Air suction apparatus and air suction method

• US 10,344,991 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2016
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Taoka, Hiroki, Kayama, Hiroyuki, Takei, Ichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): McAllister, Steven B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Probst, Samantha A
• Application Number:
  US15/196,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20170010008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 454229
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/74 for controlling air flow rate or air velocity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/77 by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/79 for controlling the direction of the supplied air
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/20 Casings or covers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/30 Velocity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/64 Airborne particle content
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/12 Position of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/10 by separation, e.g. by filtering
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/108 using dry filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

An air suction apparatus includes an air suction port that is variable in an air suction mode including at least one of a shape, a size, a direction, an effective opening area, a position, or an air flow volume of an air suction port and an air suction controller that controls, according to a change in a dust concentration distribution in a periphery of the air suction port, the air suction port to vary at least one of the shape, the size, the direction, the effective opening area, the position, or the air flow volume of the air suction port such that an air suction flow distribution is changed according to the variation of the air suction mode.

Claims

1. An air suction apparatus comprising:

an air suction port provided on a surface of the air suction apparatus; and

an air suction controller that changes, according to a change in a dust concentration distribution in a periphery of the air suction port, an air suction mode, wherein the air suction mode is determined based on at least one of a shape, a size, a direction, an effective opening area, a position, or an air flow volume of the air suction port;

a dust position determiner that determines a dust concentration region having a higher dust concentration than surroundings in the periphery of the air suction port;

an air suction determiner that determines the air suction mode for applying a predetermined air suction flow to the determined dust concentration region;

an air flow distribution determiner that determines an air flow distribution in a space where the air suction port performs air suction; and

a dust generation determiner that determines a dust generation position, wherein

the air suction controller controls the air suction port based on the determined air suction mode, and

the dust position determiner estimates the dust concentration region based on the air flow distribution and the determined dust generation position.

2. The air suction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the dust generation determiner detects a position of a person to determine the dust generation position.

3. The air suction apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an air blower that performs air blow to a space where the air suction port performs air suction; and

a space determiner that determines a characteristics of the space, wherein

the air flow distribution determiner estimates the air flow distribution based on the determined characteristics of the space.

4. The air suction apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a computer readable medium that stores air flow distribution information for each of possible characteristics of a space where the air suction is performed, wherein

the air flow distribution determiner estimates the air flow distribution in the space where the air suction is performed with reference to the air flow distribution information.

5. The air suction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the air flow distribution determiner determines the air flow distribution in the space including the periphery of the air suction port for each of possible air suction modes, and

the air suction determiner determines an air suction mode based on the determined air flow distribution in the periphery of the air suction port.

6. The air suction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the air flow distribution determiner measures the air flow distribution to determine.

7. The air suction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the dust position determiner measures the dust concentration distribution to determine the dust concentration region.

8. The air suction apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a computer readable medium that stores air suction port information which defines an air suction flow distribution of the air suction port in the air suction mode, wherein

the air suction determiner determines the air suction mode with reference to the air suction port information.

9. The air suction apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a communicator that transmits information about at least one of detection of a position of a person, measurement of an air flow distribution, or measurement of a dust concentration distribution, wherein

the communicator receives, as a response to the transmitted information, a determination result of the air suction mode that applies a predetermined air suction flow to a dust concentration region having a higher dust concentration than surroundings in the periphery of the air suction port, and

the air suction controller controls the air suction port based on the air suction mode received from the communicator.

10. An air suction method comprising:

detecting, by a dust position determiner, a dust concentration distribution in a periphery of an air suction port;

determining, by the dust position determiner, a dust concentration region having a higher dust concentration distribution than surroundings in the periphery of the air suction port by the dust position determiner;

determining, by an air suction determiner, an air suction mode for applying a predetermined air suction flow to the determined dust concentration region;

determining, by an air suction flow distribution determiner, an air suction flow distribution in a space where the air suction port performs air suction;

determining, by a dust generation determiner, a dust generation position, and

changing, by an air suction controller, at least one of a shape, a size, a direction, an effective opening area, a position, or an air flow volume of the air suction port according to the detected dust concentration distribution to cause a change in the air suction flow distribution of the air suction port, wherein

the air suction controller controls the air suction port based on the determined air suction mode, and

the dust position determiner estimates the dust concentration region based on the air suction flow distribution and the determined dust generation position.