An insulated glazing unit comprising a base, a cross member placed above the base, two upright members for connection between the cross member and the base, at least two at least partially transparent panes that are applied to the frame, wherein the at least two panes and the frame define a closed volume, a light ray shielding device placed in the closed volume, and comprising a plurality of slats connected to each other and to a bottom member, support means attached to the cross member and operably associated with the light ray shielding device for support thereof, first guide means located at the base of the frame, second guide means located on the bottom member of the light ray shielding device. The insulated glass unit is characterized in that the bottom member is configured to alternate between a first configuration in which the bottom member is able to slide toward/away from the base and a second configuration in which the bottom member is placed proximate to the base and is tilted with respect to a slide direction, the first and the second guide means are configured to contact each other when the light ray shielding device is in the deployed position and to alternate the bottom member from the first configuration to the second configuration thereby affording guided rotation of the bottom.

An insulative glazing panel includes a frame provided between first and second glazing panes and at least one blind assembly. The frame includes first and second generally parallel sides and third and fourth generally parallel sides generally perpendicular to and spacing apart the first and second sides. The at least one blind assembly is pivotably mounted between the first and second sides and has a pivot axis parallel with the third and fourth sides, a flexible, reflective base sheet having first and second ends each with a spacing block and a flexible, reflective top sheet spaced from the base sheet by the spacing blocks to which first and second ends of the top sheet are attached.

Provided is a self-generating smart glass, including: a window frame, an outer glass and an inner glass, a plurality of solar panels, a first electric telescopic rod, a plurality of slide grooves which are symmetrically arranged on a top and a bottom of the window frame, a foldable plate located between the outer glass and the inner glass, a first battery, a light sensor and a control system. Two adjacent outer surfaces of the foldable plate are provided with the solar panels which are connected in series through flexible wires and communicated with the first battery. The first electric telescopic rod, the light sensor and the control system are respectively connected to the power supply; and the first electric telescopic rod and the light sensor are respectively connected to the control system.

A door assembly includes a doorframe, an insulated glazing unit (IGU), door skins, and a gas passageway. The IGU includes a substantially sealed IGU cavity and a hole communicating with the IGU cavity. The door skins are secured to opposite sides of the doorframe and have openings between which the IGU is provided. The gas passageway provides gas communication between the IGU cavity and the atmosphere outside of the door assembly. The gas passageway contains a gas passage conduit that includes a first end communicating with the IGU cavity through the hole and a second end communicating with atmosphere outside of the door assembly. The gas passageway may contain a gas passage conduit having a first end communicating with the IGU cavity through the first hole and a second end communicating with an air pocket, and a channel connects the air pocket with atmosphere outside of the door assembly.

Window units, for example insulating glass units (IGU's), that have at least two panes, each pane having an electrochromic device thereon, are described. Two optical state devices on each pane of a dual-pane window unit provide window units having four optical states. Window units described allow the end user a greater choice of how much light is transmitted through the electrochromic window. Also, by using two or more window panes, each with its own electrochromic device, registered in a window unit, visual defects in any of the individual devices are negated by virtue of the extremely small likelihood that any of the visual defects will align perfectly and thus be observable to the user.

Provided is a retroreflective window which can block a direct light ray and reflect it to a sun side while maintaining a viewability and enhance a usability of the direct light ray. The retroreflective window (1 to 3) includes first and second transparent plate materials, a transparent first prism which is disposed between the first and second transparent plate materials, and a switching member which is installed facing a second side of the first prism and can be switched between a reflective state in which a reflectance of visible light rays and infrared rays is 70% or more and a non-reflective state in which the reflectance of visible light rays and infrared rays is 30% or less. When the switching member is in the reflective state, in the first prism, a light ray incident at a predetermined angle or more is emitted from the first transparent plate material at approximately the same angle as when entering, after being reflected by the switching member and a third side, and among light rays which enter at an angle less than the predetermined angle, the light ray reaching the third side is transmitted and emitted from the second transparent plate material.

An integrated building photovoltaic apparatus for closing an opening on a building facade and generating electricity from a solar radiation which pass through the opening, includes at least two panes that are at least partially transparent and joined to each other by an interposed spacer to form an internal chamber therebetween; a blind arranged inside the internal chamber and having movable photovoltaic slats to vary the amount of the solar radiation passing through the opening; and connection elements, configured to pull or push the photovoltaic slats. Each slat has a photovoltaic sheet with interconnection grooves which define thin film solar cells monolithically connected in series.

The thin film solar cells include at least two coupling thin film solar cells, each one having a through hole and a close-pattern isolation groove surrounding the through hole to define an inactive area of the coupling single thin film solar cell surrounding the through hole.

Certain example embodiments relate to electric, potentially-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-based layer and layers on opposing surfaces thereof. A first voltage is applied to the transparent conductors to cause the shutter to extend to a closed position.

Certain example embodiments relate to circuitry for controlling dynamic shades and/or associated methods. An insulating glass (IG) unit includes a spacer system helping to maintain first and second substrates in substantially parallel spaced apart relation to one another and to define a gap therebetween. The shade is interposed between the first and second substrates. It includes a first conductive layer provided on the interior major surface of the first substrate; and a shutter including at least one polymer substrate, first and second conductive coatings, and first and second dielectric layers. The at least one polymer substrate is extendible to a shutter closed position and retractable to a shutter open position. A control circuit includes a boosting transformer (e.g., a flyback transformer) coupled to a power source and the shade, with the boosting transformer being controllable to produce a voltage for charging the shade and to discharge accumulated shade capacitance.

Certain example embodiments relate to a motor-driven dynamic shade provided in an insulating glass (IG) unit, and/or associated methods. A spacer system helps maintain first and second substrates in substantially parallel spaced apart relation to one another and defines a gap therebetween. A shade and a motor are provided in the gap. The motor, provided close to a first peripheral edge of the IG unit, is dynamically controllable to cause the shade to extend towards a second peripheral edge of the IG unit opposite the first peripheral edge and to cause the shade to retract from the second peripheral edge towards the first peripheral edge. The shade may be electrostatically couplable to one of the first and second substrates when the shade is extended via complementary electrostatic connection areas provided to the shade and the one of the first and second substrates