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EP-4737661-A1 - SOUND-ABSORBING PANEL

EP4737661A1EP 4737661 A1EP4737661 A1EP 4737661A1EP-4737661-A1

Abstract

A sound-absorbing panel (10), comprising a portion (11) based on sound-absorbing material (19); the panel (10) comprises: - one or more sensors (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 28) for sensing data of one or more environmental conditions, - a unit (17) for managing and processing the data, connected to the one or more sensors (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 28), - means (18) for changing the one or more environmental conditions, connected to the unit (17) for the management and processing of the data.

Inventors

  • LONGO, Mauro

Assignees

  • Ambiente 1985 S.r.l.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20250929

Claims (12)

  1. A sound-absorbing panel (10), comprising a portion (11) based on sound-absorbing material (19), characterized in that it comprises: - one or more sensors (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 28) for sensing data of one or more environmental conditions, - a unit (17) for managing and processing said data, connected to said one or more sensors (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 28), - means (18) for changing said one or more environmental conditions, connected to said unit (17) for the management and processing of said data.
  2. The panel (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a frame (20) formed by a border which surrounds said sound-absorbing portion (11), said border (20) being constituted by: - two opposite horizontal profiled elements, respectively: - a first upper profiled element (21), - a second lower profiled element (22), - two opposite vertical profiled elements, respectively: - a third lateral profiled element (23), - a fourth lateral profiled element (24).
  3. The panel (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that a fifth profiled element (26) is interposed between said first profiled element (21) and said portion (11) and is fixed to said first profiled element (21) and parallel to it, said fifth profiled element (26) accommodating: - said one or more sensors (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 28) and the respective electronic components, - said data management and processing unit (17).
  4. The panel (10) according to claim 3, characterized in that a bar (27) is fixed to said fifth profiled element (26) and forms a user interface.
  5. The panel (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that said one or more sensors (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 28) comprise: - a brightness detection sensor (12), - and/or a sensor (13) for detecting carbon dioxide concentration, - and/or an infrared motion sensor (14), - and/or an ultrasonic distance sensor (15), - and/or a temperature and humidity sensor (16), - and/or a noise detection sensor (28).
  6. The panel (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that said data management and processing unit (17) comprises a digital microcontroller.
  7. The panel (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that said means (18) for changing the environmental conditions comprise one or more loudspeakers (29) accommodated within corresponding first seats (30) provided in said sound-absorbing material (19) of said portion (11).
  8. The panel (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that said means (18) for changing the environmental conditions comprise said bar (27).
  9. The panel (10) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that a second seat (32) is present in said sound-absorbing material (19) and a haptic actuator (33) is inserted therein.
  10. The panel (10) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said sound-absorbing material (19) is covered with a fabric (31).
  11. The panel (10) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an LED strip (34) of variable brightness, connected to said data management and processing unit (17).
  12. The panel (10) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises Wi-Fi data communication means which are configured to be connected to a cloud-based platform and/or to other home automation devices in the environment.

Description

The present invention relates to a sound-absorbing panel. The invention is applicable in the technical field of the provision of furnishing accessories, in particular for co-working environments, open spaces, libraries, classrooms, waiting rooms, hospitals, bars, restaurants, etc. Currently, the spread of shared work environments, such as co-working spaces, has revolutionized the traditional concept of the office. These spaces promote collaboration, creativity, and flexibility, encouraging communication between colleagues and breaking down hierarchies. However, these types of work environment also have numerous problems, such as noise management, privacy protection, and control of lighting and temperature conditions suitable for different personal needs. Sound-absorbing panels are widely used to mitigate, at least in part, the problems shown above. Sound-absorbing panels are devices that comprise one or more layers of insulating material, for example a non-woven fabric made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate), and help to reduce overall noise levels. Moreover, if provided so that they can be mounted vertically on one or more sides of a work table, the sound-absorbing panels provide a separating element that increases privacy and facilitates mental concentration. Such sound-absorbing panels usually have an exclusively passive behavior, in the sense that they simply absorb the sound waves that reach them. However, sound-absorbing panels provided with an LED (Light Emitting Diode) strip for mainly decorative lighting are also commercially available . This background art has some aspects that can be improved. In fact, currently there is a growing need to live and work in environmental conditions that are comfortable in terms of lighting, air quality, humidity, etc., and the use of sound-absorbing panels of the known type, although it reduces problems related to the presence of noise or privacy protection, does not allow for optimal management of the comfort derived from said environmental conditions. The need is therefore felt, in this regard, to provide solutions that make it possible to improve the quality of life and comfort derived from the environmental conditions of the spaces in which a lot of time is spent during the day. The aim of the present invention is to provide a sound-absorbing panel that is capable of improving the background art in one or more of the above cited aspects. Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a sound-absorbing panel that allows a recording and management of data of the environmental conditions of the space in which it is used, in order to improve user comfort. Another object of the invention is to provide a sound-absorbing panel that allows automatic modification of at least some of the environmental conditions of the space in which it is used, on the basis of the sensing of data related to said conditions. A further object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the background art in a manner that is alternative to any existing solutions. Not the least object of the invention is to provide a sound-absorbing panel that is highly reliable, relatively easy to provide, and at competitive costs. This aim, as well as these and other objects that will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a sound-absorbing panel comprising a portion based on sound-absorbing material, characterized in that it comprises: one or more sensors for sensing data of one or more environmental conditions,a unit for managing and processing said data, connected to said one or more sensors,means for changing said one or more environmental conditions, which are connected to said unit for the management and processing of said data. Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the description of preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments of the sound-absorbing panel according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a view of an application of use of a plurality of sound-absorbing panels according to the invention, in a first embodiment;Figure 2 is an exploded view of a sound-absorbing panel according to the invention in the first embodiment;Figure 3 is a schematic enlarged-scale view of a detail of the first embodiment of a sound-absorbing panel according to the invention;Figure 4 is an enlarged-scale view of a first component of a sound-absorbing panel according to the invention, in a second embodiment;Figure 5 is a perspective view of a second component of a sound-absorbing panel according to the invention;Figure 6 is a view of an example of an algorithm written in C/C++ programming language, which can be used to control a background noise masking sound based on the measured background noise intensity. With reference to the figures, a sound-absorbing panel according to the invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10. In the example shown