Dimming glass and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The present application provides a dimming glass and a preparation method thereof. The dimming glass comprises a first glass substrate, a second glass substrate, a third glass substrate, a dimming film, a super spacer, a conductive electrode and a thin film solar cell; the dimming film is arranged in the central area of ​​the second glass substrate, the conductive electrode is arranged on the dimming film, the boundary between the dimming film and the boundary of the second glass substrate is a clear edge area, the super spacer is arranged in the clear edge area and is spaced a first distance from the boundary of the dimming film, the super spacer, the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate jointly form a closed space, and the closed space is sealed by a sealant; the third glass substrate and the second glass substrate are bonded by laminating, the thin film solar cell is arranged in the adhesive film between the third glass substrate and the second glass substrate, and the thin film solar cell shields the conductive electrode in the observation direction of the third glass substrate, and the thin film solar cell is electrically connected to the conductive electrode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of color-changing glass, and in particular to a dimming glass and a preparation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Dimming glass is a special kind of glass that can control the transparency of the glass by whether it is powered on or not. Due to this feature, dimming glass can be used to protect privacy, save energy and electricity, soundproof and heat-insulate, and protect against ultraviolet rays. It is often used as glass curtain walls, glass partitions, glass facades, etc. Dimming glass often uses hollow packaging technology. At present, hollow packaging technology uses super spacers to press on the conductive electrodes to ensure that the electrodes are not exposed and improve the aesthetics of the entire device; but because the super spacers have a breathing effect in a hot and cold environment. Under long-term action, the super spacers will drive the conductive electrodes, causing the conductive electrodes and even the dimming film to fall off, resulting in device failure. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present application is to solve at least one of the above-mentioned technical defects, especially the problem that the spacer strips of the dimming glass in the prior art easily cause the silver paste to fall off.

[0004] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a dimming glass, including a first glass substrate, a second glass substrate, a third glass substrate, a dimming film, a super spacer, a conductive electrode and a thin-film solar cell;

[0005] The dimming film is arranged in the central area of ​​the second glass substrate, the conductive electrode is arranged on the dimming film, the boundary between the dimming film and the boundary of the second glass substrate is a clear edge area, the super spacer is arranged in the clear edge area and is spaced a first distance from the boundary of the dimming film, the super spacer, the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate jointly form a closed space, and the closed space is sealed by a sealant;

[0006] The third glass substrate is bonded to the second glass substrate by laminating, the thin-film solar cell is arranged in the adhesive film between the third glass substrate and the second glass substrate, and the thin-film solar cell blocks the conductive electrode in the observation direction of the third glass substrate, and the thin-film solar cell is electrically connected to the conductive electrode.

[0007] In one embodiment, the conductive electrode is a silver paste electrode.

[0008] In one embodiment, the material of the adhesive film includes EVA adhesive film.

[0009] In one embodiment, the first glass substrate, the second glass substrate and the third glass substrate are tempered glass.

[0010] In one embodiment, the width of the edge cleaning area is 8-10 mm.

[0011] In one embodiment, the first distance is 1-2 mm.

[0012] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for preparing a dimming glass, comprising:

[0013] Depositing a dimming film on the second glass substrate, and performing edge cleaning on the side where the dimming film is deposited, so as to form an edge cleaning area between the boundary of the dimming film and the boundary of the second glass substrate;

[0014] Marking lines on the dimming film, injecting conductive paste into the marked areas, and curing the conductive paste after the injection to form conductive electrodes;

[0015] Performing electrode extraction processing on the conductive electrode;

[0016] A super spacer is arranged around a position where the edge clearing area and the boundary of the dimming film are spaced apart by a first distance, and the first glass substrate is joined with the second glass substrate via the super spacer to form a closed space;

[0017] Use sealant to seal the confined space;

[0018] The thin-film solar cell is disposed between the third glass substrate and the second glass substrate, and the third glass substrate is bonded to the second glass substrate by laminating, so that the thin-film solar cell is located in the adhesive film between the third glass substrate and the second glass substrate, and the thin-film solar cell shields the conductive electrode in the viewing direction of the third glass substrate;

[0019] The thin film solar cell is electrically connected to the conductive electrode.

[0020] In one embodiment, the conductive electrode is subjected to an electrode extraction process, comprising:

[0021] Tinned copper is used to connect to the conductive electrode, and the tinned copper is led out to the boundary of the second glass substrate.

[0022] In one embodiment, electrically connecting a thin film solar cell to a conductive electrode comprises:

[0023] Thin-film solar cells are electrically connected to conductive electrodes by tinning copper.

[0024] In one embodiment, the conductive paste is conductive silver paste.

[0025] It can be seen from the above technical solutions that the embodiments of the present application have the following advantages:

[0026] Based on the dimming glass in this embodiment, by setting the super spacer bar and the conductive electrode at intervals, the super spacer bar is kept away from the conductive electrode, thereby avoiding the influence of the breathing effect of the super spacer bar on the dimming film. Then, by setting a thin-film solar cell that can shield the conductive electrode on the adhesive film between the second glass substrate and the third glass substrate, on the one hand, the dimming glass can be self-sufficient in electricity and improve energy saving. On the other hand, the aesthetics of the dimming glass can be maintained on the basis of changing the position of the super spacer bar. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of a dimming glass provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the composition of a second glass substrate of a dimming glass provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the composition of a third glass substrate of a dimming glass provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 4 The figure is a schematic flow chart of a method for preparing dimming glass in one embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0033] In the first aspect, the present application embodiment provides a dimming glass, see Figure 1 , including a first glass substrate 1, a second glass substrate 2, a third glass substrate 3, a dimming film 4, a super spacer 5, a conductive electrode 6 and a thin-film solar cell 7.

[0034] See also Figure 2, the dimming film 4 is arranged in the central area of ​​the second glass substrate 2. The dimming film 4 is the core of the dimming glass. The dimming film 4 can switch between transparent and opaque display effects when powered on and off. Taking the PDLC (Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal) liquid crystal electrically controlled dimming film as an example, small liquid crystal droplets of micrometer magnitude are distributed in the dimming film. Since the optical axis of the small droplets composed of liquid crystal molecules is in a free orientation, its refractive index does not match the refractive index of the matrix. When light passes through the matrix, it is strongly scattered by the droplets and presents an opaque milky white state or a translucent state. Applying an electric field can adjust the optical axis orientation of the liquid crystal droplets. When the refractive indexes of the two match, a transparent state is presented. When the electric field is removed, the liquid crystal droplets return to the initial astigmatism state, thereby displaying. The film itself can be changed between transparent and opaque states (the visual effect is close to frosted glass). Therefore, in order to enable the entire dimming glass to switch the display effect with the dimming film 4, it needs to be arranged in the central area of ​​the second glass substrate 2. The conductive electrode 6 is disposed on the dimming film 4 , that is, the conductive electrode 6 is electrically connected to the dimming film 4 , and a voltage can be applied to the dimming film 4 by applying a voltage to the conductive electrode 6 . Figure 1 and Figure 2 The conductive electrode 6 shown is located in the length direction of the dimming glass, is in the shape of a long strip, and is close to the boundary of the dimming film 4 , generally 1-2 mm away from the boundary of the dimming film 4 .

[0035] The boundary between the dimming film 4 and the boundary of the second glass substrate 2 is a clear edge area. When preparing dimming glass, the dimming film 4 will be deposited on one side of the second glass substrate 2. In order to reserve the area for encapsulating glass, the edge cleaning process will be performed along the boundary of the second glass substrate 2, and the dimming film 4 around the edge of the second glass substrate 2 will be removed to form a clear edge area. The super spacer 5 is a sealing material for insulating glass, which can be made of silicone or EPDM with a thermosetting, elastic, microporous structure. The thermal conductivity of the super spacer 5 is extremely low, which can effectively reduce the energy loss of the insulating glass, improve the heat insulation and sound insulation performance, prevent condensation and mildew, and extend the service life of the insulating glass. Since the clear edge area is the area reserved in advance for glass encapsulation, the super spacer 5 is set in the clear edge area. In addition, in order to prevent the breathing effect of the super spacer 5 from affecting the conductive electrode 6, the super spacer 5 is spaced a first distance from the boundary of the dimming film 4. The conductive electrode 6 is arranged inside the area where the dimming film 4 is located, and there is a sufficiently long interval between the super spacer strip 5 and the conductive electrode 6 , so that the conductive electrode 6 will not be affected.

[0036] Adhesive is usually applied on both sides of the super spacer bar 5, and the first glass substrate 1 and the second glass substrate 2 can be laminated together through the super spacer bar 5, so that the super spacer bar 5, the first glass substrate 1 and the second glass substrate 2 form a closed space together. After the lamination is completed, the closed space can also be sealed with a sealant, such as Figure 1 The second layer of sealant 8, that is, two layers of sealant are applied outside the super spacer strip 5 to ensure the sealing of the enclosed space.

[0037] In order to ensure the strength of the glass, the third glass substrate 3 is bonded to the other side of the second glass substrate 2 by laminating. The laminating process will form a transparent adhesive film 9 between the second glass substrate 2 and the third glass substrate 3. In this embodiment, in order to avoid the influence of the super spacer 5 on the conductive electrode 6, the super spacer 5 that originally blocked the conductive electrode 6 is changed in position, so that the conductive electrode 6 can be observed. In order to ensure the aesthetics of the dimming glass, in this embodiment, a thin-film solar cell 7 is arranged in the adhesive film 9 between the third glass substrate 3 and the second glass substrate 2. The thin-film solar cell 7 blocks the conductive electrode 6 in the observation direction of the third glass substrate 3. That is, the third glass substrate 3 is the side facing the user, and the user will observe the dimming glass from the third glass substrate 3, and the thin-film solar cell 7 can block the conductive electrode 6 in the observation direction of the user. The thin-film solar cell 7 can have the same shape as the conductive electrode 6, such as a long strip, but the width is greater than the conductive electrode 6. It can also be set to a ring shape, such as Figure 3 shown.

[0038] The thin film solar cell 7 is a functional component, and is more aesthetically pleasing than the conductive electrode 6. Since the conductive electrode 6 is generally disposed near the edge of the glass substrate, the thin film solar cell 7 is also disposed near the edge of the glass substrate in order to shield the conductive electrode 6. It can be further disposed in the ineffective area of ​​the glass, for example, the area where the glass window frame is installed, so that the thin film solar cell 7 and the glass window frame are visually integrated, further improving the aesthetics. In addition, since the dimming film 4 has very low power consumption, the electric energy generated by the thin film solar cell 7 is completely sufficient to power the dimming film 4, and the entire dimming glass can be self-sufficient at the electrical level. Since the thin film solar cell 7 cannot work at night, a corresponding energy storage element can also be provided for the thin film solar cell 7, and the power generated during the day can be reserved for use at night. The excess electric energy generated by the thin film solar cell 7 can also enter the power system for use by other electrical appliances.

[0039] Based on the dimming glass in this embodiment, the super spacer 5 is spaced from the conductive electrode 6 so that the super spacer 5 is away from the conductive electrode 6, thereby avoiding the influence of the breathing effect of the super spacer 5 on the dimming film 4. Then, by setting a thin-film solar cell 7 that can shield the conductive electrode 6 through the adhesive film 9 between the second glass substrate 2 and the third glass substrate 3, on the one hand, the dimming glass can be self-sufficient in electricity and improve energy saving, and on the other hand, the aesthetics of the dimming glass can be maintained on the basis of changing the position of the super spacer 5.

[0040] In one embodiment, the conductive electrode 6 is a silver paste electrode. Silver paste is a low-resistance conductive paste with good adhesion and fast curing properties. It is generally composed of conductive silver powder, inorganic binder glass, organic carrier and trace additives to improve battery performance. It can be deposited on the substrate surface by screen printing or other spraying technology, and after drying into a film, a silver paste electrode can be formed.

[0041] In one embodiment, the material of the adhesive film 9 includes EVA adhesive film. EVA adhesive film is also called ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) hot melt adhesive film, which is a low-temperature adhesive hot melt adhesive film with the characteristics of low lamination temperature, transparency, softness, hot melt adhesiveness and low melting temperature. In the lamination process, this material is often used to bond glass. In addition, due to its transparent characteristics, it will not affect the transparency of the glass, nor will it affect the sunlight incident on the thin-film solar cell 7.

[0042] In one embodiment, the first glass substrate 1, the second glass substrate 2 and the third glass substrate 3 are tempered glass. When the dimming glass is used as a glass curtain wall or a glass facade, there is a requirement for the structural strength of the dimming glass. If the first glass substrate 1, the second glass substrate 2 and the third glass substrate 3 are all tempered glass, the strength of the dimming glass can be greatly enhanced.

[0043] In one embodiment, the width of the edge cleaning area is 8-10 mm.

[0044] In one embodiment, the first distance is 1-2 mm.

[0045] The present application provides a method for preparing dimming glass. Figure 4 , including steps S402 to S414.

[0046] S402, depositing a dimming film on the second glass substrate, and performing edge cleaning on the side where the dimming film is deposited, so as to form an edge cleaning area between the boundary of the dimming film and the boundary of the second glass substrate.

[0047] It can be understood that the dimming film is the core of the dimming glass, and the dimming film can switch between transparent and opaque display effects when powered on and off. In order to enable the dimming glass as a whole to switch the display effect as the dimming film switches, it needs to be set in the central area of ​​the second glass substrate. During the preparation process, the dimming film will first be deposited on the second glass substrate, and in order to reserve the area for the encapsulated glass, the edge cleaning process will be performed along the boundary of the second glass substrate, and the dimming film around the edge of the second glass substrate will be removed to form a clear edge area. In some embodiments, the width of the clear edge area can be 8-10mm. The edge cleaning process can adopt a laser edge cleaning process to avoid errors and damage caused by manual operation.

[0048] S404, marking lines on the dimming film, injecting conductive paste into the marked areas, and curing the conductive paste after the injection is completed to form conductive electrodes.

[0049] It can be understood that at the selected electrode setting position, a laser or other etching method is used to form a notch together with the second glass substrate. Since the conductive paste is in a flowing state before solidification, the notch in this embodiment can prevent the conductive paste from flowing freely. After the conductive paste is injected, it needs to be solidified to form a conductive electrode. The conductive paste can be reacted by heating to form a continuous conductive film. In one embodiment, the conductive paste is a conductive silver paste.

[0050] S406, performing electrode extraction processing on the conductive electrode.

[0051] It can be understood that since the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate need to be sealed, and the conductive electrode is located inside the enclosed space, it is necessary to use a conductor to lead the conductive electrode to the outside of the enclosed space to facilitate the power supply to the dimming film. In some embodiments, tinned copper is used to connect the conductive electrode, and the tinned copper is led out of the boundary of the second glass substrate. In some embodiments, the cable can also be welded to the conductive electrode by brazing, and the cable is led out of the boundary of the second glass substrate.

[0052] S408, a super spacer is disposed around a position where the edge clearing area is spaced a first distance from the boundary of the dimming film, and the first glass substrate is laminated with the second glass substrate via the super spacer to form a closed space.

[0053] It can be understood that the super spacer is a sealing material for insulating glass, which can be made of silicone or EPDM with a thermosetting, elastic, microporous structure. The thermal conductivity of the super spacer is extremely low, which can effectively reduce the energy loss of the insulating glass, improve the thermal insulation and sound insulation performance, prevent condensation and mildew, and extend the service life of the insulating glass. Since the clear edge area is the area reserved in advance for glass packaging, the super spacer is set in the clear edge area, and is separated from the boundary of the dimming film by a first distance, surrounding the second glass substrate. Then, the first glass substrate is combined with the second glass substrate through the super spacer by means of adhesives to form a closed space.

[0054] S410, sealing the enclosed space with a sealant.

[0055] When the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate are combined, a layer of glue will be applied. In order to enhance the structural strength and sealing performance of the insulating glass, the enclosed space will be sealed with sealant. This process step can also be called the second layer of glue. The sealant used in this step is generally different from the butyl glue used in the first layer of glue, and can be silicone glue, polysulfide glue or polyurethane glue.

[0056] S412, disposing the thin-film solar cell between the third glass substrate and the second glass substrate, and bonding the third glass substrate to the second glass substrate by laminating, so that the thin-film solar cell is located in the adhesive film between the third glass substrate and the second glass substrate, and the thin-film solar cell blocks the conductive electrode in the observation direction of the third glass substrate.

[0057] In order to ensure the strength of the glass, a third glass substrate will be bonded to the other side of the second glass substrate by laminating. The laminating process will form a transparent adhesive film between the second glass substrate and the third glass substrate. In this embodiment, in order to avoid the influence of the super spacer on the conductive electrode, the super spacer that originally blocked the conductive electrode is changed in position, so that the conductive electrode can be observed. In order to ensure the aesthetics of the dimming glass, in this embodiment, a thin-film solar cell is arranged in the adhesive film between the third glass substrate and the second glass substrate, and the thin-film solar cell blocks the conductive electrode in the observation direction of the third glass substrate. That is, the third glass substrate is the side facing the user, and the user will observe the dimming glass from the third glass substrate, and the thin-film solar cell can block the conductive electrode in the user's observation direction.

[0058] Thin-film solar cells are functional components, and are more aesthetically pleasing than conductive electrodes. Since conductive electrodes are generally disposed near the edge of the glass substrate, thin-film solar cells are also disposed near the edge of the glass substrate in order to shield the conductive electrodes. They can be further disposed in the ineffective area of ​​the glass, for example, the area where the glass window frame is installed, so that the thin-film solar cells and the glass window frame are visually integrated, further improving the aesthetics. In addition, since the dimming film consumes very little power, the electric energy generated by the thin-film solar cell is completely sufficient to power the dimming film, and the entire dimming glass can be self-sufficient at the electrical level. Since thin-film solar cells cannot work at night, corresponding energy storage elements can also be set for thin-film solar cells to save the power generated during the day for use at night. The excess power generated by thin-film solar cells can also enter the power system for use by other electrical appliances.

[0059] S414, electrically connecting the thin film solar cell to the conductive electrode.

[0060] That is, the electric energy generated by the thin-film solar cell is used to power the dimming film, so as to achieve self-sufficiency in electric energy. The way in which the thin-film solar cell is electrically connected to the conductive electrode mainly depends on the lead-out method of the conductive electrode. If the conductive electrode is led out by tinned copper, it is connected to the conductive electrode through the tinned copper. If the conductive electrode is led out by a cable, it is connected to the conductive electrode through the cable.

[0061] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The various embodiments can be combined as needed, and the same or similar parts can refer to each other.

[0062] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to implement or use the present application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but will conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A dimming glass, characterized in that: It includes a first glass substrate, a second glass substrate, a third glass substrate, a dimming film, a super spacer, a conductive electrode and a thin-film solar cell; The dimming film is arranged in the central area of ​​the second glass substrate, the conductive electrode is arranged on the dimming film, a clear edge area is formed between the boundary of the dimming film and the boundary of the second glass substrate, the super spacer is arranged in the clear edge area and is spaced a first distance from the boundary of the dimming film, the super spacer, the first glass substrate and the second glass substrate together form a closed space, and the closed space is sealed by a sealant; The third glass substrate is the side facing the user, the third glass substrate is adhered to the second glass substrate by laminating, the thin-film solar cell is arranged in the adhesive film between the third glass substrate and the second glass substrate, the thin-film solar cell is annular and is specifically arranged in the area where the glass window frame is installed, and the thin-film solar cell blocks the conductive electrode in the viewing direction of the third glass substrate, and the thin-film solar cell is electrically connected to the conductive electrode.

2. The dimming glass according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conductive electrode is a silver paste electrode.

3. The switchable glass according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the adhesive film includes EVA adhesive film.

4. The switchable glass according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first glass substrate, the second glass substrate and the third glass substrate are tempered glass.

5. The switchable glass according to claim 1, characterized in that: The width of the edge cleaning area is 8-10 mm.

6. The switchable glass according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first distance is 1-2 mm.

7. A method for preparing dimming glass, characterized in that: include: Depositing a dimming film on the second glass substrate, and performing edge cleaning on the side on which the dimming film is deposited, so as to form an edge cleaning area between the boundary of the dimming film and the boundary of the second glass substrate; Marking lines on the dimming film, injecting conductive paste into the marks, and curing the conductive paste after the injection to form a conductive electrode; Performing electrode extraction processing on the conductive electrode; A super spacer is arranged around a position where the edge-clearing area and the boundary of the dimming film are spaced apart by a first distance, and the first glass substrate is joined with the second glass substrate through the super spacer to form a closed space; Sealing the enclosed space with a sealant; The annular thin-film solar cell is arranged between the third glass substrate and the second glass substrate, specifically in the area where the glass window frame is installed, and the third glass substrate is adhered to the second glass substrate by laminating, so that the thin-film solar cell is located in the adhesive film between the third glass substrate and the second glass substrate, and the thin-film solar cell shields the conductive electrode in the viewing direction of the third glass substrate; the third glass substrate is the side facing the user; The thin film solar cell is electrically connected to the conductive electrode.

8. The method for preparing dimming glass according to claim 7, characterized in that: The electrode extraction process for the conductive electrode comprises: The conductive electrode is connected with tinned copper, and the tinned copper is led out of the boundary of the second glass substrate.

9. The method for preparing dimming glass according to claim 8, characterized in that: The step of electrically connecting the thin film solar cell to the conductive electrode comprises: The thin film solar cell is electrically connected to the conductive electrode through the tinned copper.

10. The method for preparing dimming glass according to claim 7, characterized in that: The conductive paste is conductive silver paste.

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