Skylight Window IGU Sealing and Thermal Bridge Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Skylight windows, particularly those with flat roofs, suffer from poor insulating properties and limited light entry and visibility due to their design, which exposes a larger portion of the window to the environment and adds extra layers of glazing, increasing the path length for light and reducing thermal insulation.
Innovation Solution
The skylight window design features a primary and secondary leg frame structure where the sealing element directly abuts the insulating glazing unit (IGU), eliminating the need for a sash side member along the IGU's interior surface, allowing the IGU to be positioned deeper and closer to the frame, enhancing insulation and visibility while reducing thermal bridging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a sash side member extends along the exposed interior major surface of the IGU, then the window structure is more robust and provides sealing support, but the area through which heat can escape increases and insulation performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the sash side member from the exposed interior major surface of the IGU, extracting only the essential sealing function while eliminating the thermal bridge. The sealing element is directly attached to the frame side member, bypassing the need for a sash side member extension along the IGU surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a sealing element as an intermediary component that directly connects the frame side member to the IGU edge. This sealing element provides both structural support and thermal sealing, replacing the dual-component arrangement of sash side member plus sealing element.
2Reliability
If multiple layers of glazing are used with a dome-shaped weather shield, then protection from weather is improved, but the path length for light increases and visibility and light entry are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the weather shield from the dome shape and replaces it with a flat or substantially flat weather shield that extends over the IGU. This removes unnecessary light-blocking curvature while maintaining the protective function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a three-dimensional dome-shaped weather shield to a two-dimensional flat weather shield configuration. This dimensional simplification reduces the light path length while preserving the weather protection function through proper positioning and extension over the IGU edges.
3Device complexity
If the IGU is positioned closer to the exterior surface with traditional framing, then the window structure is simpler, but the area of frame and sash exposed to environment increases and insulation performance worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the sash side member extension along the IGU interior surface, eliminating the thermal bridge while maintaining structural integrity through direct sealing element attachment to the frame. This simplifies the structure compared to traditional multi-component arrangements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite sealing system combining the sealing element with the frame side member structure, creating an integrated component that provides both structural support and thermal sealing in a single assembly, reducing overall complexity.
4Reliability
If a sash side member extends along the IGU interior surface, then sealing contact is provided, but the number of materials with different thermal expansion properties increases and sealing reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing function from the sash side member and relocates it to a dedicated sealing element attached directly to the frame side member. This eliminates the need for the sash side member to contact the IGU, removing the thermal expansion incompatibility issue.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing element serves as an intermediary that accommodates thermal expansion differences between the frame and IGU. By being directly attached to the frame rather than extending along the IGU surface, it can handle differential movement without compromising sealing contact.
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 configuration improves thermal insulation, increases light entry, and enhances visibility by minimizing the area of the sash and frame through which heat escapes, while also simplifying the sealing and weatherproofing considerations by reducing materials with different thermal expansion properties.
Implementation Method 1
improves thermal insulation, increases light entry, and enhances visibility by minimizing the area of the sash and frame through which heat escapes
Data Source
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AI summary
A skylight window comprising a window frame, a window sash, a weather shield, and an IGU, wherein in the closed position of the skylight window, the exposed interior major surface of the IGU abuts on a sealing element.