Building Structures Having Electrically Functional Architectural Surfaces

• US 20080198584A1
• Filed: 05/16/2006
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nervecorp Limited
• Original Assignee: Nervecorp Limited
• Inventors: Fouraux, Alain-Geoffrey, Zuman, David
• Application Number:
  US11/914,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20080198584A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/147
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 13/145 with an outer layer of glass
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/22 Advertising or display means on roads, walls or similar surfaces, e.g. illuminated
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/048 Encapsulation of modules
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 20/26 Building materials integrated with PV modules, e.g. façade elements H02S20/25 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/36 characterised by special electrical interconnection means between two or more PV modules, e.g. electrical module-to-module connection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/10 Photovoltaic [PV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

A building structure (100) including at least one architectural surface (108) including at least one substrate having electrical circuitry including patterned electrical conductors (110) and at least one electrical component (112) formed on the at least one substrate (108), least one substrate 108 being of at least one of transparent and flexible.

Claims

1. A building structure comprising:

at least one architectural surface comprising at least one substrate having electrical circuitry including patterned electrical conductors and at least one electrical component, formed onto said at least one substrate, said at least one substrate being at least one of transparent and flexible.

2. A building structure according to claim 1, and wherein said at least one electrical component is operative to be at least one of powered thereby and providing power thereto.

10. A building structure according to claim 1 and wherein at least one side of said at least one architectural surface comprises a visible display.

15. A building structure according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one architectural surface is highly transparent to visible light.

16. A building structure according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one substrate is at least one of generally translucent to visible light and generally opaque to visible light.

25. A building structure according to claim 1 and wherein said patterned electrical conductors comprise a first plurality of patterned electrical conductors formed onto a first side of said at least one substrate and a second plurality of patterned electrical conductors formed onto a second side of said at least one substrate.

26. A building structure according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one electrical component comprises at least one of at least one energy collection and storage element operative to provide electrical power and at least one electrically powered component.

28. A building structure according to claim 26 and wherein said patterned electrical conductors comprise electrical power conductors which supply at least one of electrical power and control information to said at least one electrically powered component.

30. A building structure according to claim 26 and wherein said at least one electrically powered component comprises at least one of a light emitting element, a sound emitting element, a temperature governing element, a climate control element, an environmental sensor, a motion sensor and a pressure sensor.

37. A building structure according to claim 1 and wherein said patterned electrical conductors comprise multiple layers of patterned electrical conductors electrically insulated from each other by a generally visible-light transmissive dielectric material.

38. A building structure according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one architectural surface comprises at least one of at least one environmental protective element associated with said at least one substrate and at least one space defining element associated with said at least one substrate.

41. A building structure according to claim 38 and wherein at least one of said at least one environmental protective element and said at least one space defining element comprises a pair of glass elements enclosing said at least one substrate therebetween.

42. A building structure according to claim 38 and wherein at least one of said at least one environmental protective element and said at least one space defining element comprises a single flexible element.

44. A building structure according to claim 42 and wherein said patterned electrical conductors are enclosed between said at least one substrate and said single flexible element.

45. A building structure according to claim 38 and wherein at least one of said at least one environmental protective element and said at least one space defining element comprises an opaque panel having at least one aperture formed therein.

46. A building structure according to claim 38 and wherein said at least one substrate and at least one of said at least one environmental protective element and said at least one space defining element are at least partially framed by a mounting assembly.

53. A building structure according to claim 45 and wherein at least one light emitting element associated with said patterned electrical conductors is mounted onto said at least one substrate and is aligned with said at least one aperture.

55. A building structure according to claim 46 and wherein said mounting assembly accommodates a cable associated with a connector, said cable being coupled to said patterned electrical conductors.

56. A building structure according to claim 55 and wherein said at least one architectural surface comprises a plurality of surface modules, and said cable and said connector of adjacent ones of said plurality of surface modules are in communication with each other.

60. A building structure according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one substrate comprises a plurality of stacked layers of substrates, each including electrical circuitry coupled to at least one electrical component.

61. A building structure according to claim 60 and wherein said plurality of stacked layers of substrates comprises at least one substrate including at least one light emitting component and at least one other substrate including at least one of at least one other light emitting component, at least one temperature governing component, at least one audio component and at least one energy collection and storage element operative to provide electrical power.

3-9. -9. (canceled)

11-14. -14. (canceled)

17-24. -24. (canceled)

27. (canceled)

29. (canceled)

31-36. -36. (canceled)

39-40. -40. (canceled)

43. (canceled)

47-52. -52. (canceled)

54. (canceled)

57-59. -59. (canceled)

62-64. -64. (canceled)

65. A method of manufacturing an architectural surface for a building structure, the method comprising:

providing at least one substrate which is at least one of transparent and flexible;

forming electrical circuitry including patterned electrical conductors and at least one electrical component onto said at least one substrate; and

employing said at least one substrate having said electrical circuitry formed thereon as at least part of said architectural surface.

68. A method according to claim 65 and also comprising, following said forming, mounting said at least one electrical component onto said at least one substrate in communication with said patterned electrical conductors.

70. A method according to claim 65 and also comprising, following said forming, mounting said at least one substrate in a mounting assembly.

71. A method according to claim 65 and also comprising, prior to said providing, removing existing architectural elements from said architectural surface.

66-67. -67. (canceled)

69. (canceled)