Arrangement for heating the wiper rest area of a vehicle windshield

A windshield for a vehicle having windshield wipers which reside on an outer surface of said windshield at a wiper rest area when said wipers area deactivated, said windshield comprising:

• a first glass sheet having first and second major surfaces;
• a second glass sheet having first and second major surfaces;
• an interlayer positioned between said first and second sheets to secure said first major surface of said first sheet to said first major surface of said second sheet to form said windshield, wherein said second major surface of said first sheet is said outer surface of said windshield and said second major surface of said second sheet forms an inner surface of said windshield;
• a single, continuous copper magnet wire of about 28 to 34 gauge (AWG) secured between said sheets and making multiple passes through a lower portion of said windshield generally corresponding to said wiper rest area, said multiple runs forming a pattern such that said wire generates a power density of about 0.3 to 1 watts per square inch to heat said wiper rest area;
• a common connection area positioned along an edge of said windshield wherein opposing first and second ends of said wire are closely spaced to each other and extend to said common connection area;
• means connected to said first and second ends of said wire to provide external electrical access to said wire;
• and
• an opaque ceramic band along a marginal edge portion of said second major surface of said second sheet, wherein said band extends beyond said wire such that said wire is not visible when said windshield is viewed through said second sheet.

A method of manufacturing a windshield for a vehicle having a heating-arrangement to heat a portion of an outer surface of said windshield which generally corresponds to a wiper rest area, comprising the steps of:

• securing a single, continuous resistance heating wire to a thermoplastic interlayer in a predetermined pattern generally corresponding to said wiper rest area and which generates a desired power density within said pattern to heat said wiper rest area;
• extending first and second opposing ends of said wire to a common area of said interlayer such that said first and second ends are closely spaced to each other at said common area;
• positioning said interlayer between a first glass sheet and a second glass sheet such that said pattern is aligned with said wiper rest area and said first and second ends of said wire are aligned with a desired connection area of said windshield;
• and
• laminating said first and second sheet and said interlayer to secure said wire between said first and second sheets to form said windshield.

A laminated vehicle windshield comprising:

• a first glass sheet;
• a second glass sheet;
• an interlayer positioned between said first and second sheets, wherein said interlayer secures said first sheet to said second sheet;
• a single, continuous resistance heating wire of about 28 to 34 gauge (AWG) secured between said sheets and making multiple passes through a lower portion of said windshield generally corresponding to an expected wiper rest area such that said wire generates a power density of about 0.3 to 1 watts per square inch within said lower portion;
• and
• a common connection area positioned along an edge of said windshield wherein opposing first and second ends of said wire extend to said common connection area.