Electrically-controllable device with variable optical and/or energy properties

• US 20070103761A1
• Filed: 07/07/2004
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Giron, Jean-Christophe, Van Der Meulen, Uwe, Pender, David, Beck, Franz
• Granted Patent: US 7,791,784 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/265
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1524 Transition metal compounds
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/157 Structural association of cells with optical devices, e.g. reflectors or illuminating devices

Abstract

Electrically controllable device having variable optical/energy properties in transmission or in reflection, comprising at least one carrier substrate provided with a stack of electrochromically functional layers, including at least two electrochromic active layers, separated by an electrolyte, the said stack being placed between two current leads, namely the lower current lead and the upper current lead respectively (“lower” corresponding to the current lead closest to the carrier substrate, as opposed to the “upper” current lead that is furthest from the said substrate), characterized in that the stack of functional layers is joined to at least one polymer film, the percentage shrinkage of which is between 0.6 and 2.0% and preferably between 0.8 and 1.5%.

Claims

1. An electrically controllable device having variable optical/energy properties in transmission or in reflection, comprising:

at least one carrier substrate provided with a stack of electrochromically functional layers, including at least two electrochromic active layers, separated by an electrolyte,

wherein the said stack being placed between a lower current lead and an upper current lead, wherein the lower current lead is positioned nearest to the carrier substrate and the upper current lead is positioned furthest from the substrate, and

wherein the stack of functional layers is joined to at least one polymer film, having a percentage shrinkage 0.6 and 2.0%.

2. The electrically controllable device according to claim 1, wherein the polymer film is a birefringent dielectric multilayer film suitable for reflecting at least 50% of the light within a spectral band of at least 100 nm in width.

3. The electrically controllable device according to claim 1, which constitutes a vehicle sunroof, which can be actuated autonomously, or a vehicle side window or a rear window.

4. The electrically controllable device according to claim 1, which constitutes a windscreen or a portion of a windscreen.

5. The electrically controllable device according to claim 4, wherein the windscreen has a complexity value F of between 0.00215 and 0.00240.

6. The electrically controllable device according to claim 1, which is located in the top part of the windscreen.

7. The electrically controllable device according to claim 1, which is located in the central part of the windscreen, with the aid of automated control of its power supply using at least one camera and/or at least one light sensor.

8. The electrically controllable device according to claim 1, which constitutes a graphical and/or alphanumeric data display panel, glazing for buildings, a rearview mirror, an aircraft cabin window or windscreen, or a skylight.

9. The electrically controllable device according to claim 1, which constitutes:

interior or exterior glazing for buildings;

a shop showcase or countertop, which may be curved;

glazing for the protection of an object of the painting type;

a computer antidazzle screen;

or

glass furniture.

10. The electrically controllable device according to claim 1, which operates in transmission or in reflection.

11. The electrically controllable device according to claim 1, which includes at least one transparent, plain or curved, clear or bulk-tinted substrate, polygonal in shape, or at least partly curved.

12. The electrically controllable device according to claim 1, which includes an opaque or opacified substrate.

13. The electrically controllable device according to claim 1, wherein an electronic conductivity of at least one of the active layers is sufficient for replacing the conducting layers with a grid of wires.

14. The electrically controllable device according to claim 1, wherein the conducting wires increase the conductivity of the active layers, in order to guarantee colouration uniformity.

15. The electrically controllable device according to claim 1, which incorporates another functionality.

16. The electrically controllable device of claim 1, wherein the percentage shrinkage of the polymer film is between 0.8 and 1.5%.

17. The electrically controllable device of claim 5, wherein the windscreen has a complexity value F of between 0.00219 and 0.00230.

18. The electrically controllable device of claim 6, which is located in the form of one or more bands along the outline of the windscreen.