Car industry and smartwindow

The car industry has a huge impact on the field of electronic, chemistry, energy, environment, and leisure market as well as the field of machine as an assembly of high-tech machinery. Recently, sine resource depletion and environmental regulations, privacy protection and an increased interest for the quality of life are the major concern for the modern society, high efficiency, reliability, and convenience is appearing as an important issue. Therefore the car industry is trying to meet this requirement through improvement of manufacturing technology. Smart window technology has attracted attention in the spotlight as a solution to improve energy efficiency, functionality and sensibility at the same time.

Smart window for car application can be applied to the component which requires optical modulation effect as well as glass front passenger seat, sunroof, sun visors. Smart window has energy saving effect due to the fact that the function of smart window is complemented through an active control of solar permeability and it can be compatible with solar cell, hence smart window is expected to be an important role in leading renewable energy industry and futuristic eco-friendly car market in the long business term. Advanced car manufacturers have continuously developed smart window for car application and have already applied it into few models. Korean car manufactures also have supplied car which is fitted smart window from 2012.

According to the report 'smart window market 2010' , because of the advent of advanced technologies that can solve the problems caused by Smart Window System and the growth auto market led by BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China), related industries are expected to grow rapidly and to create sales in excess of   $  6 billion in 2017.

Smart window can be applied in various parts for vehicles and can be classified by driving system.

1. Head Up Display(HUD) : The system which improves the safety and 
                                        performance by marking driving information or 
                                        surrounding situation onto the windshields of cars to
                                        provide drivers information required for driving 
                                        without interruption of driver's visibility.

     GM : Applied Head-up display technology for the first time all over the 
             world. Prevent possible accidents by installing night vision devices
             which identify the object in the dark.
     Toyota : Freely controls the location and brightness of the image seen in 
                  the front glass.
      PSA : Installed device which projects driving information including the
               speed of vehicle and navigation on the front glass.
      KIA motors in KOREA : Loaded HUD device into the model K9 in 2012.

2. EC : While EC has an advantage in durability compared to different way,
           its response speed is slow and manufacturing cost is high, hence the
           use of EC is limited to rear-view mirror for antiglare purpose. 
           The percentage of vehicle retrofitted electrochromic mirror currently 
           accounts for less than 20%, however since the driver's stability and 
           convenience has emerged as the main subjects of interest, more than 
           45% of vehicle equipped with the electrochromic mirror is expected to
           be supplied.

      GENTEX in America : Developed rear mirror which can control the  
                                     brightness for the outside and inside automatically.
      SAINT-GOBAIN in France : Commercialization of active control window for 
                                              sun roof.

3. Suspended Particle Device(SPD) : It can save energy which is generated by 
                                                     heating and cooling by UV protection and
                                                     near-infrared reflection as well as visible 
                                                     light transmission rate adjustment. It also 
                                                     can protect driver's skin and vision.

      BMW : Iaunched a model which is equipped with a panorama loop that can 
                 control the extent of the penetration light, depending on the flow of
                 the electric current in Paris Motor Show in 2012.

 4. Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal(PDLC) : PDLC has not been applied yet for
                                                                 car components, but its interest                                                                      in related technology has increased
                                                                in a steady way as energy efficiency
                                                                 and privacy protection function is                                                                    required over the world.

       LEXGEN in Taiwan : Launched a model which can freely adjust the level
                                     of light penetration, applying PDLC technology into 
                                     panoramic sunroof in Shanghai Motor Show IN 2011.

Smart window technology which had been developed mainly for display and semiconductor field is taking the step for testing commercialization possibility to enlarge its business market into the car industry. On top of that, smart window technology is being highlighted as future technology because of energy saving and high performance features construction and transportation field as well. Since energy efficient use, interior privacy protection and maintenance of pleasant environment emerge as a matter of concern nowadays, it is expected that smart window technology will be an integral part of intelligent car in the near future.

※ The above contents are the summary of the report ' The application of the smart window development trends and liquid crystal materials for vehicles.'