Raised access floor panel with embedded sensors
AssigneeRaymond & Lae Engineering, Inc.
InventorDonald M. Raymond
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a sensor floor tile that utilizes a RF frequency transmissive disk that transmits sensor data from sensors located in a plenum of a raised floor system. An antenna is located adjacent to the disk so that sensor signals can be transmitted from the sensor located in the plenum under the floor tile to a wireless receiver located in an elevated location in a data center room, a computer room, a clean room, an office space, etc. A network connection can also be provided by the antenna when the antenna is connected to a router in the plenum.
Claims8
A sensor floor tile comprising:
- a metal floor tile having an opening that extends from a top surface to a bottom surface of said floor tile;
- a tile bracket connected to said floor tile, said tile bracket having a plate flange that is disposed a predetermined distance below said top surface of said floor tile;
- an insert disposed in said opening and placed against said plate flange, said insert having a thickness that corresponds to said predetermined distance so that said insert is flush with said top surface of said floor tile, said insert composed of a material having high transmissivity of radio frequency signals;
- a mounting bracket connected to said tile bracket;
- a wireless communicator assembly disposed in said mounting bracket so that said wireless communicator assembly is adjacent to said insert;
- wherein wireless signals are transmitted by said wireless communicator assembly as radio frequency waves through said insert.
A method of transmitting sensor data in a raised floor system comprising:
- providing a metal floor tile with a top surface and a bottom surface and an opening that extends through a thickness of said floor tile between said top surface and said bottom surface;
- connecting a tile bracket to said floor tile, said tile bracket having a plate flange;
- mounting said plate flange to said floor tile such that said plate flange extends into said opening so that said plate flange plate is located at a predetermined distance below said top surface of said floor tile;
- disposing an insert in said opening such that said insert rests on said plate flange, said insert having a thickness that corresponds to said predetermined distance so that a top surface of said insert is flush with said top surface of said floor tile, said insert composed of a material having high transmissivity of radio frequency signals;
- connecting a mounting bracket to said tile bracket, said mounting bracket having a wireless communicator assembly secured thereto that is located adjacent to or directly under said insert;
- and
- transmitting sensor signals by radio frequency waves from said wireless communicator assembly through said insert.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.