Patent Publication Number: US-2023152653-A1

Title: Smart Glass with Near-Field Wireless Connectivity

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/279,931 filed Nov. 16, 2021, the content of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Building wiring for 60-cycle power distribution is in most cases installed during the construction process from bulk wire stocks that are pulled into place, cut to fit and then configured and terminated by field personnel, typically union electricians, as part of the construction process. DC power systems for security or control are similarly but separately installed from bulk wire stocks that are pulled into place, cut to fit and then configured and terminated by field personnel, usually not union trained, as part of the construction process. Further security and specialty control systems are also similarly installed, but with even less training on the part of the installer. 
     In more formal and technologically advanced manufacturing processes, it is not unheard of to cut and terminate both power and control wiring as part of a separate manufacturing process physically away from the construction point and in advance of the actual building schedule. The premade wiring elements are fully tested, inspected and graded by quality control and then pulled into place and plugged into the equipment that requires connection at the optimum schedule point. However, such practices are typically reserved for aircraft and ship building processes where consistency and adherence to tight specifications and standards are too important to leave to loosely managed field installation personnel. 
     As technology is brought to bear against the threats of climate change and civil strife, more technically complex installations are requiring an evolution in the way buildings are constructed. One area in which the industry is evolving is windows. Smart glass windows provide many benefits over conventional windows, but they use wiring for power and control. Wiring for smart glass windows is installed in parallel to a building&#39;s power and communication wiring and terminated by hand at great expense. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a window with an electrochromic element that is powered and controlled without physical connections to building wiring. 
     An embodiment of a window includes an electrochromic assembly with an electrochromic layer, a first electrode and a second electrode, a first inductive coil coupled to the first electrode and the second electrode, the inductive coil being configured to be inductively coupled to a second inductive coil to receive AC power from the second inductive coil, a power converter configured to convert the AC power from the first inductive coil to DC power for powering the electrochromic layer, and a frame enclosing the electrochromic assembly, wherein the first inductive coil includes a conductive material disposed on a surface of a first sheet of glass within the window. 
     The window may further include a wireless receiver antenna disposed on a surface of the first sheet of glass and being made of a transparent conductive material, and a wireless communications processor coupled to the wireless receiver antenna. The wireless communications processor may process wireless communications received through the wireless receiver antenna. 
     In an embodiment, terminals of the wireless communications processor are coupled to conductive traces on the surface of the sheet of glass. The wireless communications processor may include a die that is bonded to the conductive traces. 
     In an embodiment, the window further includes a spacer located on a perimeter of the interior surface of the sheet of glass, a thickness of the spacer is greater than a thickness of the wireless communications processor, and the spacer provides a space between the wireless communications processor and adjacent structures. 
     Circuitry of the power convertor may include a window control device configured to receive control signals from the first inductive coil and control a state of the electrochromic layer based on the control signals. 
     In an embodiment, the electrochromic assembly is a first electrochromic assembly that includes a third inductive coil and the power convertor, the power convertor is coupled to the third inductive coil, and the third inductive coil is configured to transmit power to a fourth inductive coil. The window may further include a second electrochromic assembly with the fourth inductive coil coupled to a second power convertor, and a second electrochromic element that receives power from the second power convertor. 
     The window may include a switch with first and second electrodes and at least one visible element disposed on a glass surface of the window, the switch may operate using the DC power provided by the power convertor, and conductive lines coupling the DC power between the first and second electrodes of the switch and the power convertor may be transparent. 
     In another embodiment, a window includes an electrochromic assembly with an electrochromic layer, a first electrode and a second electrode, a first inductive coil configured to be inductively coupled to a second inductive coil to receive AC power from the second inductive coil, a power converter configured to convert the AC power from the first inductive coil to DC power for powering the electrochromic layer, and a frame enclosing the electrochromic assembly, wherein the first inductive coil includes a conductive material disposed on a surface of the frame. 
     The window may further include a wireless receiver antenna disposed on a surface of a sheet of glass and being made of a transparent conductive material, and a wireless communications processor coupled to the wireless receiver antenna, wherein the wireless communications processor processes wireless communications received through the wireless receiver antenna. 
     In an embodiment, terminals of the wireless communications processor are coupled to conductive traces on the surface of the sheet of glass. The wireless communications processor may include a die that is bonded to the conductive traces. 
     In an embodiment, the window includes a spacer located on a perimeter of the interior surface of the sheet of glass, wherein a thickness of the spacer is greater than a thickness of the wireless communications processor, and the spacer provides a space between the wireless communications processor and adjacent structures. 
     Circuitry of the power convertor may include a window control device configured to receive control signals from the first inductive coil and control a state of the electrochromic layer based on the control signals. In an embodiment, the first inductive coil is coupled to a passive transmitting coil that is configured to be inductively coupled to a first receiving coil disposed on an inner layer of the window. 
     The electrochromic assembly may further include a second receiving coil configured to be inductively coupled to the passive transmitting coil, and a second power convertor configured to convert AC power from the second receiving coil to DC power. 
     The electrochromic assembly may further include a second transmitting coil electrically coupled to the second power convertor and disposed on the second electrode of the electrochromic layer, wherein the second electrode is a ground plane of the second transmitting coil. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings are intended to convey concepts of the present disclosure and are not intended as blueprints for construction, as they are not necessarily drawn to scale: the drawings may be exaggerated to express aspects of detail. The figures merely describe example embodiments of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure should not be construed as limited to the specific embodiments described herein. The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of embodiments of this disclosure will become more readily appreciated by reference to the following detailed descriptions, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG.  1    is a rear perspective view of a pane of glass in a window frame, showing components of the Near-Field Wireless Power transfer and Control system. 
         FIG.  2    is an elevation view of a movable glass curtain wall with wireless power distribution in position to power the smart glass in the closed or home position. 
         FIG.  3   a    is an overhead view of the curtain wall in the closed position, showing the tracks in the floor where the individual glass panels are restrained in one direction.  FIG.  3   b    is an overhead view of the curtain wall in the open position where only the end panel is powered from the overhead proximity wireless connective power dispersion system, while the proximity power points for two unpowered panels are vacant. 
         FIG.  4   a    is an elevation view of the power distribution box that houses the 60 Hz to 150 KHz converter and the drive circuits that power the inductive coil transmitter. An inset displays the inductive coil on the bottom side of the transmitter.  FIG.  4   b    is an orthogonal view of the input power connection to the frequency transformer and the drive power circuits. 
         FIG.  5   a    illustrates one of the wheel sides of the trolley suspension arms of the window track guidance system.  FIG.  5   b    shows the grooved wheels of the trolley suspension system of the windows track guidance system, shown with the inductive coil housing of the power distribution box fitting through the U-shaped channel of the trolley. 
         FIG.  6    illustrates an implementation of pre-terminated and pre-configured inductive-power coupling device intended to enable, power or charge a controller device (e.g., a cell phone) as a component of the pre-constructed building wiring that is routed through the building cabinetry. It shows an elevation view of a cabinet/counter with a coil embedded under the countertop; it includes an inset that shows a plan view of the countertop and the positioning of the coil underneath and between countertop features. 
         FIGS.  7   a - 7   e    show different views of the top of a movable glass door, and show the relationship of the inductive receiving and transmitting coils.  FIG.  7   a    is a plan view of the top of the movable door, showing the position of the inductive receiving coil in the middle of the frame.  FIG.  7   b    is an orthogonal view of the bottom side of the window mounting frame, showing the position of a transmitting inductive coil on the inside surface of the frame.  FIG.  7   c    is a partial elevation view of the movable door, showing the inductive receiving coil etched/deposited on the surface of the window glass.  FIG.  7   d    is an orthogonal view of the top of the movable door, showing the relationship and connectivity between the inductive coil on the top recessed portion of the frame and the coil on the inside of the frame.  FIG.  7   e    is a cutaway view of the middle of the movable door to show the three coils and their respective positions on the top of the frame, inside the frame and etched/deposited on the glass. 
         FIGS.  8   a  and  8   b    are cross-sectional views of one end of a window  100 ;  FIG.  8   a    shows an embodiment with one set of glass and attendant electrochromic layers and circuitry;  FIG.  8   b    illustrates a similar embodiment with a plurality of the set of glass and electrochromic layers. 
         FIGS.  9   a  and  9   b    show an alternate configuration with the electronic circuits and receive antenna on the inside of the glass and the electrochromic layers and the optional transmission antenna on the outside of the glass with an around the edge connection for both power and signal. 
         FIG.  10    shows a detailed view of a portion of  FIG.  1   . It is a top view of the relationship of the power wiring, the frame and window and the inductive coils within each layer. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following list provides specific descriptions and examples of items that are present in the embodiments illustrated by the figures. The descriptions in the list are illustrative of specific embodiments, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure. 
     
       
         
           
               
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Reference 
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                 Numerals 
                 Description 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 100 
                 Smart glass window 
               
               
                 101 
                 Optional self-cleaning coating on external side of outside 
               
               
                   
                 layer of glass 
               
               
                 102, 106 
                 Glass layers 
               
               
                 103 
                 Low-E coating or Thermochromic treatment on inside 
               
               
                   
                 of external glass layer 
               
               
                 104 
                 Electrochromic electrodes 
               
               
                 105 
                 Electrochromic layer(s) 
               
               
                  106a 
                 Internal side of glass on which electronics are 
               
               
                   
                 etched/deposited 
               
               
                 109 
                 Around the edge wiring between power circuitry and 
               
               
                   
                 electrodes electrically connecting both sides 
               
               
                   
                 of the glass. 
               
               
                 110 
                 Window frame, partially or completely non-conductive 
               
               
                   
                 and RF transparent 
               
               
                 112 
                 Aggregate on-window supporting circuity, including 
               
               
                   
                 items such as 160, 170, 135, 136 
               
               
                 115 
                 Pairing-enabling contact switch on stationary window 
               
               
                   
                 glass with visible indicator circle 
               
               
                 116 
                 Visible switch circle 
               
               
                 117 
                 Switch touch or capacitive-to-the-glass contact point 
               
               
                 118 
                 Conductive traces 
               
               
                 120 
                 Control signal antenna on glass printed with conductive 
               
               
                   
                 transparent ink linking control and communications 
               
               
                 125 
                 Control signal antenna on glass printed with conductive 
               
               
                   
                 opaque ink linking control and communications 
               
               
                 130 
                 Inductive (receive) coil on frame delivering high 
               
               
                   
                 frequency power to the tint control of the smart glass 
               
               
                   
                 window 
               
               
                 135 
                 Driven coil (driven by receive coil 130) located on the 
               
               
                   
                 inside of the frame 
               
               
                 136 
                 Receive coil located on the component side of the glass 
               
               
                 137 
                 Connective conductor linking the passive receive 
               
               
                   
                 antenna 130 and the passive transmitting coil 135 
               
               
                 138 
                 Powered transmission coil driving additional 
               
               
                   
                 electrochromic glass layers 
               
               
                 150 
                 Transmitting physical inductive coil and radio 
               
               
                   
                 frequency up converter (60 Hz to 100 kHz to 400 kHz) 
               
               
                   
                 power coupling transmitter near field antenna pre- 
               
               
                   
                 constructed and pre-terminated as part of the pre- 
               
               
                   
                 constructed and pre-terminated building wiring 
               
               
                 155 
                 Pre-constructed and pre-terminated building wiring 
               
               
                   
                 with encapsulated Radio Frequency power coupling 
               
               
                   
                 transmitters and transmitting antennas attached. 
               
               
                 160 
                 AC to DC power converter/DC to AC inverter and 
               
               
                   
                 conditioning and switching circuits 
               
               
                 170 
                 Control and wireless communications processor 
               
               
                 180 
                 Inter-window spacer 
               
               
                 200 
                 Frame for mounting trolley-mounted, movable window 
               
               
                 210 
                 Smart glass window, trolley-mounted and movable 
               
               
                 211 
                 Smart glass panel tinting controlled to block only UV 
               
               
                   
                 light 
               
               
                 212 
                 Smart glass panel tinting controlled so that it is 
               
               
                   
                 translucent to block some visible light 
               
               
                 214 
                 Smart glass panel tinting controlled to block all 
               
               
                   
                 frequencies so that it appears nearly opaque 
               
               
                 220 
                 Trolley V-Wheeled suspending window track system 
               
               
                 230 
                 Station for providing power and optionally 
               
               
                   
                 communication signals 
               
               
                 240 
                 Bottom glass guide blades to facilitate travel in track 320 
               
               
                 250 
                 Pre-terminated building wire with included pre-installed 
               
               
                   
                 subsystem feeds 
               
               
                 260 
                 Wireless pairing switch to enable the pairing mode for 
               
               
                   
                 each individual movable panel. The switch contact points 
               
               
                   
                 are printed using transparent ink and will not be visible. 
               
               
                   
                 The indicating circle is very faint. 
               
               
                 270 
                 Window guide track for supporting trolley V-Wheels 
               
               
                 310 
                 Open smart window stack where windows moved to the 
               
               
                   
                 “open” position are disconnected from the inductive 
               
               
                   
                 power coupling 460 
               
               
                 320 
                 Floor guide track stabilizing the bottom of a movable 
               
               
                   
                 window 
               
               
                 330 
                 Inductive receiving coupling coil to receive 100 kHz 
               
               
                   
                 to 400 kHz power from the building power distribution 
               
               
                   
                 system, built into top of sliding window 210 
               
               
                 410 
                 Housing for the stationary transmissive coil 460 
               
               
                 420 
                 Power delivery shaft between the power interface box 
               
               
                   
                 delivering a 100 kHz to 400 kHz power signal to 
               
               
                   
                 stationary transmissive coil 460 
               
               
                 430 
                 Power interface box accepting a pre-terminated power 
               
               
                   
                 cable, housing a 60-cycle up converter to a 100 kHz to 
               
               
                   
                 400 kHz power transmission signal 
               
               
                 440 
                 Power converter transmitter station metal mounting strips 
               
               
                 450 
                 Connector that mates to pre-terminated building wiring 
               
               
                   
                 system 
               
               
                 460 
                 A stationary transmissive coil located over a parked 
               
               
                   
                 smart window power receiver interface coil 330 
               
               
                 510 
                 Trolley wheel to window frame mount 
               
               
                 520 
                 Trolley wheel V-grooved 
               
               
                 600 
                 Countertop on cabinetry under which an inductively- 
               
               
                   
                 coupled powering or charging point 610 is positioned 
               
               
                 610 
                 A pre-terminated inductively-coupled powering or 
               
               
                   
                 charging point 
               
               
                 710 
                 Inductive transmitting coupling coil to receive 100 kHz 
               
               
                   
                 to 400 kHz input from coupling coil 330 and to transmit 
               
               
                   
                 to inductive receiving coil 720, built into frame 200 of 
               
               
                   
                 sliding door 
               
               
                 720 
                 Inductive receiving coupling coil to receive 100 kHz to 
               
               
                   
                 400 kHz power from coupling coil 710, deposited on the 
               
               
                   
                 glass of sliding door 210 
               
               
                 730 
                 Wiring between Inductive receiving coil 330 and 
               
               
                   
                 inductive transmitting coupling coil 710 
               
               
                 810/910    
                 Electrochromic assembly 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Creating wiring products designed and built in advance of installation in accordance with larger building design aspirations enable the use of non-traditional technologies that offer the potential to reduce costs and make way for newer greener solutions than traditional practices allow. Such is the case for near-field inductively coupled non-contact connections for control and power transfer. Designing non-contact connections into building wiring with companion connectivity designed into building subsystems such as smart windows, lighting, HVAC and security, offer the potential to greatly reduce construction, maintenance and support complexity and costs. Accordingly, embodiments may be implemented using pre-terminated wiring that is readily installed in a new building, or retrofitted to an existing building. However, it is not necessary to use pre-terminated wiring—in some implementations, components such as inductive coils can be installed in existing buildings and attached to power wiring already present in the building. 
     Practices such as design to include the fine specification of connective power and control enable the use of technologies such as printed electrical circuits using conductive inks. These technologies offer the potential to dramatically reduce costs, reduce the use of scarce resources such as copper and reduce the weight of buildings. Reducing the weight using advanced materials and technologies further reduces the potential costs and environmental impacts of providing adequate housing for the world&#39;s population. 
     Conductive ink printed on glass to form Radio Frequency (RF) inductive-coupling electrical power transfer and signaling connections can greatly simplify the connective installations of most electrically powered and controlled subsystems found in residential, commercial and industrial facilities. Conductive traces on the glass can also simplify the manufacture, installation, and transportation of smart glass windows, and reduce potential failure points of the windows. Conventional smart windows use solder connections to attach power and control circuitry to the glass, and solder connections to conventional round wires are susceptible to mechanical failure. 
     Efficiencies of implementation are found when cabling is designed for a specific connection through a specific route through a structure&#39;s interstitial spaces which can themselves be optimized by using CAD technologies for efficient packing and access. 
     Such an approach to power and control of a structure&#39;s supporting cabling minimizes waste during construction, optimizes the use of space within the building, reduces the weight of the total building system, minimizes maintenance and support costs and reduces construction time. In some buildings, DC power and control systems are as large or even larger than AC wiring systems, so integrating power delivery to DC devices and using wireless control or control signaling transmitted through AC wiring can massively reduce the amount of wiring necessary to power and control smart glass windows. 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure include pre-terminated, pre-manufactured building cabling and Near-Field Wireless Power Transmission (NFWPT) in the bands of 100 kHz to 200 kHz, or even 300 kHz or 400 kHz, to deliver operating power without a physical connection to selected subsystems such as smart windows, position switches, lighting control, door or entry way security, etc. Certain devices such as security devices may be movable or placed to monitor the movement of a barrier such as a door. Embodiments may use low-power unlicensed signaling bands such as 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, etc., to allow controlling systems to be remote from the controlled entity, such as smart glass, in a pig-tail free communication system for controlling aesthetic/comfort/safety systems such as smart glass windows, lighting, HVAC and security. 
     Wireless transceiver circuits typically include unique individual (MAC) addresses that identify each subcomponent. Support software enables the organization of each subcomponent (e.g., a smart glass window) into a logical relationship for the user or facility occupant. For example, smart glass subsystems may include appropriate transmitting antennas located near the closed window position for a moving window system or near a fixed window and antenna systems located on the glass window created using conductive inks which are also used to connect to receiving circuits printed on the glass using transparent or opaque conductive inks, depending where on the glass the antennas are located. 
     Such systems may be implemented using pre-terminated power distribution and signaling cabling with factory integrated connectors and end effectors such as smart glass windows, switches, thermostats, locks and lights to manage subsystems such as security, HVAC, food storage, laundry, cooking and other residential or industrial equipment. 
     Smart glass is a glass product that changes its light transmission characteristics in response to an electrical charge. For example, smart glass can be activated to selectively filter portions of the UV, IR or visible light spectrum. In some embodiments, smart glass provides a first light transmission characteristic in a default uncharged state, and a second light transmission characteristic in an electrically activated state. Examples of smart glass are glass that applies or removes various levels of tinting, filters or stops filtering IR frequencies, filters or stops filtering UV frequencies, changes color, changes from transparent to colored, or changes from colored to transparent, in response to an electrical charge. In some implementations, smart glass provides the changed transmission characteristics as a gradient or only to limited areas of the glass. 
     One embodiment of the use of a pre-terminated wiring and transmitting system is the control of smart glass windows. Using NFWPT power and wireless signaling, smart glass can be controlled to vary its transmittance over several different electromagnetic wavelengths. This disclosure reveals how this control can be implemented while minimizing the cost of the building wiring to accommodate the control system for the glass. The glass may be stationary glass as in a fixed position window, or moving glass panels implemented as a folding or sliding door. 
     In an embodiment, software applications such as IoT or building control software may be used to separately control the transmission of infrared, visible and ultraviolet light to enable the use of solar warming or blocking solar heating while allowing or blocking visible light or a portion of the visible light spectrum from entering the residence or facility. As illustrated in  FIG.  2   , each panel of a set of smart glass windows can be controlled separately, potentially using different control points of the electrochromic glass. Items in  FIG.  2    represent three different states of electrochromic glass—lightly translucent tinting  212 , transparent tinting while blocking infrared  211 , and heavy tinting  214  which renders the glass opaque. 
     As shown in  FIG.  1   , a plurality of conductive traces  118  are disposed on a surface of the glass of a smart glass window  100  so that the insulative glass material acts as a circuit substrate or board. The conductive traces  118  may be formed of a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide (ITO), tin oxide, indium oxide, titanium nitride, zinc oxide, tin, copper, graphene, or other conductive materials as known in the art. In the case of materials such as copper, the materials may be applied with minimal thickness so they are entirely or mostly transparent, especially in visible regions of the smart glass window. In other embodiments, at least a portion of the conductive traces  118  are opaque. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in  FIG.  1   , the wireless antenna  120  may have substantially transparent conductive traces  118 , while other traces that are hidden from view by the window frame  110 , including traces for antenna  125 , can be opaque. The conductive traces may be applied by known methods including sputtering, chemical vapor deposition, and by printing a conductive ink. 
     One or more sheet of glass of the window  100  may serve as a substrate for a circuit that includes a power phase comprising a first inductive coil  130  that receives power from second inductive coil  150  which is attached to building wiring  155 , a power convertor/inverter and conditioner  160 , a processor  170 , a transparent wireless antenna  120 , a contact switch  115  and an opaque wireless antenna  125 . 
     The first inductive coil  130  is positioned with respect to the second inductive coil to facilitate wireless inductive power transfer from the second coil  150  to the first coil  130 . Accordingly, coil  150  is oriented to be parallel to coil  130 , and the coils are close enough to each other to facilitate inductive coupling. To accomplish this, the building-side coil  150  may be positioned within a pocket of window frame  110 , or located within the building wall in a position that is within the near field of window coil  130 . 
     In an embodiment, receiving coil  130  is located on the frame  110 . When the frame  110  is a conductive material, coil  130  may be on an exterior face of the frame, electrically isolated from the frame by an insulating material, and painted or coated with a protective coating. In such an embodiment, coil  130  can be passively coupled to a transmitting coil  135  through wiring  137  as seen in  FIG.  10    to provide power to interior layers of the window  100 . 
     In some embodiments, the alternating current in the building wiring  155  used to power the window  100  is modulated (out of band, i.e., a higher frequency signal rides on a lower frequency carrier) to provide control signaling to control one or more window  100 . For example, the power provided to second inductive coil  150  may be frequency or amplitude modulated, and that modulation may be interpreted by window circuitry as a control signal to change a transmission characteristic of one or more coupled smart glass window  100 . 
     In such an embodiment, a group of windows can be controlled by a central controller coupled to a building&#39;s wiring. The central controller may simultaneously control all smart windows  100  in a building, all windows on one floor of a building, all windows within a single bank of windows, or all windows within a room, using signals transmitted through AC power wiring. Accordingly, embodiments can be adapted to accommodate various control schemes. 
     The convertor/inverter  160  receives AC power from the first inductive coil  130  or  136 , depending on the configuration, and converts the power to DC power using, for example, a rectifier circuit. In addition, power convertor/inverter  160  may transform the voltage of the power, and provide conditioning as appropriate to provide power to downstream components including the processor  170 . In an embodiment, circuitry of the power convertor/inverter  160  includes a window control device configured to receive control signals from the first inductive coil  130  and control a state of the electrochromic layer based on the control signals. 
     In addition, the convertor/inverter  160  may include control circuitry which interfaces power, window tinting switch and controller elements. All or a portion of the control circuitry may be applied directly to a surface of the window glass using conductive traces  118 , and power or control circuitry may include electronic components that are printed onto the window glass or applied by a pick-and-place process and coupled to the conductive traces. 
     When the smart glass window  100  has wireless communication capability, the processor  170  may include at least one die for processing the wireless communications. Wireless communications may be made using a suitable protocol such as BLUETOOTH, ZIGBEE, Z-WAVE, Wi-Fi, a 3GPP telecommunications protocol, or any protocol used for wireless IoT or smart home control. In an embodiment, processor  170  is a system on chip (SoC) component with separate memory and processing dies coupled through an interposer. 
     The processor  170  may store an identifier that identifies a specific window  100  so that each window can be separately controlled using wireless signaling, or by a signal that is broadcast to multiple windows. For example, control signals may be broadcast through a building-wide communications system, and the control signals may include identifiers that window control systems can read to determine whether the controls are intended for a particular window or set of windows. In another embodiment, the unique identifiers are used for individual window control using a wireless controller such as a cell phone that transmits signals that can be heard by multiple windows. One example of an identifier is a MAC address. In some embodiments, an identifier is shared by multiple windows so that the windows can be controlled in unison. 
     The processor  170  may have a solder ball array that electrically couples the processor to conductive traces  118  to be electrically coupled to other components of the window  100 . In an embodiment, the solder ball array is fused to the conductive traces  118  using an ultrasonic process that minimizes thermal disruption of electrochromic materials. In another embodiment, the processor is coupled to traces  118  using a conductive adhesive. 
     When the processor  170  or other circuit components are applied as unpackaged dies, the dies may be covered with a polymeric protective coating. The protective coating may be a two-part thermoset material such as an epoxy or polyester, or a UV-cured polymer, to minimize heat exposure to the smart glass. The protective material may extend over and protect multiple circuit components including portions of the conductive traces  118 . 
     Components for processing wireless communications may be disposed on the same die as components for controlling the window, or on separate dies, within processor  170 . When window control is provided on a separate die from wireless processing, both dies may be separately mounted on conductive traces  118  and communicate with one another through conductive traces  118 . The processor  170  may also control the transmissive state of smart glass window  100  using power provided to electrodes of the smart glass using conductive traces  118 . 
     In an embodiment, window electrodes are powered by power output terminals from power convertor/inverter  160 , which are controlled by a control signal from processor  170 . Accordingly, the processor  170  may receive power from power convertor/inverter  160  over a first conductive trace  118  running between an output terminal of the power convertor and an input terminal of the processor, and transmit control signals to control circuitry of the power convertor using a second conductive trace running between an output terminal of the processor and an input terminal of the power convertor. 
     Circuit components and conductive traces  118  may be affixed to a layer of glass in window  100  at the time the glass is manufactured, near the edge of the glass where the glass is covered by the window frame  110 . The location of the mating Near-Field Wireless Power inductively coupling coil  150  may be the same for all windows. 
     Although individual building alternating-current power-distribution wiring systems may accommodate capacitively coupled out-of-band high-frequency signaling riding on the power alternating current, transparent conductive inks could be applied directly to the viewing portion of the window to enable direct wireless connectivity in addition or as an alternative to signaling through power systems. 
     The window  100  may include an antenna  120  for wireless communication that is disposed directly on a glass surface. In an embodiment in which the antenna  120  is located within a viewing pane of the window  100 , the antenna is made of a transparent conductive material which is printed or otherwise deposited onto a surface of the glass using conductive traces  118 . The antenna  120  illustrated by  FIG.  1    has a spiral shape and is located in the middle of the window, but embodiments are not limited to this configuration. In other embodiments, the antenna  120  may have a shape with orthogonal linear elements, or the antenna may include one or more conductive traces  118  running around edges of the viewable part of the window. 
     Also illustrated in  FIG.  1    is an opaque antenna  125  that is used for wireless communications. The opaque antenna  125  is disposed directly on a glass surface of the window  100 , and may be made of a material with a sufficient thickness to be opaque. In  FIG.  1   , the opaque antenna  125  is obscured from view by part of the frame  110 . The opaque antenna  125  may be present in addition to, or as an alternative to, the transparent antenna  120  to receive and/or transmit wireless communications. For example, in an embodiment, opaque antenna  125  may be a BLUETOOTH transceiver, and antenna  120  may be a Wi-Fi receiver, providing parallel communication systems for the window. 
     In the embodiment of  FIG.  1   , a portion of the frame  110  extends to cover an outer edge of the glass. In another embodiment, an opaque element covering the circuitry is applied directly to the glass, e.g. by an adhesive or as a coating separate from the frame. The opaque covering may be a radio transparent material such as a polymer. In an embodiment in which an opaque antenna  125  is covered by part of the frame  110 , at least the portion of the frame that covers the antenna is a radio-transparent material. Part of the frame  110  may cover circuitry including the processor  170 , power antenna  130 , power convertor/inverter  160 , and at least a portion of conductive traces  118 . 
     In another embodiment, as indicated in  FIG.  8   , at least a portion of the circuit components on the window  100  are disposed on a portion of a sheet of glass  106  that is protected by a peripheral-crush inter-window spacer of sufficient height to offer protection to components attached to glass  106 . Further, as depicted in  FIGS.  8  and  9    the electrode  104   a  may not extend over the top of the transmitting antenna, but the electrode  104   b  may extend between the two antennas to provide isolation. 
     In another embodiment, electrical components may be located on a visible part of the glass within the frame  110 . In such an embodiment, the use of transparent conductive traces  118  could reduce the extent to which circuit components are visible. 
     When the building wiring is designed after the placement of the windows is fixed, then the building wiring may be routed such that the inductive coupling for the windows are in-line components of the primary building wiring and not a separate wiring system. If the windows are tracked, pivoted or folded, then the transmitting side of the power and signal coupling is located at the window&#39;s home or parked station, e.g. in a closed orientation. This enables the window  100  to be powered for functional tinting or filtering operations when it is functioning as an environmental barrier and not open. Physical connecting wiring is eliminated from the moving windows (i.e., “pig-tail free”), thus reducing the opportunity for wiring or connection failure and reducing the amount of DC power wiring within a building. 
     The signaling (control and communications) RF coupling element  120  (the antenna) may be printed using a transparent conductive material on a glass surface in a window laminate such that it is protected from any cleaning activity on the glass  100  in the occupied space. Accordingly, the antenna  120  may be located on a surface that is not exposed to an interior or exterior of a building, or may be covered by a protective layer. 
     In order to deploy this technology, building wiring may be engineered and premade to fit specific routing locations, and specific cabling constructions may provide one or more inductive loop integrated into the wiring  155 . The inductive loops  150  can deliver power to activate electrochromic elements of the smart glass as well as any electronic components used by the associated smart glass panel. 
     When only one inductive loop  150  is provided in both the building wiring  155  and a window  100 , the inductive coupling may be disrupted when the window is moved from a closed position to an open position. When the window  100  opens and closes by sliding, this behavior could be mitigated by providing two or more inductive loops  130  on a window that align with the building wire loops  150  at various positions, e.g. open and closed. On the other hand, moving a window means opening the window and exposing the outside environment, negating benefits of smart glass. In this case, a single coil may be provided with the window, and breaking inductive coupling with a wiring coil is an acceptable condition. 
     In an embodiment in which a window  100  is capable of wireless communication that employs a pairing protocol, such as BLUETOOTH, pairing may be initiated by touching a switch  115  disposed on an exterior surface of the window glass. Within the circle  116  of switch  115  shown in  FIG.  1    there is a pair of contacts  117 , that when shorted together by a finger or some low impedance material, will alert the processor to enter the pairing mode with user equipment (UE). This action could provide robust registration between a UE and a window panel, reducing unintended or malicious control of the window. The switch  115  could serve other functions such as allowing a user to manually activate or deactivate electrochromic elements of a smart window. 
     In another embodiment, switch  115  is provided on an interior glass layer, and is a capacitive switch that detects changes in a capacitive field around the switch, so it is not necessary to have the switch on an outer glass layer. The switch  115  may be coupled to control wiring disposed on the same glass layer as the switch, or routed over an edge of the glass to a different layer. 
     A switch  115  may comprise at least one visible element that indicates the location on which a user should place a finger to use the switch. For example, the switch may include a visible marker  116  that indicates an area in which a finger should be pressed to activate the switch, and/or the electrodes  117  of the switch  115  may be visible. 
     The switch  115  may be printed or otherwise deposited onto the window glass as discussed above with respect to the conductive traces  118 . While the marker  116  shown in  FIG.  1    is a circular line, the marker could have other shapes-for example, a marker may be an opaque filled circle or oval. When marker  116  is opaque, the electrodes  117  may be transparent, or opaque and indicated by a different color from the marker  116 . Of course, other embodiments are possible so long as the location of the switch  115  is apparent to a user. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  6   , remote controllers that communicate with a communications antenna  120  or  125  could be battery powered and truly portable or temporarily fixed at locations where power for the controllers themselves may be provided by pre-terminated and pre-fabricated extensions to the building wiring. An example of a remote controller is a consumer device such as a cell phone which can be carried and then placed on a built-in inductively-coupled charging station  610  configured within cabinetry  600  in offices, a residence or housing facility. In another embodiment, the remote controller is a dedicated device for controlling smart windows. 
       FIG.  8    illustrates an embodiment of various layers that are present in a window  100 . The outer sheet of glass  102  may be coated with a layer  101  of a self-cleaning material for an exterior face of a building. Layer  103  is a thermochromic layer for which transmission characteristics change in response to temperature or a Low-E coating layer. 
     First electrode  104   a  is an electrode for electrochromic layer  105 , and is separated from thermochromic layer  103  by a space which may be a voided gap, which may be evacuated of air and filled with an inert gas such as argon or krypton. A second electrode  104   b  may be disposed on an opposite side of electrochromic layer  105  from the first electrode  104   a . The electrochromic layer  150  and electrodes  104   a  and  104   b  may be an electrochromic assembly. Electrochromic assemblies can include multiple layers of electrochromic elements. Although only one space is shown in the figure, multiple spaces may be present between various layers, as depicted in  FIG.  8     b.    
     Glass layer  106  is adjacent to the second electrode  104   b . In an embodiment, circuitry  112  is disposed on surface  106   a  of glass layer  106 . As shown in the figure, circuitry  112  may be disposed on the inner side or disposed on the outer side of the glass if provisions are made to transmit power and signal through the glass or conduct around the edge of the glass using conductive inks, vapor deposited conductors or adhesively attached conductors. Inter-window spacer  180  with sufficient thickness to protect the electrochromic layer and the added circuitry may be laid around the periphery of the window in multiglass layered windows. 
     However, embodiments are not limited to this configuration-for example, in another embodiment, the surface on which circuitry  112  is disposed may be located on the outer face of the window so that the inductive coil  130  on the surface is sufficiently close to coil  150  of the building wiring to provide inductive coupling between the coils. Power and signal would then be coupled around the edge of the glass using thin metallic conductors, conductive inks or polymers. 
     In another embodiment, as shown in  FIG.  8   b   , the layers  810  shown to the right of the Voided Gap could be repeated as many times as desired such that each repetition  810  would add another complete electrochromic assembly. Power from the transmit coil  150  drives two electrochromic glass sheets in series, but the two glass layers would be controlled as a single entity. 
     Circuitry  112  is optionally coupled to electrodes  104   a  and  104   b  by wiring  109  instead of inductive coupling of power and signal through the glass. Wiring  109  may transmit control signals in addition to, or in place of power. In an embodiment in which electrochromic assemblies  810  are provided as pre-fabricated materials, specific transmit and receive coils  136  and  138  may be deactivated, and power and/or communication signals that would otherwise be communicated by inductive coupling are handled by wiring  109 . 
     Wiring  109  may comprise one or more flat copper wire that transfers power from circuitry  112  to the electrodes  104   a  and  104   b  to control the transmission characteristics of electrochromic layer  105 . The flat wires may be metallic, polymer or ink residue with sufficient current-carrying capability. Multiple conductive flat wires  109  may be disposed beside one another, and parts of wires  109  that terminate at first electrode  104   a  may be coated with an insulating material as they pass over second electrode  104   b . Although the wiring  109  in  FIG.  8    is routed over a bottom edge of glass sheet  106 , in another embodiment, the wiring is routed over a side edge of the glass. 
     Wires  109  running to respective electrodes  104  may be stacked on each other and separated by an insulating material. A portion of the wires  109  including an edge portion may be printed on glass  106 . In an embodiment in which wires  109  are a flat conductive material, the flat material may be compressed between a glass layer  106  and mounted components  112  using a conductive adhesive to provide physical and electrical contact to circuitry  112  without the use of solder or other thermal processes. 
     Flat wires may have a thickness on the order of microns or thousandths of an inch, and have widths or lengths from fractions of an inch to multiple inches or centimeters. In an embodiment, the flat wires may extend for a significant portion of the width of the window  100 . Although thermochromic materials are generally passive, in the case that powered elements are present in a thermochromic layer  103 , additional wiring  109  may be routed to those elements. 
     The window layers shown in  FIGS.  8  and  9    are merely exemplary, and other layer configurations are possible. Emerging technologies provide increasingly thin glass layers, which increases possibilities for the number of layers that can be present in a window otherwise constrained by thickness and weight considerations. It is possible for multiple electrochromic layers to be present in a window  100  as indicated in  FIGS.  8   b  and  9   b   , each layer providing a different transmission characteristic, or for no electrochromic layers to be present. When no thermochromic layer is present, the electrochromic elements  104  and  105  may be disposed in the same location of the thermochromic layer  103  in  FIGS.  8  and  9   , e.g. close to the outer face of the window. 
     Regardless of the exact position of an electrochromic layer  105  in a window stack, a glass layer  106  within the window may have circuitry  112  located on a surface  106   a , and coupled to the electrodes  104  by conductive wiring  109  and/or inductive coil pairs  136  and  138 . 
     Another embodiment involves the use of a plurality of glass panels  210  to form a folding or sliding glass “curtain” or patio door, as depicted in  FIG.  2   . Each of the panels  210  can be controlled separately, via a station  230  (see  FIGS.  4   a  and  4   b   ) which encompasses a power connection  450  to building power, a power interface box  430  to accept pre-terminated power cable wiring, a stationary inductive coil  460  housed in an isolating housing  410 , and a power delivery shaft  420  to deliver the power from the power interface box  430  to the stationary inductive coil  460 . This station  230  may remain stationary, regardless of the position of the door panel  210 . Power and/or control signals may be transmitted to the door panel  210  via an inductive receiving coupling coil  330  mounted above or below the panel when the door panel is in position beneath the stationary signal transmitting station  230 . Although coil  460  is shown as orthogonal to shaft  420  in the figures, in another embodiment, coil  460  is oriented parallel to shaft  420 , for example when attached building wiring located below a window. 
     The door panels  210  can be moved on a track or floor guide  320 , facilitated by bottom guide blades  240  and suspension trolley V-wheels  220  supported on an upper window guide track  270 , which may be installed in or hung from a ceiling.  FIGS.  5   a  and  5   b    illustrate some features of the trolley and V-Wheels. To open the glass curtain or door, the panels  210  would be moved out of the way and folded or stacked on one side  310  of the opening, as shown in  FIG.  3   a   . When the window is open, the link between the stationary transmitting station  230  and the receiving coil  330  is broken until the displaced door panels  210  are moved back into position beneath the stationary power transmitting station  230 , thereby restoring power delivery to the panels. 
     As in the embodiment of  FIG.  1   , the glass panels  210  each have a switch  260  that provides control of each panel by the intended user. 
       FIG.  7    illustrates several features that may be present in a sliding glass assembly. As seen in  FIG.  7   d   , an inductive receiving coil  330 , which receives 100 to 400 kHz power from building wiring  155  from a building wiring coil  460 , transfers that power to a transmitting coil  710  that is attached to sliding glass frame  200 . The transmitting coil  710  transmits power to receiving coil  720  that is located on a glass surface in smart glass window. As illustrated in  FIG.  2    and  FIG.  3   , multiple windows  220  may be located within a single assembly, so the frame  200  may have at least one coil  710  for each window that is mounted to the frame. 
       FIG.  8    illustrates embodiments in which multiple layers of electrochromic glass are physically placed in series such that each layer would have a receive coil  136 , power conditioning circuitry  112  and transmitting coils  138  similar to  460 . Power would be extracted from the building wiring  155  through the transmitting coils  150  sufficient to power the multiple layers of electrochromic glass, each with their own receive and power conditioning circuits  112 . 
       FIG.  8   a    illustrates that antenna  136  is placed against the glass with a ground or power plane  104   b  behind the coil isolating the receive coil  136  from the next transmission coil  138 . Accordingly, element  104   b  may serve both as an electrode for electrochromic layer  105  and as a signal ground plane between coils  136  and  138  to isolate RF propagation between the coils. This can be accomplished without compromising operation of the electrochromic layer  105  by maintaining the potential of electrode  104   b  while varying the potential of electrode  104   a  to change the transmission characteristics of electrochromic layer  105 . 
     In an embodiment, electrodes  104   a  and  104   b  are as little as a few atoms in thickness, and coils  136  and  138  may have similar thickness or thickness on the nanometer scale, while electrochromic layer  105  may also have a thickness on the nanometer scale, e.g. several tens of nanometers. Accordingly, these materials occupy minimal space within the window. Insulative materials may be selectively deposited to isolate structures as appropriate. 
     In the embodiments of  FIGS.  8   a  and  8   b   , convertor/inverter  160  and processor  170  are disposed on electrode  104   b , which can act as a ground plane for these components, instead of running a separate ground terminal to a conductive frame material, for example. The convertor/inverter  160 , processor  170  and other components are electrically isolated from the electrochromic layer by, for example, an insulating material selectively deposited over those structures, by removing portions of an otherwise continuous electrochromic layer  105  around those structures, or by selectively depositing the electrochromic material so that it does not cover those structures. When electrical components are hidden by a frame, the electrochromic layer  105  and electrode  104   a  may terminate at the edge of the frame to expose the electrical components. 
     Power conditioning circuits  112  project power through transmit antenna  138  to the next electrochromic glass as depicted in  FIG.  8   b   . In particular, the circuits  112  of a first electrochromic assembly  810  receive power from a first receiving coil  136  on an inner layer of glass, and provide power to a first transmitting coil  138 , which is inductively coupled to and transmits power to a second receiving coil  136  of a second electrochromic assembly  810 . This same architecture can be used to transfer power between multiple assemblies  810  in a single window  100 , each of which may vary a different transmission characteristic. 
       FIG.  10    and  FIG.  7   d    present two configurations of passive coil coupling. In  FIG.  10   , the two series-connected coils  130  and  136  are used to overcome the non-transmitting properties of a metallic frame. In  FIG.  7   d   , two series-connected coils are used to transform a vertically oriented RF field to a horizontally oriented RF field that is compatible with the antenna coil positioned on the side of the glass. 
     In the embodiment of  FIG.  10   , power is transferred from wiring  155  through a transmitting coil  150  to receiving coil  130  which is disposed on a surface of frame  110 . This configuration allows receiving coil  130  to be positioned sufficiently close to transmitting coil  150  to provide inductive coupling between the coils. Power is routed from receiving coil  130  to transmitting coil  135  by wiring  137  which runs across the frame  110 , e.g. through the frame or over a surface of the frame. Transmitting coil  135 , which may be a passive coil, is inductively coupled to receiving coil  136 , which is disposed on glass surface  106   a . This arrangement can overcome challenges presented by a metal frame material, and accommodate situations where it is not possible to locate wire-side coil  155  sufficiently close to receiving coil  136  to provide inductive coupling between those coils.