Tunable window system for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11536947-B2
Application number	US-202117228230-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2021
Priority date	Apr 12, 2021
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

Systems and methods provide technology for a tunable vehicle window system to adjust a view for a window. The technology includes a window assembly comprising a tunable optical metamaterial deployed on a surface of a window, the tunable optical metamaterial including a transparent electroactive substrate having disposed thereon an optically active particle array, the optically active particle array including resonators having elongated members arranged in two or more orientations. The technology includes a controller to receive a signal from a photosensor indicative of a condition of incoming light to the vehicle, determine a change in a view for the window assembly based on the received photosensor signal, and control a voltage applied to the substrate to selectively expand or contract the substrate within a plane substantially parallel to the window surface and in a manner to adjust the view for the window assembly according to the determined view change.

First claim

We claim:

1. A tunable window system for a vehicle comprising:
a window assembly comprising a tunable optical metamaterial deployed on a surface of a window, the tunable optical metamaterial including a transparent electroactive substrate having disposed thereon an optically active particle array, the optically active particle array including resonators having elongated members arranged in two or more orientations;
a photosensor; and
a controller, the controller configured to:
receive a signal from the photosensor indicative of a condition of incoming light to the vehicle;
determine a change in a view for the window assembly based on the received photosensor signal; and
control a voltage applied to the substrate to selectively expand or contract the substrate within a plane substantially parallel to the window surface and in a manner to adjust the view for the window assembly according to the determined view change, wherein the optically active particle array is optically responsive to the selective expansion or contraction of the substrate.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises an electroactive polymer.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the determined change in view is a change in intensity of the incoming light, and wherein the voltage applied to the substrate is to cause the substrate to expand or contract in a manner to alter a spacing between the elongated members sufficient to reduce or increase the intensity of the incoming light in at least a portion of the window assembly.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to receive input data from at least one of an external network, a satellite, a roadside unit or a smart glasses, and wherein to determine the change in the view for the window assembly is further based on the received input data.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the input data comprises at least one of geolocation data, weather data, date data or local time of day data.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the voltage applied to the substrate is to cause the substrate to expand or contract in a manner to alter a spacing between the elongated members sufficient to absorb or reflect a portion of the incoming light incident at a particular angle or to absorb or reflect a portion of the incoming light having a particular polarization.

7. The system of claim 4 , wherein the controller is further configured to receive user input data, the user input data to modify the determined change in the view.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a mirror assembly comprising a second tunable optical metamaterial deployed on a surface of a mirror, the second tunable optical metamaterial including a second transparent electroactive substrate having disposed thereon a second optically active particle array, the second optically active particle array including resonators having elongated members arranged in two or more orientations; and
a second photosensor;
wherein the controller is further configured to:
receive a signal from the second photosensor indicative of a condition of incoming light to the vehicle;
determine a second change in a view for the mirror assembly based on the received second photosensor signal; and
control a voltage applied to the substrate to selectively expand or contract the second substrate in a manner to adjust the view for the mirror assembly according to the determined second view change, wherein the second optically active particle array is optically responsive to the selective expansion or contraction of the second substrate.

9. At least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
receive a signal from a photosensor indicative of a condition of incoming light to a vehicle;
determine a change in a view for a window assembly based on the received photosensor signal,
wherein the window assembly comprises a tunable optical metamaterial deployed on a surface of a window, the tunable optical metamaterial including a transparent electroactive substrate having disposed thereon an optically active particle array, the optically active particle array including resonators having elongated members arranged in two or more orientations; and

control a voltage applied to the substrate to selectively expand or contract the substrate within a plane substantially parallel to the window surface and in a manner to adjust the view for the window assembly according to the determined view change, wherein the optically active particle array is optically responsive to the selective expansion or contraction of the substrate.

10. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the determined change in view is a change in intensity of the incoming light, and wherein the voltage applied to the substrate causes the substrate to expand or contract in a manner to alter a spacing between the elongated members sufficient to reduce or increase the intensity of the incoming light in at least a portion of the window assembly.

11. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to receive input data from at least one of an external network, a satellite, a roadside unit or a smart glasses, and wherein to determine the change in the view for the window assembly is further based on the received input data.

12. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the input data comprises at least one of geolocation data, weather data, date data or local time of day data.

13. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the voltage applied to the substrate causes the substrate to expand or contract in a manner to alter a spacing between the elongated members sufficient to absorb or reflect a portion of the incoming light incident at a particular angle or to absorb or reflect a portion of the incoming light having a particular polarization.

14. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to receive user input data, the user input data to modify the determined change in the view.

15. A method comprising:
receiving a signal from a photosensor indicative of a condition of incoming light to a vehicle;
determining a change in a view for a window assembly based on the received photosensor signal,
wherein the window assembly comprises a tunable optical metamaterial deployed on a surface of a window, the tunable optical metamaterial including a transparent electroactive substrate having disposed thereon an optically active particle array, the optically active particle array including resonators having elongated members arranged in two or more orientations; and

controlling a voltage applied to the substrate to selectively expand or contract the substrate within a plane substantially parallel to the window surface and in a manner to adjust the view for the window assembly according to the determined view change, wherein the optically active particle array is optically responsive to the selective expansion or contraction of the substrate.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the determined change in view is a change in intensity of the incoming light, and wherein the voltage applied to the substrate causes the substrate to expand or contract in a manner to alter a spacing between the elongated members sufficient to reduce or increase the

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Rodrigues Sean P
• Chou Chungchih

Classifications

• G02B1/002 Primary

  made of materials engineered to provide properties not available in nature, e.g. metamaterials · CPC title

• G02B26/023 Primary

  comprising movable attenuating elements, e.g. neutral density filters · CPC title

• G02B26/001

  based on interference in an adjustable optical cavity (interference filters G02B5/28; devices or arrangements using multiple reflections in spectrometry or monochromators G01J3/26) · CPC title

• B60J3/04

  adjustable in transparency · CPC title

• G02B5/284

  of etalon type comprising a resonant cavity other than a thin solid film, e.g. gas, air, solid plates (etalons for fibre optic multiplexing G02B6/29358; etalons for spectral measurement G01J3/26) · CPC title