Location-Based Building Control System for Occupancy Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Home automation systems lack responsiveness to daily variations in user activities and schedules, leading to inefficient resource usage and energy consumption, as they do not account for changes in occupancy patterns or routines.
Innovation Solution
A system that utilizes mobile electronic devices to provide location and time data to a building control system, allowing it to adjust settings such as security, lighting, and HVAC systems based on the presence or absence of users and their vehicles, using technologies like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular networks to detect and respond to user activities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If home automation systems use fixed scheduling and manual control, then system complexity is reduced, but adaptability to user activities and energy efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes associations between mobile devices, vehicles, and building zones. Location rules and control preferences are configured in advance, allowing the system to automatically respond to occupancy changes without real-time manual intervention or complex runtime decision-making.
Solution Approach 2:
A location service acts as an intermediary between mobile devices/vehicles and the building control system. This service receives location data, determines associated buildings and zones, and translates raw location information into meaningful occupancy status, simplifying the overall system architecture.
2Loss of energy
If home automation systems continuously monitor and adjust settings, then energy efficiency improves, but use of energy by the control system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic location updates from mobile devices and vehicles rather than continuous monitoring. Location data is collected at intervals or triggered by significant position changes, reducing the control system's energy consumption while still enabling timely adjustments to building settings.
Solution Approach 2:
Mobile devices and vehicles self-report their location and occupancy status to the location service. This eliminates the need for the building control system to actively query or monitor each device continuously, reducing the energy burden on the control system while maintaining accurate occupancy awareness.
3Productivity
If manual control interfaces are used, then ease of operation is improved, but productivity and responsiveness to occupancy changes deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects occupancy changes through location data from mobile devices and vehicles, and autonomously adjusts building settings without requiring manual user actions. This eliminates the need for users to manually control systems while maintaining simplicity in the user experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously receives location feedback from mobile devices and vehicles, processes this information through the location service, and automatically adjusts building controls in response. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables rapid responsiveness to occupancy changes without manual intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
In one example, wireless mobile device data is provided to a building control system by sending location data from a wireless mobile device to an Internet-based service, receiving the location data from the wireless mobile device in the Internet-based service, determining an associated building control system from the wireless mobile device identity, sending data derived from the location data to the building control system, and implementing a change in the building control system based on the sent data derived from the location data.