Wireless actuator service
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Solution Overview
Problem
Locating and communicating with hidden actuators in building systems, such as HVAC and fire/smoke control systems, is time-consuming and tedious due to their concealed nature behind walls and ceilings, requiring repeated manual searches by technicians.
Innovation Solution
A wireless actuator assembly with a short-range communication module and an actuator controller, operably coupled to a portable handheld device, allowing for location identification and communication through signal strength indicators and audible signals, facilitating efficient actuator management and troubleshooting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If actuators are installed behind walls and ceilings to be concealed, then safety and aesthetics are improved, but accessibility for maintenance and troubleshooting deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A portable handheld device serves as an intermediary between the technician and the concealed actuator. The device communicates wirelessly with the actuator through walls and ceilings, enabling control and diagnostics without physical access to the actuator location. This resolves the contradiction by allowing the actuator to remain concealed for safety while maintaining ease of operation through wireless mediation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical access methods (physically reaching actuators, climbing ladders, removing ceiling tiles) with wireless electronic communication. The handheld device substitutes for manual mechanical interaction, allowing technicians to locate and communicate with actuators remotely through wireless signals that penetrate building structures.
2Reliability
If technicians manually search for actuators by climbing ladders and removing ceiling tiles, then complete inspection is achieved, but time consumption and labor intensity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator performs self-identification by responding to wireless queries from the handheld device. Instead of the technician having to manually locate each actuator through physical inspection, the actuator actively participates in the detection process by responding to identification signals, thereby reducing search time while maintaining inspection completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback through two-way wireless communication between the handheld device and the actuator. The actuator provides feedback information such as its location, status, and diagnostic data, enabling the technician to quickly identify and assess actuators without extensive manual searching. This feedback mechanism ensures reliable inspection while dramatically reducing time consumption.
3Ease of operation
If wireless communication modules are added to actuators, then remote accessibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wireless communication module in the actuator serves multiple functions: identification, status reporting, control command reception, and diagnostic data transmission. By consolidating these functions into a single multi-functional component, the increase in complexity is minimized while maximizing remote accessibility benefits.
Data Source
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AI summary
A wireless actuator assembly for use in a building control system includes an actuated component such as a damper or a valve and an actuator that is configured to move the actuated component between a first position and a second position. The assembly includes a short range wireless communication module having a nominal communication range of less than 60 feet and an actuator controller that is operably coupled to the actuator and the short range wireless communication module. The actuator controller may be configured to receive one or more actuator commands from a portable handheld device via the short range wireless communication module and to send information to the portable handheld device via the short range wireless communication module.