Ventilator including a control unit and human sensor

• US 7,455,583 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2005
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Taya, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): McAllister; Steven B
• Assistant Examiner(s): OREILLY, PATRICK F
• Application Number:
  US11/242,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20070074725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 454/229, 454/256, 454/339, 454/343, 454/354, 340/309.9
• US Class Current: 454/256
• 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 11/77 by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2007/001 with exhausting air ducts
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 7/06 with forced air circulation, e.g. by fan positioning of a ventilator in or against a conduit

Abstract

The invention presents a ventilator capable of obtaining an optimum flow rate required in ordinary ventilation. The ventilator comprises an exhaust fan motor for exhausting room air by force, and a human sensor for detecting the presence of human body. It further comprises a control unit for controlling the fan motor by receiving a signal from the human sensor, and a flow rate adjusting unit for adjusting the ventilation flow rate by the exhaust fan motor. The control unit, when detecting a signal from the human sensor, operates the exhaust fan motor for a specified time at fixed flow rate, and while not detecting, it operates the exhaust fan motor all the time at ventilated flow rate adjusted by the flow rate adjusting unit. During this ordinary operation, the flow rate may be adjusted by the flow rate adjusting unit either steplessly or in multiple steps at small intervals, and thereby a ventilator capable of obtaining an optimum flow rate required in ordinary ventilation can be presented.

Claims

1. A ventilator comprising:

an exhaust fan motor, which is a direct-current motor, for ventilating room air,

a human sensor for detecting the presence of a human body,

a control unit for controlling the exhaust fan motor by receiving a signal from the human sensor, and

an air flow rate adjusting unit for adjusting the ventilation flow rate by the exhaust fan motor,

wherein the control unit operates the ventilation fan motor at a fixed flow rate for a specified time when detecting a signal from the human sensor indicative of the presence of a human body, and operates the ventilation fan motor at a ventilation flow rate adjusted by the flow rate adjusting unit all the time as ordinary operation when not detecting the signal, and in the ordinary operation, the ventilation flow rate can be adjusted steplessly or in multiple steps at small intervals by the flow rate adjusting unit,

wherein the control unit, when receiving a signal from the human sensor, measures a user staying time, and varies a ventilation delay operation time after a user leaves the room on the basis of a cumulative time calculated from the user staying time, and

wherein the control unit, when receiving a signal from the human sensor, measures a user staying time, and controls the ventilation flow rate during ventilation delay operation after a user leaves on the basis of a cumulative time calculated from the user staying time.

2. The ventilator of claim 1, wherein the fixed flow rate operated by a signal from the human sensor is the maximum flow rate of the exhaust fan motor.

3. The ventilator of claim 1, further comprising a wall switch configured to be built in a wall, and the wall switch not including a power switch which interrupts ventilation, the wall switch including a selector for selecting between automatic operation mode for automatically changing the ventilation flow rate by detection of the human sensor, and continuous operation mode for operating the exhaust fan motor continuously by force at specified ventilation flow rate, wherein either operation mode can be selected without turning on or off power supply by the power switch.

4. The ventilator of claim 1, wherein the ventilator is installed in one space including bathroom or toilet, and the human sensor is disposed adjacent to a suction louver provided at a suction port of the ventilator, and also a detection defining unit is provided for defining a detection range of the human sensor.

5. The ventilator of claim 4, wherein the suction louver is rotatably installed to adjust the detection range of the human sensor.

6. The ventilator of claim 1, wherein the control unit, when receiving a signal from the human sensor, measures a user staying time, and controls the ventilation flow rate in the user staying state on the basis of a cumulative time calculated from the user staying time.