AU2019100116A4

AU2019100116A4 - Floor Heating System

Info

Publication number: AU2019100116A4
Application number: AU2019100116A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Junwei Xu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2018-11-02
Filing date: 2019-02-04
Publication date: 2019-03-14
Anticipated expiration: 2027-02-04

Abstract

A floor heating element 140 of graphene for heating a flooring surface. A flooring system 100 has an upper layer; a lower layer; and the heating element 140 between the upper layer and the lower layer. The heating element 140 heats up the upper layer when an electrical current is provided thereto. -~ 140

Description

A floor heating element 140 of graphene for heating a flooring surface. A flooring system 100 has an upper layer; a lower layer; and the heating element 140 between the upper layer and the lower layer. The heating element 140 heats up the upper layer when an electrical current is provided thereto.

20191001

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2019100116 04 Feb 2019

Floor heating system

Field of the invention [0001] The invention relates to a floor heating system.

Background [0002] Existing floor heating systems use gas to heat up water plumbed below the flooring surface. As the water is heated up by the gas and circulated below the flooring surface, the flooring surface also heats up. One or more pumps are provided for circulating the heater water below the flooring surface.

[0003] These existing floor systems suffer from a number of drawbacks. The construction of these existing systems is complex and, as a result, the installing these systems is expensive. The operating costs are high because of the amount of gas needed to heat up the water. The flooring surface takes a long time to heat up because the water needs to be heated first. Larger flooring surfaces would need more time to heat up. Also, by the time the water gets to the furthermost area from the heating source, the water may have already cooled down. As a result, the flooring surface is not heated uniformly in that some areas would be hotter than other areas. In addition, the pipes below the flooring surface would need to be maintained regularly, for example when the pipes need to be descaled or to replace any worn out or damaged parts. There would be significant costs for maintaining the hearing system, which add to the overall costs of the floor heating system.

[0004] In this context, there is a need for an improved floor heating system and/or a floor heating system that addresses one or more of the drawbacks identified above.

Summary of the invention [0005] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a floor heating element including graphene for heating a flooring surface.

[0006] The graphene heats up when an electric current is provided to the graphene.

[0007] The floor heating element may be a sheet of graphene. The sheet of graphene preferably has a thickness of up to about 5mm. The thickness of the sheet of graphene is preferably up to about 1mm. The thickness of the sheet of graphene may be about 0.5mm for example. Alternatively, the floor heating element may have a serpentine configuration.

[0008] The floor heating element may include an electrical cable connected to the graphene, wherein the graphene heats up when an electrical current is provided, via the electrical cable, to the graphene.

2019100116 04 Feb 2019 [0009] The floor heating element may include an electrical plug for connecting to a power source or for connecting to an electrical plug of another floor heating element.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a floor heating system including a floor heating element including graphene for heating a flooring surface thereon.

[0011] The floor heating element may be the floor heating element of the aspect described previously above.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flooring system including an upper layer; a lower layer; and a graphene heating element between the upper layer and the lower layer, wherein the graphene heating element heats up the upper layer when an electrical current is provided to the graphene heating element.

[0013] The graphene heating element may be the floor heating element of the aspect previously described above.

[0014] The upper layer preferably includes floorboards. The floorboards are made from timber for example. The floorboards preferably include a plurality of boards that interconnect with each other to form a flooring surface.

[0015] The upper layer preferably includes tiles. The tiles may be made from ceramic or stone for example. The tiles are arranged to form a flooring surface.

[0016] The lower layer preferably includes a layer of insulation. The lower layer is an insulation board for example. The insulation may include a polyurethane foam, fiberglass, polystyrene, or an acoustic underlay for example.

[0017] The lower layer preferably includes a thermally reflective layer. The thermally reflective layer may be a film of foil, an aluminium sheet, or a radiant barrier for example.

[0018] The flooring system may further include a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the heating element or of an upper layer. The temperature sensor may be located between the first flooring layer and the graphene heating element. Alternatively, the temperature sensor may be located between the graphene heating element and the upper layer. The flooring system may include more than one temperature sensor.

[0019] The flooring system further includes an electrical cable connected to the graphene heating element through which electrical current is provided to the graphene heating element. The electrical cable may be connected to a thermostat for controlling the temperature of the graphene heating element by

2019100116 04 Feb 2019 controlling the electrical current provided to the graphene heating element. The flooring system preferably includes the thermostat for monitoring and controlling the graphene heating element.

[0020] The upper layer, the lower layer, and the heating element may form a flooring panel. For example, the flooring panel may be a timber floorboard panel. The flooring panel may be interengageable with other flooring panels to form a flooring surface. The flooring panel includes one or more plugs, each plug for connecting with a plug of other flooring panels or for connecting to the electrical cable to which the thermostat is connected.

[0021] The heating element preferably has a thickness of up to about 5mm. The thickness maybe up to about 1mm. the Thickness of the heating element may be about 0.5mm [0022] The graphene heating element may be made up of a plurality of graphene heating sections that are arranged side-by-side. A heat conductive film is preferably applied at ajoin between two adjacent graphene heating sections.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for installing a floor system, the method including: providing a lower layer on a ground surface; providing a graphene heating element on the lower layer; and providing an upper layer on the graphene heating element.

[0024] Features of the floor system are similar to the features of the floor system of the aspects described previously above. The graphene heating element may be the floor heating element of the aspect described previously above.

[0025] The upper layer preferably includes floorboards. The lower layer preferably includes insulation and/or a thermally reflective layer. The method preferably includes providing the insulation on the ground surface, providing the thermally reflective layer on the insulation, providing the graphene heating element on the thermally reflective layer, and arranging the floorboards on the graphene heating element.

[0026] The upper layer preferably includes tiles. The lower layer preferably includes insulation. The method preferably includes providing the insulation on the ground surface, providing a barrier on the insulation, providing the graphene heating element on the barrier, applying a floor leveler on the graphene heating element, and laying out the tiles on the graphene heating element.

[0027] The method further includes locating one or more temperature sensors to monitor the temperature of the heating element. The method includes locating the temperature sensor/s) on the lower

2019100116 04 Feb 2019 layer. Additionally or alternatively, the method includes locating temperature sensor(s) on the heating element.

[0028] The method may further include connecting an electrical cable to the graphene heating element or the upper layer. The electrical cable is preferably connected to a thermostat for controlling the temperature of the heating element by controlling an electrical current provided to the graphene heating element.

[0029] The graphene heating element may be made up of a plurality of graphene heating sections that are arranged side-by-side. The method preferably includes applying a heat conductive film at a join between two adjacent heating sections.

Brief description of the drawings [0030] The invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a an exploded view of a timber heating system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a perspective sectional view of a heating system according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a floorboard panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed description [0031] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a floor heating system including a floor heating element including graphene (or a graphene heating element). The heating element may be in the form of a thin sheet (or thin film) or may have a serpentine configuration. The floor heating element heats up a flooring surface thereon when an electric current is provided to the graphene. Advantages of using graphene, including over the existing gas-floor heating systems described previously above, include its low operation cost, less time is needed to heat up the flooring surface, and installation is easier and faster.

[0032] Figure 1 shows the floor heating system 100 according to one embodiment for heating up floorboards. The floorboards may be timber floorboards for example.

[0033] The flooring heating system 100 includes an upper layer consisting of floorboards 150. The floor boards are arranged to form a flooring surface.

2019100116 04 Feb 2019 [0034] An insulation board 120 is provided on a ground surface 110. The insulation board 120 is a thermal insulation. The insulation is for minimising heat loss through the ground. The insulation board 120 is a panel of polyurethane foam. In other examples, the insulation board may include fiberglass, polystyrene, or an acoustic underlay.

[0035] A thermally reflective layer 130 is provided on the insulation 120. The reflective layer is for reflecting heat radiating from the graphene heating element 130 towards the upper flooring layer, and for avoiding or minimising heat loss to the ground. The thermally reflective layer is a film of foil 120. In other examples, the thermally reflective layer may be an aluminium sheet or a radiant barrier.

[0036] A graphene heating element 140, in the form of a thin film, is laid out on the thermally reflective layer 130. The graphene heating element 140 has a thickness of about 0.5mm to 1.0mm. The graphene heating element 140 is connected, by an electrical cable, to a power source and heats up when an electrical current is provided, via the electrical cable, to the graphene heating element 140.

[0037] For larger floor surface areas, more than one film of graphene would need to be laid to heat the floor surface. In these conditions, multiple films of graphene films are arranged side-by-side to form a substantially continuous heating layer covering the larger floor surface area to be heated. A heat conductive film is applied at a join between two adjacent films to thermally connect two adjacent films and to minimize any heat loss between the films when the adjacent films are heated. The heat conductive film is an adhesive film.

[0038] The floorboards 150 are arranged on the graphene heating element 140. The floorboards may be made from treated timber. The thickness of the floorboards can be from about 10mm to 25mm.

[0039] Figure 2 shows the floor heating system according to another embodiment for heating up a tile flooring 250. The tiles may be made from ceramic or stone. The thickness of the tiles can be from about 10mm to 25mm.

[0040] An insulation layer 210 is provided on a ground surface. The insulation is for minimising heat loss through the ground. The insulation board 210 is a panel of polyurethane foam. In other examples, the insulation board may include fiberglass, polystyrene, or an acoustic underlay. The insulation has a thickness of about 3cm.

[0041] A barrier 220 is provided on the insulation 210. The barrier 220 is a structural layer to provide a stable base for the tile flooring 250 thereon, The barrier 220 has a thickness of about 0.5cm to 1.0cm, preferably about 0.6cm to 0.8cm

2019100116 04 Feb 2019 [0042] A graphene heating element 230, in the form of a thin film, is laid out on the barrier 220. The graphene heating element 230 has a thickness of about 0.5mm to 1.0mm. The graphene heating element 230 is connected, by an electrical cable to a power source and heats up when an electrical current is provided, via the electrical cable, to the graphene heating element 230.

[0043] Similar to the embodiment previously described, for larger floor surface areas, more than one film of graphene would need to be laid to heat the floor surface. In these conditions, multiple films of graphene films are arranged side-by-side to form a substantially continuous heating layer covering the larger floor surface area to be heated. A heat conductive film is applied at a join between two adjacent films to thermally connect two adjacent films and to minimize any heat loss between the films when the adjacent films are heated. The heat conductive film is an adhesive film.

[0044] A floor leveler 240 is applied on the graphene heating element 230 and tiles 250 are arranged on the floor leveler to form the flooring surface.

[0045] Referring to Figure 3, in other embodiments, the flooring system may include floorboards that are arranged to form a flooring surface with the graphene heating element being provided in or on the floorboards. These floorboards interconnect with each other to form the flooring surface. In this example, the floorboards may have an upper layer, a lower layer and the graphene heating element provided between the upper layer and the lower layer. The graphene heating element is sandwiched between the upper layer and the lower layer. The upper and lower layers may be made from timber for example, and may be attached to the graphene heating element using an adhesive.

[0046] Each of these floorboards includes one or more electrical plugs (or an electrical socket or an electrical port). Each plug is connectable with an electrical plug of another one of the floorboards such that, when connected, the electricity would flow from one floorboard to another floorboard to heat up the corresponding graphene heating element. The electrical plugs are provided at an end of the floorboard corresponding to the width of the floorboards. The electrical plugs may additionally or alternatively be provided at an end of the floorboard corresponding to the length of the floorboards.

[0047] In the embodiments described above, the system includes a temperature sensor (or temperature probes) for sensing the temperature of the heating element or of the flooring surface. The temperature sensors are located on the heating element, that is between the graphene heating element and the upper flooring layer (e.g. the tile surface or the floorboard surface). Temperature sensors may also or alternatively be located on the flooring surface. These temperature sensors are used for monitoring the temperature to ensure that the graphene heating element or the flooring surface does not exceed a desired temperature or does not overheat.

2019100116 04 Feb 2019 [0048] The system further includes a control system for receiving temperature signals (or measurement data) from the temperature sensor for monitoring the temperature of the heating element or the flooring surface. The control system is electrically connected to the graphene heating element and can be configured by a user or using feedback based on the temperature signals from the temperature sensor to control the temperature of the heating element or of the flooring surface. In particular, the control system controls an electrical current that is provided to the heating elements to control the temperature. If the control system determines, based on the measurements from the temperature sensors, that the temperature exceeds the desired temperature or that there is overheating, the control system shuts off the operation of the graphene heating element or controls the graphene heating element to reduce their operating temperature. The heating elements are controlled in unison to provide a uniformly heated floor surface. In other embodiments, where there are multiple heating elements, one or more of those heating elements can be controlled independently of the other heating elements.

[0049] The control system may include a communication module for communicating the status of the floor heating system to an electronic device of the user. The communication module is adapted for wireless communication, with the electronic device. The status of the floor heating system includes an ON-state and OFF-state of the heating system (i.e. whether the floor heating system is operational), and the temperature of the flooring surface. The electronic device may be a mobile device for example. The control system is also configured to receive, via the communication module, control data from the electronic device to adjust the temperature of the flooring surface.

[0050] The control system is electrically connected to a power supply. The control system is part of a thermostat control device for example. The control system may further include one or more ambient temperature sensors for measuring the ambient temperature. The ambient temperature sensors may be located in the thermostat. Once the ambient temperature is determined by the control system, based on measurements by the ambient temperature sensor(s), to be at or have exceeded a desired ambient temperature, the control system is configured to stop a heating operation of the graphene heating element or to reduce the operating temperature of the graphene heating element.

[0051] While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described exemplary embodiments.

[0052] The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission

2019100116 04 Feb 2019 or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavor to which this specification relates.

[0053] Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word 'comprise', and variations such as 'comprises' and 'comprising', will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A floor heating element including graphene for heating a flooring surface.
2. The floor heating element of claim 1 further including a sheet of graphene having a thickness of up to about 5mm.
3. A flooring system including a floor heating element, the floor heating element including graphene for heating a flooring surface thereon.
4. A flooring system including an upper layer;

a lower layer; and a graphene heating element between the upper layer and the lower layer, wherein the graphene heating element heats up the upper layer when an electrical current is provided to the graphene heating element.
5. A method for installing a flooring system, the method including:

providing a lower layer on a ground surface;

providing a graphene heating element on the lower layer; and providing an upper layer on the graphene heating element, wherein the graphene heating element heats up the upper layer when a current is provided to the graphene heating element.

2019100116 04 Feb 2019

FIGURE 1

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