Method of commissioning electrochromic windows

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12242164-B2
Application number	US-202017247823-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2020
Priority date	Mar 9, 2016
Publication date	Mar 4, 2025
Grant date	Mar 4, 2025

Abstract

Networks of electrochromic windows and methods of commissioning the windows on such networks are described. The commissioning may involve determining where each electrochromic window is installed and/or which controller is associated with which electrochromic window. In various cases, a number of windows may be simultaneously commissioned.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for determining associations between window controllers and associated electrochromic windows installed in a network, comprising:
(a) providing instructions to each window controller to transition its associated electrochromic window(s) to a commissioning state, wherein the commissioning state varies between electrochromic windows associated with different window controllers, and wherein one or more of the commissioning states comprises a transitory tint state;
(b) during or after (a), taking one or more photographs and/or videos of the electrochromic windows to record the commissioning states of the electrochromic windows; and
(c) determining the association between the window controllers and their associated electrochromic windows by comparing the instructions provided in (a) with the commissioning states recorded in the one or more photographs and/or videos taken in (b).

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the commissioning states comprise a static tint state.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the transitory tint state is achieved during a transition from a first tint state to a second tint state on a first electrochromic window, the first electrochromic window being one of the electrochromic windows installed on the network.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 3 , wherein during the transition from the first tint state to the second tint state, a voltage and/or current provided to the first electrochromic window is reduced, thereby slowing the transition from the first tint state to the second tint state and extending a duration over which the transitory tint state is present on the first electrochromic window.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 3 , wherein the transitory tint state provides a center-to-edge tint gradient on the first electrochromic window.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions in (a) comprise instructions to a first window controller and to a second window controller to transition their associated electrochromic window(s) from a first tint state to a second tint state, the first and second window controllers being two of the window controllers installed in the network, wherein the electrochromic window(s) associated with the first window controller and the electrochromic window(s) associated with the second window controller transition from the first tint state to the second tint state at different rates.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the commissioning states provide different levels of reflectance on electrochromic windows associated with different window controllers.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein (b) comprises taking a video of the electrochromic windows.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , further comprising processing the one or more photographs and/or videos using a program comprising image processing software to determine the commissioning states of the electrochromic windows.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 , further comprising manually overriding a commissioning state determination made by the program to correct the commissioning state of an electrochromic window whose commissioning state was incorrectly determined by the program.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the program is configured to match a set of electrochromic windows in a first photograph with the same set of electrochromic windows in a second photograph, the first and second photographs being taken at different times.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , further comprising detecting the commissioning states using a photometer.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein determining the association between the window controllers and their associated electrochromic windows comprises determining which window controller is connected with which electrochromic window(s).

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the network comprises two or more groups of electrochromic windows.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , further comprising collecting current and/or voltage data corresponding to the current and/or voltage experienced by the electrochromic windows during an optical transition, and comparing the collected current and/or voltage data to expected current and/or voltage data to thereby confirm the associations determined in (d) between the window controllers and their associated electrochromic windows.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the window controllers simultaneously transition their associated electrochromic window(s).

Assignees

• View Inc
• View Operating Corp

Inventors

• Shrivastava Dhairya
• Rumer Alexander
• Pradhan Anshu A

Classifications

• E06B2009/2464

  featuring transparency control by applying voltage, e.g. LCD, electrochromic panels · CPC title

• E06B9/24 Primary

  Screens or other constructions affording protection against light, especially against sunshine; Similar screens for privacy or appearance; {Slat blinds}(operating, guiding or securing devices or arrangements for roll-type closures E06B9/56; free-hanging flexible screens A47H23/00) · CPC title

• G02F1/163 Primary

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