The present disclosure relates to electrochromic elements (10) and devices (110) comprising an electrochromic material layer (114), an insulating layer (116), and a bulk heterojunction layer (118), having one or more optical properties that may be changed upon application of an electric potential. Upon provision of an electric potential above a threshold, electrons and holes may be injected into the electrochromic layer (114) and bulk heterojunction layer (118), and blocked by the insulating layer (116), resulting in an accumulation of the electrons and holes in their respective electrochromic material resulting in a change to the one or more optical properties of the electrochromic materials (114; 118). An opposite electric potential may be provided to reverse the change in the one or more optical properties.

A vehicular video camera display system includes an interior rearview mirror assembly having a casing and an electro-optic reflective element, with a video display device disposed in the casing behind the electro-optic reflective element. With the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior cabin portion of the vehicle, a video display screen of the video display device is operable to display video images that are viewable through the electro-optic reflective element by a driver of the vehicle. A rearward-viewing video camera is disposed at a rear portion of the vehicle and views at least rearward of the vehicle. Control circuitry is disposed at the interior rearview mirror assembly. Image data captured by the rearward-viewing video camera is communicated from the rearward-viewing video camera via a twisted pair wire to the control circuitry disposed at the interior rearview mirror assembly.

Aspects of this disclosure concern controllers and control methods for applying a drive voltage to bus bars of optically switchable devices such as electrochromic devices. Such devices are often provided on windows such as architectural glass. In certain embodiments, the applied drive voltage is controlled in a manner that efficiently drives an optical transition over the entire surface of the electrochromic device. The drive voltage is controlled to account for differences in effective voltage experienced in regions between the bus bars and regions proximate the bus bars. Regions near the bus bars experience the highest effective voltage.

An electrochromic aperture, which comprises a first transparent substrate (11), a first transparent conductive layer (12), an ion storage layer (13), an ion transfer layer (14), an electrochromic layer (15), a second transparent conductive layer (16), and a second transparent substrate (17). The ion transfer layer (14) is a solid electrolyte layer. Also provided is a method for manufacturing the electrochromic aperture, relating to an etching operation after coating on the ion storage layer (13) and the electrochromic layer (15) is finished. Also provided is a lens modules having the electrochromic aperture.

Disclosed herein are glass articles coated on at least one surface with an electrochromic layer and comprising minimal regions of laser damage, and methods for laser processing such glass articles. Insulated glass units comprising such coated glass articles are also disclosed herein.

An electrochromic device is disclosed. The electrochromic device includes (i) a first substrate with an electrically conductive layer on an inner surface thereof; (ii) a second substrate with an electrically conductive layer on an inner surface thereof; (iii) an electrochromic assembly comprising at least one electrochromic layer; (iv) a first bus bar pair comprising a positive bus bar electrically connected to the electrically conductive layer of the first substrate and a negative bus bar electrically connected to the electrically conductive layer of said second substrate; and (v) a second bus bar pair including a positive bus bar electrically connected to the electrically conductive layer of the first substrate and a negative bus bar electrically connected to the electrically conductive layer of the second substrate. A process for reversibly changing the optical properties of an electrochromic device that includes at least one electrochromic layer is also described.

Thin-film devices, for example, multi-zone electrochromic windows, and methods of manufacturing are described. In certain cases, a multi-zone electrochromic window comprises a monolithic EC device on a transparent substrate and two or more tinting zones, wherein the tinting zones are configured for independent operation.

Disclosed is a photovoltaic-electrochromic-battery all-in-one device in which the functions of a dye-sensitized solar cell, an electrochromic device, and a lithium secondary battery are fused into one device. The all-in-one device according to the disclosure includes a photoelectrode uses as an active layer of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC), a counter electrode used as an electrochromic layer opposite to the photoelectrode, and an electrolyte containing a lithium salt. The all-in-one device according to the disclosure allows the function of the DSSC that generates electrons by receiving solar energy, the function of an electrochromic device (ECD) that blocks light by discoloring an electrode with generated electrons, and the function of a lithium secondary battery (LIB) that stores generated electrons and uses the stored electrons again to be all implemented by one device.

A multi-layer device comprising a first substrate, a first electrically conductive layer and a first current modulating structure on a surface thereof, the first current modulating structure comprising a composite of a resistive material and a patterned insulating material, the first current modulating structure having a cross-layer resistance to the flow of electrical current through the first current modulating structure that varies as a function of position.

Thin-film devices, for example electrochromic devices for windows, and methods of manufacturing are described. Particular focus is given to methods of patterning optical devices. Various edge deletion and isolation scribes are performed, for example, to ensure the optical device has appropriate isolation from any edge defects. Methods described herein apply to any thin-film device having one or more material layers sandwiched between two thin film electrical conductor layers. The described methods create novel optical device configurations.