WINDOW ARRANGEMENT FOR A FARM PRODUCTION BUILDING

This invention relates to a window arrangement for a farm production building as described in the preamble of claim 1.

Agricultural production requirements have become tougher while competition has increased and unit sizes have grown. As a consequence, farms have had to increase their produc ^¬ tion efficiency, which means that production buildings intended for instance especially for cattle, such as cow houses and loose housings, must be built quickly and planned so that their use is efficient. The facilities and functions of such farm buildings must be such that cattle are easy to feed and care for, and so that ventilation, heating, sewage and manure conduit arrangements are appropriate.

Traditionally, countries in southern and central Europe almost exclusively use unheated loose housings, where the ventilation and airing of the production buildings are executed with open walls. In the Nordic countries, similar loose housings have been built in which natural ventilation is arranged through wall hatches and an opening roof ridge. The problem with these abovementioned traditional ventilation arrangements is that they do not work sufficiently well in the Nordic climate. Problems include it being possibly too cold in the winter and too hot on hot summer days. There is not enough ventilation and the doors cannot be kept open. In addition, particularly in autumn, winter and spring, there are problems with excess moisture gathering in the building, including on the inside surfaces of the windows. Long-term exposure to damp damages the building' s structures and is detrimental to humans and animals. Known technology includes separate moisture collecting metal sheets placed for instance at the upper part of the inner walls. The problem with these is the need for a separate structure and the fact that even when using them, excess moisture will gather on the inside surfaces of the windows.

The object of this invention is to remove the abovementioned drawbacks and to achieve a practical, efficient and benefi-

cial, structurally simple window arrangement for farm production buildings, which arrangement works reliably even in the Nordic climate. In addition, the aim of the arrangement according to the invention is to enable an effective and beneficial moisture removal from a farm production building. One aim of the invention is to utilise also the previously undesirable property of the windows getting moist. The solution according to the invention beneficially combines a light transmitting window and a moisture collecting surface to form a single structure. The solution according to the invention is characterised by what is disclosed in the characterisation part of claim 1. Other embodiments of the invention are characterised by what is disclosed in the other claims .

The advantage of the solution according to the invention is that the window arrangement according to the invention is simple and inexpensive, and works reliably. The windows of the building are arranged to open and close automatically when necessary, according to the temperature, which maintains a suitable inside temperature within the building. Another advantage is that each window can be adjusted separately, which enables an accurate regulation of ventilation separately in different parts of the same building. A further advantage is well-functioning excess moisture removal in the autumn, winter and spring thanks to the windows that condense moisture into water. This removes the need for separate moisture collecting metal sheet structures and keeps the windows dry. One advantage is also that the condensation of moisture into water releases energy, which warms up the windows and the air. This release of energy produces savings in heating costs. A further advantage is that the windows do not produce a draught, even for animals placed right next to the wall. Yet another advantage is that the window arrangement according to the invention is quick and easy to install.

In the following, the invention will be described in more detail by the aid of an embodiment example with reference to the attached drawings, wherein

Figure 1 shows a farm production building implemented with the arrangement according to the invention, viewed diagonally from above,

Figure 2 shows one of the symmetrical halves of the' farm production building, in cross-section and in simplified form,

Figure 3 shows a window arrangement according to the invention in winter, in cross-section and viewed from the side,

Figure 4 shows a window arrangement according to the invention in summer, in cross-section and viewed from the side,

Figure 5 shows a window arrangement according to the invention in its lower supported position, in cross-section, enlarged and viewed from the side.

Figure 1 shows a typical farm production building 1, which makes it possible to apply the invention, and which building is for example a cow house or a loose housing intended for cattle, whose main elements are the roof 2, the outer walls

3 and the floor space 4 shown in Figure 2, which floor space

4 contains sleeping stalls feeding troughs, manure conduits and other necessary equipment and facilities. In addition, on top of the building' s roof ridge there is an additional roof ridge 5 placed in the direction of the basic ridge. The production building' s outer walls 3 have opening windows 6 placed in an essentially horizontal row and, similarly, the outer walls of the additional ridge 5 have opening windows, which will hereafter be referred to as garret windows 8, also placed in an essentially horizontal row.

Instead of a rectangular shape, the production building 1 could as well be of a different shape when seen from above and have a different layout. For example, a round building or a nearly round building consisting of sectors, reminiscent of a polygon when seen from above, is very suitable as a production building applying the invention.

Below the farm production building is also referred to as the cow house, which refers collectively to cow houses and loose housing buildings, as well as other similar farm production buildings.

Figure 2 shows in more detail the structures of a cow house equipped with the window arrangement according to the invention, in cross-section. This cow house could as well be round, polygonal or rectangular in shape. Between the lower part 3a and the upper part 3b of the outer walls 3, the building is surrounded by a row of windows 6, which can be opened inwards from their top edge. Between the top edge of the windows 6 and the upper part 3b of the outer wall 3, there is an air gap 7 that is always open at least slightly, which allows air to flow into the cow house 1. In Figure 2, it is imagined to be winter, for example, and the windows 6 are functionally closed, but there is still a small air gap 7 between the windows 6 and the upper part 3b of the outer wall 3, which gap functions as a vent. In summer, more ventilation is needed, and the windows 6 are opened more, which makes the air gap 7 bigger. The structure and operation of the windows 6 is explained in more detail in Figures 3-5. The topmost addition 5 to the cow house's roof, which can also be ridge-like, consists of a roof section and an outer wall section. The outer walls of the additional ridge 5 have an essentially horizontal row of garret windows 8, which allow the air to flow out of the cow house 1. In addition, the roof of the additional ridge 5 contains a number of discharge flues 9 placed at suitable intervals and equipped with fans 10, which can also be used for air removal when

necessary. Thus the ventilation of the cow house 1 is arranged to work so that air comes in through the air gaps 7 placed in between the windows 6 on the outer walls 3 and the upper part 3b of the outer walls 3, and flows out through the garret windows 8 and, if necessary, through the discharge flues 9. For example in very cold weather, the garret windows 8 are not kept open, but the air is removed through the discharge flues 9.

Figure 3 shows the cow house's window arrangement in winter in more detail. The cow house's 1 outer wall 3 or at least the lower part 3a of the outer wall is made for example of concrete, inside which is an insulating layer 12. Above the top of the insulating layer of the lower part 3a of the outer wall 3 below the window 6, there is an essentially horizontal nailing strip 13, onto which a window board 14 is attached. The window board can be for example an ordinary wooden plank. On top of the window board 14 there is a weather strip 15 or similar structure, which consists at least of an interior weather strip 15a or similar element reaching inside the lower part 3a of the outer wall 3, and an outer weather strip 15b or similar element. Between the weather strips 15a and 15b, beneath the window, there is an air gap 27 such as is shown in more detail in Figure 5, or a suitable insulator, which cuts the heat bridge. On top of the weather strip 15, between the weather strip 15 and the lower edge of the window 6, there is a seal 16 equipped with an air gap 26, which seal is arranged to work also as the hinge for the window 6. The seal 16 is made for example of rubber or of a similar flexible, durable, properly waterproof material. On top of the seal 16 there is the window's lower frame 17a, which can be for example a U-shaped aluminium profile. The U-shape of the frame 17a opens upward and the actual window 6 is placed on top of the lower frame 17a, inside the U-profile. At the top of the window 6 there is the window's upper frame 17b, which is a U-shaped aluminium profile similar to the lower frame 17a, with the U-shape

opening downwards. The gaps between the seal 16 and the weather strip 15 and the window's lower frame 17a are additionally sealed for example with silicone or another similar water- and weatherproof material.

In a sideward direction, the upper part 3b of the outer wall 3 is slightly further out than the lower part 3a and the lower edge of the upper part 3b reaches slightly below the top edge of the window 6. The inside edge of the upper part 3b of the outer wall 3 is also situated slightly outside of the outside edge of the window 6. Thus the window 6 and the upper part 3b of the outer wall are slightly overlapped vertically, which forms an air gap 7 between them. The distance between the window 6 and the upper part 3b of the outer wall, i.e. the size of the air gap 7 when the window is functionally closed, is beneficially e.g. 20-40 mm. The lower edge of the upper part 3b of the outer wall is beneficially situated e.g. 50-70 mm below the top edge of the win ^¬ dow 6.

Attached to the window's 6 frames 17a and 17b, is a power transmission member 19, which is a part of the window's 6 operating mechanism 18, which transmission member 19 can be for example a suitable linkage. Attached to the inside surface of the lower part 3a of the outer wall 3 is the power member 20 of the operating mechanism 18. In this embodiment of the invention, the power member 20 is an actuator, attached to the wall using an angle iron acting as a fixing element 21, and other attachment elements such as screws. The power member 20 has a linear-motion actuator rod 22, attached at its free end to the power transmission member 19 with a hinge 23. One end of the linkage acting as the power transmission member 19 is attached to the lower frame 17a of the window 6, from which it goes a suitable distance from the window 6 into the cow house 1 at a diagonally rising angle, after which the power transmission member 19 forms an essentially approx. 90° angle, from which the power trans-

mission member 19 goes, again at a diagonal angle, to the top frame 17b of the window 6, to which the- other end of the power transmission member 19 is attached. The power transmission member 19 can also be a structure of another suitable shape.

The operating mechanism 18 of the window β works so that when the window 6 is to be opened, the actuator 20 is arranged to pull the actuator rod 22 inwards, which causes the actuator rod 22 to pull the top part of the window 6 open thanks to the geometrical shape of the linkage 19, with the seal 16 at the bottom of the window acting as a hinge. The arrangement according to the invention also comprises at least control and regulating elements and suitably placed means 25, such as sensors for measuring air temperature and passing on the temperature data to the control and regulating elements. The operating mechanism 18 of the windows 6 is connected to the control and regulating elements for control, for instance such that in its basic position the window 6 is vertical, and whenever the temperature rises by a specific number of degrees, the window opens stepwise. Similarly, when the temperature falls, the window closes stepwise. Stepless regulation can be arranged in a similar manner.

The seal 16 is a rubber profile, inside which there is an air space 26 best seen in Figure 5, thanks to which the rubber can collapse and thus act as a hinge. Below, the seal 16 is also called the hinge 16. Similarly, when the window 6 is to be closed, the actuator 20 is arranged to push out the actuator rod 22, which causes the actuator rod 22, thanks to the geometrical shape of the linkage 19, to push the top of the window 6 towards the closed, i.e. essentially vertical position.

Figure 4 shows the cow house' s window arrangement in summer in more detail. In summer, warm air must be effectively re-

moved from the cow house 1. For this purpose, the windows 6 on the outer walls 3 are opened inwards at the top edge, which increases the size of the air gap 7 between the windows 6 and the upper part 3b of the outer wall 3, as compared to when the air is colder. This allows more air to flow into the cow house 1. The air is conducted thanks to its natural cycling for instance through the space between the rafter beams 11 to the inside of the additional ridge 5, from where the recirculation air is conducted outside through the open garret windows 8 of the additional ridge 5. If necessary, the air can also be removed through the discharge flues 9, using the fans 10.

The windows 6 are made of honeycomb boards, which are good thermal insulators and transmit plenty of light. The benefit of the honeycomb structure is that it is a good thermal insulator, which reduces heat loss, but it simultaneously transmits sufficiently light. The windows 6 also make up the coldest surface of the cow house 1, which means that the moisture in the cow house air condensates on them. The condensed moisture is arranged to drip along the inside of the window 6 to the weather strip 15, and along the interior weather strip 15a to a gutter 24 placed below the interior weather strip 15a, next to the inside of the wall, along which gutter the condensate runs away as water. According to the invention, the windows are arranged to be used purposefully to remove moisture, which produces optimal results in moisture removal and inside air quality. As water condenses on the window surfaces, heat is released, which naturally circulates around ^■ the cow house and helps to warm up the incoming air. This eliminates the feeling of a draught inside the cow house.

It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that the invention is not limited only to the embodiment example presented above, but that it may vary within the scope of the claims to be presented below. Therefore, for example

the structures and functions of the production building may deviate from those presented above.

Likewise, it is obvious to the person skilled in the art that the power member of the window' s- operating mechanism can be a device other than a actuator, such as for example a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder or another suitable window opening and closing motion generating mechanism.

Further, it is obvious to the person skilled in the art that instead of honeycomb board windows, the .windows can also be ordinary glass windows.

It also is obvious to the person skilled in the art that the weather strips do not have to be metal strips but can be any other similar kind of structure that protects the lower part of the wall and removes water on its top surface.