Control system for draining, irrigating and heating an athletic field
US5944444A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 11, 1997 |
| Grant date | Aug 31, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 11, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T137/8593
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A control system for an athletic field coordinates drainage by gravity or vacuum-enhanced and irrigation by monitoring water level with respect to a subsurface membrane, wherein a flow network resides on the membrane and is covered by a fill layer, which in turn supports the field surface thereabove. The flow network includes couplings located at the intersections of some of the pipe rows and conduit rows. The water permeability of the conduit rows allows the flow network to be used for draining, irrigating or heating the field. The heating of the fill layer and the surface thereabove minimizes energy costs and eliminates installation and maintenance costs that would otherwise be necessitated by separate heating and draining systems.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.