Method and apparatus for adjusting the timing of a heating system and/or a home automation timing system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern heating and home automation systems that rely on presence detection often result in a cold apartment upon arrival, as they only heat the space after the occupant is present, leading to inefficient energy use.
Innovation Solution
A method that predicts the arrival time and adjusts the heating system's time program based on the expected route, using location coordinates and historical route data to ensure the heating system is operational before the occupant arrives, thereby maintaining a comfortable temperature upon arrival.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the heating system activates only when the occupant is present (presence-based control), then energy consumption is reduced, but the apartment temperature upon arrival is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The heating system is activated in advance of the occupant's arrival based on predicted route data and historical travel patterns. The system determines an expected arrival time and initiates heating before this time, ensuring the apartment is warm upon arrival while still avoiding continuous operation. This resolves the contradiction by performing the heating action preliminarily rather than reactively.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating control system transitions from static presence-based activation to dynamic prediction-based activation. By continuously monitoring location data and updating arrival time predictions based on current travel progress and historical patterns, the system dynamically adjusts when to activate heating, optimizing both energy consumption and comfort.
2Temperature
If the heating system operates continuously to maintain temperature, then comfort is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous operation, the heating system uses periodic activation based on predicted occupancy patterns. The system calculates expected arrival times from historical route data and activates heating only during periods when occupancy is anticipated, creating a periodic on-off pattern that maintains comfort while reducing energy consumption compared to continuous operation.
3Temperature
If the heating system uses historical route data and location tracking to predict arrival times, then comfort is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heating control system automatically processes location data, determines routes, predicts arrival times, and adjusts heating schedules without requiring manual user input or complex configuration. The system self-learns from historical travel patterns and autonomously makes control decisions, reducing the perceived complexity for the user while maintaining sophisticated predictive capabilities.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method (10) for setting a time program (12) of a heating system (14) and/or a time program (12) of a home automation system - for example, a smart home system - by predicting an arrival time (52) and a destination (50) depending on a previously traveled partial route (32), in particular by means of a mobile computing device (70).The invention also relates to a computer program configured to perform all steps of a method (10) according to the present invention, a machine-readable storage medium on which the computer program according to the present invention is stored, and a mobile computing device (70), in particular a smartphone (68), with a sensor for detecting a location coordinate - for example, a GPS module (72) - and/or a receiver for receiving a location coordinate - for example, a mobile modem (76) - and a transmitter for sending data to a heating system (14) and/or a home automation system - for example, a mobile modem (76), wherein the mobile computing device is configured by a corresponding integrated circuit and/or a computer program stored in a memory according to the present invention to perform a method (10) according to the present invention.