A laminated glazing having an electrical device laminated inside

Abstract

The present invention relates to a laminated glazing (1) comprising a first sheet (11) and a second sheet (12), and at least one interlayer (13) as bonding layer, an electrical device (14) having more than one end connector (141) laminated inside the glazing (1) in between two interlayer (13).

Description

A LAMINATED GLAZING HAVING AN ELECTRICAL DEVICE LAMINATED INSIDEFIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a laminated glazing, in particular a laminated glazing with an electrical device laminated inside the glazing. More particularly, a laminated glazing comprising solar cell assembly laminated inside the glazing.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The invention is primarily intended to be used in production of automotive glazing but not limited to. The present invention relates to a glazing comprising an electrical device, in particular solar cells as the electrical device laminated inside the glazing. Therefore, there is a need of electrical connections to the electrical device, the electrical connection is needed to be reliable and robust enough to survive after the lamination process.

[0003] In the state of the art, such electrical connections are provided by high temperature soldering. Basically, conductive ribbon tapes are soldered to the end connectors of the electrical device. In the case of the electrical device being solar cells, the electrical connection is provided with the conductive tapes / strips commonly known as PV ribbons.

[0004] It is known for the heating wires as the electrical device to use a busbar which comprises a narrow metal strip and a wider metal strip also called busbars which are adapted to carry substantial currents, such that the end connectors of the electrical device are arranged between the two busbars. To improve an electrical connection between the busbars and the heating wires as the electrical device laminated inside the glazing, one of the metal strip may be provided with a low melting point solder layer on part of a surface in contact with the heating wires. Low melting point solder is defined as solder which melts and fills spaces between the heating wires and busbars in an autoclave, i.e., having a melting point around 150 degrees Celsius, the optimal autoclave temperature. On solidification, the low melting point solder bonds the heating wires firmly in position and provides an electrical connection between both metal strip and the heating wires. However, such a method is not efficient for the solar cells as the electrical device.

[0005] In the automotive field, such glazings are for example used mainly for the roofs, and possibly for side windows including the quarter-lites and back-lites of vehicles. In particular, glazed roofs are increasingly being substituted for conventional roofs, which form part of the body of vehicles. As in the architectural field, the choice of these roofs is the result ofconstructors offering to their customers this option, which makes a vehicle seem to open onto the exterior, like a convertible, without the disadvantages of convertibles, as these roofs maintain the comfort levels of a conventional sedan.

[0006] Also, it is more and more requested from designer and car manufacturers to have roofs with laminated glazing provided with an electrical device such as a solar cell assembly to harvest the energy of sunlight entering inside the vehicle. It is known and common to laminate the glazing with an interlayer plastic sheet. However, it is difficult to laminate a solar cell assembly to be used in interlayer lamination as it is for the heating wires, because of the soldering of the connectors, alignment issues and also the curved nature of the glazing. For the integration of solar cells into a laminated glazing, more reliable and efficient method is needed.

[0007] Automotive glazings such as roof, windshield, back-lite, quarter-lite and side lite are generally bent to fit with the design of the car. The bent shape is more and more complex with high value of curvature. The bent shape is commonly obtained by applying a pressure and / or a heating on the glazing prior to interlayer lamination. The bending processes are those commonly and well known by skilled man in the art to bent automotive and / or architectural laminated glazing.

[0008] I n the prior art, the use of solar cell assemblies in glazings has been envisaged as a way of harvesting energy of sunlight. In these applications, the main function is the transformation of a standard glazing into a solar glazing. These applications did not involve specific characteristics especially for electrical connection. Particularly, since soldering of the PV ribbons cannot be directly performed on the plastic interlayers that are used for the encapsulation of crystalline silicon PV cells, i.e., the solar cells or the solar cell assembly, because those plastic interlayers would melt or even burn during the soldering process, thus providing such laminated glazing with a solar cell assembly is even more challenging.

[0009] EP3468794 describes a laminated glazing with a heating grid provided inside the glazing. More specifically, it is described that the end wires of the heating grid are sandwiched between two busbars. Even more specifically, the busbars are comprising adhesive layers on their surfaces facing the end wires of the heating grid.[OO1O]EP175517O describes a solar cell assembly having at least a solar cell and a reinforcing element that at least partially covers the solar cell and the reinforcing element is in the formof a sheet-like woven or knitted fabric or a film. The reinforcing element provides rigidity for the solar cell assembly.

[0011] AU2O191O12O5 describes solar cell modules in which the solar cells are arranged in a shingled manner, wherein each of the crystalline silicon solar cell strips are arranged such that the long edges of adjacent ones of the crystalline silicon solar cell strips overlap and are conductively bonded to each other in series via an electrically and thermally conductive adhesive.

[0012] It is also known from EP1154492 that a method of manufacturing a solar module for a vehicle describing the solar cells are positioned on the first lamination film and are connected to the connecting elements in a fixed position in electrical contact.

[0013] Unfortunately, the solutions provided in the prior art for the issues of electrical connection are requiring extra steps in the production or usage of extra features which means extra time and cost for the production. Thus, providing an affordable laminated glazing with solar cell assembly for the final customers cannot be a widely spread application.

[0014] The classical known lamination processes of bent glass sheets with an electrical device such as solar cells require complex solutions for the electrical connections such as placing of a temporary insulating barrier (e.g., Teflon bar) between the plastic interlayer and the PV cell strings or temporarily lifting of PV cell strings either partially or fully to perform the soldering operations away from the plastic interlayer before placing them back onto it for the lamination processes.

[0015] Supplementary to the long production times and high cost, there is a risk of jeopardizing the glazing because of the probability of damaging the PV cell strings in the multiple alignment operations. In addition, since the commonly used PV ribbons are rigid and have to be applied on a straight line, the utilization of the available area is limited.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The goal of the present invention is to provide a glazing having an electrical device with more than one end connectors and with a reliable, robust yet flexible electrical connection for the electrical device to eliminate the aforementioned problems.

[0017] The present invention provides a glazing with an electrical device that may be integrated into a bent shape glazing, but not limited to. More specifically, the present invention provides two flexible conductive tapes for the end connectors of the electricaldevice providing the end connectors are sandwiched in between the conductive tapes. The present invention relates also to an automotive laminated glazing comprising solar cells as an electrical device. According to the present invention, the glazing may also have a curvature.

[0018] The present invention also concerns a laminated glazing, the glazing comprising at least: a. a first sheet having an outer (Pl) and an inner (P2) faces, b. an electrical device, c. a second sheet having an outer (P4) and an inner (P3) faces, d. at least one bonding interlayer for laminating the sheets.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the conductive tapes comprise a soft-core metallic layer to provide flexibility to the conductive tapes. Providing the electrical connection to the electrical device via the flexible conductive tapes of the present invention allows following the contour of the glazing, therefore securing the electrical connection by reducing electrical losses to the end connectors and eliminating unnecessary process steps like temporary raising of the electrical device for high temperature soldering, assuring the correct alignment of the electrical device in the glazing and obtaining a defect-free lamination process.

[0020] In one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the conductive tapes comprise an adhesive layer to be able to fix / anchor the conductive tape over the interlayer to fix the alignment issues mentioned above. In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the conductive tapes comprise a conductive layer that can be activated with pressure and temperature to facilitate ease of soldering / establishing electrical connection. In another embodiment of the present invention, the conductive tapes are cut short at the junction nodes where conductive tapes from different directions meet each other to provide same thickness level for the junction as the meeting conductive tapes and reducing potential defects in the lamination process.

[0021] More particularly, the present invention concerns a method for production of a laminated glazing comprising at least: a. a first sheet having an outer (Pl) and an inner (P2) faces, b. at least one electrical device with more than one end connectors, c. a second sheet having an outer (P4) and an inner (P3) faces, d. two interlayers as bonding layers in the lamination processwherein the electrical device is preferably a solar cell assembly and the bottom conductive tape is first attached over the interlayer by means of heating or sticking using an adhesive layer, the electrical device is put over the interlayer providing the end connectors are sitting over bottom conductive tape, the top conductive tape is applied then by means of heating or sticking an electrically conductive adhesive layer to ensure the end connectors become sandwiched in between the bottom and top conductive tapes. Then, the second interlayer is placed over the electrical device and a reliable electrical connection is facilitated by application of pressure and temperature.

[0022] In addition, the usage of flexible conductive tapes for the electrical connection is allowing a reduction in production time by eliminating unnecessary process steps. Overall, the flexible conductive tapes of the present invention results in reductions in both production times and costs.

[0023] The foregoing detailed description is given primarily for clearness of understanding and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom for modifications can be made by those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure and may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The invention will now be described further, by way of examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements in the various figures. These examples are provided by way of illustration and not of limitation. The drawings are a schematic representation and not true to scale. The drawings do not restrict the invention in any way. More advantages will be explained with examples. A better understanding of the present invention will be added upon reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0025] FIG.l is a partial view of a vehicle with glazing.

[0026] FIG.2 is a schematic view of the laminated glazing according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] FIG.3 is a schematic view of an electrical device with end connectors sandwiched in between conductive tapes inside the glazing according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] FIG.4 is a schematic view of different junctions according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:I. GlazingII. First sheet12. Second sheet13. Interlayer14. Electrical device141. End connector15. Conductive tape151. Top conductive tape152. Bottom conductive tape16. Junction17. Black bandDETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims.

[0031] While some embodiments described herein include some but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form different embodiments, as would be understood by those in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

[0032] As used herein, spatial ordirectional terms, such as "inner", "outer", "above", "below", "top", "bottom", and the like, relate to the invention as it is shown in the drawing figures. However, it is to be understood that the invention can assume various alternative orientations and, accordingly, such terms are not to be considered as limiting. Further, all numbers expressing dimensions, physical characteristics, processing parameters, quantities of ingredients, reaction conditions, and the like, used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term "about". Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical values set forth in the following specification andclaims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention.

[0033] Moreover, all ranges disclosed herein are to be understood to be inclusive of the beginning and ending range values and to encompass any and all subranges subsumed therein. For example, a stated range of "1 to 10" should be considered to include any and all subranges between (and inclusive of) the minimum value of 1 and the maximum value of 10; that is, all subranges beginning with a minimum value of 1 or more, e.g., 1 to 6.1, and ending with a maximum value of 10 or less, e.g., 5.5 to 10. Further, as used herein, the terms "deposited over" or "provided over" mean deposited or provided on but not necessarily in surface contact with. For example, a coating "deposited over" a substrate does not preclude the presence of one or more other coating films of the same or different composition located between the deposited coating and the substrate.

[0034] Where the term "comprising" is used in the present description and claims, it does not exclude other elements or steps. Where an indefinite or definite article is used when referring to a singular noun e.g., "a" or "an", "the", this includes a plural of that noun unless something else is specifically stated. In this document, "configured to (or set to)" may be interchangeably used in hardware and software with, for example, "appropriate to", "having a capability to", "changed to", "made to", "capable of", or "designed to" according to a situation. In any situation, an expression "device configured to do" may mean that the device "can do" together with another device or component.

[0035] Furthermore, the terms first, second and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking or in any other manner. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in other sequences than described or illustrated herein. When it is described that a constituent element (e.g., a first constituent element) is "(functionally or communicatively) coupled to" or is "connected to" another constituent element (e.g., a second constituent element), it should be understood that the constituent element may be directly connected to the another constituent element or may be connected to the another constituent element through another constituent element (e.g., a third constituent element).

[0036] I n the following description, unless otherwise specified, expression "substantially" or "around" or "proximity" or "close to" preferably mean to within 10%, preferably to within 5% i.e., in this context the terms should be understood as in the range of ± 10%, even more ± 5%. Tolerance may be selected depending on the nature of the intended applications.

[0037] A vehicle should be understood as any conveyor that transfers anything from point a to point b which includes any land, air or sea vehicles like car, van, lorry, motorbike, bus, tram, train, drone, airplane, helicopter and the like.

[0038] I n the following description, unless otherwise specified, expression "solar cell", "solar cell assembly", "solar panel", "photovoltaic (PV) cells", "photovoltaic assembly" are used interchangeably, expression "liquid adhesive", "optical coupling material", "optical resin", "optical coupling adhesive", "optical clear adhesive" and "liquid resin" are used interchangeably, further expression "functional film", "film", "electrically powered functional film" and "electrical functional film" are used interchangeably, further expression "flow", "fluidic flow", "liquid flow" and "liquid adhesive flow" are used interchangeably.

[0039] The present invention introduces improvements to a laminated glazing (1) comprising at least two sheets (11, 12), and at least one interlayer (13) as bonding layer, an electrical device (14) provided on the glazing (1) and having more than one end connector (141) and the electrical device (14) is laminated inside the glazing (1) inbetween two sheets (11, 12). Before going into the details of the present invention, definitions for glazing (1), structure of the proposed glazing (1) will be explained herein.

[0040] The laminated glazing (1) may be used as a vehicle glazing or as a glazing for buildings and / or architectural purposes or anywhere where such glazing is required. In the automotive industry, such glazings are used as windshields, backlites, sidelites, roofs, rear-door-fixes or quarter-lite-fixes.

[0041] ln a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the glazing (1) is laminated and comprising a first glass sheet (11) having an outer (Pl) and an inner (P2) faces, a second glass sheet (12) having an outer (P4) and an inner (P3) faces, and an interlayer (13) as bonding layer for the glass sheets (11, 12). In different embodiments, the glazing (1) may comprise more than two glass sheets (11, 12), like a triple glazing (1) or alike.

[0042] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the glazing (1) is laminated and comprising a first plastic sheet (11) having an outer (Pl) and an inner (P2) faces, a second plastic sheet (12) having an outer (P4) and an inner (P3) faces, and an interlayer (13) asbonding layer for the plastic sheets (11, 12). The plastic sheets (11, 12) may be thermoplastic polymers such as polycarbonate sheets but not limited to. In different embodiments, the glazing (1) may comprise more than two plastic sheets (11, 12), like a triple glazing (1) or alike.

[0043] In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the glazing (1) may comprise a first glass sheet (11) and a second plastic sheet (12) and an interlayer (13) as bonding layer for the two sheets (11, 12). The first glass sheet (11) can be the outer sheet having an outer (Pl) and an inner (P2) faces or the inner sheet having an outer (P4) and an inner (P3) faces, and correspondingly the second plastic sheet (12) being the inner sheet having an outer (P4) and an inner (P3) faces or being the outer sheet having an outer (Pl) and an inner (P2) faces. In different embodiments, the glazing (1) may comprise more than one glass sheet (11) or more than one plastic sheet (12).

[0044] For simplicity, the numbering of the sheets (11, 12) in the continuation of the description refers to the numbering nomenclature conventionally used for glazing (1). Thus, the face of the laminated glazing which is in contact with the environment external to the vehicle is known as being the face 1 (Pl) and the surface in contact with the internal medium, that is to say the passenger compartment of the vehicle, is known as face 4 (P4). In order to avoid any doubt, the terms "external" and "internal" refer to the orientation of the glazing during the installation as glazing in a vehicle. Anyhow, in the description below, these terms are used interchangeably, i.e., the first sheet (11) may have face 1 and face 2 or face 3 and face 4 of the glazing, in the meantime the second sheet (12) may have face 3 and face 4 or face 1 and face 2, respectively which means first sheet (11) may be used as external side of the glazing (1) or the internal side of the glazing (1). According to the invention, the glass may be a glass of soda-lime-silica, aluminosilicate or borosilicate type, and the like, or the plastic may be PC, PET, PMMA, etc., thus the composition of the glazing (1) is not crucial for the purpose of the present invention. Moreover, the thicknesses of the sheets (11, 12) are also not crucial for the purpose of the present invention.

[0045] In the preferred embodiment, the glazing (1) is curved. The term "curved" is defined by the following criteria: "the curved laminated glazing has at least 50% of its total surface area having a minimum radius of curvature (R min) comprised between 75 and 8500 mm". Therefore, as understood from the definition of curved surface, the curvature of the glazing (1) may be in only one direction (2D) or in at least two direction (3D) in terms of the orientation as long as the definition of curvature described above satisfied. Preferably, thefirst and / or the second sheets (11, 12) are bent in a previous step before providing an electrical device (14) over at least one surface of the first and / or the second sheets (11, 12), i.e., before the lamination process which will be described below. The curvature values of the first sheet (11) and the second sheet (12) may be in line with each other, it has to be understood that the curvature values might not be the same. Likewise, the first sheet (11) may have a low curvature and the second sheet (12) is flat, this type of glazing (1) can also be counted curved glazing (1) as long as it satisfies the criteria described. However, the curvature of the glazing (1) is not crucial for the present invention.

[0046] According to the invention, the term "laminated" refers to a step of providing a layered structure in which the electrical device (14), and one or more sheets (11, 12) are separated by an interlayer (13) extending across substantially the entire interface between the electrical device (14) and the sheets (11, 12). In the preferred embodiment, the lamination is realized by sandwiching the electrical device (14) in between two interlayer (13), the two interlayer (13) may be same interlayer (13) or different types of interlayers (13) depending on the need. The interlayer (13) is used as a bonding layer during the lamination process. In the preferred embodiment, the lamination process is a classical lamination process including autoclave a glazing (1). This kind of pressure is a pressure comprised 0.04MPa and 1.4MPa.

[0047] The interlayer (13) is a (thermo)plastic interlayer like EVA, TPO, POE, PVB, TPU, Ionomers, and etc. that are used for the classical lamination process, which are widely known and used in both automotive and architecture industry. The material or the structural properties of the interlayer (13) are not crucial for the purpose of the present invention as long as the interlayer (13) functions as a bonding layer in the lamination process.

[0048] The electrical device (14) according to the present invention being positioned between the faces 2 (P2) and 3 (P3), where it can be protected from damage. The electrical device (14) may be any electrical device conventionally used on the vehicle glazings (1), such as a heating grid / coatings or antennas on glazings, or functional films used for transparency changing or display purposes, or a display itself, or plurality of solar cells, i.e., any electrical device (14) compatible laminated inside a glazing (1) requiring reliable and flexible electrical connection. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electrical device (14) is a solar cell laminated inside the glazing (1).

[0049] By "solar cell" it is meant a photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device (14) that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physicalphenomenon. It is very well known that the solar cells and assemblies can be c-Si, a-Si or thin- film solar cells or combinations thereof.

[0050] The end connector (141) is used for extracting or applying power to the electrical device (14) depending on the type of electrical device (14), i.e., extraction of power for solar cells being the electrical device (14) and application of power for functional films or alike being the electrical device (14), and connected to the electrical device (14), i.e., one end of the connector (141) is connected to the electrical device (14) and the other end of the connector (141) is preferably freely hanging, i.e., free / open / loose end and the free end is to be connected to the busbars or alike. The end connector (141) may be wires of any shape (flat, triangular, or round) coming out the electrical device (14). The material of the end connector (141) may be copper or silver or gold or tungsten or any conductive metal shapeable into a wire. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the end connector (141) is a copper wire, one end connected to the electrical device (14) and one end extending from the electrical device (14).

[0051] According to examples of the present invention, the Fig.l and Fig. 3 show a laminated automotive roof; the roof is intended to be fixed on the vehicle's body. It is understood that the invention is not limited to a roof and in another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the laminated glazing (1) can be used in any glazing for a vehicle and in another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the laminated glazing (1) can be used in outside of automotive industry, i.e., anywhere where a laminated glazing (1) is needed.

[0052] The glazing (1) as shown in Fig.2 as an embodiment of the present invention comprises a first sheet (11) having an external surface (Pl) and an inner surface (P2), and a second sheet (12) having an inner surface (P3) and an outer surface (P4). Such glazing (1) is laminated. The first sheet (11) of the glazing (1) is that sheet in contact with the exterior of the vehicle. The second sheet (12) is that sheet in contact with the inner space of the vehicle. However, as explained above, the ordering can be changed and also the glazing (1) can be a triple glazing or any kind of glazing with at least two sheets (11,12). The glazing (1) can also include more electrical devices (14) which are laminated inside, and not necessarily the same kind of electrical devices (14).

[0053] According to present invention, the glazing (1) comprises a first sheet (11), a second sheet (12) and an electrical device (14) in between the sheets (11, 12), and at least one interlayer (13) such as a PVB interlayer, provided in contact with the electrical device (14) andthe inner surface (face 2 or face 3 as described above) of the first and / or second sheets (11, 12) to provide a bonding function. Achieving such configuration of the sheets (11, 12) with the electrical device (14) may be accomplished in any method, the present invention is related to form a reliable and conductive joints and yet flexible electrical connection for the electrical device (14) inside the glazing (1).

[0054] Th us, the invention relates to any glazing (1), whether tempered, curved or not, whether for a vehicle or a building, that comprises an electrical device (14) with more than one end connector (141) to extract or apply power to the electrical device (14), and the glazing (1) comprises a bonding interlayer (13) for lamination as described above, the bonding layer can be any interlayer (13) material suitable for traditional lamination process.

[0055] The glazing (1) of the present invention comprises the end connectors (141) being sandwiched in between one top (151) and one bottom (152) flexible electrically conductive tapes (15). During the manufacturing, a bottom conductive tape (152) is applied over the interlayer (13) and the electrical device (14) is placed over the interlayer (13) providing the end connectors (141) are aligned with the bottom conductive tape (152) i.e., the end connectors (141) are lied on the bottom conductive tape (152), and then a top conductive tape (151) is applied over the end connectors (141) ensuring the end connectors (141) are sandwiched in between two conductive tapes (15). Thanks to the flexible nature of the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152), the shape of the glazing (1) does not need to be rectangular but any shape and the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) may follow any contour on the glazing (1) allowing efficient utilization of the glazing (1) area.

[0056] In another embodiment of the present invention, the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) are comprising a soft-core metallic layer. The soft-core metallic layer ensures the conductive tape (15, 151, 152) being flexible enough to provide a reliable electrical connection. In addition to the reliability, the soft-core metallic layer enables the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) to be applied in a curved manner but not as a straight line. In a version of this embodiment, the soft-core metallic layer can also be used as an adhesive layer by simply heating of the soft-core metallic layer that the soft-core metallic layer sticks to the interlayer (13).

[0057] In one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) is comprising a pressure sensitive adhesive. The adhesive may be applied on both sides of the conductive tape (15, 151, 152) like double-sided adhesive tapes, more particularlyon the back side facing the interlayer (13), to be used as a backing layer. The adhesive serves the purpose of fixing / attaching the electrical device (14) and its end connectors (141) onto the interlayer (13) before the lamination process, ensuring protection for the alignment of the electrical device (14) on the glazing (1). By fixing the conductive tape (15, 151, 152) onto the interlayer (13) via the adhesive and aligning the end connectors (141) to overlap with the conductive tape (15, 151, 152), the alignment of the electrical device (14) is locked, i.e., the conductive tape (15, 151, 152) enables anchoring for the electrical device (14). With this embodiment, it is ensured that the solar cells are kept in the clear / transparent part of the glazing (1) and moreover the area of glazing (1) can be efficiently used since the alignment tolerances are minimized in the case where the electrical device (14) is solar cells.

[0058] In another embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) is comprising an electrically conductive layer that can be activated with pressure and temperature. Such an electrically conductive layer provides the electrical connection to the electrical device (14). The electrically conductive layer is preferably on the inner side of the conductive tape (15, 151, 152), i.e., the side facing the end connectors (141). Both top and bottom conductive tapes (151, 152) may comprise the electrically conductive layer. In a preferred version of this embodiment, the electrically conductive layer is a low temperature solder alloy and more preferably a lead-free solder alloy since the usage of lead is banned in many jurisdictions. Application of pressure and / or temperature over the said conductive layer can be realized by regular soldering or during the lamination process since the electrical device (14) is already anchored / fastened in between the two sheets (11, 12).

[0059] In different embodiments of the present invention, the top and bottom conductive tapes (151, 152) may comprise different features like only one of them may comprise an adhesive layer or a conductive layer. In another different embodiment of the present invention, the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) are thinner than the conventional PV ribbons used for the same purpose and additionally broader than the conventional PV ribbons, thereby facilitating a more secure electrical connection and defect -free lamination process.

[0060] In one another embodiment of the present invention, the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) extending in different directions to form a junction (16) and only one conductive tape (15, 151, 152) in each direction extends into the junction (16) providing one is top conductive tape (151) and the other is bottom conductive tape (152). A junction (16) is formed where the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) approaching each other in different directions, a junction (16)may be required when the conductive tape (15, 151, 152) is cut or thorn apart, thus the different directions do not necessarily mean different axis, or especially a turn is needed for the electrical connection like going around the corner of the glazing (1). The corresponding conductive tape (15, 151, 152), top or bottom from each direction, is cut by at least the width of the conductive tape (15, 151, 152) to eliminate the overlapping of more than two conductive tape (15, 151, 152). This embodiment ensures the same thickness level for the whole conductive tape structure inside the glazing (1). Thereby eliminating potential issues in the lamination process.

[0061] In one another embodiment of the present invention, the glazing (1) comprising a black enamel band (17) around the glazing edges and conductive tape (15, 151, 152) follows the contours of black band (17). It is very common in the automotive industry to apply black enamel band (17) around the glazing edges for many practical reasons and application of such black bands, the material to be used are widely known. Even in the case of a flat glazing (1), the black enamel band (17) may comprise a curved contour. Thanks to the flexible nature of the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152), it is possible to facilitate the freedom given by the black band (17) by following the contour of the black enamel band (17). The term "following" should be understood in this context as the contour of conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) are almost parallel in each infinitesimal line with the contour of the black enamel band (17), in other words the distance between the edge of the black enamel band (17) and the edge of the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) are substantially same at every point.

[0062] In one another embodiment of the present invention, the distance between the electrical device (14) and the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) are substantially same. Similar to above embodiment, thanks to the flexible nature of the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152), it is possible to apply conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) preferably as close as to the end connectors (141) with the same distance in between provided, such application of conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) ensure the electrical resistance remain constant among all the end connectors (141), thereby enabling constant current flow from / to each end connector (141).

[0063] In one another embodiment of the present invention, the other circuitry components / elements such as flat connectors, Kapton connectors, FPC connectors, bypass diodes or alike are also connected with the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152). Thanks to the flexible nature of the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) and also the provision of same thicknessat the junction (16) nodes, the other required circuitry components can be connected / attached / fixed via the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152).

[0064] By the flexible conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) of the present invention, achieving a larger usable area for the solar cells became possible with different layouts for a same-size glazing (1) thanks to the flexible nature of the tapes (15, 151, 152) and the locking of the alignment of the solar cells over the interlayer (13). Therefore, in addition to the reliable electrical connection with less loss and robust operation, more energy can be harvested from light, especially from the sun through the glazing (1).

[0065] In the method of the present invention for production of a laminated glazing (1) comprising the steps of; applying a bottom conductive tape (152) with an adhesive backing layer facing the interlayer (13) over an interlayer (13), placing the electrical device (14) onto the interlayer (13) providing the end connectors (141) overlap with the bottom conductive tape (152), applying the top conductive tape (151) over the end connectors (141) providing the end connectors (141) sandwiched in between the bottom and top conductive tapes (15, 151, 152), placing the second interlayer (13) on top of the electrical device (14), applying pressure or temperature to form reliable and conductive joints between the end connectors (141) of the electrical device (14) and the bottom and top electrically conductive tapes (15, 151, 152).

[0066] Application of pressure or temperature as stated in the last step may be realized with regular soldering process or with application of pressure by a pressing means or by traditional lamination process to provide electrical connection in between the end connectors (141) and the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152). The preceding steps are well disclosed in the above embodiments. Furthermore, the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) are applied providing the distance between the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) and the electrical device (14) is almost same along the layout of the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) to provide same current flow to each end connector (141). Likewise, the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) are applied in a curved manner providing the contour of the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) follow the contour of the black enamel band (17) on the glazing to facilitate the free space available to keep the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) away from the glazing edge. In addition, one of theconductive tapes (15, 151, 152) in each direction is cut short at a junction (16) where formed by the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) extending in different directions providing the same thickness at the junction (16) as the thickness of two conductive tapes (15, 151, 152), the cut is done by at least the width of the tape (15, 151, 152) and preferably as much as the length of the junction (16) as shown in Fig. 4. Besides, the method disclosed also comprising the step of connecting other circuitry elements / components like bypass diodes or a Kapton connector via the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152). At the end, the electrical device (14) sandwiched in between two interlayers (13) are placed over one of the sheets (11, 12) and then the other sheet (12, 11) is placed over the top interlayer (13) and the glazing (1) is ready for the lamination process.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A laminated glazing (1) comprising a first sheet (11) and a second sheet (12), and at least one interlayer (13) as bonding layer, an electrical device (14) having more than one end connector (141) laminated inside the glazing (1) in between two interlayer (13), characterized in that the end connectors (141) are sandwiched in between one top (151) and one bottom (152) flexible electrically conductive tapes (15).

2. A laminated glazing (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) comprising a soft-core metallic layer.

3. A laminated glazing (1) according to any preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) comprising a pressure sensitive adhesive.

4. A laminated glazing (1) according to any preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) comprising an electrically conductive layer that can be activated with pressure and temperature.

5. A laminated glazing (1) according to any preceding claims, wherein the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) extending in different directions to form a junction (16) and only one conductive tape (15, 151, 152) in each direction extends into the junction (16) providing one is top conductive tape (151) and the other is bottom conductive tape (152).

6. A laminated glazing (1) according to any preceding claims, characterized in that the electrical device (14) comprising at least one solar cell.

7. A laminated glazing (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that solar cells are c-Si, a- Si or thin-film solar cells.

8. A laminated glazing (1) according to any preceding claims, wherein the glazing (1) comprising a black enamel band (17) around the glazing edges and conductive tape (15, 151, 152) follows the contours of black band (17).

9. A laminated glazing (1) according to any preceding claims, wherein the distance between the electrical device (14) and the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) are substantially same.

10. A laminated glazing (1) according to any preceding claims, wherein the glazing (1) is curved.

11. A method for production of a laminated glazing (1) according to any preceding claims comprising at least two sheets (11, 12), an electrical device (14) laminated in between two interlayer (13) comprising the steps of; applying a bottom conductive tape (152) with an adhesive backing layer facing the interlayer (13) over an interlayer (13), placing the electrical device (14) onto the interlayer (13) providing the end connectors (141) overlap with the bottom conductive tape (152), applying the top conductive tape (151) over the end connectors (141) providing the end connectors (141) sandwiched in between the bottom (152) and top (151) conductive tapes (15), placing the second interlayer (13) on top of the electrical device (14), applying pressure or temperature to form reliable and conductive joints between the end connectors (141) of the electrical device (14) and the bottom (152) and top (151) electrically conductive tapes (15).

12. A method for production of a laminated glazing (1) according to claim 11, wherein the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) are applied providing the distance between the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) and the electrical device (14) is almost same along the layout of the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152).

13. A method for production of a laminated glazing (1) according to claims 11 or 12, the glazing (1) comprising a black band (17), wherein the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) are applied in a curved manner providing the contour of the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) follow the contour of the black enamel band (17) on the glazing (1).

14. A method for production of a laminated glazing (1) accordingto claims 11 to 13, wherein one of the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) in each direction is cut short at a junction (16) where formed by the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152) extending in different directions, providing the same thickness at the junction (16) as the thickness of two conductive tapes (15, 151, 152).

15. A method for production of a laminated glazing (1) according to claims 11 to 14, comprising the step of connecting other circuitry elements / components via the conductive tapes (15, 151, 152).

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