ENERGY EFFICIENT SHADING SYSTEMS FOR WINDOWS

• US 20150129140A1
• Filed: 07/15/2014
• Published: 05/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Cincinnati
• Original Assignee: Gamma Dynamics LLC
• Inventors: Dean, Kenneth A., Rudolph, John D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,850,705 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 160/5
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/2417 Light path control; means to control reflection
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/2452 moving independently
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/6827 sensing light
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/24 Screens or other constructions affording protection against light, especially against sunshine; Similar screens for privacy or appearance; Slat blindsoperating, guiding or securing devices or arrangements for roll-type closures E06B9/56; free-hanging flexible screens A47H23/00
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/68 Operating devices or mechanisms, e.g. with electric drive

Abstract

A shading assembly configured to have a first selectable state that is transmissive to more than 40% of solar light and reflects more than 35% of solar heat, a second selectable state that blocks more than 75% of the solar light and transmits more than 50% of the solar heat, and a third selectable state that transmits more than 50% of the solar light and more than 50% of the solar heat.

Claims

1. A shading assembly configured to have a first selectable state that is transmissive to more than 40% of solar light and reflects more than 35% of solar heat, a second selectable state that blocks more than 75% of the solar light and transmits more than 50% of the solar heat, and a third selectable state that transmits more than 50% of the solar light and more than 50% of the solar heat.

2. The shading assembly of claim 1, wherein the shading assembly in at least one of the first selectable state and the second selectable state is operative to overlap a viewable portion of a window.

3. The shading assembly of claim 1, wherein the shading assembly in at least one of the first selectable state and the second selectable state is operative to overlap a viewable portion of a skylight.

4. The shading assembly of claim 1, wherein a haze of at least one of the first and second selectable states is less than 5%.

5. The shading assembly of claim 2, wherein a haze of at least one the first and second selectable states is less than 2%.

6. The shading assembly of claim 1, wherein the shading assembly includes a first roller shade.

7. The shading assembly of claim 6, wherein the first roller shade includes at least one of a near-infrared reflective property and a visible light non-transmitting property.

8. The shading assembly of claim 6, wherein:

the shading assembly includes a second roller shade; and

,

the first roller shade includes a near-infrared reflective property and the second roller shade includes a visible light non-transmitting property.

9. The shading assembly of claim 6, wherein:

the shading assembly includes a blind; and

,

the first roller shade includes a near-infrared reflective property and the blind rejects that transmission of visible light when the blind is in a non-transmitting state.

10. The shading assembly of claim 1, further comprising a control system including a component comprising at least one of an interior climate sensor monitoring an interior climate, an exterior climate sensor monitoring an exterior climate, a timing circuit, and a microprocessor programmed with climate control algorithms, where the component supplies a controlling signal for selecting at least one of the first, second, and third selectable states.

11. The shading assembly of claim 10, wherein the control system selects at least one of the first, second, and third selectable states responsive to a position of the sun.

12. The shading assembly of claim 10, wherein the control system selects at least one of the first, second, and third selectable states responsive to a time of a day.

13. The shading assembly of claim 10, wherein the control system selects at least one of the first, second, and third selectable states responsive to a season.

14. The shading assembly of claim 10, wherein the control system selects at least one of the first, second, and third selectable states responsive to a temperature on an interior of a building.

15. The shading assembly of claim 10, wherein the control system selects at least one of the first, second, and third selectable states responsive to a visible light intensity on an interior of a building.

16. The shading assembly of claim 10 wherein the modifying the selectable states in response to sensor input reduces the energy consumption of a building'"'"'s in at least one area of lighting, cooling or heating.

17. A solar energy management device comprising:

a first repositionable shade including a near-infrared reflective property;

a second repositionable shade including a visible light non-transmitting property;

wherein the first repositionable shade is operative to reflect near-infrared light and transmit visible light;

wherein the second repositionable is operative to transmit near-infrared light and reject transmission of visible light;

wherein the first and second repositionable shades may be at least one of deployed concurrently to at least partially overlap one another and deployed individually.

18. A method of manipulating solar energy transmission through a surface, the method comprising:

deploying at least one of at least two shades to cover at least a portion of a translucent surface of a building;

wherein a timing of the deploying step accounts for at least one of a time of day, a time of year, and a temperature on an interior of the building;

wherein the deploying step includes choosing from the at least two shades that are adjacent to the translucent surface of the building, where a first shade is operative to transmit near-infrared light and absorb visible light, and where a second shade is operative to reflect near-infrared light and transmit visible light; and

wherein the first shade and the second shade may be concurrently deployed to overlap one another so that a majority of directly-incident near-infrared light is reflected and a majority of directly-incident visible light is absorbed prior to reaching the translucent surface of the building.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the deploying step includes deploying at least one of the at least two shades to overlap a majority of the translucent surface of the building.

20. The method of claim 20 wherein energy consumption of the building is reduced by at least three percent during a period of deployment in which at least one of the at least two shades is deployed.