle the profile strand 4 must be 
cured. It is, therefore, appropriately applied to the glass plate 1 in the 
factory of the glass supplier, or during a subsequent completion process. 
For fixing the glass plate 1 provided with the profile frame 4 to the 
vehicle body, the glass plate 1 is provided on the surface 2 for instance 
in the area between the profile frame 4 and the circumferential edge 3 
with an assembly adhesive strand 10. The thus prepared glass plate 1 is 
then pressed from the interior of the vehicle with the adhesive strand 10 
against the mounting flange 8. As a result of its rubber-elastic 
characteristics, the profile frame 4 penetrates along the edge 7 of the 
mounting flange 8 through the window opening in the body, so that the 
locking groove 6 forms a frictional and interlocking connection with the 
edge 7 of the mounting flange 8. Therefore, the glass plate 1 is fixed in 
position and the adhesive strand 10 can now completely harden. 
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 the window is once again formed by a 
monolithic safety glass plate 12. The border of the glass plate 12 is 
surrounded by a cross-sectionally U-shaped profile frame 13 made from a 
cured polymer. Manufacture of glass plates surrounded with a U-profile 
frame is by injection moulding, use being more particularly made of 
two-component polyurethane systems or PVC compositions for the profile 
frame. 
On the outwardly directed side of the glass plate, the frame profile 13 is 
provided with a profile section 14, which projects into the window opening 
and cooperates with the edge 15 of the mounting flange 16, which in turn 
has a locking groove 17, in which engages the mounting flange edge 15. The 
profile section 14 is also provided with a lip 18, which engages over the 
mounting flange 16. The assembly adhesive strand is located between the 
mounting flange 16 and the leg 20 of the profile frame 13, which on the 
side facing the flange 16 still has a projection web 21. The latter serves 
as a boundary web for the adhesive material of the adhesive strand 19. 
An embodiment with a special laminated safety glass plate 24 is shown on 
FIG. 3. In this case, the single glass plate 25 facing the vehicle 
interior has larger surface dimensions than the single glass plate 26 
directed towards the outside, so that the laminated glass plate has a 
stepped marginal construction. On the projecting marginal area of the 
inner single glass plate 25 is positioned the elastomer profile frame 28, 
e.g. by bonding on or by extruding on using the extrusion process. The 
profile frame 28 is tightly connected to the circumferential surface 29 of 
the smaller, outwardly directed single glass plate 26 and covers the 
latter with a lip 30. The profile frame 28 is provided with a further lip 
31, which covers the bent end region 32 of the mounting flange 33. The 
boundary web 34 of the profile frame 28 once again ensures that the 
adhesive material of the assembly adhesive strand 35 does not extend 
beyond the start of the plate. 
The examples given above and the figures deal with a profile frame located 
at some distance from the glass edge which allows the adhesive strand to 
be deposited in all cases between the frame and the glass edge. 
Alternatively, the profile frame may be located near the glass edge and 
the adhesive strand along its side looking toward the middle of the 
glazing. 
In order to facilitate the fitting of a glass plate, as described in the 
embodiments, it is possible to insert a thread or cord in the assembly 
groove 39 of the profile frame 37, as shown in FIG. 4. The assembly thread 
38, which is located in the groove 39 below the lip 40, serves to draw the 
lip 40 over the bent end region 41 of the mounting flange 42, if the glass 
plate 43, previously provided with the assembly adhesive strand 44, is 
pressed against the mounting web 42.