阅读说明：本技术 用于汽车玻璃的隐形边缘固态基板补偿层 (Invisible edge solid substrate compensation layer for automotive glass ) 是由 马里奥·阿图罗·曼海姆·阿斯塔特 朱安·帕勃罗·苏亚雷斯 安德烈斯·费尔南多·萨缅托·桑托斯 于 2018-11-30 设计创作，主要内容包括：随着现代汽车在复杂程度和功能方面的演进,曾经仅用于提供视野和遮风挡雨的汽车玻璃开始承担新的功能。功能膜和中间层常用于增加和增强层压件的功能。这些功能包括阳光控制、隔音、平视显示以及可变透光率。近期的进展使得有可能在薄的透明基板上生产电子电路。在一般的光照条件下,这些电子电路基本上不可见。虽然这些电路可以被嵌入到层压件中并且可以被成功地层压,但是由于基板与中间层在折射率、厚度和色彩方面的不匹配,电路嵌入件的边缘容易降低美观度。本申请通过提供相容补偿材料片来补偿固态嵌入件的边缘,该相容补偿材料与嵌入件的基板相容,并且该相容补偿材料片至少延伸到黑色边或者层压玻璃的边缘。(As modern automobiles evolve in complexity and functionality, automotive glass, once used only to provide vision and weather protection, is beginning to assume new functionality. Functional films and interlayers are often used to add and enhance the function of the laminate. These functions include solar control, sound insulation, head-up display, and variable light transmittance. Recent advances have made it possible to produce electronic circuits on thin transparent substrates. Under normal lighting conditions, these electronic circuits are essentially invisible. While these circuits can be embedded in laminates and can be successfully laminated, the edges of the circuit inserts tend to detract from aesthetics due to the mismatch in refractive index, thickness and color of the substrate and interlayer. The present application compensates for the edges of the solid insert by providing a sheet of compatible compensation material that is compatible with the substrate of the insert and that extends at least to the black edge or the edge of the laminated glass.)

1. An automotive laminate, comprising:

An outer glass layer;

An inner glass layer;

At least two plastic interlayers located between the outer glass layer and the inner glass layer;

At least one compensation layer having a glass transition temperature higher than the temperature at which the at least two plastic interlayers melt during the lamination process; and the number of the first and second groups,

At least one insert;

Wherein the at least one compensation layer has at least one cut-out region; and

Wherein the at least one insert is placed within the at least one cutout region in the at least one compensation layer.

2. The automotive laminate of claim 1, wherein a gap between the at least one insert and the at least one compensation layer is filled with a resin.

3. The automotive laminate of claim 1, wherein the glass transition temperature of the at least one compensation layer is greater than 130 ℃.

4. The automotive laminate of claim 1, wherein the at least one compensation layer and the at least one insert have substantially one of the following characteristics: the same refractive index, the same thickness, and the same color.

5. The automotive laminate of claim 1, wherein the material of the at least one compensation layer is selected from glass and rigid plastic.

6. The automotive laminate of claim 5, wherein the rigid plastic material is polycarbonate.

7. The automotive laminate of claim 1, wherein the outboard edge of the at least one compensation layer is substantially hidden.

8. The automotive laminate of claim 1, wherein the at least one insert comprises a substrate selected from the group consisting of a glass substrate and a rigid plastic substrate.

9. The automotive laminate of claim 1, wherein the at least one insert comprises active or passive electronics.

10. the laminate of claim 1, wherein the at least one insert comprises a component selected from the group consisting of a touch sensitive circuit, a sensor, a resistive heating circuit, a rain sensor, an O L ED display, an electroluminescent display, and an L ED display.

11. The laminate of claim 1, wherein the at least one compensation layer is cold-bent.

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of automotive laminated glass (laminated glass).

Background

In recent years, as modern automobiles have evolved in complexity and functionality, automotive glass (glazing), once used only to provide a field of view and to shield the wind from rain, has begun to assume new functions. For example, functional films, glass compositions, interlayers, and coatings are often used to add and enhance the function of automotive glass. These functions include, but are not limited to, solar control, acoustic insulation, head-up display (HUD), and variable light transmittance.

some example circuits include sensors, L ED, organic light emitting diodes (O L ED), and electroluminescent displays.

although both O L ED displays and electroluminescent displays can be laminated, it is difficult to place circuitry on the curved substrate and to thermally bend the circuitry and substrate after placing the circuitry on the flat glass substrate, and thus, larger displays have been limited to use on flat laminates.

The size of the display, particularly for use in bending laminated glass, is limited due to problems caused by the curvature of the laminate, the thickness of the interlayer and the glass in the area of the insert, and the parameters of the lamination process used.

In addition to active circuitry, the inserts may be incorporated in whole or in part in various passive components, coatings, and compositions. The active components may be amplifying components such as transistors, vacuum transistors (valves) and tunnel diodes. Similarly, passive components include resistors, capacitors, inductors, or transformers. One example is an insert comprising a thin flexible substrate with a coating designed for enhancing head-up displays.

A typical automotive laminate includes two glass layers and a plastic interlayer, which is typically a thermoset plastic. The plastic interlayer serves to bond the opposite major faces of the glass plies to each other. To add a functional film to the laminate, the functional film is cut to shape and at least a second plastic interlayer is added. The functional film is sandwiched between two sheets of plastic interlayer to bond each side of the functional film to each glass layer. The functional film typically extends to or near the edge of the glass, or at least to the inside of the black, decorative border, where the edge of the functional film is hidden. This is done because a reduction in aesthetics and deformation may occur at the interface between the edge of the functional film and the intermediate layer.

For laminating the insert, a second plastic intermediate layer is also used together with the functional film. The insert is sandwiched between two plastic layers. But if the insert is too thick, a third plastic intermediate layer is required. In this case, a cut is made in the third plastic intermediate layer to accommodate the insert and this third plastic intermediate layer is placed between the two outermost plastic intermediate layers.

Although this method can be used to successfully produce laminates, the problem is that in most cases the inserts are not so large that their edges are covered by the trim.

The edges of the insert tend to detract from the aesthetics due to the mismatch in refractive index, thickness and color of the substrate and plastic interlayer of the insert. Although the color of the plastic intermediate layer can be changed, the refractive index cannot be changed. Furthermore, the plastic intermediate layer is only provided with a limited number of standard thicknesses.

It is desirable to find a way to overcome this limitation.

Disclosure of Invention

The present application aims to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a laminated glass having a compensation layer and an insert made of rigid transparent material such that the mismatch between them is not noticeable or can be tolerated.

It is therefore an object of the present application to provide a laminated glass comprising an outer glass layer, an inner glass layer, at least two plastic interlayers located between the outer glass layer and the inner glass layer, at least one insert and at least one compensation layer. The glass transition temperature of the at least one compensation layer is higher than the temperature at which the at least two plastic intermediate layers melt during the lamination process. At least one of the compensation layers has at least one cut-out region. The at least one insert is placed within the at least one cutout region in the at least one compensation layer.

It is a further object of the present application to provide a compensation layer of a compatible compensation material that compensates for the color, thickness and refractive index of the insert, wherein the compensation layer extends at least to the black side of the laminate. Optionally, the gap between the cut-out in the compensation layer and the insert is filled with a laminating resin to further improve the aesthetics of the edge.

Drawings

Fig. 1A shows a cross-sectional view of a typical automotive laminate.

FIG. 1B shows a cross-sectional view of a typical automotive laminate with a compensation layer and a coating.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a windshield of a laminate according to an example of the present application.

Reference numerals

4 Plastic intermediate layer

6 decorative parts

12 compensating layer/sheet

18 coating

34 incision

44 insert

101 surface one

102 surface two

103 surface three

104 surface four

201 outer glass layer

202 inner glass layer

Detailed Description

In general, a laminate is an article consisting of a plurality of sheets of thin material (so-called thin, with respect to their length and width) wherein each sheet has two oppositely disposed major faces, typically each sheet has a relatively uniform thickness, and at least one major face of each sheet is fixedly bonded to the other sheet.

A cross-sectional view of a typical automotive laminate is shown in fig. 1A and 1B. In the embodiment shown, the laminate comprises two plies of glass fixedly bonded together by a plastic interlayer 4. The two layers of glass include an outer or outer glass layer (also referred to as outer glass layer 201) and an inner or inner glass layer (also referred to as inner glass layer 202). The glass surface on the exterior of the vehicle is referred to as surface one 101 or surface one. The opposite side of the outer glass layer 201 is surface two 102 or surface two. The glass surface of the vehicle interior is referred to as surface four 104 or surface four. The opposite side of the inner glass layer 202 is surface three 103 or surface three. Surfaces two and three (102 and 103) are bonded together by the plastic intermediate layer 4. The decoration 6 may also be applied to glass. The decorative pieces are typically comprised of black enamel frit printed on surface two 102 or surface four 104 or both. The laminate may also include a coating 18 on one or more surfaces. The laminate may further comprise a compensation layer 12 laminated between at least two plastic interlayers 4.

On many automotive glasses, the black glaze printed trim 6 has both a functional and aesthetic effect. The substantially opaque black printed pattern on the glass is used to protect the polyurethane adhesive used to bond the glass to the vehicle from ultraviolet light and degradation that may be caused thereby. The black print also serves to hide the adhesive so that it is not visible from the exterior of the vehicle. The black trim must be durable and maintain the life of the vehicle under all exposure and weather conditions. Part of the aesthetic requirements is that black has a dark glossy appearance and maintains a consistent appearance over time and between components. The parts produced today must match the parts produced and put into use 20 years ago. These parts must also be matched to other parts in the vehicle (which other parts may not be parts made by the same manufacturer or with the same glaze formulation). Standard automotive black enamel inks (glazes) have been developed that meet these requirements.

The black enamel glaze consists of pigment, carrier, adhesive and finely ground glass. Other materials are sometimes added to improve certain properties: such as firing temperature (firing temperature), blocking resistance, chemical resistance, etc. The black glaze is applied to the glass using a screen printing or ink jet printing process prior to heating and bending the glass. When the flat glass is heated during the bending process, the powdered glass in the frit softens and melts, fusing to the glass surface. The black printed pattern becomes a permanent part of the glass. When this occurs, the glaze is said to be "fired". This is a vitrification process, very similar to the process used to apply enamel finishes on sanitary ware, crockery, porcelain and furniture.

Where the glass layer is bent, the glass layer is typically shaped using gravity bending, press bending, cold bending, or any other conventional means known in the art. Gravity bending and press bending methods for shaping glass are well known in the art and will not be discussed in this disclosure.

Cold bending is a relatively new technique. As the name implies, the glass is bent to its final shape in the cooled state without the use of heat. On a part with the least curvature, a glass sheet can be cold bent to the contour of the part. This can be done because as the thickness of the glass decreases, the glass sheet becomes more and more flexible and can be bent without inducing stress levels high enough to significantly increase the likelihood of long-term breakage. Annealed soda-lime glass sheets of approximately 1mm thickness can be bent into a large radius (greater than 6m) cylindrical shape. When chemically or thermally strengthened, glass can withstand higher levels of stress and can be bent along two principal axes. The process is mainly used for bending and forming the chemically toughened thin glass plate (less than or equal to 1 mm).

The cylinder may be a cylinder with a radius of less than 4 meters in one direction. The shape may also be a shape having compound curvature (i.e., curvature in both major axis directions) where the radius of curvature in each direction is as small as about 8 meters. Of course, depends to a large extent on the surface area of the component and the type and thickness of the substrate.

The cold-bent glass will remain in tension and will tend to distort the shape of the curved layer to which it is bonded. Therefore, in order to counteract the tension, the bending layer must be compensated. For more complex shapes with higher levels of curvature, the sheet glass may need to be locally hot bent before being cold bent.

The glass to be cold-bent is placed with the bending shaping layer and the bonding layer, with the bonding layer being placed between the glass to be cold-bent and the bent glass layer. The assembly is placed in a so-called vacuum bag. The vacuum bag is an air tight device formed of plastic sheets that enclose the assembly and bond its edges together, which allows air to be evacuated from the assembly and provides pressure on the assembly to force the layers into contact. The assembly in the evacuated vacuum bag is then heated to seal the assembly. The assembly is then placed into an autoclave and heated and pressurized. The cold-bending process is completed because the sheet glass now already conforms to the shape of the bending layer and is permanently affixed. The cold-bending process is very similar to a standard vacuum bag/autoclave process well known in the art, with the exception that an unbent glass layer is added to the glass stack.

Types of glass that can be used include, but are not limited to: typical of automotive glass are the types of ordinary soda lime glass, and aluminosilicates, lithium aluminosilicates, borosilicates, glass ceramics, and various other inorganic solid amorphous compositions that undergo glass transition and are classified as glasses, including opaque glasses. The glass layer may include a heat absorbing glass composition as well as infrared reflecting and other types of coatings.

Most glasses used for containers and windows are soda lime glass. Soda-lime glass is made from sodium carbonate (soda), lime (calcium carbonate), dolomite, silica (silica), alumina (alumina) and small amounts of substances added to change color and other properties.

Borosilicate glass is a glass containing boron oxide. Which has a low coefficient of thermal expansion and has a high resistance to chemical attack. Borosilicate glass is commonly used to make light bulbs, laboratory glassware and kitchen utensils.

Aluminosilicate glasses are made of alumina. Aluminosilicate glass is even more resistant to chemical attack than borosilicate glass, and it is able to withstand higher temperatures. Chemically tempered aluminosilicate glass is widely used for displays on smart phones and other electronic devices.

The glass layer may be annealed or strengthened. There are two processes that can be used to increase the strength of the glass. They are heat strengthened and chemically tempered. In thermal strengthening, hot glass is rapidly cooled (quenched). In chemical tempering, the same effect is achieved by ion exchange chemical treatment. During the chemical tempering process, ions in and near the outer surface of the glass are exchanged for larger ions. This places the outer layer of glass in compression. Compressive strengths of up to 1000Mpa can be achieved.

Annealed glass is a glass that is slowly cooled from the bending temperature through the glass transition range. This process relieves any stress left in the glass by the bending process. The annealed glass breaks into large fragments with sharp edges. When the laminated glass is broken, the pieces of broken glass are held together by the plastic layer, just like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, thereby helping to maintain the structural integrity of the glass. A vehicle with a damaged windshield may still be operated. The plastic interlayer 4 also helps to prevent penetration by objects striking the laminate from the outside and, in the event of an accident, improves occupant retention (occupantontetion).

The primary function of the plastic interlayer is to bond the major faces of adjacent layers to one another. The material of choice is typically a transparent thermoset.

For automotive applications, the most common plastic interlayer is polyvinyl butyral (PVB). It is prepared by the reaction between polyvinyl alcohol and n-butyraldehyde. PVB is transparent and has high adhesion to glass. PVB, however, is inherently very brittle and, therefore, plasticizers must be added to make the material flexible and to give it the ability to dissipate energy over a wide range of temperatures required in automobiles. A small amount of plasticizer is used, the plasticizer usually being a linear dicarboxylic acid ester. Two commonly used are di-n-hexyl adipate and tetraethylene glycol di-n-heptanoate.

In addition to polyvinyl butyral, ionic (ionoplast) polymers, Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA), Cast In Place (CIP) liquid resins, and Thermoplastic Polyurethanes (TPU) can also be used. The automotive intermediate layer is made by an extrusion process with thickness tolerances and process variations. The plastic surface, which is usually embossed, introduces additional variability into the plastic sheet, as a smooth surface tends to adhere to the glass, making it difficult to locate on the glass and retain air, facilitating handling of the plastic sheet and removal of air (outgassing) from the laminate. Automotive PVB interlayers have standard thicknesses of 0.38mm and 0.76mm (15 and 30 mils).

Automotive glass typically utilizes a heat absorbing glass composition to reduce the solar load on the vehicle. While heat absorbing windows can be very effective, glass will heat and transfer energy to the passenger compartment by convective heat transfer and radiation. A more efficient method is to reflect heat back to the atmosphere, allowing the glass to remain cool. This is done by using various infrared reflective films and coatings. Infrared coatings and films are generally too soft to be mounted or applied to glass surfaces exposed to the elements. Therefore, they must be made as one of the inner layers of the laminated product to prevent damage and degradation of the film or coating.

One of the greatest advantages of laminated windows over tempered monolithic glass is that laminated windows can use infrared reflective coatings and films in addition to the heat absorbing composition and interlayer.

Infrared reflective coatings include, but are not limited to, various metal/dielectric layer coatings applied by Magnetron Sputtering Vacuum Deposition (MSVD), and other coatings known in the art formed by pyrolysis, spray coating, Controlled Vapor Deposition (CVD), dip coating, and other methods.

The infrared-reflective film includes a metal-coated plastic substrate that reflects infrared light and an organic-based non-metallic optical film. Most infrared-reflective films consist of a plastic film substrate with an infrared-reflective layered metal coating.

of particular interest are Suspended Particle Device (SPD) films and polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PD L C) films, which are capable of rapidly changing their light transmission in response to an electric field.

As described above, a variety of films may be incorporated into the laminate. Uses of these membranes include, but are not limited to: solar control, variable light transmission, increased stiffness, increased structural integrity, improved penetration resistance, improved occupant retention, providing barrier, color, providing sun shading, color correction, and as substrates for functional and aesthetic graphics. The term "film" or "functional film" shall include all of these as well as other products that may be developed or currently available that enhance the performance, functionality, aesthetics, or cost of the laminated glass. Most films do not have adhesion. For incorporation into the laminate, a sheet of plastic interlayer is required on each side of the film to bond the film to the other layers of the laminate.

Other materials and devices may be incorporated into the structure of the security laminate as inserts. One common insert is a temperature sensor that is used to provide closed loop control for the laminate being heated. Another common insert is a resistance wire heating circuit, which includes a set of bus bars and a thin wire.

The total thickness of the insert must be less than the thickness of the plastic intermediate layer, preferably not more than one third of the total thickness. During the lamination process, the laminate is subjected to heat and pressure. The temperature at which the autoclave treatment is carried out is determined by the temperature at which the plastic intermediate layer melts. The ideal autoclave temperature may allow good adhesion between the layers bonded by the plastic interlayer. At higher temperatures and pressures, the plastic interlayer will melt and flow to accommodate the thickness of the insert. If the insert is too thick, a portion of the plastic must be removed, or a thicker or additional intermediate layer must be added.

In the present application, a compensation layer of rigid transparent material is added to the laminate. A cut having the insert size is cut in the compensation layer and the layer with the insert is sandwiched between two plastic intermediate layers. In this sense, the compensation layer is made of a material having a glass transition temperature higher than the temperature at which the autoclave process is performed.

In addition, the compensation layer is preferably made of a compatible material. By compatible materials, it is meant that the substrates of the insert and the compensation layer are both made of the same or similar materials, so that these components achieve a good match between refractive index, thickness and color.

One of the keys to this application is the accuracy with which the insert can be cut to size and the accuracy with which cuts can be made in larger compatible sheets. An alternative method is to perform the cutting by using a laser or the like. In one embodiment, a laser is used to cut the openings in the compatible layer and also to cut the substrate for the insert. Methods of laser cutting glass are known in the art. Nanosecond or femtosecond pulsed lasers are used in conjunction with optics that provide a focal point at or below the glass exterior surface. When the glass is removed with a laser, the focus will be adjusted or the laser itself moved to deepen the opening. In this way, the glass can be cut leaving an edge with low surface roughness. The surface roughness is very important because it can measure the quality of the glass surface. The smoother the surface, the less noticeable the surface is in the finished laminate. Smoother surfaces also have fewer and less severe surface defects, so that the likelihood of fracture is lower.

The insert needs to be cut so that it is sized slightly smaller than the cut. A typical CNC tolerance of +/-100 μm can be achieved, allowing a gap of less than 0.5mm between the insert and the cut-out.

This gap will leave a visible demarcation but there will be no difference in thickness or refractive index and therefore it will be less noticeable and objectionable. If a better aesthetic appearance is desired, the gap may be filled with an index matching UV curable laminating resin (e.g., acrylic or similar product) to obtain a true invisible edge.

Due to the typical thickness of the insert and the conforming sheet, the cold bending described above may be an option, depending on the shape, material, and other factors discussed. In addition, one or more of the glass layers may also be cold-bent, again depending on these factors.