Façade-Integrated Shading Device with Imaging System for Glare Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current shading systems face challenges in optimizing daylight utilization and occupant visual comfort due to reliance on indoor sensors, which are inconvenient to install and can disrupt privacy, and struggle to accurately assess glare risk in large-scale buildings.
Innovation Solution
A shading device integrated into a building facade with an imaging system that captures outside lighting conditions, allowing for automated control without internal sensors, using a venetian blind or electrochromic glazing with a stepper motor and processor to dynamically adjust slat angles or opacity for optimal illuminance and glare prevention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional shading control systems use ceiling sensors or ceiling cameras to monitor indoor lighting conditions, then they can regulate daylight penetration, but they require considerable installation effort and interconnection of multiple devices inside the building
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the imaging function from the interior of the building and places it on the exterior façade. The imaging device is integrated into the shading device mounted on the building façade, capturing images of the outside view including sky portion and landscape portion. This eliminates the need for installing sensors or cameras inside the building, thereby reducing installation effort while maintaining lighting condition monitoring capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging device on the façade acts as an intermediary that captures outdoor lighting conditions and provides this information to the control system. This intermediary approach allows the system to assess glare risk and lighting conditions without requiring direct indoor sensors, simplifying installation while maintaining measurement precision.
2Extent of automation
If cameras are used inside buildings to monitor lighting conditions, then automated shading control can be achieved, but privacy issues arise
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging function is extracted from the interior space and relocated to the exterior façade. The imaging device captures images of the outside view (sky and landscape portions) rather than interior spaces, thereby eliminating privacy concerns while maintaining the capability for automated shading control based on outdoor lighting conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of placing cameras inside the building to monitor lighting conditions (traditional approach), the patent inverts the approach by placing the imaging device on the exterior façade to capture outdoor views. This inversion resolves the privacy issue while still enabling automated control through analysis of the captured images for glare risk assessment.
3Ease of operation
If decentralized automated blinds use indoor sensors to measure work-plane illuminance, then they can adjust blind positions, but optimal sensor positions are difficult to determine and wiring work is required
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing function is extracted from the interior and relocated to the exterior façade where the imaging device captures lighting conditions. This eliminates the need for installing sensors at optimal positions inside the room and avoids wiring work, while still enabling automatic blind adjustment through image-based glare risk assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical sensor-based illuminance measurement system with an imaging-based optical system. Instead of using physical sensors that require wiring and optimal positioning, the system uses an imaging device to capture images and computationally assess lighting conditions and glare risk, simplifying installation while maintaining automatic control capability.
4Productivity
If centralized systems use roof-mounted photometers to control groups of blinds, then systematic control is achieved, but it is not easy to consider the particular position of each room to evaluate glare risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control system by integrating an imaging device with each shading device at the façade level. Each imaging device captures images specific to its location and orientation, enabling room-specific glare risk assessment. This segmentation allows systematic control while maintaining the ability to consider particular position characteristics of each room.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements local quality by having each shading device with its integrated imaging device independently assess lighting conditions and glare risk for its specific location. The control strategy is adapted to local characteristics such as façade orientation, surrounding buildings, and landscape features captured in the images, rather than applying a uniform control approach to all rooms.
Data Source
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AI summary
A shading device (D.1, D.2) is configured to be integrated into a façade of a building, wherein the shading device (D.1, D.2) comprises an imaging system (3) configured to create images of an outside view of the building.