Light control device and method for producing the same

• US 20060291030A1
• Filed: 06/22/2006
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited (AGC, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited (AGC, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aoki, Naoko, Niiyama, Satoshi, Ito, Hiroshige
• Granted Patent: US 7,505,188 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/237
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/24 Screens or other constructions affording protection against light, especially against sunshine; Similar screens for privacy or appearance; Slat blindsoperating, guiding or securing devices or arrangements for roll-type closures E06B9/56; free-hanging flexible screens A47H23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133305 Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13336 Combining plural substrates to produce large-area displays, e.g. tiled displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133502 Antiglare, refractive index matching layers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/153 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/025 thermocurable
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/28 Adhesive materials or arrangements

Abstract

The light control device can improve visibility at the side faces of the pair of transparent substrates with transparent electrodes held in the gap between two transparent plates, irrespective of the number of the optical elements installed in the light control device.

A light control device 10 according to the present invention comprises a plurality of optical elements 3 between two transparent plates 1, 2, in each of which a pair of transparent substrates 31, 32 with transparent electrodes 33, 34 are located so as to face each other and a light control layer 35 capable of changing the light transmitting state by electrically controlling the pair of transparent electrodes 33, 34 is disposed between the pair of transparent electrodes, wherein a transparent solid layer 8 is filled in a space formed in the gap between the two transparent plates 1, 2 and the transparent substrates 31, 32 have taper-shaped side faces.

Claims

1. A light control device comprising at least one optical element disposed between two transparent plates, said optical element comprising a pair of transparent substrates with transparent electrodes located so as to face each other and a light control layer, disposed between the pair of transparent electrodes, capable of changing the light transmitting state by electrically controlling the pair of transparent electrodes, the light control device being characterized in that a transparent solid layer is disposed in a space formed in the gap between the two transparent plates, and

the refractive index difference between the transparent solid layer and a transparent substrate is within ±

0.10.

2. The light control device according to claim 1, wherein the refractive indices of the pair of the transparent substrates are from 1.46 to 1.52.

3. The light control device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of transparent substrates with transparent electrodes are made of borosilicate type glass.

4. A light control device comprising a plurality of optical elements disposed between two transparent plates, said optical elements each comprising a pair of transparent substrates with transparent electrodes located so as to face each other and a light control layer, disposed between the pair of transparent electrodes, capable of changing the light transmitting state by electrically controlling the pair of transparent electrodes, the light control device being characterized in that a transparent solid layer is disposed in a space formed in the gap between the two transparent plates, and

the transparent substrates have taper-shaped side faces.

5. The light control device according to claim 4, wherein when the refractive index of any of the transparent plates is represented by n_a, the refractive index of the transparent solid layer is represented by n_b, the refractive index of any of the transparent substrates is represented by n_c and the taper angle of any of the transparent substrates is represented by θ

(degree), there is a relation of n_a>

n_b, and when n_b>

n_c, the following Formula 1 is satisfied, and when n_b<

n_c, the following Formula 2 is satisfied;

θ

<

180−

sin<sup>−

1</sup>(1/n_b)−

sin<sup>−

1</sup>(n_c/n_b) 

 

Formula 1
θ

<

sin<sup>−

1</sup>(n_b/n_c)−

sin<sup>−

1</sup>(1/n_c) 

 

Formula 2

6. The light control device according to claim 4, wherein the pair of transparent substrates with transparent electrodes are made of borosilicate type glass.

7. A light control device comprising at least one optical element disposed between two transparent plates, said optical element comprising a pair of transparent substrates with transparent electrodes located so as to face each other and a light control layer, disposed between the pair of transparent electrodes, capable of changing the light transmitting state by electrically controlling the transparent electrodes, the light control device being characterized in that

the optical element is located so as to face the two transparent plates with distances,

transparent spacing members are formed between the optical element and the two transparent plates,

a transparent solid layer is disposed in a space formed in the gap between the two transparent plates, and

the refractive index difference between the transparent solid layer and any of the transparent substrates is within ±

0.10.

8. The light control device according to claim 7, wherein the transparent spacing members and the transparent solid layer are made of the same material.

9. The light control device according to claim 7, wherein the pair of transparent substrates with transparent electrodes are made of borosilicate type glass.

10. A method for producing a light control device having an optical element between two transparent plates, which comprises;

preparing an optical element in which a pair of transparent substrates with transparent electrodes are located so as to face each other and a light control layer capable of changing the light transmitting state by electrically controlling the pair of transparent electrodes is disposed between the pair of transparent electrodes,

fixing the optical element to at least one of the two transparent plates and

disposing a transparent solid layer in a space formed in the gap between the two transparent plates wherein the refractive index difference between the transparent solid layer and any of the transparent substrates is within ±

0.10.

11. A method for producing a light control device having an optical element between two transparent plates, which comprises;

disposing a pair of transparent substrate having taper-shaped side faces at front and rear sides of an optical element,

forming a transparent electrode on each of the pair of the transparent substrates,

preparing the optical element so that a light control layer capable of changing the light transmitting state by electrically controlling the pair of transparent electrodes is disposed between the pair of transparent electrodes,

fixing the optical element to at least one of the two transparent plates and

disposing a transparent solid layer in a space formed in the gap between the two transparent plates.