Electrically heatable vision unit

• US 4,725,710 A
• Filed: 11/07/1985
• Issued: 02/16/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Automotive Components Holdings LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Reid, Patricia B., Tweadey, Robert F., Ramus, Kevin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bartis, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US06/795,804
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 219/203, 219/522, 219/543, 219/547, 219/345, 219/541, 338/308, 338/309, 52/170, 52/171
• US Class Current: 219/203
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/013 Heaters using resistive films or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/016 Heaters using particular connecting means
• 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: H05B 3/86 the heating conductors being embedded in the transparent or reflecting material H05B3/845 takes precedence

Abstract

An improved electrically heated vision unit in which heat can be concentrated in a selected zone or zones thereof includes at least one sheet of a relatively rigid transparent material (12) having a ceramic enamel (14) extending along at least two opposite edges on one surface thereof. A bus bar is associated with each ceramic enamel on each edge of the sheet and has at least one narrow portion (18) overlying and bonded to an associated one of the ceramic enamel, and at least one wide portion (20) in part overlying and bonded to an associated one of said ceramic enamel and in part overlying and bonded to said one surface of the transparent material. The narrow portions and the wide portions of the pair of bus bars are in register with like portions on an opposed one of the bus bars. An electrically conductive transparent coating (22) of generally uniform thickness and composition extends between the pair of bus bars with sections thereof between juxtaposed wide portions of the pair of bus bars being bonded only to the wide portions of the bus bars and the one surface of the transparent material, and with other sections thereof between juxtaposed narrow portions of the pair of bus bars being bonded to the narrow portions of the bus bars, the ceramic enamel and the one surface of the transparent material. Structure is provided for supplying electrical energy to the bus bars and through the conductive coating.

Claims

1. An improved electrically heatable vision unit in which heat can be concentrated in a selected zone or zones thereof, which comprises:

a transparent vision unit including at least one sheet of a relatively rigid transparent material;

a ceramic enamel bonded to and extending along at least two opposite edges on one surface of said transparent material;

a pair of electrically conductive bus bars, one associated with said ceramic enamel on each edge of said transparent material, each of said bus bars having (i) at least one narrow portion overlying and bonded to an associated one of said ceramic enamel at a position spaced inwardly from an edge of said associated one of said ceramic enamel which is located across from an edge of said other associated one of said ceramic enamel, and (ii) at least one wide portion in part overlying and bonded to an associated one of said ceramic enamel and in part overlying and bonded to said one surface of said transparent material, said narrow portions and said wide portions of said pair of bus bars being in register with like portions on an opposed one of said bus bars;

a transparent electrically conductive coating of generally uniform thickness and composition extending between said pair of bus bars, sections of said electrically conductive coating between juxtaposed wide portions of said pair of bus bars being bonded only to said wide portions of said bus bars and said one surface of said transparent material, while other sections of said electrically conductive coating between juxtaposed narrow portions of said pair of bus bars being bonded to said narrow portions of said pair of bus bars, said ceramic enamel, and said one surface of said transparent material, whereby said juxtaposed wide portions of said bus bars carry more current therebetween thereby concentrating more heat in the zone of the vision unit therebetween; and

means for supplying electrical energy to said bus bars so that electrical energy can flow through said electrically conductive coating extending between said bus bars.

2. The vision unit of claim 1, wherein said sheet of relatively rigid transparent material is a sheet of glass.

3. The vision unit of claim 1, wherein said sheet of relatively rigid transparent material is one of a pair of glass sheets forming a laminated windshield.

4. The vision unit of claim 1, wherein said ceramic enamel extends around the entire perimeter of the relatively rigid transparent material.

5. The vision unit of claim 1, wherein said relatively rigid transparent material is rectangular in configuration and said juxtaposed portions of said pair of bus bars are of equal lengths.

6. The vision unit of claim 1, wherein said relatively rigid transparent material is trapezoidal in configuration and the length of said juxtaposed portions of said pair of bus bars are in a ratio to one another as the ratio of the shorter side of said trapezoidal transparent material is to its longer side.