Patent ID: 7796322
Filing Date: 2010-09-14
Classification: E04B,G02F,G09F,G09G

Abstract:
1. A method to affect natural lighting profiles in a programmable window made from a single transparent membrane, said method comprising: forming a matrix comprising a plurality of rows and columns of pixel elements within said single transparent membrane, each pixel element comprising a suspended particle device having two conductive parallel plates having organic particles suspended between, each of said one or more pixels capable of being driven to control opacity; setting, in a programmable controller, a first degree of shading in a first pixel in said matrix of pixel elements and a second degree of shading in a second pixel in said matrix, said first degree of shading different in value than said second degree of shading; receiving one or more control commands from said programmable controller to control opacity of said first and second pixel elements in said matrix; in response to said one or more control commands, independently driving said first and second pixel within said single transparent membrane to said first degree of shading and second degree of shading, respectively, said independent driving comprising controlling alternating electric field between two conducting parallel plates of each pixel element and controlling a degree of transparency of each pixel according to respective control commands, said first and second degree of transparencies controlled according to strength and duration of the alternating electric field, said control done by addressing a row and column corresponding to each of said first and second pixel and applying an appropriate voltage to create a specific voltage difference at each of said first and second pixel, and controlling natural light entering said programmable window based on controlling transparency of individual pixels within said single transparent membrane.