Driving glasses

Details Driving glasses Driving glasses

2002-12-31

2004-08-10

Jones, Deborah (Department: 1775)

Stock material or miscellaneous articles

Composite

Of quartz or glass

C428S432000, C428S433000, C428S697000, C428S699000, C428S701000, C428S702000, C501S064000, C501S078000, C501S152000, C351S044000, C351S049000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06773816

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to driving glasses that are favorable if a driver wears the driving glasses while he or she drives a vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Vehicle flow on roads intersecting lengthwise and crosswise are controlled by a traffic signal, and based on the color of a traffic signal, a driver makes a judgement on whether or not he or she must stop the vehicle. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly recognize the color of traffic signals even in the glaring twilight of the evening sun. Accordingly, in order to meet such a need, the present applicant previously proposed driving glasses that suppress the mean transmittance and, at the same time, intensify red (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-75128).
However, although the driving glasses can clearly recognize the red color of traffic signals even in early morning and twilight, the glasses cannot block out ultraviolet rays reliably nor intensify green in addition to the above feature. Also, in taking other glasses into consideration, there are no glasses that can intensify red and green colors, suppress glare due to reflection waves on a sea surface, and block out thermic rays from the sun. For this reason, for example, a driver is subjected to a hindrance when driving a vehicle along seashores in the summer season.
In addition, if driving glasses that are able to intensify red and green colors, and at the same time, can vary its transmittance in response to the surrounding brightness are achieved, the driving glasses can be adapted and are very effective in a driving environment where a vehicle repeatedly passes through tunnels.
And as a matter of course, it is necessary that the driving glasses meet the standards of the ANSI (American National Standard Institute) Z80.3 as sunglasses. That is, where red is intensified by setting an absorption peak of the light transmittance in the vicinity of 570 nm through 590 nm, if the light transmittance is almost zero in the range as in the characteristics shown in FIG.
6
through
FIG. 8
of, for example, the U.S. Pat. No. 6334680, safety is insufficient as driving glasses, and the glasses do not withstand the related laws and regulations in practice. Further, it is necessary that the material of driving glasses is a composition which can be chemically strengthened.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention was developed in view of the above-described problems, and it is therefore an object of the invention to provide driving glasses that are able to clearly recognize green along with red, under the premise of meeting the standards of ANSI Z80.3. Also, it is another object of the invention to provide driving glasses that are able to suppress glare due to reflection waves on a sea surface and block out thermic rays from the sun while the glasses can clearly recognize red and green colors under the premise of meeting the standards of ANSI Z80.3. Also, it is still another object of the invention to provide driving glasses that are able to clearly recognize red, and at the same time, securely block out ultraviolet rays under the premise of meeting the standards of ANSI Z80.3.
In order to achieve the above-described objects, the first aspect of the invention resides in driving glasses having a functional layer or an anti-reflection layer, which are composed of a metal or an organic substance, formed on the outer surface of a glass matrix. The above-described glass matrix contains neodymium oxide Nd
2
O
3
of 1 through 12% by weight and praseodymium oxide Pr
6
O
11
of 0.5 through 8% by weight, and forms an absorption peak of light transmittance at a wavelength of 510 through 540 nm and a wavelength of 570 through 590 nm. In the present aspect, since the absorption peak of the light transmittance is formed at a wavelength of 510 through 540 nm and a wavelength of 570 through 590 nm, red and green can be clearly recognized. However, according to the composition of the aspect, no adverse effect, by which light transmittance becomes zero at the absorption peak, occurs as in the invention of the U.S. Pat. No. 6,334,680.
The content of neodymium oxide Nd
2
O
3
is further favorably 3 through 10% by weight, and still further favorably 5 through 7% by weight. Also, the content of praseodymium oxide Pr
6
O
11
is further favorably 1 through 7% by weight, and still further favorably 2 through 5% by weight. And, the content ratio of neodymium oxide Nd
2
O
3
and praseodymium oxide Pr
6
O
11
is 3:1 through 1:1 as a favorable range, is further favorably 2:1 through 1.5:1 and is optimally 1.75:1 or so. In addition, it is favorable that the total amount thereof is 5 through 15% by weight.
In the aspect, glass-forming oxides such as silicon oxide SiO
2
and boron oxide B
2
O
3
, etc., and glass-modifying oxides such as barium oxide BaO, sodium oxide Na
2
O, potassium oxide K
2
O, etc., are used, and it is further preferable that a degassing agent such as stibium oxide Sb
2
O
3
is used. In such a case, the ratio thereof in terms of weight is such that silicon oxide SiO
2
is 35 through 70%, boron oxide B
2
O
3
is 2 through 10%, barium oxide BaO is 2 through 12%, sodium oxide Na
2
O is 10 through 25%, and stibium oxide Sb
2
O
3
is 0 through 1%.
An example of using potassium oxide K
2
O is omitted, potassium oxide K
2
O may be used instead of sodium oxide Na
2
O. Further preferably, it is satisfactory that sodium oxide Na
2
O and potassium oxide K
2
O are concurrently used. In this case, it is favorable that the total amount of sodium oxide Na
2
O and potassium oxide K
2
O is 10 through 25% by weight.
Also, it is favorable that, as other constituents, zinc oxide ZnO of 0.05 through 3% by weight, cerium oxide CeO
2
of 0.1 through 2% by weight, and nickel oxide NiO of 0.05 through 3% by weight are contained.
Also, the second aspect of the invention resides in driving glasses having a functional layer or an anti-reflection layer, which are composed of a metal or an organic substance, formed on the outer surface of a glass matrix. The above-described glass matrix contains neodymium oxide Nd
2
O
3
of 0.5 through 8% by weight and contains one or more, which is (are) selected from titanium oxide TiO
2
, iron oxide Fe
2
O
3
and cerium oxide CeO
2
, of 1 through 25% by weight as a whole, and suppresses its light transmittance of a wavelength of 400 nm or less substantially to zero, in a glass thickness of 1.75 mm or more, and at the same time, forms an absorption peak of the light transmittance at a wavelength of 510 through 540 nm. In the present aspect, the driving glasses can securely block out ultraviolet rays, and at the same time, clearly recognize red by the absorption peak of the light transmittance of 510 through 540 nm.
In the present aspect, the thicker the glass thickness becomes, the more the light transmittance can be suppressed. However, according to the composition of the invention, no adverse effect, by which the light transmittance becomes zero at the absorption peak, is brought about.
The content ratio of neodymium oxide Nd
2
O
3
is further favorably 1 through 8% by weight, and still further preferably 2 through 5% by weight. In the invention, it is satisfactory that the content ratio of one or more, which is (are) selected from titanium oxide TiO
2
, iron oxide Fe
2
O
3
and cerium oxide CeO
2
is 1 through 25% by weight as a whole. However, typically, it is better that all of titanium oxide TiO
2
, iron oxide Fe
2
O
3
and cerium oxide CeO
2
are contained; and the entire content ratio thereof is 10 through 20% by weight. Also, it is favorable that the content ratios of the respective constituents are 5 through 15% by weight for titanium oxide TiO
2
, 1 through 6% by weight for iron oxide Fe
2
O
3
and 1 through 7% by weight for cerium oxide CeO
2
.
Also, in the invention, usually, glass-forming oxides such as silicon oxide SiO
2
and boron oxide B
2
O
3
, etc., and glass-modifying oxides such as barium oxide BaO, sodium oxide Na
2
O, potassium oxide K
2
O, etc., are used. It is further favorable that a degassing agent such as stibium ox

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