Multi-Dimensional Heating and Cooling System

• US 20140039691A1
• Filed: 08/01/2012
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Generac Power Systems Incorporated (Generac Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gupta, Sachin, Basson, Sara H., Kanevsky, Dimitri, Sainath, Tara N., Jiang, Dan Ning, Nesbitt, Pam
• Granted Patent: US 9,152,154 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/278
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/0001 for ventilation F24F11/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/20 Feedback from users
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1932 to control the temperature of a plurality of spaces

Abstract

Methods and system for facilitating multi-dimensional personal heating and cooling. User information is used as a mean to configure the temperature in a surrounding environment, thereby facilitating comfort for a user and, in the case wherein multiple users are accessing an area, classifying the area into a number of regions and maintaining each region at a different temperature and guiding the users to desired regions.

Claims

1. A method for controlling temperature in a user environment, the method comprising:

receiving input data from at least one of a user and a monitoring device associated with the user; and

controlling a temperature in an environment surrounding the user based on said input.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring device includes at least one sensor that is displaced on the user'"'"'s clothing or person, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to perform at least one of:

determining an optimal temperature for the user; and

receiving an input from the user regarding an optimal temperature desired by the user.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensor on the user'"'"'s clothing is configured to determine the temperature of the user'"'"'s surrounding environment, wherein the sensor is configured to communicate the temperature to a master control, and wherein the master control is configured to adjust the temperature in the user'"'"'s surrounding environment to an optimal temperature based on user preference and the surrounding temperature.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensor on the user'"'"'s clothing is at least one of a thermostat, a semiconducting material, a thermocouple and/or a RFID tag.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensor is configured to receive an input temperature from the user.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensor is configured to detect surrounding environmental temperature and inform the user.

7. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein, based on user historical data, the sensor is configured to recommend a preferred temperature as input to the master control.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring device includes at least one of a sensor, camera, RFID tags, an acoustic sensor, a visual sensor, a semiconducting device, and a thermocouple.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is configured to capture user related information and transmit the information to a master control.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the master control is configured to compute an optimal temperature for the user and adjust the temperature in the user'"'"'s surrounding environment to the optimal temperature.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the master control is configured to monitor the temperature of the user environment and modify the temperature accordingly by raising or lowering the temperature.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the master control is configured to automatically control an air conditioning unit.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is configured to determine user clothing and adjust the temperature of the user'"'"'s surrounding environment accordingly.

14. A method for controlling temperature in an area, the area being sub-divided into at least two or more regions, the method comprising:

controlling temperature values across the two or more regions within a pre-determined temperature range, wherein the temperature of the area and the temperature of the at least one region is controlled by a master control.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, comprising:

receiving an input temperature preferred by a user;

transmitting the input temperature to a master control;

guiding the user to the region with a temperature that most closely matches the input temperature preferred by the user.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least two regions in the area include a number of sensors transmitting the temperature of the surrounding environment of each region to the master control.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the master control is configured to heat and/or cool each region, maintaining the temperature within each region constant.

18. A method of controlling temperature in an area, the method comprising:

receiving, as input, a temperature setting from a plurality of users, wherein the users are located in a given area, and the input is transmitted to a master control for the area;

based on the input received from the plurality of users, determining an average temperature; and

configuring the temperature of the area to be the determined average temperature.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the master control is configured to heat and/or cool the given area, maintaining the temperature within the area constant.

20. The method as claimed in claims 18, wherein the master control includes a sensor configured to measure and maintain temperature in a given area.

21. A system for controlling temperature in a user environment, the system comprising at least a processor and a memory and configured for:

receiving input data from a user and/or a monitoring device associated with the user, wherein the monitoring device includes at least one of a sensor, a camera, an RFID tag, an acoustic sensor, a visual sensor, a semiconducting device, and a thermocouple, and wherein the monitoring device is configured to capture user related information and transmit the information to a master control; and

controlling a temperature in an environment surrounding the user based on the input received from the user and/or the monitoring device associated with the user, wherein the master control is configured to compute an optimal temperature for the user and adjust the temperature in the user'"'"'s surrounding environment to the optimal temperature.

22. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the monitoring device includes at least one sensor displaced on the user'"'"'s clothing or person and configured to perform at least one of (i) determining an optimal temperature for the user and (ii) receiving an input from the user regarding an optimal temperature desired by the user;

and wherein the sensor displaced on the user'"'"'s clothing is configured to determine the surrounding temperature of the user'"'"'s environment, to communicate the surrounding temperature to the master control, wherein the master control is configured to adjust the temperature in the user'"'"'s surrounding environment to an optimal temperature based on user preference and the surrounding temperature, and the at least one sensor on the user'"'"'s clothing is at least one of a thermostat, a semiconducting material, a thermocouple, and an RFID tag, wherein the sensor is configured to receive an input temperature from the user and to detect a surrounding environmental temperature and inform the user.

23. The system as claimed in claim 22, wherein, based on user historical data, the at least one sensor is configured to recommend a preferred temperature as input to the master control.

24. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the master control is configured to monitor the temperature in the environment surrounding the user and modify the temperature accordingly by raising or lowering the temperature and/or automatically control an air conditioning unit.

25. A system for controlling temperature in an area, the area being sub-divided into at least two or more regions, the system comprising at least a processor and a memory, and the system being configured for:

receiving an input temperature preferred by a user;

transmitting the input temperature to the master control;

controlling the temperature across the two or more regions within the area within a pre-determined temperature range, wherein the temperature of the area and the temperature of the two or more regions is controlled by a master control, wherein the two or more regions in the area include a number of sensors transmitting the temperature of the surrounding environment to the master control; and

guiding the user to the region with a temperature that most closely matches the temperature preferred by the user.

26. A system for controlling temperature in an area, the system comprising at least a processor and a memory, and the system being configured for:

receiving, as input, a temperature setting from a plurality of users, wherein the users are located in a given area, and the input is transmitted to a master control for the area, wherein the master control is configured to heat and/or cool the given area, thereby maintaining a temperature within the are constant, and wherein the master control includes a sensor configured to measure and maintain the temperature in the area;

based on the input received from the plurality of users, determining an average temperature; and

configuring the temperature of the area to be the determined average temperature.