KR20090035553A - Insulating window incorporating photovoltaic cells and a pressure equalization system - Google Patents

Abstract

A heat insulating window comprises a pair of outer glass panes, held apart by a spacing member and surrounded by a frame enclosing at least one photovoltaic cell. In a preferred embodiment a conduit system providing gas communication to the air space between the glass panes includes a desiccant.

Description

Insulation Window with Photovoltaic Cell and Pressure Balance System {INSULATING WINDOW INCORPORATING PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS AND A PRESSURE EQUALIZATION SYSTEM}

The present invention relates generally to a window structure, and more particularly, to a window structure including a photovoltaic panel.

Window or glass areas are an important weakness in the design of insulation for buildings in hot or cold climates. Known basic insulating windows are constructed from two panes in a rigid frame. The air space between the panes provides insulation.

When placed between two panes, the photovoltaic unit heats the air trapped in the insulated glass unit, which causes the seal to weaken prematurely. U.S. Patent No. 4,137,098 to Gilard discloses a photovoltaic cell enclosed between two panes of window housing that are cooled by a forced air system. U. S. Patent No. 5,128, 181 to Kunert discloses a photovoltaic cell sandwiched between two panes of window housing in which excess solar radiation is dissipated to the outside by convection. U.S. Patent No. 5,221,363 by Girard discloses a photovoltaic cell sandwiched between two panes of window housing having a valve to allow excess heat to be removed by convection. However, if the trapped air is discharged, condensation may occur when the window is cold and when air enters the unit again, impairing the transparency of the window unit.

Therefore, there is a need to include photovoltaic cells in the technology for insulating glass unit window structures and to mitigate the difficulties imposed on the prior art.

The present invention is directed to a pressure balanced insulating window comprising a photovoltaic cell. Therefore, in one aspect, the present invention

(a) a pair of panes defining an interior air space therebetween;

(b) a spacing member disposed between the panes for holding the plates at regular intervals;

(c) at least one photovoltaic cell disposed between the panes; And

(d) a frame surrounding the window, wherein

Wherein the frame comprises an insulating window comprising conduit means for providing gas communication through the frame to the air space.

In one embodiment the conduit means comprises a desiccant.

In another embodiment the frame encloses the inner space and comprises connecting means.

The invention will now be described by way of illustrating an exemplary embodiment with reference to the accompanying simplified, schematic, non-scale drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a schematic representation of an insulating window and electrical connection with photovoltaic cells;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the window of FIG. 1 (photovoltaic cells not shown) showing the interior space encased by the window frame and the connecting means; FIG. And

3 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG.

The present invention provides for an energy efficient, insulating window design. In describing the present invention, all terms not defined herein have ordinary skill-cognitive meanings.

1 is a perspective view of a schematic representation of photovoltaic cells 2 and electrical connections 4 mounted to an inner surface of an outer pane 12.

2 and 3 show an insulating window having a pressure balancing system as described in co-owned Canadian Patent Application No. 2,507,108, which is incorporated herein by reference.

2 shows a window unit comprising double panes 10, 12 and a frame 14.

3 shows a cross-sectional view of the panes 10, 12 spaced apart by the spacer 16 and joined by the frame 14.

The frame includes an outer channel member 18, an inner channel member 20 and a dual intermediate web member 22 connecting the inner channel member and the outer channel member. The inner channel member may comprise an installation flange 24 which projects outwardly and abuts the window jamb (not shown) when installed into the wall frame. A removable desiccant concealing member 26 is attached to the inner channel member 20 opposite the mounting flange 24 which supports the glass unit but does not perform any other structural function. Desiccant cover member 26 is tube-shaped defining a single extension channel 28. One edge of the channel defines the first lip 30 while the other edge of the channel defines the second lip 32. The two ribs 30, 32 mate with corresponding grooves 31, 33 formed in the inner channel member 20. The glass surfaces are located and supported by the resilient seals 34, 36, 38. Seal 36 is attached to inner channel member 20 while seal 34 is attached to outer channel member 18. An air seal 38 is attached to the desiccant cover member 26. Preferably the seals are formed from a material having low thermal conductivity and relatively invasive moisture, such as neoprene, double synthetic rubber (EPDM) or silicone rubber.

In a preferred embodiment, a dual drying system is adopted. The spacer 16 is a hollow rectangular member filled with a suitable desiccant 40. The spacer defines pores that allow air to circulate between the air space between the panes 10, 12 and the interior volume of the spacer 16 including the desiccant. In addition, the small conduit 42 connects the inner space of the spacer to the tube 44 sealed in the desiccant cover member 26 filled with the desiccant 40. The sealed tube 40 has a cap 46 that receives the conduit 42 and consequently provides gas communication between the spacer internal volume and the desiccant tube 44.

As will be appreciated, desiccant cover member 26 is removed from frame 14 by detaching ribs 30 and 32 from inner channel member 20, thereby revealing desiccant tube 44. If necessary the desiccant tube 44 can then be easily separated from the conduit 44 and replaced with fresh desiccant. In another embodiment, the desiccant in the desiccant tube may be different from the desiccant included in the spacer and have higher hydrophilicity than the desiccant in the spacer. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, air drawn into the air space must pass through the replaceable desiccant tube, resulting in a dry atmosphere in the window unit.

Desiccant tubes 44 may be located in one, two, three or all four desiccant shields 20 members 26 in any direction.

The outer, middle and inner channel members comprising the frame 14 may be formed from a thermoplastic material having low thermal conductivity such as, for example, polyvinylchloride or polyamide. Optionally, the inner and outer channel members are metal members, such as aluminum, while the intermediate member is a nonmetal, thereby avoiding a thermal bridge between the two. Desiccant cover members may be of any suitable material, such as metal or plastic, and are preferably elastic to facilitate its installation and removal from the inner channel member.

A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell 2, is a semiconductor device consisting of a large-area pn junction diode capable of producing useful electrical energy in the presence of sunlight. Any suitable type of photovoltaic cell 2 can be used in the window described herein. For example, silicon, calcium sulfide, gallium arsenide and other forms of cells are suitable. The cells may be of any desired shape, such as square and round.

The photovoltaic cells may be any suitable cell, such as crystalline wafers or thin film cells. As an alternative to using crystalline photovoltaic cell wafers, photovoltaic laminated glass can also be produced using thin film photovoltaic (PV) cells. Fabrication of thin film solar cells is a semiconductor (such as amorphous silicon, copper indium diselenide, or cadmium telluride) on inexpensive substrates such as glass, metal or plastic. This involves laminating very thin, continuous layers of atoms, molecules or ions of the material. Thin film cells have certain advantages over crystalline solar cell wafer technology. They use smaller materials and the active area of the cell is between 1 and 10 microns thick, while conventional wafers are between 200 and 400 microns thick. Thin film cells are also generally modifiable and automated for large area production (more than 1 m ² ) and suitable for continuous production, arrangement and packaging. They can also be stacked over flexible substrate materials.

In one embodiment, the photovoltaic cells 2 are arranged between two panes 10, 12 as a solar power laminate with the photovoltaic cells stacked between the two panes of glass. . In conventional laminated glass production, one sheet of glass is bonded to a layer of polymer adhesive film, and another sheet or layer of material is applied to the layer of adhesive film so that the adhesive film is sandwiched between two outer layers. It is glued to the other side. Many methods are known for producing laminates such as, for example, US Pat. Nos. 5,268,049, 5,118,371, 4,724,023, 4,234,533, and 4,125,669. Laminated glass is generally an adjacent material in which at least two sheets of glass with an intermediate film, such as a plasticized polyvinyl butylal (PVB) film, or a plastic film called a laminated film are subjected to discharge, pressurization and heating. It is produced by a process sandwiched between each pair of glass sheets.

The photovoltaic cells 2 are generally connected together in series circuit 4 to achieve the desired voltage, and then the series circuits of several photovoltaic cells can be connected in parallel as desired. Electrical energy is then supplied by the wires 4 from the positive and negative terminals to the power control or other suitable distribution device 6. Such conventional electrical circuits for the main power bus preferably comprise an insulator. As is well known in the art, inverters are used to produce alternating current (AC) from direct current (DC) produced by photovoltaic cells. Preferably, several photovoltaic cells are grouped in parallel to increase the voltage and each group is equipped with three pole disconnect DC switches and an inverter, and then an alternating current is applied to the 208 volt distribution panel. Pass through (208 volt distribution panel).

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, various modifications, adaptations, and variations of the previous specific disclosures are possible without departing from the scope of the invention claimed herein. The various features and elements of the described invention can be combined in other ways with the combinations described or claimed herein without departing from the scope of the invention.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an insulating window combining a photovoltaic cell and a pressure balancing system in which the sealing is not weakened by the photovoltaic cell and no condensation that impairs the transparency of the window unit occurs.

Claims (13)

Insulated windows, (a) a pair of panes defining an interior air space therebetween; (b) a spacing member disposed between the panes for holding the plates at regular intervals; (c) at least one photovoltaic cell disposed between the panes; And (d) a frame surrounding the window, wherein Wherein the frame comprises conduit means for providing gas communication through the frame to the air space. The method of claim 1, And said conduit means comprise a desiccant. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The at least one photovoltaic cell is a heat insulating window, characterized in that laminated on one of the panes. The method of claim 1, wherein Said frame enclosing an interior space and comprising connecting means to said interior space through said frame. The method according to claim 1 or 2, Said spacing member further defining an internal volume in gas communication with said air space between said panes, and further comprising a desiccant disposed within said interior volume. The method of claim 5, Wherein said at least one photovoltaic cell is electrically connected to three pole disconnect DC switches and an inverter. Insulated windows, (a) a pair of panes defining an air space therebetween and having a photovoltaic cell disposed within the air space; (b) a spacing member disposed between the panes that hold the plates at regular intervals, the spacing member being hollow and the gas between the interior volume of the air space member and the air space; A spacing member defining openings allowing communication; (c) a desiccant material contained within said spacing member; And (d) a frame surrounding the window, the frame comprising (i) at least one desiccant cover member that is hollow and detachable from the frame, and (ii) a desiccant cartridge removably disposed in the desiccant cover member. And (iii) conduit means for providing gas communication between the air space and the desiccant cartridge. The method of claim 7, wherein Said conduit means providing gas communication between an interior volume of said spacing member and a desiccant cartridge. The method of claim 7, wherein And the desiccant cartridge comprises an elongated cylindrical tube. The method of claim 7, wherein And the desiccant cover member extends and has a U-shaped cross section. The method of claim 10, And the cross section comprises two linear segments joined at right angles. The method of claim 7, wherein The frame includes an outer channel member, an inner channel member, a web member disposed between the outer channel member and the inner channel member, wherein the desiccant covering member is detachably connected to the inner channel member. window. The method of claim 10, And the desiccant cover member comprises a first lip and a second lip composed of a resilient material and respectively engaged with an undercut groove in the inner channel member.

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