Smart Building Environmental Control for First Responder Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
First responders face challenges while operating in smart buildings, including difficulties in navigating the environment and collecting data due to environmental conditions such as locked doors, inadequate lighting, and excessive noise.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows first responders to control environmental devices within smart buildings through a public-safety computing device communicating with a smart-building control device. This system adjusts lighting, sound levels, and access control to assist first responders in their tasks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If environmental devices are controlled to assist first responders, then operational effectiveness and data quality are improved, but system complexity and coordination requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a public safety computing device as an intermediary that acts as a bridge between first responders and the smart building control system. This mediator receives context information from first responders, processes it, and generates appropriate control commands for environmental devices, thereby managing system complexity while maintaining operational effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The public safety computing device serves multiple functions: it receives context information from first responders, determines appropriate environmental adjustments, communicates with the building control system, and coordinates multiple environmental devices simultaneously. This multi-functionality consolidates complexity into a single universal platform
2Measurement precision
If environmental conditions are adjusted to improve data collection quality, then measurement precision is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts environmental conditions based on real-time context information from first responders. Lighting, temperature, and acoustic conditions are modified only when and where needed for specific tasks, rather than maintaining suboptimal conditions throughout the facility, thereby improving measurement precision while minimizing energy consumption
Solution Approach 2:
Environmental adjustments are applied locally to specific areas where first responders are operating rather than throughout the entire building. This localized control improves data collection quality in critical zones while avoiding unnecessary energy consumption in unaffected areas
3Ease of operation
If context-aware control is implemented to assist first responders, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The public safety computing device automatically receives context information from first responders, processes it to determine appropriate environmental adjustments, and executes control actions without requiring manual intervention. This self-service capability improves ease of operation while consolidating processing complexity into an automated system
Data Source
AI summary
A device, system and method for controlling environmental devices at a smart building to assist a first responder is provided. A public-safety computing device determiners a context of a first responder at a smart building. The public-safety computing device is in communication with a smart-building control device. The context comprises one or more of: an objective to be achieved by the first responder in the smart building; and an object-of-interest in the smart building for which evidence is to be collected. The public-safety computing device communicates with the smart-building control device, to control environmental devices at the smart building to assist the first responder with respect to the context.