JP7636922B2 - Sound Masking Structure - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a sound masking structure.

Sound masking technology has been proposed to prevent sound from being overheard. Sound masking is a technology in which, when two types of sound are propagated in the same space, one sound (noise sound) is drowned out by the other sound (masking sound), making the noise sound harder to hear.

JP 2010-31501 A (Patent Document 1) discloses a so-called ceiling-concealed sound masking system in which a sound masking source is placed inside a double ceiling in a room, facing the ceiling above, and masking sound is emitted from the sound source.

JP 2010-31501 A

The sound masking equipment in Patent Document 1 has sound masking sources placed inside a double ceiling, making the equipment large-scale.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a sound masking structure that has a simple configuration and can effectively reduce the audibility of sounds and conversations in adjacent rooms.

A sound masking structure according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first chamber, a partition wall provided between the first chamber and an adjacent second chamber, and a ventilation fan provided in the partition wall that generates an air flow from the first chamber to the second chamber to ventilate the first chamber, and masks the ventilation noise generated by the ventilation fan by covering it with the sound leaking from the first chamber to the second chamber.

Preferably, the ventilation noise is 5 dB to 10 dB louder than the noise leaking from the first room to the second room.

Preferably, the ventilation fan includes a blade portion, an air intake port that takes in air from the first chamber, and an exhaust port that exhausts the air taken in from the air intake port, the air intake port facing the first chamber, and the exhaust port facing the second chamber.

Preferably, the exhaust port is located at a position between 1500 mm and 1650 mm from the floor surface of the first chamber.

Preferably, the air intake is located near the floor of the first chamber.

Preferably, the exhaust outlet is positioned toward the ceiling of the second chamber.

Preferably, the partition wall includes a main body portion extending vertically and a transom provided between the ceiling of the first room and the main body portion.

Preferably, the ceiling and walls of the first room are fitted with sound absorbing material.

The sound masking structure of the present invention has a simple structure and can effectively prevent sounds and conversations from being heard in adjacent rooms.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an area of a building provided with a sound masking structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an area of a building provided with a sound masking structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an area of a conventional office.

The embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are given the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated.

＜About the overview＞
First, prior to describing the sound masking structure according to the present embodiment, the layout of a typical office space will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the office space is divided into areas according to purpose. The office space is divided into a private room 11 used by one person for web conferences, for example, a work room 13 used by multiple people mainly for meetings and consultations, and a corridor room 12 that serves as a passageway connecting each room. The corridor room 12 is provided between the private room 11 and the work room 13, and is adjacent to both the private room 11 and the work room 13. The private room 11, the work room 13, and the corridor room 12 are located under the same ceiling 14 and on the same floor surface 15.

The private room 11 is separated by, for example, a wall 16 and a partition wall 20. This partition wall 20 is a partition wall between the private room 11 and the corridor room 12, and includes a main body 21 extending upward from the floor surface 15, and a transom 22 provided between the main body 21 and the ceiling 14. This makes the private room 11 semi-closed, and there is a risk that sounds from the private room 11 will leak from the transom 22 into the corridor room 12, compromising the speech privacy of users of the private room 11. The partition wall 20 may be provided with a door (not shown) to the private room 11.

A partition 50 is provided between the office 13 and the corridor room 12. This partition 50 rises from the floor surface 15 to the ceiling 14. This makes the office 13 a closed type, and there is no risk of sound from the office 13 leaking into the corridor room 12. This partition 50 may be provided with a door (not shown) to the office 13.

In order to improve sound leakage from such private rooms 11 to the corridor room 12, in this embodiment, a sound masking structure 2 is provided to prevent sounds and conversations in adjacent rooms from being heard. The sound masking structure 2 is described in detail below.

<First embodiment>
A sound masking structure 2 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The sound masking structure 2 according to the first embodiment is typically installed in an office space, but may also be installed in a space where two or more users regularly spend time, such as a house, an apartment building, or a commercial facility.

The basic configuration of the office space in which the sound masking structure 2 of this embodiment is installed is similar to the layout of a typical office space. The office space is partitioned into private rooms 11 for holding web conferences, for example, an office room 13 for mainly holding meetings and conferences, and a corridor room 12 that serves as a passageway connecting each room.

The corridor room 12 is divided by a partition wall 20 (described later) and a partition plate 50 of the office room 13. An air conditioner 17 and a vent 18 are provided in the ceiling 14 of the corridor room 12. The air conditioner 17 adjusts the temperature of the air in the office space. The air conditioner 17 is preferably a ceiling-embedded type, for example. The vent 18 is for ventilating the air in the corridor room 12. The masking target area M of the sound masking structure 2 in this embodiment is the corridor room 12, and is indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 1.

In this embodiment, the first room is a private room 11, but it may be any partitioned space within a building, such as a booth. The first room is preferably a space where users stay for a certain period of time or where sound-emitting machines such as a television or radio are located.

In addition, in this embodiment, the second room is a corridor room 12, but it may be any space adjacent to the first room through which sound leaks from the first room. The second room is preferably a space through which users pass or where users stay for a certain period of time. It is preferable that the second room is other than the ceiling space.

It should be noted that at least one of the first and second rooms needs to be separated, and this also applies to cases where there are two sections separated by a partition or other dividing board on one floor. In other words, both the first and second rooms may be rooms with the same purpose, such as a private room or an office.

The sound masking structure 2 in this embodiment comprises a partition wall 20, a ventilation fan 30, and sound absorbing material 40.

The partition wall 20 is provided between the private room 11 and the corridor room 12 adjacent to the private room 11. The partition wall 20 includes a main body 21 that extends vertically, and a transom 22 provided between the main body 21 and the ceiling 14. The transom 22 is an opening that allows air to circulate between the private room 11 and the corridor room 12. By providing the transom 22, the private room 11 becomes a semi-closed space, and there is a high possibility that sound from the private room 11 will leak into the corridor room 12.

The ventilation fan 30 is provided in the main body 21 of the partition wall 20 and ventilates the private room 11. The ventilation sound generated by the ventilation fan 30 can also be used as a masking sound to cover and mask the sound leaking from the private room 11 to the corridor room 12.

The ventilation fan 30 includes a blade (propeller) 31, an air inlet 32 that takes in air from the first room, and an exhaust port 33 that exhausts the air taken in from the air inlet 32. Specifically, the air inlet 32 faces the private room 11, and the exhaust port 33 faces the corridor room 12. This allows the ventilation fan 30 to generate an air flow from the private room 11 to the corridor room 12. The ventilation fan 30 is preferably a third type of ventilation, in which only the exhaust is forced using the propeller 31 and the intake is naturally performed from the air inlet. Therefore, the propeller 31 is preferably provided near the exhaust port 33. The ventilation fan 30 may be a first type of ventilation, in which both the intake and exhaust are mechanically ventilated, or a second type of ventilation, in which only the intake is mechanically ventilated.

The air intake 32 is provided near the floor surface 15. Specifically, the air intake 32 is preferably provided at a position 5000 mm or less from the floor surface 15. As described above, the transom 22 is provided above the partition wall 20, so that conditioned air from the air conditioner 17 provided in the corridor room 12 can be efficiently taken into and circulated in the private room 11.

It is preferable that the height H of the lower end of the exhaust port 33 is set at a position between 1500 mm and 1650 mm above the floor surface 15. This allows the height of the exhaust port 33 from which the airflow is discharged to be set at approximately the height of the ears of people passing through the corridor room 12, making it possible to reduce sound pressure and provide masking.

A sound-absorbing material 40 is attached to the private room 11. Specifically, the sound-absorbing material 40 includes a first sound-absorbing material 41 attached to the wall 16 and a second sound-absorbing material 42 attached to the ceiling 14 of the private room 11. It is preferable that the first sound-absorbing material 41 is attached to the entire surface of the wall 16, and the second sound-absorbing material 42 is attached to the entire surface of the ceiling 14 of the private room 11. As shown in FIG. 1, a user of the private room 11 sits facing the wall 16. When a user speaks while sitting in a chair, the user speaks toward the wall 16, and therefore the first sound-absorbing material 41 attached to the wall 16 can efficiently absorb sound.

The ventilation noise of the ventilation fan 30 is louder than the noise leaking from the private room 11 to the corridor room 12, and specifically, it is preferable that the ventilation noise is 5 dB to 10 dB louder than the noise leaking from the private room 11 to the corridor room 12.

The private room 11 generates sounds such as conversations and televisions, and so the noise level is, for example, 65 dB. In contrast, the corridor room 12 is a passageway and does not generate any conversations, so the noise level is, for example, 45 dB. In this state, the sound from the private room 11 is louder than the sound from the corridor room 12, so the sound from the private room 11 leaks out into the corridor room 12.

In this embodiment, since the private room 11 is provided with a sound absorbing material 40, the sound in the private room 11 is absorbed by the sound absorbing material 40 and reduced from 65 dB to 45 dB. Furthermore, the sound of the ventilation fan 30 is made 5 dB to 10 dB louder than the sound in the private room 11, specifically, the ventilation sound of the ventilation fan 30 is made 50 dB to 55 dB and masked over the sound in the private room 11. As a result, the sound in the private room 11 is 45 dB, and the sound (masking sound) of the ventilation fan 30 is 50 dB to 55 dB and louder than the sound in the private room 11, so that the sound in the private room 11 is masked by the ventilation sound of the ventilation fan 30, making it difficult to hear the sound leaking from the private room 11 to the corridor room 12, and therefore the sound from the private room 11 can be suppressed from leaking into the corridor room 12.

<Embodiment 2>
2 is a schematic diagram showing a sound masking structure 2A according to a second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment differs from the above embodiment in the structure of a ventilation fan 30A.

The exhaust port 33A of the ventilation fan 30A is arranged facing the ceiling 14. As a result, the airflow from the exhaust port 33A hits the ceiling 14 and is reflected downward, reaching the office 13A. It is preferable that the angle of incidence of the airflow from the exhaust port 33A to the ceiling 14 is less than 45 degrees. In this way, by reflecting the airflow on the ceiling 14, it is possible to expand the masking range. Note that in this embodiment, it is preferable not to provide sound absorbing material on the ceiling 14 of the corridor 12A where the ventilation sound is reflected.

In this embodiment, the office 13A is an open-air space, and no partition is provided between it and the corridor 12A. The corridor 12A in this embodiment is not separated from the office 13 as in the corridor room 12 in embodiment 1, and constitutes part of the office 13A. For convenience, however, the boundary between the office 13A and the corridor 12A is shown by a dashed line. An air conditioner 17 and a ventilation opening 18 are provided in the ceiling 14 of the office 13A. The masking target area M of the sound masking structure 2 in this embodiment is the office 13, and is shown by a dashed line in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, the first room is the private room 11, and the second room is the office 13A including the corridor 12A.

It is also preferable to install a level meter 60 that measures dB in the private room 11 and adjust the volume of conversation between users in the private room 11 so that it is not louder than necessary. In this case, it is preferable to adjust the volume in the private room 11 so that the measurement value of the level meter 60 is 60 dB or less. Since the private room 11 is provided with sound absorbing material 40, the sound from the private room 11 is reduced by about 20 dB, to about 40 dB. In other words, by adjusting the sound in the private room 11 with the level meter 60, it is possible to prevent sound leakage from the private room 11 even if the ventilation sound of the ventilation fan 30 is reduced.

In the above embodiment, the partition wall 20 is described as having a transom 22, but it may be anything that separates the first room from the second room. For example, the partition wall 20 may be a partition that is open at the bottom or in the vertical center, or it may be a wall that extends from the floor 15 to the ceiling 14 and has no openings. Sound leakage from the first room includes not only openings in the partition wall 20, but also sound leakage from the partition wall 20 itself.

In the above embodiment, the sound masking structure 2, 2A has the first sound absorbing material 41 on the wall 16 and the second sound absorbing material 42 on the ceiling 14, but sound absorbing material does not have to be provided. Even if sound absorbing material is provided, it may be provided only in a part of the wall.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. Various modifications and variations can be made to the illustrated embodiment within the same scope as the present invention or within an equivalent scope.

2, 2A sound masking structure, 11 private room, 12, 12A corridor, 13, 13A office, 14 ceiling, 15 floor, 20 partition wall, 21 main body, 22 transom, 30, 30A ventilation fan, 31 blade, 32 air intake, 33, 33A exhaust, 40 sound absorbing material.

Claims (6)

a partition wall provided between a first chamber and a second chamber adjacent to the first chamber;
a ventilation fan provided on the partition wall and generating an air flow from the first chamber to the second chamber to ventilate the first chamber,
The ventilation fan is provided on the partition wall, and includes an air intake port that takes in air from the first chamber and faces the first chamber, an exhaust port that discharges the air taken in from the air intake port and faces the second chamber, and an air flow path that is provided along the partition wall and generates an air flow from the air intake port to the exhaust port,
The exhaust port is provided at a position equal to or greater than 1500 mm and equal to or less than 1650 mm from a floor surface of the first chamber,
The air supply port is provided near a floor surface of the first chamber,
A sound masking structure that masks the ventilation noise generated from the ventilation fan by covering it with the sound leaking from the first room to the second room. 2. The sound masking structure of claim 1, wherein the ventilation noise is between 50 dB and 55 dB and between 5 dB and 10 dB louder than the sound leaking from the first chamber to the second chamber. The sound masking structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ventilation fan further includes a blade portion provided in the vicinity of the exhaust port . The sound masking structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the exhaust outlet is arranged toward a ceiling of the second room. The sound masking structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the partition wall includes a main body portion extending vertically, and a transom provided between the ceiling of the first room and the main body portion. The sound masking structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein a ceiling and a wall of the first room are fitted with sound absorbing material.

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