EP1866495B1 - Brick or block-shaped building element and the assembly thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A building element (E) is used for building walls, partitions, plates or closing devices such as blinds and doors, in particular for buildings and includes at least one volume (3) in particular in the form of a prism or cylinder limited by first (1) and second (2) faces made of a transparent material and sidewalls (4), wherein the element (E) includes at least one lens (5) which contains a focal plane and is placed near the first face (1) and a translucent screen (7) placed between the lens (5) and the second face (2). The image of a space in front of the lens (5) is formed on the screen 7 and can be seen from the rear of the building element (E).

Description

The present invention relates to a construction element, of brick or block type, to participate in the construction of walls, partitions, slabs, closure devices such as shutters or doors, especially for buildings, comprising at least one volume, in particular prismatic or cylindrical, limited by first and second parallel faces of transparent material and side walls.

The invention is particularly suitable for architectural decoration.

To decorate the openings to the outside, the architects and designers of architectural ensembles must so far choose between solutions allowing the inhabitants to have a broad vision of the outside but not preserving the intimacy of the dwellings and buildings. solutions allowing the passage of the light and the conservation of a certain intimacy without offering the possibility to the inhabitants to have a vision of the outside.

Devices such as glass bricks allow light to pass through buildings, but do not allow you to see outside or in a very fuzzy or fuzzy manner. Those that are transparent do not allow to see the outside without being seen.

The effort of the inventors was mainly oriented towards the search for an improvement of the thermal properties to the detriment of the optical properties.

EP 0133989 describes a device using a light radiation concentration chamber to try to use natural light from outside while managing the heat exchange. But the device described does not allow people inside a building to have a vision of the outside. A device with the features of the preamble of claim 1 is known to GB 794864 .

The object of the invention is, above all, to provide a device which makes it possible to have a clear image of the outside without being seen and to bring light inside the building.

According to the invention, a building element for participating in the construction of walls, partitions, slabs, or closure devices such as shutters or doors, especially for buildings, comprises at least one volume, in particular parallelepipedal, prismatic or cylindrical, limited by first and second faces of transparent material and side walls, and is characterized in that it comprises at least one optical; admitting a focal plane, placed in the vicinity of the first face and a screen translucent disposed such that an image of the space in front of the optic is formed on said screen and can be viewed from the rear of said building element.

The screen can be located between the optics and the second face or placed at the level of the second face.

The second face may be transparent and its outer surface frosted.

The screen may be located in the vicinity of the focal plane of the optics. The optics may comprise at least one lens that can be convex.

The side walls may have, at least at the level of the space between the screen and the second face, an opaque inner surface. Alternatively, the side walls may be transparent and have, at least at the space between the screen and the second face an opaque outer surface.

The volume of the element may be hollow or full.

The optics can occupy the whole of the first face. The first face and the optics can be made in one piece. The first face may include multiple lenses, each causing an image to form on the screen.

The volume can admit a geometrical axis and the optics admit an optical axis parallel to or coincident with the geometric axis of the volume, the screen being perpendicular to the optical axis of the optics.

The screen may include a translucent plate.

The building element may include a gap between the screen and the second face.

The construction element may be molded in two parts, one comprising the first face and the optics and the other part comprising the second face, the two parts being assembled on each side of a screen plate.

The invention also relates to an assembly comprising several identical or different elements of construction as defined above.

The assembly can be obtained by the superposition of several layers containing the different parts of the building elements.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear in the description which follows with reference to the accompanying drawings but which has no limiting character.

• Fig. 1 est une vue en perspective d'un élément de construction selon l'invention.
• Fig. 2 est une vue en élévation latérale avec parties tronquées de l'élément de Fig. 1, utilisant une lentille plan-convexe, la partie convexe étant à l'intérieur de l'élément.
• Fig. 3 est une vue identique à Fig. 2, l'élément utilisant une lentille biconvexe.
• Fig. 4 est une vue identique à Fig. 2, la partie convexe étant à l'extérieur de l'élément.
• Fig. 5 est une vue identique à Fig. 2, l'élément utilisant une lentille qui ne couvre que partiellement la surface de la première face.
• Fig. 6 est une vue identique à Fig. 2, l'élément utilisant un écran hémisphérique.
• Fig. 7 est une vue identique à Fig. 2, l'élément utilisant plusieurs lentilles.
• Fig. 8 est une vue identique à Fig. 2, l'écran étant confondu avec la partie externe de la seconde face.
• Fig. 9 est une vue identique à Fig. 2, l'écran étant confondu avec la paroi interne de la seconde face.
• Fig. 10 est une vue semblable à Fig. 9, l'écran étant hémisphérique.
• Fig. 11 est une vue en perspective d'un second mode de réalisation d'un élément selon l'invention, l'élément étant de forme cylindrique.
• Fig.12 est une vue en élévation latérale de l'élément de Fig. 11.
• Fig. 13 est une vue en perspective d'un assemblage d'éléments selon l'invention sous forme de panneau, et
• Fig. 14 est une vue en élévation latérale de l'assemblage de Fig. 14.

On these drawings:

• Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a building element according to the invention.
• Fig. 2 is a side elevation view with truncated parts of the Fig. 1 , using a plano-convex lens, the convex part being inside the element.
• Fig. 3 is a view identical to Fig. 2 , the element using a biconvex lens.
• Fig. 4 is a view identical to Fig. 2 the convex part being outside the element.
• Fig. 5 is a view identical to Fig. 2 , the element using a lens that only partially covers the surface of the first face.
• Fig. 6 is a view identical to Fig. 2 , the element using a hemispherical screen.
• Fig. 7 is a view identical to Fig. 2 , the element using several lenses.
• Fig. 8 is a view identical to Fig. 2 , the screen being merged with the outer part of the second face.
• Fig. 9 is a view identical to Fig. 2 , the screen being merged with the inner wall of the second face.
• Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 , the screen being hemispherical.
• Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an element according to the invention, the element being of cylindrical shape.
• Fig.12 is a side elevation of the element of Fig. 11 .
• Fig. 13 is a perspective view of an assembly of elements according to the invention in the form of a panel, and
• Fig. 14 is a side elevation view of the assembly of Fig. 14 .

To refer at Fig. 1 and 2 it can be seen that a building element E according to the invention comprises a prismatic volume 3 limited by a first and a second parallel faces 1 and 2 made of transparent material and lateral parities 4. The faces 1 and 2 are orthogonal to the generatrices 4 flat walls. Volume 3 is made entirely of glass or transparent polymer material. It is possible to use different materials to make the side walls such as composite materials.

The volume 3 is hollow and its section by a plane parallel to the first face 1 is a polygon, for example a square.

An optics 5 composed of a plano-convex lens 6 is disposed on the first face. The surface 6a of the lens 6 facing the inside of the element E is convex while the surface 6b of the lens 6 facing towards the outside of the element E is flat. The contour 6c of the lens 6 is preferably tangential to the inner surface of the side walls 4 or to its extension so as to maximize the size of the lens and thus the amount of light entering the element E. It is possible to provide a lens 6 with a contour 6c truncated so that the lens 6 can occupy the entire surface of the first face 1.

The lens 6 is obtained directly from the first face 1 during molding.

A translucent plate forming a screen 7 is disposed inside the volume 3 in the or near the focal plane of the lens 6. The screen 7 can be obtained from a transparent material such as for example the glass, whose face 7a facing the lens 6 is frosted. The screen 7 is arranged between the lens 6 and the second face 2 so that an image of the space in front of the lens 6 is formed on the screen 7. This arrangement makes it possible to obtain a clear image of an object located at infinity but one can choose to achieve differently the focus of the device, for example on nearby objects, placing the screen 7 in the image plane of the object plane.

The volume 3 has a geometric axis and the optic 5 has an optical axis parallel to or coincident with the geometric axis of the volume 3. The screen 7 is perpendicular to the optical axis.

The element E has an intermediate space 8 between the screen 7 and the second face 2 in order to prevent parasitic light rays coming from the inside of the building from striking the frosted surface of the screen 7 and hindering the reading. of the image.

The side walls 4 comprise at the intermediate space 8 an opaque coating 9. The opaque coating 9 is applied to the inner surface of the intermediate space 8. Alternatively, the side walls can be transparent and the opaque coating applied on the outer surface of the interspace 8 which simplifies the manufacturing process.

The element E comprises holding means 10 intended to make it possible to secure the element E with, for example, a wall or other elements according to the invention. These holding means 10 consist of projecting portions 11 making it possible, in particular, to increase the effectiveness of the seal.

Element E is obtained by molding. It is advantageous to mold the element E into two parts, one comprising the first face 1 and the optic 5 and the other part comprising the interspace 8 and the second face 2. The two parts are assembled from each side of the plate serving as screen 7.
In this way the two parts of the mold are of simple design and it is possible to avoid problems of molding.

When the element E is in place in an opaque wall 12, alone or with other similar elements, the first face 1 being located on the outer side 13 of the wall 12 and the second face 2 being located on the inner side 14, the light rays coming from outside penetrate the element E by the first face 1 through the optic 5, that is to say the lens 6. They then converge at the focal plane of the lens 6 and form an image on the screen 7, located in the vicinity of the focal plane of the lens 6. The image obtained is sharp and can be seen, through the second face 2, by an observer located on the inner side 14 of the wall 12.

This operation is not reversible and an observer located on the outer side 13, looking through the first face 1, will see no image on the screen 7. At most, the screen 7 will appear to him more or less light depending variations in light intensity on the inside 14.

Many variations are possible from the embodiment described above.

In particular it is possible to use different types of lenses. Use a 603 biconvex lens ( Fig. 3 ) makes it possible to reduce the focal length and thus the bulk of the element E.

A plano-convex lens 604 whose surface 6a is plane and the surface 6b is convex ( Fig. 4 ) makes it possible to reduce the geometric aberrations with respect to the embodiment of Fig. 2 .

Fig. 5 illustrates another embodiment of an element according to the invention where a lens 605 of small diameter, occupying only part of the face 1, is used which decreases the amount of light arriving on the screen.

Fig. 6 illustrates another embodiment of an element according to the invention where the surface 7a of the screen 7 comprises a hemispherical profile. This type of profile makes it possible at least partially to correct deformations, due to the lens, observed at the periphery of the image.

The optics 5 may comprise several lenses. Fig. 7 shows a plurality of lenses 607 disposed on the face 1 which makes it possible to obtain a plurality of images on the screen 7, each lens causing the formation of a corresponding image. It is also possible to envisage that one or more lenses or similar devices are interposed between the lens 6 and the screen 7, along the optical axis of the optics 5. Such additions can be made, in particular, so as to improve the quality of the image obtained on the screen 7 or to obtain aesthetic effects.

According to another embodiment illustrated by Fig. 8 to 10 , the element according to the invention does not have a spacer space 8. The screen 7 is then arranged at the second face 2. The second face 2 is transparent and its outer surface is frosted as on Fig. 8 or the screen 7 is made on the inner surface of the second face 2 as shown in FIG. Fig. 9 .

This type of arrangement is more easily achievable, especially in the case where the element E is full. The outer surface of the second face 2 is then frosted to produce the screen 7.

It is naturally possible to combine this embodiment with elements already mentioned and, in particular, Fig. 10 illustrates a case where the element according to the invention, having no interspace 8, is made with the face 7a of the hemispherical screen 7.

This type of embodiment will ideally be used in situations where the external light is more intense than the inner light.

The element is commonly made of prismatic shape but other shapes can be envisaged. Fig. 11 and FIG. 12 illustrate an embodiment where the element is cylindrical in shape.

It is possible to combine several E elements to cover a larger area. In this way, the contribution of light inside the building is all the more important and it is possible to create real panels or partitions ( Fig. 13 and 14 ).

Such sets of elements can be produced in the form of panels composed of several layers. For example, a first layer comprises the first faces 1 and the optics 5, a second layer comprises the side walls 4, which form a mesh stiffening the structure, and a third layer comprises the screens 7 in the case of a realization without space interlayer between the screens 7 and the second faces 2.

In the case where the element E is essentially full, a single layer may suffice. First faces 1 comprising optics 5 are then formed on a first face of this single layer and second faces 2 are made on a second face of this single layer.

The optics 5 are obtained directly during the shaping of the elements E or reported. The screens 7 are obtained by plating the second faces 2 or by depositing a coating on the second faces 2.

The concept of the invention allows great freedom of embodiment and the shape of the element can be, to a large extent, adapted to the requirements of the environment of its use. For example, sets of elements in the form of truncated cone or pyramid can make it possible to produce curved walls or cupolas. Sets of panel elements can be used to make shutters or doors.

The illuminance function can be optimized to the detriment of the possibility of seeing without being seen. The element according to the invention makes it possible to obtain an interesting lighting by using the external light and the aesthetics of the element can be modified, for example by the use of tinted glass.

It is also conceivable to make all or part of the element according to the invention in a safety glass, with high mechanical strength, which allows the element to be used in environments with high safety requirements such as , for example, banks.

Claims (20)

1. Building element (E) for use in the building of walls, partitions, slabs or closing devices such as shutters or doors, in particular for buildings, comprising at least one volume (3), particularly with a parallelepiped, prismatic or cylindrical shape, delimited by a first (1) and second (2) face made of transparent material and lateral walls (4) and at least one optical system (5) admitting a focal plane, placed adjacent to the first face (1), characterised in that it comprises a translucent screen (7) arranged such that an image of the space located in front of the optical system (5) is formed on said screen (7) and can be observed from the rear of said building element (E).
2. Building element according to claim 1, characterised in that the screen (7) is located between the optical system (5) and the second face (2).
3. Building element according to claim 1, characterised in that the screen (7) is installed at the level of the second face (2).
4. Building element according to claim 3, characterised in that the second face is transparent and ground on its external surface.
5. Building element according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the screen (7) is located adjacent to the focal plane of the optical system (5).
6. Building element according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the optical system (5) comprises at least one lens (6).
7. Building element according to claim 6, characterised in that the optical system (5) comprises at least one convex lens.
8. Building element according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the lateral walls (4) have, at least in the space between the screen (7) and the second face (2), an opaque internal surface.
9. Building element according to any one of claims 1 to 7 characterised in that the lateral walls (4) are transparent and have, at least in the space between the screen (7) and the second face (2), an opaque external surface.
10. Building element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the volume of the element (E) is hollow.
11. Building element according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the volume of the element (E) is solid.
12. Building element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the optical system (5) occupies the whole of the first face (1).
13. Building element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first face (1) and the optical system (5) are made as a single piece.
14. Building element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first face (1) comprises several lenses, each causing the formation of an image on the screen (7).
15. Building element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the volume (3) admits a geometric axis and the optical system (5) admits a parallel optical axis or an axis merged with the geometric axis of the volume (3), and the screen (7) is perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical system (5).
16. Building element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the screen (7) comprises a translucent plate.
17. Building element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises an intermediate space (8) between the screen (7) and the second face (2).
18. Building element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it is moulded in two parts, one comprising the first face (1) and the optical system (5) and the other part comprising the second face (2), the two parts being assembled from either side of a plate acting as the screen (7).
19. Assembly comprising one or more identical or different elements as defined in the preceding claims.
20. Assembly according to claim 16, characterised in that it is obtained by overlaying several layers containing the different parts of elements E.

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