Systems and methods for predicting operating conditions of a spot cooler

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Solution Overview

Problem

Spot coolers disable themselves when the reservoir tank becomes full, leading to unconditioned spaces and potential damage due to overflowing, as users struggle to remember when to empty the tank, especially in varying occupancy conditions.

Innovation Solution

A predictive cooling system that uses machine learning to forecast the tank level based on environmental and operational data, such as humidity, temperature, and population density, providing alerts to users before the tank reaches a full state, allowing for timely intervention and preventing shutdowns.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the spot cooler disables itself when the reservoir tank becomes full to prevent water damage, then the reliability of the system is improved, but the productivity is worsened because the cooling function is interrupted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprevention of water damageVSAvoidcooling function continuity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by sending notifications to users before the tank becomes full, allowing users to empty the tank proactively before the shutdown condition is triggered. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliability (preventing damage) while preserving productivity (avoiding unnecessary shutdowns).

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring tank level and providing real-time notifications to users about approaching full conditions. This enables users to take timely action to empty the tank, ensuring both reliability (damage prevention) and productivity (continuous cooling operation).

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Device complexity

If the spot cooler provides only current sensed condition diagnostics to a remote monitoring system, then the device complexity is minimized, but the loss of information increases because predictive capabilities are unavailable

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvediagnostics system simplicityVSAvoidpredictive operating condition information

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces mechanical/simple sensing with intelligent predictive analytics by using machine learning models that process sensor data to predict future tank full conditions. This substitution provides predictive information without significantly increasing physical device complexity, as the predictive logic can be implemented through software algorithms rather than additional hardware sensors.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS20240328655A1Systems and methods for predicting operating conditions of a spot cooler

Publication Date: 2024.10.03 DENSO INTERNATIONAL AMERICA INC

AI summary

Systems, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to improving predicting conditions of a spot cooler. In one embodiment, a method includes acquiring, from at least the spot cooler, device data about operation of the spot cooler. The method includes predicting the operating condition of the spot cooler according to the device data using a model. The method includes providing the operating condition.