Control systems for centralized appliance hubs and related devices and methods
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional climate control systems are becoming cost-prohibitive due to high electricity usage and installation costs, necessitating a more efficient and cost-effective solution for controlling indoor climates.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a centralized appliance hub system with onboard controllers and functional components, allowing for individualized control of lighting, HVAC, and other devices through a system controller or mobile device, enabling energy-efficient operation based on occupancy and environmental metrics without requiring a building management system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If traditional climate control systems (VAV/CAV) are implemented, then temperature control capability is provided, but electricity consumption and operating costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the building into multiple zones with individual appliance hubs, each capable of independent climate control. This segmentation allows only occupied zones to consume energy for climate control, rather than conditioning entire buildings as in traditional VAV/CAV systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The appliance hubs operate autonomously using onboard controllers that independently manage HVAC, lighting, and other functional components based on sensor data and occupancy detection, eliminating the need for centralized building management systems and reducing overall system energy consumption.
2Temperature
If traditional climate control systems with custom-fitted wiring and ducting are installed, then climate control functionality is achieved, but installation and maintenance costs increase due to multi-person crews being necessary
Solution Approach 1:
The appliance hubs integrate multiple functional components (HVAC equipment, lighting, sensors, communication devices) into single modular units, eliminating the need for separate wiring and ducting installations. This consolidation allows standard electrical outlets and simplified mounting to suffice, rather than requiring custom-fitted wiring and ducting by multi-person crews.
Solution Approach 2:
The appliance hubs are designed as universal, multi-functional units that can be installed in various locations and configurations using standard infrastructure. The modular design with pre-integrated components allows single-person installation without custom fabrication, unlike traditional systems requiring specialized multi-person crews.
3Ease of operation
If centralized control with granular device control is implemented, then energy efficiency and user control are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments control functions into autonomous appliance hubs, each handling its own zone independently. This segmentation simplifies the overall system architecture by distributing intelligence to individual units rather than requiring a complex centralized control system to manage every device, while still enabling granular control of lighting, HVAC, and other components.
Data Source
AI summary
The present technology is generally directed to control systems for centralized appliance hubs and related devices, systems, and methods. In some embodiments, an appliance hub includes an onboard controller and one or more functional components. The onboard controller can be operably coupled to individual ones of the functional components, and can receive instructions for controlling individual ones of the functional components. In some embodiments, a plurality of the appliance hubs are mounted to a ceiling or otherwise arranged within an enclosure to form an appliance hub system. In some embodiments, the onboard controllers of multiple appliance hubs can be communicatively coupled to a system controller that can send instructions to the onboard controllers of one or more of the appliance hubs to individually control operation of the onboard lighting, HVAC, sensors, and/or other functional components carried by the appliance hubs.