Occupant Location-Based Load Control for Smart Building Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current load control systems fail to utilize information collected from occupants and their mobile devices to enhance the perception and convenience of controlling electrical loads within a user environment.
Innovation Solution
A load control system that determines the location of an occupant or a mobile device using unique identifiers from beacon signals and adjusts electrical loads accordingly, incorporating occupancy sensors and mobile devices to transmit and receive wireless signals for controlling lighting, HVAC, and other systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If load control systems use traditional control devices without location awareness, then the system structure remains simple, but the system cannot effectively utilize occupant information to control electrical loads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces mobile devices as intermediary components that bridge occupants and the load control system. These mobile devices capture location information and communicate it to the system controller, enabling location-based control without requiring complex modifications to the entire system architecture. The mobile device acts as a mediator that translates occupant presence into actionable control signals.
Solution Approach 2:
The system design allows existing load control devices to serve multiple functions: traditional control operations plus location-based automatic control. The system controller can operate in multiple modes depending on whether location data is available, making the system universally applicable to both traditional and smart control scenarios without requiring completely separate systems.
2Ease of operation
If the system automatically controls electrical loads based on mobile device location, then convenience is improved, but information processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The load control system operates autonomously by automatically processing location information from mobile devices and executing control actions without requiring manual user intervention. When the system controller receives location data indicating an occupant's presence, it automatically determines appropriate control actions and executes them, freeing occupants from manual control tasks while managing information processing efficiently through automated decision-making algorithms.
3Measurement precision
If the system collects and processes location data from mobile devices, then control precision is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of implementing complex location tracking hardware, the system leverages the existing location capabilities of mobile devices that occupants already carry. The mobile device's built-in location services create a virtual copy of the occupant's position data, which is then transmitted to the system controller. This approach achieves precise location determination without requiring the building's control system to develop its own complex location tracking infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
A load control system may control an electrical load in a space of a building occupied by an occupant. The load control system may include a controller configured to determine the location of the occupant, and a load control device configured to automatically control the electrical load in response to the location of the occupant. The load control system may also include a mobile device adapted to be located on or immediately adjacent the occupant and configured to transmit and receive wireless signals. The load control device may be configured to automatically control the electrical load when the mobile device is located in the space. The load control system may further comprise an occupancy sensor and the load control device may automatically control the electrical load when the occupancy sensor indicates that the space is occupied and the mobile device is located in the space.