Electric Heating Glazing with Laser-Patterned Coating for Defrosting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electric heating glazings suffer from undesirable heat distribution and defrosting performance, with conventional designs leading to hot and cold spots, and there is a need for improved manufacturing methods.

Innovation Solution

A glazing design featuring a conductive coating with spaced busbars and coating-free lines arranged in rows, where each line is surrounded by heated coating, with a specific opening ratio, allowing for optimized current flow and warm spot formation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If conventional conductive coating designs are used with busbars supplying current to the entire surface, then current flow is simple and manufacturing is easy, but heat distribution is undesirable with hot and cold spots forming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheat distributionVSAvoidconductive coating structure
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The conductive coating is segmented into multiple discrete conductive lines arranged in rows, with coating-free spaces between the lines. This segmentation divides the continuous conductive path into separate segments that can be independently controlled, allowing current to flow through specific paths and creating multiple warm spots along the rows rather than single hot spots, thereby improving heat distribution uniformity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the conductive coating are given different properties by creating coating-free lines at specific locations. The conductive coating is present in some areas (between the busbars and along the edges) and absent in other areas (the coating-free lines), creating local variations in electrical conductivity that guide current flow to specific regions and eliminate cold spots while preventing excessive hot spots.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Temperature

If coating-free lines are added to control current paths, then heat distribution improves, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheat distributionVSAvoidmanufacturing process
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The coating-free lines are created during the manufacturing process itself, before the glazing is put into service. The conductive coating is applied to the glass substrate, and then specific lines are removed (e.g., through laser ablation or other removal methods) to create the coating-free patterns. This preliminary action establishes the desired heat distribution pattern in advance, allowing the glazing to be manufactured with built-in thermal management features rather than requiring post-manufacturing adjustments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Power

If current flows through the entire conductive coating, then power delivery is maximized, but unheated areas and cold spots occur at edges and corners

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower deliveryVSAvoidheat distribution
Core Design Contradiction:
PowerVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The conductive coating is segmented into discrete lines arranged in rows, with coating-free spaces between the lines. This segmentation divides the continuous conductive path into separate segments that can be independently controlled, allowing current to flow through specific paths and creating multiple warm spots along the rows rather than single hot spots, thereby improving heat distribution uniformity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The conductive coating is arranged in a two-dimensional pattern of lines in rows, rather than a single continuous path. This dimensional arrangement allows current to flow through multiple parallel paths simultaneously, delivering power across the entire glazing surface while ensuring uniform heat distribution. The rows of conductive lines create multiple current paths that span the width of the glazing, eliminating cold spots at edges and corners.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The design achieves faster perceived defrosting and improved heat distribution by creating warm spots along the rows, meeting industrial defrosting requirements and eliminating unheated areas, with manufacturing methods involving pyrolytic deposition and laser deletion.

Implementation Method 1

first and second busbars spaced from each other and in electrical contact with at least part of the conductive coating to form a heated coating

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectJoule heating: Joule Heating

Implementation Method 2

manufacturing methods involving pyrolytic deposition

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPyrolysis: Pyrolysis

Implementation Method 3

manufacturing methods involving pyrolytic deposition and laser deletion

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLaser ablation: Laser Ablation

Data Source

PatentEP4165953B1Glazing for electric heating, method of manufacturing the same and use of the same
Publication Date: 2025.08.27 PILKINGTON GRP LTD
  • EP4165953B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4165953B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4165953B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The invention concerns a glazing for electric heating, comprising a glass sheet; a conductive coating arranged on a surface of the glass sheet; first and second busbars spaced from each other and in electrical contact with at least part of the conductive coating to form a heated coating; a plurality of coating-free lines arranged in at least two rows in the heated coating; wherein each coating-free line is surrounded by the heated coating; and each line is separated from the next line in a row by a gap, and wherein an opening ratio of gap length divided by a sum of gap length and line length is in a range from 5 to 48 %.