Dimming module, its preparation method, and dimming structure

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a dimming module, a preparation method thereof, and a dimming structure. The dimming module includes: a first liquid crystal dimming film; the first liquid crystal dimming film includes: a first flexible substrate including a stacked first base material layer and a first light-transmitting conductive layer; a second flexible substrate including a stacked second light-transmitting conductive layer and a second base material layer; a first liquid crystal layer located between the first light-transmitting conductive layer and the second light-transmitting conductive layer; wherein, the first base material layer includes a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material; and / or, the second base material layer includes a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material. In the dimming module provided by the embodiments of the present application, the liquid crystal dimming film is made of a flexible substrate, which is easy to deform, has a light self-weight and is not easy to break, and is easier to promote; the flexible substrate is made of a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material, and has a phase retardation amount close to 0, which can effectively reduce the probability or degree of possible rainbow interference fringes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of liquid crystal dimming, and specifically, this application relates to a dimming module, a preparation method thereof, and a dimming structure. Background Art

[0002] A liquid crystal dimming module uses the deflection of liquid crystal molecules under the change of an electric field to drive the deflection of dye molecules to achieve the function of adjusting the brightness of light. Compared with other dimming technologies, the liquid crystal dimming module has the advantages of second-level response and stepless dimming, and can be widely used as a dimming functional layer, such as in the side windows, sunroofs, etc. of passenger cars.

[0003] Existing liquid crystal dimming modules are usually made of glass substrates, which are rigid materials that are not easy to deform, have a large self-weight, and are fragile, so there are certain application limitations. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the deficiencies of the existing methods, this application proposes a dimming module, a preparation method thereof, and a dimming structure to solve the technical problem that the liquid crystal dimming module made of a glass substrate in the existing technology has certain application limitations.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a dimming module, including: a first liquid crystal dimming film;

[0006] The first liquid crystal dimming film includes:

[0007] A first flexible substrate, including a stacked first base material layer and a first light-transmitting conductive layer;

[0008] A second flexible substrate, including a stacked second light-transmitting conductive layer and a second base material layer;

[0009] A first liquid crystal layer, located between the first light-transmitting conductive layer and the second light-transmitting conductive layer;

[0010] Wherein, the first base material layer includes a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material; and / or, the second base material layer includes a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material.

[0011] Optionally, the thickness ratio between the first base material layer and the first light-transmitting conductive layer is not less than 1000:1 and not greater than 4000:1;

[0012] And / or, the thickness ratio between the second base material layer and the second light-transmitting conductive layer is not less than 1000:1 and not greater than 4000:1;

[0013] And / or, the first liquid crystal layer includes dye liquid crystal or polymer dispersed liquid crystal.

[0014] Optionally, the thickness of the first substrate layer is not less than 100 microns and not more than 200 microns, and the thickness of the first light-transmissive conductive layer is not less than 50 nanometers and not more than 100 nanometers;

[0015] And / or, the thickness of the second substrate layer is not less than 100 microns and not more than 200 microns, and the thickness of the second light-transmissive conductive layer is not less than 50 nanometers and not more than 100 nanometers.

[0016] Optionally, the first flexible substrate further includes: a first scratch-resistant layer; the first scratch-resistant layer is located between the first substrate layer and the first light-transmissive conductive layer;

[0017] And / or, the second flexible substrate further includes: a second scratch-resistant layer; the second scratch-resistant layer is located between the second substrate layer and the second light-transmissive conductive layer.

[0018] Optionally, if the first substrate layer includes a polycarbonate material, the first scratch-resistant layer includes an acrylic resin material;

[0019] If the first substrate layer includes a polymethyl methacrylate material, the first scratch-resistant layer includes an acrylic resin material added with zirconia microparticles;

[0020] If the second substrate layer includes a polycarbonate material, the second scratch-resistant layer includes an acrylic resin material;

[0021] If the second substrate layer includes a polymethyl methacrylate material, the second scratch-resistant layer includes an acrylic resin material added with zirconia microparticles.

[0022] Optionally, the first flexible substrate further includes: a first hardening layer; the first hardening layer is located on the side of the first substrate layer away from the first light-transmissive conductive layer;

[0023] And / or, the second flexible substrate further includes: a second hardening layer; the second hardening layer is located on the side of the second substrate layer away from the second light-transmissive conductive layer.

[0024] Optionally, at least one of the first hardening layer and the second hardening layer includes an acrylic resin material;

[0025] And / or, the connection layer includes an optical adhesive material.

[0026] Optionally, the dimming module further includes: a second liquid crystal dimming film and a connection layer;

[0027] The connection layer is located between the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film;

[0028] The second liquid crystal dimming film includes at least one of a polycarbonate material and a polymethyl methacrylate material.

[0029] Optionally, the ratio of the sum of the thicknesses of the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film to the thickness of the connection layer is not less than 1:7 and not greater than 3:1.

[0030] Optionally, the sum of the thicknesses of the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film is not less than 0.1 mm and not greater than 0.9 mm;

[0031] And / or, the thickness of the connection layer is not less than 0.3 mm and not greater than 0.7 mm.

[0032] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a dimming structure, including: a light-transmitting base, and a dimming module provided in the first aspect as described above on at least one side of the light-transmitting base.

[0033] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for preparing a dimming module, including:

[0034] Fabricating a first substrate layer using a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material;

[0035] Fabricating a first light-transmitting conductive layer on one side of the first substrate layer to obtain a first flexible substrate;

[0036] Fabricating a second substrate layer using a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material;

[0037] Fabricating a second light-transmitting conductive layer on one side of the second substrate layer to obtain a second flexible substrate;

[0038] Aligning the side of the first flexible substrate having the first light-transmitting conductive layer with the side of the second flexible substrate having the second light-transmitting conductive layer, and filling a first liquid crystal layer between the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate to obtain a first liquid crystal dimming film.

[0039] Optionally, fabricating the first substrate layer using a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material includes:

[0040] Fabricating the first substrate layer using a polycarbonate material, and fabricating a first scratch-resistant layer on one side of the first substrate layer using an acrylic resin material;

[0041] Or, fabricating the first substrate layer using a polymethyl methacrylate material, and fabricating a first scratch-resistant layer on one side of the first substrate layer using an acrylic resin material added with zirconia microparticles.

[0042] Optionally, the preparation method further includes:

[0043] Preparing a second liquid crystal dimming film; the second liquid crystal dimming film includes a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material;

[0044] Bonding the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film through a connection layer to obtain a dimming module.

[0045] Optionally, laminating the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film through a connection layer includes:

[0046] Coating a liquid optical adhesive on one side of at least one of the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film;

[0047] Laminating the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film through the liquid optical adhesive;

[0048] Applying light to the liquid optical adhesive to cure the liquid optical adhesive to form a connection layer.

[0049] The beneficial technical effects brought by the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application include:

[0050] 1. The liquid crystal dimming film is made of a flexible substrate, is easy to deform, has a light self-weight and is not easy to break, and is easier to promote;

[0051] 2. The flexible substrate is made of polycarbonate material or polymethyl methacrylate material, and has a phase retardation amount close to 0, which can effectively reduce the probability or degree of possible rainbow interference fringes.

[0052] The additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be partially given in the following description, and these will become obvious from the following description, or will be understood through the practice of the present application. Description of the Drawings

[0053] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become obvious and easy to understand from the following description of the embodiments in conjunction with the drawings, where:

[0054] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the first liquid crystal dimming film in the first dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0055] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of Embodiment 1 of the first flexible substrate in the first liquid crystal dimming film provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of Embodiment 2 of the first flexible substrate in the first liquid crystal dimming film provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of Embodiment 3 of the first flexible substrate in the first liquid crystal dimming film provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the second dimming module provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 6Schematic flowchart of a method for preparing a dimming module provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 7 Schematic flowchart of another method for preparing a dimming module provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 8 In another method for preparing a dimming module provided by an embodiment of the present application, it is a schematic flowchart of laminating a first liquid crystal dimming film and a second liquid crystal dimming film through a connection layer.

[0062] In the figure:

[0063] 10 - Dimming module; 11 - First liquid crystal dimming film; 12 - Connection layer; 13 - Second liquid crystal dimming film;

[0064] 110 - First flexible substrate; 111 - First base layer; 112 - First light-transmissive conductive layer; 113 - First scratch-resistant layer; 114 - First hardening layer;

[0065] 120 - Second flexible substrate; 130 - First liquid crystal layer. Detailed implementation manners

[0066] The embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the present application. It should be understood that the implementation manners described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings are exemplary descriptions for explaining the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute limitations on the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0067] Those skilled in the art of the present technology can understand that unless specifically stated otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an", "the", and "said" used herein may also include the plural forms. It should be further understood that the term "including" used in the specification of the present application means the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but does not exclude the presence of other features, information, data, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof supported by the art of the present technology. It should be understood that when we say an element is "connected" or "coupled" to another element, this element can be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or it can mean that this element and the other element establish a connection relationship through an intermediate element. In addition, the "connection" or "coupling" used herein can include wireless connection or wireless coupling. The term "and / or" used herein means at least one of the items defined by this term. For example, "A and / or B" can be implemented as "A", or implemented as "B", or implemented as "A and B".

[0068] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0069] The R & D idea of this application includes: If the glass substrate of the liquid crystal dimming module is replaced with a flexible substrate, it can effectively improve the problems existing in the existing liquid crystal dimming module made of rigid materials such as glass substrates, such as being difficult to deform, having a large self-weight, and being fragile, resulting in application limitations.

[0070] Optionally, the flexible substrate can be made of PET (polyethylene glycol terephthalate).

[0071] Continued research found that limited by the characteristics of liquid crystal materials, the controllable range of the transmittance of the liquid crystal dimming module is between 13% and 50%, and the maximum contrast ratio of the bright state / dark state is only 3.85, which is difficult to meet the needs of automotive sunshading or privacy when used in outdoor environments. In order to increase the controllable range of the transmittance, it can be considered to stack two liquid crystal dimming modules to form a double-cell liquid crystal dimming module, which can significantly reduce the transmittance of the dark state of the liquid crystal dimming module and increase the overall bright state / dark state contrast ratio of the liquid crystal dimming module.

[0072] However, different from the glass substrate, due to the large phase retardation amount (the phase retardation amount is above several hundred) of the PET material, the polarization state of the light changes after passing through, and there are large differences in the transmittance of different wavelengths, resulting in very serious rainbow interference fringe problems in both the single-cell liquid crystal dimming module after hyperbolization at a specific viewing angle and the double-cell liquid crystal dimming module after stacking. Mechanistically, it is inevitable to have interference fringes in the liquid crystal dimming module with a PET substrate of more than one layer.

[0073] The dimming module, its preparation method, and the dimming structure provided by this application aim to solve the above technical problems in the prior art.

[0074] The following will specifically describe the technical solutions of this application and how the technical solutions of this application solve the above technical problems with specific embodiments. It should be noted that the following embodiments can refer to, draw on, or combine with each other. For the same terms, similar features, and similar implementation steps in different embodiments, they will not be described repeatedly.

[0075] An embodiment of this application provides a dimming module 10. The schematic structural diagram of the dimming module 10 is as Figure 1 shown, including: a first liquid crystal dimming film 11.

[0076] The first liquid crystal dimming film 11 includes: a first flexible substrate 110, a second flexible substrate 120, and a first liquid crystal layer 130.

[0077] As Figure 2 shown, the first flexible substrate 110 includes a stacked first substrate layer 111 and a first transparent conductive layer 112.

[0078] The second flexible substrate 120 includes a stacked second light-transmissive conductive layer and a second substrate layer, which can refer to the film layer structure of the first flexible substrate 110 shown in Figure 2 Figure.

[0079] The first liquid crystal layer 130 is located between the first light-transmissive conductive layer 112 and the second light-transmissive conductive layer.

[0080] Among them, the first substrate layer 111 includes a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material; and / or, the second substrate layer includes a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material.

[0081] In this embodiment, the first liquid crystal dimming film 11 in the dimming module 10 is made of a flexible substrate, which is easy to deform, has a light self-weight and is not easy to break, and is easier to promote. The flexible substrate is made of a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material, and has a phase retardation amount close to 0, which can effectively reduce the probability or degree of rainbow interference fringes that may occur.

[0082] The first substrate layer 111 and the second substrate layer are helpful to help form the structure of the liquid crystal cell and limit the first liquid crystal layer 130 in the middle of the liquid crystal dimming film.

[0083] The first light-transmissive conductive layer 112 and the second light-transmissive conductive layer can form a voltage to drive the liquid crystal molecules in the first liquid crystal layer 130 to deflect as required, thereby realizing the control of the transmittance of the liquid crystal dimming film.

[0084] Optionally, any one of the first light-transmissive conductive layer 112 and the second light-transmissive conductive layer can adopt an ITO (indium tin oxide) material.

[0085] Optionally, the thickness ratio between the first substrate layer 111 and the first light-transmissive conductive layer 112 is not less than 1000:1 and not greater than 4000:1.

[0086] Optionally, the thickness of the first substrate layer 111 is not less than 100 microns and not greater than 200 microns, and the thickness of the first light-transmissive conductive layer 112 is not less than 50 nanometers and not greater than 100 nanometers.

[0087] Optionally, the thickness ratio between the second substrate layer and the second light-transmissive conductive layer is not less than 1000:1 and not greater than 4000:1.

[0088] Optionally, the thickness of the second substrate layer is not less than 100 microns and not greater than 200 microns, and the thickness of the second light-transmissive conductive layer is not less than 50 nanometers and not greater than 100 nanometers.

[0089] Optionally, the first liquid crystal layer 130 includes a dye liquid crystal or a polymer dispersed liquid crystal.

[0090] Dye liquid crystals can be obtained by adding dyes to liquid crystals, which can enable the liquid crystals to produce color displays. The dyes have sufficient solubility in the liquid crystals and will not have a negative impact on the performance of the liquid crystals. After the dyes are added to the liquid crystals, they can maintain a parallel arrangement with the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules. Under the action of an electric field, the dye molecules can rotate in the same phase as the liquid crystal molecules. Dye liquid crystals with the desired colors can be prepared by selecting dyes that present different colors according to product requirements.

[0091] Polymer dispersed liquid crystals, also known as PDLC (Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal), are liquid crystals dispersed in an organic solid polymer matrix in micron-sized small droplets. Since the optical axes of the small droplets composed of liquid crystal molecules are in a free orientation and their refractive indices do not match that of the matrix, when light passes through the matrix, it is strongly scattered by the small droplets and appears in an opaque milky state or a translucent state. Applying an electric field can adjust the orientation of the optical axes of the liquid crystal small droplets. When the refractive indices of the two match, it presents a transparent state. Removing the electric field, the liquid crystal small droplets return to the initial light-scattering state, thereby enabling display.

[0092] In some possible embodiments, as Figure 3 shown, the first flexible substrate 110 further includes: a first scratch-resistant layer 113. The first scratch-resistant layer 113 is located between the first base material layer 111 and the first light-transmitting conductive layer 112.

[0093] In this embodiment, there is also a first scratch-resistant layer 113 between the first base material layer 111 and the first light-transmitting conductive layer 112 in the first flexible substrate 110, which can form a certain protection for one side of the first base material layer 111 close to the first light-transmitting conductive layer 112 and improve the overall service life of the first flexible substrate 110.

[0094] The material of the first scratch-resistant layer 113 needs to be adaptively optically matched according to the material of the first base material layer 111 to reduce optical defects such as rainbow interference fringes. The specific material matching is as follows:

[0095] In one example, if the first base material layer 111 includes a polycarbonate material, then the first scratch-resistant layer 113 includes an acrylic resin material.

[0096] In another example, if the first base material layer 111 includes a polymethyl methacrylate material, then the first scratch-resistant layer 113 includes an acrylic resin material added with zirconia microparticles. Among them, the refractive index of the first scratch-resistant layer 113 will increase with the increase in the content of zirconia microparticles. Therefore, the refractive index of the first scratch-resistant layer 113 can be adjusted by adjusting the content of zirconia microparticles to match the optical characteristics of the first base material layer 111 including the polymethyl methacrylate material.

[0097] Similarly, in some possible embodiments, the second flexible substrate 120 further includes: a second scratch-resistant layer. The second scratch-resistant layer is located between the second base material layer and the second light-transmitting conductive layer, and reference may be made to Figure 3 the film layer structure of the first flexible substrate 110 shown.

[0098] In this embodiment, there is also a first scratch-resistant layer 113 between the second base material layer and the second light-transmitting conductive layer in the second flexible substrate 120, which can provide a certain protection to one side of the second base material layer close to the second light-transmitting conductive layer and improve the overall service life of the second flexible substrate 120.

[0099] The material of the second scratch-resistant layer also needs to be adaptively optically matched according to the material of the second base material layer to reduce optical defects such as rainbow interference fringes. The specific material matching is as follows:

[0100] In one example, if the second base material layer includes a polycarbonate material, the second scratch-resistant layer includes an acrylic resin material.

[0101] In another example, if the second base material layer includes a polymethyl methacrylate material, the second scratch-resistant layer includes an acrylic resin material added with zirconia microparticles.

[0102] In some possible embodiments, as Figure 4 shown, the first flexible substrate 110 further includes: a first hardening layer 114. The first hardening layer 114 is located on the side of the first base material layer 111 away from the first light-transmitting conductive layer 112.

[0103] In this embodiment, there is also a first scratch-resistant layer 113 on the side of the first base material layer 111 away from the first light-transmitting conductive layer 112 in the first flexible substrate 110, which can reduce the damage to the first base material layer 111 caused by mechanical forces from outside the liquid crystal dimming film and improve the overall service life of the first flexible substrate 110.

[0104] In some possible embodiments, the second flexible substrate 120 further includes: a second hardening layer. The second hardening layer is located on the side of the second base material layer away from the second light-transmitting conductive layer, and reference may be made to Figure 4 the film layer structure of the first flexible substrate 110 shown.

[0105] In this embodiment, there is also a second scratch-resistant layer on the side of the second base material layer away from the second light-transmitting conductive layer in the second flexible substrate 120, which can reduce the damage to the second base material layer caused by mechanical forces from outside the liquid crystal dimming film and improve the overall service life of the first flexible substrate 110.

[0106] Optionally, at least one of the first hardening layer 114 and the second hardening layer includes an acrylic resin material.

[0107] In some possible embodiments, such as Figure 5 shown, the dimming module further includes: a second liquid crystal dimming film 13 and a connection layer 12.

[0108] The connection layer 12 is located between the first liquid crystal dimming film 11 and the second liquid crystal dimming film 13.

[0109] The second liquid crystal dimming film 13 includes at least one of polycarbonate material and polymethyl methacrylate material.

[0110] In this embodiment, the dimming module 10 includes two stacked liquid crystal dimming films. The first liquid crystal dimming film 11 and the second liquid crystal dimming film 13 are stacked through the connection layer 12, which can significantly reduce the transmittance of the dimming module 10 in the dark state and improve the overall bright state / dark state contrast of the dimming module 10.

[0111] Optionally, the connection layer 12 may include an optical adhesive material. A special adhesive for bonding transparent optical elements (such as lenses, etc.). The optical adhesive material has the characteristics of being colorless and transparent, having a light transmittance of more than 90%, good bonding strength, being curable at room temperature or medium temperature, and having small curing shrinkage, which is beneficial to realizing the stacking between the first liquid crystal dimming film 11 and the second liquid crystal dimming film 13.

[0112] Optionally, the second liquid crystal dimming film 13 includes: a third flexible substrate, a fourth flexible substrate and a second liquid crystal layer, which can refer to Figure 1-2 the film layer structure of the first flexible substrate 110 shown.

[0113] The third flexible substrate includes a stacked third base layer and a third light-transmitting conductive layer;

[0114] The fourth flexible substrate includes a stacked fourth light-transmitting conductive layer and a fourth base layer;

[0115] The second liquid crystal layer is located between the third light-transmitting conductive layer and the fourth light-transmitting conductive layer;

[0116] Among them, the third base layer includes polycarbonate material or polymethyl methacrylate material; and / or, the fourth base layer includes polycarbonate material or polymethyl methacrylate material.

[0117] In this embodiment, the second liquid crystal dimming film 13 is also made of a flexible substrate, which is easy to deform, has a light self-weight and is not easy to break, and is easier to promote. The flexible substrate is made of polycarbonate material or polymethyl methacrylate material, and has a phase retardation amount close to 0, which can effectively reduce the probability or degree of possible rainbow interference fringes.

[0118] Optionally, the liquid crystal alignment direction of the second liquid crystal layer in the second liquid crystal dimming film 13 is perpendicular to the liquid crystal alignment direction of the first liquid crystal layer 130 in the first liquid crystal dimming film 11.

[0119] Optionally, the second liquid crystal dimming film 13 may also include at least one of an anti-scratch layer and a hardening layer. For details, reference may be made to the optional film layer structure of the first liquid crystal dimming film 11 as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 the first liquid crystal dimming film 11.

[0120] Optionally, the ratio of the sum of the thicknesses of the first liquid crystal dimming film 11 and the second liquid crystal dimming film 13 to the thickness of the connection layer 12 is not less than 1:7 and not greater than 3:1.

[0121] Optionally, the sum of the thicknesses of the first liquid crystal dimming film 11 and the second liquid crystal dimming film 13 is not less than 0.1 mm and not greater than 0.9 mm.

[0122] Optionally, the thickness of the connection layer 12 is not less than 0.3 mm and not greater than 0.7 mm.

[0123] Optionally, the sum of the thicknesses of the stacked first liquid crystal dimming film 11, connection layer 12, and second liquid crystal dimming film 13 is not less than 0.8 mm and not greater than 1.2 mm.

[0124] Optionally, the thickness of any one of the substrate layers (including at least one of the first substrate layer, second substrate layer, third substrate layer, and fourth substrate layer) of the first liquid crystal dimming film 11 and the second liquid crystal dimming film 13 is not less than 100 nm and not greater than 200 nm.

[0125] Adopting the film layer thickness parameters provided in any of the above embodiments can facilitate the bending of the dimming module in a single curve or double curve, etc. while ensuring the dimming performance, and also facilitate the thinning of the dimming module.

[0126] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present application provides a dimming structure, which includes: a light-transmitting base, and a dimming module 10 as provided in any of the above embodiments located on at least one side of the light-transmitting base.

[0127] In this embodiment, since the dimming structure includes any one of the dimming modules 10 provided in the foregoing embodiments, its implementation principle and beneficial effects are similar, and will not be elaborated here.

[0128] Among them, the light-transmitting base may be an attachment base structure of the dimming module 10.

[0129] Optionally, the light-transmitting base may be a single-curved or double-curved tempered glass. Among them, single-curved means that it can be bent in one direction; double-curved means that it can be bent in both the x and y directions.

[0130] Optionally, the light-transmitting base may be the side window, sunroof, rear windshield, etc. of a passenger car.

[0131] Optionally, the light-transmitting base can also be the window glass or door glass of a house.

[0132] Optionally, the light-transmitting base can also be spectacle lenses or the like.

[0133] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for preparing a dimming module. The schematic flow diagram of the preparation method is as Figure 6 shown, including steps S101 - S105:

[0134] S101: Make a first substrate layer using a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material. Then perform step S102.

[0135] In one example, this step S101 may specifically include: making a first substrate layer using a polycarbonate material, and making a first scratch-resistant layer on one side of the first substrate layer using an acrylic resin material.

[0136] In another example, this step S101 may specifically include: making a first substrate layer using a polymethyl methacrylate material, and making a first scratch-resistant layer on one side of the first substrate layer using an acrylic resin material added with zirconia microparticles.

[0137] S102: Make a first light-transmitting conductive layer on one side of the first substrate layer to obtain a first flexible substrate.

[0138] Then perform step S105.

[0139] Optionally, this step S102 may specifically include: depositing a first light-transmitting metal layer on one side of the first flexible substrate, and patterning the first light-transmitting metal layer to obtain a first light-transmitting conductive layer. The first light-transmitting conductive layer can use ITO (indium tin oxide) material.

[0140] S103: Make a second substrate layer using a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material.

[0141] Then perform step S104.

[0142] In one example, this step S103 may specifically include: making a second flexible substrate using a polycarbonate material, and making a second scratch-resistant layer on one side of the second flexible substrate using an acrylic resin material.

[0143] In another example, this step S103 may specifically include: making a second flexible substrate using a polymethyl methacrylate material, and making a second scratch-resistant layer on one side of the second flexible substrate using an acrylic resin material added with zirconia microparticles.

[0144] S104: Make a second light-transmitting conductive layer on one side of the second substrate layer to obtain a second flexible substrate. Then perform step S105.

[0145] Optionally, this step S104 may specifically include: depositing a second light-transmitting metal layer on one side of the second flexible substrate, and patterning the second light-transmitting metal layer to obtain a second light-transmitting conductive layer. The second light-transmitting conductive layer may also be made of ITO (indium tin oxide) material.

[0146] S105: Align the side of the first flexible substrate with the first light-transmitting conductive layer and the side of the second flexible substrate with the second light-transmitting conductive layer, and fill a first liquid crystal layer between the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate to obtain a first liquid crystal dimming film.

[0147] In one example, this step S105 may specifically include: using two rigid support sheets to fix the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate respectively, which is beneficial to unfolding and fixing the flexible first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate. Then, after aligning the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate, the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate can be peeled off from their respective rigid support sheets respectively. Among them, the rigid support sheets may be release paper, plexiglass, steel plates, plastic plates, etc.

[0148] In another example, this step S105 may specifically include: using two vacuum adsorption platforms to adsorb and fix the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate respectively, which is beneficial to unfolding and fixing the flexible first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate. Then, after aligning the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate, release the negative pressure of the vacuum adsorption platforms respectively, and the formed liquid crystal dimming film can be taken out.

[0149] It should be noted that any one of the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film can be prepared by the method steps of the above steps S101 - S105.

[0150] The embodiment of the present application provides another method for preparing a dimming module. The schematic flow chart of this preparation method is as Figure 7 shown, including steps S201 - S207:

[0151] S201: Make a first substrate layer using polycarbonate material or polymethyl methacrylate material. Then perform step S202.

[0152] S202: Make a first light-transmitting conductive layer on one side of the first substrate layer to obtain a first flexible substrate. Then perform step S205.

[0153] S203: Make a second substrate layer using polycarbonate material or polymethyl methacrylate material. Then perform step S204.

[0154] S204: Fabricate a second light-transmissive conductive layer on one side of the second substrate layer to obtain a second flexible substrate. Then, perform step S205.

[0155] S205: Align the side of the first flexible substrate with the first light-transmissive conductive layer and the side of the second flexible substrate with the second light-transmissive conductive layer, and fill a first liquid crystal layer between the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate to obtain a first liquid crystal dimming film. Then, perform step S207.

[0156] S206: Prepare a second liquid crystal dimming film; the second liquid crystal dimming film includes a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material. Then, perform step S207.

[0157] Optionally, this step S206 may specifically include: fabricate a third substrate layer using a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material; fabricate a third light-transmissive conductive layer on one side of the third substrate layer to obtain a third flexible substrate; fabricate a fourth substrate layer using a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material; fabricate a fourth light-transmissive conductive layer on one side of the fourth substrate layer to obtain a fourth flexible substrate; align the side of the third flexible substrate with the third light-transmissive conductive layer and the side of the fourth flexible substrate with the fourth light-transmissive conductive layer, and fill a second liquid crystal layer between the third flexible substrate and the fourth flexible substrate to obtain a second liquid crystal dimming film.

[0158] S207: Bond the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film together through a connection layer to obtain a dimming module.

[0159] In this embodiment, the dimming module prepared through steps S201 - S207 includes two stacked liquid crystal dimming films. The first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film are stacked through a connection layer, which can significantly reduce the transmittance of the liquid crystal dimming module in the dark state and improve the overall bright state / dark state contrast of the liquid crystal dimming module.

[0160] Among them, the liquid crystal dimming film is made of a flexible substrate, which is easy to deform, has a light self-weight and is not easy to break, and is easier to promote. The flexible substrate is made of a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material, which has a phase retardation amount close to 0, and can effectively reduce the probability or degree of rainbow interference fringes that may occur after two flexible liquid crystal dimming films are stacked.

[0161] In some possible implementation manners, as Figure 8 shown, bonding the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film together through a connection layer in the above step S207 includes steps S301 - S303:

[0162] S301: Coat a liquid optical adhesive on one side of at least one of the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film.

[0163] Optionally, in this step S301, a slit coating process may be adopted to coat the liquid optical adhesive on one side of at least one of the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film. The slit coating process is conducive to precisely controlling the uniformity of the coating thickness of the liquid optical adhesive, facilitating the effective discharge of air between the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film during subsequent lamination and curing, and optimizing the optical performance of the formed dimming module.

[0164] S302: Bond the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film together through the liquid optical adhesive.

[0165] Optionally, in this step S301, a roll lamination process may be adopted to bond the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film together. The roll lamination process can effectively discharge the air between the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film, reducing the haze of the formed dimming module, that is, improving the optical performance.

[0166] S303: Apply light to the liquid optical adhesive to cure the liquid optical adhesive to form a connection layer.

[0167] Applying the embodiments of the present application can at least achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0168] 1. The liquid crystal dimming film is made of a flexible substrate, which is easy to deform, has a light self-weight and is not easy to break, and is easier to promote.

[0169] 2. The flexible substrate is made of a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material, which has a phase retardation amount close to 0, and can effectively reduce the probability or degree of possible rainbow interference fringes.

[0170] 3. The dimming module includes two layers of stacked liquid crystal dimming films. The first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film are stacked through a connection layer, which can significantly reduce the transmittance of the liquid crystal dimming module in the dark state and improve the overall bright state / dark state contrast of the liquid crystal dimming module.

[0171] Those skilled in the art of this technology can understand that the various operations, methods, steps, measures, and solutions in the processes discussed in this application can be alternated, changed, combined, or deleted. Further, the other steps, measures, and solutions in the various operations, methods, and processes discussed in this application can also be alternated, changed, rearranged, decomposed, combined, or deleted. Further, the steps, measures, and solutions in the prior art that are the same as those disclosed in this application can also be alternated, changed, rearranged, decomposed, combined, or deleted.

[0172] In the description of the present application, the directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the exemplary directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings. They are for the convenience of describing or simplifying the embodiments of the present application, rather than indicating or implying that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

[0173] The terms "first" and "second" are used only for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present application, unless otherwise stated, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more.

[0174] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "mounted", "connected" and "coupled" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it may be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it may be the internal communication of two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0175] In the description of this specification, specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0176] It should be understood that although the steps in the flowchart of the drawings are shown in sequence according to the indication of the arrows, the execution order of these steps is not limited to the order indicated by the arrows. Unless otherwise clearly stated in this application, in some implementation scenarios of the embodiments of the present application, the steps in each process can be executed in other orders according to requirements. Moreover, some or all of the steps in each flowchart may include multiple sub-steps or multiple stages based on the actual implementation scenario. Some or all of these sub-steps or stages can be executed at the same time, or at different times. In the scenario where the execution times are different, the execution order of these sub-steps or stages can be flexibly configured according to requirements, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0177] The above are only some implementation manners of the present application. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the technical concept of the solution of the present application, other similar implementation means based on the technical idea of the present application also belong to the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A dimming module, characterized in that, it includes: A first liquid crystal dimming film; The first liquid crystal dimming film includes: A first flexible substrate, including a stacked first base material layer and a first light-transmitting conductive layer; A second flexible substrate, including a stacked second light-transmitting conductive layer and a second base material layer; A first liquid crystal layer, located between the first light-transmitting conductive layer and the second light-transmitting conductive layer; Wherein, the first base material layer includes a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material; and / or, the second base material layer includes a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material; The first flexible substrate further includes: a first scratch-resistant layer; the first scratch-resistant layer is located on the side of the first base material layer away from the first light-transmitting conductive layer; The second flexible substrate further includes: a second scratch-resistant layer; the second scratch-resistant layer is located on the side of the second base material layer away from the second light-transmitting conductive layer; If the first base material layer includes a polycarbonate material, the first scratch-resistant layer includes an acrylic resin material; If the first base material layer includes a polymethyl methacrylate material, the first scratch-resistant layer includes an acrylic resin material added with zirconia particles; If the second base material layer includes a polycarbonate material, the second scratch-resistant layer includes an acrylic resin material; If the second base material layer includes a polymethyl methacrylate material, the second scratch-resistant layer includes an acrylic resin material added with zirconia particles; The thickness ratio between the first base material layer and the first light-transmitting conductive layer is not less than 1000:1 and not more than 4000:1; and / or, the thickness ratio between the second base material layer and the second light-transmitting conductive layer is not less than 1000:1 and not more than 4000:1; and / or, the first liquid crystal layer includes dye liquid crystal or polymer dispersed liquid crystal; The thickness of the first base material layer is not less than 100 microns and not more than 200 microns, and the thickness of the first light-transmitting conductive layer is not less than 50 nanometers and not more than 100 nanometers; and / or, the thickness of the second base material layer is not less than 100 microns and not more than 200 microns, and the thickness of the second light-transmitting conductive layer is not less than 50 nanometers and not more than 100 nanometers; The first flexible substrate further includes: a first hardening layer; the first hardening layer is located on the side of the first base material layer away from the first light-transmitting conductive layer; and / or, the second flexible substrate further includes: a second hardening layer; the second hardening layer is located on the side of the second base material layer away from the second light-transmitting conductive layer.

2. The dimming module according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one of the first hardening layer and the second hardening layer includes an acrylic resin material.

3. The dimming module according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, The dimming module further includes: a second liquid crystal dimming film and a connection layer; The connection layer is located between the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film; The second liquid crystal dimming film includes at least one of a polycarbonate material and a polymethyl methacrylate material.

4. The dimming module according to claim 3, characterized in that, The ratio of the sum of the thicknesses of the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film to the thickness of the connection layer is not less than 1:7 and not greater than 3:1; and / or, the connection layer includes an optical adhesive material.

5. The dimming module according to claim 4, wherein, the sum of the thicknesses of the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film is not less than 0.1 mm and not greater than 0.9 mm; and / or, the thickness of the connection layer is not less than 0.3 mm and not greater than 0.7 mm.

6. A dimming structure, wherein, comprising: a light-transmitting base, and the dimming module according to any one of claims 1-5 on at least one side of the light-transmitting base.

7. A method for preparing a dimming module, wherein, for manufacturing the dimming module according to any one of claims 1-5, comprising: using a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material to make a first substrate layer; making a first light-transmitting conductive layer on one side of the first substrate layer to obtain a first flexible substrate; using a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material to make a second substrate layer; making a second light-transmitting conductive layer on one side of the second substrate layer to obtain a second flexible substrate; aligning the side of the first flexible substrate with the first light-transmitting conductive layer and the side of the second flexible substrate with the second light-transmitting conductive layer, and filling a first liquid crystal layer between the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate to obtain a first liquid crystal dimming film; the first flexible substrate further includes: a first scratch-resistant layer; the first scratch-resistant layer is located on the side of the first substrate layer away from the first light-transmitting conductive layer; the second flexible substrate further includes: a second scratch-resistant layer; the second scratch-resistant layer is located on the side of the second substrate layer away from the second light-transmitting conductive layer; the using a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material to make a first substrate layer includes: using a polycarbonate material to make a first substrate layer, and using an acrylic resin material to make a first scratch-resistant layer on one side of the first substrate layer; or, using a polymethyl methacrylate material to make a first substrate layer, and using an acrylic resin material added with zirconia particles to make a first scratch-resistant layer on one side of the first substrate layer; the first flexible substrate further includes: a first hardening layer; the first hardening layer is located on the side of the first substrate layer away from the first light-transmitting conductive layer; and / or, the second flexible substrate further includes: a second hardening layer; the second hardening layer is located on the side of the second substrate layer away from the second light-transmitting conductive layer.

8. The preparation method according to claim 7, wherein, the preparation method further includes: preparing a second liquid crystal dimming film; the second liquid crystal dimming film includes a polycarbonate material or a polymethyl methacrylate material; bonding the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film through a connection layer to obtain the dimming module.

9. The preparation method according to claim 8, wherein, the bonding the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film through a connection layer includes: Coat a liquid optical adhesive on at least one side of the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film; Bond the first liquid crystal dimming film and the second liquid crystal dimming film together through the liquid optical adhesive; Apply light to the liquid optical adhesive to cure the liquid optical adhesive to form the connection layer.

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