Patent attributes
An electrophoretic light attenuator comprises a cell including a first substrate (90), a second substrate (90) spaced apart from the first substrate, a layer arranged between the substrates and containing an electrophoretic ink (30), and a monolayer of closely packed protrusions (2) projecting into the electrophoretic ink (30) and arranged adjacent a surface of the second substrate. The protrusions (2) have surfaces defining a plurality of depressions between adjacent protrusions. The ink (30) includes charged particles (11) of at least one type, the particles being responsive to an electric field applied to the cell to move between a first extreme light state, in which the particles (11) are maximally spread within the cell so as to lie in the path of light through the cell and thus strongly attenuate light transmitted from one substrate to the opposite substrate, and a second extreme light state, in which the particles (11) are maximally concentrated within the depressions so as to let light be transmitted.
