Sunlight control structure, panorama roof light control structure and method for manufacturing gel body

Abstract

To provide a novel light control technology.SOLUTION: A sunlight control structure comprises: a light-transmitting plate; and a light entry restriction member disposed on a side opposite to a sunlight entry side of in the light-transmitting plate and capable of restricting entry of the sunlight. The sunlight control structure is characterized in that the light entry restriction member has a structure in which a gel body is housed in a translucent housing body, and the gel body has a physical property in which translucency is lowered by a temperature rise due to sunlight and the translucency is raised when the risen temperature is lowered.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a solar light control structure, a panoramic roof light control structure, and a method for manufacturing a gel body. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there have been known techniques for adjusting the amount of sunlight entering through windows or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-52463 A (paragraphs

[0015] to

[0017] , Figure 1, etc.) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a novel dimming technology. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A first aspect of the invention is a solar light control structure comprising a light-transmitting plate and a light-entry control member arranged on the side of the light-transmitting plate opposite the side from which sunlight enters, and capable of restricting the entry of sunlight, wherein the light-entry control member has a structure in which a gel body is contained in a light-transmitting container, and the gel body has physical properties such that its light-transmittance decreases with a temperature increase due to sunlight and its light-transmittance increases as the increased temperature decreases.

[0006] A second aspect of the invention is a panoramic roof light control structure for an electric vehicle, comprising a roof panel formed of transparent resin and a gel inclusion laminated on the passenger compartment side of the roof panel, wherein the gel inclusion is a plate-like body sandwiched between transparent films, the transparency of which decreases as the temperature increases due to sunlight and the transparency increases as the temperature decreases. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with a light control structure. [Diagram 2] Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the light control structure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a light-entering restricting member in which the container has a bag structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] [First embodiment] As shown in Fig. 1, the light control structure 10 of the present embodiment is provided in a vehicle 90. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, the light control structure 10 includes a light-transmitting plate 91 such as a window or a panoramic roof of the vehicle 90, and a light-entry restricting member 20 superimposed on the light-transmitting plate 91. Examples of the vehicle 90 include an electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and a fuel cell vehicle.

[0009] The light-transmitting plate 91 may be transparent or translucent as long as it has light-transmitting properties. In the example of this embodiment, the light-transmitting plate 91 is a roof light-transmitting plate constituting a part or the whole of a roof 92 of a vehicle 90 (a roof panel when the body of the vehicle 90 is composed of a plurality of vehicle body panels). For example, when the light-transmitting plate 91 constitutes a part of the roof 92, the light-transmitting plate 91 may be disposed so as to close an opening formed inside an outer frame portion 93 of the roof 92, and may constitute the roof 92 together with the outer frame portion 93. Note that, for example, the light-transmitting plate 91 may be made of resin such as polycarbonate resin (for example, made of polycarbonate transparent resin), or may be made of glass.

[0010] The light-entry restricting member 20 is a gel inclusion body in which a gel body 28 is enclosed in a light-transmitting container 21. The light-entry restricting member 20 (i.e., container 21) is preferably in the form of a plate in order to enlarge the interior space, but is not limited to such a shape.

[0011] The light-entry restricting member 20 may be in contact with the light-transmitting plate 91 partially or entirely (for example, may be adhered thereto), or may be disposed facing the light-transmitting plate 91 with a gap therebetween. In this embodiment, the light-entry restricting member 20 is adhered to the light-transmitting plate 91 with an adhesive or the like.

[0012] In this embodiment, the light-transmitting plate 91 has a curved shape that bulges upward, and the light-entering restricting member 20 (i.e., the container 21) has a curved thin shape that conforms to the curved shape of the light-transmitting plate 91. In this embodiment, both of the pair of opposing portions 23, 24 of the container 21 that face each other across the gel body 28 have shapes that conform to the curved shape, but the container 21 may have a configuration in which at least the outer surface (upper surface) of the upper opposing portion 23 has a shape that conforms to the curved shape. In this configuration, it is possible to easily attach the light-entering restricting member 20 to the light-transmitting plate 91. In this configuration, the lower opposing portion 24 may be flat.

[0013] The container 21 may be transparent or translucent as long as it has light-transmitting properties. The container 21 may be made of resin, for example. The container 21 may have a bag structure (for example, a pouch). In this case, the container 21 may have a bag gusset or may not have a bag gusset (i.e., a flat bag). As shown in FIG. 3, the container 21 may be a light-transmitting (for example, transparent) film 21F having a pair of opposing parts 23, 24 that face each other with a gel body 28 between them, and may be a bag (flat bag, etc.) that contains the gel body 28 by sealing (for example, heat sealing) the ends of the film 21F. Even when the container 21 has a bag structure, the container 21 can be made plate-shaped to increase the interior space. If the container 21 is made of a flexible material like the film 21F, the container 21 can be deformed into a shape that corresponds to the shape of the light-transmitting plate 91.

[0014] Here, the light control structure 10 is capable of changing its light transmittance. Specifically, the gel body 28 has a property of changing its light transmittance in response to a change in temperature, thereby changing the light transmittance of the light control structure 10. The gel body 28 has a physical property that its light transmittance decreases with a rise in temperature due to sunlight or the like, and increases as the temperature drops. For example, the gel body 28 may be transparent below a certain temperature, and become cloudy or otherwise less transparent (e.g., become opaque) at or above the certain temperature.

[0015] The gel body 28 contains, for example, a temperature-responsive polymer. The gel body 28 preferably contains at least one cellulose, for example, hydroxypropyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, or hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose. Note that, as the gel body 28, it is preferable to use one that has temperature responsiveness such that a decrease in light transmittance occurs due to a temperature rise caused by sunlight in the location where the light control structure 10 is installed. In addition, the gel body 28 is preferably one that reversibly changes in light transmittance due to a change in temperature, such as one that contains the above-mentioned cellulose, because it can be used repeatedly.

[0016] For example, the gel body 28 is produced by mixing cellulose, such as hydroxypropyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, or hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, with a liquid. In this case, it is preferable to mix the cellulose with the liquid while the liquid is being vibrated. In this way, the liquid and the cellulose can be mixed more uniformly, and the gel body can be easily obtained. The liquid may be vibrated by bubbles generated by adding a foaming agent to the liquid. In this way, it is possible to easily apply vibration.

[0017] As described above, the light control structure 10 of the present embodiment is provided with the gel body 28, which has a physical property that the translucency decreases with an increase in temperature and increases with a decrease in the increased temperature. This makes it possible to adjust the translucency of the light-entering restricting member 20. Here, when the interior of the vehicle 90 becomes hot, such as in the summer, it is required to suppress a further increase in the interior temperature due to sunlight. In contrast, in the light control structure 10, the translucency of the gel body 28 decreases with an increase in temperature, making it difficult for sunlight to pass through the light-entering restricting member 20, and therefore it is possible to suppress an excessive increase in the interior temperature due to the entry of sunlight. In addition, in the light control structure 10, by decreasing the translucency in this way, it is possible to make it difficult for ultraviolet rays to pass through, and it is also possible to suppress sunburn of the occupants of the vehicle 90. On the other hand, when the increased temperature of the gel body 28 decreases due to the operation of the air conditioning device of the vehicle 90, etc., the translucency of the gel body 28 increases. This increases the translucency of the light-entering restricting member 20 (for example, becomes transparent), making it possible to enhance the sense of openness, and to provide a comfortable drive. Furthermore, when the interior of the vehicle 90 is cold, such as in winter, the increased translucency of the light-entry restricting member 20 makes it easier to take in sunlight (e.g., infrared rays) into the interior, making it possible to maintain the interior temperature. In this way, the light control structure 10 makes it possible to suppress the operation of the air conditioner, thereby making it possible to reduce power consumption. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce power consumption compared to the conventional case of driving a sunshade for blocking sunlight. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the effort required compared to the case of manually moving the sunshade. As described above, the light control structure 10 can provide a novel light control technology that has never existed before.

[0018] In the above example, the dimming structure 10 was applied to a sunlight dimming structure such as a panoramic roof dimming structure of a vehicle 90 (e.g., an electric vehicle, etc.), but it can also be applied to a dimming structure that adjusts the translucency of light other than sunlight.

[0019] [Other embodiments] The light control structure 10 may be provided in a vehicle other than an automobile (for example, a railroad car) or in a vehicle other than a vehicle (for example, an airplane, a ship, etc.). For example, the light-transmitting plate 91 may be a roof light-transmitting plate that constitutes a part or the whole of the roof of a vehicle. The light control structure 10 may be provided in a building, and the light-transmitting plate 91 may be a window of the building.

[0020] <Additional Notes> The following describes the feature groups extracted from the above-described embodiments, while indicating their effects, etc., as necessary. Note that, in the following, for ease of understanding, the corresponding configurations in the above-described embodiments are appropriately indicated in parentheses, but these feature groups are not limited to the specific configurations indicated in parentheses.

[0021] For example, the following group of features relate to the sunlight dimming structure, the panoramic roof dimming structure, and the manufacturing method of the gel body, and can be considered to have been conceived with the objective of "providing a new dimming technology" in the background technology that "conventionally, technologies for dimming sunlight entering through windows, etc. have been known (see, for example, JP2010-52463A (paragraphs

[0015] to

[0017] , FIG. 1, etc.))." In addition, there has long been a demand for the emergence of new dimming technology.

[0022] [Feature 1] Transparent plate and a light-entry restricting member that is disposed on the opposite side of the light-transmitting plate from the side where sunlight enters and that is capable of restricting the entry of sunlight; The light entrance control member is The gel body is contained in a light-transmitting container, The gel body has a physical property that its light transmittance decreases with a temperature rise caused by sunlight and increases when the temperature drops, resulting in a sunlight light control structure (light control structure 10).

[0023] [Feature 2] The solar light control structure according to Feature 1, wherein the gel body contains hydroxypropyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, or hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose.

[0024] [Feature 3] The solar light control structure according to Feature 1, wherein the container has a bag structure.

[0025] [Feature 4] The solar light control structure according to Feature 1, wherein the light-transmitting plate is a roof light-transmitting plate constituting a part or the whole of a roof of a vehicle.

[0026] [Feature 5] The roof light-transmitting plate has an upwardly bulging curved shape, A solar light control structure as described in Feature 4, wherein of an upper opposing portion (upper opposing portion 23) and a lower opposing portion (lower opposing portion 24) that face each other across the gel body in the container, at least the upper surface of the upper opposing portion has a shape that follows the curved shape.

[0027] [Feature 6] A method for producing a gel body according to feature 2, comprising the steps of: A method for producing a gel body, comprising mixing hydroxypropyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, or hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose with a liquid to which vibration has been imparted, thereby producing the gel body.

[0028] [Feature 7] A method for manufacturing the solar light control structure according to any one of features 1 to 6, comprising the steps of: A method for manufacturing a solar light control structure, in which hydroxypropyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, or hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose is mixed with a liquid to which vibration has been imparted to produce the gel body.

[0029] [Feature 8] A panoramic roof light control structure (light control structure 10) for an electric vehicle (vehicle 90), A roof panel (translucent plate 91) formed of a transparent resin; a gel inclusion (light entry restriction member 20) laminated on the passenger compartment side of the roof panel, The gel inclusion is The panoramic roof light control structure is a plate-like body made of a gel sandwiched between transparent films. The transparency decreases as the temperature increases due to sunlight, and the transparency increases as the temperature decreases.

[0030] [Feature 9] A light-entry restricting member that faces a light-transmitting plate and is capable of restricting the entry of sunlight that has passed through the light-transmitting plate, The gel body is contained in a light-transmitting container, The light-entrance restricting member is characterized in that the gel body has a physical property such that its light transmittance decreases with a temperature rise due to sunlight and increases as the temperature drops.

[0031] According to the above features, a novel light control technology is provided. Also, according to the above features, it is possible to suppress an excessive temperature rise caused by the entry of sunlight.

[0032] According to feature 2, it is possible to easily obtain a gel body having the above physical properties.

[0033] According to feature 5, it is possible to easily attach the light-entering restricting member to the light-transmitting plate.

[0034] According to the features 6 and 7, it becomes possible to easily mix the liquid and the cellulose.

[0035] In addition, although this specification and drawings disclose specific examples of the technology included in the scope of the claims, the technology described in the claims is not limited to these specific examples, but includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples, as well as parts of the specific examples taken alone. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10. Dimming structure 20 Light entry control member 21 Containment Unit 28 Gel body 90 vehicles 91 Translucent plate 92 Roof

Claims

1. Transparent plate and a light-entry restricting member that is disposed on the opposite side of the light-transmitting plate from the side where sunlight enters and that is capable of restricting the entry of sunlight; The light entrance control member is The gel body is contained in a light-transmitting container, The gel body has a physical property that its light transmittance decreases with a temperature rise caused by sunlight and increases with the temperature drop.

2. The solar light control structure according to claim 1 , wherein the gel body contains hydroxypropyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, or hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose.

3. The solar light control structure according to claim 1 , wherein the container has a bag structure.

4. The solar light control structure according to claim 1 , wherein the light-transmitting plate is a roof light-transmitting plate constituting a part or the whole of a roof of a vehicle.

5. The roof light-transmitting plate has an upwardly bulging curved shape, The solar light control structure according to claim 4 , wherein an upper facing portion and a lower facing portion of the container that face each other with the gel body therebetween have an upper surface that is shaped to conform to the curved shape.

6. A method for producing a gel body according to claim 2, comprising the steps of: A method for producing a gel body, comprising mixing hydroxypropyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, or hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose with a liquid to which vibration has been imparted, thereby producing the gel body.

7. A panoramic roof dimming structure for an electric vehicle, comprising: A roof panel made of transparent resin; a gel inclusion laminated on the passenger compartment side of the roof panel; The gel inclusion is The panoramic roof light control structure is a plate-like body made of a gel sandwiched between transparent films. The transparency decreases as the temperature increases due to sunlight, and the transparency increases as the temperature decreases.

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