ARTIFICIAL VEGETATION WITH ENGINEERED REFLECTANCE SPECTRA

Abstract

An artificial turf system may comprise a plurality of synthetic filaments and a substrate base layer coupled to the plurality of synthetic filaments. Each filament of the plurality of synthetic filaments may comprise a pigment having an elevated solar reflectance for wavelengths less than 2500 nm. This elevated solar reflectance may be configured to reflect near-infrared radiation, thereby reducing near-surface air temperatures and the artificial turf surface temperatures. Such engineered pigments may also be advantageously used in the leaves of artificial vegetation systems, such as, for example, artificial shrubs and trees.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/313,939 entitled “ARTIFICIAL VEGETATION WITH ENGINEERED REFLECTANCE SPECTRA” filed on Feb. 25, 2022. The content of the foregoing application is hereby incorporated by reference (except for any subject matter disclaimers or disavowals, and except to the extent of any conflict with the disclosure of the present application, in which case the disclosure of the present application shall control).

FIELD

This disclosure relates to artificial turf and vegetation products, specifically, artificial turf and vegetation engineered with pigments for the purpose of increasing the efficacy with which they reflect incident solar energy and emit their own thermal energy.

BACKGROUND

Elevated temperatures during the summer tend to increase the risk of heat-related morbidity and mortality, increase energy consumption, and increase water use. The impacts of extreme heat are particularly pronounced in urban environments, where water resources are limited and the urban heat-island effect can be severe. Use of vegetation is a common strategy to provide shading and/or evaporative cooling. Moreover, visual proximity to vegetation (e.g. real and/or artificial vegetation) has been shown to contribute to well-being and provide mental health benefits. However, natural vegetation such as trees can create significant problems in urban environments. They grow slowly, often taking nearly a decade from the date of planting before they are capable of providing significant shade. Trees also may interfere with below-ground and above-ground infrastructure and require significant maintenance and irrigation. Artificial alternatives for shade trees include artificial shade structures, which lack the aesthetic and mental health benefits of trees. Common alternatives for traditional grass include use of gravel/rock, decomposed/crushed granite, bare dirt, and artificial turf. However, these alternatives absorb and store heat, resulting in elevated surface and air temperatures, particularly in summer. Therefore, there is a need for artificial vegetation that mimics or improves upon properties of natural vegetation.

SUMMARY

A number of embodiments can comprise an artificial turf system. The artificial turf system can comprise a plurality of synthetic filaments, wherein each synthetic filament of the plurality of synthetic filaments can comprise a pigment having an elevated solar reflectance for wavelengths of less than 2500 nm, wherein the pigment is configured to reflect a majority of near-infrared radiation; and a substrate base layer coupled to the plurality of synthetic filaments.

Some embodiments can comprise a method of manufacturing artificial turf. The method can comprise forming a plurality of synthetic filaments; and coupling the plurality of synthetic filaments to a substrate base layer, wherein the forming further comprises: melting a plastic material; selecting an engineered pigment, wherein the engineered pigment is configured with a high solar reflectance (high spectral reflectance for wavelengths between 400 nm and 2500 nm); mixing the engineered pigment with the melted plastic material; and molding the melted plastic material using injection molding techniques.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With reference to the following description and accompanying drawings;

FIG. 1 illustrates an offset view of a portion of artificial turf, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a portion of the artificial turf, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates artificial vegetation, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-section of the artificial vegetation having spectrally-selective pigments and additives, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates a method of manufacturing the artificial turf with spectrally-selective pigments and additives, in accordance with various embodiments; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a graph showing spectral reflectance of vegetation-based pigments, natural grass, and artificial turf, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is of various exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the present disclosure in any way. Rather, the following description is intended to provide a convenient illustration for implementing various embodiments including the best mode. As will become apparent, various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described in these embodiments without departing from principled of the present disclosure.

For the sake of brevity, the connecting lines shown in various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical couplings between various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in artificial turf/vegetation products and methods of manufacturing thereof.

With reference to FIG. 1, an artificial turf system 100 is shown in accordance with various embodiments. The artificial turf system 100 may comprise a plurality of synthetic filaments 102 coupled to a substrate base layer 104. The plurality of synthetic filaments 102 may be individually coupled to the substrate base layer 104, attached to the substrate base layer 104 in filament groups, either in uniform rows or in random groupings, or coupled to the substrate base layer 104 in any suitable configuration. In various embodiments, the plurality of synthetic filaments 102 may extend substantially orthogonal from the substrate base layer 104. In various embodiments, the plurality of synthetic filaments 102 may be stitched to the substrate base layer 104 or attached using adhesives or fasteners. In various embodiments, the plurality of synthetic filaments 102 may be tufted into the substrate base layer 104, adhered to the substrate base layer 104, glued to the substrate base layer 104, or otherwise fixed to the substrate base layer 104 by any method suitable for permanently fixing the plurality of synthetic filaments 102 to the substrate base layer 104. Because manufactured synthetic turf is typically rolled up and transported for outdoor landscaping applications, it may be desirable to choose a method of adhering filaments to a base layer that prevents the filaments from fraying, or otherwise uprooting from the layer.

With further reference to the cross-section view of a portion of the artificial turf system 100 in FIG. 2, and with continued reference to FIG. 1, each filament in the plurality of filaments 102 may comprise a pigment 105. In various embodiments, the pigment 105 may be configured with a high solar reflectance 103 for a significant portion of the solar spectrum having a wavelength of less than 2500 nm. Accordingly, the pigment 105 may be configured to reflect a high amount of near-infrared radiation.

The pigment 105 may include a single or multiple individual pigments and other additives intended to achieve various colors and brightness within the visible spectrum (e.g., browns and greens), while maintaining high overall solar reflectance. These pigments may be either organic or inorganic. Organic pigments include but are not limited to Copper phthalocyanines, Benzimidazolone, Chlorophyllin, Spirulina, other plant-based pigments, and the like. Inorganic pigments include but are not limited to Titanium dioxide, Barium sulfate, Mica, other mineral-based pigments, and the like.

FIG. 6 illustrates a graph 600 displaying a comparison of spectral reflectance for a plastic-resin infused with plant-based pigments (Pigment Sample), a commercially available sample of artificial turf (A-Turf), and a sample of natural lawn (Grass) in a working example of an embodiment. Each sample was tested for spectral reflectance in a spectrometer, sampling at wavelength steps of 5 nm. As can be seen in FIG. 6, the overall solar reflectance of the Pigment, A-Turf, and Grass were 0.28, 0.11, and 0.30, respectively. While all samples have increased reflectance in the green part of the visible spectrum (500-550 nm), the natural grass and the plant-based pigment sample both have very high spectral reflectance in the near-infrared part of the spectrum (with increases in spectral reflectance shown in the 780-1350 nm range).

In contrast, the artificial turf maintains only about a 0.20 spectral reflectance throughout the near-infrared spectra. This demonstrates that a plastic sample with plant-based pigment can achieve nearly the same total solar reflectance as natural grass. Pigment mixtures, including the addition of lightening agents such as Titanium dioxide or Barium sulfate can enable artificial vegetation with higher solar reflectance than natural vegetation.

Returning now to FIG. 1, increasing the solar reflectance of the plurality of synthetic filaments 102 is advantageous because less solar energy is absorbed (and more solar energy is reflected) by the synthetic filaments 102. Generally speaking, surfaces that absorb more of the sun's energy are warmer to the touch than surfaces that reflect more of the sun's energy. Solar energy absorption is particularly acute for conventional artificial turf, which tends to be comprised of plastic and lacks the evapotranspiration and high near-infrared reflectance of natural grass. The pigment 105 increases the solar reflectance 103 of the plurality of synthetic filaments 102, maintaining a cooler surface, reducing near-surface air temperatures and heat convection into the surrounding air. In various embodiments, the pigment 105 has a high solar reflectance particularly in the near-infrared spectrum (i.e., wavelengths from about 700 nm to about 2500 nm).

The pigment 105 may also reduce the need for irrigation. Conventional artificial turfs generally require less irrigation than natural turf. However, irrigation has been deployed onto conventional artificial turfs to combat elevated near-surface air temperatures. Increasing the solar reflectance 103 of the turf itself may reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation. Moreover, being spectrally-selective to primarily reflect near-infrared radiation, as opposed to visible light, the pigment 105 may enable the artificial turf 100 to remain cool, relative to conventional artificial turf, without affecting turf color. Accordingly, the pigment 105 may also enable greater turf design flexibility by enabling use of darker artificial turf colors, which may have otherwise been unsuitable for the heat of a given environment due to their increased absorption of solar energy. Incorporating the pigment 105 into the plurality of synthetic filaments 102 may also reduce color fading due to ultraviolet light exposure.

In various embodiments, the pigment 105 may also comprise a low thermal reflectance, or high thermal emittance, for example, in a wavelength greater than about 4000 nm. In various embodiments, the pigment 105 may comprise a thermal emittance in the longwave spectrum between 4,000 nm and 8,000 nm, 8,000 nm and 13,000 nm, 13,000 nm and 20,000 nm, 20,000 nm and 25,000 nm, or 25,000 nm and 30,000 nm. In many embodiments, a thermal emittance of a pigment may fall within the atmospheric infrared window (e.g., approx. 8,000 to 13,000 nm). In this way, thermal radiation emitted by the pigment remains largely unabsorbed and leaves the planet. Various embodiments of pigment 105 will include particularly high spectral emittance in this infrared window.

In various embodiments, the substrate base layer 104 may comprise at least one cavity configured to allow fluid to pass therethrough. Accordingly, the substrate base layer 104 may enable water from precipitation events to be transported to the substrate below the substrate base layer 104. This may further increase cooling of the artificial turf system 100 and reduce air pollution associated with fine particles becoming airborne during moderate to high wind events. In various embodiments, the substrate base layer 104 may further comprise an acrylic-based polymer to enable greater water absorption. In various embodiments, the substrate base layer 104 may further comprise a heat storage system including high thermal mass and/or phase change materials. In various embodiments, the substrate base layer 104 may comprise a thermal storage system including high thermal mass materials and/or phase change materials to control the storage and subsequent release of heat.

In various embodiments, the plurality of filaments 102 may further comprise a lightening agent such as titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and/or barium sulfate (BaSO₄), which can both be highly reflective pigments. In various embodiments, the plurality of filaments 102 may comprise polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a strong reflector of infrared radiation, or any suitable PVDF-based pigments. In various embodiments, each filament of the plurality of synthetic filaments 102 may be made of one or more of nylon, polypropylene, and polyethylene, or any other suitable synthetic material. In various embodiments, the substrate base layer 104 may be made of one or more of nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, or combinations thereof, or any other suitable synthetic material. The substrate base layer 104 may be comprised of synthetic fibers that are thicker than the plurality of synthetic filaments 102. The substrate base layer 103 may be a thick monofilament.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, an artificial vegetation system 300 is disclosed herein. In various embodiments, the artificial vegetation system 300 may comprise a plurality of synthetic leaves 302 and a base 304 coupled to the plurality of synthetic leaves 302. In various embodiments, the artificial vegetation system 300 may further comprise a plurality of artificial stalks 306, or stems. In various embodiments, each leaf of the plurality of synthetic leaves 302 may comprise a pigment 305 configured with a high level of solar reflectance 303 in a portion of the solar spectrum having wavelengths less than 2500 nm. In various embodiments, the pigment 305 may be configured to with a high degree of reflectance for near-infrared radiation. In various embodiments, the pigment 305 may be configured with a thermal emittance at a wavelength greater than 4000 nm. In various embodiments, each leaf of the plurality of synthetic leaves 302. may be made of one or more of nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene, or the like. In various embodiments, each leaf of the plurality of synthetic leaves 302 may comprise polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). In various embodiments, each leaf of the plurality of synthetic leaves 302 may comprise titanium dioxide (TiO₂).

Referring to FIG. 5, a method of manufacturing 500 artificial turf is disclosed herein. In various embodiments, the method 500 may comprise forming (step 502) a plurality of synthetic filaments. In various embodiments, the forming (step 502) may further comprise melting (step 503) a plastic material. In various embodiments, the melting (step 503) may utilize a plastic material, wherein the plastic material is made of one or more of nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene, combinations thereof, or other suitable material.

In various embodiments, the forming (step 502) may further comprise selecting (step 504) an engineered pigment, wherein the pigment may be configured with a high level of solar reflectance for wavelengths less than 2500 nm. In various embodiments, the selecting (step 504) may further comprise selecting an engineered pigment configured with a thermal emittance at a wavelength greater than 4000 nm. In various embodiments, the forming (step 502) may further comprise mixing (step 505) the pigment with the melted plastic. In various embodiments, the mixing (step 505) may further comprise mixing the pigment with the melted plastic and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). In various embodiments, the mixing (step 505) may further comprise mixing the pigment with the melted plastic and titanium oxide (TiO₂). In various embodiments, the forming (step 502) may further comprise molding (step 506) the plastic using injection molding techniques. In various embodiments, the selecting (step 504) and mixing (step 505) may occur before the molding (step 506). In various embodiments, the method 500 of manufacturing artificial turf may further comprise coupling (step 507) the plurality of synthetic filaments to a substrate base layer.

While the principles of this disclosure have been shown in various embodiments, many modifications of structure, arrangements, proportions, the elements, materials and components, used in practice, which are particularly adapted for a specific environment and operating requirements may be used without departing from the principles and scope of this disclosure. These and other changes or modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure has been described with reference to various embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the specification is to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. Likewise, benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to various embodiments. However, benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or element.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Also, as used herein, the terms “coupled,” “coupling,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a physical connection, an electrical connection, a magnetic connection, an optical connection, a communicative connection, a functional connection, and/or any other connection. When language similar to “at least one of A, B, or C” or “at least one of A, B, and C” is used in the specification or claims, the phrase is intended to mean any of the following: (1) at least one of A; (2) at least one of B; (3) at least one of C; (4) at least one of A and at least one of B; (5) at least one of B and at least one of C; (6) at least one of A and at least one of C; or (7) at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.

Claims

1. An artificial turf system, comprising:

a plurality of synthetic filaments, wherein each synthetic filament of the plurality of synthetic filaments comprises a pigment having an elevated solar reflectance for wavelengths of less than 2500 nm, wherein the pigment is configured to reflect a majority of near-infrared radiation; and a substrate base layer coupled to the plurality of synthetic filaments.

2. The artificial turf system of claim 1, wherein the pigment is configured with a high spectral thermal emittance at wavelengths greater than 4000 nm.

3. The artificial turf system of claim 1, wherein each synthetic filament of the plurality of synthetic filaments comprises at least one of nylon, polypropylene, or polyethylene.

4. The artificial turf system of claim 1, wherein each synthetic filament of the plurality of synthetic filaments comprises polyvinylidene fluoride.

5. The artificial turf system of claim 1, wherein each synthetic filament of the plurality of synthetic filaments comprises titanium dioxide.

6. The artificial turf system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of synthetic filaments extends substantially orthogonal from the substrate base layer.

7. The artificial turf system of claim 1, wherein the substrate base layer comprises at least one cavity configured to allow fluid to pass therethrough.

8. The artificial turf system of claim 6, wherein the substrate base layer further comprises an acrylic-based polymer configured to absorb water.

9. An artificial vegetation system, comprising:

a plurality of synthetic leaves, wherein each leaf of the plurality of synthetic leaves comprises a pigment having high solar reflectance for wavelengths less than 2500 nm, wherein the pigment is configured to reflect a majority of near-infrared radiation; and

a base, wherein the plurality of synthetic leaves is coupled to the base.

10. The artificial vegetation system of claim 9, wherein the pigment is configured with a thermal emittance at a wavelength greater than 4000 nm.

11. The artificial vegetation system of claim 9, wherein each leaf of the plurality of synthetic leaves comprises at least of one of nylon, polypropylene, or polyethylene.

12. The artificial vegetation system of claim 9, wherein each leaf of the plurality of synthetic leaves comprises polyvinylidene fluoride.

13. The artificial vegetation system of claim 9, wherein each leaf of the plurality of synthetic leaves comprises titanium dioxide.

14. A method of manufacturing artificial turf, the method comprising:

forming a plurality of synthetic filaments; and

coupling the plurality of synthetic filaments to a substrate base layer, wherein the forming further comprises: melting a plastic material; selecting an engineered pigment, wherein the engineered pigment is configured with a high solar reflectance for wavelengths between 700 nm and 2500 nm; mixing the engineered pigment with the melted plastic material; and molding the melted plastic material using injection molding techniques.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the selecting further comprises selecting the engineered pigment configured with a thermal emittance having a wavelength greater than 4000 nm.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the plastic material is at least one of nylon, polypropylene, or polyethylene.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the mixing further comprises mixing the engineered pigment with the melted plastic material and polyvinylidene fluoride.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the mixing further comprises mixing the engineered pigment with the melted plastic material and titanium dioxide.