Forced closure dipolar electro-optic shutter and method

Claim 2

A light controlling device comprising at least a pair of spaced transparent sheets, a transparent suspending medium between said sheets, a layer comprising a plurality of elongated dipoles freely carried within the suspending medium, each said dipole having a first dimension in a direction of elongation on the order of one-half the wavelength of light and a second dimension normal to the direction of elongation substantially smaller than said first dimension, said dipoles presenting a cross-section to electromagnetic radiation which is a function of their orientation, whereby light transmission through the layer is at a maximum when the direction of elongation of said dipoles are oriented parallel to a light path and at a minimum when said dipoles are in random directions, a first series of spaced wirelike electrodes straight line parallel to each other disposed in a plane and carried by one of the transparent sheets, a second series of spaced wire-like electrodes straight line parallel to each other disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of the first series and carried by the other transparent sheet, means for electrically interconnecting selected electrodes into a plurality of electrode sets, and electrical circuit means selectively applying direct electrical potential differences to said electrode sets for creating interlaced electric field patterns within the dipole suspension layer to control the disposition of the dipoles within the suspension.

Claim 3

A device according to claim 1 in which said electrical circuit means create interlaced time displaced electric field patterns within the dipole suspension layer. are plurality

Claim 4

The process of inducing a rapid randomization of dipoles within a dipole suspension layer comprising, applying a first direct potential difference across the suspension layer in the Z direction normal to the plane of the layer, to orient the dipoles in the Z direction, terminating the said potential difference and immediately upon said termination momentarily applying a second direct potential difference to the dipole suspension layer in a direction substantially normal to said Z direction, said second potential difference being applied between electrodes disposed on opposite sides of said dipole layers, whereby said dipoles are swung out of their Z orientation and into an X and Y orientation.

Claim 5

The process of inducing a rapid randomization of dipoles within a dipole suspension layer comprising, applying a first direct potential difference across the suspension layer in the Z direction normal to the plane of the layer, to orient the dipoles in the Z direction, terminating the said potential difference and immediately upon said termination momentarily applying a second direct potential difference to the dipole suspension layer in a direction substantially normal to said Z direction, said second potential difference being applied between electrodes disposed on opposite sides of said dipole layers, whereby said dipoles are swung out of their Z orientation and into an X and Y orientation.

Claim 6

A light controlling device comprising at least a pair of spaced transparent sheets, a transparent suspending medium between said sheets, a layer comprising a plurality of elongated dipoles freely carried within the suspending medium, each said dipole having a first dimension in a direction of elongation on the order of one-half the wavelength of light and a second dimension normal to the direction of elongation substantially smaller than said first dimension, said dipoles presenting a cross section to electromagnetic radiation which is a function of their orientation, whereby light transmission through the layer is at a maximum when the direction of elongation of said dipoles are oriented parallel to a light path and at a minimum when said dipoles are in random directions, a first series of spaced wirelike electrodes straight line parallel to each other disposed in a plane and carried by one of the transparent sheets, a second series of spaced wire-like electrodes straight line parallel to each other disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of the first series and carried by the other transparent sheet, said second series of spaced wire-like electrodes being parallel to and laterally offset from the first series of spaced wire-like electrodes a distance equal to one-half the spacing between adjacent ones of said first series of electrodes, electrical interconnection means combining selected electrodes in each series into a plurality of electrode sets, electrical circuit means selectively applying direct electrical potential differences to said electrode sets for creating electric field patterns within the dipole suspension layer to control the disposition of the dipoles within the suspension, the electric field patterns being on opposite sides of said dipole suspension layer and being shifted by one-half said electrode spacing with respect to one another.

Claim 7

A light controlling device comprising at least a pair of spaced transparent sheets, a transparent suspending medium between said sheets, a layer comprising a plurality of elongated dipoles freely carried within the suspending medium, each said dipole having a first dimension in a direction of elongation on the order of one-half the wavelength of light and a second dimension normal to the direction of elongation substantially smaller than said first dimension, said dipoles presenting a cross section to electromagnetic radiation which is a function of their orientation, whereby light transmission through the layer is at a maximum when the direction of elongation of said dipoles are oriented parallel to a light path and at a minimum when said dipoles are in random directions, a first series of spaced wirelike electrodes straight line parallel to each other disposed in a plane and carried by one of the transparent sheets, a second series of spaced wire-like electrodes straight line parallel to each other disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of the first series and carried by the other transparent sheet, said second series of spaced wire-like electrodes being parallel to and laterally offset from the first series of spaced wire-like electrodes a distance equal to one-half the spacing between adjacent ones of said first series of electrodes, electrical interconnection means combining selected electrodes in each series into a plurality of electrode sets, electrical circuit means selectively applying direct electrical potential differences to said electrode sets for creating electric field patterns within the dipole suspension layer to control the disposition of the dipoles within the suspension, the electric field patterns being on opposite sides of said dipole suspension layer and being shifted by one-half said electrode spacing with respect to one another.

Claim 8

A light controlling device comprising at least a pair of spaced transparent sheets, a transparent suspending medium between said sheets, a layer comprising a plurality of elongated dipoles freely carried within the suspending medium, each said dipole having a first dimension in a direction of elongation on the order of one-half the wavelength of light and a second dimension normal to the direction of elongation substantially smaller than said first dimension, said dipoles presenting a cross-section to electro-magnetic radiation which is a function of their orientation, whereby light transmission through the layer is at a maximum when the direction of elongation of said dipoles are oriented parallel to the light path and at a minimum when said dipoles are in random directions, a first series of spaced wire-like electrodes straight line parallel to each other disposed in a plane and carried by one of the transparent sheets, a second series of spaced wire-like electrodes straight line parallel to each other disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of the first series and carried by the other transparent sheet, said first and second series of spaced wire-like electrodes being disposed in mutually perpendicular relationship to one another, electrical interconnection means combining selected electrodes in each series into a plurality of electrode sets, and electrical circuit means selectively applying direct electrical potential differences to said electrode sets for creating electric field patterns on each side of the dipole suspension layer adjacent the electrodes which field patterns are disposed in mutually perpendicular relationship with respect to one another.

Claim 9

A light controlling device comprising at least a pair of spaced transparent sheets, a transparent suspending medium between said sheets, a layer comprising a plurality of elongated dipoles freely carried within the suspending medium, each said dipole having a first dimension in a direction of elongation on the order of one-half the wavelength of light and a second dimension normal to the direction of elongation substantially smaller than said first dimension, said dipoles presenting a cross-section to electro-magnetic radiation which is a function of their orientation, whereby light transmission through the layer is at a maximum when the direction of elongation of said dipoles are oriented parallel to the light path and at a minimum when said dipoles are in random directions, a first series of spaced wire-like electrodes straight line parallel to each other disposed in a plane and carried by one of the transparent sheets, a second series of spaced wire-like electrodes straight line parallel to each other disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of the first series and carried by the other transparent sheet, said first and second series of spaced wire-like electrodes being disposed in mutually perpendicular relationship to one another, electrical interconnection means combining selected electrodes in each series into a plurality of electrode sets, and electrical circuit means selectively applying direct electrical potential differences to said electrode sets for creating electric field patterns on each side of the dipole suspension layer adjacent the electrodes which field patterns are disposed in mutually perpendicular relationship with respect to one another.

Claim 10

A device according to claim 1 in which said electrical interconnection means includes means for causing the electric potential differences to be first applied in the Z direction and then in the X direction normal to the Z direction to force randomize the dipoles.

Claim 11

A device according to claim 1 in which the means to apply the electrical potential differences includes a plurality of circuits electrically isolated from each other by switches, corresponding ones of said first and second series of electrodes forming conducting electrode pairs, whereby non-adjacent conducting electrode pairs are electrically isolated.

Claim 12

A device according to claim 1 in which the parallel conducting electrodes have a width of 1-5 microns and an interelectrode spacing of 5-50 microns, and in which the proportion of the area of said dipole suspension layer covered by said electrodes is less than 4 percent; whereby said electrodes are substantially invisible.

Claim 13

A device according to claim 1 in which alternate electrodes are connected together by a busbar disposed at each end of said electrodes.

Claim 14

A device according to claim 8 in which there are two busbars disposed on each end of said electrodes whereby a first one of every four adjacent electrodes is connected as a first set to the first busbar on one end of said electrodes, a second one of every four adjacent electrodes is connected as a second set to a second busbar adjacent to the said first busbar, a third one of every four adjacent electrodes is connected as a third set to a third busbar on the other end of said electrodes, and a fourth one of every four adjacent electrodes is connected as a fourth set to a fourth busbar adjacent to the third busbar, insulating strips positioned upon said second and fourth busbars, and terminals extending outwardly from each of said four busbars, whereby shifting interlacing electric fields are generated upon the application of potential differences between the first and third sets of electrodes and between the second and fourth sets of electrodes, respectively.

Claim 15

A device according to claim 1 in which said electrical circuit means create interlaced space displaced electric field patterns within the dipole suspension layer.

Claim 16

A device according to claim 1 in which said electrode sets comprise first electrode sets comprising selected electrodes from said first series of spaced electrodes and second electrode sets comprising selected electrodes from said second series of spaced electrodes.

Claim 17

A device according to claim 12, in which said electrical circuit means creates said mutually perpendicular electrical field patterns in alternating relationship by creating one of said electric field patterns on one face of said dipole suspension layer and thereafter creating the other of said electric field patterns on the other face of said dipole suspension layer upon the cessation of said direct electrical potential difference for creating said one of said electric field patterns.

Claim 18

A device according to claim 13, in which said electric field pattern on said one face of the dipole suspension layer is interlaced, and said electric field pattern on said other one of said faces of the dipole suspension layer is interlaced.

Claim 19

A device according to claim 7 in which said conducting electrode pairs are disposed in alternate non-adjacent relationship with respect to one another.

Claim 20

A device according to claim 9 in which said alternate connected electrodes are disposed in one of said transparent sheets.