Air-conditioning sterilization system

Abstract

To provide an air-conditioning sterilization system which can efficiently ventilate and sterilize a room in a building.SOLUTION: An air-conditioning sterilization system 10 includes an air-conditioning chamber 30 between air supply pipes 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D and air discharge pipes 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D connected to air inlet ports 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D and air outlet ports 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D of rooms 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D in a building, respectively, and circulates the air in which temperature and humidity thereof being adjusted in each of the rooms. The air-conditioning chamber includes: ventilation means 40 for introducing external air into the air-conditioning chamber; sterilization means 50 for irradiating the air inside the air-conditioning chamber with an ultraviolet ray with a main wavelength of 254 nm for sterilization; and an air sending fan 60 which supplies the sterilized air into each of the rooms to bring a positive pressure in each of the rooms and a negative pressure in the air-conditioning chamber, and discharges the air from the air outlet port.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an air-conditioning and sterilization system for ventilating and sterilizing the air circulating in the rooms of a building.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, the Building Standards Law obliges the installation of ventilation equipment in buildings. This ventilation equipment is a 24-hour ventilation system that circulates the air in a highly airtight and sealed room to replace the air in the room, that is, to perform ventilation. Ventilation is carried out so that formaldehyde (HCHO), carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, suspended dust, etc. meet the standard values according to the Building Standards Law and regulations. For example, the ventilation rate in the bathroom is 15 - 20 (times / hour), in the kitchen is 40 - 60 (times / hour), and in the toilet is 10 - 15 (times / hour) as a guide, but it is difficult to maintain an environment that meets the standard values due to the large temperature and humidity difference between summer and winter. On the other hand, whole-building air conditioning that air-conditions, that is, cools and heats, the entire building is used. Whole-building air conditioning does not air-condition each room of the building with an air conditioner, but air-conditions the entire building including corridors, etc. to eliminate the temperature difference between rooms. In addition, there is a technology of an air-conditioning system equipped with means for sterilizing bacteria, viruses, etc. in the room to make the indoor environment safe.

[0003] The device disclosed in Patent Document 1 arranges sterilization means in the duct connecting the air conditioner and the room. The system disclosed in Patent Document 2 forms an air circulation path in a space equipped with an air conditioner and an exhaust device, sterilizes the air in the exhaust passage with a UV treatment device, and flows the air irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the air conditioner into the space. However, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, although it is possible to perform sterilization treatment on the air supplied to each room, it is not possible to perform sterilization treatment on bacteria, viruses, etc. brought into the room. In addition, the system disclosed in Patent Document 2 reduces the possibility of new intrusion of bacteria and viruses from the outside air by not performing ventilation treatment. However, when ventilation is required by law, there is a risk that the outside air cannot be sterilized and the indoor environment will be contaminated.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In view of the problems of the above prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide an air-conditioning sterilization system that can efficiently perform ventilation and sterilization of rooms in a building.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] As a first means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides an air-conditioning sterilization system in which an air-conditioning chamber is provided between an air supply pipe and an exhaust pipe connected to an air supply port and an exhaust port of each room in a building to adjust the temperature and humidity, and the air is circulated in each room. The air-conditioning chamber is provided with ventilation means for introducing outside air into the air-conditioning chamber, sterilization means for irradiating ultraviolet rays having a main wavelength of 254 nm to the air in the air-conditioning chamber for sterilization, and a blower for supplying the sterilized air to each room to make each indoor environment positive pressure and the air-conditioning chamber negative pressure and exhausting the air from the exhaust port. According to the first means described above, ventilation and air disinfection treatment in the air-conditioned room can be collectively managed, so there is no need to install equipment for air conditioning and disinfection treatment for each room. Also, because of the configuration of centralized management in the air-conditioned room, maintenance is easy and power consumption and initial equipment introduction costs can be significantly reduced. Further, since the inside of the air-conditioned room is maintained at a negative pressure, the circulated air that does not leak to the outside can be disinfected.

[0007] As a second means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides, in the first means, a gas sensor for detecting the indoor gas concentration in each room, and a control unit that is electrically connected to the gas sensor and the ventilation means, and performs control to introduce outside air from the ventilation means when the detected value of the gas sensor exceeds a set value, and provides an air-conditioning disinfection system characterized by this. According to the second means described above, the required ventilation volume can be obtained by the amount of pollutant generation [m3 / h] / (pollutant concentration - outside air pollutant concentration). However, since the gas concentrations such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are detected for each room and outside air is introduced for ventilation when the set value is exceeded, there is no need to consider the number of ventilation times per hour as in the prior art, and the ventilation conditions can be easily satisfied.

[0008] As a third means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides, in the second means, an air-conditioning disinfection system characterized in that the ventilation means includes ventilation disinfection means for irradiating ultraviolet rays on the introduced outside air to disinfect it by opening and closing a damper. According to the third means described above, infectious viruses and floating bacteria mixed in the introduced outside air can be disinfected in the air-conditioned room, so there is no worry about each room being contaminated and people can live safely.

[0009] As a fourth means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides, in the first means, an air-conditioning disinfection system characterized in that the air-conditioned room is provided with ultraviolet irradiation means for irradiating ultraviolet rays having main wavelengths of 254 nm and 184 nm on the floor surface to generate oxygen radicals. According to the fourth means described above, oxygen radicals are generated on the floor surface of the air-conditioned room. Then, by reacting with oxygen in the air, ozone is generated to inactivate black mold and prevent the growth of mold.

[0010] As a fifth means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides an air-conditioning sterilization system characterized in that, in the first means, the sterilization means is provided at the air supply port side opening and the exhaust port side opening in the air-conditioned room. According to the fifth means described above, it can be easily installed even in a narrow installation space in the air-conditioned room. In addition, since it is collectively arranged in the air-conditioned room, the maintainability is good.

Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, ventilation and air sterilization treatment in the air-conditioned room can be collectively managed, so there is no need to install equipment for air-conditioning and sterilization treatment for each room. In addition, due to the centralized management configuration in the air-conditioned room, maintenance is easy and power consumption and initial equipment introduction costs can be significantly reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Embodiments of the air-conditioning sterilization system of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0014] [Air-conditioning Sterilization System 10] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the air-conditioning sterilization system of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the air-conditioning sterilization system of the present invention. The air-conditioning and sterilization system 10 of the present invention is an air-conditioning and sterilization system that provides an air-conditioning chamber 30 between an air supply pipe 20 and an exhaust pipe 22 connected to air supply ports 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D and exhaust ports 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D provided in each room 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D of a building, adjusts the temperature and humidity, and circulates the conditioned air in each room 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D. The air-conditioning chamber 30 includes a ventilation means 40 for introducing outside air into the air-conditioning chamber, a sterilization means 50 for irradiating ultraviolet rays having a main wavelength of 254 nm to the air in the air-conditioning chamber for sterilization, and a blower 60 for supplying the sterilized air to each room 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D to make each room positive pressure and the inside of the air-conditioning chamber 30 negative pressure and exhaust it from the exhaust ports 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D.

[0015] Each room 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D in the building is equipped with opening and closing doors, windows, etc., but the rooms are partitioned by walls and form a highly airtight space when the doors and windows are closed. Each room 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D is provided with air supply ports 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D on the lower wall surface and exhaust ports 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D on the ceiling. The air supply ports 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D have a smaller diameter than the exhaust ports 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D to increase the blowing pressure and the flow rate. In this embodiment, the number of rooms is described as four rooms, but the number of rooms is not limited to this and can be arbitrarily changed. Also, the number of air supply ports and exhaust ports installed in the room can be arbitrarily set and changed according to the size of the room.

[0016] Air supply pipes 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D are provided between the air supply ports 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D of each room 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D and the air supply port side opening 32 of the air-conditioning chamber 30. The air supply pipes 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D are ducts for supplying ventilated and sterilized air for each room 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D. Exhaust pipes 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D are provided between the exhaust ports 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D of each room 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D and the exhaust port side opening 34 of the air conditioning room 30. The exhaust pipes 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D are ducts that exhaust indoor air for each room 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D. The supply pipes 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D and the exhaust pipes 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D of the present embodiment are individually connected to the air conditioning room described later without being integrated with each other independently for each room. This is to prevent a decrease in the pressure loss of the supply pipe and the exhaust pipe. It is also to prevent a rapid pressure decay due to clogging of the pipes.

[0017] The air conditioning room 30 is a small room for ventilating and sterilizing air, and is provided in the center of the building. The air conditioning room 30 is equipped with ventilation means 40 for introducing outside air to the ceiling, and is provided with a supply port side opening 32 and an exhaust port side opening 34 for the air circulating through each room 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D on the opposing wall surfaces. The supply port side opening 32 and the exhaust port side opening 34 are formed independently for each room 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D and are provided side by side in the number of rooms on the wall surface. The air conditioning room 30 is equipped with an air conditioner 36 for controlling the temperature of the air circulating inside to the set temperature, and a humidifier 38 for controlling the humidity of the air to the set humidity. Note that the air conditioner 36 may be equipped with an air cleaning function for removing dust and dirt in the air.

[0018] The sterilization means 50 inside the air-conditioned room 30 is provided at the air supply port side opening 32 and the exhaust port side opening 34. The sterilization means 50 is a spiral ultraviolet lamp capable of irradiating ultraviolet rays having a main wavelength of 254 nm. The spiral ultraviolet lamp is a lamp that irradiates ultraviolet rays having a main wavelength of 254 nm and 185 nm, or either one of them. In the present embodiment, it is arranged inside the duct connected to the air supply port side opening 32 and the exhaust port side opening 34, or the air supply port side opening 32 and the exhaust port side opening 34. The spiral ultraviolet lamp can shorten the tube length by forming the quartz tube into a spiral (helical) shape, and can be installed even in a place with a narrow installation space. The sterilization means 50 can sterilize by irradiating ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 254 nm and a dose of 25 to 40 mJ / cm2 for ten-odd seconds to destroy bacterial cells and break the RNA base chain of the virus, and for example, can achieve 99.999% inactivation of bacterial viruses. In addition, the sterilization means 50 generates a trace amount of ozone of 1.5 ppm or less by ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 185 nm. The generated ozone has an air sterilization and deodorizing effect.

[0019] The ventilation means 40 is a cylindrical ventilation duct provided on the ceiling of the air-conditioned room 30, and an opening / closing damper 42 for introducing outside air is provided at the tip opening. The opening / closing damper 42 can be closed or the opening degree can be arbitrarily set and changed according to a control signal from a control unit 80 described later. The ventilation means 40 is provided with ventilation sterilization means 44 inside. The ventilation sterilization means 44 employs an amalgam ultraviolet lamp capable of irradiating ultraviolet rays having a main wavelength of 254 nm. The amalgam ultraviolet lamp is a low-pressure lamp in which an inert gas and an amalgam alloy are enclosed inside a cylindrical quartz tube. The quartz tube is provided with a pair of electrodes at both ends in the axial direction, and a mixed gas of an amalgam alloy and an inert gas is enclosed at a low pressure inside. The amalgam alloy is an alloy of mercury and a metal. In the present embodiment, an alloy of indium and mercury is used as an example. Such an amalgam alloy is welded at two locations on the inner wall with a predetermined length from the end of the quartz tube toward the center. In addition to indium, various metals can be used as the metal combined with mercury constituting the amalgam alloy as long as it can irradiate ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 254 nm.

[0020] The inert gas is a mixture of a plurality of inert gases. In this embodiment, as an example, a mixed gas of argon and neon is used. Note that the mixing ratio of argon gas and neon gas can be designed and changed to various ratios. When a voltage is applied between a pair of electrodes in an amalgam ultraviolet lamp having such a configuration, the inert gas is discharge-heated to melt the amalgam alloy, and the discharge electrons excite the amalgam alloy. Similar to a low-pressure mercury lamp, it emits ultraviolet light with a main wavelength of 254 nm and slightly emits ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 184 nm. Compared with a low-pressure mercury lamp, the amalgam lamp is not affected by a decrease in the emission intensity of ultraviolet light and instability even when heated by long-term irradiation, and can perform stable ultraviolet irradiation. In addition, the tube surface temperature during ultraviolet irradiation can be maintained at 150 degrees, which is lower than that of a low-pressure mercury lamp, and there is no need to use a waste heat removal means.

[0021] The air-conditioned room 30 is provided with ultraviolet irradiation means 52 that irradiates the floor surface with ultraviolet light having main wavelengths of 254 nm and 184 nm to generate sterilization and ozone. The ultraviolet irradiation means 52 employs an amalgam ultraviolet lamp similar to the ventilation sterilization means 44. The amalgam ultraviolet lamp emits ultraviolet light with a main wavelength of 254 nm and slightly emits ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 184 nm. The ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 184 nm generates oxygen radicals. The oxygen radicals react with oxygen in the air to generate ozone, and by irradiating the floor surface of the air-conditioned room, black mold can be inactivated to prevent the generation of mold. The ultraviolet lamp arranged in such an air-conditioned room 30 is constantly lit while each room is being air-conditioned, and constantly sterilizes and disinfects the circulating air. The ultraviolet lamp of this embodiment generates little heat and does not become hot even when constantly lit. In addition, since the sterilization means irradiates ultraviolet light with an output of 30000 μW / sec·cm2 per unit, more than 99% of bacteria and viruses in the circulating air can be inactivated within a few seconds, and sterilization and disinfection can be achieved. The air-conditioning chamber 30 has a blower 60 disposed at the air supply port side opening 32. The blower 60 is a fan that blows the air sterilized and disinfected inside the air-conditioning chamber to each room 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D through the air supply pipes 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D. The blower 60 is set to a blowing output such that the inside of the air-conditioning chamber becomes negative pressure during operation and the inside of each room 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D becomes positive pressure. As a result, in each room 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D, the air supplied into the room is naturally discharged from the exhaust port. Then, the air exhausted into the air-conditioning chamber 30 through the exhaust pipe 22 is sterilized without leaking from the air-conditioning chamber to the outside and is supplied from the air supply port side opening.

[0022] The air-conditioning chamber 30 has a sealed structure except for the ventilation means and has an opening / closing door disposed. The opening / closing door is used during maintenance inside the air-conditioning chamber. When the door is opened, the ultraviolet irradiation of the sterilization means, the ventilation sterilization means, and the ultraviolet irradiation means stops. Thereby, the operator is not exposed to ultraviolet rays during maintenance inside the air-conditioning chamber. Each room 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D is provided with a temperature and humidity sensor 70 for detecting the temperature and humidity inside the room and a gas sensor 72 for detecting the concentrations of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The temperature and humidity sensor 70 is electrically connected to the air conditioner 36 and the humidifier 38. When the detected values of the temperature and humidity sensor 70 are transmitted to the air conditioner 36 and the humidifier 38, they are controlled so that the detected values become the set values.

[0023] The control unit 80 is disposed inside the building and is electrically connected to the gas sensor 72 and the ventilation means 40. The control unit 80 has predetermined reference values (set values, for example, a carbon dioxide concentration of 1000 ppm or less and a carbon monoxide concentration of 10 ppm or less) for carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. When the detected value of the gas sensor 72 exceeds the reference value, a control signal for prompting ventilation is transmitted to the ventilation means 40. The ventilation means 40 can dilute the concentrations of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide and suppress them below the reference value by opening the opening / closing damper 42 to take in outside air into the air-conditioning chamber.

[0024] [Function] The operation of the air-conditioning and sterilization system 10 of the present invention with the above configuration will be described below. Air adjusted to the set temperature and set humidity is supplied from the air-conditioning room 30 to each of the rooms 12A, 12B, 12C, and 12D. The interior of the room is under positive pressure, and the air circulated in the room is exhausted from the exhaust port. At this time, airborne bacteria in the room, infectious viruses brought in from the outside, etc. are also exhausted together. The air-conditioning room 30 is under negative pressure, and when the air exhausted from the room is introduced into the room, it can be sterilized by ultraviolet rays with a wavelength of 254 nm by the sterilization means 50. The sterilized air is supplied from the supply port side opening 32 to each of the rooms 12A, 12B, 12C, and 12D.

[0025] Temperature and humidity sensors 70 and gas sensors 72 are installed in each of the rooms 12A, 12B, 12C, and 12D. The detected values of the temperature and humidity sensors 70 are transmitted to the air conditioner 36 and the humidifier 38, and are controlled by the air conditioner 36 and the humidifier 38 to reach the set temperature and set humidity. Further, the detected values of the gas sensors 72 are transmitted to the control unit 80. In the control unit 80, reference values for carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are determined in advance, and when the detected values of the gas sensors 72 exceed the reference values, a control signal for prompting ventilation to the ventilation means 40 is transmitted. The ventilation means 40 can dilute the concentrations of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide by opening the opening and closing damper 42 to take in outside air into the air-conditioning room. According to the present invention as described above, ventilation and air sterilization treatment in the air-conditioning room can be collectively managed, so there is no need to install equipment for air-conditioning and sterilization treatment for each room. Also, due to the configuration of centralized management in the air-conditioning room, maintenance is easy and power consumption and initial equipment introduction costs can be significantly reduced.

[0026] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments at all, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention. Also, the present invention is not limited to the combinations shown in the embodiments, and can be implemented by various combinations.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0027] 10 Air-conditioning sterilization system Rooms 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D Supply air inlets 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D Exhaust outlets 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D Supply air pipes 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D Exhaust pipes 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D Air-conditioning room 30 Supply air inlet side opening 32 Exhaust outlet side opening 34 Air conditioner 36 Humidifier 38 Ventilation means 40 On-off damper 42 Sterilization means for ventilation 44 Sterilization means 50 Ultraviolet irradiation means 52 Blower 60 Temperature and humidity sensor 70 Gas sensor 72 Control unit 80

Claims

1. In an air-conditioning and sterilization system that circulates the air whose temperature and humidity have been adjusted by providing an air-conditioning chamber between an air supply pipe and an exhaust pipe connected to an air supply port and an exhaust port of air provided in each room of a building, the air-conditioning chamber is equipped with ventilation means for introducing outside air into the air-conditioning chamber, sterilization means for irradiating the air in the air-conditioning chamber with ultraviolet rays having a main wavelength of 254 nm to sterilize it, and a blower for supplying the sterilized air to each room, making each room have a positive pressure and the air-conditioning chamber have a negative pressure, and exhausting the air from the exhaust port. The air-conditioning and sterilization system is characterized by this.

2. The air-conditioning and sterilization system according to Claim 1, comprising a gas sensor for detecting the gas concentration in each room, and a control unit electrically connected to the gas sensor and the ventilation means, and performing control to introduce outside air from the ventilation means when the detection value of the gas sensor exceeds a set value. The air-conditioning and sterilization system is characterized by this.

3. The air-conditioning and sterilization system according to Claim 2, wherein the ventilation means is equipped with ventilation sterilization means for irradiating the introduced outside air with ultraviolet rays to sterilize it by opening an opening and closing damper. The air-conditioning and sterilization system is characterized by this.

4. The air-conditioning and sterilization system according to Claim 1, wherein the air-conditioning chamber is equipped with ultraviolet irradiation means for irradiating the floor surface with ultraviolet rays having main wavelengths of 254 nm and 185 nm to generate oxygen radicals. The air-conditioning and sterilization system is characterized by this.

5. The air-conditioning and sterilization system according to Claim 1, wherein the sterilization means is provided at the air supply port side opening and the exhaust port side opening in the air-conditioning chamber. The air-conditioning and sterilization system is characterized by this.

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