LAMINATED GLAZING INCORPORATING THE ANTENNAS OF THE AUTOMATIC LANDING ASSISTANCE SYSTEM

Abstract

A laminated glazing unit includes at least one first sheet of glass and one second sheet of glass glued to one another via a first adhesive interlayer, the first sheet of glass being intended to constitute the surface of the laminated glazing unit in contact with the outside atmosphere, in which the laminated glazing unit further includes, between the first sheet of glass and the second sheet of glass, an LOC (Localizer) antenna receiving between 100 and 120 MHz and a GLIDE (Slope) antenna receiving between 320 and 340 MHz, each antenna having dimensions that are sufficiently small not to hamper the vision, even to be practically invisible through the laminated glazing unit.

Claims

1. A laminated glazing unit comprising at least one first sheet of glass and one second sheet of glass glued to one another via a first adhesive interlayer, the first sheet of glass being intended to constitute a surface of the laminated glazing unit in contact with an outside atmosphere, and, between the first sheet of glass (1) and the second sheet of glass, an LOC (Localizer) antenna receiving between 100 and 120 MHz and a GLIDE (Slope) antenna receiving between 320 and 340 MHz, each antenna having dimensions that are sufficiently small not to hamper vision through the laminated glazing unit.

2. The laminated glazing unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the LOC (Localizer) antenna and the GLIDE (Slope) antenna are combined in a single antenna (100) composed of a conductive metal wire of a diameter of between 10 and 500 μm running twinned with an F-shaped geometry.

3. The laminated glazing unit as claimed in claim 2, the wherein a diameter of the conductive metal wire is at most equal to 300 μm.

4. The laminated glazing unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the diameter of the conductive metal wire is at most equal to 200 μm.

5. The laminated glazing unit as claimed in claim 4, wherein the diameter of the conductive metal wire is at most equal to 100 μm.

6. The laminated glazing unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein an edge of the first sheet of glass is set back relative to that of the second glass sheet, a peripheral part of a free surface of the first sheet of glas, a rim of the first sheet of glass, a rim of the first adhesive interlayer and a part of the surface of the second sheet of glass extending beyond the first sheet of glass describing a stepped continuous outline which is covered by a stepped element with the insertion of glue.

7. The laminated glazing unit as claimed in claim 6, wherein the stepped element is conductive and linked to the ground, wherein two parallel branches of a F of the F-shaped geometry point toward an edge of the laminated glazing unit at a short distance therefrom, and wherein one branch of the two branches situated at an end of the F is linked to the stepped element while the other branch situated in an intermediate part of the F delivers the signals from the LOC (Localizer) antenna and from the GLIDE (Slope) antenna to a flight computer via digital/analog conversion of the signals.

8. The laminated glazing unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein a face of the first sheet of glass oriented toward the first adhesive interlayer bears, in immediate proximity to an edge thereof, a coating of conductive transparent oxide in the form of a fishhook emerging on said edge, and constituting a GPS antenna.

9. The laminated glazing unit as claimed in claim 8, wherein the face of the first sheet of glass oriented toward the first adhesive interlayer bears a coating of heating conductive transparent oxide of a same nature as that of the GPS antenna, but distinct therefrom and separated therefrom by distance so as not to disturb the reception of its signal.

10. The laminated glazing unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein outputs of the antennas are produced with insulated braids and/or with cables.

11. The laminated glazing unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein, opposite each antenna output delivering a signal, the stepped element is absent over a minimum width of 2×20.

12. The laminated glazing unit as claimed in claim 6, wherein the stepped element is covered by an air- and water-tight seal, and one that protects against solar radiation and fluids.

13. The laminated glazing unit as claimed in claim 6, wherein the stepped element is covered by a bead which gives the laminated glazing unit an aerodynamic continuity between glazing unit and mounting structure and inertia to the treatment fluidsincluding aeronautical fluids, cleaning products, degreasing agent, glycol for deicing on the ground.

14. The laminated glazing unit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one third sheet of glass linked to the second sheet of glass by a second adhesive interlayer.

15. The laminated glazing unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first sheet of glass is made of mineral glass of a thickness of between 0.5 and 5 mm or of polymer material with a thickness of between 0.5 and 5 mm.

16. The laminated glazing unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second sheet of glass, and an optional third sheet of glass are made of mineral glass with a thickness of between 4 and 10 mm, or of polymer material with a thickness of between 5 and 30 mm.

17. The laminated glazing unit as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first and second adhesive interlayers are made of polyurethane (PU), polyvinylbutyral (PVB), ethylene—vinyl acetate (EVA), in wherein a thickness of the first adhesive interlayer is between 3 and 10 mm and wherein a thickness of the second adhesive interlayer is between 0.5 and 4 mm.

18. A glazing unit of a pressurized or unpressurized aircraft with fixed or rotating wings comprising a laminated glazing as claimed in claim 1.

19. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 18, wherein the aircraft is a civilian commercial or military airplane, helicopter or space shuttle.

20. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 19, wherein the glazing unit is an airplane cockpit front-end glazing unit, in which antenna outputs pass through a rear edge of the glazing unit in immediate proximity to which the antennas are positioned.

Description

[0029] The attached drawings illustrate the invention:

[0030] [FIG. 1] is a front schematic view of a front-end windshield of a civilian commercial airplane cockpit according to the invention.

[0031] [FIG. 2] is a cross-sectional schematic view of such a front-end windshield representing the LOC (Localizer) antenna and the GLIDE (Slope) antenna combined in a single antenna

[0032] [FIG. 3] is a cross-sectional schematic view of such a front-end windshield representing the GPS antenna.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 1, a front-end windshield of a civilian commercial airplane cockpit is equipped with a stepped peripheral element 7, a heating conductive transparent oxide coating 12, an LOC (Localizer) antenna and a GLIDE (Slope) antenna combined in a single antenna 100 and a GPS antenna 200.

[0034] The stepped element 7 is conductive and linked to the ground. It comprises reserves 71, 72 40 mm (possibly 60 mm) wide, through which pass the antenna outputs 101 delivering the signals from the LOC (Localizer) and GLIDE (Slope) antennas on the one hand, and 201 delivering the signal from the GPS antenna on the other hand. There is thus no disturbance of the antenna signals due to the stepped element 7.

[0035] The antenna 100 is composed of a conductive metal wire with a diameter of between 10 and 500 μm running twinned with an F-shaped geometry. The twinned wire constituting the branch 102 situated at the end of the F is linked to the stepped element 7, that is to say to the ground; a partial cutout of the latter 7 not apparent in the figure is provided for this purpose.

[0036] The GPS antenna 200 is etched in the same conductive material as that of the heating layer 12, from which it is sufficiently separated for the latter 12 not to disturb the reception of the GPS antenna 200.

[0037] Hereinafter in these examples, a sheet of glass denotes a sheet of chemically tempered aluminosilicate glass, marketed by the company Saint-Gobain Sully under the registered trademark Solidion®.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 2, the laminated glazing unit of FIG. 1 comprises a first sheet of glass 1 constituting an outer face of the glazing unit, 3 mm thick, glued to a second sheet of glass 3 8 mm thick by a first adhesive interlayer 2 of polyurethane (PU) 5.76 mm thick.

[0039] A third sheet of glass 5 8 mm thick is glued to the second 3 by a second adhesive interlayer 4 of polyvinylbutyral (PVB) 2 mm thick.

[0040] The rims of the second and third sheets of glass 3, 5 are protected from impacts by relatively hard elastomer sheets 31, 51.

[0041] The edge of the first sheet of glass 1 is set back relative to that of the second 3, a peripheral part of the free surface of the first sheet of glass 1, the rim of the latter 1, the rim of the first adhesive interlayer 2 and a part of the surface of the second sheet of glass 3 extending beyond the first sheet of glass 1 describing a stepped continuous outline which is covered by a stepped element 7 made of conductive metal. The stepped metal element 7 is linked to the ground.

[0042] Said stepped continuous outline is covered by the stepped element 7 with the insertion of a 100 μm thickness of polysulfide glue 6.

[0043] The stepped element 7 is covered by an air- and water-tight seal 8, made of silicone, and by a bead 9 of polysulfide which provides the laminated glazing unit with an aerodynamic continuity between glazing unit and mounting structure such as airplane structure and a good inertia to the treatment fluids as already explained.

[0044] The outer surface of the silicone seal 8 has sealing lips 81. Furthermore, in the bottom part of the silicone seal 8, a shim 10 of a material harder than silicone is inserted so as to guarantee that the laminated glazing unit is well held in its mounting position, by exerting a certain pressure, such as by pinching. The shim 10 is solid, but comprises voids 11 as represented in FIG. 2, and the function of which will be explained hereinbelow.

[0045] The face of the sheet of glass 1 oriented toward the inside of the laminated structure bears a heating layer 12 whose edge is visible, consisting of tin-doped indium oxide (ITO, for indium tin oxide) or equivalent such as gold, a multilayer of silver, ZnO:Al, SnO.sub.2:F, etc. The heating layer 12 is effective for deicing the outer surface of the sheet of glass 1.

[0046] As explained with reference to FIG. 1, the LOC (Localizer) antenna and the GLIDE (Slope) antenna are combined in a single antenna 100 composed of a conductive metal wire with a diameter of between 10 and 500 μm running twinned with an F-shaped geometry. FIG. 2 shows, however schematically, the separation of the two wires of the antenna 100 in the selected cross-sectional plane.

[0047] The antenna 100 is composed of a copper wire with a diameter of 31 pm, of a conductivity equal to 5.76 10.sup.7 S/m. The glass has a relative permittivity or dielectric constant E.sub.r of 6.7 and a delta tangent or dielectric dissipation factor (qualifying the losses of the dielectric material) Tan d of 0.03. For polyurethane, E.sub.r is 2.9 and Tan d is 0.2.

[0048] The antenna 100 is represented at the interface between the first sheet of glass 1 and the first adhesive interlayer 2. Alternatively, it can be embedded in the polyurethane 2, by inserting it between two plies of polyurethane at the start of the lamination, for example.

[0049] The wire of the antenna 100 is extended into the silicone seal 8, in front of the rim of the second and third sheets of glass 3 and 5, then into the void 11 formed for this purpose in the shim 10. The antenna output 101 of the antenna 100 emerges from the silicone seal 8 in proximity to the face of the laminated glazing unit intended to be oriented toward the cockpit of the airplane. The antenna output 101 is linked to the flight computer via means, not represented, for the digital/analog conversion of the signals from the LOC (Localizer)/GLIDE (Slope) antenna 100.

[0050] The antenna output 101 is produced with insulated braids (electrical insulating sheaths) or with cables (for example DR24), notably coaxial cables as can be done for the outputs of the temperature probes already incorporated in the lamination.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 3, the GPS antenna 200 of the laminated glazing unit of FIG. 1 is placed at the interface between the first sheet of glass 1 and the first adhesive interlayer 2. It consists of the same material as that of the heating layer 12 described with reference to FIG. 2 above. It is a layer of ITO 800 nm thick, having a conductivity of 5.5 10.sup.5 S/m.

[0052] The two antennas 100, 200 are perfectly functional.