Installation for illuminating rooms

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an installation for illuminating rooms, in particular in buildings.

2. Prior Art

Many houses have cellars or basement rooms in which the windows are located wholly or partially beneath the level of the surrounding terrain. Openings located wholly beneath this level in particular only receive air and some daylight through shafts which are intended specifically therefor and are driven into the ground in front of the opening-containing wall. Such opening-containing rooms normally require constant artificial lighting in order that they can be utilized expediently. The utilization of these rooms is vastly restricted by the additional energy consumption, but also by the psychological effect of the lack of daylight in comparison with ground-level rooms.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

One of the objects of the present invention is to eliminate the abovementioned disadvantages, and also further disadvantages, of the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present installation are explained in more detail hereinbelow with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1

shows, in a vertical section, a first embodiment of the present installation,

FIG. 2

shows a side view of a second embodiment of the present installation with a window,

FIG. 3

shows a first front view of a first embodiment of the window of the installation from

FIG. 2

,

FIG. 4

shows, in a vertical section, a fourth embodiment of the installation according to

FIG. 2

,

FIG. 5

shows a first front view of a second embodiment of the window of the arrangement from

FIG. 2

,

FIG. 6

shows, in a vertical section, a fifth embodiment of the present installation,

FIG. 7

shows, in a vertical section, a sixth embodiment of the present installation,

FIG. 8

shows, in a vertical section, a seventh embodiment of the present installation,

FIG. 9

shows, on an enlarged scale, a first detail from

FIG. 8

, and

FIG. 10

shows, on an enlarged scale, a second detail from FIG.

8

.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1

shows a first embodiment of the present installation which may serve, in particular, for illuminating basement rooms, for example in building structures. Illustrated schematically in

FIG. 1

is part of a wall

5

, which may constitute one of the constituent parts of a building structure, for example of a house. This part of a wall

5

is located beneath the level of the ground

4

. An opening

8

is made in that part of the building-structure wall

5

which is illustrated, it being possible for a cellar window normally to be inserted in said opening. The building opening

8

may be quadrilateral, round, oval or the like. In the case illustrated, the wall opening

8

is rectangular and is likewise located beneath the level of the ground

4

. In the case illustrated, the longer sides of the rectangle run horizontally. A room

42

which is to be lit is located behind the cutout

8

, i.e. on the inside of the building wall

5

.

A shaft

2

extends between the top level of the ground

4

and the region of the building opening

8

. The present installation comprises a housing

3

which is located in said shaft

2

and constitutes the outer boundary of the shaft

2

in relation to the ground

4

. The housing

3

may be made of a conventional construction material, e.g. of concrete. Such a housing

3

may also be present in the form of a prefabricated element which is assigned to the outer surface

14

of the house wall

5

such that the wall opening

8

is located in the region of said housing

3

.

In the case illustrated in

FIG. 1

, the basic body of the housing

3

has a U-shaped cross section, with the result that the basic body has two lateral walls

71

and

72

and a transverse wall

6

connecting one edge of each of these side walls

71

and

72

. The longitudinal axis of such a housing

3

runs essentially vertically, with the result that the walls

6

,

71

and

72

of the housing

3

also run vertically. Since the shaft

2

in the installation illustrated in

FIG. 1

is comparatively long, the length of the housing

3

is greater than the width of the same. Consequently, the abovementioned vertically running edges of the side walls

71

and

72

of the housing

3

, which are connected to one another by the transverse wall

6

of the housing

3

, are longer than the horizontally running edges

37

of the side walls

71

and

72

. In

FIG. 1

, in which the present installation is illustrated in a vertical section, it is possible to see only the rear side wall

72

of the housing

3

.

The U-shaped housing

3

has end regions

38

and

40

which, inter alia, comprise the horizontally running edges

37

of the housing side walls

71

and

72

. One of these end regions

38

is located at the top approximately level with the ground

4

; said end region

38

runs more or less horizontally and is open. The opposite end region

40

of the housing

3

is located deep in the ground

4

, to be precise at least in the region of the bottom edge

181

of the building opening

8

. Said bottom end side

40

of the housing

3

is expediently open in order to make it possible for the water which may possibly have penetrated into the housing

3

to be able to seep into the ground

4

. It is also possible, however, for said bottom end side

40

of the housing

3

to be closed, to be precise, for example, with the aid of a bottom end wall

13

(

FIG. 6

) which is integral with the rest of the walls

6

,

71

and

72

of the housing

3

. At the termination of the bottom end opening

40

in the housing

3

, however, it is also possible to use a cover, which may be of a type which is known per se. Such a cover allows water to seep into the ground

4

from the housing

3

. At the same time, it is also possible for this cover, with a corresponding visually pleasing design of the same, to serve as a screen in order that one cannot see the ground

4

through the opening

8

in the building wall

5

.

Such a housing

3

is assigned to the outer surface

14

of the building wall

5

in a manner known per se via the free and vertically running edges

9

of the sides walls

71

and

72

of the housing. In some circumstances, even just the pressure of the ground

4

on the outside of the vertically running transverse wall

6

of the housing

3

is sufficient in order to retain said housing

3

in a desired position in relation to the building opening

8

. The walls

6

,

71

and

72

of the housing

3

define three walls of the shaft

2

. The fourth wall of the shaft

2

is formed by the abovementioned section

14

of the outside of the building wall

5

, said section being located essentially above the wall opening

8

.

A light-guiding channel

10

is located in the housing

3

. One end of said light channel

10

is located in the region of the level of the ground

4

, with the result that light can pass into the channel

10

through said end. The other end of the light channel

10

is assigned to the building opening

8

. Consequently, the light channel

10

extends between the top level of the ground

4

and the underground wall opening

8

. The light channel

10

has an outer section

11

and an inner section

12

. The outer section

11

of the light channel

10

serves, in particular, for guiding the captured light over the difference in height between the ground level

4

and the region of the wall opening

8

. The inner section

12

of the light channel

10

serves, in particular, for deflecting the supplied light into the wall opening

8

and thus also for supplying light into the interior of the room

42

which is to be lit.

In the case illustrated, the cross section of the outer section

11

of the light channel

10

is rectangular. This outer channel section

11

has at least two mutually opposite sheet-like reflector elements

91

and

92

which run parallel to the building wall

5

and to the transverse wall

6

of the housing

3

. These reflector elements

91

and

92

may be designed as reflector panels

91

,

92

which run parallel to one another. One of these reflector panels

91

is assigned to the outer surface

14

of the building wall

5

above the building opening

8

, and it is fastened here in a manner known per se. The opposite or second reflector plate

92

is assigned to the inside of the transverse wall

6

of the housing

3

, and it is fastened here in a manner known per se.

In order to achieve a higher efficiency in the guidance of light from the start of the light channel

10

to the building opening

8

, two further, lateral reflector elements

93

and

94

(

FIG. 4

) are arranged in the light channel

10

. These reflector elements

93

and

94

may also be designed as reflector panels which run parallel to one another. The panels

93

and

94

of this reflector pair are located perpendicularly to the panels

91

and

92

of the first reflector pair, the borders of in each case one of these further panels

93

and

94

being connected to the borders of the panels

91

and

92

of the first reflector pair. In each case one of these further reflector panels

93

and

94

is located in the immediate vicinity of the inside of one of the side walls

71

and

72

, respectively, of the housing

3

. The two further or lateral reflector elements

93

and

94

have at least one section which is arranged in the top section

11

of the light channel

10

. Consequently, such a top section

11

of the level channel

10

comprises a total of four reflecting elements

91

to

94

, which constitute the lateral surface of a cuboid.

The reflecting panels

91

and

92

, which are arranged parallel to the transverse wall

6

of the housing

3

, are located in the top section of the shaft

2

or of the housing

3

and extend down from here approximately as far as the center of the shaft

2

, but at most as far as the top edge

18

of the cutout

8

in the building wall

5

. The reflecting panels

93

and

94

, which are arranged perpendicularly to the transverse wall

6

of the housing

3

, begin in the top section of the shaft

2

or the housing

3

and extend down from here approximately into the bottom region of the shaft

2

or of the housing

3

, with the result that they extend more or less over the entire height of the housing

3

.

The respective reflector elements

91

to

94

may have a non-reflective panel-like basic body. That surface of the basic body of such elements

91

to

94

which is directed toward the interior of the channel

10

is mirror-coated in order to reflect the light which is incident in the top channel end

38

from above, and thus to direct it further through the light channel

10

. It is also possible, however, for the respective reflector element

91

to

94

to be designed as a mirror.

The top and, in fact, open end region

38

of the housing

3

is covered over with the aid of a cover

41

. Said cover

41

is produced as a panel from a translucent or even transparent material. Such material may be one of the materials of this type which are known per se, and may preferably be glass or plexiglass. In the case of a glass, for reasons of stability, it is preferably possible to use bulletproof glass. One border part

16

of the cover

41

adjoins the outside

14

of the building wall

5

. The opposite border part

17

of the cover

41

is located in a region of the transverse wall

6

of the housing

3

.

The height or the vertically running length of the first parallel reflector panel

91

, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the building wall

5

, is set such that the bottom edge

911

of said panel

91

is located level with the top edge

18

of the building opening

8

. The top edge

912

of said reflector plate

91

is located above the top edges

37

of the side walls

71

and

72

of the housing

3

. Although the top edge

922

of the opposite parallel reflector plate

92

is likewise located above the top edge

37

of the side walls

71

and

72

of the housing

3

, said top panel edge

922

is located beneath said top edge

912

of the first parallel reflector panel

91

.

The cover

41

rests on the top edges

912

and

922

of the parallel reflector panels

91

and

92

. The border part

16

of the cover

41

, said border part being assigned to the building wall

5

, rests on the top edge

912

of the reflector panel

91

, which is assigned to the building wall

5

. The border part

17

of the cover

41

, said border part being remote from the building wall

5

, rests on the top edge

922

of the reflector panel

92

, which is remote from the building wall

5

. This results in an inclined position of the cover

41

, which is illustrated in FIG.

1

.

The vertical or lateral reflectors

93

and

94

of the light-guiding channel

10

may project beyond the top edges

37

of the side walls

71

and

72

of the housing

3

. The respective upwardly extending section

931

of the side reflectors

93

and

94

is terminated by an oblique running, top edge. The inclination of this edge corresponds to the inclination of the covering panel

41

, with the result that the covering panel

41

also rests on said oblique edges of the side reflectors

93

and

94

.

The second border part

17

of the cover

41

, said border part being remote from the building

5

, terminates, in the case of the installation according to

FIG. 1

, in the region of the outer reflector panel

92

, i.e. still in front of the transverse wall

6

and thus above the cavity of the housing

3

. The outer edge

17

of the cover

41

is located just behind said outer reflector panel

92

. A gap

19

is formed between said reflector panel

92

and the transverse wall

6

of the housing

3

. In order to prevent rainwater from passing into said gap

19

, and thus also into the interior of the housing

3

, that border of the cover

41

which is remote from the wall

5

is provided with a canopy

411

. Said canopy

411

constitutes, in principle, an extension of the cover

41

behind the transverse wall

6

of the housing

3

. Said canopy

411

may be designed, for example, as a sheet-metal strip which extends along the border part

17

of the cover

41

and of which the longer edges run more or less parallel to the top edge

922

of the second reflector panel

92

. Said material strip

411

is bent in its longitudinal direction, with the result that it has two legs

4111

and

4112

. The free border part of the first-mentioned leg

4111

is assigned to the border

17

of the cover

41

and is fastened here. Said leg

4111

is of such a width that the second and downwardly directed strip leg

4112

is located just behind the outside of the transverse wall

6

of the housing. Said second strip leg

4112

is designed to be of such a width and/or height that its free bottom edge is located beneath the top edge of the transverse wall

6

.

The inner section

12

of the light channel

10

adjoins the bottom end of the outer section

11

of the light channel

10

, to be precise such that the light passing through the outer section

11

of the light channel

10

to the top end of the inner section

12

of the light channel

10

is reflected into the wall opening

8

by said inner section

12

of the light channel

10

. The inner section

12

of the light channel

10

comprises a reflector element

20

which is designed as a bent and light-reflecting panel. Said reflector element

20

is located opposite the wall opening

8

and constitutes a section of the lateral surface of the cylinder with a horizontally running longitudinal axis. The cylinder has a radius R which extends from a center point M through which the longitudinal axis of the cylinder also passes. Said center point M is located in the interior of the wall opening

8

and, moreover, in a plane B which runs horizontally. The cylinder section

20

has rectilinear edges

201

and

202

, which likewise run horizontally and, at the same time, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder.

The radius R is selected such that the first or top edge

201

of said concave reflector

20

is assigned in a flush manner to the bottom edge

921

of the second planar reflector

92

in the outer section

11

of the light channel

10

. These edges

201

and

921

are likewise located in said horizontal plane B. The second edge

202

of the concave reflector

20

is assigned, with said radius R, to the bottom edge

181

of the opening

8

in the wall

5

. In this case, said bottom reflector edge

202

may butt against the outside

14

of the building wall

5

or be spaced apart from said outside or outer surface

14

. The concavely curved inside of the hollow reflector

20

is likewise mirror-coated. This makes it possible for the light which is incident vertically through the outer section

11

of the light channel

10

to be reflected into the wall opening

8

.

In order to increase the light efficiency in the case of the reflection of the light into the opening

8

, the side reflectors

93

and

94

of the outer section

11

of the light channel

10

are extended into the region of the inner section

12

of the light channel

10

, with the result that they extend as far as the bottom edge

181

of the wall opening

8

. In this case, that bottom corner part of the respective side reflector

93

and

94

which is located in the immediate vicinity of the transverse wall

6

of the housing

3

is rounded in accordance with the profile of the hollow reflector

20

.

The wall opening

8

can be closed, or closable, at least in part by a window

1

. In the case illustrated, the window

1

is located in front of the cutout

8

, i.e. on the outside

14

of the side wall

5

of the building. In the case illustrated in

FIG. 1

, said window

1

comprises just one transparent panel

21

, for example made of glass, which is located more or less in the same plane as the first parallel reflector

91

of the outer section

11

of the light channel

10

. In order to be secured on the wall opening

8

, the glass panel

21

may be encased in a suitable manner, for example in a frame

22

. Said frame

22

gives the glass panel

21

stability and, at the same time, bears some of the weight of the reflector panel

91

. The bottom edge

911

of the last-mentioned reflector

91

rests, in the case illustrated, on the top side of the top, horizontal leg

221

of the window frame

22

. The underside of the bottom, horizontal leg

222

of the frame

22

rests on the inside of the bottom edge

202

of the hollow reflector

20

. The dimensions of the frame

22

and/or of the window panel

21

alone are selected, in the case of this installation, such that the window

1

covers over the entire surface area of the wall opening

8

.

If all of the locations of the present installation where the individual panels of the light-directing channel

10

meet are designed as far as possible in a moisture-tight manner, which can be achieved with the aid of means which are known per se, then the situation where the reflecting surfaces of the panels are covered with moisture can be largely avoided.

That embodiment of the present installation which has just been described presupposes that it is sufficient if only light is introduced into the interior

42

, because the glass panel

21

of the window

1

covers the entire surface area of the wall opening

8

. There are also cases, however, in which it is desired to ventilate the room

42

as well as supply light into the room

42

. Such an embodiment of the present installation is illustrated in

FIGS. 2

to

4

.

That embodiment of the present installation which is illustrated in a side view in

FIG. 2

has an attachment

25

which is, or can be, positioned on the top end part

38

of the housing

3

. This attachment

25

has an essentially wedge-shaped basic body

26

which may be made of a material which need not be either transparent or translucent. Said basic body

26

may be made, for example, of sheet metal.

The basic attachment body

26

comprises a covering wall

27

which runs obliquely, to be precise approximately in the same way as the abovedescribed covering panel

41

. In the region of the transverse wall

6

of the housing

3

, an end wall

29

of the attachment

25

hangs down from the covering wall

27

. Hanging down from the respective side edge of the covering wall

27

is in each case one side wall

28

of the attachment

25

, of which only the front side wall

28

can be seen in FIG.

2

. The respective side wall

28

of the attachment

25

is essentially wedge-shaped. In this case, the side wall

28

has a bottom edge

281

which runs more or less horizontally and is, or may be, assigned to the outside of the housing

3

. Two end edges

282

and

283

of the attachment side wall

28

project up from the ends of said horizontal edge

281

of said attachment side wall

28

.

The first of these vertical edges

282

is assigned to the building wall

5

. The border part

16

of the covering wall

27

, said border part being assigned to the building wall

5

, may be fastened on the wall

5

, with the result that the attachment

25

need not have any down-hanging wall here. The second of the vertical edges

283

of the attachment side wall

28

is located in the region of the transverse wall

6

of the housing

3

, and said edge

283

is shorter than the first vertical edge

282

. The already mentioned end wall

29

of the attachment

25

extends between the shorter vertical edges

283

of the attachment side walls

28

. The horizontally directed length of the side walls

28

is greater than the depth of the housing

3

and/or than the width of the side walls

71

and

72

of the latter, with the result that the attachment

25

engages over the transverse wall

6

of the housing

3

and thus protects the interior of the housing

3

against the penetration of rainwater.

A light-directing channel

30

is located in the interior of the shaft

2

. Said channel

30

likewise has an outer section

31

and an inner section

32

. The outer end of the outer section

31

of the light-directing channel

30

passes through the covering wall

27

of the attachment

25

, and this end or this light-inlet opening

70

of the channel

30

is terminated or covered over with the aid of an at least translucent panel

33

. Light passes into the light-guiding channel

30

through said panel

33

.

The outer section

31

of the present light-directing channel

30

may be of essentially the same design as the outer section

11

of the light-directing channel

10

according to

FIG. 1

, with the result that the present channel

30

may likewise have the reflectors

91

,

92

, etc. Since the wall opening

8

is located comparatively closely to the top end surface

38

of the housing

3

, the parallel reflector elements

91

and

92

may run obliquely in relation to the vertical in the outer section

31

of the channel

30

illustrated in FIG.

2

. At the same time, said reflectors

91

and

92

may be located perpendicularly to the translucent covering panel

33

. In the case illustrated, the longitudinal edges

95

and

96

of said reflectors

91

and

92

converge somewhat in the direction of the wall opening

8

, with the result that the angle between the respective longitudinal edge

95

or

96

of the respective reflector

91

and

92

and the covering panel

33

is other than 90 degrees.

A depression

34

which runs obliquely in relation to the vertical is formed in the building wall

5

above the top edge

18

of the wall opening

8

. The width of said depression

34

corresponds to the width of the outer section

31

of the light-directing channel

30

, this width being given by the transversely located reflectors

93

and

94

(

FIG. 4

) of said channel section

31

. Consequently, an approximately central part of the outer section

31

of the light-directing channel

30

, said central part comprising the first wall-parallel reflector

91

, can pass through said oblique depression

34

. The bottom edge

911

of the first wall-parallel reflector

91

is located here in the interior of the wall opening

8

. This measure makes it possible to achieve a small spacing between the building wall

5

and the light-incident opening in the attachment

25

, said opening being covered by the covering panel

33

.

On account of the small spacing between the light-incidence opening in the attachment

25

and the wall opening

8

, the second wall-parallel reflector

92

of the outer channel section

31

can penetrate deep into the shaft

2

, with the result that a considerable part of the same is located opposite the wall opening

8

. Since said second reflector

92

is positioned obliquely in relation to the vertical, that section of said second reflector

92

is located opposite the wall opening

8

reflects sufficient light directly into the interior

42

.

The inner section

32

of the light-directing channel

30

adjoins, on the one hand, the inner end of the outer channel section

31

and, on the other hand, the wall opening

8

. The inner section

32

does not require a separate reflector in the region of the bottom edge

911

of the wall-parallel reflector

91

because said bottom edge

911

is already located in the wall opening

8

.

The inner section

32

of the light-directing channel

30

has a bottom reflector

35

which is designed as a planar reflecting panel. One of the edges of said reflector panel

35

is assigned in a flush manner to the bottom edge

921

of the second reflector

92

in the top channel section

31

. The opposite edge

351

of said bottom reflector

35

is located in the wall opening

8

. In order to assist the reflection of light, said bottom reflector

35

is inclined similarly to the second reflector

92

, but at a somewhat greater angle to the vertical. The reflectors

93

and

94

(FIG.

4

), which are located transversely to the wall

5

, have extensions in their bottom region, the bottom edges of said extensions being assigned to the side edges of the bottom reflector

35

, as a result of which the light channel

30

may be regarded as being closed laterally from the incident opening

70

to the outlet mouth opening

45

of the channel.

An opening

36

is made at least in one of the side walls

28

of the housing attachment

25

, it being possible for air to flow through said opening between the interior of the housing

3

and the surroundings of the same. Said opening

36

is expediently covered over with the aid of a grating

361

which is known per se.

FIG. 3

shows a front view of a window

1

which can be used in conjunction with those embodiments of the present installation which are intended to allow the supply of air, as well as the supply of light, into the interior

42

.

FIG. 3

shows a first front view of said window

1

, to be precise as seen from the interior

42

which is to be lit.

This window

1

can be inserted in the wall opening

8

and fastened in a manner known per se, and is subdivided into two regions. Located in the first of these regions is the already discussed glass panel

21

, which occupies or covers over the entire surface area of said region and allows light to enter into the interior

42

. The second region of the window

1

is designed for the through-passage of air. In the case illustrated, the surface area of said second window region is filled or covered over by a panel

39

which need not be either transparent or translucent. Said panel

39

is expediently made of a metal or of wood, and an opening

43

for the through-passage of air is made in said panel

39

.

The width of the light channel

30

, i.e. the spacing between the reflectors

93

and

94

(FIG.

4

), which are located transversely to the wall

5

, is smaller, in the case of this embodiment of the present installation, then the width C of the frame

22

of the window

1

. The width of the light channel

30

corresponds to the width of the glass panel

21

in the window frame

22

. The outlet end

45

(

FIG. 2

) of the inner section

32

of the light channel

30

is assigned, from the outside of the window

1

, to that part of the window

1

which has the glass panel

21

.

The width of the housing

3

of said installation is at least equal to the width C of the window frame

22

. In the present case, the width of the housing

3

is taken to be somewhat greater (

FIG. 4

) than the width C of the window frame

22

. This results in a secondary chamber

24

(

FIG. 4

) in the housing

3

, said secondary chamber being located alongside the light channel

30

and extending more or less parallel to the same. The width of the secondary chamber

24

corresponds more or less to the width D of that part of the window frame

22

which is covered by the light-passage panel

39

. The secondary chamber

24

in the housing

3

is connected in terms of flow, on the one hand, to the ambient air through the opening

36

. (

FIG. 2

) in the housing attachment

25

and, on the other hand, to the interior

42

through the opening

43

(

FIG. 3

) in the through-passage panel

39

of the window

1

. Consequently, air can flow through the secondary housing chamber

24

in both directions.

The covering wall

27

of the installation according to

FIG. 4

comprises a transparent panel

66

, e.g. a glass panel, which covers over the top or outer mouth opening

70

of the channel

30

. This covering panel

66

runs more or less horizontally. That border part of the panel

66

which is depicted on the right in

FIG. 4

rests on the top edge

941

of the right-hand side wall or of the right-hand reflector

94

of the channel

30

, to be precise with the interposition of an elongate sealing element

46

which extends along said edge

941

. Said elongate sealing element

46

has an essentially cross-shaped cross section, said element

46

, at the same time, also performing a load-bearing function. One of the horizontal lugs of the cross

46

is located between the first or right-hand border

661

of the covering panel

66

and the top edge

941

of the reflector

94

. The vertical legs of the cross

46

are fastened on the vertically running end surface of the border

661

of the covering panel

66

and on the outer, associated section of the border

941

of the reflector

94

.

The vertical reflector

93

of the channel

30

, said reflector being depicted on the left in

FIG. 4

, is spaced apart from the left-hand side wall

72

of the housing

3

. The border part

67

of the covering panel

66

, said border part being depicted on the left in

FIG. 4

, is designed to be of such a width that it bridges the spacing between the side wall

72

and the reflector

93

. A rebate

73

is formed in the region of the inner top edge of the respective side wall

71

and

72

and in the transverse wall

6

of the housing

3

, the longitudinal direction of said rebate coinciding with the longitudinal direction of the relevant edge. This rebate

73

opens up for it and in the direction of the interior of the housing

3

, and has a horizontal flank

731

and a vertical flank

732

. The left-hand edge part

662

of the covering panel

66

is located on the horizontal flank

731

of the rebate

73

in the left-hand side wall

72

of the housing

3

. The covering panel

66

is borne in this way with the interposition of an elongate sealing element

47

, which extends along the edge

931

of the first reflector

93

, which is located perpendicularly to the wall

5

.

The sealing element

47

has an essentially L-shaped cross section. The free end region of the horizontal leg

471

of said L-element

47

is located between the top edge

931

of the reflector

93

and the underside of the covering panel

66

. A strip-like stop

472

hangs down from the underside, at a spacing from said free end of said L-leg

471

, it being possible for said stop to butt against the outer surface of the reflector

93

. The region of the other, vertically running L-leg

473

of the sealing element

47

butts against the end surface of the second edge

662

of said border

67

of the covering panel

66

. Said panel border

67

rests, via said region of the second L-leg

473

, in the rebate

73

of said side wall

72

of the housing

3

. Said rebate

73

is also formed in the top edge of the transverse wall

6

of the housing

3

, with the result that the front border of the covering panel

66

is likewise located in said rebate

73

of the transverse wall

6

(FIG.

7

).

A grating

68

is located in the top mouth opening of the secondary channel

24

in the housing

3

of the installation according to

FIG. 4

, the grating covering over said mouth opening, but nevertheless allowing air to flow through said mouth opening of the housing

3

. That edge of the grating

68

which is depicted on the right in

FIG. 4

is located in the rebate

73

of the right-hand side wall

71

of the housing

3

, to be precise with the interposition of a further sealing element

48

. The cross section of said third sealing element

48

is L-shaped, with the result that said sealing element

48

has a horizontal flank

481

and a vertical flank

482

. Said third sealing element

48

is arranged in the rebate

73

such that its horizontal leg

481

is located on the horizontal leg

731

of the rebate

73

, and that the vertical leg

482

of the sealing element

48

is located opposite the vertical leg

732

of the rebate

73

. The opposite border of the grating

68

is supported on the second horizontal cross leg of the first sealing element

46

. It goes without saying that the front border of the grating

68

rests, or may rest, in the rebate

73

of the transverse wall

6

.

FIG. 5

shows a further embodiment of the window

1

. That part of this window

1

which is intended for the through-passage of air has, instead of a fixedly installed panel, a window sash

69

which is mounted pivotably in the frame

22

. Said window sash

69

may be designed as a bottom-hinged window or of a sash which can be pivoted in a horizontal plane. Using the window sash

69

provides the advantage of it being possible for the passage of air through the window

1

optionally to be interrupted, for example if it is cold. If the window sash

69

is fitted pivotably on the inside of the window

1

, directed toward the interior of the room

42

, then the window

1

may be equipped, at the same time, with a ventilator, which is described hereinbelow.

FIG. 6

shows, in a vertical section, a further possible embodiment of the present installation. The light-guiding channel

50

likewise has an outer section

51

and an inner section

52

. The outer section

51

of said light-guiding channel

50

is of more or less the same design of the outer section

31

of the light-directing channel

30

in FIG.

2

.

The inner section

52

of the channel

50

has a cross section which corresponds to the cross section of the window

1

. In the present case, the inner section

52

of the channel

50

has a rectangular cross section, of which the longer sides run horizontally. Said inner channel section

52

is bounded by two horizontally arranged reflector elements

53

and

54

and by two vertically running reflector elements

55

, of which in each case one extends between the end edges of the horizontal reflectors

53

and

54

. The vertical reflectors

55

define the sides or side walls of a rectangle. Said second, inner channel section

52

is inserted in the wall opening

8

and the outlet part

45

of the same is assigned to the air-passage part

21

of the window

1

in the same way as has been described in conjunction with the light-directing channel

30

(FIG.

4

). The reflectors

53

to

55

of said second channel section

52

and the wall-parallel reflectors

91

and

92

are in the form of quadrilateral panels. The contour of the reflectors

93

and

94

, which are located perpendicularly to the wall

5

, is such that said lateral reflectors

93

and

94

extend from the channel inlet mouth opening

70

to the start

541

of the second channel section

52

.

A ventilator

49

, which is assigned to the opening

43

in the air-passage panel

39

, is provided. In the case illustrated, the ventilator

49

is assigned to the outside of the air-passage panel

39

, and it is located in the bottom half of said panel

39

. A ventilator

49

can assist the air flow between the interior

42

and the surroundings of the housing

3

.

The longitudinal axis of the outer channel section

51

runs obliquely in relation to a vertical, to be precise approximately in the same way as has been described in conjunction with FIG.

2

. The longitudinal axis of the inner channel section

52

, however, runs perpendicularly in relation to the vertical. There would normally be a large gap between the bottom edge

921

of the second reflector

92

, i.e. the reflector remote from the wall

5

, in the top channel section

51

and the inner edge

541

of the bottom reflector

54

. In order to avoid this gap, a bridging reflector

60

, which extends between said edges of the reflectors

54

and

92

, is provided. In the direction transverse thereto, said bridging reflector

60

extends between the lateral reflectors

93

and

94

of the channel

50

.

That embodiment of the present installation which is illustrated in

FIG. 6

likewise has the already described attachment

25

, which is illustrated in a vertical section in FIG.

6

. The housing

3

illustrated in

FIG. 6

has a horizontally running base wall

13

which is assigned to the end side of the U-shaped basic body of the housing

3

, said end side being located in the ground. The outside of the walls

6

,

7

and

13

of the housing

3

is provided with a heat-insulating material

58

. It is also possible for this material layer to comprise gypsum boards. The heat-insulating material

58

forms a comparatively thick layer on the outside of the vertically running walls

6

and

7

of the housing

3

. In order to prevent rainwater from penetrating into the heat-insulating material

58

on the housing

3

, the dimensions of the attachment

25

are selected such that the latter engages over, and thus covers over, the layer

58

of the insulating material.

The outside of the house wall

5

is likewise covered with a layer

59

made of a heat-insulating material or of gypsum boards. This insulating layer

59

increases the thickness of the masonrywork

5

, it being possible, depending on the situation, for said insulating layer

59

to have different thicknesses. Consequently, the width of the border part

64

of the attachment

25

, said border part being assigned to said insulating layer

59

, has to be selected accordingly. A gap is present between the outer edge

271

of the border part

64

, which has just been mentioned, of the attachment

25

and the outer surface of the insulating layer

59

on the wall

5

. In order to achieve the situation where as little rainwater as possible passes through said gap to the wall opening

8

, it is expedient for the width of the border

6

to be selected such that the free edge of said border

64

is pressed into the outside of the insulating layer

59

.

That embodiment of the present installation which is depicted in

FIG. 7

has a light channel or a light shaft

80

by means of which the light supplied to the interior

42

is deflected through 90 degrees. For this purpose, the channel

80

has two sections

11

and

82

arranged one behind the other. The first or outer section of the light channel

80

is of essentially the same design as the light channel

11

of the installation according to

FIG. 1

, the longitudinal axis of which likewise runs vertically. The top mouth opening

70

of said first or outer channel section

11

is covered over with the aid of the covering panel

66

, which is described in conjunction with FIG.

4

. The longitudinal axis of the second channel section

82

, in contrast, runs horizontally, i.e. perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the first channel section

11

. Part of the second or inner channel section

82

is located in the opening

8

of the wall

5

. The light-outlet mouth opening

45

of the inner channel section

82

is more or less flush with the inner edge of the wall opening

8

. It goes without saying, however, that it is also possible for the inner channel section

82

to be designed such that the section of the same projects into the interior

42

.

The second or inner section

82

of the light channel

80

has mutually opposite and vertically running side walls

83

, of which only the rear side wall

83

can be seen in FIG.

7

. The respective side wall

83

has a top and horizontally running edge

831

which, in practice, extends from the outlet mouth opening

45

for the light as far as the bottom edge

921

of the second reflector

92

in the outer section

11

of the channel

80

. Within the width of the outer channel section

11

, said top horizontal edge

831

butts against the bottom horizontal edge

931

of the lateral reflector

93

located thereabove. It goes without saying that it is also possible for said side walls

83

of the inner channel section

82

to be reflective.

That section of the opposite, i.e. of the bottom, longitudinal edge

832

of the side wall

83

which is located in the wall opening

8

likewise runs horizontally. This horizontal section

832

is adjoined by a compound section of the bottom side-wall edge

832

, this compound section being located beneath the outer section

11

of the light channel

80

and being determined by the design of the bottom wall, because the borders of the horizontal and vertical constituent parts of the channel sections

11

and

82

are connected to one another.

The second or inner section

82

of the light channel

80

also has mutually opposite and horizontally running walls

84

and

85

. The majority of the top horizontal wall

84

is located in the wall opening

8

. The inner edge

841

of said horizontal wall

84

butts against the bottom edge

911

of the first vertical wall

91

of the outer channel section

11

. The bottom horizontal wall

85

of the first section

851

which is located opposite the top horizontal wall

84

, and the inner edge

851

of which is located, in practice, beneath the abovementioned inner edge

911

.

Sections

86

and

87

, which are arranged one behind the other and adjoin the first section

85

. These two further wall sections

86

and

87

may be of the same length. In contrast, the angular positions of said wall sections

86

and

87

in relation to a horizontal are different. The second wall section

86

encloses an angle of approximately 20 degrees with the horizontal, and a third wall section

87

encloses an angle of approximately 60 degrees with the horizontal. At least the inner surface of all the constituent parts of all the inner channel sections

82

is reflective. With the aid of the thus arranged wall sections

86

and

87

, which are located opposite the outer channel section

11

, it is possible for the light which entered into the interior of the channel

80

though the outer section

11

to be deflected through 90 degrees in order for it to be able to pass out of the inner channel section

80

into the interior

42

through the outlet mouth opening

45

. The position of the inclined wall sections

86

and

87

also determined the profile of the bottom edge

832

of the side walls

83

of said bottom channel section

82

.

That part of the inner channel section

82

which is inserted in the opening

8

projects, over a certain length, into the interior of the housing

3

, with the result that the inner edge

841

of the top reflector

84

of the second channel section

82

and thus also the reflector

91

of the first channel section

11

, said reflector being located in the immediate vicinity of the wall

5

, are spaced apart from the outer surface

14

of the wall

5

. The spacing is greater than the thickness of the wall insulation

59

, with the result that a gap

74

is produced between the first wall-parallel reflector

91

and the wall insulation

59

. The border

663

of the translucent covering panel

66

, said border being directed toward the wall

5

, rests on the top border

912

of the last-mentioned reflector

91

. The opposite border

664

of the covering panel

66

is located on the top border of the opposite parallel reflector

92

and in the interior of the rebate

73

of the top border of the transverse wall

6

.

In order to prevent rainwater from passing into the gap

74

, a protective plate

75

is provided. This protective plate

75

has an approximately L-shaped cross section with the legs

76

and

77

. The vertically running L-leg

76

is located as closely as possible to the outer surface of the wall insulation

59

. The width of the horizontal leg

77

of said protective plate

75

is greater than the width of said gap

74

. Consequently, said protective plate

75

may be arranged over the gap

74

such that the free border part of the horizontal L-leg

77

rests on the abutting border

663

of the covering panel

66

. In order to ensure this position of the protective plate

75

, a slat

78

, for example a wooden slat, is arranged and fastened between the outside of the insulation

59

of the house wall

5

and the outside of the abutting reflector

91

and/or the border

663

of the covering panel

66

located here. The width of the slat

78

is more or less equal to the width of the gap

74

. The top surface of said slat

78

is flush with the top surface of the covering panel

66

, and the relevant part of the width of the horizontal L-leg

77

rests on this top surface of the slat

78

.

Any possible penetration of water into the area located beneath the covering panel

66

is prevented by further sealing elements

47

and

100

which are assigned to the covering panel

66

. The first-mentioned sealing element

47

is of essentially the same design as the sealing element

47

in FIG.

4

. Said sealing element

47

is also assigned to the covering panel

66

in the same way. The sealing element

47

is located in the rebate

73

of the transverse wall

6

and of the side walls

71

and

72

. The other sealing element

100

is arranged between the covering panel

66

and the reflector

91

in the vicinity of the wall, and it has an essentially T-shaped cross section. A crossbar part of said T-shaped cross section has two legs

101

and

102

which, in the case illustrated, run vertically. A stem part

103

of the T-shape

100

adjoins the crossbar part approximately in the center of the length of the crossbar part, i.e. between the legs

101

and

102

. Said stem part

103

is located perpendicularly to said T-legs

101

and

102

, between which its location of connection to the same is located.

The top T-leg

101

is located between the vertically running end surface of the border part

663

of the covering panel

66

located here and the spacer slat

78

. The stem part

103

is located between the underside of said border part

663

and the top edge

912

of the reflector

91

. The bottom leg

102

of the T-seal

100

is located on that side of the reflector

91

which is directed toward the wall

5

. A suitable sealing compound

105

known per se may cover over, and render water-tight the joints between the top border of the covering panel

66

and that edge of the relevant sealing element

47

and

100

which is located here.

The insulation depicted in

FIG. 8

is designed such that the covering panel

66

does not rest either on the top borders of the reflectors

91

and

92

of the light channel or on the top border of the housing

3

. For this purpose, in each case one slat

79

, for example made of wood, is arranged in the rebate

73

of the transverse wall

6

and the side walls

71

and

72

, of which the height is greater than the depth of the rebate

73

, with the result that the top part of said second slat

79

projects out of the rebate

73

. The top border

912

of the first wall-parallel reflector

91

, accordingly, is arranged at a higher level, with the result that the end surface of said border

912

is located at the same height as the surface of the second slat

79

. The covering panel

66

rests on said border

912

and on the second slat

79

, with the result that, as far as the housing

3

is concerned, the covering panel

66

is arranged at a higher level in the case of the insulation according to

FIG. 8

than is the case in FIG.

7

. This makes it possible to design the covering panel

66

to be of such a length and/or width that the end surface of the second border part

664

of the same, said border part being remote from the wall

5

, is located behind the outer surface of the transverse wall

6

of the housing

3

. In this way, the rainwater can be directed away by said covering panel

66

to a safe distance from the housing

3

. The same also applies to those border parts of the covering panel

66

which run perpendicularly to said border part

664

and which overhang the side walls

71

and

72

of the housing

3

in such a case.

FIGS. 9 and 10

show, on an enlarged scale, two details from FIG.

8

.

FIG. 9

shows, on an enlarged scale, that detail from

FIG. 8

which comprises the left-hand border part

663

of the covering panel

66

. Said panel border part

663

is assigned a first sealing element

175

, which has a profile made up of two “Ls”. The first upper L-part comprises legs

1751

and

1752

and the second L-part comprises legs

1753

and

1754

. The first L-half

1751

and

1752

corresponds to the L-profile

75

from

FIG. 7

, and it is also arranged in the same way. The horizontal leg

1751

of this first L-half, however, is designed to be short enough for said leg

1751

still to terminate in front of the end surface of said cover border

663

. Said end of the horizontal leg

1751

is adjoined by the top end of the vertical leg

1754

, and said leg

1754

is assigned to the end surface of said cover border

663

. The horizontal leg

1753

of said second seal half is assigned to the underside of said cover border

663

.

Also arranged in this region of the present installation is a further sealing element

88

which has a Z-shaped cross section. The horizontally arranged leg

881

of said Z-profile

8

is located between the horizontal leg

1753

of the double-L profile

175

and the top border

912

of the reflector

91

. The bottom vertical leg

882

of the Z-element

88

butts against the inside of the reflector

91

. The top vertical leg

883

of the Z-element

88

is assigned to the rear side or inside of the vertical leg

1754

of the double-L element

175

.

FIG. 10

shows, on an enlarged scale, that detail from

FIG. 8

which comprises the right-hand border part

664

of the covering panel

66

. Said panel border part

664

is assigned a sealing element

89

, which has a tau-shaped cross section. On account of the similarity between the tau and T, certain constituent parts of the tau shape are referred to in the same way as the corresponding constituent parts of the sealing element

100

with the T-shaped cross section (FIG.

7

). The free end part of the stem part

103

is adjoined by a further leg or a strip

104

which is located perpendicularly to the stem part

103

and runs parallel to the bottom vertical leg

102

.

The top vertical leg

101

of the tau seal

89

is assigned to the end surface of said border part

664

of the covering panel

66

. The joint between these may be filled with a suitable sealing compound

105

. The panel border part

664

is located on the horizontally running stem part

103

of the tau seal

89

. The tau leg

104

of said sealing element

89

butts against the inside of the reflector

92

arranged here. The second T-leg

102

may serve as a drip-off edge.

The present installation allows underground rooms to be illuminated by daylight in a straightforward and energy-saving manner. No moving parts means that there is barely any wear. Depending on the embodiment, the maintenance outlay is very low to negligible. It is also conceivable for poor light conditions, e.g. in the case of heavy cloud cover or in half-light, for the lighting by daylight to be mixed with, or assisted by, an artificial light source in the shaft

2

.

It goes without saying that it is also possible for the features which are disclosed in the description and in the patent claims in conjunction with the individual embodiments to be combined with one another, in order to achieve the set object, in some other way than described above. For example, in the case of the installation according to

FIGS. 8

to

10

, it is possible for the covering panel

66

to be arranged at a slant, as in the case of the submission according to

FIG. 1

or

6

, etc.

Claims

1. An installation for illuminating rooms, in particular in buildings,wherein there is provided a housing (3) which is assigned to one wall (5) of the room (42) which is to be lit; wherein one of end parts (38) of said housing (3) is located in a region of ground level; wherein a light-reflecting or light-conducting arrangement is provided in the housing (3) and is designed such that it can guide the light from an outer end part (38) of the housing (3) into the room (42) which is to be lit; wherein the wall (5) of the room (42) which is to he illuminated has an opening (8), wherein a light-guiding arrangement (10, 30, 50, 80) comprises a first or outer section (11, 31, 51) which extends between the outer end part (38) of the housing (3) and a region of the wall opening (8); the light-guiding arrangement (10, 30, 50, 80) further having a second or bottom section (12, 32, 52, 82) which is placed in the region of the wall opening (8), the second arrangement section (12, 32, 52, 82) being located beneath and adjoining the first arrangement section (11, 31, 51), and the light-guiding arrangement (10, 30, 50, 80) also having a concave reflector (12, 20, 32, 60, 88) located opposite the wall opening (8).
2. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the first or outer section (11, 31, 51) of the light-guiding arrangement (10, 30, 50, 80) is designed as an interior surface of a substantially vertically arranged cuboid, which is arranged in a top outer region of the housing (3).
3. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the concave reflector (20) of a second or inner section (12) of the light-guiding arrangement (10) is designed as a section of a lateral surface of a cylinder, wherein the longitudinal axis of said cylinder runs horizontally and parallel to the wall (5) of the room (42), wherein said concave reflector (20) is arranged such that the light received from the first arrangement section (11) can be deflected into the room (42) which is to be lit, and wherein a sector angle of said cylindrical wall section (20) may be 90 degrees or less than 90 degrees.
4. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the light-guiding arrangement (30, 50, 80) is designed as a light-guiding channel which is approximately L-shaped, wherein a free end part of a top L-leg of the light-guiding channel is assigned to a top mouth opening (38) of the housing (3) and wherein a free end part of the bottom L-leg of the channel is assigned to the wall opening (8).
5. The installation according to claim 4, wherein an angle gamma between legs (18, 31, and 51, 52) of the light-guiding channel (30, 50) is greater than 90 degrees, wherein a longitudinal axis of the outer channel section (31, 51) runs obliquely in relation to a vertical, wherein a longitudinal axis of the inner channel section (18, 52) runs perpendicularly in relation to the vertical, wherein of the outer channel section (31, 51) comprises a remote reflector (92) opposing the opening (8) in the wall (5), the reflector being placed remote from the wall (5), wherein a concave or bridging or bottom reflector (35, 60) extends between lateral reflectors (93, 94) or the light-guiding channel (30, 50) and is placed between the legs (18, 31, 51, 52) of the light-guiding channel.
6. The installation according to claim 5, wherein the concave reflector (32) is placed between a bottom edge (921) of a remote reflector (92) in the outer channel section (31) and an outer edge (351) of the opening (8) in the wall (5).
7. The installation according to claim 5, wherein an inner section (52) of the light-guiding channel (50) comprises a reflector (54) placed in the bottom region of the opening (8) in the wall (5) and wherein the concave reflector (60) is placed between the bottom edge (921) of the remote reflector (92) in the outer channel section (51) and the outer edge (541) of said bottom reflector (54) in the opening (8).
8. The installation according to claim 4, wherein the angle gamma between the legs (11, 82) of the light-guiding channel (80) is 90 degrees and wherein the concave reflector (88) is arranged in a region of transition between said L-legs (11, 82) and is designed such that light supplied through the first L-leg (11) can be deflected into the second L-leg (82).
9. The installation according to claim 8, wherein the concave reflector (88) is made up of planar panels (86, 87), positions of which are at different angles to a horizontal.
10. The installation according to claim 8, wherein the concave reflector (88) extends between lateral reflectors (83) of the channel (80), wherein said concave reflector (88) has two sections (86, 87) which are arranged one behind the other, wherein the two sections (86, 87) may be a same length, wherein the angular positions of the two sections (86, 87) in relation to a horizontal area are different, wherein an outer edge of a first of the two sections (86) adjoins an outer edge (851) of the bottom reflector (85) of the interior leg (82) of the channel (80) in the opening (8), wherein an outer edge of the second section (87) adjoins the bottom edge (921) of the second reflector (92) in the first leg (11) of the channel (80).
11. The installation according to claim 10, wherein the first reflector section (86) encloses an angle of approximately 20 degrees with the horizontal and the second reflector section (87) encloses an angle of approximately 60 degrees with the horizontal.
12. The installation according to claim 1, wherein an arrangement for ventilating the room which is to be lit is provided in addition to the light-guiding arrangement (10, 30, 50, 80), wherein a window (1) is arranged at the opening (8) in the wall of the room (42) which is to be lit, and wherein said window (1) is designed such that it allows not only the incidence of light into the room (42) but also ventilation of said room (42) in the building (5).
13. The installation according to claim 1, wherein an outer mouth opening (38) of the light-guiding arrangement (10, 30, 50, 80) is covered over with a sheet-like arrangement (25, 27, 41, 66) which is designed such light enters into the light-guiding arrangement (10, 30, 50, 80) and prevents water from penetrating into the light-guiding arrangement (10, 30, 50, 80) and that said sheet-like arrangement (25, 27, 41, 66) is further designed such that it allows air to flow between the interior (42) and the outside of the building.
14. The installation according to claim 13, wherein a grating (68) is located in the top mouth opening of the secondary channel (24) in the housing (3) of the installation and wherein the grating (68) covers over said mouth opening, but allows air to flow through said mouth opening of the housing (3).
15. The installation according to claim 13, wherein the arrangement (25, 27, 41, 66) is provided horizontally or sloping down away from the wall (5).
16. The installation according to claim 15, wherein the sheet-like arrangement (25, 27, 41, 66) slopes down at an angle of from 10 to 45 degrees to the horizontal.
17. The installation according to claim 12, wherein the outer channel section (11) has at least two mutually opposite sheet-like reflector elements (91, 92) which run parallel to the wall (5) and to a transverse wall (6) of the housing (3), wherein a first of the reflector elements is assigned to the wall (5) above the building opening (8), wherein a second of the reflector elements (92) is assigned to the inside of the transverse wall (6) of the housing (3), wherein the top edge (912) of said first reflector plate (91) is located above the top edges (37) of the side walls (71, 72) of the housing (3), wherein the top edge (922) of the second reflector plate (92) is likewise located above the top edges (37)of the side walls (71, 72) of the housing 93) but beneath said top edge (912) of the first reflector panel (91) and wherein the covering arrangement (41) rests on the top edges (912, 922) of the reflector panels (91, 92) placed parallel to the wall (5).

Priority Claims (1)

Number	Date	Country	Kind
0729/00	Apr 2000	CH

US Referenced Citations (3)

Number	Name	Date	Kind
4539625	Bornstein et al.	Sep 1985	A
6059438	Smith et al.	May 2000	A
6178707	Bengtson	Jun 2001	B1

Installation for illuminating rooms

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Priority Claims (1)

US Referenced Citations (3)