EP0304198A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Electrooptical device
Assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
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Filing: 1988-08-03
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2008-08-03
Abstract
Abstract An electrochromic device (20) useful as a smart window comprises a pair of transparent layers (12,16) that serve as terminal electrodes, and between which is sandwiched an electrochemical cell including a layer (13) of electrochromic material and between the layer of electrochromic material and its proximate terminal electrode layer is inserted an auxiliary layer (18) whose normal resistance is large compared to the lateral resistance of the proximate terminal electrode layer. This auxiliary layer serves to improve the lateral uniformity of the potential applied to the electrochemical cell when a voltage is applied across the terminal electrode layers with a resultant improvement in the uniformity of colouring and bleaching across the surface of the electrochromic device.
Inventors
- 👤 Dennis Arthur Corrigan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 23:57
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02F; G02F1/00; G02F1/01; G02F1/15; G02F1/163; B; B60; B60J; B60J1/00; B60J3/00; B60J3/04; B60R; B60R1/00; B60R1/02; B60R1/08; B60R1/083; B60R1/088; G02F1/1514; G02F1/1523; G02F1/1524; G02F1/153; G02F1/1533
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
142 words
An electrochromic device (20) which includes a transparent substrate (11); a pair of terminal electrode layers (12,16) on the substrate; and means (13,14,15) forming an electrochemical cell included between the terminal electrode layers (12,16), including at least one layer (13) of an electrochromic material, characterized by an auxiliary layer (18) of highly resistive material is positioned between the electrochemical cell (13-15) and at least one of said terminal electrode layers (12,16), the auxiliary layer (18) having an electrical resistance normal to its thickness which is at least about ten times greater than the electrical resistance of its contiguous terminal electrode layer (12) parallel to its thickness, for substantially reducing the lateral variations in potential applied to the electrochemical cell and an attendant lateral colour variation in the electrochromic device (20) when a voltage is applied across the two terminal electrode layers (12,16).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
142 words
An electrochromic device (20) which includes a transparent substrate (11); a pair of terminal electrode layers (12,16) on the substrate; and means (13,14,15) forming an electrochemical cell included between the terminal electrode layers (12,16), including at least one layer (13) of an electrochromic material, characterized by an auxiliary layer (18) of highly resistive material is positioned between the electrochemical cell (13-15) and at least one of said terminal electrode layers (12,16), the auxiliary layer (18) having an electrical resistance normal to its thickness which is at least about ten times greater than the electrical resistance of its contiguous terminal electrode layer (12) parallel to its thickness, for substantially reducing the lateral variations in potential applied to the electrochemical cell and an attendant lateral colour variation in the electrochromic device (20) when a voltage is applied across the two terminal electrode layers (12,16).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
43 words
An electrochromic device as claimed in claim 1, in which the auxiliary layer (18) is of a material which forms a contact resistance with its contiguous terminal electrode layer (12) which is large compared to the lateral resistance of the terminal electrode layers.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
An electrochromic device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, comprising a pair of auxiliary layers (18), wherein each auxiliary layer is disposed between the electrochemical cell and a different one of the two terminal electrode layers (12,16).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
An electrochromic device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the layer (13) of electrochromic material is of nickel hydroxide.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
An electrochromic device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the electrochemical cell comprises a layer (13) of nickel hydroxide, a layer (14) of potassium hydroxide, and a layer (15) of manganese hydroxide.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
48 words
An electrochromic device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, in which at least one of the pair of terminal electrode layers (12,16) is of tin oxide of relatively high conductivity and the auxiliary layer or layers (18) is of tin oxide of lower conductivity.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
An electrochromic device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the auxiliary layer or layers (18) is of nickel oxide and its contiguous terminal electrode layer (12,16) is of fluorine-doped tin oxide.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
31 words
An electrochromic device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, in which the transparent substrate (11) is a window of at least about 5000 square centimetres in area.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
An electrochromic device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, in which the transparent substrate (11) is an automobile window.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
An electrochromic device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, in which the transparent substrate (11) is an automobile rear view mirror.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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