of parameters describing indoor air quality. It should
be noted that the concern for the vehicles interior air
quality is focused on (Galatsi&Wlodarski, 2006):
indoor temperature and relative humidity;
air pollutants entering the vehicle via the
ventilation system;
lack of fresh airflow resulting in low O
2
and high
CO
2
concentrations due to occupants breathing
process;
pollutant gases entering from the external
environment via window openings, imperfect
seals and other holes;
toxic gases entering the vehicle cabin due to
redirected exhaust fumes.
Nowadays, there is no system or aftermarket product
designed to control thermal and chemical conditions
in vehicles in a comprehensive manner. There are
available sensors to measure temperature and
relative humidity. Regarding more advanced
proposals, currently there exist only two commercial
air quality monitoring (AQM) solutions for cars. The
most common are AQM systems controlling HVAC
ventilation flaps. The air quality sensors are
typically, located near the fresh air inlet, and not
inside car cabin. Their function is limited to
reducing the amount of pollution entering the
vehicle cabin through the HVAC system when the
vehicle enters a highly polluted area. Less common
are aftermarket toxic gas alarms for vehicle cabin
applications. Cars evolution as well as research and
development dedicated to comfort improvement are
responsible for the fact that around 10 % of the
produced cars are currently equipped with Air
Quality Sensors (AQS). Road test done by car
manufacturers, involving in/out car cabin analysers,
revealed more than 80 % reduction of pollution
peaks caused by the air entering the cabin (http,
2013).
The interior of a vehicle may be regarded as a
specific microenvironment. Many different factors,
either individually or in combination, influence car
interior. Hence, the quality of this gas should be
characterized by several parameters. Currently, it is
not a problem to measure/monitor physical and
chemical properties of air inside the vehicle cabin, in
real time. The problem is the simultaneous and quick
analysis of multivariate measurement data which
would extract a comprehensive information about
indoor air quality. This operation may be
complicated. It requires some knowledge and cannot
be performed by the drivers during a trip. Their
involvement might elevate the likelihood of collision
or other road fatalities. For that reason, we propose
an approach which is based on the idea of a
collective classification of air quality using a sensor
measurement system.
Generally speaking, classification is a systematic
arrangement in categories (classes) according to the
established criteria. In our work, we propose the
collective categorization of air quality inside car
cabin. In other words the properties of this gas are
recognized i.e. assigned to a class, which is
characterized descriptively. In this way, there is
provided a concise information and the driver can
make decisions how to improve air quality very
quickly and safely.
The aim of this work is to propose a method of
air quality classification. On this basis, we want to
show that classification of indoor air may be used to
improve car microenvironment. We assume that the
classification procedure should be an element of a
sensor measurement system. Due to fact that these
devices are relatively cheap the proposed method
may be widely applied.
2 ASSUMPTIONS
In this work we made several assumptions
concerning:
target user of the sensor system for indoor air
quality classification ;
subject of the evaluation;
basis for IAQ classification;
principle of IAQ classification;
form of the final result.
The sensor system for air quality classification
inside car cabin is addressed to drivers as well as
passengers. Currently, they are most obvious target
users of this type of measurement equipment.
However, we assume that the idea of air quality
classification may be utilized in automatic systems
for heating, ventilation and air conditioning as well.
The subject of evaluation is the quality of air in a
selected location inside the cabin of a vehicle. More
specifically, it may be the surrounding of the driver
or the passenger. We chose the perspective of local
IAQ classification in order to be able to account for
the comfort of the driver and passengers
individually. People differently influence the quality
of air around them. It is due to: various level of
personal hygiene, health condition, metabolism rate,
sweating intensity, etc. On the other hand, the
sensitivity of various people to changes in air quality
is also different. It may depend on age and sex, but
not exclusively. As a consequence, satisfaction of
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