WO2023078282A1

WO2023078282A1 - Panel assembly, vehicle window glass assembly and vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2023078282A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/129178
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yiheng Zhang; Lu Wang; Rui Wang
Original assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France
Priority date: 2021-11-04
Filing date: 2022-11-02
Publication date: 2023-05-11
Also published as: CN115320341A

Abstract

Disclosed are a panel assembly (100), a vehicle window glass assembly and a vehicle. The panel assembly (100) comprises a first substrate (110), a second substrate (120) and at least one bonding layer (130) located between the first and second substrates forming a laminated structure, wherein the laminated structure further comprises a scattering coating (140) coated on a surface of one layer of the laminated structure. Only a coating material and a coating process are used, instead of using a film structure and a corresponding bonding process, thereby significantly reducing actual manufacturing cost. Further, the scattering coating may be applied to a surface of any layer of the laminated structure as required, and is suitable for various types and models of products without complete redesign of related products, thereby reducing the cost.

Description

PANEL ASSEMBLY, VEHICLE WINDOW GLASS ASSEMBLY AND VEHICLE

RELATED FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a panel assembly suitable for projection, as well as a vehicle window glass assembly and a vehicle comprising the panel assembly.

BACKGROUND

In the field of automobile, since the human-machine interaction system of vehicle has entered the intelligent stage, the demand for displaying information inside the vehicle is gradually increasing.

At present, the information display function of vehicle is mainly performed by an instrument panel and a central control display. Due to the limited interior space of the vehicle, the sizes of the instrument panel and the central control display are limited. Besides, since the instrument panel and the central control display integrate several vehicle control functions, their locations, sizes and interfaces are generally designed to focus on the convenience for the driver. Moreover, since the instrument panel and the central control display are generally mounted in low positions, the driver needs to look away from the front to observe the displayed information, which leads to a safety hazard, especially when driving at a high speed. Therefore, HUD technology is used in the art to display part of driving information, so as to reduce the number of observations to the instrument panel by the driver. In addition, a suspending central control display is used in certain vehicle models to raise the driver’s viewing angle to the display, so that the driver may still keep his view to the front when reading the information displayed on the central control display.

However, the existing HUD may only display a small amount of information, and the size of the suspending central control display is limited. Therefore, there is a trend in the art to display information by means of projection on a vehicle window, especially on a front windshield. An existing projection glass performs the projection function by arranging a projection film in a laminated glass. The projection film is required to be bonded to other layers of the laminated glass. However, the existing projection film is only suitable for a flat glass. In the field of automobile, most of vehicle window glasses are curved glasses, and there will be defects in the bonding between the existing projection film and the curved glass, such as air bubbles, which will affect the yield and lead to a higher cost.

SUMMARY

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a projection panel structure with a low manufacturing cost.

The present disclosure provides a panel assembly, comprising a first substrate, a second substrate and at least one bonding layer located between the first and second substrates forming a laminated structure, wherein the laminated structure further comprises a scattering coating coated on a surface of one layer of the laminated structure.

Further, the scattering coating is formed by a coating material comprising a volatile dispersing agent and a scattering material dispersed therein. The scattering coating has a thickness between 0.1μm and 800μm. Preferably, the scattering coating has a thickness between 5μm and 30μm.

Further, the laminated structure comprises two bonding layers, and the scattering coating is coated on one of two facing surfaces of the two bonding layers.

Further, the laminated structure comprises a light-adjusting layer and two bonding layers, and the light-adjusting layer is located between the two bonding layers, wherein the scattering coating is located on a lower side of the light-adjusting layer in the laminated structure; or, the scattering coating is coated on a lower surface of the light-adjusting layer.

Further, the laminated structure comprises a light-shielding layer bonded to a lower surface of the second substrate, wherein the scattering coating is coated on a lower surface of the light-shielding layer; or the scattering coating is located on a lower side of the light-shielding layer in the laminated structure.

Further, the laminated structure comprises a partial-reflective layer located on a lower side of the scattering coating.

Further, the second substrate is a unidirectional transparent substrate.

Further, at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate is configured as being curved.

Further, the scattering coating is coated on a lower surface of the first substrate, and a transparent protective layer is provided on a lower surface of the scattering coating.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a vehicle window glass assembly, comprising the panel assembly as described above.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a vehicle, comprising the vehicle window glass assembly as described above.

According to the present disclosure, only a coating material and a coating process are used, instead of using a film structure and a corresponding bonding process, thereby significantly reducing the actual manufacturing cost. Further, the scattering coating may be applied to a surface of any layer of the laminated structure as required, and is suitable for various types and models of products without complete redesign of related products, thereby reducing the cost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 show schematic views of a panel assembly according to one set of embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 to FIG. 7 show schematic views of a panel assembly according to another set of embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 to FIG. 9 show schematic views of a panel assembly according to another set of embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 shows a schematic view of a panel assembly according to another set of embodiments of the present disclosure.

Listing of reference numerals:

100: a panel assembly, 110: a first substrate,

120: a second substrate, 130: a bonding layer,

140: a scattering coating, 150: a light-adjusting layer,

160: a light-shielding layer, 170: a partial-reflective layer,

180: a transparent protective layer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The technical solution of the present disclosure is described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments. Although the specification is described with a vehicle window glass as an example, the application of the technical solution of the present disclosure is not limited to the vehicle window glass, but may also be applied to a window or non-window application in other architectural or non-architectural spaces, as well as to a transparent or non-transparent application. For example, the technical solution of the present disclosure may be applied to, comprising but not limited to, a building window, a glass curtain wall, and a window of means of transportation such as an aircraft or a ship. The panel assembly according to the present disclosure may also be used as a stand-alone product, such as a rigid screen for projection.

In the context of the specification, the terms “upper” and “lower” refer to two relative orientations in the vertical direction of the drawings. The term “projection light” refers to a light that forms a projection image, and the term “light” generally refers to a light in general but does not exclude the projection light. Moreover, in the following embodiments, it is assumed that the projection light enters a panel assembly 100 from a lower side of a first substrate 110. When applied to a building window or a vehicle window, the first substrate 110 is close to the interior of the building or vehicle, and is referred as an inner substrate, while a second substrate 120 is close to the exterior of the building or vehicle, and is referred as an outer substrate. It should be noted that such an assumption is not intended to limit the present disclosure, but is only for the convenience of description.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the panel assembly 100 comprises a laminated structure. The laminated structure comprises the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120. A bonding layer 130 is provided between the first substrate and the second substrate and is used for bonding.

The first substrate 110 is a transparent substrate, and the second substrate 120 may be transparent, translucent or opaque. For example, the substrates may be made of glass or plastic. At least one of the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 is configured as being curved. “Curved” described herein generally refers to “non-planar” , and is not limited to circular arc-shaped or to have a surface with a single curvature. For example, the curvature of the surface of the substrate may vary along its length and/or width. The curvatures of the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 may be identical or not.

The bonding layer may be a film made of any material suitable for bonding the substrates, such as a PVB or EVA film.

A scattering coating 140 may diffusely reflect light irradiated thereon, thereby presenting a projection image. In this way, the scattering coating 140 may replace a scattering film or a projection film in the prior art, which simplifies the structure and processing technology of the product, thereby reducing the cost of the product.

The scattering coating 140 may be formed by applying coating material on the surface and drying the coating material. The coating material may comprise a volatile dispersing agent and a scattering material dispersed therein. During the drying process, the volatile dispersing agent is volatilized, and the scattering material finally adheres to the surface to form the scattering coating 140. The volatile dispersing agent may be made of any suitable material, such as, but not limited to, isopropanol. The scattering material may be any commercially available product that may reflect light. For example, the scattering material may be nanoparticles of silver-based material. In addition, the coating may be applied to the surface in any suitable manner. For the surfaces of different materials, the coating process, means and method to be selected may be different. The scattering coating 140 has a thickness between 0.1μm and 800μm, preferably between 5μm and 30μm. In this thickness range, the nanoparticles in the scattering coating 140 have a good dispersion effect, so that a good effect of diffused reflection may be obtained and the processing is relatively simple. In the context of the specification, the term “coated” refers to that the above coating material is applied to a surface and a scattering coating is thereby formed on the surface to which the coating material adheres.

The scattering coating 140 may be coated on one surface of the layers of the laminated structure. FIGs. 1 to 4 show embodiments in which the scattering coating 140 is coated on different surfaces of the laminated structure.

Referring to FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the panel assembly 100 comprises the laminated structure formed by the first substrate 110, the second substrate 120, and the bonding layer 130. The scattering coating 140 is coated on the lower surface of the second substrate 120.

Referring to FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the panel assembly 100 similarly comprises the laminated structure formed by the first substrate 110, the second substrate 120, and the bonding layer 130. The difference from the above embodiment lies in that the scattering coating 140 is coated on the upper surface of the first substrate 110.

Referring to FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the laminated structure is formed by the first substrate 110, the second substrate 120, and two bonding layers 130. The scattering coating 140 is coated on one of two facing surfaces of the two bonding layers 130, that is, the scattering coating 140 is sandwiched between the two bonding layers.

Referring to FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 are bonded by the bonding layer 130, and the scattering coating 140 is coated on the lower surface of the first substrate 110. A transparent protective layer 180 is provided on the lower surface of the scattering coating 140. The transparent protective layer 180 may be made of any suitable material, such as PE (polyethylene) , PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or TPX (poly (4-methylpentene-1)) .

Other functional layers may also be provided in the panel assembly 100 of the present disclosure to improve the quality of the projection image.

In the embodiments shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 7, the panel assembly 100 comprises a light-adjusting layer 150. When the second substrate 120 is made of transparent or translucent material, for example, when the panel assembly 100 is applied to a window, the light-adjusting layer 150 may reduce the intensity of incoming light from outside and reduce the loss of irradiation light for projection, thereby improving the image quality.

The light-adjusting layer 150 may be made of any suitable structure or material, such as PDLC (polymer dispersed liquid crystal) , liquid crystal, a photochromic layer, or an electrochromic layer.

Referring to FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the panel assembly 100 comprises the laminated structure formed by the first substrate 110, two bonding layers 130, the light-adjusting layer 150 and the second substrate 120, wherein the light-adjusting layer 150 is located between the two bonding layers 130. The scattering coating 140 is coated on the lower surface of the light-adjusting layer 150.

Referring to FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the panel assembly 100 similarly comprises the laminated structure formed by the first substrate 110, two bonding layers 130, the light-adjusting layer 150 and the second substrate 120, wherein the light-adjusting layer 150 is located between the two bonding layers 130. The scattering coating 140 is coated on the upper surface of the first substrate 110, and is located on the lower side of the light-adjusting layer 150 in the laminated structure.

Referring to FIG. 7, in this embodiment, the panel assembly 100 similarly comprises the laminated structure formed by the first substrate 110, two bonding layers 130, the light-adjusting layer 150 and the second substrate 120, wherein the light-adjusting layer 150 is located between the two bonding layers 130. The scattering coating 140 is coated on the lower surface of the first substrate 110, and is located on the lower side of the light-adjusting layer 150 in the laminated structure. The transparent protective layer 180 is provided on the lower surface of the scattering coating 140. Similarly, the transparent protective layer 180 may be made of any suitable material, such as PE, PET or TPX.

In the embodiments shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 9, the panel assembly 100 comprises a light-shielding layer 160 suitable for an application scenario that light adjustment is not required, such as an application of a privacy vehicle window glass. The light-shielding layer 160 may reduce transmission of light, for example, light entering the panel assembly 100 from the second substrate 120, and projection light entering from the first substrate 110. The light-shielding layer 160 may be a film or layer made of any suitable material. For example, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the light-shielding layer may be a dark adhesive layer and may be directly bonded to the surfaces of the substrates. The light-shielding layer may also be a film or layer made of a non-adhesive dark material, and in this case, additional bonding material is required to bond it with other layers.

Referring to FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the panel assembly 100 comprises the laminated structure formed by the first substrate 110, the second substrate 120, the bonding layer 130, and the light-shielding layer 160, wherein the light-shielding layer 160 is bonded to the lower surface of the second substrate 120. The scattering coating 140 is coated on the lower surface of the light-shielding layer.

Referring to FIG. 9, in this embodiment, the panel assembly 100 similarly comprises the laminated structure formed by the first substrate 110, the second substrate 120, the bonding layer 130, and the light-shielding layer 160, wherein the light-shielding layer 160 is bonded to the lower surface of the second substrate 120. The scattering coating 140 is coated on the lower surface of the first substrate 110, and is located on the lower side of the light-shielding layer 160 in the laminated structure. The transparent protective layer 180 is provided on the lower side of the scattering coating 140. Similarly, the transparent protective layer 180 may be made of any suitable material, such as PE, PET or TPX.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the panel assembly 100 comprises a partial-reflective layer 170. Referring to FIG. 10, the laminated structure is formed by the first substrate 110, two bonding layers 130, the partial-reflective layer 170, and the second substrate 120, wherein the partial-reflective layer 170 is located between the two bonding layers 130. The scattering coating 140 is located above the partial-reflective layer 170. Although in FIG. 10, the scattering coating 140 is coated on the upper surface of the partial-reflective layer 170, the scattering coating 140 may also be coated on the lower surface of the second substrate 120 or other suitable surfaces.

When the projection light enters the panel assembly 100 from the first substrate 110, the partial-reflective layer 170 is located upstream of the propagation path of the projection light. The projection light first passes through the partial-reflective layer 170, and part of the light is diffusely reflected by the scattering coating 140 after passing through the partial-reflective layer 170. When the diffusely reflected light goes downward and reaches the partial-reflective layer 170 again, part of the light is reflected upward by the partial-reflective layer 170, thereby enhancing the projection light which propagates upward. This structure is particularly suitable for an application of rear projection, and in this case, the second substrate 120 is transparent or translucent.

In addition, in other embodiments, the second substrate may be unidirectionally transparent, for example, light may be transmitted from the lower side, but may not be transmitted from the upper side. Therefore, the intensity of background light may be reduced, and the quality of the projection image may be improved.

Although the specific structural forms of the laminated structure and the scattering coating in the present disclosure are enumerated in the above embodiments, those skilled in the art may understand that, according to specific application requirements, the present disclosure may further comprises other structural forms within the scope defined by the claims, rather than being limited to the above embodiments.

Claims

A panel assembly, comprising a first substrate, a second substrate and at least one bonding layer located between the first and second substrates forming a laminated structure, wherein the laminated structure further comprises a scattering coating coated on a surface of one layer of the laminated structure.
The panel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the scattering coating is formed by a coating material comprising a volatile dispersing agent and a scattering material dispersed therein.
The panel assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the scattering coating has a thickness between 0.1μm and 800μm; or, the scattering coating has a thickness between 5μm and 30μm.
The panel assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the laminated structure comprises two bonding layers, and wherein the scattering coating is coated on one of two facing surfaces of the two bonding layers.
The panel assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the laminated structure comprises a light-adjusting layer and two bonding layers, and wherein the light-adjusting layer is located between the two bonding layers.
The panel assembly according to claim 5, wherein the scattering coating is located on a lower side of the light-adjusting layer in the laminated structure; or, the scattering coating is coated on a lower surface of the light-adjusting layer.
The panel assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the laminated structure comprises a light-shielding layer bonded to a lower surface of the second substrate.
The panel assembly according to claim 7, wherein the scattering coating is coated on a lower surface of the light-shielding layer; or the scattering coating is located on a lower side of the light-shielding layer in the laminated structure.
The panel assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the laminated structure comprises a partial-reflective layer located on a lower side of the scattering coating.
The panel assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second substrate is a unidirectional transparent substrate.
The panel assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate is configured as being curved.
The panel assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the scattering coating is coated on a lower surface of the first substrate, and wherein the laminated structure further comprises a transparent protective layer provided on a lower surface of the scattering coating.
A vehicle window glass assembly, comprising the panel assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the first substrate is configured as an inner substrate and the second substrate is configured as an outer substrate.
A vehicle, comprising the vehicle window glass assembly according to claim 13.