JP7687909B2 - Air conditioning systems and indoor facilities - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioning system that reduces the risk of airborne infection in indoor facilities, and to the indoor facilities.

In recent years, there have been outbreaks of infectious diseases caused by the novel coronavirus, raising concerns about the spread of infection through droplet and airborne infection in indoor facilities. However, stopping the use of all indoor facilities or limiting the number of visitors from the perspective of preventing infectious diseases would lead to a stagnation of socio-economic activity, so it is more realistic to shift to a lifestyle that maintains socio-economic activity while recognizing the existence of infectious diseases and taking measures against them.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-247709

Patent Document 1 describes a facility with multiple seats arranged on a stepped floor, where air is blown from the steps in the floor and guided to the backrests of the seats to generate an upward airflow. The air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1 makes no mention of preventing the spread of infection between the air in the seat area and adjacent seats, and there is a risk that the air in the area of the seat where an infected person is sitting will get into other areas of the adjacent seats, causing airborne infection.

The present invention aims to provide an air conditioning system and an indoor facility that can reduce the risk of the spread of airborne infectious diseases in indoor facilities.

To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides an air conditioning system that reduces the spread of infectious diseases, characterized in that it is provided between adjacent seats indoors and has an air outlet that blows conditioned air and generates an updraft between the adjacent seats so that the air in each area of the adjacent seats does not mix with each other.

According to the present invention, by generating an updraft between adjacent seats so that the air in each area of the adjacent seats does not mix with the air in the adjacent seats, even if an infected person is sitting in that seat, the person sitting in the adjacent seat can be prevented from inhaling droplet nuclei or dust generated by the infected person, thereby reducing the risk of airborne infection.

The present invention may also be configured such that the seats are provided on a stepped floor, the air outlet is provided on a step surface of the stepped floor that is above the floor surface, and the conditioned air is blown onto the backrest of the seat provided on the floor surface, guiding the air current along the backrest and the back and back of the head of a person seated in the seat, thereby generating the updraft.

According to the present invention, an air outlet is provided at a step in a stepped floor, and the air blown out is guided to the backrest of the adjacent seat in front, thereby generating an updraft between adjacent seats with a simple structure. According to the present invention, the air outlet guides the airflow using the back and back of the head of the person sitting in the seat, thereby drawing the air around the seat upward and generating an updraft, preventing the person sitting in the adjacent seat from inhaling droplet nuclei and dust generated by an infected person and reducing the risk of airborne infection. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the effect of air conditioning on the person sitting in the adjacent seat can be increased by guiding the airflow to the back and back of the head of the person sitting in the adjacent seat.

In addition, the present invention may be such that the stepped floor is constructed from a first block having a flat plate portion aligned in the horizontal direction and an upright portion standing upward from the flat plate portion, and a second block, and the stepped floor is formed by placing the tip of the flat plate portion of the second block on the upper end of the upright portion of the first block so that it protrudes horizontally.

According to the present invention, a stepped floor can be constructed by stacking blocks formed into an L-shaped cross section, simplifying the structure and significantly shortening the construction period.

The air outlet of the present invention may be provided on the stepped surface that is formed by hanging down from the tip of the flat plate portion of the second block to the flat plate portion of the first block.

According to the present invention, by providing an air outlet in a space formed by stacking blocks formed in an L-shaped cross section, it is possible to effectively utilize the space and simplify the configuration.

The air outlet of the present invention may also be arranged so as to be detachable from the step surface.

According to the present invention, the air outlet can be removed and easily cleaned. Therefore, fresh conditioned air can be supplied to the desired area from the air outlet.

The air outlet of the present invention may also have a cylindrical supply section that is provided on the front surface of the stepped surface and has openings at the top and bottom.

According to the present invention, the supply section can be easily cleaned even when the air outlet is attached to a stepped surface. Therefore, fresh conditioned air can be supplied to a desired area from the air outlet.

The present invention is also an indoor facility that reduces the spread of infectious diseases, characterized by comprising adjacent seats indoors, and an air outlet provided between the adjacent seats that blows conditioned air and generates an updraft between the adjacent seats to prevent the air in each seat area from mixing with each other.

According to the present invention, by generating an updraft between adjacent seats in an indoor facility so that the air in each area of adjacent seats does not mix with each other, even if an infected person is sitting in a seat, a person sitting in an adjacent seat can be prevented from inhaling droplet nuclei or dust generated by the infected person, thereby reducing the risk of airborne infection indoors.

The present invention can reduce the risk of the spread of airborne infectious diseases in indoor facilities.

FIG. 1 illustrates airflow in seats in an indoor venue. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which an updraft is generated in a seat. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of an indoor facility according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of an air conditioning system. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an air conditioning system provided with an auxiliary air outlet. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an air conditioning system provided with an auxiliary fan. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a specific example of an air conditioning system. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the specific example of FIG. 7. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of an air outlet. FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the air outlet of FIG. 9 in an installed state. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another example of the air outlet. FIG. 12 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the air outlet of FIG. 11 in an installed state.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an air conditioning system and an indoor facility according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For example, it is believed that infections caused by viruses or bacteria can occur through droplet infection, airborne infection, etc. Droplet infection occurs when droplets containing infectious pathogens of 5 μm or more that are generated by an infected person become airborne and are then inhaled by other people.

Airborne infection occurs when droplets emitted by an infected person dry to droplet nuclei smaller than 5 μm that contain infectious pathogens, or dust containing infectious pathogens, become airborne and other people inhale the droplet nuclei or dust. The air conditioning system and indoor facility of the embodiment are intended to reduce the spread of infectious diseases that are airborne.

Airborne infection occurs when droplet nuclei smaller than 5 μm in size that contain infectious pathogens, or dust containing infectious pathogens, become airborne. Droplets that cause droplet infection fall within a short time due to the effect of gravity, whereas droplet nuclei and dust that cause airborne infection are very light compared to droplets and float in the air. Therefore, droplet nuclei and dust remain airborne even when placed far away from an infected person, and there is a risk that infection will spread if droplet nuclei or dust are inhaled.

In indoor stadiums and other venues, the distance between adjacent seats is short, and there is a risk that droplet nuclei and dust containing infectious pathogens emitted by a seated infected person may float around the infected person and spread, resulting in airborne infection. In order to reduce the risk of airborne infection indoors, it is recommended that the air inside the room be ventilated. However, simply operating an air conditioning system without considering the air flow may result in droplet nuclei and dust flowing into the area of the seats adjacent to those of the infected person.

The inventors conducted a simulation analysis of the air flow in the spectator seats and discovered an air conditioning system configuration that generates airflow that reduces the risk of airborne infection.

As shown in Figure 1, if an infected person is seated in a seating area and the airflow is generated in the wrong direction, the air in the area where the infected person is seated will mix with the area of the adjacent seats, and the droplet nuclei and dust generated by the infected person will be inhaled by the spectators sitting in the adjacent seats, increasing the risk of airborne infection.

As shown in FIG. 2, when an updraft is generated under specified conditions in a seat area, air containing droplet nuclei and dust generated from an infected person does not mix with the area of adjacent seats. Generating an updraft prevents high concentrations of contaminants from diffusing to the area around the seats. The rising contaminants are then diluted throughout the room. Therefore, by generating an updraft, high concentrations of contaminants generated by an infected person are prevented from diffusing to the area around the seat of the infected person. Therefore, in order to reduce the risk of infection, it is desirable to generate an updraft under specified conditions. Specific methods for generating an updraft are described below.

As shown in FIG. 3, the indoor facility 1 comprises a number of adjacent seats S installed indoors on a stepped floor D, and a space P separated from the seats S. The indoor facility 1 is, for example, a facility that accommodates spectators, such as an indoor stadium or arena. The indoor facility 1 may also be a movie theater, theater, etc. The indoor facility 1 has, for example, an air conditioning system 30 provided on the stepped floor D. The air conditioning system 30 has an air outlet 32 that blows air. The air conditioning system 30 has an intake 34 that draws in the air blown from the air outlet 32.

The air outlet 32 generates an updraft as described below. The air inlet 34 is provided at an upper part of the room and guides the updraft generated by the air outlet 32 along the roof, sucking it in and discharging it outdoors. Some of the air sucked in by the air inlet 34 may be circulated back indoors. One or more air inlets 34 may be provided.

As shown in Figure 4, step floor D is constructed by stacking multiple concrete blocks formed into an L-shaped cross section. Below, we will explain one unit that forms step floor D, and refer to the lower block as the first block 12 and the upper block as the second block 16. Step floor D is constructed from the first block 12 and the second block 16 stacked on top of the first block 12.

The first block 12 is formed with a flat plate portion 13 along the horizontal direction and an upright portion 14 that stands upward from the end of the flat plate portion 13. The flat plate portion 13 is formed in a rectangular plate shape. The seat S is fixed to the flat plate portion 13.

The standing portion 14 is formed in a rectangular plate shape. The standing portion 14 is formed to a value obtained by subtracting the thickness of the flat plate portion 13 from the height of the step portion generated in the step floor D. The second block 16 has the same configuration as the first block 12. The second block 16 includes a flat plate portion 17 and a standing portion 18. The seat S is fixed to the flat plate portion 17.

The flat plate portion 17 of the second block 16 is placed on the upper end of the standing portion 14 of the first block 12. The tip of the flat plate portion 17 of the second block 16 is placed on the upper end of the standing portion 14 of the first block 12 so that it protrudes horizontally. This forms a stair-like step on the step floor D. A plate-shaped step surface 20 is provided on the step.

The step surface 20 is formed by hanging down from the tip of the flat plate portion 17 of the second block 16 to the flat plate portion 13 of the first block 12. The step surface 20 is formed in a rectangular plate shape. The step surface 20 is formed so as to close the space W that is surrounded by the upper surface of the flat plate portion 13 of the first block 12, the front surface of the standing portion 14, and the lower surface of the flat plate portion 17 of the second block 16.

The step surface 20 does not necessarily have to be attached to coincide with the tip of the flat portion 17 of the second block 16, but may be offset toward the upright portion 14 of the first block 12. By forming the step floor D using the first block 12 and the second block 16, the structure can be simplified and the construction period can be significantly shortened. By stacking the step floors D formed by the first block 12 and the second block 16 in sequence, a step floor D with any number of seats can be constructed.

An air conditioning system 30 is provided on the stepped floor D. The air conditioning system 30 includes, for example, a duct (not shown) in the space W through which conditioned air circulates. The duct may be formed by the space W and the stepped surface 20. Conditioned air, which is obtained by conditioning outside air taken in from the outdoors, circulates in the duct. The conditioned air is blown from the duct into the room through the air outlet 32.

The air outlet 32 is provided in the space W on the step surface 20 from the floor surface (flat plate portion 13) of the stepped floor D. That is, the air outlet 32 is provided between adjacent seats S in the front-to-rear direction (up-down direction). Also, an air outlet 32 is provided for each seat S (see FIG. 8). The air outlet 32 adjusts the blowing direction of the conditioned air so as to generate an updraft U between adjacent seats S. The air outlet 32 blows the conditioned air to generate an updraft U so that the air in the respective regions R1 and R2 of the adjacent seats S does not mix with each other.

As a result, for example, when an infected person is seated in seat S provided in the second block 16, air containing droplet nuclei and dust generated from the infected person's breath flows upward from area R2 around the seat S without mixing with the air in the adjacent area R1 in front. The rising air current U is also supplemented by an updraft generated based on the temperature difference between the heat generated by the body of the person seated in seat S and the temperature of the surrounding air.

The rising air current U is calculated by simulation based on parameters such as the rising air current based on the heat of the human body, the wind direction, wind speed, and flow rate of the rising air current generated from the air outlet 32, the temperature difference and elevation difference between the areas R1 and R2 surrounding the adjacent seats S in front and behind, the flow rate of air sucked into the air intake 34, and the wind direction, wind speed, and flow rate generated by natural convection.

The direction of the air outlet 32 is adjusted so that the conditioned air is blown, for example, toward the back of the backrest S1 of the front seat S, which is provided on the floor. As a result, the air outlet 32 guides the airflow along the backrest S1, generating an updraft.

Furthermore, when a person is seated in the front seat S, it is desirable that the air outlet 32 has an airflow direction adjusted so that the airflow is directed along the back and back of the head of the seated person in addition to the backrest S1.

It is desirable that the airflow guided to the vicinity of the head of the forward human body has a flow velocity of 0.5 m/s or more at a position 1.1 m or more above the floor surface. To achieve this condition, the airflow guided from the air outlet 32 to the backrest S1 is adjusted appropriately based on conditions such as the air flow rate in the duct, the size of the air outlet 32, and the distance to the backrest S1. This guides the airflow along the backrest S1, the back of the human body, and the back of the head, and attracts the airflow upward, generating an updraft U, preventing the air in region R2 from mixing with the area where the human body is in region R1, and reducing the risk of airborne infection. In addition, by guiding the airflow along the back and back of the head of the human body, the effect of air conditioning on the human body can be improved.

As shown in FIG. 5, the air conditioning system 30 in the indoor facility 1 may be provided with an auxiliary air outlet 36 between the area R1 of the front row seats S and the area R of the space P of a stadium or the like. The air outlet 36 generates an air curtain by an updraft U between the area R1 of the front row seats S and the area R of the space P of a stadium or the like, preventing air currents from mixing between the space P and the spectator seats, and reducing the risk of infection between people in the space P and people in the spectator seats.

As shown in FIG. 6, the air conditioning system 30 in the indoor facility 1 may be provided with an auxiliary fan F that increases the wind speed of the updraft U. The fan F is provided, for example, above the seats S. The fan F generates an air current in a predetermined direction above the seats S. The air current generated by the fan F attracts the air around the seats S, amplifying the effect of the updraft U. The direction of the air current of the fan F is appropriately set based on the various conditions of the indoor facilities, such as the arrangement of the seats S, the number of seats installed, the structure of the roof, the shape of the stepped floor D, etc., so that the updraft U is most likely to be generated.

An example of the air conditioning system 30 will now be described in detail.
7 and 8 , conditioned air conditioned by an outdoor air conditioner or an air conditioner (not shown) is supplied to a space W via an air conditioning duct 40. A fire damper 41 is appropriately disposed in the air conditioning duct 40. The conditioned air supplied to the space W circulates within the space W and is supplied to the room from the air outlet 32.

Figures 9 and 10 show an example of the air outlet 32 (air outlet 32A). Air outlet 32A is detachably disposed in an opening 45 formed in the stepped surface 20. Locking devices 46, 47 that lock air outlet 32A are attached above and below opening 45 in the stepped surface 20. Air outlet 32A is formed in a generally box-like shape with an opening 48 formed on the top surface. An opening 49 of generally the same size as opening 45 is formed on the back side (rear side) of air outlet 32A at a position opposite opening 45.

Latching devices 50, 51 that engage with the latching devices 46, 47, respectively, are attached above and below the opening 49 of the air outlet 32A. The latching devices 50, 51 and the latching devices 46, 47 are formed, for example, from metal fittings that are elongated in the width direction and have an L-shaped cross section, and are structured so that they can be engaged by fitting the latching devices 50, 51 to the latching devices 46, 47 from above.

When the air outlet 32A is attached to the step surface 20, the conditioned air circulating within the space W passes from the opening 45 of the step surface 20 through the opening 49 of the air outlet 32A, and is supplied to the room through the opening 48 on the top surface of the air outlet 32A.

In addition, the air outlet 32A can be easily attached and detached from the step surface 20, making it easy to clean and ensuring that fresh conditioned air is always supplied to the room.

Figures 11 and 12 show another example of the air outlet 32 (air outlet 32B). Air outlet 32B is fixed to an opening 45 formed in the step surface 20. Air outlet 32B has an introduction section 61 arranged in the space W, and a supply section 62 arranged in front of the step surface 20. The supply section 62 is formed in a square tube, and openings 63, 64 are formed on the top and bottom surfaces. Conditioned air is blown out from opening 63 on the top surface of the supply section 62. The introduction section 61 is connected so as to branch off from the back side of the supply section 62.

The introduction section 61 includes an inclined section 65 connected to the supply section 62 and a support section 66 extending downward from the lower end of the inclined section 65. The step surface 20 is sandwiched between a front section (surface facing the step surface 20) 67 of the support section 66 and a rear section (surface facing the step surface 20) 68 of the supply section 62. In other words, the area between the front section 67 of the support section 66 and the rear section 68 of the supply section 62 is configured as a locking section 70. An opening 71 is formed at the lower end of the support section 66. The blow-out port 32B can be attached to the step surface 20 by inserting the support section 66 and the inclined section 65 into the opening 45 of the step surface 20 and locking the locking section 70 to the step surface 20 located below the opening 45. In other words, the blow-out port 32B can be attached directly to the opening 45 of the step surface 20 without using a locking metal fitting or the like.

The inclined portion 65 is inclined upward from the support portion 66 toward the supply portion 62. Therefore, the conditioned air introduced from the opening 71 of the support portion 66 becomes an upward airflow by passing through the inclined portion 65, and the conditioned air is blown out from the upper opening 63 in the supply portion 62. In addition, a water draining portion 72 is provided near the boundary between the upper end of the inclined portion 65 and the supply portion 62. The water draining portion 72 may be provided in a size, shape, and position that prevents dust and water that have entered from the upper opening 63 of the cylindrical supply portion 62 from entering the introduction portion 61 and does not obstruct the airflow of the conditioned air. The water draining portion 72 may be provided in the air outlet 32A.

When the air outlet 32B is attached to the step surface 20, the conditioned air that has circulated within the space W passes through the opening 71 of the air outlet 32B, the inclined portion 65, and is supplied to the room through the opening 63 on the upper surface of the air outlet 32B.

In addition, because the air outlet 32B has openings 63, 64 formed on the top and bottom surfaces of the supply section 62, the supply section 62 can be easily cleaned with a cleaning tool such as a brush even when it is attached to the stepped surface 20.

As described above, with the air conditioning system 30 and the indoor facility 1, even if an infected person is seated in a seat, an updraft is generated in each of the areas around the adjacent seats so that the air currents do not mix with each other, thereby reducing the risk of a person sitting in a seat next to the infected person inhaling droplet nuclei or dust generated by the infected person.

According to the air conditioning system 30, the air outlet 32 is adjusted to blow air onto the rear side of the backrest S1 of the adjacent seat S in front and guide the airflow to the backrest S1, so that an updraft U can be generated between adjacent seats with a simple structure. According to the air conditioning system 30, the air outlet 32 is adjusted to guide the airflow to the back and head of the person sitting in the seat S in addition to the backrest S1, so that the dispersion of droplet nuclei and dust to the person sitting in the seat S can be prevented, reducing the risk of infection, and the effect of air conditioning on the person sitting in the seat S can be increased.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the air conditioning system 30 is illustrated as being installed on a stepped floor D of an indoor stadium or the like, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be applied to an indoor facility with flat adjacent seats such as a comedy hall. In this case, the seats may be chairs. In this case, the air outlet may be provided on the back of the backrest of the chair or on the floor. The air conditioning system 30 may be installed by renovating an existing indoor facility. In this case, the air outlet and the duct connected to the air outlet may be retrofitted to the stepped part of the existing stepped floor.

Although specific examples of the air outlet 32 are described in Figures 9 to 12, the structure of the air outlet 32 is not limited to this. For example, the air outlet 32B may be structured to be detachable from the step surface 20. In addition, in the above embodiment, an example is described in which the step surface 20 is sandwiched between the front part (surface facing the step surface 20) 67 of the support part 66 and the rear part (surface facing the step surface 20) 68 of the supply part 62, but a structure in which the step surface 20 is not sandwiched may also be used. In addition, although the case in which the support part 66 is provided is described for the air outlet 32B, the support part 66 may be omitted and the air outlet 32 may be structured with an inclined part 65 and a cylindrical supply part 62.

Reference Signs List 1 Indoor facility 12 First block 13 Flat plate portion 14 Standing portion 16 Second block 17 Flat plate portion 18 Standing portion 20 Step surface 30 Air conditioning system 32 (32A, 32B) Air outlet 34 Intake port 36 Air outlet 62 Supply portion 63 Opening 64 Opening D Step floor F Fan P Space R Area R1 Area R2 Area S Seat S1 Backrest portion U Updraft V Air current

Claims (7)

An air conditioning system that reduces the spread of infectious diseases,
a blowing outlet provided between adjacent seats indoors and configured to blow conditioned air and generate an updraft between the adjacent seats so that the air in each area of the adjacent seats does not mix with each other ;
The seats are provided on a stepped floor,
the air outlet is provided on a step surface of the step floor from the floor surface, and the conditioned air is blown onto a back side of a backrest of the seat provided on the floor surface, guiding the air current along the backrest and the back and back of the head of a person seated in the seat, thereby generating the ascending air current;
An air conditioning system, characterized in that the air outlet is provided on a front surface of the step surface and has a cylindrical supply portion with openings formed at the top and bottom . The step floor is constructed by a first block having a flat plate portion along a horizontal direction and an upright portion that stands upward from the flat plate portion, and a second block,
2. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein the stepped floor is formed by placing the flat portion of the second block on an upper end of the upright portion of the first block so that a tip end of the flat portion of the second block protrudes horizontally. The air conditioning system according to claim 2 , wherein the air outlet is provided in the stepped surface that is formed so as to hang down from a tip end of the flat plate portion of the second block to the flat plate portion of the first block. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein the air outlet is detachably disposed on the step surface. The air outlet is formed in a substantially box-like shape with an opening on an upper surface,
The air conditioning system according to claim 4 , wherein an opening of approximately the same size as the opening formed in the step portion is formed on the rear side of the air outlet at a position opposite the opening formed in the step portion. The air outlet includes an introduction portion disposed in a space upstream of the step surface and a supply portion disposed downstream of the step surface,
The supply portion is formed in a cylindrical shape,
The conditioned air is blown out from an opening on the upper surface of the supply unit,
The air conditioning system according to claim 4 , wherein the introduction section is branched off from a rear side of the supply section. An indoor facility that reduces the spread of infectious diseases,
Adjacent seating indoors;
an air outlet provided between adjacent seats and configured to blow conditioned air and generate an updraft between the adjacent seats so that the air in the areas of the seats does not mix with each other ;
The seats are provided on a stepped floor,
the air outlet is provided on a step surface of the step floor from the floor surface, and the conditioned air is blown onto a back side of a backrest of the seat provided on the floor surface, guiding the air current along the backrest and the back and back of the head of a person seated in the seat, thereby generating the ascending air current;
An indoor facility, characterized in that the air outlet is provided on the front surface of the step surface and has a cylindrical supply section with openings at the top and bottom .

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