Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F8/00—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying
  • F24F8/20—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying by sterilisation
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F8/00—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying
  • F24F8/20—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying by sterilisation
  • F24F8/24—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying by sterilisation using sterilising media
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F8/00—Treatment, e.g. purification, of air supplied to human living or working spaces otherwise than by heating, cooling, humidifying or drying
  • F24F8/80—Self-contained air purifiers
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F2110/00—Control inputs relating to air properties
  • F24F2110/50—Air quality properties
  • F24F2110/65—Concentration of specific substances or contaminants

Definitions

• This disclosure relates to a sterilization/virus inactivation device, an air conditioner equipped with the same, and a sterilization/virus inactivation method.
• Substances that can disinfect and inactivate bacteria, mold, viruses, etc. include ions, ozone gas, hypochlorous acid water, and chlorine dioxide. Ions and ozone gas are generated by electrical discharge. Hypochlorous acid water and chlorine dioxide are produced by electrolysis or chemical compounding. When these specific substances are blown into a room by a fan, they can disinfect bacteria and inactivate viruses floating in the air.
• Patent Document 1 proposes that a trajectory tracking unit detects areas that people have touched when they are present, and then performs sterilization and virus inactivation processes on the areas that have been touched, thereby efficiently sterilizing and inactivating viruses in a room.
• This disclosure has been made in light of the above situation, and aims to provide a sterilization and virus inactivation device that can perform indoor sterilization and virus inactivation processes while reducing the load on image processing, an air conditioner equipped with the same, and a sterilization and virus inactivation method.
• the sterilization and virus inactivation device disclosed herein is a sterilization and virus inactivation device that performs sterilization or virus inactivation processing on a target space where a person may be present, and includes: a presence/absence information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding whether the person is present or absent in the target space; a processing condition calculation unit that calculates absence processing conditions for the processing in accordance with the information regarding absence acquired by the presence/absence information acquisition unit; and a processing execution unit that executes and terminates the processing while the person is absent based on the absence processing conditions calculated by the processing condition calculation unit.
• the sterilization and virus inactivation device disclosed herein comprises a presence/absence information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the presence or absence of people in the target space; a processing condition calculation unit that calculates processing conditions for sterilization processing or virus inactivation processing of the target space according to the time the people are absent; a substance generation unit that generates a specific substance based on the processing conditions calculated by the processing condition calculation unit; and a transport unit that generates an airflow in the target space and transports the specific substance to the target space, and the sterilization processing or virus inactivation processing is completed when the people are absent.
• the air conditioner disclosed herein comprises the above-mentioned sterilization and virus inactivation device and a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air in the target space and the refrigerant flowing therein, and the treatment is carried out using the airflow that has been temperature-controlled by passing through the heat exchanger.
• the sterilization and virus inactivation method disclosed herein is a sterilization and virus inactivation method for performing sterilization or virus inactivation processing on a target space where a person may be present, and includes a presence/absence information acquisition step for acquiring information regarding whether the person is present or absent in the target space, a processing condition calculation step for calculating absence processing conditions for the processing based on the information regarding the absence acquired in the presence/absence information acquisition step, and a processing execution step for executing and terminating the processing while the person is absent based on the absence processing conditions calculated in the processing condition calculation step.
• This disclosure provides a sterilization and virus inactivation device that can perform indoor sterilization and virus inactivation processes while reducing the load on image processing, an air conditioner equipped with the same, and a sterilization and virus inactivation method.
• FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a target space in which a sterilization and virus inactivation device according to a first embodiment is installed.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sterilization/virus inactivation device according to a first embodiment.
• FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a sterilization and virus inactivation device according to Embodiment 1.
• FIG. 1 is a graph showing the relationship between ion concentration and sterilization/inactivation effect.
• 1 is a functional block diagram of a sterilization and virus inactivation device according to a first embodiment.
• FIG. 1 is a table showing the unattended processing conditions of the sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment.
• 4 is a control flowchart of the sterilization and virus inactivation device according to the first embodiment.
• FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a usage form of the sterilization and virus inactivation device according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 1.
• FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a sterilization/virus inactivation device according to a second embodiment.
• FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a sterilization and virus inactivation device according to a second embodiment.
• FIG. 10 is a side view showing a grill body of a sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus according to a second embodiment.
• FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a usage form of the sterilization and virus inactivation device according to the second embodiment.
• FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a usage form of the sterilization and virus inactivation device according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 2.
• FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a usage form of the sterilization and virus inactivation device according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 2.
• FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another mode of use of the sterilization and virus inactivation device according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 2.
• FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an air conditioner equipped with a sterilization and virus inactivation device according to a third embodiment.
• FIG. 11 is a bottom view of an air conditioner equipped with a sterilization/virus inactivation device according to a third embodiment.
• FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the sterilization and virus inactivation operation by an air conditioner equipped with a sterilization and virus inactivation device according to embodiment 3.
• FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a target space S in which a sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1 is installed. As shown in Fig. 1, the sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1 is used in a target space S such as an office or other facility.
• the targets of sterilization or inactivation are microorganisms, including pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria or viruses.
• Infection routes include droplet infection, contact infection, and airborne infection.
• Droplet infection occurs when bacteria or viruses contained in "droplets" such as saliva scattered when coughing or sneezing come into contact with the mucous membranes of the mouth or nose, causing infection.
• Contact infection occurs when an infected person covers their nose or sneeze with their hand, and then another person 50 touches something in the vicinity that has been touched with that hand, causing infection through the mucous membranes of the mouth or nose.
• Airborne infection is infection through microparticles made of bacteria or viruses that are even smaller than droplets present in the air, specifically microparticles produced by coughing or sneezing, or particles produced when water from droplets evaporates.
• airborne infection is infection through bacteria or viruses that are made up of microparticles smaller than droplets.
• Some microparticles made of bacteria or viruses that are even smaller than droplets are originally produced as small microparticles when coughing or sneezing, and others are produced when water evaporates from droplets that have been dispersed into the air.
• fixtures 91 refer to tools and fixtures present in a specified space, and in indoor spaces such as an ordinary home, this refers to tables and counters, and in indoor spaces such as an office, it refers to tools used in daily life that are present in the space.
• the sterilization/virus inactivation device 1 is installed in a high location, such as the ceiling, within the target space S for bacterial sterilization or viral inactivation, and is a device that transports specific substances to be used for sterilization or inactivation treatment to the target space S.
• the target space S is a closed space through which people 50 enter and exit, such as a space separated by partitions and with an entry/exit door 90, such as an office. Fixtures 91, such as work desks or chairs, are arranged within the target space S.
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1.
• Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1. In the following, directions such as up and down are based on the installation posture of the sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus 1 shown in Figs. 2 and 3.
• the housing 1a of the sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus 1 has a first case 2, a second case 3 detachably attached above the first case 2, and a grill body 4 detachably attached below the first case 2.
• a mouthpiece 7 is attached to the upper end of the housing 1a and is connected to a fixing jig attached to a high location such as a ceiling. By connecting the mouthpiece 7 to the fixing jig, the sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus 1 is designed so that commercial power is supplied to the power supply via the mouthpiece 7.
• a display unit 36 that displays the operating status of the sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus 1 is attached to the outer wall of the housing 1a, which is the outer wall of the grill body 4 in Figure 2.
• the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 further includes a presence/absence information input unit 85 that is communicatively connected to the control device 40 in the first case 2.
• the presence/absence information input unit 85 is located separately from the housing 1a.
• the first case 2 has a cylindrical tubular portion 21 and an annular upper surface portion 23 that covers the upper end opening of the tubular portion 21.
• the upper surface portion 23 has multiple air intake ports 23a spaced circumferentially to draw in air from the outside.
• a filter (not shown) is removably attached to the inner surface of the air intake port 23a.
• a tubular air path forming member 27 that communicates with the air intake port 23a is fixed inside the first case 2, and the interior of the air path forming member 27 forms the ventilation path 24.
• the upstream side of the ventilation path 24 communicates with the air intake port 23a.
• the downstream side of the ventilation path 24 is located within the grill body 4, and air flowing out from the outlet of the ventilation path 24 flows into the grill body 4 and is then blown out to the outside.
• the external shape of the housing 1a is not limited to the above shape; any external shape is possible, such as the tubular portion 21 of the first case 2 being configured as a tube with a rectangular cross section.
• a connector 25 for connecting the first case 2 to the second case 3 is provided on the top surface 23 of the first case 2.
• the connector 25 constitutes part of the first case 2.
• the first case 2 is detachably attached to the second case 3 by engaging a hook portion 25a provided on the connector 25 with an engaging portion 26 provided on the lower end of the second case 3.
• the grill body 4 is positioned so as to cover the outlet opening of the ventilation passage 24 of the first case 2, and is located on the central axis of the ventilation passage 24.
• the grill body 4 is supported by the inner wall of the first case 2.
• the grill body 4 has multiple linear fins 6 on its lower part.
• a substance generating unit 32 Inside the housing 1a, there are arranged a substance generating unit 32, a transporting unit 33, a trajectory detecting unit 31, a substance measuring unit 34, and a main board 35.
• the presence/absence information input unit 85 is a part that transmits information regarding the presence or absence of the person 50 in the target space S, i.e., information regarding presence or absence, to the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1.
• the information regarding the presence or absence of the person 50 is the time when the person 50 is absent in the target space S, and the time when the person 50 is scheduled to be absent.
• the information regarding the presence or absence of the person 50 may include presence information regarding the presence of the person 50 in the target space S, and absence information regarding the absence of the person 50 in the target space S.
• the presence/absence information input unit 85 is configured, for example, with a timer controller board.
• the presence/absence information input unit 85 receives input of an absence time, which is the time when the person 50 is scheduled to be absent from the target space S.
• the presence/absence information input unit 85 may also receive input of the time when the person 50 entered the target space S, or the entry time, which is the scheduled time of entry.
• the presence/absence information input unit 85 may also receive input of the time when the person 50 left the target space S, or the exit time, which is the scheduled time of exit.
• the presence/absence information input unit 85 may also receive input of the entry time and the duration of stay.
• the presence/absence information input unit 85 is capable of communicating with the control device 40. Information regarding the presence or absence of person 50 entered by the presence/absence information input unit 85 is transmitted to the control device 40 and acquired by the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84 of the control device 40. Communication between the presence/absence information input unit 85 and the control device 40 uses wireless communication such as wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or ZigBee (registered trademark).
• the presence/absence information input unit 85 may be in the shape of a remote control that can be carried around within the target space S, or may be installed in the target space S. Furthermore, the presence/absence information input unit 85 may be equipped in the sterilization/virus inactivation device 1. Details of the configuration and operation of the presence/absence information input unit 85 and the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84 will be explained again below.
• the discharge unit has a discharge electrode and a ground electrode.
• the discharge electrode is composed of a wire electrode
• the installation electrode is composed of a plate electrode.
• the discharge unit is composed of multiple wire electrodes and multiple plate electrodes arranged alternately.
• a high voltage is supplied to the discharge unit from a high-voltage generation circuit.
• the high-voltage generation circuit has a power receiving unit that receives power from a commercial power source, and converts the power received by the power receiving unit via a connector and wire into a high voltage and supplies it to the discharge unit.
• the discharge unit applies the high voltage supplied from the high-voltage generation circuit between the discharge electrode and the ground electrode, causing a discharge and generating ions in the air.
• the discharge unit is described as having a discharge electrode composed of a wire electrode and an installation electrode composed of a plate electrode, but this is merely an example, and both the discharge electrode and the ground electrode may be formed of any of wire electrodes, needle electrodes, plate electrodes, and brush electrodes.
• the transport unit 33 generates an air flow.
• the transport unit 33 includes a blower 37 that generates the air flow.
• the transport unit 33 may also include a drive unit 39 that drives the first case 2.
• the blower 37 includes a blower fan and a fan motor that drives the fan.
• the fan is located on the outlet side of the ventilation passage 24 and is supported on the inner wall of the first case 2 so as to be positioned on the central axis of the ventilation passage 24.
• An axial-flow propeller fan is used as the fan to generate a large volume of airflow.
• An AC capacitor motor is used as the fan motor.
• the blower 37 is positioned downstream of the substance generator 32 within the ventilation duct 24. This allows the specific substance generated in the substance generator 32 to mix with the air inside the fan of the blower 37, and the air is blown out of the housing 1a with a uniform ion concentration.
• the drive unit 39 drives the first case 2 to change the orientation of the grill 4a and control the direction of the airflow blown out from the grill 4a.
• the drive unit 39 drives the first case 2, the bellows-shaped second case 3 deforms, changing the airflow direction.
• the drive unit 39 is equipped with a motor (not shown) that can drive two orthogonal axes.
• the motor is a general servo motor or a stepping motor. These motors control the angle of the shaft supporting the first case 2 and can stop the shaft supporting the first case 2 at a specific position.
• the substance measuring unit 34 includes an ion sensor that measures discharge products in the air.
• the ion sensor is disposed downstream of the substance generating unit 32 in the air flow direction in the ventilation duct 24.
• a coaxial double-cylinder sensor that measures positive or negative ions in the air is used as the ion sensor. This allows the ion sensor to simultaneously measure positive and negative ions and to perform highly accurate measurements over a wide concentration range, such as 100,000 to 3,000,000 (ions/cm 3 ).
• the measurement results of the substance measuring unit 34 are output to the control device 40.
• the substance measuring unit 34 is configured with an ozone gas sensor that measures ozone in the air.
• Figure 4 is a graph showing the relationship between ion concentration and sterilization/inactivation effect.
• the horizontal axis represents ion concentration (ions/cm 3 ), and the vertical axis represents the survival rate of microorganisms (-).
• the ion concentration is 10 3 (ions/cm 3 ) or higher, the sterilization/inactivation effect appears, and as the ion concentration increases further, the sterilization/inactivation effect improves further.
• the substance generating unit 32 is designed to generate ions with an ion concentration of 10 3 (ions/cm 3 ) or higher.
• the display unit 36 is attached to the outer wall surface of the grill body 4 as an electronic component for transmitting information.
• the display unit 36 is composed of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and the like that display various types of information.
• the display unit 36 displays the operating status of the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 by the lighting state of the LEDs.
• the display unit 36 can change the lighting state by appropriately combining the light-emitting color of the LEDs with lighting formats such as flashing or lighting. By changing the lighting state of the LEDs, the display unit 36 can indicate that the sterilization and virus inactivation process is in progress or can notify of an abnormality.
• the main board 35 is equipped with a control device 40 (see FIG. 5) that controls the entire sterilization and virus inactivation device 1, a power supply device that supplies power to each component, etc.
• the main board 35 is fixed to the side wall of the air passage forming member 27 of the first case 2.
• the control device 40 is composed of a microprocessor unit and the like, and includes a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and the ROM stores control programs and the like.
• the control device 40 calculates the processing conditions in the processing condition calculation unit 86 based on the information regarding the presence or absence of the person 50 entered in the presence/absence information input unit 85.
• the control device 40 controls the substance generation unit 32 and the transport unit 33 using the processing execution unit 88 based on the processing conditions calculated in the processing condition calculation unit 86.
• the control device 40 can also control the display unit 36 based on the measurement results of the substance measurement unit 34. Specifically, when the control device 40 detects that a specific substance is below a predetermined set concentration based on the measurement results of the substance measurement unit 34, it stops the operation of the substance measurement unit 34 and turns on the display unit 36. When an abnormality occurs in the substance measurement unit 34, the control device 40 controls the display unit 36 to turn on the light indicating an abnormality in the substance measurement unit 34. This allows the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 to alert the occurrence of an abnormality.
• FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 according to embodiment 1.
• the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84, processing condition calculation unit 86, processing execution unit 88, substance generation unit 32, transport unit 33, and display unit 36 are electrically connected to the control unit 40 via lead wires.
• the control unit 40 also has the ability to perform wireless communication via wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), or the like, and performs wireless communication with the presence/absence information input unit 85.
• the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 communicates wirelessly with the presence/absence information input unit 85, and acquires data on the presence or absence of person 50 in the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84.
• Specific examples of information input to the presence/absence information input unit 85 include the reservation and usage status of a conference room, whether the lights are on or off, or the lock status of door 90.
• the information entered into the presence/absence information input unit 85 can be obtained by linking with manually entered presence management.
• presence management a list of presence/absence is created and each user's presence/absence in the target space, i.e., the room, is entered.
• presence management it is possible to manage each room individually. It is also easy to handle spaces that are created temporarily.
• the information entered into the presence/absence information input unit 85 can also be obtained by linking with a reservation system that reserves spaces such as offices.
• a reservation system is, for example, a system that reserves rooms or seats via an app or the like, and the items that are entered include, for example, the date, time period, whether or not the request is repeated, the number of users, and the purpose of use.
• the processing conditions and processing time can be output and displayed on the schedule. This notifies the user that processing is in progress, ensuring safety, and allows the user to predict the completion time, making it easier to plan schedules.
• the information input into the presence/absence information input unit 85 can also be obtained by linking with a building management system for an office or the like.
• a building management system is, for example, a system that monitors and controls various facilities in a building such as an office, such as electricity, air conditioning, lighting, disaster prevention, and crime prevention.
• Input information includes image information from a surveillance camera or 360° camera, or information on the entry and exit of a person 50 from an entry and exit management system. Image information can be used to confirm the presence or absence of a person 50 within the target space S. Furthermore, entry and exit information can be used when confirming the presence or absence of a person 50 within the target space S, and when performing processing after closing time.
• Information entered into the presence/absence information input unit 85 can also be entered based on information acquired by an infrared sensor.
• the infrared sensor has a transmitter that transmits infrared rays and a receiver that receives infrared rays, and is installed, for example, at a door 90 provided in the target space S.
• the amount of infrared rays received by the receiver remains approximately constant, but when a person 50 passes, the amount of infrared rays received decreases.
• the amount of infrared rays received by the receiver falls below a specified value, the movement of the person 50 is detected.
• a method of detecting the entry and exit of a person 50 using an infrared sensor is simpler and can be configured at a lower cost than a method of detecting entry and exit using image data.
• the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84 determines the absence time of person 50 based on the data regarding the presence/absence of person 50 input into the presence/absence information input unit 85. The information regarding the absence time of person 50 determined by the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84 is notified to the processing condition calculation unit 86.
• the absence time of a person 50 is the time from when all people 50 have left the target space S until the next person 50 enters.
• the absence time is determined, for example, based on the usage time input to the presence/absence information input unit 85.
• the absence time may also be determined by patterning absence times previously determined by the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84 and based on the information on the patterned absence times.
• the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84 determines information regarding the absence time based on the type of information input by the presence/absence information input unit 85 and acquired by the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84. In other words, if the information input and acquired by the presence/absence information input unit 85 is information regarding the reservation of a conference room, the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84 determines the absence time from the reservation time. If the information input and acquired by the presence/absence information input unit 85 is information regarding the usage status of the conference room, the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84 determines presence/absence from the reservation status.
• the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84 determines the presence or absence of person 50 in the target space S from the turning on and off information.
• the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84 can also be configured to estimate the time that person 50 is absent from the target space S from the turning on and off pattern, based on the information regarding the turning on and off of lighting devices in the target space S input and acquired from the presence/absence information input unit 85.
• the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84 can estimate the time from the opening and closing operation upon entry to the opening and closing operation upon exit.
• the processing condition calculation unit 86 calculates the absence processing conditions based on the absence time determined by the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84. The processing condition calculation unit 86 also calculates the presence processing conditions based on the presence information determined by the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84. The sterilization/virus inactivation device 1 generates a specific substance in the target space S when there is no person 50 in the target space S, and the absence of people 50 in the target space S is a prerequisite for the sterilization/virus inactivation processing.
• the sterilization and virus inactivation treatment includes treatment using ozone and treatment using negative ions.
• the sterilization power i.e., treatment strength
• Treatment using negative ions does not achieve the same treatment strength as ozone treatment, but the impact on components present in the target space S is reduced.
• the treatment conditions include the treatment method, including whether ozone treatment or negative ion treatment and the ozone concentration, and the treatment time, which is the time over which the ozone treatment and negative ion treatment are carried out. Therefore, the treatment condition calculation unit 86 selects treatment conditions that can be completed within the absence time of the person 50, based on the absence time of the person 50, i.e., the time during which the person 50 is scheduled to be absent.
• the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84 acquires information regarding conference room reservations, such as a first reservation from 10:30 to 11:30 and a second reservation from 13:00 to 15:00, there will be a two-hour absence between the first and second reservations.
• the processing time information which is the time that can be spent on processing, is less than two hours based on the absence time, so the processing condition calculation unit 86 selects absence processing conditions that can be completed in less than two hours.
• the processing execution unit 88 controls the operation of the substance generation unit 32, the transport unit 33, and the display unit 36 based on the absent processing conditions selected by the processing condition calculation unit 86. Specifically, when the absent processing conditions are selected, the processing execution unit 88 instructs the substance generation unit 32 to generate a specific substance. Furthermore, when the absent processing conditions are selected, the processing execution unit 88 instructs the transport unit 33 to drive the air blower 37. Furthermore, when the absent processing conditions are selected, the processing execution unit 88 instructs the display unit 36 to display that processing is in progress. Note that when the present processing conditions are selected by the processing condition calculation unit 86, the processing execution unit 88 performs control to suppress the execution of the sterilization/virus inactivation processing. Specifically, when the present processing conditions are selected, control is performed to prevent the generation of a specific substance.
• FIG. 6 is a table showing the absence processing conditions of the sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1.
• the processing condition calculation unit 86 selects the absence processing conditions from processing A, processing B, and processing C.
• the absence processing conditions are selected taking into consideration the absence time of the person 50, the required processing strength, and the impact on components.
• Process A is an ultra-fast process and is selected as a processing condition when processing is required in a relatively short time or when high sterilization power is required.
• Process A uses ozone treatment, and since it can have an effect on components present in the target space S, people 50 are not allowed to enter or exit during processing.
• Process A involves ozone treatment at an ozone concentration of 0.5 ppm for 3 minutes, followed by ozone removal to remove ozone from the target space S for 12 minutes.
• the total processing time for Process A is 15 minutes.
• Ozone removal can be achieved, for example, by activated carbon adsorption decomposition, in which ozone is adsorbed onto activated carbon; contact decomposition, in which ozone is brought into contact with silica or alumina; or a wet method in which ozone is dissolved in water.
• activated carbon adsorption decomposition in which ozone is adsorbed onto activated carbon
• contact decomposition in which ozone is brought into contact with silica or alumina
• a wet method in which ozone is dissolved in water.
• alkaline cleaning which uses a highly concentrated alkaline aqueous solution, allows for rapid ozone decomposition.
• Process B is a normal process, and is a process condition selected when it is unknown when a person 50 will enter, when there is a relatively long time until the next person 50 will enter, or when there is a high possibility that a person 50 will enter and it is necessary to immediately suspend the process.
• Process B uses negative ion treatment, has almost no effect on the components present in the target space S, and allows people 50 to enter and exit during treatment. Specifically, in Process B, negative ion treatment with an ozone concentration of 0.05 ppm or less is performed for one hour, and there is no need to set aside time to remove the ozone. Therefore, the total processing time for Process B is one hour, and the process is suspended if a person 50 enters the room.
• Process C is a high-speed process with medium processing conditions in terms of the impact on components present in the target space S and the time required for processing. Specifically, Process C is carried out for 25 minutes using an ozone concentration of 0.1 ppm or less and negative ions, and is stopped 5 minutes before person 50 enters the room. Therefore, the total processing time for Process C is 30 minutes.
• the processing time is less than two hours and any of conditions A to C can be selected.
• the processing conditions can be selected taking into account the required processing intensity and the possibility of person 50 entering the room, etc.
• process B since both the first and second reservations were made during the day, it is conceivable that person 50 could suddenly enter the room even if no reservation had been made. In this case, by selecting process B, the process can be immediately suspended even if person 50 enters the room, allowing entry.
• both the first and second reservations are for internal meetings, making it easy to publicize that the target space S is undergoing processing.
• the processing intensity is relatively high, and entry to the space becomes possible in a relatively short time after processing stops.
• FIG. 7 is a control flowchart for the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 according to embodiment 1.
• the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 performs sterilization and virus inactivation processing using the control device 40.
• the control device 40 determines in step S01 whether a person 50 is absent from the target space S, and if it determines that a person 50 is present rather than absent (NO in step S01), it repeats the processing.
• the control device 40 controls the processing execution unit 88 to suppress the execution of the sterilization and virus inactivation processing based on the presence processing conditions selected by the processing condition calculation unit 86. Therefore, if a specific substance is being generated by the substance generation unit 32, the processing execution unit 88 issues an instruction to stop the generation of the specific substance.
• step S01 determines in step S01 that the person 50 is absent from the target space S (YES in step S01)
• it proceeds to step S02 and acquires processing time information.
• the processing time information is the time that can be spent on processing.
• the processing time information is time calculated based on information regarding the time that the person 50 is absent from the target space S, which is acquired by the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84.
• the processing of step S02 is an example of a presence/absence information acquisition process.
• step S03 selects processing conditions.
• the processing conditions are selected by the processing condition calculation unit 86.
• the processing condition calculation unit 86 first selects one of processes A to C in light of processing time information based on the absence time acquired by the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84.
• the processing of step S03 is an example of a processing condition calculation process.
• the control device 40 then proceeds to steps S04 and S05, generating a specific substance in step S04 and transporting the specific substance in step S05.
• the generation and transport of the specific substance are controlled by the process execution unit 88.
• the process execution unit 88 instructs the substance generation unit 32 to generate the specific substance and instructs the transport unit 33 to drive the air blower 37.
• the process execution unit 88 instructs the substance generation unit 32 to generate ozone as the specific substance, to set the ozone concentration to 0.5 ppm, and to maintain that concentration for 3 minutes.
• the process execution unit 88 also instructs the transport unit 33 to start driving the air blower 37.
• step S06 determines whether the processing has ended. If the processing has not ended, it repeats the processing (NO in step S06), and if the processing has ended, it ends the processing (YES in step S06). For example, if processing A is selected as the processing condition, the processing execution unit 88 instructs the transport unit 33 to continue driving for 13 minutes after ozone generation has ended, and the processing ends after those 13 minutes have passed.
• the processing in steps S04, S05, and S06 is an example of a processing execution process.
• the above processing is performed by the control device 40, completing the sterilization and virus inactivation processing by the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1.
• control device 40 instructs the display unit 36 to display that processing is in progress.
• the display unit 36 may also be configured to display the time remaining until processing is complete. This allows the user to know the time until they can enter the target space S.
• FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a usage form of the sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus 1 according to Variation 1 of Embodiment 1.
• the sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus 1 can be used for sterilization or virus inactivation processing in spaces such as restaurants or classrooms, for example.
• spaces such as restaurants or classrooms, for example.
• the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84 acquires information regarding presence or absence, and the absence treatment conditions are calculated according to the absence time. This ensures that the sterilization or virus inactivation treatment is completed within the absence time, making it possible to perform the sterilization or inactivation treatment in an efficient manner that can be completed within the absence time, with the certainty that no person 50 is present. Furthermore, since embodiment 1 transports ions or ozone using non-directional air, it is possible to treat the entirety of a partitioned space, i.e., the entire interior of a room, etc.
• the processing condition calculation unit 86 calculates the presence processing conditions, the execution of sterilization or virus inactivation processing is suppressed. Therefore, when a person 50 is present in the target space S, sterilization or virus inactivation processing using a specific substance is not performed, and the effects of the specific substance on the target space where the person 50 is present can be suppressed.
• the absence processing conditions are calculated and selected based on the absence time acquired by the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84, so processing is carried out and completed within the absence time, taking into consideration safety and the impact on components within the space.
• processing is carried out under selected conditions, and specific substances are generated according to the absence processing conditions based on the presence/absence information, allowing processing to be carried out with consideration given to safety and the impact on components.
• the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84 determines presence/absence based on obtainable information, such as the reservation of the conference room, the usage status of the conference room, whether the lights in the target space S are on or off, or the lock status of the door 90 that opens and closes the target space S. This makes it easy to acquire information and improves the accuracy of the information.
• the substance generation unit 32 and the transport unit 33 perform sterilization or virus inactivation processing in the target space S depending on the time of absence, thereby enabling efficient processing.
• sterilization/virus inactivation method information regarding presence and absence is acquired in a presence/absence information acquisition step, and absence treatment conditions are calculated in a treatment condition calculation step, so that the sterilization treatment or virus inactivation treatment is completed when person 50 is absent.
• sterilization or virus inactivation treatment can be carried out efficiently when person 50 is absent.
• Embodiment 2 differs from embodiment 1 in that the conveying section 33 imparts linearity and directionality to the airflow. The following description will focus on the configuration and processing of embodiment 2 that differ from embodiment 1, and configurations and processing not described in embodiment 2 are similar to embodiment 1.
• the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 has a transport section 33 that has a grill 4a provided on the grill body 4, and is configured to generate a highly linear and directional airflow.
• the grill 4a which gives straightness and directionality to the airflow, is located at the bottom of the grill body 4, at the air outlet 5 of the grill body 4.
• the grill 4a constitutes part of the transport section 33.
• the grill 4a has multiple spiral fins 6.
• the grill 4a is structured so that the inner ends 6a of the multiple fins 6, which are close to the center O of the spiral, protrude in the airflow direction further than the outer ends 6b of the fins 6 that connect to the air outlet 5.
• the inner ends 6a of the fins 6 of the grill 4a protrude in the airflow direction compared to the outer ends 6b of the fins 6.
• the inner end 6a refers to the inner end side that is close to the center O of the spiral, and includes the area near the inner end.
• the outer end 6b refers to the outer end portion that connects to the air outlet 5.
• the grill 4a collects and converges the airflow that flows out from the outlet of the ventilation channel 24 and into the grill body 4, improving the wind speed in the center of the airflow direction.
• the grill 4a also extends the reach of the spiral airflow blown out from the air outlet 5.
• the grill 4a can impart straightness and directionality to the airflow generated by the air blower 37, enabling effective sterilization and virus inactivation processes.
• the transport section 33 may be configured so that the first case 2 is driven by a drive unit 39 to transport an air flow that is given linearity and directionality.
• the second case 3 is configured, for example, from a flexible bellows-shaped member.
• the drive unit 39 can orient the grill 4a provided on the air outlet 5 in the desired direction, allowing the direction of the air flow to be changed, for example, from vertically downward to an oblique direction.
• the transport unit 33 generates an airflow using the air blower 37 and makes the airflow more linear and directional using the grill 4a, enabling effective sterilization and virus inactivation.
• ions and ozone are transported using directional air, making it possible to treat only specific areas within a space, such as a portion of the space or areas that have come into contact with people.
• the transport unit 33 may be configured to transport the airflow in cooperation with the trajectory detection unit 31 so as to direct it toward the movement trajectory P, which is the portion that the object has come into contact with.
• the movement trajectory P is detected, for example, by the trajectory detection unit 31 located in the center of the lower end of the grill body 4.
• the trajectory detection unit 31 detects the movement trajectory of the portion that the moving object has come into contact with, and the moving object that is the subject of trajectory detection can be any moving object, including living moving objects such as people 50 and pets such as dogs or cats, as well as moving equipment such as mobile vacuum cleaners.
• the airflow can be transported toward the movement trajectory portion P, which is the portion that the object came into contact with, enabling effective sterilization and virus inactivation processing.
• Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a usage form of the sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus 1 according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 2.
• Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram showing another usage form of the sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus 1 according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 2.
• the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 may be configured to be linked to reservation information for each seat 92. Specifically, reservation information for each seat 92 is input into the presence/absence information input unit 85, and after a person 50 uses a seat 92, sterilization and virus inactivation processing is performed on the space in which the used seat 92 is located. In this way, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 can also be configured to perform sterilization and virus inactivation processing on a spot basis, and to sterilize or inactivate viruses in the space around the seat.
• reservation information for each seat 92 is not particularly limited, and may be configured to be input from a seat reservation system that reserves seats 92 via an app or the like. Reservation information for each seat may also be based on seat occupancy management, for example, entered by the user in a seat occupancy list.
• Embodiment 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an air conditioner 60 equipped with a sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus 1 according to embodiment 3.
• Figure 16 is a bottom view of an air conditioner 60 equipped with a sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus 1 according to embodiment 3.
• Embodiment 3 relates to an air conditioner 60 equipped with a sterilization and virus inactivation apparatus 1. The following description will focus on configurations and processes in embodiment 3 that differ from embodiments 1 and 2, and configurations and processes not described in embodiment 3 are the same as those in embodiment 1 or 2.
• the air conditioner 60 is an indoor unit placed in a space to be air-conditioned, such as an office, and supplies temperature-controlled air to the space to be air-conditioned by utilizing a refrigeration cycle that circulates a refrigerant.
• the air conditioner 60 performs one or both of heating and cooling operations as normal operation.
• the air conditioner 60 not only conditions the space to be air-conditioned, but also includes a sterilization and virus inactivation device 1, and sterilizes bacteria or inactivates viruses within the space to be air-conditioned, which is referred to as target space S.
• the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 included in the air conditioner 60 is, for example, the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 of embodiment 1 or 2.
• the air conditioner housing 61 which forms the outer shell of the air conditioner 60, is embedded in the ceiling and comprises an air conditioner main body 62 with an open bottom, and a decorative panel 63 that covers the opening of the air conditioner main body 62.
• the decorative panel 63 has a rectangular intake grill 64 in its center.
• Four air outlets 65 are formed around the intake grill 64, along its four sides.
• Each air outlet 65 is provided with an air deflector 66 that controls the direction of airflow from the outlet 65.
• the air conditioner 60 is equipped with the air deflectors 66, which consist of an up-down air deflector 66a that controls the vertical air direction and a left-right air deflector 66b that controls the horizontal air direction. Motors (not shown) that drive the up-down air deflectors 66a and the left-right air deflectors 66b are also provided within the air conditioner housing 61.
• a centrifugal blower 67 Arranged within the air conditioner housing 61 are a centrifugal blower 67, a motor 68 that drives the centrifugal blower 67, and a heat exchanger 69 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing inside and the air.
• the centrifugal blower 67 is located in the center of the air conditioner housing 61 and is connected to a shaft extending downward from the motor 68, which is fixed to the top plate of the air conditioner housing 61.
• the heat exchanger 69 is arranged around the centrifugal blower 67.
• a drain pan 70 Also located within the air conditioner housing 61 is a drain pan 70 below the heat exchanger 69 that collects condensation produced in the heat exchanger 69.
• An electrical equipment box 71 is also located within the air conditioner housing 61.
• the electrical equipment box 71 houses a control board 71a that controls the operation of the air conditioner 60.
• the air conditioner 60 is a ceiling-suspended indoor unit, this is not limited to this and the air conditioner 60 may also be a wall-mounted indoor unit.
• the air conditioner 60 is equipped with a sterilization/virus inactivation device 1.
• the substance generation unit 32 which constitutes the sterilization/virus inactivation device 1
• the transport unit 33 is composed of a centrifugal blower 67, an air deflector 66, and a motor (not shown) that drives the air deflector 66.
• the centrifugal blower 67 also serves as the air blower 37 of the transport unit 33.
• the air deflector 66 functions as the grill 4a of the transport unit 33.
• the display unit 36 is located on the outer surface of the decorative panel 63.
• the functions of the control device 40 are mounted on a control board 71a in the electrical equipment box 71.
• a sensing unit 30 equipped with an infrared sensor is located on the decorative panel 63. The infrared sensor installed in the sensing unit 30 can acquire information to be input into the presence/absence information input unit 85.
• FIG 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating the sterilization and virus inactivation operation performed by an air conditioner 60 equipped with a sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 according to embodiment 3. As shown in Figure 17, the air conditioner 60 is installed in a position where it can transport airflow to the target space S.
• the air conditioner 60 when the centrifugal blower 67 is rotated by the motor 68, air is drawn into the air conditioner housing 61 through the intake grill 64, passes through the centrifugal blower 67 and the heat exchanger 69, and is blown out from the outlet 65.
• the airflow blown out from the outlet 65 is an airflow whose temperature has been adjusted by the heat exchanger 69 and contains the specific substance generated in the substance generating unit 32. This airflow is blown out from the outlet 65 and transported to the target space S.
• the blowing direction is controlled by the air deflector 66, the airflow can be transported in the desired direction of the target space S with improved linearity and directionality.
• the air conditioner 60 according to embodiment 3 described above is equipped with the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 according to embodiment 1 or 2, and information regarding the presence or absence of person 50 is acquired by the presence/absence information acquisition unit 84.
• the sterilization and virus inactivation device 1 then calculates optimal processing conditions using the processing condition calculation unit 86 according to the time period during which person 50 is absent, thereby enabling the sterilization or virus inactivation processing of the target space S to be air-conditioned to be completed within the time period during which person 50 is absent.
• Sterilization and virus inactivation device 1a. Housing, 2. First case, 3. Second case, 4. Grill body, 4a. Grill, 5. Air outlet, 6. Fins, 6a. Inner end, 6b. Outer end, 7. Base, 21. Cylindrical portion, 23. Top surface, 23a. Air intake, 24. Ventilation path, 25. Connector, 25a. Hook portion, 26. Locking portion, 27. Air path forming member, 30. Sensing portion, 31. Trajectory detection portion, 32. Material generating portion, 33. Transport portion, 34. Material measuring portion, 35. Main board, 36. Display portion, 37. Air blower, 39.
• Control device 50 Person, 60 Air conditioner, 61 Air conditioner housing, 62 Air conditioner main body, 63 Decorative panel, 64 Intake grille, 65 Outlet, 66 Air direction vane, 66a Up and down air direction vane, 66b Left and right air direction vane, 67 Centrifugal blower, 68 Motor, 69 Heat exchanger, 70 Drain pan, 71 Electrical equipment box, 71a Control board, 84 Presence/absence information acquisition unit, 85 Presence/absence information input unit, 86 Processing condition calculation unit, 88 Processing execution unit, 90 Door, 91 Fixtures, 92 Seats.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Disinfection, Sterilisation Or Deodorisation Of Air (AREA)

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• 2024
  • 2024-05-17 JP JP2024563092A patent/JP7665109B1/ja active Active
  • 2024-05-17 WO PCT/JP2024/018346 patent/WO2025238850A1/ja active Pending

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