Heatable wiper rest area for a transparency

• US 6,995,339 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2003
• Issued: 02/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pittsburgh Glass Works LLC (LKQ Corporation)
• Original Assignee: PPG Industries Ohio Incorporated (Nouryon BV)
• Inventors: Hawk, Allen R., Schwartz, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Evans, Robin O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FASTOVSKY, LEONID M
• Application Number:
  US10/662,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20040084432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 219/202, 219/203, 219/522, 219/530, 219/541, 219/543, 428/38, 428/46
• US Class Current: 219/202
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/048 with a heating device for the wiper parking position
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/031 Heaters specially adapted for heating the windscreen wiper area
• 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: Y10T 428/162 Transparent or translucent layer or section

Abstract

An automotive transparency having a heatable wiper rest area includes a first glass sheet and a second glass sheet secured together by an interlayer material. An opaque band is positioned on the inner surface of the outer glass sheet along a portion of an edge of the outer sheet at an expected wiper rest areas; and an electrically conductive member is positioned on a major surface of the second glass sheet and extends along an edge portion of the second sheet at the wiper rest area. A plurality of bus bars positioned in electrical contact along the conductive member divides the conductive member into a plurality of heatable areas with a first lead electrically interconnecting selected ones of the bus bars and a second lead electrically interconnecting other selected ones of the bus bars with overlying portions of the first and second leads electrically isolated from each other.

Claims

1. A transparency having a heatable wiper rest area comprising:

a rigid transparent sheet having a major surface and an area adjacent to a selected edge of the sheet designated as the heatable wiper rest area;

an opaque band positioned on selected marginal edge portions of the major surface of the sheet along at least a portion of the selected edge of the sheet in a fixed relationship to the wiper rest area; and

a heating arrangement for heating the wiper rest area, the arrangement comprising;

an electrically conductive member positioned on the sheet in facing relationship to the opaque band, the conductive member having a first side and a second side with the first and second sides of the conductive member spaced from one another with the second side of the conductive member spaced a greater distance from the edge of the sheet than the first side of the conductive member, and the conductive member extending along at least a portion of the selected edge of the sheet in a fixed relationship to the wiper rest area;

a plurality of bus bars positioned in electrical contact along the conductive member, wherein the plurality of bus bars comprises at least three bus bars defined as a first bus bar, a second bus bar and a third bus bar, with the second bus bar positioned between, and spaced from, the first and third bus bars so as to define a first discrete heatable area between and electrically connecting the first and second bus bars, and a second discrete heatable area between and electrically connecting the second and third bus bars;

a first lead electrically interconnecting the first and third bus bars at a position adjacent one of the sides designated as the connected side, and spaced from the other side, of the conductive member, the first lead extending over the opaque band along the connected side of the conductive member;

a second lead electrically connected to the second bus bar at a position adjacent the connected side, and spaced from the other side, of the conductive member, the second lead extending over the opaque band along the connected side of the conductive member, such that moving current through the first and second leads and the bus bars provides a current across the first discrete area and across the second discrete area to heat the wiper rest area, wherein a portion of the first lead and a portion of the second lead overlay each other; and

an insulating member positioned between the portion of the first lead and the portion of the second lead that overlay each other to electrically insulate the portion of the first lead and the portion of the second lead that overlay each other.

2. The transparency according to claim 1, wherein the connected side of the conductive member is the first side of the conductive member and the first and second leads extend between the first side of the conductive member and the selected edge of the sheet.

3. The transparency according to claim 2, wherein the transparency is an automotive transparency and the selected edge of the sheet as mounted in a vehicle is a lower edge of the sheet.

4. The transparency according to claim 1, wherein the conductive member is an electrically conductive coating.

5. The transparency according to claim 4, wherein the coating is a multilayered, silver containing coating.

6. The transparency of claim 4, wherein the coating is a first electrically conductive coating and further comprising a second electrically conductive coating positioned along at least a central portion of the major surface of sheet and electrically isolated from the first coating.

7. The transparency according to claim 1, further comprising first and second connectors electrically connected to the first and second leads, respectively, to provide external electrical access to the leads, bus bars and conductive member.

8. The transparency according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is a glass sheet.

9. The transparency of claim 8, wherein the transparency is a automotive backlight.

10. The transparency according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is a first glass sheet, and further including a plastic interlayer and a second glass sheet wherein the interlayer secures the first and second glass sheets together with the conductive member between one of the sheets and the interlayer.

24. The transparency according to claim 1 wherein the sheet is a glass sheet, and the major surface of the sheet is a first major surface and further including an opposite second major surface with the heatable wiper rest area on the second major surface of the sheet, the opaque band is on the first major surface of the sheet in facing relationship to the heatable wiper rest area and the heating arrangement is in facing relationship to the opaque band with the opaque band between the heatable wiper rest area and the heating arrangement.

25. The transparency according to claim 1 wherein the conductive member has a four sides and the ends of the bus bar extend beyond adjacent side of the conductive member.

26. The transparency according to claim 2 wherein the portion of the first lead overlays the portion of the second lead at a position between the selected edge and the first side of the conductive member.

29. The transparency according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of bus bars further comprises a fourth bus bar and a fifth bus bar each positioned on, and in electrical contact, with the conductive member with the fourth bus bar adjacent to and spaced from the third bus bar and the fifth bus bar adjacent to and spaced from the fourth bus bar;

the portions of the conductive member between the third and fourth bus bar provide a third discrete heatable area and the portion of the conductive member between the fourth and fifth bus bars provide a fourth discrete heatable area;

the first lead interconnects the first, third and fifth bus bars, and the second lead interconnects the second and fourth bus bars, and moving current through the first and second leads moves current across the first, second, third and fourth discrete areas, and further wherein the overlay is a first overlay and further comprising a second overlay spaced from the first overlay wherein the first lead and second lead are electrically isolated from one another at the second overlay.

11. A transparency having a heatable wiper rest area comprising:

a first glass sheet having an outer major surface and an inner major surface and an area of the outer surface of the first sheet adjacent to a selected edge of the first glass sheet designated as the heatable wiper rest area;

a second glass sheet having an outer major surface, an inner major surface and a selected edge;

an interlayer material securing the inner major surface of the first glass sheet to the inner major surface of the second glass sheet with the selected edge of the first sheet adjacent to the selected edge of the second glass sheet;

an opaque band positioned on one of the major surfaces of the first glass sheet along at least a portion of the selected edge of the first glass sheet at the wiper rest area; and

a heating arrangement for heating the wiper rest area, the arrangement comprising;

an electrically conductive member positioned on either the inner major surface or the outer major surface of the second glass sheet, the conductive member having a first side and an opposite second side with the first side of the conductive member adjacent the selected edge of the second sheet and extending along at least a portion of the selected edge of the second glass sheet in a fixed relationship to the wiper rest area;

a plurality of bus bars positioned in spaced relationship to one another along, and in electrical contact with, the conductive member, wherein the plurality of bus bars divides the conductive member into a plurality of adjacent discrete heatable areas;

a first lead electrically interconnecting ones of the plurality of bus bars having two adjacent discrete heatable areas and one of the plurality of bus bars therebetween at a position adjacent the first side of the conductive member, the first lead extending along the first side of the conductive member;

a second lead electrically interconnecting ones of the plurality of bus bars having two adjacent discrete heatable areas and one of the plurality of bus bars connected to the first lead therebetween, or to electrically connect one of the plurality of bus bars between a pair of adiacent ones of the plurality of bus bars connected to the first lead at a position adjacent the first side of the conductive member, the second lead extending along the first side of the conductive member, wherein a portion of the first lead and a portion of the second lead overlay each other; and

an insulating member positioned between the portion of the first lead and the portion of the second lead that overlay each other to electrically insulate the portion of the first lead from the portion of the second lead that overlay each other.

12. The transparency according to claim 11, wherein the conductive member is on the inner surface of the second glass sheet and the first and second leads extend between the first side of the conductive member and the selected edge of the second glass sheet.

13. The transparency according to claim 12, wherein the first and second sheets secured together by the interlayer material is a laminate and the selected edge of the second glass sheet is a lower edge of the second glass sheet as the laminate is mounted.

14. The transparency according to claim 11, wherein the conductive member is an electrically conductive coating.

15. The transparency according to claim 14, wherein the coating is a multilayered, silver containing coating.

16. The transparency according to claim 14, wherein the coating is a first electrically conductive coating on the inner major surface of the second glass sheet and further comprising a second electrically conductive coating positioned along at least a central portion of the inner major surface of the second glass sheet and electrically isolated from the first coating.

17. The transparency according to claim 11, further comprising first and second connectors electrically connected to the first and second leads, respectively, to provide external electrical access to the leads, bus bars and coating.

18. The transparency according to claim 11, wherein the heating arrangement extends along the inner major surface of the second glass sheet.

19. The transparency according to claim 11, wherein the transparency is a windshield.

20. The transparency according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of bus bars include at least three spaced bus bars defined as a first bus bar, a second bus bar and a third bus bar, with the second bus bar positioned between the first and third bus bars so as to define a first discrete heatable area between and electrically connecting the first and second bus bars and a second discrete heatable area between and electrically connecting the second and third bus bars, and further wherein the first lead electrically interconnects the first and third bus bars, and the second lead is electrically connected to the second bus bar such that moving current through the first and second leads and the bus bars moves current across the first and second discrete areas to heat the discrete areas and the portion of the first lead overlays the portion of the second lead adjacent the connected side of the conductive member.

27. The transparency according to claim 14, wherein the coating is a first electrically conductive coating and further comprising a second electrically conductive coating, the first and second coatings are between the first and second sheets and electrically isolated from one another.

28. The transparency according to claim 11 wherein the conductive member is on the inner surface of the first sheet and the portion of the first lead overlays the portion of the second lead at a position between the selected edge of the first glass sheet and the first side of the conductive member.

21. A method of making a transparency having a heatable wiper rest area comprising:

providing a rigid transparent sheet having major surface;

applying an opaque band on marginal edge portions of the major surface of the sheet along at least a portion of a selected edge of the sheet at an expected wiper rest area;

applying an electrically conductive member having a first side and an opposite second side on the opaque band along at least a portion of the selected edge of the sheet with the first side of the conductive member adjacent to, and spaced from, the selected edge of the sheet and in a fixed relationship to the expected wiper rest area;

positioning a plurality of bus bars in spaced relationship to one another along, and in electrical contact with the conductive member, wherein the plurality of bus bars divides the electrically conductive member into a plurality of adjacent discrete heatable areas;

positioning a first lead on the opaque band and along the first side of the coating to electrically interconnect ones of the plurality of bus bars having two adjacent discrete heatable areas separated by one of the plurality of bus bars not connected to the first lead;

positioning a second lead along the opaque band and along the first side of the coating to electrically interconnect ones of the plurality of bus bars having two adjacent discrete heatable areas and one of the plurality of bus bars connected to the first lead, or to electrically connect one of the plurality of bus bars between a pair of adjacent ones of the plurality of bus bars connected to the first lead, such that moving current through the first and second leads, and the bus bars moves current across the discrete areas to heat the discrete areas, wherein a portion of the first lead and a portion of the second lead overlay each other; and

electrically insulating the portion of the first lead from the portion of the second lead that overlay each other.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the sheet is a first glass sheet, and further including securing a second glass sheet to the first glass sheet with a plastic interlayer positioned between the first glass sheet and the second glass sheet with the opaque band and the conductive member between the sheets.

23. The method according to claim 22 wherein the transparency is a laminated transparency for a vehicle, the conductive member is a first conductive member, and the major surface of the first sheet faces a major surface of the second sheet, and further including the step of applying a second conductive member to a center portion of the inner surface of at least one of the first and second sheets with the first and second conductive members electrically isolated from one another.