Dynamic optical components based on thermochromic materials
AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
InventorMing Li
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A dynamic optical device including: a substantially transmissive substrate with a dynamic material surface; a layer of thermochromic (TC) material formed on at least a portion of the dynamic material surface of the substrate; and a heating means thermally coupled to the layer of TC material to controllably vary a temperature of the layer of TC material. The TC material has a first temperature dependent state, which the TC material is in when the temperature of the layer of TC material is less than a transition temperature of the TC material, and a second temperature dependent state, which the TC material is in when the temperature of the layer of TC material is greater than the transition temperature.
Claims24
A dynamic optical device, the dynamic optical device comprising:
- a substantially transmissive substrate with a dynamic material surface;
- a layer of thermochromic (TC) material formed on at least a portion of the dynamic material surface of the substrate, the TC material having a first temperature dependent state and a second temperature dependent state;
- and
- a heating means thermally coupled to the layer of TC material to controllably vary a temperature of the layer of TC material;
- wherein the TC material is in the first temperature dependent state when the temperature of the layer of TC material is less than a transition temperature of the TC material and the TC material is in the second temperature dependent state when the temperature of the layer of TC material is greater than the transition temperature.
A dynamic optical device, the dynamic optical device comprising:
- a first substantially transmissive substrate having a first surface and a second surface substantially parallel to the first surface;
- a second substantially transmissive substrate having a third surface and a fourth surface substantially parallel to the third surface, the second substantially transmissive substrate arranged such that the third surface of the second substantially transmissive substrate is proximate to and substantially parallel to the second surface of the first substantially transmissive substrate;
- a layer of thermochromic (TC) gel material disposed on between the second surface of the first substrate and the third surface of the second substrate, the TC gel material having a first temperature dependent state and a second temperature dependent state;
- and
- a heating means thermally coupled to the layer of TC gel material to controllably vary a temperature of the layer of TC gel material;
- wherein the TC gel material is in the first temperature dependent state when the temperature of the layer of TC gel material is less than a transition temperature of the TC gel material and the TC gel material is in the second temperature dependent state when the temperature of the layer of TC gel material is greater than the transition temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.