EP1535110A1 - Optically active glazing - Google Patents
Optically active glazingInfo
- Publication number
- EP1535110A1 EP1535110A1 EP03756496A EP03756496A EP1535110A1 EP 1535110 A1 EP1535110 A1 EP 1535110A1 EP 03756496 A EP03756496 A EP 03756496A EP 03756496 A EP03756496 A EP 03756496A EP 1535110 A1 EP1535110 A1 EP 1535110A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- electrodes
- glazing according
- particles
- plates
- glazing
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Pending
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
- G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour
- G02F1/165—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour based on translational movement of particles in a fluid under the influence of an applied field
- G02F1/1675—Constructional details
- G02F1/1676—Electrodes
- G02F1/16762—Electrodes having three or more electrodes per pixel
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
- G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour
- G02F1/165—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour based on translational movement of particles in a fluid under the influence of an applied field
- G02F1/1685—Operation of cells; Circuit arrangements affecting the entire cell
Definitions
- the invention relates to an optically active glazing, the transmission, diffusion, reflection and / or color characteristics of which are variable in a controlled manner.
- Glazing of this type can be used in particular in the automotive industry and in construction and have other applications, very diverse and numerous.
- Glazing has already been proposed using direct electrical effects such as electrochromic effects, but which have not made it possible to obtain the expected results.
- Other known systems are based on electrooptical effects of liquid crystals and are complex and expensive.
- the invention particularly aims an active glazing which does not have these drawbacks and which is simple, inexpensive and very reliable over a long period of time.
- it offers optically active glazing, the optical characteristics of transmission, diffusion, reflection and / or color of which are variable in a controlled manner, characterized in that it comprises two plates of material such as for example glass or the like, parallel and delimiting between them a closed volume, a fluid contained in said volume between the plates, a suspension of dielectric particles in the fluid, and controlled means for applying electric field gradients to said particles, allowing by action of dielectrophoretic forces and by interactions between particles to move and organize them in directions parallel or perpendicular to the plates.
- the invention is therefore based on the controlled movement of dielectric particles suspended in a fluid.
- uncharged particles are displaced by an electric field gradient which acts on the electric dipole of the particles (dielectrophoretic effect) and they are brought together or agglomerated by interactions between particles leading to electro-rheological properties.
- the use of non-electrically charged particles makes it possible to avoid the problems of charge stability inherent in electrophoretic systems.
- the aggregation of the particles makes it possible to store them in zones chosen between the plates in order to obtain overall optical effects, for example coloring or high contrast transmission. By modifying the electric field gradients applied to the particles, these particles can be separated and reorganized into other zones between the plates, to modify the overall optical effect and alternately obtain a display and suppress the display.
- the means for applying electric field gradients comprise electrodes placed in said volume, and means for connecting these electrodes to a power supply.
- the electrodes can be arranged in any configuration desired to obtain the desired optical effects. They can be formed on the plates by various means, for example by deposition and etching, by ink jet, by stamping or others.
- Electrodes can be either opaque or semi-transparent depending on the desired effects.
- each plate carries at least two groups of electrodes.
- the particles suspended in the fluid can be of very diverse types and can be made of any dielectric material depending on the desired optical effects and the required dielectric properties. They typically have dimensions between 10 nm and 50 ⁇ m and can be of simple or composite structure based on inorganic or organic materials, polymers, dyes, metals, etc.
- the fluid used is preferably a dielectric or weakly electroconductive liquid, for example water or a silicone oil, having dielectric properties and a viscosity selected according to the desired effects.
- the power supply can be direct current, or alternating current of fixed or variable frequency.
- the volume between the plates is partitioned into a plurality of small volumes separated in a substantially leaktight manner from each other, to avoid the effects of long-distance sedimentation which would prevent short-distance movements under the effect of dielectrophoretic forces and interactions.
- These small volumes typically have dimensions of between a few ⁇ m and 1 cm.
- the partitions are made of any dielectric material, for example glass or polymer and are formed by any suitable means, for example by stamping or the like.
- the glazing plates are identical or not and are made of any suitable material, in particular glass or plastic.
- One of the plates may be transparent and the other opaque, for example metallic, in the case of operation in reflection.
- the invention is applicable to active glazing as well as passive (non-emissive) displays.
- FIG. 1 is a partial enlarged schematic view, in cross section, of a glazing according to the invention
- Figure 2 is a top view of an elementary cell of the glazing
- - Figures 3, 4 and 5 are schematic partial views illustrating modes of operation of a glazing according to the invention.
- the glazing unit of FIG. 1 comprises two plates 10, 12 of a transparent dielectric material such as glass or a plastic material, which are parallel and separated by a small distance, for example between approximately 0.01 and 1 mm, these two plates 10, 12 being identical or different from each other.
- the internal volume defined between these plates is divided into a plurality of small independent volumes or elementary cells 14 separated in a substantially sealed manner by partitions 6 made of dielectric materials, for example plastic.
- the elementary cells 14 are filled with a fluid, preferably a dielectric or weakly electroconductive liquid 18, which contains a suspension of identical or different particles 20 of dielectric material, these particles having a size of between 0.01 and
- the facing faces of the plates 10, 12 carry electrodes 22, 24 which are for example of the same kind and arranged face to face as shown in FIG. 1, but which can be different or arranged in an offset manner in certain areas of the glazing or in some achievements.
- These electrodes are made of a suitable electroconductive material and have dimensions (thickness, width) which are typically between 1 ⁇ m and a few mm approximately. They have any desired configuration (threads, ribbons, combs, etc.). They are formed on the plates 10, 12 by any appropriate means (deposition and engraving, inkjet, stamping, etc.).
- the power supply means 26 may be direct or alternating current at variable frequency. Typically, the supply voltages are between 0.5 and 500 V and the frequency is between 0 and 1
- the particles 20 all move in the same direction in the absence of convection movements of the fluid with different speeds depending on their nature and size, and with thresholds different (value of the electric field from which the particles begin to move). If certain particles contained in the fluid are not electrically neutral, an electrophoretic effect depending on the polarities of the charge and the electric field is added to the aforementioned dielectrophoretic and interaction effects.
- the particles can move in different directions according to their nature and their size, according to the frequency of the current because of the frequency dependence of the factor of Clausius osotti which gives the effective dipole of a particle immersed in a dielectric fluid (see for example Figure 4 of the article by NG Green and H. Morgan in J. Phys. D; Appl. Phys. 31, 1998, L25-L30). If certain particles contained in the fluid are electrically charged, no electrophoretic effect is added to the dielectrophoretic effect.
- the electrodes 22, 24 can be opaque or semi-transparent.
- the fluid (liquid) 18 can be transparent or colored, depending on the applications.
- the particles 20 can be identical or not, they have the same color or different colors and optical characteristics of transmission, reflection and diffusion which are selected according to the applications. They can also be subjected to specific treatments intended to make them independent of each other or on the contrary to promote their agglutination. Finally, it is possible to add charged particles to the dielectric particles suspended in the fluid.
- the electrodes of each plate are formed by combs 22, 23 and 24, 25 respectively nested in each other, the electrodes of two nested combs can be at electrical voltages of identical polarities or opposite.
- the sets of electrodes 22, 23, 24, 25 may be the same or different.
- the electrodes 22, 23, 24, 25 may differ from one another by their natures, their shapes, their dimensions, their locations and / or by the polarities of the electrical voltages which are applied to them.
- FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 Three possible operating modes of active glazing according to the invention are shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5.
- the electrodes 22, 23, 24, 25 of the plates 10, 12 are identical and transversely aligned from one plate to another, the distances between the electrodes formed on the same plate being greater than the widths of the electrodes.
- particles 20 suspended in the fluid are dispersed more or less uniformly and randomly between the plates on the light path and give an overall optical effect which is determined by their nature and their properties (the glazing being for example generally reflective when the particles 20 have reflective properties, or more or less opaque in the case of non-reflective particles).
- the particles 20 are collected between the aligned electrodes of opposite polarity and form webs 30 between these electrodes as shown, the webs 30 being perpendicular to the plates.
- the particles release most of the volume between the plates and an overall "transparent" effect (or the color of the fluid 18 in which the particles are in suspension) is obtained, the particles being collected and kept out of the way. light passing through the plates 10, 12.
- each electrode 22 and 23 of the plate 10 are electrically supplied and each electrode 22 has a polarity opposite to that of the two neighboring electrodes 23. It then forms webs of particles between the electrodes 22 and 23, these webs being parallel to the plate 10, and the overall effect obtained is due to the optical properties of the particles (reflective or opaque appearance for example), the particles being collected and kept in the path of light.
- the electrodes 24, 25 are supplied in the same way as the electrodes 22, 23 and when the electrodes 24 which are opposite the electrodes 22 have a voltage of the same polarity as these electrodes 22, it also forms particle webs between the electrodes 24, 25 along the plate 12.
- the arrangement and the supply of the electrodes 22, 23, 24, 25 correspond to those described with reference to FIG. 3, but the width of the electrodes is greater than the distance between electrodes formed on the same plate.
- dense layers 34 of particles are formed between the electrodes opposite the two plates, with an overall effect which is for example more or less opaque or reflecting or diffusing depending on the nature of the particles.
- the width of the electrodes this width possibly further varying from one zone to another in the glazing. In this case, the electrodes are semi-transparent.
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Nonlinear Science (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Optics & Photonics (AREA)
- Electrochromic Elements, Electrophoresis, Or Variable Reflection Or Absorption Elements (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
FR0209460 | 2002-07-25 | ||
FR0209460A FR2842916B1 (en) | 2002-07-25 | 2002-07-25 | OPTICALLY ACTIVE GLAZING |
PCT/FR2003/002269 WO2004012000A1 (en) | 2002-07-25 | 2003-07-17 | Optically active glazing |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1535110A1 true EP1535110A1 (en) | 2005-06-01 |
Family
ID=30011487
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP03756496A Pending EP1535110A1 (en) | 2002-07-25 | 2003-07-17 | Optically active glazing |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1535110A1 (en) |
AU (1) | AU2003281724A1 (en) |
FR (1) | FR2842916B1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2004012000A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2006103605A1 (en) * | 2005-04-01 | 2006-10-05 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. | Method of manufacturing an electrophoretic display device and an electrophoretic display device |
FR2894689B1 (en) * | 2005-12-09 | 2008-10-17 | Genewave Soc Par Actions Simpl | COLOR DISPLAY DEVICE |
US8896905B2 (en) | 2008-06-17 | 2014-11-25 | Koninklijke Philips N.V. | Appearance-modifying device, and method for operating such a device |
CN107272294B (en) * | 2017-07-10 | 2020-08-18 | 华南师范大学 | Electric control intelligent window, preparation method and light adjusting method |
CN108681178B (en) * | 2018-06-29 | 2021-11-16 | 上海天马微电子有限公司 | Electronic paper display panel, manufacturing method thereof and electronic paper display device |
NL2022504B1 (en) | 2019-02-04 | 2020-08-19 | Elstar Dynamics Patents B V | Improved optical modulator |
TW202307541A (en) * | 2021-06-24 | 2023-02-16 | 荷蘭商艾爾星動力學專利公司 | Light modulator, substrate comprising electrodes and smart glazing |
Family Cites Families (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6124851A (en) * | 1995-07-20 | 2000-09-26 | E Ink Corporation | Electronic book with multiple page displays |
US6120588A (en) * | 1996-07-19 | 2000-09-19 | E Ink Corporation | Electronically addressable microencapsulated ink and display thereof |
DE69925588T2 (en) * | 1998-04-10 | 2005-10-27 | E-Ink Corp., Cambridge | MULTILAYER REFLECTIVE DISPLAY DEVICE WITH POLYCHROMATIC SUBPIXLES |
US6241921B1 (en) * | 1998-05-15 | 2001-06-05 | Massachusetts Institute Of Technology | Heterogeneous display elements and methods for their fabrication |
-
2002
- 2002-07-25 FR FR0209460A patent/FR2842916B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2003
- 2003-07-17 AU AU2003281724A patent/AU2003281724A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2003-07-17 WO PCT/FR2003/002269 patent/WO2004012000A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 2003-07-17 EP EP03756496A patent/EP1535110A1/en active Pending
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
See references of WO2004012000A1 * |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2004012000A1 (en) | 2004-02-05 |
FR2842916B1 (en) | 2004-12-03 |
AU2003281724A1 (en) | 2004-02-16 |
FR2842916A1 (en) | 2004-01-30 |
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Legal Events
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PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
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17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 20050119 |
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AK | Designated contracting states |
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RIN1 | Information on inventor provided before grant (corrected) |
Inventor name: WEN, WEIJA Inventor name: SHENG, PING Inventor name: WEISBUCH, CLAUDE Inventor name: GE, WEIKUN Inventor name: CHAN, CHE TING |
|
D18D | Application deemed to be withdrawn (deleted) | ||
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN |
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18D | Application deemed to be withdrawn |
Effective date: 20100202 |