EP2551437A1

EP2551437A1 - Corner element for double glazing systems and the like

Info

Publication number: EP2551437A1
Application number: EP12177219A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giovanni Nicolosi
Original assignee: Pellini SpA
Current assignee: Pellini SpA
Priority date: 2011-07-29
Filing date: 2012-07-20
Publication date: 2013-01-30
Also published as: ITBO20110465A1

Abstract

A corner element for double glazing systems and the like, comprising a first arm (6) able to be inserted in a respective first spacer element (2) of the double glazing system, a second arm (7) able to be inserted in a respective second spacer element (3) of the double glazing system, and an abutment surface (13), foreseen in said first arm (6) and/or in said second arm (7), for the end edge (5) of the first and/or second spacer element (6,7), and a seat (14) for a layer of sealing material (15) foreseen close to said abutment surface (13). The seat (14) comprises a bottom surface (18) that is substantially flat and inclined converging in the direction of insertion of said first arm (6) and/or of said second arm (7) in the respective spacer element (2,3).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention regards a corner element for double glazing systems and the like.
More in detail, the present invention regards a corner element with high air-tightness for mutually connecting the spacer elements of double glazing systems and the like.

STATE OF THE PRIOR ART

In the industry for the production of double glazing systems and the like, a particularly felt problem regards the perfect sealing of the airtight chamber of the insulating glasses.
Actually, as known in order to reduce the transmittance value of the insulating glass, the air present in the chamber is replaced, in the production step, with noble gases such as argon and krypton, which have a lower heat transfer coefficient.
Clearly, in order to guarantee a good efficiency of the insulating glass product, the internal chamber must be perfectly sealed, for preventing the gas from leaking outside.
Usually a glass insulating system comprises a frame consisting of spacer elements, which are mounted on the sides of the chamber defined between two glass panels, actually for keeping the latter spaced from each other and for preventing the leakage of the gases along the edges.
The spacer elements, should they not be obtained with a single bent profile, are then connected to each other with suitable corner elements.
The spacer elements normally have, along the inner surface thereof, micro-holes which allow the dehydration of the inner chamber through special salts contained within the spacer elements.
Through such micro-holes the noble gases contained within the chamber could leak, thus the corner elements should guarantee the air-tightness of the double glazing system at the vertices, i.e. the joint areas of the spacer elements.
Currently, manual filling operations with portions of butyl at the joint edges between the corner elements and the spacer elements are carried out in order to obtain the best sealing possible at the corner elements.
The quality of such manual filling operations, and especially the uniformity and the repeatability of the quality level of the products, mainly depend on the ability of the operator and other several factors: hence optimal quality levels in terms of gas sealing within the chamber are often not obtained.
For example consider the cases, quite frequent, wherein given certain climatic factors such as heat excursions and the like create an overpressure within the airtight chamber.
When the work of filling the joints using butyl is carried out in an imprecise manner or however not optimal from a quality point of view, the overpressure within the chamber may determine the lifting or breaking the layers made of butyl, thus seriously jeopardising the sealing of the system.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The technical task of the present invention is to improve the state of the art, by providing a corner element for double glazing systems and the like in which the permeability to the gases is reduced drastically, hence creating an optimal air-tightness of the glass.
Within such technical task, an object of the present invention is to provide a corner element for double glazing systems and the like capable of allowing reducing the assembling times also eliminating all the typically very laborious, and poorly repeatable manual operations of closing the angles using butyl or other similar sealing materials.
This task and these objects are attained by the corner element for double glazing systems and the like according to the attached claim 1.
The corner element according to the invention comprises a first and a second arm adapted to be inserted in respective spacer elements and, at each of such arms, a respective abutment surface for the end edge of the respective spacer element.
In proximity of the abutment surface there is provided a seat for a layer of sealing material - such as butyl or the like - adapted to guarantee the optimal sealing in the joint area between each arm and the respective spacer element.
Further advantageous characteristics are described in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.

The characteristics of the invention will be better understood by every man skilled in the art from the description that follows and from the attached drawings, provided by way of non-limiting example, wherein:

figure 1 is an exploded axonometric and detailed view of a corner element according to the invention, alongside two spacer elements of a double glazing system with which it is intended to be coupled;
figure 2 is a lower axonometric view of the corner element according to the invention;
figure 3 is an upper axonometric view of the corner element;
figure 4 is a lower axonometric view of the corner element with respective layers of sealing material associated;
figure 5 is an upper axonometric view of the corner element with respective layers of sealing material associated;
figure 6 is a detailed lateral and partly sectional view of a corner element according to the invention partly inserted in the respective spacer elements of the double glazing system;
figure 7 is a detailed, and partly sectional view, of a corner element according to the invention partly inserted in the respective spacer elements of the double glazing system;
figure 8 is a detailed lateral, and partly sectional view of a corner element according to the invention entirely inserted in the respective spacer elements of the double glazing system;
figure 9 is a detailed axonometric, and partly sectional, view of a corner element according to the invention entirely inserted in the respective spacer elements of the double glazing system.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION.

With reference to the attached figure 1, a corner element for double glazing systems and the like according to the present invention is indicated in its entirety with 1.
The corner element according to the invention may be installed in double glazing systems of any type as regards the materials used, the forms, the dimensions, the fields of application etc, without any restriction to the objects of the present invention.
The corner element 1 is illustrated in figure 1 in exploded view together with a first spacer element 2 and a second spacer element 3, which are thus mutually joined by the corner element 1 when assembling a double glazing system.
As known, the spacer elements 2,3 substantially have the function of maintaining the glass panels - not represented in the figures - which constitute a double glazing system correctly positioned at a suitable distance from each other, so as to define an airtight chamber into which there is introduced a noble gas, such as argon, krypton or the like, which has a low heat transfer coefficient.
The spacer elements 2,3 shall not be described further hereinafter in the present description, in that they are components substantially known and available in the market with usually standardized shapes and dimensions. The main issue, in the spacer elements 2,3, as regards the description of the present invention is the fact that each of them comprises a respective cavity 4 - for example a through cavity - and a respective end edge 5 around such cavity 4: at the end edge 5 each spacer element 2,3 is coupled to the corner element 1. Naturally the dimensions of the spacer elements 2,3, in particular the shape and the dimensions of the respective cavities 4, correspond to those of the corner element 1, described in detail hereinafter.
The corner element 1 comprises a first arm 6, which can be inserted into the first spacer element 2 of the double glazing system.
The corner element 1 further comprises a second arm 7, which can be inserted into the second spacer element 3 of the double glazing system.
As illustrated in the figures, the first arm 6 and the second arm 7 of the corner element 1 are arranged at 90 ° with respect to each other, but they could also be arranged according to another mutual angle, as regards the specific application requirements, for example when providing a double glazing system shaped differently other than square or rectangular.
In the embodiment of the corner element 1 illustrated in the figures, the first arm 6 and the second arm 7 are substantially identical to each other in terms of shape and dimensions.
In other embodiments, not illustrated, of the corner element 1 according to the invention the first arm 6 and the second arm 7 could have different dimensions and shapes, for example should it be required to connect spacer elements 2,3 having shapes different from each other, or having respective cavities 4 of different shapes or dimensions.
The features described hereinafter are thus to be deemed present both on the first arm 6 and on the second arm 7, indistinctively.
In a possible alternative embodiment not represented of the corner element 1 according to the present invention, only one between the first arm 6 and the second arm 7 could comprise the features described hereinafter, without any restriction to the objects of the present invention, and without departing from the scope of protection of the claims that follow.
Each arm 6,7 comprises, more in detail, an outer face 8 and an inner face 9 opposite to each other, observable for example in figures 2,3.
The corner element 1 comprises, at each arm 6,7, a respective insertion portion 10 in the respective spacer element 2,3.
Each insertion portion 10 is provided, on the outer face 8 of the respective arm 6,7, with respective elastically flexible fins 11, adapted to allow the introduction with slight pressure into the cavity 4 of each spacer element 2,3.
The fins 11 are made in a single piece with the arms 6,7, but they could also be obtained separately and then applied to the arms 6,7.
In other embodiments not represented in the figures, each insertion portion 10 could be provided, on the outer face 8 or also on the inner face 9 of the respective arm 6,7, with other equivalent elements adapted to allow the introduction of the insertion portion 10 into the respective cavity 4 with slight pressure, i.e. so as to prevent the inadvertent slipping off from the respective spacer element 2,3. Each insertion portion 10 comprises two respective bevelled edges 12, which facilitate the introduction into the cavity 4 of the respective spacer element 2,3. The corner element 1 comprises, at the first arm 6 and the second arm 7, a respective abutment surface 13 for the end edge 5 of the respective spacer element 2,3. More in detail, the abutment surface 13 of each arm 6,7 is substantially provided in proximity of the vertex of the corner element, so that each insertion portion 10 has a length sufficient to guarantee an efficient and safe connection.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the corner element 1 further comprises, for each of the arms 6,7, a respective seat 14 for a respective layer of sealing material 15.
The aforementioned layer of sealing material 15 is made, in the described embodiment, of a strip of butyl, which spontaneously adheres to the surface of the respective seat 14.
Actually, butyl is a material commonly used for sealing double glazing systems and the like.
Alternatively, any other sealing material with equivalent properties may be used.
The layer of sealing material 15, as illustrated in figures 4,5, is covered by a respective protective film 16, for example made of plastic or the like, to be removed when assembling the double glazing system, as clarified hereinafter.
As illustrated in the figures, each seat 14 is provided in proximity of the respective abutment surface 13, thus attaining the advantageous effects to be described better hereinafter.
As illustrated for example in figures 2,3, each seat 14 extends over the entire width of the outer face 8 of the respective arm 6,7.
More in detail, each seat 14 further extends with two respective end portions 17 at the inner face 9 of the respective arm, in particular see figure 2.
The end portions 17 of each seat 14 extend over respective brief portions along the inner face 9 of each arm 6,7.
As clearly observable in the detailed section of figures 6,8, each seat 14 comprises a respective substantially flat bottom surface 18, which is inclined converging towards the insertion direction of each arm 6,7 in the respective spacer element 2,3, to which the layer of sealing material 15 adheres.
More in particular, each seat 14 has, substantially in the centreline thereof with respect to the longitudinal direction of the respective arm 6,7 a depth substantially equivalent to the thickness of the layer of sealing material 15, with the effects and advantages better described hereinafter.
The corner element 1 further comprises an intermediate portion 19 between the seats 14 and the abutment surface 13 of each arm 6,7.
Each intermediate portion 19 has, as observable in particular in figure 8, a transverse section having dimensions substantially corresponding to those of the inner cavity 4 of the respective spacer element 2,3, or slightly smaller dimensions to allow a coupling without pressure between the parts.
According to another aspect of the present invention, each abutment surface 13 - as illustrated in particular in figures 6,8 - is inclined converging in the direction of insertion of the respective arm 6,7 in the respective spacer element 2,3, by a preset angle.
This allows defining, alongside the end edge 5 of the respective spacer element 2,3 a perimeter groove 20 for a portion 21 of the layer of sealing material 15, as better described hereinafter.
The corner element 1 is made for example of thermoplastic polymeric material of the ABS type. Alternatively, the corner element 1 can be made of any other material having suitable mechanical properties that can be easily moulded and suitable for the surface treatment described hereinafter.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, the corner element 1 comprises at least one portion of the outer surface thereof treated through chemical nickel plating.
More in detail, the entire outer surface of the corner element 1 is treated through chemical nickel plating. Such chemical nickel-plating treatment is carried out with thickness exceeding 20 microns.
The aforementioned chemical nickel plating treatment has, first and foremost, the effect of creating a barrier impermeable to the noble gas - for example argon, krypton - present in the airtight chamber of the double glazing system, given that plastic is permeable to gas.
Thus the gas, that could leak from the chamber through the micro-holes usually provided in the spacer elements 2,3, is held within the barrier created by the chemical nickel-plating treatment and the mechanical sealing, as clarified hereinafter.
In addition, it was observed that the chemical nickel-plating treatment carried out on a material such as ABS or the like facilitates the optimal adhesion, on the outer surface of the corner element 1, of the sealing materials used in the industry, such as butyl and the like.
The method of use of the corner element according to the invention is, in the light of what has been described, entirely intuitive.
Actually, as illustrated in the figures 4,5, the corner element 1 is initially provided with the layers of sealing material 15 already positioned in the respective seats 14 of the arms 6,7, such layers 15 being covered, as mentioned, by the respective protective films 16 to prevent dirt and impurities from inadvertently adhering to the layer of sealing material 15.
Thus, the designated operator initially removes the protective films 16 from the respective sealing layers 15, by a simple gesture.
Subsequently, the operator inserts the insertion portions 10 of the arms 6,7 in the cavities 4 of the respective spacer elements 2,3, exerting a slight pressure to facilitate the pressure coupling, until the end edge 5 of each of the spacer elements 2,3 reaches the surface of the layer of sealing material 15.
This particular situation is represented in detail in figures 6,7.
The operator then proceeds to further insert the arms 6,7 into the respective spacer elements 2,3: from here henceforth, for both arms 6,7, the end edge 5 of the respective spacer element 2,3 exerts an action of dragging the layer of sealing material 15 - which as known is very plastic - towards the abutment surface 13. In other words, each layer of sealing material 15 is plastically distributed between the inner surface of the cavity 4 of each spacer element 2,3 and the intermediate portion 19 of the respective arm 6,7, until it reaches the perimeter groove 20 when each end edge 5 reaches the respective abutment surface 13.
The latter situation is instead represented in figures 8,9.
As clearly observable, in particular, in figure 8, each layer of sealing material 15 - which as mentioned is applied over the entire surface of the seat 14, and thus surrounds the respective arm 6,7 in the outer face 8 until it reaches the inner face 9 - is uniformly distributed between the arm 6,7 and the respective spacer element 2,3 up to the perimeter groove 20, in which there is advantageously accumulated a portion 21 which constitutes the outermost sealing.
This allows providing the optimal sealing between each arm 6,7 and the respective spacer element 2,3, without the operator having to intervene manually by specifically applying layers of sealing material along the joints between each arm 6,7 and the respective spacer element 2,3, as it occurs in the conventional methods for assembling double glazing systems.
Besides providing a better sealing with respect to what occurs in the systems provided with conventional corner elements, this solution also allows eliminating the hazardous factor constituted by the manual interventions of the operator at the joints between the corner elements and the spacer elements.
As evincible from the description, the invention thus conceived allows obtaining important technical advantages.
The mechanical sealing at the joints between the corner element according to the invention and the spacer elements is definitely improved with respect to the state of the art, through a solution that is inexpensive as well as quick and easy to assemble.
No specific interventions of the operator, at such joints, are required for to guarantee the aforementioned mechanical sealing, in that the sealing material 15 is applied and distributed optimally, even in the most critical areas, by simply inserting the arms 6,7 into the cavities 4 of the respective spacer elements 2,3. The sealing material 15 is distributed in a clean and uniform manner without requiring having to remove possible excess burrs, or performing other similar restoration operations.
Furthermore, the chemical nickel-plating treatment allows providing a further barrier against the leakage of gases present in the airtight chamber, and the optimal adhesion of the layer of sealing material 15 on the outer surface of the corner element is facilitated. It has thus been observed that the invention attains the proposed objects.
The present invention has been described according to preferred embodiments; however equivalent variants may be conceived without departing from the scope of protection outlined by the claims that follow.

Claims

Corner element for double glazing systems and the like, comprising a first arm (6) able to be inserted in a respective first spacer element (2) of the double glazing system, a second arm (7) able to be inserted in a respective second spacer element (3) of the double glazing system, and an abutment surface (13), foreseen in said first arm (6) and/or in said second arm (7), for the end edge (5) of the first and/or second spacer element (6,7), and a seat (14) for a layer of sealing material (15) foreseen close to said abutment surface (13), characterized in that said seat (14) comprises a bottom surface (18) that is substantially flat and inclined converging in the direction of insertion of said first arm (6) and/or of said second arm (7) in the respective spacer element (2,3).
Corner element according to claim 1, wherein said seat (14) extends for the entire width of the outer face (8) of said first arm (6) and/or of said second arm (7).
Corner element according to claim 2, wherein said seat (14) extends with two end portions (17) at the inner face (9) of said first arm (6) and/or of said second arm (7).
Corner element according to one of the previous claims, wherein said seat (14), substantially in its middle with respect to the longitudinal direction of said first arm (6) and/or of said second arm (7), has a depth substantially equal to the thickness of said layer of sealing material (15).
Corner element according to one of the previous claims, wherein said first arm (6) and/or said second arm (7) comprises, between said seat (14) and said abutment surface (13), an intermediate portion (19) having a cross section with dimensions substantially corresponding to those of the internal cavity (4) of the respective spacer element (2,3).
Corner element according to one of the previous claims, wherein said abutment surface (13) is inclined converging in the direction of insertion of said first arm (6) and/or of said second arm (7) in the respective spacer element (2,3), so as to define, with the end edge (5) of the first and/or second spacer element (2,3), a perimeter groove (20) for a portion (21) of said layer of sealing material (15).
Corner element according one of the previous claims, wherein said layer of sealing material (15) is coated by a respective protective film (16) to be removed as the moment of assembly of the double glazing system.
Corner element according to one of the previous claims, comprising at least one portion of its outer surface treated with chemical nickel-plating.
Corner element according to one of the previous claims, wherein said layer of sealing material (15) consists of a strip of butyl, or other material equivalent to it, which spontaneously sticks to the bottom surface (18) of said seat (14).
Corner element according to one of the previous claims, wherein said first arm (6) and/or said second arm (7) comprises an insertion portion (10) into the respective spacer element (2,3) provided with elastically flexible tabs (11) suitable for allowing said insertion portion (10) to be slotted in with slight forcing.