NL2018304B1

NL2018304B1 - Roof hatch

Info

Publication number: NL2018304B1
Application number: NL2018304A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Masclee Eric
Original assignee: Staka Bouwproducten B V
Priority date: 2017-02-03
Filing date: 2017-02-03
Publication date: 2018-08-28

Abstract

A roof hatch (1) is provided comprising a frame (10) and a cover (20), wherein the frame (10) comprises first thermal break element (15) and the cover (20) comprises a second thermal break element (25), the first and second thermal break element (15,25) being made of an insulating material, wherein, in a closed state of the roof hatch (1), the first and second thermal break elements (15,25) face each other and are spaced away from each other so as to form an air gap (30) leading from an inside to the outside of the roof hatch, wherein an entrance of the air gap at the inside is located at a different vertical position than an entrance of the air gap (30) at the outside.

Description

Field ofthe Invention

The present invention relates to a roof hatch. More in particular, the present invention relates to a roof hatch comprising a frame and a cover.

Background of the Invention

Roof hatches are well known. They serve to provide access to roofs in buildings, ships and in some vehicles, such as trains. They comprise a fixed frame which surrounds an opening in a roof and a hinged or otherwise movable cover. Although roof hatches may be entirely made of wood or plastic, it is preferred to include metal parts to shield other parts from the environment and to increase the strength ofthe roof hatch structure. Often, both the cover and the frame are provided with an inner and an outer sheet metal layer, which may also be referred to as inner surface element and outer surface element.

Often such surface elements are made of metal and have the disadvantage that they conduct heat relatively well. This is in particular a problem in conventional roof hatches where the inner surface elements and outer surface elements are in direct mechanical contact near the edge of the frame. This direct mechanical contact provides a heat bridge which is often undesired. In winter conditions, a roof hatch may cause a significant amount of heat loss from a heated building, for example.

International Patent Application WO 2011/081518 A2 discloses a panel assembly comprising a panel and a frame, which panel can be hinged between an open and a closed position relative to the frame, wherein the parts ofthe panel assembly that face outward in use are thermally separated from the parts ofthe panel assembly that face inward in use. More in particular, in the frame a relatively thin insulating strip is provided between two abutting flanges of the inner wall and outer wall respectively. In the panel, another relatively thin insulating strip is provided between a main part of the panel and an end part. The thermal insulation provided by this arrangement is therefore necessarily low.

British patent application GB2535324 discloses a roof access hatch comprising a cover having at least a first thermal break spanning the insulation layer. The hatch further comprises a frame supporting the cover, the frame having a gap to separate the inside from the outside. A thermal break component in the wall ofthe frame is designed to attach hardware. The insulation provided by the relatively small gap is necessarily limited.

Summary ofthe Invention

It is an object ofthe present invention to provide a roof hatch having a higher insulation value as compared to the state ofthe art. Therefore the invention provides a roof hatch comprising a frame and a cover, wherein the frame comprises first thermal break element and the cover comprises a second thermal break element, the first and second thermal break element being made of an insulating material, wherein, in a closed state of the roof hatch, the first and second thermal break elements face each other and are spaced away from each other so as to form an air gap leading from an inside to the outside of the roof hatch, wherein an entrance of the air gap at the inside is located at a different vertical position than an entrance of the air gap at the outside.

By using thermal break elements made of an insulating material, at the locations where the frame and the cover face each other, an air gap is created having at least partly no metal walls which might conduct thermal energy. Such an air gap is easy to seal using additional sealing elements. Furthermore, metal flanges of other structural elements can be connected to each one of the thermal break elements of the hatch. Due to the configuration of the air gap, metal flanges that may be connected at the entrances ofthe airgap, are spaced apart in two directions instead of one direction, as was the situation in the prior art. In this way a significantly reduced heat transfer is achieved. The flanges and hence the inner and outer surface elements of the cover can be separated not only in the plane of the cover, but also in a direction perpendicular to that plane. Below, the terms horizontal and vertical are used to describe certain directions. It should be noted that normally the roof hatch is mounted on a horizontal roof and that as a result, the frames of the hatch lie in a vertical direction and the roof lies in a horizontal plane. However, in case a roof hatch is angled, the terms horizontal and vertical should be interpreted as being parallel to the cover and perpendicular to the cover.

In contrast to the prior art, the thermal break elements used in the roof hatch of the present invention are no flat strips but have a more specific shape adapted to the separation ofthe entrances in two perpendicular directions.

In an embodiment, the air gap in a cross section has a substantially horizontal entrance at the inside, and a substantially horizontal entrance at the outside, and a sloped part in between the two entrances. Such a shaped air gap may provide two substantially horizontal surfaces for accommodating sealing elements to seal the air gap, as well as intermediate surfaces bridging the horizontal and vertical distances. Instead of a stepped shape, a substantially straight slope may be used.

In an embodiment, the entrance of the air gap at the inside is located lower than the entrance of the air gap at the outside. This will be the preferred embodiment, since it results in a more simple design ofthe roof hatch.

In an embodiment a height difference between the entrance ofthe air gap at the inside and the entrance of the air gap at the outside is at least 35 mm. This will result in a suitable vertical distance between the entrance and thus between the flanges arranged at the entrances. Other dimensions are conceivable, such as for example between 20 mm and 60 mm, depending on the dimensions of the other elements of the roof hatch.

In an embodiment, the frame comprises a frame inner surface element with a first frame flange in contact with the first thermal break element. The frame inner surface element and the first frame flange can be made out of a sheet metal layer. Such a surface element will create sufficient strength for the complete structure. The frame inner surface element may be enclosed by insulation layers arranged parallel to the frame inner surface element.

In an embodiment, the first frame flange extends horizontally from a vertical plane defined by the frame inner surface element, and in a direction towards the outside, wherein the first frame flange is arranged to support the first thermal break element. In this way the top of the frame, embodied by the first thermal break element, is supported by the frame inner surface element, with no direct thermal contact between the inside and the outside of the frame.

In an embodiment, the frame comprises a frame outer surface element with a second frame flange, wherein the second frame flange is coupled to a top of the first thermal break element at the outside entrance of the air gap. The frame outer surface element can be used to shield the outside of the hatch and/or to connect roofing.

In an embodiment, the cover comprises a cover inner surface element with a first cover flange connected to a bottom ofthe second thermal insulation member, at the inside entrance ofthe air gap. The cover inner surface element and its flange can be of metal while the thermal insulation member can be made of for example a thermosetting polymer. This will result in a strong cover while still creating a good insulation at the air gap side.

If present, the first frame flange and the second frame flange are spaced apart both in a vertical and horizontal direction. By spacing away the flanges in two directions by means of an insulator, more distance between the flanges is created as compared to known roof hatches, resulting in a better insulation.

In an embodiment, the first thermal break element and the second thermal break element have identical cross-sectional shapes. That is, essentially the same thermal break element may be used both in the cover and in the frame, which makes manufacturing the roof hatch more efficient.

The thermal break elements may have a so-called 'bench-shaped' cross section. This cross section is formed by a substantially rectangular seat part connected to a substantially higher backplane part, where at the top side the bench has a slope between a substantially horizontal top surface ofthe backplane part and substantially horizontal top ofthe seat part. As compared to the thermal break element in the frame, the thermal break element in the cover is turned 180 degrees. When place on to each other, the will form

In an embodiment the air gap is closed off at least at one side by a sealing element, such as a sealing strip, when the cover is closed. Preferably, the air gap is closed off by two sealing strips, one near the outside and one near the inside of the roof hatch, thus providing a closed off space in the middle of the air gap, which further improves the heat insulation. Optionally, more than two sealing elements may be provided.

In an embodiment, at least one sealing element is located between the flange extending from the cover outer surface element and a flange of the first outer surface element. By arranging a sealing element between metal flanges, a higher pressure may be applied on the sealing element when the cover is closed and a better seal may be obtained. These metal flanges extend over the thermal break elements and thereby protect the thermal break elements from excessive pressure. It is noted that the thermal break elements may typically be made from plastic. It is further noted that the flange extending from the cover outer surface element may be a flange extending from an element mounted on the cover outer surface element such that this flange is in direct thermal contact with the cover outer surface element.

In an embodiment, at least one sealing element is located between the flange extending from the cover inner surface element and the first thermal break element. To provide mechanical protection of the first thermal break element, the frame may comprise a support element having a support element flange located between the first thermal break element and a sealing element. That is, a further flange may be provided to support this sealing element.

In an embodiment, the cover may be connected to the frame by a hinge mechanism. In some embodiments, however, a removable cover may be provided, which may not have a hinge mechanism.

Due to the design of the air gap, the flange extending from the frame inner surface element and the flange extending from the frame outer surface element are spaced apart both in a horizontal and vertical direction. That is, the metal flanges extending towards each other from the surface elements may also in the frame be spaced apart in two perpendicular directions, thus providing improved heat insulation. In some embodiments, the metal flanges ofthe frame may substantially only be separated in height, that is, in a direction parallel to the wall member of the frame. In a preferred embodiment, however, the flanges are separated both in height and in width.

Brief description of the drawings

The present invention will further be explained with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 schematically shows an open roof hatch according to the invention;

Fig. 2 schematically shows a closed roof hatch according to the invention;

Fig. 3 schematically shows part of a cross-sectional view ofthe roof hatch illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 shows the elements of Figure 3 with some additional dimensions ofthe components;

Fig. 5 shows a cross section of the two thermal break elements together with typical dimensions ofthe elements.

Detailed description of embodiments

The roof hatch 1 schematically illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a frame 10 and a cover 20. The cover 20 is, in the embodiment shown, hingedly connected to the frame 10. Telescopic supports 30 maintain the open position ofthe cover 20 illustrated in Fig. 1. A handle 40 allows closing the cover from the inside. The closed position is illustrated in Fig. 2. The frame 10 may be mounted on a roof so as to enclose an opening in the roof. In such applications, the roof hatch 1 may separate the interior of a building from the exterior. As the interior may be heated in winter or cooled in summer, a good heat insulation ofthe roof hatch is desired.

Fig. 3 shows part of a cross-sectional view ofthe roof hatch of Fig. 2, the cross-section being taken through the line A-A. In particular, Fig. 3 shows a cross-section through a corner of the roof hatch 1 of Fig. 2, that is, with the cover closed.

The view of Fig. 3 shows part of a frame 10 and part of a cover 20, with the cover 20 closed. The frame 10 is shown to comprise an outer wall insulation member 14, an outer surface element 12, a frame inner surface element 11 and an inner wall insulation member 13. In the embodiment shown, the outer surface element 12 only partly covers the outer wall insulation member 14, mainly near the top ofthe outer wall insulation member 14. In some embodiments, however, the outer surface element 12 may cover the outer wall insulation member 14 entirely. The inner wall insulation member 13 is arranged between the outer wall insulation member 14 ofthe frame 10 and the frame inner surface element 11. In some embodiments, the inner wall insulation member 13 may be omitted, the insulation being provided by the resulting cavity.

In the example of Fig. 3 the frame inner surface element 11 has a flange 11A, also referred to as first frame flange 11A. The flange 11A extends toward the outside, i.e. towards element 14. Optionally, the flange 11A further extends in a vertical direction into a cavity 34. This cavity 34 can be used to place a fire seal, which can be activated by the heat from the flange 11A.

The inner and outer surface elements 11 and 12 may be made of sheet metal, for example stainless steel. The inner wall insulation member 13 and the outer wall insulation member 14 may be made of, for example, phenol foam or polyurethane.

The cover 20 is shown to comprise an outer cover insulation member 24, an outer surface element 22, a cover inner surface element 21 and an inner cover insulation member 23. The embodiment of the cover 20 is further shown to comprise a reinforcement beam 27 at the bottom of the cover 20 and a further beam 26 at the edge of the cover 20. In this example, a bottom side of the further beam 26 is covered by a cover plate 28 so as to hide the further beam 26 in the open state of the roof hatch 1.

As in the frame, the inner and outer surface elements 21 and 22 of the cover may be made of sheet metal, for example stainless steel. The outer cover insulation member 24 and the inner cover insulation member 23 may be made of, for example, phenol foam or polyurethane.

A hinge mechanism 19, of which only part is shown in Fig. 3, may hingedly connect the cover to the frame.

As can be seen in Fig. 3, the frame is provided with a first thermal break element 15 while the cover is provided with a second thermal break element 25. When the cover is closed as shown, the thermal break elements 15 and 25 together define an opening or air gap 30 between the frame and the cover. In accordance with the invention, the thermal break elements 15 and 25 provide a separation between the metal parts of the cover and the frame in two, substantially perpendicular directions: both in the plane defined by the cover (or horizontal in Fig. 3) and in the plane defined by the walls of the frame (or vertical in Fig.3). This results in a height difference between the sealing elements 31 and 32 located at either end of the air gap 30. It is noted that alternatively the air gap may be designed so as to decrease from the inside to the outside. In such embodiments, the sealing element 31 will be located higher than the sealing element 32.

The first outer surface element 12 of the frame is shown to have a flange or extension 12A which extends into the air gap 30 but not further than the sealing element 32. It can be seen that the flange 12A secures the position of the first thermal break element 15. In addition, the flange 12A and 28A provide support for the first sealing element 32. In the embodiment shown, the flanges 28A and 12A do not extend beyond the sealing element 32. Thus, the furthest points of the outside parts of the metal structure are the edges of the flanges 12A and 28A.

The cover inner surface element 21 has, in the embodiment shown, a flange or extension 21A in contact with the second thermal break element 25 at an entrance of the air gap 30. In the embodiment shown, the flange 21A enters the air gap 30 but does not extend beyond the sealing element 31.

As shown in Fig. 3, the outer ends of the flanges 12A and 21A are not only spaced apart horizontally but also vertically, thus providing an increased spatial separation of the inside and outside metal parts, and thereby an improved heat insulation.

Fig. 4 shows the elements of Figure 3 with some additional dimensions of the components. The values shown in Fig. 4 are millimetres. It is noted that the indicated values are exemplary and that other values are possible. As can be seen in Fig. 4 the vertical distance between flange 28A and flange 21A is 45 cm. The vertical distance between flange 12A and the flange 21A is 35 cm. The horizontal distance between the outer end of the flange 28A and the outer end of flange 21A is 35 cm.

Fig. 5 shows a cross section of the two thermal break elements 15, 25 together with typical dimensions ofthe elements 15, 25. The values indicated are millimetres. As is shown in Fig. 5, the thermal break elements have a so-called 'bench-shaped' cross section. Such a cross-sectional shape ofthe thermal break elements 15 and 25 results in a stepped air gap 30 having three distinct parts: horizontal, sloped and horizontal again. This stepped air gap has the advantage of providing two substantially horizontal areas for the sealing elements 31 and 32 and a relatively long gap between those horizontal areas. However, embodiments can be envisaged in which the air gap is not stepped but curved or straight. In the latter case, the straight air gap will be slanted to provide the advantages ofthe invention.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the inner cover insulation member 23 is arranged between the outer cover insulation member 24 of the cover 20 and the cover inner surface element 21. The inner cover insulation member 23 may be supported by the beam 27.

The sealing elements 31 and 32 may be constituted by commercially available sealing strips which may, for example, be made of polyurethane. The thermal break elements 15 and 25 may be made of a thermosetting polymer, for example. This material is a good insulator and has sufficient strength to create a firm structure so that the flanges 11A and 12A can be coupled to it, by means of for example screws or other connection means.

It will be understood that the description ofthe invention given above is not intended to limit the invention in any way. Singular nouns and the articles a and an are of course not meant to exclude the possibility of plurals.

It will further be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments mentioned above and that many additions and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appending claims.

Claims

Conclusions

A roof hatch (1) comprising a frame (10) and a cover (20), the frame (10) comprising a first thermal insulation element (15) and the cover (20) a second thermal insulation element (25) ), wherein the first and second thermal insulation elements (15.25) are made of an insulating material, wherein in a closed position of the roof hatch (1), the first and second thermal insulation elements (15.25) ) are opposite to each other and spaced apart to form an air gap (30) leading from the inside to the outside of the roof hatch, an entrance of the air gap on the inside being separated in two perpendicular directions from an entrance of the air gap (30) on the outside.

The roof hatch according to claim 1, wherein the air gap (30) has in cross-section three separate parts being a first horizontal part, an intermediate sloping part, and a horizontal part on the outside.

The roof hatch according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the entrance to the air gap on the inside is higher than the entrance to the air gap (30) on the outside.

The roof hatch according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a difference in height between the entrance of the air gap on the inside and the entrance of the air gap (30) on the outside is at least 35 mm.

The roof hatch according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the frame comprises a frame inner surface element (11) with a first frame flange (11A) in contact with the first thermal insulation element (15).

The roof hatch according to claim 5, wherein the first frame flange (11A) extends horizontally from a vertical plane which is defined by the frame inner surface element (11), and in an outward direction, wherein the first frame flange (HA) is arranged to support the first thermal insulation element (15).

The roof hatch according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the frame (10) comprises a frame outer surface element (12) with a second frame flange (12A), the second frame flange (12A) being coupled to a top of the first thermal insulation element (15) on the outside entrance of the air gap (30).

The roof hatch according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cover (20) comprises a cover inner surface element (21) with a first cover flange (2IA) connected to a bottom of the second insulation element (25), on the inside entrance of the air gap (30).

The roof hatch according to claim 7, wherein the first frame flange (11A) and the second frame flange (12A) are placed apart in both vertical and horizontal directions.

The roof hatch according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the air gap (30) has a substantially stepped cross-sectional shape.

The roof hatch according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first thermal insulation element (15) and the second thermal insulation element (25) form identical cross-sectional shapes.

The roof hatch according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first thermal insulation element (15) and the second thermal insulation element (25) have a substantially rectangular cross section in a closed state of the hatch.

The roof hatch according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the air gap (30) is closed by at least one sealing element (31, 32) when the roof hatch is closed.

The roof hatch according to claim 5, wherein two sealing elements (31, 32) are provided, which sealing elements are preferably arranged substantially in parallel.

The roof hatch according to claim 13 or 14, depending on claim 8, wherein at least one sealing element (31) is located between the flange (2IA) that extends from the inner cover surface (21), and the first thermal insulation element (15).

The roof hatch according to any one of the preceding claims, depending on claim 5, wherein the frame comprises an outer wall insulation member (14) and an insulation member (13) arranged between the outer wall insulation element (14) and the frame member inner surface element (11).

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