GB2106269A - Apparatus for and method of controlling or modifying conditions in enclosed spaces - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for controlling or modifying a condition in a room comprises operating means such as a light source (11), a heater (12), an air conditioning unit (13) or a speaker (14) and control means for controlling the operating means. The control means comprises an ultrasonic device 15, an infra-red radiation detecting device (16), an electromagnetic source (18) and detector (17), a reflection detector (19), walls (20 and 21) forming a capacitor, or an electrical conductor (22). The control means detects a change in the field in the room to control the operating means. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for and method of controlling or modifying conditions in enclosed spaces This invention relates to the control or modification of conditions in enclosed spaces.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided apparatus suitable for controlling or modifying a condition in an enclosed space, the apparatus comprising operating means for emitting into or extracting from the space energy or matter or both and control means for controlling the emission into or extraction from the space of energy or matter or both, wherein the control means comprises a detector adapted to detect a change in a field in said space caused by entry of person into said field or to detect a change in a field in said space caused by movement of a part of a person into a predetermined part of the field.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling or modifying a condition in an enclosed space wherein a change in a field in said space caused by entry of a person into said field or a change in a field in said space caused by movement of a part of a person into a predetermined part of the field is detected, and the emission of energy or matter into the space or extraction of energy or matter from the space is initiated, terminated or varied when said change is detected.

The condition which is controlled or modified may be the temperature, humidity, or other quality of air within the space, the temperature of surfaces within or bounding the space, sound waves in air in the space or the intensity of illumination of a surface within or bounding the space. When the condition is sound waves, the operating means may be adapted to generate sound waves. When the condition is a temperature, the operating means may be adapted to supply warm or cool air to the space, to impart heat to air in the space or to radiate electromagnetic energy which heats surfaces in or bounding the space. When the condition is an intensity of illumination, the operating means may be adapted to supply electro-magnetic energy in the visible part of the spectrum.

The field may be electrostatic or magnetic or may be the transmission across at least a part of the space of electro-magnetic radiation or sound waves, either audible or ultrasonic.

The field may extend to all parts of the space into which a person may move during normal use of the space. For example, the field may extend throughout the lower half of a room. Alternatively, the field may be confined to a part of the space, for example having the character of a beam projected across the space. The beam may be markedly divergent or of narrow width.

In a case where the detector is adapted to detect a change in a field caused by movement of a part of a person into a predetermined part of the field, said part of the field may be that part which lies within a predetermined distance of the detector so that the detector responds only to movement of a part of a body into or through a position close to the detector.

The control means may include a sensor which is sensitive to a condition in said space and is adapted to prevent operation of the operating means under the control of the detector if said condition is within a predetermined range.

Examples of apparatus embodying the first aspect of the invention and of methods embodying the second aspect of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates diagrammatically a room.

The walls, floor and ceiling of the room illustrated in Figure 1 define an enclosed space to which access can be gained by a person through a doorway normally closed by a door 10. There are provided in the room a number of operating means for emitting into or extracting from the space energy and matter.

A first of the operating means is an electrically energisable light source 11 which may comprise a fluorescent tube or an incandescent filament. The intensity of illumination of surfaces within and at the boundary of the room can be increased by energisation of the light source 11. A second operating means is a heater 12 which may comprise an electrically energisable filament for heating surfaces in the room by radiation or for heating air which circulates through the space by convection. Alternatively, the heater may be a liquid-filled body to which heat can be supplied so that the body radiates energy and also heats air to establish a convection current of warm air.

A third operating means is an air-conditioning unit 13 for supplying conditioned air to the space and for removing air from the space. The air conditioning unit can be energised electrically to provide cool or warm air and to condition the air by extracting moisture or other substances from the air before it is supplied to the room.

A fourth conditioning means is an electrically energisable speaker 14 for emitting music or other sound into the room. The speaker may be fed with signals from a remote amplifier.

Each of the operating means is capable of affecting one or more conditions in the room and each of these conditions determines to some extent the comfort of persons or the ability of persons to work in the room. The operating means are primarily required to operate whilst one or more persons is or are present in the room.

Operation of the operating means whilst there is no person in the room is not essential.

A number of control means are provided for controlling operation of the operating means. A first of the control means includes an ultrasonic device 1 5 having an ultrasonic emitter adapted to establish in the room a field of ultrasonic sound waves and an ultrasonic detector adapted to detect either changes in the ultrasonic field caused by movement of a person within the room or changes caused by the presence of a person within the room. The ultrasonic field extends to all lower parts of the room but may not effectively extend to upper corners of the room.

A second control means includes an infra-red radiation detecting device 1 6. It will be understood that, in the absence of persons from the room, the various surfaces present in and bounding the room will emit electro-magnetic radiation in the infra-red part of the spectrum.

This general background radiation constitutes an infra-red field. When a person enters the room, there will be a substantial change in the infra-red field within the room, since the body temperature of a person is usually much higher than the temperature of surfaces present in and bounding the room. The device 1 6 is adapted to detect such a change in the infra-red field and to respond to entry of a person into the room and to exit of that person from the room.

A third control means comprises a detector 1 7 for electro-magnetic radiation and an electrically energisable source 1 8 of electro-magnetic radiation having a frequency such that the detector 1 7 responds to incidence on the detector of radiation emitted from the source 1 8.

This radiation may be in the infra-red part of the spectrum. The source 1 8 may be adapted to project radiation as a narrow beam across a part of the room near to the door 10, so that the beam will be interrupted whenever a person enters or leaves the room. Neither the presence of a person in parts of the room remote from the door nor movement of a person within such parts of the room will cause the detector 1 7 to respond. The field of electro-magnetic radiation established by the source 1 8 is confined substantially to that part of the room which lies between the detector 17 and the source 18.

A fourth control means comprises a transmitting and receiving device 19 arranged for projecting energy into the room and for detecting reflection of that energy back to the device 19.

The device may be adapted to respond only to the reflection of energy from 3 position within a predetermined distance of the device 1 9. For example. the device 1 9 may be adapted to project into the room ultrasonic sound energy and to detect reflection of that sound energy from a surface which is near to the device, for example within a distance of 200 mm. In this case, the ultrasonic field established by the device 1 9 is effectively restricted to a part of the room close to the device 1 9. The device 1 9 is adapted to detect the presence of apart of a person near to the device 19, not to detect the presence of a person at any position in the room.

Afifth control means comprises electrical conductors in the opposite walls 20 and 21 of the room. These conductors form a capacitor having a capacitance determined by the dielectric constant of the contents of the room. The control means is adapted to apply an oscillating electrical signal to the electrical conductors in the walls so that there is established in the room an electrostatic field. If a person enters the room, this electrostatic field is disturbed and the capacitance is changed, since the dielectric constant of the human body differs from that of air. The fifth control means may be so arranged that entry of a person into the room changes the frequency of the signal applied to the conductors in the walls and this change of frequency is detected.The conductors of the fifth control means may be so arranged that the electrostatic field extends substantially throughout the room and the presence of a person anywhere in the room will be detected by the fifth control means.

The electrical conductors of the fifth control means may be of sheet-like form and extend substantially over the entire area of the walls 20 and 21.

A sixth control means comprises an elongated electrical conductor 22 which extends around the periphery of the room and may be incorporated in the walls 20 and 21 and the further walls 23 and 24 of the room. It will be understood that the conductor 22 would be insulated electrically from the conductors of the fifth control means. The conductor 23 is connected in a bridge circuit to which an alternating current is applied. This establishes in the room an electromagnetic field which is disturbed by the entry of a person into the room. The inductance of the arm of the bridge comprising the conductor 22 is changed. The arrangement of the sixth control means may be such that the frequency of the signal in the bridge circuit is modulated and this modulation is detected.

The third control means comprising the electromagnetic detector 1 7 and source 18 may be modified by the provision of additional detectors at different positions in the room, the source 1 8 being arranged to radiate energy to each of the associated detectors. Interruption of radiation to any one of the detectors by movement of a person to a position between that detector and the source 1 8 would indicate to the control means the presence of a person in the room.

One of the control means may be used to control each of the operating means 11 to 14.

Alternatively, each operating means may be controlled by a respective one of the control means. The control means include relays or other switching devices for controlling the supply of electrical current to the operating means from a main current source.

The control means associated with the light source 11 for controlling operation thereof includes a sensor which is sensitive to visible light and is adapted to prevent energisation of the light source 11 under the control of the detector of the control means if the intensity of light incident on the sensor is above a threshold value.The control means may include a manually operable switch which can be set in a first position to energise the light source irrespective of the presence or position of a person in the room, in a second position to prevent energisation of the light source irrespective of the presence or position of a person in the room, and a third position which permits energisation of the light source under the control of the detector so that the light source is energised only when a person is present in the room or present in a predetermined part of the room.

If the control means 1 9 is associated with the light source 11 to control energisation thereof, the control means may be adapted to control the level of energisation of the light source. Thus, the control means may be so arranged that, if a hand is held close to the control means 19, the supply of electrical energy to the light source 11 is gradually varied until the hand is removed. The energisation of the light source would then remain constant until there is a further change which is detected by the device 1 9.

The control means associated with the heater 1 2 may include a sensor which is sensitive to the ambient temperature in the room, the control means being adapted to energise the heater 12 whenever the temperature in the room falls below a first threshold value, and to prevent energisation of the heater 12 under the control of the detector if the ambient temperature in the room is above a second, higher threhold value. If the temperature is between the thresholds, supply of heat to the room by the heat would be initiated when a person enters the room or a predetermined part of the room and terminated when the person leaves the room or leaves that predetermined part of the room.

The control means associated with the air conditioner 13 may be the same as that associated with the heater 1 2.

The control means may be adapted to respond only to abrupt changes in a field in the room to initate or terminate operation of an operating means. In this case, gradual changes in a field in the room will not cause the operating means to commence or cease operation.

Claims (12)

Claims

1. Apparatus suitable for controlling or modifying a condition in an enclosed space comprising operating means for emitting into or extracting from the space energy or matter or both and control means for controlling the emission into or extraction from the space of energy, matter or both, wherein the control means comprises a detector adapted to detect a change in a field in said space caused by entry of a person into said field or to detect a change in a field in said space caused by movement of a part of a person into a predetermined part of the field.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1 wherein the control means includes a sensor which is sensitive to a condition in said space and is adapted to prevent operation of the operating means under the control of the detector if said condition is within a predetermined range.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the operating means is adapted to emit electro-magnetic radiation to said space.

4. Apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the control means includes means for emitting energy to establish said field.

5. Apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the detector is adapted to respond to a change in electro-magnetic radiation incident on the detector.

6. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 4 wherein the detector is adapted to respond to a change in sound waves incident on the detector.

7. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein the detector is adapted to respond to a change in a capacitance or to a change in an inductance.

8. Apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the control means is adapted to commence a variation in the level of energisation of the operating means when an abrupt change in said field occurs and to continue to vary the level of energisation of the operating means until said change is reversed, or until a limit of the level of energisation of the operating means is reached.

9. A method of controlling or modifying a condition in an enclosed space wherein a change in a field in said space caused by entry of a person into the field or a change in a field in said space caused by movement of a part of a person into a predetermined part of the field is detected, and the emission of energy or matter into the space or extraction of energy or matter from the space is initiated, terminated or varied when said change is detected.

10. A method according to Claim 9 wherein, when there occurs a second change in said field caused by the person leaving said space, the emission of energy into the space is terminated or varied.

11. A method according to Claim 9 wherein, when said first-mentioned change is detected, variation of the rate of emission of energy or matter into the space is commenced and said variation ceases when said change is reversed or a second change in said field occurs.

12. A building equipped with at least one operating means and at least one control means substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

1 3. A method substantially as herein described of controlling the supply of energy to a space.

1 4. Any novel feature or novel combination of features disclosed herein or in the accompanying drawing.