JP7572024B2 - Indoor Environmental Protection System - Google Patents

Description

Application of Article 30 Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act At the request of Nozaki Atsuo, Narita Yasuaki, an employee of Living Science Research Institute Co., Ltd., gave presentations on the research topics "Research into the actual state of odorous substance pollution in homes and technologies to reduce it" and "Research into countermeasures for indoor odorous substance pollution originating from the human body" at the "34th Air Purification and Contamination Control Research Conference" (Waseda University International Conference Center) on Tuesday, April 25th, 2017, and at the "26th Japanese Society of Clinical Environmental Medicine Academic Conference" (Tokai University Takanawa Campus) on Saturday, June 24th, 2017.

The present invention relates to an indoor environment preservation system that preserves the indoor environment of buildings and mobile objects, and in particular to an indoor environment preservation system that is intended to prevent the dispersion into the indoor space of contaminants that adhere to or permeate interior materials and interior goods installed in the indoor space.

Conventional indoor environment preservation systems of this type include those described in Patent Documents 1 to 3.
Patent Document 1 discloses an air purification monitoring system comprising: a capture member that captures gaseous or suspended particulate matter that is contained in the air before the purification process and has an effect on the human body as a capture target separate from the target of purification process by the purification member, so as to be monitorable from a stage before the gaseous or suspended particulate matter reaches an unacceptable range; the capture member is a collection member that is removably provided on the purification device main body and arranged separately from the purification member to cumulatively collect gaseous or suspended particulate matter; an air purification device that is temporarily removed from the purification device main body when qualitatively and quantitatively analyzing the factor substances captured by the collection member in a state where purification process by the purification member can be performed; and an information monitoring device that manages information on the factor substances captured by the capture member and monitors the state of the managed factor substance information.
Patent Document 2 discloses a pollutant treatment device comprising a collector for collecting pollutants, a treatment agent supplying means for supplying a treatment agent for treating pollutants present in a living space outside or inside the collector, an airflow forming means for forming an airflow toward the collector with the treatment agent supplied by the treatment agent supplying means and transporting the pollutants in the living space on the airflow to the collector so that they are collected in the collector with the supplied treatment agent and pollutants adhering to them, and a disposal means for disposing of the pollutants with the treatment agent adhering to them and collected in the collector on the airflow formed by the airflow forming means outside the collector, as well as an air purification maintenance system using the same.
Patent document 3 discloses a biometric information collection chair comprising a chair body, a recognition means for recognizing a subject seated on the chair body, and a collection device incorporated into part of the chair body and collecting biometric information of the subject seated on the chair body under conditions where the subject is recognized by the recognition means, and a biometric information diagnostic system comprising this biometric information collection chair, an information recording means for recording the biometric information collected by the collection device of the biometric information collection chair in association with the subject recognized by the recognition means, and a diagnostic means for diagnosing the biometric condition of the subject based on the biometric information recorded in the information recording means.

Patent Publication No. 5905850 (Form for carrying out the invention, FIG. 1) JP 2014-110857 A (Form for carrying out the invention, FIG. 1) JP 2016-154759 A (Form for carrying out the invention, FIG. 1)

The technical problem that this invention aims to solve is to reduce the contamination of indoor spaces caused by contaminants that adhere to or permeate interior materials and interior goods installed in the indoor space.

A first technical feature of the present invention is an indoor environment preservation system comprising: recognition means for recognizing contaminants adhering to or impregnating the surface or inside of interior materials or interior goods for an indoor space, or contaminants diffusing from the surface; and reduction means for reducing diffusion into the indoor space of the contaminants recognized by the recognition means, wherein the reduction means comprises: supply means for regularly or irregularly supplying a pollution treatment agent having properties that cause the pollutants to remain on the surface or inside of the interior materials or interior goods, and recovery means for recovering the dispersed other substances when the pollutants decompose as a result of the supply of the pollution treatment agent and dissipate the dispersed other substances .

A second technical feature of the present invention is an indoor environment preservation system comprising recognition means for recognizing contaminants adhering to or impregnating the surface or inside of interior materials or interior items in an indoor space, or contaminants diffusing from the surface, and reduction means for reducing diffusion into the indoor space of the contaminants recognized by the recognition means, wherein the reduction means periodically or irregularly supplies a pollution treatment agent having properties that decompose the pollutants to the surface or inside of the interior materials or interior items, and when the pollution treatment agent is in a liquid phase, raises the temperature of the indoor space so as to reduce the internal moisture content of the interior materials or interior items before supplying the pollution treatment agent.
A third technical feature of the present invention is an indoor environment preservation system having the first technical feature, characterized in that the reduction means supplies the pollution treatment agent along an air current circulating along the side wall surfaces, ceiling surface, and floor surface of the indoor space, and recovers the other substances that have been diffused.
A fourth technical feature of the present invention is an indoor environment preservation system comprising: recognition means for recognizing contaminants adhering to or impregnating the surface or inside of interior materials or interior items in an indoor space, or contaminants diffusing from the surface; reduction means for reducing diffusion into the indoor space of the contaminants recognized by the recognition means; and an indoor environment design tool capable of designing an indoor environment by combining interior materials, interior items, and environmental equipment to be installed in the indoor space when the interior materials, interior items, and environmental equipment are selected from within a predetermined range, wherein the indoor environment design tool has a function of predicting the degree to which the reduction effect of the reduction means will be reflected in the designed indoor environment.
A fifth technical feature of the present invention is an indoor environment preservation system comprising: recognition means for recognizing pollutants adhering to or impregnating the surface or interior of an interior material or interior item for an indoor space, or pollutants diffusing from the surface; and reduction means for reducing diffusion of the pollutants recognized by the recognition means into the indoor space, wherein the interior material or interior item has a functional layer on its surface that purifies the indoor space, and the reduction means periodically or irregularly supplies a pollution treatment agent that has the properties of causing the pollutants to remain on or decompose the surface or interior of the interior material or interior item, and wherein the pollution treatment agent supplied to the surface or interior of the interior material or interior item contains a useful substance that can improve the surface functionality of the interior material or interior item.
A sixth technical feature of the present invention is an indoor environment preservation system comprising: recognition means for recognizing contaminants adhering to or impregnating the surface or interior of an interior material or interior item in an indoor space, or contaminants diffusing from the surface; and reduction means for reducing diffusion of the contaminants recognized by the recognition means into the indoor space, wherein the interior material or interior item has a functional layer on its surface that purifies the indoor space, and the reduction means periodically or irregularly supplies a pollution treatment agent having properties such that the contaminants remain on or are decomposed on the surface or interior of the interior material or interior item, and further periodically or irregularly supplies an airflow to the surface of the interior material or interior item, and the airflow contains a useful substance that can improve the surface functionality of the interior material or interior item.
A seventh technical feature of the present invention is an indoor environment conservation system having any one of the first to sixth technical features, characterized in that the recognition means recognizes, in addition to the pollutants, biogases of a person staying in the indoor space that adhere to or permeate the surface or inside of the interior materials or interior goods.
An eighth technical feature of the present invention is an indoor environment preservation system having any of the first to seventh technical features, characterized in that the recognition means has a detachable test chip attached to a surface or part of the inside of the interior material or interior product, and by removing the test chip periodically or irregularly, the substance captured by the test chip is subjected to analysis.

A ninth technical feature of the present invention is an indoor environment conservation system having any of the first to eighth technical features, characterized in that the reduction means is incorporated in advance into an air purifying device or a part of other environmental equipment .

According to the first technical feature of the present invention, it is possible to reduce pollutants that adhere to or permeate interior materials and interior goods installed in an indoor space without diffusing them into the indoor space. In addition, even if the pollutants decompose and other substances are emitted, the emitted substances can be reduced without diffusing them into the indoor space.
According to a second technical feature of the present invention, a liquid-phase pollution treatment agent is used to decompose pollutants that adhere to or permeate interior materials and interior goods installed in an indoor space, thereby reducing the pollutants without diffusing them into the indoor space .
According to a third technical feature of the present invention, a pollution treatment agent having properties that allow pollutants to remain can be supplied to interior materials and interior goods installed in an indoor space by carrying it along with the air current, and other substances that are dispersed as the pollutants are decomposed can be collected by carrying them along with the air current.
According to the fourth technical feature of the present invention, when a user creates an optimal environment for an indoor space, how to incorporate reduction means can be reflected in the design.
According to the fifth or sixth technical feature of the present invention, in addition to treating contaminants adhering to or impregnating interior materials or interior goods, the surface functionality of the interior materials and the like can be improved.
According to the seventh technical feature of the present invention, health information of people staying in the indoor space can be obtained as accompanying information from the recognized biogas information.
According to the eighth technical feature of the present invention, contaminants attached to or impregnated in interior materials or interior goods in an indoor space can be recognized more simply and accurately than when the contaminants are directly inspected on site .
According to the ninth technical feature of the present invention, an indoor space can be easily preserved by simply installing an environmental device including a reduction means in the indoor space .

FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of an embodiment of an indoor environment preservation system to which the present invention is applied; FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing a representative embodiment 1 of a reduction means; and FIG. 1C is an explanatory diagram showing a representative embodiment 2 of the reduction means. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an indoor environment conservation system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram showing the area of action of ions (active species) in an embodiment in which an ion (active species) generator is used as a pollution treatment agent supplying device; FIG. 1B is an enlarged explanatory diagram of part B in FIG. 1A; and FIG. 1C is an explanatory diagram showing treatment measures for residues in the air of ions (active species) generated by the ion (active species) generator and for reactive substances that are generated and dispersed into the air when pollutants are decomposed by the ions (active species). 1A is an explanatory diagram showing the area of action of a useful substance when a useful substance supplying device is used as a pollution treatment agent supplying device, FIG. 1B is an enlarged explanatory diagram of part B in FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1C is an explanatory diagram showing treatment measures for residues in the air of useful substances supplied by the useful substance supplying device and reactive substances that are generated and dispersed into the air when pollutants are decomposed by the useful substances. 5A is an explanatory diagram showing a first configuration example of the useful substance supplying apparatus shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 5B is an explanatory diagram showing a second configuration example of the useful substance supplying apparatus. 5A is an explanatory diagram showing another configuration example of the useful substance supplying apparatus shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 5B is an explanatory diagram showing yet another configuration example of the useful substance supplying apparatus. 1A is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an indoor environment conservation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing the operating principle of the indoor environment conservation system. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing details of an air purifier used in a second embodiment. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a cleaning filter incorporated in the air purifier shown in FIG. 8 . FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram showing a modified embodiment 2-1 of the indoor environment protection system according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing the operation principle of the indoor environment protection system according to this modified embodiment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of an indoor environment conservation system according to a third embodiment. 13A is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of an indoor environment conservation system according to a fourth embodiment, and FIG. 13B is an explanatory diagram showing an example for analyzing air quality in an indoor space. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of an indoor environment conservation system according to a fifth embodiment. 13A is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of an indoor environment protection system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13B is an explanatory diagram showing a deodorizing process performed by the indoor environment protection system. FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an indoor environment design process by the indoor environment conservation system according to embodiment 7. FIG. 13A is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of three measurement target rooms in Example 1 in which an indoor environment conservation system according to embodiment 6 was adopted, and FIG. 13B is an explanatory diagram comparing indoor measurement substances with measurement substances in Example 1 in which the amounts of chemical substances emitted from tatami mats and wallpaper collected from the measurement target rooms were determined by chamber testing.

Overview of the embodiment FIG. 1 shows an overview of an embodiment of an indoor environment preservation system to which the present invention is applied.
In the figure, the indoor environment conservation system comprises a recognition means 3 for recognizing pollutants W adhering to or impregnating the surface or inside of interior materials 1 or interior goods 2 in an indoor space R, or pollutants W diffusing from the surface, and a reduction means 4 for reducing the diffusion of the pollutants W recognized by the recognition means 3 into the indoor space R.

In such technical means, gaseous pollutants or particulate pollutants adhere to or permeate the surface or inside of the interior material 1 or interior product 2 in the indoor space R. If these pollutants W diffuse into the indoor space R, the pollutant concentration will increase, and there is a concern that the comfort of the indoor environment will be impaired. In the present case, the intention is to recognize the pollutants W and reduce the diffusion of the recognized pollutants W into the indoor space R.
Here, the interior materials 1 broadly include finishing materials and base materials used for floors, walls, ceilings, etc. that divide the interior space R. The interior goods 2 broadly include products that are installed in the interior space R to decorate the room, and in this example, also include electrical appliances (equivalent to an air conditioner, electric fans, hot air heaters, lighting equipment, pots, televisions, personal computers, etc.).
The recognition means 3 may be a method for detecting the contaminant W using various sensors, or a method for sampling and extracting the adhering or soaked contaminant W and analyzing it, or the like, may be appropriately selected.
Furthermore, if the reduction means 4 is one that reduces the diffusion of pollutants W into the indoor space R, there may be used methods such as (1) a method of retaining the pollutants W on the surface or inside the interior material 1, etc., to prevent diffusion, (2) a method of decomposing the pollutants W to make them harmless, or (3) a method of desorbing the pollutants W from the interior material 1, etc., and recovering them.

Next, a representative or preferred embodiment of the indoor environment preservation system according to the present embodiment will be described.
First, a preferred embodiment of the recognition means 3 is one that recognizes, in addition to the pollutant W, the biogas of a person staying in the indoor space R that adheres to or permeates the surface or inside of the interior material 1 or the interior item 2. In this example, since the biogas of a person staying in the indoor space R also adheres to or permeates the surface or inside of the interior material 1 or the interior item 2, this embodiment recognizes not only the pollutant W but also the biogas.
A representative embodiment of the recognition means 3 is one in which a detachable test chip is provided on the surface or part of the inside of the interior material 1 or interior product 2, and the test chip is removed periodically or irregularly to allow the substance captured by the test chip to be analyzed. In this example, a detachable test chip is provided on a part of the interior material 1 or interior product 2, and by removing the test chip, the contaminant W attached to the test chip can be analyzed.

1(b), a representative embodiment of the reduction means 4 is one in which pollutants W remain on the surface or inside the interior material 1 or interior product 2, or a chemical agent 5 having the property of decomposing the pollutants W is supplied periodically or irregularly. In this example, the chemical agent 5 is supplied so that the pollutants W adhering to or impregnating the interior material 1 or the like do not diffuse into the room space R, and the pollutants W are either retained (immobilized) or decomposed.
Another representative embodiment of the reduction means 4 is, as shown in Fig. 1(c), a method in which an airflow 6 is supplied periodically or irregularly to the surface of the interior material 1 or the interior product 2 to detach the pollutant W adhering to or impregnating the surface or inside of the interior material 1 or the interior product 2, and the detached pollutant W is collected. In this example, the airflow 6 generated in the indoor space R is utilized to detach the pollutant W adhering to or impregnating the interior material 1, etc., into the indoor space R, and the pollutant W is collected, thereby reducing the diffusion of the pollutant W into the indoor space R. Here, a concentration gradient is generated at the interface by supplying the airflow 6 (preferably clean air) to the contaminated surface of the interior material 1, etc., to promote the detachment of the pollutant W adhering to or impregnating the interior material 1, etc., and to increase the diffusion rate of the pollutant W, thereby actively removing the pollutant W.

1(c) includes an embodiment having an airflow supplying section 7 that supplies an airflow 6 to the pollutant W adhering to or impregnating the surface or inside of the interior material 1 or interior product 2 so as to promote detachment of the pollutant W adhering to or impregnating the surface or inside of the interior material 1 or interior product 2, and a collecting section 8 that collects the detached pollutant W. The airflow supplying section 7 in this example can be easily realized by generating a predetermined airflow pattern using environmental equipment such as an air purifier, an air conditioner, or an air circulation device, and the collecting section 8 may be any device that collects the detached pollutant W, and can be easily realized by a cleaning filter in an air purifier or a dedicated collecting device.

Moreover, preferred embodiments of the reduction means 4 include the following.
In the first embodiment, a useful substance capable of improving the surface functionality of the interior material 1 or interior product 2 is contained in the chemical agent 5 or airflow 6 supplied to the surface or inside of the interior material 1 or interior product 2. In this example, by containing a useful substance capable of improving the surface functionality of the interior material 1, etc. in the chemical agent 5 or airflow 6 supplied to the pollutant W, it is possible to improve the surface functionality of the interior material 1, etc. as well as treating the pollutant W. The useful substance here may be in the gas phase (ozone, mist) or liquid phase, or may be a photocatalyst or an electrically generated active species (plasma ions, etc.). In the case of a liquid phase, it may be permeated by a method such as bake-out, sprinkling, brushing, or pressing.
The second embodiment is a pre-installed part in an air purifying device or other environmental equipment. In addition to the embodiment in which the reduction means 4 is installed in a part of an air purifying device, this embodiment is an embodiment in which the reduction means 4 is installed in an environmental equipment other than an air purifying device, and the pollutant W reduction function is added to the environmental equipment.

The third aspect utilizes an airflow 6 generated by an environmental device (corresponding to the airflow supply unit 7) installed in the indoor space R to promote the desorption of pollutants W adhering to or impregnating the interior material 1 or interior item 2, and transports the desorbed pollutants W together with the airflow 6 to a predetermined collection unit 8 along the path of the airflow 6. This example utilizes the airflow 6 of the environmental device to desorb pollutants W adhering to or impregnating the interior material 1, etc., and transports the desorbed pollutants W together with the airflow 6 to the collection unit 8.
The fourth aspect is provided with an indoor environment design tool that can design an indoor environment by combining interior materials 1, interior items 2, and environmental equipment (not shown in FIG. 1) to be installed in the indoor space R when the interior materials 1, interior items 2, and environmental equipment are selected from a predetermined range, and the indoor environment design tool has a function of predicting the degree to which the reduction effect of the reduction means 4 will be reflected in the designed indoor environment. In this example, when a user utilizes the indoor environment design tool to select the interior materials 1, the interior items 2, and the environmental equipment, it is possible to predict the reduction effect when the reduction means 4 is adopted in a method of designing an indoor environment (air cleanliness, air flow, etc.) by combining the selected items.

The fifth aspect involves incorporating a useful substance suitable for people staying in the indoor space R into the chemical agent 5 or air current 6 supplied to the pollutant W adhering to or permeating the surface or interior of the interior material 1 or interior item 2. In this example, if the chemical agent 5 or air current 6 supplied periodically or irregularly to the pollutant W adhering to or permeating the interior material 1 or the like is made to contain a useful substance suitable for people staying in the indoor space R, the useful substance suitable for people will be dispersed periodically or irregularly on the surface of the interior material 1 or interior item 2, which is effective in further improving the conservation of the indoor environment.
Examples of useful substances suitable for humans include air with a high oxygen concentration, which increases the cleanliness of the air, and, based on medical knowledge that maintaining a constant indoor environment for a long period of time reduces human comfort and immunity, one way of improving this is to deliberately supply substances that lead to factors that bring about changes in the indoor environment (temperature, humidity, airflow, illuminance, air cleanliness).

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
First embodiment
- Overall configuration of indoor environment conservation system -
FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration of the indoor environment conservation system according to the first embodiment.
In the figure, the indoor environment conservation system is configured such that an indoor space R is partitioned by interior material 20, an air purifier (air cleaning device) 30 is installed within the indoor space R, for example on a floor located next to a wall, auxiliary fans 51, 52 are installed on part of the ceiling and wall so that clean air sent out from the air purifier 30 circulates as an airflow Af along the interior material 20 in the indoor space R, and a pollution treatment agent supply device 60 is installed in part of the path of the airflow Af of the clean air from the air purifier 30 within the indoor space R, for example on the floor next to a wall opposite the installation position of the air purifier 30.

- Contaminants that adhere to and permeate interior materials -
Generally, in enclosed spaces such as buildings and mobile objects (automobiles, trains, ships, airplanes), measures are required against gaseous substances (odorizing substances, chemical substances, substances emitted from the interior material 20) and particulate substances (dust, tobacco smoke particles, microbial particles, dust emitted from the interior material 20), and there are concerns about air pollution due to dust emitted and substances emitted from the interior material 20.
For example, in houses, substances (odor substances, chemical substances, microorganisms, etc.) attached to plaster walls such as diatomaceous earth are re-emitted, the diatomaceous earth itself generates dust, and vinyl wallpaper emits similar re-emissions and SVOCs (semi-volatile organic compounds, plasticizers). There is a demand to suppress these re-emissions, dust generation from the building materials themselves, and the emission of chemical substances and odor substances. Furthermore, with diatomaceous earth walls, there are problems such as odor substance contamination due to re-emission of gas once captured, and scattering of diatomaceous earth and mixtures into the indoor space R, and odor contamination of diatomaceous earth finishing materials used for a long time and an increase in dust concentration due to dust generation from the building materials themselves are likely to occur, and there is a demand to suppress this.
In this embodiment, a substance that may pollute the indoor space R is referred to as a pollutant W, and a substance that treats this is referred to as a pollution treatment agent.

- Identifying and treating pollutants -
In this example, a detachable test chip 21 is provided on a part of the interior material 20, as shown in Fig. 2. Generally, the area of the interior material 20 that divides the indoor space R is large, and as described above, a large amount of gaseous substances such as chemical substances and odors, and particulate substances such as dust, tobacco smoke particles, mites, mold, and pollen are attached to the interior material 20, so that it is possible to identify the pollutant W specific to the indoor space R by removing the test chip 21, which is a part of the interior material 20, and analyzing the pollutant (gaseous substance, particulate substance) W attached to the test chip 21 with a pollutant analyzer 70.
In this example, the pollutant analyzer 70 employs a known analytical technique such as a gas chromatograph, a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer, a high performance liquid chromatograph, or an ion chromatograph.
In this embodiment, a detachable test chip 21 is provided on a part of the interior material 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. A detachable test chip (not shown) may be provided on a part of an interior item (not shown) that is installed in the interior space R, and the test chip may be removed to analyze the pollutants adhering to the test chip using the pollutant analysis device 70.

-Selection and processing of pollution treatment agents-
As described above, when the analysis result of the pollutant W attached to the test chip 21 is obtained by the pollutant analyzing device 70, the pollution treatment agent selecting device 80 selects a pollution treatment agent Q suitable for treating the pollutant W.
In this example, the pollution treatment agent selection device 80 has a database in which pollution treatment agents Q effective for treating various pollutants are pre-registered, and when a user (here, the pollution treatment agent selector) inputs the pollutant W to be treated, effective pollution treatment agents Q are listed from the database, and an appropriate pollution treatment agent Q can be selected from this list.
The stain treatment agent Q in this example is selected based on the following selection criteria (1) or (2), as shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 2, reference numeral 22 denotes a functional layer (e.g., a functional layer intended for deodorization, chemical substance removal, humidity control, and dust prevention) that covers the surface of the interior material 20.

(1) As the pollution treatment agent Q(I), one is selected that acts to retain the pollutant W that has adhered to or impregnated the surface or interior of the interior material 20. A representative example of this type of pollution treatment agent Q(I) is, in principle, a solution or gas sprayed onto the interior material 20 that contains a substance that stabilizes the pollutant W that has adhered to or impregnated the interior material 20 through chemical reaction or decomposition.
(2) As the pollution treatment agent Q (II), one that acts to decompose the pollutant W that has adhered to or impregnated the surface or inside of the interior material 20 is selected. A representative example of this type of pollution treatment agent Q (II) is, in principle, a solution or gas that is sprayed onto the interior material 20, which contains a substance that decomposes the pollutant W that has adhered to or impregnated the interior material 20 through chemical reaction or decomposition.

<Treatment Example 1 with Pollution Treatment Agent Q>
3(a) to (c) show an indoor environment preservation system that uses gas-phase ions or active species (OH radicals, ozone, etc.) as a pollution treatment agent Q.
In FIG. 3A, the pollution treatment agent supplying device 60 supplies ions (active species) 101 as the pollution treatment agent Q, and is configured to blow the ions (active species) 101 as the pollution treatment agent Q, for example, upward.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 3( b ), when ions (active species) 101 serving as the pollution treatment agent Q blown out from the pollution treatment agent supply device 60 are supplied to the wall surface of the interior material 20, the ions (active species) 101 act to render the pollutants W adhering to or impregnating the surface of the interior material 20 odorless, adsorbed, decomposed, or immobilized to render them harmless.
In particular, in this embodiment, the clean air blown out from the air purifier 30 flows along the floor surface toward the pollution treatment agent supplying device 60, and is carried by the air flow Af circulating from one side wall surface of the indoor space R along the ceiling surface toward the other side wall surface by the auxiliary fans 51, 52 installed on the ceiling and side walls of the indoor space R, and is blown out again via the air purifier 30. Therefore, the ions (active species) as the pollution treatment agent Q blown out from the pollution treatment agent supplying device 60 are carried by the air flow Af circulating along the floor surface, one side wall surface, ceiling surface, and the other side wall surface of the indoor space R, and are supplied widely to each wall surface of the interior material 20 while capturing the pollutant W floating in the indoor space R, and the pollutant W adhering to and impregnated in the wall surface of the interior material 20 is rendered harmless.

<Treatment Example 2 with Pollution Treatment Agent Q>
4(a) to (c) show an indoor environment preservation system that uses a useful substance as the pollution treatment agent Q.
4(a), the pollution treatment agent supplying device 60 supplies a liquid-phase useful substance 102 as the pollution treatment agent Q, and for example, sprays the useful substance 102 upward as a spray of the pollution treatment agent Q. Here, the useful substance 102 is selected appropriately depending on the pollutant W. For example, when the pollutant W is formaldehyde, a formaldehyde catcher agent is selected as the useful substance 102.
The principle of supplying the useful substance 102 by the pollution treatment agent supply device 60 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 5( a ), to suck up a fixed amount of chemical solution containing the useful substance 102 from a chemical solution bottle 61 containing the chemical solution by a pump unit 63, and periodically spray it from a nozzle 64.
Here, the principle of supplying the useful substance 102 by the pollution treatment agent supply device 60 is not limited to this, and for example, as shown in FIG. 5(b), a method may be adopted in which the air supplied from an air pump 65 is throttled to a predetermined flow rate by a flow rate adjustment valve 66 and a flow meter 67, and is guided to the chemical solution in a chemical solution bottle 61 via a filter 68, and is periodically sprayed from a nozzle 64. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the nozzle 64 may be supported so as to be able to swing via a swing mechanism 69, and the chemical solution may be sprayed in a more diffused state toward the air flow Af circulating in the indoor space R.
In this example, the contamination treatment agent supplying device 60 employs a system for automatically supplying the useful substance 102, but this is not limiting, and a manual contamination treatment agent supplying device 90 may also be used. An example of this type of manual contamination treatment agent supplying device 90 is one in which the chemical solution in a chemical solution bottle 91 is guided via a tube 92 to a manually operable spray nozzle 93, and the spray range of the chemical solution sprayed from the spray nozzle 93 is regulated by a spray area regulating hood 94. When using this example, the user can spray the chemical solution sequentially while moving the spray area regulating hood 94 appropriately to the wall surface of the interior material 20.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4(b), when useful substances 102 serving as pollution treatment agent Q blown out from the pollution treatment agent supply device 60 are supplied to the wall surface of the interior material 20, the useful substances 102 act to render the pollutants W adhering to or impregnating the surface of the interior material 20 harmless by making them odorless, adsorbing, decomposing, or immobilizing them.
In particular, in this embodiment, the chemical solution containing the useful substance 102 is supplied to the wall surface of the interior material 20 in a spray form, which is more effective in detoxifying the contaminant W that penetrates into the interior material 20 than when a useful substance in the gas phase is used.
That is, in the case where a gaseous useful substance (e.g., ozone) is supplied to the surface of the interior material 20, the removal effect is reduced if the contaminant has penetrated deep inside the interior material 20. For example, in a situation where some odor-generating substance has penetrated the interior material 20 in liquid phase, even if the useful substance is supplied in gaseous phase, there is a limit to its penetration. In this regard, if a liquid useful substance 102 is used, it is possible for the useful substance 102 to penetrate deep inside the interior material 20. In particular, in order to efficiently penetrate the liquid useful substance 102, it is preferable to combine it with an "object heating method (corresponding to a bake-out method in which the temperature of the interior space R is increased so as to reduce the amount of moisture inside the interior material 20 in order to improve the absorption rate of the useful substance 102)" or a "pressurization method in which the spray pressure of the useful substance 102 is set high". In addition, when a manual type contamination treatment agent supplying device 90 is used, it is preferable to actively sprinkle or brush the useful substance 102 on the area where the liquid useful substance 102 is insufficient.

In addition, in this example, since useful substances 102 in liquid phase are used, there is a concern that other substances may be dispersed as a result of the decomposition of pollutant W adhering to and impregnating the walls of the interior material 20. However, since such dispersed substances are carried by the air flow Af and return to the air purifier 30, if the purification filter 40 of the air purifier 30 is provided with a function for collecting dispersed substances, these dispersed substances can be collected in the purification filter 40 of the air purifier 30. In addition, when a useful substance in gas phase is used, or the ions (active species) 101 of processing example 1 are used, even if substances are dispersed as a result of the decomposition of pollutant W, the dispersed substances can be collected in the purification filter 40 of the air purifier 30 as described above.

<Restoring the functionality of interior materials, etc.>
In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the interior material 20 has a specified functional layer 22 with an indoor air purification function (e.g., the adsorption and decomposition function of pollutants), but it is inevitable that the performance of the functional layer 22 will deteriorate over time.
In this case, if the pollution treatment agent Q contains a component that is effective in restoring the functional layer 22 of the interior material 20, then by supplying the pollution treatment agent Q to the surface of the interior material 20, in addition to treating the pollutants W, it is possible to periodically restore the performance of the functional layer 22 of the interior material 20.

Embodiment 2
- Overall configuration of indoor environment conservation system -
FIG. 7(a) shows the overall configuration of an indoor environment conservation system according to the second embodiment.
In the figure, the indoor environment conservation system is configured such that an indoor space R is partitioned by interior materials 20, an air purifier (air cleaning device) 30 is installed on a floor located, for example, near a wall within the indoor space R, and a blower 50 is installed, for example, on the floor near a wall opposite the installation position of the air purifier 30, and auxiliary fans 51, 52 are installed on part of the ceiling and wall so that clean air sent out from the air purifier 30 circulates as an airflow Af along the interior materials 20 in the indoor space R, and further a chemical solution supply mechanism 120 (see FIG. 8) is installed that can supply a chemical solution as a pollution treatment agent Q to a part of the cleaning filter 40 in the air purifier 30.
In FIG. 7A, reference numeral 21 denotes a test chip provided in a part of the interior material 20, and reference numeral 70 denotes a pollutant analyzing device, both of which are constructed in substantially the same manner as in the first embodiment.

-Selection and processing of pollution treatment agents-
As described above, when the analysis result of the pollutant W attached to the test chip 21 is obtained by the pollutant analyzing device 70, the pollution treatment agent selecting device 80 selects a pollution treatment agent Q suitable for treating the pollutant W.
In this example, the pollution treatment agent selection device 80 has a database in which pollution treatment agents Q effective for treating various pollutants are pre-registered, and when a user (here, the pollution treatment agent selector) inputs the pollutant W to be treated, effective pollution treatment agents Q are listed from the database, and an appropriate pollution treatment agent Q can be selected from this list.
The pollution treatment agent Q in this example is different from that in the first embodiment in that it is capable of capturing the removed pollutants W (gaseous matter, particulate matter) after removing the pollutants W that have adhered to and permeated the surface of the interior material 20.

--Example of treatment using pollution treatment agent Q--
In this embodiment, the clean air blown out from the air purifier 30 flows along the floor surface toward the blower 50, is caused to rise by the blower 50, and is then carried by the air flow Af that circulates from one side wall surface of the indoor space R along the ceiling surface to the other side wall surface by auxiliary fans 51, 52 installed on the ceiling and side walls of the indoor space R, and is blown out again via the air purifier 30.
That is, in this example, as shown in Fig. 7(b)-(I), the pollutant W adheres to and is impregnated on the surface of the interior material 20, and as shown in Fig. 7(b)-(II), when clean air flows along the surface of the interior material 20 together with the airflow Af, an air concentration gradient is generated at the interface between the surface of the interior material 20 and the airflow Af, which promotes the detachment of the pollutant W adhered to and impregnated on the surface of the interior material 20. As a result, the diffusion rate of the pollutant W adhered to and impregnated on the surface of the interior material 20 increases, and the pollutant W detaches and diffuses from the interior material 20. In this state, as shown in Fig. 7(b)-(III), the diffused pollutant W is carried by the airflow Af back to the air purifier 30 and is captured by the filter member 40 in the air purifier 30 to which the pollution treatment agent Q has been supplied.

-Example of air purifier configuration-
In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 7 (a), the air purifier 30 has a roughly box-shaped clean housing 31, and takes in the airflow Af circulating in the indoor space R from the top of the clean housing 31, purifies the taken-in air with a filter member 40 mounted inside, and then releases the clean air from the side of the clean housing 31.
FIG. 8 shows a schematic representation of the basic configuration of the air purifier 30.
In the same figure, the air purifier 30 has an intake port 32 through which the circulating air flow Af is taken in a part of the clean housing 31, and an exhaust port 33 through which clean air is released at a location away from the intake port 32 of the clean housing 31, and an air flow passage 34 is formed within the clean housing 31 connecting the intake port 32 to the exhaust port 33.
A clean filter 40 made of a plurality of filter substrates (including filter substrates for removing various pollutants present in the indoor space R in this example) is removably disposed within the air flow passage 34 of the cleaner housing 31, and a fan 35 is disposed in the air flow passage 34 on the inlet 33 side of the clean filter 40, so that an air current is formed within the air flow passage 34 from the inlet 32 to the outlet 33. Of course, a heat exchange unit (not shown) for cooling or heating may be mounted midway through the air flow passage 34.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a control device 110 consisting of, for example, a microcomputer is disposed inside the purification housing 31. This control device 110 is provided with a contaminant discrimination sensor 111 that discriminates contaminants present in the indoor space R, and is also linked to and driven by the blower 50 via a communication unit 112 capable of communication. Furthermore, the auxiliary fans 51, 52 are also linked to and driven by the blower 50.
In this example, the control device 110 controls the driving of the fan 35 for normal air purification processing in cooperation with an operation switch (not shown), and also drives the blower 50 and the auxiliary fans 51 and 52 in cooperation with each other via the communication unit 112. Furthermore, when the contaminant discrimination sensor 111 detects a contaminant, the control device 110 controls the chemical supply mechanism 120 (described later) based on the detection signal to selectively supply a chemical as the contamination treatment agent Q suited to the contaminant, starts driving the fan 35 for contaminant treatment, and also drives the blower 50 and the auxiliary fans 51 and 52 in cooperation with each other via the communication unit 112.

<Cleaning filter>
In this example, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the purification filter 40 includes a pre-filter 41, a microorganism removal filter 42, a medium performance filter 43, a gas removal filter 44, and a HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter) 45 arranged in this order from the intake port 32 of the air flow passage 34.
In this embodiment, each of the filters 41 to 45 is detachably attached to the air flow passage 34 .
(1) Pre-filter 41
This is a coarse mesh filter that mainly captures coarse dust particles, and is made of, for example, a metal mesh, metal fiber, or carbon fiber molded into a nonwoven fabric.
(2) Microorganism removal filter 42
This mainly captures microbial particles such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses, but can also capture allergen particles such as pollen, mites, and their feces, which are similar to microbial particles.
(3) Medium performance filter 43
This is a mesh filter with finer mesh than the prefilter 41, and is mainly used to capture medium-sized dust particles, and is made of, for example, a metal mesh, metal fiber, carbon fiber, etc., molded into a nonwoven fabric.
(4) Gas removal filter 44
This is a filter that removes odorous substances and gaseous pollutants such as chemicals, and is constructed using adsorbents such as activated carbon, zeolite, and ceramics that adsorb odorous substances.
(5) HEPA filter 45
This is a mesh filter with even finer mesh than the medium-performance filter 43, and is used to capture, for example, fine activated carbon powder used in the gas removal filter 44, and is formed into a nonwoven fabric using, for example, a metal mesh, metal fiber, or carbon fiber.

<Chemical solution supply mechanism>
In this example, the cleaning filter 40 is equipped with a chemical liquid supply mechanism 120 that can supply a chemical liquid (including deodorants, etc.) as a pollution treatment agent Q corresponding to gaseous pollutants such as microbial particles, odorous substances, and chemical substances (e.g., VOCs: an abbreviation for Volatile Organic Compounds) that are to be removed, for example, to the microorganism removal filter 42 and the gas removal filter 44.
As shown in Figures 8 and 9, this chemical liquid supply mechanism 120 has a deodorant as a chemical liquid corresponding to the removal of odorous substances and chemical substances (for example, a chemical liquid Sa corresponding to ammonia, a chemical liquid Sm corresponding to methyl mercaptan, or a mixed chemical liquid Sx corresponding to a plurality of odorous substances and chemical substances containing these), and a chemical liquid Sw corresponding to the removal of microorganisms such as the influenza virus (for example, a bactericide for killing microorganisms, an antibacterial agent for preventing the growth of microorganisms, etc.).
These liquid medicines are dispensed, for example, into corresponding liquid medicine bottles 121, 122, and a fixed amount of the liquid medicine is sucked up from each of the liquid medicine bottles 121, 122 by a pump (not shown) and sprayed periodically.
In this example, the chemical liquid supply mechanism 120 consists of two elements 120a, 120b. One of the chemical liquid supply mechanisms 120a is an element that supplies a chemical liquid Sw corresponding to, for example, the removal of microorganisms, and the other chemical liquid supply mechanism 120b is an element that supplies, for example, a chemical liquid Sx.
The control device 110 controls the opening and closing of the respective on-off valves 123, 124 so that the chemical solution Sw in one chemical solution supply mechanism 120a is periodically supplied to the microorganism removal filter 42 in response to opening and closing by the on-off valve 123, and the chemical solution Sx in the other chemical solution supply mechanism 120b is periodically supplied to the gas removal filter 44 in response to opening and closing by the on-off valve 124. Of course, the opening and closing control of the on-off valves 123, 124 may simply involve opening and closing, or the degree of opening may be adjusted.

<Function of the cleaning filter>
In the clean filter 40 of this embodiment, assuming that dust A, pollen B, fungi C, bacteria D, viruses E, chemical substances F, and odorous substances G exist as airborne contaminants, dust A is mainly captured by the pre-filter 41, the medium performance filter 43, and the HEPA filter 45, fungi C, bacteria D, and viruses E are mainly captured by the microorganism removal filter 42, and furthermore, chemical substances F and odorous substances G are mainly captured by the gas removal filter 44. It should be noted that pollen B is captured by the microorganism removal filter 42 and the medium performance filter 43.
At this time, in this embodiment, the microorganism removal filter 42 and the gas removal filter 44 are periodically sprayed with the corresponding chemical solutions Sw and Sx, so that the performance of removing odorous substances, chemical substances, and microorganisms is periodically restored.
In this embodiment, the chemical solutions Sw and Sx are sprayed onto the microorganism removal filter 42 and the gas removal filter 44, but this is not limited to this, and the chemical solution may also be sprayed onto dust removal filters such as the medium performance filter 43 as necessary.

In addition, in this embodiment, the filter configuration can be adapted according to the state of contamination in the installation space of the air purifier 30. That is, in this embodiment, it is possible to select a chemical solution depending on the type of contaminants in the installation space of the air purifier 30 and their physical and chemical properties.
For example, in a space where fungi (mold) or bacteria are the main contaminants, a disinfectant, antibacterial agent, or bacteriostatic agent effective against those bacteria may be sprayed onto a dust removal filter such as the microorganism removal filter 42 or the medium performance filter 43. In a space where ammonia is the main contaminant, a chemical solution corresponding to ammonia may be sprayed. Furthermore, in many spaces where there are multiple contaminants to be removed, such as formaldehyde, methyl mercaptan, and hydrogen sulfide, a chemical solution corresponding to each contaminant may be sprayed from each chemical solution bottle, or a mixture of the chemicals may be sprayed.
In a space containing a large amount of allergen particles such as pollen, a chemical liquid for inactivating the allergen particles may be supplied to, for example, the microorganism removal filter 42. In a space containing a large amount of odorous substances such as cigarette smoke, grilled meat, and pet odors, a chemical liquid corresponding to these odorous substances may be supplied.
In this embodiment, since the microorganism removal filter 42 is sprayed with or impregnated with a chemical solution such as a bactericide, antibacterial agent, or bacteriostatic agent, it is preferable that the microorganism removal filter 42 is not altered by these chemical solutions, and it is also preferable that the chemical solutions are not easily volatilized by the airflow of the fan 35. Even if the chemical solution is volatilized and transported, the gas removal filter 44 is installed downstream of the air flow passage 34, so that the chemical solution is effectively prevented from being unnecessarily diffused into the indoor space R.

◎Transformation form 2-1
In this embodiment, an airflow Af containing clean air is blown onto the surface of the interior material 20, thereby actively releasing pollutants W that have adhered to and impregnated the surface of the interior material 20 into the indoor space R, and the released pollutants W are carried by the airflow Af to the cleaning filter 40 of the air purifier 30 and captured. From the viewpoint of further enhancing the dissipation of the pollutants W, as shown in modified form 2-1 in Figures 10(a) and 10(b), a photocatalytic layer 23 is formed in advance by, for example, applying a photocatalytic paint to the surface of the interior material 20, and light (ultraviolet light or visible light) Bm from a lighting fixture 25 in the indoor space R is applied to the photocatalytic layer 23 to generate OH radicals by photocatalytic action, and the pollutants W are removed by the oxidation action of these OH radicals and dissipated directly into the indoor space R, or are converted into carbon dioxide or water and dissipated.
10(a), the same components as those in the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here. In the present modified embodiment 2-1, the photocatalytic layer 23 reacts with the light Bm from the lighting fixture 25 in the interior space R, but it goes without saying that the surface of the interior material 20 may be provided with a function of emitting light.

Third embodiment
FIG. 11 shows a main part of an indoor environment conservation system according to the third embodiment.
In the figure, the indoor environment conservation system is for making an indoor space R, for example used as a sleeping space, comfortable. A built-in air purifier 130 is installed in the indoor space R, and further, a bed 151 serving as an interior item is installed in a portion of the indoor space R away from the air purifier 130, and a humidifier 137, as an example of an environmental device, is installed on a table 152, also serving as an interior item, between the bed 151 and the air purifier 130.
Particularly, in this example, the air intake 161 of the air purifier 130 is provided corresponding to the area below the bed 151 and the table 152, and the air discharge 162 of the air purifier 130 is provided via a duct 163 toward the upper side of one side of the indoor space R. The air purifier 130 is equipped with a cleaning filter similar to the cleaning filter 40 installed in the air purifier 30 of the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, particulate matter W1, viruses W2, pollen W3, mold and bacteria W4, chemical substances W5, dust W6 from the futon, fleas and mites W7 lurking in the futon, odorous substances W8 from the human body, etc. may be present in the indoor space R, and as in the second embodiment, in order to analyze the air quality of the indoor space R, for example, pollutants attached to a test chip (not shown) of the interior material 20 of the indoor space R may be analyzed, and the specifications of the cleaning filter of the air purifier 130 may be selected based on the analysis results.
In this example, an airflow pattern is selected in which the air in the indoor space R circulates without stagnation. In other words, the airflow pattern is selected in which the purified air from the air purifier 130 is discharged as an airflow Af along the ceiling surface from the discharge port 162 that opens upward on one side wall of the indoor space R, then descends along the opposite side wall of the indoor space R, and further circulates along the floor surface of the indoor space R through the space below the bed 151 and the table 152 as a passing area for the airflow Af, and then returns to the inside of the air purifier 130 through the intake port 161 of the air purifier 130. As the operating conditions of the humidifier 137, it is preferable to select the operating time and intensity specifications of the humidifier 137 taking into consideration the humidity conditions of the sleeping space.
In such a situation, pollutants W in the indoor space R are carried by the airflow Af of the purified air from the air purifier 130 and captured by the purification filter 40 of the air purifier 130, thereby maintaining a comfortable indoor environment as a sleeping space.
Furthermore, in this example, it is possible to incorporate an active ingredient cartridge 165 containing active ingredients (moisture, high-concentration oxygen, aroma, enzymes, etc.) that are considered to be good for human health into a part of the duct 163, and to disperse the active ingredients into the indoor space R. In this way, the useful ingredients can be selected according to the constitution and needs of the user, and commercially available small oxygen cylinders, plant essential oils (eucalyptus, phytoncides, etc.) can be applied, and the active ingredients act on the respiratory system, skin, etc., and the ingredients that are effective for the health of the human body can be efficiently supplied locally via the airflow Af. For example, it is effective in preventing dryness in winter, rough skin, sore throat, colds, influenza, and coronavirus infections.

Fourth embodiment
FIG. 12 shows a main part of an indoor environment conservation system according to the fourth embodiment.
In the same figure, the indoor environment conservation system is an example that makes it possible to conduct health checks in an indoor space R where a specific person M is staying, such as a personal workroom, to determine whether or not the person M is suffering from a specified disease.
In this example, the air purifier 130 is an embedded type air purifier that is embedded in advance into the indoor space R, similarly to embodiment 3. An air intake port 161 of the air purifier 130 is provided facing a partition wall 160 that separates the indoor space R from the air purifier 130, while an outlet port 162 is provided for discharging purified air from the air purifier 130 from above the partition wall 160 via a duct 163 into the indoor space R. An air flow passage 164 within the air purifier 130 is equipped with a purification filter 40, a fan 35, and a heat exchange unit 36 similar to those in embodiment 2.
In particular, in this example, an analytical cartridge 171 for capturing particulate matter Wr is removably installed on a part of the filter material of the microorganism removal filter 42 or the medium-performance filter 43 of the purification filter 40, and an analytical cartridge 172 for capturing gaseous matter including disease-specific gaseous matter Ws is removably installed on a part of the gas removal filter 44 which functions as a deodorizing filter.

In this embodiment, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the installation of each analytical cartridge 171, 172, as shown in Figure 12 (b), the analytical cartridge 171 is removed from the microorganism removal filter 42 or the medium-performance filter 43, and the analytical cartridge 172 is removed from the gas removal filter 44, and the particulate matter Wr and gaseous matter Ws captured in each analytical cartridge 171, 172 are analyzed using a known analytical method to diagnose the pollutants contained in the air quality of the indoor space R.
At this time, the air quality diagnosis results are used to identify pollutants in the indoor space R and determine the specifications of the purification filter 40 that will capture them in order to preserve the indoor environment of the indoor space R. For example, if a large amount of disease-specific gaseous substance Ws is captured, it will be determined that a person M staying in the indoor space R is suffering from a specific disease, and this makes it possible to also conduct a health check using biometric information.
Furthermore, in this example, it is also possible to incorporate an active ingredient cartridge 165 containing active ingredients (water, high-concentration oxygen, aroma, etc.) that are considered to be beneficial to human health into a part of the duct 163, and to disperse the active ingredients into the indoor space R.

Fifth embodiment
FIG. 13 shows a main part of an indoor environment conservation system according to the fifth embodiment.
In the figure, the indoor environment conservation system is configured such that a plurality of environmental devices, such as an air purifier 131, an air conditioner (air conditioner/air conditioning device) 132, a cleaning robot 133, and a pollution treatment agent supply device 134, are installed in the same indoor space R.
The pollution treatment agent supplying device 134 referred to here may be, for example, a device that supplies a liquid or gaseous pollution treatment agent that has the properties of retaining or decomposing pollutants in order to prevent the diffusion of pollutants that have adhered to or impregnated the surfaces or interior parts of interior materials or interior goods.
In general, when multiple pieces of environmental equipment are present in the same indoor space R, it is extremely difficult to determine how each piece of environmental equipment (air purifier 131 to pollution treatment agent supply device 134) should be operated.
Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to preserve the environment of the indoor space R, the environment of the indoor space R is monitored to control the operating conditions of each environmental device.

Specifically, the installation positions and operating conditions of the air purifier 131 and air conditioner 132, which are environmental devices that greatly affect the generation of the air flow Af, are selected so as to generate an air flow Af that circulates in the indoor space R, and further, for the mobile cleaning robot 133, the cleaning path and cleaning time are predicted taking into account the pattern of the generated air flow Af, and for the pollution treatment agent supply device 134, the type, supply amount, supply timing, etc. of the pollution treatment agent are predicted, and further, between each environmental device (air purifier 131 to pollution treatment agent supply device 134), Bluetooth (registered trademark) etc. are used. The communication means are used to enable mutual communication, and for example, the air purifier 131 is automatically turned on and off based on detection information from a dirt sensor 141 mounted on the air purifier 131, and each environmental device is operated in conjunction with the start of operation of the air purifier 131, or the air conditioner 132 is automatically turned on and off based on detection information from an environmental sensor 142 mounted on the air conditioner 132, and each environmental device is operated in conjunction with the start of operation of the air conditioner 132, thereby realizing indoor environmental conservation through energy conservation. Note that the cleaning robot 133 may be equipped with a dust sensor 143 and a microorganism sensor 144, and the cleaning robot 133 may be automatically turned on and off based on detection information from these, and each environmental device may be operated in conjunction with the start of operation of the cleaning robot 133.

Sixth embodiment
FIG. 14(a) shows a main part of an indoor environment conservation system according to the sixth embodiment.
In general, for example, when caring for a bedridden patient for a long period of time, or when a body is left unattended for a long period of time due to circumstances such as a solitary death, it is not rare that a foul odor such as the smell of night soil or the smell of a corpse fills the indoor space R. The indoor environment conservation system according to this embodiment represents an effective mode for reducing the indoor concentration of foul odors in such indoor space R.
In the indoor space R shown in FIG. 14(a), reference numeral 131 denotes an air purifier installed on the floor surface near one side wall of the indoor space R, and the cleaning filter 40 mounted on the air purifier 131 is equipped with a gas removal filter for deodorization. Reference numeral 132 denotes an air conditioner installed at a location facing the ceiling surface of the side wall located on the opposite side of the installation location of the air purifier 131 in the indoor space R, and an air flow Af circulating in the indoor space R is generated by the air purifier 131 and the air conditioner 132. A useful substance supplying device 135 for deodorizing the above-mentioned bad odors such as human urine odor and corpse odor is installed in a part of the circulation path of the air flow Af, and the useful substance sprayed out from the useful substance supplying device 135 is supplied to the surface of the interior material 20 of the indoor space R on the air flow Af. Here, useful substances useful for human urine odor and corpse odor include citric acid water, chlorine dioxide water, ozone water, hydrogen peroxide water, etc.

14(b), to preserve the indoor environment, an air purifier 131 is started and an air conditioner 132 is set to a high temperature and operated to bake out the surface portion of the interior material 20 that has been permeated with malodorous components such as sewage or corpse odors, thereby dissipating the odorous substances and improving the absorption rate of useful substances by reducing the moisture content of the interior material 20, after which useful substances are sprayed from a useful substance supply device 135 and supplied to the surface of the interior material 20. At this time, it is preferable to supply a sufficient amount of useful substances by brushing, etc., particularly to the surface of the interior material 20 that has been permeated with malodorous components.
In this state, if the bake-out process is carried out again by the air conditioner 132, some of the odorous substances that have adhered to and impregnated the surface of the interior material 20 will react with the useful substances supplied and be deodorized, and the odorous components that have been diffused into the indoor space R by the two bake-out processes will be carried by the air flow Af and captured by the cleaning filter 40 of the air purifier 131.
In this state, the deodorization level of the indoor space R is checked using a deodorization confirmation sensor not shown, and if the deodorization level is below a predetermined threshold value, it is judged to be at an acceptable (OK) level. Conversely, if the deodorization level has not reached the acceptable level, the supply of useful substances, brush application work, and even bake-out processing are repeated until the deodorization level reaches the acceptable level.
Then, when the deodorization level of the indoor space R reaches an acceptable level, the operation of the air purifier 131 is stopped, and the process of preserving the indoor environment is completed.

Seventh embodiment
FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an indoor environment design process performed by the indoor environment conservation system according to the seventh embodiment.
The indoor environment preservation system according to the present embodiment is an embodiment in which preservation of the indoor environment is taken into consideration when designing the indoor environment in advance.
15, reference numeral 200 denotes an indoor environment design device for designing an indoor environment in advance, which is composed of a microcomputer having a control unit 201 and a storage unit 202, in which an indoor environment design application 203 is pre-installed and selectable design elements of the indoor environment are pre-prepared as a database 204. In this example, the database (DB) 204 includes an environmental equipment DB-C that lists various environmental equipment (air purifier, air conditioner, cleaning robot, useful substance supply device, blower, humidifier, dehumidifier, etc.) to be installed in the indoor space, an interior material DB-A that lists various interior materials (building materials, floor materials, surface finishing materials, etc.) that constitute the indoor space, and an interior goods DB-B that lists various interior goods (tables, beds, etc.) to be installed in the indoor space. In addition, in the Environmental Equipment DB-C, it is possible to search for examples of combinations of the performance of environmental equipment and the filter components of cleaning filters, while in the Interior Materials DB-A, it is possible to search for data on the materials and appearance of interior materials as well as data on pollutants that adhere to or permeate them, and furthermore in the Interior Goods DB-B, it is possible to search for data on the materials and appearance as well as data on pollutants that adhere to or permeate them.

In this embodiment, a user who uses the indoor environment design device 200 first performs an indoor environment design model creation process. This indoor environment design model creation process creates an indoor environment design model by operating an operation unit (keyboard, etc.) not shown in the figure of the indoor environment design device 200, displays the indoor environment design model on the display screen 205, and enables the user to appropriately select environmental equipment, interior materials, and interior products from the environmental equipment DB-C, interior material DB-A, and interior product DB-B of the database 204, and appropriately arrange the selected environmental equipment, interior materials, and interior products in the indoor space to be designed.
In this case, when the indoor environment design model is created, as shown in Fig. 15, the indoor space will be in a state where pollutant (e.g., chemical substances such as VOC) sources and removal products are mixed. For this reason, in this example, the indoor environment design application is provided with an analysis processing function for the pollutant sources and removal products, and the amount of pollutant generated from the pollutant sources, the pollutant removal performance of the removal products, the amount of ventilation required for the indoor space, and the functional layer characteristics of the interior materials are extracted, and then the change in the pollutant concentration after the pollution control measures is predicted to predict the countermeasure effect in order to evaluate the selection process of the pollution control measures for the pollutant sources among the selected items. The prediction of the countermeasure effect here means, for example, that the use of countermeasure building materials and an air purifier as interior materials reduces the concentration of formaldehyde as a pollutant to about 1/3 compared to the use of general building materials and an air purifier as interior materials.
The user then determines whether the predicted results of the countermeasures are the target indoor environment, and if it is determined that they are the target indoor environment, decides on the created indoor environmental design model. If it is determined that they are not the target indoor environment, the user creates an indoor environmental design model again, analyzes the pollutant sources and removal products, predicts changes in pollutant concentrations after the pollution countermeasures are implemented, and predicts the effectiveness of the countermeasures, and decides on the indoor environmental design model when the target indoor environment is reached.

Example 1
This example embodies the sixth embodiment, and focuses on the phenomenon of indoor air pollution caused by odorous substances originating from the human body, and in particular, clarifies the actual state of odorous substance pollution in homes and examines measures to combat this pollution.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16(a), the measurement target was an apartment building (3 rooms) where bodies had been left behind due to circumstances such as solitary deaths and where a foul odor was perceived indoors, and the odorous substances were identified and their concentration levels were obtained.
The building materials used in the room were sampled appropriately, and the amount of each building material was determined using the JIS standard small chamber test method. The substances to be measured were 74 substances, including VOCs (48 substances), aldehydes (15 substances), ammonia, acetic acid, formic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, isovaleric acid, trimethylamine, and sulfur compounds (methyl mercaptan, hydrogen sulfide, methyl sulfide, methyl disulfide).

The results are shown in Figure 16(b).
According to the figure, the following results were obtained:
(1) Among the odorous pollutants detected were aldehydes and fatty acids.
(2) Chamber tests were used to determine the amount of chemical substances emitted from tatami mats and wallpaper taken from the test rooms. The tatami mats emitted odorous substances identical to indoor air pollutants, providing chemical information that could be used to identify odorous substances emitted from the corpses.
(3) By applying a heating operation (bake-out) to the odorant source, the causative substance could be effectively identified. In addition, it was confirmed that the amount of odorant emitted from the odorant source increased due to the bake-out, and it was found that adopting measures to remove this (e.g., air purification treatment using an air purifier) would be effective in reducing the amount of odorant emitted from the odorant source.
(4) The amount of odorous substances adsorbed from the source (tatami mats) to the wallpaper (vinyl cloth) was small.
In this way, the present embodiment aims to quickly resolve the odor pollution problem in residential properties where there has been an incident (for example, a property where a body has been left behind due to circumstances such as a solitary death, resulting in a foul odor being perceived indoors), and it was confirmed that the use of bake-out and air purifiers is effective in quickly eliminating odor generation.

1...Interior material, 2...Interior goods, 3...Recognition means, 4...Reduction means, 5...Chemicals, 6...Airflow, 7...Airflow supply section, 8...Recovery section, R...Indoor space, W...Contaminant

Claims (9)

A recognition means for recognizing contaminants adhering to or impregnating the surface or inside of interior materials or interior goods in an indoor space, or contaminants diffusing from said surface;
A reduction means for reducing the diffusion of the contaminant recognized by the recognition means into an indoor space;
Equipped with
The reduction means includes a supply means for periodically or irregularly supplying a contamination treatment agent having a property that the contamination is retained on the surface or inside of the interior material or interior product;
a recovery means for recovering the dispersed other substances when the pollutants are decomposed and dispersed as the pollution treatment agent is supplied;
An indoor environment conservation system comprising: A recognition means for recognizing contaminants adhering to or impregnating the surface or inside of interior materials or interior goods in an indoor space, or contaminants diffusing from said surface;
A reduction means for reducing the diffusion of the contaminant recognized by the recognition means into an indoor space;
Equipped with
The reduction means periodically or irregularly supplies a pollution treatment agent having a property of decomposing the pollutants to the surface or inside of the interior material or interior product,
When the stain treatment agent is in a liquid phase, the indoor environment preservation system is characterized in that the temperature of the indoor space is raised so as to reduce the internal moisture content of the interior material or interior item before the stain treatment agent is supplied. 2. The indoor climate control system according to claim 1,
An indoor environment conservation system characterized in that the reduction means supplies the pollution treatment agent on the air current circulating along the side wall surfaces, ceiling surface and floor surface of the indoor space, and collects the other substances that have been dispersed. A recognition means for recognizing contaminants adhering to or impregnating the surface or inside of interior materials or interior goods in an indoor space, or contaminants diffusing from said surface;
A reduction means for reducing the diffusion of the contaminant recognized by the recognition means into an indoor space;
an indoor environment design tool capable of designing an indoor environment by combining interior materials, interior goods, and environmental equipment to be installed in the indoor space when the interior materials, interior goods, and environmental equipment are selected from a predetermined range;
The indoor environment preservation system is characterized in that the indoor environment design tool has a function of predicting the degree to which the reduction effect of the reduction means is reflected in the designed indoor environment. A recognition means for recognizing contaminants adhering to or impregnating the surface or inside of interior materials or interior goods in an indoor space, or contaminants diffusing from said surface;
A reduction means for reducing the diffusion of the contaminant recognized by the recognition means into an indoor space;
Equipped with
The interior material or interior product has a functional layer on its surface that purifies an indoor space,
The reduction means periodically or irregularly supplies a pollution treatment agent having properties that cause the pollutants to remain on or inside the interior material or interior product, or that decompose the pollutants,
An indoor environment preservation system, characterized in that the pollution treatment agent supplied to the surface or inside of the interior material or interior item contains a useful substance capable of improving the surface functionality of the interior material or interior item. A recognition means for recognizing contaminants adhering to or impregnating the surface or inside of interior materials or interior goods in an indoor space, or contaminants diffusing from said surface;
A reduction means for reducing the diffusion of the contaminant recognized by the recognition means into an indoor space;
Equipped with
The interior material or interior product has a functional layer on its surface that purifies an indoor space,
The reduction means periodically or irregularly supplies a pollution treatment agent having properties that cause the pollutants to remain on or inside the interior material or interior product, or that decompose the pollutants,
Furthermore, the airflow is supplied to the surface of the interior material or the interior product periodically or irregularly ,
An indoor environment preservation system, characterized in that the airflow contains a useful substance capable of improving the surface functionality of the interior material or interior goods. 7. The indoor environment protection system according to claim 1,
The indoor environment conservation system is characterized in that the recognition means recognizes, in addition to the pollutants, biogases of a person staying in the indoor space that adhere to or permeate the surface or inside of the interior materials or interior goods. The indoor environment protection system according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The indoor environment conservation system is characterized in that the recognition means has a detachable test chip attached to a part of the surface or inside of the interior material or interior item, and by removing the test chip periodically or irregularly, the substance captured on the test chip is used as the subject of analysis. 9. The indoor environment protection system according to claim 1,
The indoor environment conservation system is characterized in that the reduction means is incorporated in advance into an air purifying device or a part of other environmental equipment.

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