Method for light diffusion through a window

The method of claim 19, wherein the light diffuser positioner further comprises a supporting member made of a solid material;

• a pair of vertical solid rods with a plurality of side ports;
• an upper horizontal solid rod connecting the pair of vertical solid rods at upper ends thereof;
• and a center vertical connection member made of a solid rod or a string connecting the upper horizontal solid rod at a center portion thereof with the transmission mechanism configured to be attached to an upper horizontal frame of an exterior window,
• wherein the supporting member is attached to the base plate of the light diffuser at one end of the supporting member, and also connected rotatably and slidably to one of the plurality of the side ports of the vertical solid rod at the other end of the supporting member, and further rotatably attached to one of a pair of side frames of the exterior window with a pin shaft perpendicularly embedded into and fixed to the one of the pair of side frames of the exterior window at a portion between both ends of the supporting member,
• wherein the light diffuser positioner is configured to stay at a bottom position of the light diffuser positioner corresponding to the predetermined opened position of the light diffuser,
• wherein the control unit is configured to make rotate the light diffuser to the closed position by lifting the pair of vertical solid rods with the plurality of side ports up to an upper position of the light diffuser positioner by pulling by the center vertical connection member via the transmission mechanism, and
• wherein the light diffuser positioner is further configured to return to the bottom position of the light diffuser positioner utilizing a weight of the light diffuser positioner when the control unit releases the latch mechanism.

The method of claim 19, wherein the light diffuser positioner further comprises a horizontal rod attached to an upper horizontal frame of an exterior window rotatably around a center axis of the horizontal rod;

• a reel fixed to the horizontal rod;
• and a positioner string made of a flexible material, wherein the driving mechanism is configured to be attached to the upper horizontal frame of the exterior window, and to rotate the horizontal rod and the reel being controlled by the control unit,
• wherein a first end of the positioner string is configured to be fixed to the reel and the second end of the positioner string is configured to be fixed to a proximity of a bottom horizontal frame of the exterior window, vertically below the reel to which the first end of the positioner string is attached,
• wherein the base plate of the light diffuser is in a rectangular shape with a horizontal length almost equal to but shorter than a horizontal distance between surfaces of a pair of side frames of the exterior window, and with a vertical height smaller than a reminder of a subtraction of a thickness of the solar panel from a horizontal depth of the bottom horizontal frame,
• wherein the light diffuser comprising a plurality of the base plates each being integrated with the light diffuser element, the plurality of the base plates attached to the positioner string,
• wherein the light diffuser is configured to stay on the bottom horizontal frame at the predetermined opened position in a folded state at a gap area between adjacent two of the plurality of the base plates,
• wherein the control unit is configured to develop the plurality of the base plates to the closed position of the light diffuser from the predetermined opened position by spooling the positioner string by rotating of the reel via the driving mechanism, wherein
• wherein the light diffuser is further configured to cover most of an opening of the exterior window at the closed position, the plurality of the base plates being aligned in a vertical direction with each being aligned in a horizontal direction, and return to the predetermined opened position in the folded state, utilizing a weight of the light diffuser when the controller released the latch mechanism.

The method of claim 19, wherein the diffuser device further comprises a pair of side frames configured to be inserted into both sides of the an exterior window vertically,

• wherein each of the pair of side frames comprises a longitudinal track, wherein the longitudinal tracks of the pair of the side frames face one another and extend continuously from a bottom end of the longitudinal tracks to an upper end of the longitudinal tracks, wherein the bottom end is located at a lower horizontal frame of the exterior window, and an upper end of the longitudinal tracks located proximity of an upper horizontal frame of the exterior window,
• wherein the light diffuser comprises a basic plate with two vertical sides of the basic plates, wherein each of the two vertical sides of the basic plates is slidably inserted into each of the longitudinal tracks of the pair of the side frames,
• wherein the light diffuser positioner further comprises a horizontal rod attached to the upper horizontal frame rotatably around a center axis of the horizontal rod;
• a pair of reels each fixed to the horizontal rod at proximity of each of the pair of side frames;
• and a pair of positioner strings made of a flexible material, wherein the driving mechanism is configured be attached to the upper horizontal frame and to rotate the horizontal rod and the reel being controlled by the control unit,
• wherein a first end of the positioner string is fixed to an upper end of the basic plate of the light diffuser at a location close to one of the two vertical sides of the basic plates, the other end of the positioner string is fixed to one of the pair of reels configured to be situated vertically above the location where the one end of the positioner string is fixed to the upper end of the basic plate,
• wherein the light diffuser is configured to stay at a lowest position in the longitudinal tracks at the predetermined opened position,
• the control unit is configured to move the light diffuser to the upper end of the longitudinal tracks at the closed position of the light diffuser, and
• the light diffuser is further configured to return to the lowest position in the longitudinal tracks utilizing a weight of the light diffuser when the control unit releases the latch mechanism.

The method of claim 19, wherein the light diffuser positioner further comprises a supporting member made of a solid material;

• a pair of horizontal solid rods with a plurality of side ports;
• a vertical solid rod connecting the pair of horizontal solid rods at right side ends thereof;
• and a center horizontal connection member made of a solid rod connecting the vertical solid rod at a center portion thereof with the transmission mechanism attached to a right side frame of an exterior window,
• wherein the supporting member is rigidly fixed to the base plate of the light diffuser at one end of the supporting member, and also connected rotatably and slidably to one of the plurality of the side ports of the horizontal solid rod at the other end of the supporting member, and further rotatably attached to one of a pair of horizontal frames of an exterior window with a pin shaft perpendicularly embedded into and fixed to the one of pair of the horizontal frames at a portion between both ends of the supporting member,
• wherein the light diffuser positioner is configured to stay at an opened position of the light diffuser positioner when the light diffuser stays at the predetermined opened position,
• wherein the control unit is configured to make rotate the light diffuser to the closed position by pulling rightward the pair of horizontal slid rods with the plurality of side ports by the center horizontal connection member via the transmission mechanism, wherein further,
• wherein the light diffuser is configured to return to the predetermined opened position of the light diffuser positioner being pushed by the center horizontal connection member via the transmission mechanism when the controller releases the latch mechanism.

A method for controlling a smart window with a light diffuser configured to be driven by a driving mechanism powered by an output power of a solar panel, the method comprising:

• storing a predetermined condition to cause a positional transition of the light diffuser and a positional information of a predetermined opened position as an initial condition;
• monitoring the output power of the solar panel;
• comparing the output power of the solar panel with a predetermined value;
• making decision whether a positional transition is necessary for the light diffuser;
• and
• either
• a) causing a transition of the light diffuser from the predetermined opened position to a closed position via the driving mechanism, when the output power of the solar panel is not smaller than the predetermined value for longer than a predetermined time duration while the light diffuser is at the predetermined opened position;
• b) causing a return of the light diffuser from the closed position to the predetermined opened position when the output power of the solar panel is smaller than the predetermined value for longer than the predetermined time duration, or
• c) maintaining a current position when conditions for a) or b) is not satisfied;
• wherein the light diffuser comprises:
• a base plate transparent to visible light, and light diffusing element on the base plate, wherein the light diffuser is aligned at a predetermined opened position initially;
• a light diffuser positioner configured to move the light diffuser between the predetermined opened position and the closed position;
• wherein the driving mechanism comprises an axial rotation motor, a latch mechanism configured to latch a motion of the driving mechanism, and a transmission mechanism having a gear transmission configured to transmit the motion of the motor to the light diffuser positioner;
• wherein the solar panel is mounted on a frame of a smart window diffuser device;
• and
• a control unit comprising a memory, a monitor of the output power from the solar panel, a controller and a power source,
• wherein the memory is configured to store a predetermined threshold output power of the solar panel, a predetermined duration time, and a present position of the light diffuser,
• wherein the monitor is configured to receive the output power from the solar panel and send a monitor signal to the controller,
• wherein the controller is configured to control the driving mechanism, and
• wherein the power source is configured to supply an electric power required for an operation of the smart window diffuser device,
• wherein the control unit is configured to:
• move the light diffuser to the closed position via the light diffuser positioner and the driving mechanism, and to hold the light diffuser at the closed position with the latch mechanism when following two conditions are satisfied:
• 1) the output power of the solar panel is not smaller than the predetermined output power for longer than the predetermined duration time;
• and
• 2) the light diffuser is at the predetermined opened position,
• and wherein the control unit is further configured to
• release the latch mechanism and cause the light diffuser to return to the predetermined opened position when following two conditions are satisfied:
• 1) the output power of the solar panel lowers to a value smaller than the predetermined output power for longer than the predetermined duration time;
• and
• 2) the light diffuser is at the closed position, and
• wherein the light diffuser is configured to transmit incident direct solar radiation therethrough toward an interior direction of a building such that the solar radiation transmitted through the light diffuser is converted to a diffusive light when the light diffuser is at the closed position, and to admit the incident direct solar radiation into interior of the building without being blocked by the light diffuser when the light diffuser is at the predetermined opened position, and
• wherein the light diffuser includes a diffractive diffuser disposed on an interior side surface of the base plate.