Building with heating, cooling and ventilation system within concrete ceiling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing building designs require two installation levels for room conditioning systems, limiting ceiling continuity and aesthetic appeal, and restricting flexibility in room layout and usage changes.

Innovation Solution

Integration of room conditioning system components, including silencers and volume flow controllers, directly into the reinforced concrete ceiling, allowing for individual airflow adjustment and reduced noise, with components like multifunction modules and heat exchangers for efficient temperature regulation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If room conditioning system components are installed in a suspended ceiling area below the reinforced concrete ceiling, then the system can be installed and accessed, but the ceiling surface is disrupted and aesthetic appeal is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstallation accessibilityVSAvoidceiling continuity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the room conditioning system components (silencers, volume flow controllers, supply air sections) with the reinforced concrete ceiling structure itself. Instead of installing these components in a separate suspended ceiling space, they are integrated directly into the concrete ceiling, eliminating the need for a discontinuous suspended ceiling area while maintaining installation accessibility through inspection openings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent relocates the room conditioning components from a horizontal layer (suspended ceiling space) to a vertical integration within the concrete ceiling thickness. This dimensional reorganization allows components to be housed within the ceiling structure itself, preserving the continuous ceiling surface while providing access through strategically placed inspection openings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Ease of repair

If a suspended ceiling area is used for room conditioning installations, then components can be accessed and maintained, but flexibility in room layout and usage changes is restricted

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecomponent accessibilityVSAvoidroom layout flexibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of repairVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the ceiling structure by incorporating discrete inspection openings that can be individually opened or closed. This allows specific components to be accessed for maintenance while keeping other areas intact, and enables flexible reconfiguration of ceiling openings to accommodate different room layouts and usage requirements without being constrained by a fixed suspended ceiling structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of manufacture

If multiple installation levels are used for room conditioning, then all components can be accommodated, but conversion time for usage changes increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem capacityVSAvoidconversion time
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple installation levels into a single integrated level by embedding all room conditioning components within the reinforced concrete ceiling structure. This eliminates the need for separate suspended ceiling spaces and reduces the number of installation levels to one, thereby significantly reducing conversion time when adapting spaces for different uses.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Shape

If room conditioning components are integrated into the reinforced concrete ceiling, then ceiling continuity and aesthetic appeal are improved, but installation and maintenance access becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveceiling continuityVSAvoidinstallation accessibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ShapeVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces inspection openings as intermediary access points that mediate between the need for ceiling continuity and the need for component accessibility. These openings allow installation and maintenance personnel to access components embedded within the concrete ceiling while maintaining the aesthetic appearance of a continuous ceiling surface when the openings are closed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 integration provides a seamless ceiling soffit, enhances layout flexibility, reduces conversion time for usage changes, and ensures quiet, efficient airflow distribution, improving user comfort and energy efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

the supply air part and the exhaust air part are coupled to each other via a heat exchanger device, so that the fresh air supplied from the outside is pre-tempered by the exhaust air discharged to the outside

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat exchange: Heat Exchanger

Implementation Method 2

at least one of the sections is connected to the main supply air duct via a silencer and a volume flow controller

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAcoustic absorption: Acoustic Absorption

Data Source

PatentEP2791436B1Building with heating, cooling and ventilation system within concrete ceiling
Publication Date: 2019.07.31 BAM DEUTLAND
  • EP2791436B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2791436B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2791436B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

What is proposed is a building having at least one reinforced concrete floor which has, for heating and for cooling the interior covered by the reinforced concrete floor, a water-based cooling/heating system as circuit system integrated into the reinforced concrete floor and an air-conducting pipe system which serves to feed fresh air into the interior and which has a feed-air-conducting part, wherein the pipe system has at least one main feed-air duct and portions branching off from the main feed-air duct and leading to individual subregions of the interior, wherein at least one portion of the feed-air-conducting part of the pipe system that is assigned to a respective subregion of the interior is integrated into the reinforced concrete floor of the interior and opens via an inflow opening into the interior such that the temperature of the pre-heated fresh air when flowing through the portion equals the temperature of the water-heated reinforced concrete floor. The building is distinguished in that the main feed-air duct is also integrated into the reinforced concrete floor.