CN115702600A

CN115702600A - Building panel radiant heater of gypsum board analog

Info

Publication number: CN115702600A
Application number: CN202180044262.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 彼得·沙伊奇
Original assignee: Laminaheat Holding Ltd
Current assignee: Laminaheat Holding Ltd
Priority date: 2020-06-22
Filing date: 2021-06-22
Publication date: 2023-02-14
Also published as: CN117581634A; CA3182417A1; KR20240027066A; EP4169352A1; US20210396396A1; JP2023530185A; KR20230069083A

Abstract

A heating panel, comprising: a thermally conductive (e.g., metal) layer; a layered heating element disposed over a side of the heat conductive layer facing the frame; a thermal insulation layer disposed over the layered heating element; and a room-facing surface layer arranged above at least the room-facing side of the heat conductive layer. A method for heating a room may comprise: mounting at least one heating panel on a ceiling of a room; and providing power to the heating element to generate heat that is radiated into the room. The panel may be part of a heating system that includes a controller, such as a thermostat, for regulating power to the heating panel. The plurality of heating panels or the plurality of heating zones in one or more of the panels may be independently controllable.

Description

Building panel radiant heater of gypsum board analog

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application No. 63/042,217 entitled "polymeric lookaile BUILDING PANEL radial heat", filed on 22.6.2020, and the contents of this U.S. provisional application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

Background

An efficient house heating system that keeps the carbon footprint to a minimum is desirable. Modern houses are now well insulated, so that high power capacity heating systems are not required. Infrared (IR) radiant heating panels typically use 35% to 40% less energy than conventional convection heating radiators or the commonly used underfloor heating.

Placing the heating panels on or in the ceiling may provide flexibility in strategically placing heat in desired locations with fewer restrictions than other types of heating units. The separate IR heating panel may hang or hang from an existing ceiling, but is typically obtrusive (i.e., stands out and is noticeable in an undesirable manner) and thus may not be visually acceptable to the market.

Existing in-ceiling heater applications may be installed behind the ceiling surface panels in the cavity between the ceiling joists to be concealed. This may involve the use of cable heater mats or membranes, wet hydronic heating pipes, etc. Typical ceiling constructions include 12.5mm thick gypsum board or gypsum wallboard sheetrock surface panels that are typically attached to wood ceiling joist structures with drywall screws and are integrated into a continuous ceiling appearance along the joints between the panels by the use of drywall tape and mastic. Such an installation is relatively inefficient, resulting in only 70% to 75% of the heat transfer of the input energy radiating heat into the room according to the test data.

The efficiency of IR thermal radiation is a function of temperature, where higher temperatures produce more efficient radiation. Existing gypsum board or gypsum plaster plywood panels are typically limited to a surface temperature of 55 degrees celsius or less.

There is therefore a need in the art to provide efficient and aesthetically pleasing IR heating.

Disclosure of Invention

One aspect of the invention includes a heating panel having a frame-facing surface and a room-facing surface. The heating panel includes: a heat conductive layer having a side facing the room and a side facing the frame; at least one layered heating element disposed over a side of the heat conductive layer facing the frame; a thermal insulation layer disposed over the at least one layered heating element; and a room-facing surface layer arranged above at least the room-facing side of the heat conductive layer. The power line is connected to the layered heating element and is configured to be connected to a power source.

A protective frame-facing surface layer may be disposed over the insulation layer and may define at least a portion of a frame-facing surface of the panel. In some embodiments, the thermally conductive layer may comprise metal, the protective frame-facing surface layer may comprise a gypsum-reinforced polyester mesh layer bonded to an insulating layer, the insulating layer may comprise foam, and/or the room-facing surface layer may comprise paper. The thermally conductive layer may include a pan having a peripheral sidewall. In such a configuration, the room-facing surface layer may be wrapped around the side wall of the pan and may define at least a portion of the frame-facing surface of the panel and a peripheral edge surface of the panel.

The panel may comprise a power cut-off switch configured to cut off power to the laminar heating element upon detection of a temperature in the heating panel greater than a predetermined maximum, for example at 80 degrees celsius. The heating panel may include a plurality of holes extending from the room-facing surface of the panel to the frame-facing surface of the panel, each hole being sized to receive a fastener for fastening the panel to a frame of a building. The insulating region may extend between a periphery of the panel and the at least one heating element.

The heating panel may include two heating elements and may have an insulating region extending between the two heating elements. An electrical housing cutout may be defined in the insulation layer, wherein the power lines are connected to the busbars of the layered heating element, and may have a cover flush with the frame-facing surface of the panel.

Another aspect of the invention comprises a heating system comprising a heating panel as described herein, wherein the power line is connected to a controller, such as a thermostat, for regulating power to the heating panel. The plurality of heating panels or the plurality of heating zones in one or more of the panels may be independently controlled by the controller.

Yet another aspect of the invention includes a method for heating a room, the method comprising: mounting at least one heating panel as described herein on a ceiling of a room; and providing power to the at least one heating element to generate heat that radiates into the room. A plurality of heating panels may be connected to a thermostat controller installed in the room, wherein the method includes controlling heat in the room to reach a set temperature in the room. The ceiling may comprise at least one heating panel and at least one non-heating panel, wherein installing the at least one ceiling panel comprises applying gypsum material between the at least one heating panel and the at least one non-heating panel to form a continuous coverable ceiling layer.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a cross section of an exemplary heating panel embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a partially transparent plan view of an exemplary heating panel embodiment showing the location of the heating elements relative to the periphery of the panel, and a schematic diagram of the control and power elements.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of an exemplary installation of a heating panel on an insulated ceiling as described herein.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of an exemplary installation of a heating panel as described herein on a non-insulated ceiling.

Fig. 5A depicts an exemplary enlarged portion of the frame side of an exemplary panel showing a housing for electrical connection with a closure cap secured thereto.

Fig. 5B depicts a portion of the frame side of an exemplary panel as depicted in fig. 5A without a cover on the housing.

Detailed Description

One aspect of the present invention includes a heating panel capable of generating useful usable radiant heat at 90% or more of the input energy. The panel is capable of operating surface temperatures up to 80 degrees celsius. The panels have the appearance and properties of gypsum or plasterboard panels and are configured to be attached to a ceiling in exactly the same way as plasterboard plywood panels. The panel is configured as a "plug and play" application in which the heater is configured to plug into the 110/230V available line voltage supply in a house or building.

A system comprising one or more such ceiling panels may be connected to any standard thermostat to control the temperature of a room. The panels may be placed in desired locations and customized to maximize the heating requirements of a particular room layout.

Advantages of a system comprising such panels include conversion of 90% or more of the energy to radiant heat directed to the room, which can represent an energy savings of 30% to 40% compared to existing concealed ceiling installations. Additionally, the construction of the ceiling panels enables them to be installed in the same manner as existing insulation panels or gypsum plaster plywood panels, and the active panel surfaces may be covered with plaster or any coating similar to gypsum board to enable integration into a continuous surface ceiling suitable for coating or covering with any type of suitable ceiling surface layer. Although the panels may reach temperatures of 80 degrees celsius, the panels are configured to meet fire protection requirements. Plug and play connectability simplifies installation and enables flexible positioning of the panel wherever it is needed. The overall cost of the heating system is competitive with most or all other technologies on the market and may be cheaper.

An exemplary heating panel is depicted in fig. 1 and 2. The panel comprises a heat conductive layer 10, the heat conductive layer 10 preferably being in the form of a pan having a bottom 9 and a peripheral side wall 11. While a tray structure including sidewalls is preferred for structural/aesthetic/edge protection functions, in other embodiments, the thermal layer may be devoid of sidewalls without adversely affecting thermal performance. In an exemplary embodiment, the disc is formed of metal (e.g., 0.55mm thick in one embodiment), preferably steel, more preferably galvanized or galvanized steel. Steel is preferred because of low heat capacity, rigidity, excellent fire/smoke/gas protection properties, and low cost, but the invention is not limited to any particular materials of construction. In particular, other metals such as, but not limited to, aluminum and copper, which are good thermal conductors, may be particularly suitable, and non-metallic materials such as ceramic materials, carbon fiber reinforced materials or other thermally conductive fibrous polymeric materials may also be used for the thermally conductive layer. The thermally conductive layer may comprise a multi-layer composite of more than one type of thermally conductive material.

The heat conductive layer has a frame facing surface 13 (intended to be mounted facing the frame of the ceiling to which it is attached) and a room facing surface 15 (intended to be mounted facing the room to which radiant heat is intended to be supplied). A heating film 12, such as a lamina heat Comfort heating film, is disposed over the frame facing surface and preferably in contact with the heat conductive layer. In one embodiment, the layered heating film may have a power rating of 160W at 230v or 110v, and may have a power density of 300W/m 2. An insulating core 14, such as foam, is disposed over the heating film and may be bonded to the inner side walls of the thermally conductive disk. In one embodiment, the foam comprises a rigid Polyurethane (PU) foam that is 11mm thick, but the invention is not limited to foam insulation or any particular type of foam or thickness thereof. In general, insulation materials having a heat conductivity value of k =0.028W/mK to 0.035W/mK and a density of 30kg/m3 to 250kg/m3 are preferred. Additional suitable materials include, without limitation, acrylic and extruded polystyrene (XPS). In one embodiment, the insulation may comprise Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIP) comprising, for example, silicon supplied by va-Q-tec AGPowder core (commercially known as va-Q-plus) ^TM ) VIP of (a), which provides a high-end performance k value of 0.0035, which is about ten times better than standard foam insulation.

A protective barrier 17 may be applied to the frame-facing surface of the insulating core layer. In one embodiment, the protective barrier comprises a layer of gypsum reinforced polyester mesh having a thickness of 0.8 mm. A protective surface is preferred on the frame side of the insulation material to impart structural rigidity and toughness/protection to the foam, but in some embodiments the protective surface may be omitted. The reinforced gypsum is compatible with existing building panels used in the building industry. However, other materials may also be used, including but not limited to polyester mesh/woven glass fiber open fabric mesh and other fiber reinforced polymer coatings. A surface coating 16 (e.g., paper) is applied to the room-facing surface of the thermally conductive layer, and the surface coating 16 (e.g., paper) may be wrapped around the sides of the panel and over at least a portion of the frame-facing side of the panel. Preferably the same paper as the outer layer provided on a standard gypsum/plaster board plywood panel, but the invention is not limited to any particular surface coating. In some embodiments, other surface coatings may be provided, including any or all of the materials suitable for the protective barrier 17 above, including embodiments in which the room-facing surface coating and the frame-facing protective barrier are the same material and embodiments in which the materials are different. A plurality of holes 18 may be provided for securing the panel to the frame, the holes penetrating from the room-facing surface of the panel to the frame-facing surface of the panel.

As depicted in fig. 2, the panel may include a plurality of heating zones defined by layered heating elements, depending on the size of the panel. As depicted in fig. 2, the panel has two

zones

12A and 12B, each surrounded by an insulating peripheral region 20, the insulating peripheral region 20 having a width P between the lateral edges of the panel and the lateral edges of the layered heating element. The insulating perimeter area 20 may comprise, for example, a woven fiberglass E (electric) grade, such as a 200gsm plain weave construction, although the invention is not limited to any particular material. Each heating zone may have a thermal protection cut-off switch 22 coupled to the heater in a central position. In an exemplary embodiment, the cut-off switch may be set to cut off power to the layered heating element whenever the detected heat exceeds a maximum of 80 degrees celsius. However, the present invention is not limited to any particular cutoff maximum.

The power input line 24 is connected to a bus bar 25 of the layered heating unit. An electrical connection housing 26, such as the electrical connection housing 26 depicted in greater detail in fig. 5A and 5B, surrounds the connection location and includes a cutout within the thermally insulating core. In one embodiment, the housing may include a plastic (e.g., nylon/PVC blend) electrical cover 56 that is hollow inside (e.g., the cover defines a top and side walls) and is attached to the panel by inserting two set screws 57 into corresponding nut plate inserts 58 so that, when tightened, the cover is flush with the planar surface of the frame-facing surface of the panel. The nutplate insert may be bonded to the heater, for example, with a high temperature adhesive. The electrical connection housing is not visible from the room-facing surface of the panel. In the embodiment depicted in fig. 5A-5B, the heat conductive layer is not in the form of a pan with side walls, but in the embodiment of a pan with side walls, the side walls generally define the outer edges of the housing, forming a more continuous peripheral edge where the cover is not visible from the periphery of the panel.

In an exemplary control scheme, the controller 50 is connected to the power line 24, which power line 24 may include a ground/earth connection 54 (e.g., to the heat conductive layer) and energized

connections

52 and 53 connected to the bus bars 25 of the

heating elements

12A and 12B, respectively. The connection may be made by any method known in the art, for example, using a conductive adhesive. A tape 59 having electrically insulating properties may cover these connections. The energized connections may ultimately be individually connected to the controller 50 to allow independent control of the zones, or the two heating elements may be controllable together. The respective cut-off switches are shown connected to the

live connectors

52, 53, but are illustratively electrically interposed between the live connections and the bus bars so that no energy is supplied to the heating elements when the cut-off switches are tripped by overheating. In other embodiments, the kill switch may be connected back to the controller. The controller may be configured to record and/or create an alarm condition and generate an audible alarm and/or a visual alarm when the kill switch has tripped. Embodiments may be provided having a remote control, for example embodiments in which the controller is connected to a home wireless communications network and is configured to be controlled by application software on a computer, for example on a telephone, tablet or other mobile device. For example, the controller may provide an alert as a notification to a connected remote device.

As depicted, in an exemplary embodiment, the total thickness T of the panel may preferably be 12.5mm, but the thickness is not limited to any particular dimension, and ideally the panel may be any thickness consistent with the corresponding thickness of a standard plaster tape plywood or plaster panel into which the heating panel is to be mixed. Similarly, the panels may have any length and width, particularly configured for insertion at the location of a full-size block of gypsum board or gypsum plaster plywood, for example in at least one embodiment, the panels have a length L of 1200mm and a width W of 600 mm. In one 1200mm by 600mm by 12.5mm embodiment, the insulating peripheral region may have a width P of 25 mm.

Although one embodiment may include features suitable for use as a panel of gypsum board or sheetrock and the like, embodiments are not limited to such a configuration. For example, ceiling panels suitable for installation alongside standard ceiling tiles may also be formed having some or all of the layers as shown and described. In the ceiling tile embodiment, the room-facing layer of tiles may comprise materials other than paper and/or may have a texture that matches non-radiative ceiling tiles within which the ceiling tiles may be mixed to form an integral ceiling panel system.

The exemplary layered heating elements referred to herein may be of the type described in PCT published application No. WO 2016/113633 (633 WO publication), which is incorporated herein by reference, and which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. As described herein, the heating element may comprise a plurality of layers, including but not limited to an outer reinforcing layer or insulation layer on either or both sides of a resistive heater sheet comprising randomly oriented conductive fibers, such as carbon fibers, for example in the form of a single non-entangled fiber, non-woven wet-lay layer comprising conductive fibers, non-conductive fibers (such as glass fibers), or a combination thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the fibers have an average length of less than 12mm and the fiber layer is free of conductive particles. A typical density of the layer may be in the range of 8 to 60 grams per square meter, more preferably in the range of 15 to 35 grams per square meter. The heater layer preferably has a uniform resistance in any direction (according to a predetermined industry standard for uniformity). The fibrous layer may also include one or more binder polymers and/or flame retardants. Each of the conductive fibers and/or each of the non-conductive fibers may have a length in a range of 6mm to 12 mm. One or more of the plurality of electrically conductive fibers may comprise non-metallic fibers having a metallic coating. The fibrous layer may consist essentially of individual non-entangled fibers and may be particularly marked by the absence of conductive particles in the fibrous matrix. However, the composition of layer 240 is not limited to any particular configuration, functional characteristics, or density.

The fibrous layer or heating element as a whole may also comprise a plurality of perforations, which increases the electrical resistance of the fibrous layer relative to a similar layer without such perforations. The fibre layer also comprises at least two electrically conductive strips, preferably of copper, as busbars. Wires connected to the bus bars enable a voltage to be applied to the heater.

Exemplary installations are depicted in fig. 3 and 4. Fig. 3 depicts an exemplary insulated ceiling construction 30 in which ceiling tiles abut a floor 32 of an adjacent floor of a building 30. The floor 32 may include a plurality of layers such as a subfloor and a floor covering (hardwood, carpet, tile, etc., but not limited to) as well as other functional layers (underlayment, screed, etc., but not limited to). Joists 34 (e.g., wood, steel beams, aluminum framing of nominal 2 x 4, 2 x 6, 2 x 8 inch construction, etc.) support the adjoining floor and receive fasteners 35 (e.g., drywall screws, nails, etc.) that fasten heating panels 36 as described herein, as well as conventional building panels 37 (e.g., sheetrock). Insulation 38 fills the cavity defined by the joists 34, the floor 32 and the

ceiling panels

36, 37. The construction may be particularly useful in the construction of multi-storey, multi-family dwellings in which insulation is provided between adjacent storeys for sound and thermal insulation performance.

Fig. 4 depicts another exemplary ceiling construction 40 in which a insulation layer 42 (e.g., 25mm to 30mm thick mineral wool) is adjacent to the heating panel 36, rather than the conventional drywall panel 37, in this other exemplary ceiling construction 40. In an exemplary embodiment, the insulation layer 42 may be bonded to a similar heating panel to help further contain and direct the thermal output of the panel.

It should be noted that exemplary ceiling configurations are depicted herein by way of example only, and the present invention is not limited to any particular configuration. Although not shown, the ceiling panels are ideal for use in suspended ceiling designs, such as those common in commercial environments, where the panels may be secured to thin steel beams. In the embodiments depicted in fig. 3 and 4, as described above, additional finishing may also be performed, such as applying filler and seam tape over the seams and further processing to create a ceiling having an overall planar configuration without visible seams or fastener depressions, as is well known in the art. Accordingly, the panel (and thus the respective heat conductive layer) may be shaped to have a slightly inclined periphery angled from a middle region to an edge of the panel, which may have a thickness slightly less than the middle region, with a planar middle region in the thickest part of the panel. This slight inclination can help accommodate seam tape and filler to cover the seam and create a substantially planar ceiling (within standard tolerances of planarity, as is well understood by those skilled in the drywall finishing art). Such substantially planar ceilings include a continuous coverable ceiling layer (e.g., suitable for coating or applying additional coverings between building panels (including heating panels and conventional building panels) without visible seams).

In addition to the superior thermal performance of radiant heating panels of gypsum board analog, another advantage includes the simplicity of plug and play, enabling the heating panel to be very easily connected to existing or new power cables in the ceiling.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein with reference to specific embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the invention.

Claims

1. A heating panel having a frame-facing surface and a room-facing surface, the heating panel comprising:

a heat conductive layer having a side facing the room and a side facing the frame;

at least one layered heating element disposed over the frame facing side of the thermally conductive layer;

a thermal insulation layer disposed over the at least one layered heating element;

a room-facing surface layer disposed at least above the room-facing side of the heat conductive layer; and

a power line connected to the layered heating element and configured to be connected to a power source.

2. The heating panel of claim 1, further comprising a protective frame-facing surface layer disposed above the insulation layer and defining at least a portion of the frame-facing surface of the panel.

3. The heating panel of claim 2, wherein the protective frame-facing surface layer comprises a gypsum-reinforced polyester mesh layer bonded to the insulating layer.

4. The heating panel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insulating layer comprises foam.

5. The heating panel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the room facing surface layer comprises paper.

6. A heating panel according to any preceding claim, wherein the heat conductive layer comprises a pan having a peripheral side wall.

7. The heating panel of claim 6, wherein the room facing surface layer is wrapped around the side walls of the heat conductive layer and defines at least a portion of the frame facing surface of the panel.

8. A heating panel according to any preceding claim, further comprising a power cut-off switch configured to cut off power to the laminar heating element upon detection of a temperature in the heating panel greater than a predetermined maximum.

9. The heating panel of claim 8, wherein the predetermined maximum is 80 degrees celsius.

10. The heating panel according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a plurality of holes extending from a room-facing surface of the panel to a frame-facing surface of the panel, the plurality of holes being dimensioned to receive fasteners for fastening the panel to a frame of a building.

11. A heating panel as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising an insulating region extending between the periphery of the panel and the at least one heating element.

12. The heating panel of any preceding claim, comprising two heating elements.

13. The heating panel of claim 12, further comprising an insulating region extending between the two heating elements.

14. The heating panel of any preceding claim, further comprising an electrical housing cutout defined in the insulation layer, wherein the power line is connected to a busbar of the layered heating element within the housing, and the housing comprises a cover flush with the frame-facing surface of the panel.

15. A heating panel according to any preceding claim, wherein the thermally conductive layer comprises a metal.

16. A heating system comprising a heating panel according to any preceding claim, wherein the power line is connected to a controller for regulating power to the heating panel.

17. The heating system of claim 16, wherein the controller comprises a thermostat.

18. The heating system of claim 16 or 17, comprising a plurality of heating panels or a plurality of heating zones in one or more of the panels, wherein one or more of the heating panels or one or more of the heating zones are independently controllable by the controller.

19. A method for heating a room, comprising: mounting at least one heating panel according to any one of claims 1 to 15 on a ceiling of the room; and providing power to the at least one heating element to generate heat radiated into the room.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: connecting a plurality of heating panels to a thermostat controller installed in the room; and controlling heat in the room to reach a set temperature in the room.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the ceiling comprises at least one heating panel and at least one non-heating panel, wherein installing at least one ceiling panel comprises applying gypsum material between the at least one heating panel and the at least one non-heating panel to form a continuous coverable ceiling layer.