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Solar collector roof

  • US 4,393,859 A
  • Filed: 02/19/1980
  • Issued: 07/19/1983
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1980
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. In a building structure of the type having a roof construction including a plurality of spaced rafters supporting a plurality of spaced generally parallel transversely extending purlins and a plurality of interlocking rigid metallic roof panels positioned on and extending between said purlins, each of said panels having a central planar portion and a web extending upwardly along opposite edges of the planar portion, each of the webs being configured to interlock with a web of an adjoining panel to form a channel-like rib, said ribs extending in generally parallel fashion between the ridge and eave of the roof, the improvement in combination therewith comprising means for converting said roof construction to a solar collector for converting solar energy impinging thereon to thermal energy including:

  • glazing means defined by a solar radiation transmissive sheet overlying the outer surface of the roof construction in spaced relationship therewith and being supported by said ribs at spaced points to form a plurality of duct-like air passageways between the lower surface of the solar radiation transmissive sheet and the central planar portion of the roof panels, the sides of said air passageways being formed by the inside surfaces of the channel-like ribs adjoining said central planar portion, said air passageways extending generally between the eave and ridge of the roof structure;

    means associated with the upper surface of said central planar portion for converting solar radiation impinging thereon to thermal energy within the air passageway;

    means for attaching said solar radiation transmissive sheet to said ribs to maintain the sheet in spaced relationship with said central planar portion comprising an elongated hat section including a planar portion and leg portions depending downwardly from the outer edges of said planar portion, said sheet being secured between said hat section and said rib, the lower ends of said leg portions operating to space the sheet from the roof surface;

    inlet means for introducing air into one end of the air passageway; and

    outlet means for exhausting heated air from the opposite end of the air passageway for use in the building structure interior such that air moves in a single direction between inlet and outlet within said passageway in contact with the upper surface of the panel and the lower surface of the solar radiation transmissive sheet, whereby a solar collector may be formed by using the roof surface as the solar radiation absorbing surface.

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