Air Conditioner Sleep Control for Dynamic Night Temperature Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air conditioners fail to provide a comfortable sleep environment as they do not adjust indoor temperature according to the user's desired sleep operation duration and fail to account for changes in human body temperature during sleep, leading to discomfort during both cooling and heating operations.
Innovation Solution
A method to control the sleep operation of an air conditioner by implementing multiple sub-modes that adjust indoor temperature based on the user's input, including a falling-asleep mode to reduce temperature, a deep sleep mode to increase and then reduce temperature, and a waking mode to increase temperature before termination, with specific temperature adjustments for cooling and heating operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the air conditioner maintains a constant target indoor temperature throughout the operation, then the initial comfort requirement is met, but the user feels cold or hot after a certain time during sleep operation
Solution Approach 1:
The air conditioner dynamically adjusts the target indoor temperature based on the operation mode and elapsed time. During cooling operation, the target temperature is initially set lower than the standard target temperature, then gradually increased over time. During heating operation, the target temperature is initially set higher than the standard target temperature, then gradually decreased over time. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between maintaining initial comfort and adapting to body temperature changes during sleep.
Solution Approach 2:
The air conditioner performs preliminary temperature adjustment by setting the target temperature differently from the start based on the operation mode. For cooling, it pre-cools to a lower temperature; for heating, it pre-heats to a higher temperature. This preliminary action anticipates the user's body temperature changes during sleep and prevents discomfort before it occurs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the air conditioner uses a fixed 8-hour sleep operation duration, then the average sleep time is covered, but it fails to accommodate user-specific sleep duration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The air conditioner dynamically determines the sleep operation duration based on the current time and the user's wake-up time input, rather than using a fixed 8-hour duration. The control unit calculates the remaining time until wake-up and adjusts the sleep operation duration accordingly, allowing flexible accommodation of different sleep durations while maintaining automatic control.
Solution Approach 2:
The air conditioner uses feedback from the current time and user-input wake-up time to automatically adjust the sleep operation duration. The control unit continuously monitors the elapsed time and remaining time, adjusting the operation parameters based on this feedback to ensure the sleep mode operates for the appropriate duration for each user's specific needs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the air conditioner provides sleep operation only for cooling mode, then cooling sleep comfort is improved, but heating sleep operation requirements are not met
Solution Approach 1:
The air conditioner implements sleep operation functionality for both cooling and heating modes. The control unit determines the operation mode and applies different target temperature adjustment strategies: for cooling mode, it initially sets the target temperature lower then increases it; for heating mode, it initially sets the target temperature higher then decreases it. This multi-functionality ensures comfortable sleep environment is provided regardless of the season or operation mode.
Data Source
AI summary
A method to control the sleep operation of an air conditioner is provided. The method includes determining whether or not a sleep operation is activated and sequentially performing a plurality of sub-modes of the sleep operation when the sleep operation is activated.