Air Conditioner Waste Detection via Remote Control Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air conditioning management systems face challenges in quickly identifying and addressing wasteful operations due to open windows or doors, leading to inefficient power consumption, as they struggle to accurately determine the positions of such openings and fail to notify occupants effectively.
Innovation Solution
An air conditioning management device that is communicatively connected to multiple air conditioners, featuring a storage system for connection information, a wasteful operation determiner, and a notifier that identifies and alerts remote control devices about wasteful operations, allowing for rapid detection and notification of door or window positions causing inefficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If air conditioners operate to reach set temperature and humidity, then air conditioning function is provided, but when windows or doors are open causing air escape, power consumption increases wastefully
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors air conditioner operating status and compares it with environmental sensor data (temperature, humidity, air flow) to detect wasteful operation conditions. When wasteful operation is detected, the system provides feedback by notifying occupants through the remote control device, enabling them to take corrective action (close windows/doors) to eliminate the waste condition.
Solution Approach 2:
Environmental sensors act as intermediaries between the air conditioner and the open windows/doors. These sensors detect environmental changes caused by open windows or doors (such as temperature fluctuations, humidity changes, or air flow patterns) and transmit this information to the control unit, which then determines wasteful operation and notifies the occupant.
2Loss of information
If monitoring apparatus detects wasteful operation based on expansion valve position, then air conditioner status is monitored, but positions of windows and doors causing wasteful operation cannot be estimated
Solution Approach 1:
Environmental sensors serve as intermediaries that indirectly detect the position of windows and doors by measuring environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, air flow) that change when windows or doors are open. The control unit analyzes these sensor readings to estimate window/door positions without requiring direct detection devices for each window or door.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces direct mechanical detection methods (such as switches or sensors on each window/door) with environmental sensing and computational analysis. By substituting physical direct-contact detection with environmental parameter measurement and algorithmic estimation, the system achieves window/door position detection without adding complex mechanical detection infrastructure.
3Loss of time
If building supervisor is notified of wasteful operation, then air conditioner monitoring is performed, but occupants are not notified and rapid coping is not possible
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements direct feedback to occupants by transmitting notifications to their personal remote control devices when wasteful operation is detected. This immediate feedback loop enables occupants to become aware of the wasteful condition and take corrective action (such as closing windows or doors) without delay, significantly reducing the response time compared to supervisor-mediated notification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables occupants to self-monitor and self-correct wasteful operation conditions by providing them with direct notifications on their personal devices. Instead of requiring supervisor intervention or manual checking, occupants receive real-time alerts and can independently take corrective actions, making the system self-regulating at the user level.
4Temperature
If air conditioner increases output to compensate for air escape, then set temperature is maintained, but power efficiency is inhibited
Solution Approach 1:
The system monitors air conditioner output and environmental conditions to detect when the air conditioner is operating at high capacity due to open windows or doors. By providing feedback to occupants about this wasteful state, the system enables them to close windows/doors, thereby eliminating the need for high-output operation and reducing power consumption while maintaining temperature control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of wasteful operation conditions (open windows/doors) before they lead to significant energy waste. By notifying occupants early in the wasteful operation process, the system enables timely corrective action to prevent prolonged high-power consumption, rather than waiting until substantial energy has been wasted.
Data Source
AI summary
An air conditioning management device is mutually communicably connected to multiple air conditioners, and is equipped with: a storage that stores connection information that indicate remote control devices respectively controlling the plurality of air conditioners, the air conditioners connected thereto; a wasteful operation determiner that determines whether or not any of the plurality of air conditioners are in a wasteful operating state; and a wasteful operation notifier which, in the case where wasteful operation determiner determines that at least one of the plurality of air conditioners is in a wasteful operating state, notifies that the air conditioner is in a wasteful operating state to the remote control device connected to that air conditioner, on the basis of the connection information stored in the storage.