Integrated Comfort Control Using Mobile Proximity Preferences
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for providing comfort in structures, such as homes and offices, often require users to manually adjust multiple devices to achieve desired comfort preferences, which can be frustrating and lack an integrated approach, as they typically focus on single parameters like temperature without considering a holistic set of comfort aspects like humidity, lighting, and airflow.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a mobile device to determine and store user comfort preferences, which are then automatically applied to connected devices in a structure, allowing for integrated control of temperature, humidity, airflow, lighting, and other comfort aspects based on user location, activity, and context, using location beacons and sensors to adjust device operations without user intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If each device is controlled by its own app, then device control capability is provided, but user operation complexity increases and user experience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple device control functions into a single integrated comfort system. Instead of requiring separate apps for temperature control, lighting, ventilation, and humidity control, the system merges these functions into one unified interface that manages all comfort-related devices simultaneously, thereby reducing user operation complexity while maintaining comprehensive device control capability
Solution Approach 2:
The comfort system is designed as a universal platform that can control multiple types of devices across different categories (thermal comfort devices, lighting devices, ventilation devices, humidity control devices). This multi-functional approach allows a single system to replace multiple specialized apps, improving ease of operation without sacrificing adaptability
2Ease of operation
If a single app controls several devices, then operation simplicity is improved, but integrative comfort control capability is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system manages multiple comfort parameters (temperature, humidity, airflow, light levels) simultaneously through a single interface. By integrating control of these different parameters into one system, the patent maintains operation simplicity while achieving comprehensive integrative comfort control capability that addresses all aspects of environmental comfort
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple comfort parameters are controlled simultaneously, then integrative comfort capability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the comfort system into distinct functional modules, each responsible for controlling specific comfort parameters (temperature control module, humidity control module, ventilation control module, lighting control module). This modular segmentation allows the system to manage multiple comfort parameters simultaneously while keeping individual components relatively simple and manageable
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, devices, and computer-readable media for providing integrative comfort a structure are described herein. One method includes determining a comfort preference associated with a user of a mobile device, the comfort preference including a plurality of aspects of physical comfort, storing the comfort preference in a memory, and modifying a respective operation of a plurality of connected devices in a portion of a structure to provide the comfort preference in the portion of the structure responsive to a distance between the mobile device and the portion of the structure being less than a particular threshold.