Window defroster assembly with light control

• US 20080028697A1
• Filed: 08/04/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Exatec, LLC (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Original Assignee: Exatec, LLC (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Inventors: Northey, Rebecca, Hedderich, Wilfried, Li, Chengtao, Weiss, Keith D.
• Application Number:
  US11/499,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20080028697A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/171.2
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/013 Heaters using resistive films or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2214/04 Heating means manufactured by using nanotechnology
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/86 the heating conductors being embedded in the transparent or reflecting material H05B3/845 takes precedence

Abstract

A window defrost assembly having a substrate, a polycarbonate film adjacent to the substrate, a heater grid located between the substrate and the polycarbonate film, and a light control layer located between the polycarbonate film and the heater grid. The heater grid includes first and second bus bars and a plurality of grid lines extending between and connecting to the first and second bus bars.

Claims

1. A window defroster assembly having defrosting properties, the window assembly comprising:

a transparent substrate having a first side and a second side;

a light control assembly overlying the first side of the substrate; and

a heater grid having first and second bus bars and a plurality of grid lines extending between and connected to the first and second bus bars, the heater grid located between the first side of the substrate and the light control assembly.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the substrate is made from a material selected from the group including at least one of polycarbonate, polymethyl methacrylate, polyester, polyurethane, thermoplastic polyurethane, polyamide, blends or copolymers, and combinations thereof.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the light control assembly comprises a first plastic film, a second plastic film and a light control layer, the light control layer being located between the first and second plastic films.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein at least on of the first and second plastic films are made from a material selected from the group including at least one of polycarbonate, polymethyl methyacrylate, polyester, polyurethane, thermoplastic polyurethane, polyamide, blends or copolymers, and combinations thereof.

5. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a weathering layer applied over or within the light control assembly.

6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the weathering layer is made from at least one of acrylic, polyurethane, siloxane, silicone coating, lonomer, flouropolymer, ultraviolet absorbers, ultraviolet stabilizers, and combinations thereof.

7. The assembly of claim 5, further comprising a plasma layer applied over the weathering layer.

8. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plasma layer overlying the second side of the substrate.

9. The assembly of claim 8, further comprising a weathering layer located between the second side of the substrate and the plasma layer.

10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the weathering layer is made from at least one material selected from the group of acrylic, polyurethane, siloxane, silicone coating, lonomer, flouropolymer, ultraviolet absorbers, ultraviolet stabilizers, and combinations thereof.

11. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a light emissive layer located between the second side of the substrate and the plasma layer.

12. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the heater grid is made of conductive material.

13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the conductive material is at least one of silver, copper, zinc, aluminum, magnesium, nickel, tin and combinations thereof.

14. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the heater grid is at least one of a conductive paste, a conductive ink and a conductive paint/coating, a conductive wire and combinations thereof.

15. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the light control assembly is an electrochromic layer.

16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the electrochromic layer is at least one of liquid-crystal based, suspended particle device (SPD) based, inorganic, organic, or hybrid based materials.

17. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the light control assembly is a photochromic layer.

18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the photochromic layer is at least one of TPU, PC, PMMA, polyester or other transparent thermoplastic or thermosetting material/component further comprising photochromic dyes or pigments or additives.

19. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the light control assembly is a thermochromic layer.

20. The assembly of claim 19, wherein the thermochromic material layer is at least one of semi-conductor compounds, metal compounds and organic pigments.

21. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the light control assembly is a solar control layer, which may comprise of IR absorbers/layers or IR reflective coating/ink/pigments.

22. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising an ink layer located between the heater grind and the light control assembly.

23. A method of producing a window assembly, the method comprising the steps of:

forming a light control assembly;

trimming the light control assembly;

positioning the light control assembly in a mold cavity;

back molding the mold cavity with a plastic substrate material;

melt bonding the light control assembly to the plastic substrate material to form the window assembly;

removing the window assembly from the mold cavity; and

applying a plasma coating on at least one side of the window assembly.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of printing a stylized ink on the light control assembly.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of thermoforming the light control assembly.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step applying a weathering layer to the window assembly.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the light control assembly further comprising a heater grid.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

forming a light emissive assembly;

trimming the light emissive assembly;

position the light emissive assembly in the mold cavity;

back molding the light emissive assembly to the plastic substrate material;

melt bonding the light emissive assembly to form the window assembly;

removing the window assembly from the mold cavity; and

applying a plasma coating on at least one side of the window assembly.