Control system for dimmable windows

• Main Authors: BRADLEY J MITCHELL, BROCK J PRINCE, HENRY V FLETCHER, BRET L LAMOREE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 01.10.2008
• Subjects: DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH ISMODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THEDEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY,COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g.SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FORVEHICLES; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLES IN GENERAL; WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILARDEVICES FOR VEHICLES

Electrically dimmable windows 14 for vehicles such as aircraft are powered by energy harvesting devices 18a on-board the aircraft, such as photovoltaic cells or devices generating current from motion or temperature differentials. The harvested energy is stored and used to control the opacity of the windows 14 based on individual window 14 opacity settings selected either by passengers or a cabin attendant. Each window 14 has an associated control circuit 16 that controls the electrical power applied to the window 14 based on the selected opacity setting. The control circuit 16 includes a low energy usage processor that remains in a sleep mode until a change in the opacity setting is detected. Each control circuit may include a radio transceiver that wirelessly receives control signals from a transmitter operated by the cabin attendant in order to simultaneously remotely control the opacity settings of multiple windows.