Electrical connecting element and window pane provided with such an element

• US 8,277,244 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2011
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Ziegler, Stefan, Rateiczak, Mitja, Reul, Bernhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Amy Cohen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Imas, Vladimir
• Application Number:
  US13/341,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20120135631A1
• Time in Patent Office: 277 Days
• Field of Search: 439/382, 439/77, 219/203, 298/57
• US Class Current: 439/382
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/016 Heaters using particular connecting means
• 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 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49208 by assembling plural parts

Abstract

Electrical connecting element (2) that is designed to be welded or soldered onto an electrically conductive component (11) of a window pane, comprising an electrically conductive body (20), of which one section is designed to be welded or soldered onto the component (11) for its electrical connection, and of which another if section is designed to be connected in the direction of the outer side of the window pane, characterized in that the body comprises an electrically conductive foil (21) with a thickness between 1 and 500 μm and intermediate means (5, 6) that serve as shock-absorbing means between the stiff section of the body of the connecting element and the window pane.

Claims

1. An electrical connecting element adapted to connect with at least one electrically conductive component of a window pane, the electrical connecting element comprising an electrically conductive body, the electrically conductive body comprising at least one electrically conductive foil that has a thickness between 1 and 500 μ

m, the electrically conducting foil comprising;

i) at least one electrical connection surface adapted to be in contact with the at least one electrically conductive component, and

ii) at least one affixing surface separate from the electrical connection surface and adapted to fix the electrical connecting element on the window pane;

the electrical conductive body further comprising;

i) an electrically conductive stiff section or an electrically conductive stiff part, that is adapted to be connected to the electrically conductive foil, and

ii) intermediate means made of a shock-absorbing material or an air layer, wherein the stiff section or stiff part comprises a planar surface contacting the electrically conductive foil along an entire extension of said planar surface or contacting the intermediate means along an entire extension of said planar surface.

2. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive foil has a thickness between 1 and 200 μ

m.

3. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate means are adapted to be arranged on one of the surfaces of the electrically conductive foil, and the electrically conductive foil is located facing the electrically conductive stiff section or the electrically conductive stiff part.

4. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the at least one affixing surface is formed by the at least one electrical connection surface.

5. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the at least one affixing surface includes affixing means.

6. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the at least one affixing surface comprises affixing means made of a two-sided adhesive strip optionally provided with a protective layer on the surface opposite that facing the affixing surface.

7. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the affixing surface is configured to accommodate adhesive.

8. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate means are adapted to be arranged facing the electrically conductive stiff section or the electrically conductive stiff part and on a surface of the stiff section or stiff part opposite that of the electrically conductive foil, and wherein the intermediate means are adapted to be further connected with the affixing surface and configured to be affixed on the window pane.

9. The electrical connecting element according to claim 8, wherein the shock-absorbing material also forms affixing means made of a two-sided adhesive.

10. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate means are adapted to be arranged against the electrically conductive stiff section or the electrically conductive stiff part and on a surface of the electrically conductive stiff foil that supports the electrically conductive stiff section or the electrically conductive stiff part.

11. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive stiff section or the electrically conductive stiff part are thicker than the electrically conductive foil and is adapted to be connected with an electrical conductor.

12. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive stiff section or the electrically conductive stiff part are made of copper.

13. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive foil forms an envelope that comprises an internal accommodation to house intermediate means.

14. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connection surface is adapted to accommodate electrically conductive adhesive or is adapted to be soldered or welded.

15. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate means are not made of pure metal.

16. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the shock-absorbing material is plastic-based, and can contain metal particles.

17. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate means have a thickness between 1 and 2500 μ

m.

18. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive foil is a flexible metal foil.

19. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive foil comprises two or more metal layers inclusive of at least one layer made of copper and at least one layer that contains silver, tin, and/or copper, said at least one layer adapted to be in contact with the at least one electrically conductive component of the window pane.

20. The electrical connecting element according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the surfaces of the foil that is adapted to be in contact with the at least one electrically conducting component of the window pane has a polygonal shape with rounded corners.

21. A window pane, comprising at least one electrical connecting element according to claim 1.

22. The window pane according to claim 21, said window pane being a heated window pane and/or a window pane with an antenna.

23. A method for assembling the electrical connecting element of claim 1, comprising:

connecting the intermediate means made of a shock-absorbing material with the affixing surface of the electrically conductive foil of the body of the connecting element,

affixing the shock absorbing material on the window pane,

soldering, welding or gluing the previously connected electrically conductive foil onto the electrically conductive component of the window pane,

and welding the electrically conductive stiff part, onto the electrically conductive foil opposite the shock-absorbing material.

24. The electrical connecting element of claim 1, wherein the intermediate means is located between the electrically conducting foil and the at least one electrically conductive component of the window pane, and wherein electrical connection between the electrically conducting foil and the stiff section or stiff part occurs along the entirety of a bottom surface of the stiff section or stiff part.

25. The electrical connecting element of claim 1, wherein the intermediate means is located between the stiff section or stiff part and the electrically conducting foil, and wherein connection between the stiff section or stiff part and the intermediate means occurs along the entirety of the bottom surface of the stiff section or stiff part.

26. The electrical connecting element of claim 1, wherein the stiff section or stiff part is located between the electrically conductive foil and the intermediate means, and wherein electrical connection between the electrically conducting foil and the stiff section or stiff part occurs along the entirety of a top surface of the stiff section or stiff part.

27. The electrical connecting element of claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive foil is located between a first portion of the stiff section or stiff part and a second portion of the stiff section or stiff part, the intermediate means being located under the second portion of the stiff section or stiff part, wherein electrical connection between the electrically conducting foil and the stiff section or stiff part occurs along the entirety of a bottom surface of the first portion of the stiff section or stiff part and along the entirety of a top surface of the second portion of the stiff section or stiff part.