The present application concerns a switchable device for the regulation of light transmission, which has a compartmented structure, where the switching state of each of the compartments can be controlled individually.

A door control device includes an opening-closing control unit performing a control of opening and closing of a door, an acquisition unit acquiring state information about a state of the opening-closing control unit, a determination unit determining whether an external command that is related to opening or closing of the door and received from outside can be executed based on the state information acquired by the acquisition unit, and a notification control unit informing notification information for users of the door based on the state information through a notification unit when the external command cannot be executed.

An apparatus can include a control device configured to select a scene from a collection of scenes for a window including electrochromic devices in response to receiving an input corresponding to state information. In another aspect, a method of operating an apparatus can include receiving an input corresponding to state information; and at a control device, in response to receiving the input, selecting a scene from a collection of scenes. The collection of scenes may be validated before using the scenes. The scenes may be validated based on physical configuration of the controlled space, preferences of the occupant, or the like. Still further, scenes can be changed to allow for the passage of time or an illusion of changing sky conditions when sky conditions are not changing. The apparatus and method can be simpler to understand and implement as compared to complex control strategies.

A window covering for natural illumination of building interiors by redirecting the incident daylight at angles that promote its deeper penetration into the interior space. The window covering comprises an optically transmissive, flexible polymeric sheet having a layered structure with a light diffusing output surface and a number of total internal reflection surfaces incorporated into its material. The total internal reflection surfaces are dimensioned such that the multi-layer sheet diffusely redirect at least a portion of light towards a direction which is generally not coincident with the incidence direction.

A curtain may include a blind shade stretched or contracted in a first direction to adjust transmittance of light, a base coupled to one end portion of the blind shade in the first direction thereof, and a transmittance adjusting device to adjust the transmittance of the light passing through the blind shade by pulling outward or releasing inward an other end portion of the blind shade in the first direction thereof, in the state that spacing from the base in the first direction is fixed.

Various embodiments herein relate to electrochromic windows that are bird friendly, as well as methods and apparatus for forming such windows. Bird friendly windows include one or more elements that make the window visible to birds so that the birds recognize that they cannot fly through the window. Bird friendly windows can be used to minimize avian-window collisions, and therefore minimize avian deaths resulting from such collisions. In various embodiments, a window may be patterned such that the pattern is visible to birds. In these or other cases, the window may be made hazy, where the haze is visible to birds. The pattern and/or haze may be visible at wavelengths that fall in UV, and minimally noticeable (if at all) in wavelengths within the spectrum visible by humans.

An object is to provide a daylighting sheet which efficiently performs daylighting and in which, when the daylighting sheet is applied to a window of a building or the like, it is possible to see an outdoor side. The daylighting sheet includes a translucent base material layer; and a light deflection layer that is formed on the base material layer, and the light deflection layer includes: light transmission portions that are aligned along one surface of the base material layer so as to be able to transmit light, each of which including a groove at a portion being in a light entering side in a position where the light transmission portion is arranged in the opening portion of a building; and light deflection portions that are formed between the light transmission portions and filled with a material whose refractive index is lower than that of the light transmission portions.

In one aspect, a roller shade assembly for an architectural opening may generally include a first roller, a second roller and a looped shade extending around the first and second rollers. The looped shade may include at least one outer shade web forming a continuous loop around the rollers. In addition, the roller shade assembly may include an inner shade web configured to be wrapped around the first roller or the second roller such that the inner shade web is positioned within the continuous loop. The inner shade web may be coupled to the outer shade web(s) at a location along an inner perimeter of the continuous loop. Additionally, rotation of the first roller and/or the second roller in an unwinding direction may result in the inner shade web being unwound from the first roller or the second roller along the inner perimeter of the continuous loop.

A glazing having switchable optical properties is described, including a transparent substrate having an outer surface and an inner surface, a reflection layer on the outer surface and/or on the inner surface and a switchable functional element arranged on the interior side with respect to the reflection layer. The reflection layer contains a material having a refractive index n.sub.R of 1.6 to 2.5. The product of the refractive index n.sub.R and the thickness d of the reflection layer is from 250 nm to 960 nm.

The present disclosure relates to an electronic venetian blind, the electronic venetian blind, as a first invention, including: a first transparent conductive film layer; a plurality of unit electrochromic layers stacked on the first transparent conductive film layer, arranged separated from each other; and a plurality of second transparent conductive film layers each stacked on the plurality of unit electrochromic layers and independently applying current thereto.