Electrochromic element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10151958-B2
Application number	US-201615543734-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2016
Priority date	Apr 14, 2015
Publication date	Dec 11, 2018
Grant date	Dec 11, 2018

Abstract

An electrochromic element, includes: a pair of electrodes (3, 5); and an electrochromic layer (7) disposed between the pair of electrodes (3, 5), the electrochromic element being controlled in transmittance by pulse width modulation, in which: the electrochromic layer (7) contains at least one of two or more kinds of anode electrochromic materials, or two or more kinds of cathode electrochromic materials; and all of one of the anode electrochromic materials and the cathode electrochromic materials have an equal molecular length, or have a molecular length ratio of (large molecular length)/(small molecular length) of 1.4 or less, the electrochromic element being such that even when a driving environment temperature changes, its gradation can be controlled under a state in which its absorption spectrum is retained.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrochromic element, comprising:
a pair of electrodes; and
an electrochromic layer disposed between the pair of electrodes,
the electrochromic element being controlled in transmittance by pulse width modulation,
wherein:
the electrochromic layer contains at least one of:
two or more anode electrochromic materials, or
two or more cathode electrochromic materials; and

all of the anode electrochromic materials have an equal molecular length, or satisfy a condition that a molecular ratio of (large molecular length)/(small molecular length) is 1.4 or less, or
all of the cathode electrochromic materials have an equal molecular length, or satisfy a condition that a molecular ratio of (large molecular length)/(small molecular length) is 1.4 or less.

2. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 , wherein the electrochromic layer contains the two or more anode electrochromic materials, and all absolute values of differences in oxidation potential between the anode electrochromic materials are 60 mV or less.

3. The electrochromic element according to claim 2 , wherein all the absolute values of the differences in oxidation potential between the anode electrochromic materials are 20 mV or less.

4. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 , wherein the electrochromic layer contains the two or more cathode electrochromic materials, and all absolute values of differences in reduction potential between the cathode electrochromic materials are 60 mV or less.

5. The electrochromic element according to claim 4 , wherein all the absolute values of the differences in reduction potential between the cathode electrochromic materials are 20 mV or less.

6. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 , wherein the electrochromic layer contains the two or more anode electrochromic materials and the two or more cathode electrochromic materials, and
wherein all of the anode electrochromic materials have the equal molecular length, or satisfy the condition that the molecular ratio of (large molecular length)/(small molecular length) is 1.4 or less, and
all of the cathode electrochromic materials have an equal molecular length, or satisfy the condition that the molecular ratio of (large molecular length)/(small molecular length) is 1.4 or less.

7. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 , wherein all of the anode electrochromic materials have the equal molecular length, or satisfy a condition that the molecular ratio of (large molecular length)/(small molecular length) is 1.2 or less, or
all of the cathode electrochromic materials have the equal molecular length, or satisfy a condition that the molecular ratio of (large molecular length/(small molecular length) is 1.2 or less.

8. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 , wherein the electrochromic layer contains the two or more anode electrochromic materials and the two or more cathode electrochromic materials, and
wherein all of the anode electrochromic materials have an equal area that is a product of a molecular long axis and a molecular short axis, or satisfy a condition that an area ratio of (large area)/(small area) is 2.2 or less, and
all of the cathode electrochromic materials have an equal area that is a product of a molecular long axis and a molecular short axis, or satisfy a condition that an area ratio of (large area)/(small area) is 2.2 or less.

9. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 , wherein all of the anode electrochromic materials have an equal area that is a product of a molecular long axis and a molecular short axis, or satisfy a condition that an area ratio of (large area)/(small area) is 1.3 or less, or
all of the cathode electrochromic materials have an equal area that is a product of a molecular long axis and a molecular short axis, or satisfy a condition that an area ratio of (large area)/(small area) is 1.3 or less.

10. An electrochromic apparatus, comprising:
the electrochromic element of claim 1 ; and
a drive unit configured to drive the electrochromic element.

11. The electrochromic apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein the drive unit comprises a unit configured to control a transmittance of the electrochromic element by pulse width modulation, the unit being configured to maintain the transmittance of the electrochromic element without changing a wave height value of a pulse voltage waveform, and to control the transmittance of the electrochromic element by changing a ratio of an application period of an applied voltage to one cycle of the pulse voltage waveform.

12. An optical filter, comprising the electrochromic element of claim 1 .

13. An imaging apparatus, comprising:
the optical filter of claim 12 ; and
a light-receiving element configured to receive light that passes the optical filter.

14. A lens unit, comprising:
the optical filter of claim 12 ; and
an optical system having a plurality of lenses.

15. A window member, comprising the electrochromic element of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Yamamoto Jun
• Okada Shinjiro
• Yamada Kenji
• Kubo Wataru

Classifications

• F21V14/003

  by interposition of elements with electrically controlled variable light transmissivity, e.g. liquid crystal elements or electrochromic devices · CPC title

• G02F2203/21

  Thermal instability, i.e. DC drift, of an optical modulator; Arrangements or methods for the reduction thereof · CPC title

• G02F2001/1512

  Physics · mapped topic

• G02F2001/1515

  Physics · mapped topic

• G02F2203/48

  Variable attenuator · CPC title