Fail safe mechanism for switchable window
An optical device, having an active matrix, containing polymer dispersed liquid crystals, guest-host liquid crystals, suspended particles and/or polymer stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals, the active high transmissive mode has at least 40% of incoming light transmitted through the optical device and in low transmissive mode less than 40% of incoming light transmitted through the optical device, the active matrix is switchable between high transmissive mode and low transmissive mode. The optical device containing a fail-safe mechanism, which is capable to switch the active matrix from a low transmissive mode in a high transmissive mode without the power of an applied grid. The optical device has a fail-safe mechanism comprising at least one battery and a controller.
1. An optical device ( 1 ), having an active matrix ( 7 ), wherein the active matrix ( 7 ) comprises polymer dispersed liquid crystals, guest-host liquid crystals, suspended particles or polymer stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals, the active matrix ( 7 ) has a high transmissive mode ( 2 ) and a low transmissive mode ( 3 ), wherein in the high transmissive mode ( 2 ) at least 40% of incoming light is transmitted through the optical device ( 1 ) and in the low transmissive mode ( 3 ) less than 40% of incoming light is transmitted through the optical device ( 1 ), wherein the active matrix ( 7 ) is switchable between the high transmissive mode ( 2 ) and the low transmissive mode ( 3 ) and vice versa, wherein under application of continuous electrical voltage the active matrix ( 7 ) is in the high transmissive mode ( 2 ) and without an electrical voltage the active matrix ( 7 ) is in the low transmissive mode ( 3 ), wherein the applied electrical voltage for the high transmissive mode ( 2 ) is provided by a grid ( 4 ), the optical device ( 1 ) further comprises a fail-safe mechanism ( 10 ) that switches the active matrix ( 7 ) from a low transmissive mode ( 3 ) to a high transmissive mode ( 2 ) without the power from the grid ( 4 ), wherein the fail-safe mechanism ( 10 ) comprises at least one energy storing device ( 9 ), and a controller ( 8 ), said controller ( 8 ) activating a fail-safe mode if no voltage is applied by the grid, said energy storing device applying voltage to the optical device ( 1 ) in the fail-safe mode, such that the optical device ( 10 ) is in the high transmission mode ( 2 ) without the power from the grid ( 4 ).
2. The optical device ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said energy storage device ( 9 ) provides direct-current (DC) voltage and further comprising a power inverter that converts the DC voltage into alternating-current (AC) voltage.
3. The optical device ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein in the fail-safe mode an electrical voltage is applied to the optical device ( 1 ), via the controller ( 8 ), by at least one energy storing device ( 9 ), that is at least one battery ( 9 ).
4. The optical device ( 1 ) according to claim 3 , further comprising a frame, wherein the frame of the optical device ( 1 ) comprises the at least one energy storing device ( 9 ).
5. The optical device ( 1 ) according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one battery is a nickel-metal hydride battery.
6. The optical device ( 1 ) according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one battery is cylinder or button shaped.
7. The optical device ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the optical device ( 1 ) is a switchable window ( 1 ).