Abstract:
An apparatus and method for bending and/or tempering glass substrate(s) are provided. The amount of near-IR radiation which reaches the glass to be bent and/or tempered is limited (e.g., via filtering or any other suitable technique). Thus, the IR radiation (used for heating the glass) which reaches the glass to be bent and/or tempered includes mostly mid-IR and/or far-IR radiation, and not much near-IR. In such a manner, coating(s) provided on the glass can be protected and kept at lower temperatures so as to be less likely to be damaged during the bending and/or tempering process. Heating efficiency can be improved. A ceramic (e.g., aluminosilicate) filter or baffle may be used in certain embodiments in order to reduce the amount of mid-IR and/or far-IR radiation reaching the glass to be tempered and/or bent.
Abstract:
A window such as a vehicle window (e.g., windshield) has a de-icing feature. In certain example embodiments, a conductive structure is provided on an interior surface of a substrate of the window, AC tuned to an ice removal frequency is caused to run through the conductive structure, and fields generated by the AC passing through the conductive structure propagate through the substrate to an exterior surface of the window and can be absorbed by ice thereby causing the ice to melt and/or be removed from the window.
Abstract:
A window such as a vehicle window (e.g., windshield) has a de-icing feature. In certain example embodiments, a conductive structure is provided on an interior surface of a substrate of the window, AC tuned to an ice removal frequency is caused to run through the conductive structure, and fields generated by the AC passing through the conductive structure propagate through the substrate to an exterior surface of the window and can be absorbed by ice thereby causing the ice to melt and/or be removed from the window.
Abstract:
A heatable vehicle window (e.g., windshield or backlite) has bus bars electrically connected to a heatable coating having one or more heatable conductive layers. Electrical connection(s) between at least one bus bar and a corresponding external connector in the heatable window is/are made using a silver inclusive epoxy. The use of the silver inclusive epoxy permits a thin substantially uniform electrical connection to be made and permits numerous example advantages to be realized.