Electrically-heated window sheet material

• US 10,237,922 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2015
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AGC, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AGC, Inc.
• Inventors: Kagaya, Osamu, Tominaga, Hiromasa, Takahashi, Tomohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Ross, Dana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Iskra, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/801,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20150319809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 219522, 343713, 343704, 343909, 343767, 343711, 343768, 428155, 428172, 428209, 428213
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/002 Heaters using a particular layout for the resistive material or resistive elements
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/013 Heaters using resistive films or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/037 Heaters with zones of different power density
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/0004 Devices wherein the heating current flows through the material to be heated Circuit arrangements for heating by passing the current directly across the material to be heated H05B3/0023; granular, powdered or fluid material H05B3/60
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/20 Heating elements having extended surface area substantially in a two-dimensional plane, e.g. plate-heater H05B3/62, H05B3/68, H05B3/78, H05B3/84 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/84 Heating arrangements specially adapted for transparent or reflecting areas, e.g. for demisting or de-icing windows, mirrors or vehicle windshields

Abstract

A sheet includes a conductive film, and bus bars including an upper and lower bus bars connected to upper and lower sides of the conductive film. The conductive film includes a recess, a first region between the upper bus bar and the lower bus bar, a second region that is another region between the upper and lower bus bars, and openings in the first region. The upper or lower bus bar is formed along a side of the conductive film including the recess. The first region is between a bus bar at which the recess is positioned and another bus bar facing the recess. A distance between the upper and lower bus bars is shorter in the first region than in the second region. The openings are formed in an upper or a lower part of the first region on a side of the another bus bar.

Claims

1. An electrically-heated window sheet material, comprising:

a heatable transparent conductive film having an upper side and a lower side; and

a plurality of bus bars positioned to supply electricity to the transparent conductive film and comprising an upper bus bar and a lower bus such that the upper bus bar is connected to the upper side of the transparent conductive film and the lower bus bar is connected to the lower side of the transparent conductive film,

wherein the transparent conductive film has a first region formed in a band shape extending between the upper and lower bus bars such that the upper side of the transparent conductive film has a recess portion formed in the first region and recessed toward the lower side of the transparent conductive film and that the transparent conductive film has a plurality of openings formed in the first region and positioned in a portion of the first region within 400 mm from the lower side of the transparent conductive film along the lower side of the transparent conductive film to face the recess portion and to generate a current flow bypassing the openings between the upper and lower bus bars, the transparent conductive film has a second region formed in a band shape extending between the upper and lower bus bars and a third region formed in a band shape extending between the upper and lower bus bars such that the first region is interposed between the second and third regions, and the transparent conductive film includes a frequency selective surface in the first region such that the frequency selective surface transmits a vertically polarized electromagnetic wave of a predetermined frequency through the plurality of openings.

2. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings includes a plurality of first openings and a plurality of second openings formed at spaced-intervals in a vertical direction of the transparent conductive film, and a plurality of third openings formed such that a respective one of the third openings is positioned to contact or overlap with a region extending between respective ones of the first and second openings.

3. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings is formed in a staggered manner in a vertical direction of the transparent conductive film.

4. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the openings has a horizontal dimension of greater than or equal to (½

)·

λ

_g, and the electrically-heated window sheet material has a wavelength of λ

_g=λ

₀·

k where λ

₀ is an atmospheric wavelength of a center frequency of a frequency band of the predetermined frequency, and k is a shortening coefficient of wavelength by the electrically-heated window sheet material.

5. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings includes a plurality of vertical openings each having a vertical dimension.

6. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings includes a plurality of cross openings each having a linear vertical opening and a linear horizontal opening intersecting the linear vertical opening.

7. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings includes a plurality of linear vertical openings and a plurality of linear horizontal openings spaced apart from the linear vertical openings, respectively.

8. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transparent conductive film is formed such that the plurality of openings is formed in a portion of the first region within 300 mm from the lower side of the transparent conductive film.

9. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transparent conductive film is formed such that the plurality of openings is formed in a portion of the first region within 200 mm from the lower side of the transparent conductive film.

10. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transparent conductive film is formed such that the plurality of openings includes a plurality of horizontally elongated openings extending along the other one of the bus bars in a horizontal direction of the transparent conductive film.

11. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of the openings has a horizontal dimension of greater than or equal to (½

)˜

λ

_g, and the electrically-heated window sheet material has a wavelength of λ

_g=λ

₀·

k where λ

₀ is an atmospheric wavelength of a center frequency of a frequency band of the predetermined frequency, and k is a shortening coefficient of wavelength by the electrically-heated window sheet material.

12. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 2, wherein the transparent conductive film is formed such that the plurality of openings is formed in a portion of the first region within 300 mm from the lower side of the transparent conductive film.

13. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 2, wherein the transparent conductive film is formed such that the plurality of openings is formed in a portion of the first region within 200 mm from the lower side of the transparent conductive film.

14. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 3, wherein the transparent conductive film is formed such that the plurality of openings is formed in a portion of the first region within 300 mm from the lower side of the transparent conductive film.

15. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 3, wherein the transparent conductive film is formed such that the plurality of openings is formed in a portion of the first region within 200 mm from the lower side of the transparent conductive film.

16. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 11, wherein the transparent conductive film is formed such that the plurality of openings is formed in a portion of the first region within 300 mm from the lower side of the transparent conductive film.

17. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 11, wherein the transparent conductive film is formed such that the plurality of openings is formed in a portion of the first region within 200 mm from the lower side of the transparent conductive film.

18. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 4, wherein the transparent conductive film is formed such that the plurality of openings is formed in a portion of the first region within 300 mm from the lower side of the transparent conductive film.

19. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 5, wherein the transparent conductive film is formed such that the plurality of openings is formed in a portion of the first region within 300 mm from the lower side of the transparent conductive film.

20. The electrically-heated window sheet material as claimed in claim 6, wherein the transparent conductive film is formed such that the plurality of openings is formed in a portion of the first region within 300 mm from the lower side of the transparent conductive film.