ES2608686T3 - Window with a masked glass - Google Patents

Abstract

A window for a building comprising a frame and a glass (1) mounted thereon, said glass (1) comprising at least two leaf elements, such as glass sheets, separated by one or more separating elements, where a part of the glass (1) is projected onto the frame, so it is invisible from the inside in the assembled state, where one leaf element has a width or height greater than the other (s), an edge of the larger leaf element which is projected on the separator element (s) and where at least one sheet element is provided with a functional mask (2) on a surface thereof, the mask (2) being provided on the part (s) ( s) invisible (s) of the glass (1), characterized in that the largest leaf element projects from the other (s) only on one side, that an additional mask (2) is provided on a surface of the glass, which at least one of the masks (2) surrounds a photovoltaic element (33), arranged in the glass (1) , and that the two or more different masks (2) are provided in different locations in the glass (1).

Description

Window with a masked glass

The present invention relates to a window for a building comprising a frame and a glass mounted thereon, said glass comprising at least two sheet elements, such as glass sheets, separated by one.

or more separating elements. In this, the term "frame" encompasses both fixed and mobile frames, including traditional sash frames. On the other hand, the term includes such elements, which also includes other elements.

In recent years the number of functionalities that modern type windows are expected to have steadily increased and at the same time there is a demand for increasingly thinner designs. In response, the frame structures have been optimized with the state of the art materials, hollow profiles that house electrical wires, etc. As a result, the number of different necessary components has increased and special frame designs have been developed for each type of window which leads to an increase in manufacturing costs. An example of this is shown in document DE10059849A1, where a so-called frameless window uses a layer of protective enamel, applied to the inner surface of an outer sheet of glass in order to protect an adhesive used to fix the glass to the Sunlight structure.

Therefore, the object of the invention is to provide a window, where the frame structure can be simplified without compromising the breadth of the window.

This is achieved by a window according to claim 1.

In this window a part of the glass is projected on the frame, so it is invisible from the inside in the assembled state, and at least one sheet element is provided with a functional mask on a surface thereof, the mask being provided in the invisible part (s) of the glass. The functions, which were previously seated in the frame, therefore, can be transferred to the glass without reducing the amount of light transmitted to the interior of the building and blocking the view. A mask can for example function as a cover for the gasket used between the glass and the frame to protect it from solar radiation or form solar glasses or a rain sensor. It can, however, also serve a more indirect purpose such as contributing to or promoting glass bonding. In a particularly preferred embodiment, an adhesion promoter is applied to the edge of the glass, which is enclosed in the frame by molding. The adhesion promoter can be a mask that has an especially good friction resistance or a material that forms a chemical connection to the frame material.

It is to be understood that the term "mask" is not limited to the coverage only of thin units, sheet-shaped coatings, but also of the thicker ones, such as solar cells, sensors, screens, etc. The common characteristic of objects covered by the term "mask" is that they are not transparent for at least some wavelengths and therefore would block the view or reduce the transmission of light if they are arranged in the visible part of the glass.

As the window is provided with more than one mask, the glass may be provided with two or more different functionalities. Two or more different masks are provided in different locations in the glass, but it is also possible to provide the masks on top of each other.

Each mask may be formed of any material suitable for the particular purpose, such as a current transport lacquer for the formation of wires, and may also have a pattern and / or color. Patterns and colors can serve purely technical purposes, such as achieving a particularly good filtration of the sun. They can, however, also serve more aesthetic purposes such as the achievement of a better architectural ensemble by applying a mask, which gradually becomes thinner with the distances from the frame, to visually soften the articulation between the frame and glass.

A glass of the type called step unit is used, where one leaf element has a width or length greater than the other (s) seen in the glass plane, an edge of the larger leaf element is used projecting on the element separator. The projection is constituted by the projected part of the larger sheet element, which leads to a considerably lighter appearance than if a regular or similar thermo glass is used, where the projection could appear disproportionately bulky due to the thickness of the glass. The size of the largest sheet element in relation to the smallest can be adjusted for the particular purpose as well as the relative position of the sheet elements. If a larger mask, such as a photovoltaic element, is applied, the outer leaf element can be considerably longer than the smaller one and displaced therein, which implies a large projection on, for example, the lower edge of the glass .

Since the projection edge of the step unit glass covers the window frame totally or partially, the transfer of functionalities to the glass is particularly advantageous when using such step unit glass.

Step unit glasses are often mounted using new glazing techniques such as enclosing the glass element by a reaction injection molding process (RIM) in a material

thermoplastic or pultruded that adheres to the glass surface. As there are no glazing profiles or the like to protect the adherent against solar radiation, a mask can be used for this purpose.

Glasses of the step unit having two leaf elements are described herein, but it is to be understood that the glasses of the step unit with three or more leaf elements can also be used.

A window according to the invention can in principle have any type of frame suitable for mounting in a building, that is, it can have only one stationary frame or the glass can be mounted in a movable frame, that is, a guillotine, attached to the stationary frame. Intermediate frames can also be provided. The frames can be made of wood, plastic or metal and the frame profiles can be hollow or solid. The glass can be attached to the frame by gluing, by adhesion or by mechanical means. For the sake of clarity, the frame has been set aside in the drawing and will be discussed briefly in the following.

Glass usually consists of monolithic glass elements. In this context, the term "monolithic glass" covers annealed glass, tempered glass, laminated glass, reinforced glass, printed or figurative glass, as well as other types of glass that are used in conventional glasses. Even if it is referred to as being made of glass, it is understood that the Plexiglas (also known as Perspex) or any other sheet element, transparent or not, that is suitable for the particular use of the window, can also be used, including luminescent materials. The glass can have coatings on one or both sides.

The sheet elements of the glass are separated by distance separators or maintainers, such as distance profiles, arranged continuously or intermittently along the entire peripheral edge, thus forming a cavity between the sheet elements. The cavity can be filled with dry air, gas, such as Ar, Kr

or Xe, or with suitable gas mixtures to improve the insulating properties of the glass by reducing its U value. A vacuum glass can also be used as can a glass with an airgel layer that fills the space between the leaf elements . Breads comprising three or more leaf elements, such as three-leaf thermo glasses, can also be used, as well as combinations of different types of glass, such as a traditional thermo glass in combination with a single-leaf glass. If a type of glass that can best be done in relatively small units, such as vacuum glasses, is used, a series of glass elements can be arranged side by side for the formation of a larger glass element of the desired size. This method can also be used to provide different areas of the glass with different properties such as color, opacity, insulation, etc.

The separating elements can be made of metal or plastic. A desiccant can be deposited in the hollow distance profiles, embedded in a matrix or in a pickup element in each of the cavities delimited by the glass sheets and the distance profiles.

The glass sheet elements are normally flat and parallel to each other. They can, however, also be curved for use with a skylight of the curved type and the distance between them may vary, which can improve the insulating properties of the sound of the glass.

In one embodiment, the glass is provided with a mask along its edge. When applied on the outer sheet of the glass, said mask protecting the seal, which protects the space between the two sheets of glass from solar radiation that can cause accelerated deterioration. This is particularly important when using thermo or vacuum glasses. The mask can also function as a primer promoting the adhesion or friction between the glass and the frame which contributes to the fixation of the glass. A gasket arranged between the glass and the frame can also be protected from solar radiation by the provision of a mask on the inner sheet of the glass.

The terms "interior" and "exterior" refer to the orientation of the window when mounted in a building, the inner sheet facing the interiors of the building and the outer sheet towards the outdoors. This terminology applies throughout the description.

A mask can be arranged either on the outer surface of the sheet element or inside towards the space between the sheet elements. Which is preferred depends on the functionality of the mask. If, for example, the mask is to serve as a primer to improve adhesion, it must of course be arranged on the face of the leaf element facing the frame. Other masks are fragile and will be better protected if they are arranged inside a leaf element, which may for example be desirable if it serves a current conductor or an antenna.

The masking is preferably done by printing and can be applied by a screen printing technique, such as a two-component hot fixation lacquer or other cold or hot lacquer.

By screen printing techniques, printing is preferably applied to annealed glass. Once the impression is dry, the glass is passed through a hardening furnace, which burns the impression on the surface of the glass and tempers the glass.

Lacquers are applied to tempered or annealed glass. Normally, tempered glass is used, since solar radiation can cause large thermal stresses in the glass, ultimately causing it to break if it is not tempered.

In some cases, it will be sufficient to use a material that blocks the light in the visual spectrum, but in another case it may be advantageous for the mask to also block the light in the ultraviolet (UV) or near infrared (NIR) spectrum.

Many types of masks are applied as a thin layer of material. Adhesive films and the like can be used for this purpose, but if the material is instead applied in liquid form it can be applied as a continuous layer or as discrete spots of material depending on the desired function of the mask.

The use of points can give greater resistance to friction thereby promoting the fixing of the frame. By fixing the glass by glazing in a molded frame this increase in frictional resistance allows a satisfactory fixation to be achieved based solely on the adhesion of the frame material. The use of glue, which is particularly sensitive to solar radiation, etc., is therefore unnecessary. The increase in friction resistance and the advantages thereof, however, can also be achieved in other ways, for example, by using a thicker masking material.

Materials capable of reflecting, absorbing or accumulating heat can be used to improve window performance in different weather conditions.

If it is arranged outside the outer leaf element, the masking material must be of a quality that makes it resistant to wear caused by solar radiation, humectants, scratching effects caused by wind, vegetation material, animal activity etc. This can be achieved through the use of an enamel, which is a coating that burns on the surface of the glass during tempering.

A masking can also add aesthetic functions to the glass unit. An example of this is to give the edge of the glass an appearance, which creates a correlation between the glass element, distance profiles, flashing, covers, coatings and the cover material. The mask can for example be the same color as the flashing, coatings and coatings used and gradually fades away with the distance from the edge, thus erasing the junction between the glass and the frame. For this, the mask should preferably be applied on the outer side of the glass to therefore blur the difference in reflection between the glass and the metal.

In the following, the invention will be described in more detail by reference to the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a glass unit for use in a window and with a masking along the edge of the glass,

Figure 2 shows a glass unit corresponding to that of Figure 1 but with the addition of a pattern print,

Figure 3 shows a glass unit corresponding to that of Figure 1 but with the addition of a photovoltaic element,

Figure 4 shows a glass unit corresponding to that of Figure 1 but with the addition of printed hot wires,

Figure 5 shows a glass unit corresponding to that of Figure 1 but with the addition of a printed antenna,

Figure 6 shows a glass unit corresponding to that of Figure 1 but with the addition of an integrated sensor,

Figure 7 shows a glass unit corresponding to that of Figure 1 but with the addition of a printed logo, and

Figure 8 shows examples of different configurations of step glass units.

In Figure 1, which shows an embodiment not covered by the invention, the glass 1 is provided with a mask 2 along its edge. When applied to the outer sheet of glass 1, said mask 2 protects the seal, which protects the space between the two sheets of glass from solar radiation that can cause accelerated deterioration.

Masking can also add aesthetic functions to the glass unit 21. An example of this, which is not within the scope of the present invention, is shown in Figure 2, where a mask 23 serving an aesthetic purpose is arranged adjacent to a protective mask 22 of the type described above.

The mask can also be used for the separation of parts of the glass that serve different functional purposes. An example of this is shown in Figure 3, where a masking strip 32 separates the upper part 31 from the lower part 33. The upper part can serve the common purpose of windows to transmit light to the

inside the building, while the lower part can be provided with a photovoltaic element for the supply of electricity to other functional elements, which can even be eliminated in other windows mounted on the same structure.

An example, which is not covered by the scope of the present invention, of such a functional element is shown in Figure 4, in which the masking of the protective edge is complemented by a series of hot threads 43. The purpose of these threads 43 is to heat the glass 41 to minimize the formation of condensation, which often occurs on the outer side of modern type glasses 41 with especially low U values. The energy necessary for heating the wires 43 can be supplied from a conventional power supply or from a solar cell, possibly arranged on a glass 41. The same hot wires 43 must of course be arranged in the visible part of the glass 41, but the connections to the supply line and possibly also the power supply itself is arranged in the invisible part of the glass 41 as illustrated in the edge mask 42.

Hot threads 43 are very thin and can only be seen when studying the glass closely. The screen printing technique is particularly suitable for the manufacture of such thin masking.

Other examples of electrically conductive masks are shown in Figures 5 and 6.

In Figure 5, which shows an embodiment not covered by the scope of the present invention, an antenna 53 is integrated in the glass 51 having an edge mask 52, preferably inside the outer glass sheet to optimize the combination of protection and reception. Many types of antenna can be integrated in this way, for example, for a DAB radio, digital television and mobile phone.

In Fig. 6, which shows an embodiment not covered by the scope of the present invention, a sensor 63 is integrated in the glass surface 61 having an edge mask 62. Weather data such as rain, temperature, can be recorded. pressure, humidity, carbon dioxide levels, UV intensity, light intensity, etc., which can be, for example, used for ventilation control, blinds and automatic opening / closing of windows , etc.

A sensor on the outer side of the glass can be combined with a screen (not shown) on the inner side that communicates output data to people in the building. As for the hot wires mentioned above, the screen and / or the sensor can be arranged in the visible part of the glass, while the connections, power supply, etc. They are in the invisible part. If both the sensor and the screen are arranged on the visible part of the glass, they should preferably be arranged on each side of the glass facing each other to minimize the covered area.

Figure 7, which shows an embodiment not covered by the scope of the present invention, shows a different type of functional element, namely the provision of a logo 73 on the outer side of the window, where the window glass 71 It has an edge mask 72. Other objects of figures such as decorations, advertisements, name signs, directional information or the like can also be applied. In the embodiments shown, an opaque or colored masking is applied below to hide separating elements, joints and the like, which might otherwise blur the image.

Antennas, sensors, screens and other functional elements may be arranged in a different location on the glass, with or without contact with each other, and may have different sizes and shapes than those shown. Similarly, the different functional elements described in this document can be combined with each other and with other elements that are not explicitly described in this document.

Depending on the design of the frame and the method of assembly, it may be advantageous to use crystals of the step unit type, when the elements of the outer sheet of the glass are projected onto the separating elements. The functional elements are then arranged in the projected part of the outer leaf element. As an example, the glass shown in Figure 3 can be mounted with the lower part 33 that is projected on the window frame, the inner leaf element and the frame corresponding in size and shape to the top part of the glass.

Figure 8 shows a series of examples of glasses of the two-leaf step unit, where the two leaf elements are displaced from each other in different ways, only Figure 8D being covered by the scope of the present invention. In Figure 8A one of the two rectangular sheet elements of the glass is projected onto the other on all four sides, while the largest sheet element of Figures 8B and 8C is only projected on two parallel sides. The type of Figure 8D can be used for the glass shown in Figure 3, as explained above.

Step unit glass will often be fixed to the frame by gluing. Since most adhesives are sensitive to light, then it is advantageous for the glass to be provided with a light-proof peripheral mask such as that shown in all embodiments of Figures 1-7. However, it should be understood that the glasses of the step unit can also be joined when enclosed in a molded frame in which case the peripheral mask can be superfluous.

In the foregoing, the glass module has been described either constituting a guillotine in itself or constituting an element to be coupled to an additional element to constitute a guillotine, in the sense that the guillotine can be opened. The guillotine could also be fixed, that is, it cannot be opened in the traditional sense, but connected to a traditional framework. In addition, it would be possible to integrate the guillotine and the frame into a single element, or to form the guillotine as a traditional window frame for connection to the roof structure. All these interpretations could be applied with the term "framework" in the context of the present application.

In addition, it is conceivable to make use of other configurations of the glass element. For example, there may be more than two sheets of glass, and the sheets need not be flat and / or parallel to each other.

Claims (11)

one.

 A window for a building comprising a frame and a glass (1) mounted thereon, said glass (1) comprising at least two leaf elements, such as glass sheets, separated by one or more separating elements, where a part of the glass (1) is projected onto the frame, so it is invisible from the inside in the assembled state, where one leaf element has a width or height greater than the other (s), an edge of the larger leaf element which is projected on the separator element (s) and where at least one sheet element is provided with a functional mask (2) on a surface thereof, the mask (2) being provided on the part (s) ( s) invisible (s) of the glass (1), characterized in that the largest leaf element projects from the other (s) only on one side, that an additional mask (2) is provided on a surface of the glass, which at least one of the masks (2) surrounds a photovoltaic element (33), arranged in the glass (1) , and that the two or more different masks (2) are provided in different locations in the glass (1).

2.

A window according to claim 1, characterized in that a mask (2) covers the edge of the sheet element.

3.

 A window according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a mask (2) is resistant to light, in particular by blocking ultraviolet light with wavelengths in the range between 250 and 400 nanometers.

Four.

 A window according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a mask (2) has a pattern and / or is colored.

5.

 A window according to claim 4, characterized in that a mask (2) is presented in the form of letters, numbers and / or figures.

6.

A window according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mask (2) is applied by printing.

7.

 A window according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a mask (2) is made of a current transport material, such as a lacquer.

8.

 A window according to claim 7, characterized in that a mask (2) forms hot wires (43), antennas (53) or the like on the surface of the glass (1).

9.

 A window according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that two or more different masks (2) are provided on top of each other.

10.

 A window according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a mask (2) is provided on the edge of the sheet element that is projected onto the separator element (s).

eleven.

A window according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the two sheet elements have different shapes.