How do the new airplane windows that turn dark using a button work?

209 views

I was on a flight recently that had the dimmer style windows instead of the old style where you would just pull down a shade. I wondered how the glass could be made to go darker or lighter at the push of a button?

In: 24

15 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

I briefly read about this to learn more. From my brief understanding, the users talking about polarising filters are not quite right. U/connor is right.

PDLCs seem to be the predominate type in planes.

While in displays, LCs are used to control polarity of light, in PDLCs they are used to control the degree of light scattering (lower voltage = more scattering = more opaque)

Anonymous 0 Comments

I briefly read about this to learn more. From my brief understanding, the users talking about polarising filters are not quite right. U/connor is right.

PDLCs seem to be the predominate type in planes.

While in displays, LCs are used to control polarity of light, in PDLCs they are used to control the degree of light scattering (lower voltage = more scattering = more opaque)

Anonymous 0 Comments

I briefly read about this to learn more. From my brief understanding, the users talking about polarising filters are not quite right. U/connor is right.

PDLCs seem to be the predominate type in planes.

While in displays, LCs are used to control polarity of light, in PDLCs they are used to control the degree of light scattering (lower voltage = more scattering = more opaque)

Anonymous 0 Comments

It’s got a LCD film in it.
When energised the crystals in it align and it becomes opaque.

The mirrors in my car have the same film and will automatically darken at night to stop any chance of getting blinded by reflected headlights.

Anonymous 0 Comments

It’s got a LCD film in it.
When energised the crystals in it align and it becomes opaque.

The mirrors in my car have the same film and will automatically darken at night to stop any chance of getting blinded by reflected headlights.

Anonymous 0 Comments

It’s got a LCD film in it.
When energised the crystals in it align and it becomes opaque.

The mirrors in my car have the same film and will automatically darken at night to stop any chance of getting blinded by reflected headlights.

Anonymous 0 Comments

There’s a film applied to the window that has a layer of liquid crystals sandwiched in-between two pieces of plastic.

When the film is turned ‘off’ the liquid crystals can do whatever they want which creates opaqueness in the window as they’re all just scattered about.

When you turn it ‘on’ a current of electricity is run through the film which causes all the liquid crystals to snap into alignment and become clear.

[It’s called PDLC film.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT9kKs1X9_g&ab_channel=DavidWatts)

Anonymous 0 Comments

There’s a film applied to the window that has a layer of liquid crystals sandwiched in-between two pieces of plastic.

When the film is turned ‘off’ the liquid crystals can do whatever they want which creates opaqueness in the window as they’re all just scattered about.

When you turn it ‘on’ a current of electricity is run through the film which causes all the liquid crystals to snap into alignment and become clear.

[It’s called PDLC film.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT9kKs1X9_g&ab_channel=DavidWatts)

Anonymous 0 Comments

There’s a film applied to the window that has a layer of liquid crystals sandwiched in-between two pieces of plastic.

When the film is turned ‘off’ the liquid crystals can do whatever they want which creates opaqueness in the window as they’re all just scattered about.

When you turn it ‘on’ a current of electricity is run through the film which causes all the liquid crystals to snap into alignment and become clear.

[It’s called PDLC film.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT9kKs1X9_g&ab_channel=DavidWatts)

Anonymous 0 Comments

They’re LCD screens without the reflective part. There is a polarization filter and the liquid crystal. When the polarizations are aligned it lets light through. You can control the polarization of the liquid crystal by applying a voltage. The greater the polarization mismatch the more of the light that is filtered and the darker the window.

It’s the same idea to taking two polarizing filters and rotating them relative to each other. Instead of mechanically rotating one filter you adjust the molecules with an application of electricity to change the polarity.