JP2005133357A - Automatic dimming control device for automatic dimming glass - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic dimming control device for automatic dimming glass which controls dimming of the dimming glass, based on a control pattern, at every each season and every area, according to generated voltage by sunlight. <P>SOLUTION: The automatic dimming control device for the automatic dimming glass formed of a transparent solar battery 1 and liquid crystal glass 2, is comprised of a voltage adjusting section 4 for adjusting impressed voltage to the liquid crystal glass 2; a transmitted light quantity control section 5 for controlling the transmitted light quantity through the liquid crystal glass 2 according to the generated voltage by the solar battery 1; a set motion storage section 6 for storing therein calendar information, local information, control pattern information, etc.; and a setting and operating section 7 equipped with a control panel 7-1 etc. Then the setting and operating section 7 is set by the operator by operating the control panel 7-1 etc. to read information corresponding to a desired operational circumstance from the set operation storage section 6, and the output voltage of the voltage adjusting section 4 is adjusted by the transmitted light quantity control section 5, based on the information and input voltage of the solar battery, followed by impressing the adjusted voltage, to thereby control the transmitted light quantity of the liquid crystal glass 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic light control device for automatic light control glass composed of a liquid crystal glass and a transparent solar cell.

  Liquid crystal is sealed in a minute interval between two transparent glass plates, and a voltage generated by a solar cell is applied to a thin film-like transparent electrode formed on the inner surface of each glass plate, and this applied voltage is appropriately controlled. There has been proposed a light control glass window utilizing the fact that the transparency of the liquid crystal changes due to (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In addition, a transparent solar cell that generates power using ultraviolet light of sunlight and transmits visible light and infrared light has been proposed (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

JP-A-8-184273 "Successful trial production of transparent solar cell" (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, press release on June 25, 2003)

However, the light control glass itself of Patent Document 1 is not integrated with the light control glass because the solar cell that generates the applied voltage for controlling the transparency thereof is not integrated with the light control glass. The light control of the light control glass is controlled by a control circuit that uses the power generation voltage of the solar cell disposed there as a control power supply according to the amount of incident light of the specific part. ing.
In other words, depending on the amount of sunlight incident on a specific part of the light control glass window that is different from the light control glass, the light control of the entire part of the light control glass or a part of the divided section is different from the specific part. Therefore, it cannot be said that fine dimming control according to the amount of light incident on the dimming glass of the portion to be dimmed can be performed.

In view of the above points, the present invention provides dimming control over the entire surface of the dimming glass and / or the divided sections according to the amount of sunlight incident on the portion of the dimming glass to be dimmed. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic light control device for glass for automatic light control.
In addition to the above, another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic dimming control device for glass for automatic dimming that can be adjusted for each season and / or region and / or according to a desired control pattern.

  In order to achieve the above object, an automatic light control device for glass for automatic light control according to the present invention includes a transparent solar cell 1 that generates power by receiving sunlight, and a liquid crystal glass 2 in which the amount of transmitted light changes according to the applied voltage. An automatic dimming control device for glass for automatic dimming comprising: a voltage adjusting unit for receiving a power generation voltage of the solar cell and adjusting a voltage applied to the liquid crystal glass; and a power generation voltage of the solar cell. It consists of a transmitted light amount control unit that controls the transmitted light amount of the liquid crystal glass, a setting operation storage unit that stores calendar information, area information, control pattern information, the type of automatic light control glass, and a setting operation unit that includes an operation panel. Further, the setting operation unit is set by the operation panel, information corresponding to a desired operation state is read from the setting operation storage unit, and the transmitted light amount control unit is operated based on this information and the input voltage from the solar cell. To adjust the output voltage of the adjusting unit, characterized in that so as to control the amount of light transmitted through the liquid crystal glass by applying the adjusted voltage.

  In the above, the setting operation unit includes a remote control unit that is operated by a remote controller and performs the setting operation.

  In each of the above, the setting operation unit includes a mobile phone communication setting unit that is operated by a mobile phone and performs the setting operation.

  Furthermore, in each of the above, an automatic light control glass composed of the above-described solar cell and liquid crystal glass divided into an arbitrary number of sections vertically or horizontally or vertically and horizontally or obliquely or by a pattern, The amount of transmitted light is collectively adjusted according to the generated voltage of the entire solar cell, or the amount of transmitted light of the liquid crystal glass of each section is adjusted according to the generated voltage of the solar cell of each section. .

  Furthermore, in each of the above, the amount of light transmitted through the liquid crystal glass is adjusted every season and / or every region and / or by a desired control pattern.

According to the present invention, the dimming control is performed on the entire surface of the dimming glass and / or the divided sections in accordance with the amount of sunlight incident on the portion of the dimming glass to be dimmed. The light control can be finely controlled according to the amount of light incident on the light control glass of the part to be controlled.
Further, since the amount of light transmitted through the light control glass can be adjusted for each season and / or region and / or according to a desired control pattern, finer light control can be performed.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described based on an embodiment with reference to the drawings.

1 is a block diagram of a configuration of an automatic light control device for glass for automatic light control according to a first embodiment.
The glass for automatic light control, which is the subject of the present invention, is a transparent solar cell 1 and a liquid crystal glass 2 that are integrated, and the glass that is sandwiched by transparent glass from both sides as it is or is transparent. The solar cell 1 is arranged so as to be closer to the incident side of the sunlight 3 than the liquid crystal glass 2, and is used as, for example, a window glass.
The liquid crystal glass is not limited to a single plate that is not divided into small sections, and has a transparent solar cell and liquid crystal glass that are divided into an arbitrary number of small sections in the upper, lower, upper, lower, left and right directions. A transparent solar cell having a transparent divided electrode for each compartment is composed of a divided solar cell formed at a position facing each transparent divided electrode of liquid crystal glass, and the one assembled into a single plate is also an object. As for the thing, the whole is controlled as one unit, but the latter can be controlled by setting operation as one unit as a unit or as a partition unit.

As disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, the transparent solar cell 1 generates power using ultraviolet light in sunlight and transmits visible light and infrared light. Although it is low, it is considered that a sufficient voltage can be obtained to control the amount of light transmitted through the liquid crystal glass because the light receiving area is wide.
The liquid crystal glass 2 changes the amount of transmitted light in accordance with the voltage applied to a thin film-like transparent electrode formed on the inner surfaces of two transparent glass plates enclosing liquid crystals.

  There are two types of liquid crystal glass. One is that the liquid crystal is kept transparent when no voltage is applied between the electrodes, the liquid crystal becomes opaque when a voltage is applied between the electrodes, and the voltage applied is The degree of opacity changes depending on the size (so-called normal white, TN liquid crystal is used), and the second is liquid crystal when a voltage is applied between the electrodes, contrary to the above. Is kept transparent and the liquid crystal becomes opaque when no voltage is applied between the electrodes, and the degree of opacity changes depending on the magnitude of the applied voltage (so-called normal black, polymer dispersed liquid crystal Are used depending on the application.

That is, for example, when the incident light from the glass window is small, it is left transparent, and when it is desired to block the incident light by increasing the degree of opacity as the incident light becomes stronger, the first liquid crystal Glass is used, and when the sunlight is strong, the amount of transmitted light can be automatically adjusted according to the strength.
On the other hand, when the outside is bright, it is made transparent so that it is taken from the glass window, and when the outside becomes dark and it is desired to block the line of sight from the outside, the second liquid crystal glass is used. This is a substitute for a curtain that opens during the day and closes after the evening and does not need to be opened and closed like a curtain.

In either case, the voltage applied between the electrodes uses the power generation voltage obtained from the transparent solar cell, but the power generation voltage of the solar cell is the amount of light (in the case of a transparent solar cell, the amount of ultraviolet light). (That is, the generated voltage is large if the amount of incident light is large, and the generated voltage is small if the amount of incident light is small). it can.
Hereinafter, an automatic dimming control device for automatic dimming glass composed of normal white liquid crystal glass using TN liquid crystal and a transparent solar cell will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic light control device for the automatic light control glass of the present invention receives the voltage generated by the transparent solar cell 1 in response to sunlight 3, and supplies the liquid crystal glass 2 with the voltage. Voltage adjustment unit 4 that adjusts the applied voltage, transmitted light amount control unit 5 that controls the transmitted light amount of the liquid crystal glass according to the generated voltage of the solar cell, and calendar information, area information, control pattern information, and types of glass for automatic light control It includes a setting operation storage unit 6 for storing (one sheet or divided into small sections) and the like, and a setting operation unit 7 having a manual operation panel.

The setting operation storage unit 6 stores calendar information, area information, control pattern information, automatic dimming glass type (single plate, how it is divided into small sections, and the like). .
Among them, the calendar information is the date or season for one year, and the regional information is a representative regional name in the country where the automatic light control glass is installed.
The control pattern information includes, for example, (1) a pattern that simply controls the amount of transmitted light when a voltage is generated in the solar cell, and (2) a control pattern that maintains a transparent state even when a voltage is generated in the solar cell ( (For example, the light is not dimmed in winter.), (3) Control pattern for dimming control only during the day when the sun is strong (leave it transparent during other times), (4) In the evening, the light is transparent. Control pattern to be returned (for example, in Hokkaido, it returns to the transparent state early in the summer), and the solar cell and liquid crystal glass are divided vertically, horizontally, vertically, horizontally, diagonally, or by a pattern. In the case of the glass for automatic light control comprising: (5) a control pattern for light control in order from the upper part or from the lower part; and (6) a control pattern for light control in order from the left part or from the right part; Heels Dimming control pattern and (8) Dimming control pattern from the upper left corner or diagonally upward from the lower right part, Diagonal control from the upper right part or diagonally downward from the lower left part and (9) Division It is information such as a control pattern for dimming the entire liquid crystal as a unit, and (10) a control pattern for dimming the pattern, rather than individually dimming the liquid crystal glass.

These control patterns are not only selected independently, but a plurality of control patterns can be selected, thereby forming a control pattern in which a plurality of control patterns are combined.
For example, if the above (2) and (9) are selected, even if voltage is generated in the entire divided transparent solar cell, the divided liquid crystal glass is controlled to be transparent, and (3) and (9) are selected. Then, even if a voltage is generated in the entire divided transparent solar cell, the control pattern is such that the dimming control is performed only during the day when the sunlight is strong.

When the information is selected as desired by the operation panel 7-1, the information is read from the setting operation storage unit 6 via the setting operation unit 7 and input to the transmitted light amount control unit 5.
The transmitted light amount control unit 5 is constituted by a microcomputer, and an input voltage from the transparent solar cell 1 (or transparent divided solar cell) (this input voltage becomes a power source of the microcomputer, and thereby the transmitted light amount is determined. ) And the above input information, the voltage adjusting unit 4 is controlled to apply a voltage according to the selected control pattern to be applied to the liquid crystal glass 2.
The voltage adjusting unit 4 receives the voltage from the solar cell 1 through the power receiving terminals 4-1 and 4-2, adjusts the voltage according to the above control, and outputs the voltage through the output terminals 4-3 and 4-4. Applied to the liquid crystal glass 2.
Thereby, the amount of light transmitted through the liquid crystal glass 2 is controlled according to the applied voltage.

  In the first embodiment, the setting operation unit 7 is operated by the operation panel 7-1. However, the second embodiment can be operated by a remote controller (remote controller) 7-3 in addition to this. For this purpose, a remote control unit 7-2 is provided. Others are the same as in the first embodiment.

  In addition to these, the third embodiment further includes a mobile phone communication setting unit 7-4 so that the setting operation unit 7 can be operated by the mobile phone 7-5. Same as 2.

It is a block diagram of the structure of the automatic light control apparatus of the glass for automatic light control.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Transparent solar cell 2 Liquid crystal glass 3 Sunlight 4 Voltage adjustment part 4-1, 4-2 Power receiving terminal 4-3, 4-4 Output terminal 5 Transmitted light quantity control part 6 Setting operation | movement memory | storage part 7 Setting operation part 7-1 Operation Panel 7-2 Remote Control Unit 7-3 Remote Control Unit 7-4 Mobile Phone Communication Setting Unit 7-5 Mobile Phone

Claims (5)

An automatic light control device for glass for automatic light control, comprising a transparent solar cell that generates power by receiving sunlight and a liquid crystal glass whose transmitted light amount changes according to applied voltage, and receives the power generation voltage of the solar cell. A voltage adjusting unit that adjusts the voltage applied to the liquid crystal glass, a transmitted light amount control unit that controls the transmitted light amount of the liquid crystal glass according to the generated voltage of the solar cell, and calendar information, area information, control pattern information, and automatic light control. It consists of a setting operation storage unit that stores the type of glass and the like and a setting operation unit that includes an operation panel.
Further, the setting operation unit is set by the operation panel, and information corresponding to a desired operation state is read from the setting operation storage unit. Based on this information and the input voltage from the solar battery, the transmitted light amount control unit outputs the voltage adjustment unit. The voltage was adjusted, and this adjusted voltage was applied to control the amount of light transmitted through the liquid crystal glass.
An automatic light control device for glass for automatic light control, characterized in that.   The automatic dimming control device for glass for automatic dimming according to claim 1, further comprising a remote control unit for performing the setting operation by operating the setting operation unit with a remote controller.   The automatic dimming control device for glass for automatic dimming according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a mobile phone communication setting unit that performs the above setting operation when the setting operation unit is operated by a mobile phone.   Auto-dimming glass consisting of the above solar cell and liquid crystal glass divided into an arbitrary number of sections vertically or horizontally or vertically or horizontally or diagonally, or by a pattern, The amount of light transmitted through the liquid crystal glass in each section can be adjusted in a batch according to the power generation voltage of the battery, or in accordance with the power generation voltage of the solar battery in each section. The automatic light control apparatus of the glass for automatic light control of Claim 2 or Claim 3. The transmitted light amount of the liquid crystal glass is adjusted for each season and / or each region and / or according to a desired control pattern, according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Automatic light control device for automatic light control glass.

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