Building panel intended for creating heating and/or cooling walls of buildings
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing building heating and cooling systems require specialized installation and are not suitable for existing structures, as they often necessitate major construction work and are prone to costly leaks due to hidden tubes, making repairs difficult and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A prefabricated modular building panel with integrated heat-carrying fluid channels and leak detection systems that can be quickly assembled and disassembled, allowing for easy installation over existing walls and automatic leak detection with visual or audible alarms to prevent further fluid spread, enabling simplified repairs without specialized labor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heating and cooling circuits are integrated inside walls using conventional techniques, then heating and cooling functionality is achieved, but installation requires specialized companies and major construction work
Solution Approach 1:
The wall is divided into modular panels that can be independently manufactured and assembled. Each panel contains integrated heating/cooling circuits, allowing the system to be installed by simply assembling pre-fabricated modules rather than embedding tubes in existing walls, thus eliminating the need for specialized installation teams and major construction work.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating and cooling circuits are pre-integrated into the wall panels during manufacturing before the walls are installed in the building. This preliminary integration eliminates the need for post-construction installation of tubes, as the functional circuits are already in place within the modular panels.
2Shape
If heating tubes are hidden inside walls, then aesthetic appearance is maintained, but leak detection becomes difficult and repair costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The wall is segmented into modular panels with defined boundaries. If a leak occurs in one panel, it can be isolated and identified without affecting other panels. The modular structure allows systematic leak detection by testing individual panels and enables repair by replacing only the affected panel rather than accessing hidden tubes throughout the entire wall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular panel acts as an intermediary between the hidden heating/cooling circuits and the external environment. Each panel serves as a self-contained unit with integrated circuits, allowing leaks to be contained within individual panels and detected through panel-level testing, thus simplifying leak localization and repair while maintaining the aesthetic appearance of continuous walls.
3Ease of manufacture
If modular flooring systems are used for heating, then installation is simplified, but the panels have significant thickness and lack finishing layers
Solution Approach 1:
The panel integrates multiple functions that were previously separate: the structural wall element, the heating/cooling circuit, the insulation layer, and the finishing surface are merged into a single modular unit. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate installation steps and reduces overall thickness compared to conventional systems that layer these components separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular panel is designed as a multi-functional element that simultaneously provides structural support, thermal insulation, heating/cooling functionality, and aesthetic finishing. This universal design eliminates the need for additional thickness to accommodate separate insulation and finishing layers, as all functions are integrated within the panel's optimized structure.
4Reliability
If conventional heating systems are installed in existing buildings, then heating functionality is provided, but major construction work and demolition are required
Solution Approach 1:
The heating system is segmented into modular panels that can be independently installed in existing buildings. These panels can be mounted on existing wall surfaces without requiring demolition or major construction work, allowing rapid installation by simply assembling the modular units in the desired configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating circuits and all necessary components are pre-integrated into the modular panels during manufacturing before delivery to the building site. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for time-consuming on-site installation of tubes and connections, allowing the system to be quickly deployed in existing buildings by simply mounting the complete modular panels.
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
Enables rapid, cost-effective installation and maintenance of heating and cooling systems in existing buildings by allowing modular panel replacement without full wall dismantling, reducing repair costs and time, and ensuring quick detection and containment of leaks.
Implementation Method 1
element in the form of a substantially flat plate, said element being made of a thermally conductive material and being fixed on the upper face of said base element so as to cover it completely or almost entirely
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a building panel intended for creating heating and/or cooling walls of buildings, comprising: a base element defined by an upper face, a lower face and several lateral faces, circulation means (12) for the circulation of a heat-transfer or cooling fluid, which are arranged on the inside of said base element, a substantially flat conducting element, fixed to the upper face of the base element so as to cover it entirely or almost entirely, said conducting element having good thermal conductivity, mechanical connection means secured to said base element, said mechanical connection means being able to allow removable attachment of said building panel to an identical or similar building panel arranged adjacent to the latter, fluidic-connection means designed to allow the heat-transfer or cooling fluid to circulate between said building panel and an identical or similar building panel attached thereto, leak detection means able to detect a leak of heat-transfer or cooling fluid at the lower or upper face of the base element.