Control system for draining, irrigating and heating an athletic field

• US 5,944,444 A
• Filed: 08/11/1997
• Issued: 08/31/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Advanced Drainage Systems Incorporated, Murray Equipment, Inc., Technology Licensing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Advanced Drainage Systems Incorporated, Murray Equipment, Inc., Technology Licensing Corporation
• Inventors: Tyner, Carl, Reese, Craig, Ferry, Brian L., Goddard, James B., Heinlein, Mark A., Motz, Joseph E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bagnell, David J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, JONG SUK
• Application Number:
  US08/909,191
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 405/36, 405/37, 405/130, 405/131, 137/78.2, 137/78.3, 137/561 R, 165/45, 126/343.5 R
• US Class Current: 405/37
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 13/083 Construction of grass-grown sports grounds; Drainage, irrigation or heating arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/1866 For controlling soil irrigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8593 Systems

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.

Claims

1. A control system for draining, irrigating and heating an athletic field comprising:

a water impermeable barrier conforming to a compacted subsoil;

a fill layer above the barrier and providing a subjacent support for a playing surface of the athletic field;

a flow network located within the fill layer and supported on the barrier, a portion of the flow network being water permeable;

a gravity drain line operatively connected to the flow network and terminating in a drain, the gravity drain line being selectively connected to and disconnected from the flow network by a first valve;

a vacuum drain line operatively connected between the flow network and a vacuum source for vacuum-assisted drainage of the flow network via the vacuum drain line, the vacuum drain line being selectively connected to and disconnected from the flow network by a second valve;

at least one water level sensor located within the fill layer for detecting water levels within the fill layer over the barrier;

a controller operatively connected to the one water level sensor, the vacuum source and the first and second valves, the controller first, initiating gravity drainage of the flow network by causing the first valve to open and the second valve to close in response to the water level sensor detecting a first water level and second, initiating vacuum-assisted drainage of the flow network by causing the first valve to close and the second valve to open in response to the water level sensor detecting a second water level above the first water level;

at least one temperature probe located within the fill layer and operatively connected to the controller;

a heating source operatively connected to the flow network and the controller;

a pump operatively connected to the flow network and the controller;

whereby upon detection by the temperature probe of a predetermined low temperature, the controller initiates closing of the first and second valves and actuation of the heating source and the pump, thereby to cause the flow of heated water into the flow network and the fill layer and the return of cooled water out of the fill layer and the flow network, in a closed loop, thereby to heat the field.

2. A control system for draining, irrigating and heating an athletic field comprising:

a water impermeable membrane covering a compacted subsoil at a predetermined vertical level;

a fill layer covering the membrane and terminating at a top surface for the field;

a flow network located within the fill layer and on the membrane, a portion of the fill layer being water permeable;

a gravity drainage subsystem coupled to the flow network;

a vacuum-assisted drainage subsystem coupled to the flow network parallel to the gravity drain subsystem;

an irrigation subsystem;

a plurality of water level sensors located within the fill layer at spaced locations around the field, each water level sensor supported on the membrane and adapted to measure the vertical water level with respect to the membrane and to generate in response thereto one of the following four reference signals;

maintain, gravity drain, vacuum-assisted drain and irrigate corresponding to first, second, third and fourth vertical water levels above the predetermined vertical level, respectively, the second vertical level located further above the membrane than the first vertical level, the third vertical level located above the second level, and the fourth vertical level located closer to the barrier than the first vertical level;

a controller operatively connected to the water level sensors, the gravity drain subsystem, the vacuum-assisted drainage subsystem and the irrigation subsystem, to activate the gravity drainage subsystem when the water level above the membrane reaches the second vertical level, the vacuum-assisted drainage subsystem when the water level reaches the third vertical level and the irrigation subsystem when the water level above the membrane recedes to the fourth vertical level;

at least one temperature probe located in the fill layer, the temperature probe operatively connected to the controller;

a field heating subsystem including a heater and a pump in fluid communication with the flow network and operatively connected to the controller, whereby upon detection by the temperature probe of a predetermined low temperature, the controller actuates the field heating subsystem to pump heated water to the flow network and into the fill layer, and to also receive cooled water from the fill layer and the network in a closed loop manner, thereby to heat the fill layer and the top surface thereabove.

3. The control system of claim 2 and further comprising:

at least one additional temperature probe located above ground for detecting air temperature, and operatively connected to the controller to provide a low temperature signal upon detection thereof.

4. A method of heating an athletic field having a water impermeable membrane covering a compacted subsoil, a fill layer covering the membrane and terminating at a top surface for the field, a flow network located within the fill layer and above the membrane, the flow network including a plurality of water permeable conduits and first and second sets of pipes, the method comprising the steps of:

flowing heated water into the flow network via the first and second sets of pipes and eventually into the fill layer to heat the field, while simultaneously draining relatively cooled water from the fill layer via the flow network;

monitoring, via at least one water level sensor, a water level with respect to the membrane and generating a corresponding water level signal for input to a controller;

selectively activating, depending upon variations in the water level and the corresponding water level signals produced thereby, a gravity drainage subsystem or a vacuum-enhanced drainage subsystem thereby to affect gravity drainage of the field or vacuum-enhanced drainage of the field, the gravity drainage subsystem and the vacuum-enhanced drainage subsystem each including the second set of pipes and excluding the first set of pipes.

5. The method of claim 4 and further comprising the step of:

initiating the flowing step in response to detection of a predetermined low temperature.

6. The method of claim 4 and further comprising the step of:

maintaining a sufficient water level with respect to the membrane to keep the entire flow network submerged during the flowing step.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the flowed water is heated by a heat source to raise the temperature of the water by a temperature value in the range of about 5-15°

F.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the heated water is flowing at a rate to maintain a heat loss from the water in the range of about 5-15°

F.

9. The method of claim 4 and further comprising the step of:

selectively activating, depending upon variations in the water level and the corresponding water level signals produced thereby, an irrigation subsystem, thereby to affect subirrigation of the field.

10. A system for draining and heating an athletic field, the field having a water impermeable membrane covering a compacted subsoil, a fill layer covering the membrane and terminating at a top surface for the field, a flow network located within the fill layer and above the membrane, the flow network including a plurality of water permeable conduits, comprising:

the flow network including a plurality of parallel rows of water permeable conduits located above the compacted subsoil, a plurality of parallel rows of water impermeable pipes partially recessed within the subsoil and being perpendicular to and intersecting the plurality of parallel rows of conduits, thereby defining a plurality of network intersections, whereby at a first plurality of the intersections the conduit row overlays and does not interconnect with the respective pipe row, the flow network also including a plurality of couplings, each coupling located at one of a second plurality of intersections of a pipe row and a conduit row and providing a fluid interconnection thereat wherein the first and second intersections are alternated along the pipe rows and the conduit rows; and

means for flowing heated water into a first group of the pipe rows, via a first group of the conduit rows in fluid communication therewith via a heating group of the first intersections and eventually causing the heated water to flow into the fill layer, while simultaneously draining cooled water from the fill layer via a second group of the conduit rows and to a second group of the pipe rows in fluid communication therewith via a draining group of the first intersections, the flow of heated water and cooled water occurring continuously in a loop, thereby to heat the field.

11. The system of claim 10 and further comprising:

control means operatively connected to the means for flowing heated water, the control means including a temperature probe for detecting a predetermined low temperature and the control means adapted to actuate the means for flowing heated water in response to said low temperature detection.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the control means further cooperates with a field drainage subsystem and a field irrigation subsystem, and the control means monitors water level with respect to the membrane while also detecting temperature, thereby to control draining, irrigating and heating of the field.

13. The system of claim 10 and further comprising:

a plurality of reinforcement plates, each reinforcement plate located at a first intersection and providing additional structural rigidity for the coupling located thereat.

14. A control system for draining, irrigating and heating an athletic field comprising:

a water impermeable barrier conforming to a compacted subsoil;

a fill layer above the barrier and providing a subjacent support for a playing surface of the athletic field;

a flow network located within the fill layer and supported on the barrier, a portion of the flow network being water permeable, the flow network including a first set of pipes and a second set of pipes;

a gravity drain line operatively connected to the flow network and terminating in a drain, the gravity drain line being selectively connected to and disconnected from the flow network by a first valve;

a vacuum drain line operatively connected between the flow network and a vacuum source for vacuum-assisted drainage of the flow network via the vacuum drain line, the vacuum drain line being selectively connected to and disconnected from the flow network by a second valve;

at least one water level sensor located within the fill layer for detecting water levels within the fill layer over the barrier;

a controller operatively connected to the one water level sensor, the vacuum source and the first and second valves, the controller first, initiating gravity drainage of the flow network by causing the first valve to open and the second valve to close in response to the water level sensor detecting a first water level and second, initiating vacuum-assisted drainage of the flow network by causing the first valve to close and the second valve to open in response to the water level sensor detecting a second water level above the first water level;

at least one temperature probe located within the fill layer and operatively connected to the controller;

a heating source operatively connected to the first set of pipes of the flow network and the controller;

a pump operatively connected to the flow network and the controller;

whereby upon detection by the temperature probe of a predetermined low temperature, the controller initiates closing of the first and second valves and actuation of the heating source and the pump, thereby to cause the flow of heated water into the flow network and the fill layer and the return of cooled water out of the fill layer and the flow network, in a closed loop, thereby to heat the field, the first set of pipes being dedicated to the flow of heated water and the second set of pipes being used alternatively for the flow of heated water, gravity drainage or vacuum assisted drainage.