WO2001088427A1

WO2001088427A1 - Luminescent and/or reflective membranes, sunshades, blinds

Info

Publication number: WO2001088427A1
Application number: PCT/HR2001/000025
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mario Boras
Original assignee: Mario Boras
Priority date: 2000-05-16
Filing date: 2001-05-15
Publication date: 2001-11-22
Also published as: AU5866101A

Abstract

Sunbrellas, roof tents, architectural membranes, sails, textile buildings, and shades generally, with reflective and/or luminescent features, solve the problem of solely using electrical or other power for lighting of shield areas and architectural structures by creating them as a landmark in the environment at night by using reflective-luminescent or luminescent material or their combinations on the visible parts of the devices and structures, which can reduce or eliminate power needs for their illumination, also giving them sufficient LLL in case of emergency.

Description

LUMINESCENT AND/OR REFLECTIVE MEMBRANES , SUNSHADES , BLINDS

Technical Field

Technical invention relates to sunshades, roof tents, membranes for architecture and shades/shelters generally speaking, which have reflective and/or luminescent (glow-in-the-dark) feature either in all of their parts or only in some of them.

The sunshades, awnings, membranes for architecture, tents and other sorts of shades/shelters, whether they are made as fixed or retractable ones, are also in function at night-time protecting covered areas from wind and precipitation. These covered areas are either lighted or the structures are made as a landmark in their environment by using various lighting appliances with electrical or some other source of power. Lighting of the structures exclusively relied on electrical, gas or some other source of energy for mentioned purposes causes a need for installation of additional lighting appliances and electrics, maintenance of the equipment,costs for energy, possibility of blackouts, changing bulbs burned out, fire caused by short circuit, in some cases and dismantling of lighting equipment for deinstalling or retraction of the shelters.

All above mentioned reasons make a technical problem solving of which is an object of the present invention. Background Art

There are various kinds of lighting appliances which are in use either for illumination of the areas covered by sunshades, roof tents, membranes for architecture, tents and shades/shelters in general or for their illumination designed to make an iconic visual attraction of them in the environment at night.

There are various recognised ways of placing lighting appliances which are used for illumination of covered areas as;

- separated, fixed or mobile appliances leaned on the ground resulting in discrete illuminating effect on the covered area, - as the lighting fixed or hung to the construction frame of a shade just as lanterns, reflector lamps or rows of fluorescent or halogenous lamps ^ e, depending on required intensity of lighting, - as the row of low voltage L.E.D.s (light emitting diodes) with wiring hidden in the frame of the construction, - as bulbs held firmly in the place by locking lights which needs not to be removed when the frame is closed,

- as fixed or mobile lighting device set onto the building next to the shade, etc.

When textile structures/buildings, sunshades, tents, and shades/shelters in general are designed to be an iconic signage/landmark in their environment during night-time then the lighting appliances are mostly installed as fixed or mobile onto the trussed masts leaned on the ground. Depending on desired lighting effect halogenous or halogenous lamps can be used as single or in a row. Lights can be posted on a firm structure which is nearby the shelter while some of the lights can be situated within the sheltered area as fixed on construction of supports with its light beams directed inside towards out when the textile is capable of illuminating the shelter in said direction. The following patents relate to the problem of lighting the tents:

- FR 2627846 - Protected electric light fitting for camping -has lamp contained with tubular sleeve forming part of tent frame structure - JP 61165472 - Lighting top light

- JP 9041730 - Light effect production device of air tent

Disclosure of the Invention

Electrical or some other power resources are exclusively being used either for lighting of the areas sheltered by one of various kinds of structures such as sunshades.roof tents, textile architecture and shades/shelters in general or for their illumination designed to be a visual attraction in their interior or exterior at night. To achieve those purposes it is necessary to install additional wiring, lamps and possibly their supports, to maintain the equipment, to have energy costs, to remove the lighting when the shelter is for some reasons to be retracted or dismantled. All above mentioned together with exclusively using of electrical or some other source of power, represent technical problems , especially in case of evacuation of people in emergency situations when fire, power failure and loss of the lighting occurs. The first goal of the present invention is to apply luminescent or reflective or reflective-luminescent materials for manufacturing of said shades/shelters either in the whole or just in some of their parts and in that way to avoid or reduce existing appliances for lighting of the shaded/sheltered areas and total sum of energy needs for their lighting including frequent demands for illumination in the interior or exterior of said structures for the reason of iconic signage/landmark appeal in their environment at night.

Additional goal of the invention is to achieve sufficient visibility in covered areas by using either reflective-luminescent or luminescent materials for shades/shelters in the case of fire emergency for evacuation of the people present.These goals can be realised by covering mentioned structures in the whole or just in some of their parts with the luminescent or reflective or reflective-luminescent materials or with combinations of these materials with materials which have none of these features. In accordance with the present invention here is represented the way of realisation of a sunshade.Fabric cover is attached to the folding frame of the sunshade where usually used fabric is replaced with reflective-luminescent material, alternatively with luminescent acrylic fabric. Folding wooden construction of the sunshade with eight rods and central supporting core stick, its fixing into the base and the means of attaching fabric to the frame remains as usual ones for a sunshade.As the material for manufacturing of the sunshades cover is provided fabric produced according to "GLO-FLEX" patented technology which uses retroreflective microscopic prism encapsulated within the material that provides a continually high reflective functionality when wet and its honeycomb pattern is engineered to provide the best combination between luminescent and reflective properties if the material is damaged .Reflective feature of the material is active during the day and in that way the material is charged and will glow-in-the-dark once the light no longer exists.lt is also recharging itself with every new exposure from any light source such as room light, headlights, flashlights, etc. The retroreflective feature of the material is also demonstrated when its surface is hit by light beams on the either side of the sunshade cover at night.Technologies like "Neolite Reflex-Glo" from Neolite Safety Products or "Permalight reflective fabrics technology" from Permalight and the like technologies can also be applied on fabrics with the similar effect for

100 above mentioned purposes.

The second way of the realisation of the present invention is in application of the material with the luminescent properties to objects like; textile buildings also known and as fabric/membrane structures or fabric architecture,stable or retractable manufacturing halls, tent structures and tensile

105 membrane roofs, upper and visible layers of laminated or double-skin membranes, inflatable air-supported structures, cone-like shaped tents, supported by the central mast .convertible umbrella-like shaped tents and other sorts of tents, architectural membranes/fabrics also known as textile membranes or structural fabrics, acoustic membrane ceilings and membrane elements of

110 interior design, temporary interior or exterior structures for exhibitions and events.The invention can be provided in the way that all above mentioned structures in the whole or just in some of their parts are performed with luminescent features with no changes within their construction or structural details.

115 Materials such as polyvinylchloride (PVC) coated polyester or fibreglass fabrics, Teflon (PTFE) coated woven fibreglass fabrics, acrylic lacquering protection in one or more layers, Tedlar PVF film, high thickness PVDF lacquering, flexible coating paints as "Thermo-Shield" which is a pure acrylic resin system filled with ceramics microspheres and also other "Vacu-Flex"

120 materials which are combination of thin thermoisolation layers and strong sun reflection effect (wave length 250-2500 nm) and various coatings on the bases of natural or artificially produced rubber as Novotan EPDM from SaarGumi or RubberGard EPDM from Firestone and them like materials, applied as single- layered or multi-layered have added organic or non-organic luminescent pigment

125 in the whole or only in some of their layers.The final layer of the membranes is to be made of coating which has microstructure that imitates effect known as "lotus effect" discovered by Prof.dr.Wilhelm Bartholt.

The use of the second way of the realisation of the invention is applicable with a wide variety of luminescent and non-luminescent pigments. Preferred

130 currently available pigments include, but are not limited to the following ones; Chroma-Shift compounds from RTP comp., Minnesota, USA which can be applied independently or in combination with the latest generation of photoluminescent pigments on the bases of oxides of Strontium-Aluminate (SrAI) and other proprietary inorganic compounds and their activators and co-activators.

135 Photoluminescent materials used for above mentioned or new interactive combinations or used individually are commercially known as; LumiBrite pigments; LumiNova and AuroRainbow pigments from Nemoto&Co.; LTD pigments; ProGlow pigments from ProGlow Mfg.Co.;LumiLong (LM) pigments from Lumigroup Co.;HY pigment series from Pete's

140 LuminousCreations; Lumenion Chemical Co line of pigment products; LTL- Luminous Technologies Ltd. pigments;RTP comp. pigments; Beaver Luminescers pigments; Nichia Co.;Beele.Co; Luna Technologies Intern. Inc. and others.

The pigments generally comprises 20-60 %, by weight, less than conventional luminescent pigments (ZnS). Proportions depend on possible areas

145 of application of luminescent powder such as in; ink, paint, coating, incorporating in various raisins or rubber. Following suggestions of manufacturer's specifications the mixing ratio is within 0,05% -50% by weight.lt is possible to apply and reflective-luminescent technologies indicated in the first way of realisation of the invention onto the structures and objects mentioned in this

150 second way of the realisation of the present invention.

The third way the invention may be used is for production of devices such as; Venetian blinds, vertical blinds, roller blinds, wintergarden shades and other indoor or outdoor systems for solar protection. The final layer of above said products is made of the material with reflective-luminescent features according to

155 "GLO-TEX" or the like technologies, without making any changes in the existing construction or structural details of mentioned devices. In an alternative solution systems for solar protection have their final layer made with luminescent feature. Above mentioned embodiments of the present invention can be fully used to produce devices for shading doors and windows such as curtains,Austrian,

160 Roman or Festoon blinds are, and also for horizontal, sloped and arched shadings at greenhouses and wintergardens with no changes in their construction or details of links.

The methods of the present invention may be used to produce acrylic fabric with luminescent features for the production of sails membranes, marine 165 fabrics for boats and ships roofs and shades.membranes covering the parking structures for cars.trains or ships. In alternative.for the embodiment of the above mentioned applications may be used membranes with reflective-luminescent features according to "GLO-FLEX" or the like technologies instead of normally used fabrics with no changes to be made in their construction or details of their

170 links.

Claims

1. Sunshades, awnings, architectural membranes, sails, tents and shades/shelters in general with reflective and/or luminescent features, characterized by, that for manufacturing of their visible parts is used the material with reflective-luminescent features.

2. Shades/shelters in general according to the claim 1, characterized by, that their visible parts have a lining made of the material with reflective-luminescent features.

3. Shades/shelters in general according to the claim 1 , characterized by, that for manufacturing of their visible parts is used the material which is a combination of the material with reflective-luminescent features and the material with neither reflective nor luminescent features.

4. Shades/shelters in general according to the claim 2, characterized by, that their visible parts have a lining made of the material which is a combination of the material with reflective-luminous features and the material with neither reflective nor luminescent features.

5. Shades/shelters in general according to the claim 1 , characterized by, that for manufacturing of their visible parts is used the material with luminescent feature.

6. Shades/shelters in general according to the claim 2, characterized by, that their visible parts have a lining made of the material with luminescent feature.

7. Shades/shelters in general according to the claim 3, characterized by, that for manufacturing of their visible parts is used the material which is a combination of the material with luminescent feature and the material without luminescent feature.

8. Shades/shelters in general according to the claim 4, characterized by, that their visible parts have a lining made of the material which is a combination of the material with luminescent feature and the material without luminescent feature.

9. Shades/shelters in general according to the claim 8, characterized by, that some of their visible parts are made of the material with reflective-luminescent features and some of the material with luminescent features.

10. Shades/shelters in general according to the claim 9, characterized by, that their visible parts have a lining made of the reflective-luminescent material and some have a lining made of luminescent material.

11. Shades/shelters in general according to the claim 10, characterized by, that some of their visible parts are made of the material which is a combination of the material with reflective-luminescent features and the material with neither reflective nor luminescent features while some of their parts are made of the material which is a combination of the material with luminescent feature and the material without luminescent feature.