An ‘Apple Car’ could have windows with heatable infrared-transparent areas — Apple World Today

However, it can be challenging to incorporate systems such as these effectively into a automobile. Apple says that, if care isn’t taken, window structures may be unsightly or may not accommodate desired components. An Apple Car should have gorgeous windows with the best heat and light-filtering components, of course.

As I’ve said before, I don’t think Apple will build an automobile from scratch. Instead, I think it will team up with current automotive manufacturers; many other pundits disagree, however.

Here’s the (fairly technical) summary of the patent: “A window such as a vehicle window may have an infrared-light-blocking area formed from an infrared-light-blocking layer. The window may also have an infrared-light-transparent area formed from an infrared-light-transparent layer that is not covered by the infrared-light-blocking layer. The infrared-light-transparent layer may have a conductive layer that is transparent to near-infrared light such as a conductive oxide layer or a metal layer. 

“The infrared-light-blocking layer may have one or more layers of infrared-light-reflecting material such a silver layer that is electrically coupled to the conductive layer in the infrared-light-transmitting layer. Ohmic heating current may be passed to the conductive layer in the infrared-light-transmitting layer through the conductive layer in the infrared-light-blocking layer or through elongated metal contacts that run along edges of the infrared-light-transmitting layer.”