Building Occupancy Monitoring for Adaptive HVAC and Lighting Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automated systems for controlling building environments, such as lighting and HVAC, face inefficiencies due to the need for numerous sensors and imprecise timing systems, leading to energy wastage, especially when occupants arrive early or leave late, and fail to accurately manage indoor air quality and comfort.
Innovation Solution
A building monitor that determines occupancy and environmental conditions through wireless signal analysis, adjusting building system states based on detected changes in occupancy levels and environmental conditions, such as CO2 levels, to optimize energy usage and indoor air quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If motion sensors are installed throughout the office to sense movement, then occupancy detection accuracy is improved, but device complexity and installation cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reuses existing Wi-Fi infrastructure (access points and wireless devices) for dual purposes: maintaining wireless connectivity and detecting occupancy. The access points continuously monitor wireless device signals, extracting occupancy information from routine wireless communications without requiring dedicated sensing hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
Wireless devices perform self-detection by continuously transmitting signals that are monitored by access points. The system uses the devices' own operational signals (beacons, data packets) to determine occupancy status, eliminating the need for separate detection mechanisms.
2Loss of energy
If timing systems are used to control ventilation during set hours, then energy consumption is reduced, but adaptability to actual occupancy patterns deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors wireless device signals and uses this real-time feedback to adjust ventilation system operation. When devices are detected in the space, ventilation is activated or intensified; when no devices are present, ventilation is reduced or shut off, creating a closed-loop control system that adapts to actual occupancy.
Solution Approach 2:
The ventilation control transitions from static timing-based schedules to dynamic occupancy-based adjustment. The system continuously adapts ventilation operation based on real-time detection of wireless device presence, allowing flexible response to varying occupancy patterns throughout the day.
3Device complexity
If a single access point is used for Wi-Fi communication, then device complexity is reduced, but occupancy detection reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the monitoring function across multiple access points distributed throughout the space. Each access point monitors signals within its coverage area, and the system aggregates data from multiple sources to determine overall occupancy status, improving detection reliability through spatial distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines occupancy detection data from multiple access points to form a comprehensive view of space utilization. By merging signals and occupancy determinations from distributed access points, the system achieves reliable occupancy detection without requiring each individual access point to independently detect all occupancy.
Data Source
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AI summary
A building monitor for controlling an environment in a region of a building. The monitor is configured to couple to a building system and operable to change a state of a building system. The monitor comprises a processor and a receiver coupled to the processor. The receiver is configured to wirelessly detect the presence of one or more electronic device thereby to indicate an occupancy level of a region of a building. The processor is configured to receive an environmental signal indicative of an environmental condition in a region of a building. The monitor is configured to output a signal for controlling a state of a building system in dependence on the indicated occupancy level and/or the indicated environmental condition.