HVAC Component Test Scheduling to Reduce Total Testing Time

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Solution Overview

Problem

Testing complex systems like HVAC systems is inefficient due to the need to establish and validate multiple operating conditions, which is time-consuming and limited when testing on existing systems, and existing tools lack the ability to coordinate and validate these conditions across multiple tests.

Innovation Solution

A testing system that uses a scheduling algorithm to dynamically coordinate component tests, allowing for parallel execution and managing operating conditions using finite-state machines to minimize total testing time, while ensuring the validity and safety of the system, by grouping components, scheduling based on load, and using FSMs to manage and monitor states and constraints.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If component tests are executed sequentially to ensure system safety and validate operating conditions, then testing reliability is improved, but total testing time increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetesting reliabilityVSAvoidtotal testing time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically schedules and coordinates component tests based on real-time system state and operating conditions. The scheduling algorithm adjusts test execution timing and parallelization dynamically, allowing tests to run in parallel when safe and sequential when necessary, thereby reducing total testing time while maintaining reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The testing system segments the overall test suite into independent component tests that can be executed in parallel. By dividing the complex system testing into smaller, manageable component-level tests with defined dependencies, the system enables concurrent execution of independent tests while maintaining proper validation sequences for dependent tests

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Measurement precision

If arbitrary operating conditions are established for each component test, then measurement precision is improved, but system complexity and coordination difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetest condition accuracyVSAvoidtesting system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements a universal operating condition management framework that handles multiple tests and their respective condition requirements through a single coordinated system. This multi-functional approach allows the same condition validation and establishment mechanism to serve multiple component tests, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining precise test conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The scheduling algorithm acts as an intermediary between component tests and operating condition establishment. It coordinates condition validation and establishment across multiple tests, managing the complexity of arbitrary operating conditions by centralizing the coordination logic and preventing direct complex interactions between multiple test condition requirements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If comprehensive operating condition validation is performed for each test, then testing reliability is improved, but productivity decreases due to repeated validation overhead

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecondition validation reliabilityVSAvoidtesting throughput

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary validation of operating conditions that can be shared across multiple component tests. By validating common system-level conditions once before executing multiple dependent tests, the system avoids repeated validation overhead while maintaining comprehensive condition checking, thereby improving testing throughput without sacrificing reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The scheduling algorithm merges redundant condition validation operations across multiple component tests. When multiple tests share common operating condition requirements, the system combines their validation into a single coordinated validation process, reducing the total number of validation operations while ensuring all necessary conditions are properly verified

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS10578327B2Systems for and methods of automatically scheduling and executing in situ tests on electrical and mechanical systems

Publication Date: 2020.03.03 NEXTPOWER LLC

AI summary

A testing platform tests an electrical and mechanical system such as an HVAC unit according to an algorithm that reduces the total testing time of the components of the system, while ensuring the safety of the system during system-wide testing. The platform uses constraints that are checked both before and during the testing to ensure that HVAC operating conditions are acceptable for starting and maintaining component tests. Preferably, the platform uses finite-state machines for each device to organize the component tests, allowing for monitoring of constraints and starting, pausing, and stopping component tests. Preferably, total test execution time is reduced by running component tests in parallel, running component tests based on loads of the components, or combinations of both.