Abstract
The invention relates to a workspace wall (1) for placement on a desk to reduce noise within a noise reduction area (7) in an operating orientation (11). The workspace wall (1) comprises a main wall element (3), at least one wing panel (4), optionally at least one sound detection element (21) for detecting a sound signal input (12), and at least one sound generating device (22), preferably for active noise reduction and/or a passive noise reduction element (20). The at least one sound generating device (22) and/or the passive noise reduction element (20) is configured to reduce the level of noise within the noise reduction area (7). (FIG. 3)
Claims
1. A workspace wall for placement on a desk to reduce noise within a noise reduction area in an operating orientation, the workspace wall comprising a main wall element, at least one wing panel and at least one of at least one sound generating device for active noise reduction and a passive noise reduction element, wherein at least one of the at least one sound generating device and the passive noise reduction element is configured to reduce the level of noise within the noise reduction area.
2. The workspace wall according to claim 1, wherein the at least one wing panel comprises at least one of the following: at least one foldable portion such that the wing panel is convertible between an expanded configuration and a folded configuration; a connecting element such that the wing panel is connectable to the main wall element.
3. The workspace wall according to claim 1, wherein the workspace wall comprises a front panel which is connected or connectable to the main wall element facing the noise reduction area forming a spacing between the main wall element and the front panel.
4. The workspace wall according to claim 1, wherein the workspace wall comprises a top panel which is connected or connectable to at least one of a top section of the main wall element and a front panel.
5. The workspace wall according to claim 1, wherein in the operating orientation of the workspace wall, the workspace wall has a height, as measured in the vertical direction, in the range from 50 cm to 150 cm; a width, measured from a left side to a right side, in the range from 120 cm to 250 cm; a depth, measured in a direction perpendicular to the height and the width, in the range from 30 cm to 110 cm.
6. The workspace wall according to claim 1, wherein the passive noise reduction element is a noise reduction layer which is arranged along at least a part of a surface of the workspace wall or the entire surface of the workspace wall.
7. The workspace wall according to claim 1, wherein the workspace wall comprises a first sound detection element for detecting a first sound signal input and a second sound detection element for detecting a second sound signal input, wherein the first sound detection element and the second sound detection element are arranged at at least one of different spatial positions and/or different spatial orientations.
8. The workspace wall according to claim 7, wherein the workspace wall comprises a sound signal optimization unit which is configured to compare the first sound signal input and the second sound signal input and to calculate an optimized sound signal which includes one of the first sound signal input and second sound signal input from which the other of the first sound signal input and second sound signal input is at least partially subtracted.
9. The workspace wall for placement on a desk in an operating orientation to reduce noise within a noise reduction area, according to claim 1, wherein the workspace wall comprises at least one sound generating device for active noise reduction, at least one sound detection element for detecting a sound signal input and at least one control unit configured to compute a suppression sound signal based on the sound signal input, wherein the at least one sound generating device is configured to generate a suppression sound based on the suppression sound signal that results in at least partial destructive interference with sound within the noise reduction area.
10. The workspace wall according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sound generating device is arranged on an edge of the workspace wall.
11. The workspace wall according to claim 10, wherein the at least one sound detection element for detecting the sound signal input, is arranged on the edge or arranged less than 5 cm.
12. The workspace wall according to claim 9, wherein the control unit is adapted to compute the suppression sound signal via the sound signal input, based on at least one of: a closed feedback loop, wherein the control unit is adapted to continuously adjust the suppression sound signal based on sound signal inputs influenced by temporally preceding generated suppression sounds and an analogue feedback, wherein the sound signal input is inverted and amplified to compute the suppression sound signal.
13. A workspace wall for placement on a desk in an operating orientation to reduce noise within a noise reduction area wherein the workspace wall comprises at least two sound generating devices (221, 222) for active noise reduction, at least two sound detection elements for detecting at least two sound signal inputs (121, 122) at at least two different spatial positions and/or orientations, and at least one control unit configured to distinguish between an internal sound signal generated by sound within the noise reduction area and an external sound signal generated by sound outside the noise reduction area by comparison of the at least two sound signal inputs (121, 122) and generate one suppression sound signal or two different suppression sound signals based on the external sound signal, wherein the at least two sound generating devices (221, 222) are configured to generate one suppression sound or at least two different suppression sounds, based on the at least one suppression sound signal that results in at least partial destructive interference within the noise reduction area with sound generated outside the noise reduction area.
14. An air purifying device comprising a housing, at least one purifying unit arranged inside the housing, at least one air inlet, at least one air outlet, at least one air circulation unit, in particular a fan, for directing air through the air inlet into the housing, then through the at least one purifying unit and through the air outlet out of the housing, wherein in an operating orientation of the device, at least one of at least one air inlet is arranged at the top section of the device and/or at least one air inlet is arranged at the bottom section of the device and at least on air outlet is arranged at a side of the device.
15. The air purifying device according to claim 14, wherein the at least one purifying unit is selected from at least one of the group consisting of a dust filter, a HEPA filter, an active carbon filter, an electrostatic filter and a UV purifier.
16. The air purifying device according to claim 14, wherein the device further comprises at least one sensor for determining at least one property of at least one of the air flowing in through the air inlet and the air flowing out through the air outlet.
17. The air purifying device according to claim 16, wherein the device further comprises a device control unit for controlling the operation of at least one of the at least one air circulation unit and of the at least one purifying unit on the basis of the at least one property determined from the at least one sensor.
18. A desktop system comprising an air purifying device comprising a housing, at least one purifying unit arranged inside the housing, at least one air inlet, at least one air outlet, at least one air circulation unit for directing air through the air inlet into the housing, then through the at least one purifying unit and through the air outlet out of the housing, and a workspace wall according to claim 1, for placement on a desk to reduce noise within a noise reduction area in an operating orientation.
19. The workspace wall according to claim 1, wherein the workspace wall comprises at least one sound detection element for detecting a sound signal input.
20. The workspace wall according to claim 4, wherein the top panel is connected or connectable to at least one of a top section of the main wall element and the front panel at an angle relative to the main wall element and has a light source facing away from a surface of the top panel.
21. The workspace wall according to claim 5, wherein in the operating orientation of the workspace wall: the height of the workspace wall is in the range from 50 cm to 70 cm; the width of the workspace wall is in the range from 120 cm to 180 cm; the depth of the workspace wall is in the range from 60 cm to 80 cm.
22. The workspace wall according to claim 6, wherein the noise reduction layer consists of or comprises polyethylene and has a thickness of 8 mm to 30 mm.
23. The workspace wall according to claim 10, wherein an array of sound generating devices are arranged on an edge (302, 306) of at least one of the main wall element, the at least one wing panel, and the front panel.
24. The workspace wall according to claim 11, wherein an array of sound detection elements for detecting a plurality of sound signal inputs comprising at least one sound detection element per sound generating device is arranged on the edge or arranged less than 5 cm from the edge.
25. The desktop system according to claim 18, wherein the air purifying device comprises: a housing, at least one purifying unit arranged inside the housing, at least one air inlet, at least one air outlet, at least one air circulation unit, in particular a fan, for directing air through the air inlet into the housing, then through the at least one purifying unit and through the air outlet out of the housing, wherein in an operating orientation of the device, at least one of at least one air inlet is arranged at the top section of the device and at least one air inlet is arranged at the bottom section of the device and at least on air outlet is arranged at a side of the device.
Description
[0143] The invention will now be described with reference to specific embodiments and the accompanying figures, which show:
[0144] FIGS. 1A and 1B: an oblique side view of an embodiment of a workspace wall for reducing noise within a noise reduction area and a system comprising a workspace wall,
[0145] FIGS. 2A and 2B: two oblique side views of an embodiment of a sound generating device to be used in a workspace wall or desktop system,
[0146] FIG. 3: an oblique side view of an embodiment of a desktop system with a workspace wall which has a sound generating device for active noise reduction,
[0147] FIGS. 4A to 4D: schematic top views of a desktop system with a workspace wall with a single microphone and multiple microphones, respectively,
[0148] FIG. 5A: an oblique side view of a desktop system with a passive noise reduction layer,
[0149] FIGS. 5B to 5D: cross-sectional views of different passive noise reduction layers of the wing panel, main wall element, and front panel of the workspace wall,
[0150] FIG. 6A: a schematic top view of a workspace wall in an expanded configuration,
[0151] FIG. 6B: a schematic top view of a workspace wall in a folded configuration,
[0152] FIGS. 7A and 7B: oblique side views of the workspace wall according to FIG. 6A and 6B,
[0153] FIG. 8A: a semi-transparent oblique side view of an embodiment of an air purifying device,
[0154] FIG. 8B: an exploded view of an embodiment of the purifying unit,
[0155] FIG. 9: an embodiment of a desktop system comprising the air purifying device shown in FIG. 8A and 8B,
[0156] FIGS. 10A and 10B: oblique side views of two alternative wing panel embodiments of a workspace wall,
[0157] FIG. 11A: an oblique side view of a desktop system with a passive noise reduction element,
[0158] FIG. 11B: an oblique side view of a desktop system according to FIG. 11A with an air purifying device,
[0159] FIG. 12A: an oblique side view of a desktop system with a passive noise reduction element and speakers for active noise reduction,
[0160] FIG. 12B: an oblique side view of a desktop system according to FIG. 12A with an air purifying device,
[0161] FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C: oblique side views of three different embodiments of air purifying devices,
[0162] FIG. 13D: an enlarged view of the visual display and user interface according to FIG. 13A and FIG. 13C,
[0163] FIG. 13E and 13F: an oblique side view of a workspace wall and an alternative embodiment of a front panel to be attached to an air purifying device according to FIG. 13A,
[0164] FIG. 14A: an oblique side view of a passive noise reduction mat,
[0165] FIG. 14B: an oblique side view of a noise reduction headrest extension of the desktop system,
[0166] FIG. 14C: an oblique side view of an active noise reduction headrest extension of the desktop system,
[0167] FIGS. 15A and 15B: an oblique side view of two semitransparent illustrations of alternative embodiments of the workspace wall having a passive resonating structure arranged along its edges and having an array of sound generating devices arranged on its edges,
[0168] FIG. 16: a graph with a plurality of curves corresponding to a deviation of noise detected with active noise reduction with respect to noise detected with non-active noise reduction plotted over a frequency of the noise for different spatial angular positions on a head of a user in front of the workspace wall according to FIG. 15B.
[0169] FIG. 1A shows the separate components of a workspace wall 1 and FIG. 1B shows a system 70 comprising the workspace wall 1 in an operating orientation 11 placed on a desk 2. The components in FIG. 1A of the workspace wall 1 are all connectable to each other such that they can be disassembled for transport and/or shipping.
[0170] The workspace wall 1 has a main wall element 3 and two wing panels 4 which are attachable to the main wall element 3. The main wall element 3 is bent horizontally c-shaped at its lateral ends to partially enclose a noise reduction area in an operating orientation 11. The wing panels 4 can be received at the lateral ends of the main wall element 3. At a top section of the main wall element 3 a top panel 8 can be attached with two connecting elements 82 which allow for the adjustment of the inclination of the top panel 8 relative to the main wall element 3. The connecting elements 82 can have Velcro straps, zippers, magnets, press fasteners, and/or metal brackets to connect the top panel 8 to the main wall element 3. The top panel 8 further comprises a LED bar 9 which is arranged along the majority of the lateral width of the top panel 8 in an operating orientation 11 of the workspace wall 1. To ensure uniform illumination of the interior of the workspace wall 1, the LED bar 9 has a light diffuser made of a thermoplastic material that uniformly distributes the light (not shown in detail). The top panel 8 is arranged in such a way that it partially shields the workspace wall 1 from frontal noise and can provide light through the LED bar 9 without blinding a user. The workspace wall 1 components have a noise insulating layer which covers to shield a noise reduction area 7 passively from noise outside the workspace wall 1 (see FIG. 5A to 5D). In this embodiment, the noise reduction area 7 is defined by a seating area of the user. When the wing panels 4 are converted by folding the wing panel 4 at foldable portions 6 to an expanded configuration 41, they laterally partially enclose the workspace area at the desk 2. The height of the wall 1 measured in a vertical direction in the operating orientation 11 is large enough to shield the head of a user from noise. The wing panels 4 are protruding horizontally with increased vertical height. Thereby, the wing panels 4 protrude slightly relative to their base surface at the head level to reduce more noise at the seating position of the user within the noise reduction area 7. A laptop 26 of a user can be connected via a wire to the electronic interface and the electronic control unit of the workspace wall 1 which is arranged behind the front panel 5 together with the other electronic components of the workspace wall 1. The desk 2 is covered by a passive noise reduction desk mat 72 which can be used as mousepad. The workspace wall 1 can be adapted modularly to the needs of a user. Several workspace walls 1 can be arranged next to each other and for example only be separated by a common wing panel 4. An air purifying unit 50 (see FIG. 13A to 13C) can be mounted on a front side of the main wall element 3 by a connecting element 33.
[0171] FIGS. 2A and 2B show a speaker 22 in two oblique side views. The speaker 22 is configured to be used with a workspace wall (see FIG. 1). The speaker 22 has a microphone 21 positioned centrally and has a width w of 180 mm, a height h of 20.6 mm, and a depth d of 80 mm. Due to the small height h, the speaker 22 can be arranged form-fittingly inlayed within a recess of the workspace wall without increasing the thickness of the workspace wall. Thereby, the speaker 22 and the workspace wall can form a smooth surface (see FIG. 12A and 12B). The speaker 22 further has an electric input and output 223 for receiving sound signals and transmitting sound signal inputs of the microphone 21. Thereby, the speaker 22 is connectable to the control unit, optimization unit and interfaces of the workspace wall and air purifying unit. A magnet 224 of the speaker 22 can be essentially flush with the surface of the back of the speaker 22 so that the speaker 22 can be shaped as thinly as possible.
[0172] FIG. 3 shows a desktop system 70 with a workspace wall 1 in the operating orientation 11, the workspace wall 1 consisting of a main wall element 3, a top panel 8 fixedly connected with a front panel 5, and two wing panels 4 with multiple foldable portions 6. The desktop system 70 in FIG. 3 is shown in a semi-transparent view so that all components can be identified. The height H of the workspace wall 1 without the top panel 8 is 55 cm such that the noise reduction area 7 at head level of a user is shielded. The width W of the workspace wall 1 measured from one wing panel 4 to the opposite wing panel 4 is 180 cm. The depth D measured in a perpendicular direction of the height H and width W is 80 cm.
[0173] The workspace wall 1 has multiple speakers 221, 222 which are positioned at the wing panels 4 and the front panel 5 of the workspace wall 1 facing the noise reduction area 7 which is partially enclosed by the workspace wall 1. The workspace wall 1 also has multiple microphones 211, 212 functioning as sound detection elements which are preferably arranged at the same spatial positions as the speakers or at least in close proximity of or on the speakers 221, 222 (see FIG. 2A and 2B).
[0174] At least a first microphone 211 is directed at the user 74 such that the voice of the user 74 and in particular the sounds inside the workspace wall 1 can be recorded particularly well by recording a first sound signal input 121. At least a second microphone 212 is arranged at a different spatial position relative to the noise reduction area 7. Alternatively, the second microphone 212 can also be positioned on the outside of the surface of the workspace wall 1. Thereby, the second microphone 212 can better record a second sound signal input 122 and in particular undesirable background noise, such as the noise of a printer or fax machine, the buzzing of equipment, typing noises, traffic, ringtones, or voices of employees, generated outside the workspace wall 1. An optimization unit 24, mainly arranged in a housing behind the front panel 5, is configured to calculate an optimized sound signal by at least partially subtracting the second sound signal input 122 or a modified second sound signal input 122 from the first sound signal input 121. The optimized sound signal has less prominent undesirable background noise and can thereby increase the microphone 211, 212 recording quality.
[0175] The desktop system 70 can comprise multiple modes of operation which may be changed by operating a user interface (see FIG. 13A to 13D).
[0176] In another embodiment or mode of operation the microphone 211, 212 of the workspace wall 1 in FIG. 3 is configured to detect a sound signal input 121, 122 and transmit it to a control unit 25 arranged in a housing within a spacing between the front panel 5 and the main wall element 3.
[0177] This sound signal input 121, 122 is an overlay of sounds and includes some undesirable background noise. The control unit 25 can be configured to compute a suppression sound signal based on this sound input 121, 122. This suppression sound signal can be transmitted to the speakers 221, 222 to generate a suppression sound 13 which interferes at least partially destructively with undesirable background noise within the noise reduction area 7. Thereby, the user 74 within the noise reduction area 7 is not required to wear headphones and preferably can move freely within the noise reduction area 7. The spatial position of the noise reduction area 7 might even be adjusted by detecting the sitting position of a user 74 based on one or more distance measuring sensors (not shown in FIG. 3).
[0178] In particular sound at low frequencies with a large wavelength and/or repetitive sounds of undesirable noise is thereby reduced within the noise reduction area 7 for a user 74.
[0179] In another embodiment or mode of operation of the workspace wall 1 in FIG. 3, the first microphone 211 can be directed at a user 74 sitting within the noise reduction area 7. The noise reduction area 7 is defined by an area around possible head positions of the user 74 or a specific head position of the user 74. The first microphone 211 is configured to detect a first sound signal input 121 mainly capturing sound within the noise reduction area 7 or inside the workspace wall 1. The second microphone 212 is configured to detect a second sound signal input 122, mainly capturing sound which is generated external from the partial enclosure of the workspace wall 1. For the sake of clarity, the sound input signals 121, 122 were displayed with different oscillations in FIG. 3. However, both signals are always a superposition of external sound signal and an internal sound signal. The control unit 25 is configured to distinguish between the external noise signal and the internal noise signal by comparing the two sound input signals based on the sound reduction due to distance and orientation of the microphones 121, 122 and the noise reduction by dampening of the workspace wall 1. The control unit 25 generates a suppression sound signal by extracting the external sound signal from the sound input signals 121, 122 which is transmitted to speakers 221, 222. The control unit 25 can also generate multiple suppression sound signals which are transmitted to different speakers 221, 222 to account for the spatial position and/or orientation of the speakers 221, 222.
[0180] Based on the suppression sound signal, the speakers 221, 222 generate a suppression sound 13 which destructively interferes with the external noise signal within the noise reduction area 7, in particular in the area of the ears of a user 74.
[0181] The user 74 may select different modes of operation for active noise reduction. The user 74 may choose from [0182] a mode for maximum sound suppression without discriminating to reduce sound within the noise reduction area 7 to a minimum, or [0183] a mode which filters at least one frequency range, indicative of the externally generated sounds or repetitive sound signals.
[0184] FIGS. 4A to 4D show schematic top views of the desktop system 70 with a workspace wall 1 which consists of a main wall element 3 and two sidewardly extending wing panels 4 which are arranged at an angle 18 of around 90 relative to the plane spanned by the main wall element 3. FIG. 4A only shows a single microphone 21 which is placed centrally within the partial enclosure of the workspace wall 1. FIG. 4B shows two microphones 211, 212 which are arranged within the partial enclosure of the workspace wall at different spatial positions relative to a user 74. FIG. 4C shows multiple microphones 211, 212, 213 which are arranged at different spatial positions within the partial enclosure of the workspace wall 1. In FIG. 4C one microphone 212 is arranged closer to the noise reduction area 7 to record a second sound signal input generated to a large extent by sound within the noise reduction area 7 particularly well. Another microphone 211 is located at an offset spatial position within the enclosure of the workspace wall 1. Therefore, the offset microphone 211 records a first sound signal generated to a lesser extent by sound generated closer to the noise reduction area 7. However, additional external sounds, i.e. above-mentioned undesirable background noise, is recorded by the first and second sound signal inputs of both microphones 211, 212. Thereby, the undesirable background noise can be identified by comparing the first and second sound signal inputs. The background noise can be better identified by additionally detected sound signal inputs from additional microphones 213 exemplary shown in FIG. 4C. The inputs are transmittable to an optimization unit or a control unit to be further processed (see FIG. 3). The optimization unit is configured to compute an optimized sound signal by partially subtracting the first sound signal input, in particular the undesirable background noise, from the second signal input. The optimized sound signal can be further transmitted via an interface to an external terminal device such as a computer or smartphone. Alternatively or additionally, the microphones 211, 212 and preferably the speakers FIG. 4D can be placed within a headrest extension 67 (see FIG. 14C) as shown in FIG. 4D. The at least two microphones 211, 212 according to FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C can be used for determining the three-dimensional spatial position of the user 74 based on at least a first sound signal input and a second sound signal input, e.g. when the user speaks. The noise reduction area 7 can be spatially adjusted such that the user 74 is always positioned essentially centrally within the noise reduction area 7 based on the determined three-dimensional spatial position of the user 74.
[0185] The control unit can be configured to further compute a suppression sound signal for generating a suppression sound based on the first and second sound signal inputs of the two microphones 211, 212 (see FIG. 3). The optimization unit and the control unit are configured to remove repetitive sounds and/or noises at low frequencies, in particular below 500 Hz, in particular preferably below 100 Hz, of the first and second sound signal inputs when computing the optimized sound signal or suppression sound signal or signals.
[0186] FIG. 5A shows an oblique view of a desktop system 70 with a workspace wall 1 that has a passive noise reduction element 20 forming noise reduction layers made of multiple layers (see FIG. 5B to 5D) within the main wall element 3, the front panel 5, the top panel 8, and the wing panels 4. All electronic components of the desktop system 70 including an optimization unit, a control unit, and an air purifying device (see FIG. 8A and 8B) are arranged in a common housing within a spacing between the front panel 5 and the main wall element 3. At the bottom section of said housing, an air inlet 53 of the air purifying device 50 and a visual display 67 is arranged. The visual display 67 can be configured to display a property, for example the temperature, humidity, CO.sub.2 level, volatile compound level, particulate matter level, ambient noise level, or ambient light level based on the measurements of respective sensors arranged within the housing. The visual display 67 is configured such that icons, i.e. a thermometer or a fan, changes by selecting a property, i.e. temperature or ventilation speed (see FIG. 8A). The visual display 67 further changes the display color in accordance with the value of the measured property.
[0187] The user can adjust the mode of operation of the active noise reduction and/or the air purifying device by capacitive touch sensors 61. Additionally or alternatively, the user can connect wirelessly to a wireless data transmitting interface arranged within the housing behind the front panel 5. In addition, an electronic device, in particular a smartphone can be inductively charged by an inductive power supply 68 arranged on a section of the noise reduction mat 72. The front panel 5 is adjusted to receive a monitor 75 on its front side.
[0188] FIGS. 5B to 5D show cross-sectional views of the wing panels 4 in FIG. 5B, of the main wall element 3 in FIG. 5C, and of the front panel 5 in FIG. 5C. In FIG. 5B, the noise reduction layer 201 of the wing panel 4 is enclosed on each side by a covering fabric 204. Within each covering fabric 204, two layers of sound absorbing foam 203 are arranged which enclose a single layer of sound absorbing PET 202. The single layer of sound absorbing PET 202 has a thickness of 19 mm. The sound absorbing foam 203 has a periodic pyramidal three-dimensional structure to attenuate noise further.
[0189] The main wall element 3 in FIG. 5C is also covered on each side by a covering fabric 204 which encloses a single sound absorbing foam layer 203 on one side and a single layer of sound absorbing PET 202 on the other side. The front panel 5 in FIG. 5D also only has a single covering fabric 204 on one side which covers a thin foam layer 203 followed by a sound absorbing PET layer 202 and a broader foam layer 203. The noise reduction mat 72 in FIG. 5A also has an above described a noise reduction layer 201.
[0190] FIG. 6A shows a schematic top view of a workspace wall 1 which is arranged adjacent multiple other workspace walls 1 in an office in an expanded configuration 41. In the expanded configuration 41, the wing panels 4 of the workspace wall 1 in the operating orientation 11 extend in a second horizontal direction from a first horizontal direction of the main wall element 3 at an angle of 90. A front panel 5 is arranged distanced at a spacing 23 from the front facing side of the main wall element 3, facing a seating position of a user. The wing panels 4 of the workspace wall 1 in the operating orientation 11 can be folded in a zig-zag pattern/concertina pattern with alternating fold directions for every single foldable portion.
[0191] Thereby, the workspace is partially enclosed and the workspace wall 1 reduces the noise within the workspace wall 1 from a large area 76 behind the workspace wall 1 and a lateral area 77. Thereby, in the expanded configuration 41, the area 78 from which noise reaches the workspace can be reduced by converting the wing panels 4.
[0192] However, the wing panels 4 of the workspace wall 1 in the folded configuration in FIG. 6B allow for lateral communication. The wing panels 4 can be converted from the expanded configuration 41 to the folded configuration 42 and vice versa manually to adjust the workspace environment to the individual needs of a user.
[0193] FIGS. 7A and 7B respectively show oblique side views of the expanded configuration 41 of the wing panels 4 and the folded configuration 42 of the wing panels 4 according to FIG. 6A and 6B. A front panel 5 is attached to the main wall element 3 or to a housing for the electronics (see FIG. 13A-13C) on a front facing side of the partial enclosure. In this embodiment, the wing panels 4 are connected to the main wall element 3 via two zippers 79. This allows for a modular combinability to adjust the workspace wall 1 to the workspace environment. In particular, multiple main wall elements 3 are connectable to other main wall elements 3 (not shown in the figures).
[0194] FIG. 8A shows an embodiment of an air purifying device 50 in an operating orientation 11. A housing 51 of the air purifying device 50 has two air outlets 541, 542 on two opposite horizontally facing sides 581, 582 of the housing 51. A first air inlet 531 is arranged at the top section 56 of the housing 51 and a second air inlet 532 is arranged at a bottom section 57 of the housing 51. A second air inlet 532 at the bottom section 57 faces horizontally outward. Thereby, the second air inlet 532 can easily take in the breathing air of a user sitting frontally to the second air inlet 532. However, in a different embodiment of the air purifying device 50 which is placed fixed in an elevated position, the second air inlet 532 may also be placed on the bottom facing side of the housing 51. An inflow of air 66 is directed through the air inlets 531, 532 by multiple fans 55 behind a removable opening panel 511, through a purifying unit 52 which comprises multiple different filters (see FIG. 8B) and then through the air outlets 541, 542. The inflowing air 66 essentially enters the housing 51 in a vertical direction. The outflowing air 65 discharged from the housing 51 is directed essentially along a horizontal direction 16 away from the opposing sides 581, 582 of the housing 51. Alternatively, the outflowing air 651 can be guided at least partially vertically downward in an operating orientation 11 of the air purifying unit 50. This can be achieved by an inclined internal guiding surface and/or directed fans 55. The air purifying device 50 further comprises a power socket 64, cable ports, and USB ports 641. A visual display 67 of the air purifying unit 50 is configured to display icons 68 according to the settings of the ventilation mode. The purifying unit further has a sensor 59 to measure a temperature, a humidity, a CO.sub.2 level, a volatile organic compounds level, a particulate matter level, a noise level and/or an ambient light level of the inflowing air 66 which is arranged within the air inlet 532. The measures values of the sensor 59 can be displayed on the visual display 67 or used to adjust the settings of the air purifying unit, in particular the fan speed. FIG. 8B further shows that the inflowing air 66 is guided through a dust filter 521, a HEPA filter 522, an active carbon filter 523, and a UV purifier 525. The flow of air can be redirected around the UV purifier 525 at least once such that sufficient radiation to kill pathogens is applied to the flow of air. Thereby, potentially harmful substances and pathogens of the inflowing air 66 are filtered out and/or killed such that the outflowing air 65 is safe.
[0195] FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of the desktop system 70 comprising an air purifying device 50 which is arranged within a spacing 23 between a front panel 5 and a main wall element 3 of a workspace wall 1 in an operating orientation 11. In this operating orientation 11, the workspace wall 1 is placed on a desk 2 at a workspace with a rubber coating of the base area of the workspace wall 1 contacting the surface of the desk 2. The base of the workspace wall 1 is partially bent forming a half-open cavity facing the noise reduction area at the sitting area with the open side. The front panel 5 is removably attached to the air purifying device 50 and can be removed to open the housing of the device 50. The front panel 5 is fixedly connected with a top panel 8 with an LED bar 9 which is arranged at an inclination 81 relative to the front panel 5. The workspace wall 1 further comprises two wing panels 4 which are arranged at either lateral ends of the main wall element 3 and are fixedly connected with the wall element 3. The two wing panels 4 comprise foldable portions 6 which allow adjusting the angle 18 of the wing panels 4 relative to the main wall element 3 by folding the wing panels 4 horizontally outward/inward. At the lower section of a housing 51 of the air purifying unit 50 located behind the front panel 5 is a first inlet 532 and at its top section is a second inlet 531 for inflowing air. The workspace wall 1 serves as an air deflecting device 71, deflecting the discharged air 65 from a first horizontal direction 16 to a second horizontal direction 17 at the angle 18 at which the wing panels 4 are arranged. The deflected air flow 65 is preferably essentially directed to supply a user of the system 70 with purified outflowing air 65. In addition, the user is shielded by the air flow 65 along the horizontal direction 17 on both lateral sides of the user from external un-purified air. The wing panels 4, the front panel 5, and the top panel 8 have speakers 22 which are directed at a seating area of the user at the desk 2. The speakers 22 can be used for active noise reduction within a noise reduction area at the seating position of the user (see FIG. 3, FIG. 4A to 4D). The workspace wall 1 and a noise reduction desk mat 72 of the system 70 comprise a passive noise reduction element to reduce noise within the workspace wall 1 (see FIG. 5A, FIG. 5B and FIG. 14A).
[0196] FIGS. 10A and 10B show two alternative embodiments of wing panels 4 respectively connected to the main wall element 3 of a workspace wall 1. The wing panels 4 in the upper embodiment comprise a proximal section 91 which is made of semi-transparent material, in particular polymethylmethacrylate. Such wing panels 4 prevent a user from feeling confined, still allow contact with neighboring people, and contribute to the passive noise reduction within the partial confinement of the workspace wall 1. The main wall element 3 in FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B has a recess 32 for guiding cables and a connecting element 33 for receiving a monitor, an air purifying unit, or a front panel.
[0197] FIG. 11A shows an oblique side view of a desktop system 70 with a workspace wall having a passive noise reduction element 20 being placed on a desk 2 with a passive noise reduction mat 72 and wing panels 4 which are folded at foldable sections 6 to enclose the workspace and in particular a noise reduction area.
[0198] FIG. 11B shows an oblique side view of a desktop system 70 according to FIG. 11A with a top panel 8 and an air purifying device 50 which is partially arranged in a spacing behind the front panel 5. The main wall element 3 and the wing panels 4 deflect the outflowing air 65 of the air purifying device to a user sitting at the noise reduction area. The air essentially circulates around a user sitting at the desk 2 in front of the workspace wall and thereby shielding a user from breathing air which has not been purified. The air inlet 53 is arranged facing a sitting position of a user such that the air a user breathes out is mostly directly purified. Electronic devices can be charged on an inductive power socket 68 and are wirelessly connectable to a control module which is located in the spacing behind the front panel 5. Electronic devices 26 can be connected wirelessly to a control unit behind the front panel to select a mode of operation of the purifying unit 50. The visual display 67 provides a user with information about the status, mode, or a measured property, depending on the selected settings and can be operated by capacitive switches 61.
[0199] FIGS. 12A and 12B respectively show alternative embodiments of a desktop system 70 with a workspace wall according to FIG. 11A and 11B with additional speakers 221, 222 and microphones 211, 212 for active noise reduction according to FIG. 3. The speakers 221, 222 and microphones 211, 212 can be arranged spatially at the same position or separately from each other. The mode of operation for e.g. level of active noise reduction can be set via wireless input via Bluetooth connected terminal devices such as smartphones, tablets or laptops. The terminal devices can be connected to a receiving or transmitting interface on the control unit within the housing of the air purifying unit 50.
[0200] FIG. 13A, 13B and 13C show an oblique side view of three different embodiments of an air purifying device 50. The housing 51 has two air outlets 541, 542 at its lateral sides 581, 582 and two air inlets 531, 532 at the top section 56 and bottom section 57. The air inlets 531, 532 in FIG. 13B are arranged on the top facing side of the housing and the bottom facing side of the housing 51. The housings 51 in FIG. 13A, 13B and 13C have connecting elements 92 to removably attach a front panel (see FIG. 13E and 13F). In addition, the housing 51 in FIG. 13A has a charging socket 68 and a port 681 with USB for connecting electric terminals of a user. The housing 51 in FIG. 13A further has a visual display screen 67, capacitive switches 61 to change the displayed visual property of the visual display screen 67 or the mode of operation of the air purifying device 50 or active noise reduction system. The purifying unit comprising the filters and the electronic components are arranged completely within the housing 51. The air purifying device 50 in FIG. 13C has an opening panel 511 located on the front facing side which is removable to access the interior of the housing 51 and the electronic components and/or purifying unit. The connecting elements 92 in FIG. 13C are positioned on the top section 56 such that a front panel can be easily connected or removed.
[0201] FIG. 13D shows an enlarged oblique side view of the electronic interface of the air purifying device. The visual display screen 67 can be configured for displaying a property and/or an icon by operating capacitive switches 61 (see FIG. 5A). The mode of operation of the air purifying unit can also be adjusted by the capacitive switches 61. The LED bar of the top panel (see FIG. 3) can be operated by a switch 83 above the visual display screen 67. USB ports 681 and a power socket 68 can be used for connecting and charging electronic terminals. FIG. 13E shows an oblique side view of a workspace wall 1 with a front panel 5 behind which the air purifying unit can be placed within a spacing 23 distancing the front panel 5 from the main wall element 3. The laterally curved areas 71 of the workspace wall 1 serve to direct the outflowing air towards a user. FIG. 13F shows an alternative embodiment of a front panel 5 connected with a top panel 8 which can cover the air purifying unit.
[0202] FIG. 14A shows an oblique side view of a passive noise reduction mat 72 which comprises a noise reduction element 20 in form of multiple noise reduction layers (see FIG. 5B). The noise reduction mat 72 has a smooth surface texture so that it can be used as a mouse pad and also has an area 68 in which a device, in particular a smartphone or tablet, can be inductively charged.
[0203] FIG. 14B shows an oblique side view of a noise reduction headrest extension 73 of a desktop system. The headrest extension 73 has a noise reduction layer 732 which extends over the entire headrest extension 73. Thereby, the headrest extension 73 further decreases the noise within a noise reduction area at the head position of a user. The headrest extension 73 has two lateral elements 734, which are arranged at an angle to a main element 737 of the headrest extension 73 for receiving the head of a user and shielding the ears of a user from noise further. The headrest extension 73 includes a metal clip 735 which allows replacing the headrests of existing desk chairs or attaching the headrest extension 73 to desk chairs without headrests.
[0204] FIG. 14C shows an oblique side view of an active noise reduction headrest extension 73 of a desktop system. The headrest extension 73 has two lateral elements 734 arranged at an adjustable angle relative to a main element 737 of the headrest extension 73. The angle can be adjusted by foldable sections 736 connecting the main element 737 and the lateral element 734 of the headrest extension 73. A first speaker 221 and a second speaker 222 are arranged on the lateral elements 734, in particular at a position relatively close to a head resting position of a user. In addition, the speakers 221, 222 include integrated microphones 211, 212. Placement of the speakers 221, 222 on the lateral elements 734 facing the ear of a user allows for an improved active noise reduction analogous to the active noise reduction described in relation to FIG. 3. The headrest extension 73 has a protruding connection area 735 at the lower end in an operational configuration which is fixable in a bracket of a seat.
[0205] The position of the user within the headrest extension 73 can be determined more precisely due to being partially enclosed by the lateral elements 734 and thereby more confined to a partial enclosure of the headrest 73. The frequency of the noise reduction signals can also be adjusted more exactly due to the shorter distance between the transmitter, specifically the speakers 221, 222, and the receiver, specifically the ears of the user.
[0206] FIGS. 15A and 15B show an oblique side view of two semitransparently illustrations of alternative embodiments of the workspace wall 1 having a passive resonating structure 303 arranged along its edges 302, 306 and having an array 301 of sound generating devices 22 arranged on its edges 302, 306.
[0207] The workspace wall in FIGS. 15A and 15B have a main wall element 3, a top panel 8, and two wing panels 4 which are connected to the main wall element 3 via a foldable portion 6. The workspace wall 1 is arranged in an expanded orientation 41 on a table 2 for reducing the sound in a noise reduction area 7 corresponding to a position and volume of a head of a user which is indicated by a dashed circle.
[0208] FIG. 15A shows an embodiment of the workspace wall 1 with a passive resonating structure 303 which extends along the upper edges 302 of the two wing panels 4, including the foldable portions 6, and the upper edge 306 of the main wall element 3. The passive resonating structure 303 is chosen for maximum sound reduction at a low frequency regime below 400 Hz, corresponding to a wavelength on the order of magnitude of the size of the workspace wall 1. The passive resonating structure 303 may be formed by a passive acoustic metamaterial known to a person skilled in the art. By resonating of the passive resonating structure 303 induced by a low frequency external sound 305, the noise at the noise reduction area 7 within/in front of the workspace wall 1 can be reduced.
[0209] FIG. 15B shows an embodiment of the workspace wall 1 with an array 301 of a plurality of sound generating devices 22 formed by closed-box loudspeakers extending in a single row along the edges 302, 306 of the wing panels 4 and the main wall element 3. The closed box loudspeakers have an equivalent volume of less than 4 dL and a resonant frequency in the range of 200 Hz-300 Hz. The length along a longitudinal axis of the edges 302, 306 of the sound generating device 22 is 9 cm and the lateral width is 4 cm. Four sound generating devices 22 of the array 301 of sound generating devices 22 are arranged on the edge 302 of each wing panel 4 and six sound generating devices 22 are arranged on the edge 306 of the main wall element 3.
[0210] An array 304 of sound detecting elements 21 is also arranged on the edges 302, 306. Each individual sound detecting element 21 is arranged in the center on top of a corresponding sound generating device 22. This allows for adapting a suppression sound 13 generated by the corresponding sound generating device 22 optimally to a plurality of sound signal input 12 detected by the individual sound detecting element 21 on the corresponding sound generating device 22. FIG. 15B only schematically shows one sound signal input 12 for better visibility. However, each sound detecting elements 21 in FIG. 15B detects a different sound signal input 12.
[0211] Alternatively, two sound detection elements 21 may be arranged on the lateral sides of the edges 302, 306 on either side of the sound generating device 22. The workspace wall 1 further has a control unit 25 which is arranged attached to the main wall element 3. The control unit 25 is functionally connected to the array 302 of sound generating devices 22 and the array 304 of sound detecting elements 21.
[0212] The sound signal input 12 based on the external noise in FIG. 15B and only schematically shows a low sound frequency corresponding to a large wavelength, e.g. larger than the dimensions of the workspace wall 1. It is clear to a person skilled in the art that the sound signal input 12 may also comprise noise of a high frequency regime, e.g. smaller than the dimensions of the workspace wall 1, which may be removed by mechanical or acoustic means, e.g. by a low-pass filter or by processing via a control unit 25.
[0213] The control unit 25 is adapted to calculate based on a plurality of sound signal inputs of the individual sound detecting elements 21 a plurality of suppression sound signals for the corresponding sound generating devices 22 on which the individual sound detecting elements 21 are arranged. Consequently, each sound generating device 22 generates a different suppression sound 13 which is only schematically illustrated in FIG. 15B as a superposition of the plurality of individual suppression sounds 13 at the noise reduction area 7. The superposition of the plurality of suppression sounds 13 results in a more effective noise reduction in the noise reduction area 7. This is achieved since the plurality of sound signal inputs 12 indirectly includes information on the position of noise sources which are detected at different intensities by the individual sound detection elements 21 and effects caused by the surrounding, e.g. sound reflection on walls of an office.
[0214] The suppression sound 13 in FIG. 15B is further enhanced by the control unit 25 processing the sound signal inputs 12 based on a closed feedback loop. The closed feedback loop allows for iteratively enhancing the suppression sound 13 based on sound signal inputs 12 which were influenced by temporally preceding suppression sounds. This closed feedback loop, e.g. allows to correct errors which may arise from the specific placement of the workspace wall 1 or the spatial arrangement of the surroundings of the workspace wall 1.
[0215] In addition, the control unit 25 is further adapted to adjust the suppression sound signal further in the closed feedback loop based on a far-field signal input which is detected by an additional far field sound detection element 213. The far field sound detection element 213 may e.g. be arranged on the opposite wing element of the corresponding sound generating device 22 for generating the suppression sound 13.
[0216] FIG. 16 shows a graph with a plurality of curves corresponding to a deviation of noise detected with active noise reduction with respect to noise detected with non-active noise reduction in dB plotted over the corresponding frequency of the noise in Hz for different spatial angular positions on a head of a user in front of the workspace wall 1 according to FIG. 15B.
[0217] The measurement of active noise reduction in FIG. 16 was carried out by the plurality of sound generating devices 22 of FIG. 15B generating suppression sound 13. The measurement of the nonactive noise reduction for normalization was carried out with the plurality of sound generating devices 22 being inactive, only taking into consideration the passive noise reduction of the workspace wall 1. The plotted curves of noise reduction in FIG. 16 show curves of the noise detected by active noise reduction subtracted by the noise detected with non-active noise reduction.
[0218] The angular regime labelled in the legend of FIG. 16 corresponds to the angular position on a user's head with respect to a geometric center of the user's head at which the curves were detected by a microphone. Therefore, the noise reduction of the noise reduction curve at 0 corresponds to a normalized sound detection with a microphone being attached at a directly frontal position of a user's head on a horizontal plane with the geometric center of the head. The other angular positions on the user's head at which the noise reduction curves were detected correspond e.g. to positioning the microphone on a top of a user's head vertically over the geometric center at 90 and on a back of a user's head at 180.
[0219] As shown in FIG. 16, the workspace wall 1 of FIG. 15B with active noise reduction allows for additionally reducing the noise by up to 4 dB for a low frequency regime around 500 Hz. The suppressing sound 13 of the workspace wall 1 can thus be tuned for achieving the optimized sound reduction at the level of the ears of a user in the noise reduction area.
