Vehicle windshield mounting structure

A windshield mounting structure includes A-pillars for mounting a windshield and cracking inducers provided at the A-pillars. The cracking inducers cause cracking in the windshield when an external force greater than a given force acts on the windshield from the vehicle outside. The cracking in the windshield allows the windshield to move in its entirety or in part toward a passenger compartment, absorbing impact in collision.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a vehicle windshield mounting structure for mitigating impact on collision objects colliding with windshields from the front of vehicles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As this kind of windshield, a laminated safety glass consisting of an annealing glass, a resin interlayer bonded to the interior-side surface of the annealing glass and an impermeable film bonded to the interior-side surface of the resin interlayer is known as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI-4-19136.

As another example of such a windshield, a windshield shown inFIGS. 9A and 9Bis known. These figures illustrate a state in which a collision object is colliding with a windshield from the interior of a passenger compartment. In the figures, OUT indicates the outside of the passenger compartment and IN the inside of the passenger compartment.

FIG. 9Aillustrates a state in which a collision object111is heading toward a windshield112. The windshield112is made from a glass having two glasses113and114curved from the passenger compartment toward the vehicle outside, bonded together with an interlayer115(hereinafter referred to as a “laminated glass”).

The laminated safety glass in HEI-4-19136 or the windshield112shown inFIG. 9Atakes into account the safety of vehicle passengers, and mitigates impact on the head of a passenger hitting against the laminated safety glass or the windshield112upon a vehicle collision. However, no consideration is given to the safety of pedestrians, that is, collision objects from the outside of the vehicle compartment toward the laminated safety glass or the windshield112.

InFIG. 9B, when the collision object111hits on the windshield112, the windshield112is partly broken, mitigating the impact of collision. However, as described above, the windshield112does not allow for impact from the vehicle outside. Further, the windshield112has a shape curved outward of the passenger compartment, that is, a so-called “arch” shape in cross section, and is thus more unbreakable against a load from the outside of the passenger compartment than from the inside of the passenger compartment.

Further, recent years' trends toward short-nose vehicles with passenger compartments expanded in space and slant-nose vehicles with front end portions inclined downward to reduce air resistance in high-speed travel result in increased collisions from the vehicle front toward windshields. On the other hand, under an increased rate of seatbelt wearing and the widespread adoption of airbags, importance is being attached to consideration to the safety of pedestrians in addition to the safety of vehicle passengers. In other words, it is desired to improve a vehicle windshield mounting structure so as to effectively mitigate the impact of collision with windshields from the outside of passenger compartments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the present invention, there is provided a vehicle windshield mounting structure, which comprises: a windshield; mounting members for mounting the windshield; and cracking inducers provided at the mounting members, respectively, for causing cracking in the windshield by stress concentration when an external force greater than a given force acts on the windshield from the outside of a passenger compartment; in which, the cracking caused in the windshield allows the windshield to move in its entirety or in part inward into the passenger compartment.

When a collision object collides with the windshield from the vehicle front, the cracking inducers cause cracks in the windshield in the vicinities of the windshield mounting members, allowing the windshield to move in its entirety or in part toward the vehicle interior, thereby further absorbing the impact in collision as compared with conventional windshields and mitigating impact received by the collision object.

Each of the cracking inducers in this invention preferably comprises a protrusion oriented toward the windshield. To extend a part in the vicinity of the mounting member for the windshield into the protrusion, for example, facilitates the formation of the protrusion and also prevents increase in the number of components.

Further, each of the cracking inducers in this invention preferably comprises a holder for retaining a peripheral portion of the windshield. The holders can increase the force of restraining the peripheral portions of the windshield, facilitating stress concentration and the occurrence of cracking in the peripheral portions of the windshield.

Furthermore, in this invention, each of the cracking inducers preferably comprises supporters arranged discontinuously at the mounting member, for supporting the windshield. Thus, supporting the windshield with the discontinuously-arranged supporters causes difference in the amount of strain between windshield supporting portions and non-supporting portions, thereby facilitating the occurrence of cracking in the vicinities of the windshield supporters.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Initial reference is made toFIG. 1illustrating in perspective the front of a vehicle employing a windshield mounting structure according to the present invention. A vehicle10has a windshield12at the front of a passenger compartment. Reference numeral15denotes a hood covering an upper portion of an engine compartment,16and17left and right front fenders,18a front bumper,21a front wheel (a front wheel on the other side is not shown),23and24left and right A-pillars,25a front door, and26a door mirror.

Next, reference is made toFIG. 2showing the windshield12mounted between the left and right A-pillars23and24.

The windshield12is a laminated glass consisting of an outer glass32arranged outside of the vehicle, an inner glass33arranged inside of a passenger compartment36, and an interlayer34interposed between the outer glass32and the inner glass33, bonding the outer glass32and the inner glass33together. As will be described below, when an external force greater than an external force of a given magnitude acts on the windshield12from the outside of the passenger compartment36, stress is concentrated in the vicinities of the A-pillars23and24as mounting members for the windshield12, causing cracking in the windshield12, and thereby allowing the windshield12to move in its entirety or in part inward into the passenger compartment36. Thus, when an object collides from the outside of the passenger compartment36, the impact of collision is effectively mitigated.

FIG. 3illustrates a windshield mounting structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The A-pillar23consists of an outer panel41, an inner panel42disposed on the passenger compartment36side of the outer panel41, and a reinforcing panel43mounted between the outer panel41and the inner panel42. To a longitudinal end portion41aof the outer panel41, the windshield12is attached with an adhesive44. The end portion41aof the outer panel41has at its edge a protrusion46extending toward the inside surface of the windshield12. The protrusion46serves as a cracking inducer for causing cracking in the windshield12. A windshield molding47covers an end of the windshield12.

The protrusion46is a portion integrally formed with the outer panel41and bent toward the windshield12in a continuous or discontinuous mater (see alsoFIG. 3A) at the edge of the outer panel41.

C indicates a clearance between the distal end of the protrusion46and the inner surface of the windshield12.

The A-pillar24shown inFIG. 2is also provided with a protrusion46as described above.

Now the function of the windshield mounting structure according to the above-described first embodiment will be described with reference toFIGS. 4,5A and5B.

When a collision object38heads toward the windshield12from the front of the vehicle10as shown by an arrow inFIG. 4, and the collision object38collides with the windshield12as shown inFIG. 5A, for example, the impact causes the windshield12to flex inward into the passenger compartment36, and the windshield12abuts against the protrusion46. Stress is concentrated on the abutting portion of the windshield12. As a result, as shown inFIG. 5B, cracking occurs at the stress concentration in the windshield12, and a portion of the windshield12hit by the collision object38moves largely inward into the passenger compartment36. This mitigates the impact in collision on the collision object38.

As described above withFIGS. 3,5A and5B, the present invention is first characterized in that the windshield mounting structure of the vehicle10for mounting the windshield12at the front of the passenger compartment36has cracking inducers (e.g., protrusions46) provided at mounting members for the windshield12for causing cracking in the windshield12by stress concentration when an external force larger than a given force acts on the windshield12from the outside of the passenger compartment36, thereby to allow the windshield12to move in its entirety or in part inward into the passenger compartment36.

When the collision object38collides with the windshield12from the outside of the passenger compartment36, the cracking inducers cause cracks in the windshield12in the vicinities of the mounting members for the windshield12, allowing the windshield12to move in its entirety or in part, thereby to further absorb the impact in collision as compared with conventional windshields and mitigate impact received by the collision object38.

The present invention is secondly characterized in that cracking inducers are configured with the protrusions46oriented toward the windshield12.

To extend a part in the vicinity of the mounting member for the windshield12such as the outer panel41of the A-pillar23into the protrusion46, for example, facilitates the formation of the protrusion46and also prevents increase in the number of components.

FIGS. 6A and 6Billustrate a windshield mounting structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

As shown inFIG. 6A, the windshield mounting structure according to the second embodiment has a holder51of a C shape in cross section attached to an A-pillar23with an adhesive53. An edge of a windshield12is fitted into a groove52of the holder51. The holder51is made from a steel or resin and serves as a cracking inducer for positively causing cracking in the windshield12.

According to the mounting structure in the second embodiment, as compared with the case of only bonding the windshield12to the A-pillar23with an adhesive, the windshield12is mounted to the A-pillar23via the holder51so that the holder51can increase the force of restraining the windshield12.

As shown inFIG. 6B, when an object collides with the windshield12from the front of the windshield12, stress concentration occurs at a portion of the windshield12corresponding to the opening-side end of the holder51, causing cracking in the windshield at that portion.

FIG. 7illustrates a windshield mounting structure according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

A holder55in the third embodiment consists of a groove56into which an edge of a windshield12is inserted, extensions61,61extended from the opening side of the groove56along an inner surface57and outer surface58of the windshield12, distanced from the inner surface57and outer surface58, and protrusions62,62formed at the respective ends of the extensions61,61, abutting on the inner surface57and outer surface58.

When an object collides with the windshield12from the outside of a passenger compartment36, stress is concentrated on a portion of the windshield12held by the distal ends of the protrusions62,62of the holder55, facilitating the occurrence of cracking.

As described above, the present invention is thirdly characterized in that cracking inducers are configured with the holders51(seeFIG. 6A) or holders55retaining peripheral portions of the windshield12.

The holders51or holders55can increase the restraining force at the peripheral portions of the windshield12for facilitating stress concentration thereon, and facilitating the occurrence of cracking in the peripheral portions of the windshield12.

FIGS. 8Ato8C illustrate a windshield mounting structure according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 8Aillustrates an example of attaching a plurality of glass supporters65as cracking inducers to A-pillars23and24(A-pillar24is not shown). The glass supporters65are bonded to a windshield12with an adhesive.

FIG. 8Billustrates the windshield12mounted on the glass supporters65provided at the A-pillar24with adhesives66.

The glass supporters65each consist of bases71,71welded to an outer panel41of the A-pillar23, legs72,72extended obliquely from the bases71,71, respectively, and a flat portion73connecting the distal ends of the legs72,72. The adhesive66is applied to the flat portion73to bond the windshield12.

InFIG. 8C, when a collision object collides with the windshield12from the outside of a passenger compartment, the amount of strain in the windshield12at portions75supported by the glass supporters65differs from that at portions76unsupported. As a result, cracks due to the difference in the amount of strain occur in the windshield12at the boundaries between the supported portions75and the unsupported portions76. The windshield12can thus largely flex, mitigating the impact in collision.

As described above, the present invention is fourthly characterized in that cracking inducers are configured with the glass supporters65discontinuously arranged at mounting members as supporters for supporting the windshield12.

Supporting the windshield12by the discontinuously-arranged glass supporters65can cause difference in the amount of strain in the windshield12between the portions75supported by the glass supporters65and the portions76unsupported, thereby facilitating the occurrence of cracking in the vicinities of the glass supporters65for the windshield12.

In the first embodiment, the protrusions46are integrally formed with the A-pillars23and24, which is not limiting. Protrusions may be attached to the A-pillars23and24as separate members.

The glass supporters65according to the fourth embodiment are attached to the A-pillars23and24as separate members, which is not limiting. Glass supporters may be integrally formed with the A-pillars23and24in a discontinuous manner.

The present disclosure relates to the subject matter of Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-169182, filed Jun. 10, 2002, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.