Movable object with an interior to be air-conditioned

Abstract

A movable object (1) with at least one interior space (5) which is surrounded by structural elements in the form of a floor (4), a ceiling (10) and walls (3) for demarcation, wherein at least one of the structural elements is made of a fiber composite material comprising at least one fiber material and a matrix material, and wherein the movable object (1) has an air conditioning device (6) for air conditioning the interior space (5) by supplying supply air (8) into the interior space (5), characterized in that the floor (4) is formed as a fiber composite structural element from the fiber composite material and has a plurality of at least ten openings (7) which are connected to the air conditioning device (6), wherein the air conditioning device (6) is designed to supply supply air (8) into the interior space (5) of the movable object (1) via the openings (7) located in the fiber composite structural element.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a movable object having at least one interior space which is to be air-conditioned by means of an air-conditioning device.

[0002] It is well known that air conditioning systems can be used to change the air temperature, humidity and composition of the interior air. In this case, an air conditioning system, also colloquially known as an air conditioner, regularly supplies fresh air to the interior to be conditioned and, if necessary, removes the used interior air at another location in order to influence and change the climatic conditions in terms of air temperature, humidity and composition. Especially for moving objects such as vehicles, air conditioning is particularly important, and not just in areas with high levels of solar radiation. Due to the generally poor insulation, the climatic conditions in the interior of vehicles can change very quickly, making it necessary to air condition such vehicle interiors regularly.

[0003] Such an interior space in such a moving object is usually surrounded by structural elements in the form of a floor, a ceiling, and walls to separate it from the exterior. Additional elements, such as seats or room dividers, can usually be arranged on these structural elements. In recent years, it has proven advantageous to manufacture at least some of these structural elements from a fiber composite material in order to reduce the overall weight of the moving objects and thus save fuel and energy.

[0004] The disadvantage here, however, is that these structural components have to be drilled out to install the fresh air supply line, which often causes severe damage to the inherently anisotropic fiber composite material.

[0005] A further disadvantage of this type of air conditioning is that the supply of fresh air through one or two main supply streams is often perceived as unpleasant, as this creates a draft in the interior of the moving object, which can even lead to muscle tension.

[0006] CN 201 030 777 Y describes a cabin housing part with a roof and a rear wall for military vehicles. The housing wall is made, at least in sections, of a glass-fiber-reinforced plastic and has an inner, a middle, and an outer layer. An air supply duct is provided in the housing wall, to which an air conditioning system can be connected via an air inlet and which directs the conditioned supply air into the cabin interior via air outlets.

[0007] US Pat. No. 6,547,301 B1 describes a floor construction for passenger vehicles, comprising a floor panel, an intermediate layer with air supply ducts, a partition wall, and a carpet. The air supply ducts are intended to allow air to be supplied to specific outlets, for example, under the vehicle seats. The multi-layer construction is intended to dampen disturbing noises from the engine compartment.

[0008] DE 103 33 045 B3 describes a parcel shelf for motor vehicles. The parcel shelf has a shell-like structure with a stabilizing lower shell and a decorative upper shell. The upper shell is permeable to air. Air that enters the cavity between the shells is directed out of the vehicle via a ventilation device to prevent unpleasant odors from the trunk from entering the vehicle interior.

[0009] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a movable object with an improved air conditioning concept in which, on the one hand, the climate comfort can be increased and, on the other hand, the use of fiber composite materials for weight reduction can be maintained.

[0010] The object is achieved according to the invention with the movable object according to claim 1 and the method for air conditioning an interior of a movable object according to claim 9.

[0011] According to claim 1, a movable object is proposed with at least one interior space surrounded by structural elements of the movable object in the form of a floor, a ceiling, and walls for demarcation. Such structural elements form the shell surrounding the interior space, particularly from a structural point of view, and can, for example, be lined with additional materials on the inside. These structural elements are, in turn, connected to the load-bearing structures of the movable object or partially or entirely form these load-bearing structures of the movable object.

[0012] In the spirit of lightweight construction, at least the floor, preferably several or particularly preferably all of the structural elements, are made of a fiber composite material, which in particular comprises a fiber material and a matrix material that embeds the fiber material in the cured state. Such a fiber composite structural element can also contain or comprise other materials, such as additional materials for a sandwich construction.

[0013] In addition, the movable object has an air conditioning system that can be used to condition the interior by supplying supply air or fresh air into the interior. Such an air conditioning system can be designed to draw in outside air or fresh air, process it if necessary (temperature-controlled, humidified or dehumidified, filtered), and then convey it through a supply line into the interior of the movable object, thus conditioning the interior.

[0014] According to the invention, at least one of the components made of a fiber composite material (hereinafter referred to as fiber composite components) has a plurality of openings for supplying the supply air into the interior. The plurality of openings in the fiber composite component thus collectively form the supply line through which the interior is to be air-conditioned by supplying supply air. According to the invention, at least 10 such openings are provided for supplying the supply air.

[0015] The inventors recognized that structural elements made of fiber composite material that form a boundary between the interior and the exterior can be provided with openings through which air can be supplied to the interior for air conditioning purposes without requiring a single large air supply duct through the structural element. This avoids structural damage when creating the openings and structural weakening caused by a large supply duct.

[0016] It is conceivable that at least four, preferably more than ten, openings are provided per square meter of the structural component, which serve as supply lines for supplying fresh air into the interior space by means of the air conditioning system in the component. The smaller the opening diameter, the greater the number of openings per square meter. Depending on the size of the interior space to be air-conditioned and the number of openings per square meter, the openings preferably have a diameter of less than 3 cm, preferably less than 1 cm, and particularly preferably less than 1 mm.

[0017] Both the number of openings contained in the fiber composite component for the supply of fresh air and the diameter of the openings are defined depending on the volume of the interior space and / or the number of people contained therein.

[0018] Advantageously, the movable object is a vehicle intended for the transport of persons, with the interior being intended for the stay of the person being transported during the transport or during the journey. Accordingly, the movable object is, in particular, an aircraft, a rail-bound vehicle, a road vehicle, or a watercraft.

[0019] The openings provided in the fiber composite component are distributed over the entire surface of the fiber composite component in such a way that a uniform supply air flow is ensured across the entire component surface, which is perceived as particularly comfortable and reduces the perception of air flows based on air conditioning.

[0020] As already mentioned, it is advantageous if the fiber composite component is a load-bearing component of the structure of the movable object, so that the openings for air conditioning can be integrated directly into the load-bearing structure and thus a highly integrated air conditioning concept can be provided.

[0021] In a further advantageous embodiment, an air-permeable and optionally water-impermeable or water-repellent covering is applied to the fiber composite component, in particular to provide interior cladding for the structural component. For example, it is conceivable that the fiber composite component, which as a structural component forms a floor of the movable object, is covered by an air-permeable carpet, so that the air conditioning openings in the structural component are not visible in the interior. The air-permeable carpet then allows the supply air supplied through the openings of the structural component to be evenly distributed throughout the interior.

[0022] It is also conceivable, however, that a semi-permeable membrane or wall cladding is applied or arranged, in particular to protect the openings for the air conditioning system in the structural component. In a further advantageous embodiment, the fiber composite component is a multi-layer sandwich component whose outer layers are formed from the fiber composite material. Such sandwich components are usually formed from two outer cover layers and an inner core layer, whereby the core layer in a sandwich construction is generally thicker but has a lower density than the cover layers. Preferably, the cover layer is made of a fiber composite material, with the openings extending through the entire sandwich component.

[0023] In a further advantageous embodiment, at least one further fiber composite component is provided, which has a plurality of openings distributed over the entire surface of the fiber composite component, which are connected to the air conditioning device. The air conditioning device is designed to discharge the interior air of the vehicle via the openings located in the further fiber composite component. Thus, a first fiber composite component can be used to supply air using the plurality of openings, while the exhaust of the interior air can be realized in a second component.

[0024] Since the openings in both the first and second building elements are distributed over the entire surface, there is not a large air flow for air conditioning, but rather a slow and light, evenly distributed air flow, which is generally not perceived negatively.

[0025] The problem is also solved according to the invention with the method according to claim 9, wherein the supply air for air conditioning the interior is supplied via openings located in the fiber composite component by means of the air conditioning device. Accordingly, a fiber composite component is used as a structural component of the movable object, with the aid of the numerous openings present in the component, for air conditioning an interior whose boundaries are formed by the structural fiber composite component.

[0026] The invention is explained in more detail using the attached figure as an example. It shows: Fig. 1 - Cross-section through an aircraft fuselage with air conditioning according to the invention.

[0027] Fig. Figure 1 shows a cross-section through an aircraft fuselage 1 of an aircraft, which represents a movable object in the sense of the present invention. The aircraft fuselage 1 has an outer shell 2, which forms the external structural element of the aircraft fuselage 1. Located inside the aircraft fuselage 1 are an inner wall 3 and a floor 4, which form part of the boundary of the interior space 5, namely the passenger cabin. Not shown in Fig. 1 here the front wall structures.

[0028] Both the interior wall 3, which simultaneously forms both the wall and the ceiling of the interior 5, as well as the floor 4, represent structural elements of the interior 5 and in the embodiment of the Fig. 1 also represent structural components of the movable object and must accordingly be designed to transfer loads.

[0029] In the embodiment of the Fig. 1, the floor 4 is made of a fiber composite material in order to take particular account of lightweight construction in aircraft construction.

[0030] Furthermore, the aircraft fuselage has an air conditioning device 6, which is Fig. 1, wherein the air conditioning device 6 is fluidly connected to openings 7 in the floor 4. With the aid of the air conditioning device 6, supply air (here represented by the arrow 8) can be evenly distributed into the interior 5 via the openings 7 in the floor 4, which are distributed over the entire surface of the floor 4, thereby achieving uniform air conditioning that is perceived as very comfortable.

[0031] A carpet 9 can be provided on the floor 4, which is permeable to air and thus allows the supply air 8 to pass into the interior 5.

[0032] At the upper end of the aircraft fuselage in the area of ​​the ceiling 10, the interior air of the interior space 5 is then extracted in order to ensure a constant flow of fresh air without any change in pressure. List of reference symbols 1 aircraft fuselage / movable object 2 Outer shell 3 interior wall 4 Floor 5 Interior 6 Air conditioning system 7 openings 8 Supply air 9 Carpet 10 blanket

Claims

[1] Movable object (1) with at least one interior space (5) which is surrounded by structural elements in the form of a floor (4), a ceiling (10) and walls (3) for demarcation, wherein at least one of the structural elements is made of a fiber composite material comprising at least one fiber material and one matrix material, and wherein the movable object (1) has an air conditioning device (6) for air conditioning the interior space (5) by supplying supply air (8) into the interior space (5), characterized by that the floor (4) is formed as a fiber composite component from the fiber composite material and has a plurality of at least ten openings (7) which are connected to the air conditioning device (6), wherein the air conditioning device (6) is designed to supply supply air (8) into the interior (5) of the movable object (1) via the openings (7) located in the fiber composite component. [2] Movable object (1) according to claim 1, characterized by that the movable object (1) is a vehicle intended for the transport of persons and the interior (5) is intended for the stay of the persons to be transported during the transport. [3] Movable object (1) according to claim 2, characterized by that the vehicle is an aircraft, a rail-bound vehicle, a road vehicle or a watercraft. [4] Movable object (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the fiber composite component formed from a fiber composite material is a load-bearing component of the structural design of the movable object (1). [5] Movable object (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that an air-permeable and, if necessary, water-impermeable or water-repellent cover is applied to the fiber composite component. [6] Movable object (1) according to claim 5, characterized bythat the covering is a carpet (9), a semi-permeable membrane or a wall covering. [7] Movable object (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the fiber composite component is a multi-layer sandwich component whose outer layers are formed from the fiber composite material. [8] Movable object (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that at least one further fiber composite component is provided which has a plurality of openings (7) which are connected to the air conditioning device (6), wherein the air conditioning device (6) is designed to discharge the interior air of the interior space (5) via the openings (7) located in the further fiber composite component. [9] Method for air conditioning an interior space (5) of a movable object (1), wherein the interior space (5) delimited by structural elements in the form of a floor (4), a ceiling (10) and walls (3) is air-conditioned by supplying supply air into the interior space (5) by means of an air-conditioning device (6), characterized by that at least the floor (4) is provided as a fiber composite component which is formed from a fiber composite material, wherein the supply air (8) for air conditioning the interior (5) is supplied by means of the air conditioning device (6) via at least ten openings (7) located in the fiber composite component designed as the floor (4). [10] Method according to claim 9, characterized bythat at least one further component is provided as a fibre composite component which is also formed from a fibre composite material, wherein the interior air of the interior (5) is discharged for air conditioning via openings (7) located in the further fibre composite component by means of the air conditioning device (6). [11] Method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized by that a movable object (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8 is provided.

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