Hydraulic and earth engineering – Drainage or irrigation – Control means responsive to sensed condition
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-12
2001-08-14
Bagnell, David (Department: 3673)
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Drainage or irrigation
Control means responsive to sensed condition
C405S036000, C405S043000, C405S131000, C405S258100, C047S00101T, C165S045000, C062S260000, C137S875000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273638
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention pertains to the field of air handling systems. More particularly, the invention pertains to an air handling system used for treating turf and the soil profile of the turf to maintain a sports field in playable condition.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a system for treating soil and turf by blowing and/or vacuuming through a duct network located underneath the turf, a low-pressure high-volume fan is typically used to move air into the soil profile or suck moisture out of the soil profile. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,433,759; 5,507,595; 5,542,208; 5,617,670; 5,596,836; and 5,636,473 show different variations on equipment used for this purpose. Since a non-reversing fan always rotates in the same direction, changing the system from a blowing function to a vacuuming function requires disconnecting the duct network from the blowing outlet of the fan unit and connecting it to the vacuum inlet of the unit. In some variations, a 4-way valve is used to avoid the hassles involved with selectively connecting and disconnecting the duct network from the various ports of the fan unit. Manual operations limit the degree to which the process can be automated. In addition, a lot of guesswork is involved in knowing when to blow air into the duct network and when to suck air from the duct network. Blowing air into the duct network when there is too much moisture in the soil profile can severely damage parts of the turf.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly stated, an air handling system includes an air handling device connectable to a duct network that is underneath a field having grass growing in it, at least one sensor disposed to measure a variable associated with the field, and a control unit connected to the air handling device to control operating parameters of the air handling device responsive to an output from the sensor. A heat exchanger is optionally part of the system. The variables associated with the field include temperature and moisture. The operating parameters of the air handling device include direction of the air flow, temperature of the air directed into the duct network, and the time of operation of the unit. The system optionally includes programmable control logic so that the sensor output automatically controls the operating parameters of the system. A computer with display is used to program the control logic, which can be done remotely over a modem or the internet. The sensor output can be viewed on the display to allow a user to manually control the operating parameters if desired.
According to an embodiment of the invention, an air handling system includes an air handling device connectable to a duct network, the duct network being underneath a field having grass growing in it, at least one sensor disposed to measure at least one variable associated with the field, and a control unit connected to the air handling device to control at least one operating parameter of the air handling device responsive to an output from the at least one sensor. A feature of the invention includes a heat exchanger that affects the temperature of air blowing into the duct network.
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Bagnell David
Brown & Michaels PC
Lee Jong-Suk
SubAir, Inc.
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