COMFORT VENTILATION FOR A SANITARY MODULE FOR A VEHICLE

Abstract

A passenger transport vehicle, such as a rail vehicle, has at least one sanitary module and at least one fan for conveying waste air from the sanitary module. A control unit controls the volumetric flow of waste air from the sanitary module. The control unit is formed for at least two volumetric flows of waste air, which differ from one another and differ from zero. The volumetric flows are conveyed by the at least one fan, at least on the basis of a state of the sanitary module.

Claims

1-13. (canceled)

14. A passenger-transport vehicle, comprising: a sanitary module having an interior space and a space in front of the sanitary module; at least one fan for conveying waste air out of said sanitary module; and a closed-loop-control unit for controlling said at least one fan to generate a fan-fed volumetric flow of waste air; said closed-loop-control unit being configured to control a generation by said at least one fan of at least two volumetric flows of waste air, which differ from one another and which are different from zero; said closed-loop-control unit being configured to control the generation of the fan-fed volumetric flow of waste air in dependence on a pressure in the interior space of the sanitary module and/or in dependence on a pressure in the space in front of the sanitary module; and said closed-loop-control unit being configured to control the generation of the fan-fed volumetric flow of waste air in dependence on a presence of a person using the sanitary module.

15. The vehicle according to claim 14, wherein said closed-loop-control unit is configured to control a speed of said fan.

16. The vehicle according to claim 15, further comprising a speed sensor for monitoring the speed of said fan.

17. The vehicle according to claim 14, wherein said closed-loop-control unit is configured to control the volumetric flow of waste air generated by said fan steplessly within a predetermined range.

18. The vehicle according to claim 14, wherein said closed-loop-control unit is configured to control the fan-fed volumetric flow of waste air in dependence on a locking state of a door of said sanitary module.

19. The vehicle according to claim 14, wherein said closed-loop-control unit is further configured to control the fan-fed volumetric flow of waste air out of said sanitary module in dependence on a duration over which the fan-fed volumetric flow of waste air out of said sanitary module remains unchanged.

20. The vehicle according to claim 14, wherein said closed-loop-control unit is further configured to control the fan-fed volumetric flow of waste air out of said sanitary module in dependence on at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of a temperature in said sanitary module, a temperature of the fan-fed waste air, an odor in said sanitary module, and a noise level in said sanitary module.

21. The vehicle according to claim 14, further comprising a waste-air line for conducting the waste air out of said sanitary module, said waste-air line being free of a throttle element.

22. A method of operating a vehicle, the method comprising: providing a passenger-transport vehicle according to claim 14; determining a state of the sanitary module in the vehicle and thereby monitoring for a presence of a person using the sanitary module for describing a state of the sanitary module; controlling a fan-fed volumetric flow of waste air out of the sanitary module at least in dependence on the determined state, with the fan-fed volumetric flow of waste air out of said sanitary module being controlled in dependence on the presence of a person using said sanitary module and, in addition, in dependence on at least one of a pressure in the interior space of the sanitary module or a pressure in a space in front of the sanitary module.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the passenger transport vehicle is a rail vehicle.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein the step of controlling the fan-fed volumetric flow of waste air out of said sanitary module comprises controlling the volumetric flow least in dependence on a locking state of a door of said sanitary module.

25. The method according to claim 22, wherein the step of controlling the fan-fed volumetric flow of waste air out of said sanitary module comprises controlling the volumetric flow in dependence on a duration over which a fan-fed volumetric flow of waste air out of said sanitary module remains unchanged.

26. The method according to claim 22, wherein the step of controlling the fan-fed volumetric flow of waste air out of said sanitary module further comprises controlling the volumetric flow in dependence on at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of a temperature in said sanitary module, a temperature of the fan-fed waste air, an odor in said sanitary module, and a noise level in said sanitary module.

27. The method according to claim 22, wherein the step of controlling the fan-fed volumetric flow of waste air out of said sanitary module comprises controlling the volumetric flow exclusively by controlling a speed of the fan.

Description

[0051] The invention permits numerous embodiments. It will be explained in more detail on the basis of the following figures, which illustrate an exemplary embodiment and in which:

[0052] FIG. 1 shows, schematically, a logic flowchart relating to the control of a fan of a sanitary module, and

[0053] FIG. 2 shows a progression of the volumetric flow of the fan over time and/or different use states of the sanitary module.

[0054] FIG. 1 illustrates a flow diagram which depicts, schematically, a sequence in which the method according to the invention takes place.

[0055] A closed-loop-control unit 1 is coupled to a control unit 3 of a sanitary module, which, for its part, is coupled to a locking device of a door of the sanitary module. The closed-loop-control unit 1 reports back, to the control unit 3, a status R, for example “in use”, “not in use” or “out of service”. Furthermore, it would also be possible to report back a volumetric flow V of waste air out of the sanitary module which is currently being fed by a fan 2 regulated by the closed-loop-control unit 1. The control unit 3 of the sanitary module, in turn, sends the closed-loop-control unit 1 reports relating to the state Z of the sanitary module. In the simplest case, this is information relating to a locking state of the door of the sanitary module, for example “open”, “closed, but not locked” or “closed and locked from the inside”. Furthermore, a state Z “sanitary module not in service” can also be reported to the closed-loop-control unit 1 by the control unit 3 of the sanitary module.

[0056] In addition to the state Z of the sanitary module, the closed-loop-control unit 1 also receives measured values P relating to a pressure difference between the interior space of the sanitary module and a space in front of the sanitary module. For the purpose of communicating the measured values P, the closed-loop-control unit 1 is connected to a differential-pressure sensor 4.

[0057] The closed-loop-control unit 1, then, is designed to control the controllable fan 2, in particular the speed thereof, in particular in a stepless manner, in dependence on the state Z and at least one measured value P relating to the pressure difference between the interior space of the sanitary module and a space in front of the sanitary module. For this purpose, the closed-loop-control unit 1 is suitably connected to the fan 2 for the purpose of a control signal S being communicated from the closed-loop-control unit to the fan 2. The aim is for the volumetric flow V of waste air out of the sanitary module which is fed by the fan 2 to be controlled in dependence on the state Z and at least one measured value P relating to the pressure difference between the interior space of the sanitary module and a space in front of the sanitary module. Control here is such that it can assume at least two volumetric flows V of waste air out of the sanitary module which differ from one another and are other than zero, and are fed by the fan 2. The fan 2 here is adjusted to at least two speeds which differ from one another and are other than zero. Furthermore, the volumetric flow V, logically, can also, in addition, be zero, in particular when the fan is not operating.

[0058] For the purpose of monitoring the speed of the fan, a speed sensor of the fan 2 is connected to the closed-loop-control unit 1, the speed sensor reporting back to the closed-loop-control unit 1 for example a tachometer voltage U in dependence on the speed n.

[0059] In addition to the state of the sanitary module and the differential-pressure signal, it would be possible for further measured values relating to other parameters to be incorporated, in addition, in the control.

[0060] FIG. 2, then, shows the fan-fed volumetric flow V of waste air out of the sanitary module progressing typically over the time t of a use period. The speed progression would be qualitatively identical.

[0061] In the first instance, the sanitary module is not in use. The fan-fed volumetric flow V of waste air out of the sanitary module is a pre-set value for the purpose of maintaining a predetermined pressure difference between the interior space of the sanitary module and a space in front of the sanitary module.

[0062] At the point in time t.sub.1, a passenger enters the sanitary module and locks the door thereof from the inside. To increase comfort, the fan speed and the volumetric flow V are then reduced to a minimum. This causes the noise level in the sanitary module to decrease.

[0063] At the point in time t.sub.2, the passenger leaves the sanitary module again, which means that the sanitary module, once again, is not in use. Following use, the fan speed and the volumetric flow V of waste air are significantly increased by the closed-loop-control unit so that a situation where the air in the sanitary module is exchanged as completely as possible is quickly established. If, at the point in time t.sub.3, the fed volume of waste air reaches a predetermined limit value, the fan-fed volumetric flow V, in particular the fan speed, is decreased again. This is done, once again, to the pre-set value for the purpose of maintaining the predetermined pressure difference between the interior space of the sanitary module and the space in front of the sanitary module.