Cross Reference to Related Application

The application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/343,319, filed on May 18, 2022, entitled “GLAZING HAVING AN AREA FOR COLLECTION OF INFORMATION,” the content of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present disclosure is generally related to a glazing having an area through which at least one sensor may be configured to collect information regarding a surrounding environment of e.g., a vehicle.

Background

Information acquisition systems for autonomous driving function in vehicles, including cameras and other sensors are commonly mounted behind a glazing of a vehicle. They require a glazing with minimal optical distortion in an area through which an information acquisition system may collect data relating to a surrounding environment, or a window for collection of information. The window for collection of information is typically surrounded by an opaque black print for straylight reduction. An opaque print on a glass sheet of a laminated glazing of a vehicle may cause optical distortion in an area around the opaque print. The opaque print is typically applied to the glass sheet prior to bending of the glass. During bending, there may be a local difference in heat absorption caused by the opaque print which may cause distortion in areas of the glass adjacent to the opaque print.

Summary

In one aspect, the present disclosure generally relates to a laminated glazing, comprising: a first glass sheet; a first interlayer; a second interlayer; and a second glass sheet. At least a portion of the second interlayer includes a first opaque print, the first opaque print partially surrounds a window for collection of information of the laminated glazing, and an edge of the second interlayer is positioned at a selected distance from an edge of the window for collection of information.

In an embodiment, the edge of the second interlayer is at least 30 mm from the edge of the window for collection of information. In another embodiment, the edge of the second interlayer is at least 35 mm from the edge of the window for collection of information. In yet another embodiment, the edge of the second interlayer is at least 70 mm from the edge of the window for collection of information.

In certain embodiments, the first opaque print does not reach an entire edge of the second interlayer. Further, the second interlayer may be positioned between the first interlayer and the first glass sheet.

According to an embodiment, each of the first and second glass sheets of the laminated glazing of the present disclosure may be from 1.0 mm to 2.5 mm thick. In a preferred embodiment, each glass sheet may be from 1.6 mm to 2.3 mm thick.

In one aspect, horizontal optical distortion in the window for collection of information may be less than 120 mdpt, preferably, less than 100 mdpt, or even more preferably, less than 80 mdpt. In another embodiment, the laminated glazing of the present disclosure may include a second opaque print on at least one of the first glass sheet and the second glass sheet.

The above simplified summary of example aspects serves to provide a basic understanding of the present disclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description of the disclosure that follows. To the accomplishment of the foregoing, the one or more aspects of the present disclosure include the features described and exemplary pointed out in the claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more example aspects of the present disclosure and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain their principles and implementations.

Figure 1 illustrates a glazing, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

Figure 2 illustrates a cross section of the glazing of Figure 1 taken at section A- A, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Various aspects of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to promote a thorough understanding of one or more aspects of the present disclosure. It may be evident in some or all instances, however, that any aspects described below can be practiced without adopting the specific design details described below.

According to the present disclosure, as will be described fully below with respect to Figures 1 and 2, an opaque print may be provided on an interlayer laminated between glass sheets of a glazing. In one aspect, such an interlayer may include an opaque print configured to provide a frame around an information acquisition system viewing area of e.g., a vehicle. The opaque print may be applied to a side of the interlayer. In a laminated glazing (e.g., laminated glazing 100 of Figure 1), the printed interlayer may be laminated with another interlayer. In one embodiment, the printed interlayer may be provided in a size smaller than the other interlayer. As shown in Figure 2, a laminated construction may include a first glass sheet 202, a first full size interlayer 204, a second interlayer with an opaque print 206, and a second glass sheet 208. The first and second interlayers 204, 206 may be the same base material, which may preferably be polyvinyl butyral. The second interlayer 206 may be laminated between the first interlayer 204 and the first glass sheet 202. In some embodiments, the second interlayer 206 may be laminated between the first interlayer 204 and the second glass sheet 208. The opaque print on the second interlayer 206 may face the first interlayer 204 when laminated in the glazing.

In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, the second interlayer 206 with an opaque print may preferably be thinner than the first interlayer 204. In one embodiment, the second interlayer 206 may have a thickness of from 20 pm to 50 pm. Preferably, the second interlay is thin to avoid distortion in the laminated glazing caused by a change in thickness at the edge of the second interlayer 206. Distortion may occur when there is a step-change in thickness in the interlayers 204, 206 between glass sheets 202, 208. Such distortion may be located in the vicinity of the thickness step and may decrease with distance from the step location. Such distortion may interfere with an information acquisition system installed within a vehicle when the edge of the second interlayer 104 (i.e., the second interlayer 206 in Figure 2) is close to a window for collecting information 102 shown in Figure 1. For example, the second interlayer 104, 206 may preferably have a size such that the edge of the second interlayer 104 is a distance from the information acquisition system window 102 to minimize distortion in the window 102. The distance between the edge of the second interlayer 104 and the information acquisition system window 102 is shown as “D” in Figure 1.

In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, the distance D may depend on various factors, including the thickness of the glass sheets 202, 208. The greater the thickness of the first and second glass sheets 202, 208, the greater distance D may be required. As the glass sheets 202, 208 thicken, their flexibility may decrease which provides for a more gradual step-change in thickness at the edge of the second interlayer 104, 206. Thus, optical distortion caused by the change in thickness at the edge of the second interlayer 104, 206 may extend further from the edge of the second interlayer 104, 206 with thicker glass sheets 202, 208. For example, where the glass sheets 202, 208 are 1.1 mm each, a laminated second interlayer 104, 206 may extend so that the edge of the second interlayer 104, 206 is at least 30 mm from the window for collection of information, more preferably, at least 35 mm. Where the glass sheets 202, 208 are 2.1 mm thick each, the second interlayer 104, 206 may preferably extend at least 70 mm outside of the window for collection of information 102. Preferably, the first and second glass sheets 202, 208 may each have a thickness of 1.0 mm to 2.5 mm, more preferably 1.6 mm to 2.3 mm. The distance between the edge of the second interlayer 104, 206 and the edge of the window for collection of information 102 may be at least 30 mm, at least 50 mm, or at least 70 mm in some embodiments of the present disclosure. The distance between the edge of the second interlayer 104, 206 and the edge of the window for collection of information 102 may be measured as the shortest distance between a point on the edge of the second interlayer and a point on the edge of the window for collection of information.

The laminated glazing may further include an opaque print on one or both glass sheets 202, 208. The opaque print on a glass sheet may include a border around the periphery of the glass sheet. The opaque print on the second interlayer 104, 206 may overlap or meet the glass opaque print so that there is no space between the opaque prints when viewed by an observer of the laminated glazing. In one embodiment, the glass opaque print may include a black enamel print. The second interlayer opaque print may or may not extend to an edge of the second interlayer 104, 206. In some embodiments, at least a portion at the second interlayer edge may not include the opaque print, as shown in Figure 1, where a portion of the second interlayer edge does not include the opaque print. The distance between the opaque print and the edge of the second interlayer 104, 206 may allow for a larger distance between the information acquisition system window and the second interlayer edge without increasing the opaque print area. The area of the opaque print may be enough to mask an information acquisition system installed in a vehicle. A larger opaque print may not be desired where it may interfere with or limit the view of a vehicle driver and/or passenger.

Optical distortion may be measured as defined in ECE-R43 (Regulation No 43 of the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations (UN/ECE) — Uniform provisions concerning the approval of safety glazing materials and their installation on vehicles). Further, optical power may be measured by using 1SRA Lab scan- Screen 2D inspection equipment. Optical filter settings may be 3/2/0, corresponding to a physical length of 2 mm. Suitable masking filter settings may also be applied such as 6/5/5/R. The optical distortion of the window for collection of information 102 may include an average optical distortion across the window for collection of information 102. In some embodiments, the optical distortion of the window for collection of information 102 may be an absolute minimum, or the absolute value of the minimum, optical distortion in the window for collection of information 102.

Horizontal optical distortion may be defined as the distortion arousing from vertically directed beam deviations, as for example from horizontally aligned cylindrical lenses. Optical distortion may be measured in millidiopters (mdpt). The horizontal optical distortion in the window for collection of information 102 may be preferably less than 120 mdpt, more preferably less than 100 mdpt, and even more preferably less than 80 mdpt.

The above description of the disclosure is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the common principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Further, the above description in connection with the drawings describes examples and does not represent the only examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims.

Furthermore, although elements of the described aspects and/or embodiments may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. Additionally, all or a portion of any aspect and/or embodiment may be utilized with all or a portion of any other aspect and/or embodiment, unless stated otherwise. Thus, the disclosure is not to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Insofar as the description above and the accompanying drawings disclose any additional subject matter that is not within the scope of the claims presented herein, the present disclosure is not dedicated to the public and the right to fde one or more applications to claim such additional inventions is reserved. Further, although narrow claims are presented, it should be recognized that the scope of this (or these) inventions is much broader than presented by the current claims. It is intended that broader claims will be submitted in an application that claims the benefit of priority from this application upon conversion.