Predictive Pool Water Quality Control for Scheduled Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional water quality control systems for swimming pools and spas are reactionary and require user input, often resulting in periods where water quality falls below desired standards due to factors like occupant load and weather events.
Innovation Solution
A predictive pool control system that uses occupant and environmental information to anticipate future water quality conditions, scheduling equipment operations to maintain desired states such as water quality, debris levels, and temperature, and responds to cleaning triggers by generating alerts and controlling equipment to restore safe conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional reactionary control systems are used, then user input is required and equipment can be simple, but water quality falls below desired standards during unmonitored periods
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by predicting future water quality conditions based on scheduled events (occupant load, weather) and proactively adjusting equipment operations before quality degradation occurs. The controller forecasts future states and schedules cleaning/maintenance tasks in advance to prevent quality violations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring current water quality parameters, comparing them against predicted future states, and automatically adjusting equipment operations. The system uses sensor data feedback to validate predictions and refine future forecasts, creating a closed-loop control system.
2Reliability
If predictive control based on occupant and environmental information is implemented, then water quality remains above standards, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller performs multiple functions: it predicts future water quality conditions, schedules equipment operations, controls cleaning equipment, monitors sensors, and generates user notifications. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate systems into a single integrated controller, managing complexity through consolidation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system serves itself by automatically predicting quality issues and scheduling its own maintenance tasks without requiring user intervention. The controller autonomously determines when cleaning equipment should operate based on predicted conditions, and automatically adjusts operations to maintain quality standards.
3Productivity
If equipment operates based on scheduled future use predictions, then cleaning efficiency improves, but energy consumption may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system schedules cleaning equipment to operate in advance of predicted quality violations, allowing cleaning to be performed during off-peak times or when occupancy is low. This preliminary scheduling optimizes cleaning efficiency by preparing the system before quality degradation occurs, rather than reacting to emergencies.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses periodic monitoring and prediction cycles to determine when equipment operation is necessary. Instead of continuous operation, the controller periodically assesses predicted future conditions and schedules equipment accordingly, reducing energy consumption while maintaining productivity through targeted periodic interventions.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of operating a swimming pool or spa includes controlling equipment for a swimming pool or spa based on a predicted future state of the swimming pool or spa. A method of controlling equipment for a swimming pool or spa may include receiving a scheduled future use for the swimming pool or spa, predicting a future state of the swimming pool or spa based on the scheduled future use, and controlling the equipment to perform cleaning or other action based on the predicted future state. A method of operating a swimming pool or spa includes receiving an indication of a cleaning trigger event, generating a first alert based on the received indication, generating a cleaning response by equipment for the swimming pool or spa, and generating a second alert based on a state of the swimming pool or spa meeting or exceeding a threshold value.