U.S. patent application number 15/537548 was filed with the patent office on 2017-12-07 for arrangement and method for air management of a room.
The applicant listed for this patent is KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.. Invention is credited to WEIZHONG CHEN, JING SU.
Application Number | 20170350611 15/537548 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 55022487 |
Filed Date | 2017-12-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170350611 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SU; JING ; et al. |
December 7, 2017 |
ARRANGEMENT AND METHOD FOR AIR MANAGEMENT OF A ROOM
Abstract
An arrangement (1) for air management of a room (100) comprises
ventilating means (10) for enabling exchange of air between the
inside environment (102) of the room (100) and the outside
environment (103) of the room (100); a stand-alone air purifier
(20), which is arranged separately from the ventilating means (10),
and which is adapted to remove pollutants from the air in the
inside environment (102) of the room (100); and a control system
(30, 31, 32), which is in communication with both the ventilating
means (10) and the air purifier (20), and which is adapted to
control operation of the ventilating means (10) and the air
purifier (20) in dependence of air quality data relating to the
inside environment (102) of the room and the outside environment
(103) of the room, the control system (30,31,32) being configured
to control the ventilating means (10) and the air purifier (20)
differently depending on whether the air quality data relating to
the outside environment of the room (100) is above or below a
predetermined reference. Operation of the arrangement (1) is aimed
at optimizing indoor air quality and minimizing energy
consumption.
Inventors: |
SU; JING; (EINDHOVEN,
NL) ; CHEN; WEIZHONG; (EINDHOVEN, NL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V. |
EINDHOVEN |
|
NL |
|
|
Family ID: |
55022487 |
Appl. No.: |
15/537548 |
Filed: |
December 22, 2015 |
PCT Filed: |
December 22, 2015 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2015/080898 |
371 Date: |
June 19, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24F 11/30 20180101;
F24F 11/62 20180101; F24F 2011/0002 20130101; F24F 11/63 20180101;
F24F 11/64 20180101; F24F 3/16 20130101; F24F 2110/70 20180101;
F24F 2110/50 20180101; F24F 11/0001 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F24F 11/00 20060101
F24F011/00; F24F 3/16 20060101 F24F003/16; F24F 11/08 20060101
F24F011/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 24, 2014 |
CN |
PCT/CN2014/094817 |
Jan 14, 2015 |
EP |
15151151.6 |
Claims
1. Arrangement for air management of a room comprising ventilating
means for enabling exchange of air between the inside environment
of the room and the outside environment of the room; a stand-alone
air purifier, which is arranged separately from the ventilating
means and which is adapted to remove pollutants from the air in the
inside environment of the room; and a control system, which is in
communication with both the ventilating means and the air purifier,
and which is adapted to control operation of the ventilating means
and the air purifier in dependence of air quality data relating to
the inside environment of the room and the outside environment of
the room, the control system being configured to control the
ventilating means and the air purifier differently depending on
whether the air quality data relating to the outside environment is
above or below a predetermined reference.
2. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the control system is
adapted to compare air quality data relating to the inside
environment of the room to predetermined reference data.
3. Arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the control system is
adapted to set an inactive status of both the ventilating means and
the air purifier in case it is found that the air quality of the
inside environment of the room is equal to or better than a
predetermined reference.
4. Arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the control system is
adapted to run a program for activating at least one of the
ventilating means and the air purifier in case it is found that the
air quality of the inside environment of the room is worse than a
predetermined reference.
5. Arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the control system is
adapted to compare air quality data relating to the outside
environment of the room to predetermined reference data.
6. Arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the control system is
adapted to alternate an active status of the ventilating means with
an active status of the air purifier in case it is found that the
air quality of the outside environment of the room is equal to or
better than a predetermined reference.
7. Arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the control system is
adapted to make a comparison between air quality data relating to
the inside environment of the room and air quality data relating to
the outside environment of the room, to set an active status of the
ventilating means and an inactive status of the air purifier in
case it is found that the air quality of the outside environment of
the room is better than the air quality of the inside environment
of the room, and to set an inactive status of the ventilating means
and an active status of the air purifier in case it is found that
the air quality of the outside environment of the room is worse
than the air quality of the inside environment of the room.
8. Arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the control system is
adapted to run a time counter program for controlling the duration
of the operation of the ventilating means and the air purifier,
respectively.
9. Arrangement according to claim 8, comprising a user interface
for enabling a user to supply the control system with information
regarding characteristics of the room, wherein the control system
is adapted to determine the duration of the operation of the
ventilating means and the air purifier, respectively, on the basis
of the information.
10. Arrangement according to claim 6, comprising a flow meter for
measuring the ventilated air amount, wherein the control system is
adapted to stop the operation of the ventilating means as soon as
it is found that the ventilated air amount has reached a
predetermined reference level.
11. Arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the control system is
adapted to set an inactive status of the ventilating means and an
active status of the air purifier in case it is found that the air
quality of the outside environment of the room is worse than said
predetermined reference.
12. Arrangement according to claim 11, comprising sensing means for
sensing the carbon dioxide level in the room, wherein the control
system is adapted to change the inactive status of the ventilating
means to an active status as long as it is found that the carbon
dioxide level in the room is higher than a predetermined
reference.
13. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the air quality data
relating to the inside environment of the room comprise at least
one of carbon dioxide level data, particles level data and gas
pollutants level data, and wherein the air quality data relating to
the outside environment of the room comprise at least one of
particles level data and gas pollutants level data.
14. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the control system is
adapted to retrieve air quality data relating to the outside
environment of the room from a general data source.
15. Method for air management of a room which is equipped with
ventilating means for enabling exchange of air between the inside
environment of the room and the outside environment of the room,
and a stand-alone air purifier, which is arranged separately from
the ventilating means, and which is adapted to remove pollutants
from the air in the inside environment of the room, wherein
operation of the ventilating means are controlled in dependence of
air quality data relating to the inside environment of the room and
the outside environment of the room, the ventilating means and the
air purifier being controlled differently depending on whether air
quality data relating to the outside environment of the room is
above or below a predetermined reference.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to an arrangement and a method for air
management of a room.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Indoor air quality is an important issue which is closely
related to human health and comfort. Pollution of indoor air
constitutes a significant risk factor for various health problems
in view of the fact that many people spend most of their time, for
example, more than 90% of their time, indoors. In general, air
pollutants can be one or more of particle pollutants, gas
pollutants and microorganisms.
[0003] Many buildings are equipped with a so-called HVAC system,
i.e. a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning system, for
providing thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality.
However, in some surroundings, particularly metropolitan cities,
outdoor air pollution can be extremely severe, and it has been
found that in such surroundings, the current HVAC systems are not
capable of performing filtration of all particles to a sufficient
extent, wherein the systems are particularly not effective in
removing relatively small particles from the input air.
Furthermore, most HVAC systems are not capable of removing various
gas pollutants such as formaldehyde and other VOCs (volatile
organic compounds) from the indoor air, because the filters used in
those systems are not suitable for doing so. Another shortcoming of
HVAC systems is that the systems consume a lot of energy,
especially when the systems are continually switched on for
maintaining the air quality, which is often the case in
practice.
[0004] In the field of managing quality of indoor air, in order to
complement the shortcomings of HVAC systems, stand-alone air
purifiers have been developed. An example of such an air purifier
is known from WO 2012/066453 A1. Stand-alone air purifiers are to
be placed inside a room and are very useful to people living in
highly polluted cities, as they help a great deal in removing
various kinds of pollution from indoor air. Operation of a
stand-alone air purifier requires considerably less power than
operation of a HVAC system. Also, a stand-alone air purifier is
capable of removing both large particles and small particles from
the air, due to the fact that the fan which is part of the air
purifier and which serves for forcing air to flow through the air
purifier is powerful enough to enable the application of a high
efficiency filter in the air purifier. Another advantage of the
stand-alone air purifier resides in the fact that the air purifier
can be used for removing indoor gas pollutants.
[0005] It is generally recommended to keep a room in which a
stand-alone air purifier is applied closed, so that it is possible
to have good air cleaning efficiency. If a stand-alone air purifier
would be operated in an open room, the indoor air would be hard to
clean by means of the air purifier as the source strength would be
too high. However, operating a stand-alone air purifier in a closed
room involves an increase of the carbon dioxide level in the room
in case one or more human beings are present in the room. For
example, if two human beings are present in a closed room of 50
m.sup.3, carbon dioxide will accumulate in the room and the carbon
dioxide level rises up over 1,000 ppm in half an hour. Hence, the
carbon dioxide level can become too high in a relatively short
period of time, wherein it is no longer possible to comply with
national and/or global standards, which are often based on a value
of 1,000 ppm as a threshold.
[0006] A stand-alone air purifier is not capable of removing carbon
dioxide from air. Therefore, a room in which such an air purifier
is present needs to be ventilated, at least from time to time. In
general, assuming that the room has windows, ventilation can be
realized by opening a window, but this may worsen the indoor air
quality if the outdoor quality is very bad. It cannot be left up to
a user to determine the right time to open the window and to
determine an appropriate duration of the ventilation action.
[0007] It is known from JPH11201511 to provide an air cleaning
system comprising a a blower for circulating and filtering air in a
room and a ventilator for introducing outside air into the room.
The ventilator is activated to introduce outside air into the room
when a gas detector detects that the gas level in the room has
exceeded a prescribed reference range.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is an object of the invention to alleviate the dilemma of
the need of good indoor quality on the one hand and the need of
ventilation on the other hand. In view thereof, according to the
invention, an arrangement for air management of a room is provided,
which comprises ventilating means for enabling exchange of air
between the inside environment of the room and the outside
environment of the room; a stand-alone air purifier, which is
arranged separately from the ventilating means, and which is
adapted to remove pollutants from the air in the inside environment
of the room; and a control system, which is in communication with
both the ventilating means and the air purifier, and which is
adapted to control operation of the ventilating means and the air
purifier in dependence of air quality data relating to the inside
environment of the room and the outside environment of the room,
the control system being configured to control the ventilating
means and the air purifier differently depending on whether the air
quality data relating to the outside environment of the room is
above or below a predetermined reference. Preferably, the control
system is adapted to process air quality data relating to both the
inside environment of the room and the outside environment of the
room.
[0009] In the context of the invention, indications like "inside
environment" and "indoor" should be understood such as to be
related to the air which is present inside the room, whereas
indications like "outside environment" and "outdoor" should be
understood such as to be related to the air which is present
outside the room and which can be let in to the room by means of
the ventilating means, which in most cases is air from the open air
which is present outside the building of which the room is
part.
[0010] On the basis of the invention, it is possible to realize
optimal operation of an arrangement comprising both ventilating
means and a stand-alone air purifier, so that the indoor air
quality is continually at the best possible level and energy
consumption can be at a minimum. Also, the controlling algorithms
underlying the functioning of the control system can be chosen such
as to take a predetermined threshold in respect of the carbon
dioxide level in the room into account. Thus, the invention
provides a way of avoiding a situation in which the carbon dioxide
level in the room can become dangerously high as a result of long
term operation of the stand-alone air purifier, avoiding a
situation in which energy is wasted, and avoiding a situation in
which air cleaning only takes place at a low rate.
[0011] As mentioned in the foregoing, the arrangement according to
the invention comprises three main components, namely ventilating
means, a stand-alone air purifier and a control system. It is
practical for the ventilating means to be installed on the wall of
the room, or to be fixed on a window or air conditioner as may be
present in the room. The ventilating means may comprise a
bi-directional fan, a set of fans, wherein one fan serves for
discharging air from the room and another fan serves for supplying
air to the room, automatically controlled windows or any other
mechanical structure which may have a function in exchanging air
between the inside environment of the room and the outside
environment of the room, for discharging dirty air from the room
and introducing fresh air to the room. The main function of the
stand-alone air purifier is cleaning dirty indoor air. In
particular, the air purifier may be adapted to remove at least one
of gas pollutants and particle pollutants from the indoor air.
Ideally, the air flow of at least one of the ventilating means and
the air purifier can be adjusted.
[0012] The control system provides for communication between the
ventilating means and the air purifier, so that the operation of
these components of the arrangement according to the invention can
be adapted to each other in order to obtain the best possible air
cleaning results at minimum power consumption. Control of the
ventilating means and the air purifier includes determining when
the ventilating means and the air purifier should be switched on
and off, and may also include setting a rate of the air flow, for
example. In any case, the control system is adapted to use both air
quality data relating to at least one of the inside environment of
the room and the outside environment of the room. The air quality
data may be collected from suitable sensing means and/or a general
data source, wherein the latter is especially applicable to air
quality data relating to the outside environment of the room. In
general, the data may be obtained through a data collector, which
may be a sensor situated at any appropriate position inside the
room and/or a website data collector. In a practical embodiment of
the arrangement according to the invention, a suitable controller
may be applied, which is situated on or near the ventilating means,
wherein the controller is arranged to receive information from a
sensor situated on or near the ventilating means for detecting
carbon dioxide, particles or gas pollutants, and also from a data
collector which is adapted to collect data from an official website
regarding actual outdoor air quality. Communication between the
controller and at least one of the ventilating means and the air
purifier may take place in a wireless fashion. In any case, a
suitable controller is a controller which is adapted to follow
certain algorithms which are aimed at realizing operation of the
ventilating means and the air purifier in such a way that the
indoor air quality is always at its best under the given
circumstances and waste of energy is avoided.
[0013] For the sake of completeness, it is noted that it is
preferred for the control system to be capable to automatically run
a program. However, that does not alter the fact that the invention
also covers a situation in which the operation of the control
system can be set by a user, i.e. a situation in which the
arrangement according to the invention comprises a user interface
and in which a user can determine the status of the ventilating
means and the air purifier through the user interface, assuming
that the user does not take arbitrary action, but takes into
account actual aspects of the air quality, indoor and/or outdoor.
In this text, the most practical option of having automatic air
management of a room is taken as a starting point.
[0014] In the following, various options in respect of the control
system will be mentioned and elucidated.
[0015] In the first place, the control system may be adapted to
compare air quality data relating to the inside environment of the
room to predetermined reference data. For example, the control
system may be adapted to compare an actual level of formaldehyde of
the indoor air, as can be detected by means of a suitable sensor,
to a maximum allowable level. Starting with such comparison and
depending on the outcome of the comparison, the control system is
capable of determining suitable control of the operation of the
ventilating means and the air purifier. In case it is found that
the indoor air quality is equal to or better than an acceptable
standard, there is no need for operating the ventilating means and
the air purifier, so that they can be kept in a switched off mode,
whereby energy can be saved. Hence, it is advantageous for the
control system to be adapted to set an inactive status of both the
ventilating means and the air purifier in case it is found that the
air quality of the inside environment of the room is equal to or
better than the predetermined reference. In case it is found that
the indoor air quality is worse than an acceptable standard,
control of the operation of the ventilating means and the air
purifier is aimed at improving the indoor air quality. Hence, it is
advantageous for the control system to be adapted to run a program
for activating at least one of the ventilating means and the air
purifier in case it is found that the air quality of the inside
environment of the room is worse than the predetermined
reference.
[0016] In case it is found that the air quality of the inside
environment of the room is worse than the predetermined reference,
it is practical if the control system is furthermore adapted to
compare air quality data relating to the outside environment of the
room to predetermined reference data. If the outdoor air quality is
good enough, it is no problem to operate either one of the
ventilating means and the air purifier. However, if the outdoor air
quality is bad, an optimum has to be found in respect of two
conflicting requirements, namely the requirement to have clean
indoor air and the requirement to prevent the carbon dioxide level
of the indoor air from rising to an unacceptable value.
[0017] The control system is adapted to alternate an active status
of the ventilating means with an active status of the air purifier
in case it is found that the air quality of the outside environment
of the room is equal to or better than a predetermined reference.
There is no need for operating the ventilating means and the air
purifier at the same time, so that energy may be saved. When the
air purifier is operated, it is achieved that the indoor air
quality is improved. When the ventilating means are operated,
carbon dioxide which has accumulated in the room during operation
of the air purifier can be discharged from the room. After allowing
for exchange between indoor air and outdoor air through the
ventilating means, the air purifier may be switched on again.
[0018] The alternating operation of the ventilating means and the
air purifier can be repeated over and over again. In the process,
it is practical to make a comparison between indoor air quality and
outdoor air quality in order to determine whether it is best to
operate the ventilating means, or to operate the air purifier.
Hence, it is advantageous for the control system to be adapted to
make a comparison between air quality data relating to the inside
environment of the room and air quality data relating to the
outside environment of the room, to set an active status of the
ventilating means and an inactive status of the air purifier in
case it is found that the air quality of the outside environment of
the room is better than the air quality of the inside environment
of the room, and to set an inactive status of the ventilating means
and an active status of the air purifier in case it is found that
the air quality of the outside environment of the room is worse
than the air quality of the inside environment of the room.
[0019] According to an alternative, the control system may be
adapted to run a time counter program for controlling the duration
of the operation of the ventilating means and the air purifier,
respectively. In that respect, it is advantageous if the
arrangement comprises a user interface for enabling a user to
supply the control system with information regarding
characteristics of the room, wherein the control system is adapted
to determine the duration of the operation of the ventilating means
and the air purifier, respectively, on the basis of the
information. In this way, the duration of the operation of the
ventilating means and the air purifier, respectively, can be chosen
such as to be optimal in view of the characteristics of the room,
which include the size of the room and the number of people present
in the room.
[0020] According to another alternative, the arrangement comprises
a flow meter for measuring the ventilated air amount, wherein the
control system is adapted to stop the operation of the ventilating
means as soon as it is found that the ventilated air amount has
reached a predetermined reference level. Also in that case, it is
advantageous if the arrangement comprises a user interface for
enabling a user to supply the control system with information
regarding characteristics of the room. The information may then be
used by the control system for determining the reference level of
the ventilated air amount.
[0021] The above options in respect of the control system are
related to the situation in which a comparison of the outdoor air
quality and a predetermined reference shows that the outdoor
quality is equal to or better than the reference. Preferably, the
control system is furthermore adapted to set an inactive status of
the ventilating means and an active status of the air purifier in
case it is found that the air quality of the outside environment of
the room is worse than the predetermined reference. In that way, a
situation in which air of bad quality is supplied to the room is
avoided, while the air purifier is used for improving the indoor
air quality. However, in order to prevent the carbon dioxide level
in the room from getting too high, it is advantageous if the
arrangement comprises sensing means for sensing the carbon dioxide
level in the room, and if the control system is adapted to change
the inactive status of the ventilating means to an active status as
long as it is found that the carbon dioxide level in the room is
higher than a predetermined reference. In that way, the room is
ventilated to a minimum extent, just enough for keeping the carbon
dioxide level in the room at an acceptable value.
[0022] It is noted that the air quality data relating to the inside
environment of the room may comprise at least one of carbon dioxide
level data, particles level data and gas pollutants level data, and
that the air quality data relating to the outside environment of
the room may comprise at least one of particles level data and gas
pollutants level data. Other types of air quality data are also
feasible in respect of the indoor air quality and/or the outdoor
air quality. Air quality data relating to the outside environment
of the room may be obtained on the basis of detection, but it is
also possible to retrieve such data from a general data source such
as the Internet.
[0023] According to an option existing within the framework of the
invention, the flow rate of at least one of the ventilating means
and the air purifier is adjustable, wherein the control system is
adapted to set the flow rate of the at least one of the ventilating
means and the air purifier. Consequently, the way in which the
arrangement according to the invention realizes/maintains good
indoor air quality can be even further optimized.
[0024] The invention relates to both an arrangement for air
management of a room and a method for air management of a room. It
follows from the foregoing that the method can be defined as a
method for air management of a room which is equipped with
ventilating means for enabling exchange of air between the inside
environment of the room and the outside environment of the room,
and a stand-alone air purifier, which is arranged separately from
the ventilating means, and which is adapted to remove pollutants
from the air in the inside environment of the room, wherein
operation of the ventilating means and the air purifier are
controlled in dependence of air quality data relating to the inside
environment of the room and the outside environment of the room,
the ventilating means and the air purifier being controlled
differently depending on whether air quality data relating to the
outside environment of the room is above or below a predetermined
reference.
[0025] In conformity with the options as described in the foregoing
with respect to the arrangement according to the invention, the
following options are applicable to the method according to the
invention, wherein it is noted that the options are listed in a
logical order which more or less reflects successive control
steps:
[0026] the air quality data relating to the inside environment of
the room are compared to predetermined reference data;
[0027] an inactive status of both the ventilating means and the air
purifier is set in case it is found that the air quality of the
inside environment of the room is equal to or better than a
predetermined reference;
[0028] a program for activating at least one of the ventilating
means and the air purifier is run in case it is found that the air
quality of the inside environment of the room is worse than a
predetermined reference;
[0029] air quality data relating to the outside environment of the
room are compared to predetermined reference data;
[0030] an active status of the ventilating means is alternated with
an active status of the air purifier in case it is found that the
air quality of the outside environment of the room is equal to or
better than a predetermined reference;
[0031] a comparison is made between air quality data relating to
the inside environment of the room and air quality data relating to
the outside environment of the room, an active status of the
ventilating means and an inactive status of the air purifier are
set in case it is found that the air quality of the outside
environment of the room is better than the air quality of the
inside environment of the room, and an inactive status of the
ventilating means and an active status of the air purifier are set
in case it is found that the air quality of the outside environment
of the room is worse than the air quality of the inside environment
of the room;
[0032] an inactive status of the ventilating means and an active
status of the air purifier are set in case it is found that the air
quality of the outside environment of the room is worse than a
predetermined reference; and
[0033] sensing means are applied for sensing the carbon dioxide
level in the room, and the inactive status of the ventilating means
is changed to an active status as long as it is found that the
carbon dioxide level in the room is higher than a predetermined
reference.
[0034] The following options as mentioned in respect of the
arrangement according to the invention are also applicable to the
method according to the invention:
[0035] a time counter program is run for controlling the duration
of the operation of the ventilating means and the air purifier,
respectively;
[0036] the duration of the operation of the ventilating means and
the air purifier, respectively, is determined on the basis of
information supplied by a user;
[0037] a flow meter is applied for measuring the ventilated air
amount, and the operation of the ventilating means is stopped as
soon as it is found that the ventilated air amount has reached a
predetermined reference level;
[0038] the air quality data relating to the inside environment of
the room comprise at least one of carbon dioxide level data,
particles level data and gas pollutants level data, and the air
quality data relating to the outside environment of the room
comprise at least one of particles level data and gas pollutants
level data;
[0039] air quality data relating to the outside environment of the
room are retrieved from a general data source; and
[0040] assuming that the flow rate of at least one of the
ventilating means and the air purifier is adjustable, the flow rate
of the at least one of the ventilating means and the air purifier
is set.
[0041] The above-described and other aspects of the invention will
be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the following
detailed description of a room which is equipped with an
arrangement for air management of the room, comprising a
ventilator, a stand-alone air purifier and a control system, and of
various options in respect of control of the operation of the
ventilator and the air purifier.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0042] The invention will now be explained in greater detail with
reference to the figures, in which:
[0043] FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows a room which is equipped with
an arrangement for air management of the room, comprising a
ventilator, a stand-alone air purifier and a control system;
[0044] FIG. 2 is a flow chart which is applicable to the way in
which the operation of the ventilator and the air purifier is
controlled in case the outside air quality is good; and
[0045] FIG. 3 is a flow chart which is applicable to the way in
which the operation of the ventilator and the air purifier is
controlled in case the outside air quality is bad.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0046] FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows a room 100 which is equipped
with an arrangement 1 for air management of the room 100,
comprising a ventilator 10, a stand-alone air purifier 20 and a
control system 30. The air purifier 20 is situated at an
appropriate position in the room 100, and can easily be replaced by
a user to another position in the room 100 if so desired. In the
shown example, the ventilator 10 is installed on the wall 101 of
the room 100, and is a bi-directional fan for exhausting dirty air
from the inside environment 102 of the room 100 to the outside
environment 103 of the room 100 and supplying fresh air from the
outside environment 103 of the room 100 to the inside environment
102 of the room 100. The exchange of air is diagrammatically
depicted by means of a set of two opposite arrows in FIG. 1.
[0047] The air purifier 20 serves for cleaning dirty air in the
inside environment 102 of the room 100. Among other things, the air
purifier 20 comprises a fan (not shown) for forcing air to be
purified to flow through the air purifier 20 during operation
thereof. The flow of air to and from the air purifier 20 is
diagrammatically depicted by means of bent arrows in FIG. 1. In the
shown example, the air purifier 20 is capable of receiving and
transmitting data in a wireless fashion, particularly data in
respect of operation characteristics. Wireless communication
between the air purifier 20 and the control system 30 is
diagrammatically depicted by means of a dashed double-headed arrow
in FIG. 1.
[0048] The control system 30 is adapted to run a control program
which is aimed at having air of the best possible quality in the
inside environment 102 of the room 100, in any case having air
which meets certain standards. In the shown example, the control
system 30 comprises a controller 31 and a data collector 32 which
may be a sensor which can provide real-time indoor air quality data
and/or software which can download daily outdoor air quality data
from an official website. For example, the sensor may be a carbon
dioxide sensor, a particles sensor or a gas pollutants sensor. The
control program serves for switching the ventilator 10 and the air
purifier 20 on and off at appropriate moments, taking into account
the air quality data obtained from the data collector 32. The
controller 31 and the data collector 32 may be integrated into the
ventilator 10 as shown in FIG. 1, but another positioning of the
controller 31 and the data collector 32 is also possible, including
a positioning on the air purifier 20.
[0049] FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate possible aspects of the control
program, wherein FIG. 2 relates to an algorithm which is applicable
in case the outdoor air quality is good, and wherein FIG. 3 relates
to an algorithm which is applicable in case the outdoor air quality
is bad. In short, when the outdoor air quality is good, the
ventilator 10 and the air purifier 20 are alternately operated, and
when the outdoor air quality is bad, the ventilator 10 and the air
purifier 20 are first operated simultaneously for a few minutes,
after which only the air purifier 20 is operated for putting the
indoor air quality to an acceptable level.
[0050] In the following, various options in respect of the
arrangement 1 for air management of the room 100 will be described.
It is noted that combinations of the options are possible within
the framework of the invention.
[0051] According to a first option, the arrangement 1 is a sensor
assisted arrangement. A sensor may be placed at either the
ventilator 10, the air purifier 20 or another appropriate position
in the room 100 for performing timely measurements of the indoor
air quality. The ventilator 10 and the air purifier 20 will be
alternately operated according to the sensor data. It is possible
to use both a gas sensor and a particle sensor. In the following,
by way of example, it will be assumed that the arrangement 1 for
air management of the room 100 comprises a formaldehyde sensor and
a carbon dioxide sensor.
[0052] The formaldehyde sensor is installed on the air purifier 20.
When it is found that the formaldehyde concentration is two/three
times higher than a reference value (e.g. a national standard), the
air purifier 20 is switched on and the ventilator 10 is kept in an
inactive status. After the air purifier 20 has been running for a
while, the formaldehyde sensor will collect new data. If it is
found that the formaldehyde concentration is lower than the
reference value, the air purifier 20 will be put to the inactive
status and the ventilator 10 will be put to the active status for
about three minutes in order to supply fresh air from the outside
environment 103 of the room 100 to the inside environment 102 of
the room 100. When it is found that the formaldehyde concentration
is much higher than the reference value, for example, four/five
times higher, the ventilator 10 is switched on for ten minutes,
including five minutes of exhaust of air from the inside
environment 102 of the room 100 to the outside environment 103 of
the room 100, followed by five minutes of supply of fresh air from
the outside environment 103 of the room 100 to the inside
environment 102 of the room 100. When the operation of the
ventilator 10 is stopped, the sensor data are interpreted and the
air purifier 20 is switched on in order to decrease the
formaldehyde concentration. After the air purifier 20 has been
running for a certain time, for example, half an hour to one hour,
the operation of the air purifier 20 is stopped and the ventilator
10 is restarted for ten minutes. The running time of the ventilator
10 and the air purifier 20 can be adjustable according to both
indoor air quality and outdoor air quality.
[0053] The carbon dioxide sensor can be installed on the ventilator
10, and serves for indicating the running time of the ventilator 10
and the air purifier 20. When the carbon dioxide sensor detects
that the carbon dioxide level is higher than a predetermined
reference value, for example, a value of 1,600 ppm while the air
purifier 20 is in the active status, the operation of the air
purifier 20 is stopped and the ventilator 10 is put to the active
status in order to have air exchange for a few minutes until the
carbon dioxide level is at a lower value, for example, a value of
500 ppm. As long as the carbon dioxide level measures in the inside
environment 102 of the room 100 is lower than 1,600 ppm while the
air purifier 20 is in the active status, the ventilator 10 is kept
in the inactive status.
[0054] According to a second option, the arrangement 1 for air
management of the room 100 is a big data assisted arrangement.
Information about the outdoor air quality can be obtained from an
official website by a suitable data collector at any position where
the Internet is accessible. In that case, the data collector could
be installed on one of the ventilator 10, the air purifier 20 and
the control system 30, or at another appropriate position in the
room 100. If the outdoor quality is bad, the ventilator 10 will be
kept in the inactive status, while the air purifier 20 will be kept
in the active status. After the air purifier 20 has been running
for a certain time, for example, one hour or two hours, the
ventilator 10 will be put to the active state for a few minutes in
order to keep the carbon dioxide concentration at the acceptable
level. Subsequently, ventilation will be stopped and the air
purifier 20 will be kept in the active status. If the outdoor air
quality is good, the ventilator 10 will start air exchange without
the air purifier 20 being in the active status as well.
[0055] According to a third option, the arrangement 1 for air
management of the room 100 is a time counter assisted arrangement,
wherein a time counter program is used to control the duration of
ventilation and air purification. In particular, the time counter
program may be used for setting the time interval of alternating
ventilation and air purification. For example, ventilation can be
performed during five minutes, each time after air purification has
taken place during one hour. A predetermined relation may be used
for determining which duration of ventilation and air purification
is appropriate for a certain size of the room 100 and a certain
amount of people present in the room 100. After the ventilator 10
has been operated during a certain time which is appropriate in
view of room size and number of people present in the room 100, the
ventilator 10 will be put to the inactive condition and the air
purifier 20 will automatically be switched on. After a certain
time, the air purifier 20 will be switched off and the ventilator
10 will be switched on again, which is advantageous for bringing
the carbon dioxide level in the room 100 down, which has become
higher and higher in the meantime due to the presence of people in
the room 100 and the room 100 being kept closed.
[0056] According to a fourth option, the arrangement 1 for air
management of the room 100 is a flow meter assisted arrangement. A
flow meter can be used for measuring the ventilated air amount and
for assisting the control system 30 in determining the time
interval of alternating the operation of the ventilator 10 and the
air purifier 20. After the air purifier 20 has continuously been in
the active status for one hour, while the room 100 has been kept
closed, the ventilator 10 will be put to the active status in order
to reduce the carbon dioxide level to an acceptable value. The flow
meter on the ventilator 10 is used for determining when the
ventilation can be stopped, while the flow rate is adjustable
according to the room size. In general, it will be practical and
sufficient to exchange the air in the inside environment 102 of the
room 100 with air from the outside environment 103 of the room 100
once per hour.
[0057] It will be clear to a person skilled in the art that the
scope of the invention is not limited to the examples discussed in
the foregoing, but that several amendments and modifications
thereof are possible without deviating from the scope of the
invention as defined in the attached claims. While the invention
has been illustrated and described in detail in the figures and the
description, such illustration and description are to be considered
illustrative or exemplary only, and not restrictive. The invention
is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.
[0058] Variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood
and effected by a person skilled in the art in practicing the
claimed invention, from a study of the figures, the description and
the attached claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not
exclude other steps or elements, and the indefinite article "a" or
"an" does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain
measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does
not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to
advantage. For example, the fact that the flow rate of at least one
of the ventilating means and the air purifier may be adjustable,
wherein the control system is adapted to set the flow rate of the
at least one of the ventilating means and the air purifier, is not
only applicable to the main concept of the invention as reflected
in claim 1, but may very well be combined with one or more further
aspects of the invention. Any reference signs in the claims should
not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.
* * * * *