Composite wall, notably motor vehicle windshield, including an ultrasonic device for detecting the presence of foreign bodies on one of its faces

• US 5,598,380 A
• Filed: 01/17/1995
• Issued: 01/28/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Asulab SA (The Swatch Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Asulab SA (The Swatch Group AG)
• Inventors: Mignot, Jean-Pierre, Saurer, Eric, Jeanmonod, Roland
• Primary Examiner(s): ELDRED, JOHN W
• Application Number:
  US08/373,076
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 318/DIG. 2, 318/483, 318/460, 296/96.15, 367/140
• US Class Current: 367/140
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10761 containing vinyl acetal
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0822 characterized by the arrangement or type of detection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0855 Ultrasonic rain sensor
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/0877 at least part of the sensor being positioned between layers of the windshield
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/001 Acoustic presence detection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 318/02 Windshield wiper controls

Abstract

The composite wall comprises a first sheet and second sheet separated by an intermediate layer as well as an ultrasonic detection device placed on a face of said second sheet and comprising a transducer element able to emit an incidental ultrasonic signal of frequence f, and able to receive an ultrasonic signal reflected on a face of said first sheet. The intermediate layer comprises at least facing the transducer element, an inserted element whose two faces are respectively in close contact with the first and second sheets. Further, the frequence f of the transducer element satisfies the following relationships:

f≈K.sub.1. V.sub.1 /2e.sub.1 ≈K.sub.2.V.sub.2 /2e.sub.2

≈K₃.V₃ /2e₃

where K₁, K₂ and K₃ are defined integers, e₁, e₂ and e₃ are respectively the thickness of the first sheet, the second sheet and the inserted element, and V₁, V₂ and V₃ are respectively the propagation speeds of an ultrasonic wave in the first sheet, in the second sheet and in the inserted element.

Claims

1. A composite wall comprising a first sheet having a first thickness, a second sheet having a second thickness, said sheets being separated by an intermediate layer having a third thickness, and an ultrasonic detection device cooperating with an external face of said second sheet to detect the presence of foreign bodies on an external face of said first sheet, said detection device comprising transducer means able to emit an incidental ultrasonic signal of frequency f, said transducer means also being able to receive an ultrasonic signal reflected on said face of said first sheet representative of the presence or absence of said foreign bodies, said intermediate layer comprising, at least facing the transducer means, a recess in which is placed an inserted element having two opposite faces respectively in close contact with the first and second sheets, said frequency f of the transducer means satisfying the following relationships:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">f≈

K.sub.1.V.sub.1 /2e.sub.1 ≈

K.sub.2.V.sub.2 /2e.sub.2 ≈

K.sub.3.V.sub.3 /2e.sub.3

where K₁, K₂ and K₃ are defined integers, e₁, e₂ and e₃ are respectively the thickness of the first sheet, the thickness of the second sheet and the thickness of the inserted element, and V₁, V₂ and V₃ are respectively the propagation speeds of an ultrasonic wave in the first sheet, in the second sheet and in the inserted element.

2. A composite wall according to claim 1, wherein said first and second sheets are formed of a material with substantially equivalent acoustic impedances, and the material of the inserted element has an acoustic impedance whose value is between approximately 0.6 and approximately 1.7 times the value of that of the first and second sheets.

3. A composite wall according to claim 1, wherein the material of the inserted element is malleable.

4. A composite wall according to claim 1, wherein said first and second sheets are formed of glass, the intermediate layer is a connecting layer, and the material of the inserted element is selected from the group of materials consisting of aluminium, tin, bismuth, indium, lead and their alloys, lead-silver alloys, and tin-silver alloys in which the silver proportion is between 0.5 and 15%.

5. A composite wall according to claim 1, wherein the inserted element is fixed to the first and second sheets by a thin film of an adhesive material having a thickness less than λ

/20, where X is the wavelength of said ultrasonic signal of frequency f in the adhesive material.

6. A composite wall according to claim 5, wherein the adhesive material is a thermomelting material with a fusion temperature less than the softening temperature of the intermediate layer.

7. A composite wall according to claim 1, wherein the transducer means comprises a single transducer element comprising an emitting/receiving face via which said incidental and reflected signals are respectively emitted and received.

8. A composite wall according to claim 1, wherein the transducer means comprises a first transducer element comprising an emitting face via which said incidental signal is emitted and a second transducer element comprising a receiving face via which said reflected signal is received, wherein the first transducer is separated from the second transducer, and wherein the inserted element extends between the first and second transducers and faces the latter.

9. A composite wall according to claim 2, wherein said first and second sheets are formed of glass, the intermediate layer is a connecting layer, and the material of the inserted element is selected from the group of materials consisting of aluminium, tin, bismuth, indium, lead and their alloys, lead-silver alloys, and tin-silver alloys in which the silver proportion is between 0.5 and 15%.

10. A composite wall according to claim 9, wherein the inserted element is fixed to the first and second sheets by a thin film of an adhesive material having a thickness less than λ

/20, where λ

is the wavelength of said ultrasonic signal of frequency f in the adhesive material.

11. A composite wall according to claim 10, wherein the adhesive material is a thermomelting material with a fusion temperature less than the softening temperature of the intermediate layer.

12. A composite wall according to claim 11, wherein the transducer means comprises a single transducer element comprising an emitting/receiving face via which said incidental and reflected signals are respectively emitted and received.

13. A composite wall according to claim 10, wherein the transducer means comprises a single transducer element comprising an emitting/receiving face via which said incidental and reflected signals are respectively emitted and received.

14. A composite wall according to claim 10, wherein the transducer means comprises a first transducer element comprising an emitting face via which said incidental signal is emitted and a second transducer element comprising a receiving face via which said reflected signal is received, wherein the first transducer is separated from the second transducer, and wherein the inserted element extends between the first and second transducers and faces the latter.

15. A composite wall according to claim 4, wherein the inserted element is fixed to the first and second sheets by a thin film of an adhesive material having a thickness less than λ

/20, where λ

is the wavelength of said ultrasonic signal of frequency f in the adhesive material.

16. A composite wall according to claim 15, wherein the adhesive material is a thermomelting material with a fusion temperature less than the softening temperature of the intermediate layer.

17. A composite wall according to claim 16, wherein the transducer means comprises a single transducer element comprising an emitting/receiving face via which said incidental and reflected signals are respectively emitted and received.

18. A composite wall according to claim 15, wherein the transducer means comprises a single transducer element comprising an emitting/receiving face via which said incidental and reflected signals are respectively emitted and received.

19. A composite wall according to claim 15, wherein the transducer means comprises a first transducer element comprising an emitting face via which said incidental signal is emitted and a second transducer element comprising a receiving face via which said reflected signal is received, wherein the first transducer is separated from the second transducer, and wherein the inserted element extends between the first and second transducers and faces the latter.

20. A composite wall according to claim 16, wherein the transducer means comprises a first transducer element comprising an emitting face via which said incidental signal is emitted and a second transducer element comprising a receiving face via which said reflected signal is received, wherein the first transducer is separated from the second transducer, and wherein the inserted element extends between the first and second transducers and faces the latter.