Reduced ultraviolet radiation transmitting, variable transmission, glazing assembly

• US 6,819,467 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2001
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lynam, Niall R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lester, Evelyn A.
• Application Number:
  US09/973,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20020041424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 359/265-275
• US Class Current: 359/275
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10005 laminated safety glass or glazing
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10064 comprising at least two glass sheets, only one of which being an outer layer
• 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 17/10302 Edge sealing
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/1033 Laminated safety glass or glazing containing temporary protective coatings or layers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10339 Specific parts of the laminated safety glass or glazing being colored or tinted tinted glass sheet B32B17/1011; tinted interlayer B32B17/10651
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10513 Electrochromic layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10761 containing vinyl acetal
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2367/00 Polyesters, e.g. PET, i.e. polyethylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/04 adjustable in transparency
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/088 using a cell of electrically changeable optical characteristic, e.g. liquid-crystal or electrochromic mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1333 Constructional arrangements; Manufacturing methodsG02F1/135, G02F1/136 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1503 caused by oxidation-reduction reactions in organic liquid solutions, e.g. viologen solutions
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1533 structural features not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/157 Structural association of cells with optical devices, e.g. reflectors or illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2001/1536 additional, e.g. protective, layer inside the cell

Abstract

A glazing/window assembly with reduced ultraviolet (UV) radiation transmission may include at least a pair of glass panels or other elements confining an electrochromic medium therebetween. Ultraviolet radiation reducing material is incorporated for reducing ultraviolet radiation transmission through the assembly. The ultraviolet radiation reducing material comprises at least one of an ultraviolet absorber, an ultraviolet absorbing polymer, and an ultraviolet absorbing glass. At least one of a laminated glass panel, tempered glass panel and a polymeric layer is provided to prevent injury upon impact to the assembly. A color tint may be included in the assembly to provide a tint to transmitted light.

Claims

1. A reduced ultraviolet transmitting, safety-protected, variable transmission, vehicular glazing assembly suitable for use in a vehicle having an interior and an exterior, said assembly comprising:

at least first and second spaced optically transparent panels, said first panel located closest to the exterior of the vehicle when said assembly is mounted in the vehicle and said second panel located closest to the interior of the vehicle when said assembly is mounted in the vehicle;

said first and said second panels each having a front surface and an opposing rear surface, said rear surface of said first panel facing and spaced from said front surface of said second panel defining a space between said first and second panels, said rear surface of said first panel and said front surface of said second panel coated with a transparent electrical conductor;

a variable transmission medium disposed in said space whose visible light transmittance is variable upon the application of an electric field thereto;

ultraviolet radiation reducing means incorporated in said assembly for reducing ultraviolet radiation transmission through said assembly wherein said ultraviolet radiation reducing means comprises at least one of an ultraviolet absorber, an ultraviolet absorbing polymer and an ultraviolet absorbing glass; and

safety means incorporated in said assembly for preventing injury upon impact to said assembly, said safety means comprising at least one of a laminated glass panel, a tempered glass panel and a polymeric layer.

2. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein said glazing assembly comprises a vehicle window.

3. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein said glazing assembly comprises a vehicle sunroof.

4. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein said glazing assembly comprises a vehicle sun visor.

5. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein said glazing assembly comprises a vehicle shade band.

6. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of said first and second panels comprises a tempered, glass panel.

7. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 6 wherein each of said first and second panels comprises a tempered, glass panel.

8. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein at least said first panel comprises a tempered, glass panel.

9. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of said first and second panels comprises a tinted glass panel.

10. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 9 wherein said tinted glass panel has a tint selected from the group consisting of a blue tint, a green tint, a blue/green tint, a bronze tint and a gray tint.

11. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein said safety means comprises a polymeric layer, said polymeric layer being disposed on said rear surface of said second panel for preventing lacerative injuries should said second panel crack or break;

said polymeric layer comprising a single-layer polymer film.

12. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 11 wherein said single-layer polymer film comprises polyurethane.

13. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein said safety means comprises a polymeric layer, said polymeric layer being disposed on said rear surface of said second panel for preventing lacerative injuries should said second panel crack or break;

said polymeric layer comprising a two-layer polymer film.

14. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 13 wherein one layer of said two-layer polymer film comprises plasticized polyvinylbutyral.

15. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 14 wherein the other layer of said two-layer polymer film comprises polyester and wherein said polyvinylbutyral layer is disposed between said polyester layer and said rear surface of said second panel.

16. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein the transparent electrical conductor on at least one of said rear surface of said first panel and said front surface of said second panel comprises one of indium tin oxide, doped tin oxide and doped zinc oxide.

17. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein the transparent electrical conductor on both of said rear surface of said first panel and said front surface of said second panel comprises one of indium tin oxide, doped tin oxide and doped zinc oxide.

18. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein the transparent electrical conductor on both of said rear surface of said first panel and said front surface of said second panel comprises indium tin oxide.

19. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of said first and second panels comprises a specialized glass transmitting in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and having reduced transmission in the ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

20. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein at least said first panel comprises a specialized glass transmitting in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and having reduced transmission in the ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

21. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 20 wherein at least said first panel comprises a tempered, glass panel.

22. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 21 wherein at least said first panel comprises a glass panel bent to a compound curvature.

23. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein said assembly incorporates spectrally absorbing means for absorbing more light in those regions of the visible spectrum from about 560 nanometers to about 780 nanometers than is absorbed in those regions of the visible spectrum from about 400 nanometers to about 560 nanometers.

24. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein said ultraviolet radiation reducing means comprises an additive for absorbing, blocking and/or screening ultraviolet radiation.

25. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 24 wherein said additive is selected from the group consisting of benzophenones, cinnamic acid derivatives, esters of benzoin acids, salicyclic acid, terephthalic and isophthalic acids with resorcinol arid phenols, pentamethyl piperidine derivatives, salicylates, benzotriazoles, cyanoacrylates, benzilidenes, malonates, hindered amines, organo-nickel complexes, nickel chelates and oxalanilides.

26. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 24 wherein said additive comprises a benzophenone.

27. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 24 wherein said additive comprises a benzotriazole.

28. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 24 wherein said additive comprises a cyanoacrylate.

29. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 24 wherein said variable transmission medium includes said additive.

30. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 24 wherein said safety means comprises a polymeric layer, said polymeric layer being disposed on said rear surface of said second panel for preventing lacerative injuries should said second panel crack or break;

said polymeric layer including said additive.

31. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein said assembly includes near-infrared radiation transmission reducing means.

32. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 31 wherein said safety means comprises a polymeric layer, said polymeric layer being disposed on said rear surface of said second panel for preventing lacerative injuries should said second panel crack or break, said near-infrared radiation transmission reducing means being located on at least one of said first panel, said second panel and said polymeric layer.

33. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 32 wherein said near-infrared radiation transmission reducing means comprises a near-infrared reflector deposited onto said polymeric layer.

34. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein said safety means comprises a polymeric layer, said polymeric layer being disposed on said rear surface of said second panel for preventing lacerative injuries should said second panel crack or break;

said polymeric layer comprising an anti-fogging polymer layer.

35. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of said panels comprises an ultraviolet absorbing glass comprising at least 0.2 weight percent of one of cerium oxide, iron oxide and titanium oxide.

36. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein said variable transmission medium of said assembly has a highest transmission state and wherein said assembly has a color tint in the visible light that is transmitted when said variable transmission medium is in said highest transmission state.

37. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 36 wherein said color tint is selected from the group including a blue tint, a green tint and a blue-green tint.

38. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein said tempered glass panel is tempered by one of thermal, contact and chemical tempering.

39. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein said assembly includes an infra-red reflector.

40. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 39 wherein said infra-red reflector reflects at least about 30% of the solar energy for Air Mass 2 in the spectral region from 800 nanometers to 2500 nanometers.

41. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of said panels is tinted.

42. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 41 wherein said at least one tinted panel has one of a blue tint, a green tint and a blue-green tint.

43. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein said first panel comprises a glass panel.

44. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 43 wherein said glass panel comprises a laminated glass panel.

45. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 44 wherein said laminated glass panel comprises a curved laminated glass panel.

46. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 45 wherein said curved laminated glass panel comprises a color tinted curved laminated glass panel.

47. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 46 wherein said color tinted curved laminated glass panel comprises a color tinted laminating polymeric interlayer.

48. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 47 wherein said color tinted laminating polymeric interlayer includes at least one ultraviolet absorber.

49. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 48 wherein said color tinted laminating polymeric interlayer comprises polyvinyl butyral.

50. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 43 wherein said first panel comprises a tempered glass panel.

51. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 50 wherein said tempered glass panel comprises a curved tempered glass panel.

52. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 51 wherein said tempered glass panel comprises a color tinted tempered glass panel.

53. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 52 wherein said color tinted tempered glass panel comprises an ultraviolet absorbing glass comprising at least 0.2 weight percent of one of cerium oxide, iron oxide and titanium oxide.

54. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein said ultraviolet radiation reducing means are included in said variable transmission medium.

55. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 54 wherein said ultraviolet radiation reducing means comprises an additive for absorbing, blacking and/or screening ultraviolet radiation.

56. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 55 wherein said additive is selected from the group consisting of benzophenones, cinnamic acid derivatives, esters of benzoin acids, salicyclic acid, terephthalic and isophthalic acids with resorcinol and phenols, pentamethyl piperidine derivatives, salicylates, benzotriazoles, cyanoacrylates, benzilidenes, malonates, hindered amines, organo-nickel complexes, nickel chelates and oxalanilides.

57. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 55 wherein said additive comprises a benzophenone.

58. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 55 wherein said additive comprises a benzotriazole.

59. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 55 wherein said additive comprises a cyanoacrylate.

60. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 55 wherein said additive comprises an oxalanilide.

61. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 55 wherein said additive comprises an amine.

62. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 55 wherein said additive comprises a salicylate.

63. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 55 wherein said additive comprises a nickel compound.

64. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein said variable transmission medium comprises an electrochromic medium.

65. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 1 wherein said variable transmission medium comprises a liquid crystal medium.

66. A reduced ultraviolet transmitting, safety-protected, variable transmission, vehicular glazing assembly suitable for use in a vehicle having an interior and an exterior, said assembly comprising:

at least first and second spaced optically transparent panels, said first panel located closest to the exterior of the vehicle when said assembly is mounted in the vehicle and said second panel located closest to the interior of the vehicle when said assembly is mounted in the vehicle;

said first and said second panels each having a front surface and an opposing rear surface, said rear surface of said first panel facing and spaced from said front surface of said second panel defining a space between said first and second panels, said rear surface of said first panel and said front surface of said second panel coated with a transparent electrical conductor;

a variable transmission medium disposed in said space whose visible light transmittance is variable upon the application of an electric field thereto;

ultraviolet radiation reducing means incorporated in said assembly for reducing ultraviolet radiation transmission through said assembly wherein said ultraviolet radiation reducing means comprises at least one of an ultraviolet absorber, an ultraviolet absorbing polymer and an ultraviolet absorbing glass;

safety means incorporated in said assembly for preventing injury upon impact to said assembly, said safety means comprising at least one of a laminated glass panel, a tempered glass panel and a polymeric layer; and

tinting means incorporated in said assembly for providing a color tint to light transmitted through said assembly.

67. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 66 wherein said ultraviolet radiation reducing means comprises an additive for absorbing, blocking and/or screening ultraviolet radiation.

68. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 66 wherein said assembly includes near-infrared radiation transmission reducing means.

69. A reduced ultraviolet transmitting, safety-protected, variable transmission, vehicular glazing assembly suitable for use in a vehicle having an interior and an exterior, said assembly comprising:

at least first and second spaced optically transparent panels, said first panel located closest to the exterior of the vehicle when said assembly is mounted in the vehicle and said second panel located closest to the interior of the vehicle when said assembly is mounted in the vehicle;

said first and said second panels each having a front surface and an opposing rear surface, said rear surface of said first panel facing and spaced from said front surface of said second panel defining a space between said first and second panels, said rear surface of said first panel and said front surface of said second panel coated with a transparent electrical conductor;

a variable transmission medium disposed in said space whose visible light transmittance is variable upon the application of an electric field thereto;

ultraviolet radiation reducing means incorporated in said assembly for reducing ultraviolet radiation transmission through said assembly wherein said ultraviolet reducing means comprises at least one of an ultraviolet absorber, an ultraviolet absorbing polymer and an ultraviolet absorbing glass;

safety means incorporated in said assembly for preventing injury upon impact to said assembly, said safety means comprising at least one of a laminated glass panel, a tempered glass panel and a polymeric layer; and

wherein said assembly includes at least one curved glass panel.

70. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 69 wherein said ultraviolet radiation reducing means comprises an additive for absorbing, blocking and/or screening ultraviolet radiation.

71. The vehicular glazing assembly of claim 69 wherein said assembly includes near-infrared radiation transmission reducing means.

72. A reduced ultraviolet transmitting, safety-protected, variable transmission, window assembly having an exterior surface subject to direct exposure to a source of solar insolation and an interior surface spaced from said exterior surface, said interior surface being located further from said source of solar insolation than said exterior surface, said assembly comprising:

at least first and second spaced optically transparent panels, said first panel located closest to said exterior surface of said window assembly when said assembly is mounted for exposure to a source of solar insolation and said second panel located closest to said interior surface of said window assembly when said assembly is mounted for exposure to a source of solar insolation;

said first and said second panels each having a front surface and an opposing rear surface, said rear surface of said first panel facing and spaced from said front surface of said second panel defining a space between said first and second panels, said rear surface of said first panel and said front surface of said second panel coated with a transparent electrical conductor;

a variable transmission medium disposed in said space whose visible light transmittance is variable upon the application of an electric field thereto;

ultraviolet radiation reducing means incorporated in said assembly for reducing ultraviolet radiation transmission through said assembly wherein said ultraviolet reducing means comprises at least one of an ultraviolet absorber, an ultraviolet absorbing polymer and an ultraviolet absorbing glass;

safety means incorporated in said assembly for preventing injury upon impact to said assembly, said safety means comprising at least one of a laminated glass panel, a tempered glass panel and a polymeric layer; and

wherein said variable transmission medium of said assembly has a highest transmission state and wherein said assembly has a color tint in the visible light that is transmitted when said variable transmission medium is in said highest transmission state.

73. The window assembly of claim 72 wherein said ultraviolet radiation reducing means comprises an additive for absorbing, blocking and/or screening ultraviolet radiation.

74. The window assembly of claim 72 wherein said assembly includes near-infrared radiation transmission reducing means.