Heatable wiper rest area for a transparency

• US 20040084432A1
• Filed: 09/15/2003
• Published: 05/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pittsburgh Glass Works LLC (LKQ Corporation)
• Original Assignee: PPG Industries Ohio Incorporated (Nouryon BV)
• Inventors: Hawk, Allen R., Schwartz, James H.
• Granted Patent: US 6,995,339 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/203
• 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: B60S 1/048 with a heating device for the wiper parking position
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/031 Heaters specially adapted for heating the windscreen wiper area
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/162 Transparent or translucent layer or section

Abstract

The present invention also provides a transparency having a heatable wiper rest area comprising: a first glass sheet having an outer major surface and an inner major surface; a second glass sheet having an outer major surface and an inner major surface, wherein the inner major surface of the first glass sheet faces the inner major surface of the outer glass sheet; an interlayer material securing the inner major surface of the first glass sheet to the inner major surface of the second glass sheet; an opaque band positioned on the inner major surface of the outer glass sheet along at least a portion of a selected edge of the outer glass sheet at an expected wiper rest area; and a wiper rest area heating arrangement. The heating arrangement comprises: an electrically conductive member positioned on either the inner major surface or the outer major surface of the second glass sheet extending along at least a portion of the selected edge of the second glass sheet at the expected wiper rest area; a plurality of bus bars positioned in electrical contact along the conductive member, wherein the plurality of bus bars divides the conductive member into a plurality of adjacent discrete heatable areas; a first lead to electrically interconnect selected ones of the bus bars, the first lead extending along an edge of the conductive member; a second lead to electrically interconnect other selected ones of the bus bars, the second leading extend along the edge of the conductive member, wherein a portion of the first lead and a portion of the second lead overlay each other; and an insulating member positioned between the portion of the first lead and the portion of the second lead to electrically insulate the first lead from the second lead.

Claims

1. A transparency having a heatable wiper rest area comprising:

a rigid transparent sheet having major surface;

an opaque band positioned on the major surface of the sheet along at least a portion of a selected edge of the sheet at an expected wiper rest area; and

a wiper rest area heating arrangement comprising;

an electrically conductive member positioned on the opaque band on the sheet extending along at least a portion of the selected edge of the sheet at the expected wiper rest area;

a plurality of bus bars positioned in electrical contact along the conductive member, wherein the plurality of bus bars divides the electrically conductive member into a plurality of adjacent discrete heatable areas;

a first lead to electrically interconnect selected ones of the bus bars, the first lead extending on the band along an edge of the coating;

a second lead to electrically interconnect other selected ones of the bus bars, the second lead extending on the band along the edge of the coating, such that moving current through the first and second leads and bus bars moves current across the discrete areas to heats the discrete areas, wherein a portion of the first lead and a portion of the second lead overlay each other; and

an insulating member positioned between the portion of the first lead and the portion of the second lead to electrically insulate the first lead from the second lead.

2. The transparency according to claim 1, wherein the first and second leads extend between the edge of the conductive member and the selected edge of the sheet.

3. The transparency according to claim 2, wherein the selected edge of the sheet is a lower edge of the sheet.

4. The transparency according to claim 1, wherein the conductive member is an electrically conductive coating.

5. The transparency according to claim 4, wherein the coating is a multilayered, silver containing coating.

6. The transparency of claim 4, wherein the coating is a first electrically conductive coating and further comprising a second electrically conductive coating positioned along at least a central portion of the major surface of sheet and electrically isolated from the first coating.

7. The transparency according to claim 1, further comprising first and second connectors electrically connected to the first and second leads, respectively, to provide external electrical access to the leads, bus bars and conductive member.

8. The transparency of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bus bars includes at least three spaced bus bars defined as a first bus bar, a second bus bar and a third bus bar, with the second bus bar positioned between the first and third bus bars so as to define a first discrete heatable area between and electrically connecting the first and second bus bars and a second discrete heatable area between and electrically connecting the second and third bus bars, and further wherein the first lead electrically connects the first and third bus bars and the second lead electrically connects to the second bus bar such that moving current through the first and second leads and the bus bars moves current across the first and second discrete areas to heats the discrete areas.

9. The transparency according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is a glass sheet.

10. The transparency of claim 9, wherein the transparency is a automotive backlight.

11. The transparency according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is a first glass sheet, and further including a plastic interlayer and a second glass sheet wherein the interlayer secures the first and second glass sheets together with the heatable member between one of the sheets and the interlayer.

12. A transparency having a heatable wiper rest area comprising:

a first glass sheet having an outer major surface and an inner major surface;

a second glass sheet having an outer major surface and an inner major surface, wherein the inner major surface of the first glass sheet faces the inner major surface of the outer glass sheet;

an interlayer material securing the inner major surface of the first glass sheet to the inner major surface of the second glass sheet;

an opaque band positioned on the inner major surface of the outer glass sheet along at least a portion of a selected edge of the outer glass sheet at an expected wiper rest area; and

a wiper rest area heating arrangement comprising;

an electrically conductive member positioned on either the inner major surface or the outer major surface of the second glass sheet extending along at least a portion of the selected edge of the second glass sheet at the expected wiper rest area;

a plurality of bus bars positioned in electrical contact along the conductive member, wherein the plurality of bus bars divides the conductive member into a plurality of adjacent discrete heatable areas;

a first lead to electrically interconnect selected ones of the bus bars, the first lead extending along an edge of the conductive member;

a second lead to electrically interconnect other selected ones of the bus bars, the second leading extend along the edge of the conductive member, wherein a portion of the first lead and a portion of the second lead overlay each other; and

an insulating member positioned between the portion of the first lead and the portion of the second lead to electrically insulate the first lead from the second lead.

13. The transparency according to claim 12, wherein the first and second leads extend between the edge of the conductive member and the selected edge of the second glass sheet.

14. The transparency according to claim 13, wherein the selected edge of the second glass sheet is a lower edge of the second glass sheet.

15. The transparency according to claim 12, wherein the conductive member is an electrically conductive coating.

16. The transparency according to claim 15, wherein the coating is a multilayered, silver containing coating.

17. The transparency according to claim 15, wherein the coating is a first electrically conductive coating on the inner major surface of the second glass sheet and further comprising a second electrically conductive coating positioned along at least a central portion of the inner major surface of the second glass sheet and electrically isolated from the first coating.

18. The transparency according to claim 12, further comprising first and second connectors electrically connected to the first and second leads, respectively, to provide external electrical access to the leads, bus bars and coating.

19. The transparency according to claim 12, wherein the heatable member extends along the inner major surface of the second glass sheet.

20. The transparency according to claim 12, wherein the transparency is a windshield.

21. The transparency according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of bus bars include at least three spaced bus bars defined as a first bus bar, a second bus bar and a third bus bar, with the second bus bar positioned between the first and third bus bars so as to define a first discrete heatable area between and electrically connecting the first and second bus bars and a second discrete heatable area between and electrically connecting the second and third bus bars, and further wherein the first lead electrically connects the first and third bus bars and the second lead electrically connected to the second bus bar such that moving current through the first and second leads and the bus bars moves current across the first and second discrete areas to heats the discrete areas.

22. A method of making a transparency having a heatable wiper rest area comprising:

providing a rigid transparent sheet having major surface;

applying an opaque band positioned on the major surface of the sheet along at least a portion of a selected edge of the sheet at an expected wiper rest area;

applying an electrically conductive member positioned on the opaque band along at least a portion of the selected edge of the sheet at the expected wiper rest area;

positioning a plurality of bus bars in electrical contact along the conductive member, wherein the plurality of bus bars divides the electrically conductive member into a plurality of adjacent discrete heatable areas;

positioning a first lead on the band and along an edge of the coating to electrically interconnect selected ones of the bus bars;

positioning a second lead along the band and along the edge of the coating to electrically interconnect other selected ones of the bus bars, such that moving current through the first and second leads and bus bars moves current across the discrete areas to heats the discrete areas, wherein a portion of the first lead and a portion of the second lead overlay each other; and

electrically insulating the portion of the first lead from the portion of the second lead.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the sheet is a first glass sheet, and further including securing a second glass sheet to the first glass sheet with a plastic interlayer positioned between the first glass sheet and the second glass sheet.