Frame solution providing reduced deflection restriction at corner parts of VIG unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11802435-B2
Application number	US-202017422508-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 13, 2020
Priority date	Jan 14, 2019
Publication date	Oct 31, 2023
Grant date	Oct 31, 2023

Abstract

A vacuum insulated glass (VIG) unit frame assembly (10) is disclosed, comprising: a rectangular vacuum insulated glass unit (1) comprising two glass sheets (2a, 2b) separated by a sealed gap (11), wherein a plurality of support structures (12) are distributed in said gap (11), and a frame (20) comprising elongated frame profile arrangements (20a-20d) which frames said vacuum insulated glass unit (1) in a frame opening (21), and wherein said frame (20) comprises a fixation system (45a, 45b, 28a, 28b, 80, 22, 23) fixating the vacuum insulated glass unit (1) at the frame (20), wherein said fixation system (45a, 45b, 28a, 28b, 80, 22, 23) is arranged so as to allow edges (8a-8d) of said vacuum insulated glass unit (1) to thermally deflect (DIS4) in a deflection direction (D1, D2) perpendicular to said frame opening due to a temperature difference (ΔT=T1−T2) between the two glass sheets (2a, 2b), wherein said fixation system (45a, 45b, 28a, 28b, 80, 22, 23) is configured to allow the magnitude of said thermal deflection (DIS4) to vary along the edge (8a-8d) between the corners (9) where the respective edge (8a-8d) terminates, wherein said fixation system (45a, 45b, 28a, 28b, 80, 22, 23) is arranged to provide a resistance against said thermal deflection (DIS4) of at least two opposing edges (8a-8d) of said vacuum insulated glass unit (1), said resistance being substantially lower at corner parts of the edges (8a-8d) than at centre parts of the edges (8a-8d), and wherein said centre parts of said at least two opposing, parallel edges (8a-8d) constitute at least a third, such as half of the extend of the edge (8a-8d) between said corners (9).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly, wherein said vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly comprises:
a rectangular vacuum insulated glass unit comprising two glass sheets separated by a gap between said glass sheets, wherein a plurality of support structures are distributed in said gap and wherein said gap is sealed, and
a frame comprising elongated frame profile arrangements which frames said vacuum insulated glass unit in a frame opening extending in a frame opening plane defined between the elongated frame profile arrangements, and wherein said frame comprises a fixation system fixating the vacuum insulated glass unit at the frame,
wherein said fixation system is arranged so as to allow edges of said vacuum insulated glass unit to thermally deflect in a deflection direction perpendicular to said frame opening plane due to a temperature difference between the two glass sheets,
wherein said fixation system is configured to allow the magnitude of said thermal deflection to vary along the edge between the corners where the respective edge terminates,
wherein said fixation system is arranged to provide a resistance against said thermal deflection of at least two opposing edges of said vacuum insulated glass unit, said resistance being substantially lower at corner parts of the edges than at centre parts of the edges, whereby the ratio of between the compression force on the fixation system and the thermal deflection at positions at the corner parts is less than half of the corresponding ratio at the centre part of an edge, and
wherein said centre parts of said at least two opposing, parallel edges constitute at least a third of the extend of the edge between said corners.

2. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said fixation system is arranged so as to allow corner parts of the edges of said vacuum insulated glass unit to thermally deflect, whereas centre parts of the at least two opposing edges are substantially stationary with respect to said frame opening plane, and wherein all four edges of said vacuum insulated glass unit are allowed to thermally deflect in a deflection direction perpendicular to said frame opening plane due to a temperature difference between the two glass sheets.

3. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the largest edge deflection in said deflection direction of any of the edges of the vacuum insulated glass unit at a temperature difference between the two glass sheets of 65° C. as compared to the vacuum insulated glass unit at a temperature difference of 0° C. is configured to be at least 1 mm.

4. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 1 ,
wherein the largest total edge deflection in said deflection direction of any of the edges of the vacuum insulated glass unit at a temperature difference between the two glass sheets of 65° C. as compared to the vacuum insulated glass unit at a temperature difference of 0° C. is at least 0.3% of the length of the deflecting edge.

5. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said fixation system comprises a plurality of fixation arrangements, wherein said plurality of fixation arrangements fixates said vacuum insulated glass unit at discrete fixation points distributed along the edges of the vacuum insulated glass unit, and wherein said plurality of fixation arrangements are attached to or between one or more frame members of said frame, whereby the thermal deflection of the edges is substantially at its minimum at the discreet fixation points, wherein each of at least two parallel edges of the vacuum insulated glass unit are attached to said frame by two, and no more, of said discrete fixation arrangements distributed in the longitudinal direction of each of said edges, and wherein each of said two discreet fixation arrangements of an edge is placed between 8% and 25% of the length of the respective edge from the respective corner of the vacuum insulated glass unit where the edge terminates.

6. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said fixation system comprises holding members, wherein one or more of said edges of the vacuum insulated glass unit extends into a recess provided by said holding members, wherein the fixation system comprises fixation arrangements placed in said recess in a space between the holding members and outer surfaces of the vacuum insulated glass units, and wherein a resilient gasket or seal member is arranged between said frame opening and said fixation arrangement.

7. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according claim 6 , wherein a first gasket arrangement, is/are placed in said recess between said frame profile members and the outer surfaces of the vacuum insulated glass unit.

8. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 6 , wherein said fixation arrangements comprises one or more resilient suspension elements compressed between a first of said holding members and an outwardly facing surface of the vacuum insulated glass unit, and one or more resilient suspension elements compressed between a second of said holding members and another opposite outwardly facing surface of the vacuum insulated glass unit, wherein said compressed, resilient suspension elements provides a holding force towards said opposite outwardly facing surfaces of the vacuum insulated glass unit so as to suspend the vacuum insulated glass unit between said first and second holding members, and wherein each of said compressed, resilient suspension elements are configured to be further compressed or expand in response to a thermal deflection of the edge of the vacuum insulated glass unit due to a temperature difference between the two glass sheets.

9. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said frame comprises:
holding parts for fixating said vacuum insulated glass unit, wherein said holding parts each comprise a recessed portion provided between holding members arranged at opposite outwardly facing surfaces of the vacuum insulated glass unit, and wherein an edge of the vacuum insulated glass unit extends into the recessed portion and is held in said recess by means of the holding members, and
flexible connection arrangements connecting the holding parts to elongated frame profile arrangements,
wherein said flexible connection arrangements are configured to flex when said vacuum insulated glass unit exerts a bending moment on the holding parts, so that said holding parts will move relative to the elongated frame profile arrangements to which the individual holding part is connected.

10. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 9 , wherein said flexible connection arrangements comprises one or more wall members configured to provide said flexing.

11. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 9 , wherein a flexing space is provided between said outwardly facing major surface of the vacuum insulated glass unit and said elongated frame profile arrangements to which the individual holding part is connected, and wherein said vacuum insulated glass unit is configured to flex towards and away from said flexing space in response to said bending moment.

12. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said fixation system is arranged so as to allow a shift in the direction of the thermal deflection of the corners and/or centre parts of the edges of the vacuum insulated glass unit in response to a change in the temperature difference between the two glass sheets of the vacu

Assignees

• Vkr Holding As

Inventors

• Özden Utku Ahmet
• Molbo Jacob Christian
• Kristensen Jens Troels Plesner

Classifications

• E06B3/62 Primary

  of rubber-like elastic cleats · CPC title

• E04D13/03

  Sky-lights; Domes; Ventilating sky-lights (E04D13/14 takes precedence; structures therefor, {e.g. dormer windows} E04B7/18; {saw-tooth roofs with light-transmission E04B7/12}) · CPC title

• E04D13/031

  characterised by a frame for connection to an inclined roof · CPC title

• E04D13/035

  characterised by having movable parts {(preventing the spread of fire A62C3/00; roof structures with movable roof parts E04B7/16; operating mechanisms for sky-lights E05F11/00; automatically acting closers E05F17/00)} · CPC title

• E04D13/0315

  characterised by a curb frame · CPC title