EP2279309B1

EP2279309B1 - Method of cladding with tiles for floors, walls, ceilings and the like

Info

Publication number: EP2279309B1
Application number: EP09729058.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jaume Parisi Sarobe
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-04-01
Filing date: 2009-03-27
Publication date: 2013-07-10
Anticipated expiration: 2029-03-27
Also published as: WO2009122332A1; ES2352022B1; ES2352022A1; EP2279309A1; ES2428099T3

Description

The present invention relates to a method of cladding with tiles for floors, walls, ceilings and the like.
The cladding can be applied to different types of surfaces, such as flat surfaces, undulated or mixed surfaces, whether horizontal, vertical or at an incline.
There follow definitions of a number of terms to be found in this document:

A tile is a unit of cladding of whatever material it might be made, such as ceramics, carpeting, stone, compound materials, plastic or wood, among others.
A peripheral tile is taken to mean one that abuts with an object such as a wall or door frame, and will have to be cut in order to adapt it to the perimeter of said object. A whole tile is taken to mean one that does not need cutting.
A cladding is a layer or cover made with a number of tiles with which a surface such as a floor, wall, ceiling or the like is protected or adorned.
A tiler is an operative entrusted with cladding a surface with tiles.
A high-precision measurement is taken to mean one that achieves a tolerance of the order of one millimetre.

Telemetry is a system for measuring distances by means of a telemeter, that is, by means of an electronic optical device that permits remote measurement of lengths.
Scanning is taken to mean the action of examining or sweeping over a space, in this case by means of a telemeter, for the purpose of taking the measurements or a room or lobby for subsequent processing thereof.
Home automation is taken to mean a set of systems that automate the various facilities to be found in a dwelling.
Matching is taken to refer to the action of combining or relating with each other the measurements obtained in the various rooms or areas in order to draw up a final plan of the whole.
Referencing is taken to mean the action of numbering or coding the tiles in order to facilitate the subsequent laying or placement thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The methods of cladding floors with tiles that are currently used present some common disadvantages, chief among which are the time required to carry out the cladding and the working conditions. Even in the particular case of suspended floors both disadvantages remain, for most of the stages involved in their various cladding procedures are no different from those used for a conventional floor laid using mortar or other agglomerants, adhesives or mechanical joints.
In order to lay a non-whole or peripheral tile, the operative or tiler takes the measurements of the space to be tiled and cuts the tile using any method valid for the purpose. This is more laborious than it might seem, however. There follows, by way of example, a list of all the simple operations said tiler carries out in order to lay a peripheral tile attached using mortar:

picking up a tile,
bending down,
picking up a rule and taking the measurements of the empty area to be tiled,
transferring the measurements of that area to the tile and marking the line of the cut to be made, avoiding intricate and curved lines,
rising to a standing position again,
going over to the cutting tool available at the site,
putting on gloves and protective goggles,
securing the tile firmly,
starting up the cutting machine,
cutting along the indicated line, generally producing dust and noise,
removing the gloves and protective goggles,
switching off the cutting machine,
releasing the previously secured tile,
going over to the place for laying,
bending down again,
testing out tile fit and correcting the cut, normally with a hand tool, if the fit is not correct,
applying the mortar or adhesive cement,
placing the cut tile onto it,
adjusting its alignment to match adjacent tiles,
adjusting the gap in relation to adjacent tiles by putting in elements of predefined thickness,
correcting tile horizontality or verticality using a level, and
wiping the tile and adjacent tiles to remove any splashes or surplus mortar or adhesive cement projecting from them.

If the operation in question is cladding a wall instead of a floor, the list of operations is almost identical, although for approximately one third of them the bending down action of the tiler is replaced by the action of climbing a ladder, while for another third he must also bend down, and for the remaining third he lays them from a standing position. All these operations involve a high cost in terms of time, energy consumption, physical exertion of the tiler, quite apart from the risk of accident involved in using a machine for cutting tiles.
If in addition to this it is borne in mind that in a standard dwelling the ratio between the number of tiles that have to be cut and those that do not need to be cut, can exceed one in some cases, it is obvious that the time spent cutting peripheral tiles considerably influences the final cost of the tiled floor, all the more so in the case of suspended floors that can be laid speedily without applying mortar or adhesive cements, since laying whole tiles is very fast and they do not always require levelling.
Patent DE10038886 A1 described a computerized system optimising quantities and laying-plan for wall and floor tiling panels, inputs dimensions to determine numbers of panels and special shapes. A data input unit is used to enter the dimensions of the laying area, the type of tiling panel and the laying pattern. A computer determines from this data, the tiling units and any additional specially-shaped units required, which are formed by cutting the panels to size.
Patent DE19544713 A1 described a cutting and installing insulation or cladding panels for walls of buildings. The method involves determining by opto-electric means the dimensions of the outer wall of the building with openings, e.g. windows and doors, and in the case of prefabricated buildings the dimensions of the individual facade panels. Using the measurements obtained the insulation or cladding panels are cut to size and fitted to the outer wall of the building. The cut panels can be individually surface treated e.g. plastered and/or painted. From the building data a schedule for the assembly of the panels can be derived which provides the best time required.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The object of the method of the present invention for cladding with tiles for floors, walls, ceilings and the like is to solve the disadvantages presented by the methods known in the prior art, while providing a higher degree of precision in the taking of measurements of door frames in walls to be clad.
The method of the present invention for cladding with tiles for floors, walls, ceilings and the like is of the type that consists in carrying out the following stages:

a) taking high-precision measurements of the surface to be clad using an automatic, semi-automatic or manual system of telemetry;
b) scanning the outline of door frames by means of a telemeter;
c) drawing up a hand-drawn or computerised plan of the entire surface to be clad, based on the measurements taken;
d) determining the size, shape, dimensions, orientation and position of at least each of the peripheral tiles that have to be cut;
e) cutting the peripheral tiles, in accordance with a certain shape and dimensions, in a place other than the premises to be clad, and equipped for carrying out said cutting;
f) transporting the tiles to the zone to be clad; and
g) final laying of the tiles without need to cut any of them in situ;

It is possible thereby to measure the outline of the frame as the telemeter moves on said guide.
The method of the invention for cladding with tiles is thus based on a precise taking of measurements of the area to be clad in order to be able to cut beforehand all the tiles that in general so require, and particularly the peripheral tiles, at a fixed facility away from the premises and duly designed for the purpose and preferably automatic, thereby achieving better, ergonomic production conditions.
Advantageously, after stage c) of drawing up the plan, a hand-drawn or computerised grid layout arrangement is made to represent the tiles as a whole on said plan, and a specific and unique position is assigned to each of the peripheral tiles unit-by-unit or by groups of identical tiles.
Preferably, the distribution diagram is drawn up with the help of a software application that optimises the position of the grid of tiles on the plan in order to minimise the number of tiles to be cut, of the tiles to be used, of the total length of tile to be cut and/or of materials and operating costs.
Advantageously, after stage d) the order of laying of the tiles is determined in order to facilitate and ensure the correct final finish.
Preferably, after stage d) a guide-plan is printed to assist in proper and orderly laying.
Preferably, before or after stage e) of cutting, a referencing of the pertinent position and orientation of each of the cut tiles is carried out in order to facilitate their subsequent laying.
Also preferably, before stage f) of transportation, all the tiles and not only the peripheral ones are referenced in order to facilitate the laying thereof.
Preferably, the scanning of stage b) is carried out by means of a fixed guide including a circumferential profile.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the taking of measurement of stage a) is carried out by means of at least one telemeter that can move along a straight line placed on the floor of a corridor.
Optionally, the taking of measurements of stage a) is carried out by means of an optical recognition system.
In any case, the degree of precision in the taking of measurements must be of the order of a millimetre, whereas the current ways of taking measurements in the sector involve lower average degrees of precision.
Advantageously, the drawing up of the plan of stage c) is carried out by means of a computerised system for processing the measurements taken in stage a).
Preferably, stage e) of cutting is carried out on a numerically controlled precision cutting table, with or without referencing of each of the tiles processed.
The main advantages of applying this method are:

Increased quality of the cladding finishes.
Reduction of the time needed to clad a surface on-site.
Reduction of the final cost of tiling in a sector that is suffering from cost inflation.
Improvement of working ergonomic conditions for the cutting and laying operations.
Reduction of workplace accidents caused by manual cutting tools.
Reduction of the chronic illnesses typical of this professional activity.
Reduction of social costs due to time off work.
Improved quality of life of tile-laying specialists.
Increased productivity of the sector.
Reduction of the number of tiles to be used through optimisation of cutting and distribution or layout. From this the following consequences derive:
- Reduction of the environmental impact from dumping leftovers, and greater possibility of reutilisation or recovery by concentration at the place where they are produced.
- Reduction of the specific energy cost of each cladding operation by reducing the number of tiles required.
- Drastic reduction of the specific cost of each cladding operation, most especially in the case of tiling floors, by reducing the number of tiles required and the time spent cutting and laying them.
Increases the decorative potential of the cladding by ensuring unique positioning of each element within a specific aesthetic motif. It is the ideal tool for complementing computer-assisted decoration.
Facilitates and fosters personalisation of the cladding, even for art work, though without thereby increasing its cost.
Permits and facilitates prior planning for perfect insertion of other objects of any shape and size in any tile for whatever purposes the user or decorator wishes to accord to them (lighting, appearance, picking up signals or household automation, signalling, communications, electrification, switches, household-automation sensors or actuators, etc.).
Facilitates compliance with regulations on workplace safety and prevention of hazards.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to facilitate the description of all that has been outlined above, some drawings are attached which, schematically and solely by way of non-restrictive example, show a practical case of embodiment of the method of the invention of cladding with tiles for floors, walls, ceilings and the like, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a dwelling whose floor is to be clad by means of the method of the invention, showing a skeleton plan of elements placed on the floor in order to proceed to take measurements;
Figure 2 is a plan view of a first room in the dwelling, in which has been placed a telemeter that rotates about itself in order to carry out telemetric scanning of the room;
Figure 3 is a plan view of the section of a door frame, where a telemeter has been placed that travels on a circumferential guide around it in order to carry out scanning of the frame profile;
Figure 4 shows a plan of the room or hall, with the grid representing the tiles as a whole placed in non-optimised position, in that many tiles have to be cut;
Figure 5 shows a plan of the room or hall, with the same grid as Figure 4 but arranged in an optimised manner; and
Figure 6 shows a plan of the dwelling indicating the order of laying of the initial tiles in order to ensure from the outset a correct final finish.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

There follows a description of the method of the invention for cladding with tiles applied to floor-tiling of a dwelling 1, whose plan can be seen in Figure 1.
Firstly, the measurements of the surface to be tiled are taken. The taking of measurements in this case has to be more precise than is usual in the sector, that is, of the order of a millimetre.
The taking of precision measurements of a small surface or one that is easy to clad (such as a living room or bedroom) is relatively straightforward using any known method. In any case, the complexity arises upon attempting to match or combine all the simple spaces (bedrooms, corridors, etc.) in order to create a single area for one continuous cladding operation. Although this process is preferably implemented using a computer system, suitable data must be available in order to do this, and it is not therefore sufficient to have only the measurements of each space, for references are required for each space from which the measurements have been taken in order subsequently to link or join them together.
There follows by way of example a description of a telemetric method that is relatively simple and allows any suitable computer system to later match all the spaces without significant error. It is based on the utilisation of a number of geometrical elements of precisely known measurements and shapes that will permit exact determining of all the locations and orientations from which all the measurements of each space or room were taken; in other words, it unequivocally provides the various references in space and their orientation. This method is based on determining and locating points in a plane parallel and close to the floor by means of a system of polar coordinates, although it could also be carried out by means of a system of Cartesian coordinates.
As can be seen in Figure 1, a skeleton outline of square elements 2 is provided, all of them exactly the same and easy to combine with one another. Said elements 2 are located along the main axis of the dwelling 1, in the corridor 3 in this example, branching out perpendicularly therefrom with their corresponding axes towards each area to be measured (halls, bedrooms, etc). The axes are then aligned properly by doubling the precision, with further elements 2 where necessary, especially on the perpendicular branchlines.
The corresponding elements A to N (shown in grey in Figure 1) are then defined and placed on a virtual plane, from which the respective halls or simple spaces will be scanned. If so wished, all of these points, centres of the respective systems of polar coordinates, can also be located telemetrically by means of a triangulation procedure, in order to increase the precision.
A polar telemeter 4 is then mounted successively on each of the predetermined elements A to N in order to take the measurements of the various spaces or room areas (Figure 1 shows the telemeter on element M), and the reference of the point is detected and fixed as described, or else triangulated with another element close to the central axis.
Finally, the entire room space 5 is scanned degree by degree, from 0° to 360°, as can be appreciated from Figure 2, thus providing with high precision the real perimeter 6 of the space 5 that is being scanned. The data gathered is then entered into a suitable computer drawing program which interprets them and integrates them into the place that is being drawn.
Once the first room space 5 has been scanned, the telemeter 4 is taken down and set up in the following room space, and so on until the process has been completed. In less than three hours the entire dwelling 1 has been scanned and the plan completed.
The doors are then taken off and all their frame outlines scanned in detail, placing them on the virtual general plan, whether by deduction, triangulation, or predetermination by means of the geometrical elements A to N of the position from which the scanning is carried out.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, Figure 3 shows a telemeter 4a that is specially designed to scan the outline of door frames 7. In this case the telemeter 4a does not rotate about itself, but instead rotates about an axis located outside itself, preferably to the interior of the frame, and sliding in its turn through a fixed guide 8 of circumferential profile, said guide 8 being mounted around the frame 7 and at a certain distance from it, so that the telemeter allows the outline of the frame 7 to be measured as it is moving and rotating about said guide 8. Said Figure 3 also shows the corresponding tile 9 cut and placed as it would be left once laid later on.
It is well-known that the walls of corridors are not always parallel nor perfectly straight, especially in the case of long corridors, which means that measurements have to be taken all along their edges in order to ensure a correct measurement. For this purpose it is preferable to use four telemeters (not shown) arranged 90° in relation to one another and mounted on a support that can move in a straight line along the corridor, or failing that, by knowing the lateral travelling movement made during the measuring.
A check is then made, all data are completed manually and the profile of the obscure zones is altered, that is, the zones occupied by large, heavy items of furniture that could not be moved to take their measurements but whose base must also be tiled.
Afterwards, the doors are hung in the frames, and finally the computer file is validated and closed with the finished plan, following a check on the correct locations of the ends that are far from each other.
Once the plan 10 has been obtained with the measurements of the dwelling to be tiled, a manual or computerised layout arrangement is made of a grid 11 or network representing the tiles 9 as a whole on said plan 10, and a specific unique position is assigned for each one of the tiles 9. This layout arrangement can be made manually or with the help of a software application that optimises the position of the grid 11 of tiles 9 on the plan 10 in order to minimise the number of tiles to be cut 9a, of the tiles to be used 9,9a, of the total length of tile to be cut 9a and/or of the cost of materials and of the operation.
Figure 4 shows said grid 11 arranged in a non-optimum position, since there are many peripheral tiles 9a (shown in grey) to be cut; Figure 5, on the other hand, shows the same grid 11, but set in a better position, with a substantial saving of tiles 9 to be used and f tiles 9a to be cut.
This is followed by determining the size, shape, dimensions, orientation and position of at least each of the peripheral tiles 9a that have to be cut.
Procedure can also be made to determine the order of laying of tiles 9 in order to facilitate and ensure a correct final finish. Figure 6 shows with numbers the order for laying of the initial tiles 9, such that in each room space at least one row of tiles 9 will be laid until a back wall is reached. As a result, at the time of laying, if these first tiles 9 have no error of final finish, the rest of the tiles are very unlikely to have any error either.
It is similarly important to print out a guide plan for proper and orderly laying of tiles.
On the basis of the processed data the cutting of the peripheral tiles 9a will be carried out in accordance with the shape and dimensions that have been determined and in a place set up for the purpose and different from the dwelling 1 to be tiled, which place may be at the factory itself, at the warehouse of the distributor and/or in a vehicle set up for the purpose. This operation will be carried out on a numerically controlled precision cutting table, with or without referencing of each of the tiles processed.
It is preferable to carry out a referencing of the corresponding position and orientation of each of the cut tiles 9a in order to facilitate their subsequent laying. It is likewise advisable to reference all the other tiles 9 as well as the peripheral tiles 9a, also to make their laying easier.
The tiles 9,9a are then transported to the dwelling in question, and finally they are laid, preferably in the pre-established order and without the need to cut any of them in situ.
Allowance is also made for the possibility of selling the materials and the service in advance, preferably by telematic means.

Claims

Method for cladding with tiles (9,9a) for floors, walls, ceilings and the like, consisting in carrying out the following steps:
a) taking high-precision measurements of the surface (1) to be clad using an automatic, semi-automatic or manual system of telemetry;

b) scanning the outline of door frames (7) by means of a telemeter (4a);

c) drawing up a hand-drawn or computerised plan (10) of the entire surface (1) to be clad, based on the measurements taken;

d) determining the size, shape, dimensions, orientation and position of at least each of the peripheral tiles (9a) that have to be cut;

e) cutting the peripheral tiles (9a), in accordance with a certain shape and dimensions, in a place other than the premises to be clad, and equipped for carrying out said cutting;

f) transporting the tiles (9,9a) to the zone to be clad; and

g) final laying of the tiles (9,9a) without need to cut any of them in situ;
characterized in that said scanning the outline of door frames according to step b) comprises sliding and rotating gradually the telemeter (4a) on a fixed guide (8) which is arranged around the frame (7), so that the position and orientation of the telemeter (4a) is known at all times as it moves on the guide (8), said guide (8) being preferably centred and at a certain distance from the frame (7).
Method, as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that after stage c) of drawing up the plan, a hand-drawn or computerised grid (11) layout arrangement is made to represent the tiles as a whole (9,9a) on said plan (10), and a specific and unique position is assigned to each of the peripheral tiles (9a) unit-by-unit or by groups of identical tiles.
Method, as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that the distribution diagram is drawn up with the help of a software application that optimises the position of the grid (11) of tiles (9,9a) on the plan (10) in order to minimise the number of tiles to be cut (9a), of the tiles to be used (9,9a), of the total length of tile to be cut (9a) and/or of the materials and operating costs.
Method, according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that after stage d) the order of laying of the tiles (9,9a) is determined in order to facilitate and ensure the correct final finish.
Method, according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that after stage d) a guide-plan is printed to assist in proper and orderly laying.
Method, according to claim 1, characterised in that before or after stage e) of cutting, a referencing of the pertinent position and orientation of each of the cut tiles (9a) is carried out in order to facilitate their subsequent laying.
Method, as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that before stage f) of transportation, all the tiles (9) and not only the peripheral ones (9a) are referenced in order to facilitate the laying thereof.
Method, as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the scanning of stage b) is carried out by means of a fixed guide (8) including a circumferential profile.
Method, as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the taking of measurements of stage a) is carried out by means of at least one telemeter that can move along a straight line placed on the floor of a corridor.
Method, according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the taking of measurements of stage a) is carried out by means of an optical recognition system.
Method, as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the drawing up of the plan (10) of stage c) is carried out by means of a computerised system for processing the measurements taken in stage a).
Method, as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that stage e) of cutting is carried out on a numerically controlled precision cutting table.