US 4,306,387 A · Controllable insulating effects by selective interposition of insulating particles in a cavity of an energy transmission panel assembly

Abstract

A system for selectively interposing particulate insulating material in a cavity of a transmission or window panel assembly employs an upper aperture into the cavity through which the insulating material enters and is removed. A flow diverting means adjacent the aperture diverts positive pressure air flowing toward the cavity into the ambient atmosphere, and the momentum of the insulating material causes it to continue through the aperture and fill the cavity. Suction pressure air flow out of the aperture removes the insulating particles, and ambient pressure air flows into the lower portion of the cavity through vents to lift the insulating material upward out of the cavity. The flow diverting means confines the suction air flow out of the cavity to the conduit or communicating means connected to the aperture. A mode selection valve means operatively connects one of either a blower inlet or a blower outlet to the air flow conducting conduit to create positive pressure or suction pressure air flow to fill or empty the cavity. A storage chamber for the insulating material is preferably located in close adjacency to the panel assembly in the space between a suspended ceiling and an upper structure or floor of a building. Branch valves operatively communicate the air flow with each storage chamber. A system control means operates the branch valve and the mode selection valve and the blower to create the desired air flow for changing the status, either empty of filled, of the cavities. The system control means includes temperature sensors for sensing the interior and exterior temperatures adjacent the panel assembly or a group of associated panel assemblies, and the temperature information is utilized to determine the most favorable status of the cavity to reduce heat load loss or heat load gain to the structure.

Claims40

Dependent claims

A system for selectively interposing a quantity of particulate insulating material in a heat energy transmission path through a transmission panel, the particulate insulating material being characterized by weight and size limitations which allow each particle to be carried by an air flow, said system comprising:

means defining a cavity adjacent the transmission panel and within the energy transmission path, said cavity adapted to receive therein a quantity of particulate insulating material to thereby substantially impede the transmission of energy in the energy transmission path through the transmission panel, said cavity defining means allowing relatively unimpeded transmission of energy in the energy transmission path through the panel when the cavity is empty of particulate insulating material;
means defining an aperture communicating with an upper portion of the cavity;
means defining a vent communicating between a lower portion of the cavity and the ambient atmosphere;
means defining a storage chamber having a predetermined volume for receiving therein a predetermined quantity of particulate insulating material sufficient to substantially fill the cavity;
a conduit connecting the storage chamber defining means with the aperture and communicating between the storage chamber and the cavity;
a duct connected to the storage chamber defining means and communicating with the storage chamber;
blower means having an inlet and an outlet, the blower means operatively creating a flow of air received at the inlet and exhausted at the outlet, the blower means creating a sufficient flow of air to transport the particulate insulating material therewith;
mode selection means operatively connecting one of the inlet or the outlet of the blower means to the duct and simultaneously connecting the other one of the inlet or the outlet of the blower means to the ambient atmosphere;
control means selectively controlling the mode selection means to direct the air flow from the outlet of the blower means into the duct whereby air flows through the storage chamber and the conduit toward the cavity to carry particulate insulating material from the storage chamber to the cavity, and alternatively, to direct air flow into the inlet of said blower means from the duct whereby air flows into the storage chamber through the conduit from the cavity to carry particulate insulating material from the cavity to the storage chamber;
and
air flow directing means communicating with the aperture of the cavity, said air flow directing means substantially diverting air flowing in the conduit toward the cavity away from the aperture and cavity and into the ambient atmosphere while directing the particulate insulating material carried by the air flow into the aperture and cavity, and alternatively, said air flow directing means substantially confining to the conduit the air and particulate insulating material carried by the air flowing out of the cavity through the aperture toward the storage chamber.

8 more elements

An improved panel assembly having a frame and a pair of spaced energy transmission panels connected to the frame to define an interior cavity between the frame and the panels adapted to be filled with or emptied of particulate insulating material carried by a flow of gas into or out of the cavity, the improvements to said panel assembly comprising in combination:

means defining an aperture communicating with the upper portion of the cavity through which the flow of gas and the carried particulate insulating material moves into and out of the cavity, the aperture having a predetermined cross sectional area through which the gas and particulate insulating material flows;
means defining a vent continuously communicating between a lower portion of the cavity and the ambient environment and through which gas may flow into and out of the cavity, said vent having a predetermined cross sectional area through which the gas flows which is greater than the predetermined cross sectional area of the aperture;
filter means positioned relative to the vent for preventing particulate insulating material from flowing through the vent and for allowing gas to flow through the vent;
and
flow directing means communicating with the upper portion of the cavity and defining a first gas flow path communicating to the cavity through the aperture and a second gas flow path communicating to the ambient atmosphere exterior of the cavity, said flow directing means operatively directing gas flowing toward the cavity into substantially both the first and second flow paths and operatively confining gas flowing out of the cavity through the aperture into only the first flow path.

2 more elements

In a system operative for selectively filling a cavity in an energy transmission panel assembly with a quantity of particulate insulating material carried by a flow of gas supplied by blower means and for emptying the cavity of particulate insulating material by a flow of gas supplied by the blower means, an improved storage chamber for the particulate insulating material comprising:

means defining an enclosure for said storage chamber;
a first port formed in the enclosure and through which operative communication between a lower portion of the storage chamber and the cavity of the panel assembly is operatively effected;
a second port formed in the enclosure and through which communication between the lower portion of the storage chamber and the blower means is operatively effected, said second port having a predetermined cross sectional area through which gas flows;
a third port formed in the enclosure and through which communication between an upper portion of the storage chamber and the blower means is operatively effected;
and
filter means connected to both the second and third ports for preventing particulate insulating material from flowing through the second and third ports and for allowing gas to flow through the second and third ports, said filter means connected to the third port having a predetermined cross sectional area through which gas flows and which is substantially greater than a predetermined cross sectional area of said filter means connected to the second port.

3 more elements

In a system operative for selectively filling a cavity in an energy transmission panel assembly with particulate insulating material carried in a conduit from a storage chamber to the cavity by a flow of gas operatively supplied by blower means having an inlet for receiving gas and an outlet for exhausting gas, said system also operative for emptying the cavity of particulate insulating material by a flow of gas from the cavity to the storage chamber, the system including flow conducting means for conducting the flow of gas between the blower means and the storage chamber;

an improvement in combination therewith comprising:
mode selection means communicatively connected to the flow conducting means and to the inlet and to the outlet of the blower means and to the abient atmosphere, said mode selection means operatively and selectively connecting one of either the inlet or the outlet of said blower means to the flow conducting means and simultaneously operatively connecting the other one of the inlet or the outlet to the ambient atmosphere, whereby gas flows from the cavity toward the storage chamber through the flow conducting means and into the inlet of the blower means, or alternatively, gas flows out of the outlet of the blower means and through the flow conducting means and from the storage chamber towards the cavity.

A method of controlling a system for selectively filling a cavity of an energy transmission panel assembly with particulate insulating material and for selectively emptying the cavity, the system including blower means for delivering a flow of gas, a storage chamber for containing the particulate insulating material when the cavity is empty of insulating material, gas flow conducting means communicating the flow of gas through the storage chamber and with the cavity, the particulate insulating material having a size and weight characteristic which allows it to be transported by the flow of gas, and mode selection means associated with the blower means for selectively reversing the direction of gas flow between the cavity and the storage chamber whereby gas flows from the storage chamber to the cavity in a first condition to fill the cavity and gas flows from the cavity to the storage chamber in a second condition to empty the cavity, said control method comprising steps of:

sensing the temperature in an environment on a first side of the panel assembly;
establishing predetermined high and low temperature limits defining a first predetermined range of temperatures with respect to the environment on the first side of the panel assembly;
comparing the temperature sensed in the environment on the first side of the panel assembly with the predetermined high and low temperature limits of the first predetermined range of temperatures;
logically determining if the temperature sensed in the environment on the first side of the panel assembly indicates that the cavity should be filled with or emptied of particulate material in accordance with a predetermined relationship defined by the first predetermined range of temperatures;
and
controlling said mode selection means in accordance with the aforesaid logical determination.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Controllable insulating effects by selective interposition of insulating particles in a cavity of an energy transmission panel assembly

Life of this patent

Controllable insulating effects by selective interposition of insulating particles in a cavity of an energy transmission panel assembly

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims40