Last week Patently Apple covered a Project Titan project patent from Apple that we covered in a report titled "Apple Invents 'Adjustable Exterior Lighting' Systems for future Semi and fully Autonomous Vehicles" This week the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published more Project Titan patents. This report covers two of them that relate to "adjustable tinting windows.'

System with Adjustable Windows

Apple a patent that relates to their electric, autonomous vehicle project known as Project Titan. More specifically, Apple's granted patent relates to adjustable windows by allowing the vehicle windows to adjust tinting and more.

According to Apple, adjustable windows may have adjustable layers such as adjustable tint layers, adjustable reflectivity layers, and adjustable haze layers. Adjustable window layers may be incorporated into a window with one or more transparent structural layers such as a pair of glass window layers. Adjustable components such as adjustable reflectivity layers, adjustable haze layers, and adjustable tint layers may be interposed between the pair of glass window layers. Fixed partially reflective mirrors, fixed tint layers, and/or fixed haze layers may be used in place of adjustable tint, haze, and reflectivity layers and/or may be incorporated into windows in addition to adjustable tint, haze, and reflectivity layers.

Apple's patent FIG. 1 below illustrates a rudimentary illustration of a vehicle with windows that provide adjustable tint and reflectivity layers; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing how a window may have layers that modify light propagation.

Another aspect to the tinting is that it could provide the vehicle with various levels of privacy. Apple specifically states that "higher ratios of reflected external light to transmitted interior light are associated with a greater one-way mirror effect and therefore enhanced privacy."

Apple's patent FIG. 6 above is a table showing how a window may be configured to operate in a variety of different modes.

Apple's first patent application US 20230013056 A1 places emphasis in it's first 9 patent claims regarding a "Guest-Host Liquid Crystal Device' as follows:

• A window, comprising: a guest-host liquid crystal device, wherein the guest-host liquid crystal device has adjustable light absorption; and a visible-light reflective layer overlapping the guest-host liquid crystal device.
• The window of claim 1, wherein the visible-light reflective layer has an adjustable reflectivity.
• The window of claim 2, further comprising an adjustable haze layer overlapping the guest-host liquid crystal device.
• The window of claim 2, wherein the visible-light reflective layer comprises a cholesteric liquid crystal device.
• The window of claim 2, wherein the visible-light reflective layer comprises a switchable metal hydride film.
• The window of claim 1, wherein the visible-light reflective layer has a fixed partial reflectivity.
• The window of claim 1, further comprising: an adjustable haze layer overlapping the guest-host liquid crystal device.
• The window of claim 1, wherein the guest-host liquid crystal device, the visible-light reflective layer, and the adjustable haze layer are configured to be adjusted to on states to form a privacy mirror.
• The window of claim 1, further comprising a circular polarizer overlapping the guest-host liquid crystal device.

Apple's second patent application US 20230014610 A1 places emphasis on the "Adjustable Tint Layer." Below are just a few key patent claims:  

• A window, comprising: a tint layer having an adjustable tint; and a haze layer having an adjustable haze.
• The window of claim 1, wherein the tint layer is configured to exhibit a first tint and the haze layer is configured to exhibit a first haze in a first window state.
• The window of claim 2, further comprising: a plurality of window layers that have an appearance, wherein the tint layer and the haze layer are between some of the window layers, and wherein the window layers have a privacy appearance in the first window state.
• The window of claim 3, wherein the tint layer is configured to exhibit the first tint and the haze layer is configured to exhibit a second haze in a second window state.
• The window of claim 4, wherein the second tint is less than the first tint and the second haze is less than the first haze, and wherein the window layers have a dark appearance in the second window state.
• The window of claim 1, wherein the tint layer comprises a light modulator device selected from the group consisting of: an electrochromic device, a guest-host liquid crystal device, a cholesteric liquid crystal device, and a suspended particle device.
• The window of claim 1, wherein the haze layer comprises a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal device.
• The window of claim 1, wherein the tint layer and the haze layer are independently adjustable.
• The window of claim 1, further comprising: a visible-light reflective layer having an adjustable reflectivity.
• The window of claim 9, wherein the visible-light reflective layer comprises a cholesteric liquid crystal layer.
• The window of claim 9, wherein the adjustable reflectivity is adjustable by at least 30%.

Apple Inventors

• Christopher Jones: Chemist/Materials Engineer
• Ibuki Kamei: Product Design Engineer (Technology Development Group)
• James Wilson: Senior Manager, Materials Product Design
• Clarisse Mazuir: Lighting and sensors lead Special Projects Group
• Martin Melcher: No LinkedIn Profile found.
• John Raff: No LinkedIn Profile found. He's listed on dozens of Apple Patents
• Budhadipta Dan: Autonomous Systems and Robotics (Now with  Facebook).