Windowpane for vehicles and method for producing same

• US 9,623,726 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2013
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AGC, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited (AGC, Inc.)
• Inventors: Minamiya, Yuukou, Sagawa, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Evans, Geoffrey S
• Application Number:
  US13/941,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20140008347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 219203
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/262 Sn as the principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 1/002 with means for clear vision, e.g. anti-frost or defog panes, rain shields window heating in H05B3/84, H05B3/86
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 1/02 arranged at the vehicle front , e.g. structure of the glazing, mounting of the glazing on windscreen mounted antenna wire H01Q1/1271
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/007 containing a dispersed phase, e.g. particles, fibres or flakes, in a continuous phase
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/452 Glass
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/479 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 8/18 containing free metals
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/011 Heaters using laterally extending conductive material as connecting means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/013 Heaters using resistive films or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/016 Heaters using particular connecting means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/017 Manufacturing methods or apparatus for heaters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/86 the heating conductors being embedded in the transparent or reflecting material H05B3/845 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

The present invention is concerned with a windowpane for vehicles including a glass sheet, a conductor layer which is formed on the surface of the glass sheet by sintering a silver paste containing a silver powder and a glass frit and which has at least a strip part and a terminal connection part connected to the strip part, and a connection terminal soldered onto the terminal connection part with a lead-free solder alloy, in which the conductor layer has a specific resistance of from 2.5 to 6.5 μΩcm, the strip part has a line width of not more than 0.35 mm, the lead-free solder alloy consists essentially of tin and silver and has a content of tin of 95% by mass or more, and cracking is not caused on the glass sheet even after elapsing 500 cycles in a prescribed thermal shock test; and a method for producing same.

Claims

1. A windowpane for vehicles, comprising

a glass sheet,

a conductor layer which is formed on a surface of the glass sheet by sintering a silver paste containing a silver powder and a glass frit, said conductor layer comprising at least a strip part and a terminal connection part connected to the strip part, and

a connection terminal soldered onto the terminal connection part with a lead-free solder alloy,

wherein the conductor layer has a specific resistance at 25°

C.±

2°

C. of from 2.5 to 6.5 μ

Ω

cm,

wherein the strip part has a line width of not more than 0.35 mm, and

wherein the lead-free solder alloy consists essentially of tin and silver and has a content of tin of 95% by mass or more, and

wherein the windowpane for vehicles is obtained by preheating at about the surface of the conductor layer formed on the glass sheet so as to keep the temperature of the surface of the conductor layer formed on the glass sheet at a temperature of 50°

C. to 210°

C. and not higher than a temperature at which the lead-free solder alloy begins to melt and then performing said soldering.

2. The windowpane for vehicles according to claim 1, which is obtained by preheating the glass sheet at a temperature of 75°

C. to 210°

C. and not higher than a temperature at which the lead-free solder alloy begins to melt and then performing said soldering.

3. The windowpane for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein a content of the silver powder contained in the silver paste is from 65 to 85% by mass, and an average particle diameter of the silver powder is from 0.1 to 10 μ

m.

4. The windowpane for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the conductor layer has a thickness of from 5 to 20 μ

m.

5. The windowpane for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the line width of the strip part is from 0.15 to 0.35 mm.

6. The windowpane for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the conductor layer is a defogger, a deicer, or an antenna.

7. The windowpane for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the silver powder is densely disposed in the conductor layer.

8. The windowpane for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the silver powder comprises a blend of plural kinds of silver powders having different average particle diameter from each other.

9. The windowpane for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the silver paste comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of Ni, Al, Sn, Pt, Pd, V, Mn, Fe, Co, Mo, a compound of V, a compound of Mn, a compound of Fe, a compound of Co and a compound of Mo.

10. A method for producing a windowpane for vehicles, comprising steps of

printing a silver paste containing a silver powder and a glass frit on a surface of a glass sheet,

sintering the silver paste to form a conductor layer, which comprises at least a strip having a line width of not more than 0.35 mm and a terminal connection part connected to the strip part and which has a specific resistance at 25°

C.±

2°

C. of from 2.5 to 6.5μ

Ω

cm,

attaching a lead-free solder alloy, which consists essentially of tin and silver and which has a content of tin of 95% by mass or more, to at least a connection terminal,

preheating at about the surface of the conductor layer to formed on the glass sheet so as to keep the temperature of the surface of the conductor layer formed on the glass sheet at a temperature of 50°

C. to 210°

C. and not higher than a temperature at which the lead-free solder alloy begins to melt, and

connecting the connection terminal to the terminal connection part with the lead-free solder alloy.

11. The method for producing a windowpane for vehicles according to claim 10, wherein the glass sheet having the conductor layer formed on the surface thereof is preheated at a temperature of 75°

C. to 210°

C. and not higher than a temperature at which the lead-free solder alloy begins to melt.

12. The method for producing a windowpane for vehicles according to claim 10, wherein a content of the silver powder contained in the silver paste is from 65 to 85% by mass, and an average particle diameter of the silver powder is from 0.1 to 10 μ

m.

13. The method for producing a windowpane for vehicles according to claim 10, wherein the conductor layer has a thickness of from 5 to 20 μ

m.

14. The method for producing a windowpane for vehicles according to claim 10, wherein the line width of the strip part is from 0.15 to 0.35 mm.