Obscuring bus bars in electrochromic glass structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016377948-A1
Application number	US-201415038727-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 24, 2014
Priority date	Dec 24, 2013
Publication date	Dec 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Embodiments described include bus bars for electrochromic or other optical state changing devices. The bus bars are configured to color match and/or provide minimal optical contrast with their surrounding environment in the optical device. Such bus bars may be transparent bus bars.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An insulated glass unit (IGU) comprising:
first and second substantially transparent substrates; a spacer between the first and second substantially transparent substrate; a primary seal between the spacer and the first substantially transparent substrate and between the spacer and the second substantially transparent substrate; an electrochromic device on at least one of the first and second substantially transparent substrates; and a bus bar associated with the electrochromic device and located in the primary seal, the bus bar camouflaged to blend in with its background.

2 . The IGU of claim 1 , wherein camouflaged means having minimal optical contrast between the bus bar and the primary seal and/or spacer.

3 . The IGU of claim 1 , wherein the bus bar is made of an electrically conductive material comprising a tinting agent configured to approximate the color and luminescence of the bus bar to its background.

4 . The IGU of claim 3 , wherein the tinting agent comprises carbon black, graphite and/or graphene.

5 . The IGU of claim 3 , wherein the luminescence/color contrast from the background is within a predefined range of acceptable values.

6 . The IGU of claim 5 , wherein the electrically conductive material comprises carbon black, graphite, graphite-based materials, graphene, or graphene-based materials.

7 . The IGU of claim 1 , wherein the bus bar is made of a material of a substantially similar color to the background.

8 . An electrochromic glass structure comprising:
a substantially transparent substrate; an electrochromic device disposed on the substantially transparent substrate, the electrochromic device having one or more transparent conductive layers; a bus bar configured to power the electrochromic device; and an opaque obscuring layer between the one or more transparent conductive layers and the substantially transparent substrate in a region proximal the bus bar.

9 . The electrochromic glass structure of claim 8 , wherein the opaque obscuring layer is located in a region between the bus bar and the substantially transparent substrate.

10 . The electrochromic glass structure of claim 9 , wherein the opaque obscuring layer has at least a width configured to block view of the bus bar from an observer outside the electrochromic glass structure.

11 . The electrochromic glass structure of claim 9 , wherein the opaque obscuring layer has a width greater than a width of the bus bar.

12 . The electrochromic glass structure of claim 8 , wherein the opaque obscuring layer is deposited across the substantially transparent substrate.

13 . The electrochromic glass structure of claim 12 , wherein the opaque obscuring layer is removed from areas outside the region proximal the bus bar.

14 . The electrochromic glass structure of claim 8 , wherein the opaque obscuring layer is located in a region between the bus bar and the substantially transparent substrate.

15 . The electrochromic glass structure of claim 8 , wherein the bus bar is made of a material with a color and luminescence configured to blend in with background.

16 . The electrochromic glass structure of claim 15 , wherein the bus bar is made of a material comprising a tinting agent.

17 . The electrochromic glass structure of claim 16 , wherein the tinting agent comprises carbon black or graphite.

18 . The electrochromic glass structure of claim 15 , wherein the tinting agent is configured with luminescence/color contrast from background within a predefined range of acceptable values.

19 . The electrochromic glass structure of claim 15 , wherein the bus bar material comprises one or more of carbon black, graphite, graphite-based materials, graphene, or graphene-based materials.

20 . An IGU comprising:
a first pane having a first substantially transparent substrate, an electrochromic device disposed on the second substantially transparent substrate, the electrochromic device comprising a first transparent conductive layer proximal the second substantially transparent substrate, an electrochromic stack, and a second transparent conductive layer; a second pane having a second substantially transparent substrate; a spacer between the first and second panes; a primary sealant adhering the spacer to the first and second panes; a pair of bus bars on the first transparent conductive layer, nearest the first pane, the pair of bus bars located between the spacer and the first substantially transparent substrate such that the spacer blocks view of the pair of bus bars from an observer viewing through the second pane; and one or more transparent bus bars on the second transparent conductive layer.

21 . The IGU of claim 20 , wherein the pair of bus bars are made of materials configured to match color and luminescence to the spacer and/or the primary sealant.

22 . The IGU of claim 20 , wherein the one or more transparent bus bars are in the viewable region of the IGU.

23 . The IGU of claim 22 , further comprising an additional one or more transparent bus bars in electrical communication with the first transparent conductive layer in the viewable region.

24 . The IGU of claim 23 , wherein the additional one or more transparent bus bars are patterned onto the first substantially transparent substrate and then the first transparent conductor layer is fabricated thereon.

25 . The IGU of claim 23 , wherein the additional one or more transparent bus bars are embedded in the first substantially transparent substrate in at least in the viewable region of the of the IGU.

26 . An IGU or laminate comprising:
a) an electrochromic device on at least one transparent substrate, of at least two transparent substrates of the IGU or laminate; b) at least one transparent bus bar configured to electrically power the electrochromic device.

27 . The IGU or laminate of claim 26 , wherein the transparent bus bar comprises a transparent conductive material embedded with conductive particles.

28 . The IGU or laminate of claim 27 , wherein the conductive particles are nanoparticles.

29 . The IGU or laminate of claim 28 , wherein the conductive particles are metal particles or carbon-based particles.

30 . The IGU or laminate of claim 29 , wherein the conductive particles are silver nanoparticles.

31 . The IGU or laminate of claim 29 , wherein the conductive particles are graphene nanoparticles.

32 . The IGU or laminate of claim 26 , wherein the at least one transparent bus bar is a thin layer of metal or metal alloy.

33 . The IGU or laminate of claim 32 , wherein the thin layer of metal or metal alloy is between about 1 nm and about 10 nm thick.

34 . The IGU or laminate of claim 32 , wherein the thin layer of metal or metal alloy is less than about 5 nm thick.

Assignees

• View Inc

Inventors

• Rozbicki Robert T
• Jack Gordon
• Mehtani Disha

Classifications

• G02F1/155

  Electrodes · CPC title

• B32B17/068

  of particles · CPC title

• G02F1/153

  Constructional details · CPC title

• G02F1/1533 Primary

  structural features not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B32B17/10055

  with at least one intermediate air space · CPC title