Patent Application
20150354228
The invention relates to an insulation system for the exterior walls of a building, such as a sidewall or roof.
The invention in particular relates to an insulation system that can also be installed after the construction of the building. A known example thereof is shown in European patent 1.618.264. The insulation system disclosed therein consists of plastic shells filled with thermally insulating material. With their open sides facing downward the shells are mounted on supports on a roof.
It is an objective of the invention to provide an alternative insulation system.
The invention provides a building having several exterior walls, wherein the exterior walls are formed by a sidewall or roof of the building, and an insulation system against at least one exterior wall, wherein the insulation system comprises several rectangular insulation cassettes, wherein the insulation cassettes comprise a plastic tray and a separate plastic cover, wherein the tray has a bottom wall and a circumferential wall upright therefrom that are integrally formed and the cover closes off the open side of the tray, wherein the tray and the cover are provided with cooperating attachment members for attachment of the cover onto the tray, wherein the bottom wall is situated on the side of the exterior wall and the cover is placed on the upper side of the tray which side faces away from the exterior wall. The exterior wall is defined here as a wall determining the exterior shape of the building, meaning that it is not an internal partition wall.
Mounting the insulation system according to the invention can take place in stages, wherein first the trays are placed and subsequently the covers are placed from the outside to form an air chamber in the insulation cassette. This chamber contains a confined volume of air so that thermal insulation is achieved. Said chamber can also be entirely or partially filled with thermally insulating and/or fire-resistant material. The chamber may optionally also be used for the accommodation of electric components or installation material. The covers define the sight surface of the insulation system and can be customised. The covers can be provided with various colours or decorations. The covers can be provided with additional functionalities, such as solar cells or lighting.
In one embodiment, on the upper side of the circumferential wall which side faces away from the bottom wall, the tray is provided with an insert frame, wherein the insert frames of consecutive trays engage onto each other, so that a proper mutual connection is achieved. The insulation system thus forms a highly wind-resistant connected unity.
In one embodiment thereof the circumferential wall is formed by four circumferential wall sides defining the rectangular shape of the tray, wherein the upper side of at least one circumferential wall side is provided with a first insert frame, wherein the first insert frame has a first free end that in cooperation with the circumferential wall side bounds a first accommodation slot accessible in the direction of the bottom wall, and wherein the upper side of at least one other circumferential wall section is provided with a second insert frame, wherein the second insert frame has a second free end that in cooperation with the circumferential wall section bounds a second accommodation slot accessible in the direction away from the bottom wall, wherein the first insert frame and the second insert frame engage onto one another by accommodating each other's free lips in the accommodation slots. As a result the trays can be brought into mutual connection by moving them one by one towards the exterior wall, wherein the insert frames directly engage onto each other.
In one embodiment thereof, in circumferential direction, the tray is consecutively provided with two first insert frames followed by two second insert frames, as a result of which the trays can be imbricated and brought into mutual connection.
In one embodiment the cover is provided with a straight upper wall having a rectangular main circumference, and an installation wall that is transverse thereto, which wall, when the cover is installed, comes within and against the circumferential wall of the tray.
In one embodiment thereof the attachment members on the installation wall comprise hook members distributed over the circumference, which hook members fall into catching openings in the circumferential wall. When placed on the tray the cover is snapped fixedly by the hook members.
In one embodiment thereof, behind the hook members, the installation wall is provided with hollow insertion bushes in which for instance a screwdriver can be inserted. In that way a bending force can be exerted on the insertion bushes in order to release the hook members locally.
In one embodiment the insertion bushes are provided with a breaking gate which from the side of the upper wall gives access to the cavity of the hollow insertion bushes. The breaking gate keeps the upper side of the cover watertight until it is broken through.
In one embodiment, on at least one longitudinal side, the cover is provided with a connection edge situated recessed relative to the upper surface of the upper wall, wherein on at least one other longitudinal side the cover is provided with a protruding support edge, wherein the support edges of consecutive covers connect to the connection edge into a level joint upper surface of the covers.
In one embodiment thereof, in circumferential direction along the longitudinal sides, the cover is consecutively provided with two connection edges followed by two support edges, so that they can be imbricated on the already mounted trays. The overlaps will ensure a watertight drainage of precipitation.
In one embodiment the insulation system is provided with mounting profiles extending parallel to each other and in between which the trays are secured, wherein the mounting profiles keep an air space free between the exterior wall and the bottom of the trays. Said air space may serve as ventilation space behind the insulation cassette.
In an easy-to-mount embodiment the mounting profile is provided with a hooking rib and at the transition to the bottom wall, the circumferential wall of the trays is provided with a hooking edge that engages behind the hooking rib. When placing the trays between the mounting profiles the hooking rib snaps behind the hooking edges thereof, as a result of which a firm attachment between the mounting profiles and the insulation cassette is effected.
In one embodiment an air space is kept free between the wall and the bottom of the trays, wherein the building is provided with an air treatment installation introducing indoor air from the building into the air space. The indoor air is for instance a fraction of the air that is continuously discharged to freshen the indoor air. Said air has the temperature of the indoor space and because of passing this air through the air space the wall itself acquires the temperature of the indoor air. This results in an additional energy saving in the internal air treatment. Under winter conditions, in which a snow cover at least partially closes off the air space, the discharged air is able to build up sufficient heat and pressure to make the snow cover at least partially melt away.
In one embodiment the insulation system is provided with closing valves for at least partially closing off the air space relative to the ambient air outside of the air space. By means of the closing valves the discharged indoor air can be retained in the air space for a longer period, as a result of which the above-mentioned effects can be augmented. In an alternative embodiment an air space is kept free between the wall and the bottom of the trays, wherein the wall has a heat resistance of less than Rc=1, preferably less than Rc=0.5, wherein the insulation system, the air space between the wall and the bottom of the trays and the wall jointly have a heat resistance of at least Rc=5, preferably at least Rc=8 and most preferably at least Rc=10. In a further alternative embodiment an air space is kept free between the wall and the bottom of the trays, wherein the wall mass exchange, in particular permits the discharge of air and/or harmful substances, such a volatile organic substances, wherein the air space between the wall and the bottom of the trays is adapted for discharging the mass discharged out of the building by the mass exchange via the wall.
In order to comply with increasingly higher requirements in building insulation, buildings are provided with increasingly thicker walls, the walls are provided with increasingly thicker layers of insulation material and/or all possible cracks, pores and holes in the walls are sealed off. It is particularly attempted to bound the thermal exchange and mass exchange. Although the required insulation value can thus be achieved, the fact that these measures seriously restrict the ventilation of the indoor climate is lost sight of. In particular harmful substances released during construction, such as volatile organic substances, can hardly escape and during the summer period the internal heat load of the building can hardly be discharged. In that way the indoor climate can become unhealthy, in particular for people with an allergy, and the indoor climate needs to be actively cooled during summer, thus undoing the savings made during the winter period. The use of the insulation system, including the air space, on a building having walls that are not insulated or insulated to a limited extent, can overcome one or several of the above-mentioned drawbacks. In particular the combination of the wall that is not insulated or insulated to a limited extent, the air space and the insulation system can jointly achieve the required insulation value, however with a considerably thinner construction compared to the usual insulation and with the great advantage that the wall of the building permits thermal exchange and mass exchange. In that way harmful substances, such as volatile organic particles, and heat during summer, can effectively be discharged, resulting in the realisation of a healthy indoor climate that requires less active cooling.
In one embodiment the height of the air space between the wall and the bottom of the trays is smaller than or equal to twice the height between the bottom walls and the covers of the trays, and preferably is smaller than or equal to once the height between the bottom walls and the covers of the trays.
The invention furthermore relates to an insulation system as stated above.
The aspects and measures described in this description and the claims of the application and/or shown in the drawings of this application may where possible also be used individually. Said individual aspects may be the subject of divisional patent applications relating thereto. This particularly applies to the measures and aspects that are described per se in the sub claims.
The invention will be elucidated on the basis of a number of exemplary embodiments shown in the attached drawings, in which:
The insulation system 10 comprises several plastic mounting profiles 11 that are attached against the sidewall 2 parallel to each other and equidistanced. The mounting profiles 11 preferably are made of PVC (polyvinylchloride). Other plastic materials are also possible, such as POM, HDPE or Nylon. Insulation cassettes 30a-30h are secured in between the mounting profiles 11, only a few of which cassettes are provided with a number in this detailed description.
The mounting profiles 11 have an identical cross-section, shown in detail in
The insulation cassettes 30a-30h are identically shaped and in mounted condition have the same spatial orientation. The insulation cassettes 30a-30h are shown in cross-section in detail in
The tray 40 comprises a straight bottom wall merging into four continuous circumferential wall sides 42 that are upright therefrom and define a rectangular main circumference. The rectangle is defined here by two pairs of parallel sides, wherein the pairs are transverse to each other. The circumferential wall sides 42 comprise the same straight basic wall 43 over the entire circumference which basic wall at the transition to the bottom wall 41 is provided with a circularly continuing hooking edge 52 that protrudes to the outside and has an inclined run-on surface. The hooking edge 52 is formed to hook behind the hooking rib 16 of the attachment strip 11. Above it a circularly continuing fixation edge 51 protruding to the outside is formed at the basic wall 43, which fixation edge fits between the two confining ribs 17, 18 of the mounting profile 11.
Two circumferential wall sides 42 that are consecutive in the circumferential direction are provided with a staggered first upper wall 45 that via a step 44 merges into the basic wall 43. At the outside of the first upper wall 45 a first insert frame 46 is formed which bounds an elongated first accommodation slot 47 accessible from above in which a flexible sealing 80 has been laid. The two circumferential wall sides 42 that are consecutive thereto in circumferential direction are provided with a staggered second upper wall 48 that via the same step 44 merges into the basic wall 43. At the upper side, however, the second upper wall 48 merges into a second insert frame 49, the downwardly oriented free outer end of which fits in the accommodation slot 47 of an abutting tray 40. At the bottom side the second insert frame 49 keeps an elongated second accommodation slot 50 free in which the upwardly oriented free outer end of the first insert frame 46 of an abutting tray 40 fits. Above the step 44 the upper walls 45, 48 are provided with catching openings 53 that are distributed all around.
The cover 60 comprises a straight upper wall 61 having a rectangular main circumference. Considered in circumferential direction the cover 60 is provided with a recessed connection edge 62 at two consecutive longitudinal sides. Below the connection edges 62 the cover 60 comprises a first installation wall side 63. At positions coinciding with the catching openings 53, the installation wall sides 63 are provided with protruding hook members 64 that engage into the catching openings 53 of the tray 40. At these positions first hollow hooking bushes 65 have been formed at the installation wall sides 62. The first hollow hooking bushes 65 have an internal first insertion channel 66 that is closed off with a first breaking gate 67. In the two longitudinal sides that are consecutive considered in circumferential direction, the cover 60 is provided with support edges 70 fitting on the recessed connection edges 62 of an adjacent cover 60, such that the upper walls 61 jointly form a continuous upper surface of the insulation system 10. At the bottom side of the support edges 70 a slot 76 has been formed for accommodation of a flexible sealing 81 that has first been laid in a slot over the breaking gates in the connection edges 62. Below the second connection edges 70 the cover 60 comprises a second installation wall side 72. At positions coinciding with the catching openings 53 the second installation wall sides 72 are also provided with the protruding hook members 64 that engage into the catching openings 53 of the tray 40. The second hollow hooking bushes 73 have an internal second insertion channel 74 that is closed off by a second breaking gate 75.
The insulation system 10 is mounted against the sidewall 2 by attaching the mounting profiles 11 parallel to each other with the base strips 12 against the exterior of the side wall 2, for instance by screws that are tightened through the base strips 12 into plugs in the sidewall 2. Subsequently the trays 40 are secured at the same orientation between the mounting profiles 11, wherein the trays 40 get into the mutual connection as shown in
To illustrate this
After placing the trays 40 the covers 60 are snapped fixedly in the trays 40. The support edges 70 then come to lie on the recessed connection edges 62. The insulation cassettes 30a-30h all have the same spatial orientation relative to each other, within which one support edge 70 is always oriented downwards to cover a connection edge 62 below it so as to be imbricated. Precipitation thus runs down in vertical direction H over the various covers 60 and will never end up behind the insulation cassettes 30a-30h.
When installed on the tray 40, the cover 60 permanently snaps fixedly all around because of the hook members 64 that engage into the catching openings 53. The cover 60 can only be removed by puncturing the breaking gates 67, 75 using a screwdriver and thus bending the hooking bushes 65, 73 inwards so that the hook connection at that location is ended.
The insulation cassettes 30a-30h each form an insulating air chamber 90.
In
In
The insulation system 10 according to the invention ensures the thermal insulation of the building 1, wherein the air chambers 90 form a stagnant air layer around the building 1. When the building is provided with air heating or air cooling for the indoor climate in the building can be improved by activation of the air spaces 92-94 between the wall in question and the insulation cassettes 30a-30h. For that purpose the building is provided with an air treatment system having a booster that first allows a part of the indoor air of the building to be discharged for freshening, to pass through the air spaces 92-94 before it escapes to the free outside air. In the first case, if the outdoor temperature is higher than the intended indoor temperature in the building, a part of the indoor air to be freshened that has already been cooled by the air cooling, is continuously passed through air spaces 92-94 as a result of which the structure wall in question against which the insulation system 10 has been attached assumes the temperature of the indoor air on both sides. In the second case, if the outdoor temperature is below the intended indoor temperature in the building, a part of the indoor air to be freshened that has already been heated by the air heating, is continuously passed through the air spaces 92-94 as a result of which the structure wall in question against which the insulation system 10 has been attached assumes the temperature of the indoor air on both sides. In both cases the structure wall against which the insulation system 10 has been attached remains at the temperature of the interior space itself, as a result of which air cooling or air heating takes place efficiently and the fluctuations in indoor temperature resulting from changing outdoor temperatures can be counteracted.
If so desired the insulation system 10, as shown in
An additional advantage of activating the air spaces 92-94 between the wall in question and the insulation cassettes 30a-30h is that within the building air ducts are no longer required for the discharge of indoor air to be freshened, as this fraction is passed through the air spaces 92-94.
Moreover a very high thermal insulation can be achieved using the insulation system 10 and the air space 92-94 between the insulation system 10 and the structure wall 2, as a result of which the structure wall 2 itself does not need to be insulated or needs to be insulated to a limited extent only. The equivalent of an insulation value of Rc=10 can for instance be achieved with a structure wall 2 having an insulation value (heat resistance) of Rc=0.5 provided with the insulation system 1 according to the invention. Although this can also be achieved with conventional insulation, it usually requires many layers of thick insulation material and the airtight sealing of all holes and cracks in the structure wall 2. The air space 92-94 in between the structure wall 2 and the insulation system 10, in combination with the thinner structure wall 2 with limited insulation, is able to permit exchange and discharge of heat and mass. In that way heat during the summer and harmful substances, such as volatile organic particles, can effectively be discharged, resulting in a healthy indoor climate that moreover requires less active cooling.
In this example the insulation cassettes 30a-30h all have the same shape and colour. It is also possible to provide all sorts of roof components and façade components, such as window casings, cable channels, awnings etc. with the same edge couplings as the shown insulation cassettes, so that a complete building shell can be arranged. It is furthermore possible to provide a corner solution as a result of which one integral building shell can be built up over the sidewalls and the roof. The covers 60 can be provided with different colours, decorations or functionalities, such as solar cells or lighting. A building can acquire a new look by merely varying the covers 60. The mounting profiles 11 and the trays 40 can then remain where they are.
The above description is included to illustrate the operation of preferred embodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention. Starting from the above explanation many variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention will be evident to an expert.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010119 | Jan 2013 | NL | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/NL2014/050011 | 1/14/2014 | WO | 00 |
