Technical Field

The present invention relates to a sunshade system and an exterior cladding unit equipped with this system for use in buildings with metal-framed curtain wall systems and glazed facades.

State of the Art

In buildings with metal-framed curtain wall systems and glazed facades, sunlight can be a factor that negatively affects interior comfort. In order to ensure controlled entry (or nonentry) of sunlight into the building, strip curtain systems or various fixed or movable sun shading devices are used in buildings today. Strip curtain systems with different types, including automated and manually controlled, can be positioned on the main glass facade, interior, or exterior of the building depending on the material used. Sunshade systems, on the other hand, are typically located as a second layer on the exterior of the building facade. The vast majority of existing fixed and movable sun shading systems in the literature and on the market (regardless of automation) are visible on the facade in both active and passive situations. Therefore, they directly affect the facade characters of the buildings. In some of the existing systems, although panels or strip curtain/ textile systems can be gathered in a specific location when necessary, the sliding skeleton system they rely on, and the panels stacked on top of each other at their gathering point still remain visible on the facade. Kizilbrenli ¹ and Matin and Eydgahi ² examined the contemporary movable/ adaptable sunshade systems and the movement patterns of these systems in detail in their studies. Verification of the aforementioned issues can also be accomplished by examining the examples in these studies and the products of the abovementioned competitor samples.

There are very few examples in the literature where sunshade panels are completely invisible when they are passive. The only example we could find is the HelioTrace Robotic Facade ³ system developed by SOM and Dwell. This system is a mechanism consisting of panels sliding from the facade profiles to the glass surface. However, while this mechanism might obstruct the view when active, it may not achieve the same success in different orientations. Additionally, there is no implemented example available, making it difficult to assess the real feasibility of the system.

There are limited examples in the literature regarding the use of scissor mechanisms as adaptive sunshade facade system. These examples are usually hypothetical academic studies that have not been realized. Vergauwen and De Temmerman's sketches for creating a roof and facade system with ⁴ scissor mechanisms; Jung et al.'s ⁵ facade model developed by combining angled scissor units to form a mosaic pattern to increase the solar performance and aesthetic effect of facades; Asefi and Shoaee ⁶ and Salah and Kayili's ⁷ scissor mechanism-based facade patterns; Krymsky's ⁸ scissor mechanism-based sunshade system inspired by umbrellas and Guo Jiahui's ⁹ patents are examples of studies.

As mentioned above, vast majority of known fixed and movable sunshade systems, regardless of whether they are active or passive, create a second wall structure in front of the main facade of the building (behind in some strip curtain systems), often including their own structural systems and cladding/panels. This situation leads to the sun shading elements dominating the facade's appearance, with the shading elements becoming the prominent facade elements. Even when these systems are movable and have features like rotation, sliding, and gathering of shading elements, their skeletons, panels, etc., cannot be fully concealed. This is the first disadvantage of existing systems. Because these systems are present on the facade of the building, they obstruct the view from the inside to the outside to varying degrees, whether they are active or passive. This constitutes the second disadvantage of current systems.

In the literature, it is seen that vertical solar panels are used on the facades of the buildings facing east and west in the northern hemisphere and horizontal solar panels are used on the facades facing south as the most efficient and widespread solution for solar control on the facades. In the southern hemisphere, horizontal sunshade panels are used on the vertical facades facing east and west, but the system has been described according to the northern hemisphere. Panels (east/west facades) used as vertical sunshades can also be used as horizontal sunshades (south facade), but the frames of structural systems need to vary according to the direction the facade is facing. A structure parallel to the facade on the eastern and western facades and perpendicular to the facade on the southern facade must be established. In this case, the same system cannot be applied to the facades in different directions. This is another disadvantage of existing systems.

In examples such as HelioTrace Robotic Facade ³ , where the system is completely concealed, it may not show the same success when applied to different facade directions (especially east and west) as it cuts the view when the system is active.

The document with the publication number KR20160012339A discloses a kinetic sunshade for use on the exterior. In these two systems, a slot is arranged on the exterior frames. The lamellae arranged above each other partially or completely open and close the front surface of the glass by sliding on each other. The opening and closing of said slide system is driven by a motor according to the data received from a light sensor.

In conclusion, the problems mentioned above have necessitated innovation in the relevant field.

Objects of the Invention

The main objective of the present invention is to reveal a sunshade structure for building exteriors which can be completely concealed when closed and which minimally obstructs the users’ view in the active state, while ensuring maximum sunshade performance in such a system. Accordingly, the present invention comprises multiple scissor units comprising the primary part and the secondary part connected to each other by a primary connection element in a freely rotatable manner, the secondary connection elements connecting the primary part of one scissor unit to the secondary part of another scissor unit in a freely rotatable manner at the end thereof, and a lamella fixedly connected to the primary part or the secondary part of said multiple scissor units.

Another objective of the invention is to reveal a sunshade structure for building exteriors that can be used both vertically and horizontally without requiring any modifications. Another objective of the invention is to ensure automatic movement based on the direction and/or intensity of sunlight, although the system will also have the capability of manual control.

Brief Description of the Invention

The subject matter of the invention discloses a solution in which fixed lamellae connected to scissor units are used to solve problems such as aesthetics, volume coverage and restricted visibility on building facades.

In its first position, said scissor unit is positioned so that the unit parts, primary and secondary parts of the scissor unit are parallel and overlapping with each other, which means minimum space occupancy. Said scissor unit is opened according to the extension direction of the scissor by means of a motor-like drive element, preferably from the end on the side of the motor drive element, by opening the scissor when driven, and correspondingly the lamellae of a rigid structure are also rotated and opened since they are fixed to the scissor units and cut at least some of the light coming to the facade glass. When the drive motor drives in the opposite direction, the scissor units are positioned parallel to each other and overlapping by closing again. With this movement, the lamellae are positioned parallel to each other and overlapping. In this position, the sunshade system reaches the volume to be placed in a slot provided on the exterior frame.

In addition, the last, especially the last two, of said scissor units may be arranged differently compared to the other scissor units. Here, according to the location of the structure and solar analyses, a different number of different scissor units can be used instead of two. In this different arrangement, the scissor unit parts are selected in different sizes and angles and are not assembled from their centers. Accordingly, the scissor unit moves at an angle during opening, which maximizes sunshade performance.

Definitions of Figures Describing the Invention

The figures and related descriptions used to better explain the device developed by this invention are as follows. Figure 1. Isometric view of the system of the invention when opening the sunshades

Figure la. Detailed view of Figure 1

Figure lb. Isometric view of the system of the invention when the sunshades are closing

Figure 1c. Detail view of Figure lb

Figure Id. Isometric view of the system of the invention with the sunshades closed

Figure le. Detail view of Figure Id

Figure 2. Isometric view of the system with transversely placed sunshades when opening

Figure 2a. Isometric view of the system with transversely placed sunshades when closing

Figure 2b. Detail view of Figure 2

Figure 2c. Detail view of Figure 2a

Figure 3. Top view of Figure 1

Figure 4. Side view of Figure 2

Figure 5. A detailed view of the drive system

Figure 5a. A detailed view of the drive system

Figure 5b. A detailed view of the rigid panel and the connection of the scissor units

Figure 5c. Another detail view from the connection of the rigid panel and the scissor units

Figure 5d. Another detail view from the connection of the rigid panel and the scissor units

Figure 6. Schematic view of the system of the invention

Definitions of Components/Pieces/Parts of the Invention

In order to better explain the device developed by this invention, the parts and pieces in the figures are numbered and the corresponding numbers are given below.

1. Drive element

2. Shaft

3. Hub

4. Guide

5. Interconnection element

10. Scissor unit

11. Primary part

12. Secondary part 13. Primary connection element

14. Secondary connection element

15. Shade connection

16. Slide

20. Lamella

21. Opening a. Primary length b. Secondary length

C. Cover

F. Frame

H. Slot

L. Light sensor

P. Processing unit

S. Sunshade

Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention relates to a sunshade system and a cladding external facade unit comprising said system, to be used in buildings with metal-profiled curtain wall systems.

Referring to Figures 1 and la, the sunshade system of the invention is used on a building’s exterior facade unit. By exterior, it is the structure obtained by connecting multiple frames (F), exterior units to each other, forming a mesh structure on at least one, preferably all, exterior surfaces of a building.

Said frames (F) include a transverse and/or longitudinal slot (H) on the front surfaces of which said sunshade system can fit in the closed position. The expression “closed position” is the position in which the sunshade does not perform the sunshade operation shown in Figures Id-le. The slot (H) is preferably provided in the form of a recess, in particular in the form of a rectangular prism, from the front surface of the frame (F), i.e., the surface facing the external environment, longitudinally or transversely towards its rear surface, i.e., the surface facing the internal environment. A cover (C) is arranged in the mouth portion of said slots (H). The cover (C) hides the sunshade by closing on the slot (H) when the sunshade is in the closed position, as in Figure le, and allows the sunshade to exit the slot (H) by opening the mouth portion of the slot (H) before the sunshade is opened. The cover (C) is preferably connected to the slot (H) opening with joints and the opening-closing operation is carried out by pivoting on this joint axis.

A scissor system is used in the sunshade system, as shown in Figure 1. The scissor system comprises multiple scissor units (10).

The scissor units (10) referring to Figures la and 1c comprise the primary part (11) and the secondary part (12). The primary part (11) and the secondary part (12) are provided in the form of linear bars. The primary part (11) and the secondary part (12) are preferably provided in conjunction with each other. The primary part (11) and the secondary part (12) are rotatably connected to each other via a connection element (13), preferably via a primary connection element (13) that passes through their centers. The primary connection element

(13) acts as a joint and connects the primary part (11) and the secondary part (12) in a way that they can rotate relative to each other on its axis.

The scissor units (10) are connected to each other in order to form said sunshade system. The sequential connection is provided by connecting two successively arranged scissor units (10) to the primary part (11) of one and the secondary part (12) of the other. The primary part (11) and the secondary part (12) are connected to each other by the secondary connection element

(14) showing a joint function similar to the primary connection element (13), and accordingly the primary part (11) and the secondary part (12) rotate relative to each other on the axis of the secondary connection element (14). In all the scissor units (10) except the first and last scissor units (10), the primary part (11) is connected to the secondary part (12) of the next scissor unit (10).

It is noted that the primary parts (11) and the secondary parts (12) are parallel to each other when the sunshade is in the off position. When the sunshade system is driven to open, the angle between the primary part (11) and the secondary part (12) on the same scissor unit (10) moves narrowly and moves out of the slot (H) as in Figures 1 and la. If the sunshade closes, the incoming drive moves to expand the angle between the primary part (11) and the secondary part (12) and is collected into the slot (H) as in Figure lb and 1c.

In the embodiments of Figure 1-le and 3, the sunshade system is shown in a slot (H) in the longitudinal part of the frame. In addition, as in the embodiments in Figures 2-2c and 4, it can also be used in a slot (H) in the transverse part, that is, the part of the frame that expresses the width, without providing any modification on the sunshade system.

There is a lamella (20) connected to each of the scissor units (10) in the system. The lamellae (20) are preferably fixedly connected to the secondary part (12) in such a way that they do not rotate relative to each other.

Preferably, said lamellae (20) are of rigid construction. The rigid structure is of great importance, especially for use on the exterior. In addition, as can be seen in Figures 5b and 5c, there are multiple openings (21), preferably circular openings (21), on the body of the lamellae (20). These openings (21) are used to reduce the visibility in the interior.

It is possible to use more than one lamella (20) in the vertical direction as in Figure 1 or more than one lamella (20) in the horizontal direction as in Figure 2. Here a separate scissor system consisting of scissor units (10) should be used for each row.

Referring to Figures 5 and 5a, said sunshade system includes a drive element (1). The drive element (1) is preferably a motor that provides rotational movement. The drive element initiates the opening or closing movement by applying a push or pull force to the primary part (11) and/or the secondary part (12) of a scissor unit (10), preferably the first scissor unit (10), preferably the primary part (11), respectively. Here, the first part that receives movement from the drive element (1) provides a common movement by pushing the other parts.

Preferably, if the primary part (11) is driven by the drive element (1), the secondary part (12) is rotatably connected to an interconnection element (5) in the slot (H).

A shaft (2) is arranged in an axis perpendicular to the direction of extension of the lamellae (20) in a preferred embodiment of the invention. Said shaft (2) receives rotational movement from the drive element. Here, screw threads are arranged on the surface of the shaft (2). An annular hub (3) is placed on the shaft (2). The hub (3) has screw threads with an inner diameter and these screw threads are compatible with the screw threads on the outer surface of the shaft (2). The shaft (2) does not move in the axial direction, but only rotates on its own axis with the movement it receives from the drive element. As a result of this rotational movement, the interaction between the screw threads of the shaft (2) and the hub (3) moves the hub (3) in the axial direction on the shaft (2).

There is also a guide (4) provided in the form of a rail in the same extension direction as the shaft (2). The first part, preferably the primary part (11), comprises a portion of the slide (16) to fit the guide (4). The slide (16) is provided in the form of a longitudinally extending recess on the part. The diameter of the hub (3) is provided to extend between the drive element (1) and the part with the slide (4). Here, when the hub (3) moves, it starts the movement of the scissor system by pushing the part with the slide (4).

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, a portion of the scissor units (10) preferably comprises the primary part (11) and the secondary part (12) connected to each other by a primary connection element (13) that is conjugated with each other and passes through the centers of all the scissor units (10) except the last two or different number of scissor units (the most extreme point in the opening direction) at the distal end. If at least one scissor unit (10) is preferably two or more scissor units (10) at the end, it is configured differently from said conjugate segmented scissor units.

Referring to Figure 5d, the primary part (11) and the secondary part (12) are dimensioned differently from each other in the scissor units (10) of different structures mentioned here. In addition, the primary part (11) and the secondary part (12) of these scissor units (10) are configured at an angle. In this way, the primary connection elements (13) of these structures with different primary parts (11) and secondary parts (12) are not positioned at the centers of these primary parts (11) and secondary parts (12) but are also provided asymmetrically to each other. Accordingly, these scissor units (10), which are configured differently when the scissor system starts to open, provide a directional change movement, and provide more efficient solar refraction potential. As can be seen in Figure 5d, the first of the primary parts (11) is two primary lengths (a) long and linear and is connected to the secondary part (12) by a primary connection element (13) passing right through its center. Here, the secondary part (12) is similar to two primary lengths (a) longitudinal and linear.

The next primary part (11) is configured asymmetrically. Wherein the primary part (11) is composed of two parts, one of which is a primary length (a) and the other of which is a primary length (b) if the primary length (a) and the secondary length (b) are not equal, forming a linear ( (but not 180°) angle between each other. The primary connection element (13) is connected from the point where the two parts meet, that is, to the primary part (11) in an asymmetrical manner. The secondary part (12) connected to said primary part (11) is provided with two primary lengths (a) in length and linearly, and the primary connection element (13) passes through the center of this secondary part (12).

The secondary part (11) is configured asymmetrically in the next scissor unit (10). Here, the secondary part (11) consists of two parts, one of which is the primary length (a) and the other of which is the primary length (b), if the primary length a and the secondary length (b) are not equal, forming a linear but not a < (180°) angle between each other. The primary connection element (13) is connected to the primary part (11) from the point at which the two parts meet, that is, in a non-asymmetrical manner. The primary part (12) connected to said secondary part (11) is provided two primary lengths (a) long and linearly and the primary connection element (13) passes through the center of said secondary part (12).

The mentioned structure continues to be configured with this sequence. Briefly, the asymmetrical primary part (11) and the symmetrical second part (12) are used in one of the scissor units (10) in order, while the symmetrical primary part (11) and the asymmetrical second part (12) are used in the next scissor unit in the opposite way.

The sunshade system comprises at least one processing unit (P) and the light sensor (L) providing data to said processing unit (P), referring to Figure 6. The light sensor (L) is configured to detect the light intensity and has communication elements to transmit the data obtained therefrom to the processing unit (P). In turn, the processing unit (P) also has suitable communication elements. The processing unit (P) further initiates movement through the primary part (11) and the secondary part (12) of the scissor unit (10) by processing the data received from the light sensor (L) and operating the drive element by forming a response. In addition, a memory unit with time information may be found to determine the solar direction of the processing unit (P). In addition, the system can be moved without the light sensor (L) by the user preferences alone.

According to the amount of incoming light, the processing unit (P) is configured to control how much the sunshade is turned on or off, i.e., in which direction the drive element (1) will drive the scissor units (10).

If there is more than one sunshade in an exterior system, the processing unit (P) may control said sunshades, i.e., the drive elements (1) of the sunshades, individually. Here, the scissor unit (10) of each sunshade can be driven by each other in different amounts according to the amount of light in the part where they are located. In addition, more than one light sensor positioned in different positions from each other can also be provided to supply data to the processing units (L). Thus, the direction and the regional intensity of the incident light may also play a role in providing the response to be generated for the drive of the scissor units (10). In addition, the system can be moved without the light sensor (L) by the user preferences alone.

REFERENCES

1. Kizildrenli, E. (2021) Responsive Facade Designs based on Tessellation Method, Master Thesis, Ya^ar University Graduate School, pp. 72.

2. Matin, N. H. ve Eydgahi, A. (2022) Technologies used in responsive facade systems: a comparative study, Intelligent Buildings International, 14: 1, 54-73.

3. HelioTrace Robotic Facade (n.d.). htlps://www.dwell.com/article/heliotrace-robodc-

4. Vergauwen, A. ve De Temmerman, N. (2012) Analysing the applicability of deployable scissor structures in responsive building skins, High Performance Structure and Materials, VI, 493-504.

5. Jung, H., Kim, Y., & Kim, S. (2015). A Study on Transformable Facade Design Using Scissors system. In Proceedings of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures. Amsterdam.

6. Asefi, M. ve Shoaee, S. (2018). Proposing a Novel Kinetic Skin for Building Facades using Scissor-like-element Structures, International Journal of Architectural Research: ArchNet-IJAR 12.3, pp. 273-287.

7. Salah, F. ve Kayili, M. T. (2022). Responsive Kinetic Facade Strategy and Determination of the Effect on Solar Heat Gain Using Parametric BIM-Based Energy Simulation. Journal of Green Building 1 January 2022; 17 (1): 71-88.

8. Krymsky, Y. (2011) CJ R&D Center Kinetic Facade,

9. Guo Jiahui (2019) Novel sun-shading curtain, Chinese Patent, CN110805390B.