Smart vent system for localized air quality control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing building systems lack local control and environmental personalization within various rooms, failing to provide tailored environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and air quality.
Innovation Solution
A vent system with adjustable louvers and a controller device that allows for localized control based on predefined operating profiles, including temperature offsets, air quality settings, and occupancy schedules, using sensors and heating/cooling modules to adjust environmental conditions in specific zones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single temperature setpoint is used for the entire building, then the heating and cooling system operates simply and uniformly, but local environmental personalization and room-specific comfort are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The building is divided into multiple thermal zones, each with independent temperature control capabilities. Individual vents in each zone can be independently controlled to allow or restrict airflow, enabling localized environmental adjustment without complicating the overall HVAC system architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static, uniform temperature control to dynamic, zone-specific control. Vents can dynamically adjust their opening positions based on real-time temperature readings from multiple zones, allowing the system to adapt to changing local conditions while maintaining a relatively simple control structure
2Ease of operation
If the heating and cooling unit heats or cools the entire building uniformly, then the system operation is simple, but local control within various rooms is eliminated
Solution Approach 1:
Each thermal zone is equipped with its own temperature sensor and control algorithm, allowing local quality assessment and adjustment. The system monitors and controls temperature independently in each zone rather than treating the building as a single uniform space, enabling room-specific comfort optimization
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses distributed temperature sensors in each zone that automatically provide local temperature data to the control algorithm. Each zone essentially monitors and reports its own conditions, enabling the controller to make autonomous decisions about vent positioning without requiring complex manual intervention or centralized monitoring of every detail
3Adaptability or versatility
If predefined operating profiles are implemented for different zones, then environmental customization is improved, but control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements operating profiles that define target temperature parameters for different zones under various conditions (e.g., occupied vs. unoccupied, different times of day). By pre-defining these temperature setpoints and transition rules, the system achieves high adaptability without requiring complex real-time calculations or user intervention
Solution Approach 2:
Operating profiles are pre-configured with temperature targets and transition criteria for different operational scenarios. The control algorithm simply needs to evaluate current conditions against these pre-defined profiles and execute the appropriate temperature adjustments, avoiding the need for complex on-the-fly decision-making
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables personalized environmental control in different zones of a building, improving comfort and air quality by allowing for tailored temperature, humidity, and air quality adjustments based on specific profiles and occupancy needs.
Implementation Method 1
a peltier module including a first side and a second side. The first side is in contact with the air. The first side is configured to perform at least one of heating the air or cooling the air
Implementation Method 2
a resistive heating circuit configured to heat the air by converting electrical energy into heat
Data Source
AI summary
An environmental control system for a building, the system including a vent. The vent includes one or more louvers configured to change position between an open position and a closed position to permit air from the air duct to enter a zone of the building or stop the air from entering the zone and a vent circuit configured to operate the one or more louvers based on one or more control commands. The system includes a controller device including a processing circuit configured to receive a selection of an operating profile from a plurality of predefined operating profiles for the vent, each of the plurality of predefined operating profiles indicating an intended use of the zone, determine, based on the operating profile, the one or more control commands, and cause the vent circuit to operate the one or more louvers based on the one or more control commands.