Glazing for the roof of a motor vehicle

• US 6,538,192 B1
• Filed: 03/13/2002
• Issued: 03/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Glaverbel SA (AGC, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Glaverbel SA (AGC, Inc.)
• Inventors: Baudin, Pol, Masereel, Alain, Guindon, Christian, Coster, Dominique, Legrand, Denis
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAMOND, ALAN D
• Application Number:
  US09/958,751
• Time in Patent Office: 377 Days
• Field of Search: 136/251, 136/256, 136/291, 428/426, 428/441, 296/215, 296/216.01, 257/433
• US Class Current: 136/251
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10165 Functional features of the laminated safety glass or glazing
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10761 containing vinyl acetal
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0488 Double glass encapsulation, e.g. photovoltaic cells arranged between front and rear glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/90 Energy harvesting concepts as power supply for auxiliaries' energy consumption, e.g. photovoltaic sun-roof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 136/291 Applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31645 Next to addition polymer from unsaturated monomers

Abstract

The invention relates to glazings adapted for automotive vehicle roofs. The glazing according to the invention comprises:

a first sheet of glass on the external face of the roof;

a second sheet of glass at at least a portion of the internal surface arranged towards the interior;

an intermediate sheet of one or more traditional thermoplastic materials used for forming laminated glazings, which extends at least over the surfaces of the sheet of glass which face each other;

functional non-transparent elements arranged under the first sheet of glass;

the transparent laminated portion having a luminous transmittance of less than 35 percent and an energy transmittance less than 20 percent.

Claims

1. Glazing for an automotive vehicle roof having at least one transparent laminated portion, comprising:

a first sheet of glass at the external face of the roof;

a second sheet of glass at at least a portion of the internal surface of the roof arranged towards the interior;

an intermediate sheet of one or more conventional thermoplastic materials used for forming laminated glazings, which extends at least over surfaces of the first and second glass sheets which face each other;

functional non-transparent elements arranged under the first sheet of glass;

the transparent laminated portion having a luminous transmittance of less than 35 percent and an energy transmittance less than 20 percent.

2. The glazing according to claim 1 and further including at least one of the following (a) through (f)

(a) the first sheet of glass has an energy transmittance of at least 82%;

(b) the non-transparent functional elements comprise photovoltaic cells;

(c) the first sheet of glass has a thickness of 2.0 to 6.0 mm;

(d) the second sheet of glass has a thickness of 2.0 to 5.0 mm;

(e) the laminated portion has a thickness of less than or equal to 10 mm;

(f) the intermediate sheet comprises one or more sheets of thermoplastic material selected from the group consisting of;

polyvinylbutyral (PVB), copolymers of vinyl ethylene and vinyl acetate (EVA), polyurethane (PU), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

3. The glazing according to claim 2 and further including at least two of the features (a) through (f).

4. The glazing according to claim 2 and further including all of the features (a) through (f).

5. The glazing according to claim 1 wherein the functional elements are adhered to the internal face of the first sheet of glass.

6. The glazing according to claim 1 in which the intermediate sheet extends beyond the laminated portion and in which the functional elements are adhered on the intermediate sheet which extends beyond the laminated portion underneath the first sheet of glass.

7. The glazing according to claim 1 further including a non-laminated portion, the first sheet of glass having dimensions greater than those of the second sheet of glass, and the functional non-transparent elements are arranged under the first sheet of glass at a portion which is not laminated.

8. The glazing according to claim 1 wherein the sheets of glass have substantially the same dimensions and form an entire laminated assembly and the functional non-transparent elements are housed between the sheets of glass.

9. The glazing according to claim 1 in which, during assembly of the sheets, the intermediate sheet comprises three sheets, and the functional non-transparent elements are in housings provided in a sheet arranged between the two other sheets which also form part of the intermediate sheet, the housings either provided by:

(a) impressions in the sheet, or

(b) stampings in the sheet.

10. The glazing according to claim 9 in which the total thickness of the intermediate sheet is between 0.3 and 2.0 mm.

11. The glazing according to claim 1 in which the transmittance of the transparent portion is at least partially controlled by either:

(a) an enamel arranged according to a pattern comprising very small dots arranged in a dense grid, the enamel being arranged at the surface of one of the sheets of glass in contact with the intermediate sheet;

or

(b) a thin coating arranged on one of the sheets of glass at a surface which is in contact with the intermediate sheet.

12. The glazing according to claim 11 wherein the transmittance is at least partially controlled by the thin coating, and

the thin coating is the athermic.

13. The glazing according to claim 12 wherein the thin coating is selected from the group consisting of:

titanium nitride, chromium nitride, indium oxide, tin oxide, doped tin oxide, and indium tin oxide.

14. The glazing according to claim 11 wherein the transmittance is at least partially controlled by the thin coating, and

the thin coating is a silver based reflective coating.

15. The glazing according to claim 1 in which the transmittance of the transparent portion is at least partially controlled by an enamel arranged according to a pattern which covers the internal surface of the first sheet of glass while leaving free the transparent portion of the glazing and the position of the functional, non-transparent elements.