WO2024045079A1

WO2024045079A1 - Dimming module and dimming device

Info

Publication number: WO2024045079A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/116340
Authority: WO
Inventors: 张思凯; 王春雷; 翟德深; 王瑛; 巨小倩; 车春城
Original assignee: 京东方科技集团股份有限公司; 北京京东方传感技术有限公司
Priority date: 2022-08-31
Filing date: 2022-08-31
Publication date: 2024-03-07
Also published as: CN117957482A

Abstract

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a dimming module and a dimming device. The dimming module comprises: a first substrate; a second substrate, which is arranged opposite the first substrate; a dyed liquid crystal layer, which is located between the first substrate and the second substrate; a first electrode, which is located on the side of the first substrate facing the dyed liquid crystal layer; and a second electrode structure, which is located on the side of the second substrate facing the dyed liquid crystal layer. The second electrode structure comprises a second electrode and a third electrode, which are insulated, wherein at least one of the second electrode and the third electrode comprises a plurality of strip-shaped sub-electrodes, which are electrically connected to each other.

Description

A kind of dimming module and dimming device

Technical field

The present disclosure relates to the field of dimming technology, and in particular to a dimming module and a dimming device.

Background technique

The liquid crystal dimming module uses liquid crystal molecules to be deflected by changes in the electric field to drive the dye molecules to deflect to achieve light and dark adjustment. Compared with other dimming technologies, LCD dimming modules have the advantages of second-level response and stepless dimming, and can be widely used as a dimming functional layer, such as in high-speed train windows, automobile windows, and building curtain walls.

Contents of the invention

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a dimming module and a dimming device. The specific solutions are as follows:

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a dimming module, including:

first substrate;

a second substrate arranged opposite to the first substrate;

A dye liquid crystal layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate;

A first electrode located on the side of the first substrate facing the dye liquid crystal layer;

The second electrode structure is located on the side of the second substrate facing the dye liquid crystal layer; the second electrode structure includes a second electrode and a third electrode that are insulated, and the second electrode and the third electrode At least one of them includes a plurality of strip-shaped sub-electrodes electrically connected to each other.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, both the second electrode and the third electrode include a plurality of strip-shaped sub-electrodes arranged at intervals, and the second electrode They are arranged in the same layer as the third electrode, and the strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the second electrode and the strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the third electrode are alternately arranged at intervals.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes included in the second electrode is the same as the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes included in the third electrode.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the second electrode and the strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the third electrode have the same length and the same width.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the second electrode is one more than the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the third electrode.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the second electrode and the strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the third electrode have the same length and different widths, so The resistance of the second electrode is the same as the resistance of the third electrode.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, both the second electrode and the third electrode further include: a pad located at one end in the extending direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrode, and The connecting portion is connected between the strip-shaped sub-electrode and the bonding pad; wherein the pad of the second electrode and the pad of the third electrode are located on different sides of the strip-shaped sub-electrode.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second electrode includes a plurality of strip-shaped sub-electrodes arranged at intervals, the third electrode is a planar electrode, and the The second electrode is located between the second substrate and the dye liquid crystal layer, the third electrode is located between the second electrode and the second substrate, and the dimming module further includes a second electrode located between the second substrate and the dye liquid crystal layer. An insulating layer between the two electrodes and the third electrode.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second electrode further includes: a pad located at one end of the strip-shaped sub-electrode in the extending direction, and a pad connected to the strip-shaped sub-electrode. The connection between the sub-electrode and the pad;

The third electrode has a pad located in an edge area of the third electrode, the insulating layer has a hollow structure, and the orthographic projection of the hollow structure on the first substrate is in line with the pad of the third electrode. Orthographic projections on the first substrate overlap;

Wherein, the orthographic projection of the soldering pad of the second electrode on the first substrate and the orthographic projection of the soldering pad of the third electrode on the first substrate do not overlap with each other.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the bonding pad of the second electrode and the bonding pad of the third electrode are located in the same extension direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrode. side.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the pad of the second electrode is located between the pad of the third electrode and the strip-shaped sub-electrode, so The extension direction of the hollow structure is the same as the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes, and the length of the hollow structure is the same as the length of the third electrode along the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the pads of the second electrode and the pads of the third electrode are along the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes. Arranged side by side, the length of the hollow structure along the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes is smaller than the length of the third electrode along the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes.

In a possible implementation, the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure further includes a reinforcing pad arranged in the same layer as the second electrode, and the pad of the third electrode passes through the The hollow structure is electrically connected to the reinforcing pad.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the connecting portion of the second electrode and/or the third electrode is a strip extending along the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes. The same end of each strip-shaped sub-electrode is electrically connected to the connection part, and the side of the connection part away from the strip-shaped sub-electrode is electrically connected to the pad.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes included in the second electrode and the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes included in the third electrode are the same, The length of the connecting portion of the second electrode is the same as the length of the connecting portion of the third electrode, and the width of the connecting portion of the second electrode is the same as the width of the connecting portion of the third electrode.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the second electrode is one more than the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the third electrode, the The strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the second electrode and the strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the third electrode satisfy the following relationship:

[(N+1)×L+N×(2p+b)]/a=[N×L+(N-1)×(2p+a)]/b;

Wherein, N is the total number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the third electrode, L is the length of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes, a is the width of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the second electrode, and b is the width of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the third electrode. The width of the strip-shaped sub-electrode, p, is the gap width between adjacent strip-shaped sub-electrodes in the third electrode and the second electrode.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the connecting portion of the second electrode and/or the connecting portion of the third electrode includes a connecting portion corresponding to the strip-shaped sub-electrode. Each strip-shaped sub-electrode is electrically connected to the pad through its corresponding lead wire.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the leads has the same length and the same width.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the lead between the strip-shaped sub-electrode with the largest linear distance from the same soldering pad and the soldering pad is a straight line, and the other leading lines are polylines or curves.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, for the lead in the shape of a polyline or a curve, both the polyline and the curve include protrusions and depressions; wherein,

Different lead wires have different numbers of protrusions, and different lead wires have the same protrusion height; or different lead wires have the same number of protrusions, but different lead wires have different protrusion heights.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first electrode is a planar electrode, and the center position of any edge area of the first electrode serves as the third electrode. An electrode pad.

In a possible implementation, the above-mentioned dimming module provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure further includes a sealing frame located between the first substrate and the second substrate and around the dye liquid crystal layer. Glue layer;

At least part of the orthographic projection of each pad on the first substrate is located outside the orthographic projection of the frame sealing adhesive layer on the first substrate.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the material of the first electrode, the material of the second electrode and the material of the third electrode are all transparent and conductive. Material.

In a possible implementation, the above-mentioned dimming module provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure further includes: a first alignment layer located between the first electrode and the dye liquid crystal layer, and a first alignment layer located between the first electrode and the dye liquid crystal layer. a second alignment layer between the second electrode structure and the dye liquid crystal layer.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the dimming module is in a normally white mode, and the dye liquid crystal layer includes negative liquid crystal molecules, dichroic dye molecules and Chiral additives.

In a possible implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the dimming module is in a normally black mode, and the dye liquid crystal layer includes positive liquid crystal molecules and dichroic dye molecules. and chiral additives.

Correspondingly, embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a light-adjusting device, including a stacked first substrate, a first adhesive layer, and a light-adjusting module. The light-adjusting module includes:

first substrate;

a second substrate arranged opposite to the first substrate;

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a normally black mode dimming module when it is not powered on;

Figure 2 is another structural schematic diagram of the normally black mode dimming module when it is not powered on;

Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of the normally white mode dimming module when it is not powered on;

Figure 4 is another structural schematic diagram of the normally white mode dimming module when it is not powered on;

Figure 5 is a schematic plan view of the film layer on one side of the second substrate in Figures 1 and 3;

Figure 6 is another schematic plan view of the film layer on one side of the second substrate in Figures 1 and 3;

Figure 7 is another schematic plan view of the film layer on one side of the second substrate in Figures 1 and 3;

Figure 8A shows the structure of the dimming module corresponding to Figure 1 when forming a vertical electric field;

Figure 8B shows the structure of the dimming module corresponding to Figure 1 when it forms a horizontal electric field;

Figure 9A shows the structure of the dimming module corresponding to Figure 3 when a vertical electric field is formed;

Figure 9B shows the structure of the dimming module corresponding to Figure 3 when a horizontal electric field is formed;

Figures 10A to 10D respectively show the shape of the first, second, third and fourth leads from top to bottom on the left side in Figure 7;

Figures 11A to 11D respectively show another shape of the first, second, third and fourth leads from top to bottom on the left side in Figure 7;

Figure 12 is a schematic plan view of the film layer on one side of the second substrate in Figures 2 and 4;

Figure 13 is another schematic plan view of the film layer on one side of the second substrate in Figures 2 and 4;

Figure 14 is another schematic plan view of the film layer on one side of the second substrate in Figures 2 and 4;

Figure 15A shows the structure of the dimming module corresponding to Figure 2 when forming a vertical electric field;

Figure 15B shows the structure of the dimming module corresponding to Figure 2 when it forms a horizontal electric field;

Figure 16A shows the structure of the dimming module corresponding to Figure 4 when forming a vertical electric field;

Figure 16B shows the structure of the dimming module corresponding to Figure 4 when a horizontal electric field is formed;

Figure 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view along the CC' direction in Figures 12 and 14;

Figure 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view along the CC’ direction in Figure 13;

Figure 19 is a schematic plan view including a planar first electrode;

Figure 20 is another plan view including a planar first electrode;

FIG. 21 is a schematic structural diagram of a light-adjusting device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed ways

In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present disclosure. And the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be combined with each other without conflict. Based on the described embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Unless otherwise defined, technical terms or scientific terms used in this disclosure shall have the usual meaning understood by a person with ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The use of "comprising" or "includes" and other similar words in this disclosure means that the elements or things appearing before the word include the elements or things listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or things. Words such as "connected" or "connected" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Inside", "outside", "up", "down", etc. are only used to express relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

It should be noted that the sizes and shapes of the figures in the drawings do not reflect true proportions and are only intended to illustrate the present disclosure. And the same or similar reference numbers throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements with the same or similar functions.

The dye liquid crystal dimming module can be divided into a normally black mode and a normally white mode. Taking the normally black mode as an example, the dimming module includes: a first substrate and a second substrate arranged oppositely, located between the first substrate and the second substrate. a dye liquid crystal layer between, a first electrode between the first substrate and the dye liquid crystal layer, a first alignment layer between the first electrode and the dye liquid crystal layer, a third substrate between the second substrate and the dye liquid crystal layer Two electrodes, and a second alignment layer located between the second electrode and the dye liquid crystal layer; both the first electrode and the second electrode can use an entire ITO film layer as a conductive electrode, and the dye liquid crystal layer includes positive liquid crystal molecules, two Color dye molecules and chiral additives. When no voltage is applied to the first electrode and the second electrode, due to the action of the chiral molecules in the first alignment layer, the second alignment layer and the chiral additive, the positive liquid crystal molecules move along the direction parallel to the first substrate (the second substrate). ) has a planar texture, and at the same time induces dichroic dye molecules to be spirally arranged in a plane parallel to the surface of the first substrate, absorbing incident light from all directions, and forming a dark pattern of the dimming module. state; when a voltage is applied to the first electrode and the second electrode, the spiral structure formed by the positive liquid crystal molecules rotates in all directions, the positive liquid crystal molecules unwind, forming a field-induced nematic phase, and the positive liquid crystal molecules are vertical to the first substrate (second substrate), the dichroic dye molecules are induced to be arranged perpendicularly to the first substrate (second substrate), and the light absorption rate is small, that is, the transmittance is high, forming a bright state of the dimming module.

The response time of liquid crystal molecules includes two parts: the response time τ _r when power is turned on and the response time τ _d when power is removed. The calculation formula of the response time is as follows:

Among them, γ ₁ is the viscosity coefficient of the liquid crystal molecules, d is the gap of the liquid crystal unit cell, V is the driving voltage of the liquid crystal unit cell, Δε is the dielectric coefficient of the liquid crystal molecules, and V _th is the threshold voltage of the liquid crystal unit cell.

It can be seen from the above formula that both τ _r and τ _d have a positive correlation with the viscosity coefficient γ ₁ of the liquid crystal molecules. The larger γ ₁ is, the longer the response time is. The inherent characteristic of liquid crystal molecules is that as the temperature decreases, γ ₁ increases exponentially. When γ ₁ increases, τ _r can actually be reduced by increasing the driving voltage V, but τ _d cannot be further reduced according to conventional methods. However, dye liquid crystal dimming modules are mostly used in outdoor environments, and the outdoor environment may often be in extremely cold weather conditions of -20°C or even -30°C. After being driven by electricity, when the power is removed, the dye liquid crystal cannot return to the initial state before powering on at a speed visible to the naked eye, resulting in the failure of the dye liquid crystal dimming module. Only when the outdoor temperature rises will the dye liquid crystal gradually return to its original state before powering on. Therefore, those skilled in the art urgently need to solve the problem of low-temperature dimming failure that is prone to occur in dye-based liquid crystal dimming modules at low temperatures.

In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a dimming module, as shown in Figures 1 to 4. Figures 1 and 2 are partial structural schematic diagrams of a normally black mode dimming module when not powered on. Figures 3 and 4 are partial structural diagrams of the normally white mode dimming module when not powered on. The dimming module includes:

first substrate 1;

The second substrate 2 is arranged opposite to the first substrate 1;

Dye liquid crystal layer 3 is located between the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2;

The first electrode 4 is located on the side of the first substrate 1 facing the dye liquid crystal layer 3;

The second electrode structure 5 is located on the side of the second substrate 2 facing the dye liquid crystal layer 3; the second electrode structure 5 includes a second electrode 51 and a third electrode 52 arranged insulated, at least one of the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 is One of them includes a plurality of strip-shaped sub-electrodes that are electrically connected to each other (the reference numeral 10 is used to indicate the strip-shaped sub-electrodes included in the second electrode 51, and the reference numeral 10' is used to indicate the strip-shaped sub-electrodes included in the third electrode 52).

In the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second electrode structure is configured to include a second electrode and a third electrode arranged insulated, and at least one of the second electrode and the third electrode includes a plurality of electrically connected to each other. By reasonably setting the driving voltage applied to the first electrode and the second electrode structure, a vertical electric field perpendicular to the surface of the first substrate can be formed between the first electrode and the second electrode structure. Under control, the liquid crystal molecules of the dye liquid crystal layer are flipped, and at the same time, the dichroic dye molecules (described later) of the dye liquid crystal layer are induced to rotate with the liquid crystal molecules to control the transmittance of light and realize the dimming module in the dark state and conversion between bright states; and, the driving voltage can be applied only to the second electrode and the third electrode to generate a parallel electric field parallel to the surface of the first substrate in the second electrode structure, and under the control of the parallel electric field, the dye liquid crystal The liquid crystal molecules in the layer quickly return to their original state, thereby solving the problem of low-temperature dimming failure that is prone to occur in dye-based liquid crystal dimming modules at low temperatures. In specific implementation, the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 1-4, also includes: a first alignment layer 6 located between the first electrode 4 and the dye liquid crystal layer 3, and a second alignment layer 7 located between the second electrode structure 5 and the dye liquid crystal layer 3 . The first alignment layer 6 and the second alignment layer 7 have the same functions as the alignment layers in the prior art, and will not be described in detail here.

In specific implementation, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, the first alignment layer 6 and the second alignment layer 7 can be photo alignment layers or rubbing alignment layers.

Specifically, the first substrate and the second substrate can be rigid substrates, such as glass substrates; of course, the first substrate and the second substrate can also be flexible substrates, and the material of the flexible substrate can include polyethersulfone (English: Polyethersulfone, referred to as: PES), polyarylate (English: Polyarylate, abbreviation: PAR), polyetherimide (English: Polyetherimide, abbreviation: PEI), polyethylene naphthalate (English: Polyethylene Naphthalate, abbreviation: PEN), Polyethylene Glycol Terephthalate (English: Polyethylene Glycol Terephthalate, abbreviation: PET), polyphenylene sulfide (English: Polyphenylene Sulfide, abbreviation: PPS), polyimide (English: Polyimide, abbreviation: PI), One of polycarbonate (English: Polycarbonate, abbreviation: PC), cellulose triacetate (English: Tri-cellulose Acetate, abbreviation: TAC) and cellulose acetate propionate (English: Cellulose Acetate Propionate, abbreviation: CAP) or more.

Optionally, both the first substrate and the second substrate in the embodiment of the present disclosure adopt glass substrates.

Specifically, the material of the first electrode, the second electrode and the third electrode may all be oxide-based transparent metal films with a total light transmittance of more than 50%, such as tin oxide (SnO ₂ )-based, Indium oxide (In ₂ O ₃ ) system, zinc oxide (ZnO) system, nano silver wire. Alternatively, the tin oxide system may be, for example, NESA (tin oxide SnO ₂ ), ATO (Antimony Tin Oxide: antimony doped tin oxide), or fluorine doped tin oxide; the indium oxide system may be, for example, indium oxide, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide: indium tin oxide), IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide: indium zinc oxide); as the zinc oxide system, for example, zinc oxide, AZO (aluminum doped zinc oxide), and gallium doped zinc oxide can be used.

Alternatively, the material of the first electrode, the second electrode and the third electrode in the embodiment of the present disclosure may all be ITO.

During specific implementation, the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure also includes a spacer (not shown in the embodiment of the disclosure) for supporting the thickness of the dimming module box. The spacer can be divided into PS and BS. Type: PS is a resin material. First, a full-surface resin layer is formed on the second orientation layer, and then a mask is used for exposure and etching. Finally, a prism with a small top and a large bottom is formed (the interface is a trapezoid). The height is 4μm~50μm, and the prisms are regularly distributed on the surface of the ITO layer; BS is a black or white silicon ball with a diameter of 4μm~25μm, which can be sprayed on the orientation layer by spraying.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the dimming module is in a normally black mode, and the dye liquid crystal layer 3 includes positive liquid crystal molecules 31, two-color sex dye molecules 32 and chiral additives (not shown). The dimming module in normally black mode is dark when not powered and bright when powered.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the dimming module is in a normally white mode, and the dye liquid crystal layer 3 includes negative liquid crystal molecules 31, two-color sex dye molecules 32 and chiral additives (not shown). The normally white mode dimming module is bright when not powered and dark when powered.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 , the first electrode 4 may be a planar electrode.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 1, 3, and 5-7, Figures 5-7 are the second substrates in Figures 1 and 3 respectively. 2 is a schematic plan view of a film layer on one side. The second electrode 51 includes a plurality of strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 arranged at intervals. The third electrode 52 includes a plurality of strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10' arranged at intervals. The second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 are the same. The strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 of the second electrode 51 and the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10' of the third electrode 52 are alternately arranged at intervals. Specifically, the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 can be connected to independent voltage sources respectively. For example, taking the normally black mode shown in Figure 1 as an example, when the power is not normally applied, as shown in Figure 1, the dye liquid crystal layer 3 Since the positive liquid crystal molecules 31 are anchored by the first alignment layer 6 and the second alignment layer 7, the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules 31 is basically parallel to the surface of the first substrate 1 (that is, lying flat). The light module is in a dark state; when the dimming module needs to be switched to a bright state, as shown in Figure 8A, the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 can be regarded as one electrode and are powered at the same time (for example, adding a negative voltage), a positive voltage is applied to the first electrode 4, that is, a vertical electric field is formed between the second electrode structure 5 and the first electrode 4. At this time, because the potential between the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 is the same, the level of the two No electric field will be generated between the second electrode 51 and the first electrode 4 and the vertical electric field perpendicular to the surface of the first substrate 1 will be generated between the second electrode 51 and the first electrode 4 and the third electrode 52 and the first electrode 4 (indicated by arrow E1). At this time, The positive liquid crystal molecules 31 are deflected, for example, from a lying state to a vertical state (that is, the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules 31 is perpendicular to the surface of the first substrate 1), completing the transition from a dark state to a bright state. However, when the dimming module is used in a low-temperature environment, when the positive liquid crystal molecules 31 are deflected in the direction of the vertical electric field and then fail in the low-temperature environment, it means that the arrangement of the existing positive liquid crystal molecules 31 The state is close to the steady state, and the simple liquid crystal retraction force is insufficient. Even if the vertical electric field drive is continued to increase, it will not be helpful in improving the failure. Therefore, in order to avoid the problem of low-temperature dimming failure of the dimming module at low temperatures. , the powering method can be adjusted, as shown in Figure 8B. For example, the first electrode 4 is not powered, the second electrode 51 is powered positively, and the third electrode 52 is powered negatively. In this way, the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 can be connected. A horizontal electric field (indicated by arrow E2) parallel to the surface of the first substrate 1 is formed. This parallel electric field is used to increase the retraction force of the liquid crystal. At this time, the positive liquid crystal molecules 31 in the vertical state shown in FIG. Driven by this horizontal electric field, it gradually deflects until it returns to its lying flat state without power. Therefore, embodiments of the present disclosure can solve the problem of low-temperature dimming failure that occurs easily in low-temperature conditions in normally black mode dye liquid crystal dimming modules.

Taking the normally white mode shown in Figure 3 as an example, when no power is applied, as shown in Figure 3, the negative liquid crystal molecules 31 in the dye liquid crystal layer 3 are anchored by the first alignment layer 6 and the second alignment layer 7. As a result, the long axis direction of the negative liquid crystal molecules 31 is perpendicular to the surface of the first substrate 1 (that is, in a vertical state), and the dimming module is in a bright state; when the dimming module needs to be switched to a dark state, as shown in Figure 9A As shown, the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 can be regarded as one electrode and are energized at the same time (for example, a negative voltage is applied), and the first electrode 4 is applied with a positive voltage, that is, the second electrode structure 5 and the first electrode 4 A vertical electric field is formed between the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52. Since the electric potential between the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 is the same at this time, no electric field will be generated between the two electrodes. Only the second electrode 51 and the first electrode 4 and the third electrode 52 and A vertical electric field (indicated by arrow E1) perpendicular to the surface of the first substrate 1 will be generated between the first electrodes 4. At this time, the negative liquid crystal molecules 31 are deflected from a vertical state to a lying state (i.e., the negative liquid crystal molecules The long axis direction of 31 is parallel to the surface of the first substrate 1), completing the transition from the bright state to the dark state. However, when the dimming module is used in a low-temperature environment, when the negative liquid crystal molecules 31 are deflected in the direction of the vertical electric field and then fail in the low-temperature environment, it means that the arrangement of the existing negative liquid crystal molecules 31 The state is close to the steady state, and the simple liquid crystal retraction force is insufficient. Even if the vertical electric field drive is continued to increase, it will not be of any help in improving the failure. Therefore, in order to avoid the problem of low-temperature dimming failure that occurs in the dimming module at low temperatures. , the powering method can be adjusted, as shown in Figure 9B. For example, the first electrode 4 is not powered, the second electrode 51 is powered positively, and the third electrode 52 is powered negatively. In this way, the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 can be connected. A horizontal electric field (indicated by arrow E2) parallel to the surface of the first substrate 1 is formed. This parallel electric field is used to increase the retracting force of the liquid crystal. At this time, the negative liquid crystal molecules 31 in the lying state shown in FIG. 9A are in the Driven by this horizontal electric field, it gradually deflects until it returns to the vertical state without power. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure can solve the problem of low-temperature dimming failure that occurs easily in a normally white mode dye liquid crystal dimming module under low temperature conditions.

It should be noted that the cross-sectional schematic diagrams of the embodiments of the present disclosure, such as Figures 1-4, are only partial cross-sectional structural diagrams of the dimming module, and the planar schematic diagrams, such as Figures 5-7, are also only partial cross-sectional structural diagrams of the dimming module. The partial plan view of the structure is only for schematically illustrating the structure of the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 and the solution in which the number of the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 is the same or different.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 5 , the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 of the second electrode 51 may be one more than the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10' of the third electrode 52. , so as to realize that the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 of the second electrode 51 and the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10' of the third electrode 52 are alternately arranged. In Figure 5, the second electrode 51 includes five strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 and the third electrode 52 includes four strip-shaped sub-electrodes. The electrode 10' is taken as an example, but is of course not limited to this.

In specific implementation, when the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 of the second electrode 51 shown in FIG. 5 is one more than the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10' of the third electrode 52, it is assumed that the lengths of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 and the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10' are When they are the same and have the same width, the resistance of the second electrode 51 is greater than the resistance of the third electrode 52. In order to ensure that the overall resistance of the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 is the same, the above-mentioned dimming module provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure 5, the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 of the second electrode 51 and the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10' of the third electrode 52 have the same length and different widths. For example, the width of the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 of the second electrode 51 is larger than that of the third electrode 52. The width of the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10' of the electrode 52 is such that the resistance of the second electrode 51 is the same as the resistance of the third electrode 52. In this way, when a vertical electric field is generated between the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52, it can be ensured that the voltage drop of the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 is the same, thereby ensuring that the second electrode structure 5 is in contact with the first electrode 4 The potential difference formed between them is the same at each position, thereby ensuring uniform dimming effect of the dimming module.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 included in the second electrode 51 and the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 included in the third electrode 52 The numbers are the same. Figures 6 and 7 both include four strip-shaped sub-electrodes as an example. Of course, they are not limited to this.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the lengths of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 of the second electrode 51 and the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10' of the third electrode 52 are Same and same width. This can make the resistance of the second electrode 51 and the resistance of the third electrode 52 the same. When a vertical electric field is generated between the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52, it can be ensured that the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 are at the same potential. The voltage drop amplitude is the same, thereby ensuring that the potential difference formed between the second electrode structure 5 and the first electrode 4 is the same at each position, thereby ensuring a uniform dimming effect of the dimming module.

Compared with the structure shown in Figure 5, the second electrode 51 shown in Figures 6 and 7 includes the same number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 and the third electrode 52 includes the same number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10', and the length and width are the same. In this way, the designs of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 included in the second electrode 51 and the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10' included in the third electrode 52 can be consistent, thereby reducing complexity.

It should be noted that the same length and the same width mean that they are exactly the same or basically the same macroscopically.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 5-7 , the width of the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 included in the second electrode 51 and the width of the strip-shaped sub-electrode included in the third electrode 52 The width of 10' can be adjusted arbitrarily according to the design requirements, and is generally designed in the range of 1 μm to 10 μm; the gap width between the strip sub-electrode 10 and the strip sub-electrode 10' can also be adjusted arbitrarily according to the design, and is generally designed to be in the range of 1 μm to 10 μm. Within the range, a wider width will cause light leakage, affecting the overall light-shielding effect of the dye liquid crystal cell.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 5-7, the second electrode 51 also includes: a pad 8 located at one end of the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 in the extending direction, and a connection The connection portion 9 between the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 and the pad 8; the third electrode 52 also includes: a pad 8' located at one end of the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10' in the extending direction, and connected to the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10' and the pad 8 'The connection portion 9' between them; wherein, the pad 8 of the second electrode 51 and the pad 8' of the third electrode 52 are located on different sides of the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10. Specifically, the

pads

8 and 8′ are used for bonding connection with an FPC (flexible circuit board) to apply voltage to the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the pad 8 of the second electrode 51 may be located in the middle of the entire second electrode 51 , for example, it may be The electrical connection with the middle position of the connecting portion 9 may also be at a position equidistant from both ends of the strip electrode 10 in the first direction, where the first direction refers to the direction parallel to the first substrate 1 .

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the connecting portion 9 of the second electrode 51 extends along the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes (10 and 10'). The same end of each strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 is electrically connected to the connection part 9, and the side of the connection part 9 away from the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 is electrically connected to the pad 8; the connection part 9' of the third electrode 52 It is a strip-shaped connection part extending along the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes (10 and 10'). The same end of each strip-shaped sub-electrode 10' is electrically connected to the connection part 9', and the connection part 9' is far away from the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10'. One side is electrically connected to pad 8'. In this way, the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 can be controlled independently.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 6 , the length of the connecting portion 9 of the second electrode 51 and the length of the connecting portion 9' of the third electrode 52 are the same. The width of the connecting portion 9 of 51 is the same as the width of the connecting portion 9' of the third electrode 52. This can further ensure that the overall resistance of the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 are the same, further improving the dimming effect.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 5 , in order to ensure that the overall resistance of the second electrode 51 and the overall resistance of the third electrode 52 are the same, the strips of the second electrode 51 The strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 and the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10' of the third electrode 52 satisfy the following relationship:

[(N+1)×L+N×(2p+b)]/a=[N×L+(N-1)×(2p+a)]/b;

Wherein, N is the total number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10' of the third electrode 52, L is the length of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes (10 and 10'), a is the width of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 of the second electrode 51, and b is the The width p of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10' of the three electrodes 52 is the gap width between adjacent strip-shaped sub-electrodes (10 and 10') in the third electrode 52 and the second electrode 51.

Specifically, the formula of resistance R = ρL/S (where ρ represents the resistivity of the resistor, which is determined by its own properties, L represents the length of the resistor, and S represents the cross-sectional area of the resistor). The cross-sectional area is related to the length and width. Relevantly, since the lengths of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 and the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10' are the same, that is, as long as the ratio between the total length of the second electrode 51 and the width of the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 is equal to the total length of the third electrode 52 and the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 If the ratio between the widths of ' is the same, the overall resistance of the second electrode 51 and the overall resistance of the third electrode 52 can be achieved to be the same. In the above formula, the left side of the equation is the total length of the second electrode 51/the width of the strip sub-electrode 10, and the right side of the equation is the total length of the third electrode 52/the width of the strip sub-electrode 10', where (N+1)× L represents the sum of the lengths of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 of the second electrode 51, N×(2p+b) represents the length of the connecting portion 9 of the second electrode 51, and N×L represents the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 of the third electrode 52. ', (N-1)×(2p+a) represents the length of the connecting portion 9' of the third electrode 52. Therefore, it is only necessary to reasonably set the width of the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 of the second electrode 51 and the length of the third electrode 52. The width of the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10' of the electrode 52 can achieve the same overall resistance of the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 7 , the connecting portion 9 of the second electrode 51 includes a lead 91 that corresponds to the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 one-to-one. Each strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 are electrically connected to the pad 8 through corresponding leads 91; the connection portion 9' of the third electrode 52 includes leads 91' corresponding to the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10', and each strip-shaped sub-electrode 10' is electrically connected to the pad 8 through its corresponding lead 91. The lead 91' is electrically connected to the pad 8'.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figure 7, the lengths and widths of each lead (91 and 91') are the same. This can further ensure that the overall resistance of the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 are the same, further improving the dimming effect.

In specific implementation, as shown in Figure 7, since the linear lengths of the leads 91 and the leads 91' are inconsistent, the leads connecting each pad and the strip-shaped sub-electrode cannot all use straight leads. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, In the above-mentioned dimming module, the lead 91 between the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 with the largest straight line distance from the same pad (for example, 8) and the pad 8 (for example, the first one on the upper left side in Figure 7 has the longest straight line distance). The long lead 91) can be a straight line, and the remaining leads 91 (the bottom three) can be a polyline or a curve to ensure that the length of each lead 91 is the same; the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 with the largest straight line distance from the same pad (for example, 8') The leads 91' between 'and the pad 8' (for example, the first lead 91' with the longest straight line on the right side in Figure 7) can be straight lines, and the remaining leads 91' (the three bottom ones) can be polylines or curves. , to ensure that the length of each lead 91' is the same, and the lengths of the lead 91 and the lead 91' can be designed to be the same, thereby ensuring that the total length of each lead 91 and the total length of each lead 91' is the same, to achieve the second electrode 51 The overall resistance is the same as that of the third electrode 52 . In this way, when the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 are powered, since they have the same resistance and the same voltage drop, the electric field in the entire dimming module can be more evenly distributed.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 7 , for the lead 91 and the lead 91 ′ in the shape of a polyline or a curve, the shape of the lead 91 and the lead 91 ′ is a polyline. For example, as shown in Figure 10A-Figure 10D and Figure 11A-Figure 11D, Figure 10A-Figure 10D are the first, second, third and fourth leads from top to bottom on the left side in Figure 7 respectively. 91, the lead 91 in Figure 10A is a straight line, the lead 91 in Figures 10B to 10D is a broken line, Figures 11A to 11D are the first and second from top to bottom on the left side in Figure 7 respectively. , the third and fourth leads 91 have another shape. The lead 91 in Figure 11A is a straight line, and the leads 91 in Figures 11B to 11D are another kind of folded lines, and these folded lines include protrusions and depressions. Among them, as shown in FIGS. 10B to 10D , the number of protrusions of different leads 91 is the same, and the protrusion heights of different leads 91 are different, and each lead 91 ′ on the right side in FIGS. 10A to 10D is designed to be different from each other on the left. The lead wires 91 have the same pattern, thereby ensuring that the total length of each lead wire 91 and the total length of each lead wire 91' are the same. As shown in Figures 11B to 11D, the number of protrusions of different leads 91 is different, and the protrusion heights of different leads 91 are the same, and the leads 91' on the right side in Figures 10A to 10D are designed to be the same as the leads 91 on the left. The same pattern can ensure that the total length of each lead 91 and the total length of each lead 91' are the same.

It should be noted that FIGS. 10B to 10D and 11B to 11D only illustrate two polyline forms, which are of course not limited thereto, as long as the total length of each lead 91 and the total length of each lead 91' can be achieved to be the same.

It should be noted that Figures 10B to 10D and 11B to 11D illustrate polylines. Of course, they can also be curves. The curves include protrusions and depressions. The number of protrusions of different leads is the same, and the protrusion heights of different leads are the same. Different; or, the number of bumps on different leads is different, and the height of bumps on different leads is the same.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 2, 4, and 12-14, Figures 12-14 are the second substrates in Figures 2 and 4 respectively. 2. Schematic plan view of the film layer on one side. The second electrode 51 includes a plurality of strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 arranged at intervals. The third electrode 52 is a planar electrode. The second electrode 51 is located between the second substrate 2 and the dye liquid crystal layer 3. The third electrode 52 is located between the second electrode 51 and the second substrate 2 . The dimming module further includes an insulating layer 53 located between the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 . Specifically, the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 can be connected to independent voltage sources respectively. For example, taking the normally black mode shown in Figure 2 as an example, when the power is not normally applied, as shown in Figure 2, the dye liquid crystal layer 3 Since the positive liquid crystal molecules 31 are anchored by the first alignment layer 6 and the second alignment layer 7, the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules 31 is parallel to the surface of the first substrate 1 (that is, lying flat), and the light modulation The module is in a dark state; when the dimming module needs to be switched to a bright state, as shown in Figure 15A, the second electrode 51 is applied with a negative voltage, the first electrode 4 is applied with a positive voltage, and the third electrode 52 is not powered, that is, the third electrode 52 is not powered. A vertical electric field (indicated by arrow E1) is formed between the two electrodes 51 and the first electrode 4. At this time, the positive liquid crystal molecules 31 are deflected from a lying state to a vertical state (that is, the long axis direction of the positive liquid crystal molecules 31 perpendicular to the surface of the first substrate 1) to complete the transition from the dark state to the bright state. However, when the dimming module is used in a low-temperature environment, when the positive liquid crystal molecules 31 are deflected in the direction of the vertical electric field and then fail in the low-temperature environment, it means that the arrangement of the existing positive liquid crystal molecules 31 The state is close to the steady state, and the simple liquid crystal retraction force is insufficient. Even if the vertical electric field drive is continued to increase, it will not be of any help in improving the failure. Therefore, in order to avoid the problem of low-temperature dimming failure that occurs in the dimming module at low temperatures. , the charging method can be adjusted, as shown in Figure 15B. For example, the first electrode 4 is not powered, the second electrode 51 is positively charged, and the third electrode 52 is negatively charged. In this way, the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 can be connected. An oblique electric field (shown by arrow E2) is formed between them. This oblique electric field can be decomposed into a horizontal electric field parallel to the surface of the first substrate 1. This parallel electric field is used to improve the retraction force of the liquid crystal. At this time, as shown in Figure 15A The positive liquid crystal molecules 31 in the vertical state are gradually deflected under the drive of the horizontal electric field until they return to the flat state when no power is applied. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure can solve the problem of low-temperature dimming failure that is prone to occur in dye-based liquid crystal dimming modules in normally black mode under low temperature conditions.

Taking the normally white mode shown in Figure 4 as an example, when no power is applied, as shown in Figure 4, the negative liquid crystal molecules 31 in the dye liquid crystal layer 3 are anchored by the first alignment layer 6 and the second alignment layer 7. As a result, the long axis direction of the negative liquid crystal molecules 31 is perpendicular to the surface of the first substrate 1 (that is, in a vertical state), and the dimming module is in a bright state; when the dimming module needs to be switched to a dark state, as shown in Figure 16A As shown in , a negative voltage is applied to the second electrode 51, a positive voltage is applied to the first electrode 4, and no electricity is applied to the third electrode 52, that is, a vertical electric field (indicated by arrow E1) is formed between the second electrode 51 and the first electrode 4. When the negative liquid crystal molecules 31 are deflected, they change from a vertical state to a lying state (that is, the long axis direction of the negative liquid crystal molecules 31 is parallel to the surface of the first substrate 1), completing the transition from a bright state to a dark state. However, when the dimming module is used in a low-temperature environment, when the negative liquid crystal molecules 31 are deflected in the direction of the vertical electric field and then fail in the low-temperature environment, it means that the arrangement of the existing negative liquid crystal molecules 31 The state is close to the steady state, and the simple liquid crystal retraction force is insufficient. Even if the vertical electric field drive is continued to increase, it will not be of any help in improving the failure. Therefore, in order to avoid the problem of low-temperature dimming failure that occurs in the dimming module at low temperatures. , the charging method can be adjusted, as shown in Figure 16B. For example, the first electrode 4 is not powered, the second electrode 51 is positively charged, and the third electrode 52 is negatively charged. In this way, the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 can be connected. An oblique electric field (shown by arrow E2) is formed between them. This oblique electric field can be decomposed into a horizontal electric field parallel to the surface of the first substrate 1. This parallel electric field is used to improve the retraction force of the liquid crystal. At this time, as shown in Figure 16A The negative liquid crystal molecules 31 lying flat are gradually deflected under the driving of the horizontal electric field until they return to the vertical state when no power is applied. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure can solve the problem of low-temperature dimming failure that occurs easily in a normally white mode dye liquid crystal dimming module under low temperature conditions.

Specifically, the second electrode structure provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure can make the time for the liquid crystal molecules of the dye liquid crystal layer to return to the initial state in a low temperature environment to be less than 1 minute. Compared with the measured time of liquid crystal molecules returning to the initial state after power is removed at minus 10°C under conventional device structures, which is greater than 10 minutes, the present disclosure can effectively solve the problem of low-temperature failure of dimming modules.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, the material of the insulating layer 53 can be SiN, etc., and the thickness of the insulating layer 53 is between 2000 angstroms and 5000 angstroms. between.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 12-14, the width of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 included in the second electrode 51 can be adjusted arbitrarily according to the design requirements. Generally, the width is Within the range of 1 μm ~ 10 μm; the gap width between adjacent strip sub-electrodes 10 can also be adjusted arbitrarily according to the design. It is generally designed within the range of 1 μm ~ 10 μm. A wider width will cause light leakage and affect the overall stability of the dye liquid crystal cell. Eye shading effect.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 12-14, the second electrode 51 also includes: a pad 8 located at one end of the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 in the extending direction, and a connection The connection portion 9 between the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 and the pad 8;

The third electrode 52 has a pad 8' located in the edge area of the third electrode 52. The insulating layer 53 has a hollow structure V1. The orthographic projection of the hollow structure V1 on the first substrate 1 is in line with the pad 8' of the third electrode 52. The orthographic projections on a substrate 1 overlap;

Wherein, the orthographic projection of the bonding pad 8 of the second electrode 51 on the first substrate 1 and the orthographic projection of the bonding pad 8' of the third electrode 52 on the first substrate 1 do not overlap with each other.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 12 to 14 , the bonding pad 8 and the bonding pad 8′ are used to be bonded to an FPC (flexible circuit board) to apply voltage to the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 .

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 12 and 14, the pad 8 of the second electrode 51 and the pad 8' of the third electrode 52 are located on the strip-shaped sub-electrode. 10 on the same side of the extension direction. As shown in Figure 17, Figure 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view along the CC' direction in Figures 12 and 14. Specifically, the pad 8 of the second electrode 51 may be located between the pad 8' of the third electrode 52 and the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10. The extending direction of the hollow structure V1 is the same as the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10, and the hollow structure V1 The length of is the same as the length of the third electrode 52 along the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 . In this way, an edge area of the third electrode 52 can be directly used as the pad 8' of the third electrode 52, and only the insulating layer 53 above the edge area needs to be removed. The manufacturing process is relatively simple, and the area of the pad 8' is small. Larger, easy to bind and connect with FPC.

In specific implementation, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 14 , it is taken as an example that the pad 8 of the second electrode 51 can be located between the pad 8 ′ of the third electrode 52 and the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 . Of course, the second electrode The bonding pad 8 of 51 and the bonding pad 8' of the third electrode 52 may be located on opposite sides of the extension direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 14 , the width of the pad 8 ′ of the third electrode 52 along the extension direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 is greater than or equal to 3 mm. . The width of 3mm is the bonding space reserved for FPC bonding, and only part of the pad 8' will be bound to the FPC, and other areas of the pad 8' that are not used as bonding areas (the electrodes exposed during production layer) will be coated with UV water glue for protection, that is, after the FPC is bound, UV water glue will continue to be coated on the FPC. The benchmark for the completion of the water glue coating is that the thickness of the water glue can smooth out the binding area and the non-binding area. The step difference is determined in a certain area, and then the water glue is cured by UV light to achieve coverage and protection of the FPC.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 13 , the pad 8 of the second electrode 51 and the pad 8 ′ of the third electrode 52 are located in the extending direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 on the same side, and the pad 8 of the second electrode 51 and the pad 8' of the third electrode 52 are arranged side by side along the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10, and the length of the hollow structure V1 in the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 is less than the length of the third electrode 52 along the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 . The advantage of this solution compared to Figures 12 and 14 is that it can reduce part of the width loss caused by forming the entire pad 8' in Figures 12 and 14, under the same area of the display area (transmittance adjustment area) , Figure 13 has a smaller Panel size than Figure 12 and Figure 14, which improves the cutting efficiency of the product on the entire glass plate; under the same Panel size, Figure 13 has a smaller display area than Figure 12 and Figure 14 Large, achieve narrow bezels.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 18 , FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view along the CC′ direction in FIG. 13 , and also includes the second electrode 51 arranged in the same layer. The reinforcing pad 54 and the pad 8' of the third electrode 52 are electrically connected to the reinforcing pad 54 through the hollow structure V1. That is, the FPC is bonded and connected to the pad 8' of the third electrode 52 through the reinforcing pad 54.

Optionally, the strip-shaped electrodes of the second electrode and/or the strip-shaped electrodes of the third electrode are not necessarily limited to parallel straight lines. For example, they may also be parallel oblique lines, as long as two adjacent strip-shaped electrodes are ensured. The distance between each electrode must be the same to ensure that the overall dimming effect of the dimming module is uniform.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 , the connecting portion 9 of the second electrode 51 is a strip-shaped connecting portion extending along the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 , the same end of each strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 is electrically connected to the connecting portion 9 , and the side of the connecting portion 9 away from the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 is electrically connected to the pad 8 .

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 14 , the connecting portion 9 of the second electrode 51 includes a lead 91 that corresponds to the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 one-to-one. Each strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 are electrically connected to the pads 8 through respective corresponding leads 91 . Specifically, each lead 91 has the same length and the same width. Specifically, the lead between the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10 with the largest linear distance from the same pad 8 and the same pad 8 can be a straight line, and the remaining leads 91 can be a broken line or a curve to ensure that the length of each lead 91 is the same. Uniformity of dimming effect at various locations. Specifically, for the embodiment in which each lead 91 shown in FIG. 14 is a straight line, a polyline or a curve, please refer to the aforementioned embodiments in FIGS. 10A to 10D and 11A to 11D, and will not be described again here.

It should be noted that in FIG. 14 , the strip-shaped connecting portion 9 in FIG. 12 is configured to include leads 91 that correspond one-to-one to the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10 , and the shape of each lead 91 is designed so that the length and width of each lead 91 are the same. . Of course, the strip-shaped connecting portion 9 in FIG. 13 can also be configured to include leads 91 that correspond one-to-one to the strip-shaped sub-electrodes 10, and each lead 91 has the same length and the same width.

In specific implementation, since the first electrode is arranged on the entire surface, any position on the first electrode can be used as the pad of the first electrode, that is, as long as a connection area can be found on the first electrode, It can be bound to the FPC to achieve conduction and powering up; however, considering that the first electrode installed on the entire surface will also have a slight voltage drop, the center position of any side of the first electrode can be used as the pad of the first electrode. area, such that the voltage drop is the most uniform. Therefore, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 1-4, 19 and 20, Figures 19 and 20 respectively include: Two plan views of the planar first electrode 4, the center position of any edge area of the first electrode 4 serves as the pad 41 of the first electrode 4.

Specifically, since the

pads

8 and 8' shown in FIGS. 5-7 are located on both sides of the extension direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrode 10, the first electrode 4 corresponding to FIGS. 5-7 can be as shown in FIG. 19 or 20. The structure shown; the first electrode 4 corresponding to Figures 12-14 can adopt the structure shown in Figure 20, so that the pad 8 of the second electrode 51 and the pad 41 of the first electrode 4 are located on the same side, which can reduce frame.

Specifically, the area size of the pads on the FPC corresponds to the area size of the pads (8, 8', 41), so as to maximize surface-to-surface contact and maintain the bonding pads of the FPC and the pads (8, 8', 41). 8', 41) Stability of conductive connection.

Specifically, taking the structures shown in Figures 5-7 and 19 as an example, an FPC1 will be bound to pad 8, an FPC 2 will be bound to pad 8', and an FPC will be bound to pad 41. 3. FPC1, FPC2 and FPC3 are all connected to the same PCBA board (Printed Circuit Board Assembly). The output end of the PCBA board is set with corresponding switches for FPC1, FPC2 and FPC3. This is achieved by controlling the on or off of the three switches. The corresponding driving mode adjustment in different situations may include, for example, only adding alternating current between the second electrode 51 and the third electrode 52 to form a potential difference, while the first electrode 4 is not energized.

In specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 5-7, 12-14, 19 and 20, it also includes a first substrate 1 and a second substrate. The sealing glue layer 100 between the substrates 2 and around the dye liquid crystal layer 3; Figures 5 to 7 and 12 to 14 illustrate a plan view of the sealing glue layer 100 on one side of the second substrate 2, Figure 19 and Figure 20 shows a schematic plan view of the sealing frame glue layer 100 on one side of the first substrate 1;

At least part of the orthographic projection of each pad (8, 8', 41) on the first substrate 1 is located outside the orthographic projection of the frame sealing adhesive layer 100 on the first substrate 1. This ensures that the FPC can be bound to the exposed pads (8, 8’, 41).

To sum up, the dimming module provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can solve the problem of low-temperature dimming failure that is prone to occur in dye-based liquid crystal dimming modules at low temperatures.

Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a dimming device, as shown in Figure 21, including a first substrate 200, a first adhesive layer 300 and a dimming module 400 arranged in a stack. The structure of the group 300 is any one of the structures shown in Figures 1 to 4 provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure. The dimming module 300 includes:

first substrate 1;

The second substrate 2 is arranged opposite to the first substrate 1;

The dimming module in the dimming device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure can be referred to the implementation of the aforementioned dimming module. The principle of solving the problem of the dimming device is similar to the aforementioned dimming module. Therefore, the implementation of the dimming device Reference can be made to the implementation of the aforementioned dimming module, and repeated details will not be described again.

Specifically, the first substrate 200 (protective glass) may be inorganic glass or organic glass.

Specifically, the material of the first adhesive layer 300 can be PVB (polyvinyl butyral) resin, EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer), COP (cyclic olefin polymer), etc., and the first adhesive layer 300 Transparent optical adhesive (OCA) can also be used.

During specific implementation, in the above-mentioned dimming device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 21, it also includes: a second substrate 500 located on the side of the dimming module 400 away from the first substrate 200, and a second substrate 500 located on the side of the dimming module 400 away from the first substrate 200. The second adhesive layer 600 between the substrate 500 and the dimming module 400. Specifically, the second substrate 500 can be inorganic glass or organic glass; the material of the second adhesive layer 600 can be PVB (polyvinyl butyral) resin, EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer), COP (Cyclic Olefin Polymer), etc., the second adhesive layer 600 may also use transparent optical adhesive (OCA).

Other indispensable components of the dimming device are understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, and will not be described in detail here, nor should they be used to limit the present disclosure.

The above-mentioned dimming device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to transportation facilities such as cars, trains, and airplanes, and can also be applied to any of building smart windows, building curtain walls, and lighting roofs.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a dimming module and a dimming device. The second electrode structure is configured to include a second electrode and a third electrode that are insulated. At least one of the second electrode and the third electrode includes a plurality of strip-shaped sub-electrodes that are electrically connected to each other. By reasonably setting the driving voltage applied to the first electrode and the second electrode structure, a vertical electric field perpendicular to the surface of the first substrate can be formed between the first electrode and the second electrode structure. Under the control of this vertical electric field, the liquid crystal molecules of the dye liquid crystal layer are flipped, and at the same time, the dichroic dye molecules of the dye liquid crystal layer are induced to rotate with the liquid crystal molecules to control the transmittance of light and realize the dimming module in the dark state. and the conversion between the bright state; and, the driving voltage can be applied only to the second electrode and the third electrode to generate a parallel electric field parallel to the surface of the first substrate in the second electrode structure, and under the control of the parallel electric field, the dye The liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer quickly return to their original state, thereby solving the problem of low-temperature dimming failure that is prone to occur in dye-based liquid crystal dimming modules at low temperatures.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, those skilled in the art will be able to make additional changes and modifications to these embodiments once the basic inventive concepts are apparent. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims be construed to include the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications that fall within the scope of this disclosure.

Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments. In this way, if these modifications and variations of the embodiments of the present disclosure fall within the scope of the claims of the present disclosure and equivalent technologies, the present disclosure is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

A dimming module, including:

first substrate;

a second substrate arranged opposite to the first substrate;

A dye liquid crystal layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate;

A first electrode located on the side of the first substrate facing the dye liquid crystal layer;

The second electrode structure is located on the side of the second substrate facing the dye liquid crystal layer; the second electrode structure includes a second electrode and a third electrode that are insulated, and the second electrode and the third electrode At least one of them includes a plurality of strip-shaped sub-electrodes electrically connected to each other.
The dimming module according to claim 1, wherein the second electrode and the third electrode each include a plurality of strip-shaped sub-electrodes arranged at intervals, and the second electrode and the third electrode are arranged in the same layer. , and the strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the second electrode and the strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the third electrode are alternately arranged at intervals.
The dimming module of claim 2, wherein the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes included in the second electrode and the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes included in the third electrode are the same.
The dimming module according to claim 3, wherein the strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the second electrode and the strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the third electrode have the same length and the same width.
The light modulation module according to claim 2, wherein the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the second electrode is one more than the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the third electrode.
The dimming module according to claim 5, wherein the strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the second electrode and the strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the third electrode have the same length and different widths, and the resistance of the second electrode is the same as that of the strip-shaped sub-electrode of the third electrode. The resistance of the third electrode is the same.
The dimming module according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein each of the second electrode and the third electrode further includes: a pad located at one end of the strip-shaped sub-electrode in the extending direction, and connected to the The connection portion between the strip-shaped sub-electrode and the soldering pad; wherein the soldering pad of the second electrode and the soldering pad of the third electrode are located on different sides of the strip-shaped sub-electrode.
The dimming module of claim 1, wherein the second electrode includes a plurality of strip-shaped sub-electrodes arranged at intervals, the third electrode is a planar electrode, and the second electrode is located on the second substrate. and the dye liquid crystal layer, the third electrode is located between the second electrode and the second substrate, and the dimming module further includes an electrode located between the second electrode and the third electrode. insulation layer between.
The dimming module of claim 8, wherein the second electrode further includes: a soldering pad located at one end of the strip-shaped sub-electrode in the extending direction, and connected between the strip-shaped sub-electrode and the soldering pad. The connection part;

The third electrode has a pad located in an edge area of the third electrode, the insulating layer has a hollow structure, and the orthographic projection of the hollow structure on the first substrate is in line with the pad of the third electrode. The orthographic projections on the first substrate overlap;

Wherein, the orthographic projection of the soldering pad of the second electrode on the first substrate and the orthographic projection of the soldering pad of the third electrode on the first substrate do not overlap with each other.
The dimming module according to claim 9, wherein the soldering pad of the second electrode and the soldering pad of the third electrode are located on the same side in the extending direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrode.
The dimming module according to claim 10, wherein the soldering pad of the second electrode is located between the soldering pad of the third electrode and the strip-shaped sub-electrode, and the extending direction of the hollow structure is in line with the The arrangement directions of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes are the same, and the length of the hollow structure is the same as the length of the third electrode along the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes.
The dimming module according to claim 10, wherein the pads of the second electrode and the pads of the third electrode are arranged side by side along the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes, and the hollow structure is arranged along the The length of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes in the arrangement direction is smaller than the length of the third electrode in the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes.
The dimming module according to claim 12, further comprising a reinforcing pad disposed on the same layer as the second electrode, and the pad of the third electrode is bonded to the reinforcing pad through the hollow structure. Disk electrical connection.
The dimming module according to any one of claims 7 and 9-13, wherein the connecting portion of the second electrode and/or the third electrode is a strip-shaped connecting portion extending along the arrangement direction of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes. , the same end of each strip-shaped sub-electrode is electrically connected to the connecting portion, and the side of the connecting portion away from the strip-shaped sub-electrode is electrically connected to the pad.
The dimming module of claim 14, wherein when the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes included in the second electrode and the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes included in the third electrode are the same, the length of the connection portion of the second electrode The length of the connecting portion of the third electrode is the same, and the width of the connecting portion of the second electrode is the same as the width of the connecting portion of the third electrode.
The dimming module of claim 14, wherein when the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the second electrode is one more than the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the third electrode, the number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the second electrode and The strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the third electrode satisfy the following relationship:

[(N+1)×L+N×(2p+b)]/a=[N×L+(N-1)×(2p+a)]/b;

Wherein, N is the total number of strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the third electrode, L is the length of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes, a is the width of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the second electrode, and b is the width of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes of the third electrode. The width of the strip-shaped sub-electrode, p, is the gap width between adjacent strip-shaped sub-electrodes in the third electrode and the second electrode.
The dimming module according to any one of claims 7 and 9-13, wherein the connecting portion of the second electrode and/or the connecting portion of the third electrode includes leads corresponding to the strip-shaped sub-electrodes. , each of the strip-shaped sub-electrodes is electrically connected to the pad through its corresponding lead wire.
The dimming module of claim 17, wherein each of the leads has the same length and the same width.
The dimming module of claim 18, wherein the lead between the strip-shaped sub-electrode with the largest linear distance from the same pad and the pad is a straight line, and the remaining leads are polygonal lines. or curve.
The dimming module according to claim 19, wherein for the lead in the shape of a polyline or a curve, both the polyline and the curve include protrusions and depressions; wherein,

Different lead wires have different numbers of protrusions, and different lead wires have the same protrusion height; or different lead wires have the same number of protrusions, but different lead wires have different protrusion heights.
The dimming module according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the first electrode is a planar electrode, and the center position of any edge area of the first electrode serves as the welding point of the first electrode. plate.
The dimming module according to any one of claims 7 and 9-21, further comprising a sealing glue layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate and around the dye liquid crystal layer. ;

At least part of the orthographic projection of each pad on the first substrate is located outside the orthographic projection of the frame sealing adhesive layer on the first substrate.
The light modulating module according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the material of the first electrode, the material of the second electrode and the material of the third electrode are all transparent conductive materials.
The dimming module according to any one of claims 1 to 23, further comprising: a first alignment layer located between the first electrode and the dye liquid crystal layer, and a first alignment layer located between the second electrode structure and the dye liquid crystal layer. and a second alignment layer between the dye liquid crystal layer.
The dimming module according to any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein the dimming module is in a normally white mode, and the dye liquid crystal layer includes negative liquid crystal molecules, dichroic dye molecules and chiral additives .
The dimming module according to any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein the dimming module is in normally black mode, and the dye liquid crystal layer includes positive liquid crystal molecules, dichroic dye molecules and chiral additives .
A light-adjusting device, which includes a stacked first substrate, a first adhesive layer and a light-adjusting module, where the light-adjusting module includes:

first substrate;

a second substrate arranged opposite to the first substrate;

A dye liquid crystal layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate;

A first electrode located on the side of the first substrate facing the dye liquid crystal layer;

The second electrode structure is located on the side of the second substrate facing the dye liquid crystal layer; the second electrode structure includes a second electrode and a third electrode that are insulated, and the second electrode and the third electrode At least one of them includes a plurality of strip-shaped sub-electrodes electrically connected to each other.