The use of camera-based safety systems is growing at a
rapid rate in modern automobiles. At the same time, windshields, where many of the cameras are mounted, are becoming larger and more complex in shape. As the industry moves towards vehicles with full autonomous capability, the number of cameras required and the resolution of the cameras are both increasing. However, the
optical quality of the
windshield is less than optimal. One of the problems is caused by the typical black enamel
frit that is printed on the glass, prior to heating and bending, to hide or obscure the camera hardware. The abrupt thermal gradients during bending, caused by the heat absorbing black
frit, result a high level of
distortion in the camera
field of view. The object of this invention is to provide a laminated automotive
glazing having an obscuration area produced by creating an obscuration, after heating and bending of the glass, by printing the obscuration on one or more of the surfaces of the bent glass in or near the camera
field of view (camera obscuration) or / and in the edges of the
windshield (
black band) rather than printing and firing an enamel
frit on the glass. This results in a laminate having superior
optical quality, higher strength and a lower probability of breakage as compared to a laminate with a black enamel frit obscuration.