CONTROL DEVICE FOR AT LEAST ONE ELECTROCHROMIC WINDOW, CONTROL SYSTEM FOR ONE OR MORE ELECTROCHROMIC WINDOWS, MEANS OF TRANSPORT WITH AT LEAST ONE ELECTROCHROMIC WINDOW AND WITH AT LEAST ONE CONTROL DEVICE, AND METHOD OF

• US 20110063708A1
• Filed: 03/21/2009
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sage Electrochromics, Inc (Compagnie de Saint-Gobain SA)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Letocart, Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 8,004,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/265
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/163 Operation of electrochromic cells, e.g. electrodeposition cells; Circuit arrangements therefor

Abstract

The invention relates to a control device for at least one electrochromic window (100, 100.1, 100.2, 100′, . . . ) with means (106, 108) for generating a charging current, to bring the window from a first state into a second state, wherein the window is darker in the second state than in the first state, means (1 1 2, 1 16) for discharging the window, to bring the window from the second state into the first state, wherein the discharging of the window can be triggered by an emergency signal (S 1, S2).

Claims

1. A control device for at least one electrochromic window, comprising:

means for generating a charging current, to bring the at least one electrochromic window from a first state into a second state, wherein the at least one electrochromic window is darker in the second state than in the first state, and

means for discharging the at least one electrochromic window, to bring the at least one electrochromic window from the second state into the first state, wherein the discharging of the at least one electrochromic window can be triggered by an emergency signal.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the means for discharging the at least one electrochromic window are configured to produce a short-circuit, by way of which a discharging current for discharging the at least one electrochromic window can flow.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the means for discharging are configured to apply a discharging voltage source to the at least one electrochromic window, wherein direction of the discharging voltage is chosen to increase a resulting voltage for generating a discharging current for discharging the window.

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the means for discharging comprise switching means, in order to interconnect first and second window regions electrically in such a way that a resulting voltage for generating a discharging current for discharging the first and second window regions is greater than charging voltages of the first and second window regions.

5. The control device according to claim 4, wherein the resulting voltage is obtained from a sum of the charging voltages of the first and second window regions.

6. The control device according to claim 4, wherein the first and second window regions are interconnected in an antiparallel manner.

7. The control device according to claim 4, wherein the first and second window regions are on a same window or on different windows.

8. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising means for the emergency signal to be triggered by a user.

9. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising means for detecting an emergency situation, wherein the means for detecting an emergency situation are configured to generate the emergency signal.

10. A control system for one or more electrochromic windows, comprising:

one or more control devices according to claim 1, wherein each of the one or more control devices is assigned to at least one of the one or more electrochromic windows, and

a communication channel for connecting the one or more control devices to a control unit,

wherein the control unit is configured to send the emergency signal over the communication channel to the one or more control devices.

12. A means of transport with at least one electrochromic window and with at least one control device according to claim 1.

13. The means of transport according to claim 12, wherein the window is a cockpit window.

15. The means of transport according to claim 13, with a number of electrochromic windows in a passenger area.

11. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

16. A method of activating an electrochromic window, wherein the electrochromic window can reversibly go over from a first state into a second state, wherein the electrochromic window is darker in the second state than in the first state, the method comprising:

receiving an emergency signal when the electrochromic window is in the second state, and

discharging the electrochromic window to bring it into the first state, wherein the discharging is triggered by the emergency signal.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein a discharging voltage source is applied to the window to obtain a voltage resulting from a charging voltage of the window and the discharging voltage which is greater than the charging voltage, wherein the resulting voltage brings about a discharging current for discharging the window.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein first and second window regions of the same electrochromic window or different electrochromic windows are electrically interconnected in such a way that their charging voltages add together to form a resulting voltage, wherein the resulting voltage brings about a discharging current for discharging the first and second window regions.

17. (canceled)