EP1978201A2 - Building opening with an initial chamber with one or more window panes, with a chamber of additional darkening - Google Patents

Abstract

The building opening has a chamber (4) with one or multiple panes. Another chamber is arranged on the outer side of the former chamber, which has a supporting frame (6) with a glass pane (7), which forms an intermediate space (8) with the former chamber. The intermediate space is watertight but is not evacuated and a thin curtain (11) is fixed from above in the intermediate space, which is wound on a take-up cylinder (12) and which partly or fully shades the entire opening against solar radiation. The gap width of the intermediate space is selected sufficiently wide such that the th.

Description

The present invention relates to a building opening, such as windows, doors, shop windows, or similar glazings, which is provided with a first chamber with one or more window panes, according to the preamble of claim 1.

The specific problem that the present invention seeks to solve is directly related to a prior patent application of the same Applicant, which issued on 23.12.2005 in Switzerland under the number 02057/05 was filed and as European Patent Application under the number 06405514.8 on 12.12.2006 was extended.

This prior patent application relates to an evacuated double glazing chamber for building openings, with built-in sunscreen, and is characterized in that inside the chamber, a thin curtain is mounted, which can be wound on a take-up from the outside drivable, by means of which the whole opening of virtually zero percent until almost one hundred percent of the transparency level can be darkened for sunlight.

The entire teaching of said prior patent application concerning the properties of the curtain used is to be considered as an integral part of the present patent application, which also explains in detail the term "thin windable curtain" used in the present invention, which is an improvement of the foregoing application and can overcome some of the disadvantages contained therein.

• die dünne Folie, welche den Vorhang zur "Verdunkelung" bildet, wenn sie in eine evakuierte Doppelverglasungs-Kammer von normaler Weite des Zwischenraums (der Grössenordnung von beispielsweise ungefähr 1 bis 3 cm) eingeführt wird, Wellen wirft, die eine klare Sicht auf die äussere Umgebung stark stört, da die Wellen eine Verformung ergeben, die sich je nach den Bewegungen des Betrachters ändert. Dieses optische Phänomen ist allgemein bekannt und kann Schwindelgefühl oder Unsicherheit verursachen;
• die evakuierte Doppelverglasungskammer mit Vorhang zur "Verdunkelung" gemäss dem Stand der Technik kann bei Fenstern mit einer oder mehreren bereits vorhandenen Fensterscheiben nicht angewendet werden, ohne dass das ganze Fenster ersetzt werden muss, was einen gewichtigen wirtschaftlichen Faktor darstellt;
• der Unterhalt (zu verstehen als Reinigen und Reparieren oder Ersetzen des im Zwischenraum montierten dünnen Vorhangs) gestaltet sich recht schwierig, da hierzu die evakuierte Kammer geöffnet werden muss, wobei das Vakuum verloren geht.

The practical experience has the following disadvantages of the solution according to the EP-A-06405514.8 shown:

• the thin foil which forms the curtain for "darkening" when inserted into an evacuated double glazing chamber of normal width of space (of the order of, for example, about 1 to 3 cm), casts waves giving a clear view of the outside Environment strongly disturbs, since the waves result in a deformation, which changes depending on the movements of the observer. This visual phenomenon is well known and may cause dizziness or uncertainty;
• the evacuated double glazing curtain of the prior art "blackout" can not be applied to windows with one or more pre-existing window panes without having to replace the whole window, which is a major economic factor;
• the maintenance (to be understood as cleaning and repairing or replacing the thin curtain mounted in the space) is quite difficult because it requires the evacuated chamber to be opened, thereby losing the vacuum.

1. a) die Ausbildung quer verlaufender Wellen im dünnen Vorhang verhindert wird. Zum Erreichen dieses Ziels muss die Kammer, in welche von oben her der (oft und vorzugsweise als Polyester-Folie ausgebildete) dünne Vorhang eingebracht wird, so eng sein, dass bloss die Folie, allenfalls belastet, höchstens mit einer dünnen Metall-Leiste, die am untern Rand angebracht wird, damit die Folie gespannt gehalten bleibt;
2. b) ermöglicht wird, dass die Vorteile des Verdunkelns, bzw. des Schutzes gegen unerwünschte Sonneneinstrahlung, die der Lösung gemäss dem bekannten Stand der Technik innewohnen, auch im Fall bereits bestehender Fenster erhalten bleiben, wobei es sich sowohl um normale Isolierfenster mit einer oder zwei evakuierten Kammern oder auch um nicht isolierte Fenster (beispielsweise mit nur einer Fensterscheibe) handeln kann;
   Diese letztgenannte Möglichkeit, nämlich der Fall mit bloss einer Fensterscheibe, kommt dabei auch in das erweiterte Feld der Anwendungsmöglichkeiten der vorliegende Erfindung, wobei allerdings festzustellen ist, dass die Verwendung eines gegen Sonnenstrahlung schützenden Vorhangs an einem thermisch nicht isolierenden Fenster an sich keine optimale Lösung darstellt, da sie den heutigen Anforderungen des Energiesparens nicht Rechnung trägt. Eine solche Lösung liegt zwar im Rahmen des Konzeptes der vorliegenden Erfindung, ohne jedoch eine bevorzugte Lösung darzustellen;
3. c) die Bedingungen für den Unterhalt der Gebäudeöffnung mit einem dünnen Vorhang zur "Verdunkelung" gemäss der genannten EP-A-06405514.8 zu verbessern.

The present invention is therefore intended to eliminate these disadvantages according to the known prior art, namely by

1. a) the formation of transverse waves in the thin curtain is prevented. To achieve this goal, the chamber, in which from above the (often and preferably formed as a polyester film) thin curtain is introduced, must be so tight that only the film, at best loaded, at most with a thin metal strip, the attached to the lower edge to keep the film taut;
2. b) allows the advantages of darkening, or the protection against unwanted solar radiation inherent in the solution according to the known state of the art, to be maintained even in the case of already existing windows, which are both normal insulating windows can act with one or two evacuated chambers or even non-insulated windows (for example with only one window);
   This latter possibility, namely the case with only one window pane, also comes in the extended field of applications of the present invention, although it should be noted that the use of a protective against solar radiation curtain on a thermally non-insulating window per se is not an optimal solution because it does not meet today's energy saving requirements. While such a solution is within the scope of the concept of the present invention, it is not a preferred solution;
3. c) the conditions for maintenance of the building opening with a thin curtain for "darkening" according to the said EP-A-06405514.8 to improve.

These objectives are achieved by means of a building opening provided with a first chamber provided with one or more window panes having the characterizing features of the characterizing part of claim 1.

It should be emphasized that the switching off of the tendency to wave formation in the thin curtain is achieved thanks to the property of the invention that the gap in which the thin curtain moves is sealed against external influences but not evacuated, and is so narrow that Only the thin curtain can go through so that it is guided on both sides and therefore can not form waves. If the curtain is also loaded on its lower edge with a thin metal strip, the gap must of course be so wide that the metal strip passes. In any case, it is a gap width of the gap of a few millimeters (about 4 to 10 mm).

The main advantage of the present invention, as mentioned in point b) above, is achieved by simply mounting a load-bearing frame with a pane on an existing pane (single or double glazing), without relying on the creation of a single pane However, the potential danger of the ingress of external agents (especially water) must be avoided. This allows to achieve the advantages of the curtain according to the prior art on all types of windows, such as doors or windows of existing buildings, resulting in an extraordinarily wide and economically interesting field of application of the original invention idea according to said EP-A. The attachment of a metal frame on a glass or on its frame is preferably accomplished by an adhesive bond by means of adhesive or adhesive tape, which today is a known and commonly used technique. This routine operation is extremely fast, safe and inexpensive.

The present invention will be described in more detail below in its details and with reference to some illustrated embodiments.

Fig. 1

einen Schnitt einer Gebäudeöffnung gemäss der vorliegenden Erfindung längs einer vertikalen Ebene, wobei die erste Kammer aus einer einzigen Scheibe besteht;

Fig. 2

einen Schnitt einer Gebäudeöffnung gemäss der vorliegenden Erfindung längs einer vertikalen Ebene, wobei die erste Kammer aus einer evakuierten Doppelverglasung besteht;

Fig. 3

eine perspektivische Darstellung der Gebäudeöffnung gemäss der Fig. 2;

Fig. 4

einen Schnitt längs einer horizontalen Ebene durch die Aufwickelwalze des Vorhangs der Gebäudeöffnung gemäss der Fig. 2;

Fig. 5

eine Variante des Antriebs der Aufwickelwalze bei einer Gebäudeöffnung gemäss der Fig. 2;

Fig. 6

eine weitere Variante des Antriebs der Aufwickelwalze bei einer Gebäudeöffnung, die der in der Fig. 2 gezeigten entspricht.

The pictures show in the:

Fig. 1

a section of a building opening according to the present invention along a vertical plane, wherein the first chamber consists of a single disc;

Fig. 2

a section of a building opening according to the present invention along a vertical plane, wherein the first chamber consists of an evacuated double glazing;

Fig. 3

a perspective view of the building opening according to the Fig. 2 ;

Fig. 4

a section along a horizontal plane through the winding roller of the curtain of the building opening according to the Fig. 2 ;

Fig. 5

a variant of the drive of the take-up roller at a building opening according to the Fig. 2 ;

Fig. 6

Another variant of the drive of the take-up roller at a building opening, which in the Fig. 2 shown corresponds.

In the Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a building opening in which the present invention is realized in its simplest form, namely, when the invention for improving the properties of a window (or door or shop window, etc.) is applied, which is provided with a single glazing.

In the Fig. 1 1 is the frame of a building opening in which a glass pane is installed with the known conventional systems, which will be referred to simply disc 2 below. The frame 1 and the disc 2 are shown schematically, without the constructive details that are unimportant in this context, which are known as prior art to any person skilled in the art.

On the outside 3 of the disc 2, which represents a first chamber 4 with the width zero in the illustrated case, then a second chamber 5 is arranged according to the invention, which consists of a supporting frame 6 with a glass 7, with the first chamber 4 a Gap 8 forms, in this example, the chamber 4 consists of the simple disk 4. The space 8 is sealed against the disc 4 against the ingress of water, which can be achieved, for example, that along the entire circumference of the contact surface on the frame 6 with the chamber (the disc) 4 is a final seal 9 or a precise bonding of the Contact surfaces between the frame 6 and the first chamber 4 is provided with an adhesive for glass or by means of, for example, a double-sided adhesive tape. However, it is relevant for the invention that the gap 8 is not evacuated, but that there is the normal atmospheric pressure. Important with regard to the effects according to the invention is then that the frame 6 as a whole, or at least its wider upper part 10, as will be explained later, slightly from the first chamber 4 (or the disc 4 in the in the Fig. 1 shown case) can be removed so that cleaning and maintenance work can be performed easily. the attachment of the frame 6 on the first chamber 4 must therefore take this requirement into account, so that depending on the application easily releasable fastening means are used (for example, screws and rubber seals 9) instead of adhesive bonds or tapes.

The present invention also provides that in the intermediate space 8 from above a thin curtain 11, can be introduced, which can be wound on a take-up roll 12, and allowed by applying the whole of the corresponding teaching of the above-mentioned European Patent Application 06405514.8, against the sun's rays completely or partially obscure the entire opening.

The upper part 10 of the second chamber 5, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a gap width (to be understood as a distance at right angles from the disc 4), which is greater than the gap width f of the gap 8 forming part of the chamber, so the thin curtain take-up roll 11 can be accommodated, the total diameter of the roll being selected as a function of various parameters (material thickness of the curtain 11, length of the curtain 11, type of drive of the roll 12, etc.) depending on the intended application can vary considerably. The upper part 10 of the second chamber 5 forms its own body and a unit with the lower chamber part. The advantage that this second chamber 5 need not be evacuated is obvious: no problems with permanent tightness, easy installation and attachment of the frame 6 of the second chamber 5 to the first chamber 4, lower cost, the possibility of the protective thin curtain 11 also to apply on existing building openings, which only with a single glazing are provided, and finally, thanks to the small gap width f of the second chamber 5 no risk of formation of waves in the thin curtain 11th

The in the Fig. 2 shown solution, which is used in practice most often, and which differs from that in the Fig. 1 only differs in that the first chamber 4 in this case consists of two discs 13, 14 which enclose an evacuated gap 15 (all the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals). This solution makes it possible to optimally combine the advantages of thermal insulation of double glazing with the provision of a solar shading curtain according to the aforementioned patent application, the advantages of the present invention remaining undiminished (easy assembly and cleaning, possibility of application on existing windows and building openings , etc.). Moreover, it is apparent that the first chamber 4 may also have more than two discs (for example three), as is often provided today, in order to achieve high levels of sound insulation in exceptional cases.

In the Figures 1 and 2 is shown how can also be provided that the thin curtain 11 can be provided at its lower edge with a loading bar 16, which keeps the curtain taut and also eliminates the risk that form waves in the cocked curtain. Incidentally, the use of such load bars is already out of the EP-A-06405514.8 However, experience has shown that attaching the strip to the curtain in an evacuated chamber was not sufficient to completely eliminate the wave formation. It is obvious that the gap width f of the second chamber (see Fig. 2 ) must be sized so that the load bar 16 can perform unhindered in their vertical movements.

In the Fig. 3 the inventive building opening is shown schematically in perspective view (which could be a window or a shop window of a shop in the case shown), of the same kind as in the Fig. 2 shown. This illustration serves only to underline that the dimensions of the building opening in the height H and in the width L can be very large and can reach several meters, it being recalled that with respect to the width L a single limit the stability (rigidity) of the winding roller 12 is set, which is therefore designed by means of suitable calculation methods.

In the FIGS. 4 to 6 Various drive options for the take-up roller 12 are shown, which can be driven by hand or mechanically in various forms of automation. To emphasize here is another advantage of the solution according to the present invention over the cited prior art, namely that the take-up roller 12 is housed in a watertight chamber 5, which is not evacuated, which greatly simplifies the operation, as well as the production an evacuated double glazing. However, if the drive roller housed in the evacuated chamber, there are always problems of maintenance of negative pressure, because controls for the roller (its axis or at least the electrical power supply cable out of the chamber) are to be led out. Any minor damage to one of the gaskets due to material aging is sufficient to collapse the vacuum in the double glazing chamber. A restoration of the vacuum is practically impossible. The same applies to the virtually impossible maintenance of the blackout curtain 11 and the take-up roll 12 when both are housed in the evacuated chamber. The advantages of the present invention are therefore of great practical importance.

In the Fig. 4 A first embodiment of the drive of the take-up roll 12 is shown, namely that in which the roll 12 is manually moved by means of a crank 17, or attached to the second chamber 5 by means of an outside Systems of cords (not shown). With 11, the role of the wound on the take-up roller 12 curtain is referred to here.

The embodiment according to the Fig. 5 is different from the one in the Fig. 4 merely shown in that the take-up roller 12 by means of an electric motor 18 with a built-in reduction (a so-called reduction motor) is driven, which is mounted outside the second chamber 5.

In the Fig. 6 Next, there is shown that drive solution which may be considered to be the most sophisticated of the drive arrangements for a take-up roll in which the take-up roll 12 is moved by means of an electric motor built into the roll itself. In this case, the winding roller consists of an outer tube 18, which forms the rotor of an electric motor whose stator is formed by the fixed inner axis 20. An engine of this type is normally provided with a speed reduction, indicated by the reference numeral 21 in the Fig. 6 is indicated, and according to another preferred solution is preferably designed as a DC motor with frequency control, so that the rotational speed of the roller 12 can be chosen freely. The engines both according to the Fig. 5 as according to the Fig. 6 are connected by means of connecting cables 22 to the power source, via which all control pulses can be transmitted, which are necessary for carrying out the movements of the thin curtain in function of the desired parameters (external light intensity, radiation incidence, etc.).

The technology of driving a take-up roller (for slat blinds, thin curtains, blinds, etc.) corresponds to the known prior art, so that it is not intended to claim any novelty therefor. On the other hand, it is inventive in combination with the underlying teachings of the present invention which can solve the problem of driving the take-up roll 12 or 19, all of which are practical Problems according to the prior art with respect to the present invention are eliminated.

The basic advantage of the present invention is that the technology of the shield according to the EP-A-06405514.8 can be optimally combined with the technology of thermal and sound insulation by double or triple glazing, as well as with the single glazing, so that simple, inexpensive and easy to maintain solutions are achieved, whereby the shield by means of thin curtains made of sun protection films very wide becomes applicable.

List of reference numerals used in the figures

1

frame

2

windowpane

3

outside

4

First chamber

5

Second Chamber

6

Carrying frame

7

windowpane

8th

gap

9

final sealing

10

Upper part of the second chamber 5

11

Thin curtain

12

winding roll

13

Outer disk of the first chamber

14

Inner disk of the first chamber

15

Evacuated space of the first chamber

16

Beschwerungsleiste

17

winch

18

Electric motor (reduction motor)

19

Outer tube

20

Fixed axis

21

Speed reduction

22

connection cable

Claims (8)

Building opening such as windows, doors, shop windows or similar elements, having a first chamber (4) with one or more panes,
characterized in that
on the outside of the chamber (4) a second chamber (5) is arranged, which consists of a supporting frame 6 with a glass pane (7) which forms a gap (8) with the first chamber (4), wherein the space ( 8) waterproof but not evacuated, and wherein also from above a thin curtain (11) in the space (8) can be introduced, which is wound on a take-up roller (12) and the whole opening against solar radiation completely or partially obscured, and wherein the gap width of the gap is just far enough that the thin curtain can pass without forming waves. Building opening according to claim 1,
characterized in that
the first chamber (4) is a chamber with two or more discs (13, 14) and encloses an evacuated intermediate space (15). Building opening according to claim 1,
characterized in that
the second chamber (5) consists of a frame (6) of metal profiles, on one side of which by means of gluing or similar means a disc (7) is fastened, while the other side of the frame (6) directly on the outside (3) of the outer disc (13) of the chamber (4) consisting of one or more discs, glued or fixed. Building opening according to claim 1,
characterized in that
the take-up roller (12) in a suitable chamber in the upper part (10) the second chamber (5) forms a structural unit therewith and dimensioned transversely to the discs so as to be able to receive the curtain (11) take-up roller (12), even if it has an overall diameter, which is greater than the gap width of the gap (8). Building opening according to claim 1,
characterized in that
the take-up roller (12) is moved manually by means of a crank (17) or by means of a system of cords attached outside the second chamber (5). Building opening according to claim 1,
characterized in that
the take-up roller (12) is moved manually by means of an electric motor (18) with built-in reduction, which is mounted outside the second chamber (5). Building opening according to claim 1,
characterized in that
the take-up roller (12) is manually moved by means of an electric motor (21) installed in the take-up roller (12) itself and equipped with a reduction gear. Building opening according to claims 6 or 7,
characterized in that
the motor is a frequency controlled DC motor.

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