Transparent window panel with a field of view that can be partially darkened and method of controlling a surface element that can be electrochromically lightened inside a transparent window panel

• US 7,649,668 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2005
• Issued: 01/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Schuett, Juergen, Claude, Laurent, Dubrenat, Samuel, Fanton, Xavier
• Primary Examiner(s): Ben; Loha
• Application Number:
  US10/588,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20070133078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 359265-269, 359/273, 359/275, 359/350, 359/601, 359/604, 359/607, 345/49, 345/72, 345/83, 345/105, 345/106, 429/33, 429/304, 427/108, 427/109, 204/192.26, 396/506
• US Class Current: 359/265
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10513 Electrochromic layer
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/04 adjustable in transparency
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/155 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/163 Operation of electrochromic cells, e.g. electrodeposition cells; Circuit arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2001/1557 Side by side arrangements of working and counter electrodes

Abstract

A transparent glazing, and a control method thereof, with a field of view that can be darkened over a portion of its surface by electrically controlling at least one functional element incorporated into a multilayer composite, the light transmission of which glazing can be varied reversibly. The functional element, for example a solid-state electrochromic multilayer system, includes at least one electrochromic functional layer enclosed between two surface electrodes. The surface electrodes and their leads are matched to one another and spaced spatially with respect to one another such that darkening starts at one edge of the functional element and, with a remaining voltage applied between the surface electrodes, propagates continuously over the surface of the functional element until it is completely and uniformly colored. The glazing can be used as an electrically controllable sunshield for windshields of vehicles or the like.

Claims

1. A transparent glazing with a field of view that can be darkened over a portion of its surface by electrically controlling at least one functional element incorporated into a multilayer composite, the light transmission of which glazing can be varied reversibly, in which portion the functional element comprises:

at least one electrochromic functional layer enclosed between two surface electrodes,

wherein each surface electrode of the functional element, and leads corresponding thereto, are matched and spatially spaced relative to the other surface electrode such that darkening starts at one edge of the functional element and, with a continuously-applied voltage applied between the surface electrodes, propagates continuously over the surface of the functional element until the functional element is completely and uniformly colored.

2. The transparent glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the surface electrodes is connected to at least one connection conductor having a low ohmic resistance, which conductor is parallel to and is placed close to a lateral edge of the functional element.

3. The transparent glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the surface electrodes includes a left and right connection conductor respectively placed on a left and right side of the functional element, the left and right connection conductors being of low ohmic resistance, each of the left and right connection conductors being operable to receive electrical potentials via external leads independently of the other of the left and right connection conductor.

4. The transparent glazing as claimed in claim 3, wherein the left connection conductor is placed near the left side of the glazing in a region between a boundary located in the field of view and a left edge of the glazing and the right connection conductor is placed on the right side of the functional element in a region between a boundary located in the field of view and a right edge of the glazing.

5. The transparent glazing as claimed in claim 4, wherein the right connection conductor, which is in the field of view of the glazing, is in a form of at least one thin metal wire.

6. The transparent glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the functional element extends along one side of the glazing and, from the one side, into the field of view of the glazing, the darkening of which field of view starts in the region of the one side.

7. The transparent glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the functional element extends from a top side of the glazing and between a front and rear side, in which glazing one of the two surface electrodes is brought into electrical contact at an outer surface of the glazing from at least one surface of the front and rear sides, one of the front side and the rear side forming a substrate for the functional element.

8. The transparent glazing as claimed in claim 7, wherein the surface electrode remote from the electrochromic funcational layer is electrically connected to at least one lead lying at an edge of the glazing by at least one thin metal wire extending over a surface of the functional element that lies in a field of view of the glazing.

9. The transparent glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surface electrode closest to the electrochromic functional layer is in a form of a substantially complete coating of the glazing, the functional element is formed only over a portion of the coating such that lateral bands not covered by the functional element are formed on at least two sides of the glazing forming an angle therebetween, the lateral bands of the surface electrode are electrically isolated from one another, and connection conductors, one of which is electrically connected to the surface electrode closest to the electrochromic functional layer and the other of which is electrically connected to the surface electrode furthest from the electrochromic functional layer of the functional element, are provided on each of the lateral bands.

10. The transparent glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two surface electrodes have different surface resistances.

11. The transparent glazing as claimed in claim 10, wherein the surface electrode closest to the electrochromic functional layer has a lower surface resistance than the surface electrode furthest from the electrochromic functional layer.

12. The transparent glazing as claimed in claim 10, wherein the surface resistance of the surface electrode closest to the electrochromic functional layer lies within a range from 0.01 to 100 ohms per unit area and wherein the surface resistance of the surface electrode furthest from the electrochromic functional layer is about 10 times these values.

13. The transparent glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein an opaque edge frame extends over at least a portion of a perimeter of the glazing along the edge of the glazing, and wherein electrical leads for the surface electrodes are placed on the surface of this edge frame.

14. The use of transparent glazing as claimed in claim 1 as a windshield for a vehicle, in which the functional element is an all-solid-state electrochromic multilayer system placed, as an electrically controllable sunshield, in a region of a top edge in a mounted state.

15. A method for controlling a functional element in an all-solid-state electrochromic surface element in a transparent glazing unit, which all-solid-state surface element includes a functional layer that can be reversibly decolored electrochromically, the method comprising:

introducing, between two surface electrodes, an electrical potential to force an electrochromic change of color on one side of the electrochromic surface element, a direction of propagation of a change of color of the electrochromic surface element being controlled by an increase in an electrical potential on a surface of one surface electrode relative to the other surface electrode,

wherein each of the two surface electrodes has a different surface resistance and a rate of increase of the electrical potential depends on the surface resistance of each of the two surface electrodes.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein at least one supply lead for electrical potentials causing the electrochromic color change is provided on at least one of the surface electrodes on either side of the all-solid-state electrochromic surface element.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein a first effective potential is applied via a first supply lead for a surface electrode relative to the other surface electrode to induce a coloration in a predetermined direction of propagation of the color change, and wherein a second effective potential, of reverse polarity, is applied via a second supply lead for a surface electrode relative to the other surface electrode to produce decoloration in a predetermined direction of propagation of the color change.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15, in an application for controlling an electrochromic functional element incorporated as a sunshield in a windshield of a vehicle.