Anti-collision glazing unit

Abstract

A multi-glazing unit (1) adapted to be mounted in a building, on a facade and / or on a roof, comprising at least one outer laminated glazing unit (2) and an inner glazing unit (3) separated by an air gap (4) and intended to be arranged towards the exterior and interior of the building, respectively, the invention relates to an electrochromic glazing device (1) comprising an inner transparent substrate (6) and an outer laminated glazing unit (2) comprising at least one electrochromic stack (7) and a laminated barrier layer (5), preferably made of a polymeric material, even preferably made of PVB, interposed between the inner transparent substrate (6) and an outer transparent substrate (8), the outer transparent substrate (8) comprising a textured pattern (9) on its outer face, the textured pattern (9) is compared to the background (10), said pattern (9) being characterized in that:-each subset of said pattern (9) is separated from an adjacent subset by a distance of less than 10.16 cm, preferably less than 5.08 cm,-said pattern (9) has, relative to the background (10), a visibility score "SCORE" greater than or equal to 0 and satisfying the following equation: SCORE = 0.85 * [Delta] S + 0.15 * [Delta] L.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of multiple glazed units adapted to be installed in buildings, on facades and / or on roofs. More particularly, the present invention relates to so-called "bird strike" glazed units which make it possible to avoid or at least limit the risk of birds colliding with said glazed units. The present invention also relates to the manufacture of such multiple glazed units and their installation in buildings. Background Art

[0002] There is a need to make building glazed units clearly visible to birds so that they do not accidentally strike the building glazed units. One known solution to meet this need is to apply a pattern to the glazed unit, the pattern being clearly visible to birds and dense enough to indicate to the birds that they cannot pass through it.

[0003] In this context, a particular solution known from the prior art has the disadvantage that the anti-collision pattern is not visible enough to birds, so that the risk of collision remains non-negligible.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need to provide an anti-collision multiple glazed unit provided with an anti-collision pattern having satisfactory visibility for birds. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention addresses this need. More particularly, in at least one embodiment, the proposed technique relates to a multiple glazed unit adapted to be installed in a building, on a facade and / or on a roof, comprising at least one outer laminated glazed unit and an inner glazed unit, the at least one outer laminated glazed unit and the inner glazed unit being separated by an air gap and intended to be arranged facing the outside and the inside of the building respectively, the outer laminated glazed unit comprising at least one electrochromic stack and a laminated spacer, the laminated spacer preferably made of a polymeric material, even more preferably made of PVB, interposed between an inner transparent substrate and an outer transparent substrate, the outer transparent substrate comprising a textured pattern on its outer face, the textured pattern contrasting with the background (10), the pattern being characterized in that:

[0006] - Each subset of the pattern is separated from an adjacent subset by a distance of less than 10.16 cm, preferably less than 5.08 cm,

[0007] - The pattern has a visibility "SCORE" greater than or equal to 0 and satisfying the following equation: SCORE = 0.85*ΔS + 0.15*ΔL

[0008] where ΔS is the color contrast and satisfies Equation [Mathematical Formula 1]

[0009]

[0010] where "wi" is the Weber fraction representing the sensitivity of cone "i" in the retina of the bird,

[0011] where "Δfi" is the true perceived difference between the pattern (9) and the background (10),

[0012] where "fi" satisfies the equation:

[0013] fi = ln(Qi / Qi_ref)

[0014] where Qi is the sensory response of cone "i" in the retina of the bird and satisfies equation [Equation 2]

[0015] Q i = ∫ λ R i (λ)S(λ)I(λ)dλ

[0016] where "λ" is the wavelength, "S" is the spectrum under consideration, "i" is illuminant D65 according to standard EN410 describing the average solar spectrum, and "Ri" is the sensitivity spectrum of the cone "i",

[0017] where "Qi_ref" corresponds to "Qi" when S equals 1,

[0018] where "ΔL" is the achromatic contrast and satisfies the following equation:

[0019] ΔL = Δf_achromatic / w_achromatic

[0020] where "w_achromatic" equals 0.1 is the Weber fraction representing the achromatic sensitivity of the retina of the bird,

[0021] where "Δf_achromatic" is the difference in true achromatic perception between the pattern and the background,

[0022] where "f_achromatic" satisfies the equation: f_achromatic = ln(Q / Q_ref)

[0023] where Q is the achromatic sensory response of the retina of the bird and satisfies the following equation [Equation 3]

[0024] Q = ∫ λ R(λ)S(λ)I(λ)dλ

[0025] where "R" is the achromatic sensitivity spectrum,

[0026] where "Q_ref" corresponds to "Q" when S equals 1.

[0027] The concept of the color contrast ΔS as the so-called "threshold distance" at which wtimuli are indistinguishable, especially for animals with tetrachromatic vision (such as birds), is discussed in particular in the publication Vorobyev, M., & Osorio, D., Receptor noise as a determinant of colour thresholds, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B (1998) 265, 351 - 358. However, contrary to the visibility score "SCORE", the model developed in this publication ignores any achromatic signals.

[0028] Within the meaning of the present invention, depending on whether the multi-glazed unit is a double-glazed unit or a triple-glazed unit, the multi-glazed unit means a plurality of glazed units - laminated or non-laminated - separated and spaced apart by one or two air gaps or vacuum gaps. According to the present invention, the anti-collision pattern is textured on the outer face of the outer transparent substrate - i.e., the face of the multi-glazed unit intended to be positioned on the outside of the building. The so-called "textured" surface is a surface for which the surface irregularities vary on a scale greater than the wavelength of the radiation incident on the surface. The incident radiation at a given angle is thus transmitted and reflected by the surface in a diffuse manner (i.e., in multiple directions).

[0029] At least from the bird's point of view, the textured pattern formed on the outer face of the multi-glazed unit contrasts with the background in the sense that it is visually different from the background. This background thus corresponds to the surface defined contrarily to the textured pattern, such as its negative.

[0030] The present invention consists first in selecting the anti-collision pattern based on geometric criteria and also on a contrast criterion (visibility score). This "SCORE" has excellent reliability because it takes into account the optical perception of the bird in all its complexities and in particular with respect to both the color and achromatic sensitivity of its retina. The multi-glazed units having a score greater than or equal to 0 thus make it possible to satisfactorily limit the risk of collision of the bird with the glazed unit.

[0031] The present invention consists secondly in the combination of such anti-collision units with electrochromic stacks within the multi-glazed unit.

[0032] An electrochromic stack is also referred to as an electrochemically functional system with electrocontrollable optical and / or energy properties, including at least one electrochemically active layer, which is disposed between a first electrode layer and a second electrode coating. The at least one electrochemically active layer is adapted to reversibly switch between a clear state and a colored state under the action of a suitable electrical supply, with a change in its optical and / or energy properties. Such properties are particularly related to transmission, absorption, reflection, or light scattering. The induced changes generally occur in the optical field (infrared, visible, ultraviolet) and / or other electromagnetic radiation fields, which is why it is called a device with variable optical and / or energy properties, as not only the optical domain is necessarily involved.

[0033] As detailed in the description, the combination of the anti-collision pattern and the electrochromic stack within the multi-glazed unit has the advantage of increasing the contrast between the pattern and the background, as perceived by the bird. In other words, the anti-collision pattern appears more visible to the bird.

[0034] According to a particular embodiment, the internal transparent substrate is coated with the electrochromic stack, which preferably contacts the air gap.

[0035] According to a particular embodiment, the multi-glazed unit includes at least one reflective layer, which is disposed between the inner side of the internal transparent substrate and the outer side of the external transparent substrate.

[0036] As detailed in the description, adding such a reflective layer enables an increase in reflection at the textured pattern and thus improves its visibility from the bird's viewpoint.

[0037] According to a particular embodiment, the at least one reflective layer is disposed on the inner surface of the external transparent substrate.

[0038] According to a particular embodiment, the at least one reflective layer is composed of silicon nitride and / or oxide MOx (M = Si, Sn, Zn) and / or metal M (M = Ni, Cr, Ti, Ag).

[0039] Select the Weber fraction "wi" representing the sensitivity of the cone "i" of the bird's retina according to the following specific values: w 1 = 0.2; w 2 = 0.14142; w 3 = 0.14142; w 4 = 0.1.

[0040] Such a set of Weber fractions corresponds to the typical sensitivity of the bird. Selecting such a set of Weber fractions thus enables the provision of an anti-collision pattern with good visibility for most bird species.

[0041] According to a particular embodiment, the pattern comprises wavy or straight strips.

[0042] According to a particular embodiment, the pattern comprises dots.

[0043] The invention also relates to a method comprising the step of manufacturing such a multi-glazed unit.

[0044] According to a particular embodiment, texturing the external face in order to obtain an anti-collision pattern can be achieved by any known texturing method: for example, by imprinting the surface of a substrate pre-heated to a temperature at which the substrate can be deformed, in particular by rolling with a roller whose surface has a texture complementary to the texture to be formed on the substrate; by abrasion with particles or an abrasive surface, in particular by sandblasting; by chemical treatment, especially in the case of a glass substrate using an acid; by molding, especially injection molding in the case of a thermoplastic polymer substrate; by etching.

[0045] The invention also relates to a method comprising the step of installing at least one such multi-glazed unit in a building, on a facade and / or on a roof. Description of the Drawings

[0046] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the following description of particular embodiments given by way of simple illustrative and non-limiting examples and coming from the appended drawings, in which:

[0047] - Figure 1 Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a multi-glazed unit according to an embodiment of the invention,

[0048] - Figure 2 Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a multi-glazed unit according to an alternative embodiment of the invention,

[0049] The different features illustrated in the figures are not drawn to full scale as the focus is on depicting the general operation of the invention. In particular, the size of the texturing of the external face of the multi-glazed unit is significantly enlarged. In fact, the details of such texturing cannot be distinguished by the naked eye. By the same logic, the exact path of the incident solar rays within the multi-glazed unit is not detailed - in particular the angular deviations that may occur at each interface - as the figures focus more on the illustration of the diffuse reflection generated at the pattern as opposed to the specular reflection generated at the background. Detailed Description

[0050] According to a particular embodiment and as shown by Figure 1 ​​As shown, the present invention relates to a multi-glazing unit 1 adapted to be installed on a building, on a facade and / or on a roof, comprising at least one external laminated glazing unit 2 and an internal glazing unit 3, the at least one external laminated glazing unit 2 and the internal glazing unit 3 being separated by an air gap 4 and intended to be arranged facing the outside and the inside of the building respectively. In Figure 1 the sun and the bird are outside the building, while the observer is inside the building. The external laminated glazing unit 2 comprises at least one laminated interlayer 5 made of PVB (polyvinyl butyral), interposed between an internal transparent substrate 6 and an external transparent substrate 8, the internal transparent substrate 6 being coated with an electrochromic stack 7 which is in contact with the air gap 4, and the external transparent substrate 8 comprising on its external face a textured pattern 9 (two subsets of which are shown in Figure 1 ), the textured pattern 9 contrasting with the background 10. A reflective layer 11 is arranged on the internal face of the transparent external substrate 8.

[0051] Each of the transparent substrates may be made of a transparent polymer, transparent glass or transparent ceramic.

[0052] According to Figure 2 an alternative embodiment shown in, the multi-glazing unit 1 differs from the multi-glazing unit described above and shown in Figure 1 in that the electrochromic stack 7 is deposited on the internal transparent substrate 6 on one side of the laminated interlayer 5.

[0053] According to an alternative embodiment not shown, the electrochromic stack 7 is deposited on the internal face of the transparent external substrate 8 on one side of the laminated interlayer 5.

[0054] To highlight the scattering effect generated at the textured pattern 9, two incident sunlight rays R1 and R2 are shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 . The first radiation ray R1 passes through the transparent external substrate 8 at the background 10. Since the textured interface contrasting with the pattern 9 is smooth at this position, the radiation ray R1 is transmitted and reflected by the surface in a specular manner. The part of the ray R1 reflected by the glazing unit is thus invisible to the bird, which thus cannot see this background area 10 of the external face 8. In contrast, the second ray R2 passes through the transparent external substrate 8 at a subset of the textured pattern 9. The second radiation ray R2 is then transmitted and reflected in a diffused manner (i.e., in multiple directions). The part of the ray reflected in a diffused manner can then be perceived by the bird, which then distinguishes the pattern 9 by contrast with the background 10.

[0055] To better understand what the bird perceives, it is necessary to detail the composition of the spectrum perceived on the one hand at pattern 9 and on the other hand at background 10. Generally speaking, the spectrum observed by the bird can be considered as the sum of the diffused light exiting the building and the reflected sunlight scattered by the multi-glazed units.

[0056] At background 10, which is a smooth interface, the reflection is specular and can therefore be ignored. As for the diffused light exiting the building, it can be estimated as corresponding to the sunlight transmitted into the building, which is reflected diffusely on the internal walls and then transmitted outwards again.

[0057] The "BKG" spectrum of background 10 seen by the bird is thus as follows:

[0058] BKG = %T_window^2 * %R_wall

[0059] where %T_window is the overall transmission of the glazed unit,

[0060] where %R_wall can be considered a fixed value of 40% if the internal walls of the building return 40% of the solar radiation (albedo).

[0061] At pattern 9, which is a textured interface, the reflection is diffuse and must therefore be added. As for the diffused light exiting the building, it is transmitted diffusely through pattern 9.

[0062] The "PTRN" spectrum of pattern 9 seen by the bird is thus as follows:

[0063] PTRN = %T_window^2 * %R_wall + %R_pattern

[0064] where %R_pattern is the diffuse reflection at said pattern 9.

[0065] According to the invention, the textured pattern 9 is characterized in that:

[0066] - each subset of said pattern 9 is separated from an adjacent subset by a distance of less than 5.08 cm, and

[0067] - said pattern 9 has a visibility score "SCORE" greater than or equal to 0 and satisfying the following equation with respect to background 10: SCORE = 0.85 * ΔS + 0.15 * ΔL

[0068] According to the invention, the Weber fraction "wi" representing the sensitivity of the cone "i" of the bird's retina is selected according to the following specific values: W1 = 0.2; W2 = 0.14142; W3 = 0.14142; W4 = 0.1.

[0069] As indicated above, the value of the SCORE directly depends on the sensory response (Q; Qi) of the bird's retina, and one of the components of the sensory response (Q; Qi), "S", is the value of the observed spectrum.

[0070] This enables a better understanding of the advantages provided by the implementation of the electrochromic stack 7 in combination with the anti-collision feature 9. This electrochromic stack will generate a significant decrease in the light transmission (%T_window) through the multi-glazing unit when colored. With reference to the above-given definitions of the spectra of the reference pattern 9 ("PTRN") and the background 10 ("BKG"), it will be understood that when the light transmission decreases, the first part of the spectrum calculation (%T_window^2 * %R_wall) tends towards 0. The "BKG" spectrum of the background 10 thus tends towards 0, while the "PTRN" spectrum of the pattern 9 tends towards the diffuse reflection value "%R_pattern" of the pattern 9, and thus the contrast perceived by the bird between the pattern 9 and the background 10 increases. When the electrochromic stack switches to its colored state, the anti-collision pattern 9 becomes more visible to the bird.

[0071] Still with reference to the above-given definitions of the spectra of the reference pattern 9 ("PTRN") and the background 10 ("BKG"), it will be understood that adding the reflective layer 11 enables an increase in the diffuse reflection ("%R_pattern") at the pattern 9. Although the specular reflection at the background 10 also increases, due to its specular nature, this does not affect how it is perceived by the bird. The contrast perceived by the bird between the pattern 9 and the background 10 thus increases by adding the reflective layer 11, which thus makes the anti-collision pattern 9 more visible.

[0072] The visual functions Ri and R for the present invention as a function of the wavelength λ are detailed in Table 1 [Table 1] below:

[0073]

[0074]

[0075]

[0076]

[0077]

[0078]

[0079]

[0080]

[0081]

[0082]

[0083] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it is obvious that various other changes and modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention. This document is therefore intended to cover all modifications that fall within the scope of the present invention in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A multi-glazing unit (1) adapted to be installed in, on the facade and / or on the roof of a building, comprising at least one outer laminated glazing unit (2) and an inner glazing unit (3), said at least one outer laminated glazing unit (2) and inner glazing unit (3) being separated by an air gap (4) and intended to be arranged facing the outside and the inside of the building respectively, said outer laminated glazing unit (2) comprising at least one electrochromic stack (7) and a laminated interlayer (5), the laminated interlayer (5) preferably made of a polymeric material, even more preferably made of PVB, being interposed between an inner transparent substrate (6) and an outer transparent substrate (8), said outer transparent substrate (8) comprising a textured pattern (9) on its outer face, said textured pattern (9) contrasting with the background (10), said pattern (9) being characterized in that: - Each subset of said pattern (9) is separated from an adjacent subset by a distance of less than 10.16 cm, preferably less than 5.08 cm. - Said pattern (9) has a visibility "SCORE" greater than or equal to 0 and satisfying the following equation with respect to the background (10): SCORE = 0.85*ΔS + 0.15*ΔL where ΔS is the color contrast and satisfies Equation [Mathematical Formula 1] where "wi" is the Weber fraction representing the sensitivity of cone "i" in the retina of a bird, where w & = 0.2; w 2 = 0.14142; w 3 = 0.14142 and w 4 = 0.1, where "Δfi" is the true perceived difference between said pattern (9) and the background (10), where "fi" satisfies the equation: fi = ln(Qi / Qi_ref) where Qi is the sensory response of cone "i" of the retina of a bird and satisfies Equation [Mathematical Formula 2] Q i = ∫ λ R i (λ)S(λ)I(λ)dλ where "λ" is the wavelength, "S" is the spectrum under consideration, "I" is illuminant D65 according to standard EN410 describing the average solar spectrum, and "Ri" is the sensitivity spectrum of said cone "i". where "Qi_ref" corresponds to "Qi" in the case where S equals 1, where "ΔL" is the achromatic contrast and satisfies the following equation: ΔL = Δf_achromatic / w_achromatic where "w_achromatic" equal to 0.1 is the Weber fraction representing the achromatic sensitivity of the retina of a bird, where "Δf_achromatic" is the true achromatic perceived difference between said pattern and the background, where "f_achromatic" satisfies the equation: f_achromatic = ln(Q / Q_ref) where Q is the achromatic sensory response of the retina of a bird and satisfies the following equation [Mathematical Formula 3] Q = ∫ λ R(λ)S(λ)I(λ) dλ where "R" is the achromatic sensitivity spectrum, where "Q_ref" corresponds to "Q" in the case where S equals 1.

2. The multi-glazing unit (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said inner transparent substrate (6) is coated with said electrochromic stack (7), said electrochromic stack preferably being in contact with the air gap (4).

3. The multi-glazing unit (1) according to any one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that it comprises at least one reflective layer (11), said at least one reflective layer (11) being arranged between the outer faces of said inner transparent substrate (6) and outer transparent substrate (8).

4. The multi-glazing unit (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that said at least one reflective layer (11) is arranged on the inner face of the transparent outer substrate (8).

5. The multi-glazing unit (1) according to one of claims 3 and 4, characterized in that, the at least one reflective layer (11) is made of silicon nitride and / or oxide MOx (M = Si, Sn, Zn) and / or metal M (M = Ni, Cr, Ti, Ag).

6. The multi-glazing unit (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, the pattern (9) comprises wavy or straight strips.

7. The multi-glazing unit (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, the pattern (9) comprises dots.

8. A method, the method comprising the step of manufacturing a multi-glazing unit (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A method, the method comprising at least one step of installing a multi-glazing unit (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7 in a building, on a facade and / or on a roof.

Images