ON-GLASS ANTENNA

• US 20010013841A1
• Filed: 06/15/1998
• Published: 08/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pittsburgh Glass Works LLC (LKQ Corporation)
• Original Assignee: PPG Industries Ohio Incorporated (Nouryon BV)
• Inventors: WINTER, JOHN A., BELLI, CHERYL E., DISHART, PETER T., MICHELOTTI, DONALD P., SUTARA, STEVE J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,384,790 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/700MS
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1271 for mounting on windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1278 in association with heating wires or layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1285 with capacitive feeding through the windscreen

Abstract

The present invention provides a transparent antenna including a transparent dielectric substrate, an electroconductive antenna element positioned along a major surface of the substrate, an electroconductive patch capacitively or directly connected to the antenna element, and a connector secured to the patch to permit transfer of signals generated by the antenna element to an electromagnetic energy transmitting and/or receiving device. The patch, is configured to have a visibility coefficient (i.e. a ratio of the non-opaque area to the total area) between 0 and 1. In one particular embodiment of the invention, the antenna element includes one or more transparent, electroconductive coatings positioned between first and second glass plies of a windshield for a motor vehicle and the electroconductive patch is applied to an exposed major surface of the windshield such that it overlays at least a portion of the antenna element and is capacitively coupled to the antenna element. The patch is may be formed from an opaque electroconductive ceramic IR, UV, thermoplastic or thermoset paint.

Claims

1. A transparent antenna comprising:

a transparent dielectric substrate;

an electroconductive antenna element positioned along a major surface of said substrate;

an electroconductive patch having opaque elements electrically connected to said antenna element, wherein said patch has a visibility coefficient between 0 and 1; and

a connector secured to said patch to permit transfer of signals generated by said antenna element to an electromagnetic energy transmitting and/or receiving device.

2. The antenna as in

claim 1

wherein said opaque elements of said patch are formed from material selected from the group consisting of electroconductive ceramic IR paints, electroconductive ceramic thermoplastic paints, electroconductive ceramic thermoset paints, and electroconductive ceramic UV paints.

3. The antenna as in

claim 1

wherein said transparent substrate is a glass ply, said antenna element is a transparent electroconductive coating applied to said major surface of said glass ply, and said patch includes an opaque electroconductive paint in direct electrical contact with selected portions of said electroconductive coating.

4. The antenna as in

claim 1

wherein said transparent substrate is a glass ply, said antenna element is a transparent electroconductive coating applied to said major surface of said glass ply, and said patch includes a nonelectroconductive material applied in a predetermined pattern over a portion of said electroconductive coating and an opaque electroconductive paint applied over selected portions of said nonelectroconductive material such that said electroconductive paint is spaced from and capacitively coupled to said electroconductive coating.

5. The antenna as in

claim 1

wherein said transparent substrate is a glass ply, said antenna element is a transparent electroconductive coating applied to said major surface of said glass ply, and said patch includes an opaque electroconductive paint applied along an opposing major surface of said glass ply such that said paint overlays at least a portion of said coating and is capacitively coupled to said electroconductive coating.

6. The antenna as in

claim 1

wherein said patch includes a plurality of interconnected opaque elements forming a pattern having a visibility coefficient of 0.1 to 0.95.

7. A transparent antenna for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a first glass ply;

a second glass ply secured in overlaying relation to said first glass ply to form a windshield;

a transparent electroconductive antenna element positioned between said first and second glass plies;

an electroconductive patch positioned at least in close proximity to an exposed major surface of said second ply, and including opaque elements forming a pattern which overlays at least a portion of said antenna element to capacitively couple with said antenna element, wherein said patch has a visibility coefficient between 0 and 1; and

a connector secured to said patch to permit transfer of signals generated by said antenna element to an electromagnetic energy transmitting and/or receiving device.

8. The antenna as in

claim 7

wherein said antenna element is a transparent electroconductive coating applied to a major surface of said first ply and said patch includes an opaque coating applied to said exposed major surface of said second ply.

9. The antenna as in

claim 8

wherein said patch is spaced a sufficient distance from any electroconductive elements of said motor vehicle to prevent degradation of said signal due to electrical interaction between said patch and said electroconductive elements of said motor vehicle.

10. The antenna as in

claim 8

wherein said patch has a visibility coefficient of 0.1 to 0.95.

11. The antenna as in

claim 10

wherein said antenna element is a first antenna element positioned at least on a central portion of said major surface of said first ply of said windshield and spaced from and extending along peripheral edges of said first ply, and at least one additional antenna element positioned on said first major surface of said first ply between said first antenna element and a selected peripheral edge of said first ply, wherein said patch overlays at least a portion of said additional antenna element.

12. The antenna as in

claim 10

wherein said opaque coating of said patch is formed from material selected from the group consisting of electroconductive ceramic IR paints, electroconductive ceramic thermoplastic paints, electroconductive ceramic thermoset paints, and electroconductive ceramic UV paints.

13. The antenna as in

claim 10

wherein said patch is spaced a sufficient distance from any electroconductive elements of said motor vehicle to prevent degradation of said signal due to electrical interaction between said patch and said electroconductive elements of said motor vehicle.

14. The antenna as in

claim 10

wherein said patch has a visibility coefficient of 0.1 to 0.5.

15. The antenna as in

claim 10

wherein said patch has a visibility coefficient of 0.5 to 0.95.

16. The antenna as in

claim 10

wherein said patch further includes a transparent electroconductive coating.

17. The antenna as in

claim 10

wherein said patch further includes an opaque pad portion of electroconductive material for securing said connector to said patch.

18. The antenna as in

claim 17

wherein said patch includes a first section spaced from an edge of said second substrate and a second section extending from said first section toward said edge of said second substrate, wherein said opaque pad portion is positioned within said second portion of said patch.

19. A connector for electrically connecting to a transparent antenna element positioned along a major surface of a transparent dielectric substrate, comprising;

first opaque electroconductive elements forming a pattern with selected portions corresponding to selected portions of said antenna element, wherein said pattern has a visibility coefficient between 0 and 1; and

a second opaque electroconductive element to secure a lead to said connector to permit transfer of signals generated by said antenna element to an electromagnetic energy transmitting and/or receiving device.

21. The antenna as in

claim 19

wherein said patch has a visibility coefficient of 0.1 to 0.95.

20. The antenna as in clam 19 wherein said patch further including a transparent electroconductive coating.

22. The antenna as in clam 21 wherein said first and second elements are an opaque electroconductive ceramic paint.

23. A method of making a transparent antenna comprising the steps of:

positioning an electroconductive antenna element at least in close proximity to a major surface of a rigid transparent dielectric ply;

configuring an electroconductive patch with opaque elements forming a pattern having a visibility coefficient between 0 and 1;

positioning said patch such that said patch is electrically connected to said antenna element; and

securing a lead to said patch to permit transfer of signals generated by said antenna element to an electromagnetic energy transmitting and/or receiving device.

24. The method as in

claim 23

wherein said ply is a glass ply and said first positioning step includes the step of applying a transparent electroconductive coating to said major surface of said ply, and said second positioning step includes the step of positioning said patch on said major surface such that said patch is in direct electrical contact with said coating.

25. The method as in

claim 23

wherein said ply is a glass ply and said first positioning step includes the step of applying a transparent electroconductive coating to said major surface of said glass ply, and said second positioning step includes the step of positioning said patch in spaced apart relation from said coating such that said patch overlays at least a portion of said antenna element and is capacitively coupled to said antenna element.

26. The method as in

claim 25

further including the step of securing a second glass ply to said first glass ply to form a laminate, such that said antenna element is between said first and second plies, and wherein said second positioning step includes the step of applying said electroconductive patch to an exposed major surface of said laminate.

27. The method as in

claim 23

wherein said ply is a glass ply and said first positioning step includes the step of applying a transparent electroconductive coating to said major surface of said glass ply, and said second positioning step includes the step of positioning said patch on an opposing major surface of said glass ply such that said patch overlays at least a portion of said antenna element and is capacitively coupled to said antenna element.