Evolution of Approaches to Air Quality Comfort Levels in Passenger Vehicle Compartments

摘要

Modern people are spending more and more time in enclosed spaces such as offices, trains and vehicles. In particular, the number of long periods spent in vehicle compartments is increasing due to daily commutes, long distance journeys for leisure purposes at weekends, and so on. As a consequence, vehicle compartment air quality has started to become an important issue. In order to achieve a higher standard of air quality, it is necessary to consider the following two contrasting techniques: purification, where elements that create discomfort are removed from the air; and addition, the aim of which is to actively increase comfort levels. This article describes the trends of activities related to air quality and discusses aspects of purification and addition technologies. The aspects of purification technology that are touched upon include an automatic air inlet switching system that detects exhaust gas, activities related to the reduction of VOCs, the reduction of pollen using pollen removal modes and filters, and the reduction of airborne germs by plasma ions. Finally, the use of negative ions is described as an example of addition technology.