Transparent window with a heatable coating and low-impedance conducting structures

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vehicle windscreen with an electrically heatable coating. The vehicle windscreen may extend over a major part of the surface area of the vehicle windscreen and may be electrically connected to at least two low-impedance bus bars lying opposite one another. The vehicle windscreen may include at least one conducting structure only covering the heating area outside a central viewing area, in order to shorten electrically the distance between the bus bars. The vehicle windscreen may be configured such that that current flows in the part of the heating area that is not covered by at least one conducting structure.

Claims

1. A vehicle windscreen, comprising: an adhesive layer sandwiched between a first rigid sheet and a second rigid sheet; an electrically heatable coating, the coating extending over a major part of a surface area of the vehicle windscreen and being electrically connected to at least two low-impedance bus bars lying opposite one another, and at least one low-impedance electrically conductive structure, extending over the electrically heatable coating, from an edge of one of the at least two low-impedance bus bars, toward an interior section of the vehicle windscreen, the electrically heatable coating being layered on the first rigid sheet of the vehicle windscreen, the at least two low-impedance bus bars being electrically connected to the electrically heatable coating, the at least one low-impedance electrically conductive structure being electrically connected to at least one of the low-impedance bus bars, the adhesive layer being layered over the electrically heatable coating, the at least one low-impedance electrically conductive structure, and the at least two low-impedance bus bars, and the second rigid sheet being layered on the adhesive layer, wherein during operation, current flows in a part of the heating area that is not covered by the at least one low-impedance electrically conductive structure, the at least one low-impedance electrically conductive structure comprises a printed mesh, an enlargement of a contact area between the at least one conductive structure and the coating reduces the transitional resistance between the bus bars and the heatable coating, the at least one low-impedance electrically conductive structure comprising a silver-containing screen printing paste, and the at least one low-impedance electrically conductive structure being adapted to connect electrically to the one of the at least two low-impedance bus bars and to the electrically heatable coating.

2. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 1, wherein the bus bars are produced by printing and/or from metal foils.

3. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 2, wherein the bus bars are printed onto a respective substrate before or after the coating is applied.

4. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 2, wherein the bus bars are electrically connected to the coating and to the at least one low-impedance electrically conductive structure by soldering at least at discrete contact points.

5. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 1, wherein the at least one low-impedance electrically conductive structure is a plurality of low-impedance electrically conductive structures arranged at uniform or non-uniform distances from one another.

6. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 1, wherein the at least one low-impedance electrically conductive structure is a plurality of low-impedance electrically conductive structures configured all with the same length or with different lengths.

7. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 1, wherein the at least one low-impedance electrically conductive structure is arranged only over part of the longitudinal extent of one or both bus bars.

8. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 1, wherein the at least one low-impedance electrically conductive structure extends at most to the limit of a standardized viewing area of the windscreen.

9. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 1, further comprising a tinted color strip extending at least along an upper edge of the vehicle windscreen, the strip covering at least partially the at least one low-impedance electrically conductive structure arranged along its extension.

10. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 1, further comprising two rigid sheets of glass and/or plastic and/or a plastic film, wherein the electrically heatable coating, the bus bars and the at least one low-impedance electrically conductive structure are arranged on surface areas of the sheet that are lying inside a laminated structure defined by the vehicle windscreen.

11. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 1, wherein the low-impedance electrically conductive structure is partially congruent with the one of the at least two low-impedance bus bars and shortens the electrical path between the at least two low-impedance bus bars.

12. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 1, further comprising an opaque colour layer circumscribing the vehicle windscreen, the opaque colour layer being layered within the vehicle windscreen or outside of the vehicle windscreen.

13. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 1, wherein the printed mesh comprises a uniform circular pattern.

14. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 1, wherein the printed mesh comprises a uniform inversely circular pattern.

15. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 1, wherein the printed mesh comprises a uniform chequerboard pattern.

16. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 1, wherein the printed mesh comprises a uniform square pattern.

17. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 1, wherein the printed mesh comprises a uniform checked pattern.

18. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 1, wherein the printed mesh comprises a uniform point pattern.

19. The vehicle windscreen according to claim 1, wherein the printed mesh comprises a uniform zigzag pattern.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) In the simplified drawing, which is not true to scale,

(2) FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a transparent pane with an electrically heatable coating, with bus bars in band form and conductor elements,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a detail from a conducting structure with circular structures,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a detail from a conducting structure with square structures,

(5) FIG. 4 shows, in a way similar to FIG. 1, a windscreen with regions allowing a high degree of visibility through free structures,

(6) FIGS. 5, 6, 8 and 9 show a detail from a conducting structure with checked structures,

(7) FIG. 7 shows a detail from a conducting structure with zigzag structures,

(8) FIG. 10 shows a detail from a conducting structure with square structures,

(9) FIG. 11 shows a windscreen with communication windows,

(10) FIG. 12 shows a cross section through a laminated pane.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(11) According to FIG. 1, a full-area transparent and electrically conductive coating 2 is embedded in a way known per se in a heatable laminated pane 1 of a substantially trapezoidal (curved) outline. The outer edge of the continuously coated surface area is set back inwards on all sides from the outer edge of the laminated pane 1, or an edge strip is divided off from the full-area coating. This achieves on the one hand the effect of an electrical insulation with respect to the outside, on the other hand the effect of protecting the coating against corrosion damage penetrating from the outer edge. The inset of the outer edge can be produced by removing the coating along the edge of the window, by masking the substrate before depositing the coating or else by introducing a separating line which penetrates the coating, runs around the outer edge of the pane and may serve the purposes of insulation and corrosion protection.

(12) The coating itself consists with preference, and in a way known per se, of a system of layers that can withstand high thermal loads, with at least one metallic sublayer which can endure the temperatures required for bending glass sheets of over 600 C. undamaged, i.e. without impairment of its optical, heat-reflecting and electrical properties. Apart from metallic layers (preferably silver), the system of layers also comprises further sublayers such as antireflective layers and possibly blocking layers.

(13) In connection with the present invention, however, other electrically conductive systems of layers with lower thermal endurance can also be used, and in particular also systems of layers that are not deposited directly on a rigid glass or plastic sheet but on a plastic film (preferably a PET film). All these systems of layers are deposited with preference by sputtering (magnetron sputtering).

(14) The sheet resistance of common systems of layers of the aforementioned type lies between 2 and 5 /square of surface area. Vehicle windscreens with such systems of layers must achieve an overall light transmission of at least 75%.

(15) The preferred sheet resistance of the systems of layers lies in the range from 0.5 /square of surface area to 1.5 /square of surface area at a voltage of 12 volts to 15 volts. Vehicle windscreens with such systems of layers must have an overall light transmission of at least greater than or equal to 70%.

(16) Applied in the form of a frame to the edge of the laminated pane 1 is an opaque colour layer 3, the inner edge 3R of which circumscribes the viewing area of the transparent pane 1. It may lie in a different plane (lying on the inside or outside of the laminated structure) of the laminated pane as a coating. It serves as a protective layer against UV radiation for an adhesive strand, with which the finished pane is adhesively bonded into a vehicle body. Furthermore, it may optically mask connection elements for additional electrical functions of the pane 1.

(17) So, in the area region that is covered by the colour layer 3, a first bus bar 4 can be seen along the upper edge of the laminated pane 1 and a second bus bar 5 can be seen along the lower edge, indicated by a dashed line. The two bus bars 4 and 5 are directly connected in an electrically conducting manner to the coating 2 and the low-impedance conducting structure 4G and 5G.

(18) Also visible in FIG. 6 underneath the bus bar 4, in the middle of the pane, is a communication window 2C, which is likewise covered by the colour layer 3 and is consequently optically masked.

(19) Many vehicle windscreens are provided along their upper edge with a tinted, but translucent strip (band filter) (not represented here), which in particular reduces glare caused by sun rays. Such a strip also can contribute to optically masking the communication window. It may also be used in combination with the conducting structure G4.

(20) The laminated pane 1 generally comprises two rigid sheets of glass and/or plastic and an adhesive layer bonding them over their surface area. The bus bars 4 and 5 are placed onto the adhesive layer (for example a thermoplastic adhesive film of polyvinyl butyral PVB, of ethylene vinyl acetate EVA or of polyurethane PU) and fixed on the surface thereof before the adhesive layer is placed together with and bonded to the rigid sheets.

(21) The bus bars 4 and 5 may also comprise thin, narrow metal foil strips (copper, aluminium), which are usually prefixed on the adhesive film and, when the layers of the laminate are put together, are placed onto the coating with electrical contact. The electrical contact may, however, also be ensured by soldering on the bus bars 4 and 5. In the later autoclaving process, a reliable contact between the bus bars and the coating is achieved by the effect of heat and pressure.

(22) As already mentioned, the bus bars 4 and 5 may alternatively or additionally be produced by printing on a conductive paste, which is baked before the bending and/or during the bending of the glass sheets. This is also much less laborious than placing on portions of metal band. However, at least in continuous industrial production, printed bus bars have a higher ohmic resistance than those of metal foil strips. Therefore, fixing on metal-foil or screen-printed bus bars is possible only in dependence on the individual type of pane and possibly on the overall resistance of the system of heating layers.

(23) In comparison with the coating 2, the bus bars always have negligible ohmic resistances and do not appreciably heat up during the operation of the heating.

(24) It is possible in a way known per se to provide two (or more) separately electrically feedable heating areas in the laminated pane 1 (with vertical division for example in the middle of the pane), which of course also have to be connected to the respective voltage source by means of separate external connections. In this case, a common conductor may be used for both heating areas, so that only the bus bar 4 or the bus bar 5 is to be subdivided into two portions, while the other one, respectively, is continuous. In the first variant, four external connections are necessary, in the second variant only three.

(25) The external connections themselves are not discussed in any more detail here, since they are already described in many instances of the prior art.

(26) Schematically indicated by a dash-dotted line A within the viewing area that is circumscribed by the edge 3R of the colour layer 3 is what is known as the A viewing area of the windscreen. The line A is not an actual edge or the like in the window or the coating but serves only for the visual illustration of the approximate position of the imaginary A viewing area. The latter is defined in Annex 18 of ECE R43 on the basis of specific parameters of an arbitrary vehicle environment. In this area, any kind of viewing impediment is inadmissible. Extending around the A viewing area is the B viewing area, in which slight viewing impediments due to internal fittings etc. are admissible.

(27) From the upper bus bar 4 there extends a conducting structure 4G into the viewing area of the laminated pane 1, from the edge region that is covered by the colour layer 3. It is electrically connected to the bus bar 4 and to the coating 2 and is for its part low in impedance in comparison with the latter. Also from the lower bus bar 5 there extends a conducting structure 5G into the B viewing area of the laminated pane 1.

(28) While in the case of conventional panes with layer heating of this type, the heating current must flow over the entire distance between the bus bars exclusively via the coating, with the conducting structures according to the present invention this distance can be shortened to values between 50 and 80%, depending on the extent of the A viewing area.

(29) For the purposes of the present invention that have already been discussed further above, apart from their good conductivity, the conducting structures 4G and 5G must also have an electrical contact with the coating.

(30) With preference, the grid elements are printed from a silver-containing screen printing paste of good conductivity. The conducting structures 4G/5G preferably have dark colours.

(31) If printed bus bars 4 and 5 are used, the latter can be produced with the conducting structures 4G/5G in one operation and from the same printing paste. After that, no separate operations are required any longer for the electrical contacting of the conducting structures and the bus bars.

(32) If, on the other hand, bus bars comprising metal foil bands are used, they must be electrically connected with low impedance to the coating and the conducting structures. The tin-plated foil bands are preferably soldered with the conducting structures in a way known per se. In principle, the printing pastes with a high proportion of metal that are used here can be soldered well with tin-plated metal bands.

(33) The lengths and mutual distances between the conducting structures 4G and 5G, and the dimensions of the bus bars can only be schematically represented here. However, the relative dimensions are evident; while the actual bus bars 4 and 5 are configured in the conventional band form with a width of several millimeters, the conducting structures 4G and 5G are as optically visible as possible and have an attractive design.

(34) Although the individual configuration in an actual laminated pane can be predetermined within broad limits by simulations, it remains very strongly dependent on the size or dimensions of the actual pane, on the type of bus bars and on the electrical properties of the actual coating.

(35) For example, it may also be adequate to combine only one of the bus bars with a conducting structure. With a relatively small distance between the two bus bars 4 and 5, the conducting structures themselves may also be shortened.

(36) FIGS. 2 to 10 show various structures for the surface of the conducting structures (4G) and (5G), which are generally referred to as conductor elements. The structures may have circular or inversely circular patterns, as shown in FIG. 2. They may, however, also have chequerboard patterns, as represented in FIG. 3. The structures may also have printed fine, conductive structures (mesh) M with high conductivity, as represented in FIG. 4. A checked pattern for the conductor elements is represented in FIGS. 5, 6, 8 and 9. The patterns may have various sizes, for instance the circles in FIG. 2 have a diameter of 0.1-10 mm, preferably of 0.2-5 mm. The checks and squares in FIGS. 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 have dimensions of 0.1-10 mm, preferably 0.5-5 mm.

(37) FIG. 7 shows a zigzag pattern.

(38) FIG. 11 shows a front windscreen with a communication window 2C. The communication window 2C may be circular, oval, square, rectangular or triangular. The communication window 2C is preferably a region that is free of any conductive, printed structure. The conductive, electrically heatable coating may be removed in the communication window 2C. The communication window 2C may be laminated with a nonconductive print to obtain a better appearance.

(39) FIG. 12 shows a sectional view through the edge of the pane 1 along the line III-III in FIG. 1. Two rigid individual sheets 1.1, 1.2 (of glass or plastic) can be seen, as well as an optically clearly transparent, electrically insulating adhesive layer 1.3 that adhesively bonds the sheets in the conventional way. To make it visible, the conductive glass coating is depicted here by grey shading. The adhesive layer may be formed in the conventional way by an approximately 0.76 mm thick PVB film.

(40) It can be seen that the coating 2 lies on the sheet 1.2 above the bus bar 5 and the grid element 5G adjoining the latter, which have been applied here as screen-printed structures before the layer 2 is deposited. The opaque colour layer 3 is printed on here on the surface area of the sheet 1.1 that is lying on the inside in the laminated structure and, in vertical projection (direction of view through the pane), it covers the bus bar 5 and the portion of the conducting structure 5G directly adjoining the latter. The conducting structure 5G continues to run, however, over the edge 3R of the opaque colour layer 3 into the viewing area of the pane 1.

(41) As a departure from this representation, the opaque colour layer 3 could also lie on the outer surface areas (not visible here) of one of the sheets 1.1 or 1.2, or else on the same surface as the coating 2 and the bus bars 4 and 5.