JP2014227830A - Cooling roof construction - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a low cost solution, especially for cooling houses.SOLUTION: A cooling roof construction (2) comprises a substantially horizontal roof having a weatherproof membrane. A perforated tile layer (3) is arranged a prescribed distance above the membrane. A space (6) between the membrane and the perforated tile layer (3) is connected by at least one conduit (5) to an outside ambient space.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooling roof structure and a method for cooling a building using such a roof structure.

  As interest in energy consumption increases, it is desirable to reduce energy consumption, thereby reducing the cost of energy, particularly associated with buildings, residential areas, and the like.

  The goal for the house is to maintain an indoor climate that is neither too cold nor too hot, so it is necessary to heat the house in winter and to cool the house in summer. In many areas, the cooling costs of houses are much higher than the heating costs. Furthermore, indoor cooling consumes more energy than heating the same house.

  It is known to those skilled in the art to provide a perforated upper roof layer. See for example US Pat. No. 4,674,249. This structure is provided in order to reduce damage to the lower roof structure and, in addition, to allow ventilation into the lower roof structure, for example to remove water that has entered into the lower structure.

  The present invention provides a low cost solution, especially for cooling a house. The invention is particularly used for buildings having a flat or almost flat roof. The invention is based on the principle that as the sun heats the surface of a flat roof, solar heat penetrates the roof structure and enters the building, thereby increasing the indoor temperature.

  In this connection, the present invention is a cooling roof structure including a substantially horizontal roof having a weather-resistant membrane, wherein a perforated tile layer is disposed at a predetermined distance above the membrane. Providing a cooling roof structure in which the space between the membrane and the perforated tile layer is connected to the external surrounding space outside the periphery of the roof or above the tile layer by at least one conduit To do.

  By forming a perforated tile region at a predetermined distance above the roof structure, a space is formed between the roof structure and the perforated tile. Based on the basic principle that the air inside this space is heated by solar influx, i.e. solar energy, and the hot air rises against the cold air, the air in the space moves upwards, i.e. Leave the roof surface through perforations formed in the tile. During this movement, a negative pressure is generated between the perforated tile and the roof surface. As a result, fresh air is sucked into the space. Since this air is not heated by solar flux, the net result is that the air in the space is significantly cooler than the air just above the fully exposed roof surface. Thus, the perforated tile layer forms a cooling mechanism, which prevents solar flux, ie solar energy, from entering the roof structure and thus heating the interior of the building.

  In addition, by guiding the conduit to connect to the surrounding space, for example free air on the side of the building, the space between the roof membrane and the tile is supplied with fresh air, and between the roof membrane and the tile. Air “trapped” in the space is not recirculated. Thus, better ventilation and thus cooling is achieved.

  In another advantageous embodiment, the perforated tile layer is assembled from a plurality of tiles, the tiles being lifted against the membrane by a riser.

  Lifting tile layers are relatively easy to install in that multiple tiles can be used to select tiles of a size that is easy to carry and manually on the roof. Examples of such tiles are disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,509,244, but it goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the use of this type of tile, but in testing these This type of tile has been demonstrated to be extremely useful in obtaining the cooling characteristics of the present invention.

  One other advantage of using tiles as suggested in US Pat. No. 5,509,244 is the size of the perforations. Of course, other tiles having approximately the same perforation size may be used. The size of the perforations is such that when snow falls on the tiles, the snow accumulates on the top surface of the tiles, leaving no snow in the space between the roof structure and the tiles. This space will contain a certain amount of non-motion air. This air effectively acts as an additional insulation means. Thus, during high temperature periods, cool air is provided to help cool the building, while during low temperature periods with snowfall, snow will help insulate the building. Both situations reduce the energy required to heat and cool the building.

  In the same context, good results can also be obtained using the riser suggested in EP 1192323. The advantage of using the riser of this European patent specification is that different tile sizes can be used, and by increasing or decreasing the riser used, of course, the lower roof structure is within a certain range. It is to provide a very flexible lifting layer in that the tile layer can be placed horizontally regardless of the slope of the. Thus, it is possible to turn a relatively useless slope / flat roof into a useful outdoor space.

  In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the risers have different heights so that the tile layer is inclined or horizontal. These advantages are as already described above, and the riser may be configured as suggested above by stacking multiple riser elements or by producing the riser as a single element of varying height. In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the surrounding space to which the conduit is connected is at a lower or lower temperature space than the space between the membrane and the tile layer. As the solar energy heats the trapped air between the perforated tile layer and the roof structure, negative pressure is generated and the air is moved by the solar energy flux. By connecting the conduit to the air volume between the perforated tile layer and the roof structure, the above air movement results in air movement in the conduit. Between the perforated tile layer and the roof structure by connecting the other end of the conduit to a place with cold air, e.g. a low or cold space, e.g. a shaded area, or a basement space, or a underground well Cold air is sucked into the space between them, thus reducing the temperature of the roof and thus further improving the influx of heat inside the building, which also reduces the cooling costs inside the building. To do.

  In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the tiles and / or risers are formed from plastic, preferably by injection molding. By using the risers and tiles suggested above, these become plastic molded elements that are configured to provide the required load bearing properties to form a useful surface. However, this is not necessary in all cases, so weaker tile elements and smaller risers can be used to provide the same advantages as already described above. The injection molding method is a relatively inexpensive manufacturing method, and therefore, it is possible to obtain a cooling device that is entirely inexpensive and extremely effective, together with the relatively low installation cost of such a roof.

  In a further advantageous embodiment, temperature-controlled valve means are provided near the outlet of the conduit.

  An example of a means for controlling the valve includes a metal spring formed from a material having a specific temperature expansion / contraction characteristic, for example, the valve remains closed and in the volume between the roof and the tile. It is set to open only when the temperature is above about 20 ° C. The valve itself may be a simple damper, plate, etc. that is brought from a position that shields the conduit to a position where air freely flows through the conduit and to any position between these positions.

  The invention also relates to a method for cooling a building using the cooling roof structure already described above. Of course, the advantages already mentioned above are also achieved by this method.

  The present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing a roof structure of a building.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic sectional view of a roof structure of a building. The building 1 of this embodiment has a substantially flat roof structure 2. The roof structure is equipped with standard membranes, etc., thereby making the roof structure watertight. Membrane characteristics are not shown because they are not important to the present invention.

  A plurality of tiles 3 with perforations are arranged above the roof structure 2. These tiles 3 are lifted against the roof structure by risers 4. In this embodiment, the riser 4 is shown as including a plurality of stacked elements, but these may be constituted by risers that are simply single elements. Furthermore, the conduit 5 is arranged in a state where it is connected to a space 6 formed between the plurality of tiles 3 and the roof structure 2. Since the riser only supports the corners of the tile, a substantially free space 6 is formed between the roof structure 2 and the tile 3.

  When the solar energy indicated by the arrow 7 strikes the tile 3, the air trapped in the space 6 is heated so that the air passes through the perforations 8 provided in the tile as indicated by the arrow 10. Move upward. As a result, a negative pressure is generated in the space 6, whereby air is sucked through the conduit 5 as indicated by the arrow 9. By placing the inlet 5 ′ of the conduit 5 in a suitable place where the air is cooler, for example in the basement, basement, underground well or shadow section behind the building 1, the suction due to negative pressure occurs. The air introduced into the space 6 is extremely cold, which appropriately prevents the solar energy 7 from penetrating the roof structure 2 and entering the building. Thus, an extremely simple cooling system that is inexpensive and does not require running costs is provided.

  Furthermore, the outlet 5 ″ is provided with a valve 11. Valve 11 is actuated by a temperature sensitive mechanism. No further explanation will be given in this regard. Of course, any suitable mechanical mechanism, such as mechanical or electrical, may be employed. The valve mechanism 11 is programmed, for example, to be closed until the temperature in the space 6 exceeds 20 degrees, after which the valve 11 opens and allows cold air to be drawn into the space through the conduit 5. Good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Building 2 Roof structure 3 Tile with perforation 4 Riser 5 Conduit 5 'Inlet 5 "Outlet 6 Space 7, 9, 10 Arrow 8 Perforation 11 Valve

Claims (8)

  A cooling roof structure including a substantially horizontal roof having a weather-resistant membrane, wherein a perforated tile layer is arranged at a predetermined distance above the membrane, and between the membrane and the perforated tile layer A cooling roof structure, wherein the space is connected to the external surrounding space outside the periphery of the roof or above the tile layer by at least one conduit.   The cooling roof structure of claim 1, wherein the perforated tile layer is assembled from a plurality of tiles, the tiles being lifted against the membrane by a riser.   The cooling roof structure according to claim 2, wherein the risers have different heights so that the tile layer is an inclined surface or a horizontal surface.   2. The cooling roof structure according to claim 1, wherein the surrounding space to which the conduit is connected is at a lower or lower temperature space than the space between the membrane and the tile layer.   The cooling roof structure according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the tiles and / or risers are formed from plastic, preferably by injection molding.   The cooling roof structure according to claim 1, wherein temperature-controlled valve means is provided near the outlet of the conduit.   A method of cooling a building having a substantially flat roof space, wherein at least one perforated tile is disposed at a predetermined distance above the roof, and between the roof and the perforated tile. A method of cooling a building having a substantially flat roof space in which the cool air is guided by conduits in the formed space.   The cold is obtained from a lower place, a basement space, a well or the like, and is conveyed to the space between the roof and the perforated tile by natural convection, the cold being transferred to the solar heat on the surface of the tile. After being heated due to exposure and after the air escapes upward through the perforations in the tile, it creates a negative pressure in the space between the roof and the tile, thereby The method of claim 7, wherein the air is moved.

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