WO2023193696A1

WO2023193696A1 - Glass assembly and window assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2023193696A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/086108
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jiankai YU; Lu Wang; Siteng MA; Chong ZHOU
Original assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France
Priority date: 2022-04-06
Filing date: 2023-04-04
Publication date: 2023-10-12
Also published as: CN115923456A

Abstract

A glass assembly is provided. The glass assembly (100) comprises a first glass body (110) having a first surface (111) and a second surface (112) which are oppositely arranged; a second glass body (120) having a third surface (121) facing the second surface and a fourth surface (122) arranged oppositely; a light extraction component (140) sandwiched between the first glass body (110) and the second glass body (120) and comprising a light extraction structure arranged toward the second glass body (120) for extracting light, and leading incident light from the light extraction component (140) out of the fourth surface (122); wherein the light extraction structure is directly attached with a medium, and the refractive index difference between the medium and the light extraction component is significantly greater than the difference between the refractive index of the light extraction component and 1.48. The glass assembly can improve the illumination brightness, create a richer and more comfortable atmosphere and improve the user experience on the premise of not affecting the performance and aesthetics of the glass itself. A window assembly is also provided.

Description

GLASS ASSEMBLY AND WINDOW ASSEMBLY

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of glass, in particular to a glass assembly and a window assembly using the same.

BACKGROUND

With the rapid development of automobile industry and the increasing demand of consumers for vehicle functions, luminous glass with lighting effect has been widely valued by vehicle manufacturers and favored by the consumers. The luminous glass in active luminescent mode is expensive, which is not conducive to universal implementation. Therefore, the luminous glass with lighting effect usually forms a pattern area by laminating a micro-structure film layer into the glass, and when incident light emitted by a light source arranged on the side of the glass or integrated in the glass is totally reflected in the micro-structure film layer and projected to the pattern area, the light is scattered or diffused to emerge through the pattern area due to the change of the surface structure, thus achieving different luminous effects.

For light extraction film laminated in laminated glass, the light extraction film is encapsulated and attached between two layers of glass by an adhesive layer such as polyvinyl butyral. In practice, it has found that the light extraction film sandwiched in the polyvinyl butyral will cause the problem of low luminous efficiency, which makes the light extraction effect poor, the light emitted by the light source is not fully utilized, and the luminous brightness cannot achieve satisfactory ideal effect. Therefore, how to improve the utilization rate of the light source has become one of the keys to improve the luminous effect of the luminous glass.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure aims to provide a glass assembly with enhanced luminous function, which optimizes light extraction performance, thereby improving illumination performance and enhancing user experience.

To this end, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a glass assembly is provided. The glass assembly comprises a first glass body having a first surface and a second surface which are oppositely arranged; a second glass body having a third surface facing the second surface and a fourth surface arranged oppositely; a light extraction component sandwiched between the first glass body and the second glass body and comprising a light extraction structure arranged toward the second glass body for extracting light, and incident light from the light extraction component entering the second glass body from the third surface and being led out of the fourth surface; wherein the light extraction structure is directly attached with a medium, and the refractive index difference between the medium and the light extraction component is significantly greater than the difference between the refractive index of the light extraction component and 1.48.

According to the above technical concept, the embodiment of the present disclosure may further include any one or more of the following alternative forms.

In some alternative forms, the light extraction component is a light extraction film, and the light extraction film is partially encapsulated by a first intermediate layer and sandwiched between the first glass body and the second glass body.

In some alternative forms, the material of the first glass body is the same as or different from that of the second glass body, and at least the second glass body is toughened glass.

In some alternative forms, the light extraction component is directly attached to the third surface of the second glass body.

In some alternative forms, the second glass body is a laminated glass comprising a first glass layer and a second glass layer attached to each other through a second intermediate layer, and the light extraction component is directly attached to the first glass layer.

In some alternative forms, the second intermediate layer is the same as or different from the first intermediate layer.

In some alternative forms, a laminated structure is arranged between the light extraction component and the second glass body.

In some alternative forms, the laminated structure comprises a third intermediate layer which is the same as or different from the first intermediate layer, and wherein the third intermediate layer is provided with a notch corresponding to the light extraction structure, so that the third intermediate layer does not cover the light extraction structure.

In some alternative forms, the thickness of the third intermediate layer is not greater than 0.4 mm.

In some alternative forms, the laminated structure comprises a fourth intermediate layer which is directly attached to the light extraction structure and is the same as or different from the first intermediate layer, and wherein the refractive index difference between the fourth intermediate layer and the light extraction component is significantly greater than the difference between the refractive index of the light extraction component and 1.48.

In some alternative forms, the glass assembly comprises a protective layer directly attached to the light extraction component, and the protective layer separates the light extraction component from the first intermediate layer.

In some alternative forms, the glass assembly comprises a light source arranged adjacent to the edge of the light extraction component or embedded in the second glass body.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a window assembly comprising the above glass assembly is provided. The window assembly comprises door, window, curtain wall, vehicle window glass, airplane glass or ship glass.

In some alternative forms, the window assembly is a vehicle window glass comprising front windshield, rear windshield, skylight glass, vehicle door glass or corner window glass, wherein the first surface of the first glass body faces the outside of the vehicle and the fourth surface of the second glass body faces the inside of the vehicle.

The glass assembly of the present disclosure can improve the illumination brightness, create a richer and more comfortable atmosphere and improve the user experience on the premise of not affecting the performance and aesthetics of the glass itself. The glass assembly of the present disclosure is easy to implement and has obvious performance improvement, and can be applied to various occasions through the combination of various ways to meet the diversified requirements of users.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be better understood by the following alternative embodiments described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals identify the same or similar parts, in the drawings:

Fig. 1A is a schematic view of an illumination mode of a glass assembly, in which incident light is totally reflected inside the glass and is led out in a scattering manner;

Fig. 1B is a schematic view of a first illumination mode of a glass assembly integrated with a light extraction component, wherein a light source is arranged at the edge of the light extraction component;

Fig. 1C is a schematic view of a second illumination mode of a glass assembly integrated with a light extraction component, wherein a light source is embedded in the glass;

Fig. 2A is a schematic view of a glass assembly according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 2B is a schematic view of a glass assembly according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 3A is a schematic view of a glass assembly according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 3B is a schematic view of a glass assembly according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 4A is a schematic view of a glass assembly according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 4B is a schematic view of a glass assembly according to a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 5A is a schematic view of a glass assembly according to a seventh embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 5B is a schematic view of a glass assembly according to an eighth embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 6A is a schematic view of a glass assembly according to a ninth embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 6B is a schematic view of a glass assembly according to a tenth embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The implementation and use of the embodiments are discussed in detail below. However, it should be understood that the specific embodiments discussed merely exemplify the specific ways of implementing and using the present disclosure, and do not limit the scope of the disclosure. When describing the structural positions of various components, such as the directions of upper, lower, top, bottom, etc., the description is not absolute, but relative. When the various components are arranged as shown in the figures, these directional expressions are appropriate, but when the positions of the various components in the figures would be changed, these directional expressions would also be changed accordingly.

In this context, the expression "comprising" or similar expressions "including" , "containing" and "having" which are synonymous are open, and do not exclude additional unlisted elements, steps or ingredients. The expression "consisting of …" excludes any element, step or ingredient that is not specified. The expression "consisting essentially of …" means that the scope is limited to the specified elements, steps or ingredients, plus the optional elements, steps or ingredients that do not materially affect the basic and new features of the claimed subject matter. It should be understood that the expression "comprising" covers the expressions "consisting essentially of" and "consisting of" .

In this context, the terms "first" , "second" and so on are not used to limit the sequence and the number of components unless otherwise stated.

In this context, the meanings of "a plurality of" and "multiple layers" refer to two or more than two, unless otherwise specified.

In this context, unless otherwise specified, the terms such as "installation" , "connection" and "attach" should be understood broadly. For example, it can be fixed connection, detachable connection or integrated; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this context can be understood according to specific situations.

In this context, "glass" is an amorphous inorganic nonmetallic material, which is generally made of a variety of inorganic minerals (such as quartz sand, borax, boric acid, barite, barium carbonate, limestone, feldspar, soda ash, etc. ) as main raw materials, and a small amount of auxiliary raw materials. Its main components are silica and other oxides. In the described embodiments, unless otherwise specified, the thickness of the glass is the thickness commonly used in the art, and the thickness of each laminated structure on the glass is suitable for the conventional range, and is not limited as shown in the figures. In addition, although it is shown as plane glass in the figures, the glass of the present disclosure may also be curved glass. In various embodiments, it is described as an independent glass body or glass plate. However, in some cases, the surface of the glass can also use special coating to improve thermal insulation and/or comfort.

Hereinafter, the glass assembly applied to a vehicle window glass will be described, but it is not excluded that the glass assembly can be applied to other environments such as door, window, curtain wall, airplane glass or ship glass. When the glass assembly is used to describe the vehicle window glass of a vehicle, "outside" and "inside" refer to the directions relative to vehicle body, "outside" refers to the direction away from the vehicle body and "inside" refers to the direction facing the vehicle body. It should be understood that the vehicle window glass according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes, but is not limited to, front windshield, rear windshield, skylight glass, vehicle door glass or corner window glass, which can provide different illumination effects based on different requirements.

In the ever-changing automobile industry, glass assembly with lighting and decorative effects have been widely used in such as vehicle skylight of mid-to-high-end vehicles, which can not only achieve the effects of light shading and/or color change, but also form lighting effects with different patterns by combining coatings and/or sandwich structures.

Fig. 1A illustrates the working principle of a glass assembly 10 with luminous effect. The glass assembly 10 includes a glass body 11 having a first surface 14 and a second surface 15, a light output structure 12 disposed on the second surface 15 of the glass body 11, and a light source 13. The light source 13 is, for example, a point or line light source integrated inside the glass body 11, or a light source attached to the side of the glass body in a manner of proximity, bonding, etc., such as an LED light-emitting strip. The light output structure 12 can be any structure that changes the propagation angle of the light in the glass body 11 and leads the light out, so that the incident light emitted by the light source 13 into the glass body 11 is transmitted in the glass body 11 and totally reflected on the first surface 14 and the second surface 15, and then emerges from the light output structure 12 on the second surface 15, as shown by the arrows in the figure. When applied to the vehicle window glass of a vehicle, the first surface 14 faces the outside of the vehicle and the second surface 15 faces the inside of the vehicle, so that the passengers in the vehicle can experience various luminous effects from the vehicle window glass.

However, for a glass assembly 20 in the illumination mode shown in Fig. 1B, there may be a problem of poor luminous effect. In the illustrated structure, the glass assembly 20 includes a first glass 21, a second glass 22 and an intermediate layer 23 interposed between the first glass 21 and the second glass 22. When applied to the vehicle window glass, the first glass 21 can be called outer glass, and the second glass 22 can be called inner glass. The first glass 21 and the second glass 22 are bonded together by an intermediate layer 23, for example, commonly used PVB (Polyvinyl Butyral) with a refractive index of about 1.48. A light extraction film 24 is laminated between the first glass 21 and the second glass 22 and encapsulated by the intermediate layer 23, wherein the base material of the light extraction film 24 is, for example, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) with a refractive index of about 1.51, and includes a light extraction layer 25 facing the second glass 22. The light extraction layer 25 includes a light extraction structure for extracting light. The light extraction structure may be a textured light extraction structure, for example, a micro texture may be adopted. By correspondingly arranging the light extraction structure, the glass can display a specific pattern or full-scale light, and the ornamental and entertainment are improved. In practice, it has found that the light extraction structure on the surface of the light extraction film 24 in the laminated glass assembly is filled with PVB, so that the incident light emitted by the light source 13 arranged on the side of the glass assembly 20 cannot be scattered at the light extraction structure, the total reflection in the light extraction film 24 increases, and the luminous efficiency decreases.

For a glass assembly 30 in the illumination mode shown in Fig. 1C, a light extraction film 34 is laminated between a first glass 31 and a second glass 32 and encapsulated by an intermediate layer 33. The light source 13 is embedded in the second glass 32 through an opening 36 provided in the second glass 32, and a sealing foil/film 37 is arranged between the intermediate layer 33 and the opening 36. Similarly, due to the encapsulation of the intermediate layer 33 to the light extraction film 34, the light extraction structure is filled with PVB, and the total reflection of the incident light in the light extraction film 34 is increased, but it cannot be scattered at the light extraction structure in the light extraction layer 35. This illumination mode still leads to a decrease in luminous efficiency.

It should be noted that the above description provides background information related to the content of the present disclosure, but it is not meant to be prior art.

The present disclosure realizes that changing the refractive index of the medium between the structure surface of the light extraction film and its adjacent or contacting layer structure or glass is the key to improve the luminous efficiency. That is, the medium is directly attached to the surface of the light extraction structure of the light extraction film, so that the refractive index difference between the medium and the light extraction film is significantly greater than the refractive index difference between the light extraction film and the intermediate layer (for example, commonly used PVB with a refractive index of about 1.48) , for example, at least greater than 0.03, greater than 0.04, greater than 0.05, greater than 0.06, greater than 0.07, greater than 0.08, . . ., greater than 0.7. For the solutions shown in Figs. 1B to 1C, this can be achieved, for example, by removing the intermediate layer between the light extraction film and the second glass or isolating the intermediate layer from the light extraction structure of the light extraction film, so that the light extraction structure directly contacts with a medium with a larger refractive index difference, such as air or EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate) with high refractive index or UV glue with high refractive index, and the incident light enters the second glass after being scattered at the light extraction structure, thereby increasing the light extraction effect of the light extraction structure. Alternatively, this can be achieved by providing a transparent laminated structure between the light extraction film and the second glass, and the refractive index of partial or entire laminated structure is configured to have a large difference with that of the light extraction film, thereby increasing the scattering of the incident light at the light extraction structure of the light extraction film and making the light transmit toward the second glass, thereby increasing the light extraction effect and improving the luminous efficiency.

Figs. 2A to 6B respectively illustrate glass assemblies according to different embodiments of the present disclosure. In various embodiments, the glass assembly includes a first glass body, a second glass body and a light extraction component sandwiched between the first glass body and the second glass body, and the incident light is at least transmitted and totally reflected in the light extraction component and led out of the second glass body. Hereinafter, the light extraction component is described in the form of a light extraction film and has a light extraction structure, and the incident light totally reflected in the light extraction film is emitted from the light extraction structure, but the structures of other luminous forms are not excluded. It should be understood that commercially available plating layers, coatings or films with equivalent functions or effects can be used as the above-mentioned light extraction component. In addition, the shape and distribution of the light extraction component can be determined as required, and are not limited to those shown in the figures, and the thickness and material thereof are not limited. Alternatively, the light extraction film may be a single-layer film or formed by laminating multiple layers of films. For the light extraction structure, it can be a light scattering structure arranged on the light extraction film by mechanical structuring, embossing, etching or spraying, and it can be arranged discontinuously. For example, depending on different application requirements, the light extraction structure can produce different display patterns or display effects through different distributions, such as stars, moons, etc. Alternatively, for example, the whole illumination of panoramic skylight can be realized. Furthermore, it should be understood that in the above embodiments, the light source 13 can be one or more, for example, strip-shaped light bands arranged in a ring shape or a plurality of point-shaped light sources distributed at intervals, and the illustration is not limited.

First, referring to a first embodiment of Fig. 2A, a glass assembly 100 includes a first glass body 110 having a first surface 111 and a second surface 112, and a second glass body 120 having a third surface 121 and a fourth surface 122. A light extraction component 140 is partially encapsulated by a first intermediate layer 130 and sandwiched between the first glass body 110 and the second glass body 120, and includes a light extraction layer 150 arranged toward the second glass body 120. The light extraction layer 150 includes a light extraction structure for extracting light. The light extraction structure may be a textured light extraction structure, for example, a micro texture may be adopted. By correspondingly arranging the light extraction structure, the glass can display a specific pattern or display full-scale light. In this embodiment, the light source 13 is arranged at the edge of the light extraction component 140, and the light extraction component 140 is directly laminated on the third surface 121 of the second glass body 120, that is, there is no intermediate layer therebetween, but the light extraction structure is filled with air with a refractive index of about 1 as a medium, so that the refractive index difference between the air directly attached to the light extraction structure and the light extraction component (for example, when the refractive index of the light extraction component is about 1.51, the refractive index difference is about 0.51) is significantly greater than the difference between the refractive index of the light extraction component and 1.48 (for example, it is about 0.03 correspondingly) . Thereby, the incident light emitted by the light source 13 is transmitted and totally reflected in the light extraction component, and then emits from the light extraction structure, directly enters the second glass body 120 from the third surface 121 and is led out of the fourth surface 122.

Through the above design, because the intermediate layer is removed between the light extraction component 140 and the second glass body 120, and the air is used as the medium therebetween, so that the incident light can be smoothly scattered from the light extraction structure in the light extraction layer 150 and enter the second glass body 120 after being transmitted in the light extraction component, thereby increasing the light extraction effect of the light extraction structure, greatly improving the luminous efficiency and enhancing the comfort of passengers. Using PVB to encapsulate and sandwich the light extraction component between two glass bodies as a comparison sample (as shown in Fig. 1B) , and using PVB of the same material to sandwich the light extraction component between the two glass bodies without PVB between the light extraction component and the second glass body as a test sample of the present disclosure (as shown in Fig. 2A) , the glass assembly of the present disclosure has obviously improved the illumination brightness after experimental testing. For example, for red light, the brightness is increased by about 24%, for green light, by about 15%, and for blue light, by about 12%. The measuring instrument adopts a commercially available image brightness meter, such as LumiCam 1300.

Based on the above concept, the present disclosure can also have the following variations.

Fig. 2B illustrates a glass assembly 200 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Similar to the first embodiment, the glass assembly 200 includes a first glass body 210 having a first surface 211 and a second surface 212, and a second glass body 220 having a third surface 221 and a fourth surface 222. A light extraction component 240 is partially encapsulated by a first intermediate layer 230 and sandwiched between the first glass body 210 and the second glass body 220, and includes a light extraction layer 250 arranged toward the second glass body 220. The light extraction layer 250 includes a light extraction structure for extracting light. The light extraction structure may be a textured light extraction structure, for example, a micro texture may be adopted. By correspondingly arranging the light extraction structure, the glass can display a specific pattern or display full-scale light. In this embodiment, the light source 13 is integrated into the second glass body 220 by being embedded in an opening 223 provided in the second glass body 220, and a sealing component 270, for example, a metal foil such as aluminum foil or a thin film made of PC (polycarbonate) , is provided between the opening 223 and the first intermediate layer 230 and/or the light extraction component 240. Similarly, since there is no intermediate layer between the light extraction component 240 and the second glass body 220, the glass assembly of this embodiment significantly improves the illumination brightness. In addition, it should be understood that although there may have a large refractive index difference between the refractive index of the sealing component 270 and the refractive index of the light extraction component 240 due to the selection of the material for the sealing component 270 arranged at the opening 223, the sealing component 270 will not affect the performance of the light extraction structure because the portion where the light source is arranged is usually not overlapped with the light extraction structure of the light extraction component. The positions of the opening and the sealing component in the figure are only schematic, not the actual structure of the product.

Although the intermediate layer is only added between the light extraction component and the first glass body in the above way, but does not cover the surface between the light extraction component and the second glass body, the glass assembly actually obtained through the lamination process can still ensure the adhesion between the layers and has certain structural strength. In some applications, in order to enhance the overall strength of the glass assembly of the above embodiment, the second glass body can be toughened glass, thus meeting the safety performance requirements.

Figs. 3A and 3B illustrate two different embodiments, respectively. Referring first to Fig. 3A, a glass assembly 300 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The glass assembly 300 includes a first glass body 310 having a first surface 311 and a second surface 312, and a second glass body having a third surface 323 and a fourth surface 324. A light extraction component 340 is partially encapsulated by a first intermediate layer 331 and sandwiched between the first glass body 310 and the second glass body, and includes a light extraction layer 350 arranged toward the second glass body. The light extraction layer 350 includes a light extraction structure for extracting light. The light extraction structure may be a textured light extraction structure, for example, a micro texture may be adopted. By correspondingly arranging the light extraction structure, the glass can display a specific pattern or display full-scale light. In this embodiment, the second glass body is a laminated glass including a first glass layer 321 and a second glass layer 322 attached to each other through a second intermediate layer 332, and the light extraction component 340 is directly attached to the first glass layer 321, that is, directly attached to the third surface 323 with the air as a medium attached to the light extraction structure. It should be understood that the thicknesses of the first glass layer 321 and the second glass layer 322 are both configured to be thinner than those of the first glass body or conventional glass, for example, the thickness can be selected from the range of 0.7mm-2mm as required. In addition, it should be understood that the safety performance requirements can be further met if the second glass body is a laminated glass.

Alternatively, the second intermediate layer 332 is the same as or different from the first intermediate layer 331, as long as it is convenient for the light emitted by the light source 13 to the light extraction component 340 can enter the first glass layer 321, then smoothly enter the second glass layer 322 and be led out of the fourth surface 324.

Fig. 3B illustrates a glass assembly 400 according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. Similar to the third embodiment, the glass assembly 400 includes a first glass body 410 having a first surface 411 and a second surface 412, and a second glass body is a laminated glass including a first glass layer 421 and a second glass layer 422 attached to each other through a second intermediate layer 432 and having a third surface 423 and a fourth surface 424. A light extraction component 440 is partially encapsulated by a first intermediate layer 431 and sandwiched between the first glass body 410 and the second glass body, and includes a light extraction layer 450 arranged toward the second glass body. The light extraction layer 450 includes a light extraction structure for extracting light. The light extraction structure may be a textured light extraction structure, for example, a micro texture may be adopted. By correspondingly arranging the light extraction structure, the glass can display a specific pattern or display full-scale light. In this embodiment, the light source 13 is integrated into the second glass body by being embedded in openings 425, 426 respectively provided on the first glass layer 421 and the second glass layer 422, wherein a sealing component 470 is provided between the opening 425 on the first glass layer 421 and the first intermediate layer 431 and/or the light extraction component 440.

In some embodiments, a medium with high refractive index (such as EVA with high refractive index or UV glue with high refractive index) compared with the refractive index of the light extraction component can be added between the light extraction component and the second glass body shown in Figs. 2A to 3B only at the light extraction structure as a medium directly attached to the light extraction structure, so that the refractive index difference between the medium and the light extraction component is significantly greater than the difference between the refractive index of the light extraction component and 1.48 (for example, at least greater than 0.03, greater than 0.04, greater than 0.05, greater than 0.06, greater than 0.07, greater than 0.08, . . ., greater than 0.7) , to ensure that the light extraction effect of the light extraction structure is increased. At this time, it is still considered that the light extraction component is directly attached to the third surfaces 121, 221 of the second glass bodies 120, 220, or directly attached to the first glass layers 321, 421.

Advantageously, a laminated structure can be arranged between the light extraction component and the second glass body, and the refractive index of partial or entire laminated structure has a larger refractive index difference than that of the light extraction component, that is, it is significantly greater than the difference between the refractive index of the light extraction component and 1.48, for example, at least greater than 0.03, greater than 0.04, greater than 0.05, greater than 0.06, greater than 0.07, greater than 0.08, . . ., greater than 0.7. In this way, a larger refractive index difference is generated between the light extraction structure of the light extraction component and the medium directly attached to the light extraction structure through the laminated structure, so that the light tends to be transmitted toward the second glass body, thereby improving the light extraction performance.

Fig. 4A illustrates a glass assembly 500 according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure. The glass assembly 500 includes a first glass body 510 having a first surface 511 and a second surface 512, and a second glass body 520 having a third surface 521 and a fourth surface 522. A light extraction component 540 is partially encapsulated by a first intermediate layer 530 and sandwiched between the first glass body 510 and the second glass body 520, and includes a light extraction layer 550 arranged toward the second glass body 520. The light extraction layer 550 includes a light extraction structure for extracting light. The light extraction structure may be a textured light extraction structure, for example, a micro texture may be adopted. In this embodiment, the laminated structure between the light extraction component and the second glass body includes a third intermediate layer 560, wherein the light is scattered from the light extraction structure in the light extraction layer 550 to form a specific light emitting pattern. Accordingly, the third intermediate layer 560 is provided with a notch 561 corresponding to a pattern 551 formed by the light extraction structure, so that the third intermediate layer 560 does not cover the pattern 551 formed by the light extraction structure, and a medium in direct contact with the pattern is formed by the air at the notch 561. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the notch 561 can be filled with a medium with high refractive index (such as EVA with high refractive index or UV glue with high refractive index) as a medium directly attached to the light extraction structure, thereby not affecting the transmission of the incident light from the pattern area of the light extraction component to the second glass body and improving the lighting effects.

Optionally, the third intermediate layer 560 is the same as or different from the first intermediate layer 530. Advantageously, the thickness of the third intermediate layer is not greater than 0.4mm. Preferably, the thickness of the third intermediate layer is less than 0.1 mm.

Fig. 4B illustrates a glass assembly 600 according to a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure. Similar to the fifth embodiment, the glass assembly 600 includes a first glass body 610 having a first surface 611 and a second surface 612, and a second glass body 620 having a third surface 621 and a fourth surface 622. A light extraction component 640 is partially encapsulated by a first intermediate layer 630 and sandwiched between the first glass body 610 and the second glass body 620, and includes a light extraction layer 650 arranged toward the second glass body 620. The light extraction layer 650 includes a light extraction structure for extracting light. The light extraction structure may be a textured light extraction structure, for example, a micro texture may be adopted. In this embodiment, the laminated structure between the light extraction component and the second glass body includes a third intermediate layer 660, wherein the light is scattered from the light extraction structure in the light extraction layer 650 to form a specific light emitting pattern. The light source 13 is integrated into the second glass body 620 by being embedded in an opening 623 provided in the second glass body 620. The third intermediate layer 660 is provided with a notch 661 corresponding to a pattern 651 formed by the light extraction structure, so that the third intermediate layer 660 does not cover the pattern 651 formed by the light extraction structure, and a medium in direct contact with the pattern is formed by the air at the notch 661. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the notch 661 can be filled with a medium with high refractive index (for example, EVA with high refractive index or UV glue with high refractive index) as a medium directly attached to the light extraction structure. The incident light is transmitted from the pattern area of the light extraction component to the second glass body. In this embodiment, a sealing component 670 is provided between the opening 623 and the third intermediate layer 660.

It should be understood that in order to make the process more convenient and simple, the notches in the embodiments shown in Figs. 4A and 4B can be configured to be larger than the size of the pattern formed by the light extraction structure to facilitate the implementation of process such as cutting and so on.

Fig. 5A illustrates a glass assembly 700 according to a seventh embodiment of the present disclosure. The glass assembly 700 includes a first glass body 710 having a first surface 711 and a second surface 712, and a second glass body 720 having a third surface 721 and a fourth surface 722. A light extraction component 740 is partially encapsulated by a first intermediate layer 730 and sandwiched between the first glass body 710 and the second glass body 720, and includes a light extraction layer 750 arranged toward the second glass body 720. The light extraction layer 750 includes a light extraction structure for extracting light. The light extraction structure may be a textured light extraction structure, for example, a micro texture may be adopted. By correspondingly arranging the light extraction structure, the glass can display a specific pattern or display full-scale light. In this embodiment, the laminated structure between the light extraction component and the second glass body includes a fourth intermediate layer 760, wherein the fourth intermediate layer 760 is directly attached to the light extraction structure, and the refractive index of the fourth intermediate layer 760 has a larger refractive index difference compared with the refractive index of the light extraction component 740. Optionally, the fourth intermediate layer 760 is the same as or different from the first intermediate layer 730. As an example, the fourth intermediate layer 760 may be an optically transparent adhesive for glass lamination with a refractive index of about 1.3 or less. In some embodiments, the fourth intermediate layer 760 may adopt an intermediate layer with high refractive index, such as EVA with high refractive index or UV glue with high refractive index.

Fig. 5B illustrates a glass assembly 800 according to an eighth embodiment of the present disclosure. Similar to the seventh embodiment, the glass assembly 800 includes a first glass body 810 having a first surface 811 and a second surface 812, and a second glass body 820 having a third surface 821 and a fourth surface 822. A light extraction component 840 is partially encapsulated by a first intermediate layer 830 and sandwiched between the first glass body 810 and the second glass body 820, and includes a light extraction layer 850 arranged toward the second glass body 820. The light extraction layer 850 includes a light extraction structure for extracting light. The light extraction structure may be a textured light extraction structure, for example, a micro texture may be adopted. By correspondingly arranging the light extraction structure, the glass can display a specific pattern or display full-scale light. In this embodiment, the laminated structure between the light extraction component and the second glass body includes a fourth intermediate layer 860, wherein the light source 13 is integrated into the second glass body 820 by being embedded in an opening 823 provided on the second glass body 820, and the refractive index of the fourth intermediate layer 860 has a larger refractive index difference compared with the refractive index of the light extraction component 840. A sealing component 870 is provided between the opening 823 and the fourth intermediate layer 860.

Fig. 6A illustrates a glass assembly 900 according to a ninth embodiment of the present disclosure. The glass assembly 900 includes a first glass body 910 having a first surface 911 and a second surface 912, and a second glass body 920 having a third surface 921 and a fourth surface 922. A light extraction component 940 is partially encapsulated by a first intermediate layer 930 and sandwiched between the first glass body 910 and the second glass body 920, and includes a light extraction layer 950 arranged toward the second glass body 920. The light extraction layer 950 includes a light extraction structure for extracting light. The light extraction structure may be a textured light extraction structure, for example, a micro texture may be adopted. By correspondingly arranging the light extraction structure, the glass can display a specific pattern or display full-scale light. In this embodiment, a protective layer 960 directly attached to the light extraction layer 950 is provided between the light extraction component and the second glass body, and the light extraction layer 950 is separated from the first intermediate layer 930 by the protective layer 960, so as to prevent the first intermediate layer 930 from filling the light micro-structure texture of the light extraction structure during the lamination process. That is, the air is used as a medium directly attached to the light extraction structure, thereby enhancing the lighting effects. Alternatively, the protective layer may be ETFE (ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer) .

Fig. 6B illustrates a glass assembly 1000 according to a tenth embodiment of the present disclosure. Similar to the ninth embodiment, the glass assembly 1000 includes a first glass body 1010 having a first surface 1011 and a second surface 1012, and a second glass body 1020 having a third surface 1021 and a fourth surface 1022. A light extraction component 1040 is partially encapsulated by a first intermediate layer 1030 and sandwiched between the first glass body 1010 and the second glass body 1020, and includes a light extraction layer 1050 arranged toward the second glass body 1020. The light extraction layer 1050 includes a light extraction structure for extracting light. The light extraction structure may be a textured light extraction structure, for example, a micro texture may be adopted. By correspondingly arranging the light extraction structure, the glass can display a specific pattern or display full-scale light. In this embodiment, the light source 13 is integrated into the second glass body 1020 by being embedded in an opening 1023 provided on the second glass body 1020, and a protective layer 1060 directly attached to the light extraction layer 1050 is provided between the light extraction component and the second glass body, and the light extraction layer 1050 is separated from the first intermediate layer 1030 by the protective layer 1060. A sealing component 1070 is provided between the opening 1023 and the first intermediate layer 1030.

As can be seen from the above description, the glass assembly of the present disclosure separates the light extraction structure from the intermediate layer by removing the intermediate layer between the light extraction component and the second glass body or providing a protective layer between the light extraction component and the second glass body, so that the air is directly attached to the light extraction structure, or a laminated structure is arranged between the light extraction component and the second glass body, and the refractive index of the laminated structure (partial or entire) is configured to have a larger refractive index difference compared with the refractive index of the light extraction component, in particular significantly greater than the difference between the refractive index of the light extraction component and 1.48, which effectively improves the illumination brightness while ensuring the illumination effect, and has the beneficial effects of simple process, obvious performance improvement and the like.

In the described or not described possible embodiments, various improvement methods can be used independently or in combination with each other. For example, the single piece glass body in the embodiment having the laminated structure or the protective layer can be selected as laminated glass, and a laminated structure can also be added in the embodiment where the second glass body is configured as a laminated glass. In addition, it should be understood that various functional layers are usually arranged in the laminated glass to obtain different functions, such as light-emitting layer, imaging layer, touching layer and so on, and the present disclosure does not exclude the use of the above functional layers in the glass assembly.

It should be understood here that the embodiments shown in the drawings only illustrate the optional architectures, shapes, sizes and arrangements of various optional components of the glass assembly according to the present disclosure; however, it is only illustrative rather than restrictive, and other shapes, sizes and arrangements can be adopted without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

The technical content and technical features of the present disclosure have been disclosed above. However, it can be understood that those skilled in the art can make various changes and improvements to the above disclosed concept under the creative idea of the present disclosure, all of which fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure. The description of the above embodiments is illustrative rather than restrictive, and the protection scope of the present disclosure is determined by the claims.

Claims

A glass assembly comprising:

a first glass body having a first surface and a second surface which are oppositely arranged;

a second glass body having a third surface facing the second surface and a fourth surface arranged oppositely;

a light extraction component sandwiched between the first glass body and the second glass body and comprising a light extraction structure arranged toward the second glass body for extracting light, and incident light from the light extraction component entering the second glass body from the third surface and being led out of the fourth surface;

wherein the light extraction structure is directly attached with a medium, and the refractive index difference between the medium and the light extraction component is significantly greater than the difference between the refractive index of the light extraction component and 1.48.
The glass assembly according to claim 1, wherein the light extraction component is a light extraction film, and the light extraction film is partially encapsulated by a first intermediate layer and sandwiched between the first glass body and the second glass body.
The glass assembly according to claim 1, wherein the material of the first glass body is the same as or different from that of the second glass body, and at least the second glass body is toughened glass.
The glass assembly according to claim 2, wherein the light extraction component is directly attached to the third surface of the second glass body.
The glass assembly according to claim 2, wherein the second glass body is a laminated glass comprising a first glass layer and a second glass layer attached to each other through a second intermediate layer, and the light extraction component is directly attached to the first glass layer.
The glass assembly according to claim 5, wherein the second intermediate layer is the same as or different from the first intermediate layer.
The glass assembly according to claim 2, wherein a laminated structure is arranged between the light extraction component and the second glass body.
The glass assembly according to claim 7, wherein the laminated structure comprises a third intermediate layer which is the same as or different from the first intermediate layer, and wherein the third intermediate layer is provided with a notch corresponding to the light extraction structure, so that the third intermediate layer does not cover the light extraction structure.
The glass assembly according to claim 8, wherein the thickness of the third intermediate layer is not greater than 0.4 mm.
The glass assembly according to claim 7, wherein the laminated structure comprises a fourth intermediate layer which is directly attached to the light extraction structure and is the same as or different from the first intermediate layer, and wherein the refractive index difference between the fourth intermediate layer and the light extraction component is significantly greater than the difference between the refractive index of the light extraction component and 1.48.
The glass assembly according to claim 2, wherein the glass assembly comprises a protective layer directly attached to the light extraction component, and the protective layer separates the light extraction component from the first intermediate layer.
The glass assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the glass assembly comprises a light source arranged adjacent to the edge of the light extraction component or embedded in the second glass body.
A window assembly, wherein the window assembly comprises a glass assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 12, and the window assembly comprises door, window, curtain wall, vehicle window glass, airplane glass or ship glass.
The window assembly according to claim 13, wherein the window assembly is a vehicle window glass comprising front windshield, rear windshield, skylight glass, vehicle door glass or corner window glass, and wherein the first surface of the first glass body faces the outside of the vehicle and the fourth surface of the second glass body faces the inside of the vehicle.