Ppg Industries, Inc.

The Ohio State University

Harry S Koontz

John A Winter

Bruce A Bartrug

James F Wilson

Eric K Walton

William E Wagner

Raymond D Moran

Lovell D Bryant

John P Forr

Glen E Freeman

Harold E Donley, Deceased

John J Everhart

A multiple terminal assembly includes a plurality of connectors secured within a housing in close proximity to and electrically insulated from each other. The terminals include an electroconductive strip extending outwardly from one side of the housing and an electroconductive tab extending outwardly from an opposite side of the housing. The terminals are spaced apart a fixed, predetermined distance along the housing so that when the assembly is used to supply electrical power to a structure having current carrying members extending to a connection area along an edge portion of the structure, each of the terminal strips is aligned with one of the current carrying members at the connection area and each of the tabs is aligned with a corresponding connector of a multiple connector harness assembly.

Multiple connection terminal assembly for an electrically heated

A windshield having an upper vision area with a coating and a lower heating area aligned with a wiper blade storage area. When the coating is electroconductive, first and second bus bars are provided to selectively connect the coating to the terminals of a power source to provide a windshield heating circuit for defogging or defrosting its vision area. One of the bus bars is also connected to a heating element along a lower area of the windshield that faces a storage area for windshield wipers. The heating element is selectively connected to a different terminal of the power source from the terminal connected to one of the bus bars to cooperate with one of the bus bars and the power source to provide a storage area heating circuit. The windshield heating circuit and the storage area heating circuit may be operated independently, either separately or simultaneously, from a common electric power source.

Coated windshield with special heating circuit for wiper arm storage area

A slot antenna formed in combination with a vehicle window. An electrically conducting, optically transparent film panel is bonded to the window and terminates so that its outer peripheral edge is spaced from the innermost edge of the metal framing the window to define a polygonal antenna slot between the edges. An unbalanced transmission line is connected to the antenna by connecting the grounded conductor to the framing metal near the metal edge and coupling the ungrounded conductor to the conductive panel near the juxtaposed, interfacing edge of the conductive panel.

Transparent window antenna

A terminal connector for a heated window, a heated window provided with a plurality of terminal connectors constructed and arranged for simultaneous engagement to corresponding terminals of a multiple terminal housing and a method of assembling a heated window provided with at least two of said terminal connectors in a terminal connection area along a side edge of said heated window.

Electrical connectors for electrically heated vehicle windows

An electrical resistance heated window having at least three heatable zones and at least one of the heatable zones is generally centrally located on the window and can be heated faster to a higher temperature than the other of the zones for faster defogging and deicing of that particular zone.

Electrically heated window

A dual lead electrically heatable windshield is provided with an internal jumper arrangement that allows the bus bar having the dual lead to be powered by a single external connection to one of the dual leads. A jumper arrangement may also be used in combination with a crack detector for the dual lead heatable windshield.

Bus bar jumper for heatable windshield

An electric field detector for a heatable windshield includes detector lines which extend around a portion of the perimeter of the windshield between the edge of the windshield's electroconductive coating and the leads to one of the windshield bus bars and are electrically insulated from the coating, bus bars and leads. The detector lines are electrically interconnected to the coating by a tab at a predetermined location between the bus bars. As electrical current passes through the coating, voltage in the coating at the predetermined location is monitored and the current to the coating is interrupted in response to predetermined variations in the measured coating voltage.

Electric field detector for a heatable windshield

A temperature control device for a heatable windshield which includes a temperature sensitive resistance member that extends into critical areas of the windshield to monitor the windshield temperature and prevent overheating. The voltage drop across the member is compared to a set voltage drop value as the windshield is powered and becomes heated. When the member's voltage drop exceeds the set value, the power to the heatable windshield is automatically interrupted to prevent overheating.

Heatable windshield temperature control

Discontinuities in an electrically heated transparency are detected by monitoring voltage differences between two areas of the heating circuit on the transparency.

Enhanced reliability discontinuity detector in a heated transparency

A moisture sensor to sense rain on a windshield. The sensor members on the outboard surface of the windshield are uncoated and directly exposed to any moisture accumulation on the sensor. Leads connect the sensor to an electrical signal generator and receiver and are insulated from each other to prevent direct electrical interconnection therebetween and subsequent shorting of the sensor circuitry. When moisture is on the sensor, the nature of a monitorable electrical signal passing through the sensor changes and is detected. In response to the altered signal, the windshield wipers are actuated.

Windshield moisture sensor

A rain sensor for a windshield having two sets of electroconductive coatings on opposing major surfaces of the outer glass ply of a windshield. The first set of coatings on the outer major surface of the ply are electrically insulated from but in close proximity to each other. The second set of electroconductive coatings are positioned within the windshield between the glass plies and are electrically connected to a signal generator and receiver. Water contacting the outer surface of the glass ply changes the nature of an electrical signal passing through the first pair of electroconductive coatings. In response to the altered signal, a controller actuates a windshield wiper arrangement to clear the viewing area of the windshield.

Capacitive coupled moisture sensor

An inspection apparatus includes a checking fixture having an article supporting surface having a contour representative of the desired/ideal peripheral marginal edge contour of a contoured article to be inspected, such as a bent glass sheet, e.g. an automotive lite. The article is supported by the article supporting surface of the fixture. The apparatus further includes position-sensing facilities, e.g. a linear potentiometer, and facilitates, e.g. a robot, for moving the potentiometer about the periphery of the article to be inspected, to generate a plurality of signals indicative of the gap between a plurality of predetermined points around the marginal edge periphery of the article supporting surface and a corresponding plurality of points around the marginal edge periphery of the article. The apparatus further preferably includes a computer or the like for processing the generated signals to provide information about the contour characteristics of the article, e.g. bend, sag, kink, or the like. Also disclosed herein is a method for using the apparatus of this invention.

Apparatus and method for determining contour characteristics of a

An apparatus for and method of detecting and signifying the presence or absence of a product identity mark or the like on a transparent sheet includes detecting facilities having a first part including light transmitting facilities and a second part including light detecting facilities, the first and the second parts mutually spaced apart from a predetermined portion of the sheet that should have the product identity mark applied thereto. If the mark is present at least a portion of light transmitted by the light transmitting facilities will be interrupted by the mark and prevented from reaching the light detecting facilities. Signalling facilities functionally connected to the light detecting facilities generate a 'yes' signal when the light detected by the detecting facilities is above a predetermined level and a 'no' signal otherwise.

Method of and apparatus for detecting presence of a mark on a

A method and apparatus for detecting discontinuities in electric conductor heating lines in automobile heated back lights is disclosed. The apparatus includes a 'Hall effect' probe, a microprocessor, a display, a stepping motor drive, an optical scanner and associated circuitry. The method includes the steps of energizing the heating grid and moving a Hall effect probe in the vicinity of each conductor line. Any heater line having discontinuity will lack a detectable magnetic field.

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Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

Harry S Koontz