Raised ventilation flooring structure

Abstract

The invention relates to a raised ventilation flooring structure (105,106) comprising a first and a second transverse support beam (107,108) extending substantially parallel in a transverse direction T at a predetermined mutual distance W.

The support beams (107, 108) are interconnected via connection profiles (109, 110) to form a grid structure. Carrier profiles with side walls having a number of apertures, are supported with their ends on the support beams (107, 108). A panel with a closed surface is supported on each carrier profile with side edges of adjacent panels being spaced apart to form a ventilation gap (55).

The support beams (107, 108) form elongate collection members that extends along and/or below the side walls of the carrier profiles in the length direction L, below the ventilation gap, to form collection channels (70,100).

An air flow path extends from a space between the side walls of the carrier profiles (50,51), via the apertures (42,44) to the collection channel (70,100) and to the ventilation gap (55) between the adjacent panels (46,48).

Claims

1. A raised ventilation flooring structure comprising a first and a second transverse support beam extending substantially parallel in a transverse direction at a predetermined mutual distance, a first and a second flooring member, each flooring member comprising a carrier profile with a top support surface and two side walls extending transversely to the top surface, the side walls comprising a number of apertures along their length, and a panel with a closed surface, the panel being supported on the top support surface and having side edges that extend at a distance from the side walls, carrier profiles of the flooring members being placed adjacent, extending in a length direction with their end parts supported on a respective transverse support beam, the side edges of adjacent panels being spaced apart to form a ventilation gap there between, an elongate collection member extending along and/or below the side walls in the length direction and extending along a width in the transverse direction between the sidewalls of adjacent carrier profiles to form a collection channel, and an air flow path extending from a space between the side walls of a carrier profile, via the apertures to the collection channel and to the ventilation gap between the adjacent panels.

2. The raised ventilation flooring structure according to claim 1, wherein the collection member comprises a connection profile, interconnecting adjacent transverse support beams.

3. The raised ventilation flooring structure according to claim 1, the carrier profiles being of an elongate, generally U-shaped form with side walls each comprising at their lower edge a flange, extending in the transverse direction T and bridging between 0.25 and 0.5 of the width (s) of the collection channel.

4. The raised ventilation flooring structure according to claim 1, a flexible liner extending at least partly in the collection channel, sealingly engaging with the opposed sidewalls of the collection channel.

5. The raised ventilation flooring structure according to claim 1, comprising an air inlet below the flooring members and first and second flooring members situated at different respective distances from the air inlet, wherein the apertures are adapted to provide a substantially equal airflow through the side walls of the first and second flooring member.

6. The raised ventilation flooring structure according to claim 5, wherein the size and or the mutual distance of the apertures in the sidewalls of the first flooring member is different from the size and or the mutual distance of the holes in the sidewalls of the second flooring member.

7. The raised ventilation flooring structure according to claim 1, the side walls being provided with a movable cover member for covering a predetermined surface area of the apertures in the side walls.

8. The raised ventilation flooring structure according to claim 7, wherein the cover member comprises a rod connected to each side wall extending in the length direction above the apertures so as to be hingeable about its axis, a number of closure members being connected to the rod and being hingeable relative to the apertures between a closing position in which the covers extends substantially parallel to the sidewall and an open position in which the covers extend at a distance from the openings.

9. The raised ventilation flooring structure according to claim 1, wherein the transverse support beams comprise U-shaped liquid transport channels, the liquid transport channel being at the position of each collection channel between adjacent flooring panels provided with an inlet for receiving liquid from the collection channels.

10. The raised ventilation flooring structure according to according to claim 1, wherein below the panels, preferably near or in the collection channel, a heating, cooling or lighting element is provided for transfer of heat or cold or emission of light via the ventilation gap.

11. A flooring member comprising a carrier profile with a top support surface and two side walls extending transversely to the top support surface, the side walls comprising a number of apertures along their length, and a panel with a closed surface, the panel being attached to the top support surface and having side edges that extend at a distance from the side walls.

12. A method of constructing a raised ventilation flooring structure comprising the steps of: installing a first and a second transverse support beam extending substantially parallel in a transverse direction at a predetermined mutual distance, interconnecting the transverse support beams via connection profiles extending in a length direction, providing flooring members having carrier profiles with their end parts supported on a respective transverse support beam, and with sidewalls placed over respective connection profiles for forming collection channels, flooring members being situated adjacent in the transverse direction with sidewalls of the carrier profiles spaced apart a mutual distance, wherein the panels each have a closed surface and are supported on the top support surfaces with side edges that extend at a distance from the side walls, the side edges of adjacent panels being spaced apart to form a ventilation gap there between, and forming a flow path, extending from a space between side walls of a flooring member, via the apertures to the collection channels and to the ventilation gaps between the adjacent panels.

13. A method of ventilating a room comprising the raised ventilation flooring structure according to claim 1, the method comprising the steps of: blowing air below the panels in an air inlet point, transporting air in the length direction of the carrier profiles, and providing apertures in the sidewalls of the flooring members in such a way that the flow resistance through the apertures is varied to provide a substantially constant air resistance through the openings of the sidewalls for flooring members that are situated at a varying distance from the air inlet point.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] An embodiment of a raised ventilation flooring according to the invention will, by way of non-limiting example, be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a room comprising a raised ventilation flooring according to the present invention,

[0029] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of four carrier profiles according to the invention with the panels removed,

[0030] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of two flooring members according to the invention,

[0031] FIG. 4 shows a side view of a the flooring members of FIG. 3,

[0032] FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of a collection channel of a flooring member according to the invention,

[0033] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a transverse row of flooring members according to the invention,

[0034] FIG. 7 shows an enlarged detail of FIG. 6,

[0035] FIG. 8 shows a transverse cross-sectional view of the flooring members of FIG. 6,

[0036] FIG. 9 shows a longitudinal side view of the flooring members of FIG. 6,

[0037] FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a raised ventilation flooring structure according to the invention,

[0038] FIG. 11 shows a transverse cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG. 10,

[0039] FIG. 12 shows a detail on an enlarged scale of the structure of FIG. 10,

[0040] FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of a raised ventilation flooring structure according to the invention,

[0041] FIG. 14 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG. 12, and

[0042] FIG. 15 shows a transverse cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0043] FIG. 1 shows a room 1 with sidewalls 2,3 and a raised ventilation flooring 4. The flooring 4 comprises panels 9, 10 that are attached to carrier profiles extending in the length direction L, and that are supported on transverse support beams 11 that extend in the transverse direction T. The transverse support beams 11 are mounted on adjustable feet 12 that rest on the floor 13 of the building. The floor 13 may be formed of concrete. Ventilation gaps 14, 15 are situated between adjacent panels 9, 10 and extend in the length direction L.

[0044] A vertical air supply duct 5 along the rear wall 3 transports clean and conditioned air downwards to the air supply space 6 between the concrete floor 13 and the closed-surface panels 9, 10. In the ventilation space below the panels 9, 10, the air travels in the length direction L and passes upwards through the ventilation gaps 14, 15 between the panels, as indicated by the arrows 17, 18. The upward travelling air 17,18 passes through the ceiling 8 and is removed by an air removal duct (not shown) and is ventilated to ambient, or is filtered, dehumidified and heated or cooled, and transported back to the air supply duct 5.

[0045] The present invention provides a decreasing air resistance for the air 17, 18 passing upwards from the air supply space through the ventilation gaps 14,15, with increasing distance of the ventilation gaps from the air entry point at the bottom of the duct 5. In this way, a laminar flow of air flowing straight up from the flooring 4 to the ceiling 8 is obtained and large volumes of air can be refreshed such as at least 10, preferably at least 20 times the air volume of the room without particles or viruses spreading through the room in a sideways direction. For a room with a volume of 150 m.sup.3 and a floor surface of 50 m.sup.3, the rate of ventilation may for instance be 1200 m.sup.3/hour at an air speed of 0.6 cm/s. When the surface of the ventilation gaps varies from 1%, 2%, 3% to max 5% of the surface area of the room, the air speed at the ventilation gaps ranges from 60 cm/s to 12 cm/s.

[0046] The air speed can remain relatively low such that no discomfort is experienced by the occupants of the room, while still achieving a high rate of air displacement.

[0047] FIG. 2 shows two pairs of adjacent carrier profiles 22,24 and 23, 25 that are part of two adjacent longitudinal rows 20, 21 of flooring panels, wherein for reasons of clarity the panels having not been shown in this figure. Each carrier profile 22-25 is supported with its end parts 30,31 on the transverse support beams 26,27,28 that extend in the transverse direction T and that are spaced apart at a distance w in the length direction L of for instance 60 cm. Each support beam 26-28 is made of 2.5 mm stainless steel plate, and is supported on height-adjustable feet 34,35.

[0048] Each carrier profile 22-25 is generally U-shaped so that it is open at its bottom, with a top surface 36 and two side walls 38,40 and may be folded from a single steel plate with a thickness of 2.5 mm. In each side wall 38,40 a series of holes 42, 44 is provided.

[0049] FIG. 3 shows two adjacent flooring members 45, 46 with panels 47, 48 that are attached to the top surface of each carrier profile 50, 51, for instance by means of an adhesive, and are spaced with their longitudinal edges 53,54 at a defined distance, forming a ventilation gap 55 there between that may have of width of for instance between 1 mm and 10 mm. The panels 47,48 have closed surfaces so that no air or water can pass through the panels.

[0050] The carriers 50, 51 are supported on support beams 49,52. A waterproof and dustproof liner 57 of a flexible plastics or rubber material is inserted between the sidewalls 56,58 of the adjacent carrier profiles 50,51 for preventing water or particles that enter through the ventilation gap 55, from reaching the space blow the profiles 50,51 and defining a collection channel of a width s, which may range from 5 mm to 50 mm.

[0051] FIG. 4 shows a side view of the panels 47, 48 and the carrier profiles 50,51. The panels 47, 48 are glued or otherwise connected onto the top surfaces 59, 60. The sidewalls 56, 58, 61, 66 are provided at their lower edges with a transverse flange 63,64,67,68 that form the bottom of the collection channels 70 that are situated below each ventilation gap 55. The liner 57 is placed in the collection channel 70 and contacts the opposed sidewalls 56, 58 below the apertures, so that the airflow through the sidewalls, as schematically indicated by the arrows, is undisturbed.

[0052] FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment wherein a collection member 71 is placed below the sidewalls 62,65 to form the collection channel. The collection member 71 can be made of plastics material and form a cap that clamps around the lower parts of sidewalls 62,65. Alternatively, the collection member 71 is made of sheet steel and is connected to the transverse support beams 49,52 to provide a grid structure of a high structural stability.

[0053] FIG. 6 shows a transverse row of flooring members 45,46 supported on support beams 49, 52 that are placed on feet 69. The support beams 49, 52 are u-shaped and can transport liquid that passes through the ventilation gaps 55 and that is subsequently collected in the collection channels 70, to flush away dirt and dust through the support beams 49,52. To promote transport of liquid through the collection channels 70, the height of the feet 69 that support the beam 52 may be lower than the feet supporting beam 49, so that liquid flows through the collection channels 70 under the influence of gravity.

[0054] FIG. 7 shows an enlarged detail of the flooring member 45 having in the end parts of its sidewalls 56, 61 a vertical slit 72 that fits into a corresponding notch 73, 74 of the support beam 52. In this way, the flooring members 46 can be connected to the support beams 52 in a defined position in a rapid and reliable manner without the use of additional tools.

[0055] FIG. 8 shows transverse cross-sectional view of the flooring members of FIG. 7 and FIG. 9 shows the flooring member 45 in a position above the support beam 52 and the flooring member 45 in the position wherein it is connected to the notches 73 of the support beams 49, 52.

[0056] FIG. 10 shows a ventilation flooring 79 according to the present invention with rectangular flooring members 80,81 supported on support beams 82, 83 that are raised above the floor on feet 84,85. The carrier profiles 86 are along their transverse sides provided with a perforated side wall 87 extending in the transverse direction T. The collection channels comprise u-shaped connection profiles 88 extending in the length direction L, that interconnect the support beams 82,83 and form a grid structure on which the flooring members 80,81 are supported.

[0057] FIG. 11 shows the flooring members 80,81 on an enlarged scale, and shows the transverse walls 89, 90 and side walls 91, 92 that are separated by a distance s. The panels 96,97 project beyond the side walls 91, 92 and are separated by the ventilation gap 98. A valve structure 95 is provided for selectively closing off the apertures in the side walls 91,92, depending on the air pressure below each flooring member 80,81. The sidewalls 91,92 are at their lower sides provided with a flexible channel member 94 that sealingly engages with the sidewalls 91, 92. The flexible channel member 94 extends above and partially within the u-shaped connection profile 93 and forms a collection channel assembly 100.

[0058] FIG. 12 shows the carrier profile 86 being along its side wall 99 provided with a hingeable rod 104 carrying a number of closure members 101 that can cover the apertures 102. Depending on the air pressure below the profile 86, the closure members 101 are hinged away from the surface of the side wall 99, to uncover a larger surface area, such that for all flooring members 80,81 across the surface area of the room, a constant volume of air flows upwards through the apertures 102 and the ventilation gaps.

[0059] As can be seen in FIG. 12, the flexile channel member 103 is fixed to the sidewall 99 so that it forms an assembly with the flooring member and can be lowered into place onto the support beams 82,83 and into the connection profiles 93, together with the flooring member upon installation of the flooring.

[0060] FIG. 13 shows an exploded view of the support grid 106 and the flooring surface 105. Upon installation, the support grid 106 is formed by positioning the support beams 107, 108 at the required height on the feet 111, 112 and interconnecting the support beams through the connection profiles 109, 110. Then the individual flooring members 113 are lowered into their proper positions onto the support grid 106.

[0061] FIG. 14 shows a support foot 123, carrying the transverse support beam 122 that carries two adjacent flooring members 120, 121. The transverse support beam 122 has upper transverse flanges 125, 126 each connecting via a hole with a pin 124, 127 at the perimeter of the flooring members 120,121.

[0062] FIG. 15 shows two adjacent flooring members 130, 131 supported on one support beam 133 that is carried by a foot 132. The u-shaped connection profile 134 is connected to the support beam 133 through a flange 137. The side walls 135, 136 of the flooring members 130, 131 are provided with transverse flanges that are supported by the connection profile 134.

[0063] The ventilation flooring according to the invention may also be used as a growth table in a greenhouse, wherein the crop is supported on the panels and a laminar flow of air, which may include added carbon dioxide, is transported upward along the crop.

[0064] Below the panels, active elements such as heating or cooling elements may be placed, such that heated or cooled air is blown upwards through the ventilation gaps.

[0065] Lighting elements may be include below the panels to provide a visual indication to persons walking on the panels, indicating a direction of travel.

[0066] The ventilation flooring may include speaker elements below the panels, that can be used to transport music or sound waves for noise cancelling or for security purposes, such as a fire alarm, through the ventilation gaps.

[0067] Furthermore, additives such as a scent, may be added to the air blowing upward through the ventilation gaps, for providing air refreshing, for instance in cinema's or work space areas.