Electronic Dimming Device

Abstract

To provide an electronic light control device having a refresh function for eliminating or reducing color unevenness. [Solution] The electronic dimming device of the present invention comprises an electrochromic element which is optically transparent and whose transmittance changes depending on the voltage applied during a color-forming operation period, a voltage determination unit which determines the voltage to be applied to the electrochromic element and the time for which the voltage is applied, and a voltage application unit which applies a voltage to the electrochromic element based on the determined voltage and time. When the maximum color-forming operation voltage applied by the voltage application unit so as to cause the transmittance to change by 60% or more during the color-forming operation period is defined as Ve and the application time of the maximum color-forming operation voltage Ve is defined as Te, the voltage determination unit determines the refresh voltage applied by the voltage application unit during a refresh operation period other than the color-forming operation period to be greater than or equal to 0.1 Ve and less than 1.0 Ve, and determines the refresh time for applying the refresh voltage to be greater than or equal to 10 Te continuously.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to electronic dimming devices. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an electrochromic element having a pair of substrates and an electrochromic medium disposed between them. When a voltage is applied to the electrodes provided on the pair of substrates, the transmittance of the compound in the electrochromic medium changes. This makes it possible to adjust the amount of light passing through the electrochromic element. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-167317 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In such electrochromic elements, degradation over time can cause some areas to not produce color (uneven coloring). When such areas occur, the quality of the electrochromic element decreases. For this reason, devices equipped with electrochromic elements are required to have a refresh function that reduces or eliminates uneven coloring.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic light control device having a refresh function that eliminates or reduces color unevenness. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Such objectives are as follows: (10) This is achieved by the present invention described in. (1) An electrochromic element that is optically transparent and whose transmittance changes depending on a voltage applied thereto during a color-developing operation period; a voltage determination unit that determines a voltage to be applied to the electrochromic element and a time for applying the voltage; a voltage application unit that applies a voltage to the electrochromic element based on the voltage and time determined by the voltage determination unit; Equipped with The electrochromic element has a first electrode, a second electrode, at least one of a first electrochromic layer laminated on the first electrode and a second electrochromic layer laminated on the second electrode, and an electrolyte layer; The first electrochromic layer contains a material that develops color through an oxidation reaction, The second electrochromic layer contains a material that develops color through a reduction reaction, Let Ve be the maximum value of the color-forming operation voltage applied by the voltage application unit so as to make the change width of the transmittance 60% or more during the color-forming operation period, and let Te be the application time of the maximum color-forming operation voltage Ve. The electronic dimming device is characterized in that the voltage determination unit determines the refresh voltage applied by the voltage application unit during a refresh operation period other than the color development operation period to be greater than or equal to 0.1 Ve and less than 1.0 Ve, and determines the refresh time for applying the refresh voltage to be greater than or equal to 10 Te continuously.

[0007] (2) A voltage measuring unit for measuring a voltage of the electrochromic element is provided, When the voltage application unit applies a voltage so as to make the change width of the transmittance 60% or more during the color development operation period, and then the electrochromic circuit of the electrochromic element is opened, the open voltage measured by the voltage measurement unit is Vo, The electronic dimming device according to (1) above, wherein the voltage determination unit determines the refresh voltage to be equal to or greater than 0.1 Ve and less than 1.0 Ve, and equal to or greater than 0.8 Vo and equal to or less than 1.2 Vo, and determines the refresh time to be equal to or greater than 100 Te continuously.

[0008] (3) the voltage application unit has a secondary battery that applies a voltage to the electrochromic element, The electronic dimming device according to (1) or (2) above, wherein the voltage application unit is configured to set the refresh operation period during a charging period in which the secondary battery is charged using an external power source.

[0009] (4) The electronic light control device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the voltage determination unit has a function of changing at least one of the refresh voltage and the refresh time in accordance with an accumulated drive time.

[0010] (5) An electronic light control device according to any one of (1) to (4) above, which is used as glasses. (6) The electronic light control device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the material that develops color by an oxidation reaction is a polymer obtained by polymerizing a composition containing a radically polymerizable compound having a triarylamine, a triarylamine derivative such as triphenylamine, a bisacridan compound, a Prussian blue-type complex, benzidine, or nickel oxide. (7) The electronic light control device according to any one of (1) to (5) above, wherein the material that develops color through a reduction reaction is an inorganic electrochromic compound, an organic electrochromic compound, or a conductive polymer. (8) The electronic light control device according to any one of (1) to (7) above, wherein the material that develops color upon oxidation reaction and the material that develops color upon reduction reaction are materials that develop colors in the same tone. (9) The electronic light control device according to any one of (1) to (7) above, wherein the material that develops color upon oxidation reaction and the material that develops color upon reduction reaction develop colors in different tones from each other. (10) The electronic light control device according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein the electrochromic element has both the first electrochromic layer and the second electrochromic layer. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, an electronic light control device having a refresh function for eliminating or reducing color unevenness can be obtained. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing sunglasses (eyeglasses) to which an electronic light adjusting device according to an embodiment is applied. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first lens shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a first lens shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged view of the EC functional unit shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] 2 is a functional block diagram of a control unit shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 11 is a graph showing an example of a voltage applied to a first electrochromic element during a coloring operation period and a refresh operation period, and a change in voltage measured at the first electrochromic element during a coloring maintenance period and a decoloring period. [Figure 7] 7 is a graph showing changes in transmittance of the first electrochromic element during a coloring operation period, a coloring maintenance period, and a color disappearance period shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 4 is a photograph showing an example of a colorless portion occurring in a first electrochromic element. [Figure 9] 9 is a photograph showing a state after a refresh operation has been performed on the first electrochromic element shown in FIG. 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an electronic light control device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0014] 1. Configuration of electronic dimming device FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing sunglasses 100 (eyeglasses) to which an electronic light adjusting device according to an embodiment is applied.

[0015] The sunglasses 100 shown in Fig. 1 include a frame 20, a first lens 31, a second lens 32, and a control unit 40. In the following description, when the sunglasses 100 are worn on the head of a user, the user side of the first lens 31 and the second lens 32 is referred to as the "back" and the opposite side is referred to as the "front." In the following description, the term "lens" includes not only optical elements having the function of focusing or diverging light, but also optical elements having the function of simply transmitting light.

[0016] 1.1.Frame A frame 20 shown in FIG. 1 has two rim portions 21, 21, a bridge portion 22, two temple portions 23, 23, and two nose pad portions 24, 24.

[0017] The frame 20 is worn on the user's head and positions the first lens 31 and the second lens 32 near the user's eyes.

[0018] Each rim portion 21 is in a ring shape. A first lens 31 is fitted inside one of the rim portions 21, and a second lens 32 is fitted inside the other rim portion 21.

[0019] The bridge portion 22 is rod-shaped and connects the rim portions 21 to each other. Each temple portion 23 is shaped like a temple, with one end connected to each rim portion 21 and the other end being a free end.

[0020] In addition, a control unit 40 is provided on the temple portion 23. The control unit 40 applies a voltage to the first lens 31 and the second lens 32, and controls the operation thereof.

[0021] The nose pad portion 24 is provided on the edge of each rim portion 21 and is supported on the nose of the user of the sunglasses 100.

[0022] The material of the frame 20 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, various metal materials, various resin materials, etc. Also, it may be a composite material containing these materials.

[0023] The shape of the frame 20 is not limited to the shape shown in the figure, so long as it can be worn on the head of the user. For example, the rim portion 21 and the temple portion 23 may be omitted. Also, the entire frame 20 may be omitted, and the first lens 31 and the second lens 32 may be used alone.

[0024] Furthermore, the electronic light adjusting device according to the present invention may be applied to glasses other than sunglasses, for example, prescription glasses, fashion glasses, goggles, etc. Furthermore, the electronic light adjusting device according to the present invention may have one or more additional lenses similar to the first lens 31 and the second lens 32.

[0025] 1.2. First lens and second lens Next, the first lens 31 and the second lens 32 will be described.

[0026] 1, the first lens 31 has a first electrochromic element 1. In addition, the second lens 32 has a second electrochromic element 2 separate from the first electrochromic element 1. Note that the configurations of the second lens 32 and the second electrochromic element 2 are similar to the configurations of the first lens 31 and the first electrochromic element 1, and therefore will not be described.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first lens 31 shown in FIG. The first lens 31 shown in FIG. 2 has a first electrochromic element 1 and a resin layer 35 provided on the back surface thereof.

[0028] The first electrochromic element 1 is optically transparent and has the function of developing color when a voltage is applied. In addition, by switching the voltage application state, it is possible to reversibly switch between color development and decolorization. The power required for the first electrochromic element 1 to operate is supplied from the control unit 40. In addition, the control unit 40 is also responsible for switching the voltage application state.

[0029] For example, when the sunglasses 100 are used, the amount of light passing through the first lens 31 (transmittance) can be controlled by switching the coloring and decoloring of the first electrochromic element 1 or by changing the coloring density. The period during which a voltage is applied to the first electrochromic element 1 to change the coloring density is called the "coloring operation period." When the coloring operation period ends, the application of the voltage is stopped and the electrochromic circuit provided in the first electrochromic element 1 is opened. In the following description, opening the electrochromic circuit is sometimes referred to as "opening the element." Also, shorting the electrochromic circuit is sometimes referred to as "shorting the element."

[0030] After the coloring operation period ends, the color density is maintained due to the memory effect of the first electrochromic element 1. This period is called the "coloring retention period." Thereafter, if necessary, the coloring state can be canceled and the element can be decolored by shorting the first electrochromic element 1. The period during which the element is decolored is called the "decoloring period."

[0031] Although sunglasses 100 have been illustrated as an example of this embodiment, the electronic light control device according to the present invention may also be applied to various types of eyeglasses, such as prescription eyeglasses, fashion eyeglasses, and goggles that protect the eyes from wind, rain, dust, chemicals, etc.

[0032] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the first lens 31 shown in FIG. The first electrochromic element 1 shown in Figure 3 comprises a first substrate 11, a second substrate 12, a first electrode 13, a second electrode 14, an EC functional section 60, a sealing section 55, a first auxiliary electrode 15, and a second auxiliary electrode 16.

[0033] 1.2.1. First board The first substrate 11 supports other components such as the EC functional section 60. In addition, the first substrate 11 serves as the outermost layer of the first electrochromic element 1, and protects the EC functional section 60 and the like.

[0034] The material for forming the first substrate 11 is not particularly limited as long as it is a transparent resin material, but a material containing a transparent resin having thermoplastic properties is preferable.

[0035] The transparent resin is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include acrylic resins, polystyrene resins, polyethylene resins, polypropylene resins, polyester resins (polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), etc.), polycarbonate resins, polyamide resins, cycloolefin resins, vinyl chloride resins, polyacetal resins, etc., and one or a mixture of two or more of these resins is used. Among these, the transparent resin is preferably a polycarbonate resin or a polyamide resin, and more preferably a polycarbonate resin. These resins are excellent in transparency (translucency) and mechanical properties, and further in heat resistance and moldability. Therefore, the transparency and shape accuracy of the first substrate 11, as well as the impact resistance and heat resistance of the first substrate 11 can be improved.

[0036] In particular, the polycarbonate resin is preferably an aromatic polycarbonate resin, which has an aromatic ring in the main chain and contributes to improving the mechanical strength of first substrate 11.

[0037] The first substrate 11 may contain various additives, such as dyes, pigments, antioxidants, fillers, plasticizers, light stabilizers, ultraviolet absorbers, heat absorbers, and flame retardants, as necessary.

[0038] The thickness of the first substrate 11 is preferably 0.1 mm or more and 10.0 mm or less, and more preferably 0.3 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less. If the thickness of the first substrate 11 is within the above range, it is possible to achieve both a thin structure and mechanical strength of the first electrochromic element 1.

[0039] 1.2.2. Second board The second substrate 12 is disposed opposite the first substrate 11 via the EC functional unit 60, and supports other components such as the EC functional unit 60. The second substrate 12 also serves as the outermost layer of the first electrochromic element 1, and protects the EC functional unit 60, etc. In the following description, the space between the first substrate 11 and the second substrate 12 is also referred to as the "inside."

[0040] The material of the second substrate 12 is not particularly limited as long as it is a transparent material, but a material containing a transparent resin having thermoplastic properties is preferable. The transparent resin is the same as the material of the first substrate 11.

[0041] The thickness of the second substrate 12 may be the same as the thickness of the first substrate 11, or may be different.

[0042] The thickness of the second substrate 12 is preferably 0.1 mm to 10.0 mm, more preferably 0.3 mm to 5.0 mm. If the thickness of the second substrate 12 is within the above range, the first electrochromic element 1 can be made thin while maintaining its mechanical strength.

[0043] 1.2.3.EC Functional Department FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged view of the EC function unit 60 shown in FIG.

[0044] The EC functional unit 60 (electrochromic circuit) shown in Figure 4 has a first electrode 13 and a first electrochromic layer 63 stacked in sequence on the inside of the first substrate 11, a second electrode 14 and a second electrochromic layer 64 stacked in sequence on the inside of the second substrate 12, and an electrolyte layer 65 filled between the first electrochromic layer 63 and the second electrochromic layer 64.

[0045] The first electrode 13 and the second electrode 14 are electrically connected to the control unit 40. The control unit 40 controls the potentials of the first electrode 13 and the second electrode 14, and injects and extracts charges into and from the first electrochromic layer 63 and the second electrochromic layer 64. This allows the EC function unit 60 to perform coloring, color retention, and color erasing operations.

[0046] The constituent materials of the first electrode 13 and the second electrode 14 are not particularly limited as long as they are transparent conductive materials, and examples thereof include oxides such as ITO (indium tin oxide), FTO (F-doped tin oxide), ATO (antimony tin oxide), IZO (indium zinc oxide), In2O3, SnO2, Sb-containing SnO2, and Al-containing ZnO, Au, Pt, Ag, Cu, or alloys containing these, and one or more of these may be used in combination.

[0047] The thickness of each of the first electrode 13 and the second electrode 14 is set appropriately according to the required conductivity. For example, when ITO is used as the constituent material of each of the first electrode 13 and the second electrode 14, the thickness is preferably about 50 nm or more and 200 nm or less, and more preferably about 100 nm or more and 150 nm or less.

[0048] The first electrochromic layer 63 contains a material that develops color through an oxidation reaction. The material that develops color through an oxidation reaction is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include polymers obtained by polymerizing a composition containing a radically polymerizable compound having triarylamine, triarylamine derivatives such as triphenylamine, bisacridan compounds, Prussian blue-type complexes, benzidine, nickel oxide, and the like, and one or more of these may be used in combination.

[0049] An example of a Prussian blue-type complex is a material made of Fe(III)4[Fe(II)(CN)6]3.

[0050] Among these, a polymer obtained by polymerizing a composition containing a radically polymerizable compound having triarylamine is preferably used, since it can be operated at a constant voltage, has excellent durability during repeated use, and can provide an electrochromic element with high contrast.

[0051] In addition, the composition containing the radical polymerizable compound having a triarylamine may contain another radical polymerizable compound different from the radical polymerizable compound having a triarylamine, and the polymer obtained by polymerizing such a composition may be composed of a crosslinked product in which these radical polymerizable compounds are crosslinked.

[0052] The thickness of the first electrochromic layer 63 is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 0.1 μm or more and 30 μm or less, and more preferably about 0.4 μm or more and 10 μm or less.

[0053] The second electrochromic layer 64 contains a material that develops color through a reduction reaction. The material that develops color through a reduction reaction is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include inorganic electrochromic compounds, organic electrochromic compounds, conductive polymers, etc., and one or more of these can be used in combination.

[0054] Examples of inorganic electrochromic compounds include tungsten oxide, molybdenum oxide, iridium oxide, titanium oxide, etc., and tungsten oxide is particularly preferred. Tungsten oxide has a low reduction potential, so that the color development / discoloration potential is low, and further, since it is an inorganic material, it has excellent durability.

[0055] Examples of organic electrochromic compounds include low molecular weight organic electrochromic compounds such as azobenzene, anthraquinone, diarylethene, dihydroprene, dipyridine, styryl, styrylspiropyran, spirooxazine, spirothiopyran, thioindigo, tetrathiafulvalene, terephthalic acid, triphenylmethane, triphenylamine, naphthopyran, viologen, pyrazoline, phenazine, phenylenediamine, phenoxazine, phenothiazine, phthalocyanine, fluoran, fulgide, benzopyran, and metallocene, and particularly preferably viologen compounds or dipyridine compounds. These compounds have low color development and fading potential and show good color values.

[0056] Examples of viologen compounds include compounds described in Japanese Patent No. 3955641 and JP-A-2007-171781.

[0057] Examples of the dipyridine compound include compounds described in JP-A-2007-171781 and JP-A-2008-116718.

[0058] Examples of the conductive polymer include polypyrrole, polythiophene, polyaniline, and derivatives thereof.

[0059] In addition, a material that develops a color in the same tone as the material that develops a color in the oxidation reaction described above is preferably used as the material that develops a color in the reduction reaction, which improves the maximum color density and, as a result, the contrast during color development.

[0060] On the other hand, when a material that develops color through an oxidation reaction and a material that develops color through a reduction reaction, which have different color tones, are used, it becomes possible to control the color development by mixing colors.

[0061] Either the first electrochromic layer 63 or the second electrochromic layer 64 may be set not to develop color, but by having both develop color, the color density can be increased. This allows the driving voltage applied to the EC function section 60 to be reduced, and the durability of the first electrochromic element 1 to be improved when color development is repeated.

[0062] The thickness of the second electrochromic layer 64 is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 0.2 μm or more and 5.0 μm or less, and more preferably about 1.0 μm or more and 4.0 μm or less.

[0063] The electrolyte layer 65 is filled between the first electrochromic layer 63 and the second electrochromic layer 64, and contains an electrolyte having ion conductivity.

[0064] The electrolyte is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include inorganic ion salts such as alkali metal salts and alkaline earth metal salts, quaternary ammonium salts, acids, and alkali supporting salts, etc. Specific examples include LiClO4, LiBF4, LiAsF6, LiPF6, LiCF3SO3, LiCF3COO, KCl, NaClO3, NaCl, NaBF4, NaSCN, KBF4, Mg(ClO4)2, Mg(BF4)2, etc., and one or more of these may be used in combination.

[0065] Ionic liquids can also be used as the electrolyte material. Among ionic liquids, organic ionic liquids are easy to handle because they are liquid over a wide temperature range including room temperature.

[0066] As the molecular structure of the organic ionic liquid, the cationic component may be, for example, an imidazole derivative such as N,N-dimethylimidazole salt, N,N-methylethylimidazole salt, or N,N-methylpropylimidazole salt; a pyridinium derivative such as N,N-dimethylpyridinium salt or N,N-methylpropylpyridinium salt; or an aliphatic quaternary ammonium derivative such as trimethylpropylammonium salt, trimethylhexylammonium salt, or triethylhexylammonium salt. In addition, it is preferable to use a fluorine-containing compound as the anionic component, taking into consideration stability in the atmosphere, such as BF4 - , CF3SO3 - , PF4 - , (CF3SO2)2N - , (SO2F)2N - etc.

[0067] Such an electrolyte material may be an ionic liquid containing any combination of cationic and anionic components.

[0068] The ionic liquid may be directly dissolved in any one of the photopolymerizable monomer, oligomer, and liquid crystal material. If the ionic liquid has poor solubility in these materials, it may be dissolved in a small amount of solvent to obtain a solution, and then this solution may be mixed with any one of the photopolymerizable monomer, oligomer, and liquid crystal material to dissolve the ionic liquid.

[0069] Examples of the solvent include propylene carbonate, acetonitrile, γ-butyrolactone, ethylene carbonate, sulfolane, dioxolane, tetrahydrofuran, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, dimethyl sulfoxide, 1,2-dimethoxyethane, 1,2-ethoxymethoxyethane, polyethylene glycol, alcohols, and the like, or mixed solvents containing two or more of these.

[0070] The electrolyte may be in the form of a low-viscosity liquid, a gel, a polymer cross-linked type, a liquid crystal dispersion type, or the like. Of these, the electrolyte is preferably in the form of a gel or a solid. This can improve the mechanical strength and reliability of the EC functional unit 60.

[0071] The thickness of the electrolyte layer 65 is not particularly limited, but is preferably set to about 10 μm or more and 100 μm or less, and more preferably about 20 μm or more and 80 μm or less.

[0072] Between the first electrode 13 and the second electrode 14, an intermediate layer such as an insulating porous layer or a protective layer may be provided as necessary.

[0073] In this embodiment, the EC function section 60 has the first electrochromic layer 63 and the second electrochromic layer 64, but either one of them may be omitted.

[0074] 1.2.4.Sealing Part 3, the sealing portion 55 is disposed between the first substrate 11 and the second substrate 12, and defines a colored region 70. This allows the EC functional portion 60 to be encapsulated in the colored region 70. The first electrode 13 and the second electrode 14 shown in FIG. 3 extend beyond the sealing portion 55 to the outside of the colored region 70.

[0075] The constituent material of the sealing portion 55 is not particularly limited as long as it is an insulating material having transparency, and examples thereof include resin materials such as acrylic resin and epoxy resin, and inorganic oxides such as silicon oxide (SiO2), silicon oxynitride (SiON), and aluminum oxide (Al2O3).

[0076] The thickness of the sealing portion 55 is adjusted according to the thickness of the EC function portion 60, and is preferably, for example, about 20 μm or more and 100 μm or less, and more preferably about 40 μm or more and 80 μm or less.

[0077] 1.2.5.1st auxiliary electrode The first auxiliary electrode 15 is laminated on the first electrode 13 that extends to the outside of the colored region 70. The first auxiliary electrode 15 is made of a material having a higher conductivity than the first electrode 13. This improves the efficiency of controlling the potential of the first electrode 13.

[0078] The material constituting the first auxiliary electrode 15 is not particularly limited as long as it has a higher conductivity than the first electrode 13. Examples of the material include silver, aluminum, copper, chromium, molybdenum, etc., and one or a combination of two or more of these may be used. The first auxiliary electrode 15 may be provided as necessary, and may be omitted.

[0079] 1.2.6.Second auxiliary electrode The second auxiliary electrode 16 is laminated on the second electrode 14 that extends to the outside of the colored region 70. The second auxiliary electrode 16 is made of a material having a higher conductivity than the second electrode 14. This improves the efficiency of controlling the potential of the second electrode 14.

[0080] The material of the second auxiliary electrode 16 is not particularly limited as long as it has a higher conductivity than the second electrode 14. Examples of the material include silver, aluminum, copper, chromium, molybdenum, etc., and one or a combination of two or more of these may be used. The second auxiliary electrode 16 may be provided as necessary, and may be omitted.

[0081] 1.3.Control Unit The control unit 40 is provided in the temple portion 23 and controls the operation of each of the first electrochromic element 1 and the second electrochromic element 2.

[0082] FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the control unit 40 shown in FIG. The control unit 40 shown in FIG. 5 has a voltage measurement unit 42, a voltage determination unit 44, and a voltage application unit 46 as functional units.

[0083] The voltage measuring unit 42 measures the open circuit voltage of the first electrochromic element 1 and the open circuit voltage of the second electrochromic element 2. These open circuit voltages are the voltages (open circuit voltages) between the first electrode 13 and the second electrode 14 measured when the first electrochromic element 1 and the second electrochromic element 2 are each opened.

[0084] The voltage determination section 44 determines the color-developing operation voltage to be applied to the first electrochromic element 1 and the second electrochromic element 2 during the color-developing operation period, and the application time thereof.

[0085] Furthermore, the voltage determination section 44 determines the voltage (refresh voltage) to be applied to the first electrochromic element 1 and the second electrochromic element 2 during a refresh operation period other than the color development operation period, and the application time (refresh time).

[0086] The function of the voltage determination unit 44 is realized by hardware including a CPU, a memory, and an interface. An example of such hardware is a microcomputer. The CPU is a central processing unit. Examples of the memory include any non-volatile memory element (ROM), any volatile memory element (RAM), and a removable external memory element. Examples of the interface include a digital input / output port such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB). The function of the voltage determination unit 44 is realized by the CPU executing a program that is loaded in advance in the memory. Instead of or in addition to the method in which the CPU executes a program to realize the above function, a method in which hardware such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) realizes the above function may be used.

[0087] The voltage application section 46 applies a color-developing operation voltage to the first electrochromic element 1 and the second electrochromic element 2 during the color-developing operation period.

[0088] Furthermore, the voltage application unit 46 applies the refresh voltage and refresh time determined above to the first electrochromic element 1 and the second electrochromic element 2 during the refresh operation period. The refresh voltage and refresh time applied to the first electrochromic element 1 and the refresh voltage and refresh time applied to the second electrochromic element 2 may be the same as or different from each other. Furthermore, the refresh voltage may not be applied to either one of the elements.

[0089] The voltage application unit 46 includes, for example, a DC power supply, a voltage converter, and a switch. The DC power supply is a power supply that generates a predetermined DC voltage, and is composed of, for example, a primary battery, a secondary battery, an external power supply, etc. The voltage converter converts the DC voltage generated by the DC power supply to a target value. The voltage converter may have a function of generating a pulse width modulated voltage from the DC voltage and changing the duty ratio to bring the effective voltage closer to the target value. The switch switches between the coloring operation period, the coloring retention period, and the decoloring period in response to a user's operation.

[0090] 2. Operation of electronic dimming device Next, a description will be given of the operation of the sunglasses 100. In the following description, the operation of the first electrochromic element 1 will be described. The operation of the second electrochromic element 2 is similar to that of the first electrochromic element 1, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0091] 6 is a graph showing an example of the change in the voltage V applied to the first electrochromic element 1 during the coloring operation period T1 and the refresh operation period T4, and the change in the voltage V measured at the first electrochromic element 1 during the coloring maintenance period T2 and the decoloring period T3. The horizontal axis of FIG. 6 represents time, and the vertical axis represents voltage.

[0092] Fig. 7 is a graph showing changes in transmittance TR of the first electrochromic element 1 during the coloring operation period T1, the coloring maintenance period T2, and the color disappearance period T3 shown in Fig. 6. The horizontal axis of Fig. 7 represents time, and the vertical axis represents transmittance.

[0093] In the color-producing operation period T1 shown in Fig. 6, a voltage V is applied to the first electrochromic element 1. This causes charge to be injected into the first electrochromic element 1, increasing the color density. As a result, as shown in Fig. 7, a color-producing operation is performed in which the transmittance TR gradually decreases in the color-producing operation period T1.

[0094] 6, after the coloring operation period T1 ends, the first electrochromic element 1 is opened, which causes a transition to the coloring maintenance period T2.

[0095] 7, immediately after the start of the coloring retention period T2, the transmittance TR immediately after the end of the coloring operation period T1 is maintained due to the memory effect. This allows a coloring retention operation that maintains the transmittance TR without consuming power.

[0096] In the example shown in Fig. 6, after the coloring retention period T2 ends, the first electrochromic element 1 is short-circuited. This causes a transition to the color-eliminating period T3. In the color-eliminating period T3, a color-eliminating operation is performed in which the coloring density decreases and the transmittance TR increases, as shown in Fig. 7.

[0097] The above-described coloring operation, coloring maintenance operation, and color erasing operation are the basic operations of the sunglasses 100.

[0098] Here, if the sunglasses 100 have an initial abnormality or deteriorate over time, a portion with locally low color density (color loss portion) may occur in the first electrochromic element 1 during color development or color maintenance.

[0099] Fig. 8 is a photograph showing an example of a color loss portion 3 that has occurred in the first electrochromic element 1. When a color loss portion 3 such as that shown in Fig. 8 occurs, the appearance of the first electrochromic element 1 deteriorates. This raises concerns about a deterioration in the quality of the sunglasses 100. Furthermore, since the original color density cannot be obtained in the color loss portion 3, usability also decreases.

[0100] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present inventor has found the following cause of the occurrence of the color-depleted portion 3. The first electrode 13 and the second electrode 14 may have unintended pinholes. A pinhole is a hole that penetrates the first electrode 13 and the second electrode 14. When the sunglasses 100 are used, moisture may penetrate into the colored region 70 through the pinhole. When moisture penetrates, it is believed that moisture locally accumulates near the pinhole, and the electrical resistance of the first electrode 13 and the second electrode 14 locally increases at that portion. Then, it is believed that the injection and extraction of charges into and from the first electrochromic layer 63 and the second electrochromic layer 64 is hindered, resulting in the occurrence of the color-depleted portion 3.

[0101] Therefore, the present inventors have conducted extensive research into methods for suppressing the occurrence of the color voids 3. In this embodiment, the control unit 40 operates as follows to suppress the occurrence of the color voids 3.

[0102] It is believed that performing a refresh operation (applying a refresh voltage Vr to the first electrochromic element 1) during the refresh operation period T4 can disperse moisture that has accumulated locally. This can reduce the electrical resistance of the first electrode 13 and the second electrode 14, and can eliminate or reduce the loss of color 3. As a result, sunglasses 100 can be realized that are less likely to cause discomfort to the user due to the loss of color 3.

[0103] In the refresh operation, it is necessary to set a refresh voltage Vr and its application time (refresh time Tr) that are optimized according to the configuration of the first electrochromic element 1. Such refresh voltage Vr and refresh time Tr are derived as follows.

[0104] 2.1. Setting refresh operation conditions based on color generation operating voltage First, the maximum value of the voltage V set so that the variation width W of the transmittance TR during the coloring operation period T1 is 60% or more is defined as the "maximum coloring operation voltage Ve". In the example shown in FIG. 7, the transmittance TR drops from 80% to 10% during the coloring operation period T1, so the variation width W is 70%. Therefore, the maximum value of the voltage V applied to the first electrochromic element 1 during the coloring operation period T1 shown in FIG. 6 can be adopted as the "maximum coloring operation voltage Ve". In addition, the duration of the maximum coloring operation voltage Ve is defined as the "application time Te of the maximum coloring operation voltage Ve". The maximum coloring operation voltage Ve and application time Te derived in this way are used as the basis for deriving the refresh voltage Vr and the refresh time Tr.

[0105] The above "80%" is the transmittance TR (transmittance in the extinguished state) before the application of the maximum color-developing operating voltage Ve. The above "10%" is the minimum value of the transmittance TR that has continuously decreased from 80%. As shown in FIG. 7, if the transmittance TR decreases and then levels off, the transmittance TR at which it levels off can be regarded as the minimum value.

[0106] Furthermore, the change width of the transmittance TR when defining the maximum color-developing operating voltage Ve may be 60% or more, preferably 60% to 80%, and more preferably 65% ​​to 75%.

[0107] Next, the voltage determination unit 44 sets the refresh voltage Vr to a voltage value that is equal to or greater than 0.1 Ve and less than 1.0 Ve. In the example shown in Fig. 6, the maximum color-developing operating voltage Ve is 1.6 V. In this case, the refresh voltage Vr should be set to a value that is equal to or greater than 0.16 V and less than 1.6 V.

[0108] Furthermore, the voltage determination unit 44 sets the refresh time Tr to a time that is equal to or greater than 10 Te continuously. If the application time Te of the maximum color-developing operating voltage Ve is, for example, 15 seconds, the refresh time Tr should be set to 150 seconds or more.

[0109] Next, in the refresh operation period T4, the voltage application unit 46 applies a refresh voltage Vr to the first electrochromic element 1 for a refresh time Tr. This is believed to disperse the moisture that has infiltrated into the colored region 70. As a result, the color-loss portion 3 can be eliminated or reduced.

[0110] If the refresh voltage Vr falls below the lower limit, the refresh voltage Vr does not reach the voltage required to move the moisture, and the moisture cannot be sufficiently dispersed. On the other hand, if the refresh voltage Vr exceeds the upper limit, the refresh voltage Vr becomes equal to or exceeds the maximum coloring operating voltage Ve. In this case, although the moisture can be dispersed, the voltage is somewhat excessive, which may hasten the deterioration of the first electrochromic element 1.

[0111] Moreover, if the refresh time Tr falls below the lower limit, the refresh time Tr does not reach the time required to move the moisture, and therefore the moisture cannot be dispersed sufficiently.

[0112] Fig. 9 is a photograph showing the state after a refresh operation has been performed on the first electrochromic element 1 shown in Fig. 8. In Fig. 9, the color loss 3 that occurred in the first electrochromic element 1 shown in Fig. 8 has disappeared or been alleviated. Therefore, the refresh operation can suppress deterioration in the quality of the sunglasses 100.

[0113] 2.2. Setting refresh operation conditions based on open circuit voltage First, a voltage V is applied to the first electrochromic element 1 so that the change width W of the transmittance TR during the coloring operation period T1 is 60% or more. Next, the first electrochromic element 1 is opened, and the coloring retention period T2 begins. Then, the voltage measurement unit 42 measures the voltage V of the first electrochromic element 1, and this is set as the "open voltage Vo." The open voltage Vo measured in this manner becomes the reference for deriving the refresh voltage Vr.

[0114] In the example shown in FIG. 6, since the variation width W of the transmittance TR is 70%, the voltage V measured by the voltage measuring section 42 during the coloring maintenance period T2 can be used as the "open voltage Vo."

[0115] During the coloring retention period T2, the voltage V may decrease over time. Therefore, it is preferable to set the voltage V, for example, 5 seconds after the first electrochromic element 1 is opened, as the "open voltage Vo." This makes it possible to obtain an open voltage Vo with few abnormal values.

[0116] Next, the voltage determination unit 44 sets the refresh voltage Vr to a voltage value that is equal to or more than 0.1Ve but less than 1.0Ve and equal to or more than 0.8Vo and equal to or less than 1.2Vo. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the maximum value Ve of the coloring operation voltage is 1.6V, and the open voltage Vo is 1.2V. In this case, the refresh voltage Vr is set to be equal to or more than 1.1V and equal to or less than 1.4V. In this way, by setting the refresh voltage Vr within the range of the refresh voltage Vr set based on the above-mentioned voltage Ve and within the range based on the open voltage Vo, the refresh operation can be performed more reliably with a more moderate voltage value. This makes it possible to eliminate or alleviate the color loss portion 3 while suppressing the progression of deterioration of the first electrochromic element 1 accompanying the refresh operation. As a result, the life of the sunglasses 100 can be extended.

[0117] Furthermore, the voltage determination unit 44 may set the refresh time Tr to a time that is 10 Te or more continuously, and preferably to a time that is 100 Te or more continuously. If the application time Te of the maximum color-developing operating voltage Ve is, for example, 15 seconds, the refresh time Tr may be set to 1500 seconds or more (25 minutes or more).

[0118] The refresh time Tr is preferably 1 hour or more, more preferably 5 hours or more, and even more preferably 10 hours or more. This allows an appropriate refresh operation to be performed without increasing the refresh voltage Vr more than necessary. As a result, the progress of deterioration of the first electrochromic element 1 due to the refresh operation can be suppressed. On the other hand, the upper limit of the refresh time Tr does not need to be particularly set, but from the viewpoint of usability, it is preferably set to 24 hours or less.

[0119] 2.3.Refresh operation timing When the voltage application unit 46 has a secondary battery as a DC power source, the sunglasses 100 and an external power source are connected according to the remaining charge of the secondary battery, and the secondary battery is charged. While the secondary battery is charging, the sunglasses 100 is not normally used.

[0120] Therefore, the voltage application unit 46 may be configured to set a refresh operation period T4 during a charging period T5 of the secondary battery, as shown in Fig. 6. This makes it possible to avoid a decrease in convenience due to the refresh operation.

[0121] Furthermore, the voltage determination unit 44 may have a function of changing at least one of the refresh voltage Vr and the refresh time Tr in response to various factors. Examples of the various factors include temperature, accumulated temperature, continuous driving time, accumulated driving time, and the like. These factors may reduce the effect of the refresh operation. Therefore, the voltage determination unit 44 may be configured to acquire these factors and reflect the acquired results in the refresh operation conditions. As a result, even if the effect of the refresh operation is impaired by the above factors, the reduction in the effect of the refresh operation can be compensated for by modifying the refresh operation conditions.

[0122] 3. Advantages of the above embodiment Sunglasses 100 to which the electronic light control device according to the embodiment is applied include a first electrochromic element 1, a voltage determination unit 44, and a voltage application unit 46. The first electrochromic element 1 is optically transparent, and its transmittance TR changes depending on the voltage applied during a color development operation period T1. The voltage determination unit 44 determines the voltage to be applied to the first electrochromic element 1 and the time for which the voltage is applied. The voltage application unit 46 applies a voltage to the first electrochromic element 1 based on the voltage and time determined by the voltage determination unit 44.

[0123] Then, when the maximum color-forming operation voltage applied by the voltage application unit 46 is defined as Ve so as to set the change width W of the transmittance TR to 60% or more during the color-forming operation period T1, and the application time of the maximum color-forming operation voltage Ve is defined as Te, the voltage determination unit 44 determines the refresh voltage Vr applied by the voltage application unit 46 during the refresh operation period T4 other than the color-forming operation period T1 to be greater than or equal to 0.1 Ve and less than 1.0 Ve, and determines the refresh time Tr for applying the refresh voltage Vr to be greater than or equal to 10 Te continuously.

[0124] According to this configuration, the refreshing operation can eliminate or reduce the color loss 3 that occurs in the sunglasses 100. Therefore, it is possible to realize sunglasses 100 (electronic light control device) that have a refreshing function that eliminates or reduces color unevenness.

[0125] The sunglasses 100 to which the electronic light control device according to the embodiment is applied include a voltage measurement unit 42. The voltage measurement unit 42 measures the voltage of the first electrochromic element 1. After the voltage application unit 46 applies a voltage so that the change width W of the transmittance TR is 60% or more during the color development operation period T1, the open voltage measured by the voltage measurement unit 42 when the electrochromic circuit of the first electrochromic element 1 is opened is set to Vo. At this time, the voltage determination unit 44 determines the refresh voltage Vr to be 0.1Ve or more and less than 1.0Ve, and 0.8Vo or more and 1.2Vo or less, and the refresh time Tr to be 100Te or more continuously.

[0126] With this configuration, it is possible to suppress the progression of deterioration of the first electrochromic element 1 that accompanies the refresh operation, while eliminating or mitigating the loss of colored parts 3. This makes it possible to extend the life of the sunglasses 100.

[0127] Moreover, in the sunglasses 100 to which the electronic light control device according to the embodiment is applied, the voltage application unit 46 has a secondary battery that applies a voltage to the first electrochromic element 1. The voltage application unit 46 is configured to set a refresh operation period T4 during a charging period T5 during which the secondary battery is charged using an external power source.

[0128] According to such a configuration, since the sunglasses 100 are not normally used during the charging period T5, it is possible to avoid a decrease in convenience due to the refresh operation.

[0129] Furthermore, in the sunglasses 100 to which the electronic light adjusting device according to the embodiment is applied, the voltage determination unit 44 has a function of changing at least one of the refresh voltage Vr and the refresh time Tr according to the accumulated drive time.

[0130] According to such a configuration, even if the effect of the refresh operation is reduced due to cumulative driving, the reduction in the effect of the refresh operation can be compensated for by modifying the refresh operation conditions.

[0131] Moreover, the sunglasses 100 to which the electronic light adjusting device according to the embodiment is applied are used as spectacles.

[0132] With this configuration, it is possible to realize eyeglasses that are less likely to cause discomfort to the wearer due to the non-colored portion 3.

[0133] Although the electronic light control device of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0134] For example, the electronic dimming device of the present invention may have each part of the above embodiment replaced with any component having a similar function, or may have any component added to the above embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0135] 1. First electrochromic element 2. Second electrochromic element 3. Color loss area 11 First board 12 Second board 13 1st electrode 14 2nd electrode 15 1st auxiliary electrode 16 2nd auxiliary electrode 20 Frames 21 Rim 22 Bridge section 23 Temple Section 24 Nose pad section 31 First lens 32 Second lens 35 Resin layer 40 Control section 42 Voltage measurement section 44 Voltage determination unit 46 Voltage application section 55 Sealing part 60 EC function section 63 First electrochromic layer 64 Second electrochromic layer 65 Electrolyte layer 70 colored areas 100 Sunglasses T1 Coloring period T2 color retention period T3 Color fading period T4 Refresh operation period T5 charging period TR transmittance Te application time Tr Refresh Time V Voltage Ve Maximum coloring voltage Vo Open Circuit Voltage Vr Refresh voltage W Change width

Claims

1. an electrochromic element that is optically transparent and whose transmittance changes depending on a voltage applied thereto during a color-developing operation period; a voltage determination unit that determines a voltage to be applied to the electrochromic element and a time for applying the voltage; a voltage application unit that applies a voltage to the electrochromic element based on the voltage and time determined by the voltage determination unit; Equipped with The electrochromic element has a first electrode, a second electrode, at least one of a first electrochromic layer laminated on the first electrode and a second electrochromic layer laminated on the second electrode, and an electrolyte layer; The first electrochromic layer contains a material that develops color through an oxidation reaction, The second electrochromic layer contains a material that develops color through a reduction reaction, Let Ve be the maximum value of the color-developing operation voltage applied by the voltage application unit so as to make the change width of the transmittance 60% or more during the color-developing operation period, and let Te be the application time of the maximum color-developing operation voltage Ve: The electronic dimming device is characterized in that the voltage determination unit determines the refresh voltage applied by the voltage application unit during a refresh operation period other than the color development operation period to be greater than or equal to 0.1 Ve and less than 1.0 Ve, and determines the refresh time for applying the refresh voltage to be greater than or equal to 10 Te continuously.

2. A voltage measuring unit for measuring a voltage of the electrochromic element is provided, When the voltage application unit applies a voltage so as to set the change width of the transmittance to 60% or more during the color development operation period, and then the electrochromic circuit of the electrochromic element is opened, the open voltage measured by the voltage measurement unit is Vo, The electronic light control device according to claim 1 , wherein the voltage determination unit determines the refresh voltage to be equal to or greater than 0.1 Ve and less than 1.0 Ve, and equal to or greater than 0.8 Vo and equal to or less than 1.2 Vo, and determines the refresh time to be equal to or greater than 100 Te continuously.

3. the voltage application unit has a secondary battery that applies a voltage to the electrochromic element, The electronic light control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the voltage application unit is configured to set the refresh operation period during a charging period in which the secondary battery is charged using an external power source.

4. The electronic light control device according to claim 1 , wherein the voltage determination unit has a function of changing at least one of the refresh voltage and the refresh time in accordance with an accumulated drive time.

5. The electronic light control device according to claim 1 or 2, which is used as glasses.

6. The electronic dimming device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the material that changes color by the oxidation reaction is a polymer obtained by polymerizing a composition containing a radically polymerizable compound having a triarylamine, a triarylamine derivative such as triphenylamine, a bisacridan compound, a Prussian blue-type complex, benzidine, or nickel oxide.

7. An electronic dimming device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the material that changes color by the reduction reaction is an inorganic electrochromic compound, an organic electrochromic compound, or a conductive polymer.

8. An electronic dimming device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the material that changes color through the oxidation reaction and the material that changes color through the reduction reaction are materials that change color in the same color tone.

9. An electronic dimming device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the material that changes color through the oxidation reaction and the material that changes color through the reduction reaction are materials that change color in different tones.

10. An electronic dimming device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the electrochromic element has both the first electrochromic layer and the second electrochromic layer.

Images