Ford Motor Company Limited

Ronald R Hymore

Kenneth Edward Nietering

Kenneth J Gajewski

Robert F Tweadey, Ii

Charles J Amberger

Eugene P Pharms

A method of making a laminated glazing unit having an interfacial coating on a laminated ply includes depositing the coating on the laminted ply and then removing a peripheral portion of the coating. Specifically, the peripheral portion of the coating is exposed to a laser beam of sufficient power to remove the coating. The exposure time and power level are controlled to avoid damage to the underlying substrate. Subsequently, the coated substrate ply is laminated to a ply of PVB or other flexible polymeric laminating material. A substantially direct laminating bond is formed between the laminating ply and the surface of the substrate ply in the peripheral area from which the coating has been removed. The peripheral seal thus formed is environmentally durable and protects the interior of the interface from degradation due to progressive edge corrosion and the like.

Method of making laminated glazing units

A laminated glazing unit is disclosed having controllable transparency to visible light and a solar load reduction element which preferentially excludes infrared radiation while being substantially transparent to visible light. The solar load reduction element comprises a Fabry-Perot interference filter which includes a film stack deposited on the laminated surface of the outer ply of the glazing unit. The film stack includes at least a zinc oxide film followed by a silver metal film followed by a second zinc oxide film followed by a second silver metal film followed by a dielectric film which provides good long term adhesion durability to an adjacent laminating layer of PVB or like material. The dielectric film preferably is zinc oxide with a thin overcoat of chromium oxide, SiO.sub.2 or, alternatively, is tantalum pentoxide. The electro-active means for controlling the transmission of visible light through the glazing unit comprises electrodes, separate from the SLR element, which are deposited on facing surfaces of inextensible polymeric material such as polyethylene terephthalate.

Solar load reduction panel with controllable light transparency

In a transparent glass article comprising an electrically conductive, transparent, metal-based coating on a glass substrate and polyvinyl butyral material (PVB) bonded thereto, adhesion between the coating and the PVB is improved by a thin chromium-based film on the metal-based coating interfacing with the PVB. Adhesion is particularly improved in its resistance to exposure to UV radiation. In an electrically heated windshield application, the adhesion is improved by chromium-based film (24) between the metal-based coating (22) on a first glass template (12) and a PVB interlayer (26) mediate the first glass template and a second glass template (28). The glass article is produced according to a method aspect of the invention.

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Oregon, OH, United States of America

Ronald R Hymore