[jetblk328i]

ive got a good idea for an invention, anyone with transition lenses for glasses will know.

anyways, transitions sense UV light and tint my glases accordingly. now what we do is put this technology in our windshield. however the 1st generation we will have a switch for on/off as well as a knob to control how tinted the windshield should be. then we will integrate it into the light sensor to sense UV rays and tint accordingly still with the on/off switch and knob incase we want to override it. this could also be put into homes so that blinds become a thing of the past, still with a on/off switch and a knob, we can tint the windows to our homes too. however i think the windshield idea should come first. cost? well transitions are only about 100-150 more than normal lenses so i would imagine it wouldnt cost that much more. would first be put into middle/higher end cars like our e90

anyone would like this? why or why not? cause i could be pursuing this one day lol sooo....PATENT PENDING heh and if it really does work maybe youlll one day be able to say hey i knew the guy who created the new windshield. he apparantly also couldnt get any xenons =(

[HyperM3]

I think I just had an epileptic fit reading that too quickly.

[dougman]

This technology definitely exists--most commonly known as "electrochromic glass". In fact, I think it's the same technology used on the auto-dimming mirrors in our cars.

There have been show cars that use it heavily. I've seen sunroofs on show cars that can darken with a switch (or based on light intensity from a sensor).

I think it must be hard (or expensive) to make in very large surfaces, hence the use in mirrors.

Also probably a lot of safety concerns around using it in the primary viewing surfaces (windshields)--you'd need to treat the entire system as safety-critical so it would not reduce visibility at the wrong time. Not impossible, but adds to the development complexity, especially in the litigious US (think how long it took to get drive-by-wire common).

One reference:


http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/e...ing-190931.php

[E90Boy]

100-150 is for about 2 square inches, can you imagine how much it'll cost for a windshield that's about 15sq feet!?

[DanMardik]

I just stoled* your idea.

[jetblk328i]

lol yea but it would not be permanant, just temporary tinting, just need to develop the cheap glass that would tint with switching the button, it would be dangerous if the person did this at night or something, im saying it should be used when driving in the sun thats why it should be integrated into the light sensor, but thatll be harder so the button should work....

[jetblk328i]

the light sensor will come, not the 1st way

[jetblk328i]

another thing is that its not as dark as you would think, sure its tinted but not that much,it would be like that strip of blue the top of the windshield, imagine the middle band of that except in black

[STE92VE]

http://www.switchlite.com/home.html

[jetblk328i]

yea im not translucenting it, just slightly tinting it....

[carl_lazlo]

Sorry, a few people already beat you to the patent:

http://www.google.com/patents?id=qXA...ochromic+glass

[Josh49]

Look at the large panoramic sunroof in the Maybach.

It can go from 100% trans to 0% trans, and also light up as well to resemble abiant daylight..

[jetblk328i]

not in teh windshield yet hah!

[ward]

the ferarri superamerica has a electrochromatic roof panel


you won't get one in a windshield because if it malfunctioned you may have a dark windshield at all times... dangerous

[halB]

Probably will take a very very long time to get safety approval for any use other than roof panel or the back of a bus or limo.

[aspiring335]

Can we ban the use of LOL in thread titles?

Seriously, though, I think most of the cars that have glass panels that darken use LCD technology, which means the liquid crystal becomes opaque when an electric current is passed through it.