Automobiles Having a Radiant Barrier

• US 20110013272A1
• Filed: 07/14/2009
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RO Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Bart Wilson, Seth Wilson, Stephen S. Wilson
• Inventors: Wilson, Bart, Wilson, Seth, Wilson, Stephen S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,361,260 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/359
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/08 Insulating elements, e.g. for sound insulation sound insulating linings for trains B61D17/185; drivers' cabs for load-carrying vehicles insulated against vibrations or noise B62D33/0604; thermal or acoustic insulation of engines F02B77/11; damping of sounds using compensation by electro-acoustic methods G10K11/178
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1471 Protective layer

Abstract

An automobile or vehicle having a high efficiency solar control system is provided. The automobile may have a painted surface and a film mounted to its exterior side. The film may reflect solar radiation in the near and mid infrared ranges yet allow high transmission of light in the visible range such that the painted panel may be seen. The film may have a layer of silver which reflects the solar radiation in the near and mid infrared ranges. Since the silver is susceptible to oxidation and turns the silver into a black body which absorbs the near and mid infrared radiation, the film may be designed to slow the rate of oxidation of the silver layer to an acceptable level. The silver layer may be sandwiched between the glass which does not allow oxygen to diffuse there through and reach the layer of silver and a stack of sacrificial layers having a certain thickness which slows down the rate of oxygen diffusion to an acceptable level.

Claims

1. An automobile comprising:

a metallic panel defining an exterior side;

a paint layer disposed on the exterior side of the metallic panel, the paint defining an exterior side;

a film attached to the exterior side of the paint layer for reflecting infrared radiation away from the metallic panel, the film comprising;

an infrared reflecting layer defining an interior side and an exterior side, the interior side of the infrared reflecting layer attached to the exterior side of the paint layer, the infrared reflecting layer having an embedded infrared reflecting core which comprises one or more layers of silver and one or more layers of dielectric for reflecting infrared radiation;

one or more protective layers removeably attached to the exterior side of the infrared reflecting layer for mitigating oxidation of the silver layer and for providing a sacrificial top layer which can be removed when the top layer is damaged due to UV exposure or oxidation.

2. The automobile of claim 1 wherein a plurality of film pieces are attached to the exterior side of the paint layer which as an aggregate covers a portion of the automobile.

3. The automobile of claim 2 wherein at least one of the plurality of film pieces has a straight elongate configuration, triangular configuration, rectangular configuration, circular configuration or semi-circular configuration.

4. The automobile of claim 2 wherein the plurality of film pieces are butted up against each other edge to edge.

5. The automobile of claim 1 further comprising an adhesive layer disposed between the infrared reflecting layer and the paint layer for adhering the film to the paint layer.

6. The automobile of claim 1 wherein the infrared reflecting layer is generally transparent to visible spectrum of light.

7. The automobile of claim 1 wherein the infrared reflecting layer is biaxially-oriented polyethelene terephthalate.

8. The automobile of claim 1 wherein the silver layer and dielectric layer alternate.

9. The automobile of claim 1 wherein the protective layers are peelably adhered to one another.

10. The automobile of claim 1 wherein an exterior side of each of the protective layers has an ultraviolet light absorbing hard coat.

11. The automobile of claim 5 wherein the adhesive is an ultraviolet light absorbing adhesive.

12. A method for reducing solar radiation load within an automobile, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a film for reflecting infrared radiation, the film comprising;

an infrared reflecting layer defining an interior side and an exterior side, the infrared reflecting layer having an embedded infrared reflecting core which comprises one or more layers of silver and one or more layers of dielectric for reflecting infrared radiation; and

one or more protective layers removeably attached to the exterior side of the infrared reflecting layer for mitigating oxidation of the silver layer and for providing a sacrificial top layer which can be removed when the top layer is damaged due to UV exposure or oxidation; and

attaching an interior side of the infrared reflecting layer to an exterior side of the automobile.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the attaching step comprising the step of adhering the interior side of the infrared reflecting layer to the exterior side of the automobile.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the exterior side of the automobile is at least one of a roof, hood, and trunk.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of providing a stack of sacrificial layers removeably attached to each other such that a top most sacrificial layer may be removed and discarded when the top most protective layer is damaged due to ultraviolet exposure and/or oxidation.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the providing the film step comprises the step of providing a plurality of film pieces, and the attaching step comprises the step of butting up film pieces against each other edge to edge.

17. An automobile comprising:

a metallic panel defining an exterior side;

a paint layer disposed on the exterior side of the metallic panel, the paint defining an exterior side;

a film attached to the exterior side of the paint layer for reflecting infrared radiation away from the metallic panel, the film comprising;

infrared reflecting core which comprises one or more layers of silver and one or more layers of dielectric for reflecting infrared radiation, the infrared reflecting core defining opposed first and second sides;

a first protective layers attached to the first side of the infrared reflecting layer, the first protective layer having a first thickness;

a second protective layer attached to the second side of the infrared reflecting layer and the paint layer, the second protective layer having a second thickness, the first thickness being greater than the second thickness;

wherein the first and second protective layers provide structural support to the one or more silver layers, and the thicker first protective layer mitigates oxidation of the one or more silver layers caused by oxygen diffusion through the first protective layer.

18. The automobile of claim 17 further comprising a stack of sacrificial layers removeably attached to each other such that a top most sacrificial layer may be removed and discarded when the top most protective layer is damaged due to ultraviolet light exposure and/or oxidation.

19. The automobile of claim 18 wherein the sacrificial layers are removeably adhered to each other.