Electrical transmission or interconnection systems – Vehicle mounted systems – Automobile
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-16
2001-11-20
Ballato, Josie (Department: 2836)
Electrical transmission or interconnection systems
Vehicle mounted systems
Automobile
C307S009100, C343S704000, C343S711000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06320276
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a window with an aerial for motor vehicles, comprising an electrically conductive coating used as an aerial conductor and a connection element which is coupled capacitively to the electrically conductive coating by means of a coupling electrode with interposition of an insulating layer.
Windows with an aerial comprising transparent coatings which can conduct electricity are known in various embodiments. The coatings are generally coatings that reflect infrared radiation, which above all have a sun protection function. These coatings which reflect infrared radiation mostly have one or more functional layers of silver and have a surface resistance of about 4 &OHgr;/□ for an optical transmission of 75%. By virtue of their electrical conduction property, these layers can be used as a reception aerial for radio reception.
The conductive layers, which essentially consist of multiple layers applied by sputtering, generally lie inside a laminated glass window. They may be arranged directly on the surface of one of the two panes or on the surface of a thin transparent support sheet which is connected to the two panes by means of two thermoplastic adhesive sheets.
Document DE 19 735 395 A1 describes how to capacitively couple a conductive layer used as an aerial to the connection conductor via which the aerial signal is transmitted to the radio receiver. The capacitive coupling is then carried out in such a way that an electrode produced in the form of a strip is pressed onto that face of the laminated glass window which faces the passenger compartment, whereas the conductive layer is arranged inside the laminated glass window. The length of the electrode in the form of a strip must be more than 5 cm and its width must lie between 5 and 10 mm. The coupling electrode must be installed at as large as possible a distance from the conducting window frame, that is to say inside the visible surface of the window. If it is desired to avoid the effect which is detrimental in optical terms which results therefrom, the decorative frame of opaque enamel generally applied to the edge of the window must be produced in a corresponding width. The area of the window is thus further reduced, and the widened decorative frame also involves a reduction in the apparent image of the window of the vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is, while keeping the capacitive coupling, which is advantageous per se, between the aerial connection conductor and the conductive layer, to produce the coupling electrode in such a way that it can be installed in the window region not covered by the decorative frame, that is to say in the region intended for looking through, without it producing an effect which is detrimental at the optical level.
This object is achieved according to the invention by the fact that the coupling electrode consists of thin wires which are connected together by electroplating and are arranged at a distance from one another which is large compared with their diameter.
When wires with, for example, a diameter of 10 to 100 &mgr;m are arranged inside a laminated glass window, or on its surface, they are absolutely imperceptible as such under normal conditions, unless they are arranged at very short distances from one another. On the other hand, when the spacing between them amounts to at least about 10 times their diameter, they can only be seen as such by putting one's eyes very close to the window. The invention exploits this phenomenon. It has astoundingly been found that, in comparison with a plane coupling electrode fabricated, for example, from a strip of metal sheet, the coupling capacity achieved in the embodiment according to the invention is amply sufficient for transmitting the aerial signal. Comparing, for example, the coupling capacity of a coupling electrode composed of three tungsten wires each with a length of 5 cm and a diameter of 20 &mgr;m, which are arranged parallel at a distance of 3 mm from one another, on the one hand, and a copper electrode with the same length and a width of 6 mm, measurements show that the coupling capacity is no less than 40%. By increasing the number of wires and their length, the coupling capacity can if necessary be increased to the same value as that of known coupling electrodes which have a continuous surface.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5005020 (1991-04-01), Ogawa et al.
patent: 5285048 (1994-02-01), Nakase
patent: 19513263 A1 (1996-10-01), None
patent: 19532431 A1 (1997-03-01), None
patent: 19735395 (1998-02-01), None
patent: 0561272 A1 (1993-09-01), None
patent: 0645240 A1 (1995-03-01), None
patent: 0720249 A2 (1996-07-01), None
patent: 62131606 (1987-06-01), None
Ballato Josie
DeBeradinis Robert L.
Pennie & Edmonds LLP
Saint-Gobain Vitrage
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