DIMMER UNIT, DIMMING MEMBER, AND DIMMER UNIT MANUFACTURING METHOD

• Main Authors: HONDA TSUBASA, KANBARA KUMIKO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: 27.02.2020
• 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; DOORS, WINDOWS, SHUTTERS, OR ROLLER BLINDS IN GENERAL; FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS; FIXED OR MOVABLE CLOSURES FOR OPENINGS IN BUILDINGS, VEHICLES,FENCES OR LIKE ENCLOSURES IN GENERAL, e.g. DOORS, WINDOWS,BLINDS, GATES; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; LADDERS; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PHYSICS; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF

To suppress the occurrence of a bead spacer movable relative to an orientation film.SOLUTION: A dimmer unit 20 comprises a first laminate 30, a second laminate 40, a liquid crystal layer 25 arranged between the first laminate 30 and the second laminate 40, and a plurality of bead spacers 50 arranged between the first laminate 30 and the second laminate 40. The first laminate 30 has a first resin substrate 31 and a first orientation film 33 laminated on the first resin substrate 31. The second laminate 40 has a second resin substrate 41 and a second orientation film 43 laminated on the second resin substrate 41. The first orientation film 33 and the second orientation film 43 are arranged so as to face each other. The liquid crystal layer 25 includes liquid crystal molecules the orientation of which is controlled by voltage application to an electrode provided on at least one of the first laminate 30 and the second laminate 40. The first orientation film 33 includes a plurality of protrusions 35 projecting to the liquid crystal layer 25 side. Only some of the protrusions 35 enclose the bead spacers 50 at least partly and hold the bead spacers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3 【課題】配向膜に対して移動可能なビーズスペーサの発生を抑制する。【解決手段】調光ユニット２０は、第１積層体３０と、第２積層体４０と、第１積層体３０と第２積層体４０との間に配置された液晶層２５と、第１積層体３０と第２積層体４０との間に配置された複数のビーズスペーサ５０と、を備える。第１積層体３０は、第１樹脂基材３１と、第１樹脂基材３１に積層された第１配向膜３３と、を有する。第２積層体４０は、第２樹脂基材４１と、第２樹脂基材４１に積層された第２配向膜４３と、を有する。第１配向膜３３と第２配向膜４３とが互いに対面するように配置される。液晶層２５は、第１積層体３０及び第２積層体４０の少なくとも一方に設けられた電極への電圧の印加により配向が制御される液晶分子を含む。第１配向膜３３は、液晶層２５側に突出した複数の第１凸部３５を含む。第１凸部３５の一部のみが、ビーズスペーサ５０を少なくとも部分的に取り囲んで当該ビーズスペーサを保持する。【選択図】図３