Radiant panel and radiant platform made therewith

Abstract

A radiant panel (1) comprising a rectangular support layer (2), which is made of an insulating material and has a plurality of parallel longitudinal grooves (6) equally spaced apart from one another, at least one pair of transverse grooves (15) parallel to one another and a plurality of curved grooves (18) connecting each one of the longitudinal grooves (6) to both second transverse grooves (15) on both sides, and a transmission layer (3), which is made of a conductive material, extends over the entire upper surface (4) of the support layer (2) and is coupled to it; the transmission layer (3) has a plurality of parallel channels (20), which are equally spaced apart from one another, are housed in the first grooves (6) of the support layer (2) and are designed to house at least a portion of a self-regulating cable (24).

Description

[0001] "RADIANT PANEL AND RADIANT PLATFORM MADE THEREWITH"

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This Patent Application claims priority from Italian Patent Application No . 102023000010167 filed on May 19 , 2023 , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference .

[0004] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0005] The invention relates to a radiant panel and a radiant platform manufactured using said panel .

[0006] The invention is preferably, though not exclusively, used for the heating of environments characteri zed by large volumes , such as for example places of worship , as well as non-permanently inhabited environments such as dehors , tent structures , even of temporary or emergency nature , etc . , in which the installation of a conventional heating system is technically impracticable or not sustainable from an energy point of view .

[0007] STATE OF THE ART

[0008] For the heating of these environments , it is known to use hot-air thermo-ventilation systems . These systems , however, have several drawbacks , among which there are : excessive strati fication of the air with consequent energy loss and initiation of convection movements with descent of cold air ; damage to possible works of art present in the environment ( e . g . church) due to thermal variations and dust caused by convection movements ; high costs of f irst installation or renovation of the existing one ; high steady running times and consequent high management costs ; lack of comfort due to the low average radiant temperature of the shell and to the unevenness of the air temperature ; discomfort of the lower limbs of the users of the environments .

[0009] Another solution is the use of high-temperature and direct- flame gas irradiation systems . Again, the disadvantages are mani fold : release of exhaust gases and charred dust into the environment ; formation of condensate on cold walls resulting from the combustion of the gas ; works of art strongly compromised by thermal stress and carbon black; risk of fire and explosion ( surface temperature 900 ° C ) ; need for fixed openings for the evacuation of gas pockets ; invasiveness of the installation due to the presence of visible lamps and due to the internal distribution of fuel gas ; high costs of first installation and maintenance due to the absence of direct access ; reduced comfort due to the unevenness of the radiant coverage and to the impossibility of heating the lower limbs of the users of the environments .

[0010] High-temperature electrical radiation systems ( lamps ) are also frequently used for this purpose . Again, the drawbacks are remarkable and comprise :

[0011] - reduced safety due to the obstacle to the transit of people ;

[0012] - overheating of things and people located near the radiant lamp ;

[0013] - reduced comfort due to the unevenness of the radiant coverage and to the impossibility of heating the lower limbs of the users of the environments .

[0014] The aforesaid problems can partially be solved by using a low-temperature hydronic radiant heating system . These systems do not generate convection movements and guarantee limited values of air strati fication . On the other hand, they also have disadvantages such as :

[0015] - high costs of first installation;

[0016] - high invasive impact of first installation;

[0017] - maintenance costs associated with the presence of a thermal power plant .

[0018] Finally, electrical radiant platforms are known, which consist of multilayer structures with an intermediate resistive heating layer, one or more lower insulating layers and one or more covering layers . These conventional resistive systems are characteri zed by limited maximum powers , reduced comfort due to the low surface temperature and high downward losses due to limited insulation thickness .

[0019] US 6621983 discloses a heating panel designed to be arranged under a floor . The panel comprises a lower insulating layer, which is provided with a plurality of serpentine grooves with parallel straight sections and curved end sections configured so as to connect each groove to the two adj acent grooves on both sides , and an upper metal panel , in which parallel straight channels are obtained, which are designed to engage the straight sections of the grooves of the insulating layer .

[0020] Finally, the panel comprises a sel f-regulating cable , namely with a resistivity increasing with temperature , which is housed in the channels of the upper panel and in the curved end sections of the grooves of the insulating layer .

[0021] Radiant panels of this type have limits of efficiency and modularity .

[0022] The obj ect of the invention is to provide radiant panels that solve the problems associated with the known systems described above .

[0023] DEFINITION OF THE INVENTION The aforesaid obj ect is reached by a panel according to claim 1 .

[0024] A further obj ect of the invention is to provide radiant platforms using modular radiant panels .

[0025] The aforesaid obj ect is reached by a radiant platform according to claim 9 .

[0026] The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a radiant platform according to claim 14 .

[0027] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The invention will be best understood upon perusal of the following detailed description of some preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings , wherein : figure 1 is a top view of a radiant panel according to the invention, with parts left out for greater clarity; figure 2 is cross section along line I I - I I of figure 1 of the radiant panel , divided into its elements ; figure 3 is an enlarged detail of the cross section of the panel ; figure 4 schematically shows a radiant platform according to the invention, obtained with a plurality of radiant panels according to figure 1 ; figure 5 is a partial and exploded perspective view of the platform of figure 4 ; figure 6 is a cross section along line VI-VI of figure 5 ; and figure 7 is a control diagram of a radiant platform according to the invention .

[0029] DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0030] With reference to figures 1 and 2 , number 1 indicates , as a whole , a radiant panel according to the invention .

[0031] The panel 1 , with a rectangular shape , comprises a thermally insulating support layer 2 and a thermally conductive transmission layer 3 applied on an upper surface 4 of the support layer 2 .

[0032] The support layer 2 can consist of a sheet of sintered expanded polystyrene (EPS 300 ) having a thickness preferably ranging from 20 to 40 mm .

[0033] The support layer 2 has , on its upper surface 4 , a plurality of longitudinal grooves 6 parallel to one another and to a pair of opposite sides of the panel , for example to the main sides 7 , 8 of the panel 1 ; the longitudinal grooves 6 are equally spaced apart from one another with a pitch P and the two longitudinal grooves 6 adj acent to the main sides 7 , 8 are placed at a distance P / 2 therefrom, so that , when two panels 1 are placed side by side so as to match along respective main sides 7 , 8 , the respective longitudinal grooves 6 adj acent to one another are also placed at a relative distance equal to the pitch P. The longitudinal grooves 6 are delimited by a pair of sides 9 perpendicular to the upper surface 4 of the sheet and by a substantially semi-cylindrical bottom surface 10 ( see enlarged detail in figure 2 ) . The longitudinal grooves 6 preferably further comprise a flared mouth portion 11 with a width decreasing from the upper surface 4 towards the sides 9 .

[0034] By way of example , the support layer 2 can measure 1200 mm x 800 mm and the pitch P can be 80 mm .

[0035] The support layer 2 further comprises a pair of transverse grooves 15 parallel to one another and orthogonal to the longitudinal grooves 6 ; the transverse grooves 16 , which have a cross section that is equal to that of the longitudinal grooves 6 , are placed near one ( 16 ) of the smaller sides 16, 17 of the support layer 2 . By way of example , one of the transverse grooves 15 can be placed at a distance P / 2 from the smaller side 16 of the panel 1 and the relative distance between the transverse grooves 15 can be equal , for example , to the pitch P .

[0036] The support layer 2 finally comprises two series of curved connection grooves 18 , which connect the longitudinal grooves 6 to the transverse grooves 15 . More in particular, the connection grooves 18 substantially have the shape of an arc of a circle with the concavity facing the smaller side

[0037] 17 of the support layer 2 and each have the ends tangent to a respective longitudinal groove 6 and to a respective transverse groove 15 . In other words , four connection grooves

[0038] 18 are connected to each longitudinal groove 6 and connect the longitudinal groove 6 to both transverse grooves 15 and on both sides .

[0039] In the example shown herein, in which the radius of the connection grooves is equal to P / 2, the connection grooves 18 comprised between two adj acent longitudinal grooves 6 associated with a same transverse groove 15 form, as a whole , a semi-circular path tangent to the longitudinal grooves 6 at the ends and to the transverse groove 15 in the middle line .

[0040] The connection grooves 18 also have a cross section equal to that of the longitudinal grooves 6 .

[0041] The transmission layer 3 conveniently consists of an aluminium sheet with a much smaller thickness than the support layer 2 , for example equal to 0 . 1 mm .

[0042] The transmission layer 3 is fixed on the upper surface 4 of the support layer 2 by means of an adhesive and has a plurality of parallel longitudinal channels 20 equally spaced apart from one another with a pitch P . The channels 20 have a U-shaped profile and engage the longitudinal grooves 6 of the support layer 2 , to which they correspond in number and position ( figure 1 ) .

[0043] The panel 1 is flat except for the channels 20 and, in particular, in the area of the transverse grooves 15 and of the connection grooves 18 , which are covered by flat portions of the transmission layer 3 . In other words , the transmission layer 3 does not have channels in the area of said grooves 15, 18, but only in the area of the longitudinal grooves 6 ( figure 1 ) .

[0044] The channels 20 of the transmission layer 3 are designed to accommodate respective portions of one or more selfregulating cables 24 (figure 3) , i.e. cables with a conductive matrix with a resistivity increasing based on the temperature, so that the current absorption decreases as the temperature increases until a balance temperature is reached, at which the current absorption reaches its minimum value .

[0045] A self-regulating cable 24, which is known and is schematically shown in figure 3, comprises a pair of parallel conductors 25 embedded in a graphite-based semi-conductive matrix 26 protected by an inner coating 27 made of polyolefin, a metal braid 28 and a polymer coating 29. The self-regulating cable 24, which has an overall oblong section, is housed, substantially without lateral clearance, in the channels 20, which are sized in height so as to completely accommodate it.

[0046] The support layer 2 has four recesses 21 (figure 1) in the area of the two pairs of grooves 6 adjacent to the sides 7, 8 and close to the grooves 15. The recesses 21 are each designed to house a watertight junction box G (optional) for the connection of the cable 24 to a power supply cable 41. The j unction box conveniently is of the type pre- filled with a sealing gel , such as for example the box "Rapidino IP68 L3" sold by Raytech .

[0047] Similarly, the support layer 2 has , close to each pair of recesses 21 , a recess 22 configured to accommodate a temperature probe T (not shown) and a groove 23 parallel to the grooves 6 to accommodate the relevant cable (not shown) . The recesses 21 , 22 and the groove 23 are covered by the transmission layer 3 , which can be cut , when needed, to allow the aforementioned elements to be accommodated therein, only i f necessary, as explained more in detail below .

[0048] The panels 1 can be brought together and combined with one another, as shown, for example , in figure 4 , to form a radiant structure 30 of any shape and si ze . The panels 1 must be oriented so that the smaller sides 16 , which are adj acent to the transverse grooves 15 of the panels themselves , define an end edge of the radiant structure 30 .

[0049] The radiant structure 30 further comprises one or more sel f-regulating cables 24 , arranged according to one or more paths such as to distribute the radiant power according to the need .

[0050] These paths are conveniently defined by straight sections , in which the cable is housed in a channel 20 , and by cooling sections defined by the transverse grooves 15 and the connection grooves 18 . Since the grooves 15 , 18 are not exposed, as clearly shown in figure 1 , in order to house the cable 24 therein it is necessary to cut the transmission layer 3 , for example by means of a normal cutter ; the insertion of the cable then causes the flaps of the cut to bend into the groove 15 or 18 , maintaining the thermal contact between the cable 24 and the transmission layer 3 . In this way, the transmission layer 3 can be maintained also on the portions of the support layer 2 in which the grooves 15 , 18 extend, where channels 20 cannot be created for technological reasons .

[0051] Figure 4 schematically shows an embodiment of a radiant structure 30 with two thermal zones A, B, each heated by two sel f-regulating cables 24 . Obviously, di f ferent arrangements are possible both in terms of number of cables used and path of the cables themselves .

[0052] Each thermal zone A, B is conveniently associated with a temperature probe TpA, T^B , which is designed to detect the temperature o f the panel 1 in which it is inserted, and with an ambient temperature probe TaA, TaB, which can be used for control purposes , as described more in detail below .

[0053] Figures 5 and 6 show an embodiment of a radiant platform 31 comprising a radiant structure 30 of the type shown in figure 4 and a walkable covering 32 . The platform can comprise any number of panels 1 , as schematically shown in figure 4 . The radiant platform 31 comprises a peripheral frame 33 designed to enclose the radiant structure 30 and consisting of linear elements 34 , 35 and angular elements 36 , 37 , which can be assembled together by means of pins 35 .

[0054] All elements 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 of the frame 33 have an inclined ramp-like outer edge 36 to avoid architectural barriers and an inner upper proj ection 38 designed to overlap the covering 32 of the radiant structure 30 ( figure 6 ) .

[0055] The linear elements 35 , for example extending along one side of the radiant platform 31 , have a longitudinal compartment 39 closed at the top by a lid 40 and designed to house power supply cables 41 . The power supply cables 41 are designed to be connected to the respective sel f-regulating cables 24 by means of the above-mentioned j unction boxes .

[0056] Figure 7 shows an example of a control system 42 for a radiant platform with two thermal zones A, B . The control system 42 conveniently is of a modular type and comprises a programmable main control unit 43 designed to directly control the zone A and an expansion module 44 connected to the main control unit 43 and constituting an interface between the main control unit 43 and the thermal zone B . Obviously, in case the platform comprises several thermal zones , further expansion modules can be used, one for each thermal zone in addition to the first one , each connected to the main control unit 43 and to the heating circuits 44 of the associated thermal zone , consi sting of respective sel fregulating cables 24 arranged, as discussed above , according to respective predetermined paths .

[0057] The main control unit 43 receives , as an input , temperature signals SPA, SPB from the temperature probes TPA, TpBassociated with the respective panels 1 and temperature signals SaA, SaB from the ambient temperature probes TaA, TaB associated with the zones themselves . The main control unit 43 is also designed to search for input signals I I , ..., In for the start or stop of heating cycles coming, for example , from a manual control panel , from an interface with a building thermal management system (BMS ) or from an interface for remote control through Apps (not shown) .

[0058] The control logics are not described herein as they are not part of the invention .

[0059] The features of the panel 1 and of the platform 30 according to the invention lead to evident advantages that can be obtained with it .

[0060] Firstly, the panels 1 are provided with a transmission layer 3 extending over the entire surface of the panel itsel f , so as to optimi ze thermal ef ficiency . In addition, the layout of the grooves 6 , 15 , 18 makes it possible to create standard panels without any limitation to the combinations that can be obtained and, therefore , to the shape and si ze of the radiant platforms that can be obtained . The arrangement of the compartments for the temperature probes also allows the probes to be placed only where necessary, by simply locally cutting the transmission layer 3 , which otherwise remains intact . The panels 1 could also be used, besides for the construction of radiant platforms , for the construction of floors of buildings or vehicles , for example trains or aircraft , to create a floor heating system .

Claims

CLAIMS1. A radiant panel (1) comprising: a rectangular support layer (2) made of a thermally insulating material and having first sides (7, 8) opposed to each other and second sides (16, 17) opposed to each other, the support layer (2) comprising on its upper face (4) :• a plurality of first grooves (6) parallel and equally spaced with respect to each other according to a first pitch (p) and extending in a first direction parallel to the first sides (7, 8) ;• at least one pair of second grooves (15) parallel to each other and extending in a second direction parallel to, and near one (16) of, the second sides (16, 17) ; and• a plurality of arcuate connection grooves (18) connecting each of the first grooves (6) with both of the second grooves (15) on both sides, the arcuate grooves (18) having a concavity facing another one (17) of the second sides (16, 17) ; and a transmission layer (3) made of a thermally conductive material, extending over the entire upper surface (4) of the support layer (2) and coupled thereto, the transmission layer (3) having a plurality of parallel and equally spaced channels (20) with a pitch equal to thefirst pitch (F) , the channels (20) being housed in the first grooves (6) and configured to house at least a portion of a self-regulating cable (24) .

2. Radiant panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission layer (3) is flat except for the channels (20) and entirely covers the second grooves (15) and the connection grooves (18) .

3. Radiant panel as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the connection grooves (18) have a circumferential arc shape of radius (F / 2) equal to half of the first pitch (F) , the connection grooves (18) located between two adjacent first grooves (6) and associated with the same second groove (15) forming together a semicircular path tangent to the first grooves (6) at its ends and to the second groove (15) at its middle point.

4. Radiant panel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second grooves (15) are placed at a distance equal to the first pitch (P) and wherein the first grooves (6) adjacent to the first sides (7, 8) are placed at a distance equal to half of the first pitch (F) from the respective first sides (7, 8) .

5. Radiant panel as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the support layer comprises at least one first recess (21) communicating with one of said first grooves (6) and configured to accommodate a junction box(G) , said first recess being covered by the transmission layer ( 3 ) .

6. Radiant panel as claimed in claim 5, comprising four first recesses (21) communicating with respective first grooves (6) and arranged two by two in proximity to the first sides (7, 8) of the support layer (2) .

7. Radiant panel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support layer (2) comprises at least one second recess (22) configured to house a temperature probe and a further groove (23) parallel to the first grooves (6) , communicating with the second recess (22) and configured to house a cable for the temperature probe.

8. A radiating platform comprising a plurality of panels (1) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, said panels (1) being juxtaposed to form a radiating structure (30) so that the first grooves (6) of one panel (1) correspond to the first grooves (6) of an adjacent panel (1) , and at least one self-regulating cable (24) housed in the radiating structure (30) along a path defined by straight sections in which portions of the self-regulating cable (24) are housed in respective grooves (20) of the transmission layer (3) , and by connecting sections in which portions of the self-regulating cable (24) are inserted into the second grooves (15) and connection grooves (18) through cuts in the transmission layer (3) .

9. Radiating platform as claimed in claim 8, comprising at least one junction box inserted in a respective recess (21) through a cut in the transmission layer (3) .

10. Radiating platform as claimed in claim 8 or 9, comprising at least one temperature probe inserted in a respective recess (22) through a cut in the transmission layer ( 3 ) .

11. Radiating platform as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10, including a walkable covering (32) on top of the radiating structure (30) .

12. Radiating platform as claimed in claim 11, comprising a frame (33) arranged around the radiating structure (30) and provided with at least one cable duct.

13. Radiating platform as claimed in claim 12, wherein the frame has an inclined ramp-like outer edge (36) and an inner upper projection (38) configured to overlap the covering (32) of the radiating structure (30) .

14. A method of making a radiant platform (31) comprising a plurality of panels (1) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, the method including the steps of: forming a radiant structure (30) by juxtaposing the panels(1) so that the first grooves (6) of one panel (1) correspond to the first grooves (6) of an adjacent panel ( 1 ) , and inserting a self-regulating cable (24) into the radiatingstructure (30) along a path defined by straight portions wherein the self-regulating cable (24) is inserted into the channels (20) of the transmission layer (3) and connecting portions wherein the self-regulating cable (24) is inserted into the second grooves (15) and / or the connection grooves (18) of the support layer (2) , inserting the self-regulating cable (24) into the connecting portions of the path comprising the steps of: cutting the transmission layer (3) at the groove (15 or 18) ; and inserting the self-regulating cable (24) between the lips of the cut so as to bend them into the groove (15 or 18) .

15. Method as claimed in claim 14, comprising the steps of :- cutting the transmission layer (3) at at least one of the first recess (22) and the second recess (23) ; and- inserting at least one of a junction box (G) and a temperature probe (TP, TPB) into the respective recess (21, 22) .

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