Vision Systems and AGC are improving the passenger experience on trains with electronically dimmable windows using Research Frontiers SPD-SmartGlass technology.
At the recent Research Frontiers quarterly conference call, President and CEO Joe Harary remarked; “Trains can be our second-biggest market in the next few years… train cars with our technology are well along with their performance testing on the rails…. new trains are being built as we speak using our SPD-SmartGlass in them.”
This week’s InnoTrans trade show in Berlin (18 to 21 September), the leading international trade fair for transport technology, illustrates the growth of SPD-SmartGlass in the rail industry, with solutions that improve the passenger experience and benefit train operators. Train manufacturers, operators, and train window suppliers primarily in Europe and Asia have all been working with Research Frontiers’ patented SPD-SmartGlass technology which allows passengers and crews, at the touch of a button, to change the tint of the windows on a train. The windows also interface with climate control systems for automated control. This technology enables control and management of heat, light and glare coming into railway cars to make train cars more comfortable, safer, quieter, and more energy efficient. By using SPD-SmartGlass technology, passengers and crews can “tune” the amount of light coming into the train to preserve and enhance views and reduce unwanted glare.
AGC, and Vision Systems, both licensees of Research Frontiers, launched their respective latest generations of SPD-SmartGlass EDWs for the rail industry. These “smart windows” control and manage both beneficial and undesirable outside elements entering train cars through passenger windows. Vision Systems also unveiled another new solution, “Info-Vision” window, which integrates an electroluminescent display into the SPD-SmartGlass EDW.
Vision Systems recently commented about their new EDW generation: “Thanks to a new industrial process that has already been tried out successfully for the aeronautic and marine industries, Vision Systems’ smart shading systems provide enhanced optical quality, 30% lower cost and a wider range of packaged solutions adapted to each project.”
Most trains with traditional window shades have passenger windows that are also highly tinted, in an attempt to reduce the amount of time the shades must be down due to excessive light, glare or solar heat. While this reduces somewhat the time the shades have to be down, it remains ineffective for many lighting conditions. Even when the shade is up, the tint of the window limits the passengers’ views outside the train during dusk, night time and pre-sunrise hours. SPD-Smart windows eliminates this problem with its ability to be in an optically clear state.
SPD-SmartGlass EDWs dramatically improve the passenger experience, by instantly and precisely managing the optimum amount of healthy daylight for passenger comfort and well-being, and rejecting uncomfortable heat and noise.