Thermoforming die and production equipment of electrochromic device

Abstract

The utility model provides a thermoforming mould and production equipment of electrochromic device, the thermoforming mould comprises: a first mould structure and a second mould structure which are arranged oppositely and can be opened and closed, one of the first mould structure and the second mould structure is provided with a first shaping surface, and the other one is provided with a second shaping surface, the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface are both curved surfaces; one of the first mold structure and the second mold structure can move relative to the other mold structure so as to apply acting force to the electrochromic membrane contained between the first shaping face and the second shaping face. According to the thermoforming mold disclosed by the utility model, the electrochromic film with a plane or near-plane structure can be molded into the electrochromic device with curvature, so that the electrochromic device can be combined with base materials such as glass with higher curvature; the internal stress of the electrochromic device in the lamination process can be reduced or even eliminated to the maximum extent, so that edge wrinkles caused by stress are eliminated, and the appearance effect after lamination is improved.

Description

[0001] This application claims the priority of the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on March 29, 2024, with application number 202410379721.1 and application name “Thermoforming mold and production equipment for electrochromic device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference in this application. Technical Field

[0002] The utility model relates to the technical field of electrochromic device processing, in particular to a thermoforming mold and production equipment for an electrochromic device. Background Art

[0003] Electrochromism refers to the phenomenon that the optical properties of a material (reflectivity, transmittance, absorptivity, etc.) undergo stable and reversible changes under the action of an external electric field, which is manifested in the reversible change of color and / or transparency. Materials with electrochromic properties are called electrochromic materials, and devices made of electrochromic materials are called electrochromic devices.

[0004] Existing flexible electrochromic devices usually need to be laminated with a substrate such as glass before use. The current lamination process usually directly sandwiches a flat or nearly flat electrochromic device into the glass, and forms an integrally formed multi-layer structure through a high temperature and high pressure or lamination process. During the lamination process, the electrochromic device gradually deforms to a shape close to the glass on the outside.

[0005] However, this process is only applicable to flat glass or curved glass with a small hyperbolic arch height. For applications where the glass has a high-curvature hyperbolic structure, the above solution is likely to cause wrinkles on the edge of the electrochromic device during the assembly process, affecting the overall appearance. Utility Model Content

[0006] In view of the above problems, the utility model provides a thermoforming mold and production equipment for an electrochromic device, which can shape an electrochromic film with a planar or nearly planar structure into an electrochromic device with curvature, thereby minimizing or even eliminating the internal stress of the electrochromic device during the assembly process.

[0007] The utility model provides a thermoforming mold for an electrochromic device, wherein the electrochromic device is made of an electrochromic film through a thermoforming process, and the thermoforming mold is used to perform the thermoforming process, and the thermoforming mold comprises: a first mold structure and a second mold structure that are arranged relatively and can be opened and closed, wherein one of the first mold structure and the second mold structure has a first shaping surface, and the other has a second shaping surface, and both the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface are curved surfaces; and one of the first mold structure and the second mold structure is movable relative to the other, so as to apply a force to the electrochromic film accommodated between the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface so as to form a pre-bent structure of the electrochromic film.

[0008] According to the thermoforming mold of the utility model, since the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface are both curved surfaces, the electrochromic film with a planar or nearly planar structure can be shaped into an electrochromic device with curvature. In this way, the curvature of the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface can be flexibly adjusted according to the curvature of the glass or other substrates used in the lamination process, so that the curvature of the electrochromic device obtained by the thermoforming mold is similar to the curvature of the glass or other substrates used in the lamination process. In this case, lamination is performed. Compared with the solution in the related art of directly laminating the planar electrochromic film between the glass through the lamination process or the lamination process, the internal stress of the electrochromic device during the lamination process can be minimized or even eliminated, thereby reducing or even eliminating the edge wrinkles caused by stress, improving the appearance effect after lamination, and also helping to avoid cracking of the conductive coating, thereby preventing the risk of abnormal process state and regional performance failure. In addition, the implementation principle is relatively simple and easy to implement.

[0009] In some embodiments, the first mold structure and the second mold structure both include a support member, at least a portion of a surface of the support member of the first mold structure constitutes the first shaping surface, and at least one of the two support members is configured to heat the electrochromic film.

[0010] In some embodiments, the one of the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface that bends toward the electrochromic film is a convex surface, and the one that bends away from the electrochromic film is a concave surface; the curvature radius of the one of the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface that is a convex surface is less than or equal to the curvature radius of the one that is a concave surface.

[0011] In some embodiments, the support member is a rigid structure.

[0012] In some embodiments, the thickness of the support member is 0.5-100 mm.

[0013] In some embodiments, the support member includes: a heat exchange channel, wherein the heat exchange channel is suitable for circulating a heat exchange medium, and when the heat exchange medium flows through the heat exchange channel, the support member heats or cools the electrochromic film.

[0014] In some embodiments, at least one of the first mold structure and the second mold structure further includes a buffer member, and the buffer member is disposed on a side of the support member facing the electrochromic film.

[0015] In some embodiments, the thermal conductivity of the buffer is greater than 0.1 W / (m*K); and / or the Shore hardness of the buffer is 20-90; and / or the thickness of the buffer is 0.1-10 mm.

[0016] In some embodiments, at least one of the first mold structure and the second mold structure further includes an anti-scratch member, and the anti-scratch member is disposed on a side of the support member facing the electrochromic film.

[0017] In some embodiments, the anti-scratch component is a wear-resistant component; and / or the anti-slip component is a component with a smooth surface.

[0018] In some embodiments, the anti-scratch member has a thickness less than or equal to 2 mm.

[0019] In some embodiments, the thermoforming mold further includes: a positioning structure, wherein the positioning structure is used to position the electrochromic film when the electrochromic film is attached to any one of the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface.

[0020] In some embodiments, the first mold structure and the second mold structure both include a support member, a buffer member and an anti-scratch member, and the buffer member and the anti-scratch member are sequentially stacked on a side of the support member facing the electrochromic film; the positioning structure is formed as a positioning pattern located on a surface of at least one of the support member, the buffer member and the anti-scratch member facing the electrochromic film.

[0021] In some embodiments, the positioning structure includes a vacuum device, which includes a suction piece and an exhaust channel. One end of the exhaust channel passes through at least one of the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface, and the other end is connected to the suction piece. The vacuum device is used to vacuum the gap between the electrochromic film and any one of the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface when the electrochromic film is attached to any one of the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface.

[0022] In some embodiments, one of the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface is provided with a receiving area, and the receiving area is used to receive the electrochromic film. The thermoforming mold further includes: a positioning pad, which is arranged around the circumference of the receiving area, and the positioning pad defines the receiving area.

[0023] In some embodiments, the thickness of the positioning pad H2 and the thickness H1 of the electrochromic film satisfy: H2 = (0.3-5) * H1; and / or, the distance W between the positioning pad and the electrochromic film satisfies: W ≥ 0 mm.

[0024] The utility model also provides a production device, comprising: a thermoforming mold of the electrochromic device described in the first aspect of the utility model. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, a brief introduction will be given below to the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of an electrochromic film according to an embodiment of the utility model at one angle;

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of the electrochromic film of an embodiment of the utility model from another angle;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram of the electrochromic film of an embodiment of the utility model from another angle;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of the electrochromic film of an embodiment of the utility model from another angle;

[0030] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electrochromic film of some embodiments of the utility model;

[0031] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electrochromic film of some embodiments of the utility model;

[0032] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electrochromic film of some embodiments of the utility model;

[0033] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of an electrochromic film in an embodiment of the utility model when it is in a hyperbolic structure;

[0034] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of another angle when the electrochromic film of the embodiment of the utility model has a hyperbolic structure;

[0035] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the thermoforming mold of the utility model when only the supporting member is provided;

[0036] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of a thermoforming process of the electrochromic film by a thermoforming mold with a support member of the utility model;

[0037] Fig.12 This is a schematic structural diagram of a thermoforming mold in an embodiment of the utility model when the support member and the buffer member are independent of each other;

[0038] Fig.13 This is a schematic structural diagram of a thermoforming mold according to an embodiment of the utility model when a support member and a buffer member are connected to each other;

[0039] Fig.14 It is a schematic diagram of a thermoforming process of the electrochromic film by a thermoforming mold with a support member and a buffer member of the utility model;

[0040] Fig.15 This is a schematic structural diagram of a thermoforming mold in an embodiment of the utility model when the support member, the buffer member and the anti-scratch member are independent of each other;

[0041] Fig.16 This is a schematic structural diagram of a thermoforming mold according to an embodiment of the utility model when the support member and the buffer member are connected to each other and the anti-scratch member is independent;

[0042] Fig.17 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the thermoforming mold of an embodiment of the utility model when the support member, the buffer member and the anti-scratch member are connected to each other;

[0043] Fig.18 A schematic diagram of a thermoforming process for thermoforming an electrochromic film by a thermoforming mold with a support member, a buffer member and a scratch-resistant member of the utility model;

[0044] Fig.19 This is a structural schematic diagram of a thermoforming mold when the support member of an embodiment of the utility model is a base-type structure;

[0045] Fig. 20 It is a structural schematic diagram of a thermoforming mold having a support member and a buffer member according to an embodiment of the utility model, and when the support member is a base-type structure;

[0046] Fig.21 It is a structural schematic diagram of a thermoforming mold having a support member, a buffer member and an anti-scratch member according to an embodiment of the utility model, and when the support member is a base-type structure;

[0047] Fig. 22 A schematic diagram of the relative positions of the positioning pad and the electrochromic film in an embodiment of the utility model;

[0048] Fig.23 For along Fig. 22 Sectional view of the AA section;

[0049] Fig.24 This is a process flow chart of the thermoforming process of the electrochromic film according to an embodiment of the utility model.

[0050] Description of reference numerals:

[0051] 100-thermoforming mold;

[0052] 1-support member; 1a-first support member; 1b-second support member; 11-heat exchange flow channel; 12-first shaping surface; 13-second shaping surface;

[0053] 2-buffer; 2a-first buffer; 2b-second buffer;

[0054] 3-anti-scratch member; 3a-first anti-scratch member; 3b-second anti-scratch member;

[0055] 4- Positioning pad;

[0056] 5- Accommodation area;

[0057] 200-electrochromic film;

[0058] 201-first conductive substrate layer; 2011-first lead; 2012-first electrode;

[0059] 202-electrochromic layer;

[0060] 203 - second conductive substrate layer; 2031 - second lead; 2032 - second electrode;

[0061] 204 - adhesive layer; 204a - first adhesive layer; 204b - second adhesive layer;

[0062] 205 - protective layer; 205a - first protective layer; 205b - second protective layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more obvious and understandable, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings 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 belong to the scope of protection of this application.

[0064] Electrochromism refers to the phenomenon that the optical properties of materials (reflectivity, transmittance, absorptivity, etc.) undergo stable and reversible changes under the action of an external electric field, which is manifested in appearance as reversible changes in color and / or transparency. Materials with electrochromic properties are called electrochromic materials, and devices made of electrochromic materials are called electrochromic films. At present, electrochromic films that have been industrialized include electrochromic smart dimming glass, electrochromic displays, and automatic anti-glare rearview mirrors for cars, which have a huge application market in the fields of automobiles, aircraft, and smart buildings.

[0065] Existing flexible electrochromic devices usually need to be laminated with a substrate such as glass before use. The current lamination process usually directly sandwiches a flat or nearly flat electrochromic device into the glass, and forms an integrally formed multi-layer structure through high temperature and high pressure or lamination processes. The electrochromic device gradually deforms to a shape close to the outer glass during the lamination process. However, the prior art can only form flat electrochromic devices, and this process is only applicable to flat glass or curved glass with a small hyperbolic arch height. For application scenarios where the glass is a high-curvature hyperbolic structure, the above solution is very likely to cause wrinkles on the edges of the electrochromic device during the lamination process, affecting the overall appearance.

[0066] In view of this, the utility model provides an electrochromic device and its thermoforming process, an electrochromic device, and a terminal product. The electrochromic film is shaped by a thermoforming mold with a curved structure, and an electrochromic device with a curved structure can be obtained. The electrochromic device can be used as an intermediate product of the electrochromic device to facilitate the subsequent bonding of the electrochromic device with a curved structure obtained by thermoforming with the curved glass. Compared with the solution in the related art that directly bonds the electrochromic device with a flat or nearly flat surface with the curved glass, which easily leads to wrinkles in the electrochromic device, the wrinkles generated by the electrochromic device in the subsequent bonding process can be significantly reduced or even eliminated, making the electrochromic device more suitable for use in scenes where the glass is a high-curvature hyperbolic structure. In the embodiment of the present application, the difference between the circumference of the electrochromic film before thermal bending and the circumference of the shape formed after thermal bending, and the ratio of the difference to the circumference before thermal bending are used to measure the size of the curvature. When the absolute value of the ratio is greater than 0.15%, it is considered to be a high-curvature structure. Furthermore, in the thermoforming process of the embodiment of the present application, a first force is applied to the electrochromic film through the thermoforming mold to form a pre-bent structure to stabilize its shape first, and at the same time, the electrochromic film with the pre-bent structure is restricted from moving by the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface in the thermoforming mold, thereby achieving the positioning of the electrochromic film and preventing the electrochromic film from moving during the shaping process and affecting the shaping effect. After the electrochromic film is heated to a temperature exceeding the glass transition temperature and reaching a high elastic state, a second force is applied to shape and keep warm, which can greatly reduce the internal stress of the electrochromic film during the shaping process, reduce or even eliminate wrinkles, and solidify the shape.

[0067] First of all, it should be noted that the electrochromic device mentioned in the present application is an electrochromic film 200 with a curved structure formed by a planar or nearly planar electrochromic film 200 through the thermoforming process of this embodiment. The two have the same layer structure, and the difference lies in the shape.

[0068] First reference Figure 1-Figure 9 The electrochromic film 200 of this embodiment is a composite film with a color adjustment function. The electrochromic film 200 may include: a first conductive substrate layer 201, an electrochromic layer 202, and a second conductive substrate layer 203. The first conductive substrate layer 201, the electrochromic layer 202, and the second conductive substrate layer 203 are stacked in sequence. The first conductive substrate layer 201 and the second conductive substrate layer 203 are respectively connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the external circuit. For example, the first conductive substrate layer 201 is provided with a first lead 2011 extending outward, and the second conductive substrate layer 203 is provided with a second lead 2031 extending outward. The electrochromic film 200 is connected to the external circuit through the first lead 2011 and the second lead 2031. In this way, an electric field can be generated between the first conductive substrate layer 201 and the second conductive substrate layer 203.

[0069] The electrochromic layer 202 is mainly composed of at least one of a liquid crystal material, a nanoparticle material and an electrochromic material, and is configured to change color when an electric field is applied between the first conductive substrate layer 201 and the second conductive substrate layer 203 .

[0070] The first conductive substrate layer 201 includes a first substrate layer and a first conductive coating layer, wherein the material of the first substrate layer may be a flexible film based on materials such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyethylene naphthalate two formic acid glycol ester (PEN), and the first conductive coating layer may be indium tin oxide (ITO). Correspondingly, the second conductive substrate layer 203 includes a second substrate layer and a second conductive coating layer, wherein the material of the second substrate layer may be a flexible film based on materials such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyethylene naphthalate two formic acid glycol ester (PEN), and the second conductive coating layer may be indium tin oxide (ITO). Of course, the utility model is not limited thereto, and the first conductive coating layer and the second conductive coating layer may also be other transparent conductive material coatings.

[0071] Exemplarily, a first groove is provided at the edge of the first conductive substrate layer 201, and the first groove runs through the first conductive substrate layer 201 and the electrochromic layer 202. The portion of the edge of the first conductive substrate layer 201 except the first groove constitutes the first electrode 2012. A second groove is provided at the edge of the second conductive substrate layer 203, and the second groove runs through the second conductive substrate layer 203 and the electrochromic layer 202. The portion of the edge of the second conductive substrate layer 203 except the second groove constitutes the second electrode 2032. The first electrode 2012 can be a positive electrode and the second electrode 2032 can be a negative electrode, or the first electrode 2012 can be a negative electrode and the second electrode 2032 can be a positive electrode. Part of the first electrode 2012 is exposed from the second groove, and part of the second electrode 2032 is exposed from the first groove. A first bus bar and a second bus bar are attached to both sides of the electrochromic film 200 in the thickness direction. The first bus bar is electrically connected to the first electrode 2012 exposed at the second groove, and the second bus bar is electrically connected to the second electrode 2032 exposed at the first groove. The projection of the first electrode 2012 in the reference plane and the projection of the second electrode 2032 in the reference plane are at least partially staggered, and the reference plane is parallel to the electrochromic layer 202. For example, the projection of the first electrode 2012 in the reference plane and the projection of the second electrode 2032 in the reference plane overlap at one end close to each other along the length direction of the edge where they are located to form an overlapping area, or the projection of the first electrode 2012 in the reference plane and the projection of the second electrode 2032 in the reference plane are completely staggered along the length direction of the edge where they are located.

[0072] When the first electrode 2012 and the second electrode 2032 are located on both sides of the electrochromic layer 202, and the first electrode 2012 and the second electrode 2032 have a large overlapping area in the length direction of the side where they are located, since the first groove and the second groove cut part of the thickness of the film, the thickness at the overlapping area is larger than the thickness at the first groove and the second groove. During the bending and shaping process of the electrochromic film 200, when the first electrode 2012 and the second electrode 2032 are deformed or stretched in opposite directions, a certain stress may be exerted on the projected overlapping area of ​​the first electrode 2012 and the second electrode 2032, which may easily lead to stress concentration in the overlapping area, and then produce a larger wrinkle area. The electrochromic film 200 of the present embodiment can minimize the width of the overlapping area between the first electrode 2012 and the second electrode 2032 in the direction of their side lengths, or even completely stagger them, by at least partially staggering the projection of the first electrode 2012 on the reference plane with the projection of the second electrode 2032 on the reference plane. In this way, in the subsequent shaping process, the stress concentration area can be effectively reduced or eliminated, and in the thermoforming process, it is more conducive to the dispersion of stress, which can effectively alleviate edge wrinkles and / or cracking of the conductive coating, as well as the risks of abnormal process state and regional performance failure caused thereby.

[0073] In addition, by providing a first groove and a second groove on the edge of the electrochromic film 200, the electrochromic film 200 can be provided with the space margin required for bending during the bending and shaping process, so as to greatly reduce or avoid wrinkles at the edge of the electrochromic film 200, thereby improving the aesthetics of the electrochromic film 200.

[0074] In some embodiments, when the projection of the first electrode 2012 in the reference plane partially overlaps with the projection of the second electrode 2032 in the reference plane, the width of the overlapping area is less than or equal to 5 mm, preferably less than 2 mm. In this way, the stress concentration area can be effectively reduced, and during the molding process, it is more conducive to the dispersion of stress, which can effectively alleviate edge wrinkles and / or cracking of the conductive coating, as well as the risks of process state abnormalities and regional performance failures caused thereby.

[0075] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 5 and Figure 7 At least one of the first conductive substrate 201 and the second conductive substrate 203 is provided with an adhesive layer 204 on the side facing away from the electrochromic layer 202. For example, only the side of the first conductive substrate 201 facing away from the electrochromic layer 202 may be provided with an adhesive layer 204; or, only the side of the second conductive substrate 203 facing away from the electrochromic layer 202 may be provided with an adhesive layer 204; or, the first conductive substrate 201 and the second conductive substrate 203 are provided with an adhesive layer 204 on the side facing away from the electrochromic layer 202, respectively, that is, the first adhesive layer 204a is provided on the side of the first conductive substrate 201 facing away from the electrochromic layer 202, and the second adhesive layer 204b is provided on the side of the second conductive substrate 203 facing away from the electrochromic layer 202. By providing the adhesive layer 204, the overall operation and utilization of the electrochromic film 200 in the subsequent process is facilitated to improve the work efficiency of the subsequent process.

[0076] In some embodiments, the adhesive layer 204 is an optical adhesive. Specifically, the optical adhesive has one or more transparent or selectively light-absorbing optical adhesives. For example, the optical adhesive can be at least one of polyvinyl butyral (PVB), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), OCA (Optically Clear Adhesive) optical adhesive, etc., and the optical adhesive has an adhesive function to facilitate combination with other components in subsequent processes.

[0077] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 6 and Figure 7, a peelable protective layer 205 is further provided on the side of at least one of the first conductive substrate layer 201 and the second conductive substrate layer 203 facing away from the electrochromic layer 202, and the protective layer 205 may be a release film. For example, the protective layer 205 may be provided only on the side of the first conductive substrate layer 201 facing away from the electrochromic layer 202; or, the protective layer 205 may be provided only on the side of the second conductive substrate layer 203 facing away from the electrochromic layer 202; or, the first conductive substrate layer 201 and the second conductive substrate layer 203 may each be provided with a protective layer 205 on their respective sides facing away from the electrochromic layer 202, that is, the first protective layer 205a is provided on the side of the first conductive substrate layer 201 facing away from the electrochromic layer 202, and the second protective layer 205b is provided on the side of the second conductive substrate layer 203 facing away from the electrochromic layer 202. By providing the protective layer 205, the dirt and surface scratches of the electrochromic film 200 caused during the processing operation can be effectively reduced, and the overall toughness and rigidity of the film surface can be increased simultaneously, reducing folds and fractures. In addition, during the shaping process, it is beneficial to maintain the plastic deformation of the hot bending process and reduce rebound. Similarly, it can also avoid the problems of adhesion and dirt contamination caused by the placement of multiple groups of composite films, which is more conducive to large-scale production and transportation.

[0078] It should be noted that when the electrochromic film 200 is not provided with the adhesive layer 204, the protective layer 205 can be directly provided on the outside of the first conductive substrate layer 201 and / or the second conductive substrate layer 203; when the electrochromic film 200 is provided with the adhesive layer 204, the protective layer 205 is provided on the outside of the adhesive layer 204 to protect the adhesive layer 204 at the same time. When the adhesive layer 204 needs to be combined with other structures in the subsequent process, such as when it is combined with glass, the protective layer 205 can be peeled off. On the one hand, it plays a role in protecting the electrochromic device during transportation of the electrochromic device. On the other hand, it is equivalent to pre-heat bending the adhesive layer 204. In the subsequent lamination process, the release film serving as the protective layer 205 can be directly torn off, thereby reducing the process.

[0079] In some possible embodiments, the electrochromic film 200 may include a dimming area and a non-dimming area, and the electrochromic film 200 may also include: a temperature sensing device (not shown). Specifically, the temperature sensing device is provided in the non-dimming area, and the temperature sensing device is used to sense the temperature of the electrochromic film 200 during the thermoforming process of the electrochromic film 200. Since the shaping process of the electrochromic film 200 needs to be heated to exceed the glass transition temperature to reach a high elastic state in order to change the shape, in this embodiment, by providing a temperature sensing device in the non-dimming area of ​​the electrochromic film 200, the temperature of the electrochromic film 200 can be monitored during the thermoforming process to determine whether it has reached a high elastic state, thereby providing a control and adjustment basis for the application of the shaping pressure, which is conducive to accurately controlling the timing of the shaping pressure, thereby minimizing the wrinkles generated by the electrochromic film 200 during the shaping process.

[0080] Combine the following Figure 1-Figure 24 A thermoforming mold 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0081] The thermoforming mold 100 of this embodiment can be used to perform a thermoforming process on the electrochromic film 200 in the above embodiment to shape the flat or nearly flat electrochromic film 200 into an electrochromic device with a curved structure.

[0082] The thermoforming mold 100 of this embodiment may include a first mold structure and a second mold structure, the first mold structure and the second mold structure are arranged relatively and can be opened and closed, one of the first mold structure and the second mold structure has a first shaping surface 12, and the other has a second shaping surface 13, and in the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13, the one that is bent toward the electrochromic film is used as a convex surface, and the one that is bent away from the electrochromic film is used as a concave surface. The first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 are both curved surfaces, such as hyperbolic surfaces, and the curvature, arch height and other parameters of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 can be adjusted according to the target curvature of the electrochromic film 200, and the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 are both suitable for contacting with both sides of the electrochromic film 200.

[0083] For example Fig.10As shown, the first mold structure and the second mold structure can be arranged relatively vertically, the first mold structure can be located on the upper side of the second mold structure, the first shaping surface 12 can be the lower surface of the first mold structure, the second shaping surface 13 can be the upper surface of the second mold structure, and the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 are both bent in the same direction, for example, both are bent upwards. At this time, relative to the electrochromic film 200 located in the middle, the second shaping surface 13 located on the lower side of the electrochromic film 200 is a convex surface that is convex upwards, and the first shaping surface 12 located on the upper side of the electrochromic film 200 is formed as a concave surface that is concave upwards. Alternatively, when the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 are both bent downwards, relative to the electrochromic film 200 located in the middle, the second shaping surface 13 located on the lower side of the electrochromic film 200 is formed as a concave surface that is concave downwards, and the first shaping surface 12 located on the upper side of the electrochromic film 200 is formed as a convex surface that is convex downwards. Optionally, both the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 are hyperbolic surfaces, and the curvatures of the two surfaces may be the same or different.

[0084] It should be noted that when the thermoforming mold 100 is a left-right symmetrical mold, the position of the electrochromic film 200 in the mold is preferably centered in the left-right direction, and the left-right deviation is generally less than or equal to 50 mm, preferably less than or equal to 20 mm; there is no specific limitation on the front and back.

[0085] One of the first mold structure and the second mold structure is movable relative to the other, so that when the electrochromic film 200 is on at least one of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13, the first mold structure and the second mold structure are closed to apply a force to the electrochromic film 200. For example, the first mold structure may be fixed, and the second mold structure may be movable relative to the first mold structure, that is, the first mold structure is a fixed mold, and the second mold structure is a movable mold; or the second mold structure may be fixed, and the first mold structure may be movable relative to the second mold structure, that is, the second mold structure is a fixed mold, and the first mold structure is a movable mold.

[0086] At least one of the first mold structure and the second mold structure is configured to have a heating function to heat the electrochromic film 200. For example, only the first mold structure may be suitable for heating the electrochromic film 200, or only the second mold structure may be suitable for heating the electrochromic film 200, or both the first mold structure and the second mold structure may be suitable for heating the electrochromic film 200, so as to heat the electrochromic film 200 from both sides simultaneously, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the electrochromic film 200. By heating the electrochromic film 200, the temperature of the electrochromic film 200 can exceed the glass transition temperature and reach a highly elastic state, so as to facilitate shaping from a plane or near-plane structure to a hyperbolic structure.

[0087] The steps of shaping the electrochromic film 200 using the thermoforming mold 100 of this embodiment are as follows:

[0088] First, place a flat or nearly flat electrochromic film 200 in the mold cavity between the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13, and make the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 contact the electrochromic film 200 respectively. At this time, a first force can be applied to the electrochromic film 200 through the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 to ensure the stability of the position of the electrochromic film 200, and pre-bend the electrochromic film 200 to a shape similar to the first shaping surface 12 or the second shaping surface 13, that is, a pre-bent structure. Among them, the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 are opposite to each other in the vertical direction. At this time, the convex surface can be at the bottom and the concave surface can be at the top, or the convex surface can be at the top and the concave surface can be at the bottom, and the electrochromic film 200 is placed flat; in addition, under the premise of ensuring that the position of the electrochromic film 200 is fixed, the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 can also be opposite to each other in the horizontal direction or the inclined direction. At this time, the electrochromic film 200 is placed vertically or obliquely.

[0089] Then, the thermoforming mold 100 is controlled to heat the electrochromic film 200 to a first preset temperature, where the first preset temperature is greater than the glass transition temperature of the electrochromic film 200, so that the electrochromic film 200 reaches a high elastic state at the first preset temperature. When the electrochromic film 200 reaches this temperature, the electrochromic film 200 can be co-extruded by the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13, and the internal stress is small to form a target shape, that is, a shape consistent with the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13. It can be understood that the glass transition temperature of the electrochromic film 200 is different depending on the material used for the electrochromic film 200. In the implementation process, a suitable first preset temperature can be set for the thermoforming mold 100 according to the specific material of the electrochromic film 200.

[0090] After the electrochromic film 200 reaches the first preset temperature, a second force is applied to the electrochromic film 200 to make the two sides of the electrochromic film 200 completely fit with the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13, and the first preset time is kept warm to eliminate the internal stress of the electrochromic film 200 and reduce the wrinkles at the edge. After the heat preservation is completed, it can be considered that the electrochromic film 200 has been shaped to form a hyperbolic structure consistent with the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13.

[0091] Finally, the electrochromic film 200 is cooled to a second preset temperature, and the second force is stopped, wherein the second preset temperature is lower than the first preset temperature. After the heat preservation is completed, the thermoforming mold 100 is controlled to cool the electrochromic film 200, so that the temperature of the electrochromic film 200 drops below the glass transition temperature, so that the structure and shape of the electrochromic film 200 are further fixed, and the electrochromic film 200 after heat bending is obtained. Among them, the thermoforming mold 100 can be cooled by air cooling, liquid cooling or natural cooling. Then open the first mold structure and the second mold structure, take out the electrochromic film 200 that has been shaped, and you can get an electrochromic film 200 with a hyperbolic structure with a certain curvature. At this time, the electrochromic film 200 is the same or similar to the structure of the hyperbolic glass to be laminated, and the lamination can be achieved by the process of sandwiching and gluing sheets.

[0092] Since the electrochromic device is a flexible part, the electrochromic device is usually applied in the terminal by first combining the electrochromic device with a substrate such as glass to form a multi-layered overall structure, and then installing the overall structure in the terminal. However, the thermoforming mold 100 of the embodiment of the utility model can shape the electrochromic film 200 with a planar or nearly planar structure into an electrochromic device with curvature because the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 are both curved surfaces. In this way, the curvature of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 can be flexibly adjusted according to the curvature of the glass or other substrates used in the lamination process, so that the curvature of the electrochromic device produced by the thermoforming mold 100 is close to the curvature of the glass or other substrates used in the lamination process. In this case, compared with the solution in the related art of directly sandwiching the planar electrochromic film between the glasses through a sandwich lamination process or a lamination process, the internal stress of the electrochromic device during the lamination process can be minimized or even eliminated, thereby reducing or even eliminating the edge wrinkles caused by stress, improving the appearance after lamination, and also helping to avoid cracking of the conductive coating, thereby preventing the risk of abnormal process state and regional performance failure. Moreover, the implementation principle is relatively simple and easy to implement.

[0093] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 10-Figure 21 The first mold structure and the second mold structure both include a support member 1, at least a portion of the surface of the support member 1 of the first mold structure constitutes a first shaping surface 12, at least a portion of the surface of the support member 1 of the second mold structure constitutes a second shaping surface 13, and at least one of the two support members 1 is configured to heat the electrochromic film 200.

[0094] For example, the first mold structure may include a first support member 1a, and the second mold structure includes a second support member 1b. The lower surface of the first support member 1a constitutes a first shaping surface 12, and the upper surface of the second support member 1b constitutes a second shaping surface 13. The first support member 1a may be used as a heating element, or the second support member 1b may be used as a heating element, or both the first support member 1a and the second support member 1b may be used as heating elements to heat the electrochromic film 200.

[0095] By providing a support member 1 for the first mold structure and the second mold structure, it is convenient to apply force to the electrochromic film 200 through the support member 1 during the shaping process. The first support member 1a and the second support member 1b can also be used as heating members to directly heat the electrochromic film 200 to improve the heating efficiency.

[0096] Optionally, the support member 1 can also serve as an accessory of the corresponding mold structure. For example, the first support structure may include a first mold body (not shown) and a first support member 1a, and the second support structure may include a second mold body (not shown) and a second support member 1b. The first support member 1a can be independent of the first mold body, and the second support member 1b can be independent of the second mold body. During the thermoforming process, the first support member 1a, the electrochromic film 200, and the second support member 1b are temporarily combined into an assembly through vacuum adsorption or application of pressure, and the whole is placed in a container or space with a heating function composed of the first mold body and the second mold body to achieve thermoforming of the electrochromic film 200. Of course, the first support member 1a and the second support member 1b can also be self-heating members.

[0097] Alternatively, the first support member 1a is detachably mounted on the first mold body, and the second support member 1b is detachably mounted on the second mold body. Depending on the target curvature of different electrochromic films 200, the first support members 1a with different curvatures can be installed on the first mold body, and the second support member 1b can be installed on the second mold body. In this way, only the support member 1 needs to be replaced to adapt to the thermoforming process of electrochromic films 200 with various curvature structures.

[0098] Alternatively, the support member 1 can serve as a mold body of the thermoforming mold 100 , that is, the first support member 1 a serves as a mold body of a first mold structure, and the second support member 1 b serves as a mold body of a second mold structure.

[0099] In some embodiments, the radius of curvature of one of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 as a convex surface is less than or equal to the radius of curvature of one of the concave surfaces. In view of the above, being a convex surface or a concave surface is relative to the electrochromic film 200. The convex surface means that the shaping surface is convex toward the electrochromic film 200, and the concave surface means that the shaping surface is concave away from the electrochromic film 200. Since the curvature of the convex surface is set smaller, it is helpful to reduce the wrinkles of the electrochromic film 200 during the shaping process. At the same time, it can also reduce the requirements for the processing accuracy of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13, and reduce the mold cost.

[0100] In some embodiments, the support member 1 is a rigid structural member, so that the support member 1 can apply sufficient extrusion force to the electrochromic film 200 to cause it to undergo plastic deformation and transform from a planar or nearly planar structure to a hyperbolic structure.

[0101] In some embodiments, the support member 1 is a metal member. For example, the first support member 1a and the second support member 1b can be made of aluminum alloy, steel or other materials. In this way, the support member 1 has high structural strength and stability. At the same time, the melting point of the support member 1 is much higher than the glass transition temperature of the electrochromic film 200, ensuring the stability of the mold structure during the thermoforming process of the electrochromic film 200.

[0102] In some embodiments, the thickness of the support member 1 is 0.5-100mm. For example, the thickness of the support member 1 can be 0.5mm, 1mm, 2mm, 5mm, 10mm, 20mm, 30mm, 40mm, 50mm, 60mm, 70mm, 80mm, 90mm or 100mm. Of course, the utility model is not limited to this. The thickness of the support member 1 can be reasonably selected within the above range according to actual needs. Preferably, the thickness of the support member 1 is 1-5mm, preferably 2-3 mm; so as to improve the efficiency of heat transfer to the electrochromic film 200, thereby improving the shaping efficiency. In addition, the support member 1 is generally rigid, which determines the weight of the entire thermoforming mold 100. The size of the mold weight affects the force acting on the electrochromic film 200. Selecting an appropriate thickness can determine the appropriate weight of the thermoforming mold, avoiding a small weight that cannot play an effective positioning and pre-bending force; avoiding excessive weight that causes wrinkles in the pre-bending stage.

[0103] Optionally, the thicknesses of the first support member 1a and the second support member 1b may be the same or different.

[0104] Optionally, any one of the first support member 1a and the second support member 1b can be a hyperbolic equal thickness structure or a hyperbolic non-equal thickness structure. The hyperbolic equal thickness structure here means that the support member 1 is a hyperbolic surface structure, and the thickness of the support member 1 is the same everywhere.

[0105] Optionally, refer to Figure 19-21 Any one of the first support member 1a and the second support member 1b can also be a base-type support member 1 with a certain thickness.

[0106] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 19-21 , the support 1 may include: a heat exchange channel 11. Specifically, the heat exchange channel 11 is suitable for circulating a heat exchange medium. When the heat exchange medium flows through the heat exchange channel 11, the heat exchange medium transfers heat to the support 1, and then the support 1 heats the electrochromic membrane 200. The heat exchange medium may be air, steam, thermal oil, water, etc. In this way, the heating principle of the support 1 is relatively simple and easy to implement. The heat exchange channel may be arranged in a serpentine pipe or in a chamber manner to spread the entire interior of the support, or it may be arranged at the edge of the support to achieve uniform heating. In addition, the heat exchange channel may also be replaced by a heating element, such as a resistance wire.

[0107] It can be understood that when the thickness of the support member 1 is relatively thin, the heat exchange channel 11 may be in a zigzag coil shape; when the thickness of the support member 1 is relatively thick, the heat exchange channel 11 may be in a wavy shape. The length of the heat exchange channel 11 is increased as much as possible, thereby increasing the heat exchange efficiency between the heat exchange medium and the support member 1, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the electrochromic film 200, and ensuring that the heat distribution on the support member 1 is uniform.

[0108] Optionally, in addition to circulating a heat exchange medium with a higher temperature during the heating and insulation stages of the electrochromic diaphragm 200 to transfer heat to the electrochromic diaphragm 200, the heat exchange channel 11 can also circulate a heat exchange medium with a lower temperature during the cooling stage after insulation to achieve rapid cooling and solidification of the electrochromic diaphragm 200.

[0109] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 12-Figure 21 At least one of the first mold structure and the second mold structure further includes a buffer 2, the buffer 2 is adapted to the shape of the support 1, and the buffer 2 is arranged on the side of the support 1 facing the electrochromic film 200. The buffer 2 can be separated from the support 1, or can be bonded and fixed to the surface of the support 1. By providing the buffer 2, the buffer 2 has a certain elasticity, which can reduce the damage of the rigid structure support 1 to the surface of the electrochromic film 200.

[0110] For example, the buffer component 2 may be provided only on the first mold structure; or, the buffer component 2 may be provided only on the second mold structure, or, both the first mold structure and the second mold structure may be provided with the buffer component 2, wherein the first mold structure may include a first buffer component 2a, and the second mold structure may include a second buffer component 2b, the first buffer component 2a is provided on the side of the first support component 1a facing the electrochromic film 200, and the second buffer component 2b is provided on the side of the second support component 1b facing the electrochromic film 200, the shape of the first buffer component 2a may be adapted to the first shaping surface 12 of the first support component 1a so as to fit well on the first shaping surface 12, and the shape of the second buffer component 2b may be adapted to the second shaping surface 13 of the second support component 1b so as to fit well on the second shaping surface 13 to avoid affecting the shaping effect of the electrochromic film 200.

[0111] In some embodiments, the thermal conductivity of the buffer member 2 is greater than 0.1W / (m*K), so that the heat on one side of the support member 1 can be transferred to the electrochromic film 200 with higher efficiency, so as to improve the heating efficiency or cooling efficiency of the electrochromic film 200.

[0112] The Shore hardness of the buffer member 2 is 20-90. Thus, when the buffer member 2 is in direct contact with the electrochromic film 200 , the damage of the buffer member 2 to the electrochromic film 200 can be reduced.

[0113] The thickness of the buffer 2 is 0.1-10mm. For example, the thickness of the buffer 2 can be 0.1mm, 0.2mm, 0.5mm, 1mm, 2mm, 5mm, 8mm or 10mm. Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto. The thickness of the buffer 2 can also be reasonably selected within the above range according to actual needs. In this way, it can be avoided that the thickness of the buffer 2 is too small, for example, less than 0.1mm, and it cannot play an effective buffering role. At the same time, it can also be prevented that the thickness of the buffer 2 is too large, for example, greater than 10mm, resulting in a reduction in the plastic force effect of the thermoforming mold 100 on the electrochromic film 200, and a reduction in the heat transfer efficiency when the support member 1 transfers heat to the electrochromic film 200 through the buffer 2.

[0114] When the thickness of the electrochromic film 200 is less than 0.2 mm, the thickness of the first buffer 2a and the second buffer 2b can be relatively thinned, and preferably the thickness of the first buffer 2a and the second buffer 2b is 0.2-3 mm;

[0115] When the thickness of the electrochromic film 200 is 0.2-0.6 mm, the thickness of the first buffer 2a and the second buffer 2b can be relatively thickened, and preferably the thickness of the first buffer 2a and the second buffer 2b is 0.8-5 mm;

[0116] When the thickness of the electrochromic film 200 is greater than 0.6 mm, the thickness of the first buffer member 2a and the second buffer member 2b is preferably 1-10 mm.

[0117] In some embodiments, the buffer 2 is at least one of silicone, silicone rubber, fluororubber, ethylene propylene rubber, and perfluoroether rubber. In this way, the buffer 2 has a wide range of materials, is easy to obtain, and has a low cost.

[0118] In some embodiments, the buffer member 2 is fixed to the corresponding support member 1 by at least one of a rubber encapsulation and an adhesion process. In this way, the buffer member 2 is fixed to the support member 1 in a simple and reliable manner and is easy to implement.

[0119] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 15-Figure 21 At least one of the first mold structure and the second mold structure also includes an anti-scratch member 3, which is arranged on the side of the support member 1 facing the electrochromic film 200. The anti-scratch member 3 can be separated from the support member 1 or the buffer member 2, or it can be adhesively fixed to the surface of the support member 1 or the buffer member 2. For example, the anti-scratch member 3 may be provided only on the first mold structure; or, the anti-scratch member 3 may be provided only on the second mold structure; or, the anti-scratch member 3 may be provided on both the first mold structure and the second mold structure. In this case, the first mold structure may include a first anti-scratch member 3a, and the second mold structure may include a second anti-scratch member 3b. The first anti-scratch member 3a is provided on the side of the first support member 1a facing the electrochromic film 200, and the second anti-scratch member 3b is provided on the side of the second support member 1b facing the electrochromic film 200. By providing the anti-scratch member 3, the electrochromic film 200 can be prevented from being scratched, and the electrochromic film 200 can be protected from being contaminated by foreign matter. In addition, the electrochromic film 200 and the support member 1 can be prevented from sticking.

[0120] Of course, when the buffer member 2 is provided in the first mold structure and the second mold structure, the first anti-scratch member 3a can be provided on the side of the first buffer member 2a facing the electrochromic film 200, and the second anti-scratch member 3b can be provided on the side of the second buffer member 2b facing the electrochromic film 200. By providing the anti-scratch member 3, the electrochromic film 200 can be prevented from being scratched and the electrochromic film 200 can be protected from being contaminated by foreign matter.

[0121] Optionally, the anti-scratch component 3 is a wear-resistant component to provide a wear-resistant and scratch-resistant function.

[0122] Optionally, the anti-scratch member 3 is a member with a smooth surface to avoid scratching the surface of the electrochromic film 200 .

[0123] In a specific example, the anti-scratch member 3 can be Teflon cloth, or other high temperature resistant and wear-resistant products. Optionally, the anti-scratch member 3 can also include a fiber layer, which can be chemical fiber or biological fiber to improve the high temperature resistance and wear resistance of the anti-scratch member 3.

[0124] In some embodiments, the thickness of the anti-scratch member 3 is less than or equal to 2 mm, which is conducive to efficient transfer of heat and the second force to the electrochromic film.

[0125] In some embodiments, the thermoforming mold 100 may further include: a positioning structure (not shown). Specifically, the positioning structure is used to position the electrochromic film 200 when the electrochromic film 200 is arranged on any one of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13, thereby preventing the electrochromic film 200 from shifting during the shaping process, resulting in poor shaping quality, low precision, or even product scrapping, which helps to improve the shaping effect of the electrochromic film 200.

[0126] In some embodiments, the positioning structure is formed as a positioning pattern on the surface of at least one of the support member 1, the buffer member 2 and the anti-scratch member 3. For example, when the thermoforming mold 100 is provided with only the support member 1, the positioning pattern may be provided on the support member 1; when the thermoforming mold 100 is provided with the support member 1 and the buffer member 2, the positioning pattern may be provided on the buffer member 2; when the thermoforming mold 100 is provided with the support member 1, the buffer member 2 and the anti-scratch member 3, the positioning pattern may be provided on the anti-scratch member 3. The positioning pattern can increase the static friction between the thermoforming mold 100 and the electrochromic film 200, thereby achieving good positioning of the electrochromic film 200.

[0127] In some embodiments, the positioning structure may include a vacuum device, which is used to evacuate the gap between the electrochromic film 200 and any one of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 when the electrochromic film 200 is arranged on any one of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13. In this way, the gap between the electrochromic film 200 and any one of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 can be in a negative pressure state through the vacuum device, so that the electrochromic film 200 is adsorbed on the first shaping surface 12 or the second shaping surface 13, and the electrochromic film 200 is positioned.

[0128] For example, a vacuum device can be provided on any one of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13. The vacuum device can be used to evacuate or apply negative pressure to the gap between the first shaping surface 12 or the second shaping surface 13 and the electrochromic film 200, so that the electrochromic film 200 is firmly adsorbed on the first shaping surface 12 or the second shaping surface 13, thereby achieving the positioning of the electrochromic film 200.

[0129] Optionally, the vacuum device of this embodiment may include: an exhaust channel, one end of which passes through at least one of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13, and the other end passes through the supporting member and is connected to an external exhaust member. In this way, the exhaust member can evacuate or apply negative pressure to the gap between the first shaping surface 12 or the second shaping surface 13 and the electrochromic film 200 through the exhaust channel, so that the electrochromic film 200 is firmly adsorbed on the first shaping surface 12 or the second shaping surface 13, thereby achieving the positioning of the electrochromic film 200.

[0130] In some possible embodiments, in the thermoforming process (i.e., the thermoforming process described below), after the electrochromic film 200 is heated to a temperature exceeding the glass transition temperature and reaching a highly elastic state, a second force is applied by the thermoforming mold to shape the electrochromic film 200. During this process, the electrochromic film 200 can maintain its position relatively stably, and at the same time, a certain degree of stretching is required to facilitate shaping. Therefore, the vacuum device of this embodiment can be configured to stop operating when the thermoforming mold 100 applies the second force to the electrochromic film 200. On the one hand, the continuous operation of the vacuum device is eliminated to avoid unnecessary energy consumption. On the other hand, it prevents the electrochromic film 200 from being too tightly attached to the shaping surface, resulting in deformation and stretching being hindered, which is not conducive to forming.

[0131] In addition, the components including the support member 1, the buffer member 2, the anti-scratch member 3, and the electrochromic film 200 can be placed in a vacuum environment, and the vacuum environment can be provided by a vacuum bag or a vacuum ring. In this way, there are various ways to position the electrochromic film 200, which can be reasonably selected according to needs.

[0132] In some embodiments, reference Fig. 22 and Fig.23 , one of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 is provided with a receiving area 5, and the receiving area 5 can be located in the middle of the shaping surface. The receiving area 5 is used to receive the electrochromic film 200. For example, the receiving area 5 can be located on the lower second shaping surface 13, and the electrochromic film 200 can be placed in the receiving area 5. In addition, a positioning pad 4 is provided around the receiving area 5. The positioning pad 4 can extend along the circumference of the receiving area 5 to form a ring, or can also include a plurality of positioning segments arranged at intervals along the circumference of the receiving area 5. The receiving area 5 can be defined by the positioning pad 4 to prevent the electrochromic film 200 from escaping from the receiving area 5, and the positioning pad 4 can be used as a reference to facilitate the rapid and accurate placement of the electrochromic film 200 in the center of the thermoforming mold 100.

[0133] Optionally, the positioning pad 4 can be a high temperature resistant part. Further, the positioning pad 4 is a plastic part, a silicone part, a metal part, a wooden part, etc. Among them, when the positioning pad 4 is a plastic part, the positioning pad 4 can be at least one of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyethyleneterephthalate (PET). In this way, the positioning pad 4 has good high temperature resistance and can prevent itself from deformation.

[0134] Optional, reference Fig. 22 and Fig.23 , the thickness H2 of the positioning pad 4 and the thickness H1 of the electrochromic film 200 satisfy: H2 = (0.3~5)*H1. For example, the ratio of the thickness H2 of the positioning pad 4 to the thickness H1 of the electrochromic film 200 can be 0.3, 0.5, 0.8, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5 or 5. Of course, the utility model does not limit this. The thickness of the positioning pad 4 can be reasonably selected within the above range according to actual needs.

[0135] Among them, when the ratio of the thickness H2 of the positioning pad 4 to the thickness H1 of the electrochromic film 200 is between 0.3-1, the height difference between the electrochromic film 200 and the interlayers such as the buffer and the anti-scratch part can be reduced, thereby reducing the pressure on the edge of the electrochromic film 200 to a certain extent; when the ratio of the thickness H2 of the positioning pad 4 to the thickness H1 of the electrochromic film 200 is between 1-5, a step difference can be formed by the positioning pad 4, thereby avoiding a large degree of extrusion deformation of the edge of the electrochromic film 200 during the shaping process. In summary, by setting the thickness H2 of the positioning pad 4 and the thickness H1 of the electrochromic film 200 to satisfy: H2 = (0.3~5), the degree of wrinkling at the edge of the electrochromic film can be effectively reduced, and abnormalities of other composite film layers caused by edge deformation of the electrochromic film 200 during the shaping process can be avoided. At the same time, the positioning pad 4 has a certain limiting function, which can better ensure that the electrochromic film 200 is relatively centered during manual operation and process, thereby improving the shaping effect.

[0136] Optionally, the distance W between the positioning pad 4 and the electrochromic film 200 has a value range of W≥0, so as to ensure that the electrochromic film 200 can be positioned well.

[0137] The embodiment of the utility model further provides a production device. Specifically, the production device may include the thermoforming mold 100 of the electrochromic device in the above embodiment.

[0138] The production equipment of the embodiment of the utility model can process the planar or nearly planar electrochromic film 200 into an electrochromic device with a set arch height and curvature value by setting the thermoforming mold 100 in the above embodiment, so as to facilitate the subsequent direct assembly process of the electrochromic device and a substrate such as glass to form an electrochromic device.

[0139] Reference below Figure 10-Figure 24 The thermoforming process of the electrochromic device according to the embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0140] Combination Figure 10-Figure 24 The thermoforming process of this embodiment can be applied to the thermoforming mold 100 in the above embodiment. For example, through the thermoforming process of this embodiment, the thermoforming mold 100 in the above embodiment can be used as a carrier to shape the electrochromic film 200 in the above embodiment from a plane or nearly plane structure to an electrochromic device with a hyperbolic structure. Specifically, the thermoforming process may include the following steps:

[0141] S101, placing the electrochromic film 200 between the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 of the thermoforming mold 100, and applying a first force to the electrochromic film 200 through the thermoforming mold 100, so that the electrochromic film 200 forms a pre-bent structure, wherein the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 are both curved surfaces;

[0142] Specifically, the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 can jointly define a cavity of the thermoforming mold 100, and a flat or nearly flat electrochromic film 200 is placed in the cavity, and the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 are respectively in contact with the electrochromic film 200. At this time, the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 can be used to apply a first force to the electrochromic film 200 to ensure the stability of the position of the electrochromic film 200, and pre-bend the electrochromic film 200 to a shape similar to the first shaping surface 12 or the second shaping surface 13, that is, a pre-bent structure. Among them, the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 are opposite to each other in the vertical direction. At this time, the convex surface can be at the bottom and the concave surface can be at the top, or the convex surface can be at the top and the concave surface can be at the bottom, and the electrochromic film 200 is placed flat; in addition, under the premise of ensuring that the position of the electrochromic film 200 is fixed, the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 can also be opposite to each other in the horizontal direction or the inclined direction. At this time, the electrochromic film 200 is placed vertically or obliquely.

[0143] S102, heating the electrochromic film 200 to a first preset temperature;

[0144] The first preset temperature here refers to the glass transition temperature of the electrochromic film 200. When the electrochromic film 200 reaches this temperature, the electrochromic film 200 can be stably deformed under the co-extrusion of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13, and the internal stress is small to form a target shape, that is, a hyperbolic shape. It can be understood that the glass transition temperature of the electrochromic film 200 is different depending on the material used for the electrochromic film 200. During implementation, a suitable first preset temperature can be set for the thermoforming mold 100 according to the specific material of the electrochromic film 200.

[0145] S103, applying a second force to the electrochromic film 200 and keeping it warm for a first preset time;

[0146] After the temperature of the electrochromic film 200 reaches the glass transition temperature, a second force is applied to the electrochromic film 200 through the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13, so that the two sides of the electrochromic film 200 are completely in contact with the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13, respectively, and the first preset time is kept warm to eliminate the internal stress of the electrochromic film 200 and reduce wrinkles at the edge. After the insulation is completed, it can be considered that the electrochromic film 200 has been shaped and formed into a hyperbolic structure. In other words, the second force is the shaping force, and the first force is the positioning force. It should be noted that the second force and the first force can be equal, or the second force can be less than the first force, or the second force is greater than the first force.

[0147] Optionally, the first force may be the sum of the gravity of the mold structure located on the upper side of the electrochromic film 200 and the pressure applied separately, and the second force may be the sum of the gravity of the mold structure located on the upper side of the electrochromic film 200 and the pressure applied separately, and the second force and the pressure applied separately in the first force may be equal or different. Preferably, since the electrochromic film itself has a certain flexibility, and after the glass transition, the external force required to maintain the curved shape is small, therefore, during the heat preservation stage, the separately applied pressure can be removed, that is, the second force is only provided by the gravity of the mold structure located on the upper side of the electrochromic film 200.

[0148] S104, cooling the electrochromic film 200 to a second preset temperature to form a curved electrochromic device.

[0149] After the heat preservation is completed, the thermoforming mold 100 is controlled to cool the electrochromic film 200, so that the temperature of the electrochromic film 200 drops below the glass transition temperature, so that the structure and shape of the electrochromic film 200 are further fixed, and the electrochromic film 200 after heat bending is obtained. The thermoforming mold 100 can be cooled by air cooling, liquid cooling or natural cooling.

[0150] According to the thermoforming process of the electrochromic device of the embodiment of the utility model, the first force is applied to the electrochromic film 200 through the thermoforming mold 100 to form the electrochromic film 200 into a pre-bent structure to stabilize its shape first; at the same time, the electrochromic film 200 with a pre-bent structure is restricted from moving by the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 in the thermoforming mold 100, thereby realizing the positioning of the electrochromic film 200 and preventing the electrochromic film 200 from moving during the shaping process and affecting the shaping effect. After the electrochromic film 200 is heated to a flexible state, a second force is applied to shape and keep warm, which can greatly reduce the internal stress of the electrochromic film 200 during the shaping process, reduce or even eliminate wrinkles, and solidify the shape. In the embodiment of the present application, the electrochromic film 200 is pre-bent by using a thermoforming mold 100 with a curved structure, and then heated and shaped to form the final electrochromic device with a curved structure, so as to provide a curved electrochromic film 200 for subsequent lamination with a curved substrate. Compared with the solution in the prior art that directly laminating a flat or nearly flat electrochromic device with curved glass easily leads to wrinkles in the electrochromic device, the wrinkles of the electrochromic device during the lamination process can be significantly reduced or even eliminated, making the electrochromic device more suitable for use in scenes where the glass has a high-curvature hyperbolic structure, and having the effect of improving the product yield.

[0151] In some embodiments, the value range of the first preset temperature T1 is 85°C≤T1≤180°C. For example, the value of the first preset temperature T1 can be 85°C, 90°C, 95°C, 100°C, 110°C, 120°C, 130°C, 140°C, 145°C150°C, 155°C, 160°C, 170°C, 175°C or 180°C. Of course, the utility model is not limited thereto. The value of the first preset temperature T1 can be reasonably selected within the above range according to factors such as the material of the electrochromic film 200. In this way, it can further ensure that the electrochromic film 200 exceeds the glass transition temperature and reaches a high elastic state, so as to reduce the internal stress in the shaping process, reduce or even eliminate wrinkles, and ensure the shaping effect.

[0152] In some embodiments, the value range of the first preset temperature T1 is that the first preset temperature T1 is greater than or equal to the glass transition temperature of the substrate (i.e., the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer) of the electrochromic film 200. The value of the first preset temperature T1 can be reasonably selected within the above range according to factors such as the material of the electrochromic film 200. In this way, it can further ensure that the electrochromic film 200 exceeds the glass transition temperature and reaches a high elastic state, so as to reduce the internal stress during the shaping process, reduce or even eliminate wrinkles, and ensure the shaping effect.

[0153] In the embodiment of the present application, the glass transition temperature of the substrate of the electrochromic film 200 is the glass transition temperature of the first substrate layer or the second substrate layer of the electrochromic film 200, such as PET.

[0154] In some embodiments, the second preset temperature T2 is less than or equal to the glass transition temperature of the substrate of the electrochromic film.

[0155] As mentioned above, the value range of the first preset temperature T1 is that the first preset temperature T1 is greater than or equal to the glass transition temperature of the substrate of the electrochromic film. When the temperature is lowered to the glass transition temperature of the electrochromic film 200, the original state is restored and the plastic deformation is completed.

[0156] Optionally, the value range of the first preset temperature T1 is 100°C≤T1≤145°C. For example, the value of the first preset temperature T1 can be 100°C, 105°C, 110°C, 115°C, 120°C, 125°C, 130°C, 135°C, 140°C or 145°C. Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto. The value of the first preset temperature T1 can be reasonably selected within the above range according to actual needs. In this way, it can be fully ensured that the electrochromic film 200 completes the transition to the high elastic state at this temperature, so as to facilitate the subsequent shaping step to be better completed.

[0157] In some embodiments, heating the electrochromic film 200 to a first preset temperature includes: controlling the electrochromic film 200 to heat up to the first preset temperature at a preset heating rate, wherein the preset heating rate is not less than 0.1° C. / min.

[0158] That is to say, the heating rate of the electrochromic film 200 can be 0.1°C / min, or greater than 0.1°C / min. This helps to improve the heating efficiency, thereby improving the shaping efficiency of the electrochromic film 200 and avoiding the impact of slow heating on production capacity.

[0159] In some embodiments, controlling the electrochromic film to heat up to a first preset temperature at a preset heating rate may include the following steps:

[0160] Controlling the electrochromic film to heat up to a transition temperature at a first preset heating rate;

[0161] The electrochromic film is controlled to heat up from the transition temperature to the first preset temperature at a second preset heating rate, wherein the second preset heating rate is less than the first preset heating rate.

[0162] That is to say, in the initial stage of heating, the thermoforming mold 100 can be controlled to heat at a higher power, so that the electrochromic film 200 reaches the transition temperature at a higher heating rate. Due to the hysteresis effect corresponding to the temperature, in order to avoid the temperature of the electrochromic film 200 being too high or even exceeding the glass transition temperature, the transition temperature is lower than the first preset temperature. After the actual temperature reaches the transition temperature, the heating rate of the electrochromic film 200 is reduced so that it reaches the first preset temperature at a lower heating rate. In this way, the overall efficiency of the thermoforming process can be improved to the greatest extent, and at the same time, it helps to more accurately control the temperature of the electrochromic film 200 to ensure product quality.

[0163] In some embodiments, before placing the electrochromic film 200 between the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 of the thermoforming mold 100 , the method further includes: preheating the thermoforming mold 100 .

[0164] That is to say, before placing the electrochromic film 200 into the thermoforming mold 100, the thermoforming mold 100 is first heated to a certain temperature. Compared with the method of starting heating after placing the electrochromic film 200 into the thermoforming mold 100, the time required for the electrochromic film 200 to reach the glass transition temperature can be shortened, thereby further improving the shaping efficiency.

[0165] Optionally, when the thermoforming mold 100 is preheated, a third preset temperature may be reached, and the third preset temperature may be lower than the first preset temperature or may be equal to the first preset temperature. Preferably, the third preset temperature is lower than the first preset temperature to reduce the temperature difference between the electrochromic film 200 and the thermoforming mold 100 when entering the mold, thereby reducing the internal stress of the electrochromic film 200 caused by the temperature difference, and further reducing the wrinkles formed by thermoforming.

[0166] In some embodiments, the value range of the first preset time is 3-90min, for example, the first preset time can be 3min, 5min, 10min, 15min, 18min, 20min, 22min, 23min, 25min, 28min, 30min, 40min, 50min, 60min, 70min, 80min or 90min. In addition, the size of the first preset time can also be reasonably selected within the above range according to factors such as the material of the electrochromic film 200. In this way, on the one hand, it can be avoided that the insulation time is too short, for example, when it is less than 15min, the rebound of the electrochromic film 200 is large and the shaping effect is poor. On the other hand, it can be avoided that the insulation time is too long, for example, when it is greater than 30min, the shaping efficiency is low, resulting in unnecessary energy waste.

[0167] In some embodiments, the second preset temperature T2 is in the range of: T2≤85° C., preferably, T2≤50° C. In this way, it is possible to ensure that the electrochromic component is transformed from a highly elastic state to a glass state, and the shape of the electrochromic film 200 is solidified.

[0168] In some embodiments, cooling the electrochromic film 200 to a second preset temperature includes the following steps: controlling the electrochromic film 200 to cool to the second preset temperature at a preset cooling rate, wherein the preset cooling rate is not less than 0.1° C. / min.

[0169] In this way, the cooling efficiency is improved, thereby improving the shaping efficiency of the electrochromic film 200 and avoiding the impact of slow cooling on production capacity.

[0170] In some embodiments, before heating the electrochromic film 200 to the first preset temperature, the process further includes: positioning the electrochromic film 200 .

[0171] Since the electrochromic film 200 is a thin film structure, when no positioning measures are implemented for the electrochromic film 200, during the shaping process, the tensile forces borne by different parts of the electrochromic film 200 when deformed may be different, which may easily cause the electrochromic film 200 to be displaced, thereby causing the overall shape after shaping to be deviated. Therefore, in this embodiment, after the electrochromic film 200 is placed in the thermoforming mold 100, before the electrochromic film 200 is heated to the first preset temperature, the electrochromic film 200 is first positioned, which can prevent the electrochromic film 200 from being displaced during the shaping process, resulting in poor shaping quality, low precision, or even product scrapping, which helps to improve the shaping effect of the electrochromic film 200.

[0172] In some embodiments, positioning the electrochromic film 200 may include: vacuumizing the gap between any one of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 and the electrochromic film 200. For example, the thermoforming mold 100 may be placed in a vacuum environment as a whole, and the vacuum environment may be provided by a vacuum bag or a vacuum ring; or, a vacuum device may be provided on the side where any one of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 is located, so as to vacuumize the gap between any one of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 and the electrochromic film 200, so that the electrochromic film 200 is stably attached to the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13, and the electrochromic film 200 is positioned.

[0173] In other embodiments, positioning the electrochromic film 200 may further include: controlling at least one of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 to apply a first force to the electrochromic film 200 .

[0174] By applying a first force to the electrochromic film 200, the electrochromic film 200 can be clamped to achieve positioning of the electrochromic film 200. Alternatively, a texture can be provided on the first shaping surface 12 or the second shaping surface 13 to increase the friction with the electrochromic film 200 to achieve positioning of the electrochromic film 200.

[0175] Thus, the above positioning method is relatively simple and easy to implement, which helps to ensure that the electrochromic film 200 does not shift during the shaping process, thereby ensuring the final shaping quality.

[0176] In some embodiments, when at least one of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 is controlled to apply a first force to the electrochromic film 200, the first force is no higher than 0.3 MPa. In this way, it can be avoided that when the electrochromic film 200 is positioned, the first force is too large, causing the internal structure of the electrochromic film 200 to be destroyed, or even causing damage to the electrochromic film 200.

[0177] For example, taking the first force of 0.3MPa as an example, the first force includes the gravity of the mold structure located on the upper side of the electrochromic film 200 and the pressure applied to the mold alone. For example, the gravity part of the mold structure is 0.2MPa, and the pressure part applied alone is 0.1MPa. That is, after the first mold structure and the second mold structure are closed, the electrochromic film 200 between the first mold structure and the second mold structure is subject to the gravity of the mold located on the upper side. At this time, through the controller, a force of 0.1MPa is applied to the mold, and the total force on the entire film is 0.3MPa.

[0178] In some embodiments, the space between the electrochromic film and any one of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 is evacuated, including: maintaining the first force applied by the thermoforming mold 100 to the electrochromic film 200, and transferring the thermoforming mold 100 and the electrochromic film 200 to a vacuum device, wherein the vacuum device includes at least one of a vacuum bag and a vacuum ring.

[0179] That is to say, in this embodiment, the thermoforming mold 100 can be placed in a vacuum environment as a whole, so that the electrochromic film 200 can be better fixed in a fixed position to prevent position changes that would result in poor thermoforming effects or even waste.

[0180] In some embodiments, the thermoforming process may further include the following steps: obtaining the temperature value of the electrochromic film 200; controlling the operating state of the thermoforming mold 100 according to the temperature value, and the operating state includes: at least one of the start and stop state of the thermoforming mold 100, the heating rate, the cooling rate, the heating temperature, and the force applied to the electrochromic film 200.

[0181] Specifically, a temperature sensing device is provided in the non-dimming area of ​​the electrochromic film 200. The temperature sensing device can be used to sense the temperature of the electrochromic film 200 during the shaping process of the electrochromic film 200, so as to accurately control the heating temperature, heat preservation time, heating rate, cooling temperature and cooling rate of the thermoforming mold 100. In addition, a temperature sensor can also be provided on the first shaping surface 12 or the second shaping surface 13 of the thermoforming mold 100 to obtain the temperature of the electrochromic film 200.

[0182] The specific embodiment of the thermoforming process of the utility model is described below.

[0183] First, the operator places the flat or nearly flat electrochromic film 200 between the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 of the thermoforming mold 100, and the first mold structure and the second mold structure of the thermoforming mold 100 are automatically molded or manually controlled to be molded. At this time, the thermoforming mold 100 applies a first force to the electrochromic film 200 to form a pre-bent structure of the electrochromic film 200 to stabilize its shape first; at the same time, the electrochromic film 200 with a pre-bent structure is restricted from moving by the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 in the thermoforming mold 100, thereby realizing the positioning of the electrochromic film 200.

[0184] Then the overall structure consisting of the support member 1, the buffer member 2, the anti-scratch member 3 and the electrochromic film 200 is transferred to a high temperature chamber for heating. During the heating process, the heating rate is not less than 0.1°C / min, so that the temperature of the electrochromic film 200 exceeds the glass transition temperature and is in a highly elastic state. Then, a second force is applied to the electrochromic film 200 through the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13, and the electrochromic film is pressurized and shaped, and the first preset time of 3-90min is kept warm to eliminate the internal stress of the electrochromic film 200 and solidify the shape. After the insulation is completed, it can be considered that the electrochromic film 200 has been shaped and formed into a hyperbolic structure. Of course, in other embodiments, the first mold structure and / or the second mold structure can be heated after the first mold structure and the second mold structure are closed to heat the electrochromic film 200.

[0185] Then, the thermoforming mold 100 is controlled to cool the electrochromic film 200 at a cooling rate of not less than 0.1°C / min to below 50°C, so that the electrochromic film 200 is restored to a glass state, forming an electrochromic device with a hyperbolic structure. No human operation is required during the heating and cooling process.

[0186] After the cooling is completed, the personnel take out the overall structure composed of the support member 1, the buffer member 2, the anti-scratch member 3 and the electrochromic film 200 from the high temperature chamber, open the first mold structure and the second mold structure, and take out the formed electrochromic device with a curved surface structure to complete the thermal forming process. When the electrochromic device with a curved surface structure obtained by this process is used, it can be first combined with a substrate such as glass with a certain curvature to form an electrochromic device, and then installed in the terminal product.

[0187] In summary, the thermoforming process of the electrochromic device of this embodiment applies a first force to the electrochromic film 200 through the thermoforming mold 100, so as to form the electrochromic film 200 into a pre-bent structure to stabilize its shape first; at the same time, the electrochromic film 200 with a pre-bent structure is restricted from moving by the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 in the thermoforming mold 100, thereby realizing the positioning of the electrochromic film 200 and preventing the electrochromic film 200 from moving during the shaping process and affecting the shaping effect. After the electrochromic film 200 is heated to a flexible state, a second force is applied to shape and keep warm, which can greatly reduce the internal stress of the electrochromic film 200 during the shaping process, reduce or even eliminate wrinkles, and solidify the shape.

[0188] In addition, in this embodiment, the electrochromic film 200 is pre-bent by using a thermoforming mold 100 with a curved surface structure, and then heated and shaped to form the final electrochromic device with a curved surface structure, so as to provide a curved electrochromic film 200 for subsequent lamination with a curved substrate. Compared with the solution in the prior art that directly laminating a flat or nearly flat electrochromic device with curved glass easily leads to wrinkles in the electrochromic device, the wrinkles of the electrochromic device during the lamination process can be significantly reduced or even eliminated, making the electrochromic device more suitable for use in scenes where the glass has a high-curvature hyperbolic structure, and having the effect of improving the product yield.

[0189] In addition, in the thermoforming process, the operator only needs to put the electrochromic film 200 into the thermoforming mold 100, transfer the mold 100 and the electrochromic film 200 to a high temperature chamber before heating the electrochromic film 200, and take the electrochromic device out of the thermoforming mold 100 after it is formed and cooled. That is, the personnel's operations are all performed when the thermoforming mold 100 is in a relatively low temperature state, which can effectively avoid personnel safety risks.

[0190] An embodiment of the utility model also provides an electrochromic device, which is a curved structure with a set arch height value, such as a hyperbolic structure. The electrochromic device is made from an electrochromic film through the above-mentioned thermoforming process, and the thermoforming process is the thermoforming process of the electrochromic device in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0191] The electrochromic device of the embodiment of the utility model is manufactured by the thermoforming process in the above-mentioned embodiment and is formed into a curved surface structure with a certain arch height value, which can reduce or even eliminate edge wrinkles. In the subsequent lamination process with substrates such as glass, wrinkles on the edges can be avoided, thereby improving the overall aesthetics and ensuring the normal dimming and color-changing functions.

[0192] In other embodiments, the embodiments of the present application also provide a thermoforming process for an electrochromic device, which also includes: providing a substrate layer, wherein the shape of the substrate layer is consistent with or similar to the shape of the above-mentioned curved electrochromic device; placing the above-mentioned curved electrochromic device on one side of the substrate layer, and providing an adhesive layer between the electrochromic device and the substrate layer, and forming a curved hyperbolic electrochromic device by laminating the sheets through a high-voltage layer.

[0193] The present utility model also provides an electrochromic device, comprising: a substrate layer, an adhesive layer and an electrochromic device made by the above-mentioned thermoforming process, wherein the substrate layer and the electrochromic device are connected by the adhesive layer, and the substrate layer is a curved component with an arch height value, such as a hyperbolic component. The substrate layer can be a glass component, and the adhesive layer can be an optical adhesive.

[0194] There may be two substrate layers, namely, a first substrate layer and a second substrate layer, and there may be two adhesive layers, namely, a first adhesive layer and a second adhesive layer. In the electrochromic device, the first substrate layer, the first adhesive layer, the electrochromic device, the second adhesive layer and the second substrate layer are sequentially stacked. The substrate layer, the adhesive layer and the electrochromic device may be made into an electrochromic device by a sandwich lamination process.

[0195] The electrochromic device of this embodiment, by adopting the electrochromic device of the above embodiment, can ensure that after the pieces are assembled, the wrinkles are small or even absent, the appearance is good, and the dimming and color changing functions are normal.

[0196] In some embodiments, the substrate layer is disposed in a first direction (eg Figure 8 The arch height (in the X direction shown in FIG) is G X , the substrate layer is in the second direction (eg Figure 8 The height of the arch in the Y direction is G Y The arch height of the electrochromic device in the first direction is G1, and the arch height of the electrochromic device in the second direction is G2, wherein G1≤G X , G2≤G Y .

[0197] For example, since the shape of the electrochromic device and the outer substrate layer are consistent in the lamination process, the arch height of the substrate layer can be used as the target arch height that the electrochromic device needs to achieve in the lamination process. When the glass used as the substrate layer is a hyperbolic structure and has a large arch height (large curvature), in order to reduce the deformation degree of the electrochromic film 200 in a single thermoforming process, thereby reducing the stress in the shaping process, and further achieving the purpose of reducing wrinkles, the electrochromic film 200 can be shaped by multiple and step-by-step molding using a thermoforming mold 100. At this time, the arch heights of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 of the thermoforming mold 100 can be made smaller than the arch height of the substrate layer, so that the arch height of the electrochromic film 200 is smaller than the arch height of the substrate layer, that is, the arch height of the electrochromic film 200 is smaller than the target arch height, that is, G1≤G X , G2≤G Y .

[0198] It can be understood that when the electrochromic film 200 is shaped into an electrochromic device with a certain curvature by a step-by-step molding method, the thermoforming mold 100 of this embodiment can be configured with multiple molding components, each molding component is used to perform a molding process in a step of the step-by-step molding, and each molding component includes at least a support member corresponding to the curvature that the electrochromic film 200 needs to achieve in the step, preferably including a buffer member and an anti-scratch member.

[0199] For example, taking the case where the planar electrochromic film 200 is shaped into an electrochromic device having a target curvature in two steps, the thermoforming mold 100 can be configured with two shaping components, namely a first shaping component and a second shaping component, wherein the curvature of the shaping surface of the support in the first shaping component is less than the curvature of the shaping surface of the support in the second shaping component. Thus, when the thermoforming mold of this embodiment is used to shape the electrochromic film 200 into an electrochromic device having a target curvature, the thermoforming mold first uses the first shaping component to shape the electrochromic film 200 to a first curvature, and then uses the second shaping component to shape the electrochromic film 200 to a second curvature (i.e., the target curvature).

[0200] Accordingly, the thermoforming process of this embodiment is as follows: placing the electrochromic film 200 between the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 of the first shaping component, and applying a first force to the electrochromic film through the first shaping component, so that the electrochromic film 200 forms a pre-bent structure, wherein the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 are both curved surfaces;

[0201] Heating the electrochromic film 200 to a first preset temperature;

[0202] Applying a second force to the electrochromic film 200 and keeping it warm for a first preset time;

[0203] Cooling the electrochromic film 200 to a second preset temperature to form an electrochromic device with a first curvature;

[0204] The second shaping component is used to replace the first shaping component, and the above shaping steps are repeated for the electrochromic device with the first curvature to obtain the electrochromic device with the second curvature, and this process is repeated until the curvature of the electrochromic device reaches the desired curvature.

[0205] Combination Figure 8 and Fig. 9 , here it is defined as: arch height G = h / d, accordingly, G X =h x / d R1 , G Y =h Y / d R2 , where d R1 is the straight-line distance between the midpoints Q and R of the two opposite sides of the substrate layer of the hyperbolic structure in the first direction; d R2 h is the straight-line distance between the midpoints P and O of the two opposite sides of the substrate layer of the hyperbolic structure in the second direction; hx is the height of the middle vertex position of the substrate layer in the first direction; Y It is the height of the middle vertex position of the substrate layer in the second direction.

[0206] In this way, by making the curvature of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 slightly smaller than the actual final sandwich curvature, wrinkles and abnormal discoloration of the edges can be eliminated while improving the versatility of the thermoforming mold 100, so that the thermoforming mold 100 can adapt to the thermoforming process requirements of more curvature types of hyperbolic structure electrochromic films 200.

[0207] In some embodiments, G1 and G X Satisfy between: 0.3≤G1 / G X ≤1.3; and / or, G2 and G Y Satisfy between: 0.3≤G2 / G Y ≤1.3.

[0208] For example, G1 / G X The value of can be 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1, 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3, G2 / G Y The value of can be 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1, 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3. That is to say, the curvature of the first shaping surface 12 and the second shaping surface 13 can be smaller than the target curvature of the electrochromic device in the sandwiching process, can be equal to the target curvature of the electrochromic device in the sandwiching process, and can also be greater than the target curvature of the electrochromic device in the sandwiching process.

[0209] Of course, in addition to the values ​​listed above, G1 / G X and G2 / G Y The value of can also be reasonably selected within the above range according to actual needs, so that G1 / G X and G2 / G Y When the value of is too small, for example, less than 0.3, after the initial thermoforming is completed, the difference between the actual curvature of the electrochromic film 200 obtained and the target curvature is too large, resulting in too many process steps for shaping the electrochromic film 200 to the target curvature, affecting the subsequent lamination efficiency and the overall production efficiency of the product.

[0210] In some preferred embodiments, G1 / G X and G2 / G Y Between: (G1 / G X ) / (G2 / G Y ) has a value range of 0.7-1.3. Ensure that the stretching in the two directions has a certain degree of synchronization to avoid the abnormal diaphragm forming caused by the inconsistent curvature changes in the two directions during the forming process from the mold surface state to the final state surface.

[0211] An embodiment of the present application also provides a terminal product, including the electrochromic device or electrochromic apparatus as described above, wherein the terminal product includes any one of a rearview mirror, a curtain wall, a car sunroof, a car side window, a car windshield, an electronic product housing, glasses, a vehicle, and a display panel.

[0212] Since the terminal product includes the above-mentioned electrochromic device or electrochromic apparatus, the wrinkles of the terminal product can be effectively alleviated or eliminated to improve the aesthetics of the terminal product, thereby improving the user's visual experience, etc.

[0213] It should be noted that the embodiments represented by "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "an exemplary embodiment", "some embodiments", etc. mentioned in the specification may include specific features, structures or characteristics, but not every embodiment may include the specific features, structures or characteristics. In addition, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, when describing specific features, structures or characteristics in conjunction with an embodiment, it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to implement such features, structures or characteristics in conjunction with other embodiments that are explicitly or not explicitly described.

[0214] In general, terms should be understood, at least in part, by the context in which they are used. For example, the term "one or more" as used herein may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in a singular sense, or may be used to describe a combination of features, structures, or characteristics in a plural sense, depending, at least in part, on the context. Similarly, terms such as "a," "an," or "the" may also be understood to convey singular usage or to convey plural usage, depending, at least in part, on the context.

[0215] It should be easily understood that “on,” “above,” and “over” in the present disclosure should be interpreted in the broadest manner, so that “on” not only means “directly on something,” but also includes the meaning of “on something” with intervening features or layers therebetween, and “above” or “over” not only includes the meaning of “above” or “over,” but also may include the meaning of “above” or “over something” with no intervening features or layers therebetween (i.e., directly on something).

[0216] In addition, spatially relative terms, such as "below," "below," "beneath," "above," "above," etc., may be used herein for ease of description to describe the relationship of one element or feature relative to other elements or features as shown in the figures. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation shown in the figures. The device may have other orientations (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptors used herein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.

[0217] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit it. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A thermoforming mold for an electrochromic device, characterized in that: include: A first mold structure and a second mold structure are arranged opposite to each other and can be opened and closed, one of the first mold structure and the second mold structure has a first shaping surface, and the other has a second shaping surface, and both the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface are curved surfaces; One of the first mold structure and the second mold structure is movable relative to the other to apply a force to the electrochromic film accommodated between the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface to form a pre-bent structure of the electrochromic film.

2. The thermoforming mold for the electrochromic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first mold structure and the second mold structure both include support members, and at least one of the two support members is configured to heat the electrochromic film.

3. The thermoforming mold for the electrochromic device according to claim 2, characterized in that: Among the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface, the one that bends toward the electrochromic film is a convex surface, and the one that bends away from the electrochromic film is a concave surface; the curvature radius of the one that is the convex surface among the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface is less than or equal to the curvature radius of the one that is the concave surface.

4. The thermoforming mold for the electrochromic device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The thickness of the support member is 0.5 mm-100 mm.

5. The thermoforming mold for the electrochromic device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The support member comprises: A heat exchange flow channel, wherein the heat exchange flow channel is suitable for circulating a heat exchange medium, and when the heat exchange medium flows through the heat exchange flow channel, the support member heats or cools the electrochromic membrane.

6. The thermoforming mold for the electrochromic device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: At least one of the first mold structure and the second mold structure further includes a buffer component, and the buffer component is arranged on a side of the support component facing the electrochromic film.

7. The thermoforming mold for the electrochromic device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The thermoforming mold further comprises at least one of the following features: The thermal conductivity of the buffer is greater than 0.1 W / (m*K); The Shore hardness of the buffer is 20-90; The thickness of the buffer member is 0.1 mm-10 mm.

8. The thermoforming mold for the electrochromic device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: At least one of the first mold structure and the second mold structure further includes a scratch-resistant member, The anti-scratch component is arranged on a side of the support component facing the electrochromic film.

9. The thermoforming mold for the electrochromic device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The thickness of the anti-scratch member is less than or equal to 2 mm.

10. The thermoforming mold for the electrochromic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: Also includes: A positioning structure, wherein the positioning structure is used to position the electrochromic film when the electrochromic film is arranged on any one of the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface.

11. The thermoforming mold for the electrochromic device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The first mold structure and the second mold structure both include a support member, a buffer member and an anti-scratch member, and the buffer member and the anti-scratch member are sequentially stacked and arranged on a side of the support member facing the electrochromic film; The positioning structure is formed as a positioning pattern located on a surface of at least one of the support member, the buffer member and the anti-scratch member facing the electrochromic film.

12. The thermoforming mold for the electrochromic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: One of the first shaping surface and the second shaping surface is provided with a receiving area, and the receiving area is used to receive the electrochromic film. The thermoforming mold further includes a positioning pad, which is arranged around the circumference of the accommodating area.

13. The thermoforming mold for the electrochromic device according to claim 12, characterized in that: The thickness of the positioning pad H2 and the thickness H1 of the electrochromic film satisfy: H2 = (0.3-5) * H1; and / or, The distance W between the positioning pad and the electrochromic film satisfies: W≥0 mm.

14. A production equipment, characterized in that: include: A thermoforming mold for the electrochromic device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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