JP4643337B2 - Carpet floor heating mat - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention provides a heating effect as a covering material for a heating mat even when a concentrated load is applied, for example, when a material having a soft foot feeling during walking, such as a carpet having excellent cushioning properties, is used. The present invention relates to a heating mat having load resistance that does not reduce or damage a heat medium distribution pipe in the heating mat.

  In buildings such as ordinary houses, apartment houses, hotels, hospitals, and elderly care facilities, floor heating facilities that heat from the floor surface are becoming common for the purpose of improving habitability. Such floor heating equipment heats the room from the floor surface heated by the heat medium flowing through the piping in the floor heating mat.

Conventionally, when walking on such a heating mat, a soft material such as a carpet is used as the covering material of the heating mat when it is intended to give a soft feeling to the foot sensation. Therefore, a sufficient soft feeling may not be obtained, so that a substrate with a buried heat medium circulation pipe under the covering material is also used. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a carpet is used as a covering material, and a thermoplastic resin foam having a high foaming ratio of 10 to 40 times is used for a base on which a heat medium circulation pipe is embedded. ing. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an outline of the configuration of a conventional heating mat 500. As can be seen, the heating mat 500 has a soft layer 553, a thin metal plate 554, and a cover material 555 as main members, and the heat medium distribution pipe 551 is disposed only in a groove 556 carved in the soft layer 553. ing.
JP 2001-296031 A

  However, when a material having high elasticity is used for both the surface material constituting the heating mat and the base body in which the heat medium circulation pipe is embedded, heavy objects may be placed on the surface material near the heat medium circulation pipe. When a concentrated load is applied by a caster or the like, the heat medium circulation pipe is deformed from a circular shape to an elliptical shape together with the surface material and the base body due to the concentrated load. The state of the deformation is schematically shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a cross-section when a concentrated load is applied to a conventional heating mat 500. As can be seen from this figure, in the conventional heating mat 500, the heat medium circulation pipe 551 is greatly deformed by the load, and the deformation reduces the cross-sectional area in the pipe of the heat medium circulation pipe 551 which is the passage of the heat medium. There was a possibility of making it. As a result, there is a possibility that the heat medium hardly flows through the deformed heat medium circulation pipe 551, and that the heating effect is lowered or the uniformity of the temperature distribution of the heating mat 500 is deteriorated. Furthermore, the pipe material of the deformed heat medium circulation pipe 551 may be damaged.

  Therefore, in the present invention, in the case where a material having high elasticity is used for both the surface material constituting the heating mat and the base body in which the heat medium circulation pipe is embedded, the surface material in the vicinity where the heat medium distribution pipe is embedded. It is an object of the present invention to provide a heating mat having load resistance that does not reduce the heating effect or damage the heat medium distribution pipe in the heating mat even when a concentrated load is applied.

  As a result of diligent study, the present inventor has provided a soft layer and a hard layer as a lower layer of the cover material as the layer structure of the heating mat, and the heating medium circulation pipe is partially embedded in the hard layer. By engraving a groove for burying the medium circulation pipe, even when a concentrated load is applied on the upper surface material near the area where the heat medium circulation pipe is buried, only the part buried in the soft layer The present invention has been completed by finding that the above problem can be solved by deforming the heat medium distribution pipe and reducing the degree of deformation as compared with the prior art.

  That is, a groove for embedding a heat medium distribution pipe so that the soft layer side is opened in the base on which the hard layer and the soft layer are bonded by an adhesive means is provided in the thickness direction of the hard layer and the soft layer. And engraved across the hard layer. And it is set as the heating mat characterized by embed | buried so that piping for heat-medium distribution | circulation may be partly located in this groove | channel in the soft layer of a groove | channel, and another part in the hard layer part of a groove | channel.

  The present invention will be described below. In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are appended in parentheses, but the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a groove for embedding the heat medium circulation pipe (51) is provided in the base on which the hard layer (52) and the soft layer (53) are bonded by the bonding means so that the soft layer side is opened. The heat medium circulation pipe is embedded in the groove in the thickness direction of the hard layer and the soft layer, the heat medium circulation pipe is embedded in the groove, and the depth of the groove is outside the heat medium circulation pipe. The heating mat characterized by having a surface layer material (55) having substantially the same diameter, having a soft layer thickness of 20% or less of the outer diameter of the heat medium circulation pipe, and further having cushioning properties. The above-mentioned problem is solved by providing (50) .

The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that the hard layer (52) of the heating mat (50) of claim 1 has a compressive strength of 250 kPa to 100 MPa.

  The material of the hard layer in this case is not particularly limited as long as it is a material having a small elasticity, but wood, hard rubber, polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane, etc., which are foamable resins having an expansion ratio of 20 times or less, etc. Among them, polystyrene and polyurethane are preferable from the viewpoint of strength and cost. Particularly preferred is polystyrene having an expansion ratio of 5 to 20 times and a compressive strength of 300 to 2000 kPa. The thickness of the hard layer is desirably 7 to 10 mm.

The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that the soft layer (53) of the heating mat according to claim 1 or 2 has a compressive strength of 5 kPa to 240 kPa.

  The material of the soft layer in this case is a polyolefin foam such as polyethylene or polypropylene, urethane, acrylic foam, or a soft PVC foam. Among them, a polyolefin foam is preferable from the viewpoint of resilience and cost. The expansion ratio of the polyolefin foam is usually 15 to 80 times, preferably 20 to 50 times, and the compression strength is 50 to 200 kPa. The thickness of the soft layer is preferably not more than the deformation rate of the maximum load in the case of a crosslinked polyethylene pipe which is a commonly used heat medium circulation pipe, and preferably not more than 20% of the outer diameter of the pipe. If it is 20% or more, there is a risk of plastic deformation due to the load applied to the resin-made heat medium distribution pipe, and the heat medium distribution pipe does not return to its original shape even after unloading. Depending on the case.

  Further, the adhesion between the hard layer and the soft layer is not particularly limited, but examples of the adhesion means include an adhesive material, a melt material, heat fusion, and an adhesive. Using these bonding means, the hard film and the soft film are bonded partially or entirely.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the heating mat according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the flexible thin plate (54) and the covering material are provided on the surface of the soft layer (53) on the side where the groove (56) is opened. (55) is provided in this order from the surface.

  The flexible thin plate may be any material that has excellent heat conductivity, and is preferably a metal foil plate, a laminate of a metal foil plate and a non-woven fabric, or a metal film deposited on a plastic film. preferable. The thickness of the flexible thin plate is usually 30 to 100 μm. Further, examples of the covering material include normal carpets, cushion floors, and tatami mats. The thickness of the cover material varies depending on the type of the cover material, but is usually 6 to 15 mm.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the heating medium circulation pipe of the heating mat is disposed across both the hard layer and the soft layer, so that a load for crushing the heating medium circulation pipe is received. When this occurs, only the portion of the heat medium circulation pipe disposed in the soft layer is crushed. The portion of the heat medium distribution pipe disposed in the hard layer is not crushed by the load. Thereby, even if the heat medium distribution pipe receives a load, the heat medium flowing therethrough is hardly affected, so there is no possibility of a decrease in heating efficiency. Furthermore, since the heat medium distribution pipe does not undergo plastic deformation, it returns to its original state when it is unloaded, and there is almost no possibility of damage to the pipe even if the loading and unloading are repeated. On the other hand, the effect of giving a soft feeling to the user's foot feeling can be maintained by forming a part of the soft layer instead of making it all hard.

According to the invention of claim 2, the material used for the hard layer has a compressive strength in the range of 250 kPa to 100 MPa, so that the heat medium circulation pipe can be reliably protected.

According to the invention of claim 3 , by making the material used for the soft layer a compressive strength in the range of 5 to 240 kPa, it is possible to reliably maintain a soft feeling in the user's foot feeling.

According to the invention of claim 4 , since the flexible thin plate and the covering material are provided in this order from the soft layer side to the indoor space side of the hard layer and the soft layer, the flexible thin plate has an effect as a heat equalizing plate. The temperature distribution in the entire heating mat can be made uniform. Further, by providing a cover material thereon, a soft feeling can be given to the user's foot. Furthermore, since the design of the cover material can be selected according to the user's preference, it is possible to provide a heating mat that can be applied to many rooms.

  Such an operation and gain of the present invention will be made clear from the best mode for carrying out the invention described below.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a floor heating apparatus 100 including a heating panel 50 of the present invention. The floor heating apparatus 100 includes a heat medium supply source 10, an outgoing pipe 20, a return pipe 30, and a heating mat 50 as main members. The heating panel 50 is laid on the indoor floor or the like, the heat medium supply source 10 is usually provided outside the room, and the heating panel 50 and the heat medium supply source 10 are connected by the forward pipe 20 and the return pipe 30. The heat insulation panel 50 has a heat medium flow header 40 and a heat medium distribution pipe 51 therein. The heat medium distribution header is a member that connects the forward pipe 20 and the return pipe 30 to the heat medium distribution pipe 51, and the heat medium distribution pipe 51 is disposed over the entire heat insulating panel 50, and the inside thereof As the heat medium flows, the heat insulation panel 50 is warmed to a substantially uniform temperature.

  The heating medium heated by the heating medium supply source 10 passes through the forward pipe 20 and flows into the heating medium distribution header 40. The heat medium is distributed from the heat medium distribution header 40 to the heat medium distribution pipe 51 and flows through the heat insulation panel 50. At this time, the heat medium warms the room, and the temperature of the heat medium decreases accordingly. The heat medium whose temperature has decreased returns to the heat medium flow header 40, enters the heat medium supply source 10 through the return pipe 30, and is heated again by the heat medium supply source 10. By having the heat medium cycle as described above, the floor heating device 100 heats the room where the heating mat is laid.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of the cross section of the heating mat 50 taken along the line AA in FIG. In FIG. 2, the upper side of the page is the direction of the indoor space, and the lower side of the page is the direction of the floor. As shown in FIG. 2, the heating mat 50 includes a hard layer 52, a soft layer 53, a flexible thin plate 54, and a surface material 55 in this order from the lower side to the upper side in this order. Further, a heat medium circulation pipe 51 is disposed in a groove 56 that penetrates the soft layer 53 in the thickness direction and is cut halfway in the thickness direction of the hard layer 52 and opens to the indoor space side. The depth of the groove 56 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the heat medium circulation pipe 51. In addition, approximately 20% of the depth of the groove 56 is configured by the soft layer 53 and the remaining approximately 80% is configured by the hard layer 52. Therefore, the thickness of the soft layer 53 is the same as about 20% of the outer diameter of the heat medium circulation pipe 51. At this time, the shape of the bottom of the groove 56 is substantially the same as the outer radius of the heat medium circulation pipe 51 because the outer surface of the heat medium circulation pipe 51 and the inner surface of the groove 56 have as much contact area as possible. A semi-circular shape with a large radius. Thereby, the heat from the heat medium can be efficiently transmitted to the hard layer 52 and the like through the tube wall of the heat medium circulation pipe 51. As described above, due to the difference in configuration from the conventional heating mat 500 shown in FIG. 4, the heating mat 50 of the present invention gives a soft feeling to the user's feet and has a large heat medium distribution pipe 51. Deformation is prevented.

  In the heating mat 50 of FIG. 2, examples of the material of the heat medium distribution pipe include flexible cross-linked polyethylene pipe, polybutene pipe, polypropylene pipe, soft polyvinyl chloride pipe, and nylon pipe. The outer diameter is usually 6 to 10 mm, and the inner diameter is usually 4 to 7 mm. The hard material used for the hard layer has a compressive strength of 250 kPa to 100 MPa. The compressive strength was measured according to JIS K 7220 using a test piece having a size of 50 × 50 × 25 mm. Moreover, the soft material used for the soft layer has a compressive strength of 5 to 240 kPa. The compressive strength was measured according to JIS K 6767 using a test piece having a size of 50 × 50 × 25 mm.

  As described above, the flexible thin plate only needs to be a material having excellent heat conductivity, and is preferably a metal foil plate, a laminate of a metal foil plate and a non-woven fabric, or a metal film deposited on a plastic film, and considers workability. Then, the aluminum thin plate is preferable. The thickness of the flexible thin plate is usually 30 to 100 μm. Further, as described above, the surface covering material may include a normal carpet, a cushion floor, a tatami mat, and the like. The thickness of the cover material varies depending on the type of the cover material, but is usually 6 to 15 mm.

  FIG. 3 is a view showing a cross section corresponding to FIG. 2 when a concentrated load is applied by the member 90 to the surface material 55 just above the heat medium circulation pipe 51 in the heating mat 50. The concentrated load is applied by the member 90 in the direction of the broken arrow indicated by B in the figure. Even when a load is applied, the heat medium circulation pipe 51 of the heating mat 50 has a large portion disposed in the hard layer 52 portion in the groove 56. 55, only the portion disposed in the soft layer 53 of the soft layer 53 and the heat medium circulation pipe 51. Accordingly, since the amount of the heat medium circulation pipe 51 crushed by the load is small, the influence on the flow of the heat medium flowing through the pipe can be reduced, and the possibility of causing a decrease in heating efficiency and uneven temperature distribution can be avoided. . As described above, since the thickness of the soft layer 53 is 20% of the outer diameter of the heat medium circulation pipe 51, the heat medium circulation pipe 51 is crushed within 20% of the outer diameter. Thereby, the deformation amount of the heat medium circulation pipe 51 due to the load can be kept in the elastic deformation region, and the damage of the heat medium circulation pipe 51 due to plastic deformation can be avoided.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to the most practical and preferred embodiments at the present time, the invention is limited to the embodiments disclosed herein. However, it can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and a heating mat with such a change is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Must be understood.

It is a figure which shows the outline of the heating installation provided with the heating mat of this invention. It is the figure which showed a part in the cross section of the heating mat in the line | wire shown by AA of FIG. It is the figure which showed typically the mode of a deformation | transformation of this heating mat when the concentrated load was loaded on a part of heating mat of FIG. It is the figure which showed a part of cross section of the conventional heating mat. It is the figure which showed typically the mode of a deformation | transformation of this heating mat when the concentrated load was loaded on some conventional heating mats of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Heat medium supply source 20 Outward pipe 30 Return pipe 40 Heat medium distribution header 50 Heating mat 51 Heat medium distribution pipe 52 Hard layer 53 Soft layer 54 Flexible thin plate 55 Surface material 100 Floor heating device

Claims (4)

A groove for embedding a heat medium distribution pipe so that the soft layer side is opened in the base body to which the hard layer and the soft layer are bonded by an adhesive means is provided in the thickness direction of the hard layer and the soft layer. The heat medium circulation pipe is embedded in the groove, and the depth of the groove is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the heat medium circulation pipe. The heating mat is provided with a surface layer material having a cushioning property and a thickness of 20% or less of the outer diameter of the heat medium circulation pipe . The heating mat according to claim 1, wherein the hard layer has a compressive strength of 250 kPa to 100 MPa. The heating mat according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the soft layer has a compressive strength of 5 to 240 kPa. Wherein the soft layer, on the surface on the side where the groove is opened, the flexible sheet and the mounting member is according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that provided in this order from the surface Heating mat.

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