Abstract
A corner connector for connecting two hollow-profile strips of an insulating glazing unit is presented. The corner connector includes a first plug-in leg, a second plug-in leg, a corner region, and a capillary tube with a first opening and a second opening. According to one aspect, the corner region connects the second plug-in leg to the first plug-in leg so to form angle between 45 and 180 between the two plug-in legs. According to another aspect, the first plug-in leg, the second plug-in leg, and the corner region are injection molded, and the capillary tube is integrally molded into the corner region. When installed, the capillary tube establishes a connection between the inner interpane space and corresponding surroundings of the insulating glazing unit.
Claims
1.-15. (canceled)
16. A corner connector, comprising: a first plug-in leg; a second plug-in leg; a corner region; and a capillary tube with a first opening and a second opening, wherein the corner region connects the second plug-in leg to the first plug-in leg, the first and second plug-in legs form an angle , where 45<180, the first plug-in leg, the second plug-in leg, and the corner region are injection molded, the capillary tube is integrally molded into the corner region, and the corner connector is adapted to connect two hollow-profile strips of an insulating glazing unit, wherein the capillary tube is configured to establish a connection between an inner interpane space and corresponding surroundings of the insulating glazing unit.
17. The corner connector according to claim 16, wherein the capillary tube is bent or wound at least in a subregion to provide a curved or spiral shape, so that a length to be installed, b, of the capillary tube in the curved or spiral shape is shorter than a length to be installed, s, of the capillary tube in a linear shape.
18. The corner connector according to claim 17, wherein b and s are bound by the following relationship:
0.05b/s0.55.
19. The corner connector according to claim 17, wherein b and s are bound by the following relationship:
0.1b/s0.35.
20. The corner connector according to claim 16, wherein the capillary tube protrudes from the corner connector on an end face of the first plug-in leg, is arranged inside at least the first plug-in leg, and protrudes from the corner region of the corner connector.
21. The corner connector according to claim 16, wherein the first plug-in leg and the second plug-in leg form a right angle.
22. The corner connector according to claim 16, wherein a first opening of the capillary tube on an end that protrudes from the corner region is reversibly closed.
23. The corner connector according to claim 22, wherein said first opening is closed by a rubber cap.
24. The corner connector according to claim 16, wherein the capillary tube is made of a metal.
25. The corner connector according to claim 24, wherein the metal comprises stainless steel or aluminum.
26. An insulating glazing unit, comprising: a first pane; a second pane; a spacer frame arranged between the first and second panes, the spacer frame comprising at least one hollow-profile strip and one corner connector; and an inner interpane space that is delimited by the first pane, the second pane, and the spacer frame, wherein the corner connector comprises i) a first plug-in leg, ii) a second plug-in leg that is connected, in a corner region of the corner connector, to the first plug-in leg, and iii) a capillary tube integrated in the corner region, wherein the first plug-in leg, the second plug-in leg, and the corner region are injection molded, wherein the first plug-in leg and the second plug-in leg are each plugged into a respective end of the at least one hollow-profile strip, and wherein the capillary tube establishes a connection between the inner interpane space and surrounding atmosphere.
27. The insulating glazing unit according to claim 26, wherein the hollow-profile strip comprises: a first side wall; a second side wall arranged parallel to the first side wall; a glazing interior wall arranged perpendicular to the first and second side walls, the glazing interior wall connecting the first side wall to the second side wall; an outer wall arranged substantially parallel to the glazing interior wall, the outer wall connecting the first side wall to the second sidewall; and a hollow space that is surrounded by the first and second side walls, the glazing interior wall, and the outer wall, wherein the glazing interior wall contains at least one permeable section, and wherein the hollow space contains a desiccant at least in the permeable section.
28. The insulating glazing unit according to claim 27, wherein 40% to 0.5% of a length of the capillary tube is arranged outside the spacer frame.
29. The insulating glazing unit according to claim 27, wherein 15% to 1% of a length of the capillary tube is arranged outside the spacer frame.
30. The insulating glazing unit according to claim 27, wherein the capillary tube has a first opening that is open to the atmosphere, has a second opening that is arranged in the hollow space of the hollow-profile strip, and is arranged at least inside the first plug-in leg and in the corner region.
31. The insulating glazing unit according to claim 30, wherein the second opening of the capillary tube is arranged in an impermeable section of the hollow-profile strip having an impermeable glazing interior wall, and wherein the impermeable section is connected to a permeable section.
32. A method for producing an insulating glazing unit, the method comprising: preparing a hollow-profile strip; connecting the hollow-profile strip to form a complete spacer frame using at least one corner connector; filling the hollow-profile strip with a desiccant; installing a first pane and a second pane on the spacer frame via a primary sealant, thereby creating an inner interpane space and an outer interpane space; and installing a secondary sealant in the outer interpane space, wherein the at least one corner connector comprises a first plug-in leg, a second plug-in leg, a corner region, and a capillary tube with a first opening and a second opening, wherein the corner region connects the second plug-in leg to the first plug-in leg, the first and second plug-in legs form an angle , where 45<180, the first plug-in leg, the second plug-in leg, and the corner region are injection molded, and the capillary tube is integrally molded into the corner region.
33. A method, comprising: providing an insulating glazing unit according to claim 26; and using of the insulating glazing unit as a building interior glazing unit, a building exterior glazing unit, or a facade glazing unit.
Description
[0047] The invention is explained in detail in the following with reference to figures. The figures are purely schematic representations and not true to scale. They in no way restrict the invention. They depict:
[0048] FIG. 1a a schematic, perspective view of an embodiment of the corner connector according to the invention,
[0049] FIG. 1b a schematic cross-section of the corner connector according to the invention of FIG. 1a,
[0050] FIGS. 2a, 2b and 2c in each case a schematic cross-section of an embodiment of the corner connector according to the invention,
[0051] FIG. 3 a cross-section of a spacer frame with a corner connector according to the invention,
[0052] FIG. 4 the corner region of an insulating glazing unit according to the invention in cross-section,
[0053] FIG. 5 a perspective cross-section of a hollow-profile strip 1,
[0054] FIG. 6 a cross-section of a section of an insulating glazing unit according to the invention,
[0055] FIG. 7 a cross-section of a spacer frame with a corner connector according to the invention.
[0056] FIG. 1a, b depicts a schematic representation of a corner connectors I according to the invention. The representation is greatly simplified. Fins or retaining elements, as they are used according to the prior art, to fix the corner connectors in a hollow-profile strip, are, for example, not shown. These can be added by the person skilled in the art as needed. The corner connector I comprises a first plug-in leg 31 and a second plug-in leg 32, which are connected to one another by the corner region 34. The two plug-in legs 31 and 32 form an angle (alpha) of 90. The plug-in legs 31 and 32 and the corner region 34 are produced from a polyamide in one piece in an injection molding process. A capillary tube 33 made of stainless steel is integrated (molded-in) in the first plug-in leg 31 and in the corner region 34. The capillary tube 33 is arranged in the interior of the corner connector 34 and, thus, well protected against external influences. The capillary tube 33 has a first opening 36 and a second opening 37. The capillary tube 33 enters the corner connector on the end face 35 of the first plug-in leg 31, runs along the first plug-in leg 31, is angled in the corner region 34, and exits again in the corner region 34, more precisely in the region of the corner face 38, of the corner connector I. The corner face 38 is the surface, which points toward the surroundings in the finished insulating glazing unit or makes contact at least partially with the secondary sealant 16. The corner face 38 is, in this case divided into two areas. The side faces 39 are, in contrast, the surfaces of the corner region 34, that point toward the outer panes in the finished insulating glazing unit, run parallel to the outer panes of the insulating glazing unit, and are optionally, connected thereto. Consequently, the capillary 33 exits again in the region of the corner face 38, then runs through the secondary sealant of the insulating glazing unit, and opens into the atmosphere (see FIG. 4). The capillary tube 33 has already been integrated during the injection molding process such that it is solidly anchored in the corner connector I. The capillary tube 33 has, for example, a length of 80 cm and an inside diameter of 0.6 mm. The length of the capillary tube is adapted according to the dimensions of the insulating glazing unit. Most of the capillary tube 33 runs outside the first plug-in leg 31. The dimensions of the corner connector depend on the hollow-profile strips 1 used. The length L of a plug-in leg is, in the example, 3.0 cm, and the length E of the corner region is approx. 0.7 cm. The corner region 34 protrudes relative to the plug-in legs 31 and 32 such that a hollow-profile strip 1 that is pushed onto a plug-in leg 31, 32 and rests against the corner region 34 ends flush with the corner region 34. This protruding corner region 34 has, additionally, the advantage that by means of it, a reinforcement of the corner region 34 is achieved, by means of which the capillary tube 33 is optimally protected. The corner region 34 is implemented rigid, in other words, the angle (alpha) cannot be changed substantially. Thus, the capillary 33 is optimally protected against being bent out of shape in the corner region 34.
[0057] FIG. 2a depicts a schematic cross-section of an embodiment of the corner connector I according to the invention. The corner connector depicted differs from the corner connector depicted in FIG. 1a, b in the corner region 34. The corner region 34 does not protrude relative to the plug-in legs 31 and 32 and is thus not as additionally reinforced. This simplifies production of the corner connector I.
[0058] FIG. 2b depicts a cross-section of another embodiment of the corner connector I according to the invention. The corner connector I depicted differs from the corner connector depicted in FIG. 1a, bin the shape of the capillary tube 33. The capillary tube 33 is wound in the shape of a spiral. This variant is in particular suitable for smaller insulating glazing units since a capillary tube of the same length can be incorporated using less space.
[0059] FIG. 2c depicts a cross-section of another embodiment of the corner connector I according to the invention. The corner connector I depicted differs from the corner connector depicted in FIG. 1a, b through the arrangement of the capillary tube 33 in the corner region 34. The capillary tube 33 is not angled but, instead, runs straight through the first plug-in angle 31 and the corner region 34 and exits again in the region of the corner face 38. This variant is simpler to produce since the capillary tube 33 no longer needs to be bent before the injection molding process.
[0060] FIG. 3 depicts a cross-section through a spacer frame 8 having a corner connector I according to the invention. The spacer frame 8 comprises four hollow-profile strips 1. The shorter strips are, in each case, 100 cm long, while the longer strips are, in each case, 200 cm long. The four hollow-profile strips 1 are connected via three prior art corner connectors and one corner connector I according to the invention and form a rectangular spacer frame 8. The corner connector I according to the invention is described in FIG. 1. The first plug-in leg 31 and the second plug-in leg 32 are, in each case, plugged into one of the hollow-profile strips 1. The corner region 34 of the corner connector I is exposed, while the first plug-in leg 31 and the second plug-in leg 32 are, in each case, hidden in the hollow-profile strip 1. The end faces 35 of the plug-in legs 31 and 32 point toward the hollow space 5 and do not rest against an inner side of the hollow-profile strip. The structure of a hollow-profile strip 1 is shown in FIG. 5 by way of example. The hollow-profile strip 1 includes a hollow space 5. The hollow space 5 is filled along three sides of the spacer frame 8 with a desiccant 11, for example, with molecular sieve. The hollow space 5 is, in the finished insulating glazing unit, in connection with the inner interpane space 12 via perforations 7 in the glazing interior wall 3 of the hollow-profile strip 1. All glazing interior walls 3 are provided with perforations 7 and thus implemented as permeable sections 1a. The desiccant 11 can thus absorb moisture out of the inner interpane space 12 and can prevent fogging of the panes. The section of the hollow-profile strip 1 in which the second opening 37 of the capillary tube 33 is arranged is not filled with a desiccant. Since this section is free of desiccant 11, the first opening 37 of the capillary tube is protected against clogging by dust by a molecular sieve. In the finished insulating glazing unit, a connection of the inner interpane space 12 and the hollow spaces 5 is ensured via the perforations 7 in the glazing interior wall 3. The second opening 36 of the capillary tube 33 opens into the atmosphere. The capillary tube 33 thus establishes a connection between the hollow space 5 and the atmosphere and enables pressure equalization between the surroundings and an inner interpane space 12. The capillary tube 33 has a total length of 80 cm. Of that, only approx. 7 cm, corresponding to 9% of the total length, is positioned outside the spacer frame 8. Most of the capillary tube 33 is arranged inside the hollow space 5 of the first section 1.1 of the hollow-profile strip 5. Thus, the capillary tube 33 is optimally protected, both during the installation of the spacer frame 8 in the insulating glazing unit and during the entire service life of the insulating glazing unit.
[0061] FIG. 4 depicts a cross-section through a section of an insulating glazing unit according to the invention in the corner region. The corner connector I according to the invention corresponds in its main features to that depicted in FIG. 1 and differs only in the shape of the capillary tube 33 in the corner region 34. The capillary tube 33 is bent in the corner region 34 in an angle of approx. 145 in contrast to an angle of approx. 90 in FIG. 1. The first plug-in leg 31 and the second plug-in leg 32 are, in each case, arranged inside a hollow profile 1 or in a hollow space 5 of the hollow profile. In this example, the capillary tube 33 opens into a section of the hollow-profile strip 1 filled with desiccant 11. The second opening 37 of the capillary tube 33 is situated in the hollow space 5 of the hollow-profile strip 1. The glazing interior wall 3 of the hollow-profile strip 1 is implemented gas-permeable, made, for example, of a porous plastic such that a gas exchange can occur between an inner interpane space and hollow space 5. When a gas-permeable material is used for the hollow-profile strip 1, the outer wall 4 is provided with a barrier film 6 that improves the leak-tightness of the edge seal. A secondary sealant 16 that improves the mechanical stability of the insulating glazing unit is arranged in the outer interpane space 24 adjacent the outer wall 4 and the corner face 38 of the corner connector I. The capillary tube 33 runs through the secondary sealant 16 such that the first opening 36 of the capillary tube 33 is open to the atmosphere. The secondary sealant 16 is, for example, an organic polysulfide.
[0062] FIG. 5 depicts a perspective cross-section of a hollow-profile strip 1. The hollow-profile strip 1 comprises two parallel side walls 2.1 and 2.2, which establish the contact with the panes of an insulating glazing unit. The side walls 2.1 and 2.2 are connected via an outer wall 4 and a glazing interior wall 3. The outer wall 4 runs substantially parallel to the glazing interior wall 3. The hollow-profile strip 1 is made of a polymer and is, additionally, glass-fiber-reinforced and contains, for example, styrene acrylonitrile (SAN) and approx. 35 wt.-% glass fiber. The hollow-profile strip 1 has a hollow space 5 and the wall thickness of the polymeric hollow profile 1 is, for example, 1 mm. A barrier film 6, that comprises at least one metal-containing barrier layer and one polymeric layer is mounted on the outer wall 4. The entire hollow-profile strip has thermal conductivity less than 10 W/(m K) and gas permeation less than 0.001 g/(m.sup.2 h).
[0063] FIG. 6 depicts a cross-section of a section of an insulating glazing unit according to the invention along the line A.sup.I-A.sup.II in FIG. 4 (viewing direction is indicated in FIG. 4). The insulating glazing unit II includes the hollow-profile strip 1 described in FIG. 5. The glass-fiber-reinforced polymeric hollow-profile strip 1 with the barrier film 6 affixed thereon is arranged between a first pane 13 and a second pane 14. The barrier film 6 is arranged on the outer wall 4 and on part of the side walls 2.1 and 2.2. The first pane 13, the second pane 14, and the barrier film 6 delimit the outer interpane space 24 of the insulating glazing unit. The secondary sealant 16, which contains, for example, polysulfide, is arranged in the outer interpane space 24. Together with the secondary sealant 16, the barrier film 6 isolates the inner interpane space 12 and reduces the thermal transfer from the glass-fiber-reinforced polymeric hollow-profile strip 1 into the inner interpane space 12. The barrier film 6 can, for example, be attached on the hollow profile strip 1 with a polyurethane (PUR) hotmelt adhesive. A primary sealant 10 is preferably arranged between the side walls 2.1, 2.2 and the panes 13, 14. This contains, for example, a butyl. The primary sealant 10 overlaps the barrier film 6 in order to prevent possible interfacial diffusion. The first pane 13 and the second pane 14 preferably have the same dimensions and thicknesses. The panes preferably have an optical transparency of >85%. The panes 13,14 preferably contain glass and/or polymers, preferably flat glass, float glass, quartz glass, borosilicate glass, soda lime glass, polymethylmethacrylate, and/or mixtures thereof. In an alternative embodiment, the first pane 13 and/or the second pane 14 can be implemented as a composite glass pane. The insulating glazing unit II according to the invention forms, in this case, a triple or quadruple glazing unit. Inside the hollow-profile strip 1, a desiccant 11, for example, molecular sieve, is arranged inside the hollow chamber 5. This desiccant 11 can be filled into the hollow chamber 5 of the hollow-profile strip 1 before the assembly of the insulating glazing unit. The glazing interior wall 3 includes relatively small perforations 7 or pores, which enable a gas exchange with the inner interpane space 12.
[0064] FIG. 7 depicts a cross-section of a spacer frame 8 with a corner connector I according to the invention. The spacer frame 8 comprises a hollow profile 1, which is bent to form a rectangular frame. The two ends of the hollow profile 1 are connected via the corner connector I according to the invention. The first plug-in leg 31 is plugged into a section 1b having an impermeable glazing interior wall of the hollow profile 1, and the second plug-in leg 32 is plugged into a section 1a having a permeable glazing interior wall 3. The hollow-profile strip 1 is filled over the entire length with a desiccant 11. The glazing interior wall 3 is implemented gas-permeable in the region of the section 1a, in other words, perforations 7 are made there such that, in the finished insulating glazing unit, a gas exchange between the inner interpane space 12 and the hollow space 5 of the hollow profile 1 can occur. The corner region 34 of the corner connector I according to the invention is implemented solid, in other words, it separates the sections connected by the corner connector I according to the invention from one another and prevents a gas exchange between these two sections. In the finished insulating glazing unit, the ambient air flows out of the second opening 37 into the hollow space 5 of a gas-impermeable section 1b and is pre-dried there through contact with the desiccant 11. The air cannot enter the inner interpane space via the perforations 7 in the glazing interior wall 3 until it reaches the region of the permeable section 1a. Thus, efficient drying of the ambient air is achieved.
LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS
[0065] I corner connector [0066] II insulating glazing unit [0067] 1 hollow-profile strip [0068] 1a section having a permeable glazing interior wall/permeable section [0069] 1b section having an impermeable glazing interior wall/impermeable section [0070] 2.1 first side wall [0071] 2.2 second side wall [0072] 3 glazing interior wall [0073] 4 outer wall [0074] 5 hollow space or hollow chamber [0075] 6 barrier film [0076] 7 perforations in the glazing interior wall [0077] 8 spacer frame [0078] 10 primary sealant [0079] 11 desiccant [0080] 12 inner interpane space [0081] 13 first pane [0082] 14 second pane [0083] 16 secondary sealant [0084] 21 edge of the first pane [0085] 22 edge of the second pane [0086] 24 outer interpane space [0087] 31 first plug-in leg [0088] 32 second plug-in leg [0089] 33 capillary [0090] 34 corner region [0091] 35 end face of a plug-in leg [0092] 36 first opening of the capillary [0093] 37 second opening of the capillary [0094] 38 corner face of the corner region [0095] 39 side face of the corner region [0096] L length of a plug-in leg [0097] E length of the corner region [0098] s length to be installed of the capillary tube in a linear shape [0099] b length to be installed of the capillary tube in a curved or spiral shape
