ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION PERMEABLE GLAZING

Abstract

A glazing includes at least one transparent substrate comprising a first major surface and an opposing second major surface, wherein said first major surface is coated with an electrically conductive layer and the electrically conductive layer is absent in one or more regions of the first major surface. At least a portion of the one or more regions of the first major surface, and/or corresponding regions of the opposing second major surface, bears a low-emissivity material, and the one or more regions permit the passage of electromagnetic radiation through the glazing.

Claims

1-25. (canceled)

26. A glazing comprising: at least one transparent substrate comprising a first major surface and an opposing second major surface, wherein said first major surface is coated with an electrically conductive layer, wherein the electrically conductive layer is absent in one or more regions of the first major surface, wherein at least a portion of i) said one or more regions of the first major surface, and/or ii) corresponding regions of the opposing second major surface, bears a low-emissivity material, and wherein said one or more regions permit the passage of electromagnetic radiation through the glazing.

27. The glazing according to claim 26, wherein at least a portion of each of said one or more regions of the first major surface where the electrically conductive layer is absent bears a low-emissivity material.

28. The glazing according to claim 26, wherein the glazing exhibits an emissivity of less than 0.4, preferably less than 0.3, more preferably less than 0.2, most preferably less than 0.1.

29. The glazing according to claim 26, wherein the low-emissivity material comprises one or more of a coated glass, a coated microbead, a dielectric multilayer coating, a metal and/or a metal oxide, and optionally, wherein the coated glass and/or coated microbead are coated with a low-emissivity coating that comprises at least one layer based on an IR reflective metal such as silver, gold or aluminium, or IR reflective metal oxide such as titania or alumina or a transparent conductive oxide (TCO).

30. The glazing according to claim 29, wherein the metal is silver, gold or aluminium, and the metal oxide is titania or alumina or a TCO.

31. The glazing according to claim 29, wherein the low-emissivity material is in the form of flakes and/or particles of the coated glass, the coated microbead, the metal and/or the metal oxide.

32. The glazing according to claim 31, wherein the flakes of coated glass, metal and/or metal oxide have an average thickness of from 0.1-10 .Math.m, preferably from 1-8 .Math.m, more preferably from 4-6 .Math.m.

33. The glazing according to claim 31, wherein the flakes of coated glass, metal and/or metal oxide have an average diameter of from 5-4000 .Math.m, preferably from 10-1700 .Math.m, more preferably from 20-500 .Math.m, most preferably from 25-150 .Math.m, and/or wherein the flakes of coated glass, metal and/or metal oxide have an aspect ratio of average diameter divided by average thickness of greater than or equal to 10, preferably greater than or equal to 15, most preferably greater than or equal to 20.

34. The glazing according to claim 31, wherein the particles of coated glass, coated microbead, metal and/or metal oxide have an average diameter of 1-1000 .Math.m, preferably 10-500 .Math.m, more preferably 20-300 .Math.m.

35. The glazing according to claim 31, wherein the particles of coated glass comprise glass microspheres, wherein the glass microspheres may be solid or hollow.

36. The glazing according to claim 26, wherein the low-emissivity material forms at least part of a coating and/or a film that is attached to the first major surface and/or the opposing second major surface of the substrate, and optionally wherein the low-emissivity material is dispersed within the coating and/or the film.

37. The glazing according to claim 36, wherein the low-emissivity material forms at least part of a layer either located in contact with the glazing, located within the coating and/or the film, or located on an exposed surface of the coating and/or the film.

38. The glazing according to claim 26, wherein the density of the low-emissivity material is less than 5 g/cm.sup.3, preferably less than 3 g/cm.sup.3, more preferably less than 2 g/cm.sup.3, but preferably more than 0.1 g/cm.sup.3, more preferably more than 0.5 g/cm.sup.3, even more preferably more than 1 g/cm.sup.3.

39. The glazing according to claim 36, wherein the coating and/or film comprises at least 0.5 wt% of the low-emissivity material, preferably at least 1 wt%, more preferably at least2 wt%, but preferably at most 15 wt%, more preferably at most 10 wt%, even more preferably at most 5 wt%.

40. The glazing according to claim 26, wherein the one or more regions of the first major surface where the electrically conductive layer is absent are arranged to allow the passage of electromagnetic radiation that corresponds to very high frequencies (30-300 MHz, 10 m-1 m), ultra high frequencies (300-3000 MHz, 1 m-100 mm), and/or super high frequencies (3-30 GHz, 100 mm-10 mm).

41. The glazing according to claim 26, wherein the one or more regions of the first major surface where the electrically conductive layer is absent and/or that bear the low-emissivity material are located within 100 mm of the periphery of the first major surface, preferably within 75 mm of the periphery, more preferably within 50 mm of the periphery, even more preferably within 30 mm of the periphery, but preferably at least 5 mm from the periphery, more preferably at least 15 mm from the periphery, even more preferably at least 20 mm from the periphery.

42. The glazing according to claim 26, wherein the one or more regions of the first major surface where the electrically conductive layer is absent and/or that bear the low-emissivity material are shaped as strips, and optionally wherein each strip is located substantially parallel, preferably parallel, to a nearest peripheral edge of the first major surface.

43. A multiple glazing unit comprising: at least two transparent substrates that each comprise a first major surface and an opposing second major surface, wherein at least one of the transparent substrates is coated on the first major surface with an electrically conductive layer, wherein the electrically conductive layer is absent in one or more regions of the first major surface, wherein at least a portion of i) said one or more regions of the first major surface, and/or ii) corresponding regions of a different major surface of the at least two transparent substrates, bears a low-emissivity material, and wherein said one or more regions permit the passage of electromagnetic radiation through the glazing.

44. The multiple glazing unit according to claim 43, wherein neighbouring transparent substrates of the at least two transparent substrates are separated by a gap and/or at least one ply of an interlayer material is laminated between the substrates, and optionally wherein the electrically conductive layer and/or the low-emissivity material are located between two transparent substrates, preferably the electrically conductive layer and the low-emissivity material are both located between the same two transparent substrates.

45. A method of preparing a glazing according to the present invention comprising: coating at least one transparent substrate with an electrically conductive layer, wherein either the electrically conductive layer is deposited through a mask and/or is partially removed after deposition of the electrically conductive layer, applying a low-emissivity material to at least a portion of i) said one or more regions of the first major surface, and/or ii) corresponding regions of the opposing second major surface.

Description

[0084] The invention will now be further described by way of the following specific embodiments, which are given by way of illustration and not of limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0085] FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view, taken along line A of FIG. 5, of a glazing in accordance with the present invention that utilises coated glass flakes dispersed within a coating;

[0086] FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a glazing in accordance with the present invention that utilises coated glass flakes dispersed within a polymer-based film;

[0087] FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a glazing in accordance with the present invention that utilises metal particles dispersed within a polymer-based film located on an opposing major surface;

[0088] FIG. 4 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a double glazing unit in accordance with the present invention that utilises coated glass flakes dispersed within a coating; and

[0089] FIG. 5 shows a schematic plan view of the glazing shown in FIG. 1.

[0090] FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view, taken along dashed line A of FIG. 5, of a glazing 1 in accordance with the present invention. Glazing 1 comprises a glass ply 2 that is coated on a major surface with an electrically conductive layer 3 that is a transparent multilayer stack that comprises at least one silver-based layer. The electrically conductive layer 3 is absent in two regions of the major surface adjacent two opposing edges of layer 3. These regions are coated with coating 4 consisting of Microglas® Metashine coated glass flakes (available from NGF Europe Limited, St Helens, UK) dispersed within a transparent paint. Whilst the presence of the glass flakes, which are coated with a silver-based layer, results in these regions exhibiting a degree of haze, it surprisingly ensures that the glazing both retains low-emissivity properties and permits the passage of electromagnetic radiation through the glazing 1.

[0091] FIG. 5 shows a schematic plan view of the same glazing 1 shown in FIG. 1. Coating 4 is located adjacent two opposing edges of layer 3 and extends along the majority of said edges.

[0092] FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a glazing 5 in accordance with the present invention that utilises Microglas® Metashine coated glass flakes dispersed within a polyester-based film 7. Glazing 5 has the same construction as glazing 1 except that coating 4 is not present and instead film 7 covers the two regions 6 where the electrically conductive layer 3 is absent. Film 7 is attached to coating 3 and ply 2 via an adhesive (not shown).

[0093] FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a glazing 8 in accordance with the present invention that utilises metal particles dispersed within a polymer-based film 9 located on an opposing major surface of glass ply 2. Glazing 8 has the same construction as glazing 5 except that film 9 is attached to corresponding regions of the opposing second major surface and contains metal particles rather than coated glass flakes.

[0094] FIG. 4 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a double glazing unit 10 in accordance with the present invention that utilises coated glass flakes dispersed within a coating. Unit 10 has the same construction as glazing 1 apart from the addition of a further glass ply 11 that is separated from electrically conductive layer 3 by two spacer bars 12.

[0095] The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiments. The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.