Systems and methods for mitigating smoke damage to a property
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing HVAC systems continue to circulate smoke, ash, and soot within buildings during fires, causing damage and increasing cleaning and repair costs, especially in newer constructions that use exterior air intake, and there is a difficulty in manually mitigating and detecting smoke damage, especially from external sources like wildfires.
Innovation Solution
A controller is integrated with the HVAC system to receive alerts from sensors and emergency services, deactivating air circulation functions by disconnecting power to blower components and activating dampers within ductwork to prevent the spread of smoke and soot, utilizing smart home telematics to analyze data and determine the presence of smoke or fire, and automatically reactivate when conditions are safe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If HVAC systems continue to circulate air during smoke events, then air circulation function is maintained, but smoke and soot spread throughout the building causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by deactivating the air circulation function before smoke can spread extensively through the building. When smoke or fire is detected by sensors or alerted by emergency services, the controller immediately stops the HVAC system's air movement, preventing the harmful smoke and soot from being distributed throughout the property, thereby protecting against damage before it occurs
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the air circulation function from the HVAC system during smoke events by deactivating the blower component and heat exchanger. This separation allows the HVAC system to maintain other functions while removing only the harmful air circulation aspect that would otherwise spread smoke throughout the building
2Use of energy by moving object
If exterior air intake is used in newer HVAC constructions, then energy efficiency is improved, but smoke from external sources like wildfires can be brought into the building
Solution Approach 1:
The system takes preliminary action by deactivating the exterior air intake function before external smoke can enter the building. When emergency alerts or smoke detectors indicate the presence of external smoke or fire, the controller preemptively stops the HVAC system from drawing in outside air, preventing smoke intrusion while the building still benefits from the energy-efficient exterior intake design under normal conditions
3Device complexity
If manual smoke detection and mitigation is used, then system complexity is reduced, but detection and response time to smoke events is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The HVAC system applies self-service by automatically detecting smoke conditions and deactivating its own air circulation function without requiring manual intervention. The controller receives alerts from smoke detectors or emergency service notifications and autonomously stops the HVAC system, eliminating the time delay associated with manual detection and response while keeping the control system relatively simple through automated self-monitoring and self-action
Data Source
AI summary
Smoke and/or soot damage to an interior of a property, such as a residential building or home, may be mitigated. A controller is in communication with a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system of the property. The controller is configured to receive an alert and/or intelligent home telematics data generated based upon a potential presence of smoke in a location associated with the property, either exterior or interior to the property. In response to receiving the alert and/or intelligent home telematics data, the controller is further configured deactivate an air circulation function of the HVAC system to mitigate smoke or fire damage to the property. The intelligent home telematics data may be generated by various smoke, fire, audio, visual, infrared, motion, and/or other smart sensors mounted about the interior and/or exterior of the property.