Patent Publication Number: US-2007113477-A1

Title: Window glass, window glass electrode leading-out device, window glass conductivity-adding method, and a window glass electrode leading-out method

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a window glass, a window glass electrode leading-out device, a window glass conductivity-adding method, and a window glass electrode leading-out method, and more particularly to a window glass that is moved upward and downward by a window regulator, a window glass electrode leading-out device for leading out an electrode from an electrode part formed in an upper end face of the window glass that is moved upward and downward by the window regulator, a window glass conductivity-adding method of adding conductivity to the window glass that is moved upward and downward by the window regulator, and a window glass electrode leading-out method of leading out the electrode from the electrode part formed in the upper end face of the window glass that is moved upward and downward by the window regulator.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      In a conventional window regulator, torque of a motor is transmitted to a drum via gears, and an entire wire is moved by rotation of the drum, whereby a window glass connected to the wire via holders and brackets is moved vertically. In this case, vertical movement of the window glass is realized by switching the direction of rotation of the motor between normal rotation and reverse rotation.  
      Further, the conventional window regulator includes a type which is provided with a safety device for preventing a human neck or hand from being caught between the window glass and a window frame during upward movement of the window glass.  
      This safety device detects occurrence of a catching accident by sensing the rotational speed of the motor and pressure applied to the window glass, to stop or lower the window glass. However, there is a case where slight contact of a human neck or hand with the window glass does not apply pressure high enough to be sensed by the safety device, and hence in this case, the motor cannot be stopped promptly enough to prevent a catching accident.  
      To solve this problem, there has been proposed a safety device which is capable of determining, based on a change in capacitance, whether or not any object (e.g. a portion of a human body) other than air, which has a large dielectric constant, is present between the window glass and the window frame, to thereby detect a state which can cause a catching accident (i.e. possibility of occurrence of a catching accident) before the window glass comes into contact with the object, and causing a driving means to stop or reverse rotation of the associated motor. In this safety device, a first electrode part is disposed on an upper end of the window glass such that it covers a gap formed between the window glass and the glass frame when the window glass is lowered, and a second electrode part, which is provided on a vehicle body side, is disposed in a glass run of the window frame, whereby a capacitor is formed between the first electrode part and the second electrode part. In this safety device, a window glass electrode part  71  as the first electrode part is formed by providing some conductive substance on the upper end of the window glass, and is connected to a measurement voltage generating circuit  72  ( FIG. 7 )(see e.g. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H10-110574).  
      Further, there have already been proposed a window glass electrode part formed by embedding an electrode in a window glass during manufacturing of the window glass (reference numeral  80  in  FIG. 8 )(see e.g. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. S60-070622), a window glass electrode part provided on a side surface of a window glass (reference numeral  90  in  FIG. 9 )(see e.g. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. S57-209382, and International Publication No. WO99/63192), and a window glass electrode part affixed to a window glass such that the electrode part extends along an upper end of the window glass (reference numerals  100  and  101  in  FIG. 10 ) (see e.g. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) Nos. H11-334359 and H11-036709).  
      Further, there have already been proposed an arrangement in which a touch sensor  113  having a pair of electrode parts  114  and  114   a  fixed to an upper end of a window glass  112  by baking, as shown in  FIG. 11 , a piezoelectric sensor, or the like is disposed in a recess  112   a  formed in the upper end of the window glass  112  (see e.g. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) Nos. S60-119883 and 2001-115738), and an arrangement in which a piezoelectric sensor  122  is mounted in an upper end of a window glass  121  via a shock absorbing member  123  as shown in  FIG. 12  (see e.g. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H10-076843), in place of the arrangement in which some conductive substance is provided as the window glass electrode part on the upper end of the window glass.  
      However, it is difficult to form an electrode part excellent in appearance in the window glass at low costs. In the above-mentioned patent documents, the method of forming an electrode part of the window glass by affixing, applying, or printing the conductive substance at a predetermined location of the window glass is described, but no detailed description is given of a method of forming an electrode part excellent in appearance in the window glass at low costs.  
      In the above-mentioned patent documents, an electrode leading-out device which leads out an electrode from an electrode part formed in a window glass and an electrode leading-out method are not described, either.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      It is an object of the present invention to provide a window glass, a window glass electrode leading-out device, a window glass conductivity-adding method, and a window glass electrode leading-out method, which make it possible to realize an excellent appearance and reduced costs.  
      To attain the above object, in a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a window glass that is moved upward and downward by a window regulator, comprising a portion, defining a recess, that is formed in an upper end face of the window glass such that the recess has a maximum depth of 0.2 to 5.0 mm and a width of 0.5 to 4.5 mm, and an electrode part that is formed of a conductive material injected into the recess.  
      With the arrangement of the window glass according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize an excellent appearance and reduced costs.  
      Preferably, the recess comprises a groove formed on and along the upper end face of the window glass.  
      Preferably, the recess is formed by grinding the upper end face of the window glass using a diamond wheel having a projecting part.  
      With the arrangement of this preferred embodiment, it is possible to form a recess excellent in appearance at low costs.  
      More preferably, the conductive material is injected into the recess using a nozzle having a tip end having an inner diameter of 1 to 2 mm.  
      With the arrangement of this preferred embodiment, it is possible to form an electrode part excellent in appearance at low costs.  
      To attain the above object, in a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a window glass that is moved upward and downward by a window regulator, the window glass having an upper end face thereof ground into a generally semi-circular shape, comprising a covering member that is formed of a conductive material, and is mounted, as an electrode part, along the upper end face ground into the generally semi-circular shape.  
      With the arrangement of the window glass according to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to form an electrode part excellent in appearance at low costs.  
      Preferably, the covering member is formed using a roll forming process.  
      With the arrangement of this preferred embodiment, it is possible to easily produce a covering member matching the shape of an end of the window glass.  
      To attain the above object, in a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a window glass that is moved upward and downward by a window regulator, comprising an electrode part that is formed of a conductive material, the electrode part being formed on an upper end face of the window glass by an inkjet method.  
      With the arrangement of the window glass according to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize an excellent appearance and reduced costs.  
      To attain the above object, in a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a window glass electrode leading-out device for leading out an electrode from an electrode part formed in/on an upper end face of a window glass that is moved upward and downward by a window regulator, comprising a terminal that is connected to the electrode via a conductive adhesive.  
      With the arrangement of the window glass electrode leading-out device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize an excellent appearance and reduced costs.  
      To attain the above object, in a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a window glass electrode leading-out device for leading out an electrode from an electrode part formed in/on an upper end face of a window glass that is moved upward and downward by a window regulator, comprising a portion, defining a through hole, that is formed through the window glass at a location close to the upper end portion of the window glass, a conductive part in a clip shape that is electrically connected to the electrode part, hook parts which are provided at the opposite ends of the conductive part and are hooked to an inner surface of the through hole, and a terminal that is inserted into the through hole and is electrically connected to the electrode part via the hook parts.  
      With the arrangement of the window glass electrode leading-out device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize an excellent appearance and reduced costs.  
      To attain the above object, in a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of adding conductivity to a window glass that is moved upward and downward by a window regulator, comprising a recess-forming step of forming a recess in an upper end face of the window glass such that the recess has a maximum depth of 0.2 to 5.0 mm and a width of 0.5 to 4.5 mm, and an injecting step of injecting a conductive material into the recess formed in the recess-forming step.  
      Preferably, the recess-forming step includes grinding the upper end face of the window glass using a diamond wheel having a projecting part, to form the recess.  
      More preferably, the injecting step includes injecting the conductive material into the recess using a nozzle having a tip end having an inner diameter of 1 to 2 mm.  
      To attain the above object, in a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of adding conductivity to a window glass that is moved upward and downward by a window regulator, comprising a grinding step of grinding an upper end face of the window glass into a generally semi-circular shape, and a mounting step of mounting a covering member formed of a conductive material, as an electrode part, along the upper end face ground into the generally semi-circular shape.  
      Preferably, the covering member is formed using a roll forming process.  
      More preferably, the method comprises an electrode forming step of forming an electrode part of a conductive material on the upper end face of the window glass by an inkjet method.  
      To attain the above object, in an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of leading out an electrode from an electrode part formed in/on an upper end face of a window glass that is moved upward and downward by a window regulator, comprising a connecting step of connecting a terminal to the electrode part via a conductive adhesive.  
      To attain the above object, in a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of leading out an electrode from an electrode part formed in/on an upper end face of a window glass that is moved upward and downward by a window regulator, comprising a through hole-forming step of forming a through hole formed through the window glass at a location close to the upper end portion of the window glass, a first electrically connecting step of electrically connecting a clip-shaped part to the electrode part, a hooking step of hooking opposite ends of the clip-shaped part to an inner surface of the through hole, an inserting step of inserting a terminal into the through hole, and a second electrically connecting step of electrically connecting the terminal to the electrode part via the clip-shaped part.  
      The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a window glass according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIGS. 2A  to  2 C are cross-sectional views useful in explaining the window glass in  FIG. 1 , in which  FIG. 2A  is a view useful in explaining a method of injecting a conductive material into a curved recess formed in an upper end face of the window glass,  FIG. 2B  is a view useful in explaining a method of forming the curved recess in the upper end face of the window glass; and  FIG. 2C  is a view useful in explaining another method of forming the curved recess in the upper end face of the window glass.  
       FIG. 3  is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electrode leading-out device for leading out an electrode from an electrode part appearing in  FIG. 2 .  
       FIG. 4  is a schematic view of a variation of the window glass in  FIG. 2 .  
       FIG. 5  is a view useful in explaining an inkjet method.  
       FIG. 6  is a schematic cross-sectional view of a variation of the electrode leading-out device in  FIG. 3 .  
       FIG. 7  is a schematic block diagram of a conventional window regulator.  
       FIG. 8  is a schematic view of a conventional window glass.  
       FIG. 9  is a schematic view of another conventional window glass.  
       FIG. 10  is a schematic view of still another conventional window glass.  
       FIG. 11  is a schematic view of still another conventional window glass.  
       FIG. 12  is a schematic view of still another conventional window glass. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings showing a preferred embodiment thereof.  
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a window glass according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , the window glass  1  is mounted in a door of a vehicle such that the window glass  1  can be moved upward and downward. The window glass  1  has an electrode part  2 , described in detail hereinafter with reference to  FIG. 2A , formed in end faces A, B, and C (an upper end face  1   a  (not shown in  FIG. 1 )), and a fixed terminal  4  that fixes a lead wire  5  of a conductive terminal  39  ( 63 ), described in detail hereinafter with reference to  FIGS. 3 and 6 , to the window glass  1 . The fixed terminal  4  is provided in the vicinity of the end face A or C (i.e. in a portion of the window glass  1 , which is not exposed from a door body). In  FIG. 1 , the fixed terminal  4  is disposed in the vicinity of the end face A.  
      By fixing the lead wire  5  to the window glass  1  by the fixed terminal  4 , it is possible to prevent a tensile force of the lead wire  5 , which is generated during vertical movement of the window glass  1 , from being applied to the conductive terminal  39  ( 63 ).  
       FIGS. 2A  to  2 C are cross-sectional views useful in explaining the window glass in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 2A  is a view useful in explaining a method of injecting a conductive material into a curved recess formed in an upper end face of the window glass, and  FIGS. 2B and 2C  are views useful in explaining respective methods of forming the curved recess in the upper end face of the window glass. Referring to  FIG. 2A , the curved recess  1   b  comprises a groove formed on and along the upper end face  1   a  of the window glass  1 . Thus, the electrode part  2  is formed.  
      Referring to  FIG. 2A , in general, the window glass  1  has a thickness of 2.5 to 6.0 mm. The window glass  1  includes a portion defining the curved recess  1   b  which is formed in the upper end face  1   a  such that the curved recess  1   b  has a maximum depth of 0.2 to 5.0 mm and a width of 0.5 to 4.5 mm, and the electrode part  2  which is formed of a conductive material injected into the curved recess  1   b . If the maximum depth of the curved recess  1   b  is larger than 5.0 mm, or if the width of the curved recess  1   b  is larger than 4.5 mm, grinding will take time, which causes an increase in manufacturing costs. On the other hand, if the maximum depth of the curved recess  1   b  is smaller than 0.2 mm, or if the width of the curved recess  1   b  is smaller than 0.5 mm, it will be difficult to inject the conductive material into the curved recess  1   b.    
      As shown in  FIG. 2B , the curved recess  1   b  is formed in a groove pattern by grinding the upper end face  1   a  using a diamond wheel  10  having a projecting part  10   a . It should be noted that a grinding process for forming the upper end face  1   a  into a generally semi-circular shape and a grinding process for forming the curved recess  1   b  may be carried out simultaneously, using the diamond wheel  10 ′ appearing in  FIG. 2C . The window glass  1  is subjected to a heating bending process and an air-cooling reinforcing process after having undergone the grinding process.  
      The electrode part  2  is formed by injecting the conductive material into the curved recess  1   b  formed in the upper end face  1   a  of the window glass  1  from a nozzle  20  (see  FIG. 2A ) having a tip end formed to have an inner diameter of 1 to 2 mm.  
       FIG. 3  is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electrode leading-out device for leading out an electrode from the electrode part  2  appearing in  FIG. 2 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 3 , the electrode leading-out device  37  is comprised of the conductive terminal  39  connected, via a conductive adhesive  38 , to the electrode part  2  formed in the upper end face  1   a  of the window glass  1  which is moved upward and downward by a window regulator, and the lead wire  5  connected to one end of the conductive terminal  39 .  
      It should be noted that the electrode leading-out device  37  is disposed in the vicinity of the end face A (see  FIG. 1 ) or C (see  FIG. 1 ) of the upper end face  1   a  (i.e. in a portion of the upper end face  1   a , which is not exposed from the door body). In  FIG. 1 , the fixed terminal  4  is disposed in the vicinity of the end face A, and hence the electrode leading-out device  37  is also disposed in the vicinity of the end face A.  
      According to the present embodiment, the curved recess  1   b  having a maximum depth of 0.2 to 5.0 mm and a width of 0.5 to 4.5 mm is formed in the upper end face  1   a , and the conductive material is injected into the curved recess  1   b , so that an excellent appearance of the window glass  1  can be realized at low costs.  
      Further, according to the present embodiment, since the conductive terminal  39  is connected, via the conductive adhesive  38 , to the electrode part  2  formed in the upper end face  1   a  of the window glass  1 , an excellent appearance of the window glass  1  can be realized at low costs.  
      The conductive terminal  39  is formed to have middle portion thereof bent inward such that lateral portions thereof can contact with opposite surfaces of the window glass  1 , to sandwich the window glass  1 . This makes it possible to mount the conductive terminal  39  more firmly on the window glass  1 .  
      Although in the present embodiment, the electrode part  2  is formed by injecting the conductive material into the curved recess  1   b  formed in the upper end  1   a , this is not limitative, but, as shown in  FIG. 4 , after the upper end face  1   a  is ground into a generally semi-circular shape, a covering member  40  as an electrode part made of a conductive material, which is produced e.g. by a roll forming process, may be mounted along the generally semi-circular upper end face  1   a  (round edge).  
      Although in the present embodiment, the upper end face  1   a  is ground using the diamond wheel  10 , the shape of the diamond wheel  10  is not limited to a particular shape, but the diamond wheel  10  may have a cup wheel shape or a cylindrical wheel shape, for example.  
      Although in the present embodiment, the electrode part  2  is formed by injecting the conductive material into the curved recess  1   b , this is not limitative, but the electrode part of a conductive material may be formed on an upper end face la without the curved recess  1   b  by an inkjet method.  
      In the inkjet method, generally as shown in  FIG. 5 , ink in a main bottle  50  is pressurized using a supply pump  51 , and is jetted in the form of a liquid column from a nozzle  52 . Then, the liquid column is shaken by an electrostrictive element  53  into ink particles each having a predetermined size, and the ink particles are charged, on a particle-by-particle basis, to a predetermined voltage by a charging electrode part  54 . While passing through deflecting electrodes  55 , the charged ink particles are subjected to deflection corresponding to an amount of electric charge, whereby some of the ink particles reach the upper end face  1   a  (not shown in  FIG. 5 ). The other ink particles that do not reach the upper end face la are caught by a gutter  56  and are collected in the main bottle  50  by a recovery pump  57 . A subsidiary bottle  58  replenishes the main bottle  50  with ink of an amount corresponding to the amount of used ink, and an intensifier bottle  59  replenishes the main bottle  50  with intensifier to maintain ink jetted from the nozzle  52  at a constant concentration.  
      Although in the present embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the electrode part  2  formed in the upper end face  1   a  of the window glass  1  is connected to the conductive terminal  39  via the conductive adhesive  38 , this is not limitative, but the window glass electrode leading-out device may be configured as shown in  FIG. 6  by way of example. That is, opposite ends  61   a  of a conductive clip-shaped part  61  are hooked to an inner surface  60   a  of a through hole  60  formed in the vicinity of the upper end face  1   a  of the window glass  1  using a core drill which is a diamond tool, and a conductive terminal  63  is inserted through the through hole  60 , such that the conductive clip-shaped part  61  is electrically connected to the electrode part  2  and the conductive terminal  63 . It should be noted that the opposite ends  61   a  have resilience for maintaining excellent connection with the conductive terminal  63 . Further, the conductive clip-shaped part  61  has a projecting contact part  61   b  in contact with the electrode part  2 , which is formed at a location opposed to the electrode part  2 . The lead wire  5  is connected to the conductive terminal  63 .  
      Although in the present embodiment, the lead wire  5  is fixed to the fixed terminal  4 , this is not limitative, but the lead wire  5  is not necessarily required to be fixed to the fixed terminal  4  insofar as the conductive terminal  63  has a sufficient strength for withstanding a tensile force generated in the lead wire  5  during vertical movement of the window glass  1 .