TWI769866B - Multi-function smart window and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A multi-function smart window is provided to solve the problem of two switching states only of the conventional smart window. The multi-function smart window includes a diffusion layer and a shading layer respectively laminated on two sides of a passive layer, and a projection unit. The diffusion layer is switched to a transparent state and a diffusion state according to the electric field applied to the diffusion layer. The shading layer is switched to a transparent state and a shading state according to the electric field applied to the shading layer. The light incident on both sides of the passive layer partially penetrates the passive layer and is partially reflected by the passive layer. The projection unit emits a projection light incident on the diffusion layer. The invention further discloses a control method of the multi-function smart window.

Description

Multifunctional smart window and control method thereof

The invention relates to a photoelectric element, in particular to a multifunctional smart window capable of projecting, shading, and switching between atomized or transparent states and a control method thereof.

Ordinary windows are used to isolate the space, while allowing light to penetrate and provide an open view, and adding various dimming structures to the windows, such as: heat insulation molds, liquid crystal layers, polarizers, etc., can use the principle of optics. It can realize functions such as shading, fogging, and discoloration, and even use the window as a display screen to display the image. The conventional smart window selects the corresponding dimming structure according to the user's needs, which can be switched between the high light transmission and light absorption states, or between the high light transmission and light scattering states, so that the transparent window can Adjust for shading or privacy-preserving effects.

Most of the conventional smart windows can only switch between two states. For example, through electrochromic technology (EC) and suspended particle technology (Suspended Particle Devices, SPD), the intensity of light can be adjusted to achieve the effect of heat insulation , but the reaction time is long and the cost is high; and, through the polymer liquid crystal technology (Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal, PDLC), the privacy protection state can be switched in real time and used as a projection screen, but the polymer liquid crystal technology can only scatter light and cannot In order to achieve the effect of heat insulation, and the image is easily disturbed by ambient light and affects the display quality, the conventional smart windows have limited application methods and limited use cases.

In view of this, the conventional wisdom window does still need to be improved.

In order to solve the above problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a multi-functional smart window, which can switch between multiple functions by using a simple structure.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multifunctional smart window, which can improve the image quality during projection.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multifunctional smart window, which can reduce the manufacturing cost and the difficulty of the manufacturing process.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a control method for a multifunctional smart window, which can switch multiple light modes simply and quickly.

The use of the quantifier "a" or "an" for the elements and components described throughout the present invention is only for convenience and provides a general meaning of the scope of the present invention; in the present invention, it should be construed as including one or at least one, and a single The concept of also includes the plural case unless it is obvious that it means otherwise.

Similar terms such as "combined", "combined" or "assembled" mentioned in the whole text of the present invention mainly include the components that can be separated without destroying the components after the connection, or the components can not be separated after being connected, which are common knowledge in the field. It can be selected according to the material of the components to be connected or the assembly requirements.

The multifunctional smart window of the present invention comprises: a diffusion layer with a liquid crystal material located between two transparent and conductive substrates, the liquid crystal material comprising host liquid crystals, spin molecules, salt ions and high molecular polymers, the diffusion layer According to the electric field acting on the diffusion layer, it is switched to a transparent state and a diffusion state; a passive layer is superimposed with the diffusion layer, and the light incident on both sides of the passive layer partially penetrates the passive layer and is partially reflected by the passive layer ; a light-shielding layer superimposed on the other side of the passive layer opposite to the diffusion layer, the light-shielding layer is switched to a transparent state and a shielding state according to the electric field acting on the light-shielding layer a light state; and a projection unit, which emits a projection light, and the projection light is incident from the diffusion layer.

The control method of the multifunctional smart window of the present invention includes: a perspective mode, in which both the diffusion layer and the shading layer are switched to a transparent state; an illumination mode, in which the diffusion layer is switched to a diffusion state, and the shading layer is switched to Transparent state; a heat insulation mode, switching the diffusion layer to a diffusion state, and switching the light-shielding layer to a light-shielding state; a mirror mode, switching the diffusion layer to a transparent state, and switching the light-shielding layer to a light-shielding state; and an image mode, wherein the diffusion layer is switched to a diffusion state, and the light shielding layer is switched to a light shielding state, and the projection light generated by the projection unit is incident on the diffusion layer.

Accordingly, in the multifunctional smart window and the control method thereof of the present invention, the diffusing layer and the shading layer that can be actively switched can be matched with the passive layer that does not need to be switched, and an image can be projected by the projection unit. The window function can be switched according to the needs of use to control the travel route and type of light, which has the functions of multi-functional switching, simple control, reduced manufacturing cost, and improved image quality.

Wherein, the two substrates of the diffusion layer have alignment properties respectively, and the included angle between the normal line of the two substrates and the guide axis of the liquid crystal material is less than 10 degrees. In this way, the diffusion layer can be made transparent without applying an electric field, which has the effect of maintaining transparency when the power is turned off or not in use.

Wherein, the liquid crystal material is nematic liquid crystal, smectic liquid crystal, host-guest liquid crystal, polymer dispersed liquid crystal, polymer stabilized liquid crystal, cholesteric liquid crystal or polymer stabilized cholesteric liquid crystal. In this way, the liquid crystal material can control the arrangement pattern of the liquid crystal through the voltage, frequency or pulse, and the liquid crystal material can be selected according to the type of the provided voltage source, which has the effect of being applicable to various application situations.

Wherein, the passive layer is a plastic film with metal coatings of different thicknesses, or a multilayer film with periodically arranged refractive indices. In this way, light is reflected and transmitted through the passive layer, which has the effect of adjusting the penetration ratio of indoor light and outdoor light.

Wherein, the light-shielding layer has a liquid crystal material located between the two transparent conductive substrates, The liquid crystal material includes host liquid crystals, rotational molecules, salt ions, dichroic dyes and high molecular polymers. In this way, a switchable electric field can be formed between the two substrates to act on the liquid crystal material, which has the effect of controlling the regular arrangement of the liquid crystal material or absorbing light.

Wherein, the two substrates of the light shielding layer have alignment properties respectively, and the alignment directions of the two substrates are orthogonal to each other. In this way, the light-shielding layer can be made transparent without applying an electric field, which has the effect of maintaining transparency when the power is turned off or not in use.

Wherein, the light shielding layer is an electrochromic element, a suspended particle element or a polarized liquid crystal element. In this way, the light-shielding layer can switch the light-shielding function through the voltage change, and the optoelectronic element can be selected according to the type of the provided voltage source, which has the effect of being applied to various usage situations.

Wherein, an indoor light is incident from the diffusion layer, and an outdoor light is incident from the light shielding layer. In this way, the indoor light can be diffused and atomized, and the outdoor light can be absorbed and cannot penetrate, which has the effect of protecting indoor privacy and isolating outdoor high-temperature strong light.

1: Diffusion layer

11: Liquid crystal material

12: Substrate

2: Passive layer

3: shading layer

31: Liquid crystal material

32: Substrate

4: Projection unit

P: Projection light

P _R : Projected reflected light

S1: Perspective Mode

S2: Lighting Mode

S3: Insulation Mode

S4: Mirror Mode

S5: Video Mode

O: outdoor light

O _T : Outdoor penetrating light

_OR : Outdoor reflected light

I: Indoor light

_IT : Indoor penetration light

I _R : Indoor reflected light

[FIG. 1] A stack structure diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 2] A diagram of light reflection and penetration in a perspective mode of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 3] A diagram of the light reflection and penetration in the illumination mode of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 4] A diagram of the light reflection and penetration of the preferred embodiment of the present invention in the thermal insulation mode.

[FIG. 5] A diagram of the reflection and penetration of light in the mirror mode of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 6] A diagram of the light reflection and penetration in the image mode according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In order to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and comprehensible, the following The preferred embodiment of the present invention is given and described in detail with the accompanying drawings as follows: Please refer to Figure 1, which is a preferred embodiment of the multifunctional smart window of the present invention, which includes a diffusion layer 1. A passive layer 2, a light shielding layer 3 and a projection unit 4, the diffusion layer 1 and the light shielding layer 3 are respectively superimposed on two surfaces of the passive layer 2, the projection unit 4 is on the exposed side of the diffusion layer 1, The projection unit 4 projects forwardly on the surface of the diffusion layer 1 , so that a projection light P emitted by the projection unit 4 is incident on the diffusion layer 1 , and then acts on the passive layer 2 and the light shielding layer 3 in sequence.

The diffusion layer 1 is injected between two transparent substrates 12 by a liquid crystal material 11. The liquid crystal material 11 may include host liquid crystal, rotatory molecules, salt ions and high molecular polymers, wherein the weight percent of the host liquid crystal is The concentration is preferably greater than 90%, and the weight percent concentration of salt ions is preferably less than 1%; the two substrates 12 may include transparent conductive materials, and by electrically connecting the two substrates 12 to a voltage source, the two substrates 12 can be A switchable electric field is formed between the substrates 12 and acts on the liquid crystal material 11 to control the liquid crystal material 11 to exhibit a twisted arrangement or a disordered arrangement. For example, when the two substrates 12 have an alignment property, and the included angle between the normal of the two substrates 12 and the Director Axis of the liquid crystal material 11 is less than 10 degrees, the liquid crystal can be made to not apply an electric field. The material 11 exhibits a twisted arrangement, the incident light can directly penetrate the liquid crystal material 11, the diffusion layer 1 is in a transparent state, and the application of an electric field can cause the liquid crystal material 11 to exhibit a chaotic arrangement, resulting in multiple scattering of the incident light in the liquid crystal material 11. , switch the diffusion layer 1 to a diffusion state; on the contrary, when the two substrates 12 do not have alignment properties, applying an electric field can make the diffusion layer 1 appear in a transparent state, and without applying an electric field can make the diffusion layer 1 appear in a diffusion state.

The liquid crystal material 11 can be nematic liquid crystal, smectic liquid crystal, host-guest liquid crystal, polymer dispersed liquid crystal, polymer stabilized liquid crystal, cholesteric liquid crystal or polymer stabilized cholesteric liquid crystal; the transparent conductive material of each of the substrates 12 It can be indium tin oxide, nano-silver wire, nano-metal particles; each of the substrates 12 can be provided with alignment properties by an alignment film, and the alignment film is preferably located on the surface of each of the substrates 12 on the side of the liquid crystal material 11. The material can be polyimide (Polyimide, PI) Thin film, the material of the diffusion layer 1 of the present invention is not limited to this.

The passive layer 2 receives light from the diffusion layer 1 and the light shielding layer 3 respectively. After the light enters the passive layer 2, part of the light penetrates the passive layer 2, and part of the light is reflected by the passive layer 2. The passive layer Series 2 does not change its properties by the action of an electric field. The passive layer 2 may be a plastic film with metal coatings of different thicknesses, or a multilayer film with periodically arranged refractive indices, which is not limited in the present invention.

In this embodiment, the light-shielding layer 3 is injected between the two transparent substrates 32 by a liquid crystal material 31 , and the liquid crystal material 31 may include host liquid crystal, rotatory molecules, salt ions, dichroic dyes and polymers polymer, wherein the weight percentage concentration of the host liquid crystal is preferably greater than 90%, the weight percentage concentration of the dichroic dye is preferably less than 5%, and the weight percentage concentration of the salt ions is preferably less than 1%; the two substrates 32 may comprise a transparent conductive material. By electrically connecting the two substrates 32 to a voltage source, a switchable electric field can be formed between the two substrates 32 to act on the liquid crystal material 31, so as to control the liquid crystal material 31 to allow incident radiation. Light is passed through, or incident light is absorbed by dichroic dyes. For example, when the two substrates 32 have alignment properties and the alignment directions of the two substrates 32 are orthogonal to each other, the incident light can directly penetrate the liquid crystal material 31 without applying an electric field, and the light shielding layer 3 is in a transparent state. Applying an electric field can make the liquid crystal material 31 absorb the incident light and switch the light-shielding layer 3 to a light-shielding state; on the contrary, when the two substrates 32 do not have alignment properties, applying an electric field can make the light-shielding layer 3 appear transparent without applying The electric field can make the light-shielding layer 3 present a light-shielding state. The light shielding layer 3 may also be an electrochromic element, a suspended particle element or a polarized liquid crystal element, which is not limited in the present invention.

The projection unit 4 is used for generating the projection light P, and injecting the projection light P into the diffusion layer 1 , the passive layer 2 and the light shielding layer 3 , wherein the diffusion layer 1 is preferably switched to a diffusion state, and the light shielding layer The layer 3 is preferably switched to a light-shielding state, so that after the projection light P is incident on the diffusion layer 1, multiple scattering occurs in the diffusion layer 1, and then part of the projection light P is reflected by the passive layer 2, and the projection light P is reflected in the diffusion layer 1. The second multiple scattering occurs in the diffusion layer 1, and the projection light P forms diffuse reflection to increase the viewing angle of the image. In addition, the light shielding layer 3 can absorb part of the projection light P passing through the passive layer 2 and directly incident on the projection light P. One of the outdoor light O in the light shielding layer 3 can prevent the background light from interfering with the projection effect, and has the effect of improving the contrast of the image.

Please refer to Figures 2 to 6, which are preferred embodiments of the control method of the multifunctional smart window of the present invention, which include a perspective mode S1, a lighting mode S2, a heat insulation mode S3, a mirror mode S4 and In an image mode S5, in addition, the side of the diffusion layer 1 is indoors, and the side of the light shielding layer 3 is outdoor, to further illustrate the situation of each mode of light passing through the multifunctional smart window.

Please refer to FIG. 2 , in the perspective mode S1, both the diffusion layer 1 and the light shielding layer 3 are switched to a transparent state, so that an indoor light I is incident from the diffusion layer 1, and the indoor light I penetrates the diffusion layer After 1, the passive layer 2 is divided into an indoor penetrating light _IT and continues to penetrate the light shielding layer 3, and an indoor reflected light _IR is reflected and then penetrates the diffusion layer 1 again; in addition, the outdoor light O is transmitted by the The light-shielding layer 3 is incident, and after the indoor light 1 penetrates the light-shielding layer 3, the passive layer 2 is divided into an outdoor penetrating light O _T and continues to penetrate the diffusion layer 1, and an outdoor reflected light O _R is reflected and passes through again. through the light shielding layer 3 . In this way, in the perspective mode S1, the outdoor penetrating light O _T can be received indoors to see the outdoor scene; the indoor penetrating light _IT can be received outdoors and the indoor scene can be seen.

Referring to FIG. 3, the illumination mode S2 switches the diffusion layer 1 to a diffusion state, and switches the light shielding layer 3 to a transparent state, so that the indoor light I is incident from the diffusion layer 1, and the indoor light I Multiple scattering occurs in the diffusion layer 1, the diffused indoor light I is divided into the indoor penetrating light _IT in the passive layer 2 to maintain the diffusion and exit the light shielding layer 3, and the indoor reflected light IR is reflected and diffused again _. The diffusion layer 1 is emitted; in addition, the outdoor light O is incident by the shading layer 3, and after the indoor light 1 penetrates the shading layer 3, the passive layer 2 is divided into the outdoor penetrating light O _T in the diffusion layer 1 After being diffused, it is emitted, and the outdoor reflected light _OR is reflected and then penetrates the light shielding layer 3 again. In this way, in the lighting mode S2, the diffused and emitted outdoor penetrating light O _T and the diffused and emitted indoor reflected light IR can be received _indoors , and the lighting effect can be obtained but only the foggy image can be seen; Then, after receiving the diffused and emitted indoor penetrating light _IT and the outdoor reflected light _OR , a clear indoor scene cannot be seen, which has the effect of privacy protection.

Referring to FIG. 4, the heat insulation mode S3 switches the diffusion layer 1 to a diffusion state, and switches the light shielding layer 3 to a light shielding state, so that the indoor light I is incident from the diffusion layer 1, and the indoor light Multiple scattering occurs in the diffusion layer 1, and after the partially diffused indoor light I is reflected by the passive layer 2, the indoor reflected light IR is formed and _diffused again and exits the diffusion layer 1, and the rest of the indoor light I penetrates After the passive layer 2, it is absorbed by the light shielding layer 3 and cannot penetrate; in addition, the outdoor light O is incident by the light shielding layer 3, and the outdoor light O is absorbed by the light shielding layer 3 and will not reach the passive layer 2 and the Diffusion layer 1. In this way, in the heat insulation mode S3, the outdoor light O will not be received indoors, which has the effect of shading and heat insulation; the indoor light I will not be received outdoors, and the indoor scene cannot be seen. Has the function of privacy protection.

Referring to FIG. 5, the mirror mode S4 switches the diffusion layer 1 to a transparent state, and switches the light shielding layer 3 to a light shielding state, so that the indoor light I is incident from the diffusion layer 1, and the indoor light I After penetrating the diffusion layer 1, part of the indoor light I is reflected by the passive layer 2 to form the indoor reflected light IR that penetrates again and _exits the diffusion layer 1, and the rest of the indoor light I penetrates the passive layer 1. After layer 2, it is absorbed by the light-shielding layer 3 and cannot penetrate; in addition, the outdoor light O is incident by the light-shielding layer 3, and the outdoor light O is absorbed by the light-shielding layer 3 and will not reach the passive layer 2 and the diffusion layer. 1. In this way, in the mirror mode S4, the indoor reflected light IR that is directly reflected will be received _indoors , and the outdoor light O will not be received, which has the effect of a mirror; the indoor light I will not be received outdoors, The system cannot see the interior scene.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the image mode S5 switches the diffusion layer 1 to a diffusion state, and switches the light shielding layer 3 to a light shielding state, and the projection unit 4 generates the projection light P to enter the diffusion layer 1 , the projection light P undergoes multiple scattering in the diffusion layer 1, and the partly diffused projection light P is reflected by the passive layer 2 to form a projection reflection light P _R that is diffused again and exits the diffusion layer 1; in addition, the remaining The projection light P and the outdoor light O are absorbed by the light shielding layer 3 and will not be emitted by the diffusion layer 1 . In this way, in the image mode S5, the diffusely reflected projection reflection light P _R can be received indoors, the projected image can be seen from different angles, and the outdoor light O will not be received, and it has a wide viewing angle, high Efficiency, high contrast and low background light interference; when outdoors, the indoor light I and the projection light P will not be received, and the indoor scene cannot be seen.

To sum up, the multifunctional smart window and the control method thereof of the present invention use the diffusing layer and the shading layer that can be switched actively, and the passive layer that does not need to be switched, and use the projection unit to project an image, which is The window function can be switched according to the needs of use to control the travel route and type of light, which has the functions of multi-function switching, simple control, reduced manufacturing cost and improved image quality.

Although the present invention has been disclosed by the above-mentioned preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications relative to the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the patent application attached hereto.

1: Diffusion layer

11: Liquid crystal material

12: Substrate

2: Passive layer

3: shading layer

31: Liquid crystal material

32: Substrate

4: Projection unit

P: Projection light

O: outdoor light

I: Indoor light

Claims (9)

A multifunctional smart window, comprising: a diffusion layer with a liquid crystal material located between two transparent and conductive substrates, the liquid crystal material comprising host liquid crystal, rotatory molecules, salt ions and high molecular polymers, the diffusion layer is based on the function The electric field in the diffusion layer is switched to a transparent state and a diffusion state; a passive layer is superposed with the diffusion layer, and light incident on both sides of the passive layer partially penetrates the passive layer and is partially reflected by the passive layer; a a light-shielding layer, superimposed on the other side of the passive layer opposite to the diffusion layer, the light-shielding layer is switched to a transparent state and a light-shielding state according to the electric field acting on the light-shielding layer; and a projection unit emits a projection light, the Projection light is incident from the diffusion layer. The multifunctional smart window of claim 1, wherein the two substrates have alignment properties respectively, and the included angle between the normal line of the two substrates and the guide axis of the liquid crystal material is less than 10 degrees. The multifunctional smart window of claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal material is nematic liquid crystal, smectic liquid crystal, host-guest liquid crystal, polymer dispersed liquid crystal, polymer stabilized liquid crystal, cholesteric liquid crystal, or polymer stabilized cholesterol liquid crystal. The multifunctional smart window of claim 1, wherein the passive layer is a plastic film with metal coatings of different thicknesses, or a multilayer film with periodically arranged refractive indices. The multifunctional smart window of claim 1, wherein the light-shielding layer has a liquid crystal material located between the two transparent and conductive substrates, and the liquid crystal material includes host liquid crystals, rotational molecules, salt ions, dichroic dyes and polymers polymer. The multifunctional smart window of claim 5, wherein the two substrates have alignment properties respectively, and the alignment directions of the two substrates are orthogonal to each other. The multifunctional smart window of claim 1, wherein the light shielding layer is an electrochromic element, a suspended particle element or a polarized liquid crystal element. A control method for a multifunctional smart window, which is applied to the multifunctional smart window as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, the control method comprises: a perspective mode, switching both the diffusion layer and the shading layer to a transparent state ; a lighting mode, switching the diffusion layer to a diffusion state, and switching the shading layer to a transparent state; a heat insulation mode, switching the diffusion layer to a diffusion state, and switching the shading layer to a shading state; a mirror a mode in which the diffusion layer is switched to a transparent state, and the light shielding layer is switched to a light shielding state; and an image mode, in which the diffusion layer is switched to a diffusion state, and the light shielding layer is switched to a light shielding state, and the projection unit The projection light is generated to be incident on the diffusion layer. The control method for a multifunctional smart window according to claim 8, wherein an indoor light is incident from the diffusion layer, and an outdoor light is incident from the light shielding layer.

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