JPH03144092A - Liquid crystal window glass for shielding light - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate regulation by a method wherein signals from switches for pattern assignment, regulation of an area ratio, and regulation of transparency are outputted to a clear electrode through a control part and a controller to produce various light shield patterns. CONSTITUTION:Beltform clear electrodes 5 and 5' are deposited on the surfaces, positioned facing each other, of two opposing glass base sheets 3 and 3' in a manner to cross each other at right angles. A space between the base sheets 3 and 3' is filled with liquid crystal 1 through a spacer 2 to form a matrix type liquid crystal cell. By means of signals from pattern assigning switches 11, 12, 13, and 14, a voltage is applied on clear electrodes 5 and 5', the liquid crystal cells of which cross each other at right angles, through a control part and a controller to produce an assigned light shield pattern. The light shield part of a pattern is regulated in a non-staged manner by means of an area ratio regulating switch 21. A dark state part is regulated in a non-staged manner to arbitrary transmittance by means of a transmittance regulating switch 17. This constitution facilitates regulation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a light-shielding liquid crystal window glass that can perform arbitrary light shielding using matrix-type liquid crystal cells.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, there is a light-transmitting plate having a blind screening function, which utilizes liquid crystal and aims at blocking light, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-229013. However, in this transparent plate, a liquid crystal is sealed between the upper and lower electrode substrates with transparent electrodes formed thereon via a spacer, and the transparent electrodes are placed facing each other so as to form an overlapping part. Four types of striped patterns are selected according to the sunlight illuminance, and the amount of light transmitted is changed in four stages.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the above-mentioned light-transmitting plate, the striped pattern changes in four stages according to the intensity of sunlight to adjust the amount of light transmitted. It is not possible to block only a portion of the top. Moreover, since the striped pattern is automatically formed, even if the sunlight is high, you cannot see outside when you want to see it, and you cannot adjust it arbitrarily.

Furthermore, the striped pattern makes it difficult to see the outside scenery, and there are also problems in that strong light rays enter through the transparent parts of the striped pattern.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the light-shielding liquid crystal window glass of the present invention is provided by enclosing two glass substrates facing each other with a spacer interposed therebetween, and enclosing a suitable liquid crystal therebetween. A matrix type liquid crystal cell is formed in which strip-shaped transparent electrode groups are arranged perpendicularly on each side surface, and pixels are formed by opposing overlapping parts of the transparent electrodes.

On the other hand, there is a pattern specification switch that allows you to specify the pattern of brightness and darkness, such as the part next to the window, part above it, part of the corner, and the center of the window, which are preset in the liquid crystal cell, and the pattern specification switch. an area ratio adjustment switch that steplessly changes the area ratio of the dark state part and the bright state part of the pattern, and a transmittance adjustment switch that changes the light transmittance of the dark state part of the pattern, Based on the signals from each switch, the control section outputs a control signal to the driver section, and the driver section outputs a signal to each orthogonal transparent electrode of the liquid crystal cell at the appropriate time to create a pattern of brightness and darkness specified by the switch, and the liquid crystal It is designed to drive cells.

[Function] By configuring as described above, the pattern designation switch can instantly select the window light blocking pattern, and the area ratio adjustment switch can steplessly adjust the light blocking part of the specified light blocking pattern. can do. What's more, with the transparency adjustment switch, you can steplessly adjust the transparency of the dark area to any level of transparency from opaque to transparent, allowing you to see the outside scenery even in the dark area, and even if you specify a pattern for total blackout, you can still see the outside scenery. I was able to see the whole thing, and I didn't feel any sense of closure.

[Embodiment 1] An embodiment of the light-shielding liquid crystal window glass of the present invention will be described in detail below based on the drawings.

A suitable liquid crystal (1) is sealed in two glass substrates (3) (3') via a spacer (2) with the orientation direction of the liquid crystal molecules (4) being shifted by 90' relative to each other. On the inner surface of each of the glass substrates (3) (3'), groups of band-shaped transparent electrodes (5) (5') are deposited so as to face each other at right angles, and at the same time, an insulating layer (6) and a A liquid crystal alignment film (7) is provided in which nematic liquid crystal molecules (4) having dielectric anisotropy are aligned in one direction.
Polarizing plates (8) (8') are fixed to the surface of (3'). The polarization axis of this polarizing plate (8) is aligned with the alignment direction of liquid crystal molecules on the transparent electrode (5) of the glass substrate (3), and the polarization axis of the polarizing plate (8') is aligned with the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules on the transparent electrode (5) of the glass substrate (3).
The alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules on the transparent electrode (5') is adjusted.

In the matrix type liquid crystal cell formed as described above, when the voltage applied to the transparent electrodes (5) (5') is below the threshold voltage, the polymerized portion of the transparent electrodes (5) (5') is in a bright state. By gradually increasing the voltage above the threshold voltage, the overlapping region can be gradually changed to a dark state.

In addition, in the above-mentioned matrix type liquid crystal cell (9), the polarization axis of the polarizing plate (8') is aligned with the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules on the transparent electrode (5) of the glass substrate (3), so that the brightness and darkness when voltage is applied is adjusted. It goes without saying that the situation can be reversed.

It goes without saying that the smaller the interval (d) between the band-shaped transparent electrodes (5) (5'), the better the light shielding efficiency.

On the other hand, the operation panel (10) includes a first pattern designation switch (11) for designating a light shielding pattern, a second pattern designation switch (12), and a third pattern designation switch (12).
3), fourth pattern designation switch (14), inversion switch (15), area ratio adjustment switch (16), transparency adjustment switch (17), and data display switch (18)
> is provided.

The first pattern designating switch (11) is used to set a light-shielding portion to be formed on the left side of the window. Second
The pattern designation switch (12) is set to form the light shielding portion at the top.The third pattern designation switch (13) is set to form the light shielding portion at the lower left corner. 4th pattern designation switch (1
In 4), the light shielding portion is set to be formed in the center. The reversal switch (15) reverses the pattern of the bright state part (19>) and the dark state part (20) of the window specified by each pattern designation switch (11), (12), (13), (14). It is set so that it is formed.

The area ratio adjustment switch (16) is connected to the area ratio adjustment knob (2
1> to the left or right, a bright state part (19) and a dark state part (20) are formed by each pattern designating switch (11), (12), (13), (14) and reversing switch (15). The area ratio can be adjusted steplessly using the volume from completely transparent to fully opaque.

The transparency adjustment switch (17) is the transparency adjustment knob (2).
2> to the left or right, the light transmittance of the dark state area (20) can be adjusted steplessly from transparent to opaque in volume. Data display selection switch (18
) is used to sequentially select and display information such as outside temperature, time, news, and television programs.

Each of the above switches (11), (12>, (13) (14)
), (15), (16), (17).

(18>, the set light shielding pattern and status signals are sent to the latch circuit (23>) and the A/D conversion circuit (24>
, (25>) to the control unit (26).The input signal is processed by the control unit (26) and outputs a control signal to the controller (27,).Then, the controller (27) , '>B The bright electrodes (5) (5') can be driven to display a predetermined pattern on the liquid crystal cell (9') in a predetermined state.

The above-mentioned driving can be carried out by applying a rectangular wave voltage to one fully transparent electrode (5) and scanning the other transparent electrode (5') with a rectangular wave voltage shifted by 180 degrees from left to right, or vice versa. A method of applying a rectangular wave voltage to the other fully transparent electrode (5') and sequentially applying a rectangular wave voltage to one transparent electrode (5) from the corner to scan each transparent electrode (5'). A method of scanning m(5)(5') by sequentially applying a rectangular wave voltage from each corner, each transparent electrode (5)
There is a method of scanning by sequentially applying a rectangular wave voltage from the center to both corners of (5').Furthermore, for complex patterns and data display, line sequential scanning driving is used.

Incidentally, the transmittance of the dark state portion of (front) is adjusted by changing the output rectangular wave voltage or by changing the frequency of the rectangular wave. Alternatively, an I10 port may be added to the control section to directly drive the orthogonal transparent electrodes (5) (5'). This makes it possible to simplify and downsize the circuit.

Further, it is assumed that the driving voltage for the liquid crystal cell (9>) is appropriately supplied from the power source (28).

[Effect of the invention] In the light-shielding liquid crystal window glass of the present invention as described above,
Pattern specification switch ('11), (12>(13),
(14) and reversing switch (15) allow you to instantly select various shading patterns, and at the same time, by using the area ratio adjustment switch (16>) you can change the bright state part (19>) and the dark state part of the specified shading pattern. The ratio of (20) can be adjusted steplessly from a completely bright state to a completely dark state.Moreover, by using the transparency adjustment switch (17>), the dark state part (20> can be adjusted to any desired transparency from opaque to transparent. It can be adjusted in stages, so you can see the outside scenery even in the dark area (20), and even if you specify the window pattern to completely block light, you can still see the outside scenery, and you will not feel that the window is closed at all. do not have.

In general, information such as outside temperature, time, news, and television can be sequentially selected and obtained using the data display switch (18).

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figure shows an embodiment of the light-shielding liquid crystal window glass of the present invention.
Figure 1 (a) is a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal cell, (b) is a plan view of the transparent electrode, Figure 2 is a layout diagram of switches on the operation panel, Figure 3 is a circuit configuration diagram, and Figure 4 is a mounting diagram. It is. 1...Liquid crystal 2...Spacer 3.3
'...Glass substrate 4...Liquid crystal molecules 5.5'...
・Transparent electrode 6...Insulating layer 7...Liquid crystal alignment film
8, 8'...Polarizing plate 9...Liquid crystal cell
10... Operation panel 11... First pattern designation switch] 2... Second pattern designation switch 13... Third pattern designation switch 14... Fourth pattern designation switch] 5... Reversing switch 16...Area ratio adjustment switch 17...Transmittance adjustment switch 18...Data display switch 19...Bright state section 20...Dark state section 21
... Area ratio adjustment knob 22 ... Transparency adjustment knob 23 ... Latch circuit 24 ... A/D conversion circuit

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a matrix type liquid crystal cell, a group of band-shaped transparent electrodes is provided orthogonally on the opposing surfaces of two opposing glass substrates, and the opposing overlapping portions of the transparent electrodes are used as pixels,
a pattern designation switch that designates a pattern of bright and dark states of the liquid crystal cell; an area ratio adjustment switch that changes the area ratio between a dark state and a bright state of the pattern designated by the pattern designation switch; and a dark state portion of the pattern. A transmittance adjustment switch that changes the transmittance of light, a control section that outputs a control signal according to signals from the above-mentioned pattern designation switch, an area ratio adjustment switch and a transmittance adjustment switch, and a control signal from the control section. A light-shielding liquid crystal window glass characterized by having a controller for driving the liquid crystal cell by outputting a signal to each orthogonal transparent electrode of the liquid crystal cell at a suitable time to create a specified pattern of bright and dark states.