Provided are a smart window, a sliding smart window, a smart window for a vehicle, a sun visor for a vehicle, a smart window device, and a head-mounted smart window device which have maximized user convenience.

This disclosure describes a dimming panel and its driving method, a preparation method and a controlling device, and a controlling system. The dimming panel includes a substrate, a first transparent electrode layer and an insulating layer sequentially disposed on the substrate, and a curled structure disposed on the insulating layer. The curled structure includes a second transparent electrode layer that has a preset inherent force for curling. The second flexible electrode layer is configured to absorb or reflect light. The first transparent electrode layer and the insulating layer have groove structures that are formed corresponding to each other. The curled structure can be disposed within the groove structure.

A daylighting system includes a sheet-like light control member disposed on at least an upper part of a daylighting opening, and a shade disposed oppositely to at least a part of the opening, the part being below the part where the light control member is disposed. The light control member is configured to change upward a traveling direction of incident light and allow the incident light to pass through the light control member.

A computer-implemented method includes receiving, with a vehicle computing system, global position system (GPS) data associated with a vehicle, determining a solar position relative to the vehicle, receiving trip information associated with the vehicle, and executing one or more vehicle actuators based at least in part on the GPS data, the trip information and the solar position relative to the vehicle. Determining the solar position can include determining a sun glare period during a future time period based at least in part on the trip information associated with the vehicle. The vehicle computing system may display a warning indicative of the sun glare period, generate a window tint command that causes the window to tint and/or generate a vent control command that causes the vent to change one or more of an airflow temperature, and an airflow velocity.

An optical article for directing and distributing light including an optically transmissive layer having one or more arrays of TIR channels and a light diffusing element disposed in optical communication with the optically transmissive layer. The TIR channels define reflective surfaces extending perpendicular or near-perpendicular to a prevailing plane of the optically transmissive layer. The TIR channels and the light diffusing element operate concurrently to redirect and redistribute a beam of light received from a light source such as daylight or an LED over a broad angular range.

A low-E coating supported by a glass substrate, the coating from the glass substrate outwardly including at least the following layers: a dielectric layer of or including silicon nitride; a high index layer having a refractive index of at least 2.1; another dielectric layer of or including silicon nitride; a layer comprising zinc oxide; an infrared (IR) reflecting layer, wherein the coating includes only one IR reflecting layer; and an overcoat including (i) a layer comprising tin oxide and (ii) a layer comprising silicon nitride located over and contacting the layer comprising tin oxide. An IG unit including the coating may have a visible transmission of at least 70%.

A external light control device for equatorially located building utilizes tilting external light shelves that are capable of tilting backward (toward the building) from a vertical orientation to reflect low am (or late pm) sun away from occupants, but are deployed at a tilt away from the building exterior to capture more sun closer to noon time. The structure preferably integrate IR rejecting coating for incident light which is re-directed by TIR surface disposed normal to the thin film layers in a multi-layer IR reflective coating. The panel may be monolithic or comprise tilting louvers, which can be metallic, dielectric, or TIR reflectors. The louvers preferably also tilt in response to the determined sun position with the panel to optimize light utilization.

An electromagnetic energy-absorbing optical product useful particularly for automotive and architectural window films is disclosed. The electromagnetic energy-absorbing optical product includes a polymeric substrate and a composite coating with the composite coating including first and second layers each containing a binding group component which together form a complimentary binding group pair.

There are provided coated articles that include two or more infrared (IR) reflecting layers (e.g., of or including NbZr, Nb, NiCr, NiCrMo, and/or a nitride thereof) sandwiched between at least dielectric layers, and/or a method of making the same. The coating may be designed so that the coated articles realize bronze glass side reflective coloration in combination with a low solar factor (SF) and/or a low solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC). Such coated articles may be used in the context of monolithic windows, insulating glass (IG) window units, laminated windows, and/or other suitable applications, and may optionally be heat treated (e.g., thermally tempered) in certain instances.

A daylighting device of the present invention is provided with a planar optical member 1 and a support member. The planar optical member 1 is provided with a planar structure body which has a plurality of linear bodies 3 formed of optically transparent materials which are arrayed substantially in parallel and a plurality of binding members which are arranged in a direction which intersects with the plurality of the linear bodies 3 and which bind the plurality of the linear bodies 3 in a state of being arrayed substantially in parallel. The linear bodies 3 have reflective surfaces which reflect light which is incident to the linear body 3 along a direction which intersects with a length direction of the linear body 3 and refractive surfaces which refract the light. In at least a part of a planar structure body, the orientations of reflective surfaces of at least some of the linear bodies out of the plurality of linear bodies 3 substantially match and the orientations of the refractive surfaces of at least some of the linear bodies substantially match.