ASSEMBLY FORMED BY AN ELECTRICALLY-HEATABLE GLAZING UNIT AND AN APPARATUS SENSITIVE TO MAGNETIC FIELDS

• US 20100006555A1
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Maurer, Marc, Ziegler, Stefan, Melcher, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 8,669,493 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/203
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1278 in association with heating wires or layers
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/002 Heaters using a particular layout for the resistive material or resistive elements
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2214/02 Heaters specially designed for de-icing or protection against icing
• 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

In an electrically-heated glazing unit including a plurality of collector conductors configured to supply a plurality of heating conductors with an electric current used to heat up the heating conductors and the glazing unit, at least one partial region of the surface of the glazing unit includes an arrangement of parallel heating conductors in which the current flows in opposing directions. The arrangement of the heating conductors in the partial region of the surface is tuned to minimize by mutual compensation or eliminate the magnetic field acting locally within this partial region and perpendicularly to the plane of the glazing unit when the current flows. The operation of an apparatus sensitive to magnetic fields, for example a compass, in the immediate vicinity of the glazing unit thus becomes more reliable.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. An assembly comprising:

an electrically heatable glazing unit; and

an apparatus sensitive to magnetic fields installed in the vicinity of the glazing unit;

the glazing unit comprising a plurality of collector conductors that supply a plurality of heating conductors with an electric current used to heat up the heating conductors and the glazing unit,

wherein the apparatus is situated close to at least one partial region of the surface of the glazing unit, the partial region including an arrangement of parallel heating conductors in which current flows in an opposite direction to that of current in the heating conductors of the part of the glazing unit outside of the partial region, and the arrangement being tuned to minimize by mutual compensation or elimination the magnetic field acting locally within the partial region and perpendicularly to the plane of the glazing unit when the current flows.

16. An assembly according to claim 15, wherein at least two, or at least three, heating conductors with alternating current flow directions are provided within the partial region of the surface.

17. An assembly according to claim 15, wherein at least one pair of additional collector conductors having their own external terminals for supply of power to the heating wires within the partial region of the surface is provided within the partial region of the surface, which pair of additional collector conductors can be exposed to a voltage whose polarity is reverse that of the voltage simultaneously applied to the collector conductors of the other heating region.

18. An assembly according to claim 17, wherein the pair of additional collector conductors of the partial region are respectively arranged close to two longest edges of the glazing unit and in the middle of these edges, the heating wires running between the pair of additional collector conductors.

19. An assembly according to claim 17, wherein the pair of additional collector conductors of the partial region are in a form of busbars running parallel to the longest edges of the glazing unit.

20. An assembly according to claim 15, wherein at least one pair of additional collector conductors without own external terminals is provided within the partial region of the surface, which additional collector conductors are provided to form a series circuit composed of groups of heating conductors across the voltage applied to the collector conductors of the normal heating region.

21. An assembly according to claim 20, wherein the heating conductors within the groups of the series circuit exhibit electrical resistances of a total that at least is less than that of the other heating conductors directly connected to the collector conductors.

22. An assembly according to claim 15, wherein the heating conductors are formed by electrically-conducting layers, wires, and/or a screen printing design.

23. An assembly according to claim 15, installed in a vehicle.

24. An assembly according to claim 23, wherein the glazing unit is a windshield of the vehicle and the apparatus is a compass or a magnetic device integrated into a satellite navigation system.

25. An assembly according to claim 23, wherein a support is disposed on the glazing unit for direct or indirect fixation of the apparatus.

26. An assembly according to claim 15, wherein the apparatus is fixed at least indirectly onto the glazing unit itself in a tuned position on the partial region of the surface with attenuated magnetic field and at a given distance with respect to the surface of the glazing unit.

27. An assembly according to claim 23, wherein the apparatus is fixed onto the surface of the glazing unit turned towards an interior space of the vehicle.

28. An assembly according to claim 15, wherein the width of the partial region of the glazing unit, which is a separation distance between the heating conductors of each end of the partial region, corresponds to one to three times the distance separating the apparatus from the glazing unit.