FR2702120A1 - Glass in which is incorporated a radio assembly and vehicle comprising such a pane. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to windows, and in particular to vehicle windows, in which a radio circuit is incorporated. Beside the antenna (A) which is sometimes incorporated into a window (V) such as an automobile windshield, it is proposed to also incorporate a part (E) of the electronics of the station intended for operate with the antenna. Such a measure makes the theft and especially the reuse of the stolen station very difficult. Application, in particular, to car windshields.

Description

Glass in which radio mounting is incorporated

  and vehicle comprising such a window.

  The present invention relates to windows in which are incorporated radio assemblies; it concerns mainly but not only vehicle windows and radio assemblies that are part of assemblies intended to be mounted on vehicles in particular to perform control or toll operations without requiring stopping at checkpoints or tolls The invention also relates to vehicles comprising such windows It is known to incorporate in a window a radio assembly which is limited to one or more antennas; it is also known to incorporate defrosting conductors to a vehicle window; the window chosen is usually the windshield or the rear window of a vehicle in the case of an antenna and almost exclusively, at least for one

  land vehicle, the rear window in the case of de-icing drivers.

  It is known to use an antenna thus incorporated in a window, as an antenna of a radio broadcast receiving station or as an antenna of a transceiver station disposed inside the vehicle. Such stations can be easily stolen for be reassembled on another vehicle. The present invention aims in particular to avoid or for the

  less to reduce this inconvenience.

  This is achieved by incorporating in the glass, 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 in which is incorporated an antenna intended to form part of a radio set, characterized in that an electronic circuit formed of electronic components and which together with the antenna constitutes a radio circuit intended to be part of the radio set, is

also incorporated in the glass.

  The present invention will be better understood and others

  characteristics will appear from the following description and figures

  relating thereto, which represent: FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 to 8 partial views, through the window portion according to the invention, FIGS. 3 and 4 are views from above and from the side of a circuit

  printed form incorporated in the window according to FIG.

  In the different figures, the corresponding elements are

designated by the same references.

  To enable certain elements to be correctly distinguished,

  proportions have not always been respected in the figures.

  Figure 1 shows, 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 comprises three transparent layers: a layer of glass Vl which constitutes the so-called outer layer in the measurement o, when the window is intended to be mounted on a vehicle, this layer constitutes one of the outer walls, a glass layer V 2 which constitutes the so-called inner layer, and an intermediate layer V 3 which constitutes an assembly joint between the layers V 1 and V 2; this joint is a flexible material, usually polivynil butival also known under the acronym

P.V B.

  In the thickness of the layer V 3 are arranged a microwave antenna A and an electronic circuit E formed of electronic components including an electronic chip EO The antenna A and the electronic components of the circuit E are connected to each other by wire conductors while a set of conductive wires forming a cable C electrically connects the electronic circuit to the unrepresented remainder of a radio set This radio set which comprises on the one hand a radio assembly with the antenna A and the electronic circuit E and other part intended to be mounted inside the vehicle equipped with the glass, constitutes a transceiver

  EO chip is the modulator-demodulator.

  It should be noted that the electronic circuit E may be designed to emit an identification signal specific to a vehicle equipped with the window in question; so can be realized an electronic tattoo, almost

inviolable, for the vehicle.

  Antenna A, according to Figure 1, is constituted by a thin metal plate and is intended to work at 5.8 G Hz The E components are commercial components capable of working at more than 2000 C; they are therefore not likely to be damaged during the assembly of the three layers of the glass as this assembly is carried out by rise

  in temperature without exceeding 140 'C.

  FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1, but with the components of the electronic circuit E mounted on an insulating substrate. FIGS. 1 and 2 correspond to initial studies which resulted in the windows according to FIG. 8 with, in the case of the window according to FIG. FIG. 5, an inclusion constituted by a printed circuit shown seen from above and viewed from the side respectively;

in Figures 3 and 4.

  FIGS. 3 and 4 show a printed circuit whose substrate S consists of an insulating plate of 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 , are deposited by screen printing an antenna A and conductive links The antenna consists of two squares of 16 by 16 mm joined by one of the conductive links Discrete components such as El, E 2 are mounted on the upper face of the plate and joined together by means of conductive links; three of these conductive links terminate at the edge of the substrate and are prolonged 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 plan of mass; from this plane of mass leaves the fourth thread which was discussed in the previous paragraph An electronic chip EO is arranged on the ground plane and is connected to the antenna A and to the discrete components of the upper face of the substrate by holes metallized, 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 EO 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, a portion of a transceiver station; it will be the same for electronic circuits

  E and the antennas A which will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8.

  Referring to Figure 4 it should be noted that the thickness of the substrate S and the different metal deposits has been 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 implanted in a window with three transparent layers; it is an implantation identical to those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and

  thus requiring no additional comments.

  FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate variants of the window according to FIG. 5, variants in which the pane comprises, again, three transparent layers VI, V 2, V 3 and in which a printed circuit is incorporated in the intermediate layer. V 3 In the case of Figure 6 the difference with Figure 5 comes only from the printed circuit with in particular the antenna A which has two radiating elements arranged on either side of the

  substrate so as 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 V 2: the antenna A and the

  electronic circuit E, with its EO chip which constitutes a modulator-

  demodulator, are arranged entirely on the face of the substrate S facing the glass layer VI the glass layer V 2 is loaded with microscopic metal particles, P, in the case of Figure 7 while, in the case of Figure 8 the layer V 2 is covered, on its side contiguous to the layer V 3, with a very thin metal layer, R; in both cases, there is thus a constitution of a mass plane. 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 that have the role of attenuating the passage of infra-red and thus limiting the rise in temperature inside the vehicles that are equipped with it; but, unlike conventional athermic windows, the treatment is not applied here to the outer glass layer VI so as not to cause a significant weakening of the microwave signal emitted or received by the antenna A. The present invention is not not limited to the examples described, it is thus in particular that for the non-laminated windows the radio assembly comprising the electronic circuit and the antenna can be

  incorporated directly into the glass layer.

  Similarly, the assembly incorporated in the window may comprise all kinds of electronic components and in particular photoelectric components. As for the accesses of the assembly incorporated into the window, they may be made 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 remainder of the station, by inductive or microwave coupling for the supply, provided that a rectification and filtering inside the window is provided, by solar cells always for mounting power, etc.

Claims (7)

  1 Glass in which is incorporated an antenna (A) intended to form part of a radio set, characterized in that an electronic circuit (E) formed of electronic components (EO, E1, E2) and which, together with antenna, constitutes a radio installation intended to be part of   of the radio set, is also incorporated in the window (V).   2 Glass according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of transparent layers (VI, V 2, V 3) contiguous including a first layer (V 3) and at least a second layer (VI) and a third layer (V 2) of both sides. other of the first layer, characterized in that the antenna (1) and the   electronic circuit (E) are incorporated in the first layer (V 3).   3 Glass according to claim 2, characterized in that the   third layer (V 2) is charged with metal particles (P).   4 Glass according to claim 2, characterized in that the third layer (V 2) is covered, on its side facing the first   layer (V 3) of a very thin metal layer (R).   Glass according to Claim 1, characterized in that the electronic circuit (E) and the antenna (A) are in the form of a circuit printed.   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 (EO), a metal layer (M) which partially overlaps the second face and metallized holes (TI-T 5) for electrically connecting the electronic chip (EO) 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 metal deposit respectively on its first and on its second face, the   first and second depots constituting the antenna (A).   Vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a window (V) according to   one of the preceding claims.