Clear View Overhead Door Panel with Independent Thermal Seals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional insulated glass overhead door panels face issues with thermal insulation due to metal spacers, leading to condensation and thermal bowing, and manufacturing complexity in gas replacement, exacerbated by exposure to external elements.
Innovation Solution
The use of independent seals and vapor permeable membranes in overhead door panels allows for thermal expansion differences between interior and exterior faces, reducing stress and condensation, while eliminating the need for inert gases and desiccants, and enabling a clear view.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal spacers are used to separate glass panes, then structural durability is improved, but thermal insulation performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by combining metal spacers with thermal barriers (such as foam or insulating coatings) to create a hybrid structure that maintains both structural durability and thermal insulation performance. This resolves the contradiction by integrating materials with complementary properties into a single functional component.
2Loss of energy
If insulated glass with gas filling is used, then thermal insulation is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for complex gas filling operations and desiccant installation by removing the sealed gas cavity structure. Instead, it uses open-frame construction with thermal barriers that achieve comparable insulation without requiring vacuum or gas filling equipment, thereby extracting the problematic manufacturing steps while retaining the thermal performance benefit.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs simpler, less durable but easier to manufacture thermal barrier materials that can be easily installed and replaced, replacing the need for complex permanent gas-filled sealed units. This approach prioritizes manufacturing ease over long-term durability of the insulation medium.
3Loss of energy
If traditional sealed IG units are used, then thermal performance is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to seal breakdown
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the insulation function into separate components: individual thermal barriers attached to each glass pane rather than a single sealed cavity. This segmentation eliminates the need for perimeter seals that are prone to breakdown, as each component can be independently attached and replaced without affecting the entire unit's integrity.
4Illumination intensity
If transparent glass panels are used, then visibility is improved, but thermal insulation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces thermal barrier intermediaries (such as foam strips or insulating coatings) positioned between the glass panes and the frame structure. These intermediaries act as mediators that block heat transfer paths without interfering with the transparency of the glass panels themselves, thus maintaining visibility while improving thermal insulation.
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
This solution enhances thermal efficiency by reducing heat transfer and condensation, maintaining a clear view, and addressing manufacturing challenges by allowing thermal expansion without gas replacement.
Implementation Method 1
vapor permeable membranes in overhead door panels allows for thermal expansion differences between interior and exterior faces, reducing stress and condensation
Implementation Method 2
A spacer made of aluminum that also contains a highly structural thermal barrier also reduces condensation on the glass surface and improves insulation, as measured by the overall U-value
Implementation Method 3
spacers are filled with, or contain, desiccant to remove moisture trapped in the gas cavity during manufacturing, thereby lowering the dew point of the gas in the gas cavity and preventing condensation from forming
Data Source
AI summary
Examples of the present disclosure provide an overhead door panel. The overhead door panel includes a pair of parallel glass panes, a metal frame with parallel lateral stiles oriented perpendicular to the pair of parallel glass panes, a first seal system located at a first lateral stile, and a second seal system located at a second lateral stile, wherein the first seal system and the second seal system engage with at least one glass pane of the pair of parallel glass panes and a lateral stile of the parallel lateral stiles of the metal frame such that the first seal system and the second seal system are between the at least one glass pane and the lateral stile.