TITLE: Air quality management method of an indoor environment
Field of the invention
The present invention refers to a method for managing the air quality of an indoor environment using an algorithm capable of processing air-related measures in real time and proposing optimized ventilation strategies.
State of the art
Proper management of ventilation, intended as an exchange between indoor and outdoor air, is a necessity to maintain adequate air quality in the indoor environment, mainly for the health of those who stays there and secondarily for correct energy management. Hence the idea behind the present invention, to deal critically and innovatively with this important aspect of HVAC systems and beyond. Market trends have influenced changes in confined spaces by providing them with very efficient closures, also with regard to air tightness. Scientific evidence has shown multiple health damage related to mold, concentrations of volatile organic compounds, fine dust, etc. Habits and behaviors, management systems therefore, in relation to the modalities of renewal of ambient air, must be rethought, also by virtue of the current availability of electronic technologies for measurements.
It is commonly believed that buildings protect us from the conditions or pollutants most unpleasant and dangerous to health. Scientific research has shown that internal pollution is no less than external pollution; new or old building materials release chemicals whose toxic characteristics are not fully known. For example, it is estimated that these releases cause to about 20% of the population allergic disorders, asthma, etc. with acute symptoms such as irritation of the mucous membranes, headaches and tiredness. Molds (estimated presence between 20% and 40% of buildings) and related toxins, fine dust, etc. they add up, as do the related problems. Pollution in Italy would have caused over 82,000 premature deaths in 2014.
The panorama of enclosed spaces is extremely varied, as variable are the conditions of use; environments with extremely different crowding rates, with or without mechanical ventilation systems; ventilation methods and behaviors that often lead to energy waste without achieving good results in terms of health. One might think that environments with mechanical ventilation, as conceived so far, may be effective. It is now widely believed among experts that there is a need for improvement and revision of methods and systems, including regulatory ones, as current ventilation systems are not sufficiently effective in relation to the problem exposed, relying mainly on the objective of guaranteeing an adequate C02 level. It is common opinion that it is therefore necessary to devise a coherent and effective strategy that can solve the problem. It is therefore necessary to carry out measurements relating to the air, both the internal one and the one dedicated to ventilation, to allow the user to check the levels of pollutants present; also to allow him to receive any alarms relating to the environmental quality situation. This need is implicitly confirmed by the offer on the international market of devices that answer questions in this area; for example devices such as Air mentor, Airvisual, Awair, Blueair, Cubesensors, foobot, Laqy, Nuvap, Speck, TZOA, etc. All devices that inform the user about the quantities of pollutants present; information that paradoxically could complicate life unnecessarily, since once such information is obtained, the problem remains of how to use it. Not everyone has the skills and perseverance necessary to make the best use of this information. There are systems, such as the one described in application US2017154517 in which a processor is connected to a proximity detector to determine if a user is near a door or window between a first area and a second area. Based on the difference in air quality between said first and second area, the processor can indicate to a user, who is in the first area, if opening the door or window will improve or deteriorate the air quality of the area where he is. In practice, this application provides the user, who is about to open that door or window, as determined by the proximity detector, with an indication of the consequences of its action. The pollutants present in the air have characteristics and repercussions on human health that are sometimes very different from each other; differences also in relation to the fact if they are healthy individuals or with specific pathologies. The type and intensity of the toxic effect depend on the nature of the substance, its concentration, the absorbed dose and the presence of other agents that can exert additive, synergistic or antagonistic effects. Some pollutants can vary the risk of disease according to the exposure time, sometimes very long, at certain concentrations; as well as to increase the risk at higher concentrations. Other gases, naturally present in the air such as C02, at normal concentrations do not lead to disease risks, however at exceptional concentrations they can lead to death. The system described by US2017154517 does not give real-time indications to the user on how to reduce the pollution of the ambient air considering the various health risks, or warn him when such pollution reaches dangerous levels. Therefore, for the reasons discussed above, the need for a method and related system to constantly maintain the high quality of the environment in which we live is felt. The purpose is achieved through the possibility of determining, in real time, the correct mode of ventilation of said environment, tending to achieve internal comfort that eliminates the conditions of mold formation, which limits the risks to human health related to the presence of pollutants and also optimizing the energy cost of ventilation, improving the overall sustainability picture. The present invention therefore has the objective of allowing a new trust in those closed environments in which we spend on average 90% of our life; enclosed spaces that have proven to be far more polluted than we suspected.
Summary of the invention
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method and relative system for monitoring the degree of pollution of an indoor environment and for adapting the ventilation system's action in real time in order to improve livability conditions, or to direct the user to take appropriate actions for this purpose.
The aim is accomplished by a method, according to claim 1 , for managing the air quality of an internal environment, said method comprising the analysis, by processor, of measurements made by a first set of sensors on a first air and measurements carried out by a second set of sensors on a second air and / or possibly data from third parties, said data and measurements being related to parameters characterizing a climatic and healthy situation of said first air in the internal environment and of the second air that is used for its ventilation, said processor being able to process said data and measurements and on the basis of this operation, define the actions to be taken with regard to the ventilation strategy of the internal environment to optimize the healthiness of the air of said internal environment.
Advantageously said processor uses an algorithm, which is of the predictive type capable of determining in real time the correct mode of ventilation of the rooms, therefore also relying on previous analyzes and data, tending to achieve internal comfort that eliminates the conditions of mold formation and to limit the presence of indoor pollutants. Advantageously, the algorithm determines the best compromise relating to the contribution of the second air used for ventilation, considering the threats present in the first and second air respectively, in order to achieve a new state of mixture for greater health protection, taking into account data from the scientific community, possibly also with regard to the forecasts of different balances relating to additive, synergistic and antagonistic effects. Advantageously, this algorithm can be used to automatically control the mechanical ventilation system, but it can also be used to suggest actions to be taken by the user, including ventilation by manually opening the windows. Advantageously, the transversal applicability of the method, substantially to all ventilation systems, enables a great improvement in the air quality of the confined spaces at the same time as a containment of the related energy consumption. The possibility of updating the algorithm allows to raise the effectiveness of the system to the most recent available strategies. Advantageously, even if after applying the correct ventilation suggested by the algorithm, an adequate level of environmental health is not achieved, an alarm signal can be issued. This probably means getting a limited number of alarms over time; potentially also absent. The application of the above is achievable primarily thanks to the wide availability of sensors at sustainable costs on the market (as previously described). Advantageously, the processor can be connected to the Internet (loT area) for the collection of data from third parties. Advantageously, the sensors will be located in the most suitable points thanks to self-power or battery power and wireless communication.
Brief description of the Figure
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more evident in the light of a detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment, described according to a method for monitoring the pollution status of an indoor environment and for improving it, illustrated by way of non-limiting example, with the aid of the flowchart represented in Fig 1 , having the following references.
10 Measures and data from the external environment (the data remains specialized) 20 Measures and data of the air that can be used for ventilation (the data remains specialized)
30 Does the comparison between the single homogeneous data from 10 and 20 fall within the norm?
40 Issue of Alerts 50 Measures and data from the internal environment (the data remains specialized)
60 Health recommendations updated by the scientific community (e.g. WHO), including thresholds of immediate danger for the survival of the occupants
70 Possible correction according to the specific recommendations in the presence of subjects suffering from specific pathologies in the environments 80 Listening and interpretation of any Alerts issued by the authorities, for example on the occasion of extraordinary events
90 Objectives of internal comfort in terms of temperature and humidity, possibly integrated by states in real time from the HVAC systems
100 Optimization algorithm and strategy generation 110 Issue of Alert
120 Issue of info
130 Output in real time of the correct ventilation mode 140 Issue of alarm for serious danger to people Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention
In the diagram reproduced in the figure, the processor through a special algorithm manages the data and measurements (10) collected relating to the air from the external environment, These measurements refer to:
- Hazardous air pollutants in case of long or short exposure over time, such as fine particles, or the concentration of CO, temperature, relative humidity, etc.
- The measurements and data may also be due to third-party initiatives and acquired from an loT perspective. These data and measurements are compared (30) with those (20) of the air that can be used for ventilation, and possibly an anomaly (N) or possibility of ventilation (Y) signal may be emitted.
The algorithm also manages the measurements and data relating to the internal environment (50), in particular: - Measurement or calculation of the temperatures of the internal environment, in particular of the cold points of walls and windows, in order to determine the relative humidity in order to avoid the conditions of fogging of glass and the formation of mold; these measurements can be integrated with those of the temperature and relative humidity far from the wall. - Measurement of more or less dangerous pollutants of indoor ambient air, such as the concentration of VOC, N02, CO, C02, and fine dust, to implement the optimization of the ventilation strategy in real time, including also adequate preventive actions of rapid ventilation and alarm signaling. Recording over time is useful, with starting date / time recording related to the measurements of the specific environment, and the use of external techniques that allow correlating the presence of identified individuals within the specific environment by recording at least the presumed date / time start and end of the periods of stay. An important advantage allowed by data relating to the identification of the specific subject in the specific room volume enables the possibility that the algorithm can also evaluate information relating to any specific pathologies to be considered. Another possibility of such data is to be able to create a punctual profile useful to define the individual pressures relating to concentrations and absorption doses by the individual in the time of exposure in the environments. In general, through the comparison with the measures relating to said second air, the ventilation strategy envisages limiting ventilation as much as possible in the event of an external pollutant level higher than the internal level, and instead favoring ventilation in case of good quality of said second air, which is normally considered good if it does not contain threats at levels higher than for example indicated by the scientific community. Furthermore, the measurements of the temperatures and / or relative humidity of the indoor and outdoor ambient air or signal acquisition from the HVAC system are also carried out in order to determine whether an increase in ventilation changes the energy needs or not to maintain the internal environment in the expected comfort conditions. However, sometimes this simplification is not consistent with reality, as it is possible to have both the first and second air with the presence of pollutants. If, in the case of good quality of the second air, it is possible to think of simplifying, differently and advantageously, knowing the respective threat compositions present in the first and second air, it is possible to calculate the threat composition of the mixture starting from the whole first air, up to mixing with a certain mix with the second air, in order to identify the composition of the mixture that is the best compromise of contribution of the second air that allows better healthy conditions, using data and recommendations collected by the scientific community; possibly also with regard to the forecasts of various balances relating to additive, synergistic and antagonistic effects. Another potential for optimizing the algorithm is to consider the possible decays of specific pollutants in the internal environment, due to natural phenomena, as regards the presence of filtration and / or abatement systems. For example, it may be reasonable to wait to ventilate the environment in the presence of the first air with relative humidity and C02 values to be reduced, but not at problematic levels, if the second air has higher N02 levels even if not worrying. In such contexts, knowledge of historical trends can then be decisive; for example, it may be realistic that after a certain hour of the evening the N02 level normally lowers. Another hypothesis is that of the opportunity to ventilate only partially, choosing an intermediate result between the conditions of the first air compared to those of the second air. These strategies can be adapted according to any specific pathologies.
In the case of room ventilation which can be achieved mainly by opening the windows, given the previous strategy, an opening signal (or any command) will be given. The opening time (ventilation) is normally not predetermined, but calculated in real time by the algorithm, in order to have consistency with the dynamism of internal and external events. Said opening time is optimized so as to make the most of it if ventilation may require energy consumption and / or can cause discomfort. For what has been said, therefore the user receives an opening indication and a closing indication. Alternatively, in the conditions in which the opening of the windows does not cause an increase in energy consumption and the quality of the outdoor air is sufficiently good, an indication of free opening is given; in other words, the user knows that his preference or not to open the windows has no contraindications. In the case of a dangerous situation deriving from the internal environment, the signal or command will still be the need to open; therefore accompanied by an alarm signal; conversely, in the case of a danger situation deriving from the external environment, the signal or command will still be the need to be closed; therefore accompanied by an alarm signal.
In the event that there is a mechanical ventilation system, the above strategies are adapted to the control of the same with the additional possibility of being able to resort to the variation in terms of air flow in the unit of time.
To complete the picture, the processor through the specific algorithm, with reference to the figure, is also able to process (60)
- data related to health recommendations updated by the scientific community (e.g. WHO), including thresholds of immediate danger for the survival of the occupants;
- data relating to any corrections (70) on the basis of the specific recommendations in the presence of subjects suffering from a specific pathology in the environments.
- listening and interpretation of any Alerts issued by the authorities, for example on the occasion of extraordinary events (80) - data relating to internal comfort objectives in terms of temperature and humidity, possibly integrated by real-time states from the HVAC system (90).
Furthermore, other functions may concern:
- Alarm emission (1 10) - Issue of info (120)
- Output in real time of the correct ventilation mode (130)
- Alarm issue for serious danger to people (140).
The technological offer, therefore, to enable the user to correctly manage ventilation according to the method outlined above, essentially consists of the following systems: 1) System for ventilation by manual operation of the windows including:
- unit for calculation and local storage of data and parameters, including communication systems towards sensors, both proprietary and third parties, access to databases, clouds, users, etc;
- system of ambient sensors, completed on board or not, for signaling the states of a) opening indication, b) closing indication c) opening on alarm, d) closing on alarm, e) free opening;
- possible system of external air sensors; and any system of air sensors intended for ventilation;
- availability of third-party measures or data; - any contact sensors on cold surfaces.
2) System that includes all or part of the motorized controls of the windows.
3) System suitable for application in the presence of mechanical ventilation systems in the rooms, in addition to the system described above, including:
- controls to the mechanical ventilation system. Similarly, deriving even only partially, from the previous examples a specialized version for vehicles is possible, including the use of sensors relating to the first and second air which also detect the pollutants produced by other vehicles, possibly adding to the passenger compartment also the measurement of CO, C02, temperature (T) and relative humidity. In the case of existing vehicles, the system can only suggest the user's behavior regarding the opening of ventilation from the outside, rather than going as far as the complete integration of the algorithm in the automatic air conditioning system of a new vehicle.
The ventilation management method described finds its use in any environment and in particular also in those not equipped with mechanical ventilation systems. The hardware can therefore be limited to 1) a processor that uses a special algorithm capable of suggesting to the user the actions to be taken to improve the quality of the ambient air and to alert him in case of dangerous situations, 2) internet connection and measurement interfaces for processing using the specific algorithm, 3) a sensor system with self-power or battery power and wireless communication.
With the sensors, the fundamental signals will be present; the measurements will be available via external devices (smartphone, tablet, PC, etc.). Any source recorded for specific studies on the environment and on the occupants may be useful sources. The basis of the system is an algorithm capable of exploiting a predictive model suitable for realizing the best strategy to avoid the conditions that allow the presence of mold and make the most of the ventilation possibilities with which the internal environment is equipped, also for the energy containment.