A damper providing varying damping force is provided. The damper may include a housing and a rotary member rotatably received the housing. The rotary member may rotate within the housing between defined end points of travel to define an angular range of travel of the rotary member. An outermost surface of the rotary member may be spaced inwardly from an inner surface of the housing defined between the end points of travel to define a gap between the outermost surface of the rotary member and the inner surface of the housing throughout the angular range of travel. The gap may vary in dimension depending on a rotational position of the rotary member to provide varying damping rates within the angular range of travel of the rotary member.

An impact resistant operable blind includes a sealed impact resistant unit including a first glass layer and a second laminated glass layer spaced from the first glass layer and defining a sealed chamber therebetween. The second laminated glass layer includes a first heat strengthened glass layer laminated to a second heat strengthened glass layer by an interlayer. A blind unit is disposed within the sealed chamber and includes a tiltrod supported at a top of the sealed chamber and supporting a plurality of ladder strings that support a plurality of slats.

An impact resistant operable blind includes a sealed impact resistant unit including a first glass layer and a second laminated glass layer spaced from the first glass layer and defining a sealed chamber therebetween. The second laminated glass layer includes a first heat strengthened glass layer laminated to a second heat strengthened glass layer by an interlayer. A blind unit is disposed within the sealed chamber and includes a tiltrod supported at a top of the sealed chamber and supporting a plurality of ladder strings that support a plurality of slats.

A daylight redirecting window film having a layered structure with a total thickness of less than one millimeter and having a first optically transmissive film, a second optically transmissive film approximately coextensive with the first optically transmissive film, an intermediate layer of a relatively soft optically transmissive material disposed between the first and second optically transmissive films, a parallel array of linear three-dimensional structures formed in a space between the first and second optically transmissive films, a layer of an optically transmissive adhesive coating a surface of the first optically transmissive film, and a two-dimensional pattern of light scattering surface microstructures formed in an outer surface of the second optically transmissive film. The parallel array of linear three-dimensional structures defines a parallel array of linear channels, and each of the linear three-dimensional structures has a total internal reflection wall extending transversely through a portion of the layered structure.

A device for day lighting the interior of structure deploys reflective louvers that are spaced apart in stacks. The louvers include a coating or multilayer structure that is operative to reflect visible light but transmit IR light through the louver. The louvers also have a retro-reflective structure to return the IR light by reverse reflection in the opposite direction of the incident light, which is back toward the sun. The interior of the structure is more uniformly illuminated with visible light while the louvers and interior are not heated by IR light or radiation from the sun.

The invention relates to a planar preliminary product for producing focusing light-directing slats having a top side and an underside. The top side and the underside are the largest sides in terms of area. The top side has a groove structure having parallel grooves and ridges in a longitudinal direction and having a multiplicity of sidewalls F.sub.1 and F.sub.2. A respective pair of sidewalls F.sub.1 and F.sub.2 forms a common ridge projecting on the top side. The sidewalls F.sub.1 and F.sub.2 are in each case at an angle with respect to one another which is at least approximately constant along the transverse direction and longitudinal direction of the groove structure. The top side has an overall contour defined by the vertices of the ridges. The sidewalls F.sub.1 and F.sub.2 of adjacent pairs are at an angle γ with respect to one another. The sidewalls F.sub.1 and F.sub.2 are symmetrical with respect to one another in relation to an area of symmetry, which is oriented at right angles with respect to the overall contour and is arranged at the location lying in the centre between the sidewalls F.sub.1 and F.sub.2. The angle γ between all pairs of sidewalls F.sub.1 and F.sub.2 is at least approximately constant. The sidewalls have a surface, which surfaces specularly reflect light substantially according to the law of reflection that angle of incidence is equal to angle of reflection.

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.

The LPSP invention comprises an array of solar panel slats called solar slats along with inter-digitized filler slats. The solar slates on the outside can be open to the outside air or behind a covering window. The solar slats, filler slats or both types of slats can rotate or be fixed in angle position with respect to the sun solar angle. In a window shade application, the filler slats can rotate to avoid blocking the sun's rays from impinging on the solar slats. Alternatively, the filler slats can be transparent, or be adapted with electrically activated films (electroactive) to change the degree of transparency. The solar slats comprise structural material adapted with or containing photovoltaic material, even semi-transparent solar photo electric glass, and further comprising accompanying electrodes and wiring to conduct the generated electricity to an electrical load. The LPSP can be used as elements in a LPSP systems that folds and allows walking support such as a deck. The LPSP flips sides exposed to the environment to offer a different functionality.

A daylighting device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a daylighting member including a first substrate having light transparency and a plurality of daylighting units having light transparency which are provided on a first surface of the first substrate, in which the daylighting unit has a reflective surface which reflects light incident to the daylighting unit, the light which is reflected on the reflective surface and emitted from a second surface of the first substrate has characteristics that the light proceeds toward a space on the same side as the side where the light is incident to the reflective surface among two spaces divided with a virtual plane as a boundary which is vertical to the second surface of the first substrate and parallel to an extension direction of the daylighting unit, and the daylighting member exhibits light absorption characteristics for absorbing a part of the light incident to the plurality of daylighting units.

A daylighting device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a daylighting member including a first substrate having light transparency and a plurality of daylighting units having light transparency which are provided on a first surface of the first substrate, in which the daylighting unit has a reflective surface which reflects light incident to the daylighting unit, the light which is reflected on the reflective surface and emitted from a second surface of the first substrate has characteristics that the light proceeds toward a space on the same side as the side where the light is incident to the reflective surface among two spaces divided with a virtual plane as a boundary which is vertical to the second surface of the first substrate and parallel to an extension direction of the daylighting unit, and the daylighting member exhibits light absorption characteristics for absorbing a part of the light incident to the plurality of daylighting units.