APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY:
- Regulate cooling in any commercial or residential space, especially in public environments in which occupants do not have direct control of AC equipment
BENEFITS:
- Increased energy efficiency in building cooling systems
- Improved comfort among building occupants
- Adaptability to occupants’ changing thermal conditions
- Easy integration with existing building automation systems, smart thermostats, or air conditioners
BACKGROUND:
Traditional HVAC systems regulate air temperature, rather than occupant thermal comfort. Many studies have documented high levels of discomfort and inefficient HVAC system operation in
commercial buildings. For example, overcooling is a well-documented issue in which HVAC systems waste significant energy by excessively cooling spaces, while building occupants feel overcooled. More robust control algorithms for building temperature regulation can both improve occupant comfort and help promote energy efficiency.
TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW:
Scientists at Berkeley Lab have invented a temperature control system that can reduce energy use in buildings and improve occupant comfort. This system uses an inexpensive infrared camera to evaluate occupants’ thermal sensation and optimize room temperature.
The system detects the positions of a person’s face, nose, and hands in a thermal image taken by an infrared camera and measures temperatures in those areas. It then predicts thermal sensation from measured skin temperatures and adjusts an HVAC set-point temperature based on the predicted sensation to optimize occupant thermal comfort.
Field trials performed in an office building revealed that conventional thermal control tended to over cool building occupants, whereas utilization of the thermal infrared control system led to occupants feeling more thermally neutral and comfortable. This system can interface with building automation systems, smart thermostats, or air conditioners that have an API, ensuring easy implementation and compatibility.
DEVELOPMENT STAGE:
Laboratory scale, similar system validation in relevant environment.
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS:
Ronnen Levinson, Howdy Goudey, Donghun Kim, Ali Ghahramani, Hui Zhang, Charlie Huizenga, Yingdong He, Ana Alvarez Suarez, David Ritter, Markus Tarin, Sharon Chen, Ed Arens, Akihisa Nomoto, Robert Prickett
Additional information:
IP Status:
Patent pending
OPPORTUNITIES:
Available for licensing or collaborative research