Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Transparent panel having active treatment with gas or liquid
Patent
1997-08-25
1999-02-02
Kent, Christopher
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Transparent panel having active treatment with gas or liquid
359360, 359585, 359589, 359581, 359275, E06B 700
Patent
active
058649948
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a glazing element having at least two panes, in particular, for facing the facades of buildings.
STATE OF THE ART
A critical problem in using solar energy in buildings is controlling the flow of radiation through the windows and the glass facades. Frequently, the energy and light needs inside the building do not correlate to the solar energy input, leading either to overheating on sunny days or, if employing sun protection glass, to too low exploitation of the solar energy during the heating period. Although mechanical shading systems permit variable solar transmission, they often require intensive maintenance and therefore are expensive.
Presently, major efforts are being made to be able to control respectively to be able to switch the light transmitted through windows by means of so-called electrochrome layer systems, in which transmission is altered by adding ions. Usually these multi-layer systems comprise five layers: two conductive, transparent electrodes, one ion-conducting layer, one ion-storing layer and the active layer, e.g. wolfram oxide. Layer systems of this type are expensive to construct and the homogeneity of their switching behavior and their dependency on temperature are sources of problems.
The aforedescribed multi-layer systems are described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,338,000 or DE-24 36 174 A1. These printed publications indicate, in particular, that the chromatic change is due to application of an external electric field. It large-surface glazing elements are employed for facing the facades of buildings, the electric energy required for the chromatic change would be quite large and therefore financially unattractive.
Furthermore, glazing elements of the aforedescribed type are not suited for rooms in which there is any danger of explosion, because large-surface electrodes, like those needed for applying voltage, presently involve a considerable risk of sparking.
Moreover, known are photochromic and thermochromic films on glazing elements which change their transmittance depending on light incidence or temperature. A drawback of these known films, however, is that transmission of photochromic films respectively thermochromic films cannot be arbitrarily switched. In this connection, reference is made to DE-A-1 596 B19 describing a process and glazing for uniforming the energy passing through the glazing in order to grant the glazing a variable transmissiveness is described.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to further improve a glazing element having at least two panes, in particular, for facing building facades in such a manner that, in order to make the glazing elements chromatically turbid, the energy requirements are not high and consequently that the degree of transmission can be individually adapted to the current radiation conditions. In particular, it should be possible to obviate the input of electric power.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invented glazing element, in particular, for facing building facades, having two panes enclosing an intermediate space and having a layer structure provided on at least one of the pane surfaces facing the intermediate space as well as a gas atmosphere within the intermediate spate, distinguished by the fact that the layer structure has a reactive layer which is applied onto the surface of the one pane and a catalytic layer which is applied onto the reactive layer and which activates in the reactive layer a reaction which changes the optical and/or electrical properties of the reactive layer dependent on the composition of the gas atmosphere contained between the panes and by means for varying the composition of the gas atmosphere in the intermediate space being provided, thereby making the electrical and/or optical properties of the reactive layer variable.
The optical property, which can be reversibly altered by the reaction in the reactive layer, can, in particular, be the transmission of the layer structure respectively the energy transmission rati
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Brucker Franz
Georg Andreas
Gombert Andreas
Graf Wolfgang
Koehl Michael
Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung
Horton-Richardson Yvonne
Kent Christopher
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