The present invention generally relates to the prevention of, or recovery from, a diminished light transmission condition for an optical lens, electro-optical system, viewfinder, “window,” etc. owing to condensate formation or the like, more particularly, to a light transmitting subassembly which is thermally conditionable in furtherance of maintaining an operable, advantageous optical system functionality and/or in furtherance of preventing/remedying a diminished optical capacity condition owing to environmental/atmospheric deposition.
Systems or devices wherein light (i.e., select forms/wavelengths of electromagnetic energy) is an important consideration, factor, or “input” in furtherance of system or device functionality, or wherein a “view” through a system or device “window” for an assessment of local/distant objects and/or surroundings is essential to system or device function or performance, are well known. Exemplary applications include, but are hardly limited to, imaging systems such as optoelectronic (e.g., U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. US 2006/0060802 A1 (Richter et al.)) and/or biometric (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,809,303 B2 (Carver et al.) and 5,825,474 (Maase)), optical scanners/scanning such as bar code readers or the like (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,612,493 B2 (DeGiovine et al.) and 5,729,003 (Briggs, III)), light emitting diode (LED) fixtures such as vehicle headlamps (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,983 B1 (Runfola et al.)) and/or traffic control signal lights (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,211,771 B1 (Smith et al.)), liquid crystal display (LCD) screens (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,727,468 B1 (Nemeth) and 7,023,519 B2 (Ho et al.)), cameras/telescopes/sights/range-finders (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,866,391 B2 (Krausse)), and/or self guided munitions, vehicles, etc.
Whether owing to natural environmental conditions (e.g., ambient atmospheric conditions with regard to use of a telescope, camera, munition guidance system, etc.) or artificial environmental conditions part and parcel of a manufacturing or industrial processes/processing (e.g., refrigerated systems wherein optical scanning is conducted or processes wherein LCD instrumentation is present), optical interference via the formation of condensate and/or ice, whether water vapor or other saturated gaseous element/compound associated with a given process/application, often times renders such systems or devices inoperative, and if not, nonetheless greatly alters system/device performance. Among the heretofore known, well documented approaches to avoid/remedy such diminished capacity, the thermal conditioning of such optical lens, electro-optical system, “windows,” etc. appears favored and widely practiced.
One current method to provide thermal energy to an optical lens or window is to apply a resistive heater to its perimeter, leaving the center completely unobstructed (see e.g., Carver et al. '303 FIGS. 5 & 6). This approach relies on thermal energy conducting laterally through the optical lens or window material to provide sufficient heating in the center of the component. Due to the poor thermal-conduction properties of typical optical materials, a large temperature gradient occurs between the heated perimeter and the center of the lens/window. As a result, such approaches are characterized by a loss of efficiency as a “high” perimeter temperature must be maintained in order to provide sufficient heat at the center of the component to maintain or support the sought after optical effect.
Another current method to provide thermal energy to an optical lens or window is to apply a sheet, panel, or laminate of “clear” adhesive film to one surface of the optical component (see e.g., Briggs, III '003). Such films generally support a fine resistive wire, commonly by embedding or otherwise “capturing” the wire between layers thereof, or upon a layer surface, so as to form a resistive heating element or article (i.e., a fixation medium such as film “carries” a selectively configured resistive wire). The resistive wire can be located within or with respect to the film so as to selectively correspond/register with portions of the optical/transparent substrate (e.g., lens/window, etc.) where it is intended to provide optimal condensation/ice control. This method provides excellent thermal efficiency, however, as the adhesive film article overlies the entirety of the optical component, as “clear” as the film article may be, it nonetheless degrades the clarity of the lens/window (i.e., the application of the film increases the opacity of the lens/window), often times resulting in an unacceptable optical distortion.
A further current method to provide thermal energy to an optical lens or window is to apply a very thin coating/deposition of metal film, e.g., indium tin oxide (ITO), upon a substrate, e.g., polyester sheet or the like (see e.g., Ho et al. '519). In connection with such depositions, printed ink bus bars generally link the deposited metal film with crimped or adhesively bonded lead connections which extend from at least one bus bar end, and commonly both opposing bus bar ends. While this method or approach arguably provides improved optical performance in connection to transmittance and/or reflectance, thermal performance is generally less robust than that associated with adhesive film, and lead connections are generally believed less reliable than those associated with wire-element heaters.
For the most part, the latter film approaches, namely wire-element heating structures and thin-film coatings/depositions, have become the norm across most application fields, with each discussed and compared in a publication entitled “Comparison of Thin-film and Wire-element Heaters for Transparent Applications,” Application Aid #30, Jul. 31, 2001, Minco Products, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In as much as there no doubt are application criteria that support the selection of one heater style over the other, e.g., ITO film heaters provide an uninterrupted visible area, i.e., no shadows or light disruptions, whereas wire-element film heaters deliver more uniform heat flux and generally possess tighter resistance tolerances, with regard to heretofore known wire-element approaches, improvements in the area of light transmission are believed particularly advantageous and remain outstanding. Arguably, an improved thermally conditionable light transmitting subassembly would be characterized by an amalgamation of the advantageous features of each of the heretofore known approaches while if not eliminating, reducing the shortcomings of each.
In light of the foregoing, it is believed advantageous and desirable to provide a wire-element heater for transparent applications which possess a clarity/light transmittance on par with that presently available/associated with heretofore known thin film heaters while nonetheless offering: a greater range of electrical resistance; greater flexibility in profiling the resistance density across a surface/substrate; greater reliability due to the stability and durability associated with a solid/traditional wire; reliable and durable lead connections or the ability to obtain same; and, the ability to manufacture to tighter resistance tolerances in furtherance of reducing power consumption. Further still, it is believed advantageous and desirable to avoid thermal elements characterized by a laminate or substrate overlay for the prevention or remedying of condensate/ice formation on optical components/windows or the like. More particularly, it is believed especially advantageous to directly mate, as by bonding or the like, a thermal element in the form of a resistive wire to a light transmissive substrate in furtherance of providing greater clarity and/or light transmittance in excess of about 90%.
Thus, in furtherance of maintaining or restoring the optical integrity of articles and/or systems possessing a lens/window, it is believed advantageous to eliminate the heretofore known coextensive or substantially coextensive wire-element retaining media of adhesive films which overlie a lens/window (i.e., more generally a transparent substrate), while nonetheless retaining such precise and efficient heating of such heating structures.
A non-film based, thermally conditionable light transmitting article is provided. The article includes an adhesively coated resistive wire and a substrate suitably selected for light transmittance. The adhesively coated resistive wire is solely and directly adhesively affixed to the substrate so as to be thereby supported upon and by the substrate. A layer of adhesive, in the form of an adhesive linkage originating from the adhesive of the adhesively coated resistive wire, is present between the resistive wire and the substrate.
Advantageously, the resistive wire of the article of the subject invention, having a preferred diameter within a range of about 0.0008-0.003 inches, is characterized by a adhesive coating, more particularly, a B-stage adhesive applied to a thickness within a range of about 0.0002-0.0005 inches. An adhesive linkage, having origins in the adhesive of the adhesively coated wire and in the form of a “footprint,” directly unites the resistive wire to/with the substrate, with a ratio of adhesive footprint width to wire diameter generally being less than about 6. More specific features and advantages obtained in view of the summary features will become apparent with reference to the drawing figures and DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION.
A contemplated, non-limiting representation of the article, subassembly or component of the subject invention is generally depicted in
With particular reference to
The substrate 12 generally comprises a suitably selected light transmissive material in the form of, for example and without limitation, a film, sheeting, panel, etc., or a suitably selected light transmissive construct/assembly in the form of, for example and without limitation, a composite or laminate, coated material, etc. Broadly, substrates may take the form of a lens/lens system, lens cover, prism, platen, etc. and may be suitably but not necessarily fabricated from glass or polymers such as polyester.
The resistive wire 14 generally comprises copper, nickel or other well-known electrically resistive alloys, for example and without limitation, cupro-nickel, nickel-chrome, etc. The wire may or may not have an insulating, magnet wire-type coating. Generally, typical advantageous wire diameters fall within a range of about 0.0008-0.003 inches, however, they are not intended to be necessarily so limited.
With particular reference to
The adhesive linkage 16 advantageously but not necessarily comprises a thermosetting resin, more particularly, a partially cured B-stage adhesive. Functionally, it is advantageous that the adhesive be “dry” to the touch yet flowable with the application of suitable heat and/or pressure. In as much as adhesive selection is predicated upon a given application and/or substrate specification, epoxy, phenolic or polyamide based adhesives are contemplated and generally believed suitable as circumstances/conditions/functional parameters warrant or dictate.
The resistive wire heating element of the subject invention is advantageously coated, selectively or entirely as warranted, or otherwise suitably adorned with an application/component appropriate adhesive, more particularly, an adhesive linkage forming adhesive. A suitable adhesive coating thickness for the resistive wire is believed advantageously within a range of about 0.0002-0.0005 inches but is not intended to be necessarily so limited. Departures for such particulars are no doubt to be found owing to application specific conditions and/or the designation or selection material of elements of the article.
Subsequent to selectively configuring the coated resistive wire and indirect application of the so configured element to the substrate as by a release sheet or the like, or after direct application or introduction of the coated resistive wire to/upon the substrate as the case may be, heat and pressure are applied so as to effectively result in an operative, direct, fixed wire-to-substrate engagement as is generally depicted in
With continued reference to
In as much as the subject invention, including its elements and/or the relationships and interrelationships among and between same have been disclosed, the remainder of the instant disclosure takes up the particulars of the subject invention in a non-limiting exemplary application/component embodiment. More particularly, in connection to the maintenance of an ice/frost/condensation-free sensing window for an optically guided munition, preferred embodiment particulars of the subject invention follow.
The sensing window of the optically guided munition (i.e., an embodiment of the article, subassembly or component of the subject invention) advantageously includes a 0.0011 inch annealed copper wire, available from Kanthal Palm Coast (FL), bearing a coating of thermosetting B-staged epoxy resin bondcoat at a nominal thickness of about 0.00025 inches, also available from Kanthal Palm Coast, supported upon a substrate comprising a 0.002 inch thick Melinex® 454 polyester film available from Dupont-Teijin Films (VA). The adhesive bearing wire is routed/configured so as to produce an approximately 1 inch diameter heater pattern, with typical heater “strand” spacing (i.e., distance between adjacent wire segments/portions in what is a generally parallel spacing of substrate traversing segments/portions) on the order of about 0.065 inches.
Heat and pressure are use to transfer the patterned wire from a temporary carrier to the optically clear substrate material. Heat and pressure flow the wire adhesive to an optimal width within a range of about 0.004-0.006 inches which provides a robust anchored interface between the wire and the substrate. As a result, with an optimal wire adhesive flow width within the range of about 0.004-0.006 inches, coupled with 0.065 inch wire/heater strand spacing, an optical window transparency of in excess of about 90% is thereby provided.
It is to be understood that there are other variations of the subject invention, some of which will become obvious to those skilled in the art. Moreover, it is to further be understood that this disclosure, in many respects, is only illustrative. Changes may be made in details, particularly in matters of shape, size, material, and arrangement of parts, as the case may be, without exceeding the scope of the invention.
This is a regular application filed under 35 U.S.C. §111(a) claiming priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) (1), of provisional application Ser. No. 60/928,499 entitled “Direct Wire Bonded Thermal Element for the Prevention of Icing and Condensation in Optical Components” filed May 10, 2007, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
5380981 | Feldman et al. | Jan 1995 | A |
5729003 | Briggs, III | Mar 1998 | A |
5825474 | Maase | Oct 1998 | A |
6601983 | Runfola et al. | Aug 2003 | B1 |
6612493 | DeGiovine et al. | Sep 2003 | B1 |
6727468 | Nemeth | Apr 2004 | B1 |
6809303 | Carver et al. | Oct 2004 | B2 |
6866391 | Krausse | Mar 2005 | B2 |
7023519 | Ho et al. | Apr 2006 | B2 |
7211771 | Smith et al. | May 2007 | B1 |
20060060802 | Richter et al. | Mar 2006 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60928499 | May 2007 | US |