System and method for crowd-sourced environmental system control and maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Building occupants often face comfort challenges such as temperature issues, which can indicate poor HVAC design, operation, or maintenance, leading to inefficiencies and occupant discomfort.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented system in a client-server environment that enables crowd-sourced environmental system control and maintenance by allowing occupants and managers to generate and aggregate reports on comfort and maintenance issues, using modules for login, report generation, geo-location, aggregation, and response/notification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional HVAC control systems are used, then system operation is maintained, but occupant comfort feedback is not captured and actionable responses are delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where occupants report comfort issues through a mobile application, the reports are aggregated and analyzed by the server, and automated responses are generated based on predefined rules. This closed-loop feedback system ensures timely detection and response to comfort issues, resolving the contradiction between maintaining system operation and providing timely occupant comfort feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables occupants to self-report comfort issues directly through the mobile application without requiring manual intervention from facility managers. The automated rule-based response system further reduces the need for human intervention by automatically generating and implementing responses to common comfort issues, thereby reducing response time while maintaining reliable occupant comfort.
2Productivity
If manual monitoring and reporting of comfort issues is used, then system complexity is reduced, but information aggregation and analysis efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The server acts as an intermediary between occupants and facility managers, automatically aggregating, analyzing, and processing comfort reports submitted through the mobile application. This intermediary system efficiently handles information aggregation and analysis, improving productivity while the modular architecture keeps system complexity manageable through clear separation of concerns between client, server, and database components.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile application serves multiple functions including reporting comfort issues, viewing building information, receiving notifications, and providing feedback. The server also performs multiple functions such as aggregating reports, analyzing data, generating responses, and communicating with occupants. This multi-functionality improves information aggregation efficiency while the standardized interfaces maintain acceptable system complexity.
3Speed
If automated rule-based responses are implemented, then response speed increases, but system adaptability to unique situations decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic response generation where rules can be configured with different priorities, thresholds, and conditions. The rule engine can adapt to changing building operations and occupancy patterns by allowing administrators to update rules without system reconfiguration. This dynamic rule-based approach maintains fast automated responses while preserving adaptability to unique situations through flexible rule configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The response system is segmented into multiple independent rules that can be individually configured, enabled, or disabled based on specific situations. Each rule handles a particular type of comfort issue or building condition, allowing the system to maintain fast automated responses for common issues while preserving the ability to adapt to unique situations by selectively applying or modifying individual rules without affecting the entire system.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for crowd-sourced environmental system control and building maintenance includes a server for providing selective access to building occupants and managers. Users are permitted to generate building reports in the form of (i) thermal reports using a thermal report module, and/or (ii) maintenance reports using a maintenance report module. The reports are each geo-located to locations within the building, and are then captured, stored, and aggregated at the server. The aggregated reports are sorted according to their geo-locations and comfort rules are used to (i) permit a manager at a client computer to access the server to respond, and/or (ii) automatically respond and assign a response status to particular reports. An inspection checklist interface is generated and populated to display a list of preventative maintenance tasks, each of the tasks being user-selectable to designate completion, with the updated status of the reports being stored at the server.