Optical: systems and elements – Glare or unwanted light reduction – With mirror
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-24
2002-09-17
Sikder, Mohammad (Department: 1755)
Optical: systems and elements
Glare or unwanted light reduction
With mirror
C359S601000, C359S884000, C501S026000, C501S062000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06450652
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to the development of a new reduced glare motor vehicle windshield and safety glazing material, and in particular, a new motor vehicle windshield and safety glazing material that will be capable of providing improved vision at the levels of illumination necessary to see while driving during daylight or at night, and to eliminate much of the discomfort experienced by drivers seeing the headlights of motor vehicles coming from the opposite direction. It will also reduce the glare from the rising or setting sun while traveling east or west. The new Neodymium Oxide doped motor vehicle windshield and safety glazing material will be capable of improving the color rendition of viewed objects under all conditions of illumination. It can be used on new motor vehicles, and for older vehicles as a replacement for the motor vehicle after-market.
DOCUMENT DISCLOSURE PROGRAM
The application for patent is based on a disclosure received by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 27, 1999, as Disclosure Document No. 456,992, under the Document Disclosure Program.
BACKGROUND AND THEORY OF THE INVENTION
It has long been recognized that the visual discomfort from headlights of oncoming vehicles from the opposite direction and from the rising or setting sun is a major problem that has been unrecognized up to this time.
One such proposed solution was to install polarizers on motor vehicle headlights. The concepts behind such technology have been summarized by Shurcliff (Shurcliff, William A.,
Polarized Light Production and Use, Harvard University Press
, Cambridge, Mass., 1962, pp. 129-133). To avoid the absorption of light that is inevitable in dichroic polarizers, a number of inventors have proposed systems using specially designed pile of plate polarizers (see, for example, MARKS, British Patent No. 762,678, 1956). Difficulties involving bulk, fragility, a tendency to become cloudy, polarization defect, and manufacturing costs, prevented the implementation of this technology.
The present invention extends the concept of a color corrected motor vehicle headlight from an incandescent sealed beam or tungsten halogen lamp, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,491 (KARPEN, 1996), and from a Neodymium Oxide doped rear view mirror, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,844,721 (KARPEN, 1998), and also from a color corrected high intensity discharge motor vehiche headlight, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,208 (KARPEN, 1999), which are hereby incorporated by reference, to a Neodymium Oxide doped motor vehicle windshield and safety glazing material. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,814, (1998)), discloses glass composition suitable for the manufacture of glazings for use in the architectural field or for fitting in motor vehicles. These compositions contain the following constituents, expressed in weight percentages, defined by the following limits: SiO
2
69 to 75%, Al
2
O
3
0 to 3%, CaO 2 to 10%, MgO 0 to 2%, Na
2
O 9 to 17%, Fe
2
O
3
(total iron) 0.2 to 1.5%. These compositions can also contain fluorine, as well as oxides of zinc, zirconium, titanium, and less than 4% barium oxide, the sum of the percentages of the alkaline earths remaining equal to or below 10%.
SAGAGUCHI et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,958,811, (1999)), discloses an ultraviolet and infrared radiation absorbing glass having excellent ultraviolet radiation absorbing power and a bronze or neutral gray tint which is suitably used as window glass for automobiles or motor vehicles and also as a window glass for construction materials is provided. The glass comprises in % by weight, basic glass components comprising 65 to 80% SiO
2
, 0 to 5% B
2
O
3
, 0 to 5% Al
2
O
3
, 0 to 10% MgO, 5 to 15% CaO, 10 to 18% Na
2
O+K
2
O, and coloring components comprising 0.20 to 0.50% total iron oxide (T-Fe
2
O
3
), in terms of Fe
2
O
3
, 0 to 3% CeO
2
, 0.025 to 6.0% La
2
O
3
, 0 to 2% TiO
2
, 0.0002 to 0.005% CoO, 0.0002 to 0.005% Se, 0 to 0.01% NiO, and 0 to 1% SnO
2
, wherein 5 to 25% of said T-Fe
2
O
3
is terms of Fe
2
O
3
is FeO.
HAYDEN et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,922, (1991)) discloses a strengthenable, high Neodymium Oxide containing glass comprising 40 to 60% Si
O
2, and 10 to 30% Neodymium Oxide, and various other inorganic compounds in minor amounts.
KOBAYSHI (U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,446, (1984)) discloses a cathode ray tube for a light source with a face plate being made of a glass material containing the rare earth oxides Nd
2
O
3
and Pr
2
O
3
, so that satisfactory color light and contrast are obtained even under sun light.
MATSUURA (U.S. Pat. No. 3,714,055, (1973)) discloses glass color filters for use in color photography under white and warm white fluorescent lights prepared from a glass composition, containing various glass components one of which is Neodymium Oxide in the amount of 0.3 to 2.5 percent.
YAMASHITA (U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,524, (1985)), discloses contrast enhancement filters for color CRT display devices which have between 5 and 40% Neodymium Oxide as a component of the glass.
COOK et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,347, (1988)) discloses contrast enhancement filter glass for color CRT displays which has between 10 and 25% Neodymium Oxide as a component of the glass.
HIRANO et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,186, (1982)) discloses a reflective lamp with a Neodymium Oxide doped front lens section fused to a reflective mirror section. HIRANO restricts the amount of Neodymium Oxide in the front lens section to a range of 0.5 to 5.0 percent by weight. At an amount of Neodymium Oxide above 5 percent, the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient between the resultant glass material and that constituting the reflective mirror becomes too great, so that it becomes difficult to fuse the front lens section to the reflective mirror base.
AYKANIAN (U.S. Pat. No. 3,354,025, (1967)) discloses color gradated laminates. Laminated panels and interlayers are disclosed wherein the interlayer used to bond the laminate is characterized by having a pigmented band or gradient across the interlayer. The pigmented band tapers in thickness for a maximum thickness at one edge to a minimum thickness at the other edge to give a uniform color gradient. Safety laminates generally comprise two or more pellucid panels with a plastic transparent layer interposed between each of the panels. The interlayer conventionally used is composed of a plasticized polyvinyl acetal resin and is generally extruded or formed into films having thicknesses of 0.015 inches and greater. The most important application for laminates of this type are windshields for automotive, military vehicles, and aircraft.
Although the use of dyes to produce a gradual fading color band serve to reduce the effects of glare and heat, it has been found that overall improvement in these properties may be obtained by the use of pigments incorporated into the body of the sheet. The pigment concentration can vary within wide limits depending on the transmission desired after lamination. To obtain the desired effect, the transmission of the darker portion of the laminate should be less than 25 percent and more preferably less than 10 percent with a minimum of 1 percent.
In the present invention, anti-glare materials are incorporated into the glass of the windshield and safety glazing material, not just the interposed laminate. Additionally to distinguish the art of AYKANIAN, the entire windshield, and not just a band across the top of the windshield, has the anti-glare compound.
LYMAN (U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,674, (1991)) discloses a reduced first surface reflectivity electrochemichromic rearview mirror assembly. In the art of LYMAN, Neodymium Oxide is one of a number of possible materials of high refractive index in a triple layer thin film stack.
What the present invention does, and what the prior art failed to do, is to reduce the amount of yellow light transmitted through the Neodymium Oxide doped motor vehicle windshield and safety glazing material, since reducing the amount of yellow light in the spectrum improves color saturation and reduces glare. The approach of t
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