US 12,413,061 B2
Electrical bus system comprising a plurality of bus segments
Joel A. Stray, Hudsonville, MI (US); Gary J. Dozeman, Zeeland, MI (US); Stephen F. Richlich, Holland, MI (US); Matthew A. Koppey, Holland, MI (US); and George A. Neuman, Holland, MI (US)
Assigned to GENTEX CORPORATION, Zeeland, MI (US)
Filed by GENTEX CORPORATION, Zeeland, MI (US)
Filed on Jun. 8, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/835,075.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/210,163, filed on Jun. 14, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0399707 A1, Dec. 15, 2022
Int. Cl. H02G 3/30 (2006.01); G02F 1/1345 (2006.01); G02F 1/163 (2006.01); H02G 3/08 (2006.01)
CPC H02G 3/30 (2013.01) [G02F 1/1345 (2013.01); G02F 1/163 (2013.01); H02G 3/08 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An electro-optic element, comprising:
a first substrate having an inner surface;
a second substrate having an inner surface opposed to the inner surface of the first substrate, the second substrate generally parallel to and coextensive with the first substrate;
a first bus having a first bus segment disposed on the inner surface of the first substrate and extending along a first portion of a perimeter of the first substrate and a second bus segment disposed on the inner surface of the first substrate and extending along a second portion of the perimeter of the first substrate;
a second bus having a third bus segment disposed on the inner surface of the second substrate and extending along a first portion of a perimeter of the second substrate in parallel with the first bus segment of the first bus and a fourth bus segment disposed on the inner surface of the second substrate and extending along a second portion of the perimeter of the second substrate in parallel with the second bus segment of the first bus; and
a controller configured to be in selective electrical communication with the first and second buses and capable of independently controlling a voltage applied to the first bus segment and the second bus segment of the first bus and a voltage applied to the third bus segment and the fourth bus segment portion of the second bus,
wherein the second bus segment is in a spaced apart relationship with the first bus segment of the first bus and the fourth bus segment is in a spaced-apart relationship with the third bus segment of the second bus,
wherein the first bus segment is closer to the first portion of the perimeters of the first and second substrates than the third bus segment, and the second bus segment is closer to the second portion of the perimeters of the first and second substrates than the fourth bus segment,
wherein the first bus and the second bus have at least one external contact portion that extends past an edge of the first substrate to allow for an external electrical connection to the first bus and the second bus, and
wherein one of the first bus and the second bus comprises an anode and the other one of the first bus and the second bus comprises a cathode.