Personalized distribution terminal

Abstract

A personal distribution terminal is designed to provide a self-contained free standing or stand-alone enclosure for easy placement wherever office personnel require convenient access to building services. The placement of this enclosure may be in the vicinity of a standard desk or other workstations or where people congregate. The occupant of the nearby workstation has control over personal air flow for personal comfort. The enclosure is so constructed to also provide space control by displacement ventilation for the surrounding area to provide greater indoor air quality and reduce energy consumption. Incorporated into the enclosure are other services in the modem office, such as electric, both constant or interruptible, communication terminals and internet connections. The use of this terminal eliminates floor and wall grilles for better esthetics, and easier, more economical installation and housekeeping. The result of this inventive concept is substantial energy savings based on individual control of personal air supply and displacement ventilation permitting overall higher operating temperatures. The overall result is a simple installation of the terminal for easy and less expensive construction and ease of relocation.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention at hand relates to either heating or cooling the air in a building, especially with a floor area having a multiple of persons working therein. The invention is directed 1) primarily to the personal comfort and health of a person working at a desk by directing conditioned air to the immediate vicinity of the person or persons present at those workstations and by giving those workstations the use and control of the conditioned air, and 2) to provide displacement air ventilation to the surrounding area, while at the same time providing for a cleaner environment using less energy, and 3) to provide other services required. This method of total space conditioning is known as task / ambient conditioning.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]In the field of heating and cooling, generally known as “air conditioning” there are known problems causing discomfort to the occupants in the building or a room. Inefficiencies in the system result in excessive opera...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0023]An object of the invention is to present a system for distributing various building services, including task / ambient air conditioning, throughout an open plan office environment in a most efficient and economical way. The inventive system provides local workstation access to various building services, simultaneous air conditioning to the space at large through displacement ventilation and individual control over personal supply air, and energy savings. In a building, large or small, or in individual rooms or at workstations, the control of temperature, air flow, humidity and the like leaves many persons dissatisfied with the, condition of their individual environments. Different persons have different levels of metabolism and, therefore, different needs for comfort. The inventive system provides a means to satisfy various individual thermal comfort needs and the space as a whole at the same time. Total air supply is controlled to satisfy the total cooling or heating requirement.

[0028]Consequently, in the field of heating and cooling there exists a need for providing a flow of conditioned air directly to or near a person sitting at or in the vicinity of a workstation, without creating a draft, as well as to occupants of the surrounding area. More particularly, there exists a need for a workstation to be so equipped whereby the occupant can individually control and obtain the amount of conditioned air supplied within the workstation while maintaining a desirable amount of conditioned air to surrounding areas. The amount and direction of conditioned air flow within the workstation is controlled by the occupant to maximize his or her comfort level, well being, health and productivity, while maintaining a desirable amount of conditioned air for surrounding areas by the displacement ventilation system (not by mixing, which causes cross-contamination).

[0032]Displacement Ventilation systems are typically more energy efficient and quieter than conventional overhead systems. They also provide better ventilation efficiency and improve indoor air quality. Displacement Ventilation systems are appropriate in spaces such as class rooms or conference rooms with high ventilation requirements. They are also being used with great success in an open office space architecture.

[0037]It has also been shown that different damper systems can be used instead of the dampers explained below, such as opposed blade dampers. Such dampers would allow a more fine tuned control over the flow of the air through the stand-alone unit.

[0038]Modem and up-to-date workstations require quite a few convenience outlets, such as telephone jacks, computer outlets or data ports, coaxial cables and regular electrical outlets that are commonly in use on regular workstations. One object of the stand-alone unit can be to have installed therein a terminal or connector panel or box. The respective cable connections or feeders can be supplied from conduits located in the underfloor plenum, or could be supplied through conduits located and embedded in the concrete slab. The electrical system, as suggested above, could also incorporate a local relay to override a central shut-off, including fusing, and a shut off to turn off the stand-alone unit altogether. An override control allows an after hours reset of the stand-alone unit. This system can also include a motion detector that should shut down the unit when a person just leaves the area and turns it on again when that person returns. This system would fall under the idea of saving energy.

Problems solved by technology

In a building, large or small, or in individual rooms or at workstations, the control of temperature, air flow, humidity and the like leaves many persons dissatisfied with the, condition of their individual environments.

Also, different locations in a building or on a floor, or even in a single room or in the vicinity of a workstation, are not satisfactorily heated or cooled, that is, air conditioned, which will give rise to complaints about discomfort and illness, resulting in absenteeism and, of course, loss of productivity and wasted energy.

Further, conventional air conditioning systems generally require expensive duct work installations, usually in ceilings or floors or both.

This causes unnecessary heating or cooling of unused space.

The above mentioned duct work also increases an energy demand for the movement of the air through the ducts and presents difficulties in cleaning.

Such prior art systems also created complaints of discomfort caused by high or low air velocities, or high or low temperatures, depending on the location of the air outlet grilles.

Also, air conditioning outlet grilles and the ducts associated therewith frequently need to be removed to accommodate changes in air conditioning loads, or a rearrangement of the work space or individual workstations in an open office layout, and do not provide for displacement ventilation.

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