Optical: systems and elements – Building interior illumination with reflected – refracted or... – Unitary light transmitting member comprising plural...
Patent
1994-02-17
1995-10-24
Wintercorn, Richard A.
Optical: systems and elements
Building interior illumination with reflected, refracted or...
Unitary light transmitting member comprising plural...
359595, 359597, G02B 1700, G02B 2700
Patent
active
054614961
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to light transmitting panels used as lighting windows in the openings of ceilings, floors, walls, etc. of general buildings. In more detail, the present invention relates to light transmitting panels to be stationarily installed in the openings for optically changing the sunlight incident on the openings by way of refraction, reflection, etc. for obtaining desired natural lighting by selectively adjusting the quantity and range of the sunlight changing in relation with the annual and daily motion of the sun, thereby controlling the quantity of heat in the indoor space. The present invention also relates to methods for adjusting the quantity and range of natural lighting using any of the light transmitting panels.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Most of the openings in the ceilings, walls, etc. of general buildings are provided respectively as a lighting window using a single glass sheet, a double layer glass panel with an air layer between two glass sheets or a glass panel with a resin layer laminated, etc., for interior lighting using solar light or artificial illumination, etc. Special lighting windows intended for intercepting direct sunlight are disclosed in West German Patent Laid-Open Nos. 1683284, 1906990, 3138262, 3227118, etc.
These lighting windows are shading devices using an improved Fresnel prism system which is a plate with many right-angled prisms or prisms with a metallic film on some optical faces integrally formed as plural blocks. Especially West German Patent Laid-Open Nos. 3138262 and 3227118 disclose an improved technique for introducing scattered light, to perfectly intercept direct sunlight and to secure indoor illumination.
However, such a lighting window using a Fresnel prism system does not contribute to securing a comfortable temperature range in an indoor dwelling space. The reason is that since the quantity of heat obtained from sunlight depends on the annual and daily motion of the sun, i.e., changes due to seasons and daily time zones, intercepting all the sunlight means that a sufficient warming effect cannot be obtained in winter when a larger quantity of heat is required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first object of the present invention is to provide a new light transmitting panel which can automatically adjust the quantity of sunlight passing through an opening of a general building for indoor space lighting, and also a method for adjusting the lighting quantity using the light transmitting panel.
That is, the present invention partially introduces direct sunlight for lessening the temperature difference in an indoor space caused by the changes of seasons and daily time zones, instead of preventing the transmission of direct sunlight affecting visibility. To describe this feature in reference to the annual motion of the sun, if the light transmitting panel of the present invention is adopted in a lighting window, the sunlight supplying a larger quantity of heat in summer is positively intercepted or concentrically turned toward the ceiling, etc. of a room for inhibiting the temperature rise in the main region of the room used as a dwelling space, and the sunlight in spring and autumn is partially intercepted to maintain the temperature in an adequate range, while the sunlight supplying a smaller quantity of heat in winter is positively introduced into the indoor space, for lessening the difference in the quantity of heat obtained by sunlight between the respective seasons, to contribute to the decrease of air conditioning load.
A second object of the present invention is to achieve said first object by a lighting window stationarily installed in an opening of a general building without making any adjustment. In West German Patent Laid-Open No. 3138262, etc., the plate with many prisms formed can be adjusted in angle by rotary shafts provided at both the ends in longitudinal direction. Therefore, in the lighting window with the plate installed, the effect as intended in the first object can be achieved by artificially proper
REFERENCES:
patent: 618280 (1899-01-01), Manning
patent: 3085474 (1963-04-01), Bourgeaux et al.
patent: 3255665 (1966-06-01), Weiher et al.
Danmura Yoshikazu
Kanada Yoshimi
Figla Co., Ltd.
Wintercorn Richard A.
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