Control Application for a System of Networked Air Filtering Appliances
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Solution Overview
Problem
Controlling and maintaining multiple air purifying systems in large areas is complex due to the difficulty in coordinating the operation, placement, and maintenance of individual units, especially as the number of units increases, with existing technologies failing to provide efficient solutions for grouping and managing multiple units effectively.
Innovation Solution
A mobile device-based control app that allows users to display a graphical interface to control multiple air filtering units, link them through a wireless network, assign them to collections, and send unified operating parameters, enabling coordinated operation and management of air quality data, filter maintenance, and alerts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If multiple air purifying units are deployed to cover larger areas, then air quality coverage is improved, but operational complexity and difficulty of coordination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple air purifying units into a networked system where they communicate with each other and with a centralized control application. This merging allows coordinated operation of multiple units to cover larger areas while maintaining manageable complexity through unified control interfaces and automated group management.
Solution Approach 2:
The control application serves multiple functions simultaneously: it monitors air quality data from all units, controls operational parameters of individual units or groups, provides maintenance scheduling, and enables user interaction through a unified interface. This multi-functionality consolidates various operational tasks into a single system that manages complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If individual units are controlled separately using Wi-Fi and BLUETOOTH technology, then operational flexibility is maintained, but user convenience and ease of operation deteriorates as number of units increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control application merges control of multiple air purifying units into a single unified interface accessible through mobile devices. Users can select individual units or groups of units and apply control commands through one interface, maintaining the ability to control units individually while greatly improving convenience compared to managing each unit separately through multiple wireless connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The control application acts as an intermediary between users and the networked air purifying units. It provides a simplified interface that translates user commands into appropriate control signals for individual units or groups, shielding users from the complexity of direct wireless communication with multiple devices while preserving operational flexibility.
3Reliability
If numerous filters require periodic changing and cleaning, then air purification effectiveness is maintained, but maintenance coordination difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the control application receives status information from each air purifying unit, including filter condition data. Based on this feedback, the system can automatically track filter usage, predict replacement needs, and coordinate maintenance schedules across multiple units, ensuring purification effectiveness while simplifying maintenance coordination through automated monitoring and reporting.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile device used for controlling a plurality of air filtering units includes a display, at least one processor, and memory stored instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the mobile device to perform specific operations. The specific operations include displaying a graphical interface having icons which corresponds to either a preset operation or a control feature of the air filtering units, assigning each air filtering unit to a collection of air filtering units, navigating the graphical interface to input, by a user, a single set of appropriate operating parameters for the stored collection of units, and sending the operating parameters to each air filtering unit assigned to the collection via a wireless network.