Air Quality Sensor Blower Control for Source-Specific Ventilation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air quality control systems in buildings often fail to automatically and efficiently remove contaminants like carbon monoxide, smoke, and odors from specific sources, such as bathrooms and laundry rooms, and may not detect intermittent contamination in ventilation systems until they are turned on, leading to delayed or incomplete removal of pollutants.
Innovation Solution
A multi-sensor point source blower system integrated with various air quality sensors, such as relative humidity, ammonia, and methane sensors, automatically controls ventilation blowers to extract contaminants from specific rooms, and a control system with multiple sensors influences the operation of fresh air ventilation systems to continuously monitor and respond to contaminants, using wired or wireless sensor interfaces and priority logic to manage actions based on sensor data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual control is used for ventilation blowers, then occupants can control operation, but occupants may forget to turn on/off the blower leading to incomplete contaminant removal
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses air quality sensors to automatically detect contaminants and control blower operation without requiring user intervention. The sensors monitor air quality continuously and activate the blower when contamination is detected, allowing the system to serve itself rather than relying on occupant memory or attention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements closed-loop feedback by continuously monitoring air quality with sensors and adjusting blower operation based on real-time contaminant levels. This feedback mechanism ensures the blower operates only when needed, automatically responding to changing air quality conditions without user input.
2Extent of automation
If occupancy detectors with timer elements are used, then automatic control is achieved, but the blower turns on when not needed (e.g., hand washing)
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses air quality sensors to provide real-time feedback on actual contamination levels rather than relying on occupancy presence. This ensures the blower operates based on actual air quality conditions, turning on only when contaminants are detected and turning off when air quality is good, regardless of occupancy status.
Solution Approach 2:
The system monitors changes in air quality parameters (contaminant concentrations) rather than relying on occupancy detection. This parameter-based control approach allows the system to distinguish between genuine contamination events requiring ventilation and normal occupancy conditions that do not require blower operation.
3Loss of energy
If ventilation systems are turned off to save energy, then energy consumption decreases, but contaminants cannot be detected until the system is turned on
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of contaminants using air quality sensors even when the ventilation system is off. This allows the system to detect contamination events early and activate the blower promptly, rather than waiting for the next scheduled operation or manual activation.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensors provide continuous feedback on air quality conditions regardless of blower operation status. This enables the system to maintain energy savings during normal operation while remaining alert to contamination events, automatically activating the blower only when and if contaminants are detected.
4Reliability
If multiple sensors are deployed throughout the building, then contaminant detection coverage improves, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the building into zones or areas, deploying sensors at strategic locations to represent each zone. This segmentation approach provides comprehensive coverage without requiring sensors in every room, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliable detection capability across the entire building.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a central controller or communication network as an intermediary to manage multiple sensors. This intermediary coordinates sensor data, processes information, and controls blower operation, simplifying the complexity of managing multiple sensors through a unified control interface rather than requiring complex distributed intelligence.
Data Source
AI summary
A fresh air ventilation system in a building having an outside wall exhausts contaminants, such as stale or noxious air, through the outside wall and takes in fresh air. A remote switch sets a mode of operation of the ventilation system. One or more strategically placed air quality sensors are located within the building. The sensors may be connected wirelessly through a multiplexer interconnect system to operationally control the fan of the exhaust system. In response to the detection of a contaminant above a pre-selected level by a sensor, the relay controller for the sensors resets the remote switch for continuous high speed operation to evacuate the contaminants from the building through either special ducts or the conventional air ventilation ducts within the building.