Control method for electrochromic glazing

• US 6,707,590 B1
• Filed: 03/18/2002
• Issued: 03/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Econtrol-Glas GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Flabeg GmbH (Flabeg Holding GmbH)
• Inventors: Bartsch, Ingo
• Primary Examiner(s): LESTER, EVELYN A
• Application Number:
  US10/030,341
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 359/265-275, 345/105
• US Class Current: 359/265
• 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 1/163 Operation of electrochromic cells, e.g. electrodeposition cells; Circuit arrangements therefor

Abstract

A method for controlling the change in color of several sheets of an electrochromic glazing. This color change of the individual sheets within a color-change interval is controlled by individual control units, driven by a central control unit. To achieve a uniform change in color over all the electrochromic glazing sheets, the color-change interval is subdivided into a number of subintervals, whose duration is selected such that the difference in the degree of light transmission between individual electrochromic glazing sheets remains negligible. The individual control units control the change in color of the electrochromic glazing sheets progressively, using the subintervals, whereby the central control unit only begins to change the color of the electrochromic glazing sheets using a new subinterval, once all the glazing sheets which are in perfect working order have completed the change in color that has been performed during the previous subinterval.

Claims

1. Process of controlling the color-change process of several electrochromic glazings, where the color change of each individual electrochromic glazing is controlled within the color-change interval between an initial value T_start and a final value T_end by an individual control unit and where the individual control units are activated by a central monitor unit, characterized in that the color-change interval is subdivided into a number of subintervals and that the color change of the electrochromic glazings takes place under the control of the individual control units step-by-step over these subintervals, where the central monitor unit only initiates the color change of the electrochromic glazings over a new subinterval when all satisfactorily operating glazings have completed color change over the preceding sub-interval.

2. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the size of the subintervals is chosen such that the light transmission of the individual electrochromic glazings differ from one another during color change over this subinterval by a maximum of 5%.

3. A process according to claim 1, wherein the size of the subintervals is chosen such that the light transmission of the electrochromic glazings varies within this subinterval by at least 2%.

4. A process according to claim 1, wherein the color-change interval is subdivided into subintervals of the same size.

5. A process according to claim 1, wherein at least one subinterval at the beginning of a color change from bleached to colored is set smaller than the subsequent subintervals.

6. A process according to claim 1, wherein an individual electrochromic glazing is assessed as not operating satisfactorily as soon as an upper time limit previously specified for the subinterval in question for this glazing is reached.

7. A process according to claim 1, wherein the size of the subintervals is chosen such that the light transmission of the individual electrochromic glazings differ from one another during color change over this subinterval by a maximum of 3%.