FR2953584A1 - Construction element i.e. window, for edifice, has LED for emitting light to main direction locally non-perpendicular to plane of pane, so that light beam of LED is penetrated into main face of pane - Google Patents

Abstract

The element i.e. window (8), has an LED (18) for emitting light to a main transmission direction (42) locally non-perpendicular to a plane of a pane, so that light beam (40) of the LED is penetrated into a main face (32) of the pane. The pane includes an outer pane, an inner pane (12) and an intermediate pane (10) located between the outer and inner panes. The intermediate and inner panes form a chamber (15), where the LED is extended in the chamber or opposite to the chamber. An independent claim is also included for a method for illuminating an edifice.

Description

The invention relates to illumination devices, especially for the illumination of buildings. It is known to provide lamps on the facade of a building to illuminate it. The lamps are for example arranged on reliefs of the facade, around the windows, etc ... However the possibilities of illumination offered by this method are limited. An object of the invention is to widen the possibilities of illumination, in particular to illuminate a facade of a building. For this purpose, there is provided according to the invention an element, in particular for a building, which comprises: - at least one window, and - at least one light emitting diode able to emit light in a main direction locally not perpendicular to a plane of the glass and so that at least a fraction of the light of the diode enters the glass through a main face of the glass. Thus, the diodes make it possible to diffuse light, possibly of different colors, at different locations, for example in a facade of a building. The diodes are compact and therefore visually discrete. They can be ordered, especially at a distance, to vary the illumination in time and space, to create patterns and animations, etc ... The aforementioned orientation of the diodes makes it possible to make them little, if not the everything, visible to the observer, in order to create luminous halos on the building whose source of light is invisible. In addition, the diodes can be arranged inside the building behind the windows to achieve an illumination visible from the outside. The diodes can thus be protected from bad weather, dirt, etc. Due to their small size and the fact that they can be remotely controlled, the diodes offer many possibilities for making illuminations, especially on buildings. Preferably, the emission direction is parallel to the plane of the window.

Thus, the diodes are invisible to the observer located on the other side of the window and at a distance. In addition, the observer only sees halos of indirect light and does not receive a light beam coming directly from the diodes. We thus obtain a soft and harmonious lighting. Preferably, the entry face has a treatment and / or a layer of material promoting the entry of light into the window. This improves the capture of light so that it passes through the glass and participates in the illumination. For example, the input face may be screen printed or may have a translucent film to mirror the light produced by the diodes outwardly. Preferably, the panes are at least two in number and form between them a chamber, the or each diode extending in the chamber or facing it. Thus arranged, the diodes are protected with respect to the environment on both sides of the element. When the latter is part of a facade, they are protected on one side with regard to the external environment and on the other side with respect to the interior environment of the building.

Advantageously, the windows are three in number and comprise an outer pane, an inner pane and an intermediate pane located between the outer and inner pane. In one embodiment, the intermediate and inner panes form a chamber between them and the or each diode extends into or across the chamber. Knowing that solar radiation can generate high temperatures in the front chamber, the arrangement of diodes in the rear chamber can preserve them. In another embodiment, the outer and intermediate windows 20 form between them a chamber and the or each diode extends in the chamber or facing the latter. Thus, it limits the parasitic reflections of diode beams to the interior of the building, likely to annoy its occupants. The rear window, in fact, forms a filter for these reflections, in addition to the intermediate window.

Preferably, the outer pane has an inner face carrying a layer of material capable of reflecting at least part of the solar radiation. This limits the rise in temperature on the other side of the window. Advantageously, the diodes are at least two in number and have different main directions of diffusion from one another, preferably in opposite directions. Preferably, the element comprises at least one electronic circuit carrying at least two of the diodes and at least one driver adapted to individually control each diode. According to the invention there is also provided an illumination device which comprises several elements according to the invention. Also provided according to the invention a building wall, including a facade, which comprises at least one such device. According to the invention, a building that includes at least one such wall is also provided. Finally, according to the invention, an illumination method is provided, in particular for a building, in which light is emitted by means of at least one electroluminescent diode 5 in a principal direction locally not perpendicular to a plane of a window. and so that at least a fraction of the light of the diode enters the glass through a main face of the glass. Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following description of an embodiment and a variant given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. perspective view of a building comprising a facade according to the invention; - Figure 2 is an elevational view on a larger scale of detail D of the facade of the building of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a partial sectional view of the facade along the plane III-III of Figure 2; - Figure 4 is a partial perspective view of an electronic circuit of one of the elements of the facade; Figure 5 is a diagram showing the control circuit of the elements of the facade; and - Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 3 illustrating an alternative embodiment of the invention. Building 2 shown in Figure 1 has four facades on its respective sides. The facade 4 is a facade according to the invention in that it comprises an illumination device 6 visible in particular in Figures 2 and 3. The facade 6 comprises a plurality of building elements 8 which are here formed by windows. These windows extend from top to bottom depending on the height of the building and from one side to the other of the facade along its width. The windows 8 extend in the extension of each other in both directions and for example in the same plane for most of them, or all if the facade is flat. Each window comprises in this case two windows 10, 12 visible in particular in Figure 3. By glass means in this case a transparent panel made of organic glass or mineral. However, it will be possible to produce such a pane in another material, for example in synthetic or plastic material. The two panes 10, 12 are flat and identical to each other. They each have two plane faces parallel to one another. The two panes each extend in a vertical plane, facing one another, parallel to each other and at a distance from each other. Their contours are in coincidence. The windows here have a rectangular elevation as shown in Figure 2. It may be provided that the facade has windows 8 of at least two types having in particular different dimensions. In this case, each window and therefore each of the windows has a height of 3 meters and a width of 1.5 meters, these dimensions not being limiting. In this case, the two windows form a double glazing for each of the windows. The two panes define between them a chamber 15, or compartment, which is in this case sealed and closed.

Between the two panes of each window extends an electronic circuit 13 comprising units such as the unit 14 partially illustrated in FIG. 4 and housed integrally in the chamber 15. These units have, in the present example, the elongated rectilinear bars identical to each other. In this case, the units 14 are arranged horizontally in the chamber 15, between the two panes. Each window 8 comprises in this case a unit 14 extending in the lower part of the window parallel to its lower edge and another unit 14 extending in the upper part of the window, parallel to its upper edge, opposite the other unit. All units 14 are parallel to each other and at a distance from one another. The units 14, as they appear in the visible zone of the window from the inside or the outside of the building, are devoid of any connection or electrical or electronic connection in this visible zone. The electronic circuit 13 associated with each window 8 comprises a member interconnecting the units 14 and which is housed in a portion of the window concealed from view. In each window 8, the space delimited between the upper and lower units is left entirely free. Each of the units 14 comprises light-emitting diodes 18 regularly spaced apart from each other. In the present example, the spacing (e) designating the distance between the axes of the successive diodes is 5 cm. Each unit 14 comprises a support 20 or substrate to which the diodes are attached. Each unit 14 also carries electronic components 22, 24 known in themselves, among which processors 22 forming pilots for controlling several diodes 18 individually from each other. The diodes are in this case type SMD (for English surface mount device). Each diode is surmounted by a lens-type optical member that directs the light emitted by the diode in a predetermined direction. It may be provided to replace each diode 18 by a set of three diodes 2953584 -5- able to emit beams of respective colors red, green and blue. The overall beam produced by this group can therefore take various colors depending on the command sent to each of the three diodes. This is an RGB type of lighting (red, green and blue). Each of the bars 14 5 can therefore emit several light beams of different colors. With reference to FIG. 3, going from the outside to the inside of the building, on the two panes there is an outer front face 31 and a rear face 32 of the outer pane 10, as well as a front face 33 and a rear face 34 of the inner pane 12.

Each diode 18 emits a light beam 40 having a main direction 42. This direction is in this case parallel to a main axis of the diode. The diodes are oriented so that the direction 42 is non-perpendicular to the faces 31 to 34 and is in this case parallel to them. The light is emitted into the chamber 15 and following the general plan of the latter. The beam is contiguous to the rear face 32 (and to the face 33) whereby a fraction of the beam enters the outer pane 10, crosses it and leaves it from the outer face 31 to be broadcast outside the building. In order to improve the penetration of the beam 40 into the window, a treatment and / or a layer of material 44 promoting the retention of the light in the window and its reflection towards the outside are provided on the entry face 32. This material may, for example, be provided in the form of a film applied against the face 32 of the pane. This is for example a 3M film called "3MTM Scotchcal TM Transparence 3630 Series". It is also possible to provide such a material by screen printing or in liquid form on the face 32. The diodes of the lower unit 14 therefore have their beam 40 at first oriented upwards while the diodes of the upper unit 14 of the same window have their beam first oriented downwards. Each window therefore comprises diodes whose beams are oriented in different directions, especially in opposite directions. In the present example, each unit 14 is carried by a profile 46, in this case aluminum, also arranged in the chamber 15. Each window 8 comprises at the periphery a separator or spacer 48 conferring in constant spacing between the faces 32 and 33 windows all around the window. A sealing material such as a silicone-based glue or butyl-type elastomer forms a seal 50 along the edge of the two panes, between them, to seal the closed chamber 15. The separator 48 s extends between the profile 46 and the seal 50. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the lower edge and the upper edge of each window extend in this case to a floor or a level. 52 of the building 2. This level is formed here by a structural layer, for example concrete. The windows are brought to their lower edge and at their upper edge by a pair of profiles 56 fixed rigidly to one another, supporting by their front edge the two consecutive windows in the succession following the height of the building, and connected by their rear edge at level 52. FIG. 5 illustrates the control circuit of the illumination device. A device 35 is provided upstream such as a computer whose signal is transmitted to a general control device 37 which itself controls downstream a system 39 for controlling and distributing the signal at all the windows 8. This system is intended to distribute the different parts of the signal between the different modules formed by the windows. The system 39 will for example be of the "CitySmart Controller" type.

The windows 8, by means of the diodes, simultaneously diffuse the light beams corresponding to the signal. The illumination provided by the circuit may be fixed in time or animated. It may have one or more colors. Each of the diodes can indeed take several colors to choose from. An alternative embodiment of the invention has been illustrated in Figure 6. Here we find the same elements as those of Figure 3. However, an additional window 60 has been provided at the front at each window. The front window 60 is generally identical to the windows 10 and 12. It is flat and extends parallel to the windows 10, 12, at a distance and facing the window 10 delimiting with the latter a front chamber 62, the chamber 15 becoming 25 a back room. The three windows form in this case a triple glazed device. As previously, the diodes are arranged in the chamber 15. The outer pane 60 has on its rear face 61 a layer 63 of a material reflecting in part the rays of the sun, including a portion of the rays located in the infrared, to avoid too much temperature rise in the chambers 62 and 15. The layer 63 may be formed and made in different ways. It may be a pyrolytic hard layer. In this case, the layer comprises metal oxides. The glass covered with such a layer is for example the one marketed under the name "Stopsol" by AGC. The metal oxide layer is deposited by pyrolysis. The layer may be a vacuum deposited layer such as a metal layer. A window covered with such a layer is for example the one marketed under the name "Stopray" by AGC. It can also be provided that the material 63 is deposited by screen printing on the face 61 and is constituted for example by an enamel, before a quenching operation of the window 60. This is the case, for example, of the window sold under the name "Arlite" by AGC. In the case of the screen printing production, reserves are made by means of members on the areas of the face 61 of the pane 60 which must not be covered with the material 63. The material is then applied by screen printing which is deposit on the entire face concerned, except where the reserves have been planned. It can also be provided that the material 63 is printed on the glass prior to quenching thereof. The material 63 may be deposited on the face 61 in a fluid form, for example a liquid or pasty form, before curing. It can be provided that the material 63 is deposited in the form of a flexible solid film such as a film comprising polyester and a vaporized metal. These are, for example, films marketed by 3M under the name "solar film". Such a film provides protection against the penetration of ultraviolet rays by preventing their passage to 99%, and also provides filtration with respect to infrared radiation. It is also possible to use solar films marketed by Sun Protect. A fraction of the light beam of the diodes 18 this time crosses the following elements: a fraction of the rear chamber 15, the layer 44, the rear face 32 of the intermediate pane 10, the intermediate pane 10, the front face 31 of the intermediate pane 10, the front chamber 62, the layer 63, the rear face 61 of the front pane 60, the front pane 60. and 30 - the front face of the front window 60. Of course, we can bring to the invention many modifications without departing from the scope thereof. At least one of the panes may be non-planar on at least one of its faces, provided that the diodes are oriented so as to allow at least a fraction of their beam to penetrate the window and to pass through it. The invention is not reserved for the illumination of buildings. Elements according to the invention may be used in isolation and serve for the illumination of various installations. They can be used as interior design elements, or decoration. The diodes can be oriented so that their beam extends in the horizontal direction. Each window 8 could have diodes whose beams are respectively vertical and horizontal. In the presence of the two chambers, it will be possible for the diodes to extend into the only front chamber 62, or into both chambers. The basic element 8 may be part of a bay window, a French window or a window. It may be a roof element. The wall may be an external facade, or a facade or inner wall opening for example on a patio. The invention is applicable to buildings erected on the ground, as well as to vehicles and vehicles.

Claims (14)

REVENDICATIONS1. Element (8), in particular for a building (2), characterized in that it comprises: - at least one window (10), and - at least one light-emitting diode (18) able to emit light in a main direction (42) locally not perpendicular to a plane of the window and so that at least a fraction (40) of the diode light enters the window through a main face (32) of the window. 2. Element according to the preceding claim wherein the emission direction (42) is parallel to the plane of the glass. 3. Element according to at least one of the preceding claims wherein the inlet face (32) has a treatment and / or a layer of material (44) promoting the entry of light into the glass. 4. Element according to at least one of the preceding claims wherein the panes (10, 12) are at least two in number and form between them a chamber (15), the or each diode (18) extending in the room or next to it. 5. Element according to at least one of the preceding claims wherein the panes (10, 12, 60) are three in number and comprise an outer pane (60), an inner pane (12) and an intermediate pane (10). ) between the outer and inner panes. 6. Element according to the preceding claim wherein the intermediate and inner panes form between them a chamber (15), the or each diode (18) extending in the chamber or facing the latter. 7. Element according to claim 5, wherein the outer and intermediate panes form between them a chamber (62), the or each diode (18) extending in the chamber or facing the latter. 8. Element according to at least one of the preceding claims wherein the outer pane (60) has an inner face (61) carrying a layer (63) of material capable of reflecting at least part of the solar radiation. 9. Element according to at least one of the preceding claims wherein the diodes (18) are at least two in number and have main directions of diffusion (42) different from each other, preferably in sense opposed. An element according to at least one of the preceding claims which comprises at least one electronic circuit (13) carrying at least two of the diodes and at least one driver (22) adapted to individually control each diode. 11. Illumination device (6) characterized in that it comprises several elements (8) according to at least one of the preceding claims. 5 12. Building wall (4), in particular facade, characterized in that it comprises at least one device (6) according to the preceding claim. 13. Building (2) characterized in that it comprises at least one wall according to the preceding claim. 14. Illumination method, in particular for a building (2), characterized in that light is emitted by means of at least one light-emitting diode (18) in a main direction (42) locally not perpendicular to a plane of a window (10) and so that at least a fraction of the light of the diode enters the window through a main face (32) of the window.