Ventilation system

Abstract

To provide a ventilation system capable of perform ventilation suitable for a patient to be received in a hospital room according to a type of the patient.SOLUTION: A ventilation system comprises: a control section which performs ventilation of a ventilation object space S by controlling a hospital room air supply section 4 which supplies air to a hospital room 1, a hospital room air exhaust section 5 which exhausts the air from the hospital room 1, and a corridor air supply section 6 which supplies the air to a common corridor 2. The ventilation object space S is separated into a plurality of ventilation areas A including the hospital room 1 and a common corridor section 2A. The control section is adapted to: have, as ventilation modes to ventilate the ventilation areas A, a different pressure ventilation mode where the hospital room 1 and the common corridor section 2A which belong to the ventilation areas A are subjected to different pressures and a uniform pressure ventilation mode where the hospital room 1 and the common corridor section 2A which belong to the ventilation areas A are subjected to an identical pressure; and variably switch the ventilation modes of respective ventilation areas A unit by unit with one ventilation area A as one unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0004] , , , , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a ventilation system for ventilating a ventilation target space provided with a plurality of hospital rooms and a shared corridor adjacent to and communicating with the plurality of hospital rooms.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a ventilation system for ventilating a ventilation target space provided with a plurality of hospital rooms (residential space 1B) and a shared corridor (shared passage space 1A) adjacent to and communicating with the plurality of hospital rooms. In this ventilation system, an air supply unit (such as an outdoor air conditioner 7) that supplies air to the shared corridor and an exhaust unit (such as an exhaust port unit 4) that exhausts air from the hospital rooms are provided. The air supplied to the shared corridor portion by the air supply unit is caused to flow into the plurality of hospital rooms, and the air that has flowed into the plurality of hospital rooms is exhausted from each of the plurality of hospital rooms by the exhaust unit, thereby ventilating the ventilation target space. By ventilating in this way, the hospital room becomes negatively pressurized compared to the shared corridor portion, making it difficult for air to flow from the hospital room to the shared corridor portion. Therefore, even if an infected patient is admitted to the hospital room, it is difficult for the pathogens carried by the infected patient to flow out into the shared corridor portion together with the air.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, since the air in the shared corridor portion flows into the hospital room, it is difficult to admit patients other than infected patients to this hospital room. In particular, it is difficult to admit patients who are easily infected and are susceptible to infection by pathogens. Therefore, when the patients admitted to the hospital rooms in the ventilation target space are changed from infected patients to general patients or patients who are easily infected, ventilation suitable for the patients admitted to the hospital rooms cannot be performed.

[0005] In light of this situation, the main objective of the present invention is to provide a ventilation system that can provide ventilation appropriate to the patient, corresponding to the type of patient admitted to the hospital room. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The first characteristic configuration of the present invention is a ventilation system for ventilating a space to be ventilated, which is provided with a plurality of patient rooms and a common corridor adjacent to and communicating with the plurality of patient rooms, The system is equipped with a room air supply unit for supplying air to the patient room, a room exhaust unit for exhausting air from the patient room, and a corridor air supply unit for supplying air to the common corridor. A control unit is provided to control the air supply unit for the patient room, the exhaust unit for the patient room, and the air supply unit for the corridor to ventilate the space to be ventilated. The space to be ventilated is divided into multiple ventilation areas, including at least one patient room and a portion of the common corridor adjacent to and in communication with the patient room. The control unit has two ventilation modes for ventilating the ventilation area: a differential pressure ventilation mode in which the patient rooms and the common corridor belonging to the ventilation area are at different pressures, and an equal pressure ventilation mode in which the patient rooms and the common corridor belonging to the ventilation area are at the same pressure. The control unit is configured to allow switching between the ventilation modes on a per-ventilation-area basis, with each ventilation area considered as one unit. 、 The aforementioned negative pressure ventilation mode includes a negative pressure ventilation mode that makes the patient room a negative pressure area compared to the common corridor area. In the negative pressure ventilation mode, the system is configured to switch between two states: one in which the negative pressure set supply volume of air is supplied only from the corridor air supply unit (of the two air supply units for the patient room and the corridor) and exhausted from the patient room exhaust unit, thereby creating a negative pressure in the patient room compared to the common corridor area; and another in which the negative pressure set supply volume of air is supplied from both the patient room air supply unit and the corridor air supply unit and exhausted from the patient room exhaust unit, thereby creating a negative pressure in the patient room compared to the common corridor area. It lies in the fact that... According to this configuration, in ventilation areas ventilated by the isobaric ventilation mode, the pressure is equal between multiple patient rooms and the common corridor, suppressing airflow between the patient rooms and the common corridor. This makes it easier to accept general patients who are not identified as infected or immunocompromised. Conversely, in ventilation areas ventilated by the heterobaric ventilation mode, the pressure differs between multiple patient rooms and the common corridor. This allows air to flow between the patient rooms and the common corridor, making it easier to accept infected or immunocompromised patients. In this way, by accepting general patients and infected or immunocompromised patients into patient rooms in different ventilation areas, and ventilating those areas with ventilation modes appropriate to the patients admitted, it is possible to simultaneously accept general patients and infected or immunocompromised patients into the ventilation target space while providing appropriate ventilation for each group. Furthermore, even if the patients admitted to a ventilation area change (for example, if the patients admitted to the ventilation area change from general patients to infected patients or immunocompromised patients), the ventilation mode of that ventilation area can be switched (for example, from isobaric ventilation mode to heterobaric ventilation mode), allowing for ventilation appropriate to the type of patient admitted to the ward. Furthermore, with this configuration, by ventilating the ventilation area in negative pressure ventilation mode, the patient room becomes negatively pressurized compared to the common corridor. Therefore, when an infected patient is admitted to the patient room, the pathogens carried by that patient are less likely to spread to the common corridor, making it easier to admit infected patients to the patient room. In addition, by making the patient room negatively pressurized compared to the common corridor, odors generated in the patient room are less likely to spread to the common corridor, so the patient room can be suitably used as a long-term care room or the like.

[0007] A second characteristic configuration of the present invention is a ventilation system for ventilating a space to be ventilated, which is provided with a plurality of patient rooms and a common corridor adjacent to and communicating with the plurality of patient rooms, The system is equipped with a room air supply unit for supplying air to the patient room, a room exhaust unit for exhausting air from the patient room, and a corridor air supply unit for supplying air to the common corridor. A control unit is provided to control the air supply unit for the patient room, the exhaust unit for the patient room, and the air supply unit for the corridor to ventilate the space to be ventilated. The space to be ventilated is divided into multiple ventilation areas, including at least one patient room and a portion of the common corridor adjacent to and in communication with the patient room. The control unit has two ventilation modes for ventilating the ventilation area: a differential pressure ventilation mode in which the patient rooms and the common corridor belonging to the ventilation area are at different pressures, and an equal pressure ventilation mode in which the patient rooms and the common corridor belonging to the ventilation area are at the same pressure. The control unit is configured to allow switching between the ventilation modes on a per-ventilation-area basis, with each ventilation area considered as one unit. The aforementioned negative pressure ventilation mode includes a negative pressure ventilation mode that makes the patient room a negative pressure area compared to the common corridor area. In the negative pressure ventilation mode, the system is configured to switch between two states: one in which the negative pressure set supply volume of air is supplied only from the corridor air supply unit (of the two air supply units for the patient room and the corridor) and exhausted from the patient room exhaust unit, thereby creating a negative pressure in the patient room compared to the common corridor area; and another in which the negative pressure set supply volume of air is supplied from both the patient room air supply unit and the corridor air supply unit and exhausted from the patient room exhaust unit, thereby creating a negative pressure in the patient room compared to the common corridor area. The ventilation area includes multiple patient rooms, The aforementioned patient room air supply unit comprises, for each ventilation area, a patient room air supply duct, a patient room air outlet that blows air that has passed through the patient room air supply duct toward the patient room, and a patient room air supply adjustment mechanism that adjusts the amount of air passing through the patient room air supply duct. The aforementioned patient room air supply duct is configured to branch from an area duct portion provided for the ventilation area to each of the plurality of patient rooms belonging to the said ventilation area. The aforementioned patient room air supply adjustment mechanism is provided in the area duct section, with one unit provided for each ventilation area. The corridor air supply unit is characterized in that, for each ventilation area, it includes a corridor air supply duct, a corridor outlet that blows air that has passed through the corridor air supply duct toward the common corridor portion belonging to the ventilation area, and a corridor air supply adjustment mechanism that adjusts the amount of air passing through the corridor air supply duct. According to this configuration, in ventilation areas ventilated by the isobaric ventilation mode, the pressure is equal between multiple patient rooms and the common corridor, suppressing airflow between the patient rooms and the common corridor. This makes it easier to accept general patients who are not identified as infected or immunocompromised. Conversely, in ventilation areas ventilated by the heterobaric ventilation mode, the pressure differs between multiple patient rooms and the common corridor. This allows air to flow between the patient rooms and the common corridor, making it easier to accept infected or immunocompromised patients. In this way, by accepting general patients and infected or immunocompromised patients into patient rooms in different ventilation areas, and ventilating those areas with ventilation modes appropriate to the patients admitted, it is possible to simultaneously accept general patients and infected or immunocompromised patients into the ventilation target space while providing appropriate ventilation for each group. Furthermore, even if the patients admitted to a ventilation area change (for example, if the patients admitted to the ventilation area change from general patients to infected patients or immunocompromised patients), the ventilation mode of that ventilation area can be switched (for example, from isobaric ventilation mode to heterobaric ventilation mode), allowing for ventilation appropriate to the type of patient admitted to the ward.

[0009] Also, According to this configuration, by ventilating the ventilation area in negative pressure ventilation mode, the patient room becomes negatively pressurized compared to the common corridor. Therefore, when an infected patient is admitted to the patient room, the pathogens carried by that patient are less likely to spread to the common corridor, making it easier to admit infected patients to the patient room. Furthermore, by making the patient room negatively pressurized compared to the common corridor, odors generated in the patient room are less likely to spread to the common corridor, so the patient room can be suitably used as a long-term care room or the like.

[0010] This invention 3 The characteristic configuration is that the control unit is configured to switch the ventilation mode by adjusting the airflow rate of the patient room air supply unit, the patient room exhaust unit, and the corridor air supply unit to change the air balance between the patient room and the common corridor area in the ventilation area.

[0011] According to this configuration, By simply adjusting the airflow rates of the patient room supply unit, the patient room exhaust unit, and the corridor supply unit, the air balance between patient rooms and common corridors in the ventilated space can be changed, allowing for appropriate and easy switching of ventilation modes.

[0012] The 4 characteristic configuration of the present invention is that, as the ventilation mode for different pressures, it has a positive pressure ventilation mode in which the hospital ward is made to have a positive pressure higher than that of the shared corridor portion.

[0013] According to this configuration, by ventilating the ventilation area in the positive pressure ventilation mode, the hospital ward becomes positive pressure compared to the shared corridor portion, so that pathogens floating in the shared corridor portion are less likely to flow into the hospital ward, making it easier to admit susceptible patients to the hospital ward.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] [Figure 1] Schematic plan view of the ventilation system [Figure 2] Diagram showing the air flow in the hospital ward and the shared corridor portion in the equal pressure ventilation mode [Figure 3] Diagram showing the air flow in the hospital ward and the shared corridor portion in the negative pressure ventilation mode of supplying air only to the shared corridor portion [Figure 4] Diagram showing the air flow in the hospital ward and the shared corridor portion in the negative pressure ventilation mode of supplying air to both the hospital ward and the shared corridor portion [Figure 5] Diagram showing the air flow in the hospital ward and the shared corridor portion in the positive pressure ventilation mode [Figure 6] Control block diagram of the ventilation system

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] An embodiment of the ventilation system according to the present invention will be described based on the drawings. As shown in Figure 1, the ventilation system V is a system that ventilates a space S to be ventilated, which is equipped with multiple patient rooms 1 and a common corridor 2 adjacent to and connected to the multiple patient rooms 1. The ventilation system V is equipped with a patient room air supply unit 4 that supplies air to the patient rooms 1, a patient room exhaust unit 5 that exhausts air from the patient rooms 1, and a corridor air supply unit 6 that supplies air to the common corridor 2. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, the ventilation system V is equipped with a control unit H (see Figure 6) that controls the patient room air supply unit 4, the patient room exhaust unit 5, and the corridor air supply unit 6 to ventilate the space S to be ventilated.

[0016] As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the patient room 1 and the common corridor 2 are configured to allow patients and staff to enter and exit by opening a door 9 provided in the partition wall 8. In addition, the patient room 1 and the common corridor 2 are ventilated by a ventilation section 10. To elaborate, ventilation is possible between the patient room 1 and the common corridor 2 by making the gap formed between the partition wall 8 and the door 9 when the door 9 is closed the ventilation section 10, or by forming a ventilation section 10 such as a ventilation grille in the partition wall 8 or the door 9. In this embodiment, the gap formed between the partition wall 8 and the door 9 when the door 9 is closed is made the ventilation section 10.

[0017] The patient room air supply unit 4 comprises a patient room air supply duct 4A, a patient room air outlet 4B that blows air towards the patient room 1, and a patient room air supply adjustment mechanism 4C that adjusts the amount of air passing through the patient room air supply duct 4A. The patient room air outlet 4B is located at the downstream end of the patient room air supply duct 4A and is installed, for example, on the ceiling of the patient room 1. The patient room air supply adjustment mechanism 4C is located along the path of the patient room air supply duct 4A and is composed of a motor damper (MD) or a variable air volume device (VAV).

[0018] The patient room air supply unit 4 is configured to supply air to the patient room 1 by blowing air supplied from the outside air processing air conditioning unit, etc., through the patient room air supply duct 4A into the patient room air outlet 4B. The patient room air supply unit 4 is also configured to allow adjustment of the amount of air supplied to the patient room 1 by adjusting the opening of the valve in the patient room air supply adjustment mechanism 4C. In Figures 2 to 5, the patient room air supply adjustment mechanism 4C with the valve open is shown in white, and the patient room air supply adjustment mechanism 4C with the valve closed is shown in black.

[0019] The patient room exhaust unit 5 comprises a patient room exhaust duct 5A, a patient room intake port 5B that draws in air from the patient room 1, a patient room exhaust adjustment mechanism 5C that adjusts the amount of air passing through the patient room exhaust duct 5A, and an external outlet port 5D that blows air out to the outside 3. The patient room intake port 5B is located at the upstream end of the patient room exhaust duct 5A and is installed, for example, near the floor in the patient room 1. The patient room exhaust adjustment mechanism 5C is located along the path of the patient room exhaust duct 5A and is composed of a blower such as a fan or blower. The external outlet port 5D is located at the downstream end of the patient room exhaust duct 5A and is installed in the wall separating the patient room 1 from the outside 3.

[0020] The patient room exhaust unit 5 is configured to exhaust air from the patient room 1 by driving the patient room exhaust adjustment mechanism 5C, drawing in air from the patient room 1 through the patient room intake port 5B, and blowing the drawn-in air out to the outside 3 through the patient room exhaust duct 5A and external outlet 5D. In addition, the patient room exhaust unit 5 is configured to allow adjustment of the amount of exhaust from the patient room 1 by adjusting the driving speed of the patient room exhaust adjustment mechanism 5C.

[0021] The corridor air supply unit 6 comprises a corridor air supply duct 6A, a corridor outlet 6B that blows air toward the common corridor 2, and a corridor air supply adjustment mechanism 6C that adjusts the amount of air passing through the corridor air supply duct 6A. The corridor outlet 6B is located at the downstream end of the corridor air supply duct 6A and is installed, for example, on the ceiling of the common corridor 2. The corridor air supply adjustment mechanism 6C is located along the path of the corridor air supply duct 6A and is composed of a motor damper (MD) or a variable air volume device (VAV).

[0022] The corridor air supply unit 6 is configured to supply air to the common corridor 2 by blowing air supplied from an outside air processing air conditioning unit, etc., through the corridor air supply duct 6A to the corridor outlet 6B. The corridor air supply unit 6 is also configured to allow adjustment of the amount of air supplied to the common corridor 2 by adjusting the opening of the valve in the corridor air supply adjustment mechanism 6C. In Figures 2 to 5, the corridor air supply adjustment mechanism 6C with the valve open is shown in white, and the corridor air supply adjustment mechanism 6C with the valve closed is shown in black.

[0023] As shown in Figure 1, the space to be ventilated S is divided into multiple ventilation areas A, which include at least one patient room 1 and a portion of the common corridor 2A adjacent to the patient room 1 in the common corridor 2. In the example shown in Figure 1, the space to be ventilated S is divided into two ventilation areas A arranged horizontally, with a common corridor 2 extending vertically as the boundary. The left ventilation area A in Figure 1 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the first ventilation area A1) comprises six patient rooms 1 and one common corridor section 2A adjacent to each of the six patient rooms 1. Similarly, the right ventilation area A in Figure 1 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the second ventilation area A2) comprises six patient rooms 1 and one common corridor section 2A adjacent to each of the six patient rooms 1. It is also possible to provide an inter-area door that can be opened and closed between the first ventilation area A1 and the second ventilation area A2, so that the two areas can be separated by closing the inter-area door.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, a portion of the duct is shared between the patient room air supply unit 4 and the corridor air supply unit 6. To elaborate, the shared duct section 13 upstream of the duct branching point 12 is shared between the patient room air supply unit 4 and the corridor air supply unit 6. Downstream of the duct branching point 12, it branches into the patient room air supply duct 4A and the corridor air supply duct 6A. As shown in Figure 1, the patient room air supply duct 4A is branched to each of the multiple patient rooms 1, and a patient room air outlet 4B is provided for each patient room 1. Furthermore, one patient room air supply adjustment mechanism 4C is installed in each ventilation area A, and this patient room air supply adjustment mechanism 4C makes it possible to adjust the amount of air supplied to each patient room 1 on a ventilation area A basis. In addition, the corridor air supply duct 6A is not branched midway, and one corridor air outlet 6B is provided in each ventilation area A, and the corridor air supply adjustment mechanism 6C makes it possible to adjust the amount of air supplied to the common corridor area 2A on a ventilation area A basis. Figures 2 to 5 schematically show the duct configuration of the ventilation system V, and for the portion of the patient room supply air duct 4A downstream from the duct branching point 12, only the portion connected to one patient room outlet 4B is shown.

[0025] The control unit H has two ventilation modes for ventilating ventilation area A: a differential pressure ventilation mode (see Figures 3 to 5) that sets the pressures of the patient room 1 and the common corridor area 2A belonging to ventilation area A to different pressures, and an equal pressure ventilation mode (see Figure 2) that sets the pressures of the patient room 1 and the common corridor area 2A belonging to ventilation area A to the same pressure. The control unit H is configured to allow switching between ventilation modes on a per-ventilation-area-A basis, with each ventilation area A considered as one unit. Furthermore, the system includes two ventilation modes for different pressures: a negative pressure ventilation mode (see Figures 3 and 4) that makes patient room 1 a negative pressure compared to the common corridor area 2A, and a positive pressure ventilation mode (see Figure 5) that makes patient room 1 a positive pressure compared to the common corridor area 2A.

[0026] Specifically, ventilation system V allows for the separate switching of ventilation modes for the first ventilation area A1 and the second ventilation area A2. The ventilation mode of the first ventilation area A1 can be switched to either an isobaric ventilation mode, a negative pressure ventilation mode, or a positive pressure ventilation mode, and the ventilation mode of the second ventilation area A2 can also be switched to either an isobaric ventilation mode, a negative pressure ventilation mode, or a positive pressure ventilation mode. Therefore, it is possible to ventilate the first ventilation area A1 and the second ventilation area A2 with the same ventilation mode, or to ventilate the first ventilation area A1 and the second ventilation area A2 with different ventilation modes.

[0027] As shown in Figure 6, the ventilation system V is equipped with a control panel 17 (see Figure 6) for switching the ventilation modes of the first ventilation area A1 and the second ventilation area A2. By operating this control panel 17, it is possible to switch the ventilation mode on a per-ventilation-area A basis. This control panel 17 is installed in a staff station (not shown) where staff are on standby, and the ventilation mode can be switched by hospital staff.

[0028] The control unit H is configured to switch ventilation modes by adjusting the airflow rates of the patient room supply unit 4, the patient room exhaust unit 5, and the corridor supply unit 6 to change the air balance between patient rooms 1 and the common corridor area 2A in ventilation area A. In other words, the control unit H is configured to switch ventilation modes by controlling the operation of the patient room supply air adjustment mechanism 4C of the patient room supply air unit 4, the patient room exhaust air adjustment mechanism 5C of the patient room exhaust unit 5, and the corridor supply air adjustment mechanism 6C of the corridor supply air unit 6. The following describes the supply and exhaust of air to a single patient room 1 in each ventilation mode: isobaric ventilation mode, negative pressure ventilation mode, and positive pressure ventilation mode. For convenience, the amount of air supplied from the corridor outlet 6B will be described as the amount of air supplied to a single patient room 1. In other words, for example, when ventilation area A is ventilated in negative pressure ventilation mode, the air supplied from the corridor outlet 6B flows to each of the six patient rooms 1 located in ventilation area A. Therefore, in reality, the amount of air supplied to six patient rooms 1 is blown out from the corridor outlet 6B. However, to simplify the explanation, the amount of air supplied from the corridor outlet 6B will be described as the amount of air supplied to a single patient room 1.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, the isobaric ventilation mode controls the air supply unit 4 for the patient room, the exhaust unit 5 for the patient room, and the air supply unit 6 for the corridor so that the patient room 1 and the common corridor area 2A are at the same pressure. In the example shown in Figure 2, the isobaric ventilation mode controls the operation of the room air supply adjustment mechanism 4C of the room air supply unit 4 so that the amount of air supplied from the room air outlet 4B becomes the isobaric set supply amount, controls the operation of the room exhaust adjustment mechanism 5C of the room exhaust unit 5 so that the same amount of air as the isobaric set supply amount is drawn in from the room intake port 5B, and further controls the operation of the corridor air supply adjustment mechanism 6C of the corridor air supply unit 6 so that air is not blown out from the corridor air outlet 6B, thereby maintaining an equal pressure between room 1 and the common corridor area 2A. In this state, when room 1 is ventilated in isobaric ventilation mode, air does not flow from room 1 to the common corridor area 2A or from the common corridor area 2A to room 1. The isobaric set supply amount is, for example, the amount of air supplied per unit time that can ventilate room 1 twice in one hour (2 times / h).

[0030] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the negative pressure ventilation mode controls the patient room supply unit 4, the patient room exhaust unit 5, and the corridor supply unit 6 so that the patient room 1 is under more negative pressure than the common corridor area 2A. In the example shown in Figure 3, the negative pressure ventilation mode controls the operation of the corridor air supply adjustment mechanism 6C of the corridor air supply unit 6 to blow out a negative pressure set supply volume of air from the corridor outlet 6B, controls the operation of the patient room exhaust adjustment mechanism 5C of the patient room exhaust unit 5 to draw in the same amount of air as the negative pressure set supply volume from the patient room intake port 5B, and further controls the operation of the patient room air supply adjustment mechanism 4C of the patient room air supply unit 4 so that no air is blown out from the patient room outlet 4B, thereby creating a negative pressure in patient room 1 relative to the common corridor area 2A. In this state, when patient room 1 is ventilated in negative pressure ventilation mode, the negative pressure set supply volume of air flows from patient room 1 to the common corridor area 2A. The negative pressure set supply volume is, for example, the amount of air supplied per unit time that can ventilate patient room 1 twice in one hour (2 times / h), and in this embodiment, it is the same amount of air supplied as the isobaric set supply volume.

[0031] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 4, the negative pressure ventilation mode controls the operation of the corridor air supply adjustment mechanism 6C of the corridor air supply unit 6 so that half the negative pressure set supply volume of air is blown out from the corridor outlet 6B, the operation of the patient room air supply adjustment mechanism 4C of the patient room air supply unit 4 so that half the negative pressure set supply volume of air is blown out from the patient room outlet 4B, and the operation of the patient room exhaust adjustment mechanism 5C of the patient room exhaust unit 5 so that the same amount of air as the negative pressure set supply volume is drawn in from the patient room intake port 5B, thereby creating negative pressure in patient room 1 relative to the common corridor area 2A. In this state, when patient room 1 is ventilated in negative pressure ventilation mode, half the negative pressure set supply volume of air flows from the common corridor area 2A to patient room 1.

[0032] As shown in Figure 5, the positive pressure ventilation mode controls the patient room supply unit 4, the patient room exhaust unit 5, and the corridor supply unit 6 so that the patient room 1 is under more positive pressure than the common corridor area 2A. In the example shown in Figure 5, the positive pressure ventilation mode controls the operation of the patient room air supply adjustment mechanism 4C of the patient room air supply unit 4 so that a set positive pressure supply volume of air is blown out from the patient room air outlet 4B, controls the operation of the corridor air supply adjustment mechanism 6C of the corridor air supply unit 6 so that air is not blown out from the corridor air outlet 6B, and controls the operation of the patient room exhaust adjustment mechanism 5C of the patient room exhaust unit 5 so that air is not drawn in from the patient room intake port 5B, thereby creating positive pressure in the patient room 1 relative to the common corridor area 2A. When patient room 1 is ventilated in positive pressure ventilation mode, air at the positive pressure set supply rate flows from patient room 1 to the common corridor area 2A. At this time, the air flowing from patient room 1 to the common corridor area 2A is exhausted to the outside 3 by an exhaust device installed in a toilet room or other location connected to the common corridor area 2A. The positive pressure set supply rate is, for example, the amount of air supplied per unit time that can ventilate patient room 1 twice in one hour (2 times / h), and is the same amount of air supplied as the isobaric set supply rate and the negative pressure set supply rate.

[0033] Furthermore, energy-saving ventilation with reduced supply and exhaust volumes may be enabled in some or all of the ventilation modes, including the isobaric ventilation mode, negative pressure ventilation mode, and positive pressure ventilation mode. Specifically, for example, at night, the isobaric set supply volume in the isobaric ventilation mode, the negative pressure set supply volume in the negative pressure ventilation mode, and the positive pressure set supply volume in the positive pressure ventilation mode may be halved (the amount of air supplied to ventilate a patient room 1 once per hour (1 time / h)).

[0034] Thus, the ventilation system V has a control unit H that has an equal-pressure ventilation mode, a negative-pressure ventilation mode, and a positive-pressure ventilation mode as ventilation modes for ventilating ventilation area A, and is configured to allow switching of ventilation modes on a per-ventilation-area-A basis. Therefore, while accepting general patients and infected or immunocompromised patients into different ward 1s with different ventilation area As, even if the patients accepted into ventilation area A change (for example, if the patients accepted into ventilation area A change from general patients to infected patients), the ventilation mode of that ventilation area A can be switched (for example, from equal-pressure ventilation mode to negative-pressure ventilation mode), thereby providing ventilation appropriate to the type of patient accepted into ward 1.

[0035] [Another embodiment] Other embodiments of the present invention will now be described. Note that the configurations of each embodiment described below are not limited to being applied individually, but can also be applied in combination with the configurations of other embodiments.

[0036] (1) In the above embodiment, a configuration having a negative pressure ventilation mode and a positive pressure ventilation mode was described as an example of a ventilation mode for different pressures. However, a configuration having only one of the negative pressure ventilation mode and the positive pressure ventilation mode is also possible.

[0037] (2) In the above embodiment, a configuration in which one corridor outlet 6B is provided for one ventilation area A was described as an example. However, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the number of corridor outlets 6B provided for one ventilation area A may be changed as appropriate, such as providing one corridor outlet 6B for one patient room 1, or providing one corridor outlet 6B for two opposing patient rooms 1.

[0038] (3) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which two ventilation areas A are set in the space to be ventilated S, but three or more ventilation areas A may be set in the space to be ventilated S. In that case, for example, if an infected patient or an immunocompromised patient is admitted to a ventilation area A that is being ventilated in the opposite pressure ventilation mode, the ventilation area A adjacent to the said ventilation area A may be sequentially switched to the opposite pressure ventilation mode, thereby sequentially expanding the ventilation area A that is being ventilated in the opposite pressure ventilation mode to cope with an increase in the number of infected patients or immunocompromised patients. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1. Hospital Room 2. Common corridor 2A Common corridor section 4. Air supply unit for patient rooms 5. Exhaust unit for patient rooms 6 Air supply section for hallway A Ventilation Area H control section S Ventilation target space V Ventilation System

Claims

1. A ventilation system for ventilating a space to be ventilated, which is equipped with multiple patient rooms and a common corridor adjacent to and connected to the multiple patient rooms, The system is equipped with a room air supply unit for supplying air to the patient room, a room exhaust unit for exhausting air from the patient room, and a corridor air supply unit for supplying air to the common corridor. A control unit is provided to control the air supply unit for the patient room, the exhaust unit for the patient room, and the air supply unit for the corridor to ventilate the space to be ventilated. The space to be ventilated is divided into multiple ventilation areas, including at least one patient room and a portion of the common corridor adjacent to and in communication with the patient room. The control unit has two ventilation modes for ventilating the ventilation area: a differential pressure ventilation mode in which the patient rooms and the common corridor belonging to the ventilation area are at different pressures, and an equal pressure ventilation mode in which the patient rooms and the common corridor belonging to the ventilation area are at the same pressure. The control unit is configured to allow switching between the ventilation modes on a per-ventilation-area basis, with each ventilation area considered as one unit. The aforementioned negative pressure ventilation mode includes a negative pressure ventilation mode that makes the patient room a negative pressure area compared to the common corridor area. A ventilation system configured to switch between two states in the negative pressure ventilation mode: one in which the patient room is made to be at a negative pressure than the common corridor by supplying air at a negative pressure set supply volume only from the corridor air supply unit (of the two air supply units for the patient room and the corridor) and exhausting it from the patient room exhaust unit; and another in which the patient room is made to be at a negative pressure than the common corridor by supplying air at a negative pressure set supply volume from both the patient room air supply unit and the corridor air supply unit and exhausting it from the patient room exhaust unit.

2. A ventilation system for ventilating a space to be ventilated, which is equipped with multiple patient rooms and a common corridor adjacent to and connected to the multiple patient rooms, The system is equipped with a room air supply unit for supplying air to the patient room, a room exhaust unit for exhausting air from the patient room, and a corridor air supply unit for supplying air to the common corridor. A control unit is provided to control the air supply unit for the patient room, the exhaust unit for the patient room, and the air supply unit for the corridor to ventilate the space to be ventilated. The space to be ventilated is divided into multiple ventilation areas, including at least one patient room and a portion of the common corridor adjacent to and in communication with the patient room. The control unit has two ventilation modes for ventilating the ventilation area: a differential pressure ventilation mode in which the patient rooms and the common corridor belonging to the ventilation area are at different pressures, and an equal pressure ventilation mode in which the patient rooms and the common corridor belonging to the ventilation area are at the same pressure. The control unit is configured to allow switching between the ventilation modes on a per-ventilation-area basis, with each ventilation area considered as one unit. The aforementioned negative pressure ventilation mode includes a negative pressure ventilation mode that makes the patient room a negative pressure area compared to the common corridor area. In the negative pressure ventilation mode, the system is configured to switch between two states: one in which the negative pressure set supply volume of air is supplied only from the corridor air supply unit (of the two air supply units for the patient room and the corridor) and exhausted from the patient room exhaust unit, thereby creating a negative pressure in the patient room compared to the common corridor area; and another in which the negative pressure set supply volume of air is supplied from both the patient room air supply unit and the corridor air supply unit and exhausted from the patient room exhaust unit, thereby creating a negative pressure in the patient room compared to the common corridor area. The ventilation area includes multiple patient rooms, The aforementioned patient room air supply unit comprises, for each ventilation area, a patient room air supply duct, a patient room air outlet that blows air that has passed through the patient room air supply duct toward the patient room, and a patient room air supply adjustment mechanism that adjusts the amount of air passing through the patient room air supply duct. The aforementioned patient room air supply duct is configured to branch from an area duct portion provided for the ventilation area to each of the plurality of patient rooms belonging to the said ventilation area. The aforementioned patient room air supply adjustment mechanism is provided in the area duct section, with one unit provided for each ventilation area. The corridor air supply unit is a ventilation system comprising, for each ventilation area, a corridor air supply duct, a corridor outlet that blows air that has passed through the corridor air supply duct toward the common corridor portion belonging to the ventilation area, and a corridor air supply adjustment mechanism that adjusts the amount of air passing through the corridor air supply duct.

3. The ventilation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit is configured to switch the ventilation mode by adjusting the airflow rate of the patient room air supply unit, the patient room exhaust unit, and the corridor air supply unit to change the air balance between the patient room and the common corridor in the ventilation area.

4. The ventilation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a positive pressure ventilation mode, which makes the patient room more positive pressure than the common corridor area, as the aforementioned differential pressure ventilation mode.

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