Frame providing restriction of thermal deflection of a VIG unit edge

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12110736-B2
Application number	US-202017422844-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 13, 2020
Priority date	Jan 14, 2019
Publication date	Oct 8, 2024
Grant date	Oct 8, 2024

Abstract

A vacuum insulated glass (VIG) unit frame assembly ( 10 ) is disclosed comprising: a rectangular vacuum insulated glass unit ( 1 ) comprising two glass sheets ( 2 a, 2 b ) separated by a sealed gap ( 11 ), wherein a plurality of support structures ( 12 ) are distributed in said gap ( 11 ), and a frame arrangement ( 20 ) comprising elongated frame profile arrangements ( 20 a - 20 d ) which frames said vacuum insulated glass unit ( 1 ) in a frame opening ( 21 ), and wherein said frame arrangement ( 20 ) comprises a fixation system ( 40, 45 a, 45 b, 80, 28 a, 28 b, 22, 23, 40 ) fixating the vacuum insulated glass unit ( 1 ) at the frame arrangement ( 20 ), wherein said frame ( 20 ) is arranged so as to allow edges ( 8 a - 8 d ) of said vacuum insulated glass unit ( 1 ) to thermally deflect (DIS 4 ) in a deflection direction (D 1 , D 2 ) perpendicular to said frame opening plane (P 2 ) due to a temperature difference (ΔT=T 1 −T 2 ) between the two glass sheets ( 2 a, 2 b ), and to provide a restriction of said thermal deflection (DIS 4 ) of the edges ( 8 a - 8 d ), so as to reduce the magnitude of the thermal deflection compared to an unrestricted thermal deflection of the edges ( 8 a - 8 d ) at said temperature difference (ΔT=T 1 −T 2 ).

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 arrangement 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 arrangement comprises a fixation system fixating the vacuum insulated glass unit at the frame arrangement,
wherein said frame 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, and to provide a restriction of said thermal deflection of the edges, so as to reduce the magnitude of the thermal deflection compared to an unrestricted thermal deflection of the edges at said temperature difference; and
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 1 mm.

2. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a magnitude of the largest total edge deflection due to the restricted thermal deflection of the edges is configured to be at least 10% less than the unrestricted thermal deflection where said temperature difference is at least 40° C.

3. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said thermal deflection of the edges is a thermal deflection configured to vary along the edge between the corners where the respective edge terminates.

4. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the fixation system is configured to provide said restriction of the thermal deflection of the edges.

5. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 1 , wherein one or more gasket arrangements and/or holding members of the fixation system, is/are configured to provide said restriction of the edge deflection in said deflection direction.

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, and 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.

7. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 6 , wherein said holding members are elongated frame profile members extending between corners of the frame.

8. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 6 , wherein the width of said recess is configured to be substantially fixed during said the thermal deflection, at least when said the temperature difference is less than 65° C.

9. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 6 , wherein the width of said recess is configured to vary less than 15% during said the thermal deflection, at least when said the temperature difference is 65° C., compared to the width at a temperature difference of 0° C.

10. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to 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.

11. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 6 , wherein a resilient gasket or seal member is arranged between said frame opening and said fixation arrangement, and wherein one or more resilient tightening seals or gasket arrangements is/are configured to follow said deflection of the vacuum insulated glass unit when it is subjected to a temperature difference between outer major surfaces of the vacuum insulated glass unit, so as to provide a substantially watertight and/or airtight tightening between one or more elongated frame profiles and the vacuum insulated glass unit surfaces.

12. 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.

13. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 6 , wherein the width of said recess between said holding members is larger than the thickness of the part of the vacuum insulated glass unit edge extending into the recess so that a predefined space is provided between the outer surface of the glass sheets of the vacuum insulated glass unit and said holding members.

14. 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 vacuum insulated glass unit.

15. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the length of the longer opposing edges is in the range of 500 to 3000 millimetres.

16. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a minimum distance between an outer major surface of the vacuum insulated glass unit and said frame is at least 4 mm at a temperature difference between the two glass sheets of the vacuum insulated glass unit of substantially 0° C.

17. The vacuum insulated glass unit frame assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the edges of said vacuum insulated glass unit have rigid edge seal provided by fused edge seal material.

18. 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 arrangement 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 arrangement comprises a fixation system fixating the vacuum insulated glass unit at the frame arrangement,
wherein said frame is arrang

Assignees

• Vkr Holding As

Inventors

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

Classifications

• E04D13/0351

  the parts pivoting about a fixed axis · 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

• E04D13/031

  characterised by a frame for connection to an inclined roof · 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

• Y02A30/249

  Glazing, e.g. vacuum glazing · CPC title