Modular Façade Frame With Conductive Bars for Wiring-Free Infills
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional façade systems with integrated energy-generating or electrochromic infills face high installation and maintenance costs due to complex wiring requirements, making them difficult and costly to implement and maintain.
Innovation Solution
A wall system with a frame structure that includes an energy distribution system featuring elongated conductive bars within the frame elements, allowing for easy access and distribution of electricity or data signals, facilitating the use and maintenance of infills like photovoltaic and electrochromic panels without the need for extensive wiring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional wiring systems are used for energy-generating infills, then electrical connections can be established, but installation and maintenance costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is divided into modular sections with integrated conductive bars, allowing infills to be independently connected and replaced. Each frame element contains its own conductive pathway, segmenting the electrical distribution system into manageable modules that simplify installation and maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive bars are merged directly into the frame structure itself, eliminating the need for separate wiring systems. The frame simultaneously provides structural support and electrical conduction, reducing overall system complexity and installation cost while maintaining reliable electrical connections.
2Ease of repair
If replacement infills are installed in conventional systems, then functionality is restored, but extensive wiring work is required
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical distribution system is segmented into modular frame elements with integrated conductive bars. This allows infills to be replaced by simply disconnecting and reconnecting at the frame interface, without needing to trace or rewire complex cable paths through the structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex wiring system is extracted and replaced with simple integrated conductive bars within the frame. This extraction eliminates the need for delicate cable routing during maintenance, reducing repair complexity to basic electrical connection tasks.
3Ease of operation
If frames are cut open to route replacement wires, then wiring access is gained, but structural integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive pathway is merged into the frame structure itself rather than being a separate element requiring routing through the frame. This integration eliminates the need to cut or open the frame for wire access, preserving structural integrity while providing electrical conductivity.
4Use of energy by moving object
If electrochromic glass units or photovoltaic panels are integrated into conventional façades, then energy efficiency is improved, but installation and maintenance become prohibitively difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The façade system is segmented into modular units with integrated conductive bars in each frame element. This segmentation allows electrochromic or photovoltaic infills to be independently installed and maintained without affecting other portions of the façade, reducing installation and maintenance difficulty while maintaining energy efficiency benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical distribution function is merged into the frame structure itself through integrated conductive bars. This eliminates the need for separate wiring systems, making the integration of energy-generating infills simpler and more cost-effective while preserving the energy efficiency advantages.
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 simplifies the installation, maintenance, and replacement of energy-generating infills by eliminating the need for complex wiring, reducing costs and enabling efficient energy usage and carbon footprint reduction through modular designs and in-situ access points.
Implementation Method 1
an energy distribution system including an elongated conductive bar at least partially positionable within at least one of the horizontal frame elements or at least one of the vertical frame elements
Data Source
AI summary
A wall system for a building (such as an exterior façade for a building) may include a frame structure configured for attachment to the building. The frame structure may include a plurality of horizontal frame elements, a plurality of vertical frame elements, and an energy distribution system including an elongated conductive bar at least partially positionable within at least one of the horizontal frame elements or at least one of the vertical frame elements. The system may include one or more access elements positionable to engage the elongated conductive bar to receive electricity or a data signal from the elongated conductive bar. The frame structure may support infills that connect to the elongated conductive bar and use or produce electricity.