Wavelength selective applied films with glare control

• US 6,034,813 A
• Filed: 08/24/1998
• Issued: 03/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Southwall Technologies, Inc. (Eastman Chemical Company)
• Original Assignee: Southwall Technologies, Inc. (Eastman Chemical Company)
• Inventors: Jones, David A., Woodard, Floyd Eugene, Furler, Reto
• Primary Examiner(s): HENRY, JON W
• Application Number:
  US09/138,823
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 359/360, 359/585, 359/588, 359/589, 359/590, 359/580, 428/623, 428/336
• US Class Current: 359/360
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10005 laminated safety glass or glazing
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10018 comprising only one glass sheet
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2367/00 Polyesters, e.g. PET, i.e. polyethylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/36 comprising polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/38 at least one coating being a coating of an organic material
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/282 reflecting for infrared and transparent for visible light, e.g. heat reflectors, laser protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12549 Adjacent to each other
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less

Abstract

A solar control film having low visible light transmittance and low visible light reflectance is comprised of a first sheet of transparent substrate material having deposited thereon a solar-load-reduction film for preferentially reducing infrared light energy transmitted through the film, and a second sheet of transparent substrate material having deposited thereon a thin, transparent film of metal effective to partially block light transmittance, wherein the first sheet of transparent substrate and the second sheet of transparent substrate are separated by an optically massive layer that prevents the constructive and destructive interference of reflected light. A preferred embodiment of a solar control film includes, in order, a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, a polyethylene terephthalate layer, a Fabry-Perot interference filter layer, an adhesive layer, a grey metal layer, another polyethylene terephthalate layer, and a hardcoat layer. The preferred solar control film provides wavelength selectivity in the infrared range while controlling visible light transmission and minimizing visual light reflectance.

Claims

1. A solar control film having low visible light transmittance and low visible light reflectance comprising:

a first sheet of transparent substrate material having deposited thereon a solar-load-reduction (SLR) film for preferentially reducing infrared light energy transmitted through said SLR film, said SLR film comprising a film stack on a first surface of said first sheet, said film stack including at least a first dielectric film proximate to said first sheet, a first metal film, a second dielectric film, a second metal film, and a third dielectric film;

a second sheet of transparent substrate material having deposited thereon a transparent film of metal effective to partially block light transmittance and to have a low visible light reflectance; and

an optically massive layer located between said first and second transparent substrates.

2. The solar control film of claim 1 wherein said optically massive layer has optical characteristics that retard constructive and destructive interference of light reflected between said first sheet and said second sheet.

3. The solar control film of claim 1 wherein said optically massive layer is a transparent layer with a refractive index between 1.4 and 1.7 and a thickness greater than 1 micrometer.

4. The solar control film of claim 1 wherein said optically massive layer is a laminating adhesive that is located directly between said SLR film and said transparent film of metal.

5. The solar control film of claim 4 wherein said second transparent substrate is affixed to a window such that said second transparent substrate is nearer to said window than said first transparent substrate.

6. A solar control film having low visible light transmittance and low visible light reflectance comprising:

a first sheet of transparent substrate material having deposited thereon a Fabry-Perot interference filter for preferentially reducing infrared light energy transmitted through said film, said interference filter comprising a film stack on a first surface of said first sheet, said film stack including at least a first oxide film proximate to said first sheet, a first metal film, a second oxide film, a second metal film, and a third oxide film;

a second sheet of transparent substrate material having deposited thereon a transparent layer of metal effective to partially block light transmittance and to have a low visible light reflectance; and

an optically massive layer located between said first and second transparent substrates.

7. The solar control film of claim 6 wherein said layer of metal is a layer of grey metal.

8. The solar control film of claim 7 wherein said layer of grey metal is a layer of nickel chromium.

9. The solar control film of claim 7 wherein said grey metal has an A_VIS /R_VIS ratio of greater than 0.6 and a thickness range of 1-50 nm.

10. A solar control film having low visible light transmittance and low visible light reflectance comprising:

a first sheet of transparent substrate material having first and second sides;

a solar-load-reduction film stack on said second side of said first sheet of transparent substrate, said film stack including;

a first oxide layer on said second side of said second sheet of transparent substrate;

a first metal layer on said first oxide layer;

a second oxide layer on said first metal layer;

a second metal layer on said second oxide layer; and

a third oxide layer on said second metal layer;

a second sheet of transparent substrate material having first and second sides;

a thin, transparent layer of grey metal on said second side of said second sheet of transparent substrate material; and

a layer of adhesive between said solar-load-reduction film stack on said first sheet of transparent substrate material and said thin, transparent layer of metal on said second sheet of transparent substrate material.

11. The solar control film of claim 10 wherein said thin, transparent layer of grey metal is a nickel chromium layer.

12. The solar control film of claim 11 wherein said nickel chromium layer has an A_VIS /R_VIS ratio of greater than 0.6.

13. The solar control film of claim 12 wherein said A_VIS /R_VIS ratio for said nickel chromium layer in the range of 1.07-1.44.

14. The solar control film of claim 10 wherein said first, second, and third oxide layers have refractive indices greater than 1.5 and contribute no more than 10% to the total absorption of the solar control coating.

15. The solar control film of claim 14 wherein said first metal layer and said second metal layer include silver alloy with less than 50% gold or copper.

16. The solar control film of claim 10 wherein said solar-load-reduction film stack layer thickness ranges are:

said first oxide layer=15-60 nanometers;

said first metal layer=4-25 nanometers;

said second oxide layer=30-1200 nanometers;

said second metal layer=4-25 nanometers; and

said third oxide layer=15-60 nanometers.

17. The solar control film of claim 10 further including a second thin, transparent layer of grey metal on said first side of said second sheet of transparent substrate material.

18. The solar control film of claim 10 further including:

a third sheet of transparent substrate material having first and second sides; and

a thin, transparent layer of grey metal on said second side of said third sheet of transparent substrate material;

wherein said layer of grey metal on said third sheet is affixed to said first side of said second sheet of transparent substrate material.

19. The solar control film of claim 10 wherein said solar-load-reduction film stack further includes a third metal layer on said third oxide layer and a fourth oxide layer on said third metal layer.

20. The solar control film of claim 10 further including:

a pressure-sensitive adhesive directly adjacent to said first side of said first sheet of transparent substrate material; and

a hardcoat layer directly adjacent to said first side of said second sheet of transparent substrate material.