Patent Application
20160138812
The invention relates to a building cladding heating apparatus and system, and more particularly, to a building cladding heating apparatus and system that will prevent ice, and snow from building up on non-vertical surfaces of buildings.
High rise buildings in cold regions have been limited in their design and architecture by the danger of snow and ice accumulating on any inclined or horizontal surfaces of the building, and shearing off and falling to the ground with the potential of property damage and injury or death to pedestrians below. Architects, building designers, and building owners are in need of an apparatus and system that prevents the buildup of snow and ice that is functional yet, does not impact the aesthetics of the building's façade, and that will allow them greater flexibility in the design and functionality of today's high rise structures.
Known heating systems are generally applied to the exposed surface of the structure and deter from the aesthetics of the building. Also, these heating systems do little to prevent the build-up of snow and/or ice, but are generally only intended to allow melt water to exit the surface without re-freezing. Their use is primarily to facilitate the flow of melt water off a roof or gutter system.
Thus there is a need for a building cladding heating apparatus and system that overcomes the above listed and other disadvantages.
The disclosed invention relates to a building cladding heater apparatus comprising: a heating element; an insulation layer on one side of the heating element; an adhesive layer on one side of the heating element, on the side opposite of the insulation layer; a first bus braid located in the heating element; a second bus braid located in the heating element.
The invention also relates to a building cladding heater system comprising: a building; a building cladding forming generally the skin of the building; a first building cladding heater apparatus affixed to an inner surface of the building cladding, the building cladding heater apparatus comprising: a heating element; an insulation layer on one side of the heating element; an adhesive layer on one side of the heating element, on the side opposite of the insulation layer; a first bus braid located in the heating element; a second bus braid located in the heating element; a power source located on the interior side of the building cladding and in operable communication with the first building cladding heater apparatus.
The present disclosure will be better understood by those skilled in the pertinent art by referencing the accompanying drawings, where like elements are numbered alike in the several figures, in which:
This square or rectangular shape of the building cladding heater apparatus 10 is easy to ship and store, and is easy to use. However, the shape of the building cladding heater apparatuses 10 may be any shape suitable to attach to a building cladding panel, including circular, oval, trapezoidal, triangular, etc. The heating element 14 may be a positive coefficient polymer. The positive coefficient polymer may be configured such that it produces more power as the temperature falls and reduces its power output as the temperature rises.
The heating element comprises self-regulating technology that provides even heat distribution with generally no hot spots. The heating elements are self-regulating, that is as the ambient or air temperature drops, the heating element produces more heat. Inversely, the warmer the ambient or air temperature, the less heat is produced. The disclosed system is designed to install on the interior surface of cladding, and provides enough heat to prevent the buildup of damaging ice/snow on any horizontal or inclined surfaces. Since the building cladding heater apparatuses 10 are installed on the internal side of the building cladding, the visibility of unsightly wires/cables, power supplies, etc., are eliminated. The heaters can be sized and configured to fit generally any de-icing requirements. The system is low voltage, and thus eliminates the need or requirement for costly ground fault protection requirements. The system has a generally simple and modular design which facilitates ease of installation in the field. In one embodiment, the maximum exposure temperature may be about 176° F. (80° C.); the power density ranges from about 0.054 watts/ in2 to about 0.22 watts/in2. The voltage may range from about 5V to about 30V, and use an AC or DC source. The power leads may be 3′ long tinned copper. The system may use modular male/female connectors for are available for building cladding heater apparatuses 10 that will be connected in series. The building cladding heater apparatus may have a silicone, rubber, or Mylar overjacket with an optional pressure sensitive adhesive.
The building cladding heater apparatus 10 are designed to prevent the accumulation of Ice/Snow on the building surface by producing a nominal power output of 20-30 watts/sq.ft. The building cladding heater apparatuses 10 may be installed on the interior side of the building's curtain wall/cladding. The building cladding heater apparatus 10 may be an ETL recognized heaters. The building cladding heater apparatus 10 may comprise a PTC heating element insulated by sheets of polyester and/or polyethylene co-laminate. The resistance of the heating element will vary with temperature butt will consistently yield a nominal watt density equal to 20-30 watts/sq.ft. +/−. Insulation will generally be factory applied to one side of the heating element. The building cladding heater apparatuses 10 may come standard with 10′ long, 12 AWG Insulated Cold leads. Each building cladding heater apparatus 10 may be supplied with a factory applied Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive for ease of installation. The building cladding heater apparatuses 10 may operate on 24 volts with the use of transformers. The disclosed system may be controlled by a switch, an ambient sensing thermostat, or an automatic snow controller through an appropriate contactor.
This invention has many advantages. The building cladding heater apparatus 10 may be easily installed on the interior of building claddings. The disclosed system will generally be out of sight to the public, because of its internal installation. The building cladding heater apparatus and system will prevent the buildup of ice and snow on non-vertical building surfaces when installed. The disclosed system is self-regulating, in that the heating element will increase in temperature when the ambient temperature is lowered, and the heating element will decrease in temperature when the ambient temperature is higher. The disclosed system uses a low voltage system that does not require costly ground fault protection requirements.
It should be noted that the terms “first”, “second”, and “third”, and the like may be used herein to modify elements performing similar and/or analogous functions. These modifiers do not imply a spatial, sequential, or hierarchical order to the modified elements unless specifically stated.
While the disclosure has been described with reference to several embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
