Glazing Color Adjustment Coating for Thermal Selectivity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional silver-based functional coatings for glazings achieve high selectivity but are complex, making it difficult to maintain thermal performance and esthetic appearance, and ensuring production quality and color consistency across batches.

Innovation Solution

A reflective color-adjustment coating with a dielectric layer of 2-100 nm thickness is added to one face of a substrate without the functional coating, separating energy performance from esthetic appearance and simplifying the coating structure.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If silver-based functional coatings with multiple layers are used to achieve high selectivity, then thermal performance is improved, but coating complexity increases making it difficult to maintain production quality and color consistency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvethermal performanceVSAvoidcoating complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention separates the functional coating into two independent parts: a silver-based functional layer for thermal performance and a separate color-adjustment coating for esthetic appearance. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized independently, maintaining high selectivity while simplifying the overall system and improving production consistency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The color-adjustment coating is extracted as a separate functional layer from the complex silver-based stack. By taking out the color adjustment function into a dedicated layer with controlled thickness (2-100 nm), the invention reduces the complexity of the functional coating while preserving both thermal performance and esthetic properties.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If the number of metallic functional layers is increased to improve selectivity, then thermal performance increases, but manufacturing complexity and difficulty in maintaining color consistency increase

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveselectivityVSAvoidmanufacturing ease
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention segments the coating system into a core silver-based functional layer (which can be simple with 1-3 layers) and a separate color-adjustment layer. This allows manufacturing to focus on maintaining the simple silver layer consistency while using the color-adjustment layer thickness to control appearance, significantly easing manufacturing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses the thickness parameter of the color-adjustment coating (2-100 nm) as a control variable to adjust esthetic appearance without affecting thermal performance. This parameter change approach allows flexible color adjustment while maintaining simple, consistent manufacturing processes for the functional layer.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If functional coatings are optimized for high selectivity, then thermal performance is improved, but esthetic appearance and color adjustment become more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveselectivityVSAvoidcolor adjustment capability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The invention divides the coating functions into two independent segments: the silver-based functional layer handles thermal performance and selectivity, while the separate color-adjustment layer handles esthetic appearance. This segmentation provides full adaptability for color adjustment without compromising thermal performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The color-adjustment coating serves as a universal solution that can be applied to various silver-based functional layers to achieve different esthetic appearances. This multi-functional approach allows the same functional layer to be paired with different color-adjustment thicknesses to meet various aesthetic requirements while maintaining high selectivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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

This configuration achieves high external reflection with a shiny silver appearance, maintaining low internal reflection and improving selectivity and thermal performance, while allowing for easier color adjustment and consistent production.

Implementation Method 1

a face not coated with the functional coating of one of the substrates comprises a reflective color-adjustment coating comprising at least one dielectric layer including a reflective dielectric layer

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectReflection: Reflection

Implementation Method 2

a functional coating which can have an effect on solar radiation and/or infrared radiation

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAbsorption (EM radiation): Absorption (EM radiation)

Implementation Method 3

a functional coating which can have an effect on solar radiation and/or infrared radiation

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal Radiation: Thermal Radiation

Data Source

PatentUS11524919B2Glazing comprising a functional coating and a color adjustment coating
Publication Date: 2022.12.13 SAINT GOBAIN VITRAGE SA

AI summary

A material includes one or more transparent substrates comprising two main faces, wherein one of the faces of one of the substrates is coated with a functional coating which can have an effect on solar radiation and/or infrared radiation, and a face not coated with the functional coating of one of the substrates includes a reflective color-adjustment coating comprising at least one dielectric layer including a reflective dielectric layer with a thickness of between 2 and 100 nm, all the dielectric layers of the reflective color-adjustment coating have a thickness of less than 100 nm.