Air Conditioner User Recognition for Preference-Based Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air conditioning systems lack user-specific control and automation, requiring manual operation or remote controllers, which can lead to inefficient energy use and user dissatisfaction due to non-preferred settings.
Innovation Solution
A network system integrating a portable terminal (e.g., smartphone) with an indoor air conditioning device for wireless communication, enabling user registration, presence detection, identification, and automatic selection of preferred operating conditions through voice or key input, allowing peer-to-peer communication using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for remote control without an internet connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If manual operation or remote controller is used, then user can control air conditioning, but energy efficiency decreases and user satisfaction decreases due to non-preferred settings
Solution Approach 1:
The air conditioning system automatically detects user presence through sensors and executes pre-registered user preferences without requiring manual input. The system serves itself by autonomously adjusting operating parameters based on detected user characteristics, eliminating the need for continuous manual control while optimizing energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
User preferences and operating parameters are registered in advance in the system memory. When a user is detected, the system immediately retrieves and applies the pre-configured preferences, eliminating the need for real-time manual adjustment and ensuring optimal settings are applied without delay.
2Extent of automation
If user presence detection and automatic control is implemented, then energy efficiency improves and user satisfaction increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air conditioning system integrates multiple functions including user detection through sensors, user identification, preference retrieval from memory, and automatic parameter adjustment within a single unified system. This multi-functionality allows the system to handle the entire automation process without requiring separate dedicated devices for each function, thereby managing complexity while achieving high automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit acts as an intermediary that coordinates between the detection unit (sensors), the storage unit (memory containing user preferences), and the execution unit (air conditioning parameters). This centralized mediation simplifies the overall system architecture by providing a single point of control that manages the interaction between different components.
3Adaptability or versatility
If network integration with portable terminal is added, then remote control capability improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The portable terminal serves as an intermediary device that interfaces between the user and the air conditioning system for remote control operations. The terminal communicates wirelessly with the air conditioning unit, allowing users to control the system remotely without requiring complex integrated controls within the air conditioning unit itself. This distributes complexity to the terminal device which the user already possesses.
Data Source
AI summary
A network system is provided. The network system may include a portable terminal in communication with the Internet, and an air conditioning apparatus that communicates with the portable terminal. The air conditioning apparatus may include a communication module that at least one of communicates with the portable terminal or accesses the portable terminal through the Internet; a user registration device that registers user information of the air conditioning apparatus; a user recognition device that recognizes a user registered in the user registration device; a controller that controls operation of the air conditioning apparatus using operating conditions designated by the registered user; and a driver that drives the air conditioning apparatus using the designated operating conditions.