TWI765975B - Adjusting interior lighting based on dynamic glass tinting - Google Patents

Abstract

Controllers and methods for automatically controlling color in a workplace based on controlling artificial lighting and tinting of tintable windows.

Description

Adjust interior lighting based on dynamic glass shading

Certain embodiments disclosed herein relate to controllers and methods for controlling one or more tintable windows and/or other building systems.

Electrochromism is the phenomenon in which materials exhibit reversible electrochemically mediated changes in optical properties when placed in different electronic states (usually as a result of experiencing a voltage change). The optical property is typically one or more of color, transmittance, absorbance, and reflectance. A well-known electrochromic material is tungsten oxide (WO3 ₎ . Tungsten oxide is a cathodic electrochromic material in which the color conversion (transparent to blue) occurs by electrochemical reduction.

Electrochromic materials can be incorporated into windows for, for example, domestic, commercial, and other uses. The color, transmittance, absorbance, and/or reflectivity of such windows can be altered by inducing changes in the electrochromic material, ie, electrochromic windows are windows that can be electronically darkened or brightened. A small voltage applied to the electrochromic device of the window will darken it, and reversing the voltage will brighten it. This capability allows control of the amount of light passing through the window, and gives the electrochromic window the opportunity to act as an energy-saving device.

Although electrochromism was discovered in the 1960s, unfortunately, despite the many recent advances in electrochromic technology, equipment, and related methods of making and/or using electrochromic devices, electrochromic devices, and especially The electrochromic window still encounters various problems and has not yet begun to realize its huge commercial potential.

Certain aspects relate to methods and systems for adjusting building systems (eg, adjusting interior lighting based on dynamic glass tinting) to maintain environmental conditions. One aspect relates to control logic for adjusting interior lighting to enhance color presentation and/or offset contrast ratios through one or more tinted windows in a room.

Described herein are thin film optical devices (eg, electrochromic devices for windows) and methods and controllers for using such devices to control transitions and other functions of tintable windows. Certain embodiments include an electrochromic window having two or more tinted (or color-imparting) regions formed, for example, from a monolithic electrochromic device coating as physically separate regions or Colored regions are established in the monolithic device coating. Colored regions can be defined by means of means for applying a potential to the electrochromic device and/or by resistive regions between adjacent colored regions and/or by physically bifurcating the device into colored regions. For example, a set of bus bars can be configured to apply a potential across each of the individually colored regions of the monolithic electrochromic device to selectively color the regions. The method can also be applied to groups with one or more tintable windows, where individual windows are tinted independently of the others in order to maximize the occupant experience, ie, glare control, thermal comfort, etc.

Certain aspects relate to insulated glass units (IGUs) including a first window including a first electrochromic device disposed on a first transparent substrate and including a plurality of optional Independently controllable shaded regions and resistive regions between adjacent independently controllable shaded regions. The IGU further includes a second window and a spacer between the first window and the second window. In one case, the second window includes a second electrochromic device disposed on a second transparent substrate. In one case, the IGU further includes a daylighting area, eg, in a top portion of the IGU, wherein the daylighting area includes remaining in a discolored state to allow sunlight to pass through the first window sheet and one or more tinted regions of the second window.

One aspect relates to a method of automatically controlling the color of light in a room having one or more tintable windows. The method includes determining adjustments to artificial interior lighting in the room to obtain a desired light color and sending control signals over a communication network to adjust the artificial interior lighting. The adjustments are determined based on the current shading state of each of the one or more shading windows. In one example, the desired light color in the room is associated with reducing the contrast ratio in the occupied area to within an acceptable range or below a maximum contrast ratio.

One aspect relates to a controller for automatically controlling the color of light in a room having one or more tintable windows. The controller includes: a computer-readable medium having control logic; and a processor in communication with the computer-readable medium and with the one or more shadeable windows via a communication network . The control logic is configured to: determine adjustments to artificial interior lighting in the room to obtain a desired light color in the room, wherein the adjustments are determined based on a current tint state of one of the one or more tintable windows ; and sending control signals for adjusting the artificial interior lighting via the communication network.

One aspect relates to a method of controlling environmental factors of a scene in a workplace having one or more tintable windows. The method includes: determining a type of workplace and a type of occupancy; defining a set of environmental factors based on the availability of controls for building systems; calculating the types of the scene based on the type of workplace and the type of occupancy target levels of environmental factors; determining adjustments to the building systems for obtaining the target levels of the environmental factors, wherein the adjustments are determined based on the current tint level of the one or more tintable windows; and Control signals for adjusting the building systems are sent via a communication network.

One aspect relates to a controller for automatically controlling environmental factors of a scene in a workplace having one or more tintable windows. The controller includes: a computer-readable medium, the The computer-readable medium has control logic; and a processor in communication with the computer-readable medium and with the one or more shadeable windows via a communication network. The control logic is configured to: determine occupancy in the workplace; determine a type of workplace and a type of occupancy; define a set of environmental factors in the scenario based on the availability of controls for building systems; based on the work the type of premises and the type of occupancy to calculate the target levels of the environmental factors for the scene; determine the adjustments to the building systems used to obtain the target levels of the environmental factors based on the one or The adjustments are determined by the current tinting levels of a plurality of tintable windows; and control signals to adjust the building systems are sent via a communication network.

These and other features and embodiments are set forth in greater detail below with reference to the drawings.

150: Room

152: The first artificial light source

154: Second artificial light source

156: Third Artificial Light Source

160: Tintable Windows

162: Part One

170: Occupied area

180: Part Two

190: Part Three

250: Room

252: The first artificial light source

254: Second Artificial Light Source

256: Third Artificial Light Source

260: Tintable Windows

270: Occupied area

280: Part II

290: Part Three

292: Part One

300: Multi-zone tinted windows

302: First coloring area

304: Shading Area

306: Shading Area

308: Shading Area

310: Shading Area

350: Room

450: Room

460: Multi-zone tintable windows

462: First Shading Zone

464: Second Shading Zone

466: Shading Gradient Areas

550: Room

690: Multi-Zone Tintable Windows

692: Top section

693: First Shading Zone

694: First Shading Zone

695: Area

696: Second Shading Zone

697: Third Shading Zone

698: Second Shading Zone

699: Room

710: Room

712: Multi-zone tintable windows

730: Right room

732: Second multi-zone tintable window

800: room

1500: Device

1550: Controller

1555: Microprocessor

1560: Pulse Width Modulator

1565: Signal Conditioning Module

1570: Readable Media

1575: Configuration file

1580: Internet

1600: Building Management Systems (BMS)

1601: Buildings

1602: Main window controller

1603: Main Network Controller

1605a: Intermediate Network Controller

1605b: Intermediate Network Controller

1610: End or Leaf Controller

1632: Security Systems

1634: Heating/Ventilation/Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems

1636: Lighting Systems

1642: Power Systems

1644: Elevator or other conveying system

1650: Window System

1700: System

1701: Electrochromic Devices

1703: Main window controller

1705: Intermediate Network Controller

1710: End or louver controller

1712: Multi-sensor device

1740: Communication Network

1790: Wall Switch

1800: Building Networks

1805: Main Network Controller

1810: Lighting Control Panel

1815: BMS

1820: Security Control Systems

1825: User Console

1830: Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems

1835: Lamp

1840: Security Sensor

1845: Door Lock

1850: Camera

1855: Tintable Windows

1940: Window Controller

1945: Voltage regulator

1950: Windows

1952: Shading Zone

2062: Shading Area

2070: Sub-Controller (SWC)

2100: Methods

2110: Operation

2120: Operation

2130:Operation

2140:Operation

2150:Operation

2160:Operation

2170:Operation

2180:Operation

2200: Flowchart

2220:Operation

2230:Operation

2250:Operation

2260:Operation

2400: Room

2410: Multi-zone window

2412: First Shading Zone

2414: Second Shading Zone

2416: First 2D Light Casting

2418: Second 2D Light Casting

2420: Second 2D Light Casting

2422: Second 2D Light Casting

2426: First 2D Light Casting

2428: Second 2D Light Casting

2450: Orientation/Occupied Area

2460:Direction

2470:Direction

2700: Flowchart

2710: Operation

2720:Operation

2730:Operation

2740:Operation

2750:Operation

2760: Steps

1A is a schematic diagram of a perspective view of a room with tintable windows, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of a perspective view of the room in FIG. 1A and includes a depiction of contrast, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of a perspective view of the room in FIG. 1A and includes a depiction of the contrast in FIG. 1B shifted by illumination from internal artificial lighting, according to one embodiment.

2A is a schematic diagram of a perspective view of a room including a depiction of contrast, according to an embodiment.

2B is a schematic diagram of a perspective view of the room in FIG. 2A including a depiction of contrast by illumination shift from interior lighting, according to one embodiment.

3 is a schematic diagram of a tintable window with five tinting regions according to an embodiment, wherein the top tinting region is in a brighter tinting state according to the horizontal frame window configuration.

4 is a schematic diagram of a multi-zone tintable window with two tinting zones and resistive zones with tinting gradients between the tinting zones, where the top tinting zone is higher than the bottom tinting zone, according to one embodiment Bright shaded state.

5 is a schematic diagram of four vertically stacked tintable windows, with the middle tintable window in a brighter tinted state, according to one embodiment.

6 is a schematic diagram of an example of a multi-zone tintable window in the form of an IGU with a top region having a series of light pipes directing light towards the rear of the room, according to an embodiment.

7 is a schematic diagram of a left room and a right room of a building according to an embodiment, each room has a tinted window according to the lighting configuration.

8A is a view of a modeled building with tintable multi-zone windows, according to an embodiment.

Figure 8B is another view of the modeled building shown in Figure 8A .

9 is a graph of Daylighting Glare Probability (DGP) from sunlight passing through multiple zone windows in a room on June 21, September 21, and December 21, according to one embodiment.

10 is a graph of indoor brightness levels in a room on June 21, September 21, and December 21, according to an embodiment.

11 is a graph of a shading schedule for a dual-zone tintable window, the graph including illuminance levels and DGP levels, according to an embodiment.

12 is a diagram of a shading schedule for a multi-region window with two regions and for a multi-region window with three regions, according to one embodiment.

Figure 13 shows two illustrations of a room with daylighting simulations according to an embodiment.

Figure 14 shows a graph of green-blue tint and luminance in a simulated room with daylight tint size varying in steps of 5".

15 shows a simplified block diagram of components of a window controller according to one embodiment.

16 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a BMS according to an embodiment.

17 is a block diagram of components of a system for controlling the function of one or more tintable windows in a building, according to an embodiment.

18 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a building network for a building, according to an implementation.

19 is a schematic diagram of a window controller connected to multiple voltage regulators in parallel, according to an embodiment.

20 is a schematic diagram of a window controller connected in series to multiple sub-controllers, according to an embodiment.

21 is a flowchart of a control method for making shading decisions for controlling a multi-zone tintable window or multiple shading zones of multiple tintable windows, according to an embodiment.

22 is a flow diagram of a method of implementing control logic for adjusting artificial interior lighting to enhance interior appearing color in a room with one or more tintable windows, according to an embodiment.

23 is a photograph of a manual control panel according to one embodiment.

24A is a schematic diagram of a view of a room with multi-zone windows and light projection through shading zones, according to one embodiment.

24B is a schematic diagram of a view of the room of FIG. 24A with light projection through a shading zone, according to one embodiment.

24C is a schematic diagram of a view of the room of FIG. 24A with light projection through a shaded region, according to one embodiment.

25 is a graph of measured illuminance versus measured color temperature, according to one embodiment.

26 is a schematic diagram of a building showing various types of workplaces, according to an embodiment.

27 is a flow diagram illustrating control logic for a method of designing and maintaining scenarios in a workplace that provide environmental levels of occupant satisfaction and comfort levels, according to an implementation.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the presented embodiments. The disclosed embodiments may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well-known control operations have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the disclosed embodiments. While the disclosed embodiments will be described in conjunction with specific embodiments, it will be understood that limitations of the disclosed embodiments are not intended. Certain embodiments described herein, although not so limited, are particularly suitable for use in electrochromic devices. Certain embodiments are described with respect to techniques for controlling one or more tintable windows or controlling shading regions in a multi-region window. It will be appreciated that these techniques may also be used to tint individual windows in groups (or zones) of tintable windows, in multi-zone windows, or in a combination of such windows. Additionally or alternatively, these techniques may be used to control various building systems, including systems having one or more tintable windows.

I. Introduction to Shaderable Windows

Certain implementations described herein relate to controlling the tinting and other functions of tintable windows (eg, electrochromic windows). In some embodiments, the tintable window is in the form of an insulating glass unit that includes two or more windows and a spacer sealed between the windows. Each tintable window has at least one tintable window/panel with an optically switchable device. Some examples are set forth herein with respect to tintable windows having electrochromic windows having electrochromic devices disposed on a transparent substrate, such as glass. In one embodiment, the electrochromic window has a monolithic electrochromic device disposed on at least a portion of the substrate in the visible area of the tintable window points. A detailed example of a method of making electrochromic windows with multiple colored zones can be found in US Patent Application Serial No. 14/137,644, entitled "Multi-Zone EC Windows," filed March 13, 2013 (issued as US Patent No. 9,341,912), which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

As mentioned above, some of the techniques discussed herein are related to controlling the functionality of tintable (eg, in one-zone and/or multi-zone windows) and/or controlling other systems in a building.

- Resistive area in multi-area window

Some of the techniques discussed herein relate to independently controlling each of the tinting (or color imparting) regions in a multi-region tintable window, such as a multi-region electrochromic window. A "resistive region" (also sometimes referred to herein as a "resistive region") generally refers to an area in an electrochromic device in which the function of one or more layers of the electrochromic device is impaired (partially or completely), but the device function is not cut off across the resistive region. In one embodiment, the tinted regions of an electrochromic window are defined by resistive regions between adjacent tinted regions by a technique for applying a potential to an electrochromic device to independently control the tinting in the tinted regions. For example, a single set of bus bars or multiple sets of different bus bars can be configured to independently apply a potential to each colored region independently to thereby selectively color it. With regard to the resistive region mentioned above, this region allows independently controllable coloring of adjacent colored regions of a single monolithic electrochromic device without compromising the coloring functionality in the resistive region itself. That is, the resistive regions can be colored. One advantage of these techniques is that no scribe lines are used to cut through the electrochromic device between the colored areas. These scribe lines may create non-functional areas of the electrochromic device that may, when tinted, produce visually perceptible bright lines in the visible area of the window. Instead, resistive regions may have a gentle color gradient between adjacent colored regions that remain in different colored states. This shading gradient blends shading transitions between adjacent shading regions to soften the appearance of transition regions between shading regions.

In some examples, the multi-region window has resistive regions in the regions between adjacent colored regions of the monolithic electrochromic device. These resistive regions can achieve a more uniformly colored front side, for example, when used in conjunction with a busbar power supply mechanism. In certain examples, the resistive region is relatively narrow, having a width between about 1 mm and 1000 nm wide, or relatively wide, having a width between about 1 mm and about 10 mm wide. In most cases, the electrochromic material in the resistive region is colored so that it does not leave the bright line contrast effect that conventional laser isolation scribe lines typically leave behind. Thus, in other examples, the resistive region may be, for example, wider than 1 mm, wider than 10 mm, wider than 15 mm, and the like.

The reason why the resistive region can be colored is because it is not the electrochromic device that physically bifurcates into two devices, but the physical modification of a single electrochromic device and/or its associated transparent conductor within the resistive region. A resistive region is a region of an electrochromic device in which the device's activity, specifically resistivity and/or resistance to ion movement, is greater than the rest of the electrochromic device. Thus, one or both of the transparent conductors can be modified to have increased resistivity in resistive regions, and/or the electrochromic device stack can be modified so that ions move in resistive regions relative to adjacent colored regions The stacking of electrochromic devices is slow. In this resistive region, the electrochromic device is still functioning, colored and decolorized, but at a slower rate and/or with less coloration intensity relative to the rest of the electrochromic device. For example, resistive regions may be colored as fully as the rest of the electrochromic device in adjacent colored regions, but resistive regions are colored much more slowly than adjacent colored regions. In another example, resistive regions may not be as fully colored as adjacent colored regions, or colored in a color gradient.

In US Patent Application 15/039,370 entitled "MULTI-ZONE EC WINDOWS" and filed on May 25, 2016 and International PCT Application entitled "MULTI-ZONE EC WINDOWS" and filed on December 18, 2014 case Details of resistive regions and other features of multi-zone electrochromic windows are set forth in PCT/US14/71314, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

II. Coloring Considerations

The motivation for controlling the tint state of one or more tintable windows and other building systems is for the good of the occupants and/or solely for building considerations, eg, energy savings, power requirements, and the like. Here, "occupier" generally refers to one or more individuals in a specific room or other space where one or more tinted windows are controlled, and "building" generally refers to the building management system (BMS) and lighting , HVAC and other building systems. Motivations related to occupancy include, for example, overall health such as may be affected by the lighting in the room and the aesthetics of a tinted window or group of tinted windows. Motivations include, for example, control of glare from direct sunlight impinging on an occupant's workplace, visibility through windows to the outside of the building (its "field of view"), color of tintable windows, and correlation in rooms Light color, and thermal comfort by adjusting the tinting state to block direct sunlight into the room or transmit direct sunlight into the room. While an occupant may want to generally avoid glare hitting his workplace, he may also want to allow some sunlight to pass through the window for natural lighting. This may be the case when the occupant prefers sunlight over artificial lighting from, for example, incandescent, light emitting diode (LED) or fluorescent lighting. Additionally, it has been found that certain tintable windows may impart too much blue to a room in their darker tinted state. This blue can be offset by allowing a portion of unfiltered sunlight into the room and/or by artificial lighting. User motivations associated with buildings include reducing energy use through reductions in heating, air conditioning and lighting. For example, we may want to tint a window to transmit a certain amount of sunlight through the window so that less energy is required for artificial lighting and/or heating. We may also want to harvest sunlight to harvest solar energy and compensate for heating needs.

Another consideration (perhaps shared by building managers and occupiers) is related to safety issues. close. In this regard, it may be desirable to tint the windows darker so that those outside the room cannot see the occupants. Alternatively, it may be desirable for the windows to be clear so that, for example, neighbors outside the building or the police can see inside the building to identify any malicious activity. For example, a user or building operator may place a window in "emergency mode," which, in one instance, causes the window to clear.

A. Glare Control

In many cases, glare avoidance may account for as much as 95% of tinting decisions for tintable windows. Methods for making tinting decisions for tintable windows with glare avoidance in mind are set forth in detail in International PCT Application No. PCT/US15/29675, filed on May 7, 2015 and entitled "CONTROL METHOD FOR TINTABLE WINDOWS" example, this application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. In these methods, glare is handled in the operation of logic module A using proprietary control logic (manufactured by View, Inc. of Milpitas, California) trademarked under the name Intelligence®. In module A, a decision is made whether to adjust the tinting state of a tintable window based on the penetration depth or glare area caused by solar radiation entering the room through the window. If the penetration depth or glare area where solar radiation hits the room overlaps with the location or possible location of the occupant (occupancy area), the tintable windows in the facade remain or transition to a darker tint state in order to reduce the exposure to this occupancy area of glare. Existing algorithms tint, for example, entire sets of windows associated with a building space based on glare at the expense of other user comfort considerations.

The methods herein address glare by independently tinting one or more windows in a set of tintable windows and/or individual tinting zones of one or more multi-zone windows, for example, to address glare while also allowing natural daylight to enter the space And thus provide granularity and flexibility to coloring decisions by simultaneously addressing multiple user comfort issues and/or building system requirements. For example, reducing glare is a goal that is often inconsistent with reducing heating loads on buildings, increasing natural lighting, and the like. In winter, for example, by making Clearing tinted windows allows more solar radiation to enter the room and reduces the amount of energy the heating system uses to heat the room. Clearing tinted windows can also create glare situations in occupied areas. In certain configurations described herein, a multi-zone tintable window (or individual windows in a group of windows) can be controlled to be shaded by placing the window (or a subset of a group of windows) in a darkened tint This problem is solved by restricting the area to those shaded areas that reduce glare at the occupant's position or potential position in the room. While many examples are set forth herein with respect to controlling shading regions in a multi-region tintable window, it will be understood that similar techniques would apply to assemblies of multiple tintable windows, each tintable window having one or more tinting regions . For example, an assembly of tintable windows can be controlled to limit the areas in the window assembly that are placed in dark tinting to those within and/or within the tintable windows that reduce glare on the occupied area. Shaded area.

B. Adjusting color vision

Other implementations for controlling the tintable window in a particular manner may reduce the color perception of the window in the tinted or depigmented state and/or the color perception of the color of the light passing through the window in the tinted or depigmented state. These implementations utilize optical properties that minimize the perception of unwanted colors associated with a particular colored state.

As one example, a dimmed tinted state of an optically switchable device (eg, an electrochromic device) may have a blue color perceptible to an occupant. However, if tinted windows in a room are juxtaposed with more daylight clear area windows, the occupants may be less aware of the blue color of the tinted windows. For example, certain windows may be in a darker tinted state and may appear blue to an occupant. In one embodiment of the glare-reducing tinting configuration, adjacent or adjacent windows can be placed in a clear state as long as they do not cause glare to occupants due to their relative positions. Light passing through clear windows reduces the perception of blue that occupants might otherwise perceive.

In another embodiment, diffusing the light source (such as a diffusing or diffusing film adhered to the tintable window) Reduces the perception of blue in shaded windows. For example, a diffusing or diffusing film can be placed on the counterpart window of the electrochromic window of the IGU. In another example, a diffusing or diffusing film can be disposed on the surface of a window without optically switchable devices, such as electrochromic devices.

C. Light Collection

Other shading configurations may involve maximizing light collection. Light harvesting is the concept by which solar radiation from the outside of a window is converted into electrical energy for use in windows, buildings, or for other purposes. Light harvesting can be accomplished using photovoltaic films, other photovoltaic structures, or other light harvesting structures on appropriate portions of the window, such as on the counterpart windows of the IGU. In one example, light harvesting is accomplished by photovoltaic cells disposed in or on the electrochromic window.

One consideration is that photovoltaic cells or other light harvesting structures may be most effective when the incident light being collected enters in a normal or near normal direction. This can be facilitated by having a structure in the window that redirects incident light on the window to strike the photovoltaic cell in a normal or near-normal direction to maximize energy production. In some cases, a light diffuser or horizontal directing structure may be used on a portion of a tintable window to direct light onto a photovoltaic film, other photovoltaic structure, or other light harvesting structure on an appropriate portion of the window, such as a mating window .

Another consideration is that under normal circumstances it may be desirable for the photovoltaic film on the mating window to be as transparent as possible. However, photovoltaic films fabricated to be transparent are often relatively inefficient at converting sunlight into electrical energy compared to less transparent films, or not only opaque films, but possibly more scattering of light. Recognize that there may be certain tinted areas in an area of the window that are generally responsible for preventing glare situations in the room and therefore generally have to be tinted, and/or outside this area there may be areas where occupants will normally be able to view the external environment some areas. In one embodiment, the colored regions in this region have photovoltaic films that are more efficient at light harvesting but more diffuse or less transparent than regions outside of this region. In another embodiment, the colored regions in this region have photovoltaic film, and the area outside this area does not have a photovoltaic film.

Similarly, according to another embodiment, the upper region of the tintable window may be equipped with a more efficient, But an optically unpleasant type of photovoltaic film.

- Exemplary placement of photovoltaic cells on the IGU window face

In certain embodiments, a tintable window includes photovoltaic (PV) cells/panels. The PV panel can be located anywhere on the window as long as it can absorb solar energy. For example, PV panels may be located fully or partially in the visible area of the window, and/or fully or partially in/on the frame of the window. Details of examples of electrochromic windows with PV cells/panels can be found in US Provisional Patent Application 62/247,719, entitled "PHOTOVOLTAIC-ELECTROCHROMIC WINDOWS", filed March 25, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference The way is integrated as a whole.

The PV cell/panel can be implemented as a film covering one or more surfaces of the tintable window pane. In certain embodiments, the tintable window is in the form of an IGU with two individual windows (windows), each of which has two surfaces (not counting the edges). Counting from the outside of the building inward, the first surface (ie, the outward facing surface of the outer window panel) may be referred to as surface 1 (S1), and the next surface (ie, the inward facing surface of the outer window panel) may be referred to as surface 1 (S1). surface) may be referred to as surface 2 (S2), the next surface (ie, the outwardly facing surface of the inner glazing) may be referred to as surface 3 (S3), and the remaining surface (ie, the facing surface of the inner glazing) The inner surface) may be referred to as surface 4 (S4). PV thin films may be implemented on any one or more of surfaces 1-4.

In certain examples, the PV film is applied to at least one of the window surfaces in an IGU or other multi-window window assembly. Examples of suitable PV films are available from Next Energy Technologies Inc. of Santa Barbara, CA. In some cases, the PV film can be an organic semiconductive ink, And can be printed/coated onto surfaces.

Conventionally, where PV cells are expected to be used in conjunction with multi-zone electrochromic windows, the EC device is positioned toward the interior of the building relative to the PV cells/panels so that the EC device does not reduce the PV when the EC device is in a tinted state. Energy collected by the battery/panel. Thus, the PV cells/panels can be implemented on the outwardly facing surface of the outer glazing (windows), eg, on the surface 1 of the IGU. However, some sensitive PV cells cannot be exposed to external environmental conditions and therefore cannot be reliably implemented on outward facing surfaces. For example, PV cells can be sensitive to oxygen and humidity.

To address the air and water sensitivity of such PV films, the film may be positioned on surface 2 or 3, thus helping to prevent exposure of the film to oxygen and humidity. In some cases, the stack of electrochromic materials is on surface 3 and the PV film is on surface 2 . In another example, the stack of electrochromic materials is on surface 2 and the PV film is on surface 3 .

In one aspect, the PV film is on S3 and the multi-zone window has an electrochromic device with multiple tinted zones on S2. In such a case, one or more zones may remain in a depigmented tinted state, such as in daylight tinted zones that allow a high degree of natural light into the room (eg, in a sash window configuration). In this case, sunlight is fed to the PV film on S3, while other areas (eg, in a sash window configuration, the lower window) can remain tinted, eg, for glare control. In this case, the PV film receives sunlight and does not require light.

4. Contrast ratio

As used herein, "contrast ratio" refers to the contrast in the intensity of light reflected from a surface illuminated by multiple light sources. Contrast ratios are described in most instances with respect to two regions of the surface (referred to as "first portion" and "second portion") illuminated by multiple light sources. The first portion refers to the area illuminated primarily by the first light source providing illumination with the first intensity. The second part refers to the area near or around the first part by having a second intensity different from the first intensity light to illuminate. In one example, yellow light transmitted through the aperture of the electrochromic window in the darkest tinted state produces a blue light projection on the top surface of a table in a room. The light transmitted through the electrochromic window has a higher intensity than the ambient light illuminating the table top. Before the artificial light was activated, there was an intensity contrast between a first portion of the table area illuminated by ambient light in the room and the blue light projected from the light on the table in an adjacent second portion. Then, the artificial light source providing red and yellow light is activated to illuminate the table top. The tabletop reflects light from blue light projection and red and yellow light from artificial light sources to reflect blue, red and yellow light from the first portion. The table top also reflects red and yellow light in a second portion that is mainly illuminated by artificial light sources. The red and yellow light from artificial lighting can shift or "wash out" the contrast between the light reflected from the first and second portions.

1A-1C depict schematic diagrams of perspective views of a room 150 with tintable windows 160 in vertical walls between the exterior of the building and the interior of the room 150 , according to an embodiment. Tintable window 160 is shown in a darkened shaded state. The room 150 also has a first artificial light source 152 , a second artificial light source 154 and a third artificial light source 156 located on the vertical walls of the room 150 . Room 150 also has an occupied area 170 , eg, a desk or another workplace. In this example, occupied area 170 is defined as a two-dimensional area on the floor of room 150 . In one implementation, one or more of the first, second, and third artificial light sources 152, 154, and 156 may be adjustable artificial lighting that can be adjusted to various settings, such as wavelength range, Illuminance and/or direction of illumination.

In the first situation shown in FIG. 1A , sunlight (shown as a solid arrow) illuminates the tintable window 160 in a tinted state as shown. Light transmitted through tintable window 160 (shown as dashed arrows) produces a two-dimensional light projection at first portion 162 of the floor of room 150 . In this case, the first artificial light source 152 , the second artificial light source 154 and the third artificial light source 156 are turned off. Ambient light in the room illuminates the floor of the room 150 in the second portion 180 surrounding the first portion 162 . The light transmitted through the tintable window has a higher intensity than the ambient light illuminating the floor. There is an intensity contrast (contrast ratio) between the reflected light from the brighter first portion 162 illuminated primarily by light transmitted through the tintable window and the reflected light from the second portion 180 illuminated primarily by ambient light. In this case, the contrast at the interface between the first portion 162 and the second portion 180 is not in the occupied area 170 .

In the second case shown in FIG. 1B , sunlight (shown as a solid arrow) illuminates the tinted window 160 in a tinted state as shown, and the first artificial light source 152 and the second artificial light source 154 are turned off and a third artificial light source 156 . In this second situation, the sun is higher in the sky than in the first situation. Light transmitted through tintable window 160 (shown as dashed arrows) produces a two-dimensional light projection that illuminates first portion 162 of the floor of room 150 . The first portion 162 overlaps the occupied area 170 . The light transmitted through the tintable window has a higher intensity than the ambient light illuminating the floor. There is an intensity contrast (contrast ratio) between the reflected light from the brighter first portion 162 illuminated primarily by the light projection and the reflected light from the second portion 180 surrounding the first portion 162 . In this case, the contrast at the interface between the first portion 162 and the second portion 180 is in the occupied area 170 .

The third situation shown in FIG. 1C illustrates the lighting situation as shown in FIG. 1B , but with the addition of the activation of the first artificial light source 152 shown by the directional arrows. In this case, the first artificial light source 152 illuminates the two-dimensional third portion 190 of the floor, offsetting or "washing out" the reflected light from the first portion 162 and the second portion 180 shown in FIG. 1B . Compared.

2A-2B depict schematic diagrams of perspective views of a room 250 with tintable windows 260 in vertical walls between the exterior of the building and the interior of the room 250 , according to an embodiment. Shaderable window 260 is in a darkened shaded state. The room 250 also has a first artificial light source 252 , a second artificial light source 254 and a third artificial light source 256 located in the vertical walls of the room 250 . Room 250 also has an occupied area 270 , eg, a desk or another workplace. In this example, occupied area 270 is defined as a two-dimensional area on the floor of room 250 . In one implementation, one or more of the first, second, and third artificial light sources 252, 254, and 256 may be adjustable artificial lighting that can be adjusted to various settings, such as wavelength range, Illuminance and/or direction of illumination.

In the fourth situation shown in FIG. 2A , sunlight (shown as dashed arrows) illuminates the tintable window 260 in a tinted state as shown. In this fourth scenario, the light transmitted through the tintable window 260 (shown as a solid arrow) creates a two-dimensionality at the first portion 266 of the floor of the room 250 that is in close proximity to the vertical wall with the tintable window 260 light projection. The third artificial light source 256 is activated and illuminates the second portion 292 of the floor. The second portion 292 overlaps the occupied area 270 . The light transmitted through the tintable window 260 has a higher intensity than ambient light illuminating the third portion 280 of the floor around the first portion 266 . The reflected light from the second portion 292 and the third portion 280 have an intensity contrast.

The fifth scenario shown in Figure 2B illustrates a similar lighting scenario as illustrated in Figure 2A , but with the addition of illumination from the first artificial light source 152 illustrated by the directional arrows. In this case, the first artificial light source 152 is activated and illuminates a two-dimensional fourth portion 290 of the floor, offset from the contrast between the reflected light from the second portion 292 and the third portion 280 shown in FIG. 2A .

Certain embodiments relate to control logic that determines and communicates new settings for building systems (such as the tint status of tinted windows) and settings for artificial lighting, wherein the new settings are determined by the control logic to reduce footprint (such as table or other work surface). For example, the control logic may determine the setting of the tunable artificial light source to tune it to the wavelengths of red and yellow light and/or the brighter tint level of the tintable window to reduce blue in the light cast through the tinted window color depth. In this example, the combination of red and yellow light from artificial light sources is combined with the blue light projected through the tinted window to produce red, yellow, and blue light, eg, spectral content closer to the natural light spectrum. This combination reduces the contrast in color and intensity between areas illuminated primarily by blue light projection and areas illuminated by artificial light sources.

In some implementations, the control logic adjusts the function of the building system based on the current contrast ratio in the occupied area, the current contrast ratio being determined based on feedback from the building system. For example, the contrast ratio in the occupied area may be determined based on the current illuminance in the occupied area, the current illuminance being determined as a function of one or more of the following: from one or more sensors in the building (eg, a camera , thermal sensors, etc.), the current setting and location of artificial lighting, etc. A spectrometer such as, for example, the commercially available C-7000 spectromaster manufactured by Sekonic® can be used to measure the illuminance and color of ambient light. The control logic adjusts the function of the building system to adjust the contrast ratio in the occupied area to an acceptable level. For example, building systems can be adjusted so that the contrast ratio is below an acceptable range or below a maximum limit. As another example, a building system can be adjusted so that a look-up table based on the illuminance of artificial lighting, which can be used to offset the amount of light from passing through electrochromic windows with different levels of tinting, maintains the contrast ratio within an acceptable level. Reflected light from light projection.

Other considerations for controlling the tint state of one or more tintable windows and other building systems for the benefit of occupants and/or the building only are set forth in other subsections of this disclosure. For example, occupant health including circadian rhythm adjustment is a consideration discussed below.

B. Examples of Shading Configurations for Glare Control and/or Other Considerations

Examples of configurations for glare reduction are described in this section with reference to multi-zone tintable windows in most cases. It will be appreciated that these examples may similarly apply to a set of tintable windows or a combination of multi-zone windows and a single tintable window.

a) Glare control by daylighting

In one particular glare reduction configuration, a multi-zone tintable window is controlled to place (keep in or transition to) a dimmed state, the tinted zones being in the tintable window at positions that reduce occupancy or In the area of glare at possible locations, while the other shading of the multi-zone tintable window Zones are placed in a brighter shaded state to allow ambient light in to, for example, reduce heating/illumination. This configuration can be used for "daylighting". As used herein, "daylighting" generally refers to architectural strategies that use natural light to meet lighting requirements and potential color shifts while alleviating potential visual discomfort to occupants, such as, for example, caused by glare. Glare can come from direct sunlight hitting the occupant's workplace or into the occupant's eyes. This configuration and other daylighting examples set forth herein can provide a number of benefits, including a reduction in blue from light in shaded areas due to changes in visual perception caused by increased natural light in the room. As mentioned above, it will be appreciated that these examples also apply similarly to maintaining or transitioning to darkening one or more tintable windows, while the other tintable windows remain in a brighter tinted state for daylighting.

-Battle coloring at the lower area

In this configuration, a multi-zone tintable window or group of tintable windows is controlled so that the lower area is brighter than the other areas. In one example of this glare control configuration, the lower tinted region of a multi-zone window in a vertical wall is controlled to be brighter than one or more of the upper tinted windows in the multi-zone window. As another example of such a glare control configuration, the lower tintable windows in a vertical wall are controlled to be brighter than one or more upper tintable windows in the vertical wall. For example, at an angle where the sun is mid-to-high in the sky and the lower area can be low so that direct sunlight does not penetrate deeply into the room and therefore does not create glare in occupied areas located near windows In the case of receiving sunlight, this control configuration can be used. In this case, the lower area can be cleared or controlled in a way that allows the most light into the room and minimizes the heat load required to heat the room, while the middle and/or top areas can be darkened to Reduces glare on occupied areas.

- Brighter shading at the top area

In this configuration, control a multi-zone tintable window or group of tintable windows such that the top zone Brighter than the lower area. For example, a tinted region (or tinted regions at the top) can be tinted brighter than one or more tinted regions of the multi-region tintable window or the top region of the window. In another example, the top area of the window may have only the transparent substrate (no optically switchable devices). As another example, the upper tintable window in the top region of the vertical wall is controlled to be tinted brighter than one or more other tintable windows in the vertical wall. In these examples, the brighter top area may function in a similar fashion to "horizontal windows" by allowing a high degree of ambient light into the room while controlling glare near vertical walls. This and other lighting examples set forth herein may provide various benefits, including a reduction in blue color from light passing through tinted areas/windows due to changes in visual perception caused by increased natural light in the room.

3 is a schematic diagram of this example with a multi-zone tintable window 300 having five tint zones, according to an embodiment. Multi-zone tintable windows 300 are located between the interior and exterior of the building, in the exterior vertical walls of room 350 . The multi-zone tintable window 300 includes a first tinting zone 302 at the top of the window 300 and four other tinting zones 304 , 306 , 308 , and 310 below the first tinting zone 302 .

In the situation shown in Figure 3 , the sun is high in the sky. In this case, the tinting regions are controlled such that the first tinting region 302 is in the first tinting state, that is, the brightest tinting state (eg, decolorized or clear state), and the other tinting regions 304 , 306 , 308 , and 310 are is in a second shaded state darker than the first shaded state. With the tinting control configuration shown, the first tinting zone 302 allows natural light from the sun overhead to enter the room while preventing glare from direct sunlight projected on the occupied area with the table and occupants. Instead, direct sunlight passing through the first tinting zone 302 casts glare (depicted by arrows) onto unoccupied areas of the room. Although five regions are used in the example shown here, other numbers and arrangements of shaded regions may be used.

In another example of this glare configuration, a multi-zone tintable window can include only a top transparent substrate portion with no optical devices and a bottom portion with an optically switchable device with one or more tinted zones . For example, the multi-zone tintable window can have a monolithic electrochromic device with one or more tinted zones at the bottom portion of the window and a strip of light-transmitting transparent substrate at the top.

In another example of this glare configuration, and possibly other configurations for other purposes, according to one embodiment, a multi-zone tintable window includes one or more tinting zones that can be controlled zone so that it has a tinting gradient from one side to the opposite side. In one case, the top tint zone has a tint gradient that starts in a depigmented tint state on one side and increases the tint toward the opposite side. That is, there is no sudden change in coloration as in physically separated regions where high contrast between regions may be distracting and unappealing to the end user.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of this example with a multi-zone tintable window 460 with a shading gradient, according to an embodiment. Multi-zone tintable windows 460 are located in the exterior vertical walls of room 450 between the interior and exterior of the building. The multi-zone tintable window 460 includes a first tinting zone 462 at the top of the window 450 and a second tinting zone 464 below the first tinting zone 462 . In the illustrated illustration, the first colored region 462 is in a first colored state, which is the brightest colored state (eg, a decolorized state), and the second colored region 464 is in a brighter colored state than the first colored state. Dark second shaded state. For the tinting shown, the first tinting zone 462 allows natural light from the sun aloft to enter the room while preventing glare from direct sunlight projected onto the occupancy area shown with tables and seated occupants. Direct sunlight passing through the first tinting zone 462 casts glare (depicted by arrows) onto unoccupied areas at the rear of the room. In this particular example, the multi-zone tintable window 460 also has a tinted gradient region 466 that includes a resistive region having a width. Shading gradient region 466 has a shading gradient between the shading states of adjacent first shading region 462 and second shading region 464 . That is, the tinting gradient distance (or width) can be measured, e.g., from the beginning of a zone that changes from %T, through and including the change to %T in an adjacent zone, where the %T becomes constant in the second zone place ends. In one aspect, the gradient portion has a width of about 10". In another aspect, the gradient portion has a width in the range of 2" to 15". In another aspect, the gradient portion has a width in the range of 2" to 15". The width is in the range of 10" to 15". In one aspect, the gradient portion is about 5" wide. In one aspect, the gradient portion is about 2" wide. In one aspect, the gradient portion is about 15" wide. In one aspect, the gradient portion is about 20" wide. In one aspect, the gradient portion is about 20" wide. In one aspect, the gradient portion is at least about 10" wide. In one aspect, the gradient portion is at least about 16" wide. In one aspect, the width of the gradient portion covers the entire width or substantially the entire width of the multi-region tintable window. In this case, the window may have a continuous gradient from light to dark across the entire window. In another aspect, the gradient portion is less than 5 inches wide.

- Brighter shaded middle area

While some examples of tinting the tintable window in a glare reduction configuration have placed the top or lower area in a lighter shaded state, other examples may darken the top or lower area to control glare while making the top area and One or more intermediate regions between the bottom regions are cleared or placed in a lighter shaded state. In this case, a multi-zone tintable window or group of tintable windows can be controlled such that the intermediate areas of one or more tinted zones/windows are brighter than the other areas. For example, a multi-zone tintable window located very low or very high in a room may have a tinting configuration that clears an intermediate zone or zones or places it in a brighter tinted state. As another example, a single multi-zone tintable window spanning multiple floors (eg, an open mezzanine or attic in a single room) may have a tinting configuration that clears an intermediate zone or zones. As another example, controlling one or more tintable windows in an intermediate region of a vertical wall to be tinted more than other tintable windows in the vertical wall Window bright.

5 is a schematic diagram of a room 550 having three tintable windows 502 , 504 , and 506 , according to one aspect. The room has a second mezzanine with two tables and a lower level with a single table. Tintable windows 502 , 504 and 506 are arranged vertically and are located between the interior and exterior of the building, in the exterior vertical walls of room 550 . In this illustration, the middle tintable window 504 is in a first tinted state (eg, a decolorized state), and the other tintable windows 502 and 506 are in a second tinted state that is darker than the first tinted state. For the tinting shown, intermediate tintable windows 504 allow natural light from the sun to enter room 550 between occupied areas to reduce lighting/heating loads. This tinting also prevents glare from direct sunlight projected onto the mezzanine and the occupied areas on the lower floors.

While many examples of multi-zone tintable windows in glare reduction configurations are described herein with respect to multiple full-width tinted zones arranged along the length of the window, other examples may include Full length shaded area. Alternatively, it is contemplated that a multi-zone tintable window may include rectangular tinting zones (digital design) corresponding to a two-dimensional array of positions over the length and width of the window.

b) Windows with multiple slats

In certain embodiments, a tintable window includes a plurality of windows in the form of, for example, insulating glass units (IGUs) having spacers sealed between the windows. Another example is a build-up construction. Any of the tinting configurations shown and described herein with respect to the illustrated examples can be used for a single pane or one or more panes of an IGU or laminate construction.

In one glare reduction tinting configuration, a tintable window includes a first tintable window in combination with a second mating window having multiple tinted zones or a single tinted zone. In this tinted configuration, the combined transmittance of light through multiple windows can be used to provide a lower transmittance than a single window. For example, the reduced transmittance rating through the two tintable windows in the region where the two windows are tinted to the darkest tinted state may be 1% T or less. Passing through multiple combinations This reduced transmittance of areas of the tinted window can be used to provide increased glare control in multi-zone tintable windows. That is, a transmittance of less than 1% may be desirable for some end users, eg, to further reduce glare. In such cases, tintable windows with multiple windows can be used to reduce transmission below 1% if desired.

In one embodiment of this tinting configuration, a multi-zone tintable window is in the form of an IGU having a plurality of panes, each pane having one or more tinting zones that can be tinted to reduce glare. At certain times of the year/day, the tinting of the upper area of the window is appropriate because the sun is at an altitude such that sunlight passing through the upper area is a glare through all parts of the window that receives the sun main reason. In other cases, other areas of the multi-zone tintable window may also benefit from this shading. For example, the lower part may also benefit from this coloration.

According to one aspect, the areas of a multi-area window that are determined by the control method to be most suitable for tinting to reduce glare are those areas that do not have good visual potential for the occupant. In other words, it is desirable if an occupant can see out of the window, for example, to check weather conditions, when he is at his usual position in the room. In one example, the control method determines to maintain or transition the shaded state of certain shaded areas to a darker shaded state to control glare over the occupied areas, as long as the areas of the shaded areas do not obstruct the occupant's view .

In certain embodiments, a multi-zone tintable window in the form of an IGU is controlled to have a tinted state that balances glare control with reduced energy consumption. In one case, the counterpart window of the IGU may have one or more tinted areas designed to always or almost always reduce glare. While a mating window generally refers to any substrate of an IGU, in one instance, a mating window is the substrate of the IGU without an optically switchable device (eg, an electrochromic device) thereon.

c) Direction control of sunlight

In one aspect, the paired windows in the IGU, or possibly some other structure, can be designed to direct sunlight in a horizontal direction, regardless of the relative height of the sun relative to the window position. The means for directing light in a horizontal direction may include a set of very thin slats or louver structures in the interior of the IGU or exterior of the IGU or in association with a mating window. In one example, small mechanical shutters can be built into the electrically controllable areas of the mating windows to redirect light. As another example, a series of light pipes may reside outside or inside the IGU (the area between the windows) to direct sunlight in a substantially horizontal direction. 6 is a schematic diagram of an example of a multi-zone tintable window 690 in the form of an IGU in a vertical wall of a room 699 , according to one embodiment. The IGU includes inner and outer EC windows and spacers (not shown) between the windows. The inner EC window includes a first tinted area 693 , a second tinted area 696 , and a third tinted area 697 . The outer EC window includes a first tinted area 694 and a second tinted area 698 . In the top portion 692 of the window 690 , the area 695 between the windows has a series of light pipes including reflective inner surfaces for transmitting light. In other embodiments, region 695 may include light scattering elements, reflectors, diffusers, micro-shields (or similar MEMS devices), or the like. In this tinted configuration, tinted areas 693 and 694 are made clear to allow sunlight to transmit while directing or preventing light from hitting the occupant and thus avoiding glare situations, while still allowing natural light to enter the space. In this configuration, sunlight passes through the tinting zone 694 at the outer surface of the EC window outside the top portion 692 , passes through the light pipes, and transmits through the tinting of the inner EC window in the clear state District 693 . In some cases, as depicted, the light may be directed slightly to the back of the room. With the tinted configuration shown, the top portion 692 of the window 690 allows natural light from the sun in an overhead location to enter the room while preventing glare from direct sunlight on the occupied area with tables and occupants.

In another embodiment, one or more windows of the IGU may have an area with diffused light sources such that light impinging on this area is diffused or scattered so as to eliminate potential glare on the occupied area. Diffusion or scattering can be achieved by applying a diffuser or light directing film to the area. These films contain many Multiple scattering centers or other pathways to allow light in but at the same time reduce direct light on the occupied area.

d) Multi-region windows with non-EC films

In certain embodiments, the tintable window includes an electrochromic device or other optically switchable device. In one embodiment, the tintable window includes an optically switchable device and a photovoltaic film. In another embodiment, a tintable window includes an optically switchable device and a layer of thermochromic material and/or a layer of photochromic material. Some descriptions of tintable windows with thermochromic or photochromic materials can be found in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12/ 145,892 (now US Pat. No. 8,514,476), which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

e) Other Examples of Lighting Shading Configurations

Certain aspects pertain to tinting configurations with at least one tinting zone or tintable window (lighting tinting zone/window) remaining in a depigmented tinted state. Daylight tinting zones/windows allow natural light into the room while controlling glare/temperature in the room by tinting other tinting zones/windows. These aspects are for motives from the occupier/building. First, daylight tinting areas/windows increase the light in the room. That is, a darker tint state may make the room feel too dark for the occupant. Occupants may want to let more light into the room while still controlling glare when the sun hits the facade. Second, daylight tinting areas/windows can improve the color of the light in the room. That is, a darker tint state can make the light in the room appear colored (eg, blue). Occupants may want to maintain a more natural room color while tinting to control glare. Third, daylighting tinting zones/windows can improve vision through the window and the occupant's connection to the outside world. An occupant may want to recognize the current weather or other outdoor conditions when the window is in a darker tint state. Fourth, daylight tinted areas/windows maintain glare/heat control. That is, other tinted areas/windows will be tinted to protect occupants from glare and from solar radiation. heat.

In some aspects, the daylighting tinting zone of the multi-zone window is wide enough to allow sufficient natural light into the room to reduce light color (eg, blue) in the room while still providing glare/heating control. In one aspect, the width of the daylighting tint is about 5". In another aspect, the width of the daylighting tint is less than 22". In another aspect, the width of the daylighting tint is between about 10" and 21". In one aspect, the width of the daylighting tint is about 15".

7 shows a left side room 710 with a first multi-zone tintable window 712 and a right side room 730 with a second multi-zone tintable window 732 according to one aspect of the daylighting tinting configuration. The first multi-zone tintable window 712 in the room 710 on the left has two tinting zones above the level of the sill. The second multi-zone tintable window 732 in the room 730 on the right has three tinting zones above the level of the sill. In the first multi-zone tintable window 712 and the second multi-zone tintable window 732 , the lower portion is not tintable below the level of the sill. In one case, the lower portion may be a transparent substrate without an optically switchable device. In both rooms 710 , 730 , the top shaded area is shown in a clear state to allow sunlight to pass through the shaded area into the room, similar to the sash window example shown in FIG . A first multi-zone tintable window 712 with two tinting zones can have lower manufacturing and design complexity than a three-zone window.

8A includes plan and side (south elevation) views of a modeled building with tintable multi-zone windows in room 800 according to one embodiment illustrating a daylighting shading configuration. Figure 8B includes a perspective view of room 800 of the modeled building shown in Figure 8A . Each multi-zone window has two shaded areas, a first top shaded area and a second middle shaded area. The lower region is a transparent substrate without optically switchable devices. In the example shown, the upper shaded area is in a brighter state than the middle shaded area to allow sunlight to pass through the upper shaded area into the room.

FIG. 9 shows sunlight from passing through the multi-zone windows shown in FIG. 7 at row 1 and row 2 seats of a room on June 21, September 21, and December 21, according to one embodiment. Graph of the Daylight Glare Probability (DGP) of . The multi-zone window has two shaded zones. FIG. 10 is a plot of room brightness levels at table level in foot candles (FC) for June 21, September 21, and December 21 relative to the two shaded zones in the room illustrated in FIG. 9 . picture.

FIG. 11 is a graph of the shading schedule for the two-zone tintable window shown in FIG. 7 , the graph including illuminance levels and DGP values. As shown, from a period of time, sufficient glare control and lighting is provided to the shaded area. The darkest shaded state (shading 4) is required at noon on the year-end day.

12 is a diagram of a shading schedule for a multi-region window with two regions and three regions. Three zones offer more tinting options than two zones. Lower vision can only be tinted at times to reduce glare slightly without affecting brightness levels.

Figure 13 shows an illustration of a simulation of two views of a room with multi-zone tintable windows having daylighting tinting zones 15" wide.

Figure 14 shows a graph of green-blue coloration and luminance in a simulated room with a daylighting tint zone of width 5". The first 5" of the width of the daylighting zone caused the largest incremental difference in room color. One embodiment is a method of providing daylighting to a room having a tintable window between the room space and the exterior of the room, the method comprising allowing at least 5" of the length of the untinted window to allow less when the remainder of the length of the tintable window is tinted. 5% of the solar spectrum is transmitted therethrough.

III. Controller

In some embodiments, one or more controllers may supply power or send other control signals to building systems to control the function of those building systems. In some cases, for example, the controller may power one or more electrochromic devices of the tintable window. The controllers set forth herein are not limited to those controllers having the function of powering the device(s) with which they are associated in order to control. That is, the power supply can be separate from the controller, where the controller The controller has its own power source and directs the application of power to the device(s) from the independent power source. However, it is convenient to include a power supply with the controller and configure the controller to power the device directly, as it avoids the need for separate wiring for powering the device.

In some cases, a controller is a stand-alone controller that is configured to control the function of a single system, such as an electrochromic window or one or more electrochromic devices of an electrochromic window zone, while There is no need to integrate the controller into the building control network or building management system (BMS). In other cases, as further explained in this subsection, the controller is integrated into the building control network or BMS.

A. Instances of Controller Components

15 shows a simplified block diagram of some components of the controller 1550 and a device 1500 of a building system controlled by the controller 1550 . More details of similar controller assemblies implemented to control optically switchable devices can be found in US Patent Applications 13/449,248 and 13, both filed April 17, 2012, entitled "CONTROLLER FOR OPTICALLY-SWITCHABLE WINDOWS" /449,251 and in US Patent Application 13/449,235 (published as US Patent No. 8,705,162), filed April 17, 2012, entitled "CONTROLLING TRANSITIONS IN OPTICALLY SWITCHABLE DEVICES"; all of which are hereby incorporated by reference The way is integrated as a whole.

In FIG. 15 , the illustrated components of the controller 1550 include a microprocessor 1555 or other processor, a pulse width modulator 1560 (PWM), a signal conditioning module 1565 , and a computer-readable medium having a configuration file 1575 (eg, , memory) 1570 . The controller 1550 is in electronic communication with one or more devices 1500 via a network 1580 (wired or wireless) to send control commands to the one or more devices 1500 . In some embodiments, the controller 1550 may be a local controller that communicates with the main controller via a network (wired or wireless).

In some embodiments, the output from the sensor may be input to the signal conditioning module 1565 . This input may be in the form of a voltage signal to signal conditioning module 1 565 . The signal conditioning module 1565 passes the output signal to the microprocessor 1555 or other processor. The microprocessor 1555 or other processor determines the level of control of the device(s) based on various data, such as information from the configuration file 1575 , output from the signal conditioning module 1565 , override values, or other data. Microprocessor 1555 then sends instructions to PWM 1560 to apply voltage and/or current to one or more devices of the building system via network 1580 to control its function.

In one example, the microprocessor 1555 may instruct the PWM 1560 to apply a voltage and/or current to the electrochromic device of the window to transition it to any of four or more different colored states. In one case, the electrochromic device can be transitioned to at least eight different coloration levels described as: 0 (brightest), 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 (darkest). These tint levels can correspond linearly to the values of visual transmittance and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of light transmitted through the electrochromic window. For example, using the eight shading levels above, the brightest shading level 0 may correspond to a SHGC value of 0.80, a shading level of 5 may correspond to a SHGC value of 0.70, a shading level of 10 may correspond to a SHGC value of 0.60, and a shading level of 15 may correspond to an SHGC value of 0.60 A value of 0.50, a shading level of 20 may correspond to a SHGC value of 0.40, a shading level of 25 may correspond to a SHGC value of 0.30, a shading level of 30 may correspond to a SHGC value of 0.20, and a shading level of 35 (darkest) may correspond to a SHGC value of 0.10. As will be discussed below, light transmitted through tinted windows can impart color in a room. The depth of the color will depend on the tint level.

In some cases, the controller controls one or more tintable windows, such as electrochromic windows. In one case, at least one or all of the electrochromic devices of the electrochromic window are solid state and inorganic electrochromic devices. In one case, the electrochromic window is as in US Patent Application filed on August 5, 2010 and entitled "Multipane Electrochromic Windows" The polymorphic electrochromic window described in Application Serial No. 12/851,514 (now US Patent No. 8,705,162), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The controller 1550 or a master controller in communication with the controller 1550 may employ control logic to determine the level of control based on various data. Controller 1550 may instruct PWM 1560 to apply voltage and/or current to one or more devices or otherwise send control signals based on the determined control level.

B. Building Management System (BMS)

The controller described herein is suitable for integration with a building management system (BMS). A BMS is a computer-based control system installed in a building that monitors and controls the mechanical and electrical equipment of a building, such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (also known as "HVAC systems"), lighting systems, electrical systems (eg, wireless power systems), window systems (such as one or more zones of tintable windows), conveyor systems (such as elevator systems), emergency systems (such as fire protection systems), security systems, and other building systems. The BMS is associated by hardware (including interconnects to one or more computers via communication channels) and used to maintain conditions in the building according to preferences set by the occupants and/or by the building manager software composition. For example, a BMS may be implemented using a local area network such as Ethernet. The software may be based, for example, on Internet Protocol and/or open standards. An example is software from Tridium, Inc. (located in Richmond, Virginia). One communication protocol commonly used for BMS is BACnet (Building Automation and Control Network).

BMS is most common in large buildings and is usually used at least to control the environmental conditions within the building. For example, a BMS can control temperature, brightness level, color temperature, contrast ratio, sound level or other sound quality, air quality (such as carbon dioxide levels and/or particulate matter levels), humidity levels, and other conditions within a building. Typically, there are many mechanical devices controlled by the BMS, such as heaters, air conditioners, blowers, vents, and the like. In order to control the building environment, the BMS may turn on and off or otherwise control these devices in the building system to specific grade. The core function of a typical modern BMS is to maintain a comfortable environment (eg, visual comfort, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, air quality, etc.) for the occupants of the building while minimizing energy costs/demands. Therefore, modern BMSs are used not only for monitoring and control, but also for optimizing the cooperation between various systems, eg, to save energy and reduce building operating costs.

16 depicts a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a BMS 1600 that communicates (wirelessly or wired) with and manages a number of systems in a building 1601 , including security systems 1632 , heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) ) system 1634 , lighting system 1636 , electrical system 1642 , elevator or other conveying system 1644 , fire or other emergency system 1645 , window system 1650 associated with tintable windows, and the like. Security systems 1632 may include magnetic card access, turnstiles, solenoid actuated door locks, surveillance cameras and other asset or occupant locating devices, burglar alarms, metal detectors, and the like. Fire or other emergency systems 1645 may include alarms and fire suppression systems including water line controls. Lighting system 1636 may include interior lighting, exterior lighting, emergency warning lights, emergency exit signs, and emergency floor evacuation lighting. Power systems 1642 may include primary power sources, backup generators, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) grids, power generation systems such as photovoltaic power systems, and the like. In other embodiments, the BMS can manage other combinations of building systems.

In the illustrated example shown in FIG. 16 , BMS 1600 controls window system 1650 by sending control signals to master window controller 3202 . In this example, main window controller 3202 is shown as a distributed network of controllers that includes main network controller 1603 , intermediate network controllers 1605a and 1605b , and end or leaf controller 1610 . The end or leaf controller 1610 may be similar to the window controller 1550 described with respect to FIG. 15 , the window controller 1940 described with respect to FIG. 19 , or the window controller 790 described with respect to FIG. 20 . In one example, the main network controller 1603 may be proximate to the BMS 1600 , and each floor or other area of the building 1601 may have one of the intermediate network controllers 1605a and 1605b , while each tinted window or The area of the tintable window has its own end controller 1610. In this example, each of the end or leaf controllers 1610 controls a particular tintable window or a particular area of a tintable window of the building 1601 .

Each of the end or leaf controllers 1610 can be in a separate location from the tintable window it controls, or can be integrated into the tintable window. For simplicity, only the ten tintable windows of building 1601 are shown as being controlled by master window controller 3202 . In a typical situation, there may be a larger number of tintable windows in a building controlled by the master window controller 3202 . The master window controller 3202 need not be a distributed network of window controllers. For example, as set forth above, a single end controller that controls the function of a single tintable window or a single region of a tintable window also falls within the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.

In one aspect, the BMS or another controller receives sensor data from one or more sensors at the building via a communication network. For external sensors, the building may include external sensors on the roof of the building. Alternatively, the building may include exterior sensors associated with each exterior window or exterior sensors on each side of the building. External sensors on each side of the building can track the irradiance on the side of the building as the sun changes position throughout the day. As another example, a multi-sensor device with multiple sensors (such as light sensors, infrared sensors, ambient temperature sensors, and other sensors) may be located at buildings, eg, on rooftops superior. Additionally or alternatively, the BMS may receive feedback data from other building systems. In one case, the BMS may receive information about the presence and location of occupants in the building. By incorporating data from various building systems, a BMS can provide, for example, enhanced: 1) environmental control, 2) energy savings, 3) safety, 4) flexibility in control options, 5) attributable to other Less reliance on systems and therefore less maintenance of other systems resulting in increased reliability and useful life of other systems, 6) Information availability and diagnostics, 7) Effective utilization of personnel and higher productivity from personnel, and various combinations of these, as these systems can be automatically controlled.

Building systems can sometimes operate on a daily, monthly, quarterly or annual schedule. For example, lighting control systems, window systems, HVAC, and security systems may operate on a 24-hour schedule considering when people are in the building during the workday. At night, the building may enter an energy saving mode, and during the day, the system may operate in a manner that minimizes the building's energy consumption while providing occupant comfort. As another example, the systems may be turned off or entered into an energy saving mode during a vacation. Scheduling information can be combined with geographic information. The geographic information may include the latitude and longitude of the building. The geographic information may also include information about the direction each side of the building is facing. Using this information, different rooms on different sides of the building can be controlled in different ways.

17 is a function of an electrochromic device 1701 for controlling one or more tintable windows of a building (eg, building 1601 shown in FIG. 16 ) (eg, transitioning to a different tinting level), according to an embodiment A block diagram of the components of the system 1700 . System 1700 may be one of the building systems managed by a BMS (eg, BMS 1600 shown in Figure 16 ) or may operate independently of a BMS. System 1700 includes a master window controller 1703 that can send control signals to the one or more tintable windows to control their function. The system 1700 also includes a network 1740 in electronic communication with the master window controller 1703 . The control logic, other control logic and instructions and/or sensors and other data for controlling the functionality of the tintable windows may be communicated to the master window controller 1703 via the network 1740 . The network 1740 can be a wired or wireless network (eg, a cloud network). In one embodiment, the network 1740 can communicate with the BMS to allow the BMS to send instructions to control the tintable windows in the building via the network 1740 .

The system 1700 also includes the one or more tintable windows (not shown) EC devices 1701 and optional wall switches 1790 , which are in electronic communication with the main window controller 1703 . In the example shown here, the master window controller 1703 may send a control signal to the EC device 1701 to control the tint level of a tintable window with the EC device 1701 . Each wall switch 1790 also communicates with the EC device 1701 and the main window controller 1703 . An end user (eg, an occupant of a room with tintable windows) can use wall switch 1790 to control the tint level and other functions of a tintable window with EC device 1701 .

In FIG. 17 , the main window controller 1703 is shown as a distributed network of window controllers, the distributed network includes the main network controller 1703 and a plurality of intermediate networks in communication with the main network controller 1703 Controller 1705 and a plurality of terminal or louver controllers 1710 . Each terminal or louver controller 1710 communicates with a single intermediate network controller 1705 . Although the master window controller 1703 is shown as a distributed network of window controllers, in other embodiments, the master window controller 1703 may also be a single window controller that controls the functionality of a single tintable window. The components of system 1700 in FIG. 17 may be similar in some respects to those described with respect to FIG. 16 . For example, main network controller 1703 may be similar to main network controller 1303 , and intermediate network controller 1705 may be similar to intermediate network controller 1705 . Each window controller in the distributed network of Figure 17 may include a processor (eg, a microprocessor) and a computer-readable medium in electrical communication with the processor.

In Figure 17 , each leaf or end window controller 1710 communicates with a single tintable window EC device 1701 to control the tint level of that tintable window in the building. In the case of an IGU, a leaf or end window controller 1710 may communicate with EC devices 1701 on a plurality of windows of an IGU to control the tint level of the IGU. In other embodiments, each leaf or end window controller 1710 may communicate with a plurality of tintable windows, eg, in a region of windows. The leaf or end window controller 1710 may be integrated into the tintable window or may be separate from the tintable window it controls. Leaf and end window controller 1710 in FIG. 17 may be similar to end or leaf controller 1610 in FIG. 16 .

Each wall switch 1790 is operable by an end user (eg, an occupant of a room) to control the tint level and other functions of the tintable window in communication with the wall switch 1790 . The end user can operate the wall switch 1790 to transmit a control signal to the EC device 1701 in the associated tintable window. In some cases, these signals from wall switch 1790 may override signals from master window controller 1703 . In other situations (eg, high demand situations), the control signal from the master window controller 1703 may override the control signal from the wall switch 1790 . Each wall switch 1790 also communicates with the leaf or end window controller 1710 to send information back to the master window controller 1703 regarding the control signals sent from the wall switch 1790 (eg, time, date, tint level requested, etc.). In some cases, wall switch 1790 may be manually operated. In other cases, wireless communications (eg, using infrared (IR) and/or radio frequency (RF) signals) with control signals may be sent wirelessly by the end user using a remote device (eg, mobile phone, tablet, etc.) Control wall switch 1790 . In some cases, the wall switch 1790 may include a wireless protocol chip, such as Bluetooth, EnOcean, WiFi, Zigbee, and the like. Although the wall switch 1790 shown in Figure 17 is located on the wall, other embodiments of the system 1700 may have switches located elsewhere in the room. The system 1700 also includes a multi-sensor device 1712 in electronic communication with one or more controllers via a communication network 1740 for transmitting sensor readings and/or screening to the controller(s) the sensor value.

18 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of a building network 1800 for buildings. As noted above, building network 1800 may employ any number of different communication protocols, including BACnet. As shown, building network 1800 includes main network controller 1805 , lighting control panel 1810 , BMS 1815 , security control system 1820 , and user console 1825 . These various controllers and systems in a building can be used to receive input from and/or control the HVAC system 1830 , lights 1835 , security sensors 1840 , door locks 1845 , cameras 1850 , and tintable windows 1855 from the building's HVAC system 1830 1830 , lights 1835 , security sensors 1840 , door locks 1845 , cameras 1850 and tinted windows 1855 .

The master network controller 1805 may function in a similar manner to the master network controller 3403 described with respect to FIG. 17 . Lighting control panel 1810 may include circuitry for controlling interior lighting, exterior lighting, emergency warning lights, emergency exit signs, and emergency floor evacuation lighting. Lighting control panel 1810 may also include occupancy sensors in rooms of the building. BMS 1815 may include computer servers that receive data from and issue commands to other systems and controllers of network 1800 . For example, the BMS 1815 may receive data from each of the main network controller 1805 , the lighting control panel 1810 , and the security control system 1820 and send data to each of the main network controller 1805 , the lighting control panel 1810 , and the security control system 1820 Each issued an order. Security control system 1820 may include magnetic card access, turnstiles, solenoid actuated door locks, surveillance cameras, burglar alarms, metal detectors, and the like. User console 1825 may be a computer terminal that may be used by a building manager to schedule control, monitoring, optimization, and troubleshooting operations for the various systems of the building. Software from Tridium, Inc. can generate visual representations of data from different systems for the user console 1225 .

Each of these different controls can control a different type of device/equipment. The main network controller 1805 controls the window 1855 . Lighting control panel 1810 controls lights 1835 . BMS 1815 can control HVAC 1830 . The security control system 1820 controls the security sensor 1840 , the door lock 1845 and the camera 1850 . Data can be exchanged and/or shared among all the different devices/equipment and controllers that are part of the building network 1800 .

C. An instance of a window controller for independently controlling multiple shading areas

In some aspects, a single window controller or multiple window controllers can be used to independently control multiple zones of a single electrochromic device of a multi-zone tintable window or multiple tintable windows in a zone. In a first design, a single window controller is in electrical communication with multiple voltage regulators. In the second design, The main window controller is in electrical communication with the plurality of sub-controllers. In some cases, each multi-zone tintable window includes a memory, chip, or card that stores information about the window, including physical characteristics, production information (date, location, fabrication parameters, batch number, etc.) and the like. The memory, chip or card may or may not be part of the onboard window controller, eg, in the wiring harness, pigtails, and/or connectors to the window controller. A window controller that controls a multi-zone tintable window, either on or as part of a window, is described herein. In U.S. Patent Application 13/049,756, entitled "MULTIPURPOSE CONTROLLER FOR MULTISTATE WINDOWS," filed March 16, 2011, and U.S. Patent Application, "SELF-CONTAINED EC IGU," filed November 24, 2015 Additional information that may be included in memory is set forth in 14/951,410, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

- Controller Design 1

As mentioned above, according to the first design, a window controller is connected to a plurality of voltage regulators it controls. Each voltage regulator is in electrical communication with one of the shaded regions. In one embodiment, the voltage regulators are on-board, ie, part of the window assembly, eg, in the secondary sealing of the insulating glazing unit. The voltage regulators may be physically separate from the controller, or part of the controller, whether the controller is onboard or separate from the window. A window controller is in electrical communication with each voltage regulator to be able to independently instruct each voltage regulator to deliver a voltage to its own shaded region. Each voltage regulator delivers current to only one of the two bus bars in a particular colored region. This design involves multiple voltage regulators, one for each shading zone, and all voltage regulators are collectively controlled by a single window controller via a communication bus (not shown).

19 is a schematic diagram of a control system with a window controller 1940 connected to five (5) voltage regulators 1945 according to this first design. Each voltage regulator 1945 is electrically connected to one of the bus bars of the corresponding shaded region 1952 of the window 1950 and to the window controller 1940 . In this example, the window controller 1940 instructs each voltage regulator 1945 to deliver voltage to its own shaded region 1952 independently. Each voltage regulator 1945 delivers current to only one of the two bus bars on its shaded region 1952 . In this way, each zone 1952 can be colored independently with respect to other zones 1952 .

Another structural feature of this first design is that each of the voltage regulators is directed to or connected to only one of the bus bars in respective regions of the multi-region electrochromic device. The bus bars in the zones that are opposite the voltage regulated bus bars all receive the same voltage from the window controller. This presents a challenge if one of the colored regions needs to be driven in the opposite direction to the other regions, because if the voltages applied to the other regions are not of the same polarity after such reversal, the polarities on the two bus bars cannot be Invert.

In this design, each voltage regulator is a simple design with logic to apply voltage as directed by the window controller (eg, instructions stored on memory and retrieved for execution by the processor) . The local window controller includes logic with instructions for implementing rules including: 1) communicating with higher level window controllers, 2) reducing power if necessary, 3) determining which The actual voltage applied by each. As one example of communicating with a higher-level window controller, a local window controller may receive instructions for placing each of the individual regions into individual shaded states. The window controller can then interpret this information and decide how to best achieve this result by applying the appropriate drive voltages, hold times, ramp profiles, hold voltages, etc. to drive the transitions. In U.S. Patent Application 13/449,248, filed April 17, 2012, and entitled "CONTROLLER FOR OPTICALLY-SWITCHABLE WINDOWS" Patent Application 13/449,251 Details of the control commands used to drive transitions in optically switchable windows are set forth in , both applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

- Controller Design 2

In a second design, a separate sub-controller is used to control each of the shaded regions. In this design, the sub-controllers receive overall shading instructions from the main window controller. For example, a master (upper level) window controller may send a signal with a shading command to a sub-controller to drive a particular shading region to transition to a new shading state. The sub-controller includes memory including control commands for drive transitions, including commands to determine appropriate drive voltages, hold times, ramp profiles, etc. required for drive transitions. The master window controller for the multi-zone window communicates with higher-level control entities on the control network, and the master window controller also serves to reduce power from the power source to an appropriate level for the sub-controllers to perform their functions.

In this design, each sub-controller has leads to each bus bar of the respective shaded area it is responsible for. In this way, the polarity on a pair of bus bars for one of each zone can be independently controlled. If one of the colored regions needs to be driven with a polarity opposite to that of the other regions, by this design, the polarity on the two bus bars can be reversed. This is an advantage over the first design because each zone can be colored or cleared independently.

20 is a schematic diagram of a single window controller connected to five sub-controllers (SWCs) 2070 according to this second design. Each sub-controller 2070 has two leads that lead to the bus bars of the corresponding shaded region 2062 . In this example, the SWC 2070 is electrically connected in series with one SWC 2070 at the end of a series of SWCs 2070 connected to the main window controller 2080 . In this example, the window controller 2080 sends a signal with a shading instruction to the sub-controller 2070 to drive the transition of its associated shading region 2062 .

D. Photovoltaic power

In certain embodiments, a tintable window (eg, an electrochromic window) includes a photovoltaic (PV) film or other light harvesting device. The light harvesting device harvests energy, converts solar energy to provide power to window controllers and/or other window devices or for storage in batteries.

E. Airborne window controller

In some aspects, a tintable window has a window controller on the window. Details of an example of an airborne window controller are set forth in US Patent Application Serial No. 14/951,410, entitled "SELF-CONTAINTED EC IGU," filed on November 24, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. enter.

F. Wireless power supply

According to one aspect, the multi-zone window may be powered wirelessly, eg, via radio frequency, magnetic induction, laser, microwave energy, or the like. Details regarding components for wireless power windows can be found in International PCT Application PCT/US17/52798, filed September 21, 2017, entitled "WIRELESS POWERED ELECTROCHROMIC WINDOWS," which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety .

In one aspect, a multi-zone tintable window includes a radio frequency (RF) antenna that converts RF energy to a potential for powering the transition of one or more tinting zones in the multi-zone tintable window. The RF antenna may be located in the frame of the multi-zone window or in another structure (eg, a spacer between insulating glass units). For example, RF antennas may be located in spacers between insulating glass units having a plurality of windows, at least one of which includes a multi-zone electrochromic device. The RF antenna receives RF signals from the RF transmitter. In one case, an RF transmitter provides RF signals to multiple RF antennas. Details regarding examples of antennas are set forth in PCT application PCT/US15/62387, entitled "WINDOW ANTENNAS" and filed on November 24, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

IV. Control Logic for Controlling the Functions of Tintable Windows and/or Other Building Systems

In some implementations, the control logic used to determine shading decisions for groups (regions) of windows may be similar to the control logic used to determine shading decisions for multiple shading regions in a window or individual windows in a group of windows to operate. That is, the control logic for multiple windows determines the shaded state of each window based on the position and orientation of that window. The control logic for multiple regions of a window will determine the shaded state of each region of the window based on the location and orientation of that region. An example of control logic for determining shading decisions for multiple windows and transitioning those windows to the determined shading state can be found in the PCT application filed on May 5, 2015 and entitled "CONTROL METHOD FOR TINTABLE WINDOWS" In PCT/US15/29675, this application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. In some aspects, as set forth herein, certain operations of this control logic may be adapted to determine shading decisions for multiple shading regions and power transitions according to those shading decisions.

In some aspects, control logic may be adapted to address visual transitions of shading within a particular shaded region and/or between adjacent shaded regions. For example, the control logic may include logic to determine certain shading states that produce strong contrasts between different shading states in different regions or that produce a diffuse blend of colors from region to region (eg, using Resistive Area Technology). As discussed above, resistive regions (rather than physical bifurcations) between adjacent tinted regions can be used to create tinting gradients between adjacent regions. The tinting gradient generally exists over the width of the resistive region, and thus the smoother the visual transition, the greater the width of the resistive region. The control logic may be adapted to account for tinting gradients in the resistive region and/or may be adapted to apply gradient voltages along the length of the bus bars of the tinting region to create a tinting gradient within the tinting region (or monolithic EC device film). In one example, the bus bars can be tapered to apply a gradient voltage along the length and create a color gradient along the length. In another aspect, the control logic may be adapted to control a window having multiple shaded regions to determine the shaded state in which colors will be fused across the multiple regions. In one aspect, the control logic may be adapted to control the shading state of a series of adjacent regions state, so that the transition from the area that needs to be particularly dark to the area that needs to be particularly clear will not be very abrupt.

Another modification of the control logic may involve the application of considerations associated with additional features of multi-zone windows in addition to common considerations such as glare control, field of view, natural lighting, occupant thermal comfort, building energy management, etc. Individual routines (eg, modules other than modules A-D of PCT application PCT/US15/29675, which sets forth aspects of Intelligence® as set forth above). For example, if light harvesting is the motivation, additional modules may have to be built on the control logic to address this additional consideration. In some cases, the order in which the functionality to address the additional features or functionality of the shading region is placed in the processing pipeline for common considerations may not matter. For example, Intelligence® modules do not necessarily need to operate in the following order in one case: A→B→C→D. It will be appreciated that it may be the case that, in other cases, the order of execution of the modules is not critical.

The control logic can also be adjusted to account for highly localized glare control across multiple zones. For example, this situation can be resolved by a modification of module A of the control logic as described in more detail in PCT application PCT/US15/29675.

Different designs of window controllers that can power tint transitions of multiple tinting zones of one or more multi-zone tintable windows are described above. In some aspects, a shaded region may have two shaded states: a first fused shaded state and a second darkened shaded state. In other aspects, a shaded region may have four shaded states. In other aspects, a colored region may have more than four colored states.

A. Example of shading control logic for multiple shading regions/windows

FIG. 21 includes a flowchart illustrating a method 2100 illustrating operations for making shading decisions for multiple shading regions/windows, according to an embodiment. This control logic may be used to determine shading decisions for multiple windows and/or multiple shaded regions in one or more shadeable windows, or a combination thereof. The instructions for this control logic are stored in memory and can be retrieved and executed by, for example, a window controller such as the one shown and described herein in particular with respect to FIGS. 19 and 20 . The control logic includes two instructions for making the shading decisions shown to determine the shading levels of the plurality of shading regions/windows as shown in the flowchart. The control logic also includes instructions for independently controlling the shading regions/windows to transition to the determined shading level. In some aspects, the operation of this control logic may be adapted to determine shading decisions to implement the shading configurations set forth herein.

In operation 2110 , the position of the sun at the latitude and longitude coordinates of the window and the date and time of day at a particular time ti is calculated. These latitude and longitude coordinates may be input from a configuration file. The date and time of day may be based on the current time provided by the timer.

In operation 2120 , the amount of direct sunlight transmitted into the room through each of the zones/windows at the particular moment used in operation 2110 is calculated. The amount of sunlight (eg, penetration depth) is calculated based on the sun position calculated in operation 2110 and the configuration of each zone/window. The zone/window configuration includes various information such as the location of the window, the size of the window, the orientation of the window (ie, the direction it faces), and details of any external occlusions. The area/window configuration information is input from the configuration file associated with the area/window.

In operation 2130 , the irradiance level in the room is determined. In some cases, irradiance levels are calculated based on clear sky conditions to determine clear sky irradiance. The clear sky irradiance level is determined based on the window orientation from the configuration file and based on the latitude and longitude of the building. These calculations can also be based on the time and date of the day at the particular time used in operation 2110 . Publicly available software, such as the RADIANCE program, which is an open source program, can provide calculations for determining clear air irradiance. Additionally, the irradiance level may be based on one or more sensor readings. For example, a light sensor in a room may take periodic readings that determine the actual irradiance in the room.

In operation 2140 , the control logic determines whether the room is occupied. The control logic may base its decisions on one or more types of information including, for example, scheduling information, occupancy sensor data, asset tracking information, via remote controls or wall units (such as shown in Figure 23 ) Activation data from users, etc. For example, control logic may determine that the room is occupied if the scheduling information indicates that the occupant is likely to be in the room, such as during typical business hours. As another example, if the schedule information indicates a holiday/weekend, the control logic may determine that the room is not occupied. As another example, the control logic may determine that a room is occupied based on readings from an occupancy sensor. In another example, the control logic may determine that the room is occupied if the occupant has entered information indicating occupancy at the manual control panel of the wall unit or remote control. In another example, the control logic may determine that a room is occupied (occupied) based on information received from an asset tracking device, such as an RFID tag. In this example, the occupants themselves are not tracked. Control logic may determine whether the room is occupied via the inclusion of an occupancy sensor in the room with a device on the occupant's property or a system such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) working with the occupancy sensor.

If it is determined in operation 2140 that the room is not occupied, the control logic selects, for each zone/window, a shading level that prioritizes energy control to heat/cool the building (operation 2150 ). In some cases, other factors, such as safety or other safety concerns, may be considered when selecting a tint level. The region/window is transformed using the shading level determined in operation 2140 . Control logic then returns to operations 2110 , 2120 , and 2130 , which are typically performed periodically.

If it is determined in operation 2140 that the room is occupied, control logic determines whether the user has selected a mode (operation 2160 ) or whether a mode has been selected for a particular occupant based on the occupancy profile. For example, a user (eg, an occupant or building operator) may select a mode at a user interface on a remote control or wall unit (such as shown in Figure 23 ). In some cases, the GUI may have buttons (eg, icons) designed to select modes, eg, daylight icons. Some examples of modes include: "Lighting Mode", "Uniform Mode", "Health Mode", "Emergency Mode" as user-defined modes. For example, a user may define "User 1 - Mode 1" with a specific coloring configuration.

If it is determined in operation 2160 that the user has selected a mode, control logic selects a shading level for each region/window based on the mode (operation 2170 ). For example, if "daylighting mode" is turned on, the tinting level may be determined based on the following factors in order of priority: avoiding glare and allowing natural light to pass through the daylighting area into the room. The region/window is transformed using the shading level selected in operation 2160 . Control logic then returns to operations 2110 , 2120 , and 2130 , which are typically performed periodically.

In some cases, the three-dimensional projection of sunlight through each zone/window is calculated as the amount of direct sunlight transmitted into the room and a determination of whether a glare condition exists in the room with that zone/window. A discussion of light projection and determination of glare conditions based on light projection is discussed below with respect to Figures 24A , 24B , and 24C .

If it is determined in operation 2160 that the user has not selected a mode, the control logic selects a tint level for each zone/window based on factors in the following order of priority: 1) glare control, 2) energy control, and 3) daylighting (operation 2180 ) . In some cases, other secondary factors may also be considered in the selection of shading levels, including one or more of the following: time delay to prevent rapid transitions, color rendering, shading gradients, based on historical data feedback, occupant viewing of the external environment and light harvesting. For example, when an occupant is in his usual position in a room, the occupant may wish to look out the window, eg, to check weather conditions. If the occupant's view of the external environment is taken into account when making shading decisions, the control logic may decide that although the darkened shading state of a particular shading area/window will avoid glare, a lower shading level will be used to provide better visibility to the external environment to watch more clearly.

In one embodiment, the three-dimensional projection of sunlight through each zone/window is calculated to determine the amount of direct sunlight transmitted into the room and to determine if glare conditions exist in the room with that zone/window. A discussion of light projection and determination of glare conditions based on light projection is discussed below with respect to Figures 24A , 24B , and 24C .

In operation 2180 , to determine a tint level suitable for the amount of glare determined in operation 2120 , the control logic may use an occupancy lookup table to determine the amount of glare calculated in operation 2120 based on the type of space associated with the zone/window and the acceptance angle of the area/window to select the appropriate shading level for the area/window. A space type and occupancy lookup table is provided as input from a window-specific configuration file. Examples of occupancy lookup tables have different tinting levels for different combinations of glare amount and space type. For example, the occupancy lookup table may have eight (8) tinting levels, including 0 (brightest), 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 (brightest). The brightest shading level 0 corresponds to an SHGC value of 0.80, shading level 5 corresponds to an SHGC value of 0.70, shading level 10 corresponds to an SHGC value of 0.60, shading level 15 corresponds to an SHGC value of 0.50, shading level 20 corresponds to an SHGC value of 0.40, and shading level 25 corresponds to an SHGC value of 0.50. Corresponding to an SHGC value of 0.30, shading level 30 corresponds to an SHGC value of 0.20, and shading level 35 (darkest) corresponds to an SHGC value of 0.10. In this example, the occupancy lookup table has three space types: table 1, table 2, and hallway, and six glare amounts (eg, the penetration depth of sunlight through the area/window into the room). The tinting level for the table 1 close to the window is higher than the tinting level for the table 2 further away from the window to prevent glare when the table is closer to the window. An illustrated example of such an occupancy lookup table can be found in PCT/US15/29675, filed May 5, 2015, and entitled "CONTROL METHOD FOR TINTABLE WINDOWS."

In one embodiment, the control logic may reduce the tint level determined based on the amount of glare determined in operation 2120 based on the irradiance level determined in operation 2130 . For example, the control logic may receive sensor readings of irradiance that indicate the presence of cloudy conditions. In such a case, the control logic may reduce the tint level of the area/window determined to be associated with the glare condition.

In operation 2180 , the control logic then determines whether to change the selected tint level appropriate for the amount of glare based on the second priority, ie, energy control in the building. For example, if the outside temperature is so high that the cooling load is high, the control logic may increase the tint level in one or more zones/windows to reduce the cooling load. As another example, if the outside temperature is extremely cold, the control logic may reduce the tint level in one or more areas/windows while maintaining a darkened tint state in areas/windows that would otherwise cause glare on the occupied area. The control logic then decides whether to change the tinting level based on the third priority, daylighting, taking into account energy control in the building and maintaining darkened tinting in areas/windows that would otherwise cause glare on the occupied area state. The region/window is transformed using the shading level determined in operation 2180 . Control logic then returns to operations 2110 , 2120 , and 2130 , which are typically performed periodically.

B. Factors used to improve the health of occupants

According to some aspects, the control logic is designed to control the tinting of tinting windows and the function of other building systems by maintaining visual comfort, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, air quality, and Other comfort factors to improve the health of the occupant. For example, the control logic in question can be achieved by avoiding glare at the occupant's location or potential location, maintaining brightness levels and color temperature associated with the occupant's visual comfort, by adjusting natural lighting and/or adjusting windows The tint of the room and the associated light color in the room are used to minimize the contrast ratio in the room to maintain visual comfort. Other techniques for avoiding glare are discussed below. Additionally or alternatively, control logic may control the rate of transitions between shaded states. In addition, certain shading configurations may control shading gradients between adjacent shading regions in different shading states and/or within a particular tint. Some configurations for controlling tint gradients between adjacent regions and within specific regions are discussed above. Some configurations for avoiding glare at the location or potential location of the occupant, increasing natural lighting in the room and/or the color of the windows and associated light color in the room are also discussed above.

1. Use passive or active manipulation of light to avoid glare

In certain embodiments, a multi-zone window includes one or more techniques for passively or actively manipulating light passing through the window to ensure glare-free and control thermal loads on the occupied area while allowing continuous daylighting into the room. These techniques can work in conjunction with controlling the shading of the multi-region window.

In one aspect, the window may have active or passive control of the direction of light entering the room. Some examples of such technologies include micro-masks, hexagonal lattices, light pipes, IR mirrors or IR reflectors, films that absorb or reflect IR. In one example, the windows are designed to ensure that light is directed parallel as it enters the room by using micro-screens or hexagonal lattices or thin film coatings. These techniques can be used to allow natural light into buildings while avoiding glare, controlling heat and allowing light manipulation, providing favorable color rendering using natural daylight. In one example, a multi-zone window in the form of an IGU has a light pipe in the area between the two windows. The light pipes are in areas adjacent to the tinted areas of the windows. Both shaded areas are in a clear state for continuous lighting to transmit sunlight incident on the outer surface.

In another aspect, a multi-zone window in the form of an IGU includes one or more IR mirrors or IR reflectors in the region between the two windows of the IGU. In one example, the mirrors/reflectors are located in an area that aligns with one or more tinted areas that can remain in a clear state to allow continuous daylighting into the room when sunlight is incident on the exterior surfaces at that area .

In another aspect, a multi-zone window with an electrochromic device includes an IR absorbing or reflecting IR film to control heat entering a building and have active or passive control of the direction of light entering a room.

-Micro shields

In implementations with micro-screens, the micro-screens or the window can be hinged to adjust the direction of light entering the room. For example, the micro-shrouds can be hinged to It is oriented to direct the light to bounce off the ceiling and/or remain parallel. In one example, the multi-zone window is circular and can be rotated (at least) in the plane of the wall in which it is mounted to collect light as the sun's position and azimuth change, eg, to Direct the light in the same direction. The circular window may additionally have controllably hinged micro shades to vary its orientation to ensure proper glare-free lighting throughout the day. Some details of miniature shields and MEMS devices are set forth in US Patent Application Serial No. 14/443,353, entitled "MULTI-PANE WINDOWS INCLUDING ELECTROCHROMIC DEVICES AND ELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEMS DEVICES," filed on May 15, 2015, which application It is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Multi-zone windows with micro shades will typically be installed above tintable windows/zones without micro shades and above the height of the occupant to help ensure that there is never any glare on the occupant. If the window has active or passive targeting of the incident light, the angle of the micro-shield can be adjusted to modify the angle to ensure that there is no glare even if it is placed below the height of the occupant.

In some cases, multi-zone windows with techniques for passive or active manipulation of light can be controlled based on input from cameras or sensors in the room, such as occupancy sensors. When coupled with cameras or sensors in the room, this configuration can use active aiming to optimally heat the room when desired. Additionally, coupled with internal active or passive reflective surfaces, the system can collect and direct light to other areas of the building. For example, light pipes can be used to transmit light to other areas or directed to other areas simply by opening holes in the walls to allow the light to penetrate deeper into the building.

2. Color rendering and modified color temperature

The tinting of the tintable window can change the amount of light transmitted through the tintable window and the wavelength spectrum and associated color of the interior light transmitted into the room. Some of the shading configurations described in this article have the ability to provide A technique for the selection of the preferred spectrum of incident light. These techniques can enhance lighting to balance the color appearing in the room with the amount of natural light in appropriate wavelengths to improve visual comfort, circadian rhythm adjustment, and associated physiological responses. For example, a tintable window may include a filter layer that controls the transmission of natural sunlight through the window. These techniques can improve the color and spectrum of incident sunlight entering a room and occupant comfort, visual perception, mood and health. Some techniques can alter the CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) and CRI (Color Rendering Index) of the light in the room to make the incident light color closer to natural light.

A tinted configuration provides natural lighting and filtered light. These configurations may also use artificial lighting to enhance and/or adjust CCT and/or CRI. Other methods provide only filtered light and artificial illumination to enhance and/or adjust CCT and/or CRI.

- Use color balance to achieve optimal lighting for occupants

As outlined above, the method set forth requires tinting in some areas and not others, eg, some areas of a multi-zone tintable window or some windows in a group of tintable windows, for occupants Reduces glare while allowing ambient light in, so-called "daylighting", which uses natural light to meet lighting requirements and color shifts (color balance), e.g., unwanted from tinted windows from space given to occupants blue. Generally, occupants prefer natural sunlight to artificial lighting from, for example, incandescent, light emitting diode (LED), or fluorescent lighting. However, as LED lighting technology advances, a wider range of lighting possibilities, wavelengths, frequencies, colors, intensities or lumen ranges, and the like, are possible. Certain embodiments use LED lighting technology to offset blue or other unwanted colors in the occupant's space due to transmitted light from tintable windows. In certain embodiments, control of the tintable window includes control of LED lighting to correct for this perceived and displayed color to produce ambient lighting conditions that are preferred by the occupant. These methods can improve the color and spectrum of incident sunlight entering a room and the comfort, visual perception, mood and health of the occupant. Some ways to change the CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) of the light in the room and CRI (color rendering index) to make the incident light color closer to natural light.

In some embodiments, LED lighting is used to enhance daylighting from natural light sources, eg, where the amount, angle, or other factors of natural light entering the room are such that the natural lighting is insufficient to offset filtered light from passing through tintable windows color time. For example, electrochromic windows can change the spectral bandwidth, color, and amount of natural light entering a room. By providing a better spectral selection of incident light, we can provide enhanced lighting to balance the color of the interior appearance with the required amount of natural light in the appropriate frequency to ensure visual comfort and, for example, circadian rhythm adjustment and improved physiology reaction.

In some embodiments, LED lighting is used as a replacement for natural light in order to achieve daylighting; that is, when only filtered light through tinted windows is available, LED lighting is adjusted to compensate for the unwanted effects imparted by tinted windows Want the color. For example, it may be the case that certain occupants require window facades that are uniform in tinting, i.e., multi-zone windows, or that tinting some windows and not others is undesirable from an aesthetic point of view of. In one embodiment, the color and light properties of filtered light from a window or group of windows that are uniformly colored (ie, certain windows or areas are not used to allow daylight in to shift color) are quantified measured or calculated based on the known filtering properties of the shadeable window. Based on the values obtained, LED lighting is used to shift unwanted colors or other light characteristics in order to improve occupant comfort. Some methods alter the CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) and CRI (Color Rendering Index) of the light in the room so that the color of the ambient light is closer to that of natural light.

In these embodiments, incident light (with or without natural light) is modeled via predictive algorithms or by indoor sensors (eg, on a wall, eg, in a wall unit such as that described with respect to FIG. 23 ). , or in one or more of the tintable windows that allow light into the space) to directly measure incident light (with or without natural light). In one example, LED lighting is used to maintain a higher color temperature when the tintable window is in a less tinted (less absorbing) state, and by LEDs when the tintable window is in a more tinted (more absorbing) state Lighting to impart a lower color temperature (eg, more yellowish) in order to maintain a CRI closer to natural lighting in the space. Other aspects of these embodiments are described below in the "Circadian Adjustment" and "Health Mode" subsections of this specification.

- Circadian rhythm adjustment

In some coloring configurations, the coloring is controlled (eg, by a filter) to change the wavelength spectrum of incident light to the appropriate light wavelengths to adjust the circadian rhythm and thus benefit the occupant.

In one technique, the coloration is controlled (eg, by a filter) to change the wavelength spectrum of incident light to the color of appearance preferred by the occupant. This technique allows LED lighting or other lighting to be controlled to correct this perceived and displayed color to lighting conditions that are better for the occupant. By controlling the transmission of a certain amount of natural light at the appropriate wavelength/wavelengths, the circadian rhythm can be adjusted, which can benefit the health and wellness of the occupant.

In such configurations, the control logic may have operations to predict the amount and direction of solar radiation, or sensors in the room may measure the amount and direction of solar radiation. For example, an irradiance sensor located on a wall or window in a room can send a signal with periodic measurements to the window controller. In one case, the sensor may have to be proven sensitive enough (eg, in a healthcare environment)/tested and calibrated to ensure correct results. Alternatively, we can obtain this information from the lighting system.

In order to provide circadian smart lighting, the window can have a specific sensor with a bandgap filter and time tracker to ensure that the window provides the proper spectrum of natural light required at specific times of the day. This can be provided by sunlight through the windows and/or by enhanced interior lighting that has been requested to provide the right amount of illumination of the appropriate wavelengths.

- "Health Mode"

In addition, the color of the interior light may be occupied in different spaces based on the function of the space The behavior of the person has an impact. The control logic may have separate logic modules for controlling filtered natural light or enhanced interior lighting to benefit the mood and behavior of the occupants. The operation of this module functions differently depending on the function of the space in which the occupant is located in the room. In some cases, the user may be able to select a "wellness mode" on the user control panel to control the light in the room according to this module designed to improve the mood and behavior of the occupants.

In some cases, the control logic may be adapted to predict the wavelength and intensity of the external lighting and then combine this with the current tint level spectral characteristics and predict the spectral distribution of incident sunlight entering the room. The wavelength and intensity of external lighting can be predicted, for example, using a weather service and the sun angle calculated based on a sun calculator.

By including an occupancy sensor in the room via a device on the occupant or a system such as BLE that works with the occupancy sensor, the control logic can choose whether to control daylighting and windows relative to the occupancy profile.

Alternatively, if the room has a camera capable of recording the luminance and spectrum in the room, the camera image can be used to determine if an occupant is present, where the occupant is, and what offset or shift the interior light will need to be made to correct for the EC filtered light. Change. The camera can also be calibrated to ensure that occupants get the right amount of the appropriate spectrum for the time of day and specific location to benefit their circadian rhythm. Alternatively, by using a large number of sensors in the ceiling or in each light, the sensor data can be used to verify the occupant, whether a particular location is occupied and the color appearance of the desired lighting and the benefits of the occupant's circadian rhythm. Moderate spectrum.

Coloration decisions based on health considerations are based on one or more factors, including: (1) lighting in the room with the appropriate wavelength spectrum to adjust the occupant's circadian rhythm; (2) determination of occupancy location to verify that the occupant encounters The lighting and exposure time to arrive; (3) provide an appropriate color rendering index of the interior light in the room based on a predetermined color appearance to correct the filtered light color of the EC IGU; (4) The correlated color temperature of the interior light in the room to correct the filtered light color of the EC IGU based on a predetermined CCT amount, which can be applied to improve the psychological effect of light in a given interior space; (5) Considering unique sensors, The sensors are shown to support the proper spectral distribution of lighting to benefit the occupant's circadian rhythm; and (6) lighting targets that change based on whether any occupants are affected by the lighting by Internal lighting or filtered light control of the EC IGU.

C. Example of Control Logic for Controlling Shading of Shaderable Window

In certain implementations, the control logic includes operations to determine and control tinting in a tintable window (eg, an electrochromic window) to take into account occupant comfort and/or energy saving considerations. In some cases, the control logic includes multiple logic modules. The shading levels and/or other calculations determined by one logic module are input to another logic module to calculate the final shading levels determined by all modules. If an override is applied, the override value can be used as the final shading level. Once the control logic determines the final shading level, the control logic sends a control signal with a shading instruction to transition the shadeable window to the final shading level. An example of control logic with a logic module configured to determine the tint level of a tintable window can be found in International PCT Application PCT/US15/, filed May 5, 2015 and entitled "CONTROL METHOD FOR TINTABLE WINDOWS" 29675, this application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Another example of control logic with a logic module configured to determine the tint level of a tintable window can be found in International PCT Application PCT/ In US 16/41344, this application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

In some implementations, the control logic uses one or more of three logic modules (also referred to herein as "Module A," "Module B," and "Module C") to determine whether a building is in The tint level of the tintable windows between the inside and the outside. Each control logic module can be based on a future time to determine the coloring level. For example, the future time used in the calculation may be a future time sufficient to allow the transition to complete after the shading instruction is received. In this example, the controller may send shading instructions at the current time before the actual transition. Before the conversion is complete, the window will be converted to the desired shading level at that time.

Module A may be used to determine a tinting level for occupant comfort based on direct sunlight passing through a tintable window onto the occupied area or occupant's active area. The tinting level is determined based on the calculated penetration depth of direct sunlight into the room at a particular time and the type of space in the room (eg, table near windows, hallway, etc.). In one example, the penetration depth at future time is calculated to take into account the time it takes for the window to transition to the new shaded state. A publicly available program can be used to calculate the position of the sun based on the time of day, the time of year, and the latitude and longitude of buildings. The first module may be based on the geometry of the window (eg, window size), its position and orientation in the room, any fins or other external shades outside the window, and the calculated position of the sun (eg, for a particular day). the angle of direct sunlight at the time and date) to calculate the penetration depth. Each space type is associated with different levels of coloration for occupant comfort. For example, if the activity is a critical activity, such as doing office work at a desk or computer, and the desk is near a window, the desired tint level may be higher than when the desk is farther away from the window. As another example, if the activity is non-critical, such as in a foyer, the desired tint level may be lower than that of the same space with a table. Input the coloring level calculated by module A to module B.

The control logic of module B can be used to determine the tinting level based on the irradiance transmitted through the window under clear sky conditions (also referred to as "clear sky irradiance"). Radiation can come from sunlight scattered by molecules and particles in the atmosphere. A program, such as the open-source program RADIANCE program, can be used to generate data based on the latitude and longitude of the building, the day of the year and time of day, and the window Orientation to calculate clear sky irradiance. In one example, Module B can be used to determine a tint level that is darker than the tint level input from Module A and transmits less heat than would be calculated for the reference glass at maximum clear air irradiance. Maximum clear sky irradiance is the highest level of irradiance at all times calculated for clear sky conditions. In one example, Module C then uses the solar heat gain coefficient of the reference glass (reference SHGC) and the calculated maximum clear sky irradiance to determine the tint level. Module B gradually increases the tinting level calculated in Module A and takes the tinting level such that the internal irradiance is less than or equal to the reference internal irradiance (reference SHGC x maximum clear sky irradiance). Input the coloring level calculated in module B and the calculated clear sky irradiance into module C.

Control logic in module C may be used to determine tinting levels based on real-time external irradiance based on direct or reflected light hitting the tintable window. The real-time external irradiance accounts for light that may be blocked by or reflected from objects such as buildings or weather conditions (eg, clouds) that are not accounted for in the clear sky calculations performed in module B. The real-time external irradiance may be calculated based on one or more of the following: measurements obtained by external sensors, weather forecast data received via a communication network, determined cloud cover conditions at the building, and the like. In general, the control logic of module B will determine the shading level that darkens (or does not change) the shading level determined by module A, and the control logic of module C will determine the shading level determined by module B The tint level at which the tint level is lightened (or not changed).

Control logic in module C may determine the interior irradiance in the room based on the exterior irradiance and the current tint level of the tintable windows. For example, module C can determine the calculated internal irradiance based on the clear sky irradiance calculation using the following equation: Calculated internal irradiance=shading level SHGC×calculated clear sky irradiance. Module C may calculate the instant internal irradiance based on external sensor readings or other external data using the following equation: Instant Internal Irradiance = Shading Level SHGC x Irradiance Reading. In one embodiment, Module C is calculated using the above equation The interior irradiance of the room when the tintable window has the tint level determined in Module B and then based on the tint level from B determines the tint level that satisfies the condition that the instant interior irradiance is less than or equal to the calculated interior irradiance.

Module B and/or Module C may determine a tint level that also considers energy savings in addition to occupant comfort. These modules can determine the energy savings associated with a particular tint level by comparing the performance of tintable windows at the determined tint level to a reference glass or other standard reference window. The purpose of using this reference window may be to ensure that the control logic complies with the requirements of municipal building regulations or other requirements for reference windows used on the premises of a building. Conventionally, municipalities use conventional low emissivity glass to define reference windows to control the amount of air conditioning load in a building. As an example of how reference windows are incorporated into control logic, the logic can be designed such that the irradiance through a given tintable window is never greater than the maximum irradiance through the reference window as specified by the respective municipality. In the disclosed embodiment, the control logic may use the SHGC value of the shading window at a particular shading level and the SHGC of the reference window to determine the energy savings of using that shading level. In general, the value of SHGC is the fraction of all wavelengths of incident light transmitted through the window. Although a reference glass is illustrated in many embodiments, other standard reference windows may be used. In general, the SHGC of a reference window (eg, reference glass) is a variable that can be different for different geographic locations and window orientations, and is based on regulatory requirements specified by individual municipalities.

Once modules A, B, and C determine the final shading level, control logic may receive an override that causes the override value to be used as the final shading value. One type of override is a manual override by an occupant of the room who determines that a particular tint level (override value) is desired. There may be situations where the manual override itself is overridden. Another example of an override is a high demand (or peak load) override associated with facility requirements to reduce energy consumption in a building. Once the control logic determines the final shading level, the control logic sends a control signal with a shading instruction to transition the shadeable window to this final shade level.

D. Control logic for adjusting artificial interior lighting and/or shading

As mentioned above, tinting of electrochromic or other tintable windows can change the wavelength spectrum and associated color of light transmitted through the tinted window to appear color in a room. For example, certain electrochromic windows in a darker tinted state can impart a blue color in a room. Certain techniques described herein relate to control logic for controlling artificial interior lighting to enhance the color appearing from the interior of one or more electrochromic or other tintable windows in a room. These techniques can be used to control the level of Color Rendering Index (CRI) and/or Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) within a room to, for example, improve visual comfort, adjust circadian rhythms, and the like. CRI is a measure of the ability of interior lighting to accurately visualize all colors of an object to the human eye. Generally, the CRI value is measured on a scale of 0 to 100 percent, wherein the higher the CRI value, the better the color rendering. CCT is a temperature measurement of the color properties of illumination in the visible spectrum. CCT values are usually measured in degrees Kjeldahl (K).

In certain implementations, techniques involve control logic that determines a current value of the interior CRI of the room, and if the current value is not the desired value, sending a control signal to adjust artificial interior lighting to enhance interior lighting to reveal the desired interior CRI. Additionally or alternatively, certain embodiments determine the current value of the interior CCT of the room and/or adjust interior lighting to visualize the desired interior CCT. In these techniques, based on input from external sensors located outside the building, internal sensors located in the room, and/or one or more electrochromic windows between the interior of the room and the exterior of the building Shading state to determine the current value of the internal CRI/CCT. Some examples of external sensor types that can be implemented include infrared sensors, ambient temperature sensors, and visible light light sensors. In implementations with one or more external sensors, the external sensors are generally positioned in contact with the environment outside the building with the room. In some cases, an external sensor is located on a facade near the electrochromic window, eg, to determine the irradiance level at the window in order to determine what is outside the window CRI/CCT. In another case, the external sensor may be located on the roof of the building. In other cases, the external sensors may be located at different buildings. In some cases, external sensor data may be used to forecast weather conditions and communicated to a controller that sends control signals to artificial interior lighting to make adjustments and/or to electrochromic windows Color by transformation. An example of an arrangement of external sensors that may be used in a multi-sensor device is set forth in detail in US Patent Application 15/287,646, entitled "MULTI-SENSOR," which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Such multi-sensor devices can be installed on the roofs of buildings. In one embodiment, the multi-sensor device includes a radially oriented and outward-facing photo sensor with different orientations, a vertically facing photo sensor, one or more IR sensors, and A ring of temperature sensors. In one example, readings from an IR sensor and a temperature sensor may be used to determine cloud cover conditions. Additionally or alternatively, irradiance readings from different radially oriented photosensors may be used to calculate irradiance values at orientations other than those of the photosensors. Using this technique, the external irradiance from a different radially oriented photosensor can be used to determine the external irradiance of a window in another orientation. An example of one such technique is set forth in PCT Publication PCT/US15/52822, filed April 7, 2016, entitled "COMBI-SENSOR SYSTEMS," which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Some examples of interior sensors that can be implemented by such techniques include visible light sensors, temperature sensors, and other sensors that can be used to calculate CRI inside a room and CRI outside a window. Interior sensors may be located at various suitable locations within the room, such as, for example, at or near artificial interior lighting, at or near occupant activity areas such as table tops or conference table tops, walls, and the like. Additionally, an example of a commercially available device for measuring CRI that can be used as an internal sensor for measuring internal CRI or an external sensor for measuring external CRI is the CL-70F CRI manufactured by Konica Minolta® Luminance meter. Another example is the C-700 SpectroMaster manufactured by Sekonic.

These techniques can be used for various types of artificial interior lighting, including, for example, incandescent lighting, light emitting diode (LED), and/or fluorescent lighting. A commercially available example of artificial interior lighting that can be used in these embodiments is the hue ^™ personal wireless lighting system manufactured by Phillips®. Another commercially available example of artificial interior lighting that can be used is the Aurora Lighting Smarter Kit ^™ manufactured by nanoleaf®.

Below are diagrams showing four exemplary scenarios in which combinations of inputs to an internal CRI in a room can be controlled by the control logic. While the control logic for these situations is described with reference to a single electrochromic window, it will be understood that the present disclosure is not limiting and this control logic may be used in rooms with multiple electrochromic or other tintable windows.

In the first case, the internal CRI is controlled based only on the tinting state of the electrochromic window. No input from any internal or external sensors is used to control the internal CRI. in one embodiment , each tinting state of an electrochromic window is mapped to a specific internal CRI value or range of internal CRI values (eg, in a look-up table). These values can be calculated in advance, for example, by measuring the CRI values in various colored states of the product glass. The control logic determines the tint state of the electrochromic window mapped to the desired CRI value/range. For example, the darkest shading state (eg, 1% T) can be mapped to an internal CRI value corresponding to the appearance of blue in the room. In this embodiment, control of the internal CRI value/range may not depend on knowledge of the light conditions outside the electrochromic window. It may depend, for example, on whether the room is occupied, and more specifically, whether the lights are on. The desired CRI can be preset as a user preference based on the tinting state of the glass. For example, when the tint state is at a certain level and the lights in a room occupied by the user are on, the interior light can be automatically adjusted to provide a preset CRI. This lighting adjustment can be made after the tint state of the glass is reached, or the lighting can be dynamically changed during a change in the tint state of the glass. There is no need to enter sensor readings in this mode because the CRI is not actively measured, but pre-set based on user preference based on measurements and/or calculations. External conditions are not measured (although related to internal CRI), ie, since the glass is in a particular tint state, the CRI is adjusted based only on the tint state of the glass, assuming external lighting conditions warrant the glass so tinted.

In some embodiments, sensor readings are used to enhance the accuracy with which the CRI is adjusted to a desired value. For example, in the second scenario, measurements from one or more internal sensors in the room are used to control the internal CRI value of the room. The internal CRI value is not determined using measurements from any external sensors or the tinting state of the electrochromic window. Since the electrochromic glass transforms external light as it passes through the glass, in this embodiment, the external lighting conditions are incoherent and one or more internal sensors are used to determine the internal lighting conditions and respond accordingly Adjust the interior lighting conditions appropriately to obtain the proper/desired CRI. An occupancy sensor can be used with a light sensor to enhance CRI adjustment. For example, CRI adjustments can be avoided if the room is not currently occupied Or make a CRI adjustment that is sub-optimal to the occupant and, for example, more consistent with the energy savings of the lighting system. When a room is occupied, using the CRI adjustment of lighting can override potential energy saving settings in favor of optimal CRI for the occupant. In one embodiment, one or more interior sensors can be calibrated or designed to measure the interior CRI of a room. In another implementation, a range of internal sensor measurements can be mapped to internal CRI values (or ranges), eg, in a look-up table. The control logic determines in this example that the internal sensor measurements are within a particular range and determines the CRI value associated with that range. In this second case, the artificial interior lighting is adjusted based on interior sensing measurements. Measurements from internal sensors control adjustments to artificial interior lighting. In some embodiments, the internal sensor measurements are used as input to adjust only the internal CRI to user preference to obtain the desired result. In another embodiment, the control logic compares the measured internal CRI value to the proper/desired value and if there is a difference, the control signal adjusts the artificial interior lighting based on the difference to enhance the interior lighting in the room.

In a third scenario, measurements from one or more external sensors and the shading state are used to obtain the desired internal CRI value for the room (also referred to herein as "internal CRI"). The control logic calculates or measures (eg, using a multi-sensor device) the external CRI (also referred to herein as "external CRI"). Based on the tinting state of the electrochromic glass, the control logic converts the external CRI to the internal CRI by calculating the internal CRI based on the external CRI and the known light absorption and color change characteristics of the glass. Next, the control logic sends a signal to artificial lighting (eg, LED lighting) to adjust to a better or custom CRI value in the room (if the calculated internal CRI is not already at a better level, the logic makes this comparison). In this third case, measurements from internal sensors are not used. Since the electrochromic glass transforms the external light as it passes through the tinted glass, the internal CRI can be calculated based on the measurement of the external CRI and the tinted state of the glass. Internal lighting conditions are not required. External CRI can be based on acquisition by one or more external sensors get the measurement results. In one implementation, the one or more external sensors may be calibrated or designed to measure external CRI near a window and/or generally near a building area. In another implementation, a range of external sensor measurements can be mapped to external CRI values (or ranges), eg, in a lookup table. The control logic uses the external CRI value and the tint state characteristic of the glass to obtain the internal CRI value and then adjusts it to match the desired value (if it does not already match). In one embodiment, different combinations of shading states and external CRI values can be mapped to specific internal CRI values. For example, one internal CRI can be obtained assuming that the curtain wall of windows are all in the same tinting state, but if one or more windows in the curtain wall are tinted to a different tinting state, a different internal CRI value is obtained and can be obtained by corresponding Change the internal lighting to adjust this internal CRI value. In one embodiment, the internal CRI is adjusted only according to the calculated value based on the state of the window and the measured external CRI. In another embodiment, the control logic compares the calculated internal CRI value to the desired result. In another embodiment, the control logic compares the measured internal CRI value to the proper/desired value and if there is a difference, the control signal adjusts the artificial interior lighting based on the difference to enhance the interior lighting in the room.

In a fourth scenario, the control logic uses user input to determine whether to control the room based on measurements from one or more external sensors and/or based on measurements from one or more internal sensors Inside CRI. That is, a combination of the second case and the third case, for example, based on user preference and/or the accuracy of the method (internal sensor, external sensor, or both), which may depend on the internal and external CRI measurement accuracy (which can vary with lighting conditions and the accuracy or effectiveness of the sensors in those conditions (eg, for external sensors, cloudy conditions)). If the user input selects that an external sensor is to be used, then according to the third scenario described above, the control logic uses the measurements from one or more external sensors to determine the internal CRI in the room. If the user input selects to use the internal sensor, then according to the above In both cases, the control logic uses measurements from one or more internal sensors to determine the internal CRI. The control logic then sends control signals to adjust the artificial interior lighting to enhance the interior lighting in the room at or near the desired interior CRI. In other embodiments, a sensor is used to determine the external CRI, and thus a more accurate determination of the internal CRI can be made by calculation or by means of internal sensor measurements. The user selects a preference or algorithm based on preset criteria, whether to use either or both of the internal sensors and external sensors to determine external and/or internal lighting conditions as input to determine the appropriate internal CRI. The importance of the fourth embodiment is that the sensors (internal and/or external) are more useful in some environmental conditions than in others. For example, it may be the case that when cloudy conditions are dominant externally, the external sensor is inefficient to provide accurate data for input to the control logic, and only the internal sensor is used to determine and adjust the internal CRT more accurate.

While these four scenarios are described above in terms of adjusting the artificial interior lighting so that the lighting in the room is at or near the desired interior CRI, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, adjusting the on-person interior lighting may be used to alter the lighting in the room to Match CRI and CCT, or a specific default value of CCT.

In certain implementations of these techniques for adjusting artificial interior lighting, a user may input settings for adjusting artificial interior lighting. In one embodiment, in the fourth scenario, the user can determine whether to use internal and/or external sensors to control the interior CRI of the room. For example, a user may be a building system administrator who chooses to use external sensors when there are no internal sensors in the room or when internal sensors are inoperable. In another embodiment, the user provides CRI and/or CCT settings for use in the room. The user may be on the user interface of, for example, a mobile device, a wall device (such as, for example, shown in FIG. 23 ), or other suitable computing device that communicates with one or more controllers executing control logic via a communication network Enter these settings. In some cases, the user may enter a schedule of different preferred CRI and/or CCT settings for use at different times of the day and certain days of the year. In other cases, the user may enter override settings. In another embodiment, the user can select which type or combination of sensor inputs to use to determine the interior CRI of the room. For example, according to the third scenario, the user may choose to use weather forecast data obtained from a specific combination of external sensors to determine the internal CRI. In some cases, these external sensors may be located at a separate building and the weather forecast data is communicated via a communication network to a controller at the building with the room. In certain implementations, the control software automatically takes into account ambient weather conditions as input to adjust the internal CRI and whether to use external and/or internal sensors.

In one embodiment, the control logic is learned from historical data entered by the user. For example, examples of CRI/CCT settings entered by one or more users in a room and the associated time of that entry (day of year and time of day) may be stored in memory as historical data. Trends in historical data can be assessed to predict appropriate CRI/CCT settings at future times. For example, an occupant of a room may select a particular CRI setting each day at the same time each weekday of the week. The control logic stores this information as historical data, evaluates the historical data as a trend, and sets the desired internal CRI level to this setting at the same time (or just before) during the next week's workday. In this way, the control logic can automatically adjust its CRI/CCT settings to suit user preferences.

According to certain implementations, the control logic for the above situations is incorporated into predictive logic that determines the tint state of one or more electrochromic windows and/or adjusts the interior lighting to achieve the desired outcome at a future time. Internal CRI. The Intelligence® available from View, Inc. of Milpitas, California, that can be used to calculate the tint state of one or more electrochromic windows to take into account occupant comfort and/or energy considerations is described in the subsection above. Instances of logical modules Module A, Module B, and Module C. Submitted on May 7, 2015 and titled Another example of other predictive control logic for determining the tinting state of an electrochromic window is set forth in US Patent Application 15/347,677, "CONTROL METHOD FOR TINTABLE WINDOWS," which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

22 is a flowchart 2200 of a method implementing predictive control logic for controlling interior CRI in a room having one or more electrochromic windows, according to an embodiment. Although this method is described with respect to electrochromic windows, the method can be implemented with other tintable windows. In operation 2220 , the control logic uses one or more of modules A, B, and C to calculate a tint level for one or more electrochromic windows in the room at a future time. In one case, the future time used in the calculation may be sufficiently far in the future to allow the window to complete the transition after receiving the control signal with the shading instruction. Details about modules A, B, and C are described in the subsections above. Modules A, B, and C output the tint level of one or more electrochromic windows in the future, sensor readings (internal and/or external), including directional window configuration, time of day, time of year day, weather conditions as appropriate, and other information used by these modules.

In operation 2230 , the predictive control logic determines the desired/appropriate internal CRI at a future time. In certain embodiments, the desired internal CRI is preset as a user preference. In one example, the desired interior CRI may be based on trends in historical data of user input for controlling artificial interior lighting in a room. As another example, the desired internal CRI may be a user-entered override value. Additionally or alternatively, the desired internal CRI may be based on scheduling information. In some cases, this schedule can be determined or adjusted by the user. In other cases, the control logic may adjust the schedule based on historical data.

In operation 2250 , the control logic determines adjustments to the interior lighting and/or tint state of the electrochromic windows to obtain the desired/appropriate interior CRI in the room. For example, the control logic may determine the type of lights to activate, one or more colors or lights to activate, the intensity level setting of the lights to activate, the location of the lights to activate, the number and arrangement of lights to activate, etc. .

Once the adjustment is determined, the control logic sends a control signal for adjusting the artificial interior lighting and/or the tint state of the electrochromic window in the room (operation 2260 ). The method then returns to operation 2220 again.

In an implementation according to the first scenario, the interior CRI of the room is determined based on the tinting state of one or more electrochromic windows. In one example, when the tint status from modules A, B, and C is at a certain level, and the interior lighting is on in a room occupied by a user, the control logic automatically determines the adjustment and sends a control signal to automatically adjust the interior Lights to provide user-preset internal CRI.

According to an implementation of the second case, measurements from one or more interior sensors in the room are used to determine the interior CRI value of the room. In one example, the control logic automatically determines adjustments to interior lighting and/or shading levels that adjust the CRI value to the desired level.

According to a third scenario implementation, measurements from one or more external sensors may be used to determine the external CRI converted to the internal CRI based on the tint level of the one or more electrochromic windows. For example, if a curtain wall of windows is all in the same shading state, one internal CRI can be obtained, but if one or more windows in the curtain wall of windows are tinted to a different tinting state, a different internal CRI value is obtained and can be borrowed from The different internal CRI values are adjusted by changing the internal illumination accordingly. In one embodiment, the internal CRI is only adjusted based on the calculated value based on the tint state of the window and the measured external CRI.

According to an implementation of the fourth scenario, as described above with respect to the first and second scenarios, measurements from one or more external sensors and/or internal sensors may be used to determine the internal CRI and make adjustments.

In certain implementations, based on the four scenarios, the predictive control logic with modules A, B, and C also includes an override logic module. In this implementation, the override logic module can adjust (override) the tint state of one or more electrochromic windows determined by modules A, B, and C and/or adjust the interior lighting to obtain in the room desired CRI. For example, when implementing the third scenario, the control logic can determine whether to use the shading state output from modules A, B, and C, the curtain wall of the window will be in the darkest shading state in the future time. In this case, in order to obtain a proper CRI, the interior lighting will need to be adjusted to a high intensity setting at a future time. The control logic may also determine that if the subset of windows remains in a lower shading state, then proper CRI can be obtained without the interior lighting turned on. In this example, the control logic may decide to adjust the subset of windows to a lower shading state at a future time and not adjust the interior lighting.

E. Dynamic perception of occupancy input and occupant location

In certain implementations, control logic is used to control the shading state of each shading zone of a multi-zone tintable window, individual windows in a group (or zone) of windows, or a combination thereof. In some cases, the control logic first determines whether the room with the window is occupied or unoccupied. The control logic may be based on one or more data, such as, for example, scheduling information, occupancy sensor data, asset tracking information or other occupant tracking data, from a user via a remote control or a wall unit such as shown in FIG. 23 One or more of the activation data, etc., to make its determination. The remote control may be in the form of a handheld device such as a smart phone or may be a computing device such as a laptop. For example, control logic may determine that the room is occupied if the scheduling information indicates that the occupant is likely to be in the room. As another example, the control logic may determine that a room is occupied based on readings from an occupancy sensor. In another example, the control logic may determine that the room is occupied if the occupant has entered information indicating occupancy at the manual control panel of the wall unit or remote control.

If the room is occupied, the control logic determines whether the occupied or potentially occupied area is Whether there is a glare condition. The control logic determines the shaded state of the shaded area based on the occupant's position in the room. For example, the tinting state can be determined to avoid glare on tables or other areas that may be presumably occupied or occupied. In some cases, the current location of the occupant is based on information retrieved from an occupancy lookup table. In other cases, the occupant's current location is based on data in signals from sensors (eg, occupancy sensors). The sensor may generate a signal with the location of the occupant in the room. The window controller can receive this signal. As another example, the user may provide information regarding the location of the occupant in the room, eg, via a control panel in the room.

23 is a photograph of an example of a wall unit with a manual control panel, according to an embodiment.

In some aspects, a control method determines the shading status of shading regions in a multi-region tintable window having daylight tinting regions. In these cases, the control method determines the tint state of maximizing daylighting while controlling glare and/or heat load from solar radiation entering the room. In some aspects, the user may use a control panel (eg, a manual control panel or a computer interface in the room) to select a "lighting mode" or "uniform mode", another predetermined mode, or a user-customized model. For example, a user may be able to customize different tinting states for areas of windows in a room, eg, "User 1 - Mode 1". In the "lighting mode", the control method is to determine the clear coloring state or the coloring state that is brighter than other coloring areas for the lighting coloring area of the window. In the "uniform mode", the control method determines the shaded state of an area based on criteria other than those used for daylighting.

E. Feedback learning of multi-zone preference/occupancy mode

In some aspects, the control logic for controlling the shading state of the shading region/window is learned based on feedback of preferences and occupancy patterns. For example, the location of the occupant at different times/dates as determined by sensors, from user input, etc. can be stored as an occupancy pattern. These occupancy positions at different times/dates can be used to predict where the occupants will be at future times. the control The method may then control the shading state based on the predicted occupant location.

As another example, user input for selecting certain shaded states at certain times for different shaded regions may be stored. Such shading choices by the user can be used to predict the shading state that may be desired in the room. The control method can then control the shading states according to the predicted shading states desired by the user.

F. Light projection into the room for determining glare conditions

In certain embodiments, the control logic includes instructions for determining whether direct sunlight passing through the shading zone creates a glare condition in the occupied area by calculating the three-dimensional projection of light from the shading zone in the room. The three-dimensional projection of light can be thought of as a volume of light in a room where external light directly enters the room. For example, a three-dimensional projection can be defined by parallel rays from the sun passing through the shaded regions of a multi-region window. The direction of the 3D projection into the room is based on the sun azimuth and/or sun height, which can be calculated by a solar calculator based on the time of day and the longitude and latitude coordinates of the window. The three-dimensional projection of light can be used to determine the intersection with the occupied area in the room. The control logic determines the light projection at a particular plane and determines the amount by which the light projection or glare area associated with the light projection overlaps the occupied area. If the light projection is outside the occupied area, it is determined that there is no glare situation. Details of control logic for determining glare conditions using three-dimensional projection of light are set forth in PCT application PCT/US15/29675, filed on May 5, 2015 and entitled "CONTROL METHOD FOR TINTABLE WINDOWS", which application is hereby incorporated by reference The way is integrated as a whole.

Figures 24A , 24B , and 24C are schematic diagrams each having perspective views of a room (vertical walls not shown) 2400 with multiple vertical walls between the exterior of the building and the interior of the room 2400 , according to one embodiment. A zone window 2410 , the multi-zone window has a first tinting zone 2412 and a second tinting zone 2414 . Figures 24A , 24B , and 28C show three different sunlight scenarios, respectively, in which sunlight shines through multiple zones in three different directions 2450 , 2460 , 2470 (shown as dashed arrows) associated with different positions of the sun Windows 2410 . In the example shown, room 2400 has an occupied area 2450 that is the location or possible location of the occupant. Occupied area 2450 may be, for example, a desk or another workplace. In this example, occupied area 2450 is defined as a two-dimensional area on the floor of room 2400 . In each of the illustrated examples shown in FIGS. 24A, 24B, and 28C , sunlight (shown as directional arrows) illuminates the first tinted area 2412 and the second tinted area 2414 of the multi-zone window 2410 .

According to one aspect, the control logic determines the projection of light through each of the two shaded regions 2412 , 2414 and through the room 2400 based on the position of the sun. The control logic determines the two-dimensional light projection at the intersection of the light passing through each of the two shaded regions 2412 , 2414 with a plane including the two-dimensional footprint 2450 that is coplanar with the surface of the floor of the room 2400 . In FIG. 24A , a first two-dimensional light projection 2416 is shown through a first shaded area 2412 , and a second two-dimensional light projection 2418 is shown through a second shaded area 2414 on the floor of the room 2400 . In FIG. 24B , a first two-dimensional light projection 2416 is shown through a first shaded area 2412 , and a second two-dimensional light projection 2420 is shown through a second shaded area 2414 on the floor of the room 2400 . In FIG. 24C , a first two-dimensional light projection 2426 is shown through a first shaded area 2412 , and a second two-dimensional light projection 2428 is shown through a second shaded area 2414 on the floor of the room 2400 . The control logic then determines whether the two-dimensional light projection from the shaded area intersects the occupied area. If the two-dimensional lightcast intersects the occupied area, the control logic places (remains in or transitions to) the darkened shaded state for the corresponding shaded area. Although two shaded areas are shown, it will be understood that additional areas and/or shaded areas in different locations would apply using a similar approach.

In the first case shown in FIG. 24A , for example, none of the two-dimensional light projections 2416 , 2416 passing through the shaded areas 2412 , 2414 intersect the occupied area 2450 . In this case, the colored areas 2412 , 2414 are placed in a clear state.

In the second situation shown in FIG. 24B , the first two-dimensional light projection 2420 intersects the occupation area 2450 and the second two-dimensional light projection 2422 does not intersect the occupation area 2450 . In this case, the first tinted region 2412 is placed in a darkened tinted state to avoid glare conditions. Since the second two-dimensional light projection 2422 does not intersect the occupied area 2450 , the second shaded area 2414 is placed in a clear state.

In the third situation shown in FIG. 24C , the first two-dimensional light projection 2426 and the second two-dimensional light projection 2428 intersect the occupied area 2450 . In this case, the first tinted area 2412 and the second tinted area 2414 are placed in a darkened tinted state to avoid glare conditions on the occupied area 2450 .

Although the example shown in Figures 24A, 24B, and 24C includes multi-zone tintable windows, similar techniques would also apply to separate and adjacent tintable windows. For example, a room may have two separate and adjacent tintable windows in the vertical walls between the building exterior and the room interior. Using control logic, the three-dimensional projection of light from each tintable window is directed across the room based on the position of the sun. The control logic determines the two-dimensional light projection through each window at the plane of the occupied area. The control logic then determines whether the two-dimensional light projection from each window intersects the occupied area. If the two-dimensional lightcast intersects the occupied area, the control logic places (remains in or transitions to) the corresponding window into a darkened shaded state.

G. Control Logic for Glare, Ambient Light Level and Color and/or Contrast Ratio

Certain embodiments relate to control logic that adjusts artificial lighting and/or tinting of tintable windows to provide a relatively constant brightness level and ambient spectral content in an occupied area. Typically, the control logic adjusts the tinting of artificial lighting and/or tintable windows so that the combined light illuminating the surfaces of objects in the occupied area is similar to the natural spectrum, so that the illuminated objects reflect their true colors. While typically set to natural spectrum, ambient spectral content can either be customized for the current occupant to provide (for example) Soothing light, light therapy to adjust circadian rhythms or provide restorative healing, etc. By adjusting the tinting state of the tintable window, the control logic can control both the direct sunlight (glare) passing through the tintable window and the color imparted by light projection through the window (eg, blue light). By adjusting the artificial lighting, the control logic can offset the effects of glare and adjust the color of the environment. The combined control of tinting state and artificial lighting can provide a relatively constant ambient light level and spectral content at a desired level in the occupied area.

In one aspect, the control logic can control the tunable artificial lighting to adjust the color (wavelength range), illumination level, and/or direction of illumination of the illumination. These adjustments can be selected to increase occupant comfort by reducing glare and improving ambient spectral content and/or reducing contrast ratios in the occupied area. For example, the control logic can control the wavelength and lumen/illuminance settings of the tunable artificial lighting to shift the contrast ratio in the occupied area. An example of tunable indoor artificial lighting is the BLT series of tunable white LEDs sold by Lithonia Lighting®, which are tunable to different illumination levels varying from 0 to 1000 lux (100%) and at 2700 Kjeldahl and 6500 Kjeldahl color to adjust between. Additionally or alternatively, the tunable artificial lighting may have multiple light sources in different positions and/or have light sources that can be moved to change the direction of the light. The control logic can control the various light sources of artificial lighting to illuminate certain areas. For example, indoor artificial lighting can be adjusted to direct light to occupied areas with occupants affected by external glare through tinted windows. Reflected light is a combination of light reflected from artificial light and light projection to produce a more uniform intensity and color in the occupied area. This may reduce glare perceived by the occupant, which may increase occupant comfort and productivity.

As used herein, a "negative setting" refers to a setting of a tunable artificial light source that provides illumination in a wavelength range that is shifted from the color of light passing through a tinted window. For example, if a tintable window in its darkest state imparts blue color to light passing through the window, the offset color for a negative setting would be red light or a combination of red and yellow light. In this example, the tunable artificial light source in the negative setting would provide illumination of red light or red and yellow light. In one aspect, the control logic is Lighting enables a negative setting to direct light to an occupied area with light cast through a tinted window to offset the effects of glare and color from the light cast.

Reducing the sharp contrast at the interface between portions of a surface illuminated by different illumination sources of different intensities can improve occupant visual comfort. In certain embodiments, the control logic adjusts the function of the building system based on the current contrast ratio in the area determined based on feedback from the building system. For example, the contrast ratio in an area, such as an occupied area or other surrounding area, may be determined based on the current illuminance and/or color of the light in the area. The current illuminance and color can be determined by one or more of the following: measurements from one or more sensors in the building (eg, cameras, thermal sensors, etc.), the current setting and location of artificial lighting Wait. An example of a device with a sensor that can measure the illuminance and color of ambient light is a spectrometer, such as, for example, the commercially available C-7000 spectromaster manufactured by Sekonic®. The control logic adjusts the function of the building system to adjust the contrast ratio in the area to an acceptable level. For example, the building systems can be adjusted so that the contrast ratio is below an acceptable range or below a maximum limit. As another example, the building systems can be adjusted such that the contrast ratio is maintained within an acceptable level based on a look-up table of illuminance and color of artificial lighting that can be used to offset changes from passing through buildings with different levels of coloration. Reflected light from the light projection of an electrochromic window.

25 is a graph of measured illuminance (lux) versus measured color temperature (Kjeldahl), according to an embodiment. The figure shows three distinct regions: an upper region illustrated as warm and colorful, looking red, a middle region illustrated as pleasing, and a lower region illustrated as cool and dark, looking blue. The image includes four distances of 0 feet, 2 feet, 4 feet, and 6 feet from the window in the darkest tint state at 12:30 PM with artificial lighting turned on at full brightness level and set to 2700 Kelvin The four points of the measured value of illuminance and color temperature. If artificial lighting is turned off, the illuminance and color temperature will likely be in the lower area. As shown, the measurement results when the artificial lighting is on shifts the blue light, bringing the measured illuminance and color temperature into the middle and upper regions. Examples of look-up tables include interior artificial light settings (color temperature in Kjeldahl and brightness levels in lux) that would be at specific times of day in occupied areas at different distances from the tinted window Contrast ratios are maintained within acceptable levels for different coloring states. In one aspect, control logic may use such a look-up table to determine internal artificial light settings that will maintain the contrast ratio within acceptable levels.

In certain implementations, the control logic adjusts artificial lighting settings and tinting states of tinted windows based on feedback received from building systems to provide occupant-specific design or, more generally, work in occupied areas The brightness level and ambient spectral content of the site design. The feedback may include, for example, the current tinting state of the tintable window, information about the presence or potential presence of occupants in the occupied area or workplace, measured levels of illuminance and color of ambient light, information about occupants Information (such as age, gender and circadian rhythm), information about occupied areas or workplaces, etc. This feedback information may come from readings or determinations regarding data obtained by building systems or may come from scheduling information based on historical data. The control logic can adjust artificial lighting and shading to produce specific spectral content and brightness levels customized for the occupant or the use environment of the workplace (eg, residential, general, commercial). More details on this control logic will be explained in the next subsection.

In one aspect, the logic for controlling the contrast ratio in the occupied area of a room with one or more tintable windows may be implemented using a method similar to that described with reference to FIG. 22 . In this method, the control logic uses one or more of modules A, B, and C to calculate the shading level of one or more tintable windows in the room at a future time. In one case, the future time used in the calculation may be sufficiently far in the future to allow the window to complete the transition after receiving the control signal with the shading instruction. Modules A, B and C output the tint level of one or more tintable windows in the future, sensor readings (internal and/or external), including orientation, time of day, window configuration for day of year , weather conditions as appropriate and other information used by these modules. Predictive control logic determines acceptable contrast ratios at future times. The control logic then determines adjustments to the interior lighting and/or the tint state of the tintable windows to achieve a contrast ratio in the room below or at an acceptable level. For example, the control logic may determine the type of lights to activate, one or more colors or lights to activate, the intensity level setting of the lights to activate, the location of the lights to activate, the number and arrangement of lights to activate, etc. . Once an adjustment is determined, the control logic sends control signals for adjusting the artificial interior lighting and/or the tint state of the electrochromic windows in the room, and the method then returns to modules A, B, and C again.

H. Control logic for scenes designed by occupants

Certain embodiments relate to control logic for maintaining scenarios designed to provide occupant satisfaction and levels of comfort in the workplace for environmental factors such as visual comfort, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, and air quality. The control logic maintains the environmental factors by adjusting the settings of the building systems. The control logic designs environmental factors based on various feedback received from, eg, building systems, occupants, building management systems, and the like. Some examples of feedback that can be used include the current tinting status of tintable windows, information about the presence or potential presence of occupants, measured levels of ambient light and color, information about occupants (such as age, gender, etc.) and circadian rhythms), noise data, ambient temperature data, air quality data, data on available building systems, etc. From the feedback, the control logic determines occupancy, which includes the presence and location of one or more occupants in the workplace. The control logic determines occupancy based on a variety of information, such as scheduling information, sensor measurements, input from occupants, or data from a mapping system. Examples of such mapping systems include transmitters and receivers for transmitting radio frequency, microwave or other electromagnetic waves. The received transmission can be used to map occupants in the workplace and their the current position of other objects. The control logic is also developed for each occupant and/or workplace use case to determine the parameters used to determine the scene, such as occupant type, workplace type, temporal composition of the surrounding environment (illuminance level, ambient light color, noise levels, air quality, etc.), dwell duration, building considerations such as energy and cost, and existing building systems that can be used to alter the surrounding environment. Based on the use case, the control logic designs a scenario that includes all environmental factors, or a portion of the environmental factors, depending on which technologies or controls are at work at the workplace. Environmental factors may be grouped into various categories such as, for example, thermal settings, visual settings, acoustic settings, and air quality settings. The duration of stay in the workplace is a consideration for some environmental factors such as noise and air quality. For each occupant and/or workplace, the control logic determines the environmental factor to be used in the scenario and determines a target level for that environmental factor. These levels are designed to meet occupant needs or expectations by determining which levels are designed for that use case. The control logic then determines any new control settings for the building system and communicates those new settings to the building system, eg, via the BMC or BAC.

In one aspect, use-case-specific scenarios are initialized using data from industry best practices and then modified based on feedback from occupants, building management systems, and/or industry. Control logic modifies or updates these scenarios based on new environmental factors. For example, the control logic may receive feedback from buildings with unexpected settings that provide non-intuitive "joys" that better match or exceed occupant expectations for workplace settings.

In another aspect, the control logic may initiate scenarios for a particular use case based on input from the current occupant, such as based on a series of queries to the occupant at the user interface.

In one aspect, the scenarios for a particular use case are modified based on feedback from occupants, building systems, building management systems, industry, and any other suitable feedback sources. For example, the control logic may receive overrides or positives from occupants regarding environmental factors for a particular scene. positive or negative feedback. The control logic may determine a new level of environmental factors of the scene based on the feedback.

Some examples of workplace types include private offices, sanctuaries, corners, focus rooms, thinking rooms, huddle rooms, open offices, noisy areas, waiting areas, transition areas, meeting rooms, creative thinking spaces, foyers, plazas, restaurants and office space. 26 is a schematic diagram of a building showing various types of workplaces, according to one embodiment. In the example shown, workplaces are grouped into "personal workplaces" including workstations and low tables, "open collaborative workplaces" including personal sofas, conference tables, and small meeting rooms, editorial rooms, conversation booths , "enclosed meeting workplaces" for thinking rooms, guest rooms, meeting rooms and meeting rooms, "partial support workplaces" including lockers, photocopiers and food pantries, and "communal workplaces" including restrooms, health rooms and reception rooms Regional Workplace".

The control logic determines the use case in part based on the type of workplace. For example, private offices are often used for focused tasks or creative activities. As a result, private offices require scenes with ambient settings of warm temperatures and warm ambient light. In addition to designing scenarios for maximum performance, scenarios can also be designed to match occupant expectations for a well-considered workplace. For example, a restaurant needs a scene with light levels (illuminance) and background noise that are vibrant and encourage communication and socialization. In this example, the occupant's expectation for the scene in the restaurant will be brighter, noisier, and cooler.

A private office generally refers to an area used to concentrate work or rest without distraction. Private offices can be, for example, enclosed spaces, semi-sheltered or sheltered spaces in an open plan. One example of environmental factors for a scene designed for visual comfort in a private office includes a brightness level of 500 lux to 700 lux (low) and a color temperature of 4000 K (warm). Another example of environmental factors of a scene designed for visual comfort in a private office includes a brightness level of 1000 lux to 2000 lux (high) and a color temperature of 6000 K (cold). One example of an environmental factor for a scenario designed for thermal comfort in a private office includes a temperature of 25°C (warm). An example of an environmental factor designed for sound comfort in a private office includes a sound level of 45dB and a privacy index of 75%. Another example of environmental factors for a scenario designed for sound comfort in a private office includes a sound level of 35dB and a privacy index of 95%. One example of an environmental factor for a scenario designed for air quality in a private office includes a _CO2 content of 500 ppm.

Similar to a private office, a thinking room or small meeting room refers to an area used to concentrate work or relax without distraction. Thinking rooms or small meeting rooms are designed so that occupants have less privacy than private offices. Thinking rooms or small meeting rooms can also be enclosed spaces, semi-sheltered or sheltered spaces in an open plan. One example of environmental factors for a scene designed for visual comfort in a thinking room or small conference room includes a brightness level of 1000 lux to 2000 lux (high) and a color temperature of 6000 K (cold). An example of an environmental factor for a scenario designed for thermal comfort in a thinking room or small conference room includes a brightness level of 22°C to 25°C (moderate). An example of an environmental factor for a scenario designed for sound comfort in a thinking room or small conference room includes a sound level of 55dB to 75dB and a privacy index of 55%. An example of an environmental factor for a scenario where air quality control design in a room or small conference room is considered includes a CO ₂ content of 500 ppm.

Waiting or transition areas generally refer to waiting/gathering areas adjacent to meeting rooms and/or private offices. Waiting or transition areas are designed for short stops with visible and semi-private communication. An example of an environmental factor for a scene designed for visual comfort in a waiting area or transition area includes a brightness level of 500 lux to 1500 lux (high) and a color temperature of 4500 to 6000 K (cold). One example of an environmental factor for a scene designed for thermal comfort in a waiting area or transition area includes a light level of 22°C to 25°C (moderate). An example of an environmental factor for a scenario designed for acoustic comfort in a waiting area or transition area includes a sound level of 55dB and a privacy index of 50% to 75%. One example of an environmental factor for a scenario designed for air quality control in a waiting area or transition area includes a _CO2 content of 1500 ppm.

A conference room is generally an area for sharing and discussion that requires appropriate light and a high signal-to-noise ratio. One example of environmental factors for a scene designed for visual comfort in a conference room includes a brightness level of 500 lux to 1500 lux (high) and a color temperature of 3500 to 4500 K (medium). One example of an environmental factor for a scenario designed for thermal comfort in a conference room is a brightness level of 20°C to 23°C (moderate). One example of environmental factors for a scenario designed for sound comfort in a conference room includes a sound level of 44dB to 55dB and a privacy index of 80% to 95%. One example of an environmental factor for a scenario designed for air quality control in a conference room includes a CO ₂ content of 1000 ppm.

A public office, foyer, or social space generally refers to a dynamic, social environment at the main confluence of people in a building, where mixing and connection take precedence over privacy or work output. An example of an environmental factor for a scene designed for visual comfort in a public office, foyer or social place includes a brightness level of 500 lux to 1500 lux (high) and a color temperature of 4000K to 6000K (medium). One example of an environmental factor for a scene designed for thermal comfort in public offices, foyers or social spaces is a light level of 22°C to 25°C (moderate). One example of environmental factors for a scenario designed for sound comfort in a public office, foyer or social venue includes a sound level of 55dB to 70dB and a privacy index of 25%. One example of an environmental factor for a scenario designed for air quality control in public offices, hallways or social spaces includes _CO2 levels of 1500 ppm to 3000 ppm.

27 is a diagram illustrating a method for designing and maintaining a scenario in a workplace that provides occupant satisfaction and environmental factors for various levels of comfort, such as, for example, visual comfort, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, and air quality Flowchart 2700 of the control logic. The control logic may be implemented by one or more controllers. A workplace may be a room in a building or an area in a room. In operation 2710 , the control logic receives information from an occupant, an asset within a building, or a building system (such as, for example, a window controller, HVAC, HVAC for controlling the tint state of one or more tintable windows in the workplace) Feedback from systems, lighting systems for controlling artificial lighting (internal and/or external), security systems, one or more sensors, mapping systems, noise and sound control systems, etc.). For example, feedback can be received from an asset that is carried by the occupant, such as a smart phone or other smart device. As another example, the occupant may input feedback to the control logic via a smart device, a manual control panel (eg, the device shown in Figure 23 ), or other devices. Some examples of feedback that can be used by this control logic include the current tinting state of one or more tintable windows in the workplace, information about the presence or likely presence of one or more occupants in the workplace, ambient light Illuminance and color measurements or other sensor readings, occupant data, ambient temperature data, air quality data, noise or other acoustic data, information about available building systems, etc. In one aspect, the shaded state of the one or more shadeable windows may be determined by predictive control logic of one or more modules, such as described with reference to FIG. 22 . Some examples of occupant data include age, gender, occupation, circadian rhythm, activity, vital signs, and the like. In one aspect, the control logic uses vital signs to determine the occupant's circadian rhythm. Some examples of building systems are set forth in detail with reference to FIGS. 16 and 18 . Some examples of window controllers are described in detail with reference to FIGS. 15 , 19 and 20 . Feedback from building systems is typically received via a communication network.

Based on the feedback received in operation 2710 , the control logic determines occupancy ( 2720 ), including the presence and location of one or more occupants in the workplace. The control logic may determine occupancy based on information such as current time, schedule data, sensor data, input from the occupant, data from signals from assets carried with the occupant, and data from the mapping system. In one aspect, a mapping system of transmitters and receivers of radio frequency, microwave or other electromagnetic waves in a building may be used to map the current locations of occupants and other objects present in the workplace. An example of such a window antenna based mapping system is set forth in US Patent Application 15/709,339, filed September 19, 2017, and entitled "WINDOW ANTENNAS FOR EMITTING RADIO FREQUENCY SIGNALS," which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. enter. In another aspect, the control logic may determine that there is a high probability that an occupant is in the workplace based on the schedule data and the current time. In another aspect, an asset (eg, a mobile phone) carried by a particular occupant has a transmitter that transmits radio frequency signals that are received at receivers in the building. Based on the received signal, the building management system or other controller determines the presence and location of the occupant and transmits a signal with this information to the controller implementing the control logic.

In operation 2730 , the control logic develops a use case for a particular occupant and/or workplace. The use case includes one or more of the following: type of occupancy in the workplace, type of activity in the workplace, type of workplace, temporary composition of the surrounding environment, duration of occupant stay, any building considerations ( type and availability of controls such as energy conservation), building systems, or other technologies that can be used to alter environmental factors. The type of occupancy includes information such as age, gender, occupation, circadian rhythm, and vital signs of one or more occupants. The type of activity can be, for example, working, painting, drawing, meeting guests, eating, private reflection, sleeping, resting, hanging out, waiting, gathering, and the like. The temporary composition of the surrounding environment includes various parameters such as the illuminance and color of the ambient light, contrast ratio, noise, temperature, humidity and air quality.

In operation 2740 , the control logic determines, for the use case, scenarios for environmental factors designed to improve occupant satisfaction and comfort (eg, visual, thermal, acoustic, and/or air quality) in the workplace. In one aspect, building considerations are taken into account in addition to occupant satisfaction and comfort. The control logic determines which environmental factors are to be included in the scene based at least in part on the type and control of building systems or other technologies available to alter the surrounding environment. In one aspect, the control logic also considers dwell duration when determining whether to include noise and air quality factors. For example, if the dwell duration is less than 5 minutes, the control logic may not include noise and air quality environmental factors. For each environmental factor in the scene, the control logic determines a target setting or level. Group environmental factors into categories including, for example, thermal settings, visual settings, acoustic settings, and air quality settings. Examples of thermal settings include target levels of temperature, airflow, and humidity. Some examples of visual settings include illuminance and color of ambient light, contrast ratio, and target level of glare. For example, a target level of contrast ratio may remain below a maximum acceptable contrast ratio or a value within an acceptable range. Acoustic settings include sound level or noise level and privacy index, which is a factor of walls and open spaces in a room. The Privacy Index reflects the ability to have conversational confidentiality in the workplace. Some examples of air quality settings include, for example, levels of CO ₂ and/or one or more pollutants such as CO, O ₃ , NO ₂ , SO ₂ , PM ₁₀ , PM _2.5 and lead. Some examples of scenarios for target environmental factors including brightness level (illuminance), color temperature, sound level, privacy index, and air quality for various types of workplaces are provided above.

The control logic determines the context of environmental factors for a particular use case by matching all or most of the parameters of the particular use case with the use cases associated with the scenarios stored in the database. If the database does not have a matching scene, the control logic initializes the contextual factors for the scene. In one example, the control logic uses data from industry best practices to initialize environmental factors for a specific use case scenario. In another example, the control logic uses data from the occupant to initialize the scene, eg, by querying the occupant for the best environment settings. In another example, the control logic uses data from an occupant with a similar set of parameters in the use case to initialize the scene. In one embodiment, after the control logic determines a first scenario of environmental factors for a particular use case, the control logic further modifies the environmental factors to generate a second scenario based on additional feedback from buildings with unanticipated settings , these settings provide non-intuitive "joys" that better match or exceed occupant expectations of workplace settings. The scene determined in operation 2740 is saved to the database.

In one aspect, the scenarios for a particular use case are modified based on feedback from occupants, building systems, building management systems, industry, and any other suitable feedback sources. For example, the control logic may receive an override or positive or negative feedback from an occupant regarding the environmental level of a particular scene. The control logic may determine a new level of environmental factors of the scene based on the feedback.

In operation 2750 , the control logic determines the control settings for various building systems that will result in the target environmental level for the scenario designed in operation 2740 for the occupant or workplace. For example, the control logic may use a look-up table to determine the appropriate control settings that will result in the target environmental factor.

In operation 2760 , the control logic communicates the control settings to the controllers of the various building systems building systems or building management systems or building management systems. The control logic then returns to operation 2710 .

While certain embodiments are described herein with respect to independently controlling multiple shading zones of a multi-zone tintable window, it will be appreciated that similar techniques can be applied to control multiple tintable windows in a set of tintable windows (multi-zone tintable windows). or single zone). For example, a building may have an assembly of tintable windows on the facade of the building or in a room. The techniques described herein can be used to independently control the tintable windows of the assembly. That is, each tintable window may have one or more tinted regions, and the techniques independently control the tinted regions of the tintable windows in the assembly.

It should be understood that the invention as set forth above may be implemented in the form of control logic using computer software in a modular or integrated manner. Based on the disclosures and teachings provided herein, familiarize yourself with this Those skilled in the art will know and appreciate other ways and/or methods for implementing the present invention using hardware and combinations of hardware and software.

Any of the software components or functions described in this application may be implemented using, for example, conventional or object-oriented techniques using any suitable computer language, such as, for example, Java, C++, or Python to be processed by software code to be executed by the server. The software code may be stored as a series of instructions or commands on a computer-readable medium, such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), magnetic media (such as a hard disk or floppy disk), or optical media ( such as CD-ROM). Any such computer-readable medium can reside on or within a single computing device and can exist on or within different computing devices within a system or network.

While the foregoing disclosed embodiments have been described in some detail to facilitate understanding, the described embodiments are to be regarded as illustrative and not restrictive. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain changes and modifications can be practiced within the scope of the appended claims.

One or more features from any embodiment may be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to any of the embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The components of any embodiment may be integrated or separated according to particular needs without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

2700‧‧‧Flowchart

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2720‧‧‧Operation

2730‧‧‧Operation

2740‧‧‧Operation

2750‧‧‧Operation

2760‧‧‧Operation

Claims (23)

A method of controlling the color of light in a room having one or more tintable windows, the method comprising: determining one or more new settings for artificial interior lighting in the room, wherein the one or the A plurality of new settings are configured to obtain a desired light color in the room, wherein the one or more new settings use a current tint state of at least one of the one or more tintable windows ) to determine; and sending control signals via a communication network to adjust the artificial interior lighting to the one or more new settings. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more new settings are configured to provide a desired color rendering index (CRI) value. The method of claim 2, further comprising: calculating an external CRI value using (i) measurements obtained by one or more external sensors or (ii) clear sky irradiance; and using the current shading state of the at least one of the one or more shadeable windows to convert the external CRI value to a current internal CRI value; and wherein the one or more new settings are determined to the current internal CRI value Change to the desired CRI value. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more external sensors are part of a multi-sensor device In part, the multi-sensor device is (I) mounted to a roof of a building that includes the room or (II) located on a facade of the building that includes the one or more tintable windows superior. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more new settings are determined using a current internal CRI value in the room, and wherein the current internal CRI value is determined from weather feed data. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more new settings are determined using a current internal CRI value in the room, and wherein the current internal CRI value is determined using quantities obtained by one or more internal sensors to determine the results. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more interior sensors are (I) located during operation in an active area of an occupant in the room or (II) located at the artificial interior lighting or at The artificial interior lighting is nearby. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether to use measurements from (I) one or more external sensors or (II) one or more internal sensors for the artificial interior lighting Input in the determination of one or more new settings. The method of claim 2, wherein the desired CRI value is determined using historical data from user input. The method of claim 2, wherein the desired CRI value is used from a wall unit or a remote Determined by user input received at the terminal control. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the artificial interior lighting to the one or more new settings comprises adjusting one or more of: (i) a color or colors, (ii) one or more areas the activation of the lamps in, and (iii) one or more light intensity levels. The method of claim 2, further comprising: using clear sky irradiance to calculate an external CRI value; and using the current shading state of the one or more of the one or more shadeable windows to transform the external CRI value is a current internal CRI value. The method of claim 12, further comprising using a sun position and a window configuration to determine the clear sky irradiance. The method of claim 2, further comprising: using the desired CRI value to determine a new shading state of the one or more tintable windows; and providing shading of the one or more tintable windows via the communication network Command to transition to this new shaded state. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more tintable windows is an electrovariable electrochromic window. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the artificial interior lighting to the one or more new settings is configured to obtain a contrast ratio in an occupied area within an acceptable range or below a maximum contrast ratio. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more new settings for the artificial interior lighting are configured to generate illumination from the artificial interior lighting having a first wavelength range that is related to transmission through is complementary to a second wavelength range of light passing through the at least one of the tintable windows in the current tint state. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more new settings for the artificial interior lighting are configured to (I) reduce a contrast ratio in an occupied area of the room or (II) generate illumination, The lighting produces the desired color of light in the room in combination with light transmitted through at least one of the tintable windows in the current tint state. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more new settings for the artificial interior lighting are configured to generate lighting in combination with the lighting from the tintable windows transmitted through the current shading state The light of at least one provides (i) a spectral content of red, blue and green light or (ii) a spectral content associated with natural light. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a new shading state of the one or more tintable windows; and sending control signals via the communication network to adjust the one or more tintable windows to the new tinted state; wherein the adjustments that cause the artificial interior lighting to be adjusted to the one or more new settings and the one or more The adjustments of a tintable window to the new tint state are configured to produce a combined illumination having either (i) a spectral content of red, blue, and green or (ii) associated with natural light a spectral content. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the one or more new settings based at least in part on a hue of light transmitted through the at least one tintable window, the color of the light using the at least one tintable window Determined based on the current shading state of the shading window. A controller for controlling the color of light in a room having one or more tintable windows, the controller comprising: a computer-readable medium having control logic; and circuitry associated with the computer-readable medium and in communication with the one or more tintable windows, wherein the control logic is configured to: determine or direct determination of one or more new settings for artificial interior lighting in the room, wherein the one or more new settings being configured to obtain a desired light color in the room and the one or more new settings determined using a current tint state of at least one of the one or more tintable windows; and sending or directing send control signal to adjust the artificial interior lighting to the one or more new settings. The controller of claim 22, wherein the control logic is further configured to determine or direct determination of the one or more new settings based at least in part on the color of light transmitted through the one or more tintable windows, the light The color is determined using the current shaded state of the one or more shadeable windows.

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