Energy-collecting display modules are disclosed. The modules include a base substrate with a plurality of sub-pixels, which are laid out in a substantially regular sub-pixel pattern. The sub-pixels are dispersed along the base substrate with sub-pixel spacing regions between individual sub-pixels. The modules also include a photovoltaic region disposed within the sub-pixel spacing regions such that the photovoltaic region minimally obscures a subpixel viewing cone region.

The present disclosure provides a device for generating electric energy. The device comprises a panel that is at least partially transmissive for visible light. The panel has a receiving surface for receiving incident light and is arranged such that a portion of the incident light is redirected towards regions that are at edges or side portions of the panel. The device further comprises a plurality of photovoltaic elements positioned at or in the proximity of the edges or side portions of the panel. Each of the plurality of photovoltaic elements is electrically parallel connected to another one of the plurality of photovoltaic elements and the device is arranged to generate the electricity from at least a portion of the redirected incident light.

A thermoelectric recycling structure has a heat-conductive first component for engaging a heat source for receiving heat generated therefrom, a second component spaced from the first component, and a heat-nonconductive and electrons-and-holes-transportive thermoelectric layer sandwiched between the first and second components for receiving the heat from the first component and converting the received heat to electrical power.

A multi-layer apparatus has a transparent or semi-transparent substrate, a solar-cell layer coupled to the substrate, an energy-storage layer coupled to the solar-cell layer, and a converter layer coupled to the energy-storage layer. The solar-cell layer has a plurality of solar cells for receiving light through the substrate and converting energy of the received light to a first electrical energy, the energy-storage layer has one or more energy-storage units for storing a second electrical energy, and the converter layer has one or more power converters electrically connected to the solar-cell layer and the energy-storage layer for receiving the first electrical energy and the second electrical energy therefrom and outputting a third electrical energy via an output thereof.

A photoelectric display unit including a bottom electrode layer, a photoelectric conversion layer and a top electrode layer is provided. The photoelectric conversion layer is disposed between the bottom electrode layer and the top electrode layer, and includes a first extrinsic semiconductor layer, an intrinsic semiconductor layer and a second extrinsic semiconductor layer. The intrinsic semiconductor layer is disposed between the first extrinsic semiconductor layer and the second extrinsic semiconductor layer. The intrinsic semiconductor layer includes a semiconductor material with a range of a band gap of 1.7 ev˜3.2 ev.

A display device includes a display screen including sub-pixel units, a storage battery unit, and a control chip. The sub-pixel units include gate lines and fingerprint signal lines intersecting with each other, transistors, solar battery modules each of which includes a first electrode, a light-sensing device for transferring light signals into electrical signals, and a second electrode overlapping sequentially, and light-emitting devices disposed at intervals from the solar battery modules. A gate electrode, a drain electrode, and a source electrode of each transistor connect to the gate line, the first electrode, and the control chip respectively. The storage battery unit connects to the first and second electrodes. When light from the light-emitting device is reflected off fingers and is back toward the light-sensing device, the transistor is turned on, the light-sensing device generates fingerprint signals, and the control chip stores and recognizes the fingerprint signals.

A digital sign including both a light-emitting diode display and a display screen contained within a housing unit. A control module is provided to control the light-emitting diode display and the display screen; and a power source is provided to provide power to the light-emitting diode display, the display screen and the control module. A cover plate is securable to the housing unit to contain the light-emitting diode display, the display screen, the control module, and the power source. The light-emitting diode display and the display screen are visible from outside of the housing unit and the control module and the power source are not visible from outside the housing unit.

An eyewear apparatus may comprise an inner lens, an outer lens coupled to the inner lens, a liquid crystal film positioned between the inner lens and the outer lens, and a controller connected with the liquid crystal film and configured to provide a voltage to the liquid crystal film. The outer lens has a three-dimensional (3D) curvature characterized by a curvature along a first direction and a curvature along a second direction different from the first direction. The inner lens has a two-dimensional (2D) curvature characterized by a curvature along the first direction and substantially no curvature along the second direction.

Electrochromic window systems and components thereof are disclosed, more particularly systems where electrochromic devices are powered and/or controlled using photonic energy. In some instances, a laser is driven by a driver to deliver photonic power and/or control information into an optical fiber. The optical fiber carries the power and control information to a photovoltaic converter and a controller. The photovoltaic converter and controller may be included within an insulated glass unit (IGU). The photovoltaic converter converts the light energy into electrical energy used to power a transition in an optical state of an electrochromic layer or layers within the IGU. The controller may be used to control the power delivered to the electrochromic layer(s), such that a smooth transition occurs. In some embodiments, control information may be transmitted in an upstream manner to communicate information regarding, for example, the state of an electrochromic device.

A liquid-crystal device including a liquid-crystal module and a driving device is provided. The driving device provides a control signal to the liquid-crystal module to control the transmittance of the liquid-crystal module and includes a substrate, a control circuit, and a photovoltaic device. The control circuit generates the control signal. The photovoltaic device supplies power to the control circuit. The control circuit and the photovoltaic device are located on the substrate.