Light control device and light control system using same
AssigneeRohm Co., Ltd.
InventorYoshikazu Fujimori
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A light control device has a substrate, a planar electrode, a light modulating film having a refractive index that is changeable in accordance with an electric field applied to the film, and a plurality of electrode segments arranged at a predetermined interval on the light modulating film. A controller applies a control voltage to at least predetermined electrode segments, and the remaining electrode segments and the planar electrode are set to ground potential. This makes the interval of a distribution of electric fields generated in the light modulating film larger than the interval of the electrode segments.
Claims15
A light control device comprising:
- a light modulating film having a refractive index that changes in accordance with an electric field applied to the film;
- a plurality of electrode segments arranged at a first predetermined interval on the light modulating film;
- and
- a controller arranged to apply a voltage to at least predetermined electrode segments of the plurality of electrode segments, whereby electric fields are distributed at a second predetermined interval in the light modulating film;
- wherein
- the second predetermined interval of the electric fields generated in the light modulating film is larger than the first predetermined interval of the plurality of electrode segments.
A light control device comprising:
- a light modulating film having a refractive index that changes in accordance with an electric field applied to the film;
- a plurality of first electrode segments arranged at a first predetermined interval on a first surface of the light modulating film;
- a second electrode arranged on a second surface of the light modulating film opposite the first surface of the light modulating film;
- and
- a controller arranged to control a voltage applied to at least predetermined electrode segments of the plurality of first electrode segments;
- wherein
- when the light control device is in an “on” state, the controller is arranged to control the voltage applied to the at least predetermined electrode segments of the plurality of first electrode segments so that there is an alternate arrangement of an electrode segment having a significant electric field and an electrode segment having an insignificant electric field, the significant electric field and the insignificant electric field being determined by a potential difference relative to the second electrode;
- and
- when the light control device is in an “off” state, the controller is arranged to control the voltage applied to the at least predetermined electrode segments of the plurality of first electrode segments so that all of the plurality of first electrode segments have insignificant electric fields determined by a potential difference relative to the second electrode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.