Panel element for surface heating or cooling

Abstract

Plate element (10) for surface heating or cooling of ceilings or walls of building interiors, with a base plate (1) facing the interior and provided with a hole or perforation (3), on which preferably angled edge sections (2) are provided, with a heating or cooling register (4) arranged on the rear side of the base plate for a heating or cooling medium flowing through pipes, and with a suspension or holding device (5) for attachment to ceilings or walls, characterized in that the base plate (1) has a flocking (6) as an outer coating at least on the front side of the plate element (10) facing the interior.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a panel element for surface heating or cooling of ceilings or walls in buildings with a cooling or heating register in which a heat transfer medium flows for the air conditioning of the rooms, according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Such panel elements are used for surface heating / cooling systems, also known as heated or chilled ceilings, and comprise a base plate as the basic element, to which the heating or cooling register is attached in the form of serpentine plastic, copper, or stainless steel pipes. Such panel elements are available either as a pure panel or in a box-like shape with edge sections that fold upwards from the base plate at the sides. These then form a kind of receiving space for the cooling register, and the panel elements are suspended from ceilings or fixed to walls with fastening devices. It is also known for such panel elements to be perforated with a multitude of holes for sound insulation. The base plate is thus perforated to create openings for dampening noise in the room.This is particularly relevant if the base plate is made of metal, as is often the case with such plate elements.

[0003] The panel elements of known heating and cooling ceiling systems often have a powder coating on the base plate to offer a variable shape and color on the visible side facing the interior. Alternatively, it is also known in the art to anodize the surfaces of the base plates of such panel elements for surface heating or to cover them with textile materials such as fabric covers. Such fabric coverings or similar are used in an attempt to provide even better sound insulation of the interior when using such surface heating systems. While these softer or textile materials on the surface of the base plates offer certain advantages in terms of sound insulation, they are suboptimal in terms of production and in the functionality of the cooling / heating register, i.e. heat transfer.In particular, such additional layers of textile fabrics on the surface of the panel elements can significantly impair thermal conductivity and thus reduce the overall heating and cooling efficiency of the ceiling system. This negatively impacts the heat transfer of the panel elements, which is expressed in watts per square meter (W / m). 2 ) and was determined as such by the applicant in measurements.

[0004] During the manufacture of such panel elements, the textile materials must also be fixed to the usually metallic base plate. Adhesive bonding is often only provided in specific locations, so that the surface of such panel elements on the interior of the building is often inhomogeneous and does not form a flat, level ceiling or wall surface. This also reduces the heat dissipation performance.

[0005] Against this background, the object of the present invention is to provide a panel element for surface heating or cooling systems in buildings that offers improved heat transfer or cooling performance while simultaneously optimizing sound insulation. Furthermore, the panel elements should have the most homogeneous surfaces possible on the visible side and be manufactured at a reduced cost.

[0006] This object is achieved with a plate element having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0007] According to the invention, a panel element for surface heating or cooling of ceilings or walls of building interiors is provided, comprising a base plate facing the interior and provided with a hole or perforation, on which base plate preferably angled edge sections are provided, a heating or cooling register arranged on the rear of the base plate for a heating or cooling medium or heat transfer medium flowing through pipes, and a suspension or holding device for attachment to ceilings or walls, wherein the panel element is characterized in that the base plate has flocking as an outer coating at least on the front side of the panel element facing the interior. The panel element thus has a base plate which is generally, but not necessarily, made of metal and has a perforation or perforation with several holes.As a rule, the perforation is only provided on the visible side. However, perforation can optionally also be formed on the angled edge sections of the base plate. The base plate is preferably provided with an edge section that is folded upwards at the side edges. This forms a type of box-shaped holder for the heating or cooling register inserted therein. However, the base plate can also have a purely flat plate in an alternative design. The individual plate elements are mounted on walls or ceilings inside buildings using the suspension device or fastening device in the case of walls and then usually form large-area surface heating or cooling systems for the air conditioning of corresponding rooms. A heating or cooling medium flows through the heating or cooling register, which consists of serpentine pipes, for the purpose of heating the building or air conditioning the interior spaces.According to the invention, the base plate of the panel element is provided with a flocking coating as an outer coating or layer, at least on the front side facing the interior, which is the visible side of the building. Flocking is a special form of coating with a fiber material or with particles of various materials, which is applied to the surface of the base plate using the flocking process, usually with an adhesive as a binding agent.

[0008] The flocking can be applied in a variety of ways. For example, the flocking fibers can be attached using an adhesive layer that is pre-applied to the base plate, followed by electrostatic flocking, as is known in other fields. Other forms of applying the flocking fiber materials are also possible. For example, a method known as the sheet flock process can be used to produce the flat flocking layer from fiber materials or particles of various materials on the base plate, at least on the visible side. The attachment layer is usually an adhesive layer that is pre-applied to the base plate.Alternatively, such an adhesive layer can also be omitted if, for example, the fibers or particles of the flocking themselves are integrated into the base plate in another manufacturing process. Alternative forms of applying such flock coatings are also known to those skilled in the art and can be used within the scope of the invention for panel elements of heated or cooled ceilings.

[0009] The advantage of flocking as an outer layer on the surface of the base plate is that sound insulation can be further increased without the need for complex textile layers that close the perforations, which would otherwise impair the effectiveness of the acoustic insulation. The production of this type of flocking is significantly simpler and more cost-effective than the laborious application of fabric panels, which in the past often led to uneven and inhomogeneous surfaces due to the limited local adhesive points. Furthermore, this type of flocking also further optimizes the heat transfer of the panel elements. Favorable thermal conduction properties can be achieved with the appropriate choice of flocking materials.According to the inventors' measurements, significantly improved heat transfer values ​​can be achieved, for example, by selecting fibers or particles of the flocking material from materials with good thermal conductivity. Last but not least, such flocking also offers considerable advantages in the design variability of such radiant heating systems: The outer surface is homogeneously uniform across the entire ceiling area, yet different shapes, patterns, or designs can be easily realized without major effort by using different types of flocking (e.g., color, shape, fiber structure) on individual panel elements or within the panel elements themselves.

[0010] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the flocking is a fiber flocking, in particular made of textile or synthetic fibers. Such fibers can be applied relatively easily to the base plate using the electrostatic flocking method after prior application of an adhesive layer or adhesive film. The surfaces are thus very homogeneous and have a textile-like structure. This results in an overall very good sound-insulating surface without the perforation holes being closed, as was previously the case with glued-on textile materials. According to the invention, the textile or synthetic fibers can also be realized with a mixture of different materials. For example, fibers with good thermal conductivity can be mixed with natural textile fibers.It is also conceivable that, within the scope of the invention, particles of metallic materials are mixed with the fibers to improve heat transfer and thus the heating or cooling performance.

[0011] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the flocking is applied to the base plate of the panel element by means of an adhesive layer or an adhesive film, preferably via electrostatic flocking during the production of the panel elements. Such electrostatic flocking allows for the creation of very homogeneous surfaces that offer a uniformly flat outer surface despite the flocking with fibers of the panel element. Last but not least, electrostatic flocking is very efficient in applying the individual fibers, and even relatively thin flocking layers can be achieved, which has advantages in terms of thermal conductivity.

[0012] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the fibers or particles of the flocking on the base plate have a smaller length or dimension than the diameter of the perforation holes, preferably a smaller length or dimension than 3 / 4 of the perforation hole diameter. This measure ensures that the flocking can be applied evenly and continuously to the outer surface of the side of the base plate facing the building's interior with a highly sound-insulating fiber coating, while the perforation holes remain completely free of flocking. Sound absorption is thus further optimized.If the fibers are too long or the holes are too small in diameter compared to the length of the fibers or the size of the flocking particles, the holes will increasingly be sealed with fibers and adhesive during flocking production, and the acoustic sound insulation effect would be severely impaired. The measure according to the invention effectively prevents this in a simple way.

[0013] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the fibers or particles of the flocking on the surface of the base plate of the ceiling element consist at least partially of natural or recycled materials. Using natural textile fibers, for example, a fabric-like, velvety appearance and surface structure can be achieved, which also means good heat transfer properties and significantly improved sound absorption. Using recycled materials improves the sustainability of such panel elements for surface heating systems, and recycled natural fibers or recycled plastic fibers, for example, can be used to create the flocking of the panel elements according to the invention. A mixture of such materials is also possible.A material mixture of different fiber components can also be easily applied to the panel elements using this type of flocking method, which increases the variability in the surface shape of the panel elements.

[0014] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the flocking of the outer layer on the surface of the base plates of the ceiling elements is enriched with heat-conducting components. Preferably, graphite-containing or metallic materials can be included as heat-conducting components in the flocking material itself, or particles or fibers can be added. The addition or enrichment with metallic materials or graphite has the advantage of further improving thermal conduction and the heat transfer coefficient. This further enhances the cooling or heating performance of such surface heating or cooling systems. The flocking thus also serves to enhance heat radiation or radiation absorption for cooling such surface heating or cooling systems.Other materials for technical or functional purposes can also be incorporated into or added to the flocking fibers or particles, as long as they can be applied to the outer surface of the base plate and / or the angled edge sections of the panel element using the flocking method. The base plate can optionally also have perforations in the angled edge sections.

[0015] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the diameters of the holes in the perforation on the base plate of the ceiling elements have a size in a range from 0.5 mm to 80 mm, preferably from 1.6 mm to 4 mm. Investigations and tests by the inventors have surprisingly shown that with such dimensions, the perforation offers very good acoustic sound absorption from the base and, together with the flocking, a further significantly improved efficiency can be achieved with regard to heat or cold dissipation and sound insulation. The holes thus have a diameter of sufficient size to prevent them from being inadvertently closed by the fibers or particles of the flocking during the manufacture of the panel elements.The perforation holes are nevertheless sufficiently small to allow a large number of holes to be made on a single panel element, which are essential for sound insulation together with the flocking.

[0016] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the flocking is formed with patterns of areas of different shape, color, and / or texture on the base plate of a panel element. In addition to the technical advantages of better sound absorption and good thermal conductivity, the flocking also has the advantage that numerous design modifications to the surface can be created depending on the environment and design concepts. A modification in the shape and texture of the fibers is easily implemented during the manufacturing process of the panel elements and can thus further optimize the architectural appearance of the interior spaces from an aesthetic point of view, despite the installation of such surface heating. Such patterns in different areas can also be used to improve the thermal conductivity, for example, if the patterns are created using different materials or fiber lengths in the flocking.

[0017] Further advantages, features, and aspects of the invention will be described in more detail below using several exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: Fig. 1 a perspective view of a first embodiment of a plate element according to the invention for surface heating or cooling with flocking in a view obliquely from above; Fig. 2 a partially perspective sectional view of the embodiment of a plate element according to the invention according to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view with a section in the area of ​​the base plate of an embodiment of the plate element according to the invention; and Fig. 4 an enlarged partial sectional view of a further embodiment of a plate element according to the invention in the edge region to illustrate the structure of the flocking and layers of the base plate.

[0018] In Fig. 1, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 of the drawings, a first embodiment of a panel element 10 according to the invention for surface heating or cooling of building ceilings or walls is shown in various perspective views and perspective partial views. Fig. 4 shows a further embodiment of a plate element according to the invention in a partial sectional view to illustrate the inventive structure of the flocking 6 and further layers on a base plate 1 of a plate element 10 according to the invention.

[0019] The panel elements 10 according to the invention are provided with a base plate 1, which in this exemplary embodiment has angled edge sections 2, thus forming a type of box-like receptacle for the installation of a heating or cooling register 4. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, however, the base plate 1 can also be provided as a simple plate without such side edges or laterally angled edge sections 2. The base plate 1 is provided on a visible side or a front side facing the interior of the building with a flocking 6 as an outer coating, which in this example is attached to the base plate 1 by an adhesive layer 9 or an adhesive in another form, such as an adhesive film.The base plate 1 of the panel elements 10 is provided with a perforation 3, as is usual for such panel elements 10 for surface heating systems, which is realized here by a plurality of uniformly arranged holes 7 in the form of a hole pattern. The perforation 3 with its holes 7 achieves improved sound insulation while simultaneously providing very good heat or cold dissipation from the panel elements 10. The heating / cooling registers 4 installed inside the base plate 1 are formed, as is usual for such surface heating systems, in the form of serpentine pipes 8. In operation, a heat transfer medium flows through the pipes 8 to heat or cool the building space via the surface heating / cooling system.In addition to the pipes 8, the heating register 4 may also comprise other elements, such as heat-conducting plates or fastening elements such as clamps, and has connections not specifically shown in the drawings for connection to the piping system of the underfloor heating. In addition to the heating registers 4 and the suspension devices 5, other elements such as heat-conducting profiles (not shown) or acoustic fleece on the back may be attached to the back of the plate elements 10.

[0020] According to the invention, the base plate 1 of these plate elements 10 is now provided with a novel outermost coating on the inside of the building, namely with a flocking 6 made of a material consisting of natural or synthetic fibers or particles. In this exemplary embodiment, the flocking 6 is present on the visible side, i.e. the underside of the base plate 1 and also on the laterally angled edge sections 2 on the outside of the plate element 10. Alternatively, the flocking 6 can also be provided only on the underside of the base plate 1. To attach the flocking 6, in this exemplary embodiment, an adhesive is applied in the form of an adhesive layer 9 before the flocking 6 is applied to the base plate 1, which can be done, for example, using spray adhesive. The adhesive layer 9 can also be applied to the base plate in the form of an adhesive film, as long as the holes 7 of the perforation 3 are not closed thereby.In this exemplary embodiment, the flocking 6 itself is applied by electrostatic flocking using fibers with a length a in the range of a few millimeters, e.g., 0.2 to 8 mm (typically 1 to 5 mm). The electrostatic flocking process has proven successful for the production of such panel elements 10. Alternative forms of applying a flocking 6 with different fibers of different materials are also conceivable within the scope of the present invention, as long as a flocking 6 is created as the outer surface on the base plate 1. Four suspension / holding devices 5 are provided on the rear of the base plate 1 for attachment to the ceiling or wall.

[0021] As can be seen particularly in the perspective partial views of the Fig. 2 and the Fig. 3, the thickness a of the flocking 6 is relatively small compared to the material thickness of the base plate 1 and, in this example, is essentially the same. The flocking 6 with the length of the fibers is selected such that the holes 7 of the perforation 3 are not unintentionally closed by the application and attachment via an adhesive layer 7. The length a of the fibers or thickness of the flocking 6 is smaller than the diameter of the holes 7 of the perforation 3 and is preferably selected in a ratio of 3 / 4 to the hole diameters of the perforation 3. The performance of the surface heating / cooling systems in terms of heat or cold emission is therefore very good and can be further improved by the flocking 6 itself. Nevertheless, the sound is efficiently insulated compared to plate elements 10 with purely metal surfaces. The fibers of the flocking 6 can, for example, be natural fibers of a textile fabric or plastic fibers.The fibers of flocking 6 can also be enriched or supplemented with additional materials that promote heat conduction, such as graphite or metallic materials. A mix of fiber materials can also be used in flocking 6.

[0022] The Fig.4 shows an enlarged partial sectional view of an embodiment of the plate elements 10 according to the invention. The pipes 8 of the heating / cooling register 4 are attached to the base plate 1 here via heat-conducting profiles or alternatively via clamps or clamp-like mounting means. The flocking 6 in this embodiment has a thickness or length of fibers a which is less than the diameter d of the holes 7 of the perforation. In this embodiment, the thickness of the flocking 6 with the length a of the fibers is approximately half the diameter d of the holes 7. This effectively prevents the holes 7 of the perforation 3 from being unintentionally closed during production of the flocking 6. The dimensions are preferably selected such that the thickness a or fiber length of the layer of flocking 6 is less than 3 / 4 of the size of the diameter d of the holes 7 of the perforation 3.Exemplary values ​​for the size of the holes are diameters in the range of, for example, 0.5 mm to 80 mm, preferably 1.5 mm to 4 mm. Accordingly, in this exemplary embodiment, the layer thickness a of the flocking 6 is in the range of 0.5 mm to 60 mm. Other values ​​for the lengths a of the fibers of the flocking 6 and the diameter d of the perforation holes 7 are also within the scope of the invention.

[0023] With the panel element 10 according to the invention and the novel form of surface treatment applied thereto in the form of flocking 6 as the outermost layer of the visible side, various technical advantages are synergistically achieved together, which at first glance seem contradictory. The flocking 6 is a relatively thin additional layer which is applied uniformly and consistently homogeneously to the outer surface of the base plate 1 and thus not only significantly improves sound absorption with better insulating properties, but also offers an improvement in the thermal efficiency of such surface heating / cooling systems. In comparison to the fabric coverings used previously, no insulating air layer forms between the sheet metal of the base plate 1 and a fabric. The flocking 6 adheres directly to the base plate 1 throughout.With the panel elements 10 according to the invention with the flocking 6, an attractive appearance and various variations in design such as color, texture, etc. can be achieved in combination with the aforementioned technical advantages. Last but not least, production can be realized at significantly lower costs than with conventional panel elements of this type provided with fabric covers. Uneven fabric coverings due to only localized adhesive points are thus avoided. The complexity of the manufacturing process is thus also considerably reduced. With the surface heating systems or panel elements 10 according to the invention, improved heat transfer can be achieved, which is expressed in watts per square meter (W / m). 2 ) compared to plate elements 10 without such flocking 6. List of reference symbols 1 base plate 2 edge section 3 Perforation or punching 4 heating / cooling registers 5 Suspension / holding device 6 Flocking 7 holes (perforation) 8 Pipeline 9 Adhesive layer or glue 10 plate element

Claims

[1] Plate element (10) for surface heating or cooling of ceilings or walls of building interiors, with a base plate (1) facing the interior and provided with a hole or perforation (3), on which preferably angled edge sections (2) are provided, with a heating or cooling register (4) arranged on the rear side of the base plate for a heating or cooling medium flowing through pipes and with a suspension or holding device (5) for attachment to ceilings or walls, characterized by that the base plate (1) has a flocking (6) as an outer coating at least on the front side of the plate element (10) facing the interior. [2] Plate element (10) according to claim 1, characterized by that the flocking (6) is a fiber flocking, in particular made of textile or synthetic fibers. [3] Plate element (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized bythat the flocking (6) is attached to the base plate (1) by means of an adhesive layer (9) or film via preferably electrostatic flocking. [4] Plate element (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the fibers or particles of the flocking (6) have a smaller length or dimension than a diameter of holes (7) of the perforation (3), preferably smaller than 3 / 4 of the hole diameter. [5] Plate element (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the fibres or particles of the flocking (6) consist at least partly of natural or recycled materials. [6] Plate element (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the flocking (6) is enriched with heat-conducting components, in particular graphite-containing or metallic materials. [7] Plate element (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the diameters of the holes (7) of the perforation (3) have a size of 0.5 mm to 80 mm, preferably 1.6 mm to 4 mm. [8] Plate element (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the flocking (6) is formed with patterns of areas of different shape, color and / or texture on the base plate (1) of the plate element (10).

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