Predictive conditioning in occupancy zones

• US 8,457,796 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2010
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 75F, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Deepinder Singh Thind
• Inventors: Thind, Deepinder Singh
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US12/721,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20100235004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 700/276, 700/277, 700/278, 236/47, 236/57, 340/501, 340/521, 340/522
• US Class Current: 700/276
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric

Abstract

A method and system for predictively controlling environmental conditions of multiple occupancy zones in an occupancy space are provided. Occupancy and environmental conditions of each of the occupancy zones are detected and identified. The detected occupancy is stored in an occupancy database. Patterns of occupancy of each of the occupancy zones are determined using the occupancy database. Future occupancy of the occupancy zones is predicted based on the occupancy patterns of the occupancy zones. The environmental conditions of the occupancy zones are controlled based on the detected occupancy and/or the predicted future occupancy. The environmental conditions of the occupancy zones in the occupancy space are thereby predictively controlled by simultaneously incorporating an occupant'"'"'s desired settings, existing and historical temperature data within the occupancy space, and weather data. The predicted occupancy can be combined with demand response signal and energy tier rates to make optimal conditioning decisions.

Claims

1. A method for predictively controlling environmental conditions of a plurality of occupancy zones in an occupancy space, comprising:

detecting occupancy of each of said occupancy zones to determine presence of one or more occupants, comprising;

determining a class of each of said occupants, wherein said class is one or more of an animate class, an inanimate class, a human class, or a non-human class; and

determining a plurality of attributes of each of said occupants, wherein said attributes further define said determined class of said occupant;

storing said detected occupancy of each of said occupancy zones in an occupancy database;

determining patterns of occupancy of each of said occupancy zones over a predetermined duration using said occupancy database, wherein said patterns of occupancy is normalized over a predetermined number of days;

predicting future occupancy of said occupancy zones based on said determined patterns of occupancy of said each of said occupancy zones; and

controlling said environmental conditions of said occupancy zones in said occupancy space based on one or more of said detected occupancy, said determined class and said determined attributes of said occupants, and said predicted future occupancy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining said class and said attribute of each of said occupants in each of said occupancy zones in said occupancy space comprises:

capturing an infrared image of said occupant in each of said occupancy zones;

digitizing infrared image information of said captured image to obtain a thermal signature of said occupant; and

comparing said thermal signature of said occupant with thermal signatures of a plurality of occupants stored in a thermal signature database for determining said class and said attributes of said occupant.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling said environmental conditions of said occupancy space based on a plurality of present and forecast, internal and external environmental conditions and said predicted future occupancy in said occupancy zones.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said forecast external environmental conditions comprise regional weather forecasts for short durations of time and long durations of time.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising combining one or more of a plurality of control parameters to predictively control said environmental conditions in each of said occupancy zones.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying said controlled environmental conditions on a graphical user interface by overlaying temperature heat maps and occupancy maps on a floor plan of said occupancy space.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing one or more environmental sensor motes and one or more actuators in each of said occupancy zones for detecting and predictively controlling environmental conditions in each of said occupancy zones.

8. A system for predictively controlling environmental conditions of a plurality of occupancy zones in an occupancy space, comprising:

a plurality of occupancy sensors that detect occupancy of said occupancy zones;

an occupancy database that stores said detected occupancy of each of said occupancy zones;

an occupancy pattern determination module that determines patterns of occupancy of each of said occupancy zones over a predetermined duration using said occupancy database, wherein said patterns of occupancy is normalized over a predetermined number of days;

a class and attribute determination module for determining class and a plurality of attributes of an occupant in each of said occupancy zones in said occupancy space, comprising;

an image capture device for capturing an infrared image of said occupant in each of said occupancy zones;

an image digitization module for digitizing infrared image information of said captured image to obtain a thermal signature of said occupant; and

a comparison module for comparing said thermal signature of said occupant with thermal signatures of a plurality of occupants stored in a thermal signature database for determining said class and said attributes of said occupant;

a prediction module that predicts future occupancy of said occupancy zones based on said determined patterns of occupancy of said each of said occupancy zones; and

a control module that controls said environmental conditions of said occupancy zones in said occupancy space based on one or more of said detected occupancy and said predicted future occupancy.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising one or more environmental sensor motes and one or more actuators in each of said occupancy zones for detecting and predictively controlling environmental conditions in each of said occupancy zones.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising one or more modular vents in each of said occupancy zones for controlling air flow in each of said occupancy zones, wherein said control module predictively controls said modular vents through said one or more actuators.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein said occupancy sensors are based on one or more of charged coupled device sensors and complimentary metal oxide semiconductor sensors that detect occupancy using specific infrared signatures and digital image processing techniques.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein said control module predictively controls said environmental conditions of said occupancy zones based on said determined class and said determined attributes of said occupant.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein said control module predictively controls said environmental conditions of said occupancy space based on a plurality of present and forecast, internal and external environmental conditions.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising a graphical user interface associated with said control module that displays said controlled environmental conditions by overlaying temperature heat maps and occupancy maps on a floor plan of said occupancy space.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said graphical user interface provides one or more configurable and selectable modes of operation, wherein said one or more configurable modes comprise an economy mode and a comfort mode for said control module.

16. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied thereon, said computer-readable program code comprising:

a first computer readable program code for detecting occupancy of each of a plurality of occupancy zones in an occupancy space to determine presence of one or more occupants, said first computer readable program code further configured to;

determine a class of each of said occupants, wherein said class is one or more of an animate class, an inanimate class, a human class, or a non-human class; and

determine a plurality of attributes of each of said occupants, wherein said attributes further define said class of said occupants;

a second computer readable program code for storing said detected occupancy of each of said occupancy zones in an occupancy database;

a third computer readable program code for determining patterns of occupancy of each of said occupancy zones over a predetermined duration using said occupancy database, wherein said patterns of occupancy is normalized over a predetermined number of days;

a fourth computer readable program code for predicting future occupancy of said occupancy zones based on said determined patterns of occupancy of said each of said occupancy zones; and

a fifth computer readable program code for controlling environmental conditions of said occupancy zones in said occupancy space based on one or more of said detected occupancy, said determined class and said determined attributes of said occupants, and said predicted future occupancy.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, said computer-readable program code further comprises:

a sixth computer parsable program code for capturing an infrared image of said occupant in each of said occupancy zones;

a seventh computer parsable program code for digitizing infrared image information of said captured image to obtain a thermal signature of said occupant; and

an eighth computer readable program code for comparing said thermal signature of said occupant with thermal signatures of a plurality of occupants stored in a thermal signature database for determining said class and said attributes of said occupant.