Composite lens with electrically controllable optical properties

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a composite lens with electrically controllable optical properties, a composite lens assembly comprising such a composite lens, and a method for manufacturing such a composite lens. It further relates to a vehicle, in particular a road vehicle, with such a composite lens and composite lens assembly.

[0002] Optoelectronic functional elements with electrically controllable optical properties have long been known in great variety and are used in industrial mass production, for example in TV sets, laptops, mobile phones / smartphones and tablets.

[0003] Composite discs with electrically controllable functional elements are also known. The optical properties of the functional elements can be changed by an applied electrical voltage. An example of such functional elements are PDLC (polymer dispersed liquid crystal) functional elements, which are known, for example, from DE 102008026339 A1. The active layer contains liquid crystals embedded in a polymer matrix. If no voltage is applied, the liquid crystals are randomly oriented, leading to strong scattering of the light passing through the active layer. If a voltage is applied to the surface electrodes, the liquid crystals align in a common direction, and the transmission of light through the active layer is increased.

[0004] Windscreens and glass roofs have been proposed in which an electrically controlled sun visor is implemented using such a functional element, in order to replace the conventional mechanically folding sun visor in motor vehicles. Windscreens with electrically controlled sun visors are known, for example, from DE 102013001334 A1, DE 102005049081 B3, DE 102005007427 A1 and DE 102007027296 A1.

[0005] Equally well-known for several years are so-called head-up displays, which project particularly important information for the driver of a car (such as speed limits, navigation instructions, the current vehicle speed, etc.) directly into their field of vision. It goes without saying that such optoelectronic display elements have structured control electrodes and interact with correspondingly more complex control units.

[0006] SPD (suspended particle device), PNLC (polymer networked liquid crystal), and PDLC functional elements are commercially available as multilayer films, with the active layer and the surface electrodes required for applying a voltage arranged between two carrier films, typically made of PET. In the fabrication of the laminated glass pane, the functional element is cut to the desired size and shape from the supplied multilayer film and inserted between the films of an interlayer, which laminates two glass panes together to form the laminated glass pane.

[0007] It is also already known to assign actuating devices to composite windscreens with integrated optoelectronic functional elements, enabling manual switching on or off, or other manual operations. Such actuating devices are typically located on the instrument panel or on an actuating unit at the top edge of the windscreen, adjacent to the headliner. This placement of the actuating devices complicates intuitive operation and necessitates adjustments between specific windscreen types with integrated functional elements of varying designs or configurations, on the one hand, and the specific design of the instrument panel or the control unit at the top edge of the windscreen, on the other.

[0008] WO 2019 / 086653 A1 discloses a composite disk with an optoelectronic functional element arranged between two intermediate layers. The optoelectronic functional element can be controlled by a capacitive button located in the area of ​​the functional element. However, there is no information regarding the design of the capacitive button or its arrangement within the layer stack.

[0009] The invention is therefore based on the objective of providing an improved composite windscreen with an integrated optoelectronic functional element, which in particular facilitates intuitive operation of the functional element and largely eliminates the need for adjustments to other vehicle components for specific windscreen configurations. Furthermore, the invention aims to provide an improved, simple method for manufacturing such a composite windscreen.

[0010] The object of the present invention, in its product aspect, is achieved by a composite disc according to independent claim 1. In its arrangement or system aspect, the object is achieved by a composite disc arrangement with the features of claim 12. Preferred embodiments are described in the respective dependent claims.

[0011] The composite pane according to the invention comprises at least one outer pane and one inner pane, which are bonded together via a thermoplastic interlayer. The composite pane is intended to separate the interior from the exterior environment in a window opening, for example, of a vehicle, a building, or a room. For the purposes of the invention, the inner pane is defined as the pane facing the interior. The outer pane is defined as the pane facing the exterior environment. The interlayer serves to bond the two panes, as is customary in composite panes.

[0012] The outer and inner panes are preferably made of glass. However, they can also be made of plastic. The thickness of the outer and inner panes can vary widely and thus be adapted to the specific requirements. The outer and inner panes preferably have thicknesses of 0.4 mm to 3.5 mm, and particularly preferably 1 mm to 2.5 mm. The panes can be clear, tinted, or colored. When using the laminated glass as a windshield in passenger cars, it is important to ensure that the windshield has sufficient light transmission in the central field of vision, preferably at least 70% in the main viewing area A according to ECE-R43.

[0013] Furthermore, the invention can also be applied to roof glazing ("sunroofs") of various vehicles, particularly passenger cars, but also, for example, of boats / ships or buses. The technical details largely correspond to the aspects of the invention described above and below. The outer pane, the inner pane, and / or the intermediate layer can have further suitable, known coatings, such as anti-reflective coatings, non-stick coatings, anti-scratch coatings, photocatalytic coatings, solar control coatings, or so-called low-E coatings.

[0014] The composite disc according to the invention contains an optoelectronic functional element with electrically controllable optical properties, which is embedded in the intermediate layer. The functional element is arranged between at least two layers of thermoplastic material of the intermediate layer, being connected to the outer disc by the first layer and to the inner disc by the second layer.

[0015] The functional element comprises at least one active layer arranged between a first and a second support film. The active layer exhibits variable optical properties that can be controlled by an electrical voltage applied to the active layer. For the purposes of this invention, electrically controllable optical properties are understood to be those properties that are continuously controllable, but also those that can be switched between two or more discrete states. These optical properties relate in particular to light transmission and / or scattering behavior. The functional element also comprises surface electrodes for applying the voltage to the active layer, which are preferably arranged between the support films and the active layer.The first carrier film is arranged on the side of the active layer that faces the outer pane, and the second carrier film is arranged on the side of the active layer that faces the inner pane.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the functional element is a PDLC functional element. The active layer of a PDLC functional element contains liquid crystals embedded in a polymer matrix. In a further embodiment, the functional element is an SPD functional element. Here, the active layer contains suspended particles, and the absorption of light by the active layer can be modified by applying a voltage to the surface electrodes. However, it is also possible to use other types of controllable functional elements, such as electrochromic functional elements. Such controllable functional elements and their operation are known to those skilled in the art, so a detailed description is unnecessary here.

[0017] The surface electrodes and the active layer are typically arranged essentially parallel to the surfaces of the outer and inner disks. The surface electrodes are electrically connected to an external voltage source in a known manner. The electrical contact, as well as the connection to the energy source for temperature control of the active layer, is achieved using suitable connecting cables, such as foil conductors, which are optionally connected to the surface electrodes via so-called busbars, for example, strips of electrically conductive material or electrically conductive imprints. The thickness of the functional element is, for example, from 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

[0018] The surface electrodes are preferably designed as transparent, electrically conductive layers. The surface electrodes preferably contain at least one metal, a metal alloy, or a transparent conducting oxide (TCO). The surface electrodes can contain, for example, silver, gold, copper, nickel, chromium, tungsten, indium tin oxide (ITO), gallium-doped or aluminum-doped zinc oxide, and / or fluorine-doped or antimony-doped tin oxide. The surface electrodes preferably have a thickness of 10 nm to 2 µm, particularly preferably 20 nm to 1 µm, and most preferably 30 nm to 500 nm.

[0019] The functional element is provided, in particular, as a multilayer film with two outer carrier films. In such a multilayer film, the surface electrodes and the active layer are typically arranged between the two carrier films. The term "outer carrier film" here refers to the fact that the carrier films form the two surfaces of the multilayer film. The functional element can thus be provided as a laminated film that can be advantageously processed. The carrier films advantageously protect the functional element from damage, especially corrosion.

[0020] The invention includes the concept of implementing the actuation of a functional element locally integrated into the composite disc in an ideally intuitive manner directly at the installation location of the functional element, or at least in its immediate vicinity, directly on the composite disc. It further includes the concept of integrating a switching element with a capacitive touch function suitable for this purpose into the interior of the composite disc.

[0021] In particular, the optoelectronic functional element is provided in a first sub-area of ​​the composite disk, and the touch switching element is placed in a second sub-area of ​​the composite disk, which is contained in the first sub-area.

[0022] The touch switching element is arranged between the active layer of the optoelectronic functional element and the thermoplastic intermediate layer. The touch switching element is positioned on the side of the active layer facing the inner disc to ensure the capacitive touch switching element functions correctly when operated from inside the device. The thermoplastic intermediate layer preferably comprises a first layer of thermoplastic material facing the outer disc and a second layer of thermoplastic material facing the inner disc. In this case, the touch switching element is arranged between the second layer of thermoplastic material and the active layer. According to the invention, the capacitive touch switching element is in direct contact with the second carrier film.The touch switching element can thus be integrated into the laminated glass pane as part of a multilayer film encompassing the optoelectronic functional element, provided it is attached directly to the second carrier film. This offers the advantage that no further separate film pieces with a touch switching element are integrated into the laminated glass pane, which could, for example, lead to changes in the pane's thickness.

[0023] In a first implementation variant, this can be achieved by having the touch switching element have a structured conductive layer arranged on the surface of the optoelectronic functional element associated with the inner disk. Thus, a structured conductive layer is arranged in the area of ​​the touch switching element. The structured conductive layer can be applied to the second carrier film, for example, by bonding pre-made conductor structures or by printing. Preferably, this variant consists of a structured conductive layer with a touch switching structure formed by laser structuring of a conductive layer, wherein the conductive layer is deposited using a vacuum-based coating process. Suitable vacuum-based coating processes include, for example, CVD (chemical vapor deposition) or PVD (physical vapor deposition).

[0024] This variant is particularly suitable for applications where a composite disc according to the invention is to be produced with a commercially available PDLC composite film or another standard prefabricated interlayer laminate with an integrated functional element. To realize the invention, either only one surface of the supplied laminate or the side of the inner disc facing the interlayer needs to be provided with the touch switching element (and connecting wires) at a suitable location.

[0025] In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the touch switching element is formed by a dedicated touch switching structure of the planar control electrode of the optoelectronic functional element facing the inner disk. This embodiment is suitable for applications where a control electrode structure of the optoelectronic functional element can be designed from the outset taking into account the function according to the invention and then manufactured accordingly. It therefore requires a configuration of the interlayer laminate according to the invention, but eliminates the need for post-treatment steps such as those required in the implementation variant mentioned above. The touch switching structure is particularly preferably generated by laser structuring of the planar control electrode facing the inner disk.This can be achieved by laser treatment of a commercially available composite film containing the optoelectronic functional element. The laser structuring can be flexibly adapted to the respective installation situation, so that the location and shape of a touch switching element can be easily varied within the surface.

[0026] The position of the touch switch can be made easily identifiable for the user by suitable markings, for example by applying black printing to or around the touch switch. Such black printing is already standard practice on the edges of car windshields or sunroofs, so marking the touch element accordingly requires virtually no additional technological effort and does not increase the cost of the windshield.

[0027] In a configuration suitable for simple switching functions, the touch switching element has two parallel or concentric conductors with a touch switching section spaced between 0.3 and 1.5 cm, particularly between 0.5 and 1 cm. The conductor spacing must be dimensioned to allow for reliable switching by an adult's finger or thumb and may, if necessary, lie outside the range specified here.

[0028] For more complex control functions, the touch switching element preferably has a plurality of spaced-apart conductors that are separately connected or connectable to the outside of the optoelectronic functional element. With such a configuration, a specific setting can be selected from several available options, particularly by "swiping" across the switching element, as is known from smartphones and similar devices, or by selectively touching a portion of it.

[0029] The composite disk arrangement according to the invention comprises, in addition to the composite disk described above, a control unit for controlling the optical properties of the optoelectronic functional element and a switching control unit connected to the touch switching element for switching for manual control of the optoelectronic functional element, in particular for switching on / off or for adjusting contrast or brightness or similar.

[0030] In a configuration suitable for control operations that go beyond simple on / off switching, the switching control unit has a number of inputs corresponding to the number of separately connectable conductors of the touch switch element. Upon responding to a signal input at the respective signal inputs, it activates one of more than two control states of the optoelectronic functional element.

[0031] Another aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a composite disc according to the invention.

[0032] An optoelectronic functional element comprising a layer stack consisting, in the specified order, of a first carrier film, a transparent planar control electrode, an active layer, a transparent planar control electrode, and a second carrier film, is provided with a capacitive touch switching element. The optoelectronic functional element is then laminated between an outer and an inner disk via a thermoplastic interlayer.

[0033] This process enables the simple production of a composite disc comprising an optoelectronic functional element and a capacitive touch sensor via a simple lamination process. Since the necessary structures for the touch sensor are already integrated into the multilayer film containing the optoelectronic functional element, only this single additional component needs to be integrated, aligned, and provided with electrical connections during lamination. This significantly simplifies the manufacturing process compared to conventional methods, which require separate components for each touch sensor. Furthermore, material incompatibilities resulting from the need for additional, separate films containing a touch sensor are avoided.

[0034] The layer stack without a capacitive touch switching element is commercially available. This stack is now preferably equipped with a capacitive touch switching element by printing or bonding a structured conductive layer onto the surface of the second carrier film. Alternatively, and more preferably, a conductive layer is deposited on the exposed surface of the second carrier film, at least in the area of ​​the capacitive touch switching element, preferably using a CVD or PVD process. This conductive layer can then be structured with a laser to create a touch switching structure.

[0035] Alternatively, a capacitive touch switching element is preferably created by laser structuring the planar control electrode adjacent to the second carrier film. The laser is focused onto the layer with the planar control electrode without damaging the overlying carrier film. This creates electrically insulating areas that separate individual conductor tracks from one another.

[0036] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to figures and exemplary embodiments. The drawing is a schematic representation and not to scale. The figures do not limit the invention in any way.

[0037] They show: Fig. 1 a top view of a first embodiment of the composite glass according to the invention as a windshield with electrically controlled sun visor, Fig. 2 a cross-section through the windshield made of Fig. 1 , Fig. 3 an enlarged view of area Z from Fig. 2 Fig. 4 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the composite disc according to the invention, Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of an alternative realization of the touch switching element in a composite disc according to the invention, and Fig. 6 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of the composite disc arrangement according to the invention in the form of a functional block diagram.

[0038] Fig. 1, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 Figure 1 shows a detail of a windshield W with an electrically controlled sun visor S, an exemplary embodiment of the laminated windshield according to the invention with electrically controllable optical properties. The windshield W comprises an outer pane 1 and an inner pane 2, which are bonded together via an intermediate layer 3. The outer pane 1 has a thickness of 2.1 mm and consists of green-tinted soda-lime glass. The inner pane 2 has a thickness of 1.6 mm and consists of clear soda-lime glass. In its installed position, the windshield has an upper edge D facing the roof and a lower edge M facing the engine compartment.

[0039] The windshield is equipped with an electrically controlled sun visor S in an area above the central field of vision B (as defined in ECE-R43). A touch switch T is provided in the upper edge of the sun visor S for switching the sun visor function on / off and, if applicable (depending on the specific design), also for manually adjusting the transmission level of the sun visor.

[0040] The sun visor S is formed by a commercially available PDLC multilayer film as functional element 4, which is embedded in the intermediate layer 3. The intermediate layer 3 comprises a total of three thermoplastic layers 3a, 3b, and 3c, each formed by a 0.38 mm thick PVB thermoplastic film. The first thermoplastic layer 3a is bonded to the outer pane 1, and the second thermoplastic layer 3b to the inner pane 2. The third thermoplastic layer 3c, located between these layers, has a cutout into which the cut PDLC multilayer film is inserted, essentially fitting flush on all sides. The third thermoplastic layer 3c thus acts as a kind of passe-partout for the approximately 0.4 mm thick functional element 4, which is therefore completely encapsulated and protected by thermoplastic material.

[0041] The first thermoplastic layer 3a has a tinted area 3a' located between the functional element 4 and the outer pane 1. This further reduces the light transmission of the windshield in the area of ​​the sun visor 4 and softens the milky appearance of the PDLC functional element 4 in its diffusive state. The overall aesthetics of the windshield are thus significantly improved.

[0042] The controllable functional element 4 is a multilayer film consisting of an active layer 5 between two surface electrodes 8, 9 and two carrier films 6, 7. The active layer 5 contains a polymer matrix with dispersed liquid crystals that align themselves depending on the electrical voltage applied to the surface electrodes, thereby controlling the optical properties. The carrier films 6, 7 are made of PET and have a thickness of, for example, 0.125 mm.

[0043] The carrier films 6, 7 are provided on the surface facing the active layer 5 with an ITO coating of approximately 100 nm thickness, which forms the surface electrodes 8, 9. The surface electrodes 8, 9 can be connected to the vehicle's electrical system via busbars (not shown, for example, formed by a silver-containing screen print) and connecting cables (also not shown). To implement the present invention, the surface electrode 9 facing the inner pane 2 of the windshield W can be provided in a small area with a conductor structure produced by laser processing, through which the touch switching element T ( Fig. 1 ) formed and connected on the one hand to the large-area ITO coating to realize the sun visor function and on the other hand to the on-board electronics.

[0044] As is typical, the windshield has a circumferential, peripheral cover print 10, formed by an opaque enamel on the interior surfaces (facing the vehicle interior when installed) of the outer pane 1 and the inner pane 2. The distance of the functional element 4 to the upper edge D and the side edges of the windshield is less than the width of the cover print 10, so that the side edges of the functional element 4 – with the exception of the side edge facing the central field of vision B – are concealed by the cover print 10. The electrical connections (not shown) are also sensibly located within the area of ​​the cover print 10 and thus hidden. Similarly, the touch switching element T can be positioned within the area of ​​the cover print, particularly if it is formed by a non-transparent conductor structure (see below).

[0045] Fig. 4 shows an exemplary design of the windshield W, which is in Fig. 2 The setup shown features a special configuration of the touch field element. The windshield components are also compatible with those in Fig. 2 The reference numerals used are designated, and the touch switching element has the reference numeral 11 here.

[0046] As can be seen in the figure, the touch field element 11 comprises two concentric circular conductors 11a, 11b, which are connected to a dedicated connector 13 (approximately in the form of an MQS (micro quadlock system) connector) for external connection of the touch switching element. The connector 13 is arranged on a different side edge of the optoelectronic functional element 4 than the busbars 14a, 14b, which connect the functional element to an external control circuit (not shown here). The touch switching element 11 with the conductors 11a, 11b can be formed—as noted above—by laser structuring one of the transparent surface elements 8, 9 of the optoelectronic functional element 4 using techniques and laser beam processing devices known per se.

[0047] Figur 5a Figure 1 shows a cross-section through an area with a touch switching element 11, which was produced by laser structuring of a surface electrode 9 of the functional element 4. The electrically insulating areas 17 are produced by laser treatment. Fig. 5b Figure 1 shows an alternative realization of the touch switching element 11, in which a separate conductive layer 12 is created on the optoelectronic functional element 4. Here, the touch switching element 11 is formed by structuring the additional conductive layer 12, while the surface electrodes 8, 9 of the functional element 4 serve exclusively to realize its other functions.

[0048] This design allows the use of interlayer laminates configured independently of the touch switching function and the subsequent implementation of the touch switching function as part of functional element 4.

[0049] In a variation of the in Fig. 5b In the illustrated structure, the conductive layer 12 can also be provided on the inner surface of the inner pane of a windshield facing the functional element 4. The additional conductive layer 12 can be formed, for example, by a known printing process or by sputtering.

[0050] Fig. 6 The diagram schematically shows a composite disc arrangement comprising a windshield W designed according to the invention and associated control devices in a (not shown) vehicle.

[0051] An optoelectronic functional element 4 is arranged in a sub-area of ​​the windshield W, and a touch switching element 11 is provided in a sub-area of ​​the surface of the functional element 4. As already described in Fig. 5As shown, two busbars 14a, 14b are arranged on a first side edge of the functional element 4 in a manner known per se for connecting it, and a special connector 13 is assigned to the touch switching element 11, which is placed on another side edge of the functional element. In principle, other types of connectors can also be used instead of both the busbars 14a, 14b and the connector 13 specified above as an MQS connector, provided they are suitable for use in or with a composite disk of the type discussed here.

[0052] While the functional element 4 is controlled in a known manner by a control unit 15 to realize its usual functions, the touch switching element 11 is connected via the connector 13 to a switching control unit 16, which, for example, controls the on or off state of the functional element 4, or possibly also sections thereof, or even certain parameters of the functional element 4 based on manual operation by the driver. These parameters could include, for example, a transmission coefficient, a contrast ratio, brightness, or other parameters whose individual adjustment by the vehicle driver is useful or desirable depending on the ambient conditions or according to their preferences.

[0053] In the figure, the linking of the functions of the control unit 15 and the switching control unit 16 is only schematically illustrated by a simple signal connection; however, the interaction of the two units can be more complex, and both units 15, 16 can also be integrated with each other.

[0054] The implementation of the invention is not limited to the aspects highlighted above and the examples described above, but is also possible in a multitude of variations that fall within the scope of the attached claims. Reference sign

[0055] 1 Outer pane 2 Inner pane 3 Thermoplastic interlayer 3a First layer of the interlayer 3 3a Tinted area of ​​the first layer 3a 3b Second layer of the interlayer 3 3c Third layer of the interlayer 3 4; S Functional element with electrically controllable optical properties 5 Active layer of the functional element 4 6 First carrier film of the functional element 4 7 Second carrier film of the functional element 4 8, 9 Surface electrode of the functional element 4 10 Cover print 11; T Touch switching element 11a, 11b Conductor of the touch switching element 12 Conductive layer 13 Connector of the touch switching element 14a, 14b Control connectors (busbars) 15 Control unit 16 Switching control unit 17 Electrically insulating area B Windshield viewing area D Top edge of windshield M Bottom edge of windshield SS Sun visor W Windshield X-X' section line Z Detail area of ​​windshield

Claims

1. Composite pane having electrically controllable optical properties, comprising an outer pane (1) and an inner pane (2), which are joined to one another via a thermoplastic intermediate layer (3), wherein an optoelectronic functional element (4; S) having electrically controllable optical properties is embedded in the intermediate layer (3), which functional element comprises an active layer (5), with which transparent flat control electrodes (8, 9) are associated on both surfaces, between a first carrier film (6) and a second carrier film (7), and wherein a capacitive contact switching element (T; 11) is arranged between the active layer (5) and the thermoplastic intermediate layer (3), in direct contact with the second carrier film (7) facing in the direction of the inner pane (2).

2. Composite pane according to claim 1, wherein in the region of the contact switching element (T; 11), a patterned conductive layer (12) is arranged, which is arranged on the surface of the optoelectronic functional element (4; S) associated with the inner pane.

3. Composite pane according to claim 2, wherein the patterned conductive layer (12) has a contact switch structure that is formed by laser patterning of a conductive layer deposited in a vacuum-based coating method.

4. Composite pane according to claim 1, wherein the contact switching element (T; 11) is formed by a dedicated contact switch structure of the flat control electrode (9) of the optoelectronic functional element (4; S) facing the inner pane.

5. Composite pane according to one of claims 1 through 4, wherein the optoelectronic functional element (4; S) is a PDLC functional element, PNLC functional element, SPD functional element, or electrochromic functional element.

6. Composite pane according to one of claims 1 through 5, wherein the optoelectronic functional element (4; S) is provided in a first subregion (S) of the composite pane and the contact switching element (T; 11) is placed in a second subregion of the composite pane, which is included in the first subregion.

7. Composite pane according to one of claims 1 through 6, wherein the optoelectronic functional element (4; S) has a control connector (13) electrically connected to the contact switching element (T; 11), wherein the control connector preferably has an MQS plug.

8. Composite pane according to one of claims 1 through 7, wherein the contact switching element (T; 11) has two parallel or concentric conductors (11a, 11b) that have a contact switch section spaced at a distance in the range between 0.3 and 1.5 cm, in particular between 0.5 and 1 cm, from one another.

9. Composite pane according to one of claims 1 through 8, wherein the contact switching element (T; 11) has a plurality of conductors that are spaced apart from one another and are separately connected or connectable toward the outside of the optoelectronic functional element (4; S).

10. Composite pane according to one of claims 1 through 9, wherein a visual marking, in particular a black print region, is associated with the contact switching element (T; 11), which identifies its position for the user.

11. Composite pane according to one of claims 1 through 10, implemented as a windshield (W) or roof glazing of a road vehicle, in particular a passenger car, or an aircraft or watercraft, in particular a boat or a passenger ship.

12. Composite pane assembly, in particular a vehicle glazing unit, having a composite pane according to one of claims 1 through 11, a control unit (15) for controlling the optical properties of the optoelectronic functional element (4; S), and a switching control unit (16) connected to the contact switching element (T; 11) for switching for manual control of the optoelectronic functional element (4; S), in particular for ON / OFF switching or for contrast or brightness adjustment or the like.

13. Composite pane assembly according to claim 12, wherein the composite pane is implemented in accordance with claim 9, and the switching control unit (16) has a number of inputs corresponding to the number of separately connectable conductors of the contact switching element (T; 11) and in response to signal reception at the respective signal inputs, activates one of more than two control states of the optoelectronic functional element (4; S).

14. Road vehicle, in particular a passenger car, having a composite pane assembly according to claim 12 or 13.

15. Method for producing a composite pane according to one of claims 1 through 11, wherein - an optoelectronic functional element (4; S), which comprises an active layer (5), with which transparent flat control electrodes (8, 9) are associated on both surfaces, between a first carrier film (6) and a second carrier film (7), is provided and is provided with a capacitive contact switching element (T; 11), and - the optoelectronic functional element is laminated between an outer pane (1) and an inner pane (2) via a thermoplastic intermediate layer (3).