Vehicle windshield with fractal antenna(s)
First Claim
1. A vehicle windshield comprising:
- first and second substrates laminated to one another via at least a polymer inclusive interlayer, the first substrate being an exterior substrate and the second substrate being an interior substrate where the exterior substrate is further from an interior of the vehicle than is the interior substrate;
at least one fractal antenna located at least partially between said interior and exterior substrates, wherein said fractal antenna is supported by the exterior substrate so as to be located between the exterior substrate and the polymer inclusive interlayer; and
a low-E coating including at least one layer comprising Ag provided on the interior substrate so as to be located between the interior substrate and the polymer inclusive interlayer, so that the fractal antenna and the low-E coating are on opposite sides of the polymer inclusive interlayer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A fractal antenna is patterned out of a conductive layer (e.g., Cu, Au, ITO, etc.), and is provided between first and second opposing substrates of a vehicle windshield. A polymer inclusive interlayer functions to both protect the fractal antenna(s) and laminate the opposing substrates to one another. In other embodiments, a multiband fractal antenna is provided which includes a first group of triangular shaped antenna portions, and a second triangular shaped antenna portion(s), wherein each of the triangular shaped antenna portions of the first group is located within a periphery of the second triangular shaped antenna portion. The first group of antenna portions transmits and/or receives at a first frequency band, while the second antenna portion(s) transmits and/or receives at a second frequency band different than the first band.
152 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A vehicle windshield comprising:
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first and second substrates laminated to one another via at least a polymer inclusive interlayer, the first substrate being an exterior substrate and the second substrate being an interior substrate where the exterior substrate is further from an interior of the vehicle than is the interior substrate;
at least one fractal antenna located at least partially between said interior and exterior substrates, wherein said fractal antenna is supported by the exterior substrate so as to be located between the exterior substrate and the polymer inclusive interlayer; and
a low-E coating including at least one layer comprising Ag provided on the interior substrate so as to be located between the interior substrate and the polymer inclusive interlayer, so that the fractal antenna and the low-E coating are on opposite sides of the polymer inclusive interlayer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of making a vehicle windshield, the method comprising:
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providing first and second substrates;
forming a first conductive layer on the first substrate;
forming a resist on the first substrate over the first conductive layer;
patterning the first conductive layer into a shape of a fractal antenna using the resist, thereby leaving the fractal antenna on the first substrate;
forming a low-E coating including at least one IR reflecting layer on the second substrate; and
laminating the first substrate with the fractal antenna thereon to the second substrate via a polymer inclusive layer, so that the fractal antenna and the low-E coating are supported by opposite substrates with the polymer inclusive layer therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of making a vehicle window, the method comprising:
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printing a fractal conductive antenna layer on a polymer inclusive film, said polymer inclusive film also supporting an adhesive layer and a release layer;
removing the release layer, and adhering the polymer inclusive film with the fractal conductive antenna layer thereon to a substrate; and
laminating the substrate to another substrate via a polymer inclusive interlayer in the process of forming a vehicle window, so that a low-E coating and the fractal antenna layer are spaced apart from one another with the polymer inclusive interlayer therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A method of making a vehicle window, the method comprising:
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forming a fractal layer on a polymer inclusive layer; and
after forming the fractal layer on the polymer inclusive layer, laminating first and second substrates to one another via the polymer inclusive layer so that following said laminating the fractal layer is sandwiched between the substrates. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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Specification