Embedded Building Sensors for Hidden Structural Failure Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Building system failures, such as leaks or structural damage, often go undetected for extended periods, leading to additional damage and increased repair costs due to inaccessibility and infrequent visual inspections.
Innovation Solution
A building monitoring system that uses strategically placed sensors embedded in construction materials to collect data and alert homeowners and insurance providers of potential defects or failures, allowing for early detection and preventive measures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If visual inspection methods are used to detect building system failures, then detection capability is limited by accessibility and inspection frequency, but implementing continuous monitoring systems increases device complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The building monitoring system enables self-service by automatically detecting and reporting building system failures without requiring manual inspection. Sensors continuously monitor conditions and autonomously generate alerts when failures are detected, eliminating the need for periodic human visual inspections and providing reliable continuous detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection mechanisms with electronic sensing and automated monitoring systems. Instead of relying on human inspectors physically accessing building components, the system uses sensors, processors, and communication devices to automatically detect and report failures, substituting mechanical inspection methods with electronic monitoring.
2Loss of time
If manual inspection frequency is increased to detect failures earlier, then loss of time for detection decreases, but labor costs and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system implements continuous detection of building system failures through continuously operating sensors and processing devices. Instead of periodic manual inspections, the system maintains constant surveillance of building conditions, ensuring failures are detected immediately upon occurrence rather than during scheduled inspection intervals.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-monitoring and self-reporting of failures, automatically detecting issues and notifying appropriate parties without requiring human intervention for each inspection cycle. This eliminates the time loss associated with scheduling and executing manual inspections while maintaining continuous detection capability.
3Measurement precision
If sensors are embedded within construction materials for continuous monitoring, then measurement precision and early detection improve, but manufacturing complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system is divided into separate functional modules: sensors positioned at strategic locations, processing devices that analyze data, and communication devices that transmit alerts. This segmentation allows each component to be independently installed and configured, reducing the complexity of embedding sensors within construction materials while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses intermediate processing devices and communication interfaces that bridge the sensors and the monitoring system. These intermediaries simplify the integration process by providing standardized connection points and data interfaces, making it easier to install sensors in existing buildings without requiring complex embedding procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
A building monitoring computer system for monitoring building integrity may be provided. Various types of sensors may be embedded throughout or within certain portions of different types of building or construction material making up the building, such as within roofing, foundation, or structural materials. The sensors may be in wireless communication with a home controller. The sensors may be water, moisture, temperature, vibration, or other types of sensors, and may detect unexpected or abnormal conditions within the home. The sensors and/or home controller may transmit alerts to a mobile device of the home owner associated with the unexpected condition, and/or that remedial actions may be required to repair the home or mitigate further damage to the home. The sensor data may also be communicated to an insurance provider remote server to facilitate the insurance provider communicating insurance-related recommendations, updating insurance policies, or preparing insurance claims for review for home owners.