Dynamic temperature control for a room containing a group of people

• US 9,465,392 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2012
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 1339416 BC Limited, Generac Holdings Incorporated, Generac Power Systems Incorporated (Generac Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bradley, Lisa Marie Wood, Wood, Marissa Ann, Li, Nan, Wiese, Charles Edmond
• Primary Examiner(s): KASENGE, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US13/676,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20140135997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/0001 for ventilation F24F11/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/14 Activity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means

Abstract

Optimum temperature in a room is controlled by directly and dynamically sensing the body temperatures of one or more people in the room and storing a set of parameters to be correlated with the sensed body temperatures in determining a selected optimum room temperature. The sensed body temperatures are wirelessly transmitted to be correlated with the set of parameters wherein optimum room temperature is determined based on those parameters. In response to this correlation, a selected optimum room temperature may be provided by appropriate heating or cooling.

Claims

1. A computer controlled method for dynamically controlling the ambient temperature in an enclosed room containing a plurality of people comprising

storing a set of parameters to be correlated with sensed body temperatures in determining a selected optimum room temperature including:

predetermined temperature related data profiles of people having potential subsequent entry into said room; and

predetermined facial recognition profiles of said people having said potential subsequent entry into said room; and

identifying people subsequently entering said room by video monitoring people entering said room to recognize facial profiles of said people stored in said stored data profiles;

comparing the identified people to determine if said identified people have stored data profiles;

in response to the determination of identified people having stored profiles, sensing the body temperature of a plurality of people in said room having stored profiles;

wirelessly transmitting said sensed body temperatures of said plurality of people to be correlated with said set of parameters wherein said optimum room temperature is determined; and

controlling the room temperature using a heat/cool device to provide the selected optimum room temperature.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the body temperature is sensed of only one person who has a function significant to said plurality of people.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the temperature is sensed from each of the people in the room.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said sensing of body temperature is sensed by directly contacting the skin of said people being sensed.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said sensed body temperatures are wirelessly transmitted by shortwave RF transmission from said sensing skin contacts .

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said sensing contacts are maintained with the people'"'"'s skin by a wrist band attached to a person'"'"'s wrist upon entry to the room, said wrist bands further identifying said person.

7. A computer controlled system for dynamically controlling the ambient temperature in an enclosed room containing a plurality of people comprising:

a processor; and

a computer memory holding computer program instructions which when executed by the processor perform the method comprising;

storing a set of parameters to be correlated with sensed body temperatures in determining a selected optimum room temperature including;

predetermined temperature related data profiles of people having potential subsequent entry into said room; and

predetermined facial recognition profiles of said people having said potential subsequent entry into said room; and

identifying people subsequently entering said room by video monitoring people entering said room to recognize facial profiles of said people stored in said stored data profiles;

comparing the identified people to determine if said identified people have stored data profiles;

in response to the determination of identified people having stored profiles, sensing the body temperature of a plurality of people in said room having stored profiles;

wirelessly transmitting said sensed body temperatures of said plurality of people to be correlated with said set of parameters wherein said optimum room temperature is determined; and

controlling the room temperature using a heat/cool device to provide the selected optimum room temperature.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the body temperature is sensed of only one person who has a function significant to said plurality of people.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the temperature is sensed from each of the people in the room.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein said performed method senses said body temperature by directly contacting the skin of said people being sensed.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said performed method wirelessly transmits said sensed body temperatures by shortwave RF transmission from said sensing skin contacts.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said performed method maintains said sensing contacts with the people'"'"'s skin by a wrist band attached to a person'"'"'s wrist upon entry to the room, said wrist band further identifying said person.

13. A computer usable non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon a computer readable program for dynamically controlling the ambient temperature in an enclosed room containing a plurality of people, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

store a set of parameters to be correlated with sensed body temperatures in determining a selected optimum room temperature including;

predetermined temperature related data profiles of people having potential subsequent entry into said room; and

predetermined facial recognition profiles of said people having said potential subsequent entry into said room; and

identifying people subsequently entering said room by video monitoring people entering said room to recognize facial profiles of said people stored in said stored data profiles;

compare the identified people to determine if said identified people have stored data profiles;

in response to the determination of identified people having stored profiles, sense the body temperature of a plurality of people in said room having stored profiles;

wirelessly transmit said sensed body temperatures of said plurality of people to be correlated with said set of parameters wherein said optimum room temperature is determined; and

control the room temperature using a heat/cool device to provide the selected optimum room temperature.

14. The computer usable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the body temperature is sensed of only one person who has a function significant to said plurality of people.

15. The computer usable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the temperature is sensed from each of the people in the room.

16. The computer usable storage medium of claim 13, wherein said sensing of body temperature is sensed by directly contacting the skin of said people being sensed.

17. The computer usable storage medium of claim 13, wherein said computer program when executed wirelessly transmits said sensed body temperatures by shortwave RF transmission from said sensing skin contacts.

18. The computer usable storage medium of claim 17, wherein said sensing contacts are maintained with the people'"'"'s skin by a wrist band attached to a person'"'"'s wrist upon entry to the room, said wrist bands further identifying said person.