Automotive door with shatter-resistant movable side window for enhanced occupant retention

Abstract

A vehicle side window, composed of HPR laminated glazing or advanced ejection mitigating laminated glazing, is provided with an inverted U-shaped channel, bonded to its upper edge, and extending into side channels of the door frame. The inverted U-shaped channel acts as a movable upper door channel, providing the door glazing with sufficient rigidity and pull-out resistance that it performs in an accident as if it were fully rolled up.

1 . A door for an automotive vehicle comprising:
 a door frame having inner and outer door panels, a window opening formed in an upper portion of the door frame;   a laminated sheet of window glass having an upper edge, and movable upward from within a space between the inner and outer door panels to a position in which the sheet substantially closes said window opening, and adjustable to position its upper edge at an intermediate location within said opening;   a first horizontally elongated channel having a U-shaped cross-section and composed of two parallel, horizontally elongated strips having inner faces in parallel opposed relation to each other and spaced by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said laminated sheet of window glass, said strips also having outer faces in parallel, spaced relationship to each other, said horizontally elongated strips being bridged by a third horizontally elongated strip and having a horizontally elongated opening between its two parallel, horizontally elongated strips, said channel receiving the upper edge of the laminated sheet of window glass and being bonded to said laminated sheet of window glass; and   a pair of vertically elongated, channels, each having a U-shaped cross-section and composed of two parallel, vertically elongated strips having faces in opposed relation to each other and spaced from each other by a distance substantially equal to the spacing of the outer faces of the parallel strips of the first horizontally elongated channel, said vertically elongated strips being bridged by a third vertically elongated strip, each vertically elongated channel having a vertically elongated opening between said two parallel, vertically elongated strips, the two vertically elongated channels being fixed to the door frame and positioned on opposite sides of said window opening with their vertically elongated openings facing each other;   in which the sheet of window glass extends into both of said vertically elongated channels, and said first horizontally elongated channel also extends into both of said vertically elongated channels; and   in which the first horizontally elongated channel has a vertical dimension of at least about 1 inch.   
     
     
         2 . A door according to  claim 1  in which the first horizontally elongated channel has a thickness of at least 0.035 inch. 
     
     
         3 . A door according to  claim 1 , in which each of said vertically elongated channels has a thickness of at least 0.04 inch, and in which each of said vertically elongated channels has a depth, measured from its third vertically elongated strip to its vertically elongated opening, of at least 1 inch. 
     
     
         4 . A door according to  claim 1 , in which said first horizontally elongated channel extends into said vertically elongated channels by a distance of at least 1 inch. 
     
     
         5 . A door according to  claim 1 , in which said first horizontally elongated channel extends into said vertically elongated channels substantially to their full depths. 
     
     
         6 . A door according to  claim 1  having a second horizontally elongated channel fixed to the door frame and located at the top of the window opening, said second horizontally elongated channel being composed of two parallel, horizontally elongated strips having inner faces in parallel opposed relation to each other and spaced by a distance substantially equal to the spacing of the outer faces of the parallel strips of the first horizontally elongated channel, said horizontally elongated strips of the second horizontally elongated channel being bridged by a horizontally elongated strip and having a horizontally elongated, downwardly facing opening between its two parallel, horizontally elongated strips, said channel being positioned to receive the first horizontally elongated channel when the laminated sheet of window glass is moved to said position in which the sheet substantially closes said window opening. 
     
     
         7 . A door according to  claim 1  in which the first horizontally elongated channel is composed of steel. 
     
     
         8 . A door according to  claim 1  in which the first horizontally elongated channel is composed of steel having a thickness of at least 0.035 inch. 
     
     
         9 . A door according to  claim 1 , in which each of said vertically elongated channels is composed of steel having a thickness of at least 0.04 inch, and in which each of said vertically elongated channels has a depth, measured from its third vertically elongated strip to its vertically elongated opening, of at least 1 inch. 
     
     
         10 . A door according to  claim 7 , in which said first horizontally elongated channel extends into said vertically elongated channels by a distance of at least 1 inch. 
     
     
         11 . A door according to  claim 7 , in which said first horizontally elongated channel extends into said vertically elongated channels substantially to their full depths. 
     
     
         12 . A door according to  claim 1  having a second horizontally elongated channel fixed to the door frame and located at the top of the window opening, said second horizontally elongated channel being composed of two parallel, horizontally elongated strips having inner faces in parallel opposed relation to each other and spaced by a distance substantially equal to the spacing of the outer faces of the parallel strips of the first horizontally elongated channel, said horizontally elongated strips of the second horizontally elongated channel being bridged by a horizontally elongated strip and having a horizontally elongated, downwardly facing opening between its two parallel, horizontally elongated strips, said channel being positioned to receive the first horizontally elongated channel when the laminated sheet of window glass is moved to said position in which the sheet substantially closes said window opening.