Using electroencephalogram to continuously discriminate feelings of personal thermal comfort between uncomfortably hot and comfortable environments

Thermal comfort is an important factor for the design of buildings. Although it has been well recognized that many physiological parameters are linked to the state of thermal comfort or discomfort of humans, how to use physiological signal to judge the state of thermal comfort has not been well studied. In this paper, the feasibility of continuously determining feelings of personal thermal comfort was discussed by using electroencephalogram (EEG) signals in private space. In the study, 22 subjects were exposed to thermally comfortable and uncomfortably hot environments, and their EEG signals were recorded. Spectral power features of the EEG signals were extracted, and an ensemble learning method using linear discriminant analysis or support vector machine as a sub-classifier was used to build the discriminant model. The results show that an average discriminate accuracy of 87.9% can be obtained within a detection window of 60 seconds. This study indicates that it is feasible to distinguish whether a person feels comfortable or too hot in their private space by multi-channel EEG signals without interruption and suggests possibility for further applications in neuroergonomics.     

Design for comfort and social interaction in future vehicles: A study on the leg space between facing-seats configuration

With the advent of future vehicles, passengers expect to travel in comfort, and the free leg space between facing-seats could be an issue due to the unsuitability for all people, according to their anthropometric variability. A previous investigation survey showed the need to increase the leg-space between facing seats and, if installed, to improve the surface of the table placed in between. So, four different distances between seat-pans front edges of facing seats have been set-up and tested (44 cm, 51 cm, 58 cm, 65 cm) with a table in between. 13 couples of participants with different heights took part to experiments. The aim was to investigate the relationship between facing-seat distances and passenger wellbeing in terms of postural comfort and social interaction. Postural comfort has been analysed through optical tracking (for postural angles overtime) and questionnaires (perceived comfort). Social interaction feelings have been investigated with questionnaires. Experiment results showed the suitable distance could be 51 cm keeping the same table surface; otherwise, the 65 cm one could be ideal changing the table surface.Relevance to industryWith the advent of autonomous driving, vehicle manufacturers and designers are working hard to define new paradigms of public transportation in terms of seat layout, passenger wellbeing and interiors’ design. This paper contributes to increasing the general knowledge on the effects of distance between facing seats on postural comfort and social interaction.     

从稳态到动态的空气调节

分析传统空调所提供的稳态参数微气候环境不一定能达到人的舒适和健康的要求,提出符合人本身生理习惯的空调送风方式应该是动态空气调节.认为个人可调节和适宜的环境渐变能同时保证舒适和健康两方面需要.     

Energy and comfort: A new type for TRNSYS

Two subroutines have been developed which permit users of the TRNSYS programme to calculate the parameters of ambiental comfort (PMV and PPD).The first subroutine deals with the calculation of the view factors inside a room for all the values of the spatial coordinates and, thus, permits the average radiant temperature to be calculated in every position. The second subroutine has been developed in accordance with the indications of the ISO 7730 standard.Both subroutines have been validated and then interfaced to TRNSYS.The integrated programme has been utilised to compare the performances of different heating systems in terms of energy consumption and comfort, maintaining the temperature of the interior constant for different climatic conditions.     

Patient thermal comfort requirement for hospital environments in Taiwan

This study examines the comfort criteria of ASHRAE Standard 55-2004 for their applicability in hospital environments. Through an extensive field survey conducted in a university hospital in Taiwan, 927 sets of data have been collected. Above half of the measured samples failed to meet the specifications of Standard 55 comfort zone due to improper humidity control. Acceptability votes by patients exceeded the Standard's 80% criterion, regardless of whether the physical conditions were in or out of the comfort zone. Thermal neutrality, preference and comfort range are compared with other studies conducted in office environments and Standard 55 criteria. Results of chi-square tests revealed that patients’ physical strength significantly effected their thermal requirements. The net effect of health yields a marked difference in thermal neutrality and preference, and also in the comfortable temperature range.     

住宅隔热的影响因素及设计对策

夏季 ,室外气候诸因素经过不同途径 ,对室内的影响会有差异。了解这些差异有助于在设计时把握主要问题。讨论在住宅隔热设计中 ,针对不同的室内条件 ,应优先考虑的因素及相应的设计对策。     

热环境的人-机-环境系统工程评价

从人-机-环境系统工程的角度分析了热环境对人的影响。分析了不同热环境的评价方法，讨论了各种评价指数的适用范围，讨论了炎热环境和寒冷环境下的预防保护措施，为室内空调系统的设计评价、保护服装的选用，工作时间的安排提供了有用的工具。     

当前宁波地区住宅产品可持续发展浅析

文章从居住社区的规划设计和建筑设计两方面以低能耗的角度分析了城市居住功能的分布、社区住宅建筑布局的合理性、社区景观设置的合理性以及停车、中水处理与被动式太阳能住宅建筑的相关先进生态理念,希望通过居住社区的生态可持续性设计改善社区的舒适性和能源的可持续性.     

服装与热舒适

本文参阅国内外研究成果，对服装环境、服装材料、服装穿着与人体热舒适关系的有关问题进行了分析，认为热舒适对作业者的身心健康、对提高其工作效率有着重要意义。     

热舒适条件下环境风速和温度最佳组合的实验研究

文章从人体与热环境的基础理论出发，着重对影响人体与环境之间对流换热的主要因素———温度和气流速度进行了实验研究，并得出相应结论，给出了热舒适条件下二者的最佳组合数学模式。