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

The invention also relates to a flooring member, a method of installing a raised ventilation flooring structure and to a method of ventilating a room.

Background art

Raised ventilation flooring systems for computer server rooms are known, in which carriers are supported a predetermined distance above a concrete floor in the form of a grid structure. The carriers may be formed of steel U-shaped profiles and support metal panels or sandwich panels that are perforated to allow transport of air from a HVAC system that is situated in the space below the panels. In this way cooling air can be transported to the computers that are supported on the floor, and power and data cables can be installed in cable trays that are accommodated below the panels.

The known ventilation flooring systems have as a disadvantage that dirt and water can pass via the open panels relatively easily and may enter into the space below the floor. Also, the openings of the floor may be blocked by dirt which can cause the air resistance to vary across the floor such that the flow of air that raises upwards from the floor is disturbed. Furthermore, an adjustment of the air flow through the open panels is not provided. The known ventilation flooring systems with open grid panels cannot be accessed when wearing high heels and have an industrial appearance that is less suitable for social environments.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a ventilation flooring structure in which the ingress of water and dirt into the space below the flooring panels is prevented. It is also an object of the invention to provide a flooring structure in which the air flow though the panels can be accurately controlled across the surface of the flooring structure. It is again an object of the invention to provide a rapid and efficient method of installation of a ventilated flooring structure which and a method of ventilation of a room which results in a high rate of air displacement and resulting air cleanliness while maintaining a high degree of comfort for the room occupants.

Summary of the Invention

Hereto a raised ventilation flooring structure according to the invention comprises panels with a closed surface, each panel being supported on the top support surface and having side edges that extend at a distance from the side walls, the carrier profiles of the flooring members being placed adjacent, extending in a length direction L with their end parts supported on a respective transverse support beam, the side edges of the panels being spaced apart to form a gap there between, an elongate collection member extending below and/or along the side walls in the length direction L and extending along a width S in the transverse direction between the sidewalls of the adjacent flooring members to form a collection channel, and a flow path extending from a space between side walls of a first carrier profile, via the openings to the collection channel to the ventilation gap between the adjacent panels.

By the closed panels according to the invention and the collecting channel below the ventilation gap between adjacent panels, a flooring structure is obtained that combines good ventilating properties with the possibilities of cleaning the flooring panels with a liquid cleaning substance. The upward airstream that exits form the ventilation gaps between adjacent flooring panels results in a laminar flow of air that displaces large volumes of air of for instance 20m ³ -80m ³ per m ² per hour, flowing upwards from the floor to an exit at the ceiling of the room, without any mixing or turbulence. This results in a clean environment, that is in particular free of COVID-19 viruses and helps counteract issues with contaminated air, also referred to as "sick building syndrome".

Dust and other particles that enter into the ventilation gaps between the panels is collected in the channels and cannot reach the floor surface on which the raised flooring is supported. Because the apertures in the sides of the carrier profiles are situated at a higher level than the bottom of the collection channel, dust and particles in the channel accumulate on the bottom while the air can freely flow from the openings to the ventilation gap overhead of the dirt without entraining the dust and particles, to enter into the room. Hereby a very high level cleanliness of the air can be obtained in the order of ISO class according to ISO 14644-2.

Particles that accumulate in the collection channels can be cleaned by flushing and transporting the particles with the flushing fluid through the channels to a removal position or may be removed via a vacuum cleaner with a narrow nozzle that is introduced into the ventilation gaps between adjacent panels. For proper gravity-induced flow of water, the raised floor may be placed at a slight inclination such that water can flow through the cannels to a removal position.

The flooring according to the invention can be easily installed by placing the transverse support beams on the floor and supporting the carrier profiles with the panels fixed to it, onto the support beams to form a strong and interconnected grid structure without the need for special tools.

The collection channels can be connected to the sidewalls of the carrier profiles or can be placed below the side walls, at a distance thereof.

In an embodiment of a raised ventilation flooring structure according to the invention, the collection member comprises a connection profile interconnecting adjacent transverse support beams. The connection profiles serve to form collection channels for collection and removal of dust and dirt that enters through the ventilation gap overlying the collection channels. The interconnected transverse support beams form a strong grid on which the flooring panels can be placed without the use of special tools.

In another embodiment of a raised ventilation flooring structure according to the invention, the carrier profiles (22-25,50,51,86) are of an elongate, generally U-shaped form with the sidewalls each comprising at their lower side a flange, extending in the transverse direction and bridging between 0.25 and 0.5 of the width s of the channel. The flanges define the bottom of the collection channel and may mutually abut or be spaced at a small mutual distance.

A flexible plastics U-shaped profile may be introduced partly or wholly into the collection channel, sealingly engaging with the opposed sidewalls, for obtaining a water tight sealing of the channel. In order to obtain a constant flow of air through flooring members that are at different distances from the air entry position below the panels, the size and/or the mutual distance of the apertures may be varied for flooring members that are situated at different positions along the length direction. Such a flooring element that generates a constant upward laminar displacement of large volumes of air across the room, is described in detail in Dutch patent application number NL 2 025 707, that was filed on 29 May 2020 in the name of GoFLow B.V. and that in incorporated herein by reference.

In an alternative embodiment of a ventilation flooring structure, the side walls are provided with a movable cover member for covering a predetermined surface area of the apertures in the side walls.

The movable cover member may for instance comprise a sliding strip that can be manually slid along the apertures to block a predetermined area of the apertures upon installation of the flooring.

In a preferred embodiment, the cover member adjusts its position based on the air pressure and comprises a rod connected to each side wall and extending in the length direction above the openings so as to be hingeable about its axis, a number of closure members being connected to the rod and being hingeable relative to the openings between a closing position in which the covers extends substantially parallel to the sidewall and an open position in which the covers extend at an angle relative to the plane of the openings.

At increasing air pressures, the closure members are lifted to leave a larger opening uncovered so that the air speed decreases and a constant volume of air flows through the openings.

For easy manual adjustability, each closure member may be connected to the rod by a connecting member in a rotational mounting point to be rotatable about an adjustment axis that is transverse to the rod, the closure member comprising an adjustment weight at a distance from the rotational mounting point.

The eccentric weight distribution of the closure members allows to vary the moment that is exerted by a closure member relative to the rod, by manual rotation of the closure members. In this way the force that is required to lift the closure members away from the openings is adjusted.

The transverse support beams may 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.

In a further embodiment of a raised ventilation flooring according to the invention, heating, cooling or lighting elements may be provided below the panels, preferably near or in the collection channel, for transfer of heat or cold or for emission of light into the room via the ventilation gap. The flooring panels may be utilized in train or bus stations, airports, office buildings, schools, museums, hospitals and the like, to provide ventilated areas, combined with route indication in the floor elements.

A method of installation according to the invention comprises the steps of placing and interconnecting the support beams to form a grid structure with the interconnecting profiles that form part of the collecting channels. The flooring members can be positioned onto the grid without any special tooling.

Brief Description of the Drawings 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:

Fig. 1 shows a room comprising a raised ventilation flooring according to the present invention,

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of four carrier profiles according to the invention with the panels removed,

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of two flooring members according to the invention,

Fig. 4 shows a side view of a the flooring members of fig. 3,

Fig. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of a collection channel of a flooring member according to the invention,

Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of a transverse row of flooring members according to the invention,

Fig. 7 shows an enlarged detail of figure 6,

Fig. 8 shows a transverse cross-sectional view of the flooring members of figure 6,

Fig. 9 shows a longitudinal side view of the flooring members of figure 6,

Fig. 10 shows a perspective view of a raised ventilation flooring structure according to the invention,

Fig. 11 shows a transverse cross-sectional view of the structure of figure 10,

Fig. 12 shows a detail on an enlarged scale of the structure of figure 10,

Fig. 13 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of a raised ventilation flooring structure according to the invention,

Fig. 14 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the structure of figure 12, and Fig. 15 shows a transverse cross-sectional view of the structure of figure 12.

Detailed Description of Embodiments

Figure 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.

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 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 150m ³ and a floor surface of 50m ³ _, the rate of ventilation may for instance be 1200 m 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 60cm/s to 12 cm/s.

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.

Figure 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.

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.

Figure 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 1mm and 10 mm. The panels 47,48 have closed surfaces so that no air or water can pass through the panels.

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 5mm to 50mm.

Figure 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.

Figure 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. Figure 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.

Figure 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.

Figure 8 shows transverse cross-sectional view of the flooring members of figure 7 and figure 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.

Figure 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.

Figure 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.

Figure 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.

As can be seen in figure 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.

Figure 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. Figure 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. Figure 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. 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.

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.

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

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.