Digital sunshade for automotive glass

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9776478-B2
Application number	US-201414491335-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2014
Priority date	Oct 3, 2013
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A sunscreen system includes a control unit and a sunscreen having a first nonplanar glass layer and a nonplanar display layer having a first side and an opposite second side. The first side is adhered to the glass layer. The display layer includes multiple display subareas covering the overall surface of the display layer. Each separate display subarea may be controlled by the control unit to change the subarea's transmittance. A nonplanar design allows integration in a vehicle body and multiple display subareas allows partial area-wise blocking of light. All electronic components can be provided in or adjacent to the sunscreen or be arranged at another location in the vehicle, leading to a flexible design which allows a larger area panoramic roof due to reduction of mechanical components in the roof structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sunscreen system for automotive use, comprising:
a control unit;
a sunscreen comprising a first nonplanar glass layer, and a nonplanar display layer having a first side and an opposite second side, the first side being adhered to the glass layer, wherein the display layer comprises a plurality of display subareas covering the overall surface of the display layer, wherein each separate display subarea is controllable by the control unit for changing the transmittance of the subarea; and
a user control interface, arranged to provide input to the control unit, for controlling the transmittance of the plurality of display subareas, wherein the user control interface is arranged to detect at least one position input corresponding to at least one subarea, and to detect a user movement subsequent to the position input and identify the detected user movement as a direction input, the direction input corresponding to at least one further subarea.

2. The sunscreen system according to claim 1 wherein the sunscreen further comprises a second nonplanar glass layer being adhered to the second side of the display layer.

3. The sunscreen system according to claim 1 wherein the first glass layer has a first side being adhered to the first side of the display layer, and an opposite second side, and wherein the sunscreen further comprises a second glass layer being adhered to the second side of the first glass layer.

4. The sunscreen system according to claim 1 wherein each one of the display subareas is controllable simultaneously with one or more of the other display subareas, or is controllable individually.

5. The sunscreen system according to claim 1 wherein the display subareas comprise at least one display pixel.

6. The sunscreen system according to claim 1 wherein the nonplanar display layer is a nonplanar at least semi-transparent liquid crystal display (LCD).

7. The sunscreen system according to claim 1 wherein the control unit is arranged to detect if a first user input represents an encircling edge, defining a first figure, and further arranged to associate at least one of the display subareas with the first figure, based on a position and an extension of the encircling edge, so that the transmittance of each display subarea associated to the first figure may be controlled simultaneously.

8. The sunscreen system according to claim 1 wherein the control unit is arranged to detect if a first user input represents a moving motion defining at least a first direction and further arranged to associate at least one of the display subareas with the first direction, based on a position and an extension of the first direction, so that the transmittance of each display subarea associated to the first direction may be controlled simultaneously.

9. The sunscreen system according to claim 1 wherein the nonplanar layers are double-curved.

10. The sunscreen system according to claim 1 wherein the user control interface comprises a touch sensitive transparent layer being nonplanar and forming an innermost layer of the sunscreen.

11. The sunscreen system according to claim 10 wherein the touch sensitive layer comprises surface areas arranged so that each display subarea has a corresponding touch sensitive surface area, so that the transmittance of each of the subareas may be controlled by the associated corresponding surface area on the touch sensitive layer.

12. The sunscreen system according to claim 1 wherein the user control interface comprises at least one sensor arranged to detect contactless interaction with the sunscreen.

13. The sunscreen system according to claim 12 wherein the at least one sensor is arranged to detect a position and a movement of at least one limb of a user and subsequently translating the position and the movement to a plane on a surface of the sunscreen.

14. A vehicle comprising a sunscreen system according to claim 1 wherein the sunscreen is at least one of a windscreen, sunroof, panoramic roof, side window or rear window.

15. The vehicle according to claim 14 wherein the sunscreen system further comprises a user control interface arranged to determine a seating position of a user, and wherein the control unit is further arranged to associate a predetermined subset of the display subareas based on the seating position, wherein the transmittance of the subset may be controlled by the user.

16. A sunscreen for automotive use, comprising:
a first nonplanar glass layer;
a nonplanar display layer having a first side and an opposite second side, the first side being adhered to the glass layer, wherein the display layer comprises a plurality of display subareas, wherein each separate display subarea is controllable by a control unit for changing the transmittance of the subarea; and
a user control interface, arranged to provide input to the control unit, for controlling the transmittance of the plurality of display subareas, wherein the user control interface is arranged to detect at least one position input corresponding to at least one subarea, and to detect a user movement subsequent to the position input and identify the detected user movement as a direction input, the direction input corresponding to at least one further subarea.

17. The sunscreen according to claim 16 wherein the nonplanar display layer comprises an at least semi-transparent liquid crystal display (LCD).

18. The sunscreen according to claim 16 wherein the user control interface comprises a touch sensitive transparent layer forming an innermost layer of the sunscreen.

19. The sunscreen according to claim 16 wherein the user control interface comprises at least one sensor arranged to detect contactless interaction with the sunscreen.

20. The sunscreen according to claim 19 wherein the at least one sensor is arranged to detect a position and a movement of at least one limb of a user and subsequently translating the position and the movement to a plane on a surface of the sunscreen.

Assignees

• Volvo Car Corp

Inventors

• Dryselius Joakim
• Olsson Daniel

Classifications

• B60J3/04 Primary

  adjustable in transparency · CPC title

• G02F1/13306

  Circuit arrangements or driving methods for the control of single liquid crystal cells (G02F1/132, G02F1/133382 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02F1/13338

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