Building Heating Control Using Precomputed Energy Programs

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current heating control systems that aim to reach a chosen temperature while limiting energy consumption require complex mathematical calculations, which are resource-intensive and often impossible to perform in real time on devices like mobile devices, making them impractical for real-time control.

Innovation Solution

A method for controlling a thermal system that constructs a table of heating programs, each associated with a temperature interval and energy consumption, allowing for the determination of an optimal heating program that respects user commands, such as setpoint temperatures or energy consumption targets, using a computer processing circuit to implement this method.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If complex mathematical tools are used to optimize heating control for energy consumption, then energy optimization is improved, but computing resources and processing time are excessively consumed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenergy consumptionVSAvoidcomputing resources
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent pre-calculates heating programs and stores them in a lookup table before runtime. When control decisions are needed, the system simply retrieves pre-computed results based on current conditions, avoiding complex real-time calculations. This resolves the contradiction by shifting computational burden from runtime (mobile device) to offline preparation, enabling energy optimization without requiring significant computing resources during operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If complex mathematical calculations are performed in real-time, then control accuracy is improved, but processing time increases making mobile device implementation impractical

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol accuracyVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-computes optimal heating programs and stores them in a lookup table. During operation, the mobile device simply queries the table using current temperature and time as keys, receiving pre-optimized control commands instantly. This eliminates the need for complex real-time calculations on the mobile device, achieving both high control accuracy (through pre-computed optimization) and fast response times (through simple table lookup).

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3812852B1Method and system for controlling a heating system of a building
Publication Date: 2023.06.07 ELECTRICITE DE FRANCE
  • EP3812852B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3812852B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3812852B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method for controlling a building's heating system comprising, following the definition of at least one time range and at least one initial setpoint temperature to be reached during said time range: - construction of a plurality of heating programs, such that, for each heating program, any temperature within a temperature range including the initial setpoint temperature is associated with the time range, said arbitrary temperatures associated with each heating program being different for each heating program, - creation of a table in which each heating program is associated with an energy consumption linked to the energy required to reach the value of any temperature associated with said heating program, - determination of an optimal heating program, such that said optimal heating program complies with a user command, - sending, as input to the heating system,of the optimal heating program to apply.