CN115462178A - Electronic device for a plurality of heatable camera windows - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a plate (100) having an electrically heatable sensor region (3), comprising at least: -a first plate (1) having a surface, -at least one first and second electrically heatable coating layer (10.1, 10.2) applied on a portion of the surface, respectively, and not in direct contact with each other, -at least one first and second bus conductor (9.1, 9.2) provided for connection to a power source (5), the first and second bus conductor being connected with the at least first and second electrically heatable coating layer (10.1, 10.2) such that at least one first current path is formed for heating current via the first electrically heatable coating layer (10.1) and a second current path is formed via the second heatable coating layer (10.2), -at least one heating layer (6) surrounding the first and second heatable coating layers (10.1, 10.2), -at least two external bus conductors provided for connection to the power source (5) or another power source, the external bus conductors being connected with the heating layer (6) such that at least one heating current path is formed between the external bus conductors (9, wherein the heating layer (9) comprises: -a terminal area (7.1) provided for connection to a power source (5) by means of a terminal line, and-first and second contact areas (8.1, 8.2) which are connected to the terminal area (7.1) in an electrically conductive manner, wherein the first contact area (8.1) is connected to a first electrically heatable coating (10.1) and the second contact area (8.2) is connected to a second electrically heatable coating (10.2), wherein the first and second heatable coatings (10.1, 10.2) are each separated from the surrounding heating layer (6) completely galvanically and materially by an uncoated separation line (11).

Description

Electronic device for a plurality of heatable camera windows

Technical Field

The invention relates to a transparent pane having more than one heatable coating, to a method for producing said transparent pane and to the use thereof.

Background

Vehicles are increasingly equipped with various sensor or camera systems. Examples are camera systems such as video cameras, night vision cameras, afterglow intensifiers, laser range finders or passive infrared detectors. Vehicle identification systems are also increasingly being used, for example, to collect tolls.

The camera system may use light in the Ultraviolet (UV), visible (VIS) and Infrared (IR) wavelength ranges. So that objects, vehicles, and persons can be accurately identified even under severe weather conditions such as darkness and fog. These camera systems may be placed behind a wind deflector in the passenger compartment in a motor vehicle. The camera system thus also offers the possibility of timely identification of dangerous situations and obstacles in road traffic.

However, due to the sensitivity of the camera system to atmospheric influences or to the oncoming wind, such sensors must in all cases be protected by a radiation-transparent plate. In order to ensure optimum functioning of the optical sensor, a clean and antifogging plate is imperative. Moisture and ice formation significantly hamper the mode of action, since they significantly reduce the transmission of electromagnetic radiation. Wiping systems can be used for water droplets and dirt particles, which are often not sufficient when ice is formed. In this case, it is necessary to heat the plate sections assigned to the sensors at least for a short time if required and thus to be able to implement a system which can be used without interruption.

The plate may thus have an electrical heating function. Composite plates are therefore known which have a transparent, electrically conductive coating on the inside surface of one of the individual plates. By means of an external power supply, an electric current can be conducted through the electrically conductive coating, which current heats up the coating and thus the plate. For example, WO2012/052315A1 discloses such a metal-based heatable electrically conductive coating.

The electrical heating layer is typically electrically contacted via a bus conductor, as is known from US2007/0020465 A1. The busbar consists, for example, of an imprinted and calcined silver paste. The bus conductors typically run along the upper and lower edges of the plates. The bus conductors collect the current flowing through the conductive coating and conduct the current to external leads, which are connected to a power source.

The bus conductors running at the upper and lower edges can also be used to warm up segments of the heating layer in order thereby to provide a more uniform heating power distribution. Such an arrangement is known, for example, from US20150334779A1, US20170036646A1 and US2878357 A1. In this case, the segments are constructed, for example, by de-coated parting lines having a width of 30 to 200 micrometers. The bus conductor has a typical strip-like shape. There is no conductive coating around the heating layer.

US20120103961A1 discloses a coated and heatable panel which is partially de-coated in locally defined areas. The partially uncoated region may be used, for example, as a sensor window. The locally defined region has two bus conductors which are arranged substantially parallel to the upper side of the plate and are connected to one another via an ohmic resistor. The uniformity of the electric field across the plate can thereby be improved, which minimizes hot and cold spots on the plate. US20030019860A1 discloses a heating layer above a wind deflector, which is divided into a plurality of regions and which can be electrically warmed up by means of a multi-region bus conductor arrangement.

An example of a heating area on a board together with a capacitive touch sensor is disclosed in US10638549B 2.

A general problem of heatable cladding is the still relatively high surface resistance of the heatable cladding, which requires a high operating voltage anyway in the case of large dimensions of the plates to be heated or in the case of long current paths, which is higher than the usual onboard voltages of vehicles. Another problem in this respect is the resulting likewise increased current consumption due to the high voltages required. If it is intended to reduce the surface resistance, this occurs with a reduction in the transmission of visible light in the case of the layer systems known hitherto, since the electrically conductive layer must be thicker. This problem becomes particularly relevant if the sensor region is particularly large in terms of its area expansion, as may be required, for example, when more than one sensor is applied.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved plate having an electrically heatable sensor region, which can be heated rapidly with as low a voltage and current consumption as possible.

According to the invention, the object of the invention is solved by a plate according to independent claims 1, 13 and 15. Preferred embodiments emerge from the dependent claims.

The plate according to the invention with an electrically heatable sensor region comprises at least the following features:

-a first plate having a surface,

-a first and a second electrically heatable coating, and

-at least one first and second bus conductor arranged for connection to a power source.

The first and second electrically heatable coating layers are each applied to a portion of the surface and do not have material-to-material contact with one another. In this case, at least the first and at least the second bus conductor are connected to the first and the second electrically heatable coating, so that a first current path is formed for the heating current via the first electrically heatable coating and a second current path is formed via the second electrically heatable coating. In this case, the first busbar conductor is electrically connected not only to the first electrically heatable coating but also to the second electrically heatable coating. In order to be able to generate the heating current via the first heatable coating and the second heatable coating, the counter electrode with respect to the first bus conductor can be either only the second bus conductor or the second and third bus conductors. If only the second bus conductor is the opposite electrode with respect to the first bus conductor, it is electrically connected not only to the first electrically heatable coating but also to the second electrically heatable coating. Alternatively, the second busbar conductor is electrically connected only to the first electrically heatable coating, and the third busbar conductor is electrically connected to the second electrically heatable coating.

The first busbar comprises at least one terminal area and a first and a second contact area. The terminal area is provided for connection to a power source by means of a terminal line, and the first and second contact areas are connected to the terminal area in an electrically conductive manner. The first contact region is also connected materially and electrically to the first electrically heatable coating, and the second contact region is connected materially and electrically to the second electrically heatable coating. The first contact region and the second contact region are preferably strip-shaped.

In this case, the current path runs in particular via or through the first and second electrically heatable coating on the surface of the plate. At least a first and at least a second bus conductor and at least a first and at least a second heatable coating are arranged in the sensor region. The sensor region may include first and second sensor windows disposed entirely within the first or second heatable coating, respectively. Wherein a first sensor window is assigned to the first heatable coating and a second sensor window is assigned to the second heatable coating. In the sense of the present invention, a sensor window refers to an area on the plate according to the present invention, which is provided for perspective with respect to the optical sensor, so that an optical beam extending through the sensor window can be detected by the sensor.

The expression "materially connected" or "spatially directly connected" means in the sense of the present invention that there is direct spatial contact of the objects described. The objects may overlap or may also be contiguous.

The expression "electrically connected" or "electrically conductively" means in the sense of the present invention that the objects described are connected to each other such that a current can flow through the objects when a voltage is applied. To this end, the described objects may be in material contact with one another or may be connected to one another via one or more electrical connections (e.g. cables).

A plate with electrically heatable sensor regions which are suitable for the perspective of more than one sensor and in which the sensors are adjacent to one another, generally has a larger area of the heatable coating than the coating provided for the individual sensors. The heatable coating must furthermore allow as high a transmission as possible in order for the optical sensor to function properly. However, this often means that the electrically heatable coating is arranged as thin as possible on or in the plate, which leads to an increased electrical resistance and the electrical power consumption associated therewith and possibly an increased required voltage. This relationship is based on a formula for calculating electrical power, which is derived by deformation:

in this case, it is preferable that the air conditioner,Pis power [ W]，UIs a voltage [ V ]]And isRIs a resistance [ omega ]]. In order to heat a uniformly coated surface, as is the case with an electrically heatable coating, the formula can be written for each area unit:

in this case, it is preferable that the air conditioner,P _S is the power per area unit [ Wm ] ^-2 ]，R _S Is the layer resistance [ omega sq ] sq ^-1 ]And L is the distance between the bus conductors [ m ]]. In this connection, the distance between the bus conductors relates to the length of the current path formed between the bus conductors. I.e. the distance between the contact points of the different bus conductors connected to the first and second heatable coating. As known from the formula, if the distance between the bus conductors is reduced, the voltage is reduced at the same power.

The invention is based on the following recognition: the distance over which the heating current has to flow can be reduced by the arrangement of at least the first and the second bus conductor. Here, the distance of the first busbar conductor at the location of the contact with the second electrically heatable coating to the second busbar conductor at the location of the contact with the second electrically heatable coating is measured. This is similarly measured for the first electrically heatable coating and the contact points of the first and second bus conductors. Thanks to the invention, electrical work can be saved or the required voltage for heating the sensor area can be reduced. This advantage is particularly effective in the case of modern electric vehicles, where increased electric power consumption is associated with a smaller driving range. In a classical internal combustion engine, it is desirable again to increase the voltage as much as possible without increasing it by more than 14V, since otherwise additional material costs may occur, for example for using a dc voltage converter.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the first contact region and the second contact region of the first busbar conductor are arranged offset perpendicularly to their direction of extension. The first contact region and the second contact region are additionally preferably strip-shaped and arranged parallel to one another. In this case, the first bus conductor is connected to the power supply, for example, via the upper side of the plate according to the invention. The first busbar conductor and the first and second contact areas preferably extend perpendicularly to the upper edge of the plate. The first contact region and the second contact region may be connected by means of a connection region which is arranged substantially perpendicular to the direction of extension of the first and second contact regions. This results, for example, in a plan view of the plate in a J-shape. Alternatively, the first and second contact regions are each directly electrically connected to the terminal region. This results in a preferably fork-like shape (symmetrical or asymmetrical Y-shape) in a plan view of the plate. Vertical dislocations of the first and second contact regions occur particularly preferably when the panel according to the invention is incorporated as a windscreen in a vehicle. The electrical contacting of the busbar is usually effected here via the upper or lower edge of the wind deflector. In this case, the sensor windows are preferably arranged side by side along the upper or lower edge rather than along the side edge connecting the upper and lower edges. In such a constellation, the advantageous use of the bus conductor according to the invention with two contact regions becomes particularly apparent in comparison with two bus conductors each with only one contact region.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the first contact region and the second contact region of the first busbar are not in spatial contact with one another (i.e. they do not touch one another). The first contact region and the second contact region of the first busbar are particularly preferably arranged at a distance from one another of 10 mm to 10 cm, preferably 50 mm to 5 cm. Preferably, the first contact area and the second contact area are arranged parallel to each other. Preferably, no conductive layer is arranged between the first contact area and the second contact area. Alternatively, an electrically conductive layer, preferably a heating layer, may be arranged between the first and second contact regions. In this case, the first contact region and the second contact region of the first busbar conductor are not electrically connected to the heating layer. The first contact region and the second contact region of the first busbar are preferably arranged between the first heatable coating and the second heatable coating. Due to the spacing between the contact areas, it is possible to selectively heat many different areas with as little material as possible. This distance is effective in particular when the sensor windows are heated, since the sensor windows are mostly not arranged directly next to one another, but rather at a distance from one another. Additional heating of this region between the two sensor windows requires additional material (electrically heatable coating) and energy. This should therefore be avoided for cost reasons.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the terminal region of the first busbar conductor is spatially connected directly to the first and second contact regions of the first busbar conductor. In a plan view of the sensor region, this embodiment of the first busbar conductor preferably resembles the shape of a double zigzag or "Y" shape. Alternatively, the first bus conductor resembles a "J" shape in a top view. The first contact region and the second contact region of the first busbar are preferably arranged at a distance of 10 mm to 10 cm, preferably 50 mm to 5 cm, from one another. This design requires particularly low material costs since no additional components are required for connecting the contact regions.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the terminal area is connected only spatially to the first or second contact area. The connection region spatially directly and conductively connects the first and second contact regions. The connection region is preferably located exclusively between the first and second contact regions, so that as little material as possible must be used. This design reduces the required space consumption, since the terminal areas can be connected without widening the contact areas. Since the bus conductors are usually masked on the board for visual reasons, it makes sense to reduce the space required.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the second busbar comprises at least one terminal area, which is provided for connection to a power supply by means of a terminal line, and first and second contact areas, which are connected to the terminal area in an electrically conductive manner. The first contact region is connected to the first electrically heatable coating and the second contact region is connected to the second electrically heatable coating.

Alternatively, the terminal region of the second busbar is connected directly spatially only to the first or second contact region, and the connection region connects the first contact region and the second contact region of the second busbar directly and electrically conductively spatially.

Due to this embodiment, particularly low material costs and space expenditure are required, since both the first and the second electrically heatable coating are connected to only two bus conductors in total. This arrangement also reduces the complexity of the method for mounting the bus conductors or the connection of the bus conductors to the power supply.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the second busbar is spatially directly and electrically conductively connected to the first electrically heatable coating, and the third busbar is spatially directly and electrically conductively connected to the second electrically heatable coating. The second and third bus conductors are connected to the electrically heatable coating, such that a first current path is formed for the heating current between the first and second bus conductors via the first electrically heatable coating and a second current path is formed between the first and third bus conductors via the second heatable coating. The first contact region and the second contact region are preferably arranged between the second and third busbar conductors. Thus, the applied voltage can be set individually for each of the electrically heatable coating layers. By setting it separately, it is also possible to heat the sensor window in dependence on the demand. For example, a sensor for detecting an optical beam in a perspective through the first electrically heatable coating may have no visibility limitation. On the other hand, a sensor that detects an optical beam in a perspective through the second electrically heatable coating may suffer from a visual limitation in the form of icing of the sensor window. In this case, only the heating current for the second heatable coating can be set separately, without the current flowing through the first heatable coating. Thus, electrical work can be saved.

The number of bus conductors and electrically heatable coating layers arranged in the sensor region can be determined freely. The further current paths are preferably formed for the heating current by means of each further electrically heatable coating. The number of bus conductors used is preferably the number of electrically heatable coatings or a number which is less than the number of electrically heatable coatings (ein weniger als \8230;).

In an advantageous embodiment of the plate according to the invention, the first electrically heatable coating is arranged between the first contact region of the first busbar and the first contact region of the second busbar. Furthermore, a second electrically heatable coating is arranged between the second contact region of the first busbar and the second contact region of the second busbar. The first and second contact regions of the first busbar are arranged between the first and second contact regions of the second busbar. In this way, two zones can be heated side by side with only two bus conductors. Arranging the electrically heatable coating and the contact region of the first bus conductor between the contact regions of the second bus conductor saves material costs and is particularly advantageous if a plurality of regions should be heated side by side.

In an advantageous embodiment of the plate according to the invention, the first plate has an electrically conductive heating layer which surrounds the first and second heatable coating. Especially when a smaller area, in this case the first and second electrically heatable coating, is surrounded by an electrically conductive coating, it is important to keep the amount (Menge) and the number (Anzahl) of the busbar conductors small. The bus conductors must be guided in an electrically insulating manner over the surrounding electrically conductive heating layer in order to be able to be connected to the first and second electrically heatable coating. The material and the complex process steps for insulating the busbar conductors can thus be reduced by the sensor region according to the invention.

Furthermore, the first and second heatable coating are each partially and preferably completely electrically or galvanically and/or materially separated from the surrounding coating by an uncoated separation line. The width of the separation line is preferably 30 μm to 200 μm and particularly preferably 70 μm to 140 μm. The separation line may also yield wider results between the first and second heatable coating than in the remaining area. The separation line between the first and second heatable coating particularly preferably has a width of 1 cm to 10 cm. By means of such a separating line, the electrical structures in the sensor region can be insulated in a short-circuit-free manner from the heating layer in the surroundings of the sensor region.

The heating layer is preferably transparent and electrically conductive. The heating layer may be applied on a portion of the surface of the first plate. The heating layer may have an IR reflecting effect. In spite of the IR-reflecting effect of the heating layer, a coating galvanically separated from the first and second heatable coating in the surroundings can also be used for heating the remaining plates. For this purpose, preferably at least two external bus conductors provided for connection to a power supply or another power supply are connected to the heating layer surrounding the sensor region, so that a current path is formed for the heating current between the external bus conductors. The outer bus conductor is not electrically connected to at least the first and second bus conductors and, if appropriate, the third bus conductor. The outer bus conductors are preferably arranged in the edge regions along two opposite side edges of the heating layer.

In the sense of the present invention, "transparent" means that the total transmission of the composite panel complies with the legal requirements for wind deflectors and has a penetration of preferably more than 50% and particularly preferably more than 60%, in particular more than 70%, for visible light. This means that the layers of the composite panel are in general in compliance with the legal requirements for wind deflectors. If a layer, such as a heating layer, is transparent, the layer has a light transmission that does not reduce the total transmission of the composite plate to a measure below statutory specifications. This relates to the see-through region of the composite panel. The composite plate may have a section that is not transparent.

Accordingly, "opaque" means a light transmission of less than 10%, preferably less than 5% and especially 0%.

The width of at least the first busbar within the sensor region and, if appropriate, outside the sensor region is preferably 2 mm to 30 mm, particularly preferably 4 mm to 20 mm and in particular 10 mm to 20 mm. A thinner busbar leads to an excessively high electrical resistance and thus to an excessively high temperature rise of the busbar during operation. Further, it is difficult to manufacture a thinner bus conductor by a printing technique such as screen printing. Thicker bus conductors require an undesirably high material usage. Furthermore, the thicker bus conductors result in an excessively large and unsightly limitation of the see-through area of the plate. The length of the busbar conductor depends on the expansion of the surface to be heated (ausdehnnung). In the case of a bus conductor constructed in the form of a strip, a longer one of its dimensions (Dimensionen) is referred to as a length, and a not too long one of its dimensions is referred to as a width.

If a heating layer is used for heating, typically the external busbar conductors are preferably arranged on the heating layer along the side edges and in particular run approximately parallel to one another. The length of the outer bus conductor is typically substantially equal to the length of the side of the heating layer, but may also be slightly larger or smaller. More than two external bus conductors may also be arranged on the heating layer, preferably in the edge regions along two opposite side edges of the heating layer. More than two external bus conductors may also be arranged on the heating layer, for example around two or more separate heating fields.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least the first, second and/or third bus conductor is applied to the surface of the first plate and/or to the heating layer and/or to the first and second heatable coating by means of welding or adhesive bonding. The bus conductors applied in this way are preferably designed as strips or wires (Draht) of an electrically conductive film. The busbar conductor then comprises, for example, at least aluminum, copper, tin-plated copper, gold, silver, zinc, tungsten and/or tin or alloys thereof. The strip preferably has a thickness of 10 μm to 500 μm, particularly preferably 30 μm to 300 μm. Bus conductors made of electrically conductive films having these thicknesses are technically simple to implement and have a favorable current-carrying capacity. The strip may be conductively connected with the conductive structure, for example via solder, via a conductive adhesive or by direct placement.

Alternatively, at least the first, second and/or third busbar is formed as an embossed and fired electrically conductive structure. The stamped busbar preferably comprises at least one metal, metal alloy, metal compound and/or carbon, particularly preferably a noble metal and in particular silver. The printing paste preferably contains metallic particles, metal particles and/or carbon and in particular noble metal particles, for example silver particles. The electrical conductivity is preferably achieved by conductive particles. The particles can be in an organic and/or inorganic matrix, for example a paste or ink, preferably as a printing paste with a glass frit.

The layer thickness of the embossed bus conductors is preferably 5 μm to 40 μm, particularly preferably 8 μm to 20 μm and very particularly preferably 8 μm to 12 μm. Embossed bus conductors with these thicknesses are technically simple to implement and have a favorable current-carrying capacity.

Specific resistance ρ of at least the first, second and/or third bus conductor _a Preferably 0.8 to 7.0 μ Ohm cm and particularly preferably 1.0 to 2.5 μ Ohm cm. A bus conductor with a specific resistance in this range can be realized technically simply and has a favorable current-carrying capacity.

At least the first, second and/or third bus conductor may have a contact to the surrounding heating layer on the material (stofflich). In this case, however, at least the first, second and/or third busbar conductors are surrounded by an electrically insulating layer in the region in materially contact with the heating layer, so that the busbar conductors are not electrically connected to the heating layer. The insulating layer is preferably a polyimide based polymer jacket.

Depending on the material of the heating layer and/or the electrically heatable coating, it may be advantageous to protect the coating with a protective layer, for example lacquer, a polymer film and/or a second plate.

In an advantageous embodiment of the panel according to the invention, the surface of the first panel on which the first and second heatable coating are arranged is connected in a planar manner to the second panel via a thermoplastic intermediate layer.

Substantially all electrically insulating substrates which are thermally and chemically stable and dimensionally stable under the conditions of manufacture and use of the plates according to the invention are suitable as first and, if desired, second plates.

The plurality of plates are interconnected by at least one thermoplastic interlayer. The intermediate layer preferably comprises at least one thermoplastic, preferably polyvinyl butyral (PVB), ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) and/or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). However, the thermoplastic intermediate layer may also for example comprise Polyurethane (PU), polypropylene (PP), polyacrylate, polyethylene (PE), polycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polyacetate resins, casting resins, acrylates, fluorinated ethylene-propylene, polyvinyl fluoride and/or ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene or copolymers or mixtures thereof. The thermoplastic intermediate layer can be formed from one thermoplastic film or also from a plurality of thermoplastic films arranged one on top of the other, the thickness of the thermoplastic film preferably being 0.25 mm to 1 mm, typically 0.38 mm or 0.76 mm.

In the case of the composite plate according to the invention, which consists of the first plate, the intermediate layer and the second plate, the heating layer and/or the first and second electrically heatable coating can be applied directly to the first plate or to the carrier film or to the intermediate layer itself. The first and second plates have inner and outer side surfaces, respectively. The inner side surfaces of the first and second sheets face each other and are connected to each other via a thermoplastic intermediate layer. The outer side surfaces of the first and second sheets face away from each other and from the thermoplastic interlayer. First and second electrically heatable coatings are applied to the inside surface of the first plate. Naturally, other electrically heatable coatings and/or heating layers can also be applied on the inner side surface of the second plate. The outer side surfaces of the plates may also have a coating. The terms "first plate" and "second plate" are chosen to distinguish the two plates in the case of the composite plate according to the invention. Statements about the geometric arrangement are not associated with these terms. If the panel according to the invention is for example provided for separating an interior space from an exterior environment in an opening of for example a vehicle or a building, the first panel may face the interior space or the exterior environment.

The first and second electrically heatable coating typically comprise one or more, for example two, three or four, electrically conductive functional layers. The functional layer preferably comprises at least one metal, for example silver, gold, copper, nickel and/or chromium or a metal alloy. The functional layer particularly preferably comprises at least 90% by weight of metal, in particular at least 99.9% by weight of metal. The functional layer may consist of a metal or a metal alloy. The functional layer particularly preferably comprises silver or a silver-containing alloy. Such functional layers have a particularly advantageous conductivity at the same time with a high transmission in the visible spectral range. The thickness of the functional layer is preferably from 5 nm to 50 nm, particularly preferably from 8 nm to 25 nm. Within this thickness range of the functional layer, an advantageously high transmission in the visible spectral range and a particularly advantageous electrical conductivity are achieved. The first and second electrically heatable coating layers are preferably each 10 cm ² To 1000 cm ² Particularly preferably 20 cm ² To 100 cm ² Extend over the area of (a).

At least one dielectric layer is typically arranged between two adjacent functional layers of the coating, respectively. A further dielectric layer is preferably arranged below the first functional layer and/or above the last functional layer. The dielectric layer comprises at least one single layer made of a dielectric material, for example comprising a nitride such as silicon nitride or an oxide such as aluminum oxide. However, the dielectric layer may also comprise a plurality of monolayers, such as a monolayer of a dielectric material, a smoothing layer, an adaptation layer, a barrier layer and/or an anti-reflection layer. The thickness of the dielectric layer is, for example, 10 nm to 200 nm.

Such a layer structure is usually obtained by a series of deposition processes carried out by vacuum methods, such as magnetic field assisted cathode sputtering.

The first and second electrically heatable coating layers and the heating layer may particularly preferably comprise Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), fluorine-doped tin oxide (SnO) ₂ F) or aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZnO: al).

In a very particularly preferred embodiment of the inventionIn this case, the first and/or the second electrically heatable coating is formed as a coated carrier film. The carrier film is preferably constructed based on polyethylene terephthalate. The coating of the carrier film may comprise indium tin oxide (In) ₂ O ₃ •SnO ₂ ) One or more layers of (a). The layer thickness is preferably 15 nm to 300 nm. The use of a carrier film with an indium tin oxide coating is particularly advantageous if the highest possible light transmission is required. Reduced loss of light transmission compared to silver-based coatings; the loss of light transmission is at 1% to 0% compared to the loss of 10% to 20% in the case of silver.

Alternatively, the first and second electrically heatable coating may also comprise or consist of Carbon Nanobuds (CNBs). CNB is a modification of carbon. The carbon atoms are covalently bonded and constitute fullerenes, which are arranged as small tubes in the nanometer range. The first and second electrically heatable coating combine the properties of fullerenes with those of nanotubes, thereby giving high mechanical stability with simultaneously good electrical properties.

The first and second electrically heatable coating can also advantageously consist of wires, the diameter of the wires preferably being 2 μm or less, particularly preferably 1 μm or less and in particular 300 nm or less. In the sense of the present invention, the diameter of a wire refers to the diameter of the base surface of the wire, and not the diameter of the housing area (Mantelfl 228che). The wire preferably comprises or consists of copper. It has been shown that an improved heating power can be achieved by means of the wire.

In principle, the first and second electrically heatable coating layers and the heating layer can be each coating layer which should be electrically contacted and which has sufficient transparency. The first and second electrically heatable coating layers and the heating layer are preferably transparent to electromagnetic radiation, particularly preferably to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength of 300 nm to 1,300 nm and in particular to visible light.

In an advantageous embodiment, the first and second electrically heatable coating and/or heating layers are a layer or a single-layer structure having a total thickness of less than or equal to 2 μm, particularly preferably less than or equal to 1 μm.

Advantageous electrically heatable coating and heating layers have a surface resistance of 0.4 to 100 ohm/square. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the first and second electrically heatable coating layers have a surface resistance of 0.4 to 10 ohms/square and in particular of 0.5 to 1 ohms/square. Coatings with such a surface resistance are particularly suitable for heating vehicle panels in the case of typical vehicle voltages of 12V to 48V or in the case of electric vehicles with typical vehicle voltages of up to 500V.

The heating layer may extend over the entire surface of the first plate. Alternatively, however, the heating layer may also extend over only a part of the surface of the first plate. The heating layer preferably extends over at least 50%, particularly preferably at least 70% and very particularly preferably at least 90% of the inner side surface of the first plate. In addition to the uncoated regions, the heating layer can also have one or more uncoated regions.

In an advantageous embodiment of the plate according to the invention as a composite plate, the inner side surface of the first plate has a peripheral edge region with a width of 2 mm to 50 mm, preferably 5 mm to 20 mm, which is not provided with a heating layer. The heating layer is then not in contact with the atmosphere and is advantageously protected from damage and corrosion in the interior of the plate by the thermoplastic intermediate layer.

The first plate and, if present, the second plate preferably comprise glass, particularly preferably flat glass, float glass, quartz glass, borosilicate glass, soda lime glass or clear plastic, preferably rigid clear plastic, in particular polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, polyamide, polyester, polyvinyl chloride and/or mixtures thereof. The first and/or second panel is preferably transparent, especially for use of the panel as a windscreen or rear panel of a vehicle or other use where high light transmission is desired. However, for panels that are not in the driver's view in relation to traffic, such as for sunroof panels, the transmission may also be much lower, e.g. greater than 5%.

The thickness of the plate can vary widely and can therefore be excellently adapted to the requirements of the individual case. It is preferred to use panels with a standard thickness of 1.0 mm to 25 mm, preferably 1.4 mm to 2.5 mm for vehicle glazing and panels with a standard thickness of preferably 4 mm to 25 mm for furniture, equipment and buildings, in particular for electrical heaters. The size of the plate may vary widely and depends on the size of the use according to the invention. The first and optionally the second panel have a thickness of, for example, 200 cm, as is customary in the field of vehicle construction and construction ² Up to 20m ² The area of (a).

The plate may have any three-dimensional shape. The three-dimensional shape preferably has no shadow region, so that the three-dimensional shape can be coated, for example, by cathode sputtering. The first plate and/or the second plate are preferably flat or slightly or strongly curved in one or more directions in space. In particular using flat plates. The plate may be colorless or colored.

At least the first, second and/or third bus conductors are electrically contacted by one or more connecting lines. The connecting line is preferably designed as a flexible foil conductor (flat conductor ). This is understood to mean an electrical conductor whose width is significantly greater than its thickness. Such a thin-film conductor is, for example, a strip or tape which contains or consists of copper, tin-plated copper, aluminum, silver, gold or alloys thereof. The thin-film conductor has, for example, a width of 2 mm to 16 mm and a thickness of 0.03 mm to 0.1 mm. The thin-film conductor can have an insulating, preferably polymeric, sheath, for example based on polyimide. Suitable film conductors for the electrically heatable coating or heating layer in the contact plate have a total thickness of, for example, only 0.3 mm. Such thin film conductors can be embedded without difficulty between the individual plates in the thermoplastic intermediate layer. A plurality of electrically conductive layers electrically insulated from each other may be located in the thin film conductor strip.

Alternatively, thin metal wires can also be used as electrical wiring lines. The metal wire is in particular copper, tungsten, gold, silver or aluminum or an alloy of at least two of these metals. The alloy may also comprise molybdenum, rhenium, osmium, iridium, palladium, or platinum.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least one electrical connecting line is connected to the contact strip, for example by means of solder or an electrically conductive adhesive. The contact strip is then connected to the first, second and/or third busbar. In the sense of the present invention, a contact strip is an extension of a connecting line, so that a connection surface between the contact strip and a busbar can be understood as a contact surface from which a distance extends in the direction of extension of the busbar. The contact strip preferably comprises at least one metal, particularly preferably copper, tin-plated copper, silver, gold, aluminum, zinc, tungsten and/or tin. This is particularly advantageous in terms of the electrical conductivity of the contact strip. The contact strip may also comprise an alloy, which preferably comprises one or more of the elements mentioned and optionally further elements, for example brass or bronze. The contact strip is preferably designed as a strip of a thin, electrically conductive film. The thickness of the contact strip is preferably from 10 μm to 500 μm, particularly preferably from 15 μm to 200 μm, very particularly preferably from 50 μm to 100 μm. Films with these thicknesses are technically simple to produce and readily available and, moreover, have a advantageously low resistance.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the connecting line of at least the first and/or second bus conductor is preferably designed in the form of a contact strip or cable, wherein the connecting line extends out of the edge region of the plate. The cables or contact strips can be attached to the electrical connection lines at the edge regions of the plate according to the invention by means of soldering or gluing.

The invention furthermore comprises a method for producing a plate according to the invention having an electrically heatable sensor region, which method at least comprises:

(a) At least one first and second electrically heatable coating is applied to a portion of the surface of the first plate such that the first and second electrically heatable coatings do not have direct contact with each other.

(b) Applying first and second bus conductors provided for connection to a power supply, the first and second bus conductors being connected to at least first and second electrically heatable coatings, such that at least one current path is formed for the heating current between the bus conductors via the first electrically heatable coating and a second current path is formed via the second heatable coating. The first busbar conductor comprises at least one terminal area and a first and a second contact area, which are provided for connecting to a power supply by means of a terminal line and are electrically conductively connected to the terminal area. Furthermore, the first contact region is connected to the first electrically heatable coating and the second contact region is connected to the second electrically heatable coating.

The application of the first and second electrically heatable coating in method step (a) can be carried out by methods known per se, preferably by magnetic field-assisted cathode sputtering. This is particularly advantageous in terms of a simple, fast, cost-effective and uniform coating of the first plate. However, the electrically heatable coating can also be applied, for example, by vapor deposition, chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), plasma-enhanced vapor deposition (PECVD) or by wet-chemical methods.

The first plate may be subjected to a heat treatment during method step (a) or after method step (a). The first plate with the at least first and second electrically heatable coating is brought to a temperature of at least 200 ℃, preferably at least 300 ℃. The heat treatment may be used to increase the transmission and/or to decrease the surface resistance of the first and second electrically heatable coating.

The first plate may be bent after method step (a), typically at a temperature of 500 ℃ to 700 ℃. This action is advantageous if the first plate should be bent, since coating a flat plate is technically simpler. Alternatively, however, it is also possible to bend the first plate before or during method step (a), for example when the first and/or second electrically heatable coating is not suitable for being subjected to a bending process without being damaged.

The application of the at least first and/or second busbar in method step (b) is preferably carried out by stamping and firing the electrically conductive paste in a screen printing method or in an inkjet method. Alternatively, the bus conductors may be applied, preferably placed, welded or glued as strips of conductive film onto the electrically heatable coating.

In the case of the screen printing method, the transverse forming is performed by masking of a fabric through which the printing paste with the metal particles is pressed. Due to the suitable shaping of the shielding (Maskierung), the width of the bus conductors can be specified and varied particularly simply, for example.

An advantageous development of the method according to the invention comprises at least the following further steps:

(c) Arranging the coated surface of the first plate in a planar manner in a layer stack with the second plate via a thermoplastic intermediate layer, and

(d) The obtained stack of layers is laminated into a composite panel.

In method step (c), the first plate is arranged such that one of its surfaces which is provided with the first and second electrically heatable coating faces the thermoplastic intermediate layer. The surface thus becomes the inside surface of the first plate.

The thermoplastic intermediate layer can be formed by a single thermoplastic film or also by two or more thermoplastic films which are arranged one above the other in a face-to-face manner.

The lamination of the first and second sheet in method step (d) is preferably carried out under the action of heat, vacuum and/or pressure. Methods known per se can be used for manufacturing the composite panel.

For example, the so-called autoclaving process can be carried out at an elevated pressure of about 10 to 15 bar and a temperature of 130 to 145 ℃ in about 2 hours. The vacuum bag or vacuum ring method known per se works, for example, at approximately 200 mbar and 80 ℃ to 110 ℃. The first sheet, the thermoplastic intermediate layer and the second sheet may also be pressed into a composite sheet in a calender between at least one pair of rolls. Apparatuses of this type for the production of boards are known and usually have at least one heating tunnel before the press. The temperature during the pressing process is, for example, 40 ℃ to 150 ℃. A combination of a calender process and a autoclaving process has proven particularly suitable in practice. Alternatively, a vacuum laminator may be used. These vacuum laminators consist of one or more heatable and evacuable chambers in which a first plate and a second plate can be laminated at a reduced pressure of 0.01 mbar to 800 mbar and a temperature of 80 ℃ to 170 ℃ within, for example, about 60 minutes.

The invention furthermore comprises the use of the panel according to the invention with electrical contacts in buildings, in particular in the area of entrance openings, windows, roofs or house facades, as a built-in part in furniture and devices, in means of transport for land, air or water traffic, in trains, ships and in particular motor vehicles, for example as wind deflector, rear window panel, side window panel and/or sunroof panel. The uses comprise optical sensors and camera systems, in particular for a vision-based driver assistance system FAS or an advanced driver assistance system ADAS, the beam path of which extends through the sensor area.

Drawings

The invention will be elucidated in more detail below on the basis of embodiments, in which reference is made to the appended drawings. In a simplified not to correct scale illustration:

figure 1A shows a plan view of one embodiment of a plate according to the invention with an electrically heatable sensor region,

figure 1B shows an enlarged view of one embodiment of the first busbar,

figure 1C shows an enlarged view of the sensor area from figure 1A,

figure 1D showsbase:Sub>A cross-sectional view through the plate along cutting linebase:Sub>A-base:Sub>A' according to figure 1A,

figure 2A shows an enlarged view of a further embodiment of the first busbar,

FIG. 2B shows a further enlarged illustration of the design of the sensor region with the bus conductors from FIG. 2A, and

fig. 3 to 6 show different enlarged designs of the sensor region of the plate according to the invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1A shows a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a plate 100 according to the present invention with an electrically heatable sensor region 3. Fig. 1B shows an enlarged view of the first busbar 9.1 installed in the sensor region 3. Fig. 1C shows an enlarged view of the sensor region 3 from fig. 1A and fig. 1D showsbase:Sub>A cross section through the plate 100 according to the invention from fig. 1A along the cutting linebase:Sub>A-base:Sub>A'.

As shown in fig. 1A, the plate 100 according to the invention comprises, in particular, a heating layer 6, which is applied on the first plate 1. The heating layer 6 is a layer system comprising, for example, three electrically conductive silver layers, which are separated from one another by dielectric layers. The heating layer 6 conducts electric current and is transparent. If an electric current flows through the heating layer 6, the latter is heated up due to its resistance and joule heating. The heating layer 6 can be supplied with current (not shown here), for example, via two or more bus conductors which are located in the edge region at the upper and lower edges or side edges on the outer surface III of the first plate 1 and are in material and electrical contact with the heating layer 6.

As shown in fig. 1A, the heating layer 6 is arranged, for example, on the outer surface III of the first plate 1 and extends over the entire outer surface III of the first plate 1 minus the sensor region 3 and a frame-shaped and uncoated region surrounding the first plate 1 having a width of, for example, 8 mm. The uncoated region serves for electrical insulation between the heating layer 6 and the vehicle body. The uncoated regions are hermetically sealed by adhesion to the thermoplastic intermediate layer 13 in order to protect the sensor region 3 and the heating layer 6 from damage and corrosion.

Fig. 1C shows an enlarged sensor region 3 in a plan view of the outer side III of the plate 100. The sensor region 3 is surrounded by an uncoated separation line 11, which separates the first and second electrically heatable coating layers 10.1, 10.2 in the interior of the sensor region 3 from the surrounding heating layer 6 both materially and galvanically (i.e. for direct current). The separation line 11 has, for example, a width of 100 μm, wherein the heating layer 6 is completely removed. The separation line 11 is produced, for example, by laser structuring (laser ablation). The separation line 11 may have a greater width between the first and second heatable coating 10.1, 10.2.

The first and second heatable coating 10.1, 10.2 are arranged within the sensor region 3 and each consist, for example, of a PET film which is coated with one or more indium tin oxide coatings. The layer thicknesses of all layers are, for example, in the range from 15 nm to 50 nm. The first and second heatable coating layers 10.1, 10.2 do not come into contact with one another materially, but are separated by uncoated regions. The first and second heatable coating layers are arranged side by side in a top view of the plate 100 from the left side edge of the plate 100 to the right side edge of the plate 100. As shown in fig. 4, an arrangement from the upper edge of the plate 100 to the lower edge of the plate 100, i.e. from top to bottom, is likewise possible. The silver layer has, for example, a thickness of 300 nm and the PET film has, for example, a thickness of 0.1 mm. A heatable coating 10.1, 10.2 is arranged on the first plate 1. The first and second heatable coating 10.1, 10.2 are suitable for ensuring a perspective for the optical sensor 12. For this reason, the two sensor windows 2.1, 2.2, i.e. the regions of the plate 100 through which the optical sensor 12 can detect the optical beam path, are arranged completely within the heatable coating 10.1, 10.2. One of the sensor windows 2.1 is arranged within the first heatable coating 10.1, and the other sensor window 2.2 is arranged within the second heatable coating 10.2. Based on this arrangement, it is possible, for example, to arrange two optical sensors 12, each having a heatable sensor window 2.1, 2.2, at the plate 100 according to the invention. One of the sensors 12 is schematically shown in cross-section in fig. 1D.

For the electrical contacting, a second bus bar conductor 9.2 on the left is arranged on the heatable coating 10.1, 10.2 in each case at the left edge region of the first heatable coating 10.1 and a third bus bar conductor 9.1 on the right is arranged at the right edge region of the second heatable coating 10.2. These outer bus conductors 9.2, 9.3 are spaced apart from one another by the total distance M in the region of the heatable coating 10.1, 9.2. Furthermore, an intermediate first busbar 9.1 is arranged between the second and third busbar 9.2, 9.3. The central first busbar 9.1 can be divided into three regions: a terminal area 7.1, a first contact area 8.1 and a second contact area 8.2. The terminal area 7.1 is electrically connected to the power source 5 and materially and electrically connected to the two contact areas 8.1, 8.2. The central first busbar 9.1 is formed in a "Y" shape in a plan view of the sensor region 3. The central first busbar 9.1 is arranged with a first contact area 8.1 at the right edge area of the first heatable coating 10.1 and with a second contact area 8.2 at the left edge area of the second heatable coating 10.2. The second busbar 9.2 on the left is at a distance l.1 from the first contact region 8.1 of the central first busbar 9.1. The third busbar 9.3 on the right is at a distance l.2 from the second contact region 8.2 of the central first busbar 9.1. Due to this arrangement of the bus conductors 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, the total distance M is greater than the respective distances l.1, l.2 of the summation. For example, the bus conductors 9.1, 9.2, 9.3 contain silver particles and are applied in a screen printing method and subsequently calcined. The first, second and third bus conductors 9.1, 9.2, 9.3 shown in fig. 1C can have a material-wise contact with the heating layer 6 surrounding the sensor region 3. In this case, however, the bus conductors 9.1, 9.2, 9.3 are surrounded by an electrically insulating layer in the region of the contact with the material of the heating layer 6, so that the bus conductors 9.1, 9.2, 9.3 are not electrically connected to the heating layer 6. The insulating layer is for example a polyimide based polymer jacket.

The second and third bus conductors 9.2, 9.3 have a different potential than the central first bus conductor 9.1. This is necessary so that current can flow between the second busbar 9.2 on the left and the central first busbar 9.1 and between the third busbar 9.3 on the right and the central first busbar 9.1. A voltage can be set for each coating 10.1, 10.2 separately via the outer second and third bus conductors 9.2, 9.3, which can be applied via the first and second heatable coatings 10.1, 10.2. Due to the current flowing through the heatable coating 10.1, 10.2, the sensor region 3 and in particular the sensor windows 2.1, 2.2 can be heated. Such a device, which consists of the heatable coating 10.1, 10.2 and the bus conductors 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, makes it possible to set the voltage of the first and second heatable coating 10.1, 10.2 individually. The sensor windows 2.1, 2.2 can thus be warmed independently of one another and as required by the heating current.

Furthermore, the electrical resistance across the sensor region 3 can be reduced due to the arrangement of the intermediate first busbar 9.1. This is associated with the smaller distances l.1, l.2 between the second busbar 9.2 and the first contact region 8.1 on the left and between the third busbar 9.3 and the second contact region 8.2 on the right compared to the total distance M. A smaller electrical resistance requires a lower voltage and associated therewith a lower power consumption than would be required in the case of an example of this type, in which the heating current has to flow through the heatable coating over the total distance M.

Each bus conductor 9.1, 9.2, 9.3 is guided to a junction region (bindingsbereich) which is equipped with a respective connecting line 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and which connects the bus conductor 9.1, 9.2, 9.3 to the power supply 5. The connecting lines 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 can be designed as film conductors known per se, which are connected in an electrically conductive manner to the first, second and third busbar conductors 9.1, 9.2, 9.3 via contact surfaces, for example by means of solder, conductive adhesive or by simple placement and pressing in the board 100. The thin-film conductor comprises, for example, a tin-plated copper thin film having a width of 10 mm and a thickness of 0.3 mm. The film conductor may be gradually changed into a connection cable which is connected to the power source 5. The power supply 5 provides, for example, an on-board voltage, which is customary for motor vehicles, preferably 12V to 15V and is, for example, approximately 14V. Alternatively, the power supply 14V may also have a higher voltage, for example 35V to 45V and in particular 42V.

In the example shown, the first, second and third busbar conductors 9.1, 9.2, 9.3 have a constant thickness of, for example, about 10 μm and a constant specific resistance of, for example, 2.3 μ Ohm-cm.

The first and second heatable coating layers 10.1, 10.2 have a surface resistance of 1.0 ohm/square, for example.

As is usual in glass technology, the first, second and third bus conductors 9.1, 9.2, 9.3 and the connections and connecting lines 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 can be covered by an opaque color layer known per se as a cover print (not shown here).

As shown in fig. 1D, the panel 100 according to the invention comprises a first panel 1 and a second panel 13, which are connected to each other via a thermoplastic intermediate layer 14. The panel 100 is, for example, a vehicle panel, and in particular a wind deflector for a passenger car, having an upper side and an opposite lower side and two shorter sides. The first plate 1 is, for example, arranged to face the inner space in the installed position. The first plate 1 and the second plate 13 consist of soda lime glass. The thickness of the first plate 1 is, for example, 1.6 mm and the thickness of the second plate 13 is 2.1 mm. The thermoplastic interlayer 14 for example comprises for the most part polyvinyl butyral (PVB) and has a thickness of 0.76 mm. The second plate 13 has an outer surface I facing the outside environment and an inner surface II facing the inner space. The first plate 1 has an outer surface III facing the outside environment and an inner surface IV facing the inner space.

Fig. 2A shows a further possible embodiment of the intermediate first busbar 9.1. The variant shown in fig. 2B substantially corresponds to the variant from fig. 1C, so that only the differences are discussed here and otherwise reference is made to the description relating to fig. 1C. Unlike fig. 1C, the first busbar conductor 9.1 shown in fig. 2A and 2B can be divided into four regions: a terminal area 7.1, a first contact area 8.1, a second contact area 8.2 and a connection area 15.1. The terminal area 7.1 is electrically connected to the power source 5 and materially and electrically connected to the second contact area 8.2. However, in contrast to what is shown here, the terminal area can also be connected to the first contact area 8.1 instead of to the second contact area 8.2. The connection region 15.1 connects the first contact region 8.1 materially and electrically with the second contact region 8.2. The central first busbar 9.1 is formed in a "J" shape in a plan view of the sensor region 3.

The variant illustrated in fig. 3 substantially corresponds to the variant from fig. 1C, so that only the differences are discussed here and otherwise reference is made to the description relating to fig. 1C. The outer first and second bus conductors 9.2, 9.3 (as shown in fig. 1C) have been replaced by a single outer second bus conductor 9.2. The outer second busbar 9.2 shown in fig. 3 can be divided into four regions: a terminal area 7.2, a first contact area 8.3, a second contact area 8.4 and a connection area 15.2. The terminal area 7.2 is electrically connected to the power source 5 and materially and electrically connected to the second contact area 8.4. However, in contrast to what is shown here, the terminal area can also be connected to the first contact area 8.3 instead of to the second contact area 8.4. The connection region 15.2 connects the first contact region 8.3 materially and electrically with the second contact region 8.4. The first contact region 8.3 is arranged at the left edge region of the first heatable coating 10.1 in a partially overlapping manner with the first heatable coating 10.1. The second contact region 8.4 is correspondingly arranged at the right edge region of the second heatable coating 10.2 in a partially overlapping manner with the second heatable coating 10.2. The second busbar 9.2 is formed in a "J" shape in a plan view of the sensor region 3.

In the case of this embodiment, a separate heating of the sensor windows 2.1, 2.2 is not possible, but since only the first and second busbar conductors 9.1, 9.2 are required, less material is consumed for producing the busbar conductors and, in addition, fewer process steps (soldering or gluing of the busbar conductors) are required for producing the plate 100 according to the invention.

The variant illustrated in fig. 4 substantially corresponds to the variant from fig. 3, so that only the differences are discussed here and otherwise reference is made to the description relating to fig. 3. In contrast to fig. 3, the first and second heatable coating layers 10.1, 10.2 are not arranged from left to right along the top and bottom of the plate 100, but rather along the side edges from top to bottom. The first and second bus conductors 9.1, 9.2 are respectively not arranged along the left and right edge regions of the heatable coating 10.1, 10.2, but along the upper and lower edge regions. The terminal area 7.2 of the outer second busbar 9.2 is also in material and electrical contact with the first and second contact areas 8.3, 8.4. The outer second busbar 9.2 furthermore has no connecting region 15.2. The first busbar 9.1 is designed in a "Y" shape, but is rotated by 90 ° so that the first and second contact regions 8.1, 8.2 are arranged parallel along the upper and lower edges of the plate 100. The terminal areas 7.1 are also arranged partly along the upper and lower edges of the board 100. A portion of the terminal area is disposed along a side edge of the board 100. The first and second contact areas 8.3, 8.4 of the second busbar 9.2 are likewise arranged along the upper and lower edges of the plate 100. The terminal region 7.2 of the second busbar 9.2 is arranged linearly along a side edge of the board 100, so that the terminal region 7.2 is materially and conductively connected to the first and second contact regions 8.3, 8.4 at the right edge region of the first and second contact regions 8.3, 8.4.

The variant shown in fig. 5 substantially corresponds to the variant from fig. 4, so that only the differences are discussed here and otherwise reference is made to the description relating to fig. 4. The first and second bus conductors 9.1, 9.2 are designed to be linear and each comprise a terminal area 7.1, 7.2, a first contact area 8.1, 8.3, a connection area 15.1, 15.2 and a second contact area 8.2, 8.4. Furthermore, the first busbar 9.1 is arranged along the left edge region of the first and second heatable coating 10.1, 10.2 and is connected to the coating 10.1, 10.2 in an electrically conductive and material-conductive manner. Correspondingly, the second busbar 9.2 is arranged along the right edge region of the first and second heatable coating 10.1, 10.2 and is electrically and materially connected to the coating 10.1, 10.2. The first contact regions 8.1, 8.3 of the respective first and second busbar 9.1, 9.2 are materially and conductively connected to the first heatable coating 10.1. Correspondingly, the second contact regions 8.2, 8.4 of the respective first and second busbar 9.1, 9.2 are materially and conductively connected to the second heatable coating 10.2. The first and second bus conductors 9.1, 9.2 are thus connected to the first and second heatable coating 10.1, 10.2, so that a heating current can flow between the first and second bus conductors 9.1, 9.2 and through or via the first and second heatable coating 10.1, 10.2, respectively. This embodiment variant is particularly energy-saving and requires very little material expenditure. The arrangement of the bus conductors 9.1, 9.2 is particularly advantageous from a process cost standpoint, since the bus conductors are configured as linear bus conductors.

The variant of the electrically heatable sensor region 3 shown in fig. 6 is an extension of the arrangement shown in fig. 1C. The sensor region 3 has been expanded by a further heatable coating 10.3 and a further fourth bus conductor 9.4, which is embodied in the form of the bus conductor shown in fig. 1B. In this way, further individually heatable sensor windows 2.3 are arranged. It is thus clear that, depending on the desired number of sensors, further heatable coatings 10.1, 10.2, 10.3 with sensor windows 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and bus conductors 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4 can also be arranged next to one another. It goes without saying that the shape of the bus conductors 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4 is not limited to the shape shown in fig. 5.

List of reference numerals

1. First plate

2.1, 2.2, 2.3 sensor window

3. Electrically heatable sensor region

4.1, 4.2, 4.3 connection line

5. Power supply

6. Heating layer

7.1, 7.2 terminal area

8.1, 8.3 first contact area

8.2, 8.4 second contact area

9.1 First bus conductor

9.2 Second bus conductor

9.3 Third bus conductor

9.4 Fourth bus conductor

10.1 First electrically heatable coating

10.2 Second electrically heatable coating

10.3 Other coatings capable of being electrically heated

11. Separation line

12. Sensor with a sensor element

13. Second plate

14. Thermoplastic interlayer

15.1, 15.2 connection region

Distance L.1, L.2

M total distance

I outer surface of the second plate 13

II inner surface of the second plate 13

III outer surface of the first plate 1

IV inner surface of first plate 1

A-A' cutting line

100. And (3) a plate.

Claims (15)

1. A plate (100) with an electrically heatable sensor region (3), the plate comprising at least:

-a first plate (1) having a surface,

-at least one first and second electrically heatable coating (10.1, 10.2) which are each applied on a portion of the surface and do not have direct contact with one another,

-at least one first and second bus conductor (9.1, 9.2) provided for connection to a power source (5), which bus conductor is connected with the at least first and second electrically heatable coating (10.1, 10.2) such that at least one first current path is formed for a heating current via the first electrically heatable coating (10.1) and a second current path is formed via the second heatable coating (10.2),

at least one heating layer (6) surrounding the first and second heatable coating layers (10.1, 10.2),

-at least two external bus conductors arranged for connection to the power supply (5) or another power supply, the external bus conductors being connected to the heating layer (6) such that a current path is formed between the external bus conductors for the heating current,

wherein

The first bus conductor (9.1) at least comprises

-a terminal area (7.1) arranged for connection with the power supply (5) by means of a terminal line, and

-a first and a second contact area (8.1, 8.2) which are electrically conductively connected with the terminal area (7.1),

wherein the first contact region (8.1) is connected to the first electrically heatable coating (10.1) and the second contact region (8.2) is connected to the second electrically heatable coating (10.2),

wherein the first and second heatable coating (10.1, 10.2) are each separated galvanically and materially from the surrounding heating layer (6) by an uncoated separation line (11).

2. The board (100) according to claim 1, wherein the terminal area (7.1) is spatially directly connected with the first and second contact areas (8.1, 8.2).

3. The board (100) according to claim 1, wherein the terminal area (7.1) is spatially connected only with the first or second contact area (8.1, 8.2), and a connection area (15.1) spatially connects the first and second contact area (8.1, 8.2) with each other.

4. The plate (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second busbar conductor (9.2) comprises at least

-a terminal area (7.2) arranged for connection with the power supply (5) by means of a terminal line, and

-a first and a second contact area (8.3, 8.4) which are electrically conductively connected with the terminal area (7.2),

wherein the first contact region (8.3) is connected to the first electrically heatable coating (10.1) and the second contact region (8.4) is connected to the second electrically heatable coating (10.2).

5. The plate (100) according to claim 4, wherein the first and second electrically heatable coating layers (10.1, 10.2) are arranged parallel to each other between the first contact area (8.3) and the second contact area (8.4) of the second busbar conductor (9.2).

6. The plate (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second busbar conductor (9.2) is connected with the first electrically heatable coating (10.1) and a third busbar conductor (9.3) is connected with the second electrically heatable coating (10.2) such that the first current path is formed for the heating current between the first busbar conductor (9.1) and the second busbar conductor (9.2) via the first electrically heatable coating (10.1) and the second current path is formed between the first busbar conductor (9.1) and the third busbar conductor (9.3) via the second heatable coating (10.2) and the applied voltage can be set individually for each of the electrically heatable coatings (10.1, 10.2).

7. The plate (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the width of the uncoated separation lines (11) is preferably 30 to 200 μm and particularly preferably 70 to 140 μm.

8. The plate (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the at least first, second and/or third bus conductor (9.1, 9.2, 9.3) is applied onto the surface of the first plate (1) by means of adhesion, and in particular comprises copper with a tin layer, and preferably has a specific resistance p of 0.8 to 7.0 μ Ohm-cm and particularly preferably of 1.0 to 2.5 μ Ohm-cm _a 。

9. The plate (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first contact area (8.1) and the second contact area (8.2) of the first busbar (9.1) are arranged alongside one another.

10. The plate (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first busbar conductor (9.1) is configured as Y-shaped or J-shaped in a top view of the plate (100).

11. The plate (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first contact region (8.1) and the second contact region (8.2) of the first busbar (9.1) are arranged at a distance from each other of 10 mm to 10 cm, preferably 50 mm to 5 cm.

12. The plate (100) according to claim 11, wherein the first contact area (8.1) and the second contact area (8.2) of the first busbar conductor (9.1) are arranged between the first and second electrically heatable coating (10.1, 10.2).

13. A method for manufacturing a plate (100) with an electrically heatable sensor region (3) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, the method at least comprising:

(a) Applying at least one first and a second electrically heatable coating (10.1, 10.2) onto the surface of the first plate (1) such that the first and the second electrically heatable coating (10.1, 10.2) do not have a direct contact with each other,

(b) Applying first and second bus conductors (9.1, 9.2) provided for connection to a power source (5), connecting the first and second bus conductors with the at least first and second electrically heatable coating (10.1, 10.2) in such a way that at least one current path is formed for a heating current between the bus conductors (9.1, 9.2) via the first electrically heatable coating (10.1) and a second current path is formed via the second heatable coating (10.2),

wherein

The first bus conductor (9.1) at least comprises

A connection area (7.1) which is provided for connection to the power supply (5) by means of a connection line, and

a first and a second contact region (8.1, 8.2) which are electrically conductively connected to the terminal region (7.1),

wherein the first contact region (8.1) is connected to the first electrically heatable coating (10.1) and the second contact region (8.2) is connected to the second electrically heatable coating (10.2).

14. Method for manufacturing a panel (100) according to claim 13, wherein subsequently

(c) Arranging the coated surface of the first sheet (1) in a planar manner in a layer stack with a second sheet (13) via a thermoplastic intermediate layer (14), and

(d) The obtained layer stack is laminated to a composite board.

15. Use of a panel (100) according to one of claims 1 to 12 in a vehicle for land, air or water traffic, in particular in a motor vehicle, for example as a wind deflector, rear window panel, side window panel and/or sunroof panel, in particular for a vision-based driver assistance system (FAS) or an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), the light path of which extends through the sensor area (3).

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