The present invention relates to a terrace canopy.

Various terrace canopies containing a series of slats or panels, the ends of which are borne between two horizontal profiles of the terrace canopy are already known.

Typically, said known profiles are provided with one or more rain gutters for capturing and carrying off the rainwater that falls on the canopy.

The slats and/or panels are made such that the water is carried off such that the largest quantity of water that falls on the slats and/or panels is carried off to the lowest located end of the slats and/or panels and ends up in the associated rain gutter.

Typically, the aforementioned rain gutters are U-shaped and are connected to a drain at the end faces for carrying off the rainwater from the rain gutter.

Typically, said drain is oriented perpendicularly relative to the rain gutter to which the drain is connected.

The sizing of the rain gutters is adjustable and is usually based on applicable standards, better known as storm water pipe sizing.

The known terrace canopy is usually open on the sides. Consequently the outside temperature comes into contact with the upperside and underside of the panels or slats of the terrace canopy.

It is known that condensate, inter alia, may occur on the underside of said panels.

A disadvantage of this is that said condensate forms droplets of water that will fall down and end up on a user of the terrace canopy. In addition, said droplets may also fall on furniture or other objects under the terrace canopy.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a solution to at least one of the aforementioned and other disadvantages.

To this end, the invention relates to a terrace canopy with a series of slats or panels that extend between two horizontal profiles of the terrace canopy, whereby at least one of said profiles is provided with a rain gutter extending in the longitudinal direction of the profile for capturing and carrying off the rainwater that falls on the canopy, and whereby the rain gutter contains at least one upright edge, whereby the upright edge is provided with at least one lip that reaches to slats or panels of the terrace canopy, and whereby a condensation gutter is provided at the upright edge with lip for capturing condensate, said condensation gutter extending next to and parallel with the rain gutter.

The advantage of the aforementioned lip is that it serves as a seal to make the underside of the slats or panels lightproof and/or airtight and/or watertight. For example against water splashing up from the underlying rain gutter.

An additional advantage is that the lip prevents said water and/or fluid and/or condensate on the upperside of the slats or panels of the terrace canopy moving to the underside of the slats or panels.

Yet another additional advantage is that the condensate that forms on the underside of the slats or panels is carried off via the aforementioned lip to the condensation gutter.

Said condensation gutter will capture and laterally carry off the water or condensate.

Preferably, the condensation gutter is mounted to the rain gutter. Or is part of it.

Preferably, the condensation gutter protrudes height-wise over at least a part of the rain gutter. In a preferred embodiment the condensation gutter protrudes height-wise for at least a quarter, more preferably at least a third and most preferably at least half.

In an alternative embodiment the upright edge contains as many lips as the number of slats or panels of the terrace canopy. In this case the lips can be distributed over the upright edge such that each slat or each panel only comes into contact with one lip.
The aforementioned profile and the rain gutter and the condensation gutter can be separately manufactured and can be detachably mounted to each other.

Consequently, the aforementioned rain gutter and/or condensation gutter can, if necessary, be easily replaced.

With the intention of better showing the characteristics of the invention, a few preferred embodiments of a terrace canopy according to the invention are described hereinafter by way of an example, without any limiting nature, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

• figure 1 schematically shows a perspective view of a terrace canopy with panels according to the invention;
• figure 2 shows a cross-section according to line II-II of figure 1;
• figure 3 shows an alternative embodiment of figure 1 with slats.

The terrace canopy shown in figure 1 contains a series of slats 2 or panels 3 that extend between two horizontal profiles 4 of the terrace canopy 1.

Preferably, the panels 3 are borne between support profiles 5 which extend between the aforementioned horizontal profiles 4 and are parallel with the panels 3 supporting on them.

In the example shown in the figures, the insides 6A of the horizontal profiles 4 are facing each other.

At least one of the aforementioned profiles 4 is provided with a rain gutter 7. Said rain gutter 7 is intended for capturing and carrying off rainwater that falls on the terrace canopy 1. The aforementioned rain gutter 7 extends in the longitudinal direction A of the relevant profile 4, as shown in figure 2.

Such rain gutter 7 is oriented towards the facing profile 4. The rain gutter 7 is delimited by an inner sidewall 8 that extends between the profiles 4 and is located at a distance B from the inside 9 of the relevant profile 4 to which the rain gutter 7 is mounted.

As shown in figure 2, the rain gutter 7 is provided with at least one upright edge 10. Said upright edge 10 contains at least one lip 11 that reaches to slats 2 or panels 3 of the terrace canopy 1. A condensation gutter 12 for capturing condensate is provided on the upright edge 10 with lip 11, said condensation gutter 12 extending parallel with the rain gutter 7.

Preferably, the condensation gutter 12 is mounted to the rain gutter 7.

Preferably, the condensation gutter 12 extends over at least a part of the rain gutter 7.

In a preferred embodiment the lip 11 is manufactured from rubber.

In an alternative embodiment the upright edge 10 is provided with two or more lips 11 for carrying off condensate from the slats 2 or panels 3.

In yet another alternative embodiment, the upright edge 10 contains as many lips 11 as the number of slats 2 or panels 3 of the terrace canopy 1 and the lips 11 are distributed over the upright edge 10 such that every slat 2 or every panel 3 only comes into contact with one lip 11.

In this case each lip 11 has the same breadth as the relevant slat 2 or the relevant panel 3, whereby the condensate of each slat 2 or panel 3 is carried off to the condensation gutter 12 by means of the associated lip 11.

In yet another alternative embodiment the aforementioned lip 11 extends along the entire upright edge 10 or rain gutter 7. However, the lip 11 is not necessarily executed in one piece. The lip 11 can also be divided into several parts. For example in parts that come into contact with the underside of the panels 3 and in parts that come into contact with the support profiles 5 on which the panels 3 support.

Preferably, the end faces of both the rain gutter 7 and the condensation gutter 12 discharge into a drain 13. Preferably, said drain 13 runs transversely relative to the relevant rain gutter 7 and/or condensation gutter 12 to which the drain 13 is connected.

In a preferred embodiment, the aforementioned profile 4 and the rain gutter 7 are manufactured in one piece. However, alternatively it is also possible that the aforementioned profile 4 and the rain gutter 7 are manufactured separately and are detachably mounted to each other or can be detachably mounted to each other.

Preferably, the slats 2 and/or panels 3 of the terrace canopy 1 are made such that the water is carried off.

The aforementioned slats 2, as shown in figure 4, can be rotatably mounted. Said slats 2 can rotate between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position the slats 2 are located in a flat position whereby the slats 2 fit against each other such that there are no gaps between two adjoining slats 2. While in the open position, the slats 2 are rotated away from the aforementioned closed position.

In a preferred embodiment as shown in figure 1, the aforementioned panels 3 are fixed panels. In other words, the panels 3 are not rotatably applied between the aforementioned horizontal profiles 5.
Preferably, the panels 3 are applied slopingly. Preferably, adjoining panels 3 fit against each other whereby there is no gap between adjoining panels 3.

The present invention is by no means limited to the embodiments described as an example and shown in the figures, but a terrace canopy according to the invention can be realised in all kinds of forms and dimensions without departing from the scope of the invention.