Occupancy-Based Air Conditioning Setpoint Control for Power Savings
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Solution Overview
Problem
In office environments, air conditioners often consume excessive power due to variations in the number of people present, leading to inefficient temperature control and increased energy usage.
Innovation Solution
An air-conditioning control apparatus that detects the number of people in specific sections and adjusts the set temperature accordingly, decreasing it when more people are present and increasing it when fewer people are present to optimize energy usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by stationary object
If the air conditioner operates under fixed conditions regardless of the number of people, then the temperature control is simple, but power consumption increases when fewer people are present
Solution Approach 1:
The air conditioner's set temperature is made dynamic rather than fixed. The controller automatically adjusts the set temperature based on the detected number of people in the room. When more people are detected, the set temperature is lowered; when fewer people are detected, the set temperature is raised. This dynamic adjustment optimizes power consumption according to actual thermal load requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback control by detecting the number of people and using this information to adjust the air conditioner's operation. The detecting device continuously monitors the number of people, and the controller uses this feedback to modify the set temperature, creating a closed-loop control system that responds to changes in thermal load.
2Loss of energy
If the set temperature is adjusted based on the number of people, then power consumption is optimized, but the temperature control system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The air conditioner system serves itself by automatically detecting the number of people and adjusting its own operation parameters. The detecting device and controller work together to enable the system to self-regulate the set temperature without requiring manual intervention, thereby reducing energy waste while maintaining reasonable control complexity through automation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the air conditioner maintains a constant set temperature, then the control system is simple, but the temperature may not be appropriate when the number of people changes
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the temperature parameter dynamically based on the number of people detected. Instead of maintaining a constant set temperature, the controller adjusts the set temperature parameter according to the detected population, allowing the system to adapt to varying thermal loads while using a relatively simple detection and control mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
An air-conditioning control apparatus for controlling an air conditioner configured to supply conditioned air into a space to be air-conditioned so that a temperature of a predetermined section in a plurality of sections in the space to be air-conditioned becomes a set temperature, the air-conditioning control apparatus comprising:a detecting device configured to determines the number of people in the predetermined section; anda controller configured to correct the set temperature so as to be decreased if the number of people is increased and so as to be increased if the number of people is decreased.