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.

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

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.