Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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International appln. PCT/NL90/00056
Encl. to our letter of June 21, 1991
NEW P~E~MB~E OF T~E D~CRIPTION
Sports floor ~ith li~ mar~ing
The invention relates to a sports floor with line
marking, comprising a layer with liquid crystals which ca~ be
activated by heating means and the optical properties of
which change on activation, a pattern of electrical heating
5 elements above which the layer for activaction is situated.
Such a sports floor is known from DE-A-26 20 037.
It is a purpose of the invention to provide a sports
floor of the type mentioned above, in which there is a very
high degree of compressed between the sports floor with the
10 line marking in the energized and rest conditions,
respectively. Specifically, the line marking may be virtually
invisible in the de-energized or rest condition.
To this end the sports floor according to the invention
is characterized in that the layer for activation is opaque
15 in the rest state and has a colour that is substantially the
same as the colour of the ~loor, and in activated state is
transparent, and in which situated wlder the layer for
activation is a coloured layert the c:olour of which contrasts
with the colour of the floor.
It is noted that EP-A-0 205 261 discloses a thin film
comprising~liquid crystals and being capable of undergoing ;
repeated thermally-induced transitions between opaque and
transparent. The structural arrangements and specific choices
proposed by the invention are not known ~rom this
25 application.
The sports floor according to the invention is ~ -
preferably em~odied such that the colour lay~r has a
considerable thermal conduction relative to the material of
the sports floor and that the heating elements arc embedded
30 in the colour layer. This colour layer can for instance
consist substantially of polyester.
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-- 20~38S2 i It is remarked that it is known to embody li~e markings
painted on the ground in different colours for difPerent
sports. That this can cause confusion will be evident. Tha
system according to the invention does not require such a
5 variety of colours; use can simply ~e made of one colour
which gives the best possible contrast with the-upper surface
of the wooden top layer. In particular the line marking can
be black.
A very practical embodiment is that wherein the layer
10 for activation is incorporated in a corresponding pattern of
grooves in the floor. When heating elements are used they are
arranged thereunder in the relevant grooves.
In a particular embodiment the floor displays the ¦
characteristic that the layer for activation consists of a ~-
15 cured slurry. This slurry is commercially available in
diverse compisitions and contains the liquid crystals.
The sports floor preferably has the feature that the
~loor, at least in the region of the line marking, is covered -
by a transparent or opal top coat. - -
In the case of a sports floor with line marking that is `-
suitable for different sports, where:in selective energi~ing
of the systems serving for the different sports has to be
possible, intersecting of lines for energizing and lines not
to be energized will often occur. According to the invention
25 a variant is applied to this end wherein the line marking
displays locally an intersecting of two lines, at the
position of which layer for activation is interrupted in both
lines at both sides. During the production stage the layer
for activation can readily be cut through or removed over a
30 short length from the relevant lines. As a result no
"seepage" of the thermal effects can occur~ whereby the lines
preserve their sharply defined character.
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See further the original description, page 4, line 3~ ~
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The ~nven~ion also provides a method for provi~ing a
sport~ floor with line marking, comprising ~he steps o~:
(1) providing a sport. ~loor, for ins~ance of woodl
~2) arrang~ng a pattern o~ groov~s, f or exampl~ b~ ~utting,
corresponding ~o the desired line marking;
(3) laying heating elements, for instanc~ wires, in the~e
grooves;
t4) covering these heatin~ elements with the colour layer,
for instance a llquld, eurable polyes~er:
(5) arranging thereover the layer for activation, ~or exa~ple
a ~u~able slurry: and
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(6) coupling connecting means to the heating elements for
connection to energizing means.
The sports floor will generally take a form such that
the line marking pattern is sub-divided into segments which
are coupled by means of electrical connections to a central
energizing device which can for instance be controlled from a ~ --
microprocessor or PC system. Via the electrically conducting
connections the activation of the relevant line marking seg-
ments takes place by means of such a selective energizing.
o The invention will now be elucidated with reference to
~-~ the annexed drawing, in which:
Fig. 1 shows a sports floor according to the invention;
fig. 2 shows II-II from fig. l partly in bro)cen away
perspective view and partly in cross section;
fig. 3 is a detail of a cutting device for cutting a
groove;
fig. 4 is a cross section through a line according to
the invention;
fig. 5 shows a partly broken away perspective view of a
portion of a sports floor at the location of the crossing of
two lines.
Fig. 1 shows a sports floor 1 according to the invention.
This comprises a pattern of lines that is suitable for basket-
ball and volleyball. Shown with full lines is the line marking
2 for basketball, while the line marking for volleyball is
shown with broken lines 3. Controlling takes place from a
central control unit 4 which is coupled to the line markings
2, 3 by means of cables 5.
By means of appropriate operation of the central control -
30 unit 4 either the basketball line marking 2 or the volleyball ~
line marking 3 can be made visible at choice. - -
Fig. 2 shows the construction of the line marking accord-
ing to the invention. Placed onto a concrete f loor 6 is a top
layer 7 of wood. Grooves 8 are cut into this top layer, for
instance by a cutting operation to be described below. In
the bottom of these grooves 8 are laid conductor wires 9
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which serve for through-feed of current for heating. The
groove 8 is filled with a mass 10 consisting of black poly- .
ester. The smooth upper surface 11 thereof lies in the same .
plane as the smooth upper surface 12 of the wooden top layer .
7. The colour of the black polyPster contrasts with the light
colour of the wood of the top layer 7. Arranged on either
side of the surface 11 with a slight clearance are two bound-
ing layers 13, 14. Arranged between the bounding layers 13,
14 is an layer for activation 15. This is applied as slurry,
therefor~ in more or less liquid state, and then curedO Sub-
- sequently applied thereover is a double top coat 16, 17 con-
sisting respectively of isocyanate and a very hard and wear-
resistant material that is translucent and therefore trans-
parent or opal.
Without thermal activation the layer for activation 15
is opaque and has substantially the same colour as the upper
surface 12. The two surfaces do not thereby contrast with one
another and the line marking is invisible. When as a result
of current supply through the wire 9, through heat conduction
through the mass 10 of the polyester the layer for activation
15 is heated to a sufficient extent it becomes transparent
and the black surface 11 thereby becomes visible through the
layer for activation 15 and the top coats 16, 17, whereby the
line marking becomes visible.
It is noted that the bounding strips 13, 14 serve exclu-
sively for the once only arranging of the layer for activation
15 at the correct width and are subsequently removed. They
are however drawn in for the sake of completeness in the
clarity in the figure.
Fig. 3 shows a cylindrical cutter 18 which is carried : :
rotatably by a frame 19 and can be driven by an ~lectromotor ~ -
20. The cutter is driven rotatably in the direction of an
arrow 21 and moved in the transporting direction designated
with the arrow 22. Due to its form the cutter 18 can arrange
a groove 23 in the top layer 7.
Fig. 4 shows three identical, mutually adjoining grooves
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23 in the recessed central portion whereof are laid the wires
9. The grooves 23 are further filled with the polyester mass ,
10. Placed thereon is the layer for activation 15 and the
whole is subsequently covered with a top coat ~S. The width
of the layer for activation 15 is selected relative to the
width of the grooves 23 such that the whole of it can be
heated thereby to a sufficient extent.
Fig. 5 shows a crossing between two lines 26 and 27. The
wires 9 of both lines are isolated from each other. The groo-
ves intersect but, as the figure clearly shows, the layer foractivations 15 are completely separated from each other at
the four sides of the relevant intersection, whereby an only
negligible thermal influence is possible from the one activa-
ted line to the other. A sharp division of both lines is
hereby always ensured.
The wires 9 have to be able to provide the layer for
activation with a sufficiently large temperature increase
when current is fed through. Copper wire for instance is
highly suitable.
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