Smart Window Illuminance Control for Transmittance Matching
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing smart windows lack the ability to finely adjust power supply and maintain consistent indoor illuminance, leading to potential damage and visual discrepancies due to rapid voltage changes and inherent production variations.
Innovation Solution
An indoor environment control system using smart windows with internal and external illuminance sensors, a main controller, and unit controllers to calculate and adjust voltage intensity based on measured illuminance, ensuring transmittance matching and consistent indoor illuminance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If voltage intensity is rapidly adjusted to control smart window transmittance, then response speed is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to potential damage from rapid changes
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts voltage intensity in a controlled manner rather than making rapid changes. The controller monitors transmittance values and gradually adjusts voltage to reach target levels, preventing sudden shocks to the smart window material while maintaining effective control response.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously measures actual transmittance values and uses this feedback to adjust voltage intensity incrementally. This closed-loop control prevents excessive voltage changes by comparing current transmittance with target transmittance and making small adjustments until the target is reached, thereby protecting the smart window from damage.
2Ease of operation
If voltage is adjusted without fine control to change transmittance, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to visual discrepancies from production variations
Solution Approach 1:
The system measures actual transmittance values and uses this feedback to calculate precise voltage adjustments. This allows the controller to compensate for manufacturing variations in each smart window panel, ensuring consistent visual appearance across all panels despite production tolerances.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes voltage intensity in fine increments rather than large steps. By adjusting voltage in small increments and monitoring transmittance changes, the system achieves precise control over each panel's optical properties, compensating for manufacturing variations and ensuring visual consistency.
3Device complexity
If transmittance is adjusted without considering individual panel characteristics, then device complexity is reduced, but visual uniformity deteriorates due to inherent production variations
Solution Approach 1:
The system measures transmittance for each individual panel and uses this feedback to determine the specific voltage needed for each panel. This compensates for manufacturing variations without requiring complex hardware modifications, maintaining relative system simplicity while achieving visual uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different voltage intensities to different panels based on their individual transmittance characteristics. Each panel receives a customized voltage level tailored to its specific properties, ensuring that all panels contribute equally to the overall visual appearance despite manufacturing variations.
4Ease of operation
If power supply is not finely adjusted, then ease of operation is improved, but energy efficiency deteriorates due to inability to optimize for different conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts voltage intensity based on real-time transmittance measurements and control mode requirements. This allows the system to optimize energy consumption by applying only the necessary voltage to achieve the desired transmittance level, rather than using fixed high-power settings.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes voltage intensity in fine increments to match the actual energy needs of each control scenario. By adjusting voltage precisely to the minimum level required to achieve target transmittance, the system optimizes energy efficiency while maintaining ease of operation through automated control.
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
The system effectively matches smart window characteristics, prevents damage from rapid voltage adjustments, and maintains set indoor illuminance by finely adjusting power supply, reducing visual discrepancies and optimizing energy efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
A smart window is a window that changes transmittance for light in accordance with the intensity of a voltage
Implementation Method 2
an internal illuminance sensor disposed inside each of the smart windows and configured to measure internal illuminance
Data Source
AI summary
An indoor environment control system using smart windows includes at least two smart windows of which colors change in accordance with the intensity of supplied voltages, an internal illuminance sensor disposed inside each of the smart windows and configured to measure internal illuminance, an external illuminance sensor disposed outside each of the smart windows and configured to measure external illuminance, a main controller configured to calculate transmittance of each of the smart windows using internal illuminance and external illuminance provided from the internal illuminance sensor and the external illuminance sensor, and to calculate the intensity of a voltage that is supplied to each of the smart windows such that a difference of the calculated transmittances is a setting value (N) or less, and unit controllers configured to supply the voltages having the intensity supplied from the main controller to the smart windows, respectively.