Light control system for windshield

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11345218-B2
Application number	US-202017063229-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2020
Priority date	Oct 7, 2019
Publication date	May 31, 2022
Grant date	May 31, 2022

Abstract

A right side windshield is capable of changing a visible light transmittance of an upper part including an upper end, and a left side windshield is also capable of changing a visible light transmittance of an upper part. A light control switch is disposed on an instrument panel around a driver seat of a vehicle. The light control switch is operated to reduce the visible light transmittance of the upper part. The reduction in the transmittance can be performed simultaneously with the reduction in the visible light transmittance of an upper part of a front windshield.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A light control system for a windshield comprising:
a side windshield of a vehicle, the side windshield being capable of changing a visible light transmittance of an upper part including an upper end;
a light control switch disposed around a driver seat of the vehicle, the light control switch is operated to reduce the visible light transmittance of the upper part of the side windshield, and the light control switch is operable to vary a transmittance level of non-upper parts of the vehicle such that the transmittance level of the non-upper parts is configurable in two stages when the vehicle is in a driving state and the transmittance level of the non-upper parts is configurable in four stages when the vehicle is not in a driving state.

2. The light control system for a windshield according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a front windshield capable of changing a visible light transmittance of an upper part, wherein
the light control switch is operated to simultaneously reduce the visible light transmittance of the upper part of the side windshield and the visible light transmittance of the upper part of the front windshield.

3. The light control system for a windshield according to claim 1 , wherein
the visible light transmittance is capable of being reduced to a light shielding state wherein the visible light transmittance is lower than 70%.

4. The light control system for a windshield according to claim 2 , wherein
a lower end of the upper part of the side windshield and a lower end of the upper part of the front windshield are set at a substantially same height level.

5. The light control system for a windshield according to claim 1 , wherein
the light control switch is pressed once to be capable of reducing the visible light transmittance of the upper part of the side windshield.

6. The light control system for a windshield according to claim 1 , wherein
the light control switch is disposed near a center of an instrument panel of the vehicle in a vehicle width direction.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tanaka Ryusuke

Classifications

• B60J3/04 Primary

  adjustable in transparency · CPC title

• G02F1/163

  Operation of electrochromic cells, e.g. electrodeposition cells; Circuit arrangements therefor · CPC title

• B60R16/0231

  Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle (monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P) · CPC title

• G02F1/13338

  Input devices, e.g. touch panels · CPC title

• B60R16/005

  Electro-mechanical devices, e.g. switched (electric switches in general H01H) · CPC title