Multi-Sensor Temperature Control for Uniform Indoor Climate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing temperature control systems in indoor spaces face inefficiencies, leading to prolonged adjustments and reduced battery life in controlling heating and cooling sources, as they often fail to accurately achieve desired room temperatures due to imperfect source control and temperature reporting.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize multiple temperature sensors to determine optimized temperature setting points for controllers, minimizing adjustments and energy consumption by integrating desired and auxiliary temperature data to send precise control signals, thereby enhancing temperature uniformity and resource utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple temperature sensors and optimized control calculations are implemented, then temperature control precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides temperature measurement into multiple independent sensor units (first temperature sensor at the source and auxiliary temperature sensor in the room), each providing localized data that contributes to overall control precision without requiring a single complex sensor system
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit performs multiple functions: it receives data from multiple sensors, calculates temperature settings, determines optimal control parameters, and manages battery-powered controllers. This multi-functionality consolidates complexity into a single unit rather than distributing it across multiple specialized components
2Reliability
If frequent temperature adjustments are made to achieve desired room temperature, then temperature control reliability is improved, but battery consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit performs preliminary calculations to determine the optimal temperature setting point before sending control signals. By pre-calculating the necessary adjustments based on both source and room temperature data, the system minimizes the number of actual adjustments needed, thereby reducing battery consumption while maintaining reliable temperature control
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from multiple temperature sensors to continuously monitor both the source surroundings and the actual room temperature. This dual-feedback mechanism allows the control unit to make more accurate, less frequent adjustments that are more likely to achieve the desired temperature, reducing the frequency of controller activations and extending battery life
3Device complexity
If traditional single-point temperature control is used, then device complexity is reduced, but temperature uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from single-point temperature control to multi-point temperature monitoring by adding spatial dimensions of measurement. The first sensor monitors at the source location while the auxiliary sensor monitors at the room location, creating a spatial gradient measurement that enables uniform temperature distribution control without requiring complex multi-zone control systems
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and a control system for temperature control in a temperature conditioning system. The method comprises obtaining desired temperature data; receiving temperature data from a plurality of temperature sensors, the temperature data including first temperature data from a first temperature sensor and auxiliary temperature data from an auxiliary temperature sensor; determining a first temperature setting point for a first controller of a first source based on the desired temperature data, the first temperature data and the auxiliary temperature data; and sending a first control signal indicative of the first temperature setting point to the first controller.