Patent Application
20170051932
The present disclosure relates to an adaptive user interface for an HVAC system.
When working with a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system at a large facility (e.g., a large commercial or industrial facility, such as a multi-level office building), a user (e.g., worker, operator, manager, etc.) may need to perform different tests on different components of the HVAC system. For each test, the user may need to be at a specific location (e.g., within an arm's length of the component and/or where the component is installed) where the user can directly operate the component(s) being tested. At the same time, the user may need access to a computer-based HVAC control system (e.g., an HVAC control software application or system) running on the user's laptop, smart phone, or other computing device, so that the user can enter information (e.g., data) into, and/or observe information from, the system during the test.
In many large commercial and/or industrial facilities, however, the environment (e.g., room(s)) in which the HVAC system components are located may prevent the HVAC control system from running on the user's laptop or smart phone. For example, the HVAC control system may run over a data network, which may not be available (e.g., accessible) in the environment in which the HVAC system components are located. Further, the environment in which the HVAC system components are located may be too small and/or cramped for the user to be able to use his laptop or smart phone. As such, the user may have to leave his laptop or smart phone in one (e.g., fixed) location during the testing, and constantly go (e.g., walk) back and forth between the laptop or smart phone and the location of the test (e.g., the location of the component(s) being tested) in order to conduct the test (e.g., enter and/or observe the needed information).
An adaptive user interface for an HVAC system is described herein. For example, one or more embodiments include a user interface configured to display information associated with a component of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, a wireless interface, wherein the wireless interface is configured to receive a voice communication from a user, wherein the voice communication includes information associated with the component of the HVAC system, a memory, and a processor configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to enter the information associated with the component of the HVAC system included in the voice communication from the user in the display on the user interface.
An adaptive user interface for a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system in accordance with the present disclosure can allow a user to perform tests on components of an HVAC system in a quicker, easier, and/or more efficient manner than previous HVAC system testing approaches. For example, an adaptive user interface for an HVAC system in accordance with the present disclosure can allow a user to stay in one location while testing a component(s) of an HVAC system (e.g., the user may not have to leave his computing device in one location, and go back and forth between that location and the location of the component(s) being tested).
Further, an adaptive user interface for an HVAC system in accordance with the present disclosure can successfully operate in a noisy environment. For example, an adaptive user interface for an HVAC system in accordance with the present disclosure can successfully operate in an environment that includes a large amount and/or different types of background noise.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof. The drawings show by way of illustration how one or more embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced.
These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to practice one or more embodiments of this disclosure. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that mechanical, electrical, and/or process changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
As will be appreciated, elements shown in the various embodiments herein can be added, exchanged, combined, and/or eliminated so as to provide a number of additional embodiments of the present disclosure. The proportion and the relative scale of the elements provided in the figures are intended to illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure, and should not be taken in a limiting sense.
The figures herein follow a numbering convention in which the first digit or digits correspond to the drawing figure number and the remaining digits identify an element or component in the drawing. Similar elements or components between different figures may be identified by the use of similar digits. For example, 130 may reference element “30” in
As used herein, “a” or “a number of” something can refer to one or more such things. For example, “a number of components” can refer to one or more components.
Headset 104 can communicate with (e.g., send communications to) computing device 120. For example, headset 104 can be a wireless headset, such as, for instance, a Bluetooth earpiece, that can communicate with computing device 120 over a radio frequency. However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to a particular type of headset.
In the example illustrated in
Computing device 120 can be, for example, a laptop or mobile device (e.g., smart phone, tablet, etc.) of user 102. However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to a particular type of computing device. Computing device 120 can be used by user 102 to control the HVAC system (e.g., the components of the HVAC system).
For example, computing device 120 can run a computer-based HVAC control system (e.g., an HVAC control software application or system) that can be used by user 102 while performing tests on the components of the HVAC system (e.g., component 106, as will be further described herein). User 102 can enter information (e.g., data) into, and/or observe information from, the control system during the test, as will be further described herein.
As shown in
In some embodiments, user interface 122 can be a graphical user interface (GUI) that can include a display (e.g., a screen) that can provide and/or receive information to and/or from the user of computing device 120. The display can be, for instance, a touch-screen (e.g., the GUI can include touch-screen capabilities). As an additional example, user interface 122 can include a keyboard and/or mouse the user can use to input (e.g., enter) information into computing device 120 (e.g., into user interface 122). For instance, user 102 can enter information into the display of user interface 122 using the touch-screen capabilities, keyboard, and/or mouse when the user is located at or near computing device 120 (e.g., within arm's length of computing device 120). Embodiments of the present disclosure, however, are not limited to a particular type(s) of user interface.
As an example, user interface 122 can display information (e.g., data values, operating parameters, readings, statuses, actions, etc.) associated with a component of the HVAC system during a test of the component. The component can be, for example, HVAC component 106 illustrated in
Component 106 can be, for example an object, control component, equipment, device, network, sensor, and/or actuator of the HVAC system such as, for instance, valves such as a heating and/or cooling valves, chillers (e.g., chiller plant), boilers (e.g., boiler plant), pumps such as hot water and/or chilled water pumps, fans, compressors, air dampers such as a variable air volume (VAV) damper, air handling units (AHUs) (e.g., AHU plant), coils such as a heating and/or cooling coil, air filters, and/or cooling towers, among other components. Further, although one component is illustrated in
As shown in
As an example, wireless interface 124 can receive a voice communication 108 from (e.g., spoken by) user 102 over a radio frequency via headset 104. Voice communication 108 can include information associated with HVAC component 106. The information can include, for example, data values, operating parameters, readings, statuses, and/or actions read, observed, and/or determined by user 102 during testing of component 106, and/or a query, instruction, or command related thereto.
Voice communication 108 can be spoken by user 102, and received by wireless interface 124, while user 102 is at the location of component 106 (e.g., within arm's length of component 106 and/or where component 106 is installed), which may be a distance D from computing device 120, as illustrated in
Voice communication 108 may also include (e.g., capture) background noise 110 that may be present at the location of HVAC component 106 while user 102 is speaking. Background noise 110 can include a number of different types of background noise. For example, background noise 110 can include a number of different noise levels that come from a number of different sources, such as, for example, noisy equipment, among other sources.
Voice communication 108 may also include a command (e.g., trigger phrase) from user 102 to activate wireless interface 124 and/or MUI system 130. That is, user 102 can activate wireless interface 124 and/or MUI system 130 using the command (e.g., wireless interface 124 and/or MUI system 130 can activate upon receiving the command). MUI system 130 will be further described herein. The command can be, for example, “start voice control”. However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to a particular command.
As shown in
Memory 126 can be volatile or nonvolatile memory. Memory 126 can also be removable (e.g., portable) memory, or non-removable (e.g., internal) memory. For example, memory 126 can be random access memory (RAM) (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and/or phase change random access memory (PCRAM)), read-only memory (ROM) (e.g., electrically erasable programmable read-only memory
(EEPROM) and/or compact-disk read-only memory (CD-ROM)), flash memory, a laser disk, a digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, and/or a magnetic medium such as magnetic cassettes, tapes, or disks, among other types of memory.
Further, although memory 126 is illustrated as being located in computing device 120, embodiments of the present disclosure are not so limited. For example, memory 126 can also be located internal to another computing resource (e.g., enabling computer readable instructions to be downloaded over the Internet or another wired or wireless connection).
As shown in
As shown in
Voice communication 108 (e.g., the signal that includes the voice communication) received by wireless interface 122 from user 102 previously described in connection with
As shown in
Voice communication 108 (e.g., the signal that includes the voice communication) received by wireless interface 122 from user 102 can also be input into background noise estimator 234, as illustrated in
Background noise estimator 234 can also determine the quality of voice communication 108 based on its recognition confidence of the voice communication (e.g., its level of confidence that it has correctly recognized the information associated with HVAC component 106 included in the voice communication). For example, the greater the recognition confidence, the greater the quality of the voice communication. The recognition confidence of background noise estimator 234 can depend on background noise 110 (e.g., the amount and/or number of different types of background noise).
As shown in
The strength of voice communication 108 determined by signal strength estimator 232, and the quality of voice communication 108 determined by background noise estimator 234, can be input into distance analyzer module 236, as illustrated in
The information associated with HVAC component 106 and background noise 110, as filtered (e.g., separated) by background noise estimator 234, and the quality of voice communication 108 determined by background noise estimator 234, can be input into noise analyzer module 238, as illustrated in
As shown in
Dynamically selecting the visualization format 240 can include adjusting the visualization format for the information display from a first visualization format to a second visualization format based on a change in the distance between user 102 and computing device 120. For example, if distance analyzer 236 determines that the distance between user 102 and computing device 120 has increased (e.g., user 102 has moved far away from computing device 120), MUI system 230 can reduce the number of data elements in the display from over 100 icons and/or pull-down menu items to half a dozen screen fields, with the font sizes increased proportionally, so that the data can be seen by user 102 at the farther distance. An example of such a visualization format adjustment will be further described herein (e.g., in connection with
MUI interface 230 can also dynamically select the visualization format 240 for the information display on user interface 122 based on the amount of background noise determined by noise analyzer module 238. For example, the greater the amount of background noise, the lower the density and/or the brighter the color of the information in the display.
As shown in
Audio communication 242 can also include information from (e.g., already in and/or previously entered in) the display that may be related (e.g., relevant to) the information received from user 102. For example, audio communication 242 can include information from data fields in the display that may be related to HVAC component 106.
MUI interface 230 can select a dialog format (e.g., mode) for audio communication 242 based on the distance between computing device 120 and user 102 determined by distance analyzer module 236. For example, the dialog format for audio communication 242 may be terse if user 102 is located near (e.g., within a few feet of) computing device 120, and the dialog format for audio communication 242 may be complex if user 102 is located far (e.g., more than a few feet) from computing device 120.
MUI interface 230 can also select the dialog format for audio communication 242 based on the amount of background noise determined by noise analyzer module 238. For example, the dialog format may be terse if there is a low level of background noise (e.g., if the level of background noise does not meet or exceed the predetermined threshold), and the dialog format may be complex if there is a high level of background noise (e.g., if the level of background noise meets or exceeds the predetermined threshold).
Further, MUI interface 230 can select the volume of audio communication 242 based on the amount of background noise determined by noise analyzer module 238. For example, the greater the amount of background noise, the higher the volume of audio communication 242.
In some embodiments, if the level of background noise determined by noise analyzer module 238 meets or exceeds the predetermined threshold, MUI interface 230 can automatically repeat, using TTS engine 244, audio communication 242, or ask, using TTS engine 244, user 202 if he would like audio communication 242 repeated. This can be done in case user 202 did not initially hear audio communication 242 due to a high level of background noise at the user's location.
As an example, voice communication 108 received from user 102 may include a command to “Go to controller twenty one.” If distance analyzer module 236 determines that user 102 is located near computing device 120, and/or if background noise analyzer module 238 determines the level of background noise at the location of user 102 is low, audio communication 242 may include a beep to confirm that information associated with controller twenty one is being displayed on user interface 122. If distance analyzer module 236 determines that user 102 is located far from computing device 120, and/or if background noise analyzer module 238 determines the level of background noise at the location of user 102 is high, audio communication 242 may repeat “Controller twenty one” to confirm that information associated with controller twenty one is being displayed on user interface 122.
Continuing with the example, after user 102 receives the confirmation that the information associated with controller twenty one is being displayed, user 102 may issue a new command to “Select sensor one”. If distance analyzer module 236 determined that user 102 is located near computing device 120, and/or if background noise analyzer module 238 determined the level of background noise at the location of user 102 is low, audio communication 242 may include a beep to confirm that sensor one has been selected in the display on user interface 122, and may include a statement of “Heat discharge in west entrance”. If distance analyzer module 236 determined that user 102 is located far from computing device 120, and/or if background noise analyzer module 238 determined the level of background noise at the location of user 102 is high, audio communication 242 may include a statement of “Sensor one has a label, heat discharge in west entrance. Say repeat if you want to hear this again.”
Displays 350 and 352 can be displayed on user interface 122, as previously described herein. For example, display 350, which includes a large amount of information about outstation 21 displayed in a small size, may be displayed if the distance between user 102 and computing device 120 is determined to be small. However, if it is subsequently determined that the distance between user 102 and computing device 120 has increased (e.g., user 102 has moved far away from computing device 120) the display can be adjusted to display 352, which includes a small amount of information about outstation 21 displayed in a large size.
Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same techniques can be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments of the disclosure.
It is to be understood that the above description has been made in an illustrative fashion, and not a restrictive one. Combination of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.
The scope of the various embodiments of the disclosure includes any other applications in which the above structures and methods are used. Therefore, the scope of various embodiments of the disclosure should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features are grouped together in example embodiments illustrated in the figures for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the embodiments of the disclosure require more features than are expressly recited in each claim.
Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.
