Insulating Glazing Spacer Screen Panel Bus Bar Concealment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing insulating glazings with functional coatings or elements, such as electrochromic coatings, face challenges in aesthetic appearance, reduced through-vision area, increased production costs, and thermal instability due to the need for visible bus bars and opaque coatings to conceal them.

Innovation Solution

A spacer with a screen panel made of opaque material is attached directly to the insulating glazing, concealing the bus bars and reducing the visible impact, while maintaining thermal stability and uniform appearance by eliminating the need for additional production steps and opaque coatings.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Shape

If opaque coatings or components are applied to conceal bus bars, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but the visible area of the insulating glass is excessively limited and production costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaesthetic appearanceVSAvoidvisible area

Core Design Contradiction:

ShapeVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the concealing function from the glass pane itself and relocates it to the spacer component. The spacer is designed with an integrated screen panel that obscures the bus bars, eliminating the need for separate opaque coatings on the glass. This extraction allows the glass to maintain its full transparent area while the spacer handles the aesthetic concealment function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The spacer is transformed from a purely functional structural component into a multi-functional element that simultaneously provides mechanical spacing, thermal insulation, and aesthetic concealment of bus bars. By integrating the screen panel into the spacer, the patent makes this single component responsible for multiple functions, eliminating the need for additional separate components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Shape

If opaque coatings are applied to conceal bus bars, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but production costs and processing time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaesthetic appearanceVSAvoidproduction costs

Core Design Contradiction:

ShapeVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the concealing function with the spacer component by integrating a screen panel into the spacer structure. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate opaque coatings that would require additional application steps, thereby reducing production costs and processing time while maintaining the aesthetic appearance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Shape

If opaque coatings or components are used to conceal bus bars, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but thermal stability is adversely affected

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaesthetic appearanceVSAvoidthermal stability

Core Design Contradiction:

ShapeVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the thermal insulation function from the glass panes and assigns it to the spacer component. By making the spacer itself opaque through the integrated screen panel, the thermal insulation function is consolidated in the spacer rather than requiring separate opaque coatings on the glass, thereby maintaining thermal stability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The spacer and screen panel are made of the same material, ensuring uniform thermal properties throughout the assembly. This homogeneity eliminates the thermal discontinuities that would arise from having opaque coatings on the glass, as the entire spacer structure including the screen panel shares the same thermal characteristics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #33Homogeneity

4Adaptability or versatility

If additional components like bus bars and connection elements are added, then functional features are improved, but the complexity of the insulating glazing increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefunctional featuresVSAvoidcomplexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The spacer is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: mechanical spacing between panes, thermal insulation, and aesthetic concealment of bus bars. By integrating the screen panel into the spacer, the patent reduces the total number of separate components needed, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining functional features.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS11542747B2Covering element for bus bar

Publication Date: 2023.01.03 SAINT GOBAIN VITRAGE SA

AI summary

A spacer for an insulating glazing, includes a main body, which is a main body A including a first pane contact surface, a second pane contact surface, a glazing interior surface, and an outer surface, or which is a main body B including a first pane contact surface, a second pane contact surface, a first glazing interior surface, a second glazing interior surface, a first inner lateral surface, a second inner lateral surface, and an outer surface, wherein the two inner lateral surfaces, together with the two glazing interior surfaces and the outer surface, form a groove for receiving a pane. The spacer has a screen panel made of an opaque material arranged on the glazing interior surface of the main body A or a screen panel arranged on one of the two glazing interior surfaces of the main body B and extending parallel to the two pane contact surfaces.