Predictive Wireless Sensor Transmission for Building Control

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional methods for transmitting data from wireless sensors in building management systems consume significant battery life, leading to short operational durations and potential control performance degradation due to frequent transmissions.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a system where wireless measurement devices predict future values of environmental variables and transmit these predictions along with current values at extended intervals, reducing the frequency of transmissions while maintaining control algorithm responsiveness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If wireless sensors transmit data frequently to maintain responsive control, then control performance is improved, but battery life diminishes quickly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol performanceVSAvoidbattery life
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The sensor performs preliminary measurements and stores multiple values locally before transmission. By pre-collecting data and predicting future values, the sensor reduces the frequency of transmissions while ensuring control performance is maintained through predictive algorithms that anticipate future environmental conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of transmitting every measured value, the system creates a simplified representation by transmitting only predicted future values and key current measurements. This copying approach reduces data traffic and transmission frequency while preserving the essential information needed for control decisions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Duration of action of moving object

If transmission interval is extended to conserve battery power, then battery life is improved, but data transmission frequency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery lifeVSAvoiddata transmission frequency
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of moving objectVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the temporal parameters of data transmission by extending the transmission interval while compensating through predictive algorithms. The sensor transmits data less frequently but provides predicted values that cover the extended time period, maintaining productivity without increasing power consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Measurement precision

If measurement interval is shortened to improve prediction accuracy, then prediction precision is improved, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprediction accuracyVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The sensor performs measurements at a moderate interval and uses predictive algorithms to generate additional predicted values. This partial action approach achieves the effect of higher measurement frequency (improved prediction accuracy) without actually increasing the physical measurement rate, thus avoiding the associated power consumption increase.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3400738B1Systems and methods for extending the battery life of a wireless sensor in a building control system
Publication Date: 2019.12.11 JOHNSON CONTROLS TECHNOLOGY CO
  • EP3400738B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3400738B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3400738B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A building control system includes a wireless measurement device and a controller. The wireless measurement device measures a plurality of values of an environmental variable and uses the plurality of measured values to predict one or more future values of the environmental variable. The wireless device periodically transmits, at a transmission interval, a message that includes a current value of the environmental variable and the one or more predicted values of the environmental variable. The controller receives the message from the wireless device and parses the message to extract the current value and the one or more predicted future values of the environmental variable. The controller periodically and sequentially applies, at a controller update interval shorter than the transmission interval, each of the extracted values as an input to a control algorithm that operates to control the environmental variable.