Energy-saving light valve and dimming glass

Abstract

According to the energy-saving light valve, the transmittance of visible light and infrared rays in the inner space can be adjusted and controlled at the same time, a natural light source and heat are utilized to the maximum extent, the use amount of manual energy is reduced, and carbon emission is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of electronic light control, and in particular to an energy-saving light valve and a dimming glass. Background Technology

[0002] A light valve is a light-controlling device, primarily consisting of a dimming active layer sandwiched between two transparent conductive films. Types of light valves include suspended particle (SPD) light valves, polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) light valves, and electrochromic (EC) light valves. For SPD, PDLC, and EC light valves, when energized, the arrangement or state of the materials within the valve changes, thereby altering the light transmission characteristics—for example, switching from low to high transmittance, or vice versa. These light valves, which achieve rapid on-off switching through the action of an electric field / current, offer advantages such as active control of light transmittance and energy saving. They can be used in smart windows, rearview mirrors, sunglasses, and displays in spacecraft, high-speed trains, automobiles, and buildings.

[0003] Currently, mainstream light valve products primarily target the regulation of visible light, achieving the technical effect of controllable visible light illuminance within a certain range in interior spaces. Emerging coating technologies can add precious metal coatings, such as gold, silver, or copper, to the surface of the light valve to reflect infrared rays from sunlight. These coatings effectively prevent infrared rays from entering the room. However, with the changing seasons and temperatures, technicians need to seek more flexible infrared-regulating light valves to reduce or compensate for indoor temperatures, achieving environmental goals of energy conservation and carbon emission reduction.

[0004] This invention provides an energy-saving light valve by setting up visible light modulation active layers and infrared modulation active layers. It not only enables controllable input of visible light but also controllable input of infrared light. The multifunctional light valve product prepared using this solution can meet the light and heat input requirements under various natural conditions, such as winter mode, summer mode, sunny weather, and rainy weather. It can significantly reduce internal space energy consumption, has significant environmental benefits, and has a promising market prospect. Utility Model Content

[0005] This invention provides an energy-saving light valve that enables controllable input of both visible light and infrared radiation, primarily addressing the problem that current light valves have limited functionality and cannot simultaneously control both illuminance and heat input.

[0006] In a first aspect, this utility model provides an energy-saving light valve comprising a first transparent substrate (3-1), a first transparent conductive layer (2-1), a first active layer (1-1), a second transparent conductive layer (2-2), a second transparent substrate (3-2), a third transparent conductive layer (2-3), a second active layer (1-2), a fourth transparent conductive layer (2-4), and a third transparent substrate (3-3) stacked together, wherein the first active layer (1-1) is a visible light modulating active layer and the second active layer (1-2) is an infrared modulating active layer.

[0007] Furthermore, the visible light modulating active layer is selected from one or more of the following: suspended particle active layer, polymer-dispersed liquid crystal active layer, and electrochromic active layer.

[0008] Furthermore, the visible light modulating active layer can adjust the visible light transmittance within the range of 0.5% to 70%.

[0009] Furthermore, the infrared-modulating active layer is selected from electrochromic active layers.

[0010] Furthermore, the electrochromic active layer is selected from an aqueous copper salt electrochemical reaction controlled thermal radiation layer.

[0011] Furthermore, the infrared transmittance of the infrared modulating active layer can be adjusted within the range of 0.5% to 95%.

[0012] Furthermore, the first active layer and the second active layer share a single adjustable voltage power supply circuit.

[0013] Furthermore, the first active layer and the second active layer each employ independent adjustable voltage power supply circuits.

[0014] Furthermore, the first transparent conductive layer (2-1), the second transparent conductive layer (2-2), the third transparent conductive layer (2-3), and the fourth transparent conductive layer (2-4) are each independently selected from one of the following: ITO conductive layer, FZO conductive layer, IZO conductive layer, GZO conductive layer, AZO conductive layer, PEDOT conductive layer, nano-Ag wire conductive layer, conductive graphene, conductive polymer, and nano-Cu wire conductive layer.

[0015] Furthermore, the first transparent substrate (3-1), the second transparent substrate (3-2), and the third transparent substrate (3-3) are transparent plastic sheets.

[0016] Furthermore, the first transparent substrate (3-1), the second transparent substrate (3-2), and the third transparent substrate (3-3) are made of PET material.

[0017] A second aspect of this utility model provides a dimming glass, comprising:

[0018] First transparent glass;

[0019] Second transparent glass;

[0020] And, as described above, an energy-saving light valve disposed between the first transparent glass and the second transparent glass.

[0021] Furthermore, a first interlayer is provided between the first transparent glass and the light valve, and / or a second interlayer is provided between the second transparent glass and the light valve.

[0022] Furthermore, there are no special restrictions on the type of adhesive layer material. It can be any conventional dimming glass film known to those skilled in the art, such as EVA film, TPU film, or PVB film; it can also be a functional film, such as UV-blocking EVA film, UV-blocking TPU film, or UV-blocking PVB film, infrared-blocking EVA film, infrared-blocking TPU film, or infrared-blocking PVB film; or it can be a colored EVA film, TPU film, or PVB film.

[0023] Furthermore, the adhesive layer material is selected from one of EVA film, TPU film, and PVB film.

[0024] Furthermore, there are no special restrictions on the types of the first and second transparent glass. They can be conventional transparent glass known to those skilled in the art, such as inorganic glass or organic glass. Organic glass can be PC board, PMMA board, etc. It can also be functional glass, such as UV blocking glass, IR blocking glass, Low-E glass, tempered glass or antibacterial glass, etc. It can also be selected from colored glass such as gray glass or brown glass.

[0025] Furthermore, the transparent glass is selected from at least one of inorganic glass and organic glass.

[0026] Furthermore, there are no special restrictions on the lamination process for preparing the dimming glass; any conventional lamination method for dimming glass in the art is acceptable, such as lamination in a laminator or in an autoclave or lamination box / furnace.

[0027] Furthermore, the lamination temperature of the lamination process is 80–130°C, the relative pressure of the lamination is 0.1–1.2 MPa, and the lamination time is 30–120 minutes.

[0028] The energy-saving light valve and dimming glass provided by this utility model can simultaneously regulate and control the visible light illuminance and infrared heat input of the interior space, better adapt to seasonal climate changes, maximize the use of natural resources, save artificial energy, and reduce carbon emissions. Attached Figure Description

[0029] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. The drawings described below are merely embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without any creative effort.

[0030] Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of the light valve provided for an embodiment of this utility model;

[0031] Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of the light valve provided for an embodiment of this utility model;

[0032] Figure 3 A schematic cross-sectional view of the light valve provided for an embodiment of this utility model;

[0033] Among them, 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3 are active layers; 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, and 2-6 are transparent conductive layers; 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, and 3-4 are transparent substrates; and 5 and 6 are adjustable voltage circuits. Detailed Implementation

[0034] the term

[0035] In this utility model, the following terms have the meanings defined below.

[0036] Light valve:

[0037] A light valve is an electronic light control device. It mainly consists of a light control layer placed between two transparent conductive films. When an electric field is applied, the arrangement or state of the materials in the light control layer changes, thereby changing the light transmission characteristics of the device, such as changing from low light transmittance to high light transmittance, or from high light transmittance to low light transmittance.

[0038] In this invention, the concepts of the first transparent conductive layer, the second transparent conductive layer, and the third transparent conductive layer only indicate the relative relationship between the transparent conductive layers and are not limiting conditions. They do not necessarily have to be in the first, second, and third relationship; they can also be in the front, middle, and back, left, middle, and right orientations, etc.

[0039] In this utility model, the concepts of the first transparent substrate, the second transparent substrate, and the third transparent substrate only indicate the relative relationship between the transparent substrates and are not limiting conditions. They do not necessarily have to be in the first, second, and third relationship; they can also be in the front, middle, and back, left, middle, and right orientations.

[0040] In this invention, the first active layer is a visible light modulating active layer and the second active layer is an infrared modulating active layer, or the second active layer is a visible light modulating active layer and the first active layer is an infrared modulating active layer.

[0041] This invention provides an energy-saving light valve that can simultaneously regulate and control the transmittance of visible and infrared light in an interior space. It offers various application scenarios, including winter / summer mode, sunny / cloudy mode, and occupied / unoccupied mode, maximizing the use of natural light and heat, reducing the use of artificial energy, and lowering carbon emissions.

[0042] To better illustrate this utility model, the following specific embodiments are provided.

[0043] Example 1

[0044] like Figure 1 An energy-saving light valve is fabricated as shown, comprising an electrochromic active layer 1-1, an aqueous copper salt electrochemical reaction controlled thermal radiation thin film active layer 1-2, and transparent conductive layers spaced above and below the active layers, denoted as 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, and 2-4 respectively, using ITO conductive layers; three transparent substrates, PET, are also provided, denoted as 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3 respectively; the two active layers share a DC voltage adjustment circuit 5, with a voltage adjustment range of -10 to 10V.

[0045] Example 2

[0046] like Figure 2 An energy-saving light valve is fabricated as shown. A polymer-dispersed liquid crystal active layer 1-1 is provided, and an aqueous copper salt electrochemical reaction controlled thermal radiation thin film active layer 1-2 is provided. Transparent conductive layers are spaced above and below the active layers, respectively denoted as 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, and 2-4. A nano-Ag wire conductive layer is used. Three transparent substrates are provided, the transparent substrates are PET, respectively denoted as 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3. The two active layers are respectively equipped with independent voltage adjustment circuits 5 and 6. The voltage adjustment range of circuit 5 is AC power of 0 to 110V, and the voltage adjustment range of circuit 6 is DC power of -10 to 10V.

[0047] Example 3

[0048] like Figure 3An energy-saving light valve is fabricated as shown, comprising a suspended particle active layer 1-1, a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal active layer 1-2, and an aqueous copper salt electrochemical reaction controlled thermal radiation thin film active layer 1-3. Conductive layers, denoted as 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, and 2-6, are spaced above and below the active layers, respectively. The conductive material is graphene. Four transparent substrates, PET, are spaced apart and denoted as 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, and 3-4. Active layers 1-1 and 1-2 share an AC voltage regulation circuit 5, with a voltage regulation range of 0–110V. Active layer 1-3 uses an independent DC voltage regulation circuit 6, with a voltage regulation range of -10–10V.

[0049] Example 4

[0050] The energy-saving light valve prepared in Example 3 is provided with first and second organic glass layers on the top and bottom, and two layers of EVA interlayer are provided between the light valve and the glass to prepare a dimming glass.

[0051] Example 5

[0052] The energy-saving light valve prepared in Example 2 was applied to a vehicle window. In the unmanned / summer mode, the visible light transmittance was adjusted to 1% and the infrared transmittance was adjusted to 1% during the empty vehicle time, thereby reducing the light and temperature inside the vehicle. In the manned / winter mode, the visible light transmittance was adjusted to 50% and the infrared transmittance was adjusted to 80%, thereby increasing the light and temperature inside the vehicle.

[0053] Example 6

[0054] The dimming glass prepared in Example 4 was applied to building windows. In summer mode, the visible light transmittance was adjusted to 52% and the infrared transmittance to 1% at noon to lower the indoor temperature. In winter mode, the visible light transmittance was adjusted to 60% and the infrared transmittance to 90% to increase indoor light and temperature.

[0055] By flexibly adjusting the voltage of the active layer application, the energy-saving light valves and dimming glass prepared in Examples 1-6 can achieve control input of visible light and infrared light in the interior space, resulting in significant energy-saving effects. In addition, the design of the color of the active layer can better adapt to different scenario needs and consumer demands.

[0056] The above description of the embodiments is merely to aid in understanding the method and core ideas of this utility model. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this utility model. Therefore, this utility model is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An energy-saving light valve, characterized in that, The material comprises a first transparent substrate (3-1), a first transparent conductive layer (2-1), a first active layer (1-1), a second transparent conductive layer (2-2), a second transparent substrate (3-2), a third transparent conductive layer (2-3), a second active layer (1-2), a fourth transparent conductive layer (2-4), and a third transparent substrate (3-3) stacked together. The first active layer (1-1) is a visible light modulating active layer, with a visible light transmittance range of 0.5% to 70%. The second active layer (1-2) is an infrared modulating active layer, with an infrared transmittance range of 0.5% to 95%. The infrared modulating active layer (1-2) is selected from an aqueous copper salt electrochemical reaction controlled thermal radiation layer.

2. The energy-saving light valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The visible light modulating active layer (1-1) is selected from one or more of the following: suspended particle active layer, polymer dispersed liquid crystal active layer, and electrochromic active layer.

3. The energy-saving light valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first transparent conductive layer (2-1), the second transparent conductive layer (2-2), the third transparent conductive layer (2-3), and the fourth transparent conductive layer (2-4) are each independently selected from one of the following: ITO conductive layer, FZO conductive layer, IZO conductive layer, GZO conductive layer, AZO conductive layer, PEDOT conductive layer, nano Ag wire conductive layer, conductive graphene, conductive polymer, and nano Cu wire conductive layer.

4. The energy-saving light valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first transparent substrate (3-1), the second transparent substrate (3-2), and the third transparent substrate (3-3) are transparent plastic sheets.

5. A type of dimming glass, characterized in that, include: First transparent glass; Second transparent glass; And, an energy-saving light valve as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, disposed between the first transparent glass and the second transparent glass.

6. The dimming glass according to claim 5, characterized in that, A first interlayer is provided between the first transparent glass and the energy-saving light valve, and / or a second interlayer is provided between the second transparent glass and the energy-saving light valve.

7. The dimming glass according to claim 6, characterized in that, The adhesive layer material is selected from one of EVA film, TPU film, and PVB film.

8. The dimming glass according to claim 5, characterized in that, The transparent glass is selected from at least one of inorganic glass and organic glass.

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