US 4,393,859 AGranted

Solar collector roof

AssigneeArmco Inc.

InventorsGabor Marossy, Warren E. Mueller

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Abstract

A solar roof for providing air heated by solar energy to the interior of a prefabricated building of the type having a relatively low pitched roof structure formed by a plurality of interlocking ribbed roof panels. A solar radiation transmissive glazing is attached between the roof panel ribs or other support members to form air passageways. A duct-like inlet plenum communicates with the inlet of each passageway for selectively directing air from inside or outside of the building passageways. A duct-like exhaust plenum communicates with the outlet of each passageway for directing heated air to the building interior. The roof surface may be provided with a darkened coating to increase the absorptivity of the surface and increase the collecting efficiency. The glazing material may be thin flexible solar radiation transmissive sheets or relatively rigid panels of solar radiation transmissive material. The solar roof may be retrofitted to an existing roof structure to provide supplemental solar heating capability.

Claims35

Dependent claims

In a building structure of the type having a roof construction including a plurality of spaced rafters supporting a plurality of spaced generally parallel transversely extending purlins and a plurality of interlocking rigid metallic roof panels positioned on and extending between said purlins, each of said panels having a central planar portion and a web extending upwardly along opposite edges of the planar portion, each of the webs being configured to interlock with a web of an adjoining panel to form a channel-like rib, said ribs extending in generally parallel fashion between the ridge and eave of the roof, the improvement in combination therewith comprising means for converting said roof construction to a solar collector for converting solar energy impinging thereon to thermal energy including:

glazing means defined by a solar radiation transmissive sheet overlying the outer surface of the roof construction in spaced relationship therewith and being supported by said ribs at spaced points to form a plurality of duct-like air passageways between the lower surface of the solar radiation transmissive sheet and the central planar portion of the roof panels, the sides of said air passageways being formed by the inside surfaces of the channel-like ribs adjoining said central planar portion, said air passageways extending generally between the eave and ridge of the roof structure;
means associated with the upper surface of said central planar portion for converting solar radiation impinging thereon to thermal energy within the air passageway;
means for attaching said solar radiation transmissive sheet to said ribs to maintain the sheet in spaced relationship with said central planar portion comprising an elongated hat section including a planar portion and leg portions depending downwardly from the outer edges of said planar portion, said sheet being secured between said hat section and said rib, the lower ends of said leg portions operating to space the sheet from the roof surface;
inlet means for introducing air into one end of the air passageway;
and
outlet means for exhausting heated air from the opposite end of the air passageway for use in the building structure interior such that air moves in a single direction between inlet and outlet within said passageway in contact with the upper surface of the panel and the lower surface of the solar radiation transmissive sheet, whereby a solar collector may be formed by using the roof surface as the solar radiation absorbing surface.

3 more elements

A method for constructing a solar roof to supply supplemental heated air to an existing building structure by retrofitting an existing conventional roof construction associated with the building of the type having a plurality of spaced rafters supporting a plurality of spaced generally parallel transversely extending metallic purlins and a plurality of interlocking rigid metallic roof panels positioned on and extending between said purlins, each of said panels having a central planar portion and a web extending upwardly along opposite edges of said planar portion, each of the webs being configured to interlock with a web of an adjoining panel to form a channel-like rib, said ribs extending in generally parallel fashion between the ridge and eave of the roof, said method comprising the steps of:

attaching to said ribs by means of a hat section including a planar portion and leg portions depending downwardly from the outer edges of the planar portion a solar radiation transmissive sheet such that the sheet is secured between the hat portion and the rib with the lower ends of the leg portions positioning the sheet in spaced overlying relationship with the outer surface of the roof construction to form a plurality of duct-like air passageways positioned between the lower surface of the solar radiation transmissive sheet and the central planar portion of the roof panels with the inside surfaces of the channel-like ribs adjoining the central planar portion of the roof panel forming the sides of the air passageway, said air passageways extending generally between the eave and ridge of the roof structure, the central planar portion of the panel serving as a solar radiation absorbing surface;
and
supplying means for introducing air into one end of the air passageways and for removing heated air from the opposite end of the air passageways for use within the building structure interior such that air moves in a single direction between inlet and outlet within said passageway in contact with the upper surface of the panel and the lower surface of the solar radiation transmissive sheet.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.