RU236022U1 - INFORMATION DEVICE - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of advertising and emergency navigation means built into the floor, sidewalk or other pedestrian surface, for example, in the subway, at railway stations, at airports, etc. The information device comprises a housing with the possibility of being built into a supporting structure, a hermetically sealed cover made of transparent impact-resistant material, an information display means located in the housing, connected to an information output control unit, and a climate control system. The housing is made with supply and exhaust ventilation openings. The climate control system includes heating and cooling means, a membrane pump installed at the inlet of the exhaust opening, a filter with a hydrophilic sorbent communicated with the supply opening, and a control unit monitoring the humidity and temperature of the air inside the housing and controlling the operation of the membrane pump and the heating means. The technical result is the exclusion of condensation formation and prevention of fogging of the viewing glass, which contributes to high reliability and efficiency of operation of the information device built into the floor (sidewalk), while maintaining its maintainability. 6 pts. f-ly, 2 ill.

Description

The utility model relates to the field of advertising and emergency navigation means built into the floor, sidewalk or other pedestrian surface. The device can be used in the subway, at train stations, at airports and similar places to inform people, advertise goods and/or indicate the evacuation route in an emergency.

An electronic information device is known, used in places where large numbers of people gather, for example, at railway stations, airports, public transport stops (patent RU 105057 U1, IPC: G09F 19/00, published 27.05.2011). The device includes a housing in which at least one display is placed, liquid crystal or LED, an electric heating element and a temperature control device inside the housing, which is a fan for redistributing heat, a fan for supplying or removing air, a controller, a control relay, an air supply/exhaust flap or a combination thereof.

The disadvantage of such an information device is the impossibility of embedding it in the floor or other pedestrian surface, since in this case water and dirt will inevitably get inside the device through the holes provided in the housing for the fans, while the latter are operating.

There are known information devices comprising a housing buried in the ground, road or sidewalk, for example, built in instead of a pavement tile or sidewalk (for example, see patent JP 2003108052, IPC: G09F 19/22, A62B 3/00, published on 11.04.2003 or patent KR 101715113, IPC: G09F 13/00, A62B 3/00, published on 14.03.2017). The housing is closed on top with a durable transparent cover that can withstand high external pressure, for example from heavy walking, vehicle passage. The housing contains an information display device (display, LCD monitor), a control controller, a communication unit and an autonomous power supply unit, in one embodiment, connected to a solar battery having a similar (built into the floor) design.

Under normal conditions, these devices serve to broadcast advertising and information messages, and in emergency cases they are used to display navigation information, namely, they serve as exit signs or evacuation directions. The change of information on the display screen is controlled by a computer located in the device's body or outside it.

These sources do not disclose how the required temperature and humidity inside the device's case are controlled and maintained. It can be assumed that in order to prevent moisture from getting inside the case, condensation from forming, and the glass from fogging up, the device is hermetically sealed, since otherwise the proper functioning of the device is impossible. However, hermetically sealed design leads to the problem of expensive repairs, since in the event of a malfunction of any of the units, the entire device will need to be replaced.

The closest analogue, based on the presence of features similar to the essential features of the claimed technical solution, is an advertising and information device, patent RU 125381 U1, IPC: G09F 19/22, published 27.02.2013, the design of which includes a housing made with the possibility of being built into an opening of a building (load-bearing) structure, a cover made of transparent impact-resistant material, hermetically sealing the housing and forming one of its sides, a means of presenting (displaying) information located in the housing, connected to a control unit, according to the signals of which the information displayed on the screen is changed, and a climate control system, including heating and cooling means. These features are similar to the features of the proposed device.

For climate control, according to the description of patent RU 125381, it is assumed that thermoelectric cooling modules are used in combination with heating elements and a fan, or one air conditioner with a built-in or remote temperature sensor, which allows you to regulate not only the temperature inside the device, but also to change the humidity to some extent. However, such humidity regulation is not enough to prevent condensation and fogging of the transparent viewing window. In addition, such a design is complex and cannot be used for embedding in the floor, sidewalk or other pedestrian surface.

The claimed utility model is aimed at solving the aforementioned problem and creating an information device adapted for installation in the floor or other pedestrian surface, in which condensation and fogging of the viewing glass are excluded, which guarantees reliable and efficient operation of the device.

The achieved technical result consists in eliminating the formation of condensation inside the housing and preventing fogging of the viewing glass, which contributes to the high reliability and efficiency of the operation of the information device built into the floor (sidewalk).

The said problem is solved and the result is achieved due to the fact that in the information device, comprising a housing, made with the possibility of being built into a supporting structure, a hermetically sealed cover made of transparent impact-resistant material, an information display means placed in the housing, made with the possibility of communication with an information output control unit, and a climate control system with heating and cooling means, according to the claimed utility model, the housing is adapted for being built into the floor and is made with supply and exhaust ventilation openings in the side walls, wherein the climate control system includes a membrane pump installed at the inlet of the exhaust ventilation opening, a filter with a hydrophilic sorbent communicated with the supply ventilation opening and a control unit monitoring the humidity and temperature of the air inside the housing and controlling the operation of the membrane pump and the heating means.

Unlike its closest analogue, the body of the proposed device is designed with the possibility of being built into the floor, and the term “floor” has the broadest interpretation and includes any pedestrian surface on which people walk, both indoors (floor covering, flooring) and outdoors (sidewalk, road, etc.).

The terms “inlet” and “outlet” of the supply and exhaust ventilation openings used in the formula and description text are determined by the direction of the air flow passing through them.

Unlike its closest analogue, the proposed device provides constant control not only of the temperature, but also of the air humidity inside the housing, carried out by a control unit with built-in (or externally located) temperature and humidity sensors, using the readings of which the control unit controls the switching on and off of the heaters and the membrane pump.

Thanks to the use of a membrane (aka diaphragm) pump and its design features, the removal of excessively humid air from the housing is ensured while maintaining the tightness of its internal space. The vacuum resulting from the pump operation facilitates the suction of air through the inlet, while all the air coming from outside is passed through a filter with a hydrophilic sorbent, which eliminates the ingress of external moisture into the housing, which is inevitably present when the device is built into the floor, road or sidewalk.

As a result, acceptable humidity is maintained inside the case, eliminating the formation of condensation and fogging of the viewing glass, even with significant differences in external and internal temperatures, which guarantees good readability of the message on the device screen and contributes to reliable and long-lasting operation of the device.

In preferred embodiments, the information device is characterized by the following essential features:

the filter is made in two stages and consists of two chambers connected in series, filled with a hydrophilic sorbent;

heating means are made in the form of infrared heating elements;

the cooling means are made in the form of a pair of fans, spaced apart from each other within the volume of the housing;

a means of displaying information in the form of a liquid crystal, LED or other display that allows the display of advertising and navigation information, changed by signals from a control unit, which can be placed outside the housing or inside it;

The control unit can be connected to an external computer device that generates advertising and navigation information.

The device is characterized by high maintainability, so in case of failure any of the device units can be replaced.

The essence of the utility model and the possibility of its industrial applicability are explained by the following examples of specific implementation and drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a device built into the floor (sidewalk), longitudinal section of the body;

Fig. 2 - also a top view with a partial section of the body, schematically showing the placement of blocks in the body.

The information device includes a housing 1, designed with the possibility of being built into a floor, sidewalk or other pedestrian structure (Fig. 1). The housing 1 is hermetically sealed by a cover 2 made of a transparent impact-resistant material, for example, bulletproof glass. To form a hermetically sealed connection between the housing 1 and the cover 2, a corresponding seal is used, for example, a rubber seal, tape or silicone (not shown in the drawings). The housing 1 contains an information display means 3, an information output control unit 4, a power supply unit 5 and a climate control system.

The information display means 3 can be made in the form of a liquid crystal, LED, plasma, flexible or other display, the manufacturing technology of which can change in accordance with the development of the level of technology. The display provides visual display of text, graphic, animation and video information, as well as reproduction of audio information and voice messages accompanying images on the screen.

The control unit 4 ensures the change of information on the display, can be implemented with the possibility of communication (wired or wireless) with a third-party computer generating information content or included in the security system, for example, a railway station or subway. The connection of the control unit 4 with a third-party computer can be carried out via the Internet using a 3G modem, Wi-Fi adapter, etc. In other examples of the implementation of the device, the control unit 4 can be located outside the housing 1.

Power supply unit 5 may contain an autonomous power source, or may provide connection of the device to a centralized power supply network.

The shape and material of the housing 1 may be any. In the given example of implementation, the housing 1 is made in the form of a welded metal structure in the form of an open-top rectangular parallelepiped with fastening elements in the opening of the floor covering. As a rule, the housing 1 is built into the floor (sidewalk) flush, which allows pedestrians to move freely. Inlet 6 and exhaust 7 ventilation openings are made in the side walls of the housing.

The climate control system includes heating devices, such as infrared heating elements 8, a pair of fans 9 located in the housing, a filter 10 with a hydrophilic sorbent, a membrane (also known as a diaphragm) pump 11, and a control unit 12 with built-in temperature and humidity sensors.

All the above-mentioned blocks 4-12 can be placed in a hollow internal volume, for example, along the perimeter of the housing 1 (Fig. 2).

Filter 10 is installed at the outlet of the inlet opening 6 of the housing and is connected to the inlet pipe installed in the opening, as a result of which the filter blocks the communication of the inlet opening 6 with the internal space of the housing 1, all air entering through opening 6 is directed into filter 10, filled with a hydrophilic sorbent.

The membrane pump 11 is placed at the inlet of the exhaust opening 7 and isolates it from the internal space of the housing 1, due to the one-way valves placed in the outlet and suction channels of the pump, which operate in a mirror image.

For example, BIMOR membrane piezoelectric pumps (BPS type from Nitto Kohki) can be used as a membrane pump 11. They are compact, have a small weight, increased strength and reliability, which ensures their efficient operation with a long service life. These pumps are characterized by a low level of energy consumption, are driven by two piezoelectric elements and create virtually no interference. The pump brand is indicated as an example and does not exclude other options.

During operation of the device, control unit 12, implemented on the basis of a microcontroller, constantly monitors the temperature and humidity of the air inside the housing 1 and controls the switching on and off of the heating elements 8 and the membrane pump 11, in accordance with the readings of the temperature and humidity sensors.

If the humidity readings exceed the set maximum permissible value, the control unit 12 allows the power supply to the membrane pump 11. The principle of operation of the pump is as follows: the membrane, bending towards the periphery, increases the volume of the internal chamber of the pump and thereby creates a vacuum and a low-pressure area in the chamber, as a result of which a portion of moist air from the internal space of the housing 1 is sucked into the pump. When the membrane bends in the opposite direction, the volume of the chamber decreases, the pressure increases, and a portion of moist air is pushed out through the exhaust opening 7. The resulting vacuum inside the housing 1 causes an influx of air through the opening 6, while all the air entering the housing passes through the filter 10, absorbing moisture from it.

The amount of hydrophilic sorbent in the filter depends on the operating conditions of the device and can be determined empirically. Thus, filter 10 can be made single- or two-stage, consisting of two chambers connected in series, filled with hydrophilic sorbent.

Silica gel is used primarily as a hydrophilic sorbent. However, it is possible to use other known hydrophilic materials of organic and inorganic origin, such as crushed cellulose-containing material, expanded clay, zeolite and other silica minerals, charcoal, various salts, etc.

Fans 9 serve primarily to remove heat from the operating information display device 3, and also facilitate the directed movement of the air flow in the direction of the exhaust opening.

Heating elements can also be used in the process of regulating humidity; they are also switched on by control unit 12 when the temperature inside housing 1 drops below the set limit value.

Thus, as a result of the climate control system operation, the optimal temperature and humidity inside the device are maintained, condensation formation is eliminated, fogging of the viewing glass is prevented, and high reliability and efficiency of operation of the information device built into the floor (sidewalk) is ensured.

Such devices can be used in the subway, at railway stations, airports, public transport stops, etc., to provide various advertisements, specialized social messages or navigation information. If necessary, for example in case of fire or other emergency, the device can be used as an emergency exit or evacuation route indicator. Autonomous power supply allows the device to function in the absence of centralized electricity.

The above examples illustrate the possibility of implementing the utility model, but do not limit the possibilities of implementing the device, which are obvious to specialists in this field of technology.

Claims (6)

1. An information device comprising a housing made with the possibility of being built into a supporting structure, a hermetically sealed housing cover made of transparent impact-resistant material, an information display means placed in the housing, made with the possibility of communicating with an information output control unit, and a climate control system with heating and cooling means, characterized in that the housing is adapted for being built into the floor and is made with supply and exhaust ventilation openings in the side walls, wherein the climate control system includes a membrane pump installed at the inlet of the exhaust ventilation opening, a filter with a hydrophilic sorbent communicated with the supply ventilation opening, and a control unit monitoring the humidity and temperature of the air inside the housing and controlling the operation of the membrane pump and the heating means. 2. An information device according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the filter consists of two chambers connected in series, filled with a hydrophilic sorbent. 3. An information device according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the heating means are made in the form of infrared heating elements. 4. An information device according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the cooling means are made in the form of two fans spaced apart from each other within the volume of the housing. 5. An information device according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the information display means is made in the form of a liquid crystal, LED or other display that allows for the display of dynamically changing advertising and navigation information. 6. An information device according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the information output control unit is located inside the housing and is designed with the ability to communicate with an external computer that generates advertising and navigation information.