EP0345211B1 - Multiple-sheet insulating glass, and glazing - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a multi-pane insulating glass according to the preamble of claim 1 and to glazing according to the preamble of claim 12.

In the usual multi-pane insulating glass, two glass panes are glued opposite one another to a hollow profile frame, usually made of light metal, which they protrude somewhat. The space between the edge parts of the panes projecting beyond the frame is filled with a sealing compound. The frame is perforated on its inner peripheral side, and its cavity contains a desiccant. Common adhesives are e.g. B. butyl adhesive, common sealants polysulfides and silicones, common desiccants silica gel and molecular sieves.

Such multi-pane insulating glass is mainly used for windows of buildings and vehicles. It is subject to constant fluctuations in temperature and atmospheric pressure. In the event of temperature fluctuations, the adhesive points are subjected to changing compressive and tensile stresses due to the different thermal expansion of glass and metal, the changes in atmospheric pressure and changes in atmospheric pressure in the space between the glass panes as a result of temperature fluctuations. This applies accordingly to the surfaces of the sealing compound adhering to the glass panes.

A permanent, absolutely tight edge connection of the glass panes is not possible. Atmospheric air, which is always more or less moist, mainly enters the space between the glass panes when the atmospheric pressure exceeds the pressure in the space or the air pressure in the space drops. Not only the atmospheric pressure, but also the pressure in the closed space between the glass panes is subject to constant fluctuations, because it increases and increases with increasing temperature falling temperature, even if the atmospheric pressure remains constant. Particularly extreme fluctuations in the atmospheric pressure and the pressure in the space between the panes are subject to vehicle panes, for example in winter when the vehicle comes out of the heated garage into the cold and vice versa, as well as when driving into the mountains where the atmospheric pressure is due to the difference in altitude as well the temperature and the pressure in the space change significantly due to the temperature. The desiccant in the cavity of the frame profile can only bind moisture that has penetrated for a limited time. Thereafter, condensation on the inside of one or both glass panes is inevitable when the multi-pane insulating glass cools. The multi-pane insulating glass would have to be dismantled for repair and reassembled after replacing the desiccant. In individual cases this is out of the question for reasons of cost, rather the entire multi-pane insulating glass had to be replaced.

From DE-27 13 968 A1 a window construction with a tight space between two panes is now known, which is connected to a drying agent container. The container is housed in a cavity in the frame. It is equipped with flexible walls so that the pressure can be equalized.

From NL-78 058 a glazing with several windows can be seen, which are connected to a common drying vessel and a common pressure equalization tank. The surge tank is designed as a bellows.

By the invention, as characterized in claims 1 and 12, the object is achieved to create a multi-pane insulating glass or glazing, in which. in which condensation on the inside of the glass panes can be avoided for a practically unlimited period. Particular embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

The advantages achieved by the invention are essentially to be seen in the fact that the multi-pane insulating glass has a practically unlimited duration in the state in which there is no condensation on the inside the glass panes down, can be held. If the drying agent container is provided with at least one closure which can be released to replace the drying agent or can be exchanged together with the drying agent, then the drying agent or the drying agent container can simply be replaced with the drying agent as required or as a precaution at certain intervals. In a special embodiment of the invention, the ingress of atmospheric air with an inevitably not absolutely impervious edge connection is avoided by automatically adjusting the pressure in the space between the glass panes to the respective atmospheric pressure. It is obvious that such pressure equalization, even without replaceability of the desiccant, leads to a very considerable extension of the period of use of conventional multi-pane insulating glasses which contain the desiccant e.g. B. contained in a cavity of a frame profile. The pressure compensation even enables the multi-pane insulating glass to be designed without a desiccant if dry air is filled into the space. A major advantage in this context is that the pressure compensation prevents the glass panes from buckling (curvature) at different internal and external pressures, which previously stressed the adhesive points and the connection of the sealing compound to the panes, which led to leaks. A strong crowning (curvature), which leads relatively quickly to leaks, has so far occurred in particular in the case of coated glass panes in summer, in which the air in the interspace is heated to a great extent, the crowning also being unsightly with such reflecting panes (interference / mirror images).

In the multi-pane insulating glass according to the invention, there is no need for a hollow profile frame which holds the desiccant in the profile cavity. Therefore this can be invented appropriate Multi-pane insulating glass with a much narrower space between the glass plates, that is to say can be made thinner than previously even with the same glass pane thickness. In principle, the adhesive layer applied in an edge region of the glass panes can suffice as a spacer.

• Fig. 1 eine Ansicht eines Mehrscheibenisolierglases, das für die Seitenverglasung von Motorfahrzeugen gestaltet ist,
• Fig. 2 eine Seitenansicht in Blickrichtung II-II in Fig. 1,
• Fig. 3 eine Teilansicht zu Fig. 1, in grösserem Massstab, wobei ein Eckstück der vorderen Glasscheibe weggebrochen ist,
• Fig. 4 einen Schnitt nach der Linie IV-IV in Fig. 3,
• Fig. 5 eine Ansicht einer anderen Ausführungsform,
• Fig. 6 ein Schema einer Verglasung mehrerer Flächen, und
• Fig. 7 eine Ansicht einer weiteren Ausführungsform,
• Fig. 8 und 9 Ansichten von Varianten der Ausführungsform von Fig. 7.

The invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of the attached schematic drawings, which only show execution options. Show it:

• 1 is a view of a multi-pane insulating glass, which is designed for the side glazing of motor vehicles,
• 2 is a side view looking in the direction II-II in Fig. 1,
• 3 is a partial view of FIG. 1, on a larger scale, with a corner piece of the front glass pane broken away,
• 4 shows a section along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3,
• 5 is a view of another embodiment,
• Fig. 6 is a scheme of glazing several areas, and
• 7 is a view of a further embodiment,
• 8 and 9 views of variants of the embodiment of FIG. 7th

1, 2 and 3, a multi-pane insulating glass 1 in its basic structure consists of two glass panes 2 and 3, which are firmly and tightly connected to one another at a small distance from one another in their edge region 4, and a desiccant container 5, which contains a desiccant 6 and is tightly connected to the space 7 between the glass panes 2 and 3. The glass panes 2 and 3 are connected to one another by an adhesive layer 8 and a sealant layer 9, which run directly next to one another in the edge region 4 and form a connecting and sealing frame, the thickness of the layers being the distance and thus the space 7 between the glass panes 2 and 3 determined. In order to achieve a greater distance between the glass panes 2 and 3, a frame can be arranged between the panes and glued to them, the sealant layer 8 enclosing the frame. The desiccant container 5 is tubular and extends almost along the entire length of an edge side of the glass panes 2 and 3 connected to one another. It is connected to the intermediate space 7 between the glass panes 2 and 3 by means of a tubular angle piece 10. One leg 11 of the angle piece 10 is tightly guided through the connection and sealing frame 8/9 shown in section in FIGS. 3 and 4 and firmly connected to the two glass panes 2 and 3. The other leg 12 is connected to the desiccant container 5 by a tight detachable plug connection.

If after a long period of use, e.g. B. the motor vehicle, when cooling the multi-pane insulating glass 1 condensation in the space on one of the glass panes 2 and 3 precipitates, or at regular intervals, in which experience has shown that it is not yet one such precipitation comes, the desiccant container 5 is dismantled from the pipe leg 12, emptied, filled with new or regenerated desiccant 6 and reconnected to the pipe leg 12. Instead, the desiccant container 5 can also be replaced together with the desiccant 6, the replacement container having to remain airtight until it is used. If it is the glazing of a motor vehicle, it is advisable to do this together with other maintenance or revision work. Since condensation is a critical factor in vehicle safety for driving safety, the air humidity or dew point of the air in the container 6 can also be measured at regular intervals with a hygrometer and the desiccant 6 or desiccant container 5 can be replaced based on the measurement result.

The desiccant container 5 could also be non-detachably connected to the pipe leg 11 and be provided with an opening for emptying and filling or a lower emptying and an upper filling opening with releasable closure means. The desiccant container 5 can be at least partially made of resilient material or resiliently shaped, for example in the upper area as a corrugated tube, or consist of a bag or bellows, preferably made of rubber, so that it is between the atmospheric pressure and the pressure in the space 7 between the glass panes 2 and 3 deformed and this pressure matches that. In order not to make this difficult, only a lower part of the desiccant container should be filled. Especially when using a desiccant that changes color when it absorbs moisture, the desiccant container is expediently made of transparent material or it is provided with a window made of such material.

1 to 4, a larger desiccant container 15 is connected to a pipe socket 17 by a detachable connecting line 16. The pipe socket 17, like the pipe leg 11 in FIG. 3, leads into the space between two glass panes, which are designated 18 and 19 in FIG. 5 and are parts of a multi-pane insulating glass 20, the socket 17 in the case of a conventional multi-pane insulating glass equipped with a hollow profile frame Building window is passed through the profile frame and fastened in this. The connecting line 16 expediently consists of flexible material, so that it can be connected tightly but releasably to the pipe socket 17 and the desiccant container 15 by means of pipe clamps 21. Otherwise, the above explanations for FIGS. 1 to 3 apply mutatis mutandis.

In the glazing according to FIG. 6, each of three assemblies 25, 26, 27 has two glass panes which are tightly and tightly connected to one another at the edge, in the intermediate space of which a pipe socket 17 leads, as explained in relation to FIG. 5. A branch of a line 29 is connected to each of the pipe sockets 17 and is connected to a desiccant container 30 and a chamber 31 of a vessel 32. The desiccant container 30 is dimensioned for receiving desiccant 6 for the spaces between the glass panes of all three assemblies 25, 26, 27. As mentioned in connection with FIGS. 1 to 5, the desiccant 6 can be replaced. The other chamber 33 of the vessel 32 is open. Both chambers 31 and 33 are separated from each other by a resilient membrane 34 which, for. B. consists of a plastic film provided with concentric beads and is protected from accidental damage because of its arrangement within the vessel 32. The plastic membrane can be used for verbs Leak tightness metallic coated or with a metal foil, for. B. be provided with an aluminum foil. It prevents the penetration of (moist) outside air, thus ensures a long effectiveness of the desiccant and enables the internal pressure in the assemblies 25, 26, 27 between their glass panes to adapt automatically to the outside atmospheric pressure. Of course, the vessel 32 can also be omitted and the line has an open line end which is exposed to atmospheric pressure for the purpose of venting and venting the space in the event of fluctuations in the atmospheric pressure, the desiccant container being expediently connected to the line in a replaceable manner. Otherwise, the explanations for FIGS. 1 to 5 also apply analogously to FIG. 6. Arrangements of the type described in connection with FIG. 6 are advantageous for the windows of buildings and vehicles (for example motor vehicles, railroad cars, aircraft) because for several windows desiccant only needs to be replaced at one point, this point can be selected so that it is easily accessible, expediently in a vehicle so that the desiccant is changed at a point where other maintenance work is also carried out regularly is.

In the glazing according to FIG. 6, the desiccant container 30 can also be omitted if dry air is filled into the intermediate spaces and the line 29, the penetration of moisture being prevented by the pressure compensation of the expansion vessel 32. Accordingly, in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, the expansion vessel 32 can be provided instead of the desiccant container 5.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a desiccant is contained in the cavity of the frame (spacer frame) of the multi-pane insulating glass 20. The connecting piece 17 opening into the space between the two glass panes and the frame is connected by a pipe 35 to the top of a condensate collection vessel 36, to the lower, funnel-shaped outlet of which a vertically downward-extending capillary tube 37 is connected, the lower, open end of which is atmospheric Is exposed to pressure so that the space between the glass panes is ventilated and vented when the atmospheric pressure fluctuates. The capillary tube 37 is placed in a cool place for the condensation of moisture from the incoming air. When the atmospheric pressure rises, the condensate collecting vessel 36 collects condensate which has been pushed upwards and which is expelled again through the capillary tube when the atmospheric pressure falls.

In the variant shown in FIG. 8, a desiccant container 30 is inserted into the tube 35. 6, the desiccant container 30 can also be connected to the line 35, the connection preferably being detachable for the purpose of replacing the container. The capillary tube 37 and the vessel 36 largely protect the desiccant container 30 from the moisture in the outside air, so that it only absorbs the moisture which does not condense in the capillary tube 37 (if it is too warm) and therefore remains effective for very long periods of time.

In the variant shown in FIG. 9, a vessel 32 corresponding to FIG. 6 is inserted into the tube 35. The space between the glass panes communicates with the cavity 31 and the cavity 33 separated therefrom by the membrane 34 communicates with the atmosphere via the vessel 36 and the capillary tube. The membrane 34 yields in the event of changes in the difference between the internal pressure in the intermediate space and the atmospheric external pressure, so that the internal pressure is adjusted to the external pressure. The capillary tube 37 and the vessel 36 protect the membrane 34 from moisture, so that no particularly high requirements are imposed on the tightness (moisture impermeability) of the membrane 34 and a particularly well-flexible, thin plastic membrane can be used for an optimal pressure compensation without there is a risk that the membrane becomes moist and moisture diffuses through the membrane over time.

In one embodiment, not shown, a long pipe or hose line with an open line end exposed to atmospheric pressure is connected to the connection piece 17 for the purpose of ventilation of the space between the glass panes in the event of fluctuations in the atmospheric pressure. The line is dimensioned such that the volume of the air plug in it is at least as large as the maximum expansion of the air volume located between the lowest and the highest atmospheric pressure between the two glass panes. And the inside diameter of the line is so small that the air plug only moves as a whole in the event of pressure fluctuations, so that no damp outside air can get directly into the space between the glass panes due to a turbulent air flow. There is expediently at least a section of the line, preferably at least the line section adjoining the line end exposed to the atmospheric pressure, from a capillary tube to be arranged in a cool place for the condensation of the moisture from the air entering.

The multi-pane insulating glass can also have more than two glass panes which are tightly connected to one another at their edges (directly or via a frame in each case), the two or more intermediate spaces between the glass panes having one or each desiccant container 5, 30 and / or an expansion vessel 32 or above a pipe is connected to the atmosphere.

The multi-pane insulating glass or the glazing can, as mentioned, be used for vehicles, buildings, railroad cars, airplanes, and also for ships and for machine and apparatus construction, for. B. for showcases.

The multi-pane insulating glass according to the invention can also be designed with one or preferably two closable connecting pieces leading into the space between the glass panes instead of with a desiccant container or an expansion vessel. If the dry air filled into the intermediate space has become moist, it can then be replaced by dry air in each case: in the embodiment with only one nozzle, by alternately suctioning and blowing dry air through the nozzle; in the embodiment with two nozzles by blowing dry air into one nozzle and discharging or sucking out the moist air through the other nozzle.

Claims (12)

1. Multiple pane insulating glass in which a space between panes of glass interconnected at their edges in a leaktight manner contains dry air and/or is subject to the effect of a drying agent, wherein the space between the panes of glass is connected in a leaktight manner to a confined cavity (31) of which the outside is at least partially exposed to atmospheric pressure and of which the boundary is at least partially (34) flexible in order to yield when there are changes in the difference between the internal pressure in the space and the external atmospheric pressure and to adapt the internal pressure to the external pressure, characterised in that the cavity is a first chamber (31) of a pressure-compensating vessel (32) and is separated from a second chamber (33) of the vessel (32) by a flexible diaphragm (34), a duct (35) having an open end which is exposed to atmospheric pressure opening into the second chamber (33).
2. Multiple pane insulating glass according to Claim 1, characterised in that the diaphragm (34) is a plastics sheet with concentric beading.
3. Multiple pane insulating glass according to Claim 2, characterised in that the plastics sheet is metal-coated or is provided with a metal foil.
4. Multiple pane insulating glass according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the dimensions of the duct are such that the volume of the air plug it contains is at least as large as the maximum expansion occurring in the volume of air in the space between the lowest and the highest atmospheric pressures.
5. Multiple pane insulating glass according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that at least a portion of the duct (35), preferably at least the portion of the duct adjoining the end thereof which is exposed to atmospheric pressure, consists of a capillary tube (37) to be arranged in a cool place in order to condense the moisture from incoming air.
6. Multiple pane insulating glass according to Claims 1 and 5, characterised in that a container (30) for a drying agent is connected to the duct (35) or fitted therein, between the capillary tube (37) and the entry of the duct (35) into the space.
7. Multiple pane insulating glass according to Claim 5 or Claim 6, characterised in that the end of the capillary tube (37) which faces the second cavity (33), i.e. the end facing the space, opens into a container (36) for collecting condensate which is forced out of the capillary tube (37) towards the second cavity (33), i.e. towards the space, as the atmospheric pressure rises.
8. Multiple pane insulating glass (1; 20) according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the drying agent (6) is contained in a drying-agent container (5; 15; 30) which is disposed outside the interconnected panes of glass and is connected to the space (7) between the panes of glass (2, 3; 18, 19).
9. Multiple pane insulating glass (1; 20) according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the drying-agent container (5) has at least one closure which can be detached for the replacement of the drying agent (6), or it can be replaced together with the drying agent (6).
10. Multiple pane insulating glass according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the drying-agent container (5) is tubular and is disposed along at least a portion of the periphery of the interconnected panes of glass (2, 3).
11. Multiple pane insulating glass according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the wall of the drying-agent container is at least partially transparent.
12. Glazing of a plurality of areas or partial areas with multiple pane insulating glass according to any one of Claims 1 to 11, characterised in that the spaces formed between panes of glass interconnected at their edges are each connected to a common drying-agent container (30).

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