EP2406550A1

EP2406550A1 - Equipment for ventilation

Info

Publication number: EP2406550A1
Application number: EP10750425A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Aki Rosenqvist
Original assignee: Swegon Ilto Oy
Current assignee: Swegon Ilto Oy
Priority date: 2009-03-12
Filing date: 2010-03-11
Publication date: 2012-01-18
Also published as: RU2011140790A; FI20095258A0; EP2406550A4; WO2010103184A1; FI20095258A

Abstract

The invention relates to equipment for dwelling-specific ventilation in a decentralized ventilation system. The equipment comprises a ventilation machine for supplying supply air into rooms or groups of rooms of a dwelling. In accordance with the invention, the equipment comprises two or more supply air main lines for supplying supply air into rooms or groups of rooms of the dwelling, and control means for controlling supply air flow of the supply air sup¬ plied to each supply air main line according to the need and independently of the other supply air main lines.

Description

Equipment for ventilation

Background of the invention

[0001] The invention relates to equipment for ventilation and, particularly, to equipment as claimed in the preamble of claim 1 for dwelling- specific ventilation in a decentralized ventilation system, the equipment comprising a ventilation machine for supplying supply air into rooms or groups of rooms of a dwelling, a roof-mounting housing for mounting the equipment on roof structures of the dwelling, two or more supply air main lines for supplying supply air to rooms or groups of rooms of the dwelling, and control means for controlling supply air flow of the supply air supplied to each supply air main line according to the need and independently of the other supply air main lines.

[0002] In prior art decentralized ventilation systems for dwellings or apartments, ventilation can be controlled in a dwelling- or apartment-specific manner. In these cases, air is supplied into and removed from the rooms of the dwelling or the apartment by means of a ventilation machine according to the respective control mode of the ventilation system. Basically, air is removed from wet spaces of the dwelling or the apartment, such as bathrooms and toilets, as well as from the kitchen by means of a cooker hood. On the other hand, air is generally supplied into other rooms and spaces, such as bedrooms and common spaces like the living room and the kitchen. In each control mode of the ventilation system, the ventilation machine supplies a quantity of air at a predetermined flow rate via a main line. The main line further comprises a terminal in connection with the rooms, from which the supplied air is discharged via the main line into the room. The terminal of each room is mounted and ad- justed in such a manner that air is supplied into each room according to the need of the room in question. Generally, the need of a room is expressed as litres per second per room area. The ventilation system is conventionally controlled so that it may be set, as desired, to different control modes, such as 'away' mode, in which the ventilation machine is operated at reduced power, 'home' mode, in which the ventilation machine is operated at normal power, and 'performance' mode, in which the ventilation machine is operated at increased power. According to the prior art, there may be only three or more than three of these control modes. In each control mode, a quantity of air corresponding to the power of the ventilation machine and the control of the ter- minal of each room is supplied into each room. [0003] Prior art decentralized ventilation equipment, which includes two or more main lines for supply air to be supplied, comprises separate control means for each supply air main line. By using the control means, the quantity of supply air supplied by each supply air main line may be controlled inde- pendently of other supply air main lines.

[0004] A problem with the prior art solution described above is that in this kind of decentralized ventilation systems for dwellings or apartments, in which supply air is supplied via two or more separate main lines, the equipment is complex, because each main line requires its own control means. Therefore, the ventilation equipment comprises a plurality of motorized control means, which increases the energy consumption of the equipment and complicates the montage, service and maintenance of the equipment. There is also a bigger risk of faults and malfunctions. Another problem is that a plurality of separate control means and their montage in connection with separate main lines require a lot of space, which dwellings usually do not have.

Brief description of the invention

[0005] An object of the invention is thus to provide equipment and a method so as to solve the above problems. The object of the invention is achieved by the equipment according to the characterizing part of claim 1 , which is characterized in that the control means are provided in connection with the roof-mounting housing of the ventilation machine.

[0006] The preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims. [0007] The invention is based on the idea that the decentralized ventilation system of a dwelling or an apartment employs, in each dwelling or apartment, two or more main lines for supply air to be supplied. Supply air is preferably supplied to each main line by one and the same ventilation machine. In the ventilation system of the invention, supply air is led from the venti- lation machine into each room or group of rooms of the dwelling or the apartment via a separate supply air main line. In this case, the quantity of supply air to be supplied to the main lines of different rooms or groups of rooms can be controlled by control means independently of the quantity of air supplied to other main lines or rooms or groups of rooms. The ventilation equipment of the ventilation system is further provided with control means, by which the quantity of supply air to be supplied to each supply air main line may be controlled in- dependently of other supply air main lines. In accordance with the invention, the ventilation equipment thus comprises one set of control means, by which the quantity of supply air to be supplied to each supply air main line may be separately controlled independently of other supply air main lines. In the pre- sent invention, said control means are provided in connection with the roof- mounting housing of the ventilation equipment. Preferably at the roof-mounting housing.

[0008] Since, in the ventilation equipment of the invention, the dwelling or the apartment is provided with two or more supply air main lines, it is possible to perform a relative change of air quantities supplied into rooms or groups of rooms of the dwelling or the apartment in each control mode of the ventilation system or between different control modes. In other words, in the ventilation system of the invention, the quantity of supply air supplied into the rooms or groups of rooms of the dwelling or the apartment may be changed with respect to each other so that a required quantity of supply air may always be supplied into each room or group of rooms independently of the quantity of air supplied into other rooms or groups of rooms. This is achieved by the equipment comprising control means for controlling the supply air flow of supply air supplied to each supply air main line. In accordance with the invention, the control means are provided in connection with the roof-mounting housing of the ventilation machine. By providing a plurality of main lines with common control means, it is possible to solve the prior art drawbacks associated with energy consumption as well as the montage, service and maintenance of the equipment. In addition, with the control means in connection with the roof- mounting housing of the ventilation equipment, it is possible to provide efficient and space-saving equipment. This also allows the implementation of a decentralized ventilation system in dwellings and rooms with a limited free space.

Brief description of figures

[0009] The invention will now be explained in greater detail in con- nection with preferred embodiments and with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a principle view of an embodiment of a ventilation system of the present invention in an apartment or a dwelling;

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of ventilation equipment of the pre- sent invention schematically; and Figure 3 shows an embodiment of a ventilation machine of the invention schematically.

Detailed description of the invention

[0010] With reference to Figure 1, there is shown an embodiment for ventilation of a dwelling or an apartment in a decentralized ventilation system. In this context, a decentralized ventilation system refers to a dwelling- or apartment-specific ventilation system. An apartment shown in Figure 1 and its ventilation system are only exemplary. In accordance with Figure 1 , the apartment comprises a first bedroom 8 and a second bedroom 10, a living room 12, a kitchen 14, and a bathroom 11. The ventilation system of the apartment comprises ventilation equipment with a ventilation machine 2, a first supply air main line 4 and a second supply air main line 6, and a main line for exhaust air (not shown). According to the prior art, air is supplied in the ventilation system into the bedrooms 8, 10, the living room 12 and the kitchen 14. Accordingly, air is removed from the wet spaces, such as the bathroom 11 , of the dwelling. Air is also removed from the kitchen 14 by means of a cooker hood. In accordance with the present invention, the equipment of the ventilation system comprises two supply air main lines 4 and 6. The first main line 6 is in connection with the living room 12 and the kitchen 14 and supplies air thereto. Accordingly, the second main line 4 is in connection with the bedrooms 8 and 10 and supplies air thereto. In Figure 1 the second main line 4 comprises a branch and, if desired, it may also comprise a plurality of branches and, similarly, the first main line 6 may also comprise one or more branches. In other words, in the ventilation system of Figure 1 the first supply air main line 6 serves the common spaces of the dwelling, such as the living room 12 and the kitchen 14, and the second supply air main line 4 serves the bedrooms 8, 10.

[0011] In accordance with the method, supply air is supplied into each room or group of rooms via a separate main line 4, 6 by means of the ventilation machine 2. In other words, there may be two or more supply air main lines. This exemplary embodiment shows a solution with two supply air main lines. Furthermore, the quantity of supply air supplied into each room or group of rooms is controlled according to the need and independently of the quantity of supply air flow of other rooms or groups of rooms. The quantity of supply air supplied into each room or group of rooms is preferably controlled by regulating the quantity of supply air to be led into each supply air main line. This may be carried out by limiting the quantity of supply air supplied by the ventilation machine 2 to each main line 4, 6 during the regulation. Alternatively, the ventilation machine may also comprise a separate blower (not shown) for each supply air main line 4, 6. In a preferred case, the quantity of supply air supplied to each main line 4, 6 is controlled separately. [0012] In accordance with Figure 1 , the method comprises supplying supply air via the first main line 6 into the common spaces 12, 14 constituting a first group of rooms, and supplying supply air via the second main line 4 into the bedroom spaces 8, 10 constituting a second group of rooms. Conventionally the ventilation system comprises a control panel, by which the ventila- tion may be controlled by setting the ventilation to two or more control modes, in which the ventilation machine is operated at different powers for supplying supply air and removing exhaust air. In a typical solution for controlling ventilation, the ventilation system comprises three control modes for controlling. The control is then carried out, for example, by setting the equipment to 'away' mode, in which the ventilation machine is operated at reduced power, 'home' mode, in which the ventilation machine is operated at normal power, and 'performance' mode, in which the ventilation machine is operated at increased power. In other words, changing the control mode for ventilation changes the power of the ventilation machine so that the quantity of the supplied supply air decreases in the same proportion in every main line and room and, accordingly, the quantity of the removed air decreases in relation to the quantity of the supplied air. Thus, according to the present invention, ventilation is further controlled by adjusting the quantity of supply air supplied to each supply air main line according to the need and independently of other supply air main lines in each control mode of the ventilation machine. The control of the ventilation system may thus be divided into two parts: first, a desired control mode, such as 'home' mode, is set and then the quantity of supply air to be supplied to each main line is further controlled independently of the quantity of supply air supplied to other main lines. In each control mode, it is thus possible to further control the supply of supply air according to each room or group of rooms. The control of the quantity of supply air supplied to each supply air main line may be activated on the basis of a light switch, timer clock, motion sensor, pecu switch, carbon-dioxide sensor, manual switch, a combination thereof or other activation signal generated by an automatic activation device in order to per- form a predetermined control for controlling the quantity of supply air supplied to one or more main lines 4, 6 or room spaces. [0013] As stated above, for instance in 'home' mode of ventilation, in which the ventilation machine 2 is operated at normal power, supply air is supplied in the daytime via the first main line 6 into the common spaces 12, 14 constituting the first group of rooms at normal power, and supply air is supplied via the second main line 4 into the bedroom spaces 8, 10 constituting the second group of rooms at reduced power. Accordingly, in 'home' mode of ventilation, supply air is supplied in the night-time via the first main line 6 into the common spaces 12, 14 constituting the first group of rooms at reduced power and supply air is supplied via the second main line 6 into the bedroom spaces 8, 10 constituting the second group of rooms at normal power.

[0014] According to the previous example, energy costs can be saved with the method of the invention, because the supply of supply air may in each control mode be adjusted according to the need of different rooms or groups of rooms. For instance, when in the conventional, normal 'home' mode of the ventilation system supply air is supplied into the rooms via a main duct in an amount of 33 litres/second, which is divided as desired between the common spaces and the bedrooms, for instance, as follows: 15 litres/second into the common spaces 12, 14, and 6 litres/second into the first bedroom 8 and 12 litres/second into the second bedroom 10. With the method of the invention, the quantity of supply air supplied in 'home' mode may be reduced so that the supplied supply air is in accordance with the need of each room or group of rooms. For instance, in 'home' mode of the ventilation system, a reduced quantity of supply air, 3 litres/second into the first bedroom 8 and 6 litres/second into the second bedroom 10, is supplied during daytime when the bedrooms are not used into the bedrooms via the second main line 4 and a normal quantity of air, 15 litres/second, is supplied into the common spaces 12, 14 via the first main line 6. Thus, the total amount of the supplied supply air is 9 litres/second smaller than in the prior art ventilation system. Accordingly, in 'home' mode of the ventilation system, a normal quantity of supply air, i.e. 6 Ii- tres/second into the first bedroom 8 and 12 litres/second into the second bedroom 10, is supplied in the night-time when the bedrooms are used and the common spaces are not into the bedrooms via the second main line 4, and a reduced air quantity of 6 litres/second is supplied to the common spaces 12, 14 via the first main line 6. Thus, the total amount of the supplied supply air is again 9 litres/second smaller than in the prior art ventilation system. The previous example illustrates that, with the present invention, the ventilation machine 2 can be used at a lower power than in the prior art, thus utilizing the need for supply air according to each need in each room or group of rooms.

[0015] The method described above may be carried out, for instance, with the equipment of Figures 2 and 3 in a decentralized ventilation system for a dwelling-specific ventilation. The equipment comprises a ventilation machine 2 for supplying supply air into rooms or groups of rooms of a dwelling, two or more supply air main lines 4, 6 for supplying supply air into rooms or groups of rooms of the dwelling, and control means for controlling supply air flow of the supply air supplied to each supply air main line 4, 6 ac- cording to the need and independently of the other supply air main lines 4, 6. The solution of Figure 2 comprises a ventilation machine 2 with a heat recovery cell (not shown), a demand-related control module 3 that also constitutes a roof-mounting housing in the solution of Figure 2, an outside air line (not shown), an exhaust air line 5 for removing air from the rooms, a waste air line 7 for removing waste air, and a first supply air main line 6 and a second supply air main line 4. The demand-related control module 3 is preferably provided in such a manner that the supply air coming from the heat recovery cell is distributed into the first and the second supply air main line 6, 4 in the demand- related control module. [0016] The equipment of the invention also comprises control means for controlling supply air flow of the supply air supplied to each supply air main line 4, 6 according to the need and independently of the other supply air main lines 4, 6. The control means are preferably provided in connection with the ventilation machine 2, and so it is not necessary to mount them as separate devices in the main lines 6, 4. The control means 9 are preferably provided in connection with the roof-mounting housing 3, i.e. the demand- related control module, of the ventilation machine 2 or as a part of it. In an embodiment, the control means 9 are arranged to limit supply air flow of the supply air supplied by the ventilation machine 2 to each main line 4, 6 independ- ently of supply air supplied to the other main lines. Alternatively, it is possible to arrange the control means 9 in ventilation ducts which are in connection with the main lines and from which air is supplied into the rooms. Figure 3 shows a principle view of control means according to an embodiment. The control means comprise one or more control flaps 9 arranged to limit the supply air flow supplied to each main line 4, 6. In other words, the control flap, i.e. the control means, are provided in such a manner that they limit the supply air flow but do not block the supply air flow entirely. Figure 3 only shows an exemplary solution, where the first and the second main line 6, 4 comprise a common control flap 9, which may be set alternately to a closed position limiting the supply air flow of each main line 4, 6 and to an open position, in which the con- trol flap 9 does not limit the supply air flow of any of the two or more main lines 4, 6. Similarly, three or more supply air main lines may comprise a common control flap or some other control means limiting the quantity of the supply air supplied to each main line. In an alternative solution, each main line 4, 6 comprises a separate control flap 9, which is arranged to be set to a closed posi- tion limiting the supply air flow and to an open position, in which the control flap 9 does not limit the supply air flow. The control flap may also be set to a closed position in a stepless manner so that the effect limiting the supply air flow may be controlled steplessly. The solution of the invention may further be provided in such a manner that each supply air main line 6, 4 in the equipment com- prises its own supply air blower for each main duct so that the quantity of supply air supplied to each main line can be controlled by the power of the blower. [0017] According to Figure 1 , the equipment comprises a first main line 6 in connection with the rooms of the first group of rooms, and a second main line 4 in connection with the rooms of the second group of rooms. The first group of rooms may comprise the common spaces of the dwelling, such as the living room 14 and the kitchen 12, and the second group of rooms may comprise the bedrooms 8 and 10 of the dwelling. In this case, the equipment may comprise one control flap 9 arranged to be set optionally to a first closed position, in which the control flap 9 limits the supply air flow to the first main line 6, a second closed position, in which the control flap limits the supply air flow to the second main line 4, and an open position, in which the control flap does not limit the supply air flow to any of the first and second main line 4, 6. The control means may further comprise a motor or other actuator for setting the control flap 9 to a desired position. The motor for controlling the flap and the blowers operate synchronously together. The flap does not limit the total air flow but leads it to a correct location. Additionally it is to be noted that the solution of the invention may also be used similarly on the exhaust air side of the ventilation equipment or the ventilation method.

[0018] The combination of the demand-related control module 3, i.e. the control means, and the roof-mounting housing into the same entity allows the use of the centralized and common control means for supplying supply air to each supply air main line independently of the other supply air main lines. In the constructional sense, the roof-mounting housing may at the same time be utilized for arranging the control means, which leads to a ventilation equipment solution that saves space efficiently. In this case, no separate control means are needed for each main line and the centralized control means may be arranged in a place where it is easy to service and mount them, and the control means also take up as little space as possible when compared to a solution in which the decentralized ventilation system only comprises one supply air main line. [0019] The equipment for decentralized ventilation may further comprise adjustment means for setting the equipment to two or more control modes, in which the ventilation machine 2 is operated at different powers. In such a case, the adjustment means may be arranged to set the equipment to at least 'away' mode, in which the ventilation machine 2 is operated at reduced power, 'home' mode, in which the ventilation machine 2 is operated at normal power, and 'performance' mode, in which the ventilation machine 2 is operated at increased power. The adjustment means are preferably further arranged to regulate the control means 9 for controlling supply air flow of the supply air supplied to each supply air main line 4 according to the need and independ- ently of the other supply air main lines 4, 6 in each control mode of the ventilation machine 2. The adjustment means may further comprise a light switch, timer clock, motion sensor, pecu switch, manual switch, a combination thereof or other automatic activation device for activating the control of the control means to perform a predetermined control. The adjustment means usually comprise a control panel, by which the user may control the ventilation equipment.

[0020] It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the basic idea of the invention may be implemented in various ways. The invention and its embodiments are thus not restricted to the above examples but may vary within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. Equipment for dwelling-specific ventilation in a decentralized ventilation system, the equipment comprising a ventilation machine (2) for supplying supply air into rooms or groups of rooms of a dwelling, a roof-mounting housing (3) for mounting the equipment on roof structures of the dwelling, two or more supply air main lines (4, 6) for supplying supply air to rooms or groups of rooms of the dwelling, and control means (9) for controlling supply air flow of the supply air supplied to each supply air main line (4, 6), c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the control means (9) are provided in connection with the roof-mounting housing (3) of the ventilation machine (2).

2. Equipment as claimed in claim ^characterized in that the control means (9) are provided in connection with the ventilation machine (2) or the main lines (4, 6) or ventilation ducts that are in connection with the main lines (4, 6).

3. Equipment as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control means (9) are arranged to limit supply air flow of the supply air supplied by the ventilation machine (2) to each main line (4, 6).

4. Equipment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the control means (9) are arranged to supply sup- ply air to each supply air main line (4, 6) according to the need and independently of the other supply air main lines (4, 6).

5. Equipment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the control means comprise one or more control flaps (9) arranged to limit the flow of the supply air supplied to each main line (4,6).

6. Equipment as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that each main line (4, 6) comprises a separate control flap (9), which is arranged to be set to a closed position limiting the supply air flow and to an open position, in which the control flap (9) does not limit the supply air flow.

7. Equipment as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that two or more main lines (4, 6) comprise a common control flap (9), which is alternatively arrangeable in a closed position limiting the supply air flow of each main line (4, 6) and in an open position, in which the control flap (9) does not limit the supply air flow of any of the two or more main lines (4, 6).

8. Equipment as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the equipment comprises a first main line (6) in connection with the rooms of the first group of rooms, and a second main line (4) in connection with the rooms of the second group of rooms.

9. Equipment as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the first group of rooms comprises the common spaces of the dwelling and the second group of rooms comprises the bedrooms of the dwelling.

10. Equipment as claimed in claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the equipment comprises one control flap (9) arranged to be set to a first closed position, in which the control flap (9) limits the supply air flow to the first main line (6), a second closed position, in which the control flap limits the sup- ply air flow to the second main line (4), and an open position, in which the control flap does not limit the supply air flow to any of the first and second main line (4, 6).

11. Equipment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 5 to

10, characterized in that the control means comprise a motor or other actuator for setting the control flap (9) to a desired position.

12. Equipment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to

11, characterized in that the equipment comprises adjustment means for setting the equipment to two or more control modes, in which the ventilation machine (2) is operated at different powers.

13. Equipment as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that the adjustment means are arranged to set the equipment to at least 'away' mode, in which the ventilation machine (2) is operated at reduced power, 'home' mode, in which the ventilation machine (2) is operated at normal power, and 'performance' mode, in which the ventilation machine (2) is operated at in- creased power.

14. Equipment as claimed in claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the adjustment means are further arranged to regulate the control means (9) for controlling supply air flow of the supply air supplied to each supply air main line (4, 6) according to the need and independently of the other supply air main lines (4, 6) in each control mode of the ventilation machine (2).

15. Equipment as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that the adjustment means further comprise a light switch, timer clock, motion sensor, pecu switch, carbon-dioxide sensor, manual switch, a combination thereof or other automatic activation device for activating the control of the control means to perform a predetermined control.