FABRICATION METHOD THEREOF Field of Invention

The invention relates to a temperature control system and fabrication method thereof, especially a temperature control system for an outdoor facility, to provide a cool and comfortable environment.

Background In the tropics, popularity of outdoor recreational facilities is constrained by the tropical climate, i.e. high temperature, strong sunlight and high humidity. Even in non-tropical regions, on hot summer days, a similar problem exists. Existing electrical air conditioning facilities are not adapted for use in outdoor facilities to lower air temperature. Even if existing electrical air conditioning facilities may be used for outdoor facilities, energy consumption will be excessive. It is therefore desirable to provide a temperature control system, especially a temperature control system for outdoor facility, which can provide a cool and comfortable environment without requiring excessive energy consumption. Summary of Invention

Embodiments of the invention provide a temperature control system. The temperature control system comprises:

an ice pool configured to control air temperature of a given space above a ground surface, the ice pool being recessed in a ground material below the ground surface and includes a multi-layer structure, wherein the multi-layer structure includes in sequence inwardly from an exterior of the multi-layer structure: l a concrete base layer which provides a casing to the multi-layer structure, a cement sand plaster layer,

a first waterproof layer,

a thermal insulation layer,

a second waterproof layer,

a dry sand layer, and

a concrete top layer to provide a receptacle for retaining water and ice formed by freezing the water, the concrete top layer having a plurality of refrigeration pipes disposed to freeze the water in the_ receptacle and control temperature in the receptacle,

wherein the cement sand plaster layer secures the first waterproof layer to the concrete base layer, the first waterproof layer is configured to prevent penetration of moisture from the ground material into the thermal insulation layer, the second waterproof layer is configured to prevent penetration of moisture from the receptacle into the insulation layer, and the dry sand layer is configured to accommodate deformation of the concrete top layer due to thermal expansion and contraction, and absorb condensed water produced on a surface between the dry sand layer and the concrete top layer. In certain embodiments of the invention, the temperature control system may further comprise a semi-closed housing structure including a plurality of side wall structures for defining the given space above the ground surface. Preferably, the semi-closed housing structure may include transparent organic glass to provide a clear view of the environment external to the semi-closed housing structure. In some embodiments of the invention, the semi-closed housingstructure may further include a ceiling structure at least partially overlaying the given space to at least partially block sunlight or rain from entering the given space. According to one embodiment of the invention, the ceiling structure includes a first ceiling panel connected to a first of the side wall structures and a second ceiling panel connected to a second of the side wall structures which is opposed to the first of the side wall structures, wherein the first ceiling panel and the second ceiling panel are arranged to provide an opening to allow fluid communication between an interior and an exterior of the semi-closed housing structure. Preferably, in one example of the embodiment, the first ceiling panel and the second ceiling panel are disposed in an overlapping and non-intersecting arrangement. Further, the first ceiling panel is arranged to form a first angle with a horizontal direction and the second ceiling panel is arranged to form a second angle with the horizontal direction, wherein the first angle and the second angle are unequal, and are between about 8 degrees and about 18 degrees. Additionally, the ceiling structure may include transparent organic glass to provide a clear view of the environment above the semi-closed housing structure. Furthermore, the temperature control system may comprise a plurality of screening devices which are disposed at predetermined intervals over the ceiling structure to at least partially block sunlight from entering the given space. Preferably, each of the plurality of screening devices may include lianoid plants.

In one embodiment of the invention, the given space above a ground surface includes a plurality of maze pathways, and each maze pathway is defined by at least two side wall structures.

Preferably, the concrete top layer includes antifreeze for accelerating concrete setting and hardening under sub-zero temperature conditions, and increasing strength and durability of the concrete top layer. The concrete layer includes chlorine-free salt to prevent corrosion of reinforcing bars embedded in the concrete top layer. The first waterproof layer is a two-felt three-oil moisture proof layer; and the second waterproof layer is a one-felt two-oil moisture proof layer.

Preferably, the temperature control system may further comprise a cover overlaying the ice pool, the cover having a plurality of openings to allow fluid communication between the given space and the receptacle. The cover may be made of metal to provide a strong structural support.

Embodiments of the invention also provide a method for fabricating a temperature control system. The method comprises:

providing an ice pool configured to control air temperature of a given space above a ground surface, the ice pool being recessed in a ground material below the ground surface and includes a multi-layer structure,

wherein the multi-layer structure includes in sequence inwardly from exterior of the multi-layer structure:

a concrete base layer which provides a casing to the multi-layer structure, a cement sand plaster layer,

a first waterproof layer,

a thermal insulation layer,

a second waterproof layer,

a dry sand layer, and

a concrete top layer to provide a receptacle for retaining water and ice formed by freezing the water, the concrete top layer having a plurality of refrigeration pipes disposed to freeze the water in the receptacle and control temperature in the receptacle,

wherein the cement sand plaster layer secures the first waterproof layer to the concrete base layer, the first waterproof layer is configured to prevent penetration of moisture from the ground material into the thermal insulation layer, the second waterproof layer is configured to prevent penetration of moisture from the receptacle into the insulation layer, the dry sand layer is configured to accommodate deformation of the concrete top layer due to thermal expansion and contraction, and absorb condensed water produced on a surface between the dry sand layer and the concrete top layer. With the ice pool recessed in a ground material below a ground surface, air temperature in a given space above the ground surface may be maintained at a preset temperature range, e.g. between 18 °C to 24 °C. Thus, visitors located in the given space, e.g. recreational space of an outdoor facility, will enjoy a cool and comfortable environment. In the circumstance that the refrigeration pipes of the temperature control system cease operation for a certain time period, the air temperature in the given space may still be conditioned by the ice pool below the ground surface, and maintained at a physically comfortable temperature range. Therefore, the temperature control system of the invention is energy efficient.

Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a temperature control system including an ice pool according to one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a top view of an outdoor maze according to one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of an ice pool of the temperature control system according to one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a temperature control system for a recreational facility according to another embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a semi-closed housing structure of the temperature control system for a recreational facility in Figure 5; and

Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method for constructing a temperature control system for a recreational facility according to one embodiment of the invention. Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various illustrative embodiments of the invention. It will be understood, however, to one skilled in the art, that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. It is understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to same or similar functionalities or features throughout the several views. As used in the description and claims, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinal adjectives "first", "second", "third", etc., to describe a common element, merely indicate that different instances of like elements are being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the elements so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner.

According to embodiments of the invention, to provide a cool and comfortable environment for a facility, especially an outdoor recreational facility, e.g. an outdoor maze, a temperature control system is provided which includes an ice pool recessed in a ground material below a ground surface and configured to control air temperature of a given space above the ground surface where the facility is provided. It should be noted that the ice pool may be recessed in a man-made or natural ground material and disposed below a man-made or natural ground surface, or any combinations thereof.

Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a temperature control system including one ice pool according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown in Figure 1 , the temperature control system may further include a semi-closed housing structure. The semi-closed housing structure may include a plurality of side wall structures to define a given space above the ground surface. The semi- closed housing structure may be part of the recreational facility, or an additional structure to the recreational facility. It is to be noted that although only one ice pool is shown and explained in this embodiment, the temperature control system may include more than one ice pool.

In an example wherein the recreational facility is an outdoor maze, the semi-closed housing structure may include a plurality of side wall structures which are used to form a plurality of maze pathways, e.g. pathway 10, 20, 30 shown in Figure 2. Each of the maze pathways may be defined by at least two side wall structures. The given space defined by the semi-closed housing structure may include the maze pathways. In order to provide visitors with a clear view of the environment external to the semi-closed housing structure, the side wall structures of the maze may include organic glass. Furthermore, for each of the maze pathway, more than one ice pool may be provided to control the air temperature of the given space.

Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of an ice pool of the temperature control system according to one embodiment of the invention. The ice pool includes a multi-layer structure 100 which includes the following layers in sequence inwardly from an exterior of the multi-layer structure 100:

a concrete base layer 1001, which provides a casing to the multi-layer structure 100, and may have a thickness of 500 mm in this embodiment to provide strong structural support for the multi-layer structure,

a cement sand plaster layer 1002,

a first waterproof layer 1003, which may be a two-felt three-oil moisture proof layer,

a thermal insulation layer 1004, which may be a polyurethane layer, where the thickness of the polyurethane layer may be 100 mm jn this embodiment to provide a good insulation effect,

a second waterproof layer 1005, which may be a one-felt two-oil moisture proof layer,

a dry sand layer 1006, and a concrete top layer 1007, which provides a receptacle 120 for retaining water and ice formed by freezing the water, wherein the concrete top layer 1007 is configured to have a plurality of refrigeration pipes 130 disposed to freeze the water in the receptacle 120 and control temperature within the receptacle 120. The concrete top layer 1007 may have a thickness of 200mm to provide strong structural support for the water and ice, and sufficient space for housing the plurality of refrigeration pipes 130.

In the above-described structure 100, the cement sand plaster layer 1002 secures the first waterproof layer 1003 to the concrete base layer 1001 , the cement sand plaster layer 1002 may have a thickness of 20 mm in this embodiment to allow each of the first waterproof layer 1003 and the concrete base layer 1001 firmly secure thereto; the first waterproof layer 1003 is configured to prevent penetration of moisture from the ground material into the insulation layer 1004; the second waterproof layer 1005 is configured to prevent penetration of moisture, e.g. the melted ice, from the receptacle 120 into the insulation layer 1004; the dry sand layer 1006 is configured to accommodate deformation of the concrete top layer 1007 caused by thermal expansion and contraction, and absorb condensed water produced on a surface between the dry sand layer 1006 and the concrete top layer 1007. The dry sand layer 1006 may have a thickness of 30 mm in this embodiment to accommodate the deformation and absorb the condensed water more effectively.

Optionally, the concrete top layer 1007 may include antifreeze for accelerating concrete setting and hardening under sub-zero temperature conditions, and increasing strength and durability of the concrete top layer 1007, and/or chlorine-free salt to prevent corrosion of reinforcing bars embedded in the concrete top layer 1007. In this embodiment, the ice layer 1000 generated in the receptacle 120 may have a thickness of more than 60mm. It is to be appreciated that the thickness of the ice layer may vary with actual conditions, e.g. size of the given space, outdoor or ambient temperature, etc.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the temperature control system may further include a cover overlaying the ice pool, e.g. the cover 140 as shown in Figure 3. The cover has a plurality of openings to allow fluid communication between the given space and the receptacle. In order to provide adequate structural support to ground loads, the cover is preferably made of metal, but could be made of any rigid material with sufficient strength to support visitors above the ground surface.

To further enhance the outdoor cooling effect, and block weather elements, the temperature control system in certain embodiments of the invention may further include a ceiling structure at least partially overlaying the given space to at least partially block sunlight and/or rain. It is to be noted that variations to the arrangement of the ceiling structure may be envisaged in other embodiments.

In one embodiment of the invention, the ceiling structure may include a first ceiling panel connected to a first of the side wall structures and a second ceiling panel connected to a second of the side wall structures which is opposed to the first of the side wall structures, wherein the first ceiling panel and the second ceiling panel are arranged to provide an opening to allow fluid communication between an interior and an exterior of the semi-closed housing structure. This opening has a function similar to a ventilation device for an existing temperature control system. Thus, in the temperature control system according to embodiments of the invention, an additional ventilation device may not be required. Figure 4 and Figure 5 show an example of this embodiment, the first ceiling panel (401, 501) and the second ceiling panel (402, 502) are disposed in an overlapping and non-intersecting arrangement. As shown in Figure 5, the ceiling panel 501 , i.e. the first ceiling panel, is connected to a first of the side wall structures 503 and arranged to form a first angle Θ with a horizontal direction and the ceiling panel 502, i.e. the second ceiling panel, is connected to a second of the side wall structures 503 and arranged to form a second angle a with the horizontal direction, wherein the first angle Θ and the second angle a are unequal, and are between about 8 and about 18 degrees to effectively block sunlight and/or rain. The height H shown in Figure 5 is preferably arranged between 200 mm to 300 mm. Thus, with this arrangement, an opening 505 is provided to allow fluid communication between an interior and an exterior of the semi-closed structure for ventilation purpose.

Further, the ceiling structure, e.g. each of the ceiling panels, may be made of or at least include transparent organic glass and a plurality of screening devices may be further disposed at predetermined intervals over the ceiling structure to partially block the sunlight. As shown in Figure 4, each of the plurality of screening devices may include lianoid plants.

Embodiments of the invention also provide a method for constructing a temperature control system. This method at least comprises: providing an ice pool configured to control air temperature of a given space above a ground surface, the ice pool being recessed in a ground material below the ground surface and includes a multi-layer structure,

wherein the multi-layer structure includes in sequence inwardly from an exterior of the multi-layer structure:

a concrete base layer which provides a casing to the multi-layer structure, a cement sand plaster layer,

a first waterproof layer,

a thermal insulation layer,

a second waterproof layer,

a dry sand layer, and a concrete top layer to provide a receptacle for retaining water and ice formed by freezing the water, the concrete top layer having a plurality of refrigeration pipes disposed to freeze the water in the receptacle and control temperature in the receptacle,

wherein the cement sand plaster layer secures the first waterproof layer to the concrete base layer, the first waterproof layer is configured to prevent penetration of moisture from the ground material into the thermal insulation layer, the second waterproof layer is configured to prevent penetration of moisture from the receptacle into the insulation layer, the dry sand layer is configured to accommodate deformation of the concrete top layer due to thermal expansion and contraction, and absorb condensed water produced on a surface between the dry sand layer and the concrete top layer.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the step of constructing a temperature control system may include steps shown in Blocks 6001 to 6006 in Figure 6.

In block 6001 , an opening is created in the ground material below the ground surface. The size of the opening may be determined according to actual needs, e.g. if the recreational facility is an outdoor maze, then the size of the opening of each underground ice pool may be determined according to the dimensions of the corresponding pathway of the maze.

In block 6002, a multi-layer structure is provided to be juxtaposed to a wall of the opening to provide a receptacle for retaining water and ice formed by freezing the water. The multi-layer structure includes in sequence inwardly from an exterior of the multi-layer structure as described above.

In this embodiment, the multi-layer structure is fabricated on-site after the opening below the ground surface is created. During the on-site fabrication, each layer of the multi-layer structure is provided according to the sequence described above. In certain other embodiments, the multi-layer structure of the ice pool is partially or fully pre-fabricated before being lowered into the recessed position..

In block 6003, optionally, a cover is provided to overlay the ice pool, which has a plurality of openings to allow fluid communication between the given space and the receptacle. To provide adequate structural support to ground loads, the cover is preferably made of metal, but could be made of any rigid material with sufficient strength to support visitors located above the ground surface.

In block 6004, optionally, in order to further enhance the cooling effect of the temperature control system, a semi-closed housing structure is provided which includes at least two side wall structures for defining a given space above the ground surface.

In certain embodiments where the facility is an outdoor maze, the given space above the ground surface may include a plurality of maze pathways, and each maze pathway is defined by at least two side wall structures. In one embodiment of the invention, the side wall structures may be made of or at least include transparent organic glass to provide visitors with a clear view of the environment external to the semi-closed housing structure.

In block 6005, optionally, in certain embodiments of the invention, a ceiling structure is further provided to at least partially overlay the given space to at least partially block sunlight and/or rain. In one embodiment of the invention, the step for providing a ceiling structure may include: providing a first ceiling panel and a second ceiling panel, wherein the first ceiling panel is connected to a first of the side wall structures and a second ceiling panel is connected to a second of the side wall structures which is opposed to the first of the side wall structures, wherein the first ceiling panel and the second ceiling panel are arranged to provide an opening to allow fluid communication between an interior and an exterior of the semi-closed housing structure.

Preferably, in one example of the embodiment, the first ceiling panel and the second ceiling panel are disposed in an overlapping and non-intersecting arrangement. Further, the first ceiling panel is arranged to form a first angle with a horizontal direction and the second ceiling panel is arranged to form a second angle with the horizontal direction, e.g. the angle Θ and a shown in Figure 6, wherein the first angle and the second angle are unequal and are between about 8 and about 18 degrees. .

In order to further provide a clear view of the environment above the semi-closed housing structure for the visitors, the ceiling structure may be made of or at least include transparent organic glass.

In block 6006, optionally, a plurality of screening devices are provided and placed at predetermined intervals over the ceiling structure to partially block sunlight. According to one embodiment of the invention, each of the plurality of screening devices may include lianoid plants.

It should be noted that the step in block 6003, i.e. the step of providing a cover to overlay the ice pool may be performed after any of the steps as described in block 6004 to block 6006. In other embodiments of the invention, certain variations and modifications may be made to the foregoing description and illustrative example including, but not limited to, the number of ice pools, the thickness of each layer of the multi-layer structure, the number of refrigeration pipes in the concrete layer of the multi-layer structure, the shape of the ceiling panels. As will be appreciated from the foregoing, with the ice pool(s) of the temperature control system in embodiments of the invention, air temperature of a given space above the ground surface may be maintained at a preset comfortable temperature range, e.g. between 18 °C to 24 °C. Further, the ceiling structure of the temperature control system can effectively block the strong sunlight and/or rain in hot summer days. Thus, visitors of an outdoor recreational facility will enjoy a cool and comfortable environment. Additionally, since the temperature of the ambient air of the recreational facility is conditioned by the ice pool below the ground surface, in the circumstance that the refrigeration pipes of the temperature control system cease operation for a certain time period, the air of the given space may still be maintained at a comfortable temperature range. Therefore, the temperature control system is energy efficient.

Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention. Furthermore, certain terminology has been used for the purposes of descriptive clarity, and not to limit the disclosed embodiments of the invention. The embodiments and features described above should be considered exemplary.