Embedded glass

Abstract

A glazing (100) includes a glazing pane (104) and an electrical component (1405) bonded to the glazing pane (104). The glazing (100) also includes a connector (150) connected to the electrical element (140), thereby defining a solder joint (156) therebetween. The connector (150) is adapted to electrically connect the electrical element (140) to a power source. The glazing (100) further comprises at least one metal strip (180) joined to the weld joint (156) and arranged to cover the weld joint (156). The at least one metal strip (180) is arranged such that at least one end of the electrical component (140) is sandwiched between the connector (150) and the at least one metal strip (180).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to glazing. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to glazing having a glazing panel and an electrical component attached to the glazing panel. Background Art

[0002] The automotive glass industry is providing several products that require welded conductors. For example, windshields include several electrical components that are welded to each other to ensure adequate current transmission. For example, electrical components (such as heating elements or antennas) mounted on the layers of the windshield are usually welded to connectors to receive current from a power source. Typically, during the manufacturing process of the windshield, the welding of the electrical components and the connectors is performed manually via a thermal welding process. However, the durability of such welded joints may be one week because the operator may not be able to weld the joint properly. Therefore, the welded joint has a tendency to break, which is undesirable, especially in the case where the ends of the electrical components are linear structures. Summary of the invention

[0003] Therefore, a first aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a glazing having a secure welded joint between a connector and an electrical component disposed on the glazing.

[0004] A second aspect is to provide a glazing having an electrical component disposed thereon, and more particularly, to provide a glazing having an electrical component laminated between glass sheets.

[0005] A third aspect is to provide a windshield having a secure welded joint between an electrical component (eg, a heating element or an antenna) and a connector mounted on the windshield.

[0006] At least some of the above aspects are solved by a glazing as claimed in claim 1 .

[0007] In some embodiments, the glazing includes a window glass panel and an electrical component joined to the window glass panel. The glazing also includes a connector connected to the electrical component, thereby defining a weld joint therebetween. The connector is adapted to electrically connect the electrical component to a power source. The glazing also includes at least one metal strip joined to the weld joint and arranged to cover the weld joint. The at least one metal strip is arranged so that at least one end of the electrical component is sandwiched between the connector and the at least one metal strip.

[0008] In some embodiments, the connector defines at least one soldering area, and at least one end of the electrical component is preferably soldered to the at least one soldering area by a lead-free soldering material. In a preferred embodiment, the connector has a soldering material at the end of the connector as solder, and the soldering is completed by heating only the soldering area.

[0009] The end of the electrical component is placed on the welding area and then clamped by providing a metal strip on the electrical component, and then the welding material is heated by a welding gun. Thus, by clamping the end of the electrical component with the end of the connector and the metal strip, the welding joint is more secure and the tendency to break is avoided or at least limited.

[0010] In some embodiments, at least one of the metal strips is lead-free.

[0011] In some embodiments, at least one metal strip is welded to the weld joint. The metal strip may include pre-treated welding material to increase the strength of the joint. Thus, the weld joint with the electrical component is better protected and the efficiency of the electrical component is maintained. Moreover, the current transmission will not be interrupted.

[0012] In some embodiments, the glazing is a windshield of a vehicle.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the connector is a flat connector such as the commercial Kapton® type and the metal strip is made of a material selected from copper, brass or aluminum.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the connector is a flat connector, the metal strip is a bus bar welding strip, and the electrical element is a tungsten wire.

[0015] Electrical components, such as wires, are sandwiched between the flat connector and the metal strip. Preferably, the assembly is soldered together to ensure a secure electrical connection.

[0016] In some embodiments, the connector includes bus bar solder strips at ends thereof and the electrical element is a tungsten wire.

[0017] In some embodiments, the glazing panel is a laminated glass having a first glass layer (glass sheet), a second glass layer (glass sheet), and an interlayer disposed between the first glass layer and the second glass layer.

[0018] The windshield is preferably made of two glazing panels made of glass. The glass may thus be of the soda-lime-silica, aluminosilicate or borosilicate type. Preferably and for reasons of lower production costs, the glass glazing panels according to the invention are soda-lime-silica glass panels. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the composition of the glass panels may additionally comprise one or more components / colorants in appropriate amounts, depending on the desired effect. This / these components / colorants may, for example, be used to "neutralize" the color resulting, for example, from the presence of chromium, and thus make the coloring of the glass of the invention more neutral or colorless. Alternatively, this / these colorants may be used to obtain a desired color that is different from the color resulting, for example, from the presence of chromium.

[0019] According to another advantageous embodiment of the invention, which can be combined with the preceding one, the glass pane can be coated with a layer or film which is able to modify or neutralize the color which may be produced, for example, by the presence of chromium (for example a colored PVB film) or which brings functionality to the glazing.

[0020] In some embodiments, tungsten wire is disposed on the interlayer as an electrical component. The tungsten wire can be embedded in the polyvinyl butyral interlayer (commonly referred to as PVB) by equipment known to those skilled in the art, such as a roller or a wire application robot.

[0021] In another embodiment, the wires of the electrical components may be made of copper.

[0022] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing glazing is disclosed. The method includes welding an electrical component to a connector, thereby defining a weld joint therebetween. The electrical component is joined to a layer of a glazing sheet. The method further includes joining at least one metal strip to the weld joint. The at least one metal strip is arranged to cover the weld joint such that at least one end of the electrical component is sandwiched between the connector and the at least one metal strip.

[0023] In some embodiments, at least one metal strip is welded to the weld joint.

[0024] In some embodiments, when welding the at least one metal strip to the weld joint, the at least one metal strip and the weld joint are pressed together.

[0025] In some embodiments, at least one of the metal strips is lead-free.

[0026] In some embodiments, the solder material used to fix the connector and / or the metal strip is a lead-free solder material. Known solder materials, such as components containing tin, copper, silver, nickel, and zinc. The most common lead-free mixture is tin-copper, or a mixture thereof can be used.

[0027] In some embodiments, the glazing is a windshield of a vehicle. The windshield is preferably made of two panes of glass. The glass may thus be of the soda-lime-silica, aluminosilicate or borosilicate type. Preferably and for reasons of lower production costs, the glass panes according to the invention are soda-lime-silica glass panes. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the composition of the glass panes may additionally comprise one or more components / colorants in appropriate amounts, depending on the desired effect. Such / these components / colorants may, for example, be used to "neutralize" the color produced, for example, by the presence of chromium, and thus make the coloring of the glass of the invention more neutral or colorless. Alternatively, such / these colorants may be used to obtain a desired color different from the color produced, for example, by the presence of chromium. According to another advantageous embodiment of the invention, which may be combined with the preceding embodiment, the glass panes may be coated with a layer or film capable of modifying or neutralizing the color that may, for example, be produced by the presence of chromium (e.g. a colored PVB film) or a layer or film that brings functionality to the glazing.

[0028] In some embodiments, the glazing panel is a laminated glass having a first glass layer, a second glass layer, and an interlayer disposed between the first glass layer and the second glass layer. The electrical component is disposed on the interlayer.

[0029] It should be emphasized that when used in this specification, the terms "comprises / comprising / consisting of" are used to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. It should be emphasized that the embodiments shown are only for illustrative purposes and should not be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 1 A glazing serving as a windshield is shown, an electrical component serving as a heating element and an enlarged view of a connector connected to the electrical component are depicted.

[0032] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of the lower portion of the glazing is shown, depicting the various layers of the glazing.

[0033] Figure 3 An enlarged view of a portion of a windshield is shown, depicting an antenna as an electrical component and a connector connected to the electrical component.

[0034] Figure 4 Shows Figure 1An enlarged view of a lower portion of a windshield with a metal strip removed from a welded joint defined between an electrical component and a connector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] refer to Figure 1 , a glazing 100 is shown as a windshield 102 adapted to be attached to a body of a vehicle. Although the glazing 100 is shown and envisioned as a windshield 102, it is understood that the glazing 100 may be used as a window of a vehicle, a window of a building, etc. The glazing 100 may also include rear windows, side windows, and panoramic sunroofs of vehicles, construction machinery, earthmoving machinery, etc.

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, the glazing 100 includes a window glass pane 104 (ie, glass pane 104) having an inner surface 112 (ie, inner surface 112) disposed to face the interior of the vehicle. Figure 2 ), and an outer surface 114 disposed opposite to the inner surface and arranged to face the outside of the vehicle. Further, the glass sheet 104 includes an upper edge 116, a lower edge 118 disposed opposite to the upper edge 116, and a pair of side edges 120, 122 extending from the upper edge 116 to the lower edge 118 and spaced apart and arranged facing each other. In an embodiment, the upper edge 116 is attached to the roof of the vehicle, and the lower edge 118 is joined to the lower body of the vehicle. Moreover, the side edges 120, 122 can be coupled to the front pillar or the rear pillar of the vehicle. In an embodiment, the glass sheet 104 is adhesively attached to the vehicle body.

[0037] In an embodiment, Figure 2 As shown, the glass sheet 104 may include a laminated glass having a first glass layer 130 (i.e., outer glass layer 130) defining an outer surface 114 of the glass sheet 104, a second glass layer 132 (i.e., inner glass layer 132) defining an inner surface 112 of the glass sheet 104, and an intermediate layer 134 (i.e., interlayer 134) disposed between the first glass layer 130 and the second glass layer 132 and may be made of plastic. In an embodiment, the interlayer 134 is a polyvinyl butyral interlayer. Although the glass sheet 104 made of laminated glass is shown and contemplated, it is contemplated that the window glass sheet 104 may be made of strengthened glass, tempered glass, or any other suitable glass known in the art. It is understood that the glass sheet 104 is made of a transparent material, and the type of transparent material (e.g., glass) may depend on the application or field in which the glazing 100 is used.

[0038] In addition, the windshield 102 (i.e., the glazing 100) includes an electrical component 140 disposed on or embedded within the glass sheet 104. In this embodiment, the glass sheet 104 is a laminated glass, and the electrical component 140 is disposed on or embedded within the interlayer 134. However, it is contemplated that the electrical component 140 may also be disposed on the outer glass layer 130 or the inner glass layer 132. In a preferred embodiment, the electrical component 140 is disposed on or embedded within the interlayer 134.

[0039] like Figure 1 As shown, the electrical element 140 is a heating element 142 in the form of a wire or strip, which is arranged adjacent to the lower edge 118 of the glass sheet 104 and extends in multiple rows. Although the heating element 142 is shown as being arranged adjacent to the lower edge 118, it is understood that the multiple rows of wires of the heating element 142 can extend along all edges 116, 118, 120, 122 of the glass sheet 104. In some embodiments, the wires of the heating element 142 are arranged on the glass sheet 104 in multiple horizontal rows arranged from the upper edge 116 to the lower edge 118 or multiple vertical rows arranged between the two side edges 120, 122. In an embodiment, the heating element 142 is made of a material with a high resistivity so that it can be heated when an electric current passes through it, thereby heating the glass sheet 104. In an embodiment, the electrical element 140 is a tungsten wire. In some embodiments, the electrical element 140 is a copper wire.

[0040] In some embodiments, Figure 3 As shown, the electrical component 140 may be an antenna 144 having electrical wires so as to be adapted to transmit and receive signals or data.

[0041] To facilitate the passage of current through the electrical element 140, the glazing 100 includes a connector 150 mounted on the glass plate 104. The connector 150 facilitates electrical connection of the electrical element 140 to a power source (not shown). In an embodiment, the power source may be a battery. Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, the connector 150 is a bus bar 152 that is coupled to the electrical component 140 and defines a solder joint 156 therebetween. Figure 4 As shown, the connector 150 includes a first electrical terminal 158 defining a first welding area 160 of the connector 150, and a second electrical terminal 162 defining a second welding area 166 of the connector 150, and the end of the electrical component 140 is connected / coupled / joined to the first electrical terminal and the second electrical terminal. In some embodiments, the terminals 158, 162 of the connector 150 include bus bars to facilitate a secure and reliable connection. For example, Figure 4As shown, the first end 170 of the electrical component 140 is connected to the first electrical terminal 158 (i.e., the first soldering area 160), and the second end 172 of the electrical component is connected to the second electrical terminal 162 (i.e., the second soldering area 166) of the connector 150. Therefore, the first end 170 of the electrical component 140 and the first electrical terminal 158 together define a first joint portion 174 of the solder joint 156, and the second end 172 of the electrical component 140 and the second electrical terminal 162 of the connector 150 together define a second joint portion 176 of the solder joint 156.

[0042] Furthermore, the embedded glass 100 includes at least one metal strip, for example, a first metal strip 180 ( Figure 1 and Figure 3 ), the first metal strip is bonded to the first bonding portion 174 so that the first end 170 of the electrical component 140 is sandwiched between the first electrical terminal 158 and the first metal strip 180. Similarly, the glazing 100 may include a second metal strip 182 bonded to the second bonding portion 176 so that the second end 172 of the electrical component 140 is sandwiched between the second electrical terminal 162 and the second metal strip 182. In this embodiment, the first metal strip 180 and the second metal strip 182 are bonded to the first welding area 160 and the second welding area 166, respectively, by welding the metal strips 180, 182 to the corresponding welding areas 160, 166. In a preferred embodiment, the metal strips 180, 182 are bus strips, and in the case where the metal strips 180, 182 and the terminals 158, 162 of the connector 150 are both bus strips, the electrical component 140 is sandwiched between the bus strips. In an embodiment, each of the metal strips 180, 182 is lead-free. By sandwiching the ends 170, 172 of the electrical component 140 between the soldering areas 160, 166 and the metal strips 180, 182, the connection between the connector 150 and the electrical component 140 is strengthened, thereby reducing or eliminating the occurrence of disengagement of the electrical component 140 from the connector 150. In a preferred embodiment, the area of ​​the metal strip 180 or the soldering joint 156 or the terminals 158, 162 of the connector 150 is much larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the electrical component 140 (i.e., the cross-sectional area of ​​the wire), thereby providing a reliable and secure connection of the electrical component 140.

[0043] A method of manufacturing a glazing 100 (e.g., a windshield 102) is now described. To manufacture the glazing 100, an electrical component 140 is bonded to a glass sheet 104 or a layer of a glass sheet 104. For example, when the glazing 100 is a windshield 102 made of laminated glass, the electrical component 140 is bonded to the interlayer 134. It is conceivable that the electrical component 140 is arranged on the interlayer 134 or embedded inside the interlayer by techniques or methods known in the art. Therefore, before the lamination step in the method of the present invention, the electrical component 140 embedded in the interlayer 134 is connected / attached to the connector 150. It should be understood that the electrical component 140 can also be arranged on the outer layer 130 or the inner layer 132, depending on the application field.

[0044] When the electrical component 140 is joined to the glass sheet 104, the connector 150 is attached / joined to the electrical component 140 and mounted on the glass sheet 104 or a layer of the glass sheet 104. The joining of the electrical component 140 to the glass sheet 104 should be understood as placing the electrical component 140 on the glass sheet 104, that is, the interlayer 134 with the electrical component 140 is laid on the glass sheet 104. Afterwards, the terminals of the connector 150 are brought close to the ends of the electrical component 140. To this end, in an embodiment, the first end 170 of the electrical component 140 is welded to the first electrical terminal 158 defining the first joint portion 174, and the second end 172 of the electrical component 140 is welded to the second electrical terminal 162 defining the second joint portion 176. The welding can be performed by a thermal welding process. The first joint portion 174 and the second joint portion 176 together define the welded joint 156. Subsequently, at least one metal strip is joined to the welded joint 156. For example, the first metal strip 180 is bonded to the first joint portion 174 so that the first end 170 of the electrical component 140 is sandwiched between the first welding area 160 (i.e., the first electrical terminal 158) of the connector 150 and the first metal strip 180. Similarly, the second metal strip 182 is bonded to the second joint portion 176 so that the second end 172 of the electrical component 140 is sandwiched between the second welding area 166 (i.e., the second electrical terminal 162) and the second metal strip 182. In an embodiment, the first metal strip 180 is welded to the first joint portion 174, and the second metal strip 182 is welded to the second welding joint 176. Welding the metal strips 180, 182 to the welding joint 156 can be performed via a thermal welding process. In the case where a bus bar is used for the metal strips 180, 182, the bus bar is cut into a plurality of strips for welding the electrical component 140. After welding is performed on the first metal strip 180, the first metal strip 180 and the first joint portion 174 are pressed together by using a pressing tool to ensure a firm bond between the first metal strip 180 and the first joint portion 174. Similarly, the second metal strip 182 and the second joint portion 176 are pressed together by using a pressing tool to ensure a firm bond between the second metal strip 182 and the second joint portion 176.

[0045] When the metal strips 180, 182 are welded to the weld joint 156, in an embodiment where the electrical component 140 is attached to the interlayer 134, the outer layer 130 and the inner layer 132 are attached to the interlayer 134 so that the interlayer 134 together with the electrical component 140 is arranged between the outer layer 130 and the inner layer 132. Since the electrical component 140 and the connector 150 are firmly fixed using the metal strips 180, 182, the occurrence of disconnection of the electrical component 140 and the connector 150 during transportation or attaching the outer layer 130 and / or the inner layer 132 to the interlayer 134 is reduced.

[0046] It should be noted that the drawings and the above description have shown the exemplary embodiments in a simple and schematic manner. Many specific mechanical details are not shown because those skilled in the art should be familiar with these details and these details would only unnecessarily complicate the present description. For example, the specific materials used are not described in detail because it is believed that those skilled in the art will be able to find suitable materials to manufacture the glazing (i.e., windshield) according to the present disclosure.

[0047] In addition, the drawings illustrate additional features that will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Therefore, these additional features are not described in detail herein.

Claims

1. A mosaic glass (100), comprising: Window glass panels (104); an electrical component (140) coupled to the window glass panel; a connector (150) connected to the electrical component (140) to define a solder joint (156) therebetween, wherein the connector (150) is adapted to electrically connect the electrical component (140) to a power source; and at least one metal strip (180) joined to the weld joint (156) and arranged to cover the weld joint, The at least one metal strip (180) is arranged such that at least one end of the electrical component (140) is clamped between the connector (150) and the at least one metal strip (180).

2. The mosaic glass (100) according to claim 1, wherein: The connector (150) defines at least one welding area, and the at least one end of the electrical component (140) is welded to the at least one welding area.

3. The glazing (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The at least one metal strip (180) is made of copper, brass or aluminum.

4. The glazing (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The at least one metal strip is welded to the weld joint (156).

5. The glazing (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The metal strip 180 is a bus bar.

6. The glazing (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The connector (150) is a flat connector, and the electrical element (140) is a tungsten wire.

7. The glazing (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The electrical element (140) is a heating element (142).

8. The glazing (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The electrical component (140) is an antenna (144).

9. The glazing (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The glazing panel (104) is a laminated glass having a first glass layer (130), a second glass layer (132), and an interlayer arranged between the first glass layer (130) and the second glass layer (132).

10. The mosaic glass (100) according to claim 9, wherein: The tungsten wire (140) is arranged on the interlayer (134).

11. A method for manufacturing a mosaic glass (100), the method comprising: soldering an electrical component (140) to the connector (150) thereby defining a solder joint (156) therebetween, wherein the electrical component (140) is bonded to a layer of the window glass panel (104); and At least one metal strip (180) is joined to the solder joint (156), wherein the at least one metal strip (180) is arranged to cover the solder joint (156) so that at least one end of the electrical component (140) is sandwiched between the connector (150) and the at least one metal strip (180).

12. The method for manufacturing glazing (100) according to claim 11, wherein: The at least one metal strip (180) is welded to the weld joint (156).

13. The method for manufacturing glazing (100) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein: When welding the at least one metal strip (180) to the welding joint (156), the at least one metal strip (180) and the welding joint (156) are pressed together.

14. The method for producing glazing (100) according to claims 11 to 13, wherein: The at least one metal strip (180) is made of copper, brass or aluminum.

15. The method for manufacturing glazing (100) according to claims 11 to 14, wherein: The window glass panel (104) is a laminated glass having a first glass layer (130), a second glass layer (132), and an interlayer (134) arranged between the first glass layer and the second glass layer (132), wherein the electrical component (140) is arranged on the interlayer (134).

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