Active window module for thermally regulating a building and method
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
High-rise buildings with large glazed facades face challenges in thermal regulation, leading to high energy consumption for air conditioning due to increased heat absorption and mechanical air exchange, with existing solutions either being expensive, maintenance-intensive, or inefficient in preventing overheating and heat transfer.
Innovation Solution
A window module comprising outer and inner glazing with an intermediate air-liquid heat exchanger and a separating element for adjustable sun protection, allowing for efficient heating or cooling by exchanging heat between air and a heat transport medium, while minimizing visual barriers and maintenance costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If sun blinds are placed on the outside of insulating glazing to prevent radiation into the building, then solar radiation control is improved, but maintenance costs increase due to cleaning expenses and risk of destruction by wind or hail
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of placing sun blinds on the outside of the glazing where they are exposed to weather and cleaning requirements, the patent inverts the approach by placing the sun protection function on the inside of the insulating glazing. This internal placement protects the sun blinds from wind, hail, and makes them easily accessible for cleaning and maintenance, while still effectively controlling solar radiation entering the building.
2Reliability
If sun blinds are placed on the inside of insulating glazing to protect from wind and weather, then durability is improved, but energy efficiency worsens due to additional heating from absorbed sunlight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into a single integrated system: the sun blinds serve both as solar radiation control devices and as heat exchange surfaces. By integrating these blinds with a heat exchanger system that uses the intermediate space between inner and outer glazing, the absorbed solar heat is actively managed and can be utilized for heating purposes, thereby converting the potential energy loss into a useful function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of solar radiation absorption by internal sun blinds into a beneficial heating source. The heat absorbed by the blinds in the intermediate space is captured through heat exchangers and can be used to heat the building, especially during colder periods, thereby transforming what would normally be a energy loss into a useful thermal resource.
3Reliability
If a protective facade is added to protect external sun blinds from wind and hail, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and maintenance costs increase due to additional glass surfaces and space requirements
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding a protective facade on the outside to protect sun blinds, the patent inverts the approach by placing the sun blinds directly on the inside of the insulating glazing. This eliminates the need for additional protective structures while still providing the required protection from wind and hail, as the blinds are now shielded by the glazing itself.
4Ease of manufacture
If prefabricated window boxes with integrated sun blinds are used, then installation ease is improved, but energy efficiency worsens due to heat trapping in the sealed intermediate space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the sun protection function with an active thermal management system. The intermediate space between inner and outer glazing, which would normally trap heat, is equipped with heat exchangers that actively manage the thermal conditions. This allows the sealed intermediate space to function not as a heat trap but as a controlled thermal zone where heat can be exchanged with the building interior.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the heat trapping effect in the sealed intermediate space from a harmful phenomenon into a beneficial thermal storage and exchange mechanism. The heat absorbed by sun blinds and accumulated in the intermediate space is captured by heat exchangers and transferred to the building interior, transforming the heat trap into a thermal buffer that can be utilized for heating purposes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The window module effectively regulates building temperature with reduced energy consumption and maintenance, preventing overheating and allowing for both heating and cooling, while maintaining architectural freedom and reducing the need for expensive additional facades or complex systems.
Implementation Method 1
at least one air-liquid heat exchanger, which comprises a cooling/heating element through which fluid flows, with a fluid line in which a heat transport medium is guided
Implementation Method 2
The outer glazing has a lower heat transfer coefficient than the inner glazing
Implementation Method 3
a separating element arranged in the intermediate space, which comprises an adjustable sun protection function
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention describes a window module (1) for thermally regulating a building. The window module (1) according to the invention comprises external glazing (2) and internal glazing (3), wherein an intermediate space (4) which is sealed with respect to solids, in particular dust, is formed between the external glazing (2), which has a lower heat transmittance coefficient (Ua) than the internal glazing (3), and the internal glazing (3). The window module (1) has an air-fluid heat exchanger (5) which comprises a cooling/heating element through which fluid flows and which has a fluid line in which a heat transportation medium is conducted, wherein in the installed state of the window module (1) the one air-fluid heat exchanger (5) is arranged at the bottom and/or at the top, in a horizontal position, in the intermediate space (4), with the result that air from the intermediate space (4) can flow through it. A separator element (19) is arranged in the intermediate space (4). A fan (10) is arranged in the intermediate space (4), which fan (10) can be operated in multiple operating modes of the window module (1), which comprise a cooling mode and a heating mode, wherein at least in the cooling mode air is conducted through the air-fluid heat exchanger (5) by the one fan (10), in order to exchange heat between the air and the heat transportation medium and in order to conduct the air in a circuit in the intermediate space (4). The separator element (19) comprises an adjustable sunshade function which, when activated, runs essentially parallel to the external glazing (2) and the internal glazing (3) and divides the intermediate space (4) into an inner intermediate space (4I) and an outer intermediate space (4A) in order to separate a rising airflow and a falling airflow in the intermediate space (4), wherein the sunshade function can be activated in the cooling mode and deactivated in the heating mode.