Regulated Power Controller for Centralized Environmental Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing environmental control systems for indoor spaces, such as homes and healthcare facilities, lack centralized control over multiple environmental conditions like lighting, temperature, and air quality, requiring manual adjustments and separate control of similar conditions, which is inefficient and inconvenient, especially in settings where temporary adjustments are needed.
Innovation Solution
A regulated power controller system that integrates power regulation for various environmental control components, including artificial lighting, window blinds, and heating/cooling units, allowing for centralized control and temporary adjustments through a toggle sensor, enabling coordinated control of multiple conditions based on user preferences and location-specific settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If environmental control components are controlled independently and manually, then each component can be adjusted separately, but the system lacks centralized control and requires frequent manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple independent environmental control components (lights, blinds, HVAC) into a single centralized control system. The regulated power controller integrates power regulation for all these components, allowing them to be controlled together through a single interface rather than independently, thus improving ease of operation while maintaining manageable complexity through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The regulated power controller serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides power regulation to various environmental control components, responds to toggle signals for temporary adjustments, maintains preferred settings, and coordinates multiple devices. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate control systems into a single universal controller.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual adjustment is used for environmental controls, then users can make temporary changes, but the process requires repeated manual operations and lacks automation
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-configures preferred settings for environmental control components and stores them in memory. When a toggle signal is received, the system automatically switches between preferred and temporary settings without requiring manual re-adjustment. This preliminary configuration eliminates the need for repeated manual operations while maintaining adaptability for temporary changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The regulated power controller automatically responds to toggle signals by switching between stored preferred settings and temporary settings without human intervention. The system serves itself by autonomously making the adjustments that would otherwise require manual operation, thus eliminating time loss while preserving adaptability through the toggle functionality.
3Extent of automation
If multiple environmental control components are integrated under centralized control, then coordination and automation are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized control system is segmented into modular components, each responsible for specific environmental control devices (lights, blinds, HVAC). The regulated power controller uses separate power regulators for each component type, allowing independent configuration and control while maintaining centralized coordination. This segmentation reduces overall complexity by making the system manageable in discrete, functional units.
Solution Approach 2:
The regulated power controller acts as an intermediary between the toggle sensor and multiple environmental control components. It receives the single toggle signal and distributes appropriate control commands to various components through its multiple power regulators. This intermediary role simplifies automation by providing a single point of control that mediates between user input and multiple devices, reducing the complexity of direct point-to-point control connections.
Data Source
AI summary
Power control for environmental control components (e.g. lighting, blinds, temperature) is controlled and distributed by a regulated power controller in accordance with user preferences and/or a schedule. The outputs of the regulated power controller include at least one regulator capable of a mixed mode output, operable in any of several output modes that can include DC regulation and pulse width modulation, as well as polarity inversion. The centralized control of electrical power facilitates the coordination of environmental control components for holistic control.