System for adjusting a disc

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for adjusting a pane (2) of a window of a vehicle (102) that separates an interior (100) of the vehicle (102) from an environment (200), wherein at least one driver position (6) for the head of the driver and at least one passenger position (8) for the head of a passenger are provided in the interior (100), wherein the system has several barrier layers (4) arranged in the pane (2), wherein the barrier layers (4) are aligned starting from the at least one driver position (6), and wherein the barrier layers (4) for the passenger can be switched either transparent or at least partially opaque.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a system and a method for adjusting a pane of a window of a vehicle.

[0002] The document DE 10 2019 212 537 A1 describes an adaptive window element with liquid crystal layers and variable transparency.

[0003] A windshield with sectionally adjustable selective transmission is known from the document DE 20 2021 004 210 U1.

[0004] The document DE 10 2007 027 295 A1 describes a motor vehicle with a partially darkenable windscreen.

[0005] Against this background, the task was to appropriately darken a pane of a vehicle window.

[0006] This problem is solved by a system and a method having the features of the independent patent claims. Embodiments of the system and method are evident from the dependent patent claims and the description.

[0007] The system according to the invention is designed for adjusting a pane of a window of a vehicle, for example a motor vehicle, wherein the pane or window separates the interior of the vehicle from the surroundings or environment in which it is located. In this case, at least one driver position, i.e. only one driver position or several driver positions, for a driver's head and at least one passenger position, i.e. only one passenger position or several passenger positions, for a passenger's head of the vehicle are provided and / or arranged in the interior. The system has several barrier layers arranged in the pane, wherein the barrier layers are aligned and / or oriented starting from the at least one driver position and extend accordingly, wherein the barrier layers are either transparent to the passenger, usually completely transparent, or at least partially, if necessary.completely, opaquely switchable or switchable.

[0008] The barrier layers can usually always be switched and / or adjusted to be transparent for the driver, regardless of how they are switched and / or adjusted for the front passenger, since the driver, starting from the at least one driver position, can see outwards between the barrier layers unhindered, as their line of sight runs between barrier layers, usually between immediately adjacent barrier layers. As a rule, there is a free space and / or corridor between immediately adjacent barrier layers through which the driver can look or see from their at least one driver position. The front passenger, on the other hand, always looks at barrier layers, but can only see through the barrier layers into the surroundings if these are at least partially transparent.

[0009] In one embodiment, the barrier layers are formed as lamellae. Alternatively or additionally, the barrier layers can comprise liquid crystals, electrochromic material, gasochromic material, and / or electrical ink or e-ink, with the barrier layers in the latter case being designed to perform electrophoresis. The barrier layers can also be configured to be black, white, or colored opaque, for example.

[0010] Light from the environment is at least partially, possibly completely, absorbed by the material from which the barrier layers are made if they are made at least partially opaque, wherein light in the direction of the at least one passenger position, i.e. towards the head and / or eyes of the passenger, is absorbed at least partially depending on the angle. The darkening and / or absorption of light is generated mechanically by the barrier layers and their alignment within the pane in the design. The light or light rays that strike a surface of an opaque barrier layer are absorbed at or by the surface of the barrier layers in the direction of the at least one passenger position, wherein the at least one passenger position is shielded from the light or light rays. In contrast, light or light rays that strikewhich runs parallel and / or tangential to a surface of a barrier layer through the pane, is not further influenced and / or impaired by it, whereby this light or the light rays reach or reach at least one driver position.

[0011] For demand-dependent regulation of ambient light, each barrier layer can be designed or constructed as a filter layer, usually angle-dependent, and / or as an actively switchable filter element for light, usually angle-dependent. The barrier layers provide the passenger with a switchable privacy filter, similar to that used for computer screens. When switched on, the barrier layers prevent light from passing through at certain angles or within a certain angle range, thereby darkening at least one passenger position and thus a seating position for the passenger depending on the angle.

[0012] It is possible for the system to comprise the pane. The pane can have at least one transparent pane layer, i.e., just one pane layer or multiple pane layers. All barrier layers are integrated into the at least one pane layer and traverse at least one pane layer. If the pane has only one pane layer, the barrier layers extend or traverse the entire pane. The barrier layers for angle-dependent darkening can be arranged on and / or in the at least one pane layer.

[0013] It is possible that the barrier layers run at an angle, for example an acute angle, with respect to and / or relative to a direction of vision or viewing direction of the passenger, which emanates from the at least one passenger position, and are arranged, for example, obliquely or at an acute angle.

[0014] The system is designed and / or intended for a window of the vehicle that is designed or to be designated as a windshield or front window.

[0015] The at least one driver position on the driver's side and the at least one passenger position on the passenger side are determined by the structure of the vehicle. The driver's side and the passenger side are separated from each other by a central longitudinal axis of the vehicle, which runs parallel to the vehicle's forward direction of travel. The vehicle's steering wheel is also located on the driver's side. Depending on the country, the driver's side is located on the left or right in the interior of the vehicle, and the passenger side is located conversely on the right or left. Depending on this, the barrier layers are to be integrated into the window in an angle- and / or direction-dependent manner, usually during manufacture of the window, and are arranged or fixed in a fixed position within the window. Furthermore, the orientation and / oran angle-dependent orientation of the barrier layers must be taken into account when installing the pane in an opening for the vehicle window.

[0016] A windshield, for example, typically consists of two glass panes or glass layers bonded together by an adhesive plastic layer. The plastic layer is sandwiched between the glass layers, and the pane is formed from laminated glass. The barrier layers, like other active or passive layers within a laminated glass pane, are incorporated into the plastic layer between the two glass layers. The barrier layers for the intended viewing-angle-dependent dimming can be integrated into a plastic film that is inserted between the two glass layers during the production process.

[0017] The method according to the invention is provided for adjusting a pane of a window of a vehicle, which separates an interior of the vehicle from its surroundings. At least one driver position for the driver's head and at least one passenger position for the passenger's head are provided in the interior. Several barrier layers are arranged in the pane, the barrier layers being oriented or aligned based on the at least one driver position. The barrier layers for the passenger can be selectively switched to either transparent, optionally completely transparent, or at least partially, optionally completely, opaque.

[0018] In one embodiment, the surroundings or ambient light are only darkened relative to and / or for the passenger when the barrier layers are at least partially opaque. If the barrier layers are or become at least partially opaque, ambient light is reduced toward the passenger, whereas the at least partially opaque barrier layers cause no or at most only a slight darkening of ambient light toward the driver.

[0019] The at least one driver position is arranged on a driver's side of a pane designed as a windshield, relative to the forward direction of travel of the vehicle, and the at least one passenger position is arranged on a passenger side of the vehicle, relative to the forward direction of travel. Accordingly, the at least one driver position and the at least one passenger position are arranged next to one another with respect to a transverse axis of the vehicle arranged perpendicular to the forward direction of travel or with respect to at least one tangent on a surface of the pane. Typically, the pane is only darkened on the passenger side of the vehicle when the barrier layers are switched to opaque. In contrast, the pane on the driver's side remains at least largely transparent even when the barrier layers are switched to opaque. The pane is usually largely flat and may be curved at its edges.

[0020] The barrier layers are at least partially opaque when the ambient light intensity exceeds a predetermined and / or adjustable threshold, with the light intensity being detected by a sensor. Alternatively or additionally, the barrier layers are at least partially opaque when the windshield is used as a reflection surface for a head-up display for the passenger, with a display content being projected from an imager of the head-up display onto the darkened passenger side of the vehicle and reflected from there into the interior to the at least one passenger position.

[0021] A driver position can be located at a driver point, and a passenger position can be located at a passenger point. If multiple spatially distributed driver positions are provided at multiple driver points, these can form a group of driver positions arranged on the driver's side of the vehicle interior. The driver positions, and thus the driver points of the group, can be arranged along a line oriented parallel to the forward direction of travel. Typically, the driver positions are located in front of a driver's seat headrest in the vehicle interior.

[0022] It is possible for only one barrier layer to be aligned or oriented at a driver point, starting from a single driver position, or for multiple barrier layers to be aligned or oriented, with the respective driver position forming a center. Multiple barrier layers can be aligned in a fan shape starting from a single driver position. If multiple driver positions are arranged along a line, at least one barrier layer can be aligned starting from a single driver position. Barrier layers oriented along the line starting from multiple driver positions can be arranged parallel to each other or at an acute angle.

[0023] The system and method enable direction-dependent and / or angle-dependent darkening of a flat pane of glass and / or a transparent plastic. The pane generally comprises several layers of glass and plastic, with the barrier layers usually arranged in a plastic layer. The darkening is adjusted to suit each occupant when the barrier layers are or become at least partially opaque. This results in the darkening or glare-free interior for individual occupants or passengers, generally only on the passenger side, starting from at least one passenger position, although several passenger positions can also form a group, possibly along a line parallel to the forward direction of travel.The light through the window is partially or completely blocked in the direction of the passenger by the opaque barrier layers and darkened towards the front, parallel to the forward direction of travel, when light hits the barrier layers.

[0024] For the driver, light from the environment is not or only slightly darkened if the barrier layers are or become at least partially opaque, whereby the light from the environment can pass through or traverse the window in the direction of the driver without restriction, whereby the driver's view to the outside into the environment remains almost unaffected.

[0025] The barrier layers for and / or in the pane can be designed or referred to as a light control arrangement, which is controlled, i.e., open-loop and / or closed-loop controlled, by a control device of the system, whereby they are switched to be either transparent or at least partially opaque. It is also possible to quantitatively adjust the transparency or translucency for ambient light and vary the darkening. The barrier layers can be switched to be completely transparent, i.e., 100%, or completely non-transparent, i.e., 0% transparent. However, intermediate levels are also adjustable, whereby the barrier layers are switched to be x% transparent, where 0 < x < 100.Depending on the respective percentage of transparency set, a corresponding percentage of light transmission results due to the barrier layers within the pane, whereby this transmission is also angle-dependent, at least for the occupants, i.e. starting from at least one driver position and / or passenger position.

[0026] It is also possible for the passenger side window to be spatially dimmed and made opaque only in sections or partially. In this case, only a first section of the window is dimmed for the passenger if the barrier layers are at least partially dimmed in this first section, while the barrier layers in a second section are simultaneously made transparent, allowing the passenger a clear view of the outside through the second section of the window.

[0027] Partial darkening can be adjusted differently in terms of transparency and darkening angle depending on the angle.

[0028] In one embodiment, the dimming is adjusted at the request of at least one occupant, i.e., the front passenger and / or the driver, for example, by operating the control device and / or depending on the display content if the windscreen on the passenger side is used as a reflective surface for a head-up display. The display content can be reflected onto the at least partially dimmed windscreen on the passenger side by at least one image sensor or at least one, possibly transparent, display, a projector, or other imaging technology.

[0029] The front passenger can at least partially or entirely darken sections or areas of the window that are used as a reflection surface for the display content, from their line of sight or perspective, whereby high-contrast and / or bright display content is reflected from the window to the front passenger without restricting the driver's view to the outside. The section on the front passenger side can also be set to black using the barrier layers and thus darkened. It is also possible to provide shading on the front passenger side to protect occupants on the front passenger side from the sun if the barrier layers are made at least partially non-transparent or opaque. This can reduce the load on the vehicle's air conditioning system in strong sunlight.

[0030] It is understood that the features mentioned above and those to be explained below can be used not only in the combination specified in each case, but also in other combinations or on their own, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0031] The invention is illustrated schematically in the drawing using embodiments and is described schematically and in detail with reference to the drawing. Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of the system according to the invention for carrying out an embodiment of the method according to the invention.

[0032] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a section of a vehicle 102, designed here as a motor vehicle, which has an interior 100 which is separated from its surroundings 200 by a pane 2 for a window of the vehicle 102.

[0033] The embodiment of the system according to the invention comprises a plurality of flat, planar, and / or thin barrier layers 4, which here extend within the pane 2, through the pane 2. At least one driver position 6 for the head of a driver of the vehicle 102 on a driver's side and at least one passenger position 8 for a passenger on a passenger side in the interior 100 of the vehicle 102 are considered and / or provided. The system has a plurality of barrier layers 4 arranged in the pane 2 and traverse it. Starting from the at least one driver position 6, the barrier layers 4 extend through the pane 2 and are oriented within the pane 2 depending on the angle. In the embodiment of the method according to the invention, the barrier layers 4 are switched and / or adjusted to be either transparent or at least partially opaque.

[0034] How Fig.1 further shows, two objects 10, 14 are arranged in the environment 200. A first object 10 is located here on the left and, with respect to a forward direction of travel of the vehicle 102, in front of the driver's side and / or the at least one driver position 6 outside the vehicle 102. A second object 14 is located here on the right and, with respect to a forward direction of travel of the vehicle 102, in front of the passenger side and / or the at least one passenger position 8 outside the vehicle 102. One of the two objects 10, 14 can be the sun, which emits light.

[0035] If the barrier layers 4 are transparent and thus switched to see-through, light from the environment 200 can penetrate the pane 2 unhindered and reach both the at least one driver position 6 and the at least one passenger position 8, wherein both objects 10, 14 are recognizable or visible from the at least one driver position 6 and the at least one passenger position 8.

[0036] If the barrier layers 4 are made at least partially opaque, a transmission of light from the environment 200 is restricted depending on the angle.

[0037] In one embodiment, primary light rays 12a of the first object 10 on the driver's side, which run parallel between adjacent, for example directly adjacent, barrier layers 4 and in the direction of the at least one driver position 6, reach the at least one driver position 6 unhindered because they are transmitted through transparent regions and / or open spaces of the window 2 between the barrier layers 4 on the driver's side. Correspondingly, primary light rays 16a of the second object 14 on the passenger side, which also run parallel between adjacent, for example directly adjacent, barrier layers 4 in the direction of the at least one driver position 6, reach the at least one driver position 6 unhindered because they are transmitted through transparent regions of the window 2 between the barrier layers 4 on the passenger side.

[0038] Furthermore, secondary light rays 12b from the first object 10 on the driver's side simultaneously strike the barrier layers 4 within the pane 2 and are absorbed and / or blocked by them, since they are oriented toward the at least one passenger position 8. Accordingly, secondary light rays 16b from the second object 14 on the passenger side simultaneously strike the barrier layers 4 within the pane 2 and are absorbed and / or blocked by them, since they are oriented toward the at least one passenger position 8.

[0039] For the driver, the barrier layers 4 are invisible from the at least one driver position 6, since he or she looks past them tangentially or parallel and / or looks or gazes outward between adjacent barrier layers 4. In contrast, the passenger, starting from the at least one passenger position 8, looks or gazes at surfaces and / or walls of the barrier layers 4, whereby the surroundings 200 are darkened for him or her when the barrier layers 4 are or become opaque. REFERENCE SYMBOL: 2 slices 4 Barrier layer 6 Driver position 8 Passenger position 10 objects 12a, 12b light beam 14 objects 16a, 16b light beam 100 interior 102 vehicles 200 surroundings QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 10 2019 212 537 A1

[0002] DE 20 2021 004 210 U1

[0003] DE 10 2007 027 295 A1

[0004]

Claims

[1] System for adjusting a pane (2) of a window of a vehicle (102) which separates an interior (100) of the vehicle (102) from an environment (200), wherein at least one driver position (6) for a driver's head and at least one passenger position (8) for a passenger's head are provided in the interior (100), wherein the system has a plurality of barrier layers (4) which are arranged in the pane (2), wherein the barrier layers (4) are aligned starting from the at least one driver position (6), wherein the barrier layers (4) can be switched to be either transparent or at least partially opaque for the passenger. [2] System according to claim 1, wherein the barrier layers (4) are formed as lamellae. [3] System according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the barrier layers (4) comprise liquid crystals, electrochromic material, gasochromic material and / or electrical ink. [4] System according to one of the preceding claims, in which the barrier layers (4) extend at an angle with respect to a direction of vision of the passenger, which starts from the at least one passenger position (8). [5] System according to one of the preceding claims, which is provided for a window (2) of the vehicle (102) designed as a windshield. [6] Method for adjusting a pane (2) of a window of a vehicle (102), wherein the pane (2) separates an interior (100) of the vehicle (102) from an environment (200), wherein at least one driver position (6) for a driver's head and at least one passenger position (8) for a passenger's head are provided in the interior (100), wherein a plurality of barrier layers (4) are arranged in the pane (2), wherein the barrier layers (4) are aligned starting from the at least one driver position (6), wherein the barrier layers (4) are switched to be either transparent or at least partially opaque for the passenger. [7] Method according to claim 6, wherein the environment (200) is darkened only with respect to and / or for the passenger when the barrier layers (4) are switched to be at least partially opaque. [8] Method according to claim 6 or 7, in which the barrier layers (4) are switched to be at least partially opaque if an intensity of light from the environment (200) is greater than a limit value provided for this purpose, and / or if the pane (2) is used as a reflection surface of a head-up display for the front passenger.

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