EP0613205A1 - Window glass with a built- in radio circuit and vehicle with such a window glass - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to window glass, and in particular window glass for vehicles, within which is incorporated a radio frequency assembly. Beside the antenna (A) which is sometimes incorporated in window glass (V) such as a motor vehicle windscreen, it is proposed also to incorporate a part (E) of the electronics of the set intended to operate with the antenna. Such a measure renders the theft and above all the reuse of the stolen set very difficult. Application, in particular, to motor car windscreens. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to panes inside which are incorporated radio assemblies; it mainly but not only relates to vehicle windows and radio assemblies which are part of assemblies intended to be mounted on vehicles in particular for carrying out control or toll operations without requiring the stop at the control or toll stations vehicles fitted with them. The invention also relates to vehicles comprising such windows.

It is known to incorporate, inside a window, a radio assembly which is limited to one or more antennas; it is also known to incorporate defrosting conductors inside a vehicle window; the window chosen is generally the windshield or the rear window of a vehicle in the case of an antenna and almost only, at least for a land vehicle, the rear window in the case of defrost conductors.

It is known to use an antenna thus incorporated into a window, as the antenna of a radio reception station or as the antenna of a transceiver station located inside the vehicle. Such stations can be easily stolen to be reassembled on another vehicle.

The present invention aims, in particular, to avoid or at least reduce this drawback.

This is achieved by incorporating into the window, in addition to an antenna, part of the components of the electronic assembly constituted by the station.

According to the invention there is provided a window inside which is incorporated an antenna, this antenna being intended to form part of a radio assembly, characterized in that an electronic circuit formed of electronic components and which, with the 'antenna, constitutes a radio assembly intended to form part of the radio assembly, is also incorporated inside the window.

It should be noted that it is also known to press against a window, possibly in a recess provided for this purpose, various elements of a radio assembly; in such embodiments the surface of the glass has variations which can be annoying and the elements of the electronic assembly which are pressed against the glass are poorly protected and can therefore be damaged.

• les figures 1, 2 et 5 à 8 des vues partielles, par la tranche de vitres selon l'invention,
• les figures 3 et 4 des vues de dessus et de côté d'un circuit imprimé incorporé à la vitre selon la figure 5.

The present invention will be better understood and other characteristics will appear with the aid of the description below and of the figures relating thereto which represent:

• FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 to 8 partial views, through the window section according to the invention,
• FIGS. 3 and 4 are views from above and from the side of a printed circuit incorporated into the window according to FIG. 5.

In the various figures, the corresponding elements are designated by the same references.

To allow certain elements to be distinguished correctly, the proportions have not always been respected in the figures.

Figure 1 shows, seen in section, the edge of a window V; it is here a window of the type of those which constitute the laminated windshields of vehicles. This window has three transparent layers: a layer of glass V1 which constitutes the so-called outer layer insofar as, when the window is intended to be mounted on a vehicle, this layer constitutes one of the outer walls, a layer of glass V2 which constitutes the so-called inner layer, and an intermediate layer V3 which constitutes an assembly joint between the layers V1 and V2; this joining joint is a flexible material, generally butival polivynil also known by the acronym P.V.B.

In the thickness of the layer V3 are arranged a microwave antenna A and an electronic circuit E formed of electronic components including an electronic chip E0. The antenna A and the electronic components of the circuit E are interconnected by wire conductors while a set of conductive wires forming a cable C electrically connects the electronic circuit to the remainder, not shown, of a radio assembly. This radio assembly which comprises on the one hand a radio assembly with the antenna A and the circuit electronics E and on the other hand a part intended to be mounted inside the vehicle fitted with the window, constitutes a transceiver station whose E0 chip is the modulator-demodulator.

It should be noted that the electronic circuit E can be designed so as to emit an identification signal specific to a vehicle equipped with the window in question; thus an almost inviolable electronic tattoo can be produced for the vehicle.

The antenna A, according to FIG. 1, consists of a thin metal plate and is intended to work at 5.8 GHz. Components E are commercial components capable of working at more than 200 ° C; they therefore do not risk being damaged during the assembly of the three layers of the glass since this assembly is carried out by temperature rise without exceeding 140 ° C.

FIG. 2 resembles FIG. 1 but with the components of the electronic circuit E mounted on an insulating substrate S. FIGS. 1 and 2 correspond to initial studies having resulted in the panes according to FIGS. 5 to 8 with, in the case of the window according to FIG. 5, an inclusion constituted by a printed circuit shown seen from above and seen from the side respectively in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Figures 3 and 4 show a printed circuit whose substrate S consists of an insulating plate 52 by 42 by 0.38 mm. On the upper face of the substrate, that which will be turned towards the outside of the vehicle when the window is installed, an antenna A and conductive connections are deposited by screen printing. The antenna consists of two 16 by 16 mm squares joined by one of the conductive connections. Discrete components such as E1, E2 are mounted on the upper face of the plate and joined together using conductive connections; three of these conductive connections end at the edge of the substrate and are extended by three conductive wires which, with a fourth coming from the other side of the substrate, constitute a cable C.

On the underside of the substrate S is deposited by screen printing a metal layer M intended to constitute a ground plane; from this ground plan leaves the fourth thread which was discussed in the previous paragraph. An electronic chip E0 is placed on the ground plane and is connected to the antenna A and to the discrete components of the face upper of the substrate by metallized holes, T1 to T5; these holes open from the underside in places that the metal layer M does not cover, so as not to be short-circuited.

The electronic chip E0 and the discrete electronic components of the printed circuit according to FIGS. 3 and 4 constitute an electronic circuit which, like those of FIGS. 1 and 2, forms, with the antenna A, part of a transceiver station; the same will apply to the electronic circuits E and the antennas A which will be described with the aid of FIGS. 6 to 8.

With regard to FIG. 4, it should be noted that the thickness of the substrate S and of the various metallic deposits has been very greatly enlarged so that the holes in the substrate and the deposits on the substrate appear.

FIG. 5 shows the printed circuit of FIGS. 3 and 4 after it has been installed in a window with three transparent layers; it is a layout identical to those shown in Figures 1 and 2 and therefore does not require additional comments.

Figures 6, 7 and 8 illustrate variants of the window according to Figure 5, variants in which the window again includes three transparent layers V1, V2, V3 and in which a printed circuit is incorporated in the intermediate layer V3. In the case of FIG. 6, the difference with FIG. 5 comes only from the printed circuit with in particular the antenna A which comprises two radiating elements arranged on either side of the substrate so as to be able to radiate on both sides. of the glass.

In the case of FIGS. 7 and 8, the differences with FIG. 5 relate to the printed circuit and the glass layer V2: - the antenna A and the electronic circuit E, with its chip E0 which constitutes a modulator-demodulator, are disposed entirely on the face of the substrate S facing the glass layer V1 - the glass layer V2 is loaded with microscopic metallic particles, P, in the case of FIG. 7 while, in the case of FIG. 8, the layer V2 is covered, on its side contiguous to the layer V3, by a very thin metallic layer, R; in both cases there is thus the creation of a ground plan. The particles P and the very thin layer R only very slightly reduce the passage of light in the visible spectrum; it is the treatment technique used in so-called athermic windows which have the role of attenuating the passage of infrared and therefore to limit the rise in temperature inside the vehicles fitted with it; but, unlike conventional thermal windows, the treatment is not applied here to the outer glass layer V1 so as not to cause a significant weakening of the microwave signal transmitted or received by the antenna A.

The present invention is not limited to the examples described, it is thus in particular that for non-laminated panes the radio assembly comprising the electronic circuit and the antenna can be incorporated directly into the glass layer.

Likewise, the mounting incorporated into the window may include all kinds of electronic components and in particular photoelectric components. As for the accesses of the assembly incorporated into the glass, they can be done by wires, as in the examples described, but also by capacitive coupling or by antenna operating at low frequency for the data to be transmitted between the radio assembly and the rest of the station, by inductive or microwave coupling for power provided that there is rectification and filtering inside the glass, by solar cells always for powering the assembly, etc.

Claims (8)

1. Glass inside which is incorporated an antenna (A), this antenna being intended to form part of a radioelectric assembly, characterized in that an electronic circuit (E) formed of electronic components (E0, E1, E2) and which, with the antenna, constitutes a radio assembly intended to form part of the radio assembly, is also incorporated inside the window (V). 2. Glass according to claim 1, comprising several transparent layers (V1, V2, V3) joined together, including a first layer (V3) and at least a second layer (V1) and a third layer (V2) on either side of the first layer, characterized in that the antenna (1) and the electronic circuit (E) are incorporated inside the first layer (V3). 3. Glass according to claim 2, characterized in that the third layer (V2) is loaded with metallic particles (P). 4. Glass according to claim 2, characterized in that the third layer (V2) is covered, on its face facing the first layer (V3), with a very thin metallic layer (R). 5. Glass according to claim 1, characterized in that the electronic circuit (E) and the antenna (A) are produced in the form of a printed circuit. 6. Glass according to claim 5, characterized in that the printed circuit comprises a substrate (S) which has a first face with the antenna (A) and a part (E1, E2 ...) of the electronic components of the electronic circuit , a second face with an electronic chip (E0), a metal layer (M) which partially covers the second face and metallized holes (T1-T5) for electrically connecting the electronic chip (E0) to the antenna (A) and to the part (E1, E2 ...) of the electronic components of the first face. 7 glass according to claim 5, characterized in that the printed circuit comprises a substrate (S) with a first and a second metallic deposit respectively on its first and on its second face, the first and the second deposit constituting the antenna (A ). 8. Vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a window (V) according to one of the preceding claims.

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