US4030813A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Control element having liquid layer attainable to geometrically uneven state in response to electrical signal
Assignee: Panasonic Holdings Corp
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Filing: 1975-12-17
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Granted: 1977-06-21
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Expires: 1995-12-17
Abstract
Abstract A device comprising a support member of a solid material, a liquid material in intimate contact with and supported by the support member and an electrical means for creating an electric field having an electric vector in a direction parallel to the interface between the two materials to cause an electroosmotic movement of a portion of the liquid material and a resulting patterned unevenness of the configuration of the liquid material, wherein the liquid material contains a derivative of silane or siloxane which has a functional group having chemical affinity with solid organic materials useful as the support member, typified by vinyl, methacryloxy, cycloepoxy, mercapto and chlorine radicals, and/or another functional group having chemical affinity with inorganic materials useful as the support member, typified by alkoxyl group. When the solid and liquid materials are transparent, the device functions as an electrically controllable optical lens.
Inventors
- 👤 Tadao Kohashi
- 👤 Toshiharu Kurosawa
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 02:03
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B26/00; G02B26/004
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 43
Claim 1
Independent Claim
150 words
A control element including a liquid material which is attainable to a geometrically uneven state in response to an electrical signal, the element comprising: a support member of a solid material; a liquid material supported by and in intimate contact with said support member; and means for creating in said liquid material a patterned electric field having an electric vector in a direction parallel to an interface between said support member and said liquid material, so that a portion of said liquid material makes an electroosmotic movement when said electric field is present in said liquid material; said liquid material comprising at least one silicon compound having at least one of a first functional group having chemical affinity with organic solid materials useful as the material of said substrate plate and a second functional group having chemcial affinity with inorganic solid materials useful as the material of said substrate plate.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
150 words
A control element including a liquid material which is attainable to a geometrically uneven state in response to an electrical signal, the element comprising: a support member of a solid material; a liquid material supported by and in intimate contact with said support member; and means for creating in said liquid material a patterned electric field having an electric vector in a direction parallel to an interface between said support member and said liquid material, so that a portion of said liquid material makes an electroosmotic movement when said electric field is present in said liquid material; said liquid material comprising at least one silicon compound having at least one of a first functional group having chemical affinity with organic solid materials useful as the material of said substrate plate and a second functional group having chemcial affinity with inorganic solid materials useful as the material of said substrate plate.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
A control element as claimed in claim 1, wherein said silicon compound is a derivative of a different silicon compound selected from the group consisting of silane and siloxane.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
40 words
A control element as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first functional group is selected from the group consisting of vinyl group, methacryloxy group, glycidoxy group, cycloepoxy group, mercapto group and chlorine, said second functional group being an alkoxyl group.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
A control element as claimed in claim 3, wherein said alkoxyl group is selected from the group consisting of methoxy group, ethoxy group, methoxyethoxy group, aroxy group, amyloxy group, heptyloxy group, octyloxy group and decyloxy group.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
A control element as claimed in claim 4, wherein said silicon compound has only one of said first and second functional groups.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
A control element as claimed in claim 5, wherein said silicon compound has said first functional group, said solid material being an organic material.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
A control element as claimed in claim 6, wherein said silicon compound is selected from the group consisting of diphenyl divinylsilane and tetramethyl divinylsiloxane.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
A control element as claimed in claim 6, wherein said organic material is a synthetic resin.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
A control element as claimed in claim 5, wherein said silicon compound has said second functional group.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
29 words
A control element as claimed in claim 9, wherein said silicon compound has at least one hydrocarbon radical selected from alkyl groups and phenyl group attached to silicon atom.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
36 words
A control element as claimed in claim 10, wherein said silicon compound is selected from the group consisting of methyl triethoxysilane, dimethyl dimethoxysilane, phenyl trimethoxysilane, phenyl triethoxysilane, diphenyl dimethoxysilane, diphenyl diethoxysilane, methylphenyl dimethoxysilane and methylphenyl trimethoxysilane.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
29 words
A control element as claimed in claim 9, wherein said silicon compound is selected from the group consisting of ethyl silicate, tetraamylsilicate, tetraheptyl silicate, tetraoctyl silicate, tetradecylsilicate and tetraaroxysilane.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
27 words
A control element as claimed in claim 9, wherein said solid material is an inorganic material selected from the group consisting of a silica-containing glass and quartz.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
A control element as claimed in claim 9, wherein said solid material is a cellulose ester resin.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
21 words
A control element as claimed in claim 4, wherein said silicon compound has both of said first and second functional groups.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
27 words
A control element as claimed in claim 15, wherein said silicon compound is selected from the group consisting of vinyl-tris-(β-methoxyethoxy)-silane, vinyl triethoxysilane, β-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)-ethyl-trimethoxysilane and vinyl methyl dimethoxysilane.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
48 words
A control element as claimed in claim 15, wherein said silicon compound is a trialkoxysilane represented by the formula A(CH 2 ) n SiB 3 , where A is said first functional group, B is said second functional group and n is an integer from 1 to 3.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
27 words
A control element as claimed in claim 17, wherein said trialkoxysilane is selected from the group consisting of γ-methacryloxypropyl trimethoxysilane, γ-glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane, mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane and 3-chloropropyl trimethoxysilane.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
27 words
A control element as claimed in claim 15, wherein said solid material is an inorganic material selected from the group consisting of a silica-containing glass and quartz.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
17 words
A control element as claimed in claim 15, wherein said solid material is an organic synthetic resin.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
21 words
A control element as claimed in claim 4, wherein said liquid material consists of a single kind of said silicon compound.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
22 words
A control element as claimed in claim 4, wherein said liquid material consists of said silicon compound and another organic liquid compound.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
28 words
A control element as claimed in claim 4, wherein said silicon compound is an organopolysiloxane having a viscosity of 10 3 centistokes at the highest at room temperature.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
30 words
A control element as claimed in claim 4, wherein said solid material and said liquid material have substantially the same refractive index, said solid material being pervious to visible light.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
25 words
A control element as claimed in claim 24, wherein said liquid material is a mixture of at least two different kinds of said silicon compounds.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
24 words
A control element as claimed in claim 24, wherein said liquid material is a mixture of said silicon compound and another organic liquid compound.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
40 words
A control element as claimed in claim 4, wherein said support member is a flat plate, said solid material being pervious to visible light, said liquid material forming a layer of a uniform thickness on one side of said plate.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
17 words
A control element as claimed in claim 27, wherein the other side of said plate is frosted.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
25 words
A control element as claimed in claim 27, wherein said uniform thickness of said layer of said liquid material is from 20 to 50 μm.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
37 words
A control element as claimed in claim 27, wherein said means comprise at least a pair of electrodes of a transparent and conductive material placed on said one side of said plate and spaced from one another.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
28 words
A control element as claimed in claim 30, wherein said transparent and conductive material is selected from the group consisting of tin oxide, indium oxide and copper iodide.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
34 words
A control element as claimed in claim 30, wherein said at least a pair of electrodes are more than two electrodes arranged such that a positive electrode and a negative electrode are placed alternately.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
23 words
A control element as claimed in claim 32 wherein each of said electrodes is a strip of a thin film arranged laterally parallel.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
194 words
A light modulating device comprising: a horizontally arranged substrate plate of a solid material pervious to visible light; a layer of a liquid material pervious to visible light formed to a uniform thickness on one surface of said substrate plate; first means for creating in said layer a patterned electric field having an electric vector in a direction parallel to said surface, so that a portion of said liquid material makes an electroosmotic movement in a direction parallel to said surface to cause said layer to become uneven in thickness when said electric field is present in said layer; and second means for detecting bendings of visible light rays irradiated on and passed through said layer and said substrate plate, said bendings being caused by travel of said rays through said layer when said electric field is present in said layer; said liquid material comprising at least one silicon compound having at least one of a first functional group having chemical affinity with organic solid materials useful as the material of said substrate plate and a second functional group having chemical affinity with inorganic solid materials useful as the material of said substrate plate.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
194 words
A light modulating device comprising: a horizontally arranged substrate plate of a solid material pervious to visible light; a layer of a liquid material pervious to visible light formed to a uniform thickness on one surface of said substrate plate; first means for creating in said layer a patterned electric field having an electric vector in a direction parallel to said surface, so that a portion of said liquid material makes an electroosmotic movement in a direction parallel to said surface to cause said layer to become uneven in thickness when said electric field is present in said layer; and second means for detecting bendings of visible light rays irradiated on and passed through said layer and said substrate plate, said bendings being caused by travel of said rays through said layer when said electric field is present in said layer; said liquid material comprising at least one silicon compound having at least one of a first functional group having chemical affinity with organic solid materials useful as the material of said substrate plate and a second functional group having chemical affinity with inorganic solid materials useful as the material of said substrate plate.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
76 words
A device as claimed in claim 34, wherein said second means comprise a sheet of a semitransparent material arranged parallel to and spaced from one surface of said layer of said liquid material such that said visible light rays impinge on said sheet after said rays passed through said layer and produce a light pattern visible from the opposite side of said sheet when said rays are refracted and scattered due to unevenness of said layer.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
15 words
A device as claimed in claim 35, wherein said semitransparent material is a frosted glass.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
25 words
A device as claimed in claim 35, wherein said semitransparent material is an organic material selected from the group consisting of paper and synthetic resins.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
23 words
A device as claimed in claim 35, wherein said sheet is arranged on the reverse side of said substrate plate to said layer.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
23 words
A device as claimed in claim 35, wherein said sheet is arranged on the same side of said substrate plate as said layer.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
126 words
A device as claimed in claim 39, wherein said first means comprise a plurality of first electrodes of a transparent material placed on said one surface of said substrate plate to form a plurality of gaps therebetween, a plurality of patterned second electrodes of a transparent material placed on the reverse surface of said substrate plate in such an arrangement that a portion of each of said second electrodes is opposite to at least one of said gaps between said first electrodes, and means for impressing a D.C. voltage across said first electrodes and a selectively variable portion of said second electrodes, the device being arranged such that said visible light rays irradiate said layer of said liquid material from the direction of said substrate plate.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
37 words
A device as claimed in claim 35, wherein said first means comprise at least a pair of electrodes of a transparent and conductive material placed on said surface of said substrate plate and spaced from one another.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1980-06-20 | 1980-12-20 | 1981-06-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-06-20 | 1984-12-20 | 1985-06-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-06-20 | 1988-12-20 | 1989-06-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |