REFRIGERATOR DOOR/WINDOW

• US 20140154434A1
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guardian Glass LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Guardian Industries Corporation (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: NUNEZ-REGUEIRO, Jose, MCLEAN, David D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,332,862 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/34
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0434 Glass or transparent panels
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3626 one layer at least containing a nitride, oxynitride, boronitride or carbonitride
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3639 Multilayers containing at least two functional metal layers
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3644 the metal being silver
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3652 the coating stack containing at least one sacrificial layer to protect the metal from oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/366 Low-emissivity or solar control coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/231 In2O3/SnO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/734 comprising an alternation of high and low refractive indexes
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/94 Transparent conductive oxide layers [TCO] being part of a multilayer coating
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/948 Layers comprising indium tin oxide [ITO]
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/365 Coating different sides of a glass substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 3/087 containing calcium oxide, e.g. common sheet or container glass
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 4/0092 for glass with improved high visible transmittance, e.g. extra-clear glass
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/66 Units comprising two or more parallel glass or like panes permanently secured together reforming and uniting glass sheets by fusing C03B23/00; joining glass to glass or to other materials C03C27/00; laminated glass B32B17/10
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/6715 specially adapted for increased thermal insulation or for controlled passage of light E06B3/66323 takes precedence; coating of glass pains C03C17/00; devices or arrangements for controlling the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less

Abstract

Refrigerator doors (which includes freezer doors) are provided for use in display areas where refrigerated merchandise (e.g., frozen or chilled food) is displayed. It is desired to increase energy efficiency of the doors and thus of the refrigerated display system, while at the same time reducing visible reflectance from the doors to make it easier for customers to see merchandise which is being displayed behind the transparent doors. Refrigerator doors according to certain example embodiments of this invention include one or more AR coatings, some of which may include a transparent conductive layer (e.g., ITO) so as to also function as a low-E coating.

Claims

1. A transparent refrigerator door/window comprising:

at least first and second glass substrates of the refrigerator door, the refrigerator door being attached to a refrigerator housing a refrigerated environment;

a sputter-deposited combination anti-reflective and low-E coating on an interior surface of the first glass substrate, so that the sputter-deposited coating is not exposed to the refrigerated environment adjacent the refrigerator door/window or a room environment adjacent the refrigerator door/window;

wherein the sputter-deposited coating comprises a transparent conductive layer comprising indium-tin-oxide (ITO) that is located between at least a dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride and a dielectric layer comprising silicon oxide, and wherein the dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride is located between at least the first glass substrate and the transparent conductive layer comprising ITO.

2. The refrigerator door/window of claim 1, wherein a gap is provided between the first and second glass substrates.

3. The refrigerator door/window of claim 2, wherein the gap is filled with air and/or an inert gas.

4. The refrigerator door/window of claim 2, wherein a spacer seal is provided proximate an edge of the first and second glass substrates in order to couple the first and second glass substrates to one another and to provide the gap.

5. The refrigerator door/window of claim 1, wherein the refrigerator door/window has a visible transmission of at least about 50%.

6. The refrigerator door/window of claim 1, wherein the layer comprising silicon oxynitride is located between and directly contacting the first glass substrate and the transparent conductive layer comprising ITO.

7. The refrigerator door/window of claim 1, wherein the layer comprising silicon oxide directly contacts the transparent conductive layer comprising ITO.

8. The refrigerator door/window of claim 1, wherein the layer comprising silicon oxide is an outermost layer of the coating.

9. The refrigerator door/window of claim 1, wherein the coating consists essentially of the transparent conductive layer comprising indium-tin-oxide (ITO), the dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride, and the dielectric layer comprising silicon oxide.

10. The refrigerator door/window of claim 1, wherein the transparent conductive layer comprising indium-tin-oxide (ITO) has a refractive index (n) at least 0.1 higher than respective refractive indices of the dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride and the dielectric layer comprising silicon oxide.

11. The refrigerator door/window of claim 1, wherein the transparent conductive layer comprising indium-tin-oxide (ITO) has a refractive index (n) at least 0.15 higher than respective refractive indices of the dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride and the dielectric layer comprising silicon oxide.

12. The refrigerator door/window of claim 1, glass of the first and/or second glass substrates comprises the following ingredients at the following weight percentages:

13. The refrigerator door/window of claim 1, wherein the transparent conductive layer comprising ITO is from about 60-220 nm thick.

14. The refrigerator door/window of claim 1, wherein the transparent conductive layer comprising ITO is from about 90-130 nm thick.

15. The refrigerator door/window of claim 1, wherein the second glass substrate is to be located closer to a refrigerated environment adjacent the door/window than is the first glass substrate.

16. The refrigerator door/window of claim 1, wherein the second glass substrate is to be located farther from a refrigerated environment adjacent the door/window than is the first glass substrate.

17. The refrigerator door/window of claim 1, further comprising a third glass substrate, wherein the second glass substrate is located between at least the first and third glass substrates, and wherein another combination anti-reflective and low-E coating is located on an interior surface of the third glass substrate, wherein the another coating comprises a transparent conductive layer comprising indium-tin-oxide (ITO) that is located between at least a dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride and a dielectric layer comprising silicon oxide, and wherein the dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride is located between at least the third glass substrate and the transparent conductive layer comprising ITO of the another coating.

18. The refrigerator door/window of claim 17, wherein an anti-reflective locating is located on an interior surface of the second glass substrate.

19. The refrigerator door/window of claim 1, wherein a low-E coating, including at least one IR reflecting layer comprising silver located between at least first and second dielectric layers, is located on an interior surface of the second glass substrate.

20. The refrigerator door/window of claim 1, wherein the coating has a sheet resistance of less than or equal to about 30 ohms/square.

21. A transparent refrigerator door/window comprising:

at least first and second glass substrates of the refrigerator door, the refrigerator door being attached to a refrigerator housing a refrigerated environment;

a sputter-deposited combination anti-reflective and low-E coating on an interior surface of the first glass substrate, so that the coating is not exposed to the refrigerated environment adjacent the refrigerator door/window or a room environment adjacent the refrigerator door/window;

wherein the sputter-deposited coating comprises an IR reflecting transparent conductive oxide layer having a refractive index of from 1.8 to 2.0 that is located between at least a first dielectric layer having a refractive index of from 1.65 to 1.85 and a second dielectric layer having a refractive index of from 1.5 to 1.7, and wherein the first dielectric layer is located between at least the first glass substrate and the transparent conductive oxide layer; and

wherein the transparent conductive oxide layer has a refractive index (n) at least 0.1 higher than respective refractive indices of the first and second dielectric layers.

22. The refrigerator door/window of claim 21, wherein a gap is provided between the first and second glass substrates, wherein the gap is filled with air and/or an inert gas.

23. The refrigerator door/window of claim 21, wherein the refrigerator door/window has a visible transmission of at least about 50%.

24. The refrigerator door/window of claim 21, wherein the first dielectric layer is located between and directly contacting the first glass substrate and the transparent conductive oxide layer.

25. The refrigerator door/window of claim 21, wherein the second dielectric layer directly contacts the transparent conductive oxide layer.

26. The refrigerator door/window of claim 21, wherein the transparent conductive oxide layer comprises ITO.

27. The refrigerator door/window of claim 26, wherein the transparent conductive oxide layer comprising ITO is from about 90-130 nm thick.

28. A transparent refrigerator door/window comprising:

a glass substrate of the refrigerator door, the refrigerator door being attached to a refrigerator housing a refrigerated environment;

first and second coatings on opposite major surfaces of the glass substrate;

wherein the first coating is an anti-reflection coating or a low-E coating; and

wherein the second coating is a combination anti-reflective and low-E coating that comprises a transparent conductive layer comprising indium-tin-oxide (ITO) that is located between at least a dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride and a dielectric layer comprising silicon oxide, and wherein the dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride is located between at least the glass substrate and the transparent conductive layer comprising ITO.

29. The refrigerator door/window of claim 28, wherein the dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride and/or the dielectric layer comprising silicon oxide is doped with aluminum.

30. The refrigerator door/window of claim 28, wherein the dielectric layer comprising silicon oxide further comprises nitrogen.