Patent · US Expired

Electronic ink dimming mirror

US6014247A · kind A · utility

52Cited by
10References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 5, 1998
Grant dateJan 11, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 5, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02F2203/02
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The present invention provides a self-dimming mirror for a vehicle. The mirror includes a layer of microspheres which contain microparticles and a dielectric liquid. The microparticles have an electrical charge and move between a dispersed state and a segregated state in response to the polarity of an electrical charge on an adjacent electrode. In a first embodiment, the microparticles are reflective and their reflectivity of an incidence light is determined by whether the microparticles are in the dispersed state or the segregated state. In a second embodiment, microparticles include a pigment layer and the transmissivity of an incidence light through the microsphere is determined by whether the microparticles are in a dispersed state or a segregated state. Thus, the present invention provides an electronic dimming mechanism for a mirror.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.