Over nine years ago Research Frontiers Inc. (Nasdaq: REFR) and
Vision Systems launched a development program together with one
goal in mind: to bring the best experience possible to passengers
on aircraft. Joining this effort were Hitachi Chemical and Gauzy,
which now have production lines in Japan, Israel and one now being
built in Germany, to produce SPD-Smart light-control film used in
Vision Systems’ electronically dimmable windows (EDWs).
This week, at the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX)
in Hamburg, visitors are seeing the results of an estimated $200+
million investment by these companies to bring the best in comfort,
enjoyment, safety and functionality to airline passengers. The
performance and reliability of these Vision Systems’ products
surpass all other products on the market, including
“electrochromic” EDWs.
Carl Putman, President of Vision Systems noted:
“The airline industry’s experience with EDWs has clearly shown that
passengers do not want to wait minutes for their window to shade,
want any electronic switching to be uniform and instant to avoid
the “doughnut hole” effect often noticed by passengers with
electrochromic windows on aircraft, and want to reject unwanted
heat and glare from the cabin. In all of these categories, the
SPD-Smart light control technology that we use in our Nuance and
Noctis EDWs far outperforms existing electrochromic technology in
use on the Boeing 787.”
Joseph M. Harary, President of Research
Frontiers added: “Research Frontiers, Gauzy, Hitachi and Vision
Systems have all made substantial investments in world-class
R&D, engineering and production facilities producing the
highest performing smart window technology in the world. And
products using Research Frontiers’ technology have been reliably
used for many years in some of the most extreme environmental
conditions on earth. When world class material science meets
focused product engineering and a dedication to producing ‘the best
or nothing” for the world’s most discerning customers, the results
become apparent.”
The film used in Vision Systems’ EDWs, invented
and patented by Research Frontiers, is the core component in
SPD-SmartGlass systems – allowing users to instantly, precisely and
uniformly control the shading of glass or plastic, either manually
or automatically. Products using Research Frontiers’ SmartGlass
technology are being used in tens of thousands of cars, aircraft,
yachts, trains, homes, offices, museums and other buildings.
SPD-Smart light control technology is also the longest EDW
technology in use in the aircraft and automotive industries.
The goal in commercial aviation is to improve
the passenger experience, and meeting this major industry goal has
been the SPD industry’s collaborative focus of the technological
and product development effort. The latest generation of Vision
Systems’ SPD-Smart EDWs offer potent and unique solutions to
improving how passengers feel while in flight. By allowing
passengers and flight crews to precisely tune the tint of the
SPD-Smart EDW to control the amount of daylight coming through
windows, passengers continue to comfortably enjoy views, rather
than blocking their view with a shade. The system delivers other
important passenger experience benefits including a cooler and
quieter cabin due to remarkable thermal and acoustic
insulation.
Vision Systems’ SPD-Smart EDWs Block More
Heat Making the Aircraft Cabin More
Comfortable
Transmission of solar radiation through cabin
windows has historically been the weak link in providing airline
passengers relief from oppressive outside elements including heat.
Vision Systems SPD-Smart EDWs beat the sources of heat before they
enter the cabin to improve the passenger experience and to help
operators reduce on-ground cooling requirements. “Electrochromic”
technology does not. In an aircraft, the increase in cabin
temperature resulting from solar radiation entering through windows
is most potent when on the ground, and passengers suffer as a
result. Cabin warming results from IR radiation and from visible
light entering through windows, in approximately equal amounts.
During boarding and disembarking, heat generates discomfort for the
passengers and implies strong air-conditioning… unless the aircraft
uses Vision Systems SPD-equipped EDWs.
Vision Systems’ EDWs include very
high-performing IR-blocking materials to protect from the portion
of cabin heating that is due to IR rays. However, IR radiation only
represents part of solar heat gain through windows. The portion of
the solar spectrum that we can see – Visible Light – is about an
equal contributor to an aircraft cabin interior rapidly becoming
hot on the ground. For passenger comfort, visible light must be
blocked. Vision Systems’ SPD-based EDWs provide the solution by
automatically switching to their darkest, maximum heat-rejecting
state when unpowered on the ground.
In stark contrast to SPD-Smart EDWs,
electrochromic EDWs switch transparent when the aircraft is
unpowered, letting a source of heat invade the cabin, because a
transparent EDW is in its most heat-transmissive state.
Electrochromic EDWs can be switched dark but only if costly
on-board or ground power is applied. Also, electrochromic
technology uses a chemical reaction to change states, and this is
an exothermic reaction, meaning that heat is released into the
cabin when the EDW is in the dark mode. (An electrochromic EDW
operates like the charging and discharging of a battery.) SPD does
not use a chemical reaction, and no heat is released in either its
dark or clear states.
No manual intervention by passengers, flight
crews, or ground crews is required for Vision Systems’ EDWs to
switch to the maximum heat-blocking state when needed most, and
operators’ costs in air-conditioning are significantly reduced.
Passengers embark and disembark in a cool cabin, enjoying greater
thermal comfort for a better well-being. (For airlines that want
the windows to be clear at certain times, Vision Systems EDWs and
certified electronics can easily integrate with cabin management
and safety systems on the aircraft to automatically and instantly
go to a clear state when passengers need the assistance of light
coming through the aircraft windows.)
Vision Systems’ SPD EDWs Switch Tint
Substantially Faster with Better Uniformity, Giving Passengers
Instantaneous Control Over their Environment
Vision Systems’ SPD-Smart EDWs have a switching
speed of 0.65 seconds from the darkest tint to the clearest state,
against switching speeds measured in minutes for electrochromic
EDWs, and 3 seconds from clearest to darkest, regardless of the
size of the window. This enables passengers to instantly change the
opacity of their window to regulate daylight and glare. Instant
relief from oppressive light and glare is vital to passenger
comfort onboard aircraft. Instant privacy is also offered in Vision
Systems’ EDWs.
Vision Systems’ SPD EDWs Replace the
Window Opening’s Plastic “Dust Pane,” Offering
Superior Optical Properties, and Saving Fuel and Cabin
Space
The latest generation of Vision Systems’ EDWs
provide unprecedented optical performance with haze well below the
visible threshold for their “Nuance Dark” brand of SPD-Smart EDW
solution. There is another very important aspect to the view out
the window experienced by passengers. With SPD technology, Vision
Systems’ EDWs use extremely thin, lightweight, scratch-resistant
chemically strengthened glass. Because of this, their EDWs can
replace the window opening’s traditional “dust pane” – the plastic
window closest to the passenger. Dust panes are well known to be
poor optically – after minimal use, they become scratched, hazy and
have other deficiencies – and they degrade passengers’ experience
looking out the window.
In addition to delivering superior optical
performance, Vision Systems’ ability to locate SPD-Smart EDWs in
place of dust panes offer passengers and airlines other benefits.
For example, the net weight of the window assembly is reduced,
which reduces fuel consumption. Also, this can save interior cabin
space – an ongoing industry objective.
This feature is another major advantage Vision
Systems has against electrochromic EDWs. Unlike an SPD EDW,
electrochromic EDWs cannot replace the dust pane – it is still
required. Instead, the EDW must be added to the traditional window
assembly – they must be integrated between the dust pane and the
outermost “structural window,” with air gaps in between each type
of transparency. This is a much heavier window assembly
configuration, takes up more space, and the passengers still must
endure the inferior optics of the dust pane.
Vision Systems’ SPD EDWs Reduce More
Noise Inside the Cabin
Transmission of noise through cabin windows is
the weak link in providing passengers relief from another type of
outside element. A quieter aircraft cabin is a major industry
objective, and Vision Systems provides the superior solution in
this area as well. SPD technology is film-based, and the EDW’s
multi-layered laminated fabrication involves other noise barriers
providing acoustic insulation for a quiet atmosphere.
Electrochromic EDWs have inferior noise attenuation performance
because of the nature of the materials used and how they must be
configured.
Vision Systems’ SPD EDWs Add More Unique
Functionality Inside the Cabin
Vision Systems’ in-house developed control
switch electronics are fully integrated directly into the window.
This facilitates rapid installation during new construction as well
as for aftermarket upgrades. It also reduces maintenance expenses.
In contrast, electrochromic EDWs cannot integrate control switch
electronics on the window, because these EDWs are located behind
the window opening’s plastic dust pane. Without the possibility of
integration, it is necessary to locate the control switch on the
seat or lining. During maintenance of an electrochromic window,
multiple aircraft interior components must be removed in order to
access the EDW.
Multiple models of Vision Systems’ EDWs are
available to meet the customer requirements:
- multizone tinting
- additional PDLC film for blackout and privacy
- inclusion of an integrated information display
- integrated plain or transparent touch panel
- The control of the window is also compatible with any Cabin
Management System (CMS).
The following chart summarizes some of the
performance advantages Vision Systems’ SPD-Smart EDWs have over
electrochromic EDWs
|
SPD-Smart EDW |
Electrochromic EDW |
Switching Speed |
0.5 – 3 Seconds |
Minutes |
Uniform Tinting |
Yes |
No |
Heat-Blocking When Aircraft on Ramp and Unpowered |
Extremely High:Switches to Darkest State |
Poor – Moderate:Switches to Clearest State |
Noise Blocking |
Extremely High |
Poor – Moderate |
Multizone Tinting |
Yes |
No |
Replaces Dust Pane |
Yes |
No |
Integrated Electronics |
Yes |
No |
Ability to Include PDLC Film For Additional Blackout and
Privacy |
Yes |
No |
Integrated Information Display |
Yes |
No |
Integrated Touch Panel |
Yes |
No |
Please enjoy Vision Systems’ video on EDWs
The SPD-Smart Technology Has Been
Reliably Used for Yearsin Some of the Most Extreme
Environments on Earth
The markets for SPD-Smart film are
well-established. Research Frontiers has licensed over 40 chemical,
film, and glass companies which are selling products for the
automotive, aircraft, marine, train, architectural, museum, and
consumer electronics industries.
Research Frontiers patented SPD-SmartGlass
technology is the same best-selling smart window technology that
can be found on various car models from Daimler. The MAGIC SKY
CONTROL feature, which is now in use on tens of thousands of
Mercedes-Benz SLs, SLC/SLKs, Maybach and S-Class models around the
world, use patented SPD-SmartGlass technology developed by Research
Frontiers to turn the roof transparent by electrically aligning
tiny particles in a thin film within the glass. With the touch of a
button, drivers and passengers can instantly change the tint of
their roof to help keep out harsh sunlight and heat, and create an
open-air feeling even when the sunroof is closed. Glass or plastic
using Research Frontiers’ patented SPD-SmartGlass technology
effectively blocks UV and infrared rays in both clear and darkly
tinted modes, helping keep the cabin cooler, and protecting
passengers and interiors while also enhancing security inside the
vehicle. These benefits become even more important when a car uses
large surface areas of glass, especially in warm climates.
Some of the other benefits of SPD-SmartGlass
include significant heat reduction inside the vehicle (by up to
18ºF/10ºC), UV protection, glare control, reduced noise and reduced
fuel consumption. Independent calculations also show that use of
SPD-SmartGlass can reduce CO2 emissions by four grams per
kilometer, and increase the driving range of electric vehicles by
approximately 5.5 percent.
Shortly after its introduction into serial
production in the automotive industry, SPD-SmartGlass has become
standard equipment on many different aircraft, and is also used in
residential and commercial architectural applications, in trains,
yachts and other marine vehicles, in display applications, and to
protect light-sensitive artwork and documents in major museums
around the world.
About Vision Systems
Headquartered near Lyon, France, with a
production and sales unit in Florida, USA, and a trade office in
Singapore, Dubai and Montreal, Vision Systems is a tier-one system
supplier in the aeronautic, land transport and marine industries,
designing and producing bespoke solutions for specific market
segments in complex environments. The company’s genuine expertise
in shading systems places it today as the world leader in this area
and the development of customized entertainment & connectivity
solutions allows it to rank as a competitive challenger in embedded
systems.
Vision Systems combines complementary skills in
electronics, mechanics and composite to provide ever more
innovative solutions for cost reduction, heightened safety and
improved comfort.
For more information, please visit our website
at https://www.vision-systems.fr and follow us on social media at
LinkedIn and YouTube.
About Research Frontiers
Inc.
Research Frontiers (Nasdaq: REFR) is a publicly
traded technology company and the developer of patented SPD-Smart
light-control film technology which allows users to instantly,
precisely and uniformly control the shading of glass or plastic
products, either manually or automatically. Research Frontiers has
licensed its smart glass technology to over 40 companies that
include well known chemical, material science and glass companies.
Products using Research Frontiers’ smart glass technology are being
used in tens of thousands of cars, aircraft, yachts, trains, homes,
offices, museums and other buildings. For more information, please
visit our website at www.SmartGlass.com, and on Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn and YouTube.
Note: This press release contains
forward-looking statements, including estimates and predictions
based upon information currently available to Research Frontiers.
Actual results, especially those reliant on activities by third
parties, could differ and are not guaranteed. Any forward-looking
statements should be considered accordingly. Research Frontiers
undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements
made in this press release. "SPD-Smart" and “SPD-SmartGlass” are
trademarks of Research Frontiers Inc. “Nuance,” “Nuance Dark,” and
“Noctis” are trademarks of Vision Systems.
For further information, please contact:
Nicolas LaurentSales DirectorVision
Systemsnlaurent@vision-systems.fr+33 4 72 31 98 10
Alexandra Martin-DevaudMarketing & Communication
ManagerVision Systemsamartindevaud@vision-systems.fr
Michael R. LaPointe Vice President – Aerospace Products Research
Frontiers Inc. +1-516-364-1902Info@SmartGlass.com
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