Hydrophilic mirror and method of producing the same

• US 6,312,131 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2000
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Sheet Glass Company Limited (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Sheet Glass Company Limited (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Toru, Hirata, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafer, Ricky D.
• Application Number:
  US09/542,253
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 359/507, 359/509, 359/512, 359/883, 359/884, 359/900, 359/584, 359/585, 359/586, 359/587, 359/588, 65/602, 65/605, 65/608, 427/165, 427/166, 427/167
• US Class Current: 359/507
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/08 involving special optical features, e.g. avoiding blind spots , e.g. convex mirrors; Side-by-side associations of rear-view and other mirrors B60R1/025, B60R1/10 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3417 all coatings being oxide coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3482 comprising silicon, hydrogenated silicon or a silicide
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2204/08 Glass having a rough surface
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/08 Mirrors vehicle mirrors involving special optical features B60R1/08
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0816 Multilayer mirrors, i.e. having two or more reflecting layers G02B5/0883, G02B5/0891 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0833 comprising inorganic materials only
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0883 with a refractive index gradient rugate filters G02B5/289
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/10 with curved faces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 359/90 Methods

Abstract

A hydrophilic mirror comprising a glass substrate having on the main surface side thereof a layer having a refractive index n1 at 550 nm, a layer having a refractive index n2 at 550 nm, a titanium oxide layer having a refractive index n3 at 550 nm, and an overcoat in this order, the refractive indices n1, n2 and n3 satisfying the relationship: n1≧n3>n2, and having a visible light reflectance of 70% or more.

Claims

1. A hydrophilic mirror comprising a glass substrate having coated on one of the two main surface sides thereof (A) a layer having a refractive index n1 at 550 nm, (B) a layer having a refractive index n2 at 550 nm, (C) a titanium oxide layer having a refractive index n3 at 550 nm, and (D) an overcoat in this order, the refractive indices n1, n2, and n3 satisfying the relationship:

n1≧

n3>

n2, and said hydrophilic mirror having, a reflectance of 70% or more of visible igaht incident on the coated side, wherein said overcoat (D) both (i) is of at least one of silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, cerium oxide, and a mixed oxide of titanium oxide and either silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, or cerium oxide and (ii) has a silicon oxide content of 80% or more.

2. A hydrophilic mirror according to claim 1, wherein said titanium oxide layer (C) has an anatase structure.

3. A hydrophilic mirror according to claim 1, wherein said layer (A) having a refractive index n1 mainly comprises silicon.

4. A hydrophilic mirror according to claim 1, wherein said layer (B) having a refractive index n2 mainly comprises silicon oxide.

5. A hydrophilic mirror according to claim 1, which further has an undercoat between said glass substrate and said layer (A) having a refractive index n1.

6. A hydrophilic mirror according to claim 5, wherein said undercoat is a tin oxide layer.

7. A hydrophilic mirror according to claim 1, wherein an outermost surface profile on the coated side has a center-line average roughness Ra of 0.5 to 25 nm.

8. A hydrophilic mirror according to claim 7, wherein the titanium oxide layer (C) having a refractive index n3 has a center-line average surface roughness Ra of 0.5 to 25 nm, thereby the outermost surface has the average roughness Ra of 0.5 to 25 nm.

9. A hydrophilic mirror according to claim 1, wherein an outermost surface on the coated side has a rough profile and a mean spacing Sm of 4 to 300 nm.

10. A hydrophilic mirror according to claim 1, wherein said layer (A) having a refractive index n1 has a thickness of 10 to 45 nm, said layer (B) having a refractive index n2 has a thickness of 20 to 180 nm, said layer (C) having a refractive index n3 has a thickness of 10 to 200 nm, and said overcoat has a thickness of 0.1 to 100 nm.

11. A hydrophilic mirror according to claim 10, wherein said layer (A) having a refractive index n1 has a thickness of 10 to 45 nm, said layer (B) having a refractive index n2 has a thickness of 40 to 150 nm, said layer (C) having a refractive index n3 has a thickness of 10 to 200 nm, said overcoat has a thickness of 0.1 to 100 nm, and the reflection color of light incident on the coated side is such that when de fined by reference to the CIE LAB color scale system, (a^*2+b^*2) is 0 to 10.

12. A hydrophilic mirror according to claim 1, which further has an opaque layer on an uncoated back side thereof.

13. A method of producing a hydrophilic mirror comprising coating on the main surface side of a glass substrate (A) a layer having a refractive index n1 at 550 nm, (B) a layer having a refractive index n2 at 550 nm, (C) a a titanium oxide layer having a refractive index n3 at 550 nm, and (D) a an overcoat in this order, the refractive indices n1, n2, and n3 satisfying the relationship:

n1≧

n3>

n2 and said hydrophilic mirror having a reflectance of 70% or more of visible light incident on the coated side, wherein said overcoat (D) both (i) is of at least one of silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, cerium oxide, and a mixed oxide of titanium oxide and either silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, or cerium oxide and (ii) has a silicon oxide content of 80% or more.

14. A method of producing a hydrophilic mirror according to claim 13, which further comprises forming an undercoat between said glass substrate and said layer having a refractive index n1.

15. A method of producing a hydrophilic mirror according to claim 13, wherein said layer having a refractive index n1, said layer having a refractive index n2, and said titanium oxide layer having a refractive index n3 are formed by pyrolysis on hot glass.