Solar Protection Control Using Outdoor Temperature and Brightness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for managing solar protection in buildings are not optimal for maintaining thermal and visual comfort due to manual control difficulties and imprecise automated systems that fail to accurately predict overheating situations.
Innovation Solution
A method and device for managing solar protection using outdoor temperature and brightness sensors to determine low and high brightness periods, calculating minimum and maximum temperatures during low brightness, and adjusting solar protection positions based on these readings to prevent overheating while considering visual comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual control of solar protection is used, then ease of operation is maintained, but thermal comfort and energy efficiency deteriorate due to difficulty in knowing ideal positioning timing
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by determining the ideal position of solar protection in advance based on sunrise temperature and climatic condition predictions, then automatically positioning the protection before overheating occurs. This resolves the contradiction by eliminating the need for manual timing knowledge while ensuring optimal thermal comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from outdoor temperature sensors and climatic condition analysis to continuously adjust solar protection positioning. The feedback loop compares actual temperature with predicted temperature trends, automatically adjusting protection positions to maintain thermal comfort without manual intervention.
2Reliability
If automated control of solar protection is implemented, then thermal comfort is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple sensors and processing units
Solution Approach 1:
The control device performs multiple functions using a single integrated unit: it measures outdoor temperature, determines climatic conditions, predicts temperature evolution, and controls solar protection positioning. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated devices for each function, thereby limiting device complexity while maintaining improved thermal comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters by using simple measurable quantities (sunrise temperature, brightness levels) to predict complex thermal behavior. By monitoring basic environmental parameters and using predetermined thresholds, the system achieves accurate overheating prediction without requiring complex sensing or processing equipment.
3Ease of manufacture
If solar protection is controlled based on sunrise temperature thresholds, then ease of manufacture is maintained, but measurement precision deteriorates due to inability to accurately identify overheating conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary measurement and analysis during the night and early morning hours when thermal conditions are stable and solar influence is minimal. By determining baseline temperatures and climatic conditions before the heating period begins, the system achieves precise overheating prediction using simple threshold comparisons, maintaining ease of manufacture while improving detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the outdoor temperature at sunrise as an intermediary parameter to predict indoor temperature evolution. This intermediary measurement, taken when thermal conditions are most stable and least influenced by solar radiation, provides accurate baseline data for predicting overheating risk without requiring complex real-time indoor temperature monitoring during peak heating periods.
4Productivity
If temperature measurement is performed during high brightness periods, then productivity is improved by real-time monitoring, but measurement precision deteriorates due to sensor influence from solar radiation
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs temperature measurement in advance during low brightness periods (night and early morning) when solar radiation is absent or minimal. By capturing baseline temperature data before solar influence begins, the system ensures measurement precision while still enabling real-time monitoring and control decisions during subsequent high brightness periods based on predicted temperature evolution.
Data Source
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AI summary
Method for managing a home automation installation (100) of a building (1) comprising a motorized solar protection (3), a management unit (102) for a position taken by the solar protection (3), a control device (104) comprising at least one sensor for measuring an external temperature (202) in the building (1) and a means for determining brightness (220), the method comprising: - A step (E1) of measuring the external temperature (T) and brightness (L) values; - A step (E2) of analyzing the brightness values to determine a period of low brightness (pn), - A step (E3) of determining the minimum (Tmin) and maximum (Tmax) external temperatures over the period of low brightness (pn); - A step (E4) of controlling over a period of high brightness the position taken by the solar protection (3) as a function of the minimum (Tmin) and maximum (Tmax) external temperatures.