GLASS PANEL UNIT, BUILDING COMPONENT, AND METHOD FOR ACTIVATING GAS ADSORBENT

• US 20200131841A1
• Filed: 06/26/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: ABE, Hiroyuki, URIU, Eiichi, HASEGAWA, Kazuya, ISHIBASHI, Tasuku, NONAKA, Masataka, SHIMIZU, Takeshi, ISHIKAWA, Haruhiko
• Granted Patent: US 11,028,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/00 Layered products essentially comprising sheet glass, or glass, slag, or like fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/06 comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/724 Permeability to gases, adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2315/08 Glass
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2419/00 Buildings or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/10 characterised by a discontinuous layer, i.e. formed of separate pieces of material
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/18 characterised by an internal layer formed of separate pieces of material which are juxtaposed side-by-side B32B5/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 23/245 Hollow glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 27/06 Joining glass to glass by processes other than fusing fusing C03B23/20; units for use as elements for closing wall or like openings and comprising two or more parallel glass panes in spaced relationship, the panes being permanently secured together E06B3/66
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/66 Units comprising two or more parallel glass or like panes permanently secured together reforming and uniting glass sheets by fusing C03B23/00; joining glass to glass or to other materials C03C27/00; laminated glass B32B17/10
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/6612 Evacuated glazing units
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/663 Elements for spacing panes
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/6736 Heat treatment for soldering E06B3/67334
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/6775 Evacuating or filling the gap during assembly

Abstract

A glass panel unit includes a first panel, a second panel, a sealing portion in a frame shape, a plurality of pillars, and a gas adsorbent. The sealing portion in the frame shape hermetically bonds respective peripheral edges of the first panel and the second panel together so as to create an evacuated, hermetically sealed space between the first panel and the second panel. The plurality of pillars and the gas adsorbent are arranged in the hermetically sealed space. The gas adsorbent contains: a non-metallic getter material having a porous structure with the ability to adsorb gas molecules; and a metallic getter material having a metallic surface with the ability to adsorb gas molecules.

Claims

1. A glass panel unit comprising:

a first panel including a glass pane;

a second panel including another glass pane and arranged to face the first panel;

a sealing portion in a frame shape that hermetically bonds respective peripheral edges of the first panel and the second panel together so as to create an evacuated, hermetically sealed space between the first panel and the second panel;

a plurality of pillars arranged in the hermetically sealed space to keep a gap distance between the first panel and the second panel; and

a gas adsorbent placed in the hermetically sealed space,

the gas adsorbent containing;

a non-metallic getter material having a porous structure with the ability to adsorb gas molecules; and

a metallic getter material having a metallic surface with the ability to adsorb gas molecules.

2. The glass panel unit of claim 1, wherein

the non-metallic getter material is a zeolite-based, active carbon, or magnesium oxide getter material.

3. The glass panel unit of claim 1, wherein

the metallic getter material is a zirconium-based or titanium-based getter material.

4. The glass panel unit of claim 1, wherein

the gas adsorbent includes an integrated structure of a first gas adsorbent containing the non-metallic getter material and a second gas adsorbent containing the metallic getter material.

5. The glass panel unit of claim 1, wherein

the gas adsorbent includes an integrated structure of a first gas adsorbent containing the non-metallic getter material, a second gas adsorbent containing the metallic getter material, and a sheet of metal.

6. The glass panel unit of claim 4, wherein

the second gas adsorbent is covered with the first gas adsorbent.

7. The glass panel unit of claim 1, wherein

the gas adsorbent includes a first gas adsorbent containing the non-metallic getter material and a second gas adsorbent containing the metallic getter material, the first gas adsorbent and the second gas adsorbent being provided separately from each other.

8. The glass panel unit of claim 1, wherein

portions including a resin are exposed in the hermetically sealed space.

9. The glass panel unit of claim 8, wherein

the portions are the plurality of pillars.

10. The glass panel unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a third panel including still another glass pane and arranged to face one panel selected from the group consisting of the first panel and the second panel; and

a second sealing portion in a frame shape that is hermetically bonded to the one panel and the third panel so as to create a hermetically sealed space between the one panel and the third panel.

11. A building component comprising:

the glass panel unit of claim 1; and

a frame fitted onto peripheral edges of the glass panel unit.

12. A method for activating a gas adsorbent, the method comprising heating, inside the hermetically sealed space created in the glass panel unit of claim 1, both of the non-metallic getter material and the metallic getter material that are contained in the gas adsorbent.