The panel-layer system for thermal insulation of the shaded surface according to the invention comprises mounted to the outer side of the building envelope, especially a window, especially a roof window, a supporting construction in the form of at least two rigid and non-deformable rails, to which permanently mounted are lamellae, wherein the edge of the lamellae, outer in relation to the shielded envelope, has an irregular shape and the lamellae are inserted into notches made in the supporting construction and are additionally glued to it and the inclination angle of each lamella is constant, wherein for the lamellae situated in the upper part of the building envelope, the inclination angle is not more than 70° with respect to the envelope plane and decreases towards the bottom of the envelope so that the lowest lamella is inclined at an angle of not more than 25°, and the supporting construction shall be mounted to the building envelope so that an air cavity of at least 10 mm wide and not more than 100 mm is maintained between the envelope, mounted to it lamellae, and the plane of the building envelope.

Certain example embodiments relate to electric-potential driven shades usable with insulating glass (IG) units, IG units including such shades, and/or associated methods. In such a unit, a dynamic shade is located between the substrates defining the IG unit, and is movable between retracted and extended positions. The dynamic shade includes on-glass layers including a transparent conductor and an insulator or dielectric film, as well as a shutter. The shutter includes a resilient polymer, a conductor, and optional ink. If shutter coil skew is detected, voltage(s) may be applied one or more areas of the on-glass transparent conductor to compensate for or otherwise attempt to correct the detected coil skew.

To allow more daylighting and protect against direct solar radiation, the system may include a window shading system that impacts an area (or area of interest). The system may adjust different window shades in different ways and for different periods of time to protect against a direct solar radiation onto an area of interest. The system may provide targeted shadows onto the area of interest. The system may also analyze or predict angles of solar rays that comprise the direct solar radiation and determine an impact of the solar rays on the area of interest, wherein the adjusting of window shades is based on the determining.

An autonomous light management system for a window includes an electrochromic film stack comprising an electrochromic layer on a first transparent electrode, an ion storage layer on a second transparent electrode, and an electrolyte sandwiched between the ion storage and electrochromic layers. The electrochromic film stack exhibits a transmissive state or an absorptive state depending on charging or discharging of the electrochromic layer. The light management system further comprises an array of power units disposed on a front surface of the electrochromic film stack, where each power unit comprises at least one solar microcell. Collectively, the solar microcells cover an area no greater than about 6% of a total area of the front surface. The array of power units is configured to control the charging and discharging of the electrochromic layer, thereby manipulating light transmission through the electrochromic film stack.

The present disclosure provides a device for generating electricity. The device comprises a panel having an area that is transparent for at least a portion of visible light and having a light receiving surface. The panel comprises at least one series of solar cells, each solar cell having opposite major surfaces having opposite electrical polarities, each solar cell overlapping another one of the solar cells and being electrically connected in series. The at least one series of solar cells is positioned along and in the proximity of an edge of the panel, along the area that is transparent for at least a portion of visible light and substantially parallel the light receiving surface of the panel.

The present invention describes a liquid crystal composite tuneable device for fast polarisation-independent modulation of an incident light beam comprising: (a) two supporting and functional panels, at least one of them coated with a transparent conductive electrode layer and with optionally at least one additional layer selected from an alignment layer, antireflective coating layer, thermochromic or electrochromic layer, photoconductive or photosensitive layer, and (b) a composite structure sandwiched between said two panels and made of a liquid crystal and porous microparticles infiltrated with said liquid crystal. The porous microparticles have an average refractive index approximately equals to one of the liquid crystal principal refractive indices, matching that of the liquid crystal at one orientational state (for example, parallel n.sub.∥), and exhibiting large mismatch at another orientational state (for example, perpendicular n.sub.⊥). This refractive index mismatch between said microparticles and said liquid crystal is tuned by applying an external electric or magnetic field, thermally or optically.

A motorized window treatment may include a roller tube, a covering material that is attached to the roller tube, and a motor drive unit configured to be located within the roller tube. The motor drive unit may include a motor drive shaft defining a motor drive shaft rotational axis in a longitudinal direction. The motor drive shaft may be configured to rotate the roller tube to adjust the covering material between a raised position and a lowered position. The motorized window treatment may be configured to adjust a visible light transmittance of the covering material by rotating the roller tube, for example, when the covering material is in a fixed position between the raised position and the lowered position.

An outer wall material includes a first transparent member integrally or separately including a transparent plate material and a prism portion; and a reflection member provided on a second side of the prism portion of the first transparent member. The prism portion causes the reflection member to collect light whose angle with respect to a normal line of the plate material is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle and to retro-reflect the collected light, and transmits light whose angle with respect to the normal line of the plate material is less than the predetermined angle.

The present disclosure provides device for generating electric energy. The device comprises a panel for receiving incident light. The panel is at least partially transmissive for visible light and has first and second surfaces and having a peripheral region comprising at least one edge and/or corner. The panel is arranged such that a portion of light incident on the panel is redirected within the panel towards the peripheral region of the panel. The device further comprises a flexible photovoltaic element that has first and second portions separated by a bend. The bend is located adjacent the edge or corner of the panel whereby the first and second portions of the flexible photovoltaic element are disposed with different orientations within the device.

Disclosed herein are systems, apparatuses, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media related to a display construct coupled to a structure (e.g., a vision window). The structure can be a supportive structure such as a fixture. The display construct is configured to facilitate media display and is at least partially transparent. The vision window may be a tintable window, e.g., a window in which its tint is electrically controllable (e.g., an electrochromic window). Various interactive capabilities with the display construct are disclosed (e.g., via a touch screen).