Floor covering comprising at least one electrical component and method for producing a floor covering

Abstract

A floor covering as a covering for a subfloor, wherein the floor covering has a layer which is composed of a curable material which is cured in the finished state of the floor covering and into which a reinforcing fabric and at least one electrical component are embedded. The at least one electrical component is connected by way of its bottom side to a subfloor, in particular an unfurnished floor, by adhesive bonding, and the reinforcing fabric covers the at least one electrical component by way of its side which is averted from the subfloor, so that the top side of the at least one electrical component is covered by the reinforcing fabric and the curable material.

Claims

1. A floor covering as a covering for a subfloor, wherein the floor covering comprises a layer of a curable material, which is cured in the finished state of the floor covering and into which a reinforcing fabric and at least one electrical component are embedded, and wherein the reinforcing fabric covers the at least one electrical component by way of its side that faces away from the subfloor, so that the at least one electrical component is covered on the upper side by the reinforcing fabric and the curable material, and wherein the at least one electrical component is arranged on a cladding material, wherein the cladding material with the electrical component arranged thereon is adhesively bonded to the subfloor or unfinished floor, and wherein the cladding material comprises or is formed by a reinforcing fabric.

2. The floor covering according to claim 1, wherein the at least one electrical component comprises at least one electronic component or and/or at least one electrical sensor conductor of a sensor arrangement.

3. The floor covering according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of sensor conductors arranged in an array.

4. A floor covering as a covering for a subfloor, wherein the floor covering comprises a layer of a curable material, which is cured in the finished state of the floor covering and into which a reinforcing fabric and at least one electrical component are embedded, and wherein the reinforcing fabric covers the at least one electrical component by way of its side that faces away from the subfloor, so that the at least one electrical component is covered on the upper side by the reinforcing fabric and the curable material, and wherein the at least one electrical component is arranged on a cladding material, wherein the cladding material with the electrical component arranged thereon is adhesively bonded to the subfloor or unfinished floor, and wherein the cladding material comprises sheets or strips, or wherein the cladding material comprises or is formed by a fabric.

5. The floor covering according to claim 4, wherein a mechanical load-bearing capacity of the reinforcing fabric is greater than that of the cladding material.

6. The floor covering according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of electrical components are arranged next to one another at equal distances in a longitudinal direction or a transverse direction, or in a matrix or in a grid array on the cladding material.

7. The floor covering according to claim 4, wherein the at least one electrical component comprises an adhesive layer for application on the reinforcing fabric or the subfloor.

8. The floor covering according to claim 4, wherein the at least one electrical component is arranged in a protective encapsulation made of a foam material.

9. The floor covering according to claim 4, wherein the at least one electrical component comprises electrical screening on its lower side that faces towards the subfloor.

10. The floor covering according to claim 4, wherein the at least one electrical component is covered on at least one side with a resilient shell material or a foam material.

11. The floor covering according to claim 4, wherein the curable material comprises or is formed by a mineral material, or a synthetic resin material, or a dispersion adhesive material.

12. The floor covering according to claim 4, wherein the curable material has a layer thickness of about 1-7 mm, or the at least one electrical component is covered fully with a layer thickness of about 2-3 mm or 4-5 mm, with the curable material.

13. The floor covering according to claim 4, wherein the reinforcing fabric comprises fibres of polyethylene or polypropylene or polyester or carbon or glass or natural fibres or electrically nonconductive fabric.

14. The floor covering according to claim 4, wherein the reinforcing fabric covers the surface of a plurality of electrical components arranged next to one another.

15. The floor covering according to claim 4, wherein the reinforcing fabric is laid as sheets over a plurality of electrical components.

16. The floor covering according to claim 4, wherein the at least one electronic component is or comprises a sensor element or a radio identification data medium.

17. A floor covering as a covering for a subfloor, wherein the floor covering comprises a layer of a curable material, which is cured in the finished state of the floor covering and into which a reinforcing fabric and at least one electrical component are embedded, and wherein the reinforcing fabric covers the at least one electrical component by way of its side that faces away from the subfloor, so that the at least one electrical component is covered on the upper side by the reinforcing fabric and the curable material, and wherein a resin layer made of a synthetic resin material is arranged on an upper side of the curable material.

18. A floor covering as a covering for a subfloor, wherein the floor covering comprises a layer of a curable material, which is cured in the finished state of the floor covering and into which a reinforcing fabric and at least one electrical component are embedded, and wherein the reinforcing fabric covers the at least one electrical component by way of its side that faces away from the subfloor, so that the at least one electrical component is covered on the upper side by the reinforcing fabric and the curable material, and wherein a resilient layer is arranged on an upper side of the curable material.

19. The floor covering according to claim 18, wherein a resin layer made of a synthetic resin material is arranged on the resilient layer or the resilient covering.

20. The floor covering according to claim 18, wherein the curable material or an adhesive or an adhesive layer for adhesively bonding the electrical component to the subfloor has a resilience sufficient for crack bridging of a crack width of at least 0.5-1 mm.

21. The floor covering according to claim 18, wherein the curable material or an adhesive or an adhesive layer for adhesively bonding the electrical component to the subfloor has a modulus of elasticity of from 100 to 3000 N/mm.sup.2.

22. The floor covering according to claim 18, wherein the curable material or an adhesive or an adhesive layer for adhesively bonding the electrical component to the subfloor is more resilient than a resin layer arranged on an upper side of the curable material.

23. The floor covering according to claim 18, wherein the floor covering has a compressive strength of at least 35 N/mm.sup.2 on its upper side.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained below with the aid of the drawing, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a floor covering,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a view of the floor covering according to FIG. 1 during production,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the floor covering according to FIG. 2, approximately corresponding to the arrow A,

(5) FIG. 4 shows a plan view of the floor covering according to FIG. 2, approximately corresponding to the arrow D,

(6) FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view through an electrical component, for example a locating element, of the floor covering according to the preceding figures,

(7) FIG. 6 shows a schematic plan view of the electrical component or locating element according to FIG. 5, and

(8) FIG. 7 shows a variant of the arrangement according to FIG. 5, but with screening.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(9) A floor covering 10 according to the drawing has a layer structure, which is constructed on a subfloor 20, for example an unfinished floor. The unfinished floor may for example be a screed or a concrete floor or a cavity floor system, but in any event a structure capable of carrying the floor covering 10. The subfloor 20 may, for example, be a double floor system. The precise configuration of the unfinished floor or subfloor is not necessarily important, although the aforementioned variants or at least a stable base are preferred.

(10) Electrical components 85 are adhesively bonded onto the subfloor 20 with the aid of an adhesive layer 40. Various types of electrical components are provided in the floor covering 10, which need not necessarily be the case but represents an advantageous option. For example, sensor conductors 71 that are arranged in a grid array are provided as electrical components 85. The sensor conductors 70, 71 are connected to evaluation elements 72, 73 of a sensor arrangement 74, which are for example arranged at the edge of the floor covering 10. The evaluation elements may also be arranged on the upper side of the floor covering 10. The evaluation elements 72, 73 record objects and/or persons situated on the floor covering 10, for example a vehicle 100 or a person 140.

(11) It can be seen that a zone array is spanned between the evaluation elements 72, 73, i.e. for example array regions 75 are provided, of which the array regions 75a, 75b and 75c are denoted individually. Further array regions or array zones are not denoted for reasons of simplicity, although they are also visibly present. Objects or persons situated in the array regions 75, for example 75a, 75b and 75c, change, for example, the capacitive and/or inductive conditions between the sensor conductors 71, 72, and this can be recorded by the evaluation elements 72, 73. For example, it may be recorded by the sensor arrangement 74 that the person 140, because he is not only in one or two of the array regions 75, but influences in total three array regions, namely the array regions 75a, 75b and 75c, as well as other array regions (not denoted in detail). The aforementioned array regions 75a, 75b and 75c are, however, almost fully covered by the person 140. The sensor arrangement 74 can therefore determine that the person 140 is lying on the floor covering 10 and no longer standing. This is because if the person 140 were standing, he would only influence one or two array regions 75.

(12) Furthermore, with the aid of the adhesive layer 40, locating elements 80 as well as sensor elements 81 are adhesively bonded on the subfloor 20. The locating elements 80 and sensor elements 81 may be electrical components 85.

(13) The locating elements 80 are for example arranged on cladding strips 41, and the locating elements 81 on cladding strips 42. The cladding strips 41, 42 are adhesively bonded in a grid array on the subfloor 20. Equal distances are respectively provided between the locating elements 80 on the cladding strips 41 and the sensor elements 81 on the cladding strips 42. The cladding strips 41 are respectively arranged parallel next to one another, and likewise the cladding strips 42 parallel next to one another, on the subfloor 20. For example, the cladding strips 41, 42 extend at a right angle to one another, although other angular arrangements are also possible.

(14) Furthermore, it is only one advantageous option that, as in the exemplary embodiment of the drawing, for example the sensor conductors, locating elements and sensor elements in a floor covering according to the invention are arranged in an array on the subfloor. A chaotic arrangement of the electrical components on the subfloor, which is for example analysed by a subsequent measurement, would also be readily possible.

(15) The sensor elements 81 and the locating elements 80 are thus adhesively bonded in a grid array on the subfloor per se. The cladding strips 41, 42, i.e. a cladding material 43, make it easier to apply them on the subfloor 20 in the aforementioned array spacing.

(16) The locating elements 80 are or comprise, for example, RFID tags 82 which can be read out by a corresponding reader device 101 of a vehicle 100. With the aid of the locating elements 80, the vehicle 100 can navigate on the floor covering 10. For example, the locating elements 80 respectively comprise a chip 87 and an antenna 86, which form constituent parts of the RFID tag. The structure of such components is known. In any event, these components do not require an energy source, but are supplied with corresponding energy by the reader device 101, specifically by the antenna 86, during readout.

(17) The sensor elements 81 are for example pressure sensors, load sensors or the like, which can record loading of the floor covering 10 and therefore presence of, for example, the vehicle 100 or the person 114. Of course, other sensing functions, for example electric field, inductive influences or the like, may be recorded by sensing by sensor elements in the manner of the sensor elements 81. The sensor elements 81 represent an advantageous option.

(18) Initially, the sensor elements 81, the locating elements 80 and the sensor conductors 70, 71 are thus unprotected on the upper side when they are adhesively bonded on the subfloor 20. This corresponds in principle to the representation according to FIG. 2, in the left-hand region, the reinforcing fabric 30 explained below not yet being present.

(19) In fact, a reinforcing fabric 30, which protects the sensitive electrical components 85 on their upper side that faces away from the subfloor 20, is arranged above the electrical components 85.

(20) In this case, various procedures are advantageous, namely:

(21) First, the reinforcing fabric 30 is arranged above the electrical components 85, before a curable material 45 is introduced between the electrical components 85 and above the components 85. For example, the mass of the curable material 45, so long as it is still liquid or paste-like, is spread with a spatula tool 130.

(22) It is furthermore possible that at least a part of the curable material 45, or the entire curable material 45, is initially cast onto the adhesive layer and the components 85, before the reinforcing fabric 30 is spread or pressed into the still soft mass of the material 45 with the aid of the spatula tool 130 or another processing tool.

(23) In both cases mentioned above, the components 85 are protected on the upper side by the reinforcing fabric 30 when the spatula tool 130 or another processing tool is employed. The processing tool thus cannot damage the components 85.

(24) During the aforementioned processing of the curable material 45, wet-in-wet processing is preferably carried out, that is to say the adhesive layer 40 should not yet be cured before the curable material 45 is introduced. Thus, on the one hand, the adhesive layer 40 forms a bonding course with the subfloor 20, and on the other hand the curable material 45 forms a bonding course with the adhesive layer 40 and the components 85. A homogeneous mass is obtained.

(25) At this point, it should be mentioned that the material of the adhesive layer 40 is expediently the same as that of the curable material 45, for example a synthetic resin material, for example epoxy resin material, polyurethane resin material, acrylic resin material or the like.

(26) When the curable material 45 is cured, it reliably encloses the components 85, so that mechanical loads on the components 85 are at least substantially avoided.

(27) Advantageously, when it is cured, the curable material 45 forms a homogeneous and continuous layer, which does not have any seams, above the components 85.

(28) It is furthermore expedient for the curable material 45 to constitute a moisture barrier or moisture retardant, so that for example no moisture can reach the components 85 from above. They are thus so to speak hermetically covered from above and protected.

(29) Further component parts, for example a resilient layer 50, may be arranged above the floor covering 10 which is to this extent finished, or for example only partially finished. The resilient layer 50 comprises for example a rubber granulate, for example in mat form. The resilient layer 50 acts as a damping layer or flexible layer, even if a top floor 60, for example in the form of a hard layer 61, a hard floor, linoleum, carpet or the like, is also arranged above the resilient layer 50. Impacts possibly acting on the floor covering 10 from above are therefore absorbed. Furthermore, use of the floor covering 10 is extremely ergonomic because it yields resiliently. The floor covering 10 may therefore, for example, provide sound damping, impact noise damping or the like.

(30) At this point, it should be mentioned that the resilient covering 50 represents one option which is advantageous. It is, for example, possible for the hard layer 61 to be arranged in particular directly, above the curable material 45, without the resilient covering 50 lying in between.

(31) The hard layer 61 may likewise comprise or be formed by synthetic resin, for example epoxy resin, polyurethane resin, acrylic resin or the like. Expediently, the modulus of elasticity of the hard layer 61 is equal to that of the resilient layer 50.

(32) The hard layer 61 has on its upper side a compressive strength of at least 35 N/mm.sup.2, preferably at least 40 N/mm.sup.2, particularly preferably at least 45 N/mm.sup.2. The hard layer 61 can therefore readily carry the weight of the vehicle 100.

(33) The reinforcing fabric 30 has, for example, longitudinal windows 31 and transverse windows 32. Expediently, the reinforcing fabric 30 is made of a glass fibre material. Preferably, the reinforcing fabric 30 is electrically nonconductive, so that the functions of the sensor conductors 70, 71 and of the locating element 80 and of the sensor elements 81 are not influenced by the reinforcing fabric 30.

(34) FIG. 5 represents the locating element 80 in detail. The locating element 80 comprises the RFID tag, which is arranged in a protective encapsulation 83. The protective encapsulation 83 has, for example, an adhesive layer 84 which is suitable for fastening on the reinforcing fabric 30 and/or the subfloor 20 or the cladding material 43. A further adhesive layer may readily be provided, for example on the upper side, opposite the adhesive layer 85, of the protective encapsulation 83 on the.

(35) The protective encapsulation 83 expediently consists of a foam material 88, in particular polyurethane. The protective encapsulation 83 is therefore to a certain extent flexible, so that it can absorb and receive impacts or force actions, for example due to the spatula tool 130. The sensitive RFID tag is therefore not damaged.

(36) Expediently, the locating element 80 is enclosed on all sides with the foam material 88. It would, however, also be conceivable for the locating element 80, or another electronic or electrical component, in a floor covering according to the invention to be protected or enclosed only on the upper side, i.e. facing away from the subfloor, only on the lower side, i.e. facing towards the subfloor, or only laterally with the foam material.

(37) This technology, i.e. a protective encapsulation in the manner of the protective encapsulation 83, may also readily be used for the sensor element 81.

(38) It is furthermore advantageous that, as represented in FIG. 7, electrical screening 89 is provided between the electrical component 85 and the subfloor 20. The screening 89 reduces or avoids, for example, electrical and/or electromagnetic and/or capacitive influences of a steel reinforcement 21, which forms a constituent part of the subfloor 20 or is situated below the subfloor 20. The screening 89 comprises, for example, a screening plate, a screening fabric or the like. The screening 89 may, for example, be adhesively bonded to the subfloor 20 with the aid of the adhesive layer 40. It is possible for the screening 89 to form a constituent part of the electrical component 85, in particular of the locating element 80.

(39) The electrical component 85 is, for example, adhesively bonded to the subfloor 20 with the aid of the adhesive layer 40. The component 85 is preferably connected firmly to the screening 89, for example adhesively bonded or pressed or both. The screening 89 is adhesively bonded to the subfloor 20 with the aid of the adhesive layer 40.