Comfort control system, user-end subsystem thereof, and system-end device thereof

• US 9,551,503 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2013
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Lee, Hsin-Hung, Li, Chih-Chieh, Jhong, You-Yuan, Shaw, Jiunn-Haur
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Kenneth M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huntley, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US13/889,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20140180480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,357 Days
• Field of Search: 700/275
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 11/57 using telephone networks
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/00 Control inputs relating to users or occupants
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/14 Activity of occupants

Abstract

A comfort control system includes a user-end subsystem and a system-end subsystem. The user-end subsystem includes an environmental control device, a sensor and a communication apparatus. The environmental control device adjusts an environmental factor value of a predetermined area. The sensor senses an activity value of a user. The communication apparatus sends the activity value and an identifier corresponding to the user. The system-end subsystem includes a communication element, a comfort database and a computing apparatus. The communication element receives the identifier and the activity value. The comfort database includes a basic data table having a physiological value and a preference data table having a control parameter. The computing apparatus looks up the basic data table for the physiological value and looks up the preference data table for a corresponding control parameter. The computing apparatus controls the environmental control device to adjust the environmental factor value.

Claims

1. A comfort control system, comprising:

a user-end subsystem comprising;

an environmental control device disposed in a predetermined area and for adjusting an environmental factor value of the predetermined area when being controlled;

a sensor for sensing a plurality of activity values of a plurality of users in the predetermined area; and

a communication apparatus located in the predetermined area and for sending the plurality of activity values and a plurality of identifiers corresponding to the users; and

a system-end subsystem comprising;

a communication element for receiving the plurality of identifiers and the plurality of activity values;

a comfort database comprising a basic data table and a plurality of preference data tables, the basic data table having a plurality of physiological values corresponding to the plurality of identifiers, each of the plurality of preference data tables comprising a plurality of control parameters corresponding to one of the plurality of identifiers, one of the plurality of activity values, one of the plurality of physiological values and the predetermined area; and

a computing apparatus for looking up the basic data table for the physiological values corresponding to the received identifiers, the computing apparatus adapted for looking up the plurality of preference data tables for the corresponding control parameters according to the activity values, the physiological values, the identifiers and the predetermined area, and wherein the computing apparatus is adapted for modulating the control parameters according to a modulating mechanism to obtain a modulated parameter, and for controlling the environmental control device through the communication element and the communication apparatus according to the modulated parameter, so as to adjust the environmental factor value,

wherein each of the plurality of users is corresponding to one of a plurality of different environment controlling weighting values, each of the plurality of different environment controlling weighting values is negatively correlated with a distance between the corresponding user and the environmental control device, and the modulating mechanism obtains the modulated parameter according to the plurality of different environment controlling weighting values.

2. The comfort control system according to claim 1, wherein the environmental control device is an air cooler, a heater, an air conditioner, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, a fan, a lighting device or a combination thereof.

3. The comfort control system according to claim 2, wherein the environmental factor value is a temperature, humidity, an air speed, thermal radiation, illuminance or a combination thereof.

4. The comfort control system according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus is a mobile phone, and the identifier is a mobile phone number or a SIM number of the mobile phone.

5. The comfort control system according to claim 1, wherein the activity value is a heart-beat rate, a body surface temperature, a respiratory rate or a combination thereof.

6. The comfort control system according to claim 1, wherein the physiological value is age, height, weight, gender, a basal metabolic rate (BMR) or a combination thereof.

7. The comfort control system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a contact sensor or a non-contact sensor.

8. The comfort control system according to claim 1, wherein the modulating mechanism obtains the mean or the mode of the control parameters, so as to obtain the modulated parameter.

9. A user-end subsystem of a comfort control system, comprising:

a sensor for sensing a plurality of activity values of a plurality of users in a predetermined area;

a communication apparatus, located in the predetermined area, and wherein the communication apparatus is adapted for sending the plurality of activity values and a plurality of identifiers corresponding to the users and for receiving a plurality of control parameters; and

an environmental control device disposed in the predetermined area and for adjusting an environmental factor value of the predetermined area according to the plurality of control parameters,

wherein the environmental factor value is adjusted according to a modulated parameter, the modulated parameter is obtained according to a modulating mechanism by modulating the plurality of control parameters; and

wherein each of the plurality of users is corresponding to one of a plurality of different environment controlling weighting values, each of the plurality of different environment controlling weighting values is negatively correlated with a distance between the corresponding user and the environmental control device, and the modulating mechanism obtains the modulated parameter according to the plurality of different environment controlling weighting values.

10. The user-end subsystem according to claim 9, wherein the environmental control device is an air cooler, a heater, an air conditioner, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, a fan, a lighting device or a combination thereof.

11. The user-end subsystem according to claim 10, wherein the environmental factor value is a temperature, humidity, an air speed, thermal radiation, illuminance or a combination thereof.

12. The user-end subsystem according to claim 9, wherein the communication apparatus is a mobile phone, and the identifier is a mobile phone number or a SIM number of the mobile phone.

13. The user-end subsystem according to claim 9, wherein the activity value is a heart-beat rate, a body surface temperature, a respiratory rate or a combination thereof.

14. The user-end subsystem according to claim 9, wherein the sensor is a contact sensor or a non-contact sensor.

15. A system-end subsystem of a comfort control system, comprising:

a communication element for receiving a plurality of identifiers corresponding to a plurality of users and a plurality of activity values of the users;

a comfort database comprising a basic data table and a plurality of preference data tables, the basic data table having a plurality of physiological values corresponding to the plurality of identifiers, and each of the plurality of preference data tables comprising a plurality of control parameters corresponding to one of the plurality of identifiers, one of the plurality of activity values, one of the physiological values and a predetermined area; and

a computing apparatus for looking up the basic data table for the physiological values corresponding to the received identifiers, the computing apparatus adapted for looking up the preference data tables for the corresponding control parameters according to the activity values, the physiological values, the identifiers and the predetermined area, and wherein the computing apparatus is adapted for controlling an environmental control device through the communication element according to the control parameters, so as to adjust an environmental factor value of the predetermined area,

wherein the environmental factor value is adjusted according to a modulated parameter, the modulated parameter is obtained according to a modulating mechanism by modulating the plurality of control parameters; and

wherein each of the plurality of users is corresponding to one of a plurality of different environment controlling weighting values, each of the plurality of different environment controlling weighting values is negatively correlated with a distance between the corresponding user and the environmental control device, and the modulating mechanism obtains the modulated parameter according to the plurality of different environment controlling weighting values.