Wireless HVAC Microsystem Load Sharing Under Power Constraints
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current HVAC control systems face challenges in balancing human comfort and energy efficiency due to high computational complexity and power constraints, particularly in distributed wireless sensing and control networks, which limit the ability to perform advanced climate governance tasks effectively.
Innovation Solution
A climate control system comprising a network of wirelessly communicating sensing microsystems, each equipped with a temperature sensor and processor, that apportions shared computational tasks based on available power, using power management circuits to allocate tasks among microsystems, allowing for efficient load distribution and optimized HVAC control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If advanced computational algorithms are used for HVAC optimization, then climate control performance is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the HVAC control domain into multiple spatial zones with distributed sensing microsystems. Each microsystem performs localized environmental monitoring and control decisions, segmenting the computational workload across multiple low-power nodes rather than requiring one centralized high-performance computing unit, thus reducing overall power consumption while maintaining climate optimization performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensing microsystems perform computational tasks at partial capacity rather than maximum capacity. The system executes climate control algorithms with reduced computational intensity, performing only the necessary calculations for adequate climate management rather than exhaustive optimization, thereby achieving acceptable climate control performance with significantly lower power consumption.
2Adaptability or versatility
If distributed sensing microsystems are deployed, then system scalability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple distributed sensing microsystems are merged into a coordinated network that functions as a unified control system. The microsystems communicate and cooperate to manage HVAC equipment collectively, allowing the system to scale by simply adding more identical units without proportionally increasing overall system complexity, as the merged network handles coordination automatically.
Solution Approach 2:
Each sensing microsystem is designed as a universal, multi-functional unit capable of environmental sensing, data processing, wireless communication, and local control decisions. This universality allows identical units to be deployed throughout the facility, improving scalability while minimizing the complexity introduced by heterogeneous components, as each unit performs multiple functions independently.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and related computer program products for controlling one or more HVAC systems using a distributed arrangement of wirelessly connected sensing microsystems are described. A plurality of wirelessly communicating sensing microsystems is provided, each sensing microsystem including a temperature sensor and a processor, at least one of the sensing microsystems being coupled to an HVAC unit for control thereof. The plurality of sensing microsystems is configured to jointly carry out at least one shared computational task associated with control of the HVAC unit. Each sensing microsystem includes a power management circuit configured to determine an amount of electrical power available for dedication to the at least one shared computational task. The at least one shared computational task is apportioned among respective ones of the plurality of sensing microsystems according to the amount of electrical power determined to be available for dedication thereto at each respective sensing microsystem.