Slat roof, terrace canopy comprising the same, and a kit of parts for assembling the same

Technical field

The present invention relates to a slat roof. The present invention also relates to a kit of parts for assembling such a slat roof. The present invention further relates to a terrace canopy comprising such a slat roof.

State of the art

Slat roofs are usually installed to screen off or, on the contrary, to clear an outside area. Such terrace canopies are often installed at houses, restaurants, shops, etc. in order to screen an outdoor terrace or the like from sun rays, precipitation and/or wind or, alternatively, to temporarily let in sun rays. These canopies can be designed, for example, in the form of an awning, a pergola, a veranda, a carport, a pavilion, etc.

In the context of a slat roof, there are typically four orientations (namely, top, bottom, outside and inside) for the slat roof frame. Herein, “above” refers to the portion of the slat roof that is or will be oriented towards the top surface (i.e. the sky, e.g. the open air), “below” to the portion of the slat roof that is or will be oriented towards the ground plane (i.e. the earth, e.g. the terrace floor), “outside” to the portion of the slat roof that is or will be oriented away from the roof (i.e. away from the slats) and “inside” to the portion of the roof arrangement that is or will be oriented towards the inside of the slat roof (i.e. facing the slats).

A slat roof typically comprises a frame comprising at least two beams which extend mutually parallel and to which a plurality of slats are pivotally connected between an open position and a closed position. In the open position, there is a gap between the slats and in the closed position the slats together form a continuous cover. By rotating the slats between these positions, the incidence of light, radiant heat and ventilation to the space below the slats can be controlled. For example, by directing the slats, the sun and/or wind can be shielded off or can be allowed to pass. In other words, the slat roof serves as protection against the sun, precipitation, wind, etc. for a space located below.

In addition, in their open position, the slats can optionally be provided slidably in the slat roof, in which case they are typically slidable between a position in which they are distributed over the slat roof and a position in which they are arranged substantially on one side of the slat roof. In addition to rotatable slats, it is also possible to include one or more fixed slats in the slat roof. A fixed slat is understood to mean a slat that is fixedly connected to the beams and is therefore neither rotatable nor slidable.

A problem with such a slat roof is the integration or attachment of various components in or to slats that influence the deflection of the slats. An example of such integration is disclosed in WO 2021/048773 A1 wherein a slat is disclosed with an integrated heating element therein. In fact, by integrating an additional element into a slat, an extra weight is added to the slat compared to the other slats in the slat roof. Adding this additional weight then affects the deflection of the slat and typically causes the slat with the integrated component to have a higher deflection than the adjacent slats. This different deflection is undesirable, in particular in the closed position of the slats. First of all, this is visually disturbing because the underside of the closed slat roof does not have a uniformly flat appearance. In addition, this has a negative influence on the watertightness of the slat roof. The waterproofing between two slats is typically based on hooking and/or fitting parts of the adjacent slats together. However, this hooking and/or fitting is made more difficult if the deflection is too different.

Description of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a slat roof wherein a difference in deflection between adjacent slats can be minimized in the presence of one or more integrated components in one of the two adjacent slats.

This object is achieved by a slat roof for a terrace canopy, wherein the slat roof is provided with a frame and a set of mutually parallel slats attached to the frame, wherein the slates extend in a longitudinal direction and wherein a first slat of said set of slats is provided with a separate elongated core extending longitudinally throughout the first slat, wherein the slat roof is further provided with a functional component selected from a plurality of mutually different functional components, which functional component is attached to the core of the first slat without affecting a deflection of the first slat.

The provision of an elongated core separate from the slat, i.e. a separate core, allows an additional load to be applied to the first slat without affecting the deflection of the first slat. In this way, functional elements can be attached to a slat of the slat roof without obtaining a slat with deviating deflection. As will become clear hereinafter, there are different technical embodiments of the first slat and the elongated core, which allow to load the elongated core without influencing the deflection of the first slat.

As used herein, the term "without affecting a deflection of the first slat" means that there may be an additional deflection of the first slat that is not more than 2 mm compared to the unloaded state of the elongated core. The deflection is preferably determined in accordance with NBN EN 12020-2:2017, section 4.2. Typically, the deflection should be measured at the centre of the slat when viewed in the longitudinal direction because that is where the greatest deflection is expected due to the loading of the elongated core.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first slat is provided at both ends with a headboard, wherein the elongated core is attached to the headboards. Preferably, the headboards are attached to the frame.

After attachment of the headboards, each slat actually forms a beamshaped body with a number of longitudinal walls (i.e. walls extending in the longitudinal direction of the slat) and two end side walls (i.e. formed by a headboard). By attaching the elongated core to the headboards, there is no (or at least very little) load due to the elongated core on the, in particular lower, longitudinal walls of the slat. This is desirable since the deflection of the first slat is in fact (only) the result of a load on the longitudinal walls and, of course, the slat's own weight. Moreover, by attaching the headboards to the frame, they also have a double function, i.e. fixing the elongated core and fixing the slat to the frame. This also ensures that the load of the elongated core is exerted on the frame via the headboards, such that there is no load whatsoever on the longitudinal walls of the slat.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the first slat is provided near each end with a support element supporting the elongated core. Each support element rests on a longitudinal wall of the first slat, in particular the lower longitudinal wall.

By having the elongated core rest on support elements at the ends of the first slat, there is no (or at least very little) influence on the deflection of the longitudinal walls of the slat, although the support elements rest on the longitudinal wall. This is because the supporting elements are so close to the attachment of the first slat to the frame that the additional load of the slat has substantially no influence on its deflection.

In general, it can therefore be stated that the headboards and the support elements each form a type of support element which serve to support the elongated core, in particular floating, in the first slat.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the elongated core has a bending resistance that is greater than the bending resistance of the first slat. Preferably, the bending resistance of the material from which the elongated core is made, is at least 25%, preferably at least 100%, more preferably at least 150% and most preferably at least 200%, more than a bending resistance of the material from which the first slat is manufactured.

By providing a rigid elongated core, it is possible to load it with the functional components without bending it or at least without any deflection of the elongated core affecting the deflection of the slat. A sufficiently rigid elongated core also allows any choice of functional components to be attached to the elongated core. The fact is that an end user has the choice to select one or more from a predetermined set of mutually different functional components for his slat roof. Due to a sufficiently rigid elongated core, there are no restrictions on the choice of the end user. It is also possible for a sufficiently rigid elongated core to make contact with the longitudinal walls of the first slat. If the bending resistance of the elongated core is sufficiently high, its deflection due to the loading of the functional components is so low that there is no influence on the deflection of the first slat, even though there is contact with the elongated core.

Increasing the bending resistance is a way to increase the bending resistance of the elongated core since the deflection is typically inversely proportional to the bending resistance. It has been found that an increased bending resistance of at least 25% allows to load the elongated core without influencing the deflection of the first slat.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the elongated core does not contact the longitudinal walls of the slat, in particular the lower longitudinal wall of the slat. If there is no contact of the elongated core with the longitudinal walls (preferably both in the unloaded and in the loaded state of the elongated core), then the elongated core has no (or hardly) influence on the deflection of the first slat.

In an embodiment of the present invention, each of the slats in said set of slats has substantially the same bending resistance. This allows to use identical slates or at least slats that have the same deflection.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first slat is provided with a cavity, wherein the elongated core extends through the cavity. In this way, the elongated core is protected against weather influences and is also hidden from view.

In an embodiment, the functional component comprises one or more of: a heating element, lighting, such as LED lighting, an audio element, such as a loudspeaker, an imaging element, such as a screen and/or a projector, communication means, such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, a sensor, such as a rain sensor, wind sensor, or a light incidence sensor, a power generating means, such as a solar cell, a ventilation element, such as a fan. This increases the available options an end user can apply in his slat roof.

The advantages described above are also achieved with a terrace canopy comprising a slat roof as described above.

The advantages described above are also achieved with a set of components for building a slat roof as described above, wherein the set comprises the frame, the set of slats, the elongated core and a plurality of mutually different functional components.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will be explained in further detail below with reference to the following description and the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows a schematic image of a canopy.

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the canopy in more detail.

Figures 3A and 3B show a perspective view of the top and bottom respectively, of a slat roof not according to the invention, wherein an additional load is exerted on the central slat.

Figures 4A and 4B show a section through planes A and B indicated in Figure 3A.

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a partly exploded view of an embodiment of a slat roof according to the present invention.

Figure 6 shows a section through plane B indicated in Figure 3A for an embodiment of a slat roof according to the present invention.

Embodiments of the invention

The present invention will hereinafter be described with reference to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings, but the invention is not limited thereto and is defined only by the claims. The drawings shown herein are only schematic representations and are not limiting. In the drawings, the dimensions of certain parts may be enlarged, meaning that the parts in question are not shown to scale, for illustrative purposes only. The dimensions and relative dimensions do not necessarily correspond to actual practical embodiments of the invention.

In addition, terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, and the like are used in the description and in the claims to distinguish between similar elements and not necessarily to indicate a sequential or chronological order. The terms in question are interchangeable in appropriate circumstances, and the embodiments of the invention may operate in orders other than those described or illustrated herein.

In addition, terms such as "top", "bottom", "above", "below", and the like are used in the description and in the claims for descriptive purposes. The terms so used are interchangeable in appropriate circumstances, and the embodiments of the invention may operate in orientations other than those described or illustrated herein.

The term "comprising" and derivative terms, as used in the claims, should or should not be construed as being limited to the means set forth in each case thereafter; the term does not exclude other elements or steps. The term shall be interpreted as a specification of the stated properties, integers, steps, or components referred to, without however excluding the presence or addition of one or more additional properties, integers, steps, or components, or groups thereof. The scope of an expression such as "a device comprising the means A and B" is therefore not limited only to devices consisting purely of components A and B. What is meant, on the contrary, is that, for the purposes of the present invention, the only relevant components are A and B.

The term "substantially" includes variations of +/-10% or less, preferably +/-5% or less, more preferably +/-1% or less, and more preferably +/- 0.1% or less, of the specified condition, as far as the variations are applicable to function in the present invention. It is to be understood that the term "substantially A" is intended to also include "A".

Figure 1 illustrates a canopy 1 for a ground surface, for instance a terrace or garden. The canopy comprises a plurality of columns 2 supporting different beams 3, 4, 5. The columns and beams together form frames to which wall infills 6 and/or roof coverings 7 can be attached, as described hereafter. The canopy 1 comprises three types of beams 3, 4, 5, namely: a beam 3 serving on the outside of the canopy 1 as an external pivot beam 3; a beam 4 serving centrally in the canopy 1 as a central pivot beam 4; and a beam 5 serving as tension beam 5. It will also be appreciated that the beams 3, 4, 5 can be attached to other structures, for example a wall or facade, instead of solely resting on columns 2 as shown in Figure 1 . In such a way, the terrace canopy 1 can be used in general for shielding an outdoor space, as well as an indoor space.

The canopy 1 shown in Figure 2 comprises four support columns 2 which support a frame, also called a roof frame. The frame is formed from two external pivot beams 3 and two tension beams 5 between which a roof covering 7 is provided. Between two support columns 2 and a pivot beam 3 or tension beam 5, a wall infill 6 can optionally be provided.

Wall infills 6 are typically intended to shield openings under the canopy 1 between the columns 2. The wall infills 6 can be arranged stationary or movably. Movable side walls comprise, for example, roll-in and roll-out screens and/or wall elements that are slidably arranged relative to each other, etc. Stationary arranged side walls can be manufactured from different materials, such as plastic, glass, metal, textile, wood, etc. Combinations of different wall infills 6 are also possible. Figure 2 illustrates a wall infill in the form of a roll-in and roll-out screen 6. The screen 6 extends between two adjacent columns 2 and can be rolled out from the external pivot beam 3. The screen 6 mainly serves as a wind and/or sun screen.

In an embodiment, the terrace canopy 7 is formed by slats which are rotatably attached at their front ends to the pivot beams 3. The slats are rotatable between an open position and a closed position. In the open position, there is an intermediate space between the slats through which, for example, air can be introduced into the underlying space or can leave this underlying space. In the closed position, the slats form a closed roof with which the underlying space can be shielded from, for example, wind and/or precipitation, such as rain, hail or snow. With regards to the discharge of precipitation, the slats are typically inclined towards one of the two pivot beams 3. In addition, it is also possible for one or more of the slats to be fixedly (i.e. not rotatably) attached to the pivot beams 3. Figure 2 illustrates the closed position wherein the slats 7 together form a substantially continuous cover. In the open position (not shown) a gap is present between the slats 7.

As further used herein, the term "longitudinal direction of the slat roof" means the direction along which the beams 3 extend, intended as indicated by arrow 8 in Figure 2.

As further used herein, the term "transverse direction of the slat roof" means the direction along which the slats 7 extend, intended as indicated by arrow 9 in Figure 2. The longitudinal direction and the transverse direction of the slat roof are substantially perpendicular to each other.

As used further herein, the term "longitudinal direction of a slat" is intended to mean the direction along which the slats 7 extend, intended as indicated by arrow 36 in Figure 3A.

As used further herein, the term "transverse direction of a slat" is intended to mean the direction which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of a slat as indicated by arrow 37 in Figure 3A.

The slats are typically manufactured from a rigid material. This can be aluminium, for example. Aluminium has many advantages as a material, because it is robust and light at the same time, resistant to adverse weather conditions and requires little maintenance. However, other materials are also suitable and their advantages or disadvantages are believed to be known to the skilled person. A slat can be produced using different techniques depending on the material, including extrusion, milling, setting, casting, welding, and so on. The appropriate producing technique is believed to be known to the skilled person. Preferably, the slats are manufactured by means of an extrusion process. Optionally, infill elements of, for example, polycarbonate, glass, wood, etc., can be used to at least partially fill the hollow slats, for instance to obtain a different appearance of the slat, in particular if the slat is manufactured from a transparent material, like glass.

By rotating the slats 7 between the open position and the closed position, light incidence, radiant heat and ventilation to the space below the slats can be controlled. In the open position, there is an intermediate space between the slats 7 through which, for instance, air can be introduced into the underlying space or can leave this underlying space. In the closed position, the slats 7 form a closed roof with which the underlying space can be shielded from, for instance, wind and/or precipitation, such as rain, hail or snow. With regard to the discharge of precipitation, the slats 7 are typically inclined towards one of the two pivot beams 3.

Details regarding the attachment of a slat 7 to the pivot beams 3 are known to a person skilled in the art. Details can be found, for example, in patent application BE 2016/5365. The attachment typically uses a shaft which passes through the slat 7 and connects to an end piece provided with a slat shaft which engages an opening in the pivot beams 5, which opening is typically provided with a bearing. It will be obvious that other connections, for instance without an end piece, in which case the slate is present directly on the slat, are also possible.

With regard to the figures, any reference to an orientation of the beams will be interpreted with reference to the position when mounted in the terrace canopy. In this way, there are four orientations, namely above, below, outside and inside. Here, “above” refers to the portion of the beam that is or will be oriented towards the top surface (the sky, e.g. the open air), “below” refers to the portion of the beam that is or will be oriented towards the ground plane (the earth, e.g. the terrace floor), “outside” to the portion of the beam that is or will be oriented away from the roof, i.e. away from the roof infill and “inside” to the portion of the beam that is or will be oriented towards the inside of the roof, i.e. facing the roof infill.

The present reference relates generally to the deflection of the slats 7 and to ways of ensuring that the deflection between adjacent slats 7, in particular in the closed position of the slats, is substantially the same. It is therefore instructive to introduce some concepts.

In general, each slat 7 is fitted into the roof frame according to the principle of double support. In other words, each slat 7 is connected at both ends to the roof frame. This can be a fixed or a movable, in particular rotatable, connection. The length L of a slat 7 is defined as the distance between its ends viewed in the longitudinal direction 36 of the slat 7. A slat 7 can typically have a length of 2 to more than 5 m.

Different types of loads are possible on a slat 7. Firstly, there is the load due to the weight of the slat 7. Such a load results in a deflection f which can be calculated via:

5 * Q * L ^{4 J} f = - - - 384 * E * I wherein Q is the evenly distributed load as a result of the weight expressed in ^N / _m , E is the elastic modulus of the material from which the slat is made (e.g. 70 GPa for aluminium and 210 GPa for steel) and I is the moment of inertia of the slat, which is determined by the design of the slat, in particular by the shape of the cross-section. The skilled person is familiar with ways of calculating the moment of inertia. The product of E*l is also referred to as the bending resistance.

A next type of load is a point load in the middle of the slat 7 viewed in its longitudinal direction. Such a load results in a deflection f which can be calculated via: wherein P is the point load expressed in N. Other locations for the point load (e.g. not in the middle of the slat) are also possible and the skilled person is supposed to be able to calculate the deflection f resulting therefrom.

The object of the present invention is to provide a slat roof wherein a difference in deflection between adjacent slats can be minimized by the presence of one or more integrated and/or attached components in and/or to one of both adjacent slats. In the Figures 3A to 6, in each case, three adjacent slats 7 are shown. In each case, it is the central slat on which an additional load is exerted by the integrated and/or attached components mentioned above. For the sake of clarity, the slat to be loaded will be indicated by reference numeral 7' to distinguish it from the rest of the slats 7. It will be readily appreciated that the slat 7' can be either a fixedly arranged slat or a rotatably attached slat.

Figures 3A to 4B illustrate the problems encountered when integrating and/or attaching additional components in a slat 7. In Figures 3A through 4B, each of the slats 7, 7' is identical to each other. By integrating and/or attaching one or more components to slat 7', this slat 7' is subject to an additional point load. Due to this additional point load, there is also an additional deflection (additional to the normal deflection as a result of its own weight) of the central slat 7', as a result of which the central slat 7' deflects more than the adjacent slats 7. This is indicated in Figure 3B with reference numeral 11 and is also clearly shown in Figure 4B where the central slat 7' is markedly lower than the adjacent slats 7. As shown in Figures 3A to 4B, the deflection problem is most visible in the middle of the slat 7' in its longitudinal direction 36 while typically no different deflection is visible near the ends of the slat 7'.

The present invention, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, is based on providing an elongated core 10 which is separately inserted into the slat 7' and extends there through. Additional components can be attached to the elongated core 10. More specifically, an end user has the choice to select one or more from a predetermined set of mutually different functional components for his slat roof. Each component can be carried by the elongated core 10 without thereby affecting the deflection of the slat 7'. In the embodiment shown, the slat 7' is identical to the adjacent slats 7 except for the elongated core 10 inserted therein.

A number of possible functional components are: a heating element, lighting, such as LED lighting, an audio element, such as a loudspeaker, an imaging element, such as a screen and/or a projector, communication means, such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, a sensor, such as a rain sensor, wind sensor, or a light incidence sensor, a power generating means, such as a solar cell, a ventilation element, such as a fan, etc.

In the embodiment shown, the elongated core 10 is supported by two support elements 12 (one at each end of the slat 7') which in turn rest directly on the lower longitudinal wall of the slat 7'. Although there is a point load on the longitudinal walls of the slat 7' due to the support elements 12 at the ends of the slat 7', this has virtually no influence on the deflection of the slat 7'. In fact, the point load is so close to the attachment of the slat 7' to the roof frame that there is substantially no additional deflection.

In an embodiment not shown, the elongated core 10 is supported by two headboards (not shown) which form the front ends of the slat 7'. These headboards are then preferably also attached to the roof frame.

Both of these embodiments actually allow the elongated core 10 to be fixed in a floating manner relative to the slat 7'. In other words, there is a space between the elongated core 10 and the longitudinal walls, in particular the lower longitudinal wall, of the slat 7'. This allows the elongated core 10 to deflect itself under the load of the selected functional components without affecting the deflection of the slat 7'. Namely, there is no contact of the elongated core 10 with the, in particular lower, longitudinal walls of the slat 7'. The space between the elongated core 10 and the lower longitudinal wall of the slat 7 is, for example, at least 1 mm, preferably at least 2 mm, more preferably 4 mm and most preferably at least 5 mm and is at most 20 mm, preferably at most 15 mm and more preferably at most 10 mm. Preferably, the elongated core, in the transverse direction 37 of the slat 7', is located in the centre of gravity of the slat 7' (viewed in the transverse direction 37) to avoid torsional effects on the slat 7'.

It will be readily appreciated that in certain embodiments the elongated core 10 may make contact with the longitudinal walls of the slat 7'. This, for example, if the elongated core 10 is so rigid that no (or virtually no) deflection occurs under load of the selected functional components.

In an embodiment, the elongated core 10 is more rigid than the slat 7'. This can be done, for example, by increasing the moment of inertia of the elongated core 10, but it is easier to achieve by adapting the material of the elongated core 10. For example, the elongated core 10 may be made of steel which typically has a modulus of elasticity of 210 GPa, which is much higher than aluminium (modulus of elasticity of 70 GPa) from which the slat 7' is typically made.

While certain aspects of the present invention have been described with respect to specific embodiments, it is to be understood that these aspects may be implemented in other forms within the scope of protection as defined by the claims.