Abstract
A corner connector for hollow-profile spacers of insulating glazing units is presented. The corner connector includes first and second legs, connected via a corner region, that include respective leg inner sides, leg outer sides, end faces, and a plurality of side faces. According to one aspect, the leg inner sides, the leg outer sides, and/or the side faces include at least one retaining element; the leg inner sides provide respective inner bearing faces having: inner regions adjacent the corner region, and outer regions adjacent the inner regions and the end faces. The inner bearing face of at least one of the leg inner sides has, in its inner region, a positive gradient starting from the corner region in the direction of its end face.
Claims
1.-10. (canceled)
11. A corner connector for hollow-profile spacers of insulating glazing units, the corner connector comprising: a first leg and a second leg that are connected via a corner region, the first leg and second leg comprising respective leg inner sides, leg outer sides, end faces and a plurality of side faces, wherein: one or more of the leg inner sides, the leg outer sides, and the plurality of side faces comprises at least one retaining element, the leg inner sides provide respective inner bearing faces, the inner bearing faces have respective inner regions adjacent the corner region, the inner bearing faces have respective outer regions adjacent the respective inner regions and respective end faces, the inner bearing face of at least one of the leg inner sides has, in the respective inner region, a positive gradient starting from the corner region in a direction of the respective end face, the leg inner sides have retaining elements that form the respective inner bearing faces, and the retaining elements on the leg inner sides comprise fins, whose length decrease from the respective end faces in a direction of the corner region.
12. The corner connector according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the inner bearing faces forms, in the respective inner region, an angle a relative to the respective leg outer side having a value in a range of 0.5? to 15?.
13. The corner connector according to claim 12, wherein the angle a has a value in a range of 1? to 10?.
14. The corner connector according to claim 12, wherein the angle a has a value in a range of 2? to 7?.
15. The corner connector according to claim 11, wherein a length L.sub.1 of a longest fin of the respective outer regions of the leg inner sides, and a length L.sub.2 of a shortest fin of the respective inner regions of the leg inner sides, are bound by: I=L.sub.1/L.sub.2 with 4?I?1.5.
16. The corner connector according to claim 11, wherein a proportion of the respective inner regions to the total length of the respective leg inner sides is between 15% and 70%.
17. The corner connector according to claim 11, wherein a proportion of the respective inner regions to the total length of the respective leg inner sides is between 20% and 50%.
18. The corner connector according to claim 11, wherein one or more of the leg outer sides and the side faces comprise at least one retaining element that is formed as a fin or as a wire.
19. The corner connector according to claim 11, wherein the corner connector contains one or more of: a) biocomposites, b) polyethylene (PE), c) polycarbonates (PC), d) polypropylene (PP), e) polystyrene, f) polybutadiene, g) polynitriles, h) polyesters, i) polyurethanes, j) polymethylmethacrylates, k) polyacrylates, I) polyamides (PA), m) polyethylene terephthalate (PET), n) polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and o) polyvinyl chloride (PVC), preferably polyamides (PA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), acrylonitrile styrene acrylester (ASA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/polycarbonate (ABS/PC), styrene acrylonitrile (SAN), PET/PC, PBT/PC, particularly preferably polyamides, and/or copolymers or mixtures thereof.
20. The corner connector according to claim 11, wherein the corner connector contains one or more of: a) polyamides (PA), b) acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), c) acrylonitrile styrene acrylester (ASA), d) acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/polycarbonate (ABS/PC), d) styrene acrylonitrile (SAN), e) PET/PC, and f) PBT/P.
21. The corner connector according to claim 11, wherein the corner connector contains one or more of: a) polyamides, b) copolymers, and c) mixtures of a) and b).
22. An insulating glazing unit, comprising: at least one corner connector according to claim 11; at least two panes; at least one hollow-profile spacer; and at least one secondary sealant, wherein ends of the at least one hollow-profile spacer are connected via the at least one corner connector to form a profile frame, the at least two panes are mounted on the profile frame, and the at least one secondary sealant is introduced in an outer interpane space between the at least two panes adjacent the hollow-profile spacer.
23. A method for producing an insulating glazing unit, the method comprising: a) forming a profile frame by connecting ends of at least one hollow-profile spacer via at least one corner connector; b) mounting the profile frame between two panes; and c) introducing at least one secondary sealant into an outer interpane space between the two panes adjacent the hollow-profile spacer, wherein the at least one corner connector comprises a first leg and a second leg that are connected via a corner region, the first leg and second leg comprising respective leg inner sides, leg outer sides, end faces and a plurality of side faces, wherein: one or more of the leg inner sides, the leg outer sides, and the plurality of side faces, comprises at least one retaining element, the leg inner sides provide respective inner bearing faces, the inner bearing faces have respective inner regions adjacent the corner region, the inner bearing faces have respective outer regions adjacent the respective inner regions and respective end faces, the inner bearing face of at least one of the leg inner sides has, in the respective inner region, a positive gradient starting from the corner region in a direction of the respective end face, the leg inner sides have retaining elements that form the respective inner bearing faces, and the retaining elements on the leg inner sides comprise fins, whose length decrease from the respective end faces in a direction of the corner region.
24. A method for producing a corner connector, the method comprising: a) preparing a plastic raw material; b) plasticizing the plastic raw material in a plastic injection molding machine, thereby obtaining plasticized material; c) injecting, under pressure, the plasticized material, into an injection mold; d) leaving the plasticized material to cure in the injection mold; and e) removing the corner connector from the injection mold, wherein the corner connector comprises a first leg and a second leg that are connected via a corner region, the first leg and second leg comprising respective leg inner sides, leg outer sides, end faces and a plurality of side faces, wherein: one or more of the leg inner sides, the leg outer sides, and the plurality of side faces, comprises at least one retaining element, the leg inner sides provide respective inner bearing faces, the inner bearing faces have respective inner regions adjacent the corner region, the inner bearing faces have respective outer regions adjacent the respective inner regions and respective end faces, the inner bearing face of at least one of the leg inner sides has, in the respective inner region, a positive gradient starting from the corner region in a direction of the respective end face, the leg inner sides have retaining elements that form the respective inner bearing faces, and the retaining elements on the leg inner sides comprise fins, whose length decrease from the respective end faces in a direction of the corner region.
25. A method of using a corner connector, comprising: providing a corner connector according to claim 1; and using the corner connector in a insulating glazing unit.
Description
[0076] The invention is explained in detail in the following with reference to drawings. The drawings are purely schematic representations and are not true to scale. They in no way restrict the invention. They depict:
[0077] FIG. 1 a side view of a corner connector according to a first embodiment of the corner connector according to the invention,
[0078] FIG. 2 a side view of another corner connector according to a first embodiment of the corner connector according to the invention,
[0079] FIG. 3a, 3b a side view and a perspective view of another corner connector according to a first preferred embodiment of the corner connector according to the invention,
[0080] FIG. 4a, 4b a perspective view and a back view of a double corner connector according to a first embodiment of the corner connector according to the invention,
[0081] FIG. 5 a side view of a corner connector according to a second preferred embodiment of the corner connector according to the invention,
[0082] FIG. 6 a perspective view of an another corner connector according to a second preferred embodiment of the corner connector according to the invention,
[0083] FIG. 7 a cross-section of a profile frame made up of four corner connectors according to FIG. 5 and four hollow-profile spacers,
[0084] FIG. 8 a cross-section of an insulating glazing unit including a profile frame according to FIG. 7.
[0085] FIG. 1 depicts a side view of a corner connector according to a first preferred embodiment. The corner connector is made of polyamide with the glass fiber content of 25%. The corner connector comprises a first leg (2.1) and a second leg (2.2) that are connected via the corner region (9) and form an angle of 90? relative to one another. Each leg (2.1, 2.2) has in each case a leg outer side (4), a leg inner side (3), an end face (5), and two side faces (6). The leg inner sides have a length of 30 mm measured between the corner region (9) and the end face (5) and a width of 14 mm. The leg inner sides (3) are divided into an inner region (11) adjacent the corner region and and an outer region (12), which is situated between an inner region (11) and the end face (5). The inner region (11) has a length of 10 mm and the outer region (12) has a length of 20 mm. The leg inner sides (3) are equipped with retaining elements (7) in the form of fins, with the fins in the inner region region (11) shorter than the fins in the outer region (12) of the leg inner side (3). The surface of the fins forms an inner bearing face (10), which accommodates the profile base of the hollow-profile during assembly of a hollow-profile spacer. The fins in the inner region (11) have a length of 0.7 mm to 1.5 mm, with the shortest fin arranged adjacent the corner region (9) and the length of the fins increasing in the direction of the outer region (12). The fins of the outer region (12) have a constant length of 2 mm. The leg outer sides (4) are also equipped with fins as retaining elements (7) that have a constant length of 2 mm. Two rows of fins are mounted in each case on the leg inner sides (3) and the leg outer sides (4), with the back row of fins hidden by the front row in the side view depicted. The side faces (6) do not bear any retaining elements.
[0086] During assembly of a profile frame including the corner connector according to the invention of FIG. 1, surprisingly, no stress breakage of the profile base of the spacer occurs in the inner region (11) adjacent the corner region (9).
[0087] Compared to a prior art corner connector that is constructed analogously to the corner connector according to the invention but has, in contrast, fins of a constant length of 2 mm on the leg inner side (3), the proportion of stress breakage occurring can be reduced by approx. 30% using the corner connector of FIG. 1.
[0088] FIG. 2 depicts a side view of another corner connector in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the corner connector according to the invention. The structure corresponds to the corner connector depicted in FIG. 1. In contrast thereto, the fins (7) have, in the inner region of the leg outer side (4), a length of 0.7 mm to 1.5 mm, with the shortest fins arranged adjacent the corner region (9) and the length of the fins increasing in the direction of the outer region (12). Thus, the fins on the leg inner side (3) are symmetrical to the fins mounted on the leg outer side (4). In this manner, damage to the profile top can be avoided during assembly of additional spacers on an already finished L-shaped fragment of a profile frame.
[0089] FIGS. 3a and 3b depict a side view and a perspective view of another corner connector in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the corner connector according to the invention. The basic structure corresponds to the structure described in FIG. 2, with the fins on the leg inner side (3) and the leg outer side (4) in the outer region (12) having a length of 2 mm and in the inner region (11) having a variable length of 1.2 mm to 1.8 mm. The inner region (11) has a length of 0.6 cm and the outer region (12) has a length of 2.4 cm. The inner bearing face (10) formed by the surface of the fins thus has in the inner region (11) a positive gradient starting from the corner region in the direction of the outer region (12). Here as well, due to the progression of the inner bearing surface (10), a ramp declining in the direction of the corner region (9) develops, which avoids the stress breakage of a hollow-profile spacer plugged in on the corner connector. The side faces (6) of the corner connector likewise bear fins, which serve as additional retaining elements (7) and advantageously compensate manufacturing tolerances of the spacer. The fins of the side faces (6) have a length of 4 mm. Furthermore, the corner connector of FIGS. 3a and 3b has reinforcing ribs (14) that give the component higher rigidity and form an additional barrier for desiccant situated in the spacer.
[0090] FIGS. 4a and 4b depict a perspective view and a back view of a double corner connector in accordance with a first embodiment of the corner connector according to the invention. The structure corresponds substantially to the single corner connector described In FIGS. 3a and 3b, wherein the corner regions (9) of two individual corner connectors have a shared web (28) that connects them. The double corner connector of FIGS. 4a and 4b is particularly suited for assembly of double spacers for triple insulating glazing units. Thus, these can be plugged together to form a profile frame economically in terms of processing and, at the same time, precisely.
[0091] FIG. 5 depicts a side view of a corner connector in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the corner connector according to the invention. The corner connector contains polyamide with a glass fiber content of 25%. The corner connector comprises a first leg (2.1) and a second leg (2.2) that are connected via the corner region (9) and form an angle of 90? relative to one another. Each leg (2.1, 2.2) has, in each case, a leg outer side (4), a leg inner side (3), an end face (5), and two side faces (6). The leg inner sides (3) have a length of 25 mm measured between the corner region (9) and the end face (5) and a width of 8 mm. The leg inner sides (3) are divided into an inner region (11) adjacent the corner region and an outer region (12), which is situated between the inner region (11) and the end face (5). The inner region (11) has a length of 9 mm and the outer region (12) has a length of 16 mm. The leg outer sides (4) and the leg inner sides (3) have no retaining elements at all. A retaining element (7) in the form of a wire is merely mounted in each case on the four side faces (6) of the corner connector. The wire has a diameter of 0.5 mm and protrudes in each case by 1 mm beyond the associated side face (6). Since retaining elements in wire form effect very good locking of the corner connector in the plugged-in spacer, further retaining elements are unnecessary. The legs (2.1, 2.2) are molded from a monolithic material and have, in each case, a negative gradient (8) adjacent the corner region. The inner bearing faces (10) correspond in this embodiment directly to the leg inner sides (3). The monolithic forming contributes to the stability and to the simple manufacturability of the corner connector. The negative gradient (8) forms a ramp starting from the corner region (9) and rising in the direction of the end faces. The gradient is, in the inner region (11) of the leg inner side (3), ?=4?, by which means, here again, an inner bearing face (10) declining in the direction of the corner region develops.
[0092] The progression according to the invention of the inner bearing surface (11) results in the fact that, surprisingly, during assembly of a profile frame including the corner connector according to the invention of FIG. 5, no stress breakage of the profile base occurs.
[0093] In comparison, a profile frame with a prior art corner connector, which has no negative gradient in the inner region and otherwise has the same structure, has a number of stress breaks on the profile base greater by approx. 30%, compared to a corner connector in accordance with FIG. 5.
[0094] FIG. 6 depicts a perspective view of another corner connector in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the corner connector according to the invention. The structure corresponds substantially to that described in FIG. 5, with the leg outer side (4) also having a negative gradient (8) in the inner region (11). Thus, the leg inner side (3) and the leg outer side (4) run symmetrically to one another. Additionally, for reducing the risk of breakage on the profile base of a plugged-in spacer, equivalent protection is also provided in the case of the profile top. During assembly of two spacers and a corner connector, an L-shaped fragment of a profile frame is obtained. With manual plugging-in of additional spacers and corner connectors by a production worker, a force effect on the profile base can be produced by the worker, causing bending of this L-shaped structure. With prior art corner connectors, this can result in damage to the profile tops that can be avoided by means of the corner connector in accordance with FIG. 6.
[0095] FIG. 7 depicts a profile frame consisting of four corner connectors in accordance with FIG. 5 and four hollow-profile spacers in cross-section. The legs (2.1, 2.2) of the corner connectors (1) are plugged in on the open edges (15) of the hollow-profile spacer (17) in its hollow space (21), yielding a rectangular profile frame (22). The corner region (9) of the corner connector (1) now forms the corner region of the profile frame (22), whereas the legs (2.1, 2.2) are completely plugged into the spacer and no longer visible from the outside. The profile top (20) of the hollow-profile spacer (17) forms the outer perimeter of the rectangle, while the profile base (19) defines the inner perimeter of the rectangle. The hollow space of the hollow-profile spacer (17) is filled with desiccant (27). During manual handling of the profile frame (22), the opposing edges of the frame are pressed together with a force F, as symbolized in FIG. 7 by arrows. The hollow-profile spacers (17) experience bending in the direction of the center of the frame, by which means a force acts on the profile base of the spacer adjacent the corner region of the corner connector. With the use of prior art corner connectors, this frequently results in breakage of the profile base (19) on the open edge (15). In the embodiment of the corner connector according to the invention of FIG. 7, such damage is prevented by a negative gradient (8) of the corner connector (1) in this region.
[0096] FIG. 8 depicts a cross-section of an insulating glazing unit (16) including a profile frame (22) according to FIG. 7. The hollow-profile spacer (17) is adhesively bonded by means of a primary sealant (28) between two glass panes (23). The primary sealant (28) is applied on the side walls (18) of the hollow-profile spacer (17). The panes (23) and the profile base (19) of the hollow-profile spacer (17) delimit an inner interpane space (26) of the insulating glazing unit (16). The panes (23) and the profile top (20) form an outer interpane space (25), which is filled with a secondary sealant (29). The hollow-profile spacer (17) includes a glass-fiber-reinforced polymeric main body, which contains styrene acrylonitrile(SAN) and approx. 35 wt-% glass fiber. The spacer has a hollow space (21). A desiccant (27), for example, a molecular sieve, is arranged inside the hollow space (21). This desiccant (27) can be filled into the hollow space (21) of the spacer before the assembly of the insulating glazing unit. The profile base (19) includes relatively small openings (24) or pores, which enable a gas exchange with the inner interpane space (26). The wall thickness of the hollow-profile spacer (17) is 1 mm, whereas the height of the hollow-profile spacer (17) is 6.5 mm. The width along the profile base (19) defines the distance between the panes (23) and is 12 mm.
[0097] During the assembly operation of the insulating glazing unit (16), damaging of the profile base (19) in the corner region of the profile frame is avoided by use of the corner connector according to the invention. The resultant insulating glazing unit (16) thus has, even in the corner region, a completely intact spacer such that better leak-tightness of the glazing unit is obtained.
LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS
[0098] (I) corner connector
[0099] (2) leg
[0100] (2.1) first leg
[0101] (2.2) second leg
[0102] (3) leg inner side
[0103] (4) leg outer side
[0104] (5) end faces
[0105] (6) side faces
[0106] (7) retaining elements
[0107] (8) negative gradient
[0108] (9) corner region
[0109] (10) inner bearing face
[0110] (11) Inner region
[0111] (12) outer region
[0112] (13) web
[0113] (14) reinforcing ribs
[0114] (15) open edge of the hollow-profile spacer
[0115] (16) insulating glazing unit
[0116] (17) hollow-profile spacer
[0117] (18) sidewalls of the hollow-profile spacer
[0118] (19) profile base
[0119] (20) profile top
[0120] (21) hollow space
[0121] (22) profile frame
[0122] (23) panes
[0123] (24) opening
[0124] (25) outer interpane space
[0125] (26) inner interpane space
[0126] (27) desiccant
[0127] (28) primary sealant
[0128] (29) secondary sealant
[0129] (30) hollow chamber
