Modular solar greenhouse with elevated overhead heat storage material and movable insulation barriers and method and system for solar heating of attached living space using thermostat-controlled air circulation for harvesting heat
First Claim
1. A system for heating a home or other building containing living space in the northern hemisphere using solar energy to provide a significant portion of the annual heating effect comprising:
- a solar greenhouse having a top portion adapted to be attached to the southerly facing side wall of a building at a predetermined distance above the floor level of the greenhouse,said solar greenhouse having a transparent eave region adapted for facing in a southerly direction for sloping downwardly and outwardly in a direction away from the building,said transparent eave region being multiple glazed,a plurality of mullions extending downwardly in a southerly direction from said eave region for sloping downwardly and outwardly away from the building at an angle in the range from 50°
to 70°
to the horizontal, being a steeper slope than the average slope of said eve region,at least one multiple-glazing transparent window mounted between and being supported by a pair of said mullions, said window sloping downwardly and outwardly in a southerly direction at the same angle as said mullions, said multiple glazing window facing in a southerly direction,said multiple glazing of the eave region plus said multiple glazing of the window having an average "U" factor of no more than 0.56 Btu per square foot, per hour, per °
F. difference between the inside and outside temperature,said solar greenhouse having a front vertical region forming a kneewall below said window,said front vertical region extending down from the bottom of said window to the floor level and having thermal insulation at least equal to one inch of insulating foam,said solar greenhouse containing thermal storage mass in addition to the structural components of the greenhouse, said thermal storage mass providing a storage capability per square foot of southerly facing transparent glazing material in the range from 18 to 45 Btu of heat capacity per average degree F. temperature change of the storage mass,said thermal storage mass being supported in said solar greenhouse at an elevation above reasonable headroom level and being positioned for solar radiation to impinge thereon during the normal heating season for said building,the northerly side of said solar greenhouse being adapted to be defined by said southerly facing side wall of the building,said northerly side having an opening therein at an elevated location for providing communication at said elevated location between the interior of said greenhouse structure and said living space for circulating solar energy heated warm air from the interior of said solar greenhouse into said living space,said northerly side having provision for return circulation of air from the living space into the interior of said solar greenhouse near the floor,fan means for producing said circulation,control means for controlling the operation of said fan means,said control means including first and second sensing means,said first sensing means being positioned within said living space at a location for providing sensing of air temperature representative of the actual air temperature in said living space,said second sensing means being positioned at an elevated location in the interior of said solar greenhouse and being responsive to the air temperature at said elevated location,said control means actuating said fan means whenever the air temperature in the interior of the solar greenhouse at said elevated location exceeds a predetermined differential in temperature above the actual temperature of the air being sensed by said first sensing means for harvesting useful solar energy heated air from said solar greenhouse into said living space.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A modular solar greenhouse incorporates rigid curving frames overhead with screw and nut tracks for ease of assembly and east side and west side end modules and advantageously employs a thermally broken glazing system; that is, the exterior and interior portions of the aluminum frame extrusions are bonded together by strong plastic material and then the metal bridge is removed for thermally isolating the interior frame portion from the exterior portion. At least one overhead heat storage unit is carried by the rigid frames, with insulated roofing being located above and also being supported by the frames, so that low-angle solar radiation in the wintertime can travel directly into the upper region of the greenhouse below the roof for directly impinging upon and supplying heat energy to the thermal storage units. Movable, reflective insulation barriers or curtains are extendible for enclosing the solar greenhouse for retaining warmth resulting from stored solar heat energy in the overhead storage units during winter nights.
132 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A system for heating a home or other building containing living space in the northern hemisphere using solar energy to provide a significant portion of the annual heating effect comprising:
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a solar greenhouse having a top portion adapted to be attached to the southerly facing side wall of a building at a predetermined distance above the floor level of the greenhouse, said solar greenhouse having a transparent eave region adapted for facing in a southerly direction for sloping downwardly and outwardly in a direction away from the building, said transparent eave region being multiple glazed, a plurality of mullions extending downwardly in a southerly direction from said eave region for sloping downwardly and outwardly away from the building at an angle in the range from 50°
to 70°
to the horizontal, being a steeper slope than the average slope of said eve region,at least one multiple-glazing transparent window mounted between and being supported by a pair of said mullions, said window sloping downwardly and outwardly in a southerly direction at the same angle as said mullions, said multiple glazing window facing in a southerly direction, said multiple glazing of the eave region plus said multiple glazing of the window having an average "U" factor of no more than 0.56 Btu per square foot, per hour, per °
F. difference between the inside and outside temperature,said solar greenhouse having a front vertical region forming a kneewall below said window, said front vertical region extending down from the bottom of said window to the floor level and having thermal insulation at least equal to one inch of insulating foam, said solar greenhouse containing thermal storage mass in addition to the structural components of the greenhouse, said thermal storage mass providing a storage capability per square foot of southerly facing transparent glazing material in the range from 18 to 45 Btu of heat capacity per average degree F. temperature change of the storage mass, said thermal storage mass being supported in said solar greenhouse at an elevation above reasonable headroom level and being positioned for solar radiation to impinge thereon during the normal heating season for said building, the northerly side of said solar greenhouse being adapted to be defined by said southerly facing side wall of the building, said northerly side having an opening therein at an elevated location for providing communication at said elevated location between the interior of said greenhouse structure and said living space for circulating solar energy heated warm air from the interior of said solar greenhouse into said living space, said northerly side having provision for return circulation of air from the living space into the interior of said solar greenhouse near the floor, fan means for producing said circulation, control means for controlling the operation of said fan means, said control means including first and second sensing means, said first sensing means being positioned within said living space at a location for providing sensing of air temperature representative of the actual air temperature in said living space, said second sensing means being positioned at an elevated location in the interior of said solar greenhouse and being responsive to the air temperature at said elevated location, said control means actuating said fan means whenever the air temperature in the interior of the solar greenhouse at said elevated location exceeds a predetermined differential in temperature above the actual temperature of the air being sensed by said first sensing means for harvesting useful solar energy heated air from said solar greenhouse into said living space. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A solar greenhouse having a floor area and containing thermal storage means in addition to the structural components of the greenhouse,
said thermal storage means being supported in said solar greenhouse at an elevation above reasonable headroom level, said floor area being larger in area than the horizontal extent of said thermal storage means and extending south farther than the southern limit of said thermal storage means, a front region of transparent glazing extending downwardly from a level near the southern limit of said thermal storage means to a level near the southern limit of said floor area, said front region of glazing sloping downwardly and outwardly in a southerly direction, an insulated opaque roof, said insulated roof being spaced above said thermal storage means, said thermal storage means extending farther south than the southern limit of said roof, an upper region of transparent glazing extending downwardly from the southern limit of said roof to the upper limit of said front region, said upper region of transparent glazing having an average slope less steep than said front region, enclosure means enclosing the east and west ends of said solar greenhouse, movable insulation barrier means mounted above said heat storage means, said barrier means being spreadable generally between said heat storage means and said upper region of transparent glazing during cold nights for extending an insulation barrier above said heat storage means for retaining heat energy in said solar greenhouse during cold nights, movable insulation barrier means being spreadable generally downwardly from the southern limit of said upper transparent glazing to a level near the bottom of said front region of transparent glazing during cold nights for retaining heat energy in said solar greenhouse during cold nights, the north side of said greenhouse structure being adapted to be mounted adjacent to a home or other building containing living space to be heated by solar energy, said north side having at least one opening therein in a position above the level of said heat storage means for providing communication between the interior of said solar greenhouse and said living space for circulating solar energy heated warm air from the interior of said greenhouse into said living space, said north side also providing communication between said living space and said greenhouse structure at a position near the level of said floor area for return circulation of cooler air from said living space into said greenhouse structure, fan means for producing said circulating of solar heated air into said building, control means for controlling the operation of said fan means, said control means including first and second sensing means, said first sensing means being adapted to be positioned within said living space at a location for providing sensing of air temperature representative of the actual air temperature in said living space, said second sensing means being adapted to be positioned at an elevated location in the interior of said solar greenhouse for being responsive to the air temperature at said elevated location, said control means actuating said fan means whenever the air temperature in the interior of the solar greenhouse at said elevated location reaches a predetermined differential in temperature above the actual temperature of the air being sensed by said first sensing means for harvesting useful solar energy heated air from said solar greenhouse into said living space.
Specification