Portable Sensor-Based Airflow Control for User Comfort
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Air conditioners struggle to create a comfortable indoor environment when sensors are not placed in the desired location, leading to an environment that is not preferred by the user.
Innovation Solution
An air conditioning control system that includes a portable terminal with air pressure, temperature, and humidity measurement units, and an air conditioner with adjustable wind direction and airflow volume, which calculates wind velocity and presence direction to determine optimal settings for user comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the air conditioner is controlled based on values measured by a sensor mounted on the indoor unit, then the control system is simple and reliable, but the sensor cannot accurately reflect the environment at the user's location, leading to poor comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a portable terminal as an intermediary device that measures the environment at the user's location and transmits this information to the air conditioner. This mediator resolves the contradiction by enabling accurate location-based measurement without requiring complex integration of sensors into the air conditioner itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the measurement function from the control function by separating the sensor (in the portable terminal) from the air conditioner. This segmentation allows the measurement to occur at the user's location while the control remains with the air conditioner, resolving the contradiction between measurement accuracy and system simplicity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the sensor is placed in the air conditioner, then the control system is simple, but the sensor cannot be placed in the desired location by the user, making it impossible to create a comfortable environment at the user's specific location
Solution Approach 1:
The portable terminal serves as a mobile intermediary that the user can place anywhere in the room. This enables flexible sensor placement at the user's desired location while maintaining a relatively simple control architecture through wireless communication between the terminal and air conditioner.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the measurement system dynamic and movable by placing the sensor in a portable terminal rather than a fixed location in the air conditioner. This allows the user to dynamically reposition the sensor to different locations based on their needs, improving adaptability.
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
Enables the creation of a more comfortable environment by adjusting wind direction and airflow volume based on user-specific conditions, ensuring the air conditioner meets the user's intended preferences.
Implementation Method 1
a wind velocity calculation unit configured to calculate a wind velocity of wind received by the portable terminal from a variation in a plurality of air pressure values measured by the air pressure measurement unit
Data Source
AI summary
An air conditioning control system includes: an air pressure measurement unit (111) configured to measure an air pressure value; an air conditioning unit (136) whose wind direction and airflow volume are changeable; a wind velocity calculation unit (132) configured to calculate a wind velocity of wind received by a portable terminal (110) from a variation in a plurality of atmospheric pressure values and to specify a presence direction that is a direction in which the portable terminal (110) is present with respect to the air conditioner (130); an air conditioning control determination unit (134) configured to determine a wind direction and an airflow volume of the air conditioning unit (136) in accordance with the wind velocity and the presence direction; and an air conditioning control unit (135) configured to control the air conditioning unit (136) so that the determined wind direction and airflow volume are obtained.