JP7679949B1 - Smart tiles with embedded electric heating coils - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an electric heating tile that can more easily release heat generated by a heating cable through the top surface of the tile [Solution] An electric wire heating type electric heating tile is provided. The electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first layer on which a copper pipe is provided, a second layer provided on the first layer and patterned with at least one copper film, a top cover covering the top surface of the second layer, and a bottom cover covering the bottom surface of the first layer, and at least one magnetic member is attached to one side of the top cover and the bottom cover.
[Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to an electric heating tile that houses a copper pipe inside the tile, and more specifically, to an electric heating tile in which a layer of copper pipe and copper film is mounted inside the tile and heat is emitted from the top surface of the tile by a heating cable inserted inside the copper pipe.

Typically, interior materials in the form of sheets made from tiles, wood, metal composites, and the like, are attached to the interior walls of buildings to decorate designated spaces.

Most of these interior architectural materials have the problem of being heavy, and most of them are used only as simple interior architectural materials designed solely to have a good-looking appearance but without providing any functionality.

Meanwhile, heating inside buildings can be divided into two types: air conditioning heating, which uses an electric heater to heat cold air to make it warm, and then blows the heated air into the room; and radiant heating, which heats the floor or walls and warms the room through radiation from the floor or walls.

In particular, radiant heating is nowadays mainly used because of its relatively good heating efficiency, and radiant heating methods include heating the floor or wall by guiding hot water through pipes under the floor or behind the wall, and heating the floor or wall by embedding electric wires in the floor or wall.

However, hot water heating types are gradually being replaced by electric wire heating types, as there is a risk of water leaks if the pipes corrode or become damaged.

However, even in the case of the electric wire heating type, a series of complicated construction steps are required as follows: before constructing the floor or wall, the electric wire should be laid on the floor or wall first, then the cement should be poured, and after the cement has hardened and dried, the decorative or other surface tiles should be further placed on the top surface of the cement and fixed to it. Therefore, the electric wire heating type has the disadvantages of requiring a lot of labor, high construction cost, and generating a lot of electromagnetic waves which are harmful to the human body.

To compensate for these shortcomings, underfloor heating using planar or linear heating elements produces fewer electromagnetic waves and can easily transfer the heat used.

In particular, in the construction of underfloor heating using planar heating elements, insulating material is laid on the floor to be heated and then applied.

However, the strength of the planar heating element is weak, so the planar heating element is easily damaged by external impact. In addition, the planar heating element is vulnerable to moisture, and may catch fire due to electrical leakage. If the planar heating element is partially damaged, it is difficult to repair.

Meanwhile, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0099894 describes a heating block having a structure in which the top surface of a square block base in which a cover fitting groove and a heating wire fitting groove are formed is covered with a heat conductive solution or paste, a heating wire is inserted into the heating wire fitting groove, and the cover fitting groove is covered with a cover.

However, in the case of the prior art, since the heating wire and the heat conductive solution (or the heat conductive paste) are used as the heating medium, it is difficult to fix a sufficient connection area between them, which causes problems such as poor connection and spark generation. Therefore, there are problems in terms of safety and reduced functionality.

In addition, there is a disadvantage in terms of manufacturability and workability in that in order to insert the heating wire into the square block base, a heating wire fitting groove must be machined on the top surface of the square block base before the heating wire is installed.

Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, research is needed into electric heating tiles that are easy to construct and repair, and can be used safely from accidents such as fires.

The object of the present disclosure is to provide an electric heating tile that is made of copper and has a copper pipe into which a heating cable, such as an electric heating wire, is inserted, and a copper film formed inside the tile above the copper pipe, thereby allowing heat generated by the heating cable to be more easily released through the top surface of the tile.

In addition, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide an electric heating tile that has at least one magnetic member on one side, allowing the tile to be easily installed and maintained through a magnetic connection.

In addition, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide an electric heating tile that is capable of measuring the temperature of the copper pipe and safely controlling the heating state of the electric heating tile by including a control module electrically connected to the electric heating tile.

The problems that this disclosure aims to solve are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems that this disclosure aims to solve that are not mentioned here will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains from the following description.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electric heating tile comprising: a first layer on which a copper pipe is provided; a second layer provided on the first layer and patterned with at least one copper film; a top cover configured to cover an upper surface of the second layer; and a bottom cover configured to cover a lower surface of the first layer, with at least one magnetic member attached to one side of the top cover and the bottom cover.

The bottom cover may have a first inlet provided on one side, a second inlet provided on the other side opposite the first inlet, and an insert member inserted into the first inlet and the second inlet, the insert member may be made of an elastic material and may be provided in a tubular shape having a through hole passing therethrough, and the copper pipe may be inserted into the through hole.

The electric heating tile may further include a control module configured to control the heating state of the copper pipe, and the control module may include a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the top cover, a power supply unit configured to supply power to a heating cable inserted in the copper pipe, a communication unit configured to receive a user control signal from a predetermined user terminal, and a temperature control unit configured to control the heating temperature of the copper pipe based on the user control signal received from the communication unit.

The copper pipe of the first layer may be made of the same material as the copper film of the second layer, the copper pipe and the copper film may be joined by soldering, and the area of the bottom cover where the first layer is mounted may be coated with epoxy.

The electric heating tile may further include a side cover having a thickness equal to the combined thickness of the bottom cover and the top cover, including an empty space formed therein, and having at least one through hole on one side.

According to the present disclosure, by providing a copper pipe made of copper and into which a heating cable, such as an electric heating wire, is inserted, and a copper film inside the tile, the heating cable passing through the top surface of the tile can more easily dissipate heat generated by the heating cable passing through the top surface of the tile.

In addition, by providing at least one magnetic member on one side, the tiles can be easily installed and maintained through a magnetic connection.

In addition, by including a control module electrically connected to the heating tile, it is possible to measure the temperature of the copper pipe and safely control the heating state of the heating tile.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a first layer of electric thermal tiles according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a second layer of thermal tiles according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a combination of a first layer and a second layer of an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

1 is a diagram illustrating a top cover and a bottom cover of an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a diagram illustrating a bottom cover of an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a diagram illustrating a bottom cover of an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a control module of an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

1 is a diagram illustrating a side cover of an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a fault diagnosis unit provided in a control module of an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a fault diagnosis unit provided in a control module of an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Specific details of the present disclosure, including the problems to be solved by the invention, the means for solving the problems, and the effects of the invention, as described above, are included in the examples and drawings described below. Advantages and features of the present disclosure, and methods for achieving them, will become apparent by referring to the embodiments described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The scope of the rights of this disclosure is not limited to the examples described below, and may be modified and implemented in various ways by a person with ordinary skill in the art within the scope of the technical spirit of this disclosure.

Hereinafter, the title of the disclosed invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached FIG. 1.

1 is a diagram of an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a first layer of an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a second layer of an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a combination of the first and second layers of an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIGS. 5 to 7 are drawings for explaining a top cover and a bottom cover of an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a control module of an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a side cover of an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIGS. 10 and 11 are diagrams for explaining a fault diagnosis unit provided in a control module of an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

(First embodiment)

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, an electric heating tile 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a first layer 110 on which a copper pipe 111 is provided, a second layer 120 provided on the first layer 110 and patterned with at least one copper film 121, a top cover 130 covering the upper surface of the second layer 120, and a bottom cover 140 covering the lower surface of the first layer 110.

For example, the top cover 130 may be made from a variety of materials such as ceramic, wood, and synthetic resin, and the bottom cover may be made from a synthetic resin material such as PVC.

For example, the gap provided between the first layer 110 and the top cover 130 may be less than a preset maximum thickness (e.g., 10 mm).

As another example, the pattern of the copper film 121 may be determined to correspond to the size and shape of the top cover 130.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 5, the top cover 130 and the bottom cover 140 may be provided with at least one magnetic member 131 and 141 on one side.

Thus, the electric heating tiles 100 can be modularly assembled by the magnetic members 131 and 141, the electric heating tiles 100 can be constructed for an entire area, or the electric heating tiles 100 can be partially placed in the area requiring construction.

On the other hand, referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the bottom cover 140 may have a first inlet 142 provided on one side, a second inlet 143 provided on the other side opposite the first inlet 142, and an insert member 144 inserted into the first inlet 142 and the second inlet 143.

At this time, the insertion member 144 is made of an elastic material and has a tubular shape with a through hole passing through the inside, and the copper pipe 111 can be inserted into the through hole.

Preferably, the insert member 144 may be made from a silicon material.

Therefore, both ends of the copper pipe 111 provided in the first layer 110 can be protected by the insert member 144, and movement of the copper pipe 111 can be minimized.

In this case, the heating cable 10 may be inserted into the copper pipe 111, and the heat generated by the heating cable 10 may be released to the top cover 130 through the copper pipe 111 of the first layer 110 and the copper film 121 of the second layer 120.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, the electric heating tile 100 may further include a control module 150 that controls the heating state of the copper pipe 111.

More specifically, the control module 150 may have a temperature sensor 151 for measuring the temperature of the top cover 130, a power supply unit 152 configured to supply power to the heating cable 10 inserted into the copper pipe 111, a communication unit 153 configured to receive a user control signal from a predetermined user terminal, and a temperature control unit 154 configured to control the heating temperature of the copper pipe 111 based on the user control signal received from the communication unit 153.

For example, the user control signal may include a heating reservation time, a maximum heating temperature, a minimum heating temperature, or the like.

The temperature control unit 154 therefore controls the heating state of the heating cable 10 by adjusting the magnitude and duty ratio of the voltage applied to the heating cable 10 based on the user control signal.

Meanwhile, the copper pipe 111 of the first layer 110 is made of the same material as the copper film 121 of the second layer 120, and the copper pipe 111 and the copper film 121 may be joined by soldering.

In addition, the area of the bottom cover 140 where the first layer 110 is mounted may be coated with epoxy resin.

More specifically, epoxy resin or the like may be applied to the inner surface of the bottom cover 140 at a preset thickness (e.g., 10 mm), and heat generated from the underside of the bottom cover 140 may be blocked by the epoxy resin.

That is, by applying epoxy resin or the like to the inner surface of the bottom cover 140, the temperature of the copper pipe 111 and the copper film 121 can be prevented from being affected by the heat rising from the bottom of the bottom cover 140, and the heat generated from the heating cable 10 inserted inside the copper pipe 111 can be released through the top cover 130.

In addition, if the copper pipe heating temperature is input through the control module 150, heat loss due to cold floor air or the like can be minimized.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 9, the electric heating tile may further include a side cover 160 having the same thickness as the combined thickness of the bottom cover 140 and the top cover 130, including an empty space formed therein, and having at least one through hole on one side.

The heating cable 10, which passes through the first inlet 142 and the second inlet 143 of the bottom cover 140, may be inserted through a through hole provided in the side cover 160.

In other words, the tile construction can be completed by placing the side covers (160) along the outer edges of the area where heat is to be supplied by the electric heating tile 100.

At this time, the side cover 160 may include at least one cutting line in the horizontal and vertical directions, and the side cover 160 may be cut according to the shape of the floor.

For example, the side cover 160 may be made from plastic.

As another example, a thermally conductive sheet is attached to the side of the top cover 130 to induce rapid thermal conduction between the thermal tiles 100 when multiple thermal tiles 100 are combined.

(Second embodiment)

Meanwhile, the control module 150 may further include a fault diagnosis unit (not shown) that analyzes the temperature data (sensor output data) collected through the temperature sensor 151.

This fault diagnosis unit (not shown) may analyze the sensor output data in real time and determine that a fault has occurred in the temperature sensor 151 when the instantaneous rate of change of the sensor output data is equal to or greater than a preset value.

To this end, in the first embodiment, the instantaneous rate of change Rchange of the sensor output data is calculated, and if the instantaneous rate of change Rchange is greater than a preset limit value Serr, it can be determined that an error has occurred in the sensor's real-time output data (e.g., due to a failure of the sensor itself).

The instantaneous rate of change Rchange of the sensor output data can be calculated through the differential value f'(x) of the function f(x) that represents the characteristics of the sensor, as shown in the following [Equation 1].

[Formula 1]

Here, Rchange refers to the instantaneous rate of change of the sensor output data, and Δt refers to the change over time.

In a second embodiment, a sensor failure can be determined to occur only in cases where the instantaneous rate of the sensor calculated in [Formula 1] is greater than a preset limit value Serr equal to or greater than a preset number of times during a preset period. In other words, since it is difficult to determine a sensor failure in a one-off case with a high instantaneous rate, in order to improve the accuracy of the sensor failure determination, a standard can be set to determine that a sensor failure has occurred only when the number of failures exceeds a preset number of times during a preset period.

In a third embodiment, it can be determined that a sensor failure has occurred only if the cumulative number of times that the instantaneous rate of change of the sensor calculated in [Equation 1] is greater than the preset limit value Serr is greater than a preset number. As with the second embodiment above, since it is difficult to determine a sensor failure in a one-off case with a high instantaneous rate, in order to improve the accuracy of the sensor failure determination, a standard can be set to determine that a sensor failure has occurred only if the number of failures exceeds a preset number during a preset period.

In the fourth embodiment, if the instantaneous rate of change of the sensor calculated in [Equation 1] changes rapidly, it can be determined that the sensor has failed.

For this purpose, f'(x) calculated in [Equation 1] is differentiated again to calculate f''(x), and if the calculated value is greater than a preset value, it can be determined that a fault has occurred in the sensor.

On the other hand, in the fifth embodiment, even if it is determined through any one of the first to fourth embodiments that a fault has occurred in the sensor, the sensor fault is not immediately confirmed, but rather the sensor fault may be confirmed if the "unexpected data generation condition" described below is simultaneously satisfied.

Here, in the unexpected data generation condition, the gradients of the upper limit lines 810 and 910 connecting the upper limit values of the sensor output data and the lower limit lines 820 and 920 connecting the lower limit values of the sensor output data are calculated as shown in Figures 10 and 11, and if the gradient difference calculated in the following [Equation 2] is equal to or greater than a preset value, it can be determined that unexpected data has occurred.

Therefore, if it is determined through any one of the first to fourth embodiments that a fault has occurred in the sensor, and the slope difference Idiff calculated in [Equation 2] is equal to or greater than a preset value for satisfying the unexpected data generation condition, it can be set to confirm the sensor fault.

[Formula 2]

Here, I _max means the gradient of the upper limit line connecting the upper limits of the sensor output data, I _min means the gradient of the lower limit line connecting the lower limits of the sensor output data, and I _diff means the gradient difference (absolute value).

More specifically, as shown in Fig. 10 and Fig. 11, the sensor data is collected at regular intervals, and the slopes of the upper limit line 810 connecting the upper ends of the collected data and the lower limit line 820 connecting the lower ends are calculated, respectively. Then, the slope difference _Idiff between the two lines is calculated, and if the difference is not large (less than a preset value), the sensor data is considered to be moving within the error range, and it is determined that the sensor is operating normally. Moreover, if the slope difference Idiff between the two lines becomes larger than a preset value, it can be determined that the sensor has failed, since an inaccurate value is output due to a sensor failure.

That is, in the case of FIG. 10, the slope of the upper limit line 810 is 0.26 and the slope of the lower limit line 820 is 0.24; therefore, the slope difference Idiff between the two lines is 0.02, which is less than the preset reference value of 0.12, and it can be determined that the sensor is operating normally.

On the other hand, if the upper or lower limit lines appear as curved lines, the slopes may be compared by dividing the area by the sections where the lines are curved, or the slopes may be compared by calculating the average slope over a period of time.

Referring to FIG. 11, first, the case where the slopes are compared by dividing the area at each section where the straight lines bend is described. In FIG. 11, the upper straight line 910 includes three straight lines, in which the first straight line 911 has a slope of 0.26, the second straight line 912 has a slope of 0.45, and the third straight line 913 has a slope of 0.26. In the case of the first straight line 911, if the lower straight line 920 has a slope of 0.24, the slope difference with the lower straight line 920 (0.26-0.24) is 0.02, which is less than the preset reference value of 0.12, and therefore, it is determined that the sensor is operating normally. However, in the case of the second straight line 912, the slope difference (0.45-0.24) with the lower limit straight line 920 is 0.21, which is greater than the preset reference value of 0.12, and therefore the sensor is determined to be operating abnormally, and in the case of the third straight line 913, the slope difference (0.38-0.24) with the lower limit straight line 920 is 0.14, which is greater than the preset reference value of 0.12, and therefore the sensor is determined to be operating abnormally. In this way, when dividing the area at each section where the straight line bends, comparing the slopes, and determining whether a fault has occurred, the time when the fault occurred can also be estimated, which can be very useful when it is necessary to check when a fault has occurred.

The slopes can then be compared by calculating the slope average over a period of time. The slope average of the upper line 910 over the entire section of FIG. 11 is {(0.24+0.45+0.38)/3}=0.35, the difference with the slope average of the lower line 920 (0.24) is 0.11, which is less than the preset reference value of 0.12, and therefore it can be determined that the sensor is operating normally. In this way, determining a fault by calculating the average slope over a period of time can reduce the sensitivity of the fault determination, since even if there is a temporary slope change, it is not determined to be a fault unless the average value exceeds the reference value. Thus, unnecessary fault determinations can be prevented.

According to the present disclosure as described above, a copper pipe made of copper into which a heating cable, such as an electric heating wire, is inserted, and a copper film formed on the top of the copper pipe is provided inside the tile. Accordingly, it is possible to provide an electric heating tile in which the heat generated by the heating cable is more easily released through the top surface of the tile.

In addition, by providing at least one magnetic member on one side, it is possible to provide a heating tile that is easy to install and maintain through magnetic connection.

In addition, by including a control module electrically connected to the heating tile, it is possible to provide a heating tile that can measure the temperature of the copper pipe and safely control the heating state of the heating tile.

In addition, a method of controlling an electric heating tile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may be recorded on a computer-readable medium that includes program instructions for performing various computer-implemented operations. The computer-readable medium may include, alone or in combination, program instructions, data files, data structures, or the like. The medium may be one for which the program instructions are specifically designed and configured for the present disclosure, or may be one known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media, such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical media, such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media, such as floptical disks, and hardware devices, such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory, that are specifically configured to store and execute program instructions. Examples of program instructions include machine language code, such as that generated by a compiler, and high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, or the like.

As described above, one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described through limited examples and drawings, but one embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes and modifications can be made from these descriptions by a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. Therefore, one embodiment of the present disclosure should be understood only by the scope of the claims described below, and all equivalents or equivalent modifications are stated to fall within the scope of the concept of the present disclosure.

Claims (5)

a first layer on which the copper pipes are provided;
a second layer disposed on the first layer and patterned with at least one copper film;
An electric heating tile comprising: a top cover configured to cover an upper surface of the second layer; and a bottom cover configured to cover a lower surface of the first layer, wherein the top cover and the bottom cover have at least one magnetic member attached to one side. the bottom cover has a first inlet on one side, a second inlet on another side opposite the first inlet, and an insert inserted into the first inlet and the second inlet;
The electric heating tile according to claim 1 , wherein the insert member is made of an elastic material and is provided in a tubular shape having a through hole therethrough, and the copper pipe is inserted into the through hole. A control module configured to control a heating state of the copper pipe,
2. The electric heating tile of claim 1, wherein the control module comprises a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the top cover, a power supply unit configured to supply power to a heating cable inserted in the copper pipe, a communication unit configured to receive a user control signal from a predetermined user terminal, and a temperature control unit configured to control the heating temperature of the copper pipe based on the user control signal received from the communication unit. the copper pipe of the first layer is made of the same material as the copper film of the second layer, and the copper pipe and the copper film are joined by soldering;
The thermal tile of claim 1 , wherein the bottom cover is coated with an epoxy in an area where the first layer is mounted. The electric heating tile according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a side cover having the same thickness as the combined thickness of the bottom cover and the top cover, including an empty space formed therein, and having at least one through hole on one side.