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EP-4741573-A1 - FLOOR STRUCTURE AND RELATED METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE TEMPERATURE OF A FLOOR SURFACE

EP4741573A1EP 4741573 A1EP4741573 A1EP 4741573A1EP-4741573-A1

Abstract

A floor structure (1), and a relative method for controlling the temperature, comprising a floor layer (2), a supporting layer (10) realizing a continuous air chamber (11) having an aerial extension comparable to an aerial extension of a floor surface (3), and an air movement system (20) to generate an air flow through the floor layer (2) from the air chamber (11) to the floor surface (3) and/or viceversa, the air movement system (20) comprising one or more air mouths (23) opening into the air chamber (11) at a distance (D) from a side surface (14) of the air chamber (11).

Inventors

  • DIAN, Brando
  • YOUNG, COLIN
  • VOGEL, MICHAEL
  • SETHUNATH, Salil

Assignees

  • Ten Cate Grass Holding BV

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20241112

Claims (15)

  1. A floor structure (1) comprising: - a floor layer (2) having a floor surface (3); - a supporting layer (10) for supporting the floor layer, wherein the supporting layer realizes a continuous air chamber (11) having an aerial extension comparable to an aerial extension of the floor surface (3), and wherein the floor structure (1) is air permeable from the air chamber (11) to the floor surface (3) and/or viceversa; and - an air movement system (20) structured to generate an air flow through the floor layer (2) from the air chamber (11) to the floor surface (3) and/or viceversa, the air movement system (20) comprising one or more air mouths (23), each air mouth (23) opening into the air chamber (11) at a distance (D) from a side surface (14) of the air chamber (11).
  2. The floor structure (1) according to claim 1, wherein the air movement system (20) comprises one or more pipes (22), each pipe comprising at least one of said one or more air mouths (23), wherein the air movement system (20) comprises one or more fans (21) in air communication with said one or more mouths through said one or more pipes, wherein the floor structure (1) further comprises one or more manifolds (24), each manifold putting in air communication at least one of said one or more pipes (22) with the outer environment through at least one of said one or more fans (21), wherein each manifold is placed opposite, and adjacent, to said side surface (14) of the air chamber.
  3. The floor structure (1) according to claim 2, wherein said distance (D) between each air mouth and said side surface of the air chamber is at least 1 m, and wherein each pipe (22) has an end portion (25) comprising said one or more air mouths and extending within the air chamber, wherein said end portion is at least 1 m long.
  4. The floor structure (1) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein each pipe has one and only one respective air mouth at an end of said pipe.
  5. The floor structure (1) according to one or more of claims 2 to 4, wherein each pipe extends from said side surface (14) of the air chamber up to said respective one or more mouths entirely within the air chamber.
  6. The floor structure (1) according to one or more of claims 2 to 5, wherein at least an end portion of each pipe extends within the air chamber at a vertical distance from the bottom surface of said air chamber.
  7. The floor structure (1) according to one or more of claims 2 to 4, wherein each pipe extends from said side surface up to, and excluding, an end portion (25), or up to said respective one or more mouths, entirely below the air chamber.
  8. The floor structure (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein each mouth faces downward.
  9. The floor structure (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said air mouths are distributed all over said aerial extension of said air chamber.
  10. The floor structure (1) according to claim 9, wherein said air mouths are regularly distributed over a pattern, wherein a distance of each mouth from each neighbouring mouth is substantially constant and greater than or equal to 5 m, and/or smaller than or equal to 25 m.
  11. The floor structure (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the air chamber has a height greater than or equal to 20 cm, and/or less than or equal to 100 cm, more preferably less than or equal to 80 cm.
  12. The floor structure (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the floor structure comprises a liner extending continuously over a bottom surface of the air chamber and/or over said whole side surface of the air chamber and/or over a portion of a top surface of the air chamber proximal to said side surface and/or over a portion of a bottom surface of the air chamber proximal to said side surface, the liner resisting air passage more than the floor layer.
  13. The floor structure (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said floor layer is an artificial turf layer comprising a backing support and artificial grass fibers fixed to said backing support to realizes said floor surface, the floor layer being provided with through openings having size between 0.5 mm and 7 mm, and being spaced apart from each other by less than 50 mm and/or more than 10 mm.
  14. A method for controlling a temperature of the floor surface (3) in the floor structure (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, the method comprising generating said air flow through the floor layer by said air movement system to cool or heat said floor surface.
  15. The method according to claim 14 further comprising sucking air, by said one or more fans, from said one or more pipes to generate said air flow directed downward through the floor layer, wherein the air flow through the floor layer has an average velocity over the whole floor surface greater than or equal to 0.5 m/min, and/or less than or equal to 5.0 m/min, wherein the floor structure comprises a heat exchanger (26) in air communication with said air movement system (20) and the method comprises subtracting heat from said air sucked from said one or more pipes.

Description

Technical field of the invention The present invention relates to a floor structure with an artificial floor surface, e.g. an artificial turf field, a sport field, a playground, a roof top, a terrace, a garden and the like, and a related method for controlling the temperature of such floor surfaces. State of the art WO2017058018A1 discloses artificial turf systems in which the temperature of the artificial turf within a playing area may be cooled or heated by forced air flow. Summary of the invention With the expression 'air permeable' or 'air permeability' it is meant the ability of a layer or other element to allow air to pass through itself. The expression 'air tight' means the opposite ability. The expression "side surface of the air chamber" refers to a lateral surface extending along a perimeter of the air chamber in a plan view. The expression "distance between a mouth and a side surface of the air chamber" refers to the shortest horizontal distance between a geometrical centre of the mouth and said side surface of the air chamber. Outdoor surfaces are subject to environmental conditions that can significantly affect their usability, safety, and longevity. For example, outdoor surfaces like synthetic turfs can reach temperatures exceeding 80°C under direct sunlight, making them uncomfortable or unsafe for use. Alternatively in colder months all types of surfaces can easily freeze making them unusable or unsafe. The Applicant has faced the problem of controlling the temperature of a walkable floor efficiently and/or substantially homogeneously over the entire floor aerial extension, even in case of large or very large floor extension, such as a soccer or football pitch, while at the same time keeping relatively simple and/or compact the overall floor structure. One or more of the above problems are solved by a floor structure in accordance with the appended claims and/or having the following characteristics. According to an aspect the invention relates to a floor structure comprising: a floor layer having a floor surface;a supporting layer for supporting the floor layer, wherein the supporting layer realizes a continuous air chamber having an aerial extension comparable to (e.g. same of) an aerial extension of the floor surface, and wherein the floor structure is air permeable from the air chamber to the floor surface and/or viceversa; andan air movement system structured to generate an air flow through the floor layer from the air chamber to the floor surface and/or viceversa, the air movement system comprising one or more mouths opening into the air chamber. Preferably each air mouth opens into the air chamber at a distance from a side surface of the air chamber. According to an aspect, the invention relates to a method for controlling a temperature of the floor surface in the floor structure according to the present invention. Preferably the method comprises generating said air flow through the floor layer by said air movement system to cool or heat said floor surface. Said air flow may be directed from the air chamber to said floor surface or from said floor surface to said air chamber. The Applicant has found that by placing each mouth (i.e. air inlet and/or outlet according to the various embodiments) to open into the air chamber at a distance from the side surface (i.e. the perimeter edge) of the continuous air chamber favours the distribution of the air flow over the respective portion of floor surface associated to the air mouth and functioned by the air mouth. For example, for a given air permeability of the floor layer and for a given air flow/air flow power at the mouth, each mouth can generate an air flow (passing vertically through the floor layer from the air chamber to the floor surface or viceversa) over a larger portion of the floor surface and/or with a greater air flow uniformity over the portion of floor surface, with respect to a mouth opening up at the perimeter edge of the air chamber, as disclosed for example in WO2017058018A1. In this way it is possible to cool or heat the floor surface efficiently while keeping simple and/or compact and/or energy efficient the overall air movement system. The present invention can have one or more of the following preferred features. Preferably the air movement system comprises one or more pipes, each pipe comprising at least one of said one or more air mouths. Preferably the air movement system comprises one or more fans in air communication with said one or more mouths, more preferably through said one or more pipes. In one embodiment the floor structure comprises one or more manifolds, each manifold putting in air communication at least one of said one or more pipes with the outer environment, possibly through at least one of said one or more fans. Preferably each manifold is placed opposite to said side surface of the air chamber, possibly adjacent to said side surface. Exemplarily each manifold is in air communication with a plurality o