Ventilation device

Abstract

To provide a ventilation device capable of easily determining a state in a predetermined space and appropriately increasing a ventilation amount.SOLUTION: A ventilation device includes: an exhaust fan 4 that discharges air in a predetermined space to an outdoor side; a particulate concentration measurement section 6 that measures a particulate concentration value of the air in the predetermined space; a noise measurement section 5 that measures a noise level in the predetermined space; and a control section 7 that controls the exhaust fan 4. The control section 7 includes: an air quantity determination section 9 that determines exhaust air quantity of the exhaust fan 4 on the basis of the particulate concentration value of the air in the predetermined space measured by the particulate concentration measurement section 6; an air quantity correction section 10 that corrects the exhaust air quantity determined by the air quantity determination section 9 to air quantity larger than the determined exhaust air quantity on the basis of a change amount of the particulate concentration value and the noise level in the predetermined space measured by the noise measurement section 5; and an air quantity control section 11 that performs air quantity control by using the exhaust air quantity corrected by the air quantity correction section 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to ventilation devices. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there is known a ventilation device that is controlled by a ventilation system that performs control based on the carbon dioxide concentration in a predetermined space indoors (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-124788 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is preferable to control the ventilation volume of a ventilation device to an appropriate level depending on the situation in a specified space. For example, it may be better to increase the ventilation volume appropriately depending on the behavior of people present in the specified space. While it is possible to determine the behavior of people using cameras or the like, using cameras or the like leads to complex control specifications and increased costs.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to solve the above-mentioned problem, and aims to provide a ventilation device that can easily determine the situation within a specified space and appropriately increase the ventilation volume. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve this objective, the ventilation device of the present disclosure comprises an exhaust fan that exhausts air in a specified space outdoors, a particulate matter concentration measuring unit that measures the particulate matter concentration value of the air in the specified space, a noise measuring unit that measures the noise level of the specified space, and a control unit that controls the exhaust fan. The control unit comprises an airflow rate determination unit that determines the exhaust airflow rate of the exhaust fan based on the particulate matter concentration value of the air in the specified space measured by the particulate matter concentration measuring unit, an airflow rate correction unit that corrects the exhaust airflow rate determined by the airflow rate determination unit to an airflow rate greater than the determined exhaust airflow rate based on the amount of change in the particulate matter concentration value and the noise level of the specified space measured by the noise measuring unit, and an airflow rate control unit that controls the airflow rate at the exhaust airflow rate corrected by the airflow rate correction unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a ventilation device that can easily determine the situation within a specified space and appropriately reduce the ventilation volume. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram and layout diagram of a ventilation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic functional block diagram of a control unit and peripheral units according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments shown below are merely examples for embodying the technical ideas of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to the following. In particular, the materials, shapes, components, arrangements and relative arrangements of the components described in the embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure to those alone. Furthermore, in each drawing, substantially identical components are assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted or simplified.

[0010] (Embodiment) First, a ventilation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In this embodiment, a device capable of discharging air from a predetermined space will be described as a ventilation device. The ventilation device may further have a function of supplying air to the predetermined space. In this embodiment, a living room is taken as an example of the predetermined space, but this is not limiting. Figure 1 is a configuration diagram and layout diagram of a ventilation device according to this embodiment.

[0011] The ventilation device 1 can be installed in the attic, in a side wall, or under the floor of a building, and ventilates the air in a specified space indoors. In this embodiment, the ventilation device 1 is fixed to the ceiling that separates the specified space, a living room, from the attic, and is placed in the attic.

[0012] The ventilation device 1 includes an intake port 2, an outlet port 3, an exhaust fan 4, a noise measurement unit 5, a particulate matter concentration measurement unit 6, and a control unit .

[0013] The intake port 2 is provided below the ventilation device 1 and is an opening for taking air from a predetermined space into the ventilation device 1 through a ceiling opening.

[0014] The air outlet 3 is provided on the side of the ventilation device 1. The air outlet 3 is an opening for blowing out air from a specified space that has been taken into the ventilation device 1 through the air inlet 2 to the outside of the ventilation device 1. The air outlet 3 is connected to one end of a duct 8. The other end of the duct 8 is connected to the outdoors. In other words, the duct 8 discharges the air blown out from the air outlet 3 to the outdoors.

[0015] The exhaust fan 4 is a type of blower and is provided inside the ventilation device 1. The exhaust fan 4 takes in air into the ventilation device 1 through the air inlet 2 and generates an air flow that blows the taken-in air outdoors through the air outlet 3 and duct 8. Specifically, as the exhaust fan 4 rotates, air within a specified space is taken into the ventilation device 1 through the air inlet 2 and blown out through the air outlet 3. The air blown out through the air outlet 3 is exhausted outdoors via the duct 8. In other words, the exhaust fan 4 exhausts the air within the specified space outdoors.

[0016] The noise measuring unit 5 measures the noise level in a predetermined space. The noise measuring unit 5 is, for example, a sound level meter. In this embodiment, as an example, the noise measuring unit 5 is provided on a wall surface within the predetermined space. The noise level measured by the noise measuring unit 5 is sent to the control unit 7 via wired or wireless communication. The noise measuring unit 5 may be provided in the housing of the ventilation device 1. However, it is preferable that the noise measuring unit 5 is not provided near the exhaust fan 4 so that the noise generated from the exhaust fan 4 is not detected. For example, the noise measuring unit 5 is provided at the intake port 2 on the bottom side of the ventilation device 1.

[0017] The particulate matter concentration measuring unit 6 measures the particulate matter concentration value of the air in a predetermined space. The particulate matter concentration measuring unit 6 is, for example, a PM2.5 sensor. In this embodiment, as an example, the particulate matter concentration measuring unit 6 is provided at the air inlet 2. The particulate matter concentration value measured by the particulate matter concentration measuring unit 6 is sent to the control unit 7 via wired communication or wireless communication. The particulate matter concentration measuring unit 6 may be provided within the predetermined space, for example, on a wall surface within the predetermined space.

[0018] The control unit 7 is electrically connected to the exhaust fan 4, the noise measurement unit 5, and the particulate matter concentration measurement unit 6 so as to be able to communicate with each other, and controls the ventilation device 1. The control details of the control unit 7 will be described later.

[0019] Next, each function of the control unit 7 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a schematic functional block diagram of the control unit 7 and its peripheral units.

[0020] The control unit 7 controls the exhaust fan 4. The control unit 7 includes an air volume determination unit 9 and an air volume correction unit 1. 0 and an air volume control unit 11.

[0021] The air volume determination unit 9 determines the exhaust air volume of the exhaust fan 4 based on the particulate matter concentration value of the air in the specified space measured by the particulate matter concentration measurement unit 6. Specifically, the air volume determination unit 9 first acquires the particulate matter concentration value of the air in the specified space measured by the particulate matter concentration measurement unit 6. The air volume determination unit 9 determines the exhaust air volume of the exhaust fan 4 based on the acquired particulate matter concentration value.

[0022] In this embodiment, as an example, the exhaust fan 4 can be set to six airflow levels. The six levels are zero airflow (also referred to as operation stopped or airflow level 0), airflow level 1, airflow level 2, airflow level 3, airflow level 4, and airflow level 5. The airflow magnitude relationship is zero airflow (operation stopped) < airflow level 1 < airflow level 2 < airflow level 3 < airflow level 4 < airflow level 5. In this embodiment, as an example, zero airflow is 0 CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute), airflow level 1 is 20 CFM, airflow level 2 is 40 CFM, airflow level 3 is 60 CFM, airflow level 4 is 80 CFM, and airflow level 5 is 100 CFM, but the airflow for each airflow level can be set arbitrarily.

[0023] The airflow rate determination unit 9 increases the exhaust airflow rate as the acquired fine particle concentration value increases. In other words, the airflow rate determination unit 9 determines a larger exhaust airflow rate as the acquired fine particle concentration value increases. In this embodiment, as an example, the airflow rate determination unit 9 determines the exhaust airflow rate by comparing the fine particle concentration value with a first threshold and a second threshold value greater than the first threshold. The first threshold value is, for example, 35 micrograms / cubic meters, which is a level that should be maintained to adequately protect human health under Article 16, Paragraph 1 of the Basic Environment Act. The second threshold value is, for example, 70 micrograms / cubic meters, which is a fine particle concentration level predicted to be more likely to cause health effects by the Expert Meeting on Fine Particulate Matter established by the Ministry of the Environment in 2013. However, the above first and second threshold values are merely examples, and the first and second threshold values can be set arbitrarily. The airflow rate, first threshold value, and second threshold value for each airflow rate level are stored in a so-called memory.

[0024] In this embodiment, as an example, if the particulate concentration value is less than the first threshold, the air volume determination unit 9 determines the exhaust air volume to be air volume level 2. If the particulate concentration value is equal to or greater than the first threshold and less than the second threshold, the air volume determination unit 9 determines the exhaust air volume to be air volume level 3. If the particulate concentration value is greater than the second threshold, the air volume determination unit 9 determines the exhaust air volume to be air volume level 4.

[0025] The air volume correction unit 10 corrects the exhaust air volume determined by the air volume determination unit 9 to a volume greater than the determined exhaust air volume, based on the amount of change in the particulate matter concentration value of the air in the specified space measured by the particulate matter concentration measurement unit 6 and the noise level of the specified space measured by the noise measurement unit 5. Specifically, in this embodiment, the air volume correction unit 10 first acquires the particulate matter concentration value of the air in the specified space measured by the particulate matter concentration measurement unit 6 at predetermined time intervals. The predetermined time interval can be set arbitrarily. An example of the predetermined time interval is 10 seconds. In this embodiment, the air volume correction unit 10 also acquires the noise level of the specified space measured by the noise measurement unit 5 at predetermined time intervals. The acquired particulate matter concentration value and noise level are stored in memory together with time-series information.

[0026] The air volume correction unit 10 also calculates the amount of change in the particulate matter concentration value at each predetermined time interval by subtracting the previously acquired particulate matter concentration value from the most recently acquired particulate matter concentration value. That is, the air volume correction unit 10 calculates the amount of change in the particulate matter concentration value, which is the difference between the current particulate matter concentration value and the particulate matter concentration value a predetermined time ago.

[0027] If the change in the particulate matter concentration value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and the noise level in a predetermined space measured by the noise measuring unit 5 is equal to or greater than a predetermined level, the air volume correction unit 10 corrects the exhaust air volume determined by the air volume determination unit 9 to an air volume greater than the determined exhaust air volume.

[0028] Here, the reason for the above correction will be explained. With regard to the exhaust air volume, there are cases where it is better to appropriately increase the exhaust air volume depending on the behavior of people present in the specified space. One example is when a person is using a vacuum cleaner to clean the specified space. When the vacuum cleaner is operated, dust and other particles that have accumulated on the floor are stirred up into the air, and when the dust and other particles are stirred up in the air, the comfort of the person is reduced. In other words, when the vacuum cleaner is operated, dust and other particles that have accumulated on the floor are stirred up into the air, and when people inhale the stirred up dust and other particles, the comfort of the person is reduced. This reduction in comfort is particularly significant for people with allergies.

[0029] Therefore, it is preferable to detect when the vacuum cleaner has started operating and increase the exhaust air volume. While it is possible to determine when the vacuum cleaner has started operating using a camera, using a camera leads to complex control specifications and increased costs. The present disclosure uses the change in particulate concentration value and noise level to easily determine when the vacuum cleaner has started operating.

[0030] When the vacuum cleaner starts operating, dust particles and other particles accumulated on the floor fly up into the air, which increases the particulate concentration value measured by the particulate concentration measurement unit 6. Furthermore, when the vacuum cleaner starts operating, the noise level measured by the noise measurement unit 5 increases due to the operating noise of the vacuum cleaner. Therefore, if the change in the particulate concentration value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and the noise level is equal to or greater than a predetermined level, the airflow correction unit 10 determines that the vacuum cleaner has started operating and corrects the exhaust airflow determined by the airflow determination unit 9 to a value greater than the determined exhaust airflow. The predetermined value and predetermined level are used to determine whether the vacuum cleaner has started operating in a predetermined space. The predetermined value and predetermined level are determined in advance through experiments or the like and can be set arbitrarily. As described above, by correcting the exhaust airflow determined by the airflow determination unit 9 to a value greater than the determined exhaust airflow, dust particles and other particles flying up into the air can be efficiently discharged from the predetermined space. Since dust and the like flying up in the air can be efficiently discharged from a predetermined space, it is possible to prevent people from inhaling the dust and the like flying up in the air, and to prevent a decrease in comfort for people.

[0031] In this embodiment, as an example, if the exhaust air volume determined by the air volume determination unit 9 is air volume level 2, the air volume correction unit 10 corrects it to air volume level 3. Furthermore, if the exhaust air volume determined by the air volume determination unit 9 is air volume level 3, the air volume correction unit 10 corrects it to air volume level 4. Furthermore, if the exhaust air volume determined by the air volume determination unit 9 is air volume level 4, the air volume correction unit 10 corrects it to air volume level 5. Note that the air volume correction unit 10 may correct it to the maximum air volume (air volume level 5) regardless of the air volume level determined by the air volume determination unit 9.

[0032] The air volume control unit 11 controls the air volume of the exhaust fan 4 at the exhaust air volume (air volume level) corrected by the air volume correction unit 10. If the exhaust air volume is not corrected by the air volume correction unit 10, the air volume control unit 11 controls the air volume at the exhaust air volume determined by the air volume determination unit 9. The air volume control unit 11 performs constant air volume control to keep the exhaust air volume constant, but as constant air volume control is a known technique, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0033] Each functional block of the control unit 7 can be realized in hardware terms by elements and mechanical devices such as a computer CPU (Central Processing Unit), and in software terms by a computer program, etc. However, here, functional blocks realized by the cooperation of these elements are depicted. Therefore, these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by combining hardware and software.

[0034] The operation of the ventilation device 1 having the above configuration will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of control by the control unit 7 according to this embodiment. In the flowchart, S is used as the initial letter. Numbers are assigned. For example, S1 indicates a processing step. However, the size of the number indicating the processing step has no relation to the processing order.

[0035] First, the air volume determination unit 9 and the air volume correction unit 10 start to acquire the particulate concentration, and the air volume correction unit 10 starts to acquire the noise level (S1).

[0036] Next, based on the acquired particulate concentration value, the air volume determination unit 9 determines the exhaust air volume of the exhaust fan 4. The air volume control unit 11 controls the exhaust air volume to the value determined by the air volume determination unit 9 (S2).

[0037] Next, the air volume correction unit 10 determines whether the amount of change in the particulate concentration value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value at every predetermined time and whether the noise level is at a predetermined level (S3). If the amount of change in the particulate concentration value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value and the noise level is not at the predetermined level, the process returns to step S2 (No in S3 → S2). In other words, while the exhaust air volume is controlled based on the particulate concentration value, it is determined whether the amount of change in the particulate concentration value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value at every predetermined time and whether the noise level is at a predetermined level.

[0038] If the amount of change in the particulate matter concentration value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and the noise level is at a predetermined level, the air volume correction unit 10 corrects the exhaust air volume determined by the air volume determination unit 9 to an air volume greater than the determined exhaust air volume (Yes in S3 → S4). The air volume control unit 11 controls the corrected exhaust air volume. By performing the above control, it is possible to easily determine the situation within a specified space and appropriately increase the ventilation volume (exhaust volume). Since the ventilation volume can be appropriately increased, dust and other particles that have become airborne can be appropriately discharged, thereby suppressing a decrease in occupant comfort.

[0039] After correcting the exhaust airflow rate determined by the airflow rate determination unit 9 to a rate greater than the determined exhaust airflow rate, the airflow rate correction unit 10 determines whether the noise level has remained below a predetermined level for a period equal to or greater than a threshold (S5). The threshold is used to determine whether operation of the vacuum cleaner has finished in a predetermined space. The threshold is a value determined in advance through experiments or the like and can be set arbitrarily. An example of the threshold is 60 seconds. After correcting the exhaust airflow rate, the airflow rate correction unit 10 starts counting when the noise level remains below the predetermined level. The airflow rate correction unit 10 continues counting as long as the noise level remains below the predetermined level. The airflow rate correction unit 10 resets the count value if the noise level exceeds the predetermined level during counting, and starts counting again when the noise level remains below the predetermined level.

[0040] If the state in which the noise level is lower than the predetermined level does not continue for more than the threshold value, the air volume correction unit 10 continues to correct the exhaust air volume until the state in which the noise level is lower than the predetermined level continues for more than the threshold value (No in S5→S5).

[0041] If the noise level remains lower than the predetermined level for a period of time equal to or longer than the threshold, the air volume correction unit 10 ends the correction of the exhaust air volume. That is, the air volume control unit 11 controls the exhaust air volume to the value determined by the air volume determination unit 9 based on the fine particle concentration value. This allows for appropriate ventilation that takes into account the fine particle concentration value in the specified space.

[0042] In step S5, the air volume correction unit 10 may correct the exhaust air volume determined by the air volume determination unit 9 to a volume greater than the determined exhaust air volume, and then determine whether the noise level has become smaller than a predetermined level. In this case, the air volume correction unit 10 corrects the exhaust air volume determined by the air volume determination unit 9 to a volume greater than the determined exhaust air volume, and then ends the correction of the exhaust air volume if the noise level becomes smaller than the predetermined level.

[0043] Here, the reason for performing the controls in steps S5 and S6 will be explained. It is desirable that the exhaust air volume be corrected by the air volume correcting unit 10 while the electric vacuum cleaner is in operation. However, once the operation of the vacuum cleaner has ended, the air volume correction unit 10 does not need to correct the exhaust air volume. Therefore, the end of the operation of the vacuum cleaner may be determined when the noise level drops below a predetermined level, and the correction of the exhaust air volume by the air volume correction unit 10 may be terminated when the noise level drops below the predetermined level. However, there is a possibility that a user may stop (pause) the operation of the vacuum cleaner even when the vacuum cleaner has not yet finished cleaning. For example, this may occur when temporarily moving an object placed on the floor. Some vacuum cleaners automatically stop when the head of the vacuum cleaner is removed from the floor for a certain period of time. Therefore, immediately determining that the operation of the vacuum cleaner has ended when the noise level drops below the predetermined level may be an erroneous determination. Therefore, it is preferable that the air volume correction unit 10 terminate the correction of the exhaust air volume if the noise level remains below the predetermined level for a period of time equal to or greater than the threshold. This improves the accuracy of the determination that the operation of the vacuum cleaner has ended. This concludes the explanation of the reasons for performing the controls in steps S5 and S6.

[0044] The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and it can be easily inferred that various improvements and modifications are possible within the scope that does not deviate from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0045] (Summary of the Disclosure) The present disclosure provides a ventilation device that includes an exhaust fan that exhausts air from a predetermined space to the outdoors, a particulate matter concentration measurement unit that measures the particulate matter concentration of the air in the predetermined space, a noise measurement unit that measures the noise level of the predetermined space, and a control unit that controls the exhaust fan. The control unit includes an airflow rate determination unit that determines an exhaust airflow rate of the exhaust fan based on the particulate matter concentration of the air in the predetermined space measured by the particulate matter concentration measurement unit, an airflow rate correction unit that corrects the exhaust airflow rate determined by the airflow rate determination unit to a rate greater than the determined exhaust airflow rate based on a change in the particulate matter concentration and the noise level of the predetermined space measured by the noise measurement unit, and an airflow rate control unit that controls the airflow rate based on the corrected exhaust airflow rate. This makes it possible to easily determine the situation in the predetermined space and appropriately increase the ventilation rate.

[0046] The air volume determination unit may determine a larger exhaust air volume as the particulate concentration value increases. Since the exhaust air volume can be increased as the particulate concentration value increases, particulate matter in the specified space can be efficiently discharged. Furthermore, power consumption can be reduced while preventing the particulate concentration in the specified space from becoming too high.

[0047] Furthermore, if a change in the particulate matter concentration, which is the difference between the current particulate matter concentration and the particulate matter concentration a predetermined time ago, is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and the noise level is equal to or greater than a predetermined level, the airflow correction unit may correct the exhaust airflow determined by the airflow determination unit to a larger airflow than the determined exhaust airflow. This allows dust and other particles that have become airborne to be discharged from the specified space quickly, thereby preventing a decrease in occupant comfort.

[0048] Furthermore, the air volume correction unit may correct the exhaust air volume determined by the air volume determination unit to a volume greater than the determined exhaust air volume, and then terminate the correction of the air volume when the noise level falls below a predetermined level. This allows the user to know that cleaning has finished and to return to ventilation appropriate for the particulate concentration in the specified space.

[0049] Furthermore, the air volume correction unit may correct the exhaust air volume determined by the air volume determination unit to a larger value than the determined exhaust air volume, and then terminate the correction of the air volume if the noise level remains below a predetermined level for a period equal to or greater than a threshold value. This allows the user to know that cleaning has finished and to return to appropriate ventilation according to the fine particle concentration in the specified space. This also improves the accuracy of determining that cleaning has finished. [Industrial Applicability]

[0050] The present disclosure is useful for ventilation devices and the like that include a blower. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1. Ventilation system 2 Intake port 3 Air outlet 4 exhaust fans 5. Noise measurement section 6 Particulate concentration measurement section 7 Control Unit 8 Duct 9 Air volume determination section 10 Air volume correction unit 11 Air volume control unit

Claims

1. an exhaust fan that exhausts air from a predetermined space to the outdoors; a particulate matter concentration measuring unit for measuring a particulate matter concentration value of the air in the predetermined space; a noise measuring unit for measuring a noise level in the predetermined space; a control unit that controls the exhaust fan, The control unit an air volume determination unit that determines an exhaust air volume of the exhaust fan based on the particulate matter concentration value of the air in the predetermined space measured by the particulate matter concentration measurement unit; an air volume correction unit that corrects the exhaust air volume determined by the air volume determination unit to an air volume greater than the determined exhaust air volume, based on the amount of change in the particulate matter concentration value and the noise level in the specified space measured by the noise measurement unit; an air volume control unit that controls air volume using the exhaust air volume corrected by the air volume correction unit.

2. The air volume determination unit The ventilation device according to claim 1 , wherein the higher the particulate matter concentration value, the larger the exhaust air volume is determined to be.

3. The air volume correction unit 2. The ventilation device according to claim 1, wherein if a change in the particulate matter concentration value, which is the difference between the current particulate matter concentration value and the particulate matter concentration value a predetermined time before the present, is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and if the noise level is equal to or greater than a predetermined level, the exhaust air volume determined by the air volume determination unit is corrected to an air volume greater than the determined exhaust air volume.

4. The air volume correction unit 4. The ventilation device according to claim 3, wherein after correcting the exhaust air volume determined by the air volume determination unit to an air volume greater than the determined exhaust air volume, correction of the air volume is terminated when the noise level becomes smaller than the predetermined level.

5. The air volume correction unit 4. The ventilation device according to claim 3, wherein after correcting the exhaust air volume determined by the air volume determination unit to an air volume greater than the determined exhaust air volume, if the state in which the noise level is lower than the predetermined level continues for a period of time equal to or greater than a threshold value, the correction of the air volume is terminated.

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