Electrochromic Window Fabrication Defect Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrochromic window fabrication methods often result in low-quality products due to visible defects and inefficiencies in the manufacturing process, leading to reduced yield and commercial potential.
Innovation Solution
The method involves fabricating an electrochromic device on a glass sheet and defining a cutting pattern after characterization, excluding defective areas and optimizing pane sizes based on quality and demand, followed by scribing, bus bar application, and edge treatment to enhance strength and quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If electrochromic devices are fabricated on glass sheets using conventional methods, then manufacturing process is simple, but product quality is low due to visible defects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing comprehensive quality inspection and defining cutting patterns before the actual cutting process. The method inspects the entire electrochromic device sheet to identify defective areas, determines leakage current and resistivity, and then defines cutting patterns that exclude these defective regions. This preliminary characterization ensures high-quality panes are produced before manufacturing commits to specific cut sizes and positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by using inspection data from the electrochromic device sheet to dynamically adjust and define cutting patterns. The system measures leakage current, resistivity, and identifies defects, then uses this feedback information to optimize pane sizes and positions in the cutting pattern definition, ensuring that final products meet quality standards while maximizing yield.
2Productivity
If conventional cutting patterns are used without quality inspection, then manufacturing process is fast, but yield is reduced due to defective panes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary quality inspection and defect mapping on the entire electrochromic device sheet before defining cutting patterns. By identifying defective areas, leakage current hotspots, and resistivity issues in advance, the system can pre-optimize cutting patterns to maximize the number of usable panes, thereby improving yield without significantly impacting manufacturing speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes parameters such as pane size and position based on quality inspection data. Instead of using fixed cutting patterns, the system adjusts pane dimensions and locations to exclude defective areas while maximizing usable material. This dynamic parameter adjustment optimizes yield by ensuring that each pane meets quality standards.
3Quantity of substance
If large electrochromic panes are produced without quality optimization, then fewer panes per sheet are needed, but defect impact increases and quality decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically adjusts pane size and position parameters based on quality inspection data of each electrochromic device sheet. By changing these parameters to exclude defective areas and optimize pane placement, the system maximizes the number of usable panes per sheet while ensuring each pane meets quality standards. This approach balances quantity and quality by adapting to the specific characteristics of each sheet.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach improves the yield and quality of electrochromic windows by effectively utilizing glass sheets, reducing defects, and enhancing the strength and optical properties of the final products.
Implementation Method 1
Electrochromism is a phenomenon in which a material exhibits a reversible electrochemically-mediated change in an optical property when placed in a different electronic state, typically by being subjected to a voltage change. One well known electrochromic material is tungsten oxide (WO3). Tungsten oxide is a cathodic electrochromic material in which a coloration transition, transparent to blue, occurs by electrochemical reduction.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods of manufacturing electrochromic windows are described. An electrochromic device is fabricated to substantially cover a glass sheet, for example float glass, and a cutting pattern is defined based on one or more low-defectivity areas in the device from which one or more electrochromic panes are cut. Laser scribes and/or bus bars may be added prior to cutting the panes or after. Edge deletion can also be performed prior to or after cutting the electrochromic panes from the glass sheet. Insulated glass units (IGUs) are fabricated from the electrochromic panes and optionally one or more of the panes of the IGU are strengthened.