GLAZING WITH ACTIVE AREAS THE CONTROLS OF WHICH ARE IDENTIFIED BY SIGNS PRODUCED USING DIGITAL PRINTING

Abstract

A glazing, at least partially transparent, the main surface of which is divided into partial surfaces capable of being concealed, opacified, colored and/or illuminated independently of each other, in whole, in part and/or in accordance with designs, the partial surfaces being associated with invisible touch controls identified by prints, an identification design on the one hand, an offset design for identification and tracking of invisible offset touch controls on the other hand, being associated with at least one of the partial surfaces.

Claims

1. A glazing at least partially transparent comprising a main surface which is divided along to at least two perpendicular directions into partial surfaces capable of being concealed, opacified, colored and/or illuminated independently of each other, in whole, in part and/or conforming to designs, wherein the partial surfaces are associated with invisible touch controls identified by means of prints.

2. The glazing according to claim 1, wherein an identification design is associated with at least one of the partial surfaces.

3. The glazing according to claim 2, wherein an offset design for identification and tracking of remote touch controls that are invisible, for a functionality of said at least one of the partial surfaces with which an identification design is associated, is also associated with said at least one of the partial surfaces.

4. The glazing according to claim 1, wherein the glazing is monolithic in mineral or organic glass.

5. The glazing according to claim 1, wherein the glazing is laminated.

6. The glazing according to claim 1, wherein the partial surfaces comprise functional films based on liquid crystals encapsulated, or dispersed in a polymer matrix (PDLC), of electrophoretic particles dispersed in a medium, of particles dispersed in an electrophoretic fluid or comprising a suspended particle device (SPD) film or a laminate of such a film, or an electrochromic system, or a scattering enamel capable of extracting the light from a light-emitting diode (LED) positioned on the edge of the glazing.

7. A method for producing a glazing according to claim 3, comprising producing said identification designs and said offset identification designs using digital printing, and producing said prints using screen printing, or conversely producing said identification designs and said offset identification designs using screen printing and producing said prints using digital printing, or else said identification designs, said offset identification designs and said prints are all produced using digital printing.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the glazing is a laminated glazing with two sheets of mineral or organic glass bonded by an adhesive interlayer, wherein faces of the two sheets of glass are conventionally numbered from 1 for the face intended to be in contact with an external space to 4 for the face intended to be in contact with an internal volume, and wherein each digital print is produced on one of the faces 2, 3 or 4 thus defined, and each screen print is produced on glass or on an interlayer.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the identification designs and the offset identification designs are produced using digital printing on face 3 and the prints are produced using screen printing on glass on face 4.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the identification designs, of the offset identification designs and prints is made of a digital printing ink or a scattering screen printing enamel, so that light-emitting diodes (LEDs) lit and positioned on the edge of the glazing make the at least one of the identification designs, of the offset identification designs luminous, and wherein the at least one of the identification designs, of the offset identification designs and prints remain(s) visible when the LEDs are off.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the invisible touch controls and offset touch controls consist of a conductive film that is laminated between two interlayer adhesive sheets, one of which has a thickness at most equal to 0.2 and in direct contact with a face of the opposite sheet of glass to that whereupon the touch functionality is exercised.

12. A method comprising providing a glazing according to claim 1 as a glazing for a building, or for a land, airborne or water vehicle.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the glazing is an automotive vehicle roof.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the thickness is at most 0.1 mm.

Description

[0030] The invention will be better understood in the context of the following description of the appended drawings, in which

[0031] FIG. 1 is a front view of a glazing according to the invention whose functional partial surfaces are inactive.

[0032] FIG. 2 is the same view as FIG. 1, whereupon invisible features have been depicted for explanatory purposes.

[0033] FIG. 3 is the same view as FIG. 1, but in which a functional partial surface has been activated.

[0034] FIG. 4 is the same view as FIG. 1, but in which three functional partial surfaces have been activated.

[0035] FIG. 5 is the same view as FIG. 1, but in which five functional partial surfaces have been activated.

[0036] Referring to FIG. 1, the glazing 1 consists of two sheets of float glass, one in chemically reinforced aluminosilicate and intended to be in contact with the outside atmosphere, the other in heat-hardened soda-lime glass. The two sheets of glass are bonded together by an adhesive interlayer made from polyvinyl butyral (PVB), which will be discussed in more detail below. Glazing 1 is an essentially transparent motor vehicle roof.

[0037] Prints 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 for the tracking of invisible touch controls not shown, but which will be discussed below, are produced by screen printing on the inside face of the laminated glazing, conventionally numbered Face 4, particularly the concave face of the glazing if it has a convexity intended to be oriented towards the outside atmosphere. Each print is located above a matching touch control, at a location easily accessible by the occupant of a motor vehicle, of a partial surface, not shown, of the glazing 1 under which the occupant is located, and which will be disclosed below. Each touch control makes it possible to activate the partial surface whereupon the matching print 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 is located.

[0038] Identification designs 14, 15 and 16 are produced by digital printing on Face 3 of the laminated automotive vehicle roof 1, that is the internal face of the laminated structure of the glass sheet in contact with the passenger compartment of the automotive vehicle. Each design 14, 15 and 16 is printed on the partial surface 44, 45 and 46, it symbolizes. Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, these partial surfaces 44, 45 and 46 overhang the rear left, middle and right passengers, while the partial surfaces 42 and 43 overhang the front left and right passengers.

[0039] An enamel of any color is formed by digital printing from a colored ink comprising at least one glass frit, inorganic pigments, solvents and an organic binder, the glass frit and the pigments having a particle size distribution by volume such that the D90 value is at most 2 ?m, and the viscosity of the ink is between 1 and 50 mPa.Math.s.

[0040] Offset identification designs 24, 25 and 26 are also produced by digital printing on Face 3 of glazing 1. They recall, by symmetry-homothety, the identification designs 14, 15 and 16, and symbolize, like these, the partial surfaces 44, 45 and 46, without being located on them, but on the opposite side of automotive vehicle roof 1.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 2, the invisible touch controls 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 are depicted, identified by the prints 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, as well as the offset touch controls 34, 35 and 36 identified by the offset identification designs 24, 25, 26. By touching the prints 2, 3, 4, 5, respectively 6, the occupant activates the function (such as opacification-concealment) of the partial surface 42, 43, 44, 45, respectively 46 of the automotive vehicle roof 1 that overhangs it. By touching the offset identification designs 24, 25, respectively 26, the front left or right occupant activates the function of the partial surface 44, 45, respectively 46 of the automotive vehicle roof, for the occupant of the rear left, middle, respectively right.

[0042] The touch controls 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36, and the offset touch controls 34, 35 and 36 are made using a conductive film of indium tin oxide (ITO) or laminated silver between a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) sheet, 50 ?m thick, in direct contact with Face 3 of the laminated glazing and a PVB sheet of usual thickness, such as of the order of 0.38-0.76 mm. A back-electrode is inserted between this last sheet of PVB and face 2 of the laminated glazing to prevent Face 1 of the latter from being touch-sensitive like Face 4.