阅读说明：本技术 空调系统和方法 (Air conditioning system and method ) 是由 Y·祖尔 S·齐尔伯施密特 S·昂格尔 于 2019-01-30 设计创作，主要内容包括：实施例的各方面涉及一种用于在室内产生受控环境的空调系统,该AC系统包括一个或多个处理器和一个或多个存储器,以使该系统执行以下操作：感测房间状况的一个或多个特征；提供描述房间的一个或多个感测的特性的传感器输出；分析传感器输出以产生分析结果；并基于分析结果,通过控制器选择性地控制例如AC系统的多个房间风机的输出气流速度,所述AC系统的多个房间风机布置使得房间的下气室相对于多个房间风机处于平行下游流体连通。(Aspects of the embodiments relate to an air conditioning system for creating a controlled environment indoors, the AC system including one or more processors and one or more memories to cause the system to perform the following operations: sensing one or more characteristics of a room condition; providing a sensor output describing one or more sensed characteristics of the room; analyzing the sensor output to produce an analysis result; and selectively controlling, by the controller, output airflow rates of a plurality of room fans of, for example, an AC system, based on the analysis results, the plurality of room fans of the AC system being arranged such that the lower air plenum of the room is in parallel downstream fluid communication with respect to the plurality of room fans.)

1. An Air Conditioning (AC) system for treating air and removing contaminants from a room having upper and lower plenum airspaces, the AC system comprising:

a controller;

a plurality of room fans selectively controllable by the controller;

at least one filter disposed downstream of and in fluid communication with a blowing direction of the plurality of room fans;

at least one sensor operable to provide a sensor output descriptive of a room condition;

wherein the controller receives the sensor output and selectively controls the plurality of room fans based on the received sensor output to obtain a desired room fan output airflow characteristic.

2. The AC system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is operable to detect the presence of a person indoors, and is further operable to track movement of the person indoors.

3. The AC system of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the at least one sensor is operable to provide a sensor output that describes an Increased Risk of Contamination (IRC) area within the lower airspace plenum.

4. The AC system of claim 3 wherein the controller controls air flow rates generated by the plurality of room fans to remove contaminants from the IRC area.

5. The AC system of any preceding claim wherein said controller controls air flow rates generated by said plurality of room fans to create an isolated space around a person located in said lower plenum, wherein said isolated space comprises substantially less contaminants than remaining cavities of said room's lower plenum.

6. The AC system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the room comprises upper and lower airspace plenums; and is

Wherein the plurality of room fans are arranged in parallel downstream fluid communication with respect to a main fan unit that blows air into an airspace plenum.

7. The AC system according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a return airway fluidly coupling the lower plenum to the upper plenum.

8. The AC system of any preceding claim wherein the main fan unit is capable of providing a flow rate that is lower than a combined flow rate that the plurality of room fans are capable of providing.

9. The AC system of claim 7 or claim 8 wherein during operation of said main fan unit and said plurality of room fans, a pressure differential is created between said upper and lower airspace plenums,

wherein the pressure differential causes the rate of indoor air circulation to be significantly higher than that achieved by an AC system including only the main fan unit.

10. A method for controlling an environment in a room having upper and lower plenum airspaces through an air conditioning system, the method comprising:

sensing one or more characteristics of a room condition;

providing a sensor output describing one or more sensed characteristics of the room;

analyzing the sensor output to produce an analysis result; and

selectively controlling a plurality of room fans by a controller based on the analysis result to obtain a desired output airflow speed,

wherein the plurality of room fans are arranged such that the lower plenum of the room is in parallel downstream fluid communication with respect to the plurality of room fans.

11. An AC system for creating a controlled environment indoors, the system comprising one or more processors and one or more memories to cause the system to:

sensing one or more characteristics of a room condition;

providing a sensor output describing one or more sensed characteristics of the room;

analyzing the sensor output to produce an analysis result; and

selectively controlling, by a controller, output airflow velocities of a plurality of room fans arranged such that lower plenums of the rooms are in parallel downstream fluid communication with respect to the plurality of room fans based on the analysis results.

12. A computer program product having a program code for performing the method steps of claim 10, wherein the program product is executed on a computer.

13. Use of the AC system of any one of claims 1 to 9 or claim 11 to create a controlled environment indoors.

14. A computer program product directly loadable into the internal memory of a digital computer, comprising software code portions for performing the steps of claim 10 when said computer program product is run on a computer.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to air conditioning systems and methods, including, for example, air conditioning of hospital rooms.

Background

Air conditioning systems designed to remove or expel contaminants from the interior of a room are well known in the art. Typically, air conditioning systems create a relatively positive pressure within a room to expel or draw contaminants from the room into the environment.

Ceiling filters, such as High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) or ultra low infiltration air (ULPA) filters, are disposed within the conditioned room to remove contaminants from the air. The filter may be located in the ceiling space of the room.

The room may be equipped with a double door arrangement comprising a first door and a second door forming a sealable passage into and out of the room. The first door is accessible from outside the room and the second door is accessible from inside the room. To maintain positive air pressure within the chamber, the dual doors include a mechanism that only allows the first door or the second door to be opened at a time.

The above description is a general summary of relevant art in the field and should not be construed as an admission that any of the information it contains constitutes prior art to the present patent application.

Drawings

The drawings illustrate generally, by way of example, and not by way of limitation, various embodiments discussed in this document.

For simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. References to previously presented elements are implied without further reference to the figure or description in which they appear. The figures are listed below.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustration of an air conditioning system according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2 is another block diagram illustration of an air conditioning system according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of a filter unit according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3B shows schematic top and side views of a room treated by an air conditioning system;

fig. 4A is a schematic top view of a room at a time stamp t1 according to some embodiments;

fig. 4B is a schematic side view of a room at a time stamp t1 according to some embodiments;

fig. 5A is a schematic top view of a room at a time stamp t2 according to some embodiments;

fig. 5B is a schematic side view of a room at a time stamp t2 according to some embodiments;

fig. 6A is a schematic top view of a room at a time stamp t3 according to some embodiments;

fig. 6B is a schematic side view of a room at a time stamp t3 according to some embodiments; and

fig. 7 is a schematic flow diagram of a method for controlling an environment within a room, according to some embodiments.

Detailed Description

The following description of air conditioning systems and methods is given with reference to specific examples, but it should be understood that such systems and methods are not limited to these examples. The term "air conditioning system" may also be referred to herein as an "AC system".

Air conditioning systems and methods according to embodiments may operate (i.e., be configured and/or adapted) to treat, ventilate, sanitize, or otherwise (manually and/or automatically) condition and/or control the environment within a room to prevent the development of contaminants, slow the development of contaminants, and/or reduce and/or minimize the amount of contaminants, such as infectious microorganisms (e.g., particles, bacteria, and/or fungal spores) and/or (e.g., airborne) particle counts within the room, for example, by increasing the number of air changes per hour within the room. The term contaminant may also include a biofilm of microorganisms covering the surface area and/or attached to the particles. This may be accomplished by selectively assigning different (e.g., vertical) air flow rates to different zones within the same chamber over different time periods. Note that different room regions or zones may or may not overlap. Thus, the air conditioning system allows for vertical control of the air flow rate in each of the different zones within the room by adjusting the exhaust room fan speed and optionally the suction in each zone.

Optionally, at least some or all of the components of the air conditioning system may have an antimicrobial coating. Optionally, the air conditioning system is operable to prevent or slow the development of bacteria and/or fungal spores. Thus, the air conditioning system is operable to create a controlled environment in a room or at least a portion thereof (e.g., a lower air plenum). In other words, the air conditioning system is operable to allow (manual and/or automatic) control of one or more environmental conditions within the room, such as humidity, temperature, noise and/or particle counts in the air (e.g., measured in "ppm") within the room. Optionally, the air conditioning system may be controlled (automatically and/or manually) to reduce or minimize noise in the room. For example, when a person enters a room, the operation of the room fans may be adjusted to reduce the noise level of one or more room fans. In another example, the operation of the room fans may be adjusted to operate at a lower noise level at night than during the day. For example, as described herein, sensors may be employed to detect the presence of a person within a room and optionally the position and/or posture of the person within the room. Optionally, the humidity may be controlled (e.g., reduced below a desired value) to slow or prevent the development of bacteria and/or fungal spores and/or other contaminants. Alternatively, energy conservation considerations may be a secondary factor or not at all considered when operating an air conditioning system.

Such a room may pertain to any (e.g., enclosed) space in which it is desirable to prevent, slow or minimize the development of, for example, bacteria and/or fungal spores (e.g., on a surface) within the room while maintaining controlled environmental conditions. Such rooms may include rooms for medical purposes, e.g., hospital rooms, intensive care units, ambulances, chemotherapy rooms, physician rooms, outpatient treatment environments; an outpatient and/or dental clinic; an airport terminal; agricultural processing environments (e.g., greenhouses); a microelectronic manufacturing environment; a pharmaceutical production environment; thus, although the embodiments disclosed herein may relate to a hospital environment, this should in no way be construed in a limiting manner.

[002S ] in an embodiment, an air conditioning system is operable to detect an area of increased pollution risk (IRC) or simply "IRC area" in a room air plenum and generate a desired airflow characteristic (e.g., a desired airflow velocity, flow pattern, average flow direction, and/or flow rate) based on a location of the IRC area.

In some embodiments, the air conditioning system is operable to controllably increase the flow rate in and/or around the space of the IRC region identified as the under-room plenum to more quickly remove contaminants from the IRC region to facilitate their discharge from the room (i.e., the under-room plenum).

In embodiments, the air conditioning system is operable to generate an airflow having characteristics suitable for preventing and/or removing contaminants from the IRC area, e.g., to form one or more isolated spaces within the room. An isolated space may be defined as, for example, a region of a room that includes significantly less contaminants than one or more other regions of the same room. Such regions may also be referred to herein as "virtual cavities".

Optionally, the isolated space of the room may exhibit a desired flow pattern, for example, around a patient bed, for example, to reduce or minimize patient exposure to contaminants. The term contaminant may include, for example, particles, microorganisms, and/or viruses.

In some embodiments, based on detected changes in room conditions, air conditioning systems and methods may be configured to create an isolated space at different locations relative to the boundaries of a room.

The room condition may for example relate to the number and/or location of the persons in the room at successive time stamps. For example, air conditioning systems may be used to track the movement of objects (e.g., people) in a room and/or the motion of objects located in a room and determine how they affect the state of, for example, pollutants in the room. For example, the location of the isolated space may vary spatially, e.g., according to the location of people and/or other objects relative to the room boundaries.

The room condition may for example also relate to physiological characteristics of a person located indoors; an action performed by a person located indoors (e.g., a type of medical procedure that an animal (e.g., a human) is about to receive or is currently receiving); environmental conditions inside and/or outside the chamber; design features of the room; current or desired flow conditions within a certain room area, etc.

The system and method can be used to adaptively implement an indoor location-based decontamination sequence. In some embodiments, the systems and methods may allow for the selective creation of a desired flow regime in any one of the isolated spaces of a room. For example, the system may be used to controllably produce laminar flow conditions in a first isolated space and simultaneously controllably produce turbulent flow conditions in a second isolated space of a room.

In some embodiments, the system may include a plurality of independently controllable room fans, which may be part of the filter unit. One or more independently controllable room fans may be arranged in fluid communication with one or more filters mounted downstream in the blowing direction of the room fans. Optionally, the filter may be configured as a quick-exchange and modular filter. In some embodiments, the room fan controllers may communicate with each other, for example, to provide room fan parameter values for controlling the room fans.

The room may include a ceiling space above the work/treatment space. The term "ceiling space" may also be referred to herein as an "upper airspace plenum" and the term "workspace" may also be referred to herein as a "lower airspace plenum". The suspended ceiling can divide a room into an upper airspace air chamber and a lower airspace air chamber. Alternatively, the installation of multiple filter units may divide the room into an upper airspace plenum and a lower airspace plenum. Optionally, the filter unit may comprise one or more room fans and/or one or more filters.

For purposes of simplifying the discussion that follows, and not by way of limitation, the filter unit is referred to herein as being disposed in a spatial plenum.

A plurality of filter units may be installed in the upper plenum of the room and arranged to cover substantially the entire area above the room. For example, a plurality of filter units may be mounted in a matrix-like arrangement with respect to a top view of a room. For example, a room may include a plurality of filter units arranged in rows and columns. In an embodiment, the outputs of the plurality of room fans are in parallel upstream fluid communication with respect to a lower airspace plenum of the room.

A cooler may be employed to cool the air supplied into the room via the filter unit.

Reference is made to fig. 1 and 2. In some embodiments, the room 500 may be considered part of the air conditioning system 1000. In some other embodiments, the room 500 is not considered part of the air conditioning system 1000. The room 500 may include a double door arrangement 510 comprising: an outer door 511 and an inner door 512, which form a sealable passage into and out of the room. The outer door 511 is accessible from outside the room and the inner door 512 is accessible from inside the room 500. To ensure continuous, relatively positive air pressure in the room 500, the double door apparatus 510 may include a mechanism that only allows the outer door 511 or the inner door 512 to be opened at one time.

In some embodiments, the airflow pattern may be influenced and adaptively controlled, for example, according to the position of an object 600 (see, e.g., fig. 2) located in the room 500. Such objects 600 may include, for example, a patient; a medical professional (e.g., physician, nurse); robots, devices (e.g., hospital beds, patient monitoring systems), etc.

The air conditioning system 1000 includes one or more filter units 1100 and one or more sensors 1200. The weight of the filter unit may for example be between 5kg and 8 kg. The filter can optionally be configured to allow quick, simple plug-and-play installation on existing infrastructure.

The air conditioning system 1000 may also include an air conditioning management module 1300, the air conditioning management module 1300 monitoring and controlling components of the air conditioning system 1000, such as one or more room fans 1104 of the filter unit 1100, based on the sensor output 1202 provided by the sensor 1200. The sensor output 1202 may describe physical characteristics of the room 500.

The air conditioning management module 1300 may include a communication module 1310, an operator or user interface 1320, and a room analysis engine 1330.

In an embodiment, the air conditioning management module 1300 is operable to record sensor data for analysis and, optionally, for download to an external memory.

In an embodiment, the air conditioning management module 1300 is operable to communicate with one or more computing platforms 1400 via a communication network 2500.

Computing platform 1400 may include, for example, a multi-function mobile communication device, also referred to as a "smartphone," a personal computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a server (which may involve one or more servers or storage systems and/or services associated with an enterprise or corporate entity, such as a file hosting service, a cloud storage service, an online file storage provider, a peer-to-peer file storage or hosting service, and/or a network lock), a personal digital assistant, a workstation, a wearable device, a handheld computer, a notebook computer, a vehicular device, and/or a stationary device.

Computing platform 1400 may execute an air conditioning application 1410, which air conditioning application 1410 allows an operator of air conditioning system 1000 to remotely monitor and/or control the operation and/or room status features of air conditioning system 1000 via a corresponding AC application interface 1410, such as a smartphone or any other mobile communication device. The room condition characteristic may include a cleanliness level. AC application interface 1410 may allow a user to adjust operating parameter values of air conditioning system 1000, for example, by defining a desired room cleanliness level and/or by defining operating system parameter values. Optionally, the parameter values used to operate the air conditioning system are automatically adaptively or dynamically updated, for example, based on a particular characteristic of the patient or other room condition. For example, certain indoor conditions (e.g., airflow characteristics) may be prescribed for a particular patient. Alternatively, some parameter values may be adaptively updated, while some are dynamically updated. Some inputs relating to parameter values may be provided manually, for example by an operator of the AC system.

Dynamically updating a parameter value means, for example, forcing a change of the parameter value at a certain time of day or a certain day of the year. Updating parameter values adaptively means updating them in response to e.g. changes in room conditions.

Communications module 1310 may include, for example, I/O device drivers (not shown) and network interface drivers (not shown) for enabling data to be sent and/or received to computing platform 1400 via network 2500. For example, the device driver may interface with a keypad or a USB port. The network interface driver may, for example, be implemented for the Internet or an intranet, a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN) employing, for example, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), a Personal Area Network (PAN), an extranet, a 2G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G, including, for example, WIMAX or Long Term Evolution (LTE),(e.g., Bluetooth Smart), ZigBee^TMNear Field Communication (NFC), and/or any other current or future communication network, standard, and/or system.

The operator interface 1320 may include, for example, a keyboard, a touch screen, and the like.

The room analysis engine 1330 may include a processor 1331, a memory 1332 for storing program instructions that may be executed by the processor.

As used herein, the term "processor" may additionally or alternatively refer to a controller. Processor 1331 may be implemented by various types of processor devices and/or processor architectures, including, for example, embedded processors, communications processors, Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) accelerated computing, soft-core processors, and/or general-purpose processors.

It will be appreciated that a separate processor may be assigned to each element or processing function in the air conditioning system 1000. The following description refers to processor 1331 as a general-purpose processor that may perform all of the necessary processing functions of air conditioning system 1000.

In some embodiments, the processor 1331 and the controller 1305 may be implemented by the same hardware elements.

Memory 1332 may include transactional memory and/or long-term storage memory facilities, and may be used as file memory, document memory, program memory, or working memory. The latter may take the form of, for example, Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), cache, and/or flash memory. As a working memory, memory 1332 may include, for example, time-based and/or non-time-based instructions. As long-term memory, memory 1332 may include, for example, volatile or non-volatile computer storage media, hard disk drives, solid-state drives, magnetic storage media, flash memory, and/or other storage devices. The hardware storage facility may, for example, store a fixed set of information (e.g., software code) including, but not limited to, files, programs, applications, source code, object code, data, and the like.

Processing of the program instructions by the processor 1331 may result in the performance of methods for air conditioning and treating the air of the room 500. Execution of the method may be represented by an analysis application 1333 operable to receive and analyze the sensor output 1202.

Optionally, memory 1332 may be operable to store communication data received from communication module 1310 and/or GUI inputs received from operator interface 1320, for example, which may be taken into account by analysis application 1333 when analyzing sensor output 1202. The management module 1300 may further include a controller 1305 operable to provide an air conditioning operation output 1422 based on the analysis performed.

The air conditioning management module may also include a power module 1340 for providing power to at least one component of the air conditioning system 1000. The power module 1340 may include an internal power source (e.g., a rechargeable battery) and/or an interface to allow connection to an external power source.

In an embodiment, controlling the room fan 1104 includes controlling its output airflow characteristics (e.g., by controlling the rotational speed of the room fan 1104, the direction of a baffle (not shown) that may be disposed downstream of the room fan 1104, and/or the fan nozzle width) by providing a corresponding air conditioning operational output 1422 to, for example, a room fan motor (not shown) or other room fan component to create an isolated space around the object 600. The isolated space is schematically represented by a dashed area, which is represented by an alphanumeric designation 504.

With further reference to fig. 3A, the filter unit 1100 may include a filter 1102 for filtering the air 10 received from the air supply conduit 1050; and a room blower 1104 for blowing the filtered air 20 into the room 500 via an outlet of the air supply duct 1050. The filter 1102 may, for example, include a HEPA and/or ULPA filter. In some other embodiments, the filter 1102 is located downstream of the room fan 1104, i.e., the room fan 1104 pushes unfiltered air toward the filter 1102.

With further reference to fig. 3B, the air conditioning system 1000 may be operable (i.e., configured or adapted) to spatially vary and/or adaptively control the airflow pattern in the virtual cavity 506 of the lower air plenum 502. A virtual cavity may be defined, for example, as a virtual post cavity extending from the ceiling 503 to the floor surface of the room. The boundaries of the cavity in the x-y direction may be defined by the respective geometrical coverage of the filter unit. Such virtual cylinder chambers are illustrated as V1-V8. The output of the room fan is schematically shown by arrow a. Such suspended ceiling tiles may also be referred to herein as "floating roof tiles". The suspended ceiling 503 may be installed below the existing ceiling of a room.

In some embodiments, the AC system may include a floating floor mounted above an existing floor of the room and/or a floating wall mounted on an existing wall of the room for creating a floor and/or wall airspace plenum, which is similarly configured as the upper airspace plenum 501. Optionally, such floor and wall airspace plenums may comprise a plurality of filter units. In some embodiments, the AC system may be configured to create floor and/or wall airspace, for example, in place of an airspace plenum.

As schematically shown in fig. 1 and 2, air may be drawn from the room 500 via a return duct 1060. Some of the air flowing in the return duct 1060 may be recirculated into the room 500 via the air supply duct 1050, and some may be discharged to the environment through a vent (not shown). Air may be drawn from the room 500 simply due to a relative pressure differential (i.e., a relative overpressure) in the room 500. Alternatively, active suction or ventilation may be employed in addition to the room fan 1104 to draw air from the room 500, for example, in a controlled manner. In some embodiments, multiple return air ducts 1060 (e.g., return air ducts 1060A-C as shown in FIG. 1) may be employed to allow air to flow out. For example, the number of return ducts may correspond to the number of room fans employed by the air conditioning system 1000. For example, the number of return ducts may correspond to the number of rows and/or columns of room fans employed by the air conditioning system 1000.

In some embodiments, the filtration unit may include multiple filters and/or multiple room fans that receive air, the temperature of which may be controlled by the cooler and/or heating unit. In one example, the same filter may be in fluid communication with multiple room fans. In another example, multiple filters may be in fluid communication with the same room fan.

The sensors 1200 of the air conditioning system 1000 are operable to detect physical quantities related to the condition of the room 500 and generate sensor outputs 1202, such as electronic signals, based on the detected physical quantities.

Sensors 1200 may include, for example, environmental sensors (e.g., temperature sensors, humidity sensors, gas sensors, particle sensors for detecting and counting particles in air, pressure sensors, bacteria sensors (including, for example, fungus detectors, virus sensors), flow sensors, for example, for measuring dynamic pressure, flow rate, and/or for sensing physical quantities related to airflow patterns (e.g., laminar flow, turbulent flow), physiological sensors for measuring patient and/or medical professional characteristics (e.g., for measuring systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, mean arterial pressure, pulse rate, respiratory pattern, oxygen saturation, glucose level, electrical properties of the patient's skin (e.g., conductivity, resistance), body weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), pH, one or more selected analytes in a body fluid (e.g., magnesium, oxygen, glucose, Calcium, sodium, salt, glucose, and/or hormones), motor function, body temperature, perspiration rate, electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram (EEG), capnogram values, and/or cognitive ability of the patient). The bodily fluid may include blood, sweat, tears, and/or saliva. Sensor 1200 may further include, for example, a camera (e.g., a CCD, CMOS, or hybrid CCD-CMOS camera, and/or any other current or future imaging and/or image capture technology); optical sensors (e.g., emitting infrared beacons for motion detection); a receiver antenna (e.g., an antenna of an access point of a wireless local area network) for estimating a received signal strength from a mobile device, a magnetic field sensor; and/or thermal or passive thermal imaging sensors.

The sensors 1200 may also include, for example, wearable inertial sensors (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes) for sensing motion of the object 600, e.g., for assessing physical characteristics related to gait, central nervous system disease (e.g., parkinson), physical activity, breathing patterns, sleep conditions, and so forth.

For example, sensor output 1202 provided by sensor 1200 (e.g., a wearable inertial sensor and/or a camera) may be employed to determine the location of an object in room 500.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an embodiment in which a room fan 1104 is controlled to create an isolated space 504 around a first object 600A located in a lower airspace plenum 502. The first object may also be referred to herein as a "patient," e.g., exposed to or receiving an immune system-compromised medical procedure (e.g., chemotherapy).

In some embodiments, the air conditioning system 1000 may be used to detect and/or monitor the IRC region 505 and control the operation of the components of the air conditioning system 1000 to remove contaminants from the IRC region 505 at an increased rate compared to other regions of the lower air plenum 502. Removal of contaminants from IRC area 505 may result in creation of isolation space 504.

For example, when the patient 600A is located in the room 500, the sensor 1200 may be operable to detect entry of a second object 600B into the room 500, which second object 600B is considered a potential source of contamination. The sensor 1200 may also be an air conditioning system 1000 for monitoring the movement of the second object 600B in the room 500 and optionally for determining the position of the second object relative to the first object 600A. The "second object" may also be referred to herein as a "non-patient object" because it may refer to a person who is not hospitalized in the room 500, unlike the patient 600A, and may include, for example, medical personnel (e.g., nurses, physicians, maintenance personnel); visitors, etc.

Reference is additionally made to fig. 4A and 4B. Fig. 4A and 4B schematically illustrate the position of the patient 600A and the staff member 600B in the treatment region 520 of the lower airspace plenum 502 at a time stamp t ═ t 1. Object 600A is shown and illustrated as lying in bed, and worker 600B is shown just entering treatment area 520. Since the worker 600B can enter the treatment region 520 from an uncontrolled environment, he can be considered to carry an increased amount of contaminants with him. The sensor 1200 detects entry of the worker 600B, for example, via the double door arrangement 510. Optionally, sensors 1200 are used to monitor the movement of patient 600A and staff member 600B in room 500.

Sensor 1200 provides a sensor output 1202 that describes a room condition, such as a person (e.g., staff member 600B) entering room 500, or any other room condition deemed to increase the risk of cross-contamination of patients located in room 500. The sensor output 1202 may be analyzed by the room analysis engine 1330 and provide a corresponding analysis output 1334 to the controller 1305. Based on the analysis output 1334, the controller 1305 may provide an air conditioning operation output 1422 for selectively controlling the airflow rate and/or any other airflow characteristic generated by the plurality of room fans 1104. Alternatively, the operation of the plurality of room fans may be controlled to selectively produce a desired airflow rate by each of the plurality of fans.

Alternatively, the plurality of room fans 1104 can include at least two fan sets, each fan set including at least two fans. A set of room fans may be configured so that they may be controlled by the same air conditioner operating output 1422.

Referring to fig. 4A and 4B, the sensor 1200 may detect entry of the worker 600B into the room 500, sense a physical characteristic indicative of the worker's location in the room 500, and provide a corresponding sensor output 1202 to the room analysis engine 1330. The time stamp and other information may be associated with the location information of the object.

The room analysis engine 1330 may analyze the received sensor output 1202 and determine room conditions, e.g., the worker 600B is located below the room fans 1104A-1104F. Based on the analysis performed, the room analysis engine 1330 may cause the controller 1305 to control the room fans 1104A-1104F to provide an increased air flow rate (e.g., an increased rotational speed at 2750 Revolutions Per Minute (RPM) and/or a decreased width of the output nozzle) as compared to other room fans (e.g., fans 1104G-1104O) that are farther away from the employee 600B and/or another object that may be a source of increased pollution). For example, room fans 1104A-1104F, which are farther away from object 600B than room fans 1104G-1104O at time t1, may be controlled to operate the exhaust air at a relatively low airflow rate (e.g., at a relatively low rotational speed). For example, the room fans 1104G-1104J may be controlled to rotate at 700RPM, and the room fans 1104L-1104O may be controlled to rotate at 910 RPM. As such, the virtual cavity occupied by the object 600B experiences increased airflow velocity (and optionally higher contaminant removal rate) than other areas of the room 500 (e.g., areas below the fans 1104G-1104O). In the case shown in fig. 4A and 4B, the space below the room fans 1104A-1104F may be identified or defined by the room analysis engine 1330 as the IRC region 505, as it is the region or zone identified as the location of the object 600B. By increasing the air velocity in the IRC region 505, the region in which the patient 600A is located is less likely to be adversely affected by contaminants carried by the object 600B than the air velocity at and around the location of the object 600A.

Further, by increasing the air velocity in the IRC region 505, contaminants may be removed therefrom at a higher rate than if the adaptive method were not employed.

Thus, the possibility of e.g. hospital staff-patient cross contamination may be reduced compared to e.g. arrangements in which only one room blower is used for generating overpressure in the treatment area and/or arrangements in which a plurality of room blowers are used which cannot be controlled individually.

In an embodiment, environmental sensors 507 may be employed to monitor conditions outside the room 500. For example, the environmental sensors 507 may be employed to monitor the movement of people outside the room 500 and/or to monitor environmental characteristics outside the room 500, such as temperature, contaminant levels, and the like. The sensor output provided by the environmental sensor 507 may also be input to the room analysis engine 1330 to be considered to determine the air conditioning operation output 1422.

Referring now to fig. 5A and 5B, fig. 5A and 5B schematically illustrate the position of a patient 600A and a staff member 600B in a treatment region 520 of a lower airspace plenum 502 with a timestamp t ═ t2 (where t2 > t 1). In the scenario shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the worker 600B is closer to the patient 600A than in the case shown in fig. 4A and 4B. In the case shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the worker 600B may be a medical professional who may inject a medication and/or subject the patient 600A to a medical procedure for treatment and/or examination.

The IRC area 505 may be considered to vary according to changes in the location of the staff member 600B in the room 500 and, optionally, to overlap fully or partially with the isolation space 504 that is desired to be created or maintained around the patient 600A.

The sensor 1200 may sense a physical characteristic indicative of a location of the worker in the room 500 at t2 and provide a corresponding sensor output 1202 to the room analysis engine 1330.

The room analysis engine 1330 may analyze the received sensor output 1202 and determine room conditions, e.g., the worker 600B is located below the room fans 1104H, 1104I, 1104K, and 1104L. Based on the analysis performed, room analysis engine 1330 may cause controller 1305 to control room fans 1104H, 1104I, 1104K, and 1104L to produce increased airflow rates (e.g., by increasing their rotational speed to, for example, 2750RPM) as compared to, for example, all other room fans that are farther from employee 600B. For example, room fans 1104A-1104G, 1104J, and 1104M-1104O, which are shown farther away from object 600B than room fans 1104H, 1104I, 1104K, and 1104L at time t2, may be controlled to operate to produce a relatively low velocity airflow. Thus, the area in which object 600B is located when t2 experiences an increased rate of contaminant removal as compared to other areas of room 500. In the case shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the space below the room fans 1104H, 1104I, 1104K, and 1104L may be identified or defined by the room analysis engine 1330 as the IRC region 505 because it is the region or zone identified as the location of the object 600B. In fig. 5A and 5B, the IRC region 505 is shown at least partially overlapping with the position of the patient 600A. By increasing the air velocity in the IRC region 505, contaminant removal therefrom is achieved at a higher rate.

Thus, the air conditioning system 1000 may be operable (i.e., configured or adapted) to spatially vary and/or adaptively control the airflow pattern in the virtual cavity of the lower air plenum 502. A virtual cavity may be defined, for example, as a surface extending from a suspended ceiling to a floor of a room. The boundaries of the cavity in the x-y direction may be defined by the respective geometric coverage of the filter unit 1100.

Referring to fig. 4A-5B, air conditioning system 1000 is operable to track the location of object 600 in room 500 and operate room fans and optionally other air conditioning equipment accordingly in a manner that reduces the likelihood of, for example, hospital staff-patient cross-contamination.

Reference is additionally made to fig. 6A and 6B. The room 500 may be divided into two or more separate areas, for example, a treatment area 520 and a restroom area 530. In some embodiments, one or more valves 1070 may be employed to regulate the optional airflow between treatment area 520 and restroom area 530. In some embodiments, areas that are considered more susceptible to contamination (e.g., restroom areas) may be treated differently than areas that are considered less susceptible to contamination. For example, less air may be recirculated in the restroom area 530 than in the treatment area 520. Alternatively, the air of the lavatory area 530 may not be recirculated and all or substantially all of the air exiting the lavatory area 530 may be vented without being recirculated back to the lavatory area 530. It will be apparent that the above examples are not limited to the washroom/non-washroom example, and that alternative configurations are possible.

Alternatively, the air conditioning management module 1300 may control the operation of the room fan 1104 to move air at a lower speed in a separate area in which an object is located, as opposed to no object being located in the same separate area. Alternatively, the air conditioning management module 1300 may control the operation of the room fan 1104 to move air at a higher velocity in the partitioned area where the object is located, as opposed to where no object is located in the same partitioned area.

In the example shown, the restroom area 530 is only accessible to a user (e.g., patient 600A) from the treatment area 520 through a separate room door arrangement (not shown). The indoor door arrangement may be implemented as a single door or as a double door, e.g., similar to double door arrangement 510. As already indicated herein, the sensor 1200 may track the movement of people in the room. The room analysis engine 1330 is operable to determine whether a person is located in the room 500 and in which area. In the scenario shown in fig. 6A and 6B, patient 600A is located in restroom area 530 when timestamp t ═ t3 > t 2. Sensors 1200 may sense physical characteristics of lavatory area 530 and provide corresponding sensor outputs 1202 for analysis by air conditioning management module 1300. Analysis application 1333 may analyze sensor output 1202 and position patient 600A in restroom area 530. As a result, the room blower 1104 may be controlled to reduce the airflow rate in the restroom area 530, for example, to reduce noise in the restroom area 530 when the patient 600A is positioned therein. After the patient 600A returns to the treatment region 520, the air flow rate in the restroom area 530 may be increased, for example, to increase the number of times that air from the restroom area 530 is circulated through the corresponding filter unit and/or to exhaust the restroom air to the environment as quickly as possible.

Returning to fig. 1 and 2, a plurality of room fans 1104 are arranged in parallel downstream fluid communication with respect to a main fan unit 560, the main fan unit 560 blowing air into the airspace plenum 501. In some embodiments, the main fan unit 560 may include multiple fans, and optionally, filters. In an embodiment, the dynamic air pressure that may be provided by the main fan unit 560 is lower (e.g., at least 50%) than the combined dynamic air pressure that may be provided by the plurality of room fans 1104. As a result of this, the plurality of fans may generate a negative pressure in the upper air space 501 between the output of the main fan unit 560 and the plurality of additional room fans 1104. In some embodiments, the main fan unit 560 may include a pre-filter 562, the output of which may be referred to as pre-filtered air that is additionally filtered by the filter 1102.

The return airway 1060 may fluidly couple the lower plenum to the upper plenum. During operation of the main fan unit 560 and the plurality of room fans 1104, a pressure differential is created between the upper and lower airspace plenums. The pressure in the lower air space chamber 502 can be significantly higher than the pressure in the upper air space chamber 501.

The pressure differential between the upper air plenum 501 and the lower air plenum 502 results in a pressure imbalance or imbalance condition that in turn results in the replacement of air within the chamber at a relatively high rate. The resulting imbalance condition may generate inertial forces resulting in air displacement at a relatively high rate.

For example, given, for example, the same main fan unit 560 operating parameter values, room conditions, room size, and filter imposed pressure drop, the air displacement rate may be higher than would be obtainable using an air conditioning system that does not include the upper air space 501.

The pressure differential between the upper and lower airspace plenums 501 and 502 may be, for example, in the range of 1 to 4 pascals and may displace air in the room 500, for example, at least 100, at least 110, at least 120, at least 130, at least 140, or at least 150 times per hour. By using the room fan 1104 and creating the upper airspace plenum 501 and the lower airspace plenum 502, the air circulation rate may be increased without adjusting the operating parameter values of the main fan unit 560.

In some embodiments, the air conditioning system 1000 may be configured such that it does not require the double door arrangement 510, e.g., as described herein. Alternatively, a single gate arrangement may be employed. For example, suction may be applied when the sensor 1200 senses the opening of a door, window, or any action that creates fluid communication between the room 500 and an area outside the room 500. The area outside the room may be a public space, e.g. a hospital corridor. Suction may be applied to prevent cross-contamination so that opening the door of the room 500 does not adversely affect the degree of contamination outside and/or inside the room 500. Suction may be achieved by reversing the blowing direction of a room fan 1104 located, for example, near the door. For example, the blowing direction of the room fans 1104A-C may be reversed to create suction that forces air from the room and near the doors back into the airspace plenum 501. Obviously, the blowing direction of the additional or other room fans 1104 may be reversed to create the desired suction, and these fans need not necessarily be located near (above) the door. In some embodiments, in response to detecting the opening of the door of the room (or any other opening associated therewith), the suction via return air duct 1060 may be engaged, or if already engaged, increased, to prevent cross-contamination of the space outside of room 500. In some embodiments, the blowing direction of the one or more room fans 1104 may be maintained or simply stopped, and suction via return air duct(s) 1060 may be engaged or increased to prevent cross-contamination.

In some examples, air may be replaced at a rate of at least 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 20 times greater than the replacement rate achievable by conventional AC systems.

In some examples, by employing an AC system, the amount of contaminants obtainable within a chamber treated thereby may be reduced by at least 20%, at least 30%, at least 40%, at least 50%, at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80%, or at least 90% compared to the amount of contaminants obtainable when employing a conventional AC system.

In an embodiment, the air conditioning system 1000 may be installed as a plug-in into an existing room air conditioning system including the main fan unit 560 without modification to the existing system. In other words, the existing air conditioning system 1000 for an air conditioning system may be modified to be a "plug-in system". Thus, air conditioning system 1000 may be considered a modular accessory to an existing air conditioning system. For example, components of the air conditioning system 1000 may be modularly replaced to replace the upper air space plenum. In some embodiments, different rooms of the same house may be individually equipped with air conditioning systems 1000. For example, a first room may be equipped with a first air conditioning system 1000A (not shown), and a second room, which may be located near the first room, may be equipped with a second air conditioning system 1000B (not shown) independent of the first air conditioning system 1000A.

Alternatively, the air conditioning system 1000 or at least a portion thereof may be modularly interchangeable. Optionally, the ducts of the air conditioning system 1000 are not in fluid communication with an existing air conditioning system. For example, the air path of the air conditioning system 1000 is disconnected from the existing air conditioning system (e.g., hospital).

The operation of the air conditioning system 1000 may be controlled independently of an existing air conditioning system. Installation of the air conditioning system 1000 may be performed without interrupting the existing air conditioning system. In an embodiment, the air conditioning system 1000 may be self-contained. In an embodiment, air conditioning system 1000 allows a given room to be transformed into a controlled and monitored clean environment.

In an embodiment, the air conditioning system 1000 may employ, for example, antimicrobial floor coatings, antimicrobial wall coatings, return ducts, integration with (including control of) a customer's existing air conditioning system, and zoning (using separate partitions connected to designated ceilings) inside the system to create a clean indoor space in a manner that allows one to set up physical isolation of room occupancy between hospital beds without compromising their cleanliness.

In some embodiments, crowd sourcing may be employed, which may be input into the room analysis engine 1330 to analyze thereby. For example, the controller 1305 may control the devices of the air conditioning system 1000 based on crowd-sourced sensor data.

Reference is now additionally made to fig. 7. As shown in step 7100, the method can include sensing one or more characteristics of a room condition.

The method may further include, as shown in step 7200, providing a sensor output that describes one or more sensed characteristics of the room. As shown in step 7300, the method may include analyzing the sensor output to produce an analysis result.

The method may further include selectively controlling output airflow velocities of a plurality of fans arranged such that a lower airspace plenum of the room is in parallel downstream fluid communication with respect to the plurality of fans based on the analysis results, as shown in step 7400.

The air conditioning system 1000 may be configurable to operate in various modes. For example, in the manual mode, a user may manually set at least some or all of the operating parameter values of the air conditioning system 1000. In the semi-automatic mode, the user may select from a plurality of preset configurations. For example, a first preset configuration may relate to "night time operation", a second preset configuration may relate to "day time operation", a third preset may relate to treatment of a particular clinical condition during the entire day, etc. In the automatic mode, the air conditioning system 1000 is operable to adaptively adjust operating parameter values based on data received at the AC management module 1300 according to at least one AC operating criterion. The data may, for example, describe AC device performance, clinical condition of the patient, and/or indoor condition. For example, data describing pollution, room conditions, etc. may be used to adaptively adjust operating parameter values of the air conditioning system 1000 according to a predetermined task.

The at least one AC operating criterion may be based on an artificial intelligence function. Alternatively, the adjustment of the operating parameter values may be accomplished by providing such artificial intelligence functionality to the AC management module 1300. Note that a hybrid mode of operation may also be employed. For example, certain components of the air conditioning system 1000 may operate in a manual mode and certain other components may operate in an automatic mode. Switching from one mode of operation to another may be performed manually or automatically.

Additional examples:

example 1 is an air conditioning system for treating air and removing contaminants from a room, the AC system comprising: a controller; a plurality of room fans selectively controllable by the controller; at least one filter disposed downstream of and in fluid communication with a blowing direction of the plurality of room fans; at least one sensor operable to provide a sensor output descriptive of a room condition; wherein the controller receives the sensor output and, based on the received sensor output, selectively controls the plurality of room fans to obtain a desired room fan output airflow characteristic (e.g., a desired airflow rate at an output of the room fans).

In example 2, the subject matter of example 1 optionally includes wherein the at least one sensor is operable to detect the presence of a person within the room, and is further operable to track movement of the person within the room.

In example 3, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 1-2 optionally includes wherein the at least one sensor is operable to provide a sensor output descriptive of an indoor pollution risk increase area (IRC).

In example 4, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 1-3 optionally includes wherein the controller controls air flow rates generated by the plurality of room fans to remove contaminants from the IRC area of the room.

In example 5, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 1-4 optionally includes wherein the controller controls air flow rates generated by the plurality of room fans to create an isolated space around a person located indoors, wherein the isolated space includes significantly less contaminants than remaining cavities of the room.

In example 6, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 1-5 optionally includes wherein the room comprises an upper and a lower airspace plenum, and wherein the plurality of room fans are arranged in parallel downstream fluid communication with respect to a main fan unit that blows air into the upper airspace plenum.

In example 7, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 1-6 optionally includes a backflow airway fluidly coupling the lower plenum with the upper plenum.

In example 8, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 1-7 optionally includes wherein the primary fan unit may provide a lower flow rate than a combined flow rate that the plurality of room fans may provide.

In example 9, the subject matter of any one or more of examples 7-8 optionally includes wherein, during operation of the main fan unit and the plurality of room fans, a pressure differential is created between the upper and lower airspace plenums, wherein the pressure differential causes a rate of indoor air circulation that is significantly higher than that achieved by an AC system that includes only the main fan unit.

Example 10 includes a method of controlling an indoor environment having upper and lower plenum airspaces by an air conditioning system, the method comprising: sensing one or more characteristics of a room condition; providing a sensor output describing one or more sensed characteristics of the room; analyzing the sensor output to produce an analysis result; and based on the analysis results, selectively controlling, by the controller, the plurality of room fans to produce a desired output airflow velocity, the plurality of room fans being arranged such that the lower plenum of the room is in parallel downstream fluid communication with respect to the plurality of room fans.

Example 11 is an AC system for creating a controlled environment indoors, the system comprising one or more processors and one or more memories to cause the system to: sensing one or more characteristics of a room condition; providing a sensor output describing one or more sensed characteristics of the room; analyzing the sensor output to produce an analysis result; and selectively controlling, by the controller, a plurality of room fans arranged such that the lower plenum of the room is in parallel downstream fluid communication with respect to the plurality of room fans to produce a desired output airflow velocity based on the analysis results.

Example 12 is a computer program product with program code for performing the method steps according to example 10, wherein the computer program product is executed on a computer.

Example 13 is a computer program product directly loadable into the internal memory of a digital computer, comprising software code portions for performing the steps of example 10 when the computer program product is run on a computer.

Example 13 relates to use of the system of any or all of examples 1-9 or example 11 to create a controlled environment indoors.

Any digital computer system, module, and/or engine illustrated herein can be configured or otherwise programmed to implement the methods disclosed herein, and is within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure to the extent that the system, module, and/or engine is configured to implement such methods. Once the system, module and/or engine is programmed to perform particular functions according to computer-readable and executable instructions from program software implementing the methods disclosed herein, it effectively becomes a special purpose computer specific to the embodiments of the methods disclosed herein. The methods and/or processes disclosed herein may be implemented as a computer program product that may be tangibly embodied in an information carrier, including, for example, a non-transitory tangible computer-readable and/or non-transitory tangible machine-readable storage device. The computer program product may be directly loadable into the internal memory of a digital computer comprising software code portions for performing the methods and/or processes disclosed herein.

Additionally or alternatively, the methods and/or processes disclosed herein may be implemented as a computer program tangibly embodied by a computer-readable signal medium. A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein (e.g., in baseband or as part of a carrier wave). Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a non-transitory computer or machine readable storage device and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with the devices, systems, platforms, methods, operations and/or processes discussed herein.

The terms "non-transitory computer-readable storage device" and "non-transitory machine-readable storage device" encompass distribution media, intermediate storage media, execution memory of a computer, and any other medium or device capable of storing a computer program that is later read by a computer implementing an embodiment of the methods disclosed herein. The computer program product may be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by one or more communication networks.

These computer-readable and executable instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions (which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus) create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computer-readable and executable program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer, programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer-readable storage medium having the instructions stored therein comprise an article of manufacture including instructions which implement various aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The computer readable and executable instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices implement the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

In the discussion, modifiers, such as "substantially" and "approximately," which modify the condition or characteristic of a feature or features of an embodiment of the invention are understood to be within a tolerance that is acceptable for operation of the embodiment for the application for which the embodiment is intended, unless otherwise specified.

Unless otherwise indicated, the terms "about" and/or "near" with respect to a quantity or value can imply an inclusive range of-10% to + 10% of the corresponding quantity or value.

Coupled with may mean indirectly or directly coupled with.

It is important to note that the method may include, without limitation, those figures or corresponding descriptions. For example, the method may include additional or even fewer processes or operations than depicted in the figures. Additionally, embodiments of the method are not necessarily limited to the temporal order illustrated and described herein.

Operations and/or processes of a computer, computing platform, computing system, or other electronic computing device, that manipulates and/or transforms data represented as physical (e.g., electronic) quantities within the computer's registers and/or memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer's registers and/or memories or other information storage media that may store instructions for performing the operations and/or processes. The term determining may also refer to "heuristic determination" where applicable.

It should be noted that in case the embodiments refer to a condition of "above the threshold", this should not be interpreted as excluding embodiments referring to a condition of "equal to or above the threshold". Similarly, where an embodiment relates to a condition of "below threshold", this should not be interpreted as excluding embodiments that relate to a condition of "equal to or below threshold". Obviously, a condition should be interpreted as being satisfied if the value of a given parameter is above a threshold, and the same condition is considered not to be satisfied if the value of a given parameter is equal to or below a given threshold. Conversely, a condition should be interpreted as being satisfied if the value of a given parameter is equal to or above a threshold value, and considered not to be satisfied if the value of the given parameter is below (and only below) the given parameter.

It should be understood that where the claims or specification recite "a" or "an" element and/or feature, such reference should not be interpreted as indicating the presence of only one of the elements. Thus, for example, reference to "an element" or "at least one element" may also include "one or more elements.

Terms used in the singular shall also include the plural unless otherwise explicitly stated or the context requires otherwise.

In the description and claims of this application, each of the verbs "comprise," "include," and "have," and their conjugates, are used to indicate that the object or objects of the verb are not necessarily a complete list of elements, components, or parts of the subject of the verb.

Unless otherwise stated, the use of the expression "and/or" between the last two members of a list of selection options means that it is appropriate and possible to select one or more of the listed options. Furthermore, use of the expression "and/or" may be used interchangeably with the expression "at least one of the following", "any of the following", or "one or more of the following", followed by listing various options.

It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments or examples, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, example and/or alternative, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination or as suitable in any other described embodiment, example or alternative of the invention. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments, examples, and/or alternative implementations should not be considered essential features of those embodiments, unless an embodiment, example, and/or alternative implementation without such elements is inoperative.

Note that the term "exemplary" is used herein to refer to examples of embodiments and/or implementations, and is not meant to necessarily convey a more desirable use case.

Note that the terms "in some embodiments," "according to some embodiments," "for example," "such as," and "optionally" may be used interchangeably herein.

The number of elements shown in the figures should in no way be construed as limiting and is for illustrative purposes only.

Throughout this application, various embodiments may be presented in and/or relate to a scope format. It should be understood that the description of the range format is merely for convenience and brevity and should not be construed as an inflexible limitation on the scope of the embodiments. Accordingly, the description of a range should be considered to have explicitly disclosed all the possible sub-ranges as well as individual numerical values within that range. For example, a description of a range from 1 to 6 should be read as having explicitly disclosed the subranges from 1 to 3, from 1 to 4, from 1 to 5, from 2 to 4, from 2 to 6, from 3 to 6, etc., as well as the individual numbers within that range, e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. This is independent of the breadth of the range.

Whenever a numerical range is indicated herein, it is intended to include any reference number (fractional or integer) within the indicated range.

The phrases "range/range between a first indicated digit and a second indicated digit" and "range/range from a first indicated digit to a second indicated digit" are used interchangeably herein and are intended to include both the first and second indicated digits. The second indicates the number and all fractional and integer numbers in between.

Note that the term "operable to" may encompass the meaning of the term "adapted to or configured to". In other words, in some embodiments, a machine that is "operable" to perform a task may include only the capability to perform the function (e.g., "adapted"), while in other embodiments, it may be the actual machine manufactured (e.g., "configured") to perform the function.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of some of the embodiments.