GLAZING WITH LAMINATED INSERT OBSCURATION BAND

Abstract

Glazing mounting systems, that make use of an adhesive to bond the glazing to a vehicle opening, require an obscuration to hide the adhesive from view and to protect the adhesive from ultra-violet radiation. An enamel ink is typically used to print the obscuration on the glass. However, glass with certain types of coatings and glass which will be chemically tempered is not compatible with enamel frits. Organic inks can be used but are expensive, difficult to work with and not as durable as an enamel frit. The obscuration of the present invention is produced by replacing the printed obscuration with an insert, which serves the same function of an obscuration printed on the glass, which is laminated as a part of the glazing.

Claims

1. A laminate comprising: a) at least one glass or rigid transparent plastic layer having oppositely disposed major faces; b) at least one bonding plastic layer having oppositely disposed major faces; c) an obscuration insert having oppositely disposed major faces; d) at least one additional bonding plastic layer having oppositely disposed major faces; e) at least one additional glass or rigid transparent plastic layer having oppositely disposed major faces; wherein the obscuration insert is positioned between the opposite faces of the at least one and the at least one additional plastic bonding layers; wherein the two opposite major faces of the obscuration insert are bonded to the corresponding adjacent major faces of the at least one plastic bonding layer and the at least one additional plastic bonding layer; wherein the surface of the at least one glass or rigid transparent plastic layer is bonded to the at least one bonding layer major surface opposite to the at least one bonding layer major surface bonded to the obscuration insert of the at least one bonding layer. wherein the major surface of the at least one additional glass or rigid transparent plastic layer is bonded to the at least one additional bonding layer major surface opposite to the major surface bonded to the obscuration insert of the at least one bonding layer.

2. The laminate of claim 0 wherein the obscuration insert material is selected from the group consisting of steel, aluminum, plastic or combination thereof.

3. The laminate of claim 0 wherein the obscuration insert comprises multiple separate segments.

4. The laminate of claim 0 wherein at least one of the glass or rigid plastic layers is cold bent.

5. The laminate of claim 0 further comprising a heat strengthened glass layer.

6. The laminate of claim 0 wherein any of the glass layers are chemically strengthened.

7. The laminate of claim 0 wherein the glass layers comprises borosilicate glass.

8. The laminate of claim 0 wherein the glass layers comprises alumina silicate glass.

9. The laminate of claim 0 wherein the obscuration insert thickness is less than about one quarter of the thickness of the combined thickness of first interlayer or second interlayer.

10. The laminate of claim 0 wherein obscuration insert thickness ranges from 0.05 mm to 3.00 mm.

11. The laminate of claim 0 wherein the obscuration insert thickness ranges from 0.5 mm to 1.00 mm.

12. The laminate of claim 0 further comprising an additional glass layer or rigid plastic layers and bonding layers.

13. A vehicle comprising the laminate of claim 0.

14. The laminate of claim 0 further comprising at least one outer glass, one inner glass layer or one rigid plastic layer having an edge offset inboard from to the outboard edge of the obscuration insert.

15. The laminate of claim 14 wherein the offset ranges between 10 mm to 25 mm.

16. The laminate of claim 0 further comprising a transparent spacer, positioned within the obscuration insert, and having oppositely disposed of major faces wherein said faces are bonded to the opposite major face of the first interlayer and the opposite major face of the second first interlayer.

17. The laminate of claim 16 wherein said transparent spacer thickness is the same as the obscuration insert thickness.

18. The laminate of claim 16 wherein the transparent spacer material is selected from the group consisting of: PVB, PU, EVA, polycarbonate, acrylic, PET, polyurethane, glass or combination thereof.

19. The laminate of claim 16 wherein the transparent spacer is cold bent.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] FIG. 1A shows an isometric view of a BRG laminate with insert obscuration.

[0031] FIG. 1B shows a front view of a BRG laminate with insert obscuration.

[0032] FIG. 2 shows a side view of a BRG laminate with insert obscuration.

[0033] FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of a BRG laminate with insert obscuration.

[0034] FIG. 4A shows a section of a BRG laminate with insert obscuration.

[0035] FIG. 4B shows a section of a BRG laminate with insert obscuration and layers offset from edge.

[0036] FIG. 5A shows a cross section of a laminate with insert obscuration.

[0037] FIG. 5B shows a cross section of a laminate with insert obscuration.

[0038] FIG. 6A shows a cross section of a laminate with insert obscuration.

[0039] FIG. 6B shows a cross section of a laminate with insert obscuration.

[0040] FIG. 7 shows a cross section of a typical laminated windshield.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0041] 2 Glass. [0042] 4 Interlayer. [0043] 6 Obscuration Insert. [0044] 7 Polycarbonate. [0045] 8 Transparent spacer. [0046] 12 Infrared reflecting coating. [0047] 20 Package. [0048] 101 Exterior side of glass layer 1, number one surface. [0049] 102 Interior side of glass layer 1, number two surface. [0050] 103 Exterior side of glass layer 2, number 3 surface. [0051] 104 Interior side of glass layer 2, number 4 surface [0052] 201 Outer glass layer. [0053] 202 Inner glass layer. [0054] 203 Third glass layer. [0055] 204 Polycarbonate layer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0056] The present invention is directed to provide an obscuration insert added to the stack of a laminate that replaces the printed enamel frit obscuration. The laminate of the present invention comprises at least two glass or rigid transparent plastic layers having oppositely disposed major faces, at least two plastic bonding layers located between the first and second glass or rigid transparent plastic layers, and an obscuration insert located between the at least two plastic bonding layers.

[0057] The obscuration insert is fabricated from any convenient material that can survive the autoclave process, achieve good adhesion to the plastic bonding layer and pass all functional, aesthetic, homologation and lifetime test requirements. In preferred embodiments, the insert may be steel, aluminum, plastic or combination thereof.

[0058] The obscuration insert thickness of the present invention in some embodiments may be less than about one quarter of the thickness of the combined thickness of the two opposite plastic bonding layers.

[0059] An additional bonding layer is needed to adhere the insert to the glass or rigid transparent plastic on each side. As the insert only needs to extend inboard to the clear daylight opening, a transparent spacer is needed to fill the space enclosed by the insert in the daylight opening. This can be simply an additional layer of the same material as the plastic bonding layers or any other suitable transparent material such as a polycarbonate, polyurethane, acrylic, transparent ceramic, PET or glass. If the insert is thin enough, the clear spacer may not be needed.

[0060] Laminates, in general, are articles comprised of multiple sheets of thin, relative to their length and width, material, with each thin sheet having two oppositely disposed major faces and typically of relatively uniform thickness, which are permanently bonded to one and other across at least one major face of each sheet.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 7, laminate can be made of at least two layers of glass, the exterior or outer layer, 201 and interior or inner layer, 202 that are permanently bonded together by an interlayer 4 that may be of any plastic; it should be noted that the interlayer 4 can also be named as plastic interlayer 4 or plastic bonding layer 4. The glass surface that faces the exterior of a vehicle is referred to as surface one 101 or the number one surface. The opposite face of the outer glass layer 201 is surface two 102 or the number two surface. The glass 2 surface that is on the interior of the vehicle is referred to as surface four 104 or the number four surface. The opposite face of the interior layer of glass 202 is surface three 103 or the number three surface. Surface two 102 and surface three 103 are bonded together by the interlayer 4. Bullet resistant glazing can have additional layers of glass and rigid plastic which shall be sequentially numbered.

[0062] Rather than printing the obscuration on the glass, a sheet of metal or plastic is cut to size, painted if needed, and then inserted into the laminate after bending but before the autoclave.

[0063] Consequently, the obscuration insert 6 can be fabricated flat and cold bent to the glass shape during the autoclave process if the curvature of the part is not too complex. Otherwise, the obscuration insert 6 must be formed to the shape of the glass prior to lamination. The obscuration insert 6 may be fabricated in multiple segments that are assembled and fit together to improve fabrication cost and to allow for a better fit of the insert to the curved surface of the glass.

[0064] Thin steel and aluminum in the 0.38 mm to 1.00 mm range have been found to work well although other materials can be used. The insert is formed to the shape of the obscuration and then painted. A high gloss black powder coat has been used with excellent results. The appearance of the finished laminate is hard to distinguish from an organic or frit other than by the superior complete opacity of the metal insert. A plastic in the 0.05 mm to 1 mm range also can be used for some applications.

[0065] Additionally, as shown in FIG. 3, plastic bonding layers 4 are needed to bond the obscuration insert 6 to the adjacent glass or rigid non-bonding plastic layers 201, 202 of the laminate. If the thickness of the obscuration insert 6 is too great a transparent spacer 8 is also needed to fill the area enclosed and inboard of the obscuration insert 6. The transparent spacer 8 can be made of the same plastic bonding interlayer such as a PVB, PU or EVA or some other transparent material such as an acrylic, polycarbonate, polyurethane, PET, glass or combination thereof. The transparent spacer 8 is best fabricated in a thickness that is about the same as the obscuration insert 6. In addition, rigid transparent materials can be cold bent if the curvature of the surface is not too complex. The level of curvature that can be cold bent depends upon the thickness, the type of material, the composition of the adjacent layers, the thickness of the interlayer, and the autoclave cycle to be used to name some of the primary factors.

[0066] Otherwise, if the obscuration insert is substantially thinner than the total thickness of the plastic bonding layer, the transparent spacer may not be needed. For instance, in some embodiments of the invention, the obscuration insert thickness may range from any between 0.05 mm to 3.00 mm or between 0.5 mm to 1.00 mm. For standard non-BRG automotive windshield thicknesses, the insert thickness should be less than of the combined total thickness of the two opposite plastic bonding layers. FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of a BRG laminate of a vehicle. Speaking from the outside to the inside, the laminate comprises four glass or rigid transparent plastic layers, a first glass layer 201, a second glass layer 202, a third glass layer 203 and a polycarbonate layer 204. Interlayers 4 bond each of the glass layers 201, 202, 203 and polycarbonate layer 204. An obscuration insert 6 and a transparent spacer 8 PU layer are located between glass layers 201 and 202 and an additional plastic bonding layer 4 serves to bond the obscuration insert 6 to the glass layer 202 and the transparent spacer 8. The outer glass layer 201, is larger than the package 20, which is offset inboard to allow the part to fit into the unmodified opening of a vehicle designed for a conventional thin safety glazing.

[0067] The maximum thickness of an obscuration insert that can be used without a transparent spacer will depend upon the plastic bonding layer material, the autoclave cycle used, and the composition of the adjacent layers. Thicker stronger layers can accommodate a larger thickness mismatch than thinner weaker layers. This is because of the change in thickness that can occur when there is a mismatch. The plastic bonding layer softens during the lamination process and can accommodate some of the difference in thickness. However, if the difference is greater than what can be accommodated, the glass will be left in tension which increases the probability of breakage. Thicker stronger glass layers can withstand higher tension.

[0068] Laminates comprising more than two major glass or rigid plastic layers may have the obscuration located between any set of adjacent layers.

Embodiment 1

[0069] FIG. 4A shows a cross-section of a BRG laminate for a military vehicle. The laminate is comprised of a 6 mm chemically tempered outer glass layer 201, a 0.5 mm plastic PU interlayer 4 serving to bond the outer glass layer 201 to the 0.5 mm aluminum black powder coated obscuration insert 6 and a 0.5 mm transparent spacer 8 PU layer inside of the obscuration insert 6, a 0.5 mm plastic PU interlayer 4 serving to bond the obscuration insert 6 and the transparent spacer 8 to an interior 3 mm inner glass layer 202, a first plastic bonding layer of 1 mm of plastic PU 4 serves to bond the 3 mm inner glass layer 202 to a 6 mm third glass layer 203, and a second plastic bonding layer 1 mm of plastic PU 4 serves to bond the third glass layer 203 to a 6 mm polycarbonate layer 204.

Embodiment 2

[0070] FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, 3 and 4B shows a BRG laminate for a civilian vehicle. The laminate comprises a 6 mm chemically tempered outer glass layer 201, a 0.5 mm plastic PU interlayer 4 serving to bond the outer glass layer 201 to an 0.5 mm aluminum black powder coated obscuration insert 6 and a 0.5 mm transparent spacer 8 PU layer inside of the insert, an 0.5 mm plastic PU interlayer 4 serving to bond the obscuration insert 6 and the transparent spacer 8 to a 3 mm inner glass layer 202, a plastic bonding layer of 1 mm plastic PU 4, serves to bond the 3 mm inner glass layer 202 to a 6 mm third glass layer 203, and a plastic bonding layer of 1 mm plastic PU 4 serves to bond the third glass layer 203 to a 6 mm rigid transparent layer 204 made of polycarbonate 7. The outer glass layer 201, is larger than the package 20, which is offset inboard to allow the part to fit into the unmodified opening of a vehicle designed for a conventional thin safety glazing. The powder coat steel may get scratched during installation and handling but any scratch will not be visible from the exterior of the vehicle. Said offset may ranges between 10 mm to 25 mm.

Embodiment 3

[0071] FIG. 5A shows a cross section of a laminate with a 2.1 mm outer glass layer 201, an 0.5 mm plastic PVB interlayer 4 serving to bond outer glass layer 201 to the 0.5 mm transparent spacer 8 PVB layer inside of an 0.5 mm black plastic obscuration insert 6, and an 0.5 mm plastic PVB interlayer 4 serving to bond the obscuration insert 6 and transparent spacer 8 to an 0.7 mm chemically tempered cold bent inner glass layer 202.

Embodiment 4

[0072] FIG. 5B shows a cross section of a standard laminate with a 2.1 mm outer glass layer 201 having an infrared reflecting coating 12 in the surface two, a 0.5 mm plastic PVB interlayer 4 serving to bond the outer glass layer 201 to a 0.5 mm transparent spacer PVB layer 8 inside of an 0.5 mm black plastic obscuration insert 6, and an 0.5 mm plastic PVB interlayer 4 serving to bond the obscuration insert 6 and transparent spacer 8 to an 2.1 mm of inner glass layer 202.

Embodiment 5

[0073] FIG. 6A shows a cross section of a laminate. A 2.1 mm outer glass layer 201 and a 0.7 mm chemically tempered inner glass layer 202 are bonded to each other by means of two 0.38 mm PVB plastic interlayers 4. A, 0.1 mm black plastic obscuration insert is sandwiched between the two PVB interlayers 4.

Embodiment 6

[0074] FIG. 6B shows a cross section of a standard laminate with two 2.1 mm glass layers 2, an outer glass layer 201 and an inner glass layer 202, having an infrared reflecting coating 12 in the surface two of the outer glass layer 201, the two glass layers 201, 202 are bonded to each other by means of two 0.38 mm PVB plastic interlayers 4. A 0.1 mm black plastic obscuration insert 6 is sandwiched between the two PVB interlayers 4.

[0075] The forms of the invention shown and described in this specification represent illustrative preferred embodiments and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claimed subject matter.