Transparent window pane provided with a resistive heating coating

• US 7,880,120 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2005
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Lothar, Maurer, Marc, Baubet, Carole
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang; Tu B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel; Vinod D
• Application Number:
  US11/665,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20090044464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,938 Days
• Field of Search: 219/203, 219/522, 219/541, 219/543, 521/712, 338306-309
• US Class Current: 219/203
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10183 being not continuous, e.g. in edge regions
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10385 for ohmic resistance heating
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/008 with layout including a portion free of resistive material, e.g. communication window
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/013 Heaters using resistive films or coatings
• 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

Abstract

The inventive transparent window pane is provided with a resistive heating coating (2) which extends through a substantial portion of the window pane, in particular on a main view field (A) and is electrically connected to at least two conductor rails (4, 5) in such a way that, when an electric'"'"' supply voltage is applied between said conductor rails, a circulating current heats the coating heating field, wherein said heating field comprises at least one semi-resistive area (6) directly contacting at least on e conductor rail (4, 5).

Claims

1. A transparent glazing unit, comprising:

a first busbar positioned at a top of the glazing unit;

a second busbar positioned at a bottom of the glazing unit;

a resistive heating coating that extends over a part of the glazing unit from the first busbar to the second busbar, and that is electrically connected to the first busbar and the second busbar such that, when an electrical supply voltage is applied between the first busbar and the second busbar, a current flows, which heats a heating field in the resistive heating coating; and

a plurality of conducting strands each extending from, and in direct contact with, the first busbar or the second busbar towards an other of the first busbar or the second busbar, to form at least one semiresistive region, wherein the plurality of conducting strands are in direct contact with the resistive heating coating.

2. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein a main viewing field does not include a semiresistive region.

3. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the main viewing field lies between at least two semiresistive regions.

4. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one part of a peripheral edge of the glazing unit is concealed by an opaque colored layer and the at least one semiresistive region extends into a secondary viewing field of the glazing, beyond an area covered by the colored layer.

5. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein resistance of the resistive heating coating in the semiresistive region is at least less than resistance of the resistive heating coating outside any semiresistive region.

6. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 5, wherein the resistance of the resistive heating coating in the semiresistive region is at least two times less than the resistance of the resistive heating coating outside the semiresistive region.

7. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the glazing unit is a composite glazing unit that includes at least one adhesive layer in electrical contact with the resistive heating coating, the adhesive layer including the at least one semiresistive region.

9. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conducting strands are conducting printed lines and/or conducting wires.

10. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein a length of each of the strands is greater than a width of the first busbar or the second busbar that the strands extend from.

11. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the strands have a width and/or a thickness of 0.5 mm or less, measured in projection on the surface of the glazing unit.

12. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the strands are conducting printed lines that are printed on the resistive heating coating.

13. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the strands are the conducting wires that are electrically connected to the resistive heating coating and at least to the semiresistive region by soldering at least at discrete contact points.

14. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the current flows in a main viewing field in a direction approximately parallel to a longitudinal direction of the conducting strands.

15. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the strands are dark in color when viewed from an external face of the glazing unit.

16. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the strands are light in color when viewed from an internal face of the glazing unit.

17. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the strands are placed uniformly apart.

18. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the strands are all produced with a same length.

19. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the strands are produced in a form of straight lines, open or closed loops, portions of arcs, and/or meanders.

20. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resistive heating coating is divided by separating lines in a main viewing field, which lines divide up the resistive heating coating into current paths.

21. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 20, wherein the separating lines collect current in the main viewing field.

22. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the busbars are produced by printing and/or from metal strips.

23. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 22, wherein the printed busbars are printed on the resistive heating coating.

24. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 22, wherein the busbars produced from the metal strips are electrically connected to the resistive heating coating and to the semiresistive region by soldering at least at discrete contact points.

25. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the semiresistive region is placed only over part of a longitudinal extent of at least one of the first busbar and the second busbar.

26. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the glazing unit is a vehicle windshield, and the semiresistive region extends at most as far as a boundary of a normalized viewing field of the windshield.

27. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein a bluish band extends at least along an upper edge of the glazing unit and at least partly conceals the semiresistive region positioned at the upper edge.

28. The glazing unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the at least one semiresistive region of the glazing unit includes a first semiresistive region and a second semiresistive region,

a first portion of the plurality of conducting strands extends from the first busbar towards the second busbar to form the first semiresistive region,

a second portion of the plurality of conducting strands extends from the second busbar towards the first busbar to form the second semiresistive region, and

a main viewing field of the glazing unit is positioned between the first semiresistive region and the second semiresistive region.

8. A transparent glazing unit, comprising:

a first busbar positioned at a top of the glazing unit;

a second busbar positioned at a bottom of the glazing unit;

a resistive heating coating that extends over a part of the glazing unit from the first busbar to the second busbar, and that is electrically connected to the first busbar and the second busbar such that, when an electrical supply voltage is applied between the first busbar and the second busbar, a current flows, which heats a heating field in the resistive heating coating; and

a plastic band in direct contact with the resistive heating coating and at least one of the first busbar and the second busbar to form a semiresistive region in an adhesive layer of the glazing unit, wherein the plastic band is doped with conducting particles.