“I was contacted recently by a marketing strategist representing an inventor who created an interesting technology. It is called Eclipse. The inventor is Bob Momot from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Eclipse is a system using a film that literally eclipses a light source, preventing the glaring and/or blinding effects of bright light that hinders clear visibility. The inventor told me that it is just like a total eclipse of the sun, where the sun is blocked but all images around it are clean and clear.” —Bob Beranek
Tinted, sun-shaded and solar glass parts do their job adequately, but the Eclipse technology carries other potential benefits. Clear visibility without glare has been a goal of manufacturers ever since glass was discovered and perfected for use in eye glasses, buildings and the auto industry. If this use of LCD pixels works, I predict that it will be a very popular add-on to windshields.
The practical side of implementing this film with the manufacturing of automotive glass has not been perfected, but the technology behind it is impressive. If it can be merged with other films already applied to the various glass surfaces, it seems to me vehicle designers and engineers are going to be very interested. Glare-free windshields could literally eliminate the need for interior visors. If visors can be eliminated, it means that the weight of those parts can be subtracted from the overall weight of the vehicle, thus making it more fuel efficient. In addition, visors have been known to seriously injure occupants in a collision. The elimination of sun visors would mean the absence of another dangerous appendage in the vehicle.
The one key component to implementing this new technology is how compatible is it with other films. Solar film is usually applied to the number two surface of laminated glass so it can protect the lamination, interior plastics and fabrics. Reflective film, such as HUD film, is usually applied to the number three surface so the reflection is not distorted by the poly-vinyl butyral inner-layer. Obviously, you cannot use a film coating on the one or four surfaces because it will wear off or can be easily damaged due to cleaning or scraping the surface. This means that Eclipse must be able to be applied to another film. When I posed these questions to Mr. Momot, he was unable to answer. Mr. Momot is not an automotive glass manufacturer so his knowledge is limited in the application of his film to other applied films.
My last question was, “Does the Eclipse require an electrical current to work?” His answer was yes it does. The need of an electrical connection should not be a deal breaker for auto engineers because there are currently many types and styles of automotive glass that carry electrical current or have antenna systems that require a connection.
Keep your eyes out for this one. It is some cool technology that may very well be standard equipment someday. To read up on this a little more, take a look at this site, http://eclipse.mediabutton.com/.
