Electrochromic element, optical filter, lens unit, image pickup apparatus, and window member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9766527-B2
Application number	US-201615191827-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2016
Priority date	Jul 2, 2015
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

Provided is an electrochromic element, including a first electrode, a second electrode, a carrier, and an electrolyte, and an anodic organic electrochromic compound and a cathodic redox substance that are arranged between the first electrode and the second electrode, at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode being transparent, in which: the electrolyte, and the anodic organic electrochromic compound and the cathodic redox substance are mixed; the electrolyte is in contact with the first electrode, the second electrode, and the carrier; the carrier has a redox substance; the reduced form of the redox substance of the carrier is more easily oxidized than the reduced form of the anodic organic electrochromic compound.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrochromic element, comprising:
a first electrode;
a second electrode;
a carrier; and
an electrolyte, an anodic organic electrochromic compound, and a cathodic redox substance that are arranged between the first electrode and the second electrode,
at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode being transparent, wherein:
the electrolyte, the anodic organic electrochromic compound, and the cathodic redox substance are mixed;
the electrolyte is in contact with the first electrode, the second electrode, and the carrier;
the carrier further has a redox substance; and
a reduced form of the redox substance of the carrier is more easily oxidized than a reduced form of the anodic organic electrochromic compound.

2. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 , wherein a redox potential E EC (A) of the anodic organic electrochromic compound and a redox potential E RO of the redox substance of the carrier satisfy the following formula (I):
E RO <E EC ( A )  (I).

3. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 , wherein the reduced form of the redox substance of the carrier reduces an oxidized form of the anodic organic electrochromic compound.

4. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 , wherein the mixing comprises dissolution.

5. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 , wherein the carrier is arranged outside an optical path of light to be transmitted through at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode.

6. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 , wherein the redox substance of the carrier comprises an electrochromic compound.

7. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 , wherein the carrier is arranged in at least part of a periphery of one of the first electrode and the second electrode.

8. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 , wherein the carrier has two or more kinds of redox substances.

9. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 , wherein the redox substance of the carrier is in a state in which an oxidized form thereof and the reduced form thereof are mixed.

10. An optical filter, comprising:
the electrochromic element of claim 1 ; and
an active element connected to the electrochromic element.

11. A lens unit, comprising:
an image pickup optical system including a plurality of lenses; and
the optical filter of claim 10 .

12. An image pickup apparatus, comprising:
an image pickup optical system including a plurality of lenses;
the optical filter of claim 10 ; and
an image pickup element configured to receive light transmitted through the optical filter.

13. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the image pickup optical system is removably mounted.

14. A window member, comprising:
a pair of transparent substrates;
the electrochromic element of claim 1 arranged between the pair of transparent substrates; and
an active element connected to the electrochromic element.

15. An electrochromic element, comprising:
a first electrode;
a second electrode;
a carrier; and
an electrolyte, a cathodic organic electrochromic compound, and an anodic redox substance that are arranged between the first electrode and the second electrode,
at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode being transparent, wherein:
the electrolyte, the cathodic organic electrochromic compound, and the anodic redox substance are mixed;
the electrolyte is in contact with the first electrode, the second electrode, and the carrier;
the carrier further has a redox substance; and
an oxidized form of the redox substance of the carrier is more easily reduced than an oxidized form of the cathodic organic electrochromic compound.

16. The electrochromic element according to claim 15 , wherein a redox potential E EC (C) of the cathodic organic electrochromic compound and a redox potential E RO of the redox substance of the carrier satisfy the following formula (II):
E RO >E EC ( C )  (II).

17. The electrochromic element according to claim 15 , wherein the oxidized form of the redox substance of the carrier oxidizes a reduced form of the cathodic organic electrochromic compound.

18. An electrochromic element, comprising:
a first electrode;
a second electrode;
a carrier; and
an electrolyte, an anodic organic electrochromic compound, and a cathodic organic electrochromic compound that are arranged between the first electrode and the second electrode,
at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode being transparent, wherein:
the electrolyte, the anodic organic electrochromic compound, and the cathodic organic electrochromic compound are mixed;
the electrolyte is in contact with the first electrode, the second electrode, and the carrier;
the carrier contains a redox substance;
a reduced form of the redox substance of the carrier is more easily oxidized than a reduced form of the anodic organic electrochromic compound; and
an oxidized form of the redox substance of the carrier is more easily reduced than an oxidized form of the cathodic organic electrochromic compound.

19. The electrochromic element according to claim 18 , wherein a redox potential E EC (A) of the anodic organic electrochromic compound, a redox potential E EC (C) of the cathodic organic electrochromic compound, and a redox potential E RO of the redox substance of the carrier satisfy the following formula (III):
E EC ( C )< E RO <E EC ( A )  (III).

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Kubo Wataru
• Igawa Satoshi

Classifications

• G02F2001/1515

  Physics · mapped topic

• G02F1/163

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

• G09G3/38

  using electrochromic devices · CPC title

• G02F1/155

  Electrodes · CPC title

• G02F2001/1502

  complementary cell · CPC title