Ventilation system for a passenger transit vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9623722-B2
Application number	US-201213983691-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2012
Priority date	Feb 4, 2011
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

A ventilation system for a passenger transit vehicle that comprises a passenger compartment. The ventilation system comprises a variable speed fan for providing outside air to the passenger compartment, wherein within a given ambient temperature range, the speed of the variable speed fan is controlled such that the air speed produced by the variable speed fan increases with increasing ambient temperature. The ventilation system further comprises a duct system fluidly connecting the variable speed fan to an air diffuser that directs the air from the variable speed fan towards the passengers within the passenger compartment. The cross sectional area of the duct system decreases along its length for providing substantially constant air pressure along its length. The ventilation system is able to provide outside air into the passenger compartment at an air flow speed of greater than 0.15 m/s.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A ventilation system for a passenger transit vehicle, the passenger transit vehicle comprising a passenger compartment, the ventilation system comprising:
a) a variable speed fan for drawing outside air from an air intake located on an exterior surface of the passenger transit vehicle and providing the outside air to the passenger compartment, the speed of the variable speed fan being controlled based at least in part on an ambient temperature and a passenger load, wherein within a given ambient temperature range, the speed of the variable speed fan is controlled such that the air speed produced by the variable speed fan increases with increasing ambient temperature or passenger load;
b) an air diffuser positioned within an upper portion of the passenger compartment, the air diffuser comprising a plurality of air outlets directed into the passenger compartment for directing air from the variable speed fan towards passengers that travel within the transit vehicle;
c) a duct system fluidly connecting the variable speed fan and the air diffuser, the duct system having a length and a cross sectional area, wherein the cross sectional area decreases along the length of the duct system for providing substantially constant air pressure along the length of the duct system, the air diffuser running substantially along the length of the duct system of decreasing cross sectional area, the length of the duct system of decreasing cross sectional area being positioned within the upper portion of the passenger compartment.

2. The ventilation system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the air diffuser directs air towards the passengers at an air speed of at least 0.15 m/s.

3. The ventilation system as defined in claim 2 , wherein the air diffuser directs air towards the passengers at an air speed of at least 0.4 m/s.

4. The ventilation system as defined in claim 3 wherein the air diffuser directs air towards the passengers at an air speed of at least 0.6 m/s.

5. The ventilation system as defined in claim 4 , wherein the given ambient temperature range is between 22° C. and 31° C., and within the given ambient temperature range the speed of the variable speed fan is controlled such that the air diffuser provides an air speed of between 0.15 m/s and 0.8 m/s.

6. The ventilation system as defined in claim 5 , wherein the speed of the variable speed fan is controlled such that the air diffuser provides an air speed that increases linearly between 0.15 m/s and 0.8 m/s as the ambient temperature increases from 22° C. and 31° C.

7. The ventilation system as defined in claim 1 , wherein for a given ambient temperature below 22° C. the variable speed fan is caused to operate at a first constant fan speed and for a given ambient temperature above 31° C., the variable speed fan is caused to operate at a second constant fan speed.

8. The ventilation system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of air outlets of the air diffuser are oriented within 45 degrees from a vertical axis in a longitudinal plane of the passenger compartment.

9. The ventilation system as defined in claim 1 , further comprising at least one temperature sensor for obtaining a temperature measurement of the ambient temperature within the passenger compartment.

10. The ventilation system as defined in claim 9 , further comprising a control entity in communication with the at least one temperature sensor and the variable speed fan, the control entity being operative for issuing control signals to the variable speed fan for controlling the speed of the variable speed fan at least in part on a basis of temperature measurements received from the temperature sensor.

11. The ventilation system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the air intake located on the exterior surface of the passenger transit vehicle is in fluid communication with a pressure stabilization device for stabilizing the pressure of the outside air prior to the outside air being received by the variable speed fan.

12. The ventilation system as defined in claim 1 , further comprising an exhaust system, the exhaust system being operative for venting air from the passenger compartment at a rate substantially equivalent to the rate at which air flow enters the passenger compartment from the air diffuser, so as to avoid over-pressurization of the passenger compartment, the exhaust system being located on a lower portion of the passenger compartment.

13. The ventilation system as defined in claim 12 , wherein the exhaust system is a passive exhaust system.

14. The ventilation system as defined in claim 12 , wherein the exhaust system comprises at least one internal exhaust vent located on an internal surface of the passenger compartment, at least one external exhaust vent located on an exterior surface of the passenger compartment and at least one transfer conduit for transferring air from the at least one internal exhaust vent to the at least one external exhaust vent, wherein the internal exhaust vent is located below a lower edge of windows contained within the passenger transit vehicle.

15. The ventilation system as defined in claim 14 , wherein the ambient temperature is measured within the transfer conduit.

16. The ventilation system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the speed of the variable speed fan is controlled at least in part as a function of ambient temperature within the passenger compartment.

17. A passenger transit vehicle having the ventilation system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the air diffuser is one of a plurality of air diffusers, the plurality of air diffusers being located at spaced intervals along a length of the passenger compartment.

18. The passenger transit vehicle as defined in claim 17 , wherein the plurality of air diffusers extend along at least 85 percent of a length of the passenger compartment.

19. A passenger transit vehicle having the ventilation system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the variable speed fan is one of a plurality of variable speed fans for providing outside air to the passenger compartment.

20. The passenger transit vehicle having the ventilation system as defined in claim 19 , wherein a control entity is in communication with the plurality of variable speed fans for controlling the speed of each of the plurality of variable speed fans at least in part on a basis of the ambient temperature.

21. A ventilation system for a passenger transit vehicle, the passenger transit vehicle comprising a passenger compartment, the ventilation system comprising:
a) a variable speed fan for drawing outside air from an air intake located on an exterior surface of the passenger transit vehicle and providing the outside air to the passenger compartment, the speed of the variable speed fan being controlled based at least partially on an ambient temperature and a passenger load;
b) an air diffuser positioned within an upper portion of the passenger compartment, the air diffuser comprising a plurality of air outlets directed into the passenger compartment for directing air from the variable speed fan towards passengers that travel within the transit vehicle, wherein within a given ambient temperature range, the speed of the variable speed fan is controlled such that the air speed exiting the air diffuser increases with at least one of increasing ambient temperature and increasing passenger load;
a duct system fluidly connecting the variable speed fan and the air diffuser, the duct system having a length and a cross sectional area, wherein the cross sectio

Assignees

• Chagnon Marc
• Langlois Jacques
• Marsala Jenny
• Beaulleu René
• Bombardier Transp Gmbh

Inventors

• Chagnon Marc
• Langlois Jacques
• Marsala Jenny
• Beaulleu René

Classifications

• B60H1/247

  Disposition of several air-diffusers in a vehicle for ventilation-air circulation in a vehicle cabin · CPC title

• B61D17/18

  Internal lining, e.g. insulating · CPC title

• B61D27/009

  Means for ventilating only (ventilation in general F24F) · CPC title

• B60H1/245

  located in the roof · CPC title

• B60H1/00371 Primary

  for vehicles carrying large numbers of passengers, e.g. buses · CPC title