METHOD FOR PRODUCING A LAMINATING COMPONENT OR A HOLOGRAM COMPONENT FOR PRODUCING A COMPOSITE GLASS, AND CORRESPONDING LAMINATING COMPONENTS, HOLOGRAM COMPONENTS, AND COMPOSITE GLASSES

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a laminating component or a hologram component. A holographic material, such as a holographic film, is connected either to a laminating agent in order to form a laminating component or to a transparent reinforcing material in order to form a hologram component In order to produce a composite glass, the laminating component or the hologram component can then be laminated between two glass panes, which can be curved in particular. By virtue of the laminating agent of the laminating component or the reinforcing material of the hologram component, damage to the hologram imprinted in the holographic material can be prevented or reduced.

Claims

1. A method of producing a lamination component for bonding of two glass panes comprising: providing a laminant, and bonding the laminant to a holographic material.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the laminant comprises polyvinylbutyral, ethylene-vinyl acetate or a copolymer thereof.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the holographic material comprises a hologram film, and wherein the providing of the laminant and the bonding of the laminant to the holographic material comprises applying the laminant to at least one side of the hologram film.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the applying comprises application by extrusion.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the laminant is applied to two opposite sides of the hologram film.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein a thickness of the laminant on a first side of the two opposite sides is at least 1.25 times a thickness of the laminant on a second side of the two opposite sides.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein thicknesses of the laminant on the two opposite sides are chosen such that, in the production of a composite glass using the laminant, the holographic material is in the neutral fiber of the composite glass.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the holographic material comprises a hologram.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bonding of the laminant to the holographic material comprises introducing a photosensitive material into the laminant.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bonding of the laminant to the holographic material comprises producing a multilayer system composed of laminant and photosensitive material.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the production comprises a coextrusion.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising exposing a hologram into the photosensitive material.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lamination component is produced such that, in the production of a composite glass using the laminant, the holographic material is in the neutral fiber of the composite glass.

14. A method for producing a hologram component comprising: providing a hologram film, and bonding the hologram film to a transparent stiffening material having a thickness between 0.5 mm and 5 mm.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the transparent stiffening material comprises at least one transparent sheet, wherein the hologram film is mounted on the transparent sheet with an adhesive.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the at least one transparent sheet comprises a first transparent sheet and a second transparent sheet, wherein the hologram film is disposed between the first transparent sheet and the second transparent sheet.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the hologram component is produced such that, in the production of a composite glass using the laminant, the hologram film is in the neutral fiber of the composite glass.

18. A lamination component for bonding of two glass panes, comprising: a laminant, and a holographic material bonded to the laminant.

19. The lamination component as claimed in claim 15, wherein the lamination component is produced by: providing a laminant, and bonding the laminant to a holographic material.

20-29. (canceled)

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] For further elucidation, various embodiments are elucidated in detail hereinafter with reference to the appended drawings. The figures show:

[0034] FIG. 1: a flow diagram for illustration of methods according to various embodiments,

[0035] FIGS. 2A and 2B: diagrams for illustration of methods and components of various embodiments,

[0036] FIG. 3: a diagram for illustration of the distribution of stresses in some embodiments,

[0037] FIG. 4: a lamination component according to one embodiment,

[0038] FIG. 5: a composite glass according to one embodiment, and

[0039] FIGS. 6A and 6B: diagrams for illustration of sinking or application of a hologram film into or onto a carrier material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] There follows a detailed description of various embodiments. This description serves merely for illustration and should not be interpreted as being restrictive.

[0041] The same reference numerals in different embodiments mean identical or corresponding components that are not described in detail repeatedly. Variations, modifications and details that are described for one of the embodiments are also applicable to other embodiments, unless stated otherwise.

[0042] FIG. 1 shows an overall method according to various embodiments, including a method of producing a lamination component, a method of producing a hologram component and a method of producing a composite glass using the lamination component or hologram component. The lamination component or hologram component can be produced separately from the composite glass, for example at a different site or by a different company. FIGS. 2 to 6 further illustrate the method of FIG. 1 and show corresponding lamination components, hologram components and composite glasses inter alia.

[0043] In a first alternative of FIG. 1, in step 10, a laminant is provided. As already elucidated above, a laminant is a material which is positioned between two glass panes for production of composite glass, with production of the composite glass by subsequent heating. As already elucidated, the laminant may comprise polyvinylbutyral (PVB), ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) or copolymers thereof.

[0044] In step 11, the laminant is then bonded to a holographic material. The holographic material may, for example, be a hologram film which, as already elucidated above, may be formed as a layer stack, for example a layer stack composed of 100 m of polycarbonate followed by 20 m of a photopolymer followed by 125 m of polycarbonate, or 60 m of acrylic glass film (PMMA) followed by 80 m photopolymer followed by 60 m of PMMA film, to give just two examples. In the embodiments described here, the thickness of the hologram films may be between 10 and 500 m. The product of the thickness of the layer suitable for holography (photopolymer) of the hologram film in m and the achievable refractive index AN as a result of exposure of the photopolymer may be in the range from 0.1 to 0.9. This value may be achieved via a thicker photopolymer or via a greater jump in refractive index.

[0045] A hologram may be exposed into the hologram film, especially the photopolymer. The result of steps 10 and 11 is a lamination component which is then inserted between two glass panes in step 14, and these are then laminated in step 15 in a lamination process, for example in an autoclave. It is possible here for the glass panes to be curved in order to produce a composite glass having a desired curved shape.

[0046] Examples of this process will now be elucidated with reference to FIG. 2 (including sub FIGS. 2A and 2B), 3 and 4.

[0047] In the example of FIG. 2A, steps 10 and 11 of FIG. 1 are implemented by extruding a layer 22 of the laminant (PVB, EVA or a copolymer thereof here) onto a hologram film 21. This results in a lamination component 20. This lamination component is then inserted between a first glass pane 24 and a second glass pane 26, where the first glass pane 24 is likewise provided with a laminant (PVB and/or EVA) 25 in order to form a block 23, and where the laminant 22 faces the lamination component 20 of the second glass pane 26. This stack is then, as indicated by an arrow 27, laminated to form a composite glass in an autoclave process. The thickness of the layers of laminant 22, 25 (PVB/EVA films) may be between 125 and 600 m, and the glass panes may have a thickness of up to 3 mm or higher, up to 2 mm or up to 1 mm. This is also applicable to the embodiments of FIG. 2B and 3-6 described further down, unless stated otherwise.

[0048] Because the hologram film 21 is first provided with the laminant 22 in a separate step, the laminant 22 can stabilize the hologram film 21 during the autoclave process, for example in that it absorbs the tensions that arise in the bending of the glass panes 24, 26.

[0049] FIG. 2B shows a variant of FIG. 2A. Here, in addition, the laminant 25, which is bonded as a separate film or to glass 24 in the case of FIG. 2A, is likewise extruded onto the hologram film 21 on the second side of the hologram film 21 in order to form a lamination component 28. This lamination component 28 is then disposed between the first glass pane 24 and the second glass pane 26 and is laminated in an autoclave process, again indicated by arrow 27, to form a composite glass.

[0050] The thickness of the laminant 22 in FIG. 2A or the thicknesses of laminants 22, 25 in FIG. 2B that are applied to the hologram film 21 may be guided by the intended curvature of the glass panes 24, 26. The hologram film 21 may especially have an already exposed hologram. The distortions to which the hologram film 21 is subject in the autoclave process are then minimal if the hologram film is present in what is called the neutral fiber of the bent layer composite. The neutral fiber in a curved body is present where the body materialin this case preferably the hologram filmis neither compressed nor stretched on bending.

[0051] In one embodiment, the thicknesses of the laminants 22, 55 are different. It is preferable here to provide that side of the hologram film 21 which adjoins a concave-curved side of the glass in the later composite glass with a thicker layer of the laminant, while the side of the hologram film that adjoins a convex-curved side of the glass in the composite glass is equipped with a thinner film (for example about 1 mm).

[0052] This is illustrated with reference to FIG. 3. The layer of the laminant 22 adjoins the concave-curved glass side of the glass pane 26 here, while the layer of the laminant 25 adjoins a convex-curved side of the glass pane 24. The layer of the laminant 22 is therefore thicker than the layer of laminant 25, for example at least 1.25 times thicker or 1.5 times thicker. In the autoclave process, the layers of laminants 22, 25 become doughy, and hence the laminant 22 is able to efficiently absorb and compensate for the shear stress associated with the increasing deformation of the glass panes. In other words, the hologram film 21 is pressed more uniformly against the convex-curved side of the glass pane 24 by virtue of a uniform pressure of the thicker laminant 22. Thick arrows 31 in the laminant 22 indicate that this is able to efficiently follow the shear direction/shear stress, while thinner arrows 30 indicate that the respective parts are less able to follow the shear direction. Thus, the laminant adjacent to the hologram film 21 is less significantly affected, and hence the hologram film itself as well. In this way, it is possible to reduce creasing of the hologram film.

[0053] After laminants have been extruded onto a hologram film, there are further means of producing the lamination component according to steps 10 and 11. In one alternative, a layer stack as for the lamination component 20 of FIG. 2A or 28 of FIG. 2D, rather than by extrusion of the laminant onto the hologram film, is also produced by coextrusion of laminants together with photosensitive material, meaning that only photosensitive material is coextruded together with laminant rather than the hologram film 21 in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The laminant here then also fulfills the function of the carrier film in conventional hologram films. As already elucidated at the outset, such a coextrudate must then be correspondingly exposed.

[0054] In another variant shown in FIG. 4, photosensitive material, i.e. light-curing chemicals, for example as described in EP1438634B1, are mixed in as additive during the production of the laminant. This results in a film composed of laminant, which is additionally photosensitive and can be exposed with appropriate hologram structures. The exposure is then followed by fixing in a conventional manner. The lamination component thus formed can then likewise be used as described above in an autoclave for production of a curved composite glass in particular.

[0055] In this variant of FIG. 1, comprising steps 10 and 11, a laminant is bonded to holographic material in order to form a lamination component. The laminant effectively stabilizes the holographic material. In a second approach, which is now described again with reference to FIG. 1, a hologram film is provided with a stiffening material before being laminated between two glass panes.

[0056] Thus, the second approach in FIG. 1, in step 12, comprises provision of a hologram film.

[0057] The stiff material may be a sheet having a thickness between 0.5 and 5 mm, for example about 2 mm. Materials for the stiffening material may be particular polyvinylchloride (PVC) types, COC, crosslinked epoxy resins or polyester resins (PA6-3-T), polycarbonate, polyetherimide, polyether sulfone, PET with nucleation additives, acrylic glass (PMMA), polysulfone, polystyrene or a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer. The bond between hologram film and stiffening material may be executed with a corresponding adhesive, especially what is called an OCA (optically clear adhesive). The polymers used for the stiffening material may especially be amorphous polymers, since, in the case of semicrystalline polymers, heating in the autoclave could increase crystallinity, which could lead to an increase in haze. This may be partly prevented by nucleation additives.

[0058] In embodiments, the stiffening material is preferably thermoplastic or has a softening point, but no melting point, in the region of the intended process temperatures for the production of the composite glasses. In other words, the stiffening material is softened, but does not melt, in the abovementioned autoclave process for example, and can thus stabilize the hologram film by virtue of the process. The adhesive (OCA) is preferably also chosen such that it remains fully transparent and retains its bonding properties at the process temperatures.

[0059] The hologram component thus produced in steps 12 and 13 can then in turn be positioned between two glass panes. By contrast with the first variant of steps 10 and 11, laminant (e.g. PVA and/or EVA) is additionally applied between the hologram component and the glass panes. Then, in step 15, the lamination process is again effected in an autoclave.

[0060] FIG. 5 shows an example of a layer stack as after step 14 of the variant via steps 12 and 13. In FIG. 5, a hologram film 21 is disposed on a stiffening material 50. The stiffening material may be configured as described above. The hologram component 51 thus formed is disposed between the already described first glass plate 24 and the second glass plate 26 with the laminant 25 or 22 in between, as likewise already described.

[0061] While, in FIG. 5, the stiffening material 50 is disposed on one side of the hologram film 21, the hologram film 21 in other embodiments may also be disposed between two sheets of stiffening material. In addition, the hologram film 21 may be bonded to or sunk into the stiffening material 50, as elucidated in FIGS. 6A and 6B. In FIG. 6A, the hologram film 21 is secured in a recess in the stiffening material 50 by means of OCA 60, while, in FIG. 6B, the hologram film 21 is bonded to the stiffening material 50 by means of the OCA 60. In both cases, a second stiffening material 50 may be mounted on the hologram film, for example by means of a further OCA layer.

[0062] It should be noted that, while the production of composite glasses having two glass panes has been described above, it is also possible to produce composite glasses having more than two glass panes, in which case, for example, the lamination component or hologram component may be disposed between two of the glass panes as described, or else multiple lamination components or hologram components may be disposed between different glass panes, and other glass panes may be laminated in a conventional manner.