Indoor Climate Assessment via Partial U-Value Calculation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for assessing the risk of mold formation in buildings are costly and inefficient, requiring multiple sensors and manual data readouts to measure indoor and wall temperatures, especially for large-scale applications.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines the time-independent partial U-value for critical points on inner walls, using climate models with weather station data to calculate internal wall temperatures without additional sensors, allowing for a cost-effective assessment of indoor climate by comparing the temporal courses of internal wall temperatures and dew points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If separate temperature sensors are installed on walls to measure internal wall temperature, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and installation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses room temperature and outside temperature as intermediary measurements to calculate internal wall temperature through thermal physics models, avoiding direct sensor placement on walls while still achieving accurate temperature assessment for condensation risk detection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces physical temperature sensors on walls with a computational model that uses readily available air temperature measurements (room and outside) combined with thermal transmission calculations to determine internal wall temperature, eliminating the need for complex sensor installation
2Loss of information
If manual or radio readout of sensor data is performed for large numbers of buildings, then measurement completeness is improved, but time consumption and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically performs the complete assessment workflow including data collection, dew point calculation, and condensation risk evaluation without requiring manual intervention for data readout, enabling unattended operation across multiple buildings
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal assessment method that can be applied to large numbers of buildings using the same calculation procedures and readily available temperature data, eliminating the need for building-specific sensor installation and enabling standardized automated processing
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables a meaningful, objective assessment of indoor climate over time without the need for additional temperature sensors, reducing costs and enabling supra-regional use without frequent sensor readouts, effectively identifying periods at risk for mold formation.
Implementation Method 1
determination of a time-independent partial U-value for a critical point on an inner wall surface... determination of an inner wall temperature at the critical point... comparison of the inner wall temperature at the critical point with the dew point
Implementation Method 2
The relative room humidity and temperature are measured with a room humidity sensor. With this pair of values, the absolute room humidity homogeneously distributed in the room and thus also the dew point can be determined
Data Source
AI summary
To register and evaluate the spatial air data, within a closed room, a partial thermal insulation value is determined independent of time for a critical cold point at a wall inner surface, together with the dewpoint from moisture and temperature measurements at a neutral point. The inner wall temperature is determined at the critical point from the room temperature and an external temperature, using the partial thermal insulation value. The inner wall temperature is compared with the dewpoint. The partial thermal insulation value is measured by a scan thermometer.