Patent Application
20220252278
The present invention relates to surface heat exchangers, in particular those for air conditioning rooms.
They typically comprise at least one support plate and a tube system arranged thereon, which conducts a heated or cooled medium along the support plate. In this case, the tube system is usually attached to the support plate by means of at least one strip-like heat-conducting sheet, which engages over the tube system.
Here, the surface heat exchangers are often of the cassette type, in which the support plate is attached to the inner face of a metal cassette so as not to be visible to an observer who is in the room. In this case, the support plate is typically adhered into the cassette and a non-woven material is arranged on part of the inner face, which is not visible from the outside, for acoustic reasons.
An observer who is in the room is only looking at the metal, partially coated outer face of the retaining cassette from the outside, however, which, under certain conditions, is not considered to be very visually appealing.
Concepts are therefore known for laminating the installed surface heat exchangers with plasterboard at the installation site, but this results in undesired recesses due to its rounded corners (in particular in the region of the contact edges) or in the region of screw connections. Therefore, this plasterboard is often filled.
Even if a satisfactory look can be achieved in this way to some extent, constructions of this type are relatively complex.
The problem addressed by the present invention is therefore to provide surface heat exchangers which already have an appealing look per se, together with a simple construction and advantageous acoustic properties of the surface heat exchanger where applicable.
The present invention solves the stated problem according to a first aspect by means of the features of claim 1 and is accordingly characterised in that the surface heat exchanger comprises an outer, non-metal decorative layer, which is adhered to the other side of the support plate (in particular directly), i.e. to the side of the support plate facing away from the tube system.
In other words, the concept of the invention is to decorate a support plate for a tube system on the outer face with a decorative, in particular flexible, textile fabric and to advantageously use it directly as a surface heat exchanger in this way (in particular without inserting the support plate into an additional retaining cassette).
In other words, the decorated support plate is used directly as a surface heat exchanger.
A surface heat exchanger provided in such a way is already sufficiently decorative in itself and therefore does not need to be additionally provided with plasterboard and/or filled.
Because a non-metal decorative layer is selected, the look can be sufficiently contrasted with the metal look of conventional metal cassettes.
Components can also be saved, since, in addition to the support plate, another, metal retaining cassette (including non-woven material) is not required.
In addition, however, the invention can also cover the fact that the support plate is provided by a (conventional) retaining cassette.
Lastly, the invention also covers the fact that a support plate is adhesively bonded into a retaining cassette and the rear side of the retaining cassette is adhered to the decorative layer.
It does, however, appear to be advantageous for the decorative layer to be adhered directly to the other side of the support plate (i.e. to the side of the support plate opposite the tube system).
When said layer is directly adhered, there is thus an adhesive layer for directly attaching the decorative layer to the support plate between the support plate and the decorative layer in any case. An additional layer, for example an additional metal layer or a layer of plasterboard or an (additional) non-woven material or the like, is not provided.
This in particular allows for a particularly space-saving surface heat exchanger.
According to the invention, the decorative layer is arranged on the outside of the surface heat exchanger, i.e. it constitutes an outer layer of the surface heat exchanger.
Therefore, the decorative layer is arranged such that an observer's view primarily falls on the decorative layer, at least in a possible viewing direction.
This effect is utilised to install the surface heat exchanger in a (building) room such that the outer decorative layer points towards the interior of the room, i.e. towards an observer who is in the room.
Within the meaning of the invention, a decorative layer constitutes a layer which looks visually more appealing, in particular in contrast with a blank support plate or retaining cassette.
Typically, metal layers of support plates or retaining cassettes are often perceived as being “cold”.
The decorative layer may, however, have a more visually appealing effect, for example due to a pattern and/or its (non-woven or wallpaper) structure and/or its material selection.
In this sense, the decorative layer may for example have a pattern or a particular relief, but it does not have to. In particular, the decorative layer may have a decorative effect merely due to its structure or material.
The decorative layer may in particular be designed to be acoustically effective. In particular, this means that it has (good) acoustically absorbing properties, in particular owing to its structure and/or its relief and/or the material selection.
Alternatively, the decorative layer may also be (decoratively) printed, i.e. may have a print, which may constitute a pattern (merely by way of example).
The decorative layer is advantageously directly or indirectly adhered to the support plate.
In this sense, any suitable adhesive can be used.
Preferably, however, what is known as a hot-melt adhesive is used, i.e. a (hot-melt) adhesive which is in particular active or activated when heat is supplied and then ensures very secure attachment of the decorative layer to the support plate when it subsequently cools.
Alternatively, however, a double-sided adhesive tape (with or without a support) or a similar surface can also be provided for the adhesion, for example.
Therefore, a (continuous) adhesive layer or at least isolated adhesive points or adhesive regions or the like are provided between the side of the support plate facing the decorative layer and the decorative layer itself.
In addition, however, one (or more) additional layer(s) may be provided between said side of the support plate and the decorative layer, namely in an indirect arrangement.
Preferably, however, direct adhesion of the decorative layer to the relevant side of the support plate is provided without an additional layer being present (with the exception of an adhesive layer which may be present).
The decorative layer may typically be a flexible, flat body, i.e. for example a textile fabric or a material made of paper, cardboard, film or the like.
Particularly advantageously, the textile fabric or the decorative layer may consist of non-woven material, in particular an acoustic non-woven material, in this case.
Alternatively, however, a wallpaper, for example a textured wallpaper or a non-woven wallpaper or the like, may also be provided as the decorative layer.
In other words, the front side of the support plate can be “wallpapered” with a flat, in particular flexible, body.
Advantageously, the decorative layer may provide a pattern, more advantageously a pattern which can continue onto other surface heat exchangers, which can preferably be arranged to be adjacent.
Typically, the decorative layer is adhered to the support plate or to the outer face of the surface heat exchanger. It may be retained in another suitable manner, however. For example, it may comprise magnetic particles or fibres and may be retained on the support plate magnetically or by means of clamp elements or the like.
Within the meaning of the present invention, a “non-metal” design of the decorative layer means that it does not predominantly consist of metal; however, the decorative layer may contain minor metal elements, such as metal fibres or a magnet incorporated therein, or the like. Preferably, the decorative layer does not comprise any metal at all.
The decorative layer preferably has a layer thickness of between 0.05 mm and 2 mm.
A typical support plate is made of aluminium or another (transition) metal. It may in particular have a thickness of from 0.1 to 2 mm, in particular 0.3 mm.
It is substantially flat, but may in particular also be bent at the edges, namely for stability reasons, and therefore may comprise an edge that is L-shaped or C-shaped in profile, similarly to retaining cassettes.
The surface heat exchanger according to the invention is in particular easy to handle and/or transportable and/or ready to use.
Retaining means for fastening to a wall or ceiling of a building room can in particular be associated with the surface heat exchanger according to the invention (in a conventional manner). The surface heat exchanger may in particular comprise these retaining means. Alternatively, it may be inserted into, hung in or clipped into a retainer, or the like.
In this sense, the surface heat exchanger may be provided for being arranged on a building wall, a building ceiling or a building floor.
The surface heat exchanger may therefore be an element of a ceiling air conditioning system or an element of a wall air conditioning system or a floor air conditioning system (in particular in underfloor heating). The surface heat exchanger may, however, of course also be used outdoors, for example on terraces, building walls, partition walls or the like.
A surface heat exchanger produced in this way is usually installed together with a plurality of identical surface heat exchangers on a ceiling or wall of a building, without joints as far as possible, in order to give a homogeneous appearance.
The tube systems of the individual surface heat exchangers can be fluidically connected here, in particular also through openings in the side walls or bends in the support plates.
This plurality of surface heat exchangers can also be referred to as a climate-control ceiling, climate-control wall or climate-control floor. It is used for air conditioning the room, in particular for heating or cooling the room.
If a heating effect is desired, a hot medium, in particular water, is typically directed through the tube system. If cooling is desired, a cold medium, likewise preferably (cooled) water, is directed therethrough.
The tubes of the tube system in particular consist of copper here, but may also consist of any other suitable metal or another material, such as a suitable plastics material.
Typically, the tubes of a single surface heat exchanger have a meandering shape or harp-like shape here, i.e. they for example consist of alternating straight portions and curved portions.
Advantageously, in any case, the straight portions have a D shape in cross section (and the curved portions have a circular shape in cross section).
The tube system is preferably directly attached to the first side of the support plate (i.e. without a layer arranged therebetween, for example).
More advantageously, the (average) distance between the tube system and the first side of the support plate is at most 20 mm, more advantageously at most 1 mm, yet more advantageously 0.5 mm.
As already described, the tube system may typically be fastened to the support plate by means of heat-conducting sheets, which are either adhered to the support plate or fastened thereto in another, in particular mechanical, manner (e.g. in an interlocking manner). In particular, a plurality of strip-like heat-conducting sheets may be provided, which are also in particular associated with the straight tube portions and engage over said tube portions so as to be fastened on either side or at least on one side.
Alternatively, the tube system may be attached or (laser) welded to the support plate by a heat-conducting profile for being inserted or clipped in.
The support plate of the surface heat exchanger may optionally comprise perforations (for example for reasons of improved acoustics). In particular, if the support plate is perforated, it may advantageously be provided that the decorative layer is also perforated or permeable. As a result, particularly preferable acoustic damping is achieved.
According to a particularly advantageous configuration of the invention, the decorative layer has an average distance of at most 5 mm from the “other side” of the support plate, to which it is attached.
The “other side” of the support plate is therefore the side of the support plate which faces away from the tube system, or which faces the room and/or the observer when installed.
More advantageously, this average distance is at most 2 mm, more preferably at most 1 mm.
This is in particular intended to illustrate that there is no additional thicker layer, such as plasterboard or the like, between the decorative layer of the support plate (except for the adhesive).
According to one of the most preferred embodiments of the invention, the decorative layer consists of non-woven material or the decorative layer is made of a non-woven material, i.e. what is also known as a “non-woven” (alternatively, a wallpaper provides the decorative layer).
In particular as distinct from a woven fabric, said non-woven material is a fibre layer or a fibrous web, wherein the fibres are in particular not intertwined. It typically has a comparatively low thickness compared with its length and width.
If the decorative layer is therefore formed as a non-woven material in this case, this does not generally preclude an additional non-woven material also being provided on the rear side of the support plate, i.e. the side of the support plate facing away from the decorative layer, for example for acoustic reasons.
Preferably, the decorative layer is formed by an acoustic non-woven material or an acoustic wallpaper material.
In this case, an acoustic non-woven material or acoustic wallpaper material is in particular distinguished by particularly good acoustic absorbing properties.
An acoustic non-woven material of this kind is particularly useful if the support plate also comprises acoustic perforations.
A decorative layer made of acoustic non-woven material can also be referred to as an “absorber non-woven material”.
In an acoustic non-woven material of this kind, the air molecules excited by the sound can rub against the fibres of the acoustic non-woven material particularly effectively. As a result, the kinetic energy is converted into heat and the noise is reduced.
The production of the acoustic non-woven material according to the invention may be similar to that of paper: cellulose and silicate fibres mixed in water are poured onto a screen. The water drains away, wherein the fibres remain and are bonded together by synthetic resin. This results in a homogeneous, dense mesh similar to a textile, which can be used as an acoustic non-woven material. Nevertheless, this material is permeable and porous.
In this case, the acoustic non-woven material may preferably correspond to at least absorber class C, more preferably to at least absorber class B, in accordance with DIN 11654.
In particular, it may be provided that, in accordance with this standard, the absorption quotient is always at least 0.5, more preferably 0.6, over a frequency of 100 to 5,000 Hz.
Instead of an acoustic non-woven material, the invention also covers the use of other non-metal decorative layers in principle.
This applies in particular to (acoustic) wallpapers. These may for example be textured wallpapers or non-woven wallpapers or the like, which can provide an appropriate, appealing decoration.
In particular, the front side of the support plate can simply be “wallpapered”. To do this, any suitable adhesive, in particular a glue, spray adhesive or the like, can be used.
Other decorative layers, for example made of paper or film or the like, which provide an appealing decoration can also be used as a decorative layer, however.
According to the invention, the decorative layer is retained on, in particular adhered, riveted or clamped to, the surface heat exchanger in a captive manner, wherein it cannot simply be peeled off by an external party.
According to another, particularly advantageous configuration of the invention, the decorative layer is designed to be perforated and/or permeable. In this case, such a configuration of the decorative layer ensures particularly advantageous acoustic properties, as already described above in relation to the acoustic non-woven material.
In this case, the decorative layer may for example have an open-perforated surface area of at least 5%, furthermore at least 10%.
It may for example provide an open-perforated surface area of at most 40%, furthermore at most 20%, furthermore at most 10%.
Here, the average diameter of the perforation may be between 1 mm and 5 mm, for example between 1.5 mm and 2 mm, furthermore in particular approximately 1.8 mm.
Preferably, the decorative layer has a layer thickness of at most 2 mm, furthermore preferably of at most 1 mm, furthermore preferably of at most 0.5 mm, furthermore again preferably of at most 0.3 mm.
In particular, the decorative layer preferably has a layer thickness of at least 0.1 mm, more advantageously of at least 0.2 mm.
In a particularly advantageous configuration of the invention, the decorative layer thickness is approximately 0.27 mm.
In particular, the decorative layer may have a weight of at most 100 g/m2, preferably of at most 70 g/m2.
Typically, the decorative layer has a weight of at least 10 g/m2, more advantageously of at least 50 g/m2.
A typical decorative layer may have a weight of approximately 63 g/m2 here.
According to another advantageous configuration of the invention, the support plate is bent at at least one edge region.
The bend may have an angle of 90°, for example. This may alternatively also be a double bend, however (having a profile similar to a C shape).
A bend of this kind is typically used to stabilise the surface heat exchanger, which, in particular due to the bend, no longer has to be inserted into a retaining cassette, but instead can be used as a surface heat exchanger on its own, without a separate retaining cassette.
In particular, the surface heat exchanger may also provide reinforcing elements, in particular reinforcing ribs, which further increase the stability.
Such ribs or struts may for example be provided transversely to the longitudinal extension of the straight tube portion of the tube system.
The invention solves the stated problem according to another aspect by means of a method according to claim 9 and is accordingly in particular characterised by the following steps:
“Installing” is in particular understood to mean inserting, hanging or clipping in.
In other words, the concept of this aspect of the invention is to produce the surface heat exchanger at a first site, together with the decorative layer, and to install it at a second, remote site.
This is in particular a distinction from the concept of embellishing a surface heat exchanger having a neutral outer surface at the installation site, for example with the aid of wallpapers, plasterboard or the like.
With regard to claim 9 (and also the subsequent method claims), it should be noted at this point that all the features, advantages and examples set out in comparison with the preceding claims (or the surface heat exchanger according to the invention) should also be considered to be disclosed in conjunction with the method according to the invention, and vice versa.
In particular, according to the method according to the invention, the decorative layer may therefore also be fastened directly or indirectly to the other side of the support plate (during production) to which the tube system is not attached.
More advantageously, the decorative layer may be adhered. This list should not be understood to be exhaustive, however.
According to the invention, the second site may be the installation site, i.e. the site at which the building room to be air conditioned is located.
The term “site” can be understood to mean a locality, for example a town, or a building, or an environment. At the installation site, the installation of the surface heat exchanger can then be carried out, for example by a tradesperson working at the installation site or by a specialist company.
It is important that there is spatial separation between the site of the assembly and decoration of the surface heat exchanger and the installation site. The first and the second site may for example be at least 1 km from one another, preferably 10 km or more preferably at least 50 km from one another. In this sense, the two sites are several kilometres from one another.
For this purpose, the surface heat exchanger should in particular be easy to handle and transportable.
At the second site, a plurality of surface heat exchangers according to the invention may in particular be installed together. Here, particular attention can be paid to an orientation of the potentially provided decoration of the individual surface heat exchangers relative to one another. For example, the patterns can be oriented relative to one another.
According to a particularly advantageous configuration of the invention, the installation at the second site on a building surface is carried out such that the decorative surface or layer is oriented towards the building room or building interior, i.e. is arranged to be visible to a person who is in the building room.
The surface heat exchanger can for example be hung in or inserted into, or suspended from, a (ceiling) support for the installation. This may be a T-shaped support or a similar element/system, for example.
Furthermore, any other type of installation is of course also conceivable, for example installation as a sail, in which one or more surface heat exchangers according to the invention are suspended from a ceiling (in particular by means of cables or threaded rods).
Other advantages of the invention become apparent from the dependent claims that have not been cited, as well as from the following description of the embodiments shown in the drawings, in which:
Embodiments of the invention are described by way of example in the following description of the figures, also with reference to the drawings. Here, for the sake of clarity, even if different embodiments are involved, identical or comparable parts or elements or regions have been denoted by identical reference signs, sometimes with the addition of lower-case letters or apostrophes.
Features that are only described in relation to one embodiment can also be provided in any other embodiment of the invention within the scope of the invention. Even if they are not shown in the drawings, such amended embodiments are covered by the invention.
All the features disclosed are essential to the invention per se. The content of the disclosure of any potentially associated priority documents (copy of the previous application) and the cited documents and the prior art devices described are hereby incorporated into the disclosure of the application in their entirety, also for the purpose of incorporating individual features or a plurality of features of these documents into one or more claims of the present application.
First, the series of figures in
According to
Here, the support plate 11 has a material thickness of in particular at least 0.3 mm, and in the present embodiment approximately 0.5 mm or 0.6 mm (in particular of at most 2 mm).
According to
The three substantially curved portions 20 arranged therebetween may, however, retain a round cross section, for example.
According to
In this sense, in the present embodiment, the curved tube portions 20 are in particular not attached directly to the support plate 11, but instead are only indirectly attached via the straight portions 19 and the heat-conducting elements or profiles 14.
The heat-conducting elements or plates 14 may for example be adhered to the support plate 11 (in particular to either side) or may be fastened to the support plate in another way.
Therefore, the heat-conducting sheets may in particular be metal strips having good heat-conducting properties.
The surface heat exchanger 10a assembled in this way is shown in
The front view according to
In the embodiments shown, this decorative layer 16 is a non-woven material, in particular an acoustic non-woven material, for example.
In this case, according to
The decorative layer 16 is adhered to the front side 15 of the surface heat exchanger 10a, and specifically by the adhesive layer 22 indicated at one corner 21 in
Normally, in this case, as shown in
As shown in the isometric view of the rear side 12 of the support plate 11 or the slightly modified surface heat exchanger 10b that is shown, as a whole, the surface heat exchanger 10 produced in the method according to
The slightly modified surface heat exchanger 10b according to the invention as shown in
Another difference can be found in the edges 23 of the support plate 11 according to
In the region of the connections 24 of the tube system 13 or 13′, these bends 23 can either be omitted or can comprise connection apertures (as shown in
By way of example, the bent edges 23 of the support plate 11 may be longitudinal edges, as shown in
Bends 23 of this kind, which improve the stability of the entire surface heat exchanger 10 and prevent the support plate 11 from sagging, can in particular be provided in support plates 11 which are very thin (according to the material thickness).
While the series of figures from
The assembled surface heat exchanger 10b is then shown in the cross-sectional view in
This figure in particular also shows the D-shaped cross section of the straight tube portions 19 of the corresponding tube system 13 that are already indicated above.
Here, the decorative layer 16 is a very short distance of less than 1 mm from the front side 41 of the support plate 11, wherein this distance in particular corresponds to the thickness of the adhesive layer 22.
A surface heat exchanger 10 according to the invention assembled by the manufacturer can be transported to another, in particular remote, site 18, for example a building room 26, which is to be air conditioned.
Here, by way of example,
For the sake of clarity, however,
For installing the surface heat exchangers 10c, they may for example comprise installation means (omitted from
According to
The fluid may for example be cooling water, in order to keep the room 26 cool in summer.
With regard to
It is common to all the forms of arrangement that the surface heat exchangers 10c form what is known as a climate-control ceiling, which provides air conditioning of the room 26. If a coolant, for example cooled or cold water, flows through the tube systems or tube system, the climate-control ceiling can have a cooling effect. If, however, the room 26 is intended to be heated, a heated medium, for example hot water, can flow through the tube systems 13 of the surface heat exchangers 10c.
Merely for the sake of clarity, it is noted with regard to
A typical surface heat exchanger 10c has a width q of approximately 60 cm, in particular of between 50 and 70 cm. Here, the surface heat exchanger 10c may have identical dimensions in the other spatial direction or, alternatively, may typically also have dimensions that are approximately twice as long, i.e. a length I of approximately 120 cm or in particular between 100 cm and 140 cm.
Preferably, in this case, the surface heat exchangers are arranged beside one another such that the decorative layers 16 abut one another without joints as far as possible.
It is lastly noted with regard to
Configurations with just one bend (as shown in
With regard to the double bend, reference is also made to
Acoustic perforations 30 in the support plate 11 are also shown in the additional embodiment according to
In particular, the other side or edge of the surface heat exchanger 10e that is not shown in
According to
In
In the enlarged view according to
Even if the perforations in the decorative layer 16 can be clearly seen in
Furthermore, the embodiment according to
Another purely exemplary difference of the surface heat exchanger 10e according to
Lastly,
In the present case, a T-shaped support is namely not provided. Instead, the surface heat exchanger 10f comprises a strut 37, in particular a cross strut, at which the surface heat exchanger 10f can be attached to the room ceiling 27 (not shown in
Of course, there may be a plurality of cross struts per surface heat exchanger. These may, however, alternatively be longitudinal struts or other struts.
By way of example,
In this last embodiment, the surface heat exchanger 10f is thus suspended in the form of a sail 40.
Of course, struts of this kind may, however, also be provided without being used for attachment to the ceiling (i.e. in particular without the cables 38), and therefore merely for improving the stability of the surface heat exchanger as a whole.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2021 102 792.6 | Feb 2021 | DE | national |
