JP2017090847A - Light control system, vehicle, method of driving light control film - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce manipulating uneasiness caused by directional variation in transmittance-related properties.SOLUTION: A light control system (1) is designed to control light by having a controller 7 control transmittances of light control films 5F, 5R. Each of the light control films 5F, 5R comprises a liquid crystal layer sandwiched by first and second laminates, each having at least an alignment layer, and is configured such that the transmittance thereof changes with variation of voltage applied to electrodes provided in the first laminate and/or second laminate. The controller 7 responds to manipulation of a manipulation unit by a user by setting the applied voltages in accordance with a position of the user relative to the light control films 5F, 5R to control the transmittances of the light control films 5F, 5R.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a light control system using a light control film that is attached to a window or the like of a passenger car to control the transmission of extraneous light.

  Conventionally, for example, various devices relating to a light control film that is attached to a window to control the transmission of external light have been proposed (Patent Documents 1 and 2). One such light control film uses liquid crystal. The light control film using the liquid crystal is produced by sandwiching a liquid crystal material with a transparent film material on which a transparent electrode is produced, and producing the liquid crystal cell with a linear polarizing plate. As a result, in this light control film, the orientation of the liquid crystal is changed by changing the electric field applied to the liquid crystal, thereby blocking or transmitting the extraneous light, and further changing the amount of transmitted light. To control.

  It is considered that such a light control film can be used for controlling incident light by applying it to a sunroof, which is a translucent part for incident external light provided on the roof of a vehicle, for example. However, this type of light control film is characterized in that the characteristics relating to transmittance vary greatly depending on the direction. As a result, when the light control film is applied to the sunroof of the vehicle for light control, there is a problem that the operation related to the light control is remarkably uncomfortable depending on the seating position of the passenger.

  In other words, due to the change in the direction of the characteristics related to the transmittance, the transmittance of the light control film changes with a relatively low applied voltage with respect to the incident light in a specific direction. For light, the transmittance changes at a relatively high applied voltage. Thus, by setting the characteristic that the transmittance changes at a relatively low applied voltage in this specific direction, if the light control film is operated from the direction in which the transmittance changes at a high applied voltage, the applied voltage can be increased. At the beginning, the transmittance does not change, and the operation is remarkably uncomfortable. On the other hand, when the light control film is operated from the direction in which the transmittance changes at a relatively low applied voltage by setting the characteristic that the transmittance changes at a high applied voltage in this different direction, When the voltage is increased, the transmittance changes abruptly, and in this case, the operation is remarkably uncomfortable.

  In addition, the change due to the direction of the characteristic regarding the transmittance not only differs in the starting voltage of the change in transmittance in this way, but also varies in the amount of change in the transmittance with respect to the change in the applied voltage. You will feel uncomfortable with the operation.

JP 03-47392 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-184273

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to reduce a sense of incongruity in operation caused by a change in the direction of characteristics relating to transmittance.

  The inventor has conducted extensive research to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has come up with the idea that the light control film is driven according to the user's position with respect to the light control film, thereby completing the present invention. .

  Specifically, the present invention provides the following.

(1) In a light control system that controls light by controlling the transmittance of the light control film with a controller,
The light control film is
The liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the first and second laminates having at least an alignment layer, and the transmittance is changed by varying the voltage applied to the electrodes provided in the first and / or second laminate,
The controller is
By the operation of the operation unit by the user, the applied voltage is set according to the position of the user with respect to the light control film to control the transmittance of the light control film.

  According to (1), the light control is performed by setting the applied voltage and controlling the transmittance of the light control film according to the position of the user with respect to the light control film by the operation of the operation unit by the user. The light control film can be driven with the characteristic according to the position of the user with respect to the film, and thereby, the uncomfortable feeling of operation due to the change in the direction of the characteristic regarding the transmittance can be reduced.

(2) In (1),
The controller is
A light control system that records and holds information on characteristics relating to the transmittance of the light control film, and sets the applied voltage based on the information on the characteristics recorded and held.

  According to (2), the light control film can be driven with the characteristics according to the position of the user with respect to the light control film by a more specific configuration, and the operation caused by the change in the direction of the characteristics regarding the transmittance can thereby be achieved. A sense of incongruity can be reduced. In addition, the characteristic information about the transmittance is recorded by a large number of samples as in the case where the characteristic information about the transmittance is recorded with an applied voltage having a gradation of 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, and 0%. In this way, gradation can be detected with high accuracy, the applied voltage can be set, and the uncomfortable feeling of operation can be further reduced.

(3) In a vehicle in which a light control film is disposed in a light transmitting portion provided on a roof, and the incident light to the vehicle is controlled by controlling the transmittance of the light control film,
The light control film is
The liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the first and second laminates having at least an alignment layer, and the transmittance is changed by varying the voltage applied to the electrodes provided in the first and / or second laminate,
The vehicle is
An operation unit for instructing control of the incident light;
A controller that controls the transmittance of the light control film by setting the applied voltage by operating the operation unit;
The controller is
The vehicle which sets the said applied voltage by operation of the said operation part according to the position of the passenger who operates the said operation part with respect to the said light control film.

  (3) Driving the light control film with the characteristics according to the position of the user with respect to the light control film by setting the applied voltage by operating the operation part according to the position of the passenger operating the operation part with respect to the light control film Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the uncomfortable feeling of the operation caused by the change in the direction of the characteristic regarding the transmittance.

(4) In (3),
The controller is
A vehicle that records and holds information on characteristics relating to the transmittance of the light control film, and sets the applied voltage based on the information on the characteristics recorded and held.

  According to (4), the light control film can be driven with the characteristics according to the position of the user with respect to the light control film by a more specific configuration, and thereby the operation caused by the change in the direction of the characteristics regarding the transmittance. A sense of incongruity can be reduced. In addition, the characteristic information about the transmittance is recorded by a large number of samples as in the case where the characteristic information about the transmittance is recorded with an applied voltage having a gradation of 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, and 0%. In this way, gradation can be detected with high accuracy, the applied voltage can be set, and the uncomfortable feeling of operation can be further reduced.

(5) In (3) or (4),
The controller is
A vehicle in which the applied voltage is set by an operation of the operation unit according to at least a tilt of a driver seat and / or a passenger seat.

According to (5)
For example, the light can be adjusted from the driver's seat and front passenger seat only when the seat is tilted and the ceiling is looked up, thereby further improving the usability.

(6) In any of (3), (4), and (5),
The light control film is
It is divided into a plurality of regions where the applied voltage can be set individually,
The controller is
A vehicle that sets the applied voltage for each region.

  According to (6), the applied voltage is set according to the position of the user with respect to the light control film for each region having a different direction related to the user, and further for each region having different characteristics relating to the transmittance. The transmittance can be controlled, and the uncomfortable feeling of operation can be further reduced.

(7) The liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the first and second laminates including at least the alignment layer, and the transmittance is changed by varying the voltage applied to the electrodes provided in the first and second laminates. In the driving method of the light control film which changes,
A method for driving a light control system, wherein the applied voltage is set according to a position of the user with respect to the light control film and a transmittance of the light control film is controlled by an operation of an operation unit by a user.

  According to (7), by the operation of the operation unit by the user, by setting the applied voltage and controlling the transmittance of the light control film according to the position of the user with respect to the light control film, The light control film can be driven by the characteristic according to the position, and thereby, the uncomfortable feeling of the operation caused by the change in the characteristic direction regarding the transmittance can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce a sense of incongruity in operation caused by a change in the direction of characteristics related to transmittance.

It is a figure which shows the light control system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the light control film which concerns on the light control system of FIG. It is a figure where it uses for description of the characteristic of the light control film of the front seat side in the light control system of FIG. It is a figure where it uses for description of the characteristic of the light control film of the rear seat side in the light control system of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the controller in the light modulation system of FIG. It is a figure where it uses for description of the light control system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

[First Embodiment]
〔vehicle〕
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle to which a light control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. The vehicle 1 is configured to be able to board a driver's seat 2A, a passenger seat 2B, and a rear seat 2C, and is configured to be able to board three people in the rear seat 2C. In the following, the left and right and center seating positions of the rear seat 2C for the three persons are indicated by reference numerals 2CL, 2CR, and 2CC, respectively. This vehicle 1 is provided with sunroofs 4F and 4R at the upper part of the front seat by the driver's seat 2A and the passenger seat 2B and at the upper part of the rear seat 2C, respectively. Here, the sun rules 4F and 4R are light-transmitting portions for incident external light provided on the roof of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the light control films 5F and 5R are provided in the light-transmitting portions that are the sun rules 4F and 4R, respectively. Pasted and held.

  Further, the vehicle 1 has operation units 6A, 6B, 6CL, 6CR, 6CC for adjusting the transmittance of the light control films 5F, 5R to the seating positions 2CL, 2CR, 2CC of the driver seat 2A, the passenger seat 2B, and the rear seat 2C. Is provided. In the vehicle 1, the operation of the operation units 6A, 6B, 6CL, 6CR, and 6CC is detected by the controller 7, and the drive voltage of the light control films 5F and 5R is changed by the controller 7, thereby adjusting the light by the operation of each passenger. It is comprised so that it can plan. More specifically, the operation units 6A, 6B, 6CL, and 6CR are provided on the inner side and the armrest of the front seat and the rear seat, respectively, thereby boarding the left and right sides of the driver seat 2A, the passenger seat 2B, and the rear seat 2C, respectively. It is configured so that the passenger can perform a dedicated operation. On the other hand, the operation unit 6CC is provided on the rear seat side of the console box, and is arranged so that a passenger in the center of the rear seat can operate exclusively. As described above, by providing the operation units 6A, 6B, 6CL, 6CR, and 6CC exclusively for each passenger, in this embodiment, any boarding is performed by the operated operation units 6A, 6B, 6CL, 6CR, and 6CC. It is configured to detect whether the passenger at the position has operated the operation unit.

  The controller 7 drives the light control films 5F and 5R according to the characteristics corresponding to the boarding position of the user who instructs the light control films 5F and 5R by operating the operation units 6A, 6B, 6CL, 6CR, and 6CC. To do. Thereby, in the light control system which concerns on this vehicle 1, the discomfort of operation resulting from the change by the direction of the characteristic regarding the transmittance | permeability is fully reduced, and usability is improved.

  The vehicle 1 is provided with sensors 7A and 7B for detecting the tilt of the seats in the driver seat 2A and the passenger seat 2B, and the controller 7 detects the seats of the driver seat 2A and the passenger seat 2B detected by the sensors 7A and 7B. Also, the control of the light control film 5R on the rear seat side can be changed by the inclination of the rear seat, thereby further improving the usability.

[Light control film]
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a light control film. The light control films 5F and 5R are light control films that control transmitted light using liquid crystals, and are respectively formed by a lower laminate 13 and an upper laminate 12 that are first and second laminates having a film shape. A liquid crystal cell 15 is produced by sandwiching a liquid crystal material, and the liquid crystal cell 15 is produced by sandwiching the liquid crystal cell 15 by linearly polarizing plates 16 and 17. Here, the liquid crystal cell 15 is a liquid crystal cell that drives the liquid crystal molecules 14 related to the liquid crystal layer 14A by a VA (Virtual Alignment) method, and the linear polarizing plates 16 and 17 are arranged in a crossed Nicols arrangement. Thus, in the lower laminate 13, the electrode 22A is formed on the base 21A, and the alignment layer 23A is subsequently provided. In the upper laminate 12, an electrode 22B and an alignment layer 23B are provided on a base material 21B. The linearly polarizing plates 16 and 17 may be arranged in parallel Nicol arrangement instead of crossed Nicol arrangement.

  The light control films 5F and 5R are provided with a spacer 24 in the upper laminate 12 and / or the lower laminate 13 for keeping the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 14A constant. The linear polarizing plates 16 and 17 are respectively provided with retardation films 18 and 19 for optical compensation on the liquid crystal cell 15 side. The retardation films 18 and 19 may be omitted as necessary. Accordingly, the light control films 5F and 5R control the transmission of incident light by changing the orientation direction of the liquid crystal molecules 14 related to the liquid crystal layer 14A by changing the voltage applied to the electrode 22, for example, a transmission state and a light shielding state. And is configured to switch states. In the light control films 5F and 5R, a protective layer such as a hard coat layer is provided on the surface of the linear polarizing plate 16 or 17 on the side opposite to the liquid crystal cell 15.

  In this embodiment, the light control films 5F and 5R are configured to drive the liquid crystal molecules 14 related to the liquid crystal layer 14A by the VA method, but the TN (Twisted Nematic) method, the IPS (In Place Switching) method. The present invention can be widely applied to the case of driving by the like.

  As the base materials 21A and 21B, various transparent film materials having flexibility applicable to the liquid crystal cell 15 can be applied. In this embodiment, a film such as a polycarbonate film in which a hard coat layer is formed on both surfaces. The material is applied. The electrodes 22A and 22B can widely apply various configurations that are perceived as transparent. More specifically, in this embodiment, the electrodes 22A and 22B are made of a transparent conductive film made of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), which is a transparent electrode material. .

  The alignment layers 23A and 23B are formed by applying various material layers applicable to the alignment layer such as polyimide and forming a fine line-shaped uneven shape on the surface of the material layer by rubbing using a rubbing roll. . Instead of the alignment layer formed by the rubbing process, the alignment layer may be formed by forming a fine line-shaped uneven shape formed by the rubbing process by the shaping process, or by using the photo-alignment layer. Good.

  Various liquid crystal materials applied to the VA liquid crystal display panel can be widely applied to the liquid crystal layer 14.

  The spacer 24 is made of a photoresist in this embodiment although various resin materials can be widely applied. In the liquid crystal cell 15, a sealing agent 25 is arranged in a frame shape surrounding the liquid crystal layer 14 </ b> A. The sealing agent 25 prevents leakage of liquid crystal related to the liquid crystal layer 14 </ b> A, and further, the upper laminate 12 and the lower laminate 13. Are held together. Here, as the sealing agent 25, various materials capable of preventing the liquid crystal from leaking and holding the upper laminated body 12 and the lower laminated body 13 together can be applied. In this embodiment, for example, an epoxy resin is used. A thermosetting resin by an agent, an ultraviolet curable resin by an acrylic resin agent, a curable resin cured by heat and ultraviolet rays, or the like is applied.

  The linear polarizing plates 16 and 17 are so-called sheet polarizers, and after impregnating polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with iodine or the like, an optical functional layer that performs an optical function as a polarizer is formed by stretching, and TAC ( The optical functional layer is sandwiched between base materials made of a transparent film material such as triacetyl cellulose).

[Change in transmittance in light control film]
Here, the linearly polarizing plates 16 and 17 are produced by processing a long transparent film material wound around a roll, whereby the width direction of the long shape or the longitudinal direction perpendicular thereto is absorbed. Axial direction. When the linearly polarizing plates 16 and 17 are cut out from the transparent film material having such a long shape by the rectangular shape according to the light control films 5F and 5R, the extending direction of the long side or the extending direction of the short side according to the rectangular shape is absorbed. The linearly polarizing plates 16 and 17 can be cut out so as to be in the axial direction, and the linearly polarizing plate can be cut out without waste. Thereby, in this embodiment, the light control films 5F and 5R are produced in a rectangular shape in plan view, and the extension direction of the long side according to the rectangular shape is the absorption axis direction (or transmission) of the linearly polarizing plate 16 or 17. The linear polarizing plate 17 or 16 is arranged so that the extending direction of the long side of the rectangular shape is the transmission axis direction (or absorption axis direction).

  Here, in the case where the linearly polarizing plates 16 and 17 are arranged in this way, in the driving by the VA method, as indicated by arrows A and B (FIG. 1), in the absorption axis direction of the linearly polarizing plates 16 and 17. On the other hand, the transmittance can be improved most by setting the liquid crystal molecules related to the liquid crystal layer 14 to be tilted by 45 degrees in an oblique direction by an electric field. Thereby, in this embodiment, the light control films 5F and 5R are formed such that liquid crystal molecules are tilted in a direction at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the absorption axis direction of the linearly polarizing plates 16 and 17 by application of an electric field. In this embodiment, the light control films 5F and 5R are arranged so that the direction of 45 degrees obliquely becomes the front side of the passenger seat from the driver seat.

  Here, when the light control films 5F and 5R are arranged by the VA method in this way, the characteristics regarding the transmittance are remarkably changed depending on the boarding position. FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are characteristic curve diagrams showing the change in transmittance depending on the direction related to the seating position for the light control films 5F and 5R on the front seat side and the rear seat side, respectively. 3 and 4 are the results of measuring the transmittance of the central part of the light control film, respectively, and the transmission of the azimuth angle and the dip angle in the exit direction of the occupant's eyes at each seating position. Indicates the rate. The vehicle used for the measurement was a wagon type passenger car with sunroofs in the front and rear seats, and dimming films 5F and 5R were arranged on the sunroofs in the front and rear seats of the passenger car. The transmittance was measured at the eye level of the passenger with the standard figure.

  In the light control film 5F on the front seat side, the transmittance L2A related to the direction of the driver's seat 2A starts to increase when the applied voltage to the light control film 5F increases to about 2V, and transmits when the applied voltage increases to about 6V. The rate increase is saturated. The transmittance for this saturation is 32%. On the other hand, the transmittances L2CL, L2CC, and L2CR related to the left side 2CL, the center 2CC, and the right side 2CR of the rear seat 2C increase the applied voltage to the light control film 5F to about 2V, similarly to the transmittance L2A of the driver seat 2A. Then, the increase starts. Among these, the transmittances L2CC and L2CR in the direction of the center 2CC and the right side 2CR of the rear seat 2C are saturated with the increase in transmittance when the applied voltage rises to about 6V. The change is almost the same as the transmittance L2A according to the direction. The transmittances related to this saturation are 30% and 24%, respectively. As a result, among these transmittances, the transmittance at the time of light transmission is highest in the transmittance L2A related to the driver seat 2A, in the order of the transmittance L2CC related to the center 2CC of the rear seat 2C and the transmittance L2CR related to the right 2CR. Get smaller.

  On the other hand, the transmittance L2CL of the left side 2CL of the rear seat 2C is once increased due to the increase in the applied voltage, and then decreases and stops changing. As a result, the transmittance L2CL is transmitted at an applied voltage of about 4V. The rate is the highest. Note that the maximum value of the transmittance L2CL is 30%, and the transmittance decreases to about 16% from the maximum value due to an increase in the applied voltage.

  On the other hand, the transmittance L2B related to the passenger seat 2B starts increasing when the applied voltage rises to about 5V, which is a higher voltage than the transmittance L2A related to the driver's seat 2A, and increases when the applied voltage is about 12V. Is saturated. The transmittance of the applied voltage 12V is 26%.

  As a result, in the center 2CC and the right side 2CR of the driver seat 2A and the rear seat 2C, the operation unit corresponding to the user in the range of 2V to 6V, which is the range of the applied voltage in which the applied voltage is increased from 0V and the transmittance increases monotonously. In response to the operation of 6A, 6CC, 6CR, the voltage applied to the light control film 5F can be varied, and the operation can be performed without a sense of incongruity.

  On the other hand, in the left side 2CL of the rear seat 2C, the applied voltage is changed by the user's operation in the same manner as the operation units 6A, 6CC, 6CR related to the driver seat 2A, the center 2CC of the rear seat 2C, and the right side 2CR. When the increased transmittance decreases at an applied voltage of 4 V or more, the user feels uncomfortable. In this case, the applied voltage can be varied in response to the operation of the operation unit in the range of the applied voltage 2V to 4V in which the applied voltage is increased from 0V and the transmittance monotonously increases, and the operation can be performed without a sense of incongruity.

  Similarly, in the operation unit 6B related to the passenger seat 2B, the applied voltage is changed similarly to the operation units 6A, 6CC and 6CR related to the center 2CC and the right side 2CR of the driver seat 2A and the rear seat 2C. In this case as well, in this case, the applied voltage is increased from 0V and applied to the light control film 5F by operating the corresponding operation unit 6B in the range of applied voltage 5-12V where the transmittance increases monotonously. It is necessary to change the voltage.

  On the other hand, in the dimming film 5R on the rear seat side, the dimming by the passenger in the rear seat 2C becomes a problem by not exclusively dimming from the driver seat 2A and the passenger seat 2B. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the transmittances L2CC and L2CR relating to the center 2CC and the right 2CR of the rear seat 2C start increasing when the applied voltage rises to about 2V, and transmit when the applied voltage rises to about 10V. The rate increase is saturated. Note that the transmittance during light transmission decreases in the order of the transmittance L2CC of the center 2CC of the rear seat 2C and the transmittance L2CR of the right 2CR. On the other hand, the transmittance L2CL relating to the left side 2CL of the rear seat 2C starts increasing when the applied voltage rises to about 5V, and stops increasing when the applied voltage increases to about 12V.

  As a result, similarly to the control of the light control film 5F, in the center 2CC and the right side 2CR of the rear seat 2C, the user increases the applied voltage from 0 V and increases the transmittance monotonously by operating the corresponding operation units 6CC and 6CR. The voltage applied to the light control film 5F can be varied in the range of the applied voltage 2V to 5V, and the light can be adjusted without giving a sense of discomfort to the user seated on the rear seat 2C. On the other hand, in the left side 2CL of the rear seat 2C, if the applied voltage is changed in the same manner as the operation parts 6CC and 6CR related to the center 2CC and the right side 2CR of the rear seat 2C, the user feels uncomfortable. It is necessary to vary the applied voltage to the light control film 5F in the range of the applied voltage of 5 to 12V where the applied voltage is increased from 0V by the operation of the operation unit 6B and the transmittance increases monotonously.

  In the light control film 5R on the rear seat side, the driver seat 2A and the passenger seat 2B normally do not perform light control, but it is also predicted that, for example, the vehicle is stopped and the seat is tilted backward to look up at the sky. . In such a case, the light control film 5R will be incident with extraneous light due to the transmittance L2C in the substantially upward direction. In this case, when the applied voltage rises to about 3V, the increase in transmittance starts. The increase in transmittance is saturated at an applied voltage of about 10V. Accordingly, when the operation sections 6A and 6B related to these seats are operated in a state where the driver's seat 2A and the passenger seat 2B are largely tilted, the monotonously increasing operation is performed in response to the operation of the operation sections 6A and 6B. It is desirable to vary the applied voltage within a range of 3 V to 10 V applied voltage.

  Accordingly, in this embodiment, the characteristics relating to the control of the light control films 5F and 5R are varied according to the operation unit operated by the user, and thereby the light control film is controlled by the characteristics corresponding to the position of the user who wants to control light. To drive.

[Control of light control film]
The controller 7 is a computer that drives the light control films 5F and 5R, and sets the applied voltage of the light control films 5F and 5R in response to the operation of the operation units 6A, 6B, 6CL, 6CR, and 6CC by the passenger. The transmittance of the light control films 5F and 5R is controlled.

  Here, in this embodiment, the operation units 6A, 6B, 6CL, 6CR, and 6CC include a switching operation element that switches a dimming target, an up operation element that relates to dimming, a down operation element that relates to dimming, and a dimming target. A display unit with a plurality of light emitting diodes for displaying the current gray scale of the display in a bar graph form is provided, and the controller 7 is a switching operation for switching the dimming target provided in the operation units 6A, 6B, 6CL, 6CR, and 6CC. The light control target is switched by the light control films 5F and 5R in response to the operation of the child. Further, the light control target is switched in this way, and the transmittance of the light control target is increased or decreased in response to the operation of the up operation element or the down operation element. For the driver's and passenger's seat operation units 6A and 6B, only when the driver's seat and passenger's seat are tilted based on the detection results of the corresponding sensors 7A and 7B, In response to the operation of the switching operation element for switching the dimming target in the units 6A and 6B, the rear seat side dimming film 5R is set as the dimming target, and the driver seat and the passenger seat operating unit 6A and 6B are up. The transmittance is varied in response to the operation of the down operation element. In addition, when the driver's seat and the passenger's seat are respectively tilted and the corresponding operation units 6A and 6B are operated, the driver and the passengers tilt the seat and the rear seat side is the ceiling. This is a case where the sunroof 4R is looked up.

  In the process relating to the control of the transmittance, the controller 7 controls the operation unit 6A according to the position of the passenger operating the operation units 6A, 6B, 6CL, 6CR, 6CC with respect to the light control films 5F, 5R to be dimmed. , 6B, 6CL, 6CR, and 6CC, the setting of the applied voltage is varied, thereby reducing the uncomfortable feeling of the operation caused by the change in the direction of the characteristic regarding the transmittance.

  More specifically, in this embodiment, the controller 7 records and holds characteristic information regarding the transmittance of the light control films 5F and 5R for each boarding position, and applies the information based on the recorded and held characteristic information. By varying the voltage, the operation units 6A, 6B, 6CL, 6CR, 6CC can be operated according to the position of the passenger operating the operation units 6A, 6B, 6CL, 6CR, 6CC with respect to the light control films 5F, 5R. Change the setting of the applied voltage.

  Here, the information on the characteristics relating to the transmittance is information that directly or indirectly specifies the range of the applied voltage in which the transmittance is monotonously increased by increasing the applied voltage from 0 V in the direction in which the passenger is located. is there. Since the transmittance may be set to decrease by increasing the applied voltage, in this case, the information on the characteristics related to the transmittance is obtained by increasing the applied voltage from 0 V in the direction in which the passenger is located. Information on the range of applied voltage in which the transmittance monotonously decreases.

  In this embodiment, the information on the characteristics related to the transmittance is recorded and held by the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the range of the applied voltage related to the monotonic increase described above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Instead of the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the range of the applied voltage, information on characteristics relating to the transmittance may be recorded by the center voltage of the variable range and the difference voltage between the upper limit value and the lower limit value. In addition, a specific gradation applied voltage may be recorded. The applied voltage with such specific gradation is, for example, an applied voltage having gradations of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, assuming that the gradation at the maximum transmittance is 100%. In this case, various settings can be made. Further, the characteristics of the transmittance change itself with respect to the applied voltage described above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 may be recorded.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control procedure by the controller 7 related to the dimming control. The controller 7 starts the processing procedure of FIG. 5 when the power source of the vehicle 1 is turned on by a user operation. Instead of this, this processing procedure may always be executed.

  When starting this processing procedure, the controller 7 waits for an operation of any of the operation units 6A, 6B, 6CL, 6CR, and 6CC (step SP1-SP2). In addition, when any of the operation units 6A, 6B, 6CL, 6CR, and 6CC is operated, the selection of the dimming target is accepted in response to the operation of the operator, and further, the passenger of the operated operation unit For the position, the gradation of the transmittance due to the applied voltage of the current light control film 5F or 5R is detected. The detected gradation is displayed in a bar graph form on the corresponding operation unit.

  Specifically, for example, when the light control film 5F on the front seat side is an operation target, the current drive voltage of the light control film 5F is 4V. In this embodiment, since the characteristic information is recorded by the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the range of the applied voltage related to monotonic increase, in the example of FIG. 3, the upper limit value and the lower limit value are 6V and 2V. As a result, the controller 7 assumes that the transmittance is proportional to the applied voltage in the monotonic increase range, and the gradation is 50% ((4V-2V) / (6V) when the drive voltage of the current light control film is 4V. -2V)). In addition, the gradation relating to the 50% is displayed on the corresponding driver's seat operation unit 6A.

  Further, for example, when the passenger seat operation unit 6B is operated, the upper and lower limits are 12V and 5V in the passenger seat, so that the current gradation is determined to be 0, and the passenger seat operation unit 6B is operated. Is displayed.

  In such a current gradation display, gradation may be detected and displayed not only for the operated operation unit but also for the operation unit that is not operated. Note that, in this embodiment, in the range of the applied voltage related to monotonic increase, the transmittance is handled as increasing in proportion to the applied voltage, and the gradation is detected by linear approximation. On the other hand, the error increases. Thereby, for example, an applied voltage with a gradation of 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, 0% may be recorded, and the gradation may be detected by broken line approximation or the like to improve accuracy. The characteristics of 3 and FIG. 4 may be recorded as they are to detect the gradation, thereby further improving the accuracy.

  When the controller 7 detects and displays the gradation due to the current drive voltage for the operation unit operated in this manner, the controller 7 further records this according to the operation amount of the up operation element and the operation amount of the down operation element. The variable amount of the drive voltage is detected based on the information on the characteristic. Further, the drive voltage is varied according to the detected variable amount. Specifically, for example, every time the up operator presses once, for example, when the gradation is changed by 5%, the current driving voltage of the light control film is 4 V, and the applied voltage related to monotonous increase When the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the range are 6V and 2V and the gradation of the driver's seat is 50%, the voltage of 5% of the potential difference due to the voltage in the range of the upper limit value and the lower limit value is The driving voltage is variable by a single pressing operation. Accordingly, in this case, the applied voltage is changed from 4 V to 4.2 V (4 V + (6 V−2 V) × 0.05) by one pressing operation of the up operation element. On the other hand, when the down operation element is operated once, the applied voltage is changed from 4V to 3.6V.

  Further, for example, when the operation unit 6B of the passenger seat is operated, the upper limit value and the lower limit value are 12V and 5V in the passenger seat, so that the voltage 0.35V of 5% of the potential difference 7V between the upper limit value and the lower limit value is increased. The drive voltage is variable by a single pressing operation of the up / down operation element. When the current driving voltage of the light control film is 4V, the current gradation is 0% because the upper limit value and the lower limit value are 12V and 5V in the passenger seat. In this case, the current drive voltage is not included in the range of the upper limit value and the lower limit value related to the monotonically increasing range. Thereby, in this case, the controller 7 detects the drive voltage corresponding to the gradation by the current drive voltage from the monotonically increasing range. In this example, this drive voltage is 5V. The controller 7 varies the applied voltage from the corresponding gradation drive voltage 5V by a variable amount of the drive voltage by the pressing operation of the detected up / down operation element. Thereby, in this case, the applied voltage is set to 5.35 V by a single pressing operation.

  On the other hand, for example, in the state where the current drive voltage is 12 V, the down operation element is operated at the operation unit 6A related to the driver seat where the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the applied voltage range for monotonic increase are 6 V and 2 V. In this case, the current drive voltage is not included in the range of the upper limit value and the lower limit value related to the monotonically increasing range. Thereby, also in this case, the controller 7 detects the driving voltage corresponding to the gradation by the current driving voltage from the monotonically increasing range, and in this case, detects the driving voltage of 6V. Further, the applied voltage is varied by a variable amount corresponding to the operation amount of the down operation element from the detected drive voltage.

  Accordingly, in this embodiment, when the driving voltage is extremely high, when the driving voltage is extremely low, etc., regardless of which operation unit is operated, the gradation is quickly changed in response to the operation of the operation element. Eliminates the sense of incongruity associated with an operation that the gradation does not change even if the operator is operated many times. The controller 7 may be proportional to the number of repeated pressing operations when the pressing operation of the up / down operation element is repeated or further pressed, and further proportional to the long pressing time. In addition, the drive voltage is varied by detecting the variable amount of the drive voltage.

  Further, when the drive voltage is changed in this way, the gradation display on the corresponding operation unit is changed.

  According to this embodiment, the light control film can be driven by characteristics according to the position of the user with respect to the light control film, thereby reducing the uncomfortable feeling of operation caused by the change in the direction of the characteristics regarding the transmittance. it can.

  In other words, if the light control film can be driven with the characteristics according to the position of the user with respect to the light control film in this way, if the gradation does not change even if the operation element is operated, the gradation changes abruptly by the operation of the operation element. In such a case, it is possible to reduce such a case, and thereby, it is possible to reduce an uncomfortable feeling of operation.

  Also, by recording and holding information on characteristics of the transmittance of the light control film and setting the applied voltage based on the information on the characteristics recorded and held, for example, 100%, 75%, 50%, 25 As in the case of recording the information on the characteristics with respect to the transmittance with the applied voltage having a gradation of% and 0%, the information on the characteristics with respect to the transmittance is recorded with the applied voltage of a large number of samples. By applying the technique, it is possible to detect a gradation with high accuracy and to set an applied voltage, and to further reduce the uncomfortable feeling of operation. That is, in this case, even if the transmittance changes rapidly due to the change in the applied voltage, conversely, even if the change in the transmittance is small relative to the change in the applied voltage, On the other hand, it is possible to set so that the change in gradation changes with a constant value, thereby further reducing the uncomfortable feeling of operation.

[Second Embodiment]
By the way, in the sunroof of a vehicle, a light control film is provided at a height near the head of the occupant, so that each passenger's viewpoint viewed from the light control film has a remarkably high elevation angle. Thereby, in a light control film, the change of the transmittance | permeability by the change of an azimuth becomes very large. Thus, for example, even if the center portion in the vehicle width direction of the light control film provided in the front seat can be operated without a sense of incongruity by the method described above for the first embodiment, in the right region and the left region of the light control film, It becomes difficult to set the transmittance in the same manner as in the central region, thereby causing uneven brightness in the light control film. Note that this luminance unevenness is observed by a luminance gradient like shading.

  Further, in this case, the change in gradation with respect to the operation of the operation unit is different in each unit, which also causes an uncomfortable feeling in the operation. Therefore, in this embodiment, the light control film is produced by dividing into a plurality of regions where the applied voltage can be individually set, and the applied voltage is set for each region.

  That is, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle according to the second embodiment of the present invention in comparison with FIG. With respect to the central position 2CC of the rear seat 2C of the vehicle 31, the central portion of the light control film 25F provided on the sunroof 4F of the front seat is substantially in the front direction as indicated by reference numeral LC. The transmittance characteristic according to the characteristic L2CC described above is obtained. On the other hand, in the left portion of the central portion, the direction indicated by the reference numeral LL is the direction of the line of sight, so that the transmittance characteristic is obtained by the characteristic L2CR when the central portion is viewed from the rear seat right side 2CR described above with reference to FIG. It is done. On the other hand, in the right portion of the central portion, the direction indicated by the symbol LR is the direction of the line of sight, so that the transmittance characteristic is obtained by the characteristic L2CL as seen from the left side 2CL of the rear seat described above with reference to FIG. It is done.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the front seat light control film 25F is divided into three equal parts in the width direction to form the left region ARL, the central region ARC, and the right region ARR, and the regions ARL, ARC, and ARR are individually set. To be able to drive. In addition, for each of the areas ARL, ARC, and ARR, the drive voltage is set by operating the operator using the method described above for the first embodiment. In the characteristic information regarding the transmittance used for setting the drive voltage, the information on the rear seat center 2CC for the left region ARL is shared with the information on the rear seat right 2CR for the center region ARC, or the information on the right region ARR. The information on the rear seat center 2CC can be shared with the information on the rear seat left side 2CL for the central area ARC.

  In addition, instead of dividing into three areas in this way, the area may be further divided and driven for each area. In driving for each area, the applied voltage is discretely obtained for each specific area from the recording of the characteristic information regarding the transmittance, and interpolation processing (interpolation calculation and extrapolation calculation) of the applied voltage is performed. You may make it obtain | require the applied voltage of each continuous area | region.

  According to this embodiment, it can be divided into a plurality of regions where the applied voltage can be individually set to form a light control film, and by setting the applied voltage for each region, it is possible to further reduce the sense of discomfort, Moreover, the brightness nonuniformity in a light control film can be reduced.

[Third Embodiment]
In this embodiment, the light control film is formed by a plurality of regions having different transmittance-related characteristics, and the drive voltage is set for each region. Specifically, the liquid crystal molecules related to the liquid crystal layer 14 are set so as to be inclined in a direction of 45 degrees obliquely by an electric field, and the directions of the 45 degrees oblique form an angle of 90 degrees in plan view. The light control film is composed of regions (in FIG. 1, a region according to the arrow A and a region in which the direction according to the arrow A sequentially differs by 90 degrees). For each region, the applied voltage is controlled in the same manner as described above for the first and second embodiments.

  In this embodiment, by providing a plurality of regions having different characteristics related to transmittance and setting a driving voltage for each region, a change in transmittance due to a change in azimuth angle can be performed using a so-called multi-domain technique. It can reduce, and the discomfort regarding operation can be further reduced.

[Other Embodiments]
The specific configuration suitable for the implementation of the present invention has been described in detail above, but the present invention is combined with the above-described embodiments and further modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. can do.

  That is, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the light control film is manufactured by arranging the linearly polarizing plates in a crossed Nicol arrangement is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be manufactured by a parallel Nicol arrangement. In this case, since the light control film is normally white, the range in which the applied voltage is increased from 0 V and the transmittance monotonously decreases is recorded as information on the characteristics relating to the transmittance, and the same as in the above-described embodiment. Thus, the transmittance can be controlled.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where sunroofs are provided in the front seat and the rear seat has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited to this and is widely used when one large sunroof corresponding to the front seat and the rear seat is provided. Further, the present invention can be applied widely when it is provided only in the front seat or only in the rear seat. When one large sunroof is arranged as described above, the sunroof can be divided into a front region and a rear region and driven in the same manner as described above with respect to the above-described embodiment to eliminate the uncomfortable feeling in operation. .

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the position of the occupant instructing the dimming is detected and the applied voltage is set by the operation of the operation unit provided in each seat is described. The position of the user who indicates light can be detected by various methods. Specifically, for example, by accepting a dimming operation by operating an infrared remote controller, an imaging result is acquired by an image sensor that selectively receives infrared rays, and the position of the remote control related to the dimming instruction is detected and the user is detected. Various methods can be applied, for example, when detecting the position of.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the applied voltage is set based on the measurement result of the transmittance when the occupant is a standard body shape is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the elevation direction is determined depending on the body shape of the occupant. The applied voltage may be set so as to correct the change in transmittance according to the above. Here, in the body shape of this passenger, the position of the viewpoint can be detected by performing image processing of the imaging result in the vehicle, a pressure sensor set in the seat, and the like. In addition, the information on the characteristic relating to the transmittance that is recorded and held can be subjected to interpolation calculation processing based on the detected viewpoint position, and the characteristic relating to the transmittance relating to the detected viewpoint position can be detected to set the applied voltage. . On the other hand, the applied voltage is detected by using the characteristic information regarding the transmittance that is recorded and held, and the applied voltage corresponding to the detected viewpoint position is set by performing interpolation calculation processing. Also good.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the light control system according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the light control system is applied to a large-area window to control light. Can be widely applied.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,31 Vehicle 2A Driver's seat 2B Passenger seat 2C Rear seat 4F, 4R Sunroof 5F, 5R, 25F Light control film 6A, 6B, 6CC, 6CL, 6CR Operation part 7 Controller 7A, 7B Sensor 12 Upper laminated body 13 Lower laminated body Body 14 Liquid crystal molecule 14A Liquid crystal layer 15 Liquid crystal cell 16, 17 Linearly polarizing plate 18, 19 Retardation film 21A, 21B Base material 22A, 22B Electrode 23A, 23B Alignment layer 24 Spacer 25 Sealing agent

Claims (7)

In a light control system that controls light by controlling the transmittance of the light control film,
The light control film is
The liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the first and second laminates having at least an alignment layer, and the transmittance is changed by varying the voltage applied to the electrodes provided in the first and / or second laminate,
The controller is
The light control system which controls the transmittance | permeability of the said light control film by setting the said applied voltage according to the position of the said user with respect to the said light control film by operation of the operation part by a user. The controller is
The light control system according to claim 1, wherein information on characteristics relating to the transmittance of the light control film is recorded and retained, and the applied voltage is set based on the information on the characteristics recorded and retained. In a vehicle in which a light control film is disposed in a light transmitting portion provided on the roof, and the incident light to the vehicle is controlled by controlling the transmittance of the light control film,
The light control film is
The liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the first and second laminates having at least an alignment layer, and the transmittance is changed by varying the voltage applied to the electrodes provided in the first and / or second laminate,
The vehicle is
An operation unit for instructing control of the incident light;
A controller that controls the transmittance of the light control film by setting the applied voltage by operating the operation unit;
The controller is
The applied voltage is set by operating the operation unit according to a position of a passenger who operates the operation unit with respect to the light control film. The controller is
The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein information on characteristics relating to the transmittance of the light control film is recorded and retained, and the applied voltage is set based on the recorded and retained characteristics information. The controller is
The vehicle according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the applied voltage is set by an operation of the operation unit in accordance with at least a tilt of a driver seat and / or a passenger seat. The light control film is
It is divided into a plurality of regions where the applied voltage can be set individually,
The controller is
The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the applied voltage is set for each region. The liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the first and second laminated bodies each having at least an alignment layer, and the transmittance is changed by changing the voltage applied to the electrodes provided in the first and second laminated bodies. In the driving method of the optical film,
A method for driving a light control system, wherein the applied voltage is set according to the position of the user with respect to the light control film and the transmittance of the light control film is controlled by operation of an operation unit by a user.

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