Bus Compressed Air System Interior Intake for Stale Air Removal

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Solution Overview

Problem

Commercial vehicles, particularly buses, experience zones with stale and poor air quality due to uneven air exchange, leading to high CO2 concentrations, which conventional fresh air supply systems inadequately address by not effectively replacing outdated air with fresh air.

Innovation Solution

A system that integrates an interior air intake nozzle into the compressed air system to actively suck out stale air and replenish it with fresh air, using a controlled air distribution device and sensors to maintain target air quality, ensuring a forced and efficient air exchange, especially in areas with high CO2 content.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a conventional fresh air supply system is used, then fresh air is conveyed into the vehicle interior, but forced exchange of air is not carried out effectively, resulting in zones with stale air and high CO2 content

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair exchange efficiencyVSAvoidstale air zones with high CO2 content
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of only supplying fresh air into the vehicle interior, the system inverts the approach by actively extracting stale air from the interior through the compressed air system's intake nozzle. This creates a forced air exchange where stale air is removed and fresh air naturally replaces it, effectively eliminating high CO2 zones without requiring additional fresh air supply infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the compressed air system extracts air from the outside environment only, then fresh air is available for pneumatic systems, but interior air quality is not improved

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinterior air qualityVSAvoidair intake system configuration
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The compressed air system is given a dual function: it continues to supply pneumatic power for brakes and suspension while simultaneously serving as an air quality management system. The intake nozzle is positioned to extract stale interior air, and the compressed air is either vented outside or recirculated after treatment, thus improving interior air quality without requiring a separate dedicated extraction system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If air is continuously extracted from the vehicle interior, then forced air exchange is achieved, but energy consumption and noise increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestale air removalVSAvoidenergy consumption of air compressor
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The air extraction operates periodically rather than continuously. The control system monitors interior air quality parameters (such as CO2 concentration) and activates the compressed air extraction only when air quality deteriorates below thresholds. This periodic operation maintains effective air quality management while significantly reducing energy consumption and noise compared to continuous operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This solution effectively improves air quality by ensuring a demand-adapted, forced air exchange, reducing CO2 concentrations and maintaining optimal air conditions in critical interior areas, while being energy-efficient and minimizing noise and humidity issues.

Implementation Method 1

an interior air intake socket (15) arranged in the vehicle interior (3) for sucking in interior air, and an outside air intake socket (10) for sucking in outside air, which are connected by means of air lines (16, 17) to a downstream air distribution device (14) of an air compressor (11)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCompression: Compression

Implementation Method 2

With the interior fresh air supply and its device for fresh air supply with a flow connection between the vehicle interior and the outside environment, the outdated air sucked out of the vehicle interior with the compressed air system is replenished in a forced air exchange and compensated.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure gradient: Pressure Gradient

Data Source

PatentEP3225440B1Commercial vehicle, in particular a bus, with a vehicle passenger compartment for persons
Publication Date: 2019.09.18 MAN TRUCK & BUS SE
  • EP3225440B1 patent drawingFigure 1

AI summary

The invention relates to a commercial vehicle, in particular a bus (1), with a passenger compartment (3), a fresh air supply for the passenger compartment, and a compressed air system (9) comprising at least one air intake port with a downstream air compressor (11) and a compressed air reservoir (12) downstream of the compressor. According to the invention, the at least one air intake port of the compressed air system (9) is arranged as an interior air intake port (14a, 14b) in the passenger compartment (3) for drawing in passenger air.