Multi-Room Indoor Air Quality Tracking Method
Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals using indoor air quality control devices like air purifiers and ventilators lack feedback on the air quality they experience as they move from room to room, as existing systems only monitor air quality in a single room at a time.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that track indoor air quality levels across multiple rooms using IAQ detectors and a computing device, combining IAQ health levels into a true IAQ health graph displayed on the device, allowing users to monitor their air quality experience throughout the day.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If multiple IAQ detectors are deployed across different rooms, then the coverage area increases, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines IAQ detection from multiple detectors across different rooms into a single unified graph displayed on one computing device. This merging approach allows comprehensive multi-room monitoring while presenting the data through a single interface, thereby expanding coverage area without proportionally increasing the user-facing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables a single computing device to serve multiple functions: it can receive and process data from multiple IAQ detectors, track individual locations across rooms, generate comprehensive IAQ graphs, and provide feedback to users. This multi-functionality allows one device to handle what would otherwise require multiple separate systems.
2Loss of information
If IAQ data is collected from multiple rooms, then the information completeness improves, but the data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the data processing task by having each IAQ detector independently collect and prepare its own room's data, then transmit it to the computing device. The computing device then segments the aggregation process by tracking which individual is in which room at each time increment and combining only the relevant data. This segmentation reduces the processing burden compared to centralized collection of all raw data.
Solution Approach 2:
The computing device acts as an intermediary that receives pre-processed IAQ data from multiple detectors, tracks individual locations, and synthesizes the true IAQ experience. This intermediary role simplifies the overall system architecture by providing a dedicated coordination point that manages the complexity of multi-room data integration without requiring changes to the individual detectors.
3Measurement precision
If the system tracks individual location across rooms, then the accuracy of true IAQ feedback improves, but the measurement complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from the computing device to track which individual is present in which room at each time increment. This feedback mechanism allows the system to dynamically associate IAQ measurements with the correct individual based on their location, thereby improving the accuracy of true IAQ feedback without requiring complex direct measurement of individual exposure.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of tracking an indoor air quality (IAQ) level experienced by an individual including: detecting a first IAQ data set within a first room at a plurality of time increments using a first IAQ detector in the first room; determining a first IAQ health level for each of the plurality of time increments; detecting a second IAQ data set within a second room at the plurality of time increments using a second IAQ detector in the second room; determining a second IAQ health level for each of the plurality of time increments; detecting the individual being located within the first room during a first time period and within the second room during a second time period; and combining the first IAQ health level during the first time period and the second IAQ health level during the second time period into a true IAQ health level graph.