Variable Air Volume Diffuser With Pressure-Balanced Personal Airflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional HVAC systems deliver conditioned air uniformly to a space without considering individual occupant preferences, leading to inadequate comfort for specific users.
Innovation Solution
A variable air volume diffuser with individually adjustable directional outlets and a controller that senses air properties and adjusts airflow based on user commands, maintaining pre-adjustment pressure balance to provide personalized comfort without affecting other occupants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional VAV diffusers deliver conditioned air uniformly to the space, then the overall space comfort is maintained, but individual occupant comfort requirements cannot be satisfied
Solution Approach 1:
The diffuser is divided into multiple independently controllable outlet vents, each capable of being adjusted separately to deliver conditioned air to different locations. This segmentation allows individual occupants to receive personalized air delivery while maintaining overall space comfort, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The diffuser incorporates dynamically adjustable outlet vents that can change their position and airflow characteristics in real-time based on occupancy and environmental conditions. This dynamic capability enables the system to adapt to individual occupant needs while maintaining simple overall system architecture.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the position of directional outlets is adjusted to meet individual occupant needs, then personalized comfort is achieved, but air pressure balance within the diffuser is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
Pressure sensors continuously monitor air pressure within the diffuser, and the control system uses this feedback to automatically adjust the main damper position. This feedback mechanism ensures that when individual outlet vents are adjusted for personalized comfort, the overall air pressure balance is maintained, preventing system instability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically compensates for pressure imbalances caused by outlet adjustments without requiring manual intervention. The controller monitors pressure changes and self-adjusts the damper positions to restore balance, making the system self-regulating and reliable.
3Ease of operation
If multiple individually adjustable outlets are provided, then individual occupant preferences can be accommodated, but the system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single controller unit manages all outlet vents and dampers, providing universal control functionality. The controller can operate in different modes (manual adjustment, automatic occupancy-based control, hybrid mode) and interfaces with various user devices, making the control system versatile rather than complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes automatic occupancy detection and can autonomously adjust outlet positions and airflow rates based on detected occupancy patterns. This self-service capability reduces the burden on users and simplifies operation while maintaining the ability to accommodate individual preferences when needed.
4Reliability
If airflow is modified to maintain pre-adjustment pressure, then system stability is preserved, but response time to accommodate user preferences increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary adjustments to less critical outlets first, then makes finer adjustments to primary outlets. The control algorithm prioritizes adjustments that have minimal impact on pressure balance, allowing faster response times while maintaining overall stability. Critical outlets are adjusted last with pressure compensation already in place.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for providing personalized comfort to occupants of an environmentally conditioned space includes sensing a pre-adjustment pressure within a variable air volume diffuser, remotely adjusting a position an individually-adjustable directional outlet of the variable air volume diffuser, sensing a post-adjustment pressure within the variable air volume diffuser, and modifying the airflow through the variable air volume diffuser such that the post-adjustment pressure is equal to the pre-adjustment pressure. The variable air volume diffuser includes individually-adjustable directional outlets and a controller configured to regulate air pressure within the variable air volume diffuser when an individually adjustable directional outlet is adjusted. A user device in operative communication with the variable air volume diffuser includes a user interface to remotely adjust an adjustable directional outlet of the variable air volume diffuser to provide personalized comfort for the user. In embodiments, the variable air volume diffuser responds to spoken commands.