SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DYNAMIC AND PREDICTIVE INDOOR-ENVIRONMENTAL-CONTROL SYSTEM MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Systems and methods for dynamically predicting and managing indoor-environmental-control systems. Sensor data is captured from one or more sensors in a room. A location or movement of each person in the room is determined based on the sensor data. One or more vents in the room are identified and at least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment is selected for the at least one vent based on the location or movement of each person in the room. The indoor-environmental-control system is then instructed to facilitate the at least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment.

Description

BACKGROUND

People gather in rooms for many different reasons – family gatherings, business meetings, conferences, watching movies, etc. The indoor environment of a room is often controlled by setting the thermostat of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to keep the room at a specific temperature. The HVAC system can then turn on a heater or an air conditioner to adjust the temperature or airflow into the room for a uniform distribution of air to keep the room at the specifically set temperature. As a result, the indoor environment within the room is largely controlled at a single point, i.e., the thermostat, within the room while hoping for a consistent temperature throughout the room. Some rooms, however, can be quite large, which can result in people being clustered in one area of the room, while also allowing people to move from one area to another area. But the movement or clustering of people within the room can negatively affect the overall indoor environment of the room. It is with respect to these and other considerations that the embodiments described herein have been made.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Embodiments are directed to the dynamic prediction and management of an indoor-environmental-control system based on the location or movement of people within a room. One or more sensors are positioned around the room. Each sensor captures sensor data prior to, during, or after people are in the room. A location, and in some embodiments movement, of each person in the room is determined based on the sensor data. At least one indoor-environmental-control vent in the room is identified, which may include one or more vents associated with a target area in which people are located or moving. At least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment is selected for the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent based on the location of each person in the room. These adjustments may include, but are not limited to, modifying an airflow, increasing or decreasing temperature, increasing or decreasing humidity, initiating an air purifier, etc., or some combination thereof. The indoor-environmental-control system (e.g., a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system) is instructed to facilitate the at least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments are described with reference to the following drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various figures unless otherwise specified.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference will be made to the following Detailed Description, which is to be read in association with the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment for dynamically predicting and managing indoor-environmental-control systems in accordance with embodiments described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram example of a system for dynamically predicting and managing indoor-environmental-control systems in accordance with embodiments described herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates a logical flow diagram showing one embodiment of a process for dynamically determining location and movement of people in a room to manage an indoor-environmental-control system in accordance with embodiments described herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates a logical flow diagram showing one embodiment of a process for dynamically predicting indoor-environmental-control system adjustments for a room prior to people entering the room in accordance with embodiments described herein.

FIG. 5 shows a system diagram that describe various implementations of computing systems for implementing embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description, along with the accompanying drawings, sets forth certain specific details in order to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosed embodiments. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the disclosed embodiments may be practiced in various combinations, without one or more of these specific details, or with other methods, components, devices, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures or components that are associated with the environment of the present disclosure, including but not limited to the communication systems and networks, have not been shown or described in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments. Additionally, the various embodiments may be methods, systems, media, or devices. Accordingly, the various embodiments may be entirely hardware embodiments, entirely software embodiments, or embodiments combining software and hardware aspects.

Throughout the specification, claims, and drawings, the following terms take the meaning explicitly associated herein, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term “herein” refers to the specification, claims, and drawings associated with the current application. The phrases “in one embodiment,” “in another embodiment,” “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” “in other embodiments,” and other variations thereof refer to one or more features, structures, functions, limitations, or characteristics of the present disclosure, and are not limited to the same or different embodiments unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, the term “or” is an inclusive “or” operator, and is equivalent to the phrases “A or B, or both” or “A or B or C, or any combination thereof,” and lists with additional elements are similarly treated. The term “based on” is not exclusive and allows for being based on additional features, functions, aspects, or limitations not described, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, throughout the specification, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” include singular and plural references.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment 100 for dynamically predicting and managing indoor-environmental-control systems in accordance with embodiments described herein. Environment 100 may be of a room 102. Examples of room 102 may include, but are not limited to, conference rooms, dining halls, convention centers, living rooms in elderly care facilities, hotel rooms or lobbies, etc. The room 102 includes one or more vents 104a-104b and one or more sensors 106. The sensors 106 may include mmWave sensors, cameras (e.g., visible spectrum or infrared spectrum), light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors, or other sensor systems that can be used to detect the presence or movement of people 122 in the room 102. The sensors 106 used in room 102 may be selected or customized depending on the deployment of embodiments described herein. For example, if room 102 is a convention center, then the sensors 106 may include one or more cameras. But if room 102 is a hotel room, then the sensors 106 may include a single mmWave sensor. Moreover, different types of sensors 106 may be utilized depending on the shape or structure of the room 102 or the number of people in the room 102. The vents 104a-104b may be indoor-environmental-control vents that output or distribute air 114a-114b into the room 102. Each vent may be associated with a specific area within the room 102. In this illustration, the room 102 is logically divided into two predefined target areas 120a and 120b, with vent 104a being associated with target area 120a and vent 104b being associated with target area 120b.

By employing embodiments described herein, data captured by the sensor 106 is analyzed to determine a location and movement of people 122 within the room 102. Once the location and movement of the people 122 are determined, then a target area within the room is selected. In this illustration, the people 122 are determined to be located in target area 120a with vent 104a. One or more indoor-environmental-control adjustments are then selected for vent 104a. These adjustments may be to manage or change air temperature, humidity, or air purity in the target area 120a of the room 102 via vent 104a. In this illustration, the air flow 114a being output via vent 104a is increased compared to the air flow 114b being output via vent 104b, which is shown by different numbers of wavy lines. If the people 122 walk (not illustrated) from target area 120a to target area 120b, then the air flow 114a being output via vent 104a may be decreased and the air flow 114b being output via vent 104b may be increased. In this way, the indoor environment within the room 102 can be adjusted based on where the people 122 are located and how they are moving about the room 102.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram example of a system 200 for dynamically predicting and managing indoor-environmental-control systems in accordance with embodiments described herein. System 200 includes an indoor-environmental-control management system 212, one or more sensors 106a-106b, and indoor-environmental-control system 214.

In some embodiments, system 200 may also include a meeting management system 216. In other embodiments, system 200 may not include the meeting management system 216. The meeting management system 216 is a computing system configured to manage meetings and calendar invites for a room in which the indoor-environmental-control system 214 provides the indoor environment. The meeting management system 216 may enable people to identify when a meeting is to occur in the room and how many people are scheduled to attend the meeting, or to input additional meeting information.

The indoor-environmental-control system 214 is a system that manages or controls the indoor environment in a room. In general, the indoor-environmental-control system 214 may be a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems that controls air temperature, humidity, or air purity (collectively referred to as the indoor environment) in a room. But reference to the indoor-environmental-control system 214 does not limit the disclosure, drawings, or claims to an HVAC system. Rather, the indoor-environmental-control system 214 may only include heating; only include ventilation; only include air conditioning; only include air purification; only include humidification; or include any combination of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, purification, or humidification.

In at least one embodiment, the indoor-environmental-control system 214 may include an air-temperature control system 230, a humidity control system 232, an air-purity control system 234, a fan control system 236, and vents 104a-104b. In some embodiments, the air-temperature control system 230, the humidity control system 232, the air-purity control system 234, or the fan control system 236 may not be included if the indoor-environmental-control system 214 does not support a specific type of indoor environmental control. Although the air-temperature control system 230, the humidity control system 232, the air-purity control system 234, and the fan control system 236 are illustrated as separate systems, embodiments are not so limited. In some embodiments, the functionality of the air-temperature control system 230, the humidity control system 232, the air-purity control system 234, and the fan control system 236 may be implemented by a single computing system or module or by a plurality of computing systems or modules.

The air-temperature control system 230 is a computing system or module configured to output air having a specific temperature via one or more vents 104a-104b. The air-temperature control system 230 may set, increase, or decrease the temperature of air being output via one or more vents 104a-104b. In some embodiments, the air-temperature control system 230 may control a heating element (e.g., a furnace), a cooling element (e.g., an air conditioner), or both to change the temperature of air being output via one or more vents 104a-104b. In some embodiments, the air-temperature control system 230 may control one or more valves, switches, or air-flow regulator to control the amount of hot air or cold air being output by a particular vent or multiple vents.

The humidity control system 232 is a computing system or module configured to output air having a specific humidity via one or more vents 104a-104b. The humidity control system 232 may set, increase, or decrease the humidity of air being output via one or more vents 104a-104b. In some embodiments, the humidity control system 232 may control one or more valves, switches, or air-flow regulator to control the humidity of air being output by a particular vent or multiple vents.

The air-purity control system 234 a computing system or module configured to purify air being output via one or more vents 104a-104b. In some embodiments, the air-purity control system 234 may control one or more valves, switches, or air-flow regulator to control the purity of air being output by a particular vent or multiple vents.

The fan control system 236 is a computing system or module configured to output air having a specific flow rate via one or more vents 104a-104b. The fan control system 236 may set, increase, or decrease the flow rate of air being output via one or more vents 104a-104b. In some embodiments, the fan control system 236 may control one or more fans, valves, switches, or air-flow regulators to control the flow rate of air being output by a particular vent or multiple vents.

The indoor-environmental-control management system 212 is a computing system or device configured to detect and monitor the movement of people within a room based on analysis of sensor data received from one or more sensors 106a-106b; select one or more indoor-environmental-control adjustments based on the location of people within a room, the movement of people within the room, or both; and instruct the indoor-environmental-control system 214 to initiate actions to perform the selected indoor-environmental-control adjustments, as described herein. In some embodiments, the indoor-environmental-control management system 212 may receive meeting information from the meeting management system 216 to select indoor-environmental-control adjustments prior to a meeting, as described herein.

Although the indoor-environmental-control management system 212 is illustrated as being separate from the indoor-environmental-control system 214, embodiments are not so limited. In some embodiments, the indoor-environmental-control system 214 may include or perform the functionality of the indoor-environmental-control management system 212.

The operation of certain aspects will now be described with respect to FIGS. 3 and 4. Processes 300 and 400 of FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively, may be implemented by one or more processors or executed via circuitry on one or more computing devices, such as the indoor-environmental-control management system 212 in FIG. 2 or the indoor-environmental-control system 214 in FIG. 2, or some combination thereof.

FIG. 3 illustrates a logical flow diagram showing one embodiment of a process 300 for dynamically determining location and movement of people in a room to manage an indoor-environmental-control system in accordance with embodiments described herein.

Process 300 beings, after a start block, at block 302, where sensor data is captured, obtained, or received from one or more sensors in a room. As discussed herein, the sensors may be mmWave sensors, cameras, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors, or other sensor systems that can be used to detect the presence or movement of people in the room. The room may include a single sensor or a plurality of sensors, which may include one or more types of sensors, from which sensor data is captured. The number, positioning, or type of sensors in the room may be dependent on the size of the room, the shape of the room, the type of sensors to be used, the possible number of sensors that can be used, the number of vents in the room, the number of target areas within the room in which the air is to be controlled, etc.

In some embodiments, the sensor data may be continuously captured over time. In other embodiments, the sensor data may be captured at selected time intervals, such as every one second, every one minute, or at some other time frequency. In yet other embodiments, the sensor data may be captured in response to a room condition, such as if the room temperature changes (increases or decreases) by a selected threshold amount, if the outside air temperature changes (increases or decreases) by a selected threshold amount, if the outside weather is predicted to change while people are in the room (e.g., if clouds are predicted to roll in, if clouds are predicted to burn off, if rain is predicted to start or stop, etc.), if additional people have entered the room (e.g., based initial sensor data indicating that another person has entered the room or a sensor on the door of the room), if one or more people have left the room (e.g., based on initial sensor data indicating that a person has left the room or a sensor on the door of the room), if a meeting to be held in the room has started or is about to start (e.g., based on a start time of an electronic calendar meeting invite or appointment), if a meeting held in the room has ended (e.g., based on an end time of an electronic calendar meeting invite or appointment), or some other condition that could result in changes to the indoor environment (e.g., temperature, humidity, or purity of the air) in the room.

Process 300 proceeds, after block 302, to decision block 304, where a determination is made whether people are detected in the room. In various embodiments, the sensor data is analyzed to determine if one or more people are detected in the room. The type of analysis may depend on the type of sensor. For example, if the sensor data is captured from one or more mmWave sensors, then millimeter electromagnetic wave energy pulses and reflections are processed to determine if there are people present in the room or if those people are moving (e.g., by detecting differences in refection angles, intensities, times, etc.). As another example, if the sensor data is captured from one or more cameras, then image processing techniques may be employed to determine if a person is present in the room or if those people are moving (e.g., by detecting body shapes or faces in the camera images). As another example, WiFi triangulation and radar may be utilized to determine if people are in the room based on WiFi connection signals being sent to or received from mobile phones in the possession of people in the room. If people are detected in the room, process 300 flows to block 308. But if no people are detected in the room, then process 300 flows to block 306.

At block 308, a location of each person in the room is determined based on the sensor data. In some situations, the analysis of the sensor data to determine if a person is detected in the room may also be used to determine the location of that person in the room. In various embodiments, the sensor data is processed relative to a known location of the sensors in the room to determine a location of each person in the room. In some embodiments, the location is a horizontal location of the person within the room, such as where on the floor is the person sitting or standing.

Process 300 proceeds, after block 308, to block 310, where movement of each person in the room is determined based on the sensor data. In various embodiments, sensor data is captured and compared over time to determine if one or more people are moving within in the room. In some embodiments, this movement is the overall change in the location of the person within the room, independent of extremity motion (e.g., a person waving their arm). In various embodiments, movement of a person is determined if the person (e.g., the torso of the person) moves relative to the vents within the room or moves relative to the sensors within the room. In at least one embodiment, a person moves if the person changes their horizontal location within the room, such as if the person is sitting or standing on the floor in a location that is different from where the person was previously sitting or standing. In other embodiments, the movement may include extremity motion, which may or may not include the overall movement of the person.

Process 300 continues, after block 310, at block 312, where one or more target areas in the room are selected based on the location and movement of the people in the room. The target area may be the entire room or a portion (but not all) of the room and be any regular or irregular two-dimensional or three-dimensional shape. In some embodiments, the target area may be selected as an area within the room having one or more people located within that area. For example, if the room is rectangular and there is a group of people on one end, but not the other, then the target area may be selected as the end of the room with the people. In other embodiments, the target area may be selected as an area within the room in which one or more people may become located within that area within a threshold amount of time based on the current location and movement of the person. For example, if the room is rectangular and a person is located in the center of the room and walking towards one end, then the target area may be selected as the end of the room in which the person is walking towards.

In various embodiments, a plurality of target area may be selected. For example, if the room is rectangular and there is a group of people on one end and another group of people on the other end, but no one in the middle of the room, then a first target area for one end is selected and a second target area is selected for the other end. As another example, if the room is rectangular and there is a group of people on one end and a person walking towards the other end, then a first target area for one end is selected and a second target area is selected for the other end in which the person is walking towards.

In some embodiments, the room may be logically divided into a plurality of predefined target areas from which the target area (or plurality of target areas) is selected. These predefined target areas may be set, established, or defined by an administrator or by employing three-dimensional analysis on the room relative to the indoor-environmental-control vents in the room. For example, if the room has three vents, then the room may be logically divided into three predefined target areas, where each separate predefined target area is associated with a separate vent. In some embodiments, the predefined target areas may be non-overlapping with one another. In other embodiments, one or more predefined target areas may at least partially overlap with another predefined target area. The target area or areas can then be selected from the preselected target areas based on the location and movement of the people in the room relative to the preselected target areas.

Process 300 proceeds, after block 312, to block 314, where one or more vents associated with the target area are identified. In some embodiments, the one or more vents may be associated with the target area if the vent is within the target area. In other embodiments, the one or more vents may be associated with the target area if the vent can output air that will reach or impact the indoor environment (e.g., temperature, humidity, or purity of the air) within the target area. In various embodiments, the vents and their association to the target areas within the room may be preset or predefined by an administrator.

Process 300 continues, after block 314, at block 316, where one or more indoor-environmental-control adjustments are selected for the one or more identified vents based on the number of people, location of people, movement of people, vents associated with the target area, or some combination thereof. In some embodiments, a distance between the one or more identified vents and at least one person in the room may be used to select a type of indoor-environmental-control adjustments (e.g., airflow rate, air temperature, humidity, air purity) or to select the extent of such adjustments (e.g., an amount of increase or an amount of decrease or turn on or turn off).

In various embodiments, the indoor-environmental-control adjustments may include changes to airflow rate, air temperature, humidity, air purity, or some combination thereof. In one example, the indoor-environmental-control adjustment may be to increase or decrease a fan speed pushing air out the identified vents associated with the target area. In another example, the indoor-environmental-control adjustment may be to increase or decrease the temperature of the air being output via the identified vents associated with the target area (e.g., by adjusting a heating element or cooling element that sets the temperature of the air being provided to the room via the vents). In yet another example, the indoor-environmental-control adjustment may be to increase or decrease the humidity of the air being output via the identified vents associated with the target area (e.g., by adjusting a humidifier that provides air to the room via the vents). As another example, the indoor-environmental-control adjustment may be to turn on or turn off an air purifier that purifies air being output via the identified vents associated with the target area.

In some embodiments, one or more other indoor-environmental-control adjustments may also be selected. For example, one or more indoor-environmental-control adjustments may be selected for one or more vents that are within the room, but are not associated with the target area. For example, if the room is rectangular and includes two vents, one vent on each end of the room, and the people are evenly distributed throughout the room, then the airflow rate from the two vents may be even. But if all of the people start to congregate at one end of the room, then the airflow rate of the vent at that end of the room may be increased, and the airflow rate of the vent at the other end of the room where there are no people may be decreased. Accordingly, indoor-environmental-control adjustments may be selected and changed as people move throughout the room.

In some other embodiments, preferences of the people within the room, and where those people are located within the room, may be used to select the indoor-environmental-control adjustments. For example, some people may prefer a higher temperature compared to other people in the room. Accordingly, a first indoor-environmental-control adjustment may be to increase the temperature of the air being output via a first vent in a first target area containing people who prefer a higher temperature and a second indoor-environmental-control adjustment may be to decrease the temperature of the air being output via a second vent in a second target area containing people who prefer a lower temperature.

In yet other embodiments, historical indoor-environmental-control adjustments may be utilized to select or predict indoor-environmental-control adjustment for current people in the room. In various embodiments, historical indoor-environmental-control adjustments, historical data on people locations and movements in the room, and other information (e.g., whether people input manual indoor-environmental-control adjustments) may be used to train an artificial intelligence model to predict people movements and indoor-environmental-control adjustments. In this way, the indoor-environmental-control adjustments can be selected and implemented proactively to adjust the indoor environment of the room before the room become uncomfortable or before people move about the room.

After block 316, process 300 flows to block 318.

If, at decision block 304, no people are detected in the room, process 300 flows from decision block 304 to block 306.

At block 306, one or more indoor-environmental-control adjustments are selected based on default settings for the room or default settings for one or more specific areas within the room. In various embodiments, these indoor-environmental-control adjustments may include changes to airflow rate, air temperature, humidity, air purity, or some combination thereof, similar to what is described in block 316 but using default settings rather than the location and movement of people within the room. For example, the indoor-environmental-control adjustment may be to set a fan speed pushing air out of each vent (or one or more preselected vents) in the room to a default speed or default setting. In another example, the indoor-environmental-control adjustment may be to set the temperature of the air being output via each vent (one or more preselected vents) to a default temperature. In yet another example, the indoor-environmental-control adjustment may be to adjust a humidifier that provides air to the room via each vent (or one or more preselected vents) in the room to a default setting. As another example, the indoor-environmental-control adjustment may be to set an air purifier that purifies air being output via each vent (or one or more preselected vents) in the room to a default setting.

After block 306, and after block 316, process 300 flows to block 318.

At block 318, the indoor-environmental-control system is instructed to make the selected indoor-environmental-control adjustments in real time as the sensor data is being captured and analyzed. In some embodiments, where an indoor-environmental-control adjustment system that is independent from the indoor-environmental-control system performs process 300, the indoor-environmental-control adjustment system may send a message or command to the indoor-environmental-control system to perform the or make the selected indoor-environmental-control adjustments. In other embodiments, where the indoor-environmental-control system itself performs process 300, the indoor-environmental-control system may perform or initiate commands or actions to make the selected indoor-environmental-control adjustments.

Once instructed, the indoor-environmental-control system can take action to implement the indoor-environmental-control adjustments, which may include providing further instructions to other components or systems of the indoor-environmental-control system. For example, a heating element (e.g., a furnace) may be turned on or turned off or instructed to increase or decrease the temperature output of the heating element, a cooling element (e.g., an air conditioner) may be turned on or turned off or instructed to increase or decrease the temperature output of the cooling element, a fan may be instructed to increase or decrease the fan speed, a humidifier may be turned on or turned off or instructed to increase or decrease the humidity being produced by the humidifier, an air purifier may be turned on or turned off, or some combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the indoor-environmental-control system may also adjust one or more vents in the room. For example, the indoor-environmental-control system may instruct motors of the vents to close the vents a desired amount or open the vents to a desired amount, such as making the vents 30% open, fully open, fully closed, or other similar setting. As another example, the indoor-environmental-control system may instruct motors of the vents to change an angle in which air is output from the vents, such as angling the vent towards the floor, angling the vent towards the ceiling, angling the vent towards a wall, angling the vent away from a wall, etc.

After block 318, process 300 loops to block 302 to continue to capture sensor data from the sensors in this room, which can then be used to select other indoor-environmental-control adjustments in real time as people move around the room, leave the room, enter the room, or other environmental conditions change. In this way, the indoor-environmental-control system is dynamically changing the airflow rate, air temperature, humidity, air purity, or some combination thereof, of air being output via one or more vents in the room.

FIG. 4 illustrates a logical flow diagram showing one embodiment of a process 400 for dynamically predicting indoor-environmental-control system adjustments for a room prior to people entering the room in accordance with embodiments described herein.

Process 400 begins, after a start block, at block 402, where information regarding a meeting in a room is received. This information may be a calendar meeting notice or invite that identifies the room itself, a number of people scheduled to attend the meeting, the start or end time of the meeting, the duration of the meeting, the type of meeting, whether there will be a presenter at a specific position within the room, or other details or characteristics that may impact the indoor environment in at least one area of the room during the meeting.

Process 400 proceeds, after block 402, to block 404, where one or more initial indoor-environmental-control adjustments are selected based on the meeting information. The initial indoor-environmental-control adjustments may be similar to the indoor-environmental-control adjustments selected at block 316 in FIG. 3, but are selected prior to a start of the meeting without people currently location or moving within the room. For example, if the meeting is scheduled to have 3 people in it, then the indoor-environmental-control adjustment may be to increase the temperature within the room from a default temperature of 65 degrees to a more comfortable 70 degrees. But if the meeting is scheduled to have 15 people in it, then the indoor-environmental-control adjustment may be to increase the temperature within the room from a default temperature of 65 degrees to 68 degrees and allow for the body heat of the meeting attendees to further increase the temperature of the room.

Process 400 continues, after block 404, at block 406, where the indoor-environmental-control system is instructed to make the selected indoor-environmental-control adjustments, which may be similar to block 318 in FIG. 3

After block 406, process 400 terminates, returns to a calling process, or proceeds to another process (e.g., initiating process 300 in FIG. 3 when the meeting starts or when people begin to enter the room).

FIG. 5 shows a system diagram that describe various implementations of computing systems for implementing embodiments described herein. System 500 includes an indoor-environmental-control management system 212, meeting management system 216, sensors 106a-106b, and indoor-environmental-control system 214.

The indoor-environmental-control management system 212 receives sensor data from one or more sensors 106a-106b to track people and their movements throughout a room. Based on the location and movement of the people in the room, the indoor-environmental-control management system 212 instructs the indoor-environmental-control system 214 to make one or more indoor-environmental-control adjustments, as described herein. One or more special-purpose computing systems may be used to implement indoor-environmental-control management system 212. Accordingly, various embodiments described herein may be implemented in software, hardware, firmware, or in some combination thereof. The indoor-environmental-control management system 212 may include memory 530, processor 544, I/O interfaces 548, other computer-readable media 550, and network connections 552.

Memory 530 may include one or more various types of non-volatile and/or volatile storage technologies. Examples of memory 530 may include, but are not limited to, flash memory, hard disk drives, optical drives, solid-state drives, various types of random-access memory (RAM), various types of read-only memory (ROM), other computer-readable storage media (also referred to as processor-readable storage media), or the like, or any combination thereof. Memory 530 may be utilized to store information, including computer-readable instructions that are utilized by processor 544 to perform actions, including embodiments described herein.

Processor 544 includes one or more processors, one or more processing units, programmable logic, circuitry, or one or more other computing components that are configured to perform embodiments described herein or to execute computer instructions to perform embodiments described herein. In some embodiments, a processor system of the indoor-environmental-control management system 212 may include a single processor 544 that operates individually to perform actions. In other embodiments, a processor system of the indoor-environmental-control management system 212 may include a plurality of processors 544 that operate to collectively perform actions, such that one or more processors 544 may operate to perform some, but not all, of such actions. Reference herein to “a processor system” of the indoor-environmental-control management system 212 refers to one or more processors 544 that individually or collectively perform actions. And reference herein to “the processor system” of the indoor-environmental-control management system 212 refers to 1) a subset or all of the one or more processors 544 comprised by “a processor system” of the indoor-environmental-control management system 212 and 2) any combination of the one or more processors 544 comprised by “a processor system” of the indoor-environmental-control management system 212 and one or more other processors 544.

Memory 530 may have stored thereon indoor-environmental-control management module 532 and sensor management module 534. The sensor management module 534 may be configured to receive, capture, or obtain sensor data from sensors 106a-106b. The indoor-environmental-control management module 532 is configured to detect people within a room based on the captured sensor data, select one or more indoor-environmental-control adjustments based on the location and movement of people within the room and to manage or control the indoor-environmental-control system 214 to perform or initiate the indoor-environmental-control adjustments, as described herein. In some embodiments, the indoor-environmental-control management module 532 may receive meeting information from the meeting management system 216 to select one or more initial indoor-environmental-control adjustments based on the meeting information and to manage or control the indoor-environmental-control system 214 to perform or initiate the initial indoor-environmental-control adjustments prior to the meeting, as described herein. Although the indoor-environmental-control management module 532 and the sensor management module 534 are illustrated separately, embodiments are not so limited. Rather, one module or computing component, or a plurality of modules or computing components, may be used to employ the functionality of the indoor-environmental-control management module 532 and the sensor management module 534.

Memory 530 may also store other data, such as operating systems, personal preferences, meeting history data, indoor-environmental-control adjustment history data, etc.

Network connections 552 are configured to communicate with other computing devices, such as the sensors 106a-106, the indoor-environmental-control system 214, or the meeting management system 216. I/O interfaces 548 may include a keyboard, audio interfaces, video interfaces, or the like. Other computer-readable media 550 may include other types of stationary or removable computer-readable media, such as removable flash drives, external hard drives, or the like.

The indoor-environmental-control system 214 and the meeting management system 216 may include computing components or circuitry similar to the indoor-environmental-control management system 212, although for performing separate functionality, but they are not shown in FIG. 5. In some embodiments, the indoor-environmental-control system 214 may perform the functionality of the indoor-environmental-control management system 212.

The following is a summarization of the claims as originally filed.

A method may be summarized as comprising: capturing sensor data from one or more sensors in a room; determining a location of each person in the room based on the sensor data; identifying at least one indoor-environmental-control vent in the room; selecting at least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment for the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent based on the location of each person in the room; and instructing an indoor-environmental-control system to facilitate the at least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment.

The method may select the at least on indoor-environmental-control adjustment by: determining movement of each person in the room based on the sensor data; and selecting the at least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment based on the location and movement of each person in the room.

The method may select the at least on indoor-environmental-control adjustment by: determining a distance between the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent and at least one person in the room; and modifying an airflow from the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent based on the determined distance.

The method may instruct the indoor-environmental-control system to facilitate the at least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment by: instructing the indoor-environmental-control system to increase airflow from the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent.

The method may instruct the indoor-environmental-control system to facilitate the at least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment by: instructing the indoor-environmental-control system to decrease airflow from the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent.

The method may instruct the indoor-environmental-control system to facilitate the at least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment by: instructing the indoor-environmental-control system to increase a temperature of air being output via the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent.

The method may instruct the indoor-environmental-control system to facilitate the at least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment by: instructing the indoor-environmental-control system to decrease a temperature of air being output via the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent.

The method may identify the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent by: selecting a target area in the room based on the location of at least one person in the room; and selecting the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent from a plurality of indoor-environmental-control vents in the room, wherein the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent is associated with the target area in the room.

The method may identify the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent by: determining movement of each person in the room based on the sensor data; selecting a target area in the room based on the location and movement of at least one person in the room; and selecting the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent associated with the target area in the room.

The method may further comprise: obtaining information regarding a meeting in the room prior to people entering the room; selecting at least one indoor-environmental-control initial adjustment for the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent based on the information regarding the meeting; and instructing the indoor-environmental-control system to facilitate the at least one indoor-environmental-control initial adjustment prior to people entering the room.

The method may further comprise: capturing additional sensor data from the one or more sensors in the room at a time after capturing the sensor data; detecting that at least one person in the room has moved from one area into the room to another area in the room based on a comparison between the sensor data and the additional sensor data; identifying at least one other indoor-environmental-control vent in the room associated with the movement of the at least one person; selecting at least one other indoor-environmental-control adjustment for the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent or the at least one other indoor-environmental-control vent based on the movement of the at least one person in the room; and instructing the indoor-environmental-control system to facilitate the at least one other indoor-environmental-control adjustment.

A system may be summarized as comprising: at least one HVAC vent in a room; at least one sensor configured to capture sensor data indicating location or movement of people in the room; and an HVAC management system. The HVAC management system may be configured to: receive the sensor data from the at least one sensor; determine the location or the movement of each person in the room based on the sensor data; select at least one HVAC adjustment for the at least one HVAC vent based on the location or movement of each person in the room; and modify airflow or air temperature output from the at least one HVAC vent based on the at least one HVAC adjustment.

The HVAC management system may modify the airflow or the air temperature output from the at least one HVAC vent by being further configured to: increase the airflow from the at least one HVAC vent.

The HVAC management system may modify the airflow or the air temperature output from the at least one HVAC vent by being further configured to: decrease the airflow from the at least one HVAC vent.

The HVAC management system may modify the airflow or the air temperature output from the at least one HVAC vent by being further configured to: increase the air temperature being output via the at least one HVAC vent.

The HVAC management system may modify the airflow or the air temperature output from the at least one HVAC vent by being further configured to: decrease the air temperature being output via the at least one HVAC vent.

The HVAC management system may be further configured to: obtain information regarding a meeting in the room prior to people entering the room; select at least one initial HVAC adjustment for the at least one HVAC vent based on the information regarding the meeting; and modify the airflow or the air temperature output from the at least one HVAC vent based on the at least one initial HVAC adjustment prior to the meeting.

The HVAC management system may be further configured to: receive additional sensor data from the at least one sensor; determine an updated location or an updated movement of each person in the room based on the additional sensor data; select at least one other HVAC adjustment for the at least one HVAC vent based on the updated location or the updated movement of each person in the room; and modify the airflow or the air temperature output from the at least one HVAC vent based on the at least one other HVAC adjustment.

A computing device may be summarized as comprising: an input interface configured to receive sensor data captured from one or more sensors in a room; circuitry configured to: determine a location or a movement of people in the room based on the sensor data; identify a target area in the room in which to control airflow or temperature based on the location or the movement of the people in the room; select at least one air vent in the room associated with the target area; and select at least one vent adjustment for the at least one vent based on the location or the movement of the people the room; and an output interface configured to control the airflow or the air temperature being output by the at least one air vent based on the at least one vent adjustment.

The input interface may be further configured to receive additional sensor data captured from the one or more sensors in the room; the circuitry may be further configured to: determine a new location or a new movement of at least one person in the room based on the additional sensor data; and select at least one other vent adjustment for the at least one vent based on the new location or the new movement of the at least one person in the room; and the output may be further configured to control the airflow or the air temperature being output by the at least one air vent based on the at least one other vent adjustment.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications listed in the Application Data Sheet are incorporated by reference, in their entirety. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

capturing sensor data from one or more sensors in a room;

determining a location of each person in the room based on the sensor data;

identifying at least one indoor-environmental-control vent in the room;

selecting at least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment for the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent based on the location of each person in the room; and

instructing an indoor-environmental-control system to facilitate the at least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the at least on indoor-environmental-control adjustment comprises:

determining movement of each person in the room based on the sensor data; and

selecting the at least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment based on the location and movement of each person in the room.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the at least on indoor-environmental-control adjustment comprises:

determining a distance between the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent and at least one person in the room; and

modifying an airflow from the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent based on the determined distance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein instructing the indoor-environmental-control system to facilitate the at least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment comprises:

instructing the indoor-environmental-control system to increase airflow from the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein instructing the indoor-environmental-control system to facilitate the at least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment comprises:

instructing the indoor-environmental-control system to decrease airflow from the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein instructing the indoor-environmental-control system to facilitate the at least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment comprises:

instructing the indoor-environmental-control system to increase a temperature of air being output via the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein instructing the indoor-environmental-control system to facilitate the at least one indoor-environmental-control adjustment comprises:

instructing the indoor-environmental-control system to decrease a temperature of air being output via the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent, comprises:

selecting a target area in the room based on the location of at least one person in the room; and

selecting the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent from a plurality of indoor-environmental-control vents in the room, wherein the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent is associated with the target area in the room.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent, comprises:

determining movement of each person in the room based on the sensor data;

selecting a target area in the room based on the location and movement of at least one person in the room; and

selecting the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent associated with the target area in the room.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining information regarding a meeting in the room prior to people entering the room;

selecting at least one indoor-environmental-control initial adjustment for the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent based on the information regarding the meeting; and

instructing the indoor-environmental-control system to facilitate the at least one indoor-environmental-control initial adjustment prior to people entering the room.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing additional sensor data from the one or more sensors in the room at a time after capturing the sensor data;

detecting that at least one person in the room has moved from one area into the room to another area in the room based on a comparison between the sensor data and the additional sensor data;

identifying at least one other indoor-environmental-control vent in the room associated with the movement of the at least one person;

selecting at least one other indoor-environmental-control adjustment for the at least one indoor-environmental-control vent or the at least one other indoor-environmental-control vent based on the movement of the at least one person in the room; and

instructing the indoor-environmental-control system to facilitate the at least one other indoor-environmental-control adjustment.

12. A system, comprising:

at least one heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) vent in a room;

at least one sensor configured to capture sensor data indicating location or movement of people in the room;

an HVAC management system configured to: receive the sensor data from the at least one sensor; determine the location or the movement of each person in the room based on the sensor data; select at least one HVAC adjustment for the at least one HVAC vent based on the location or movement of each person in the room; and modify airflow or air temperature output from the at least one HVAC vent based on the at least one HVAC adjustment.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the HVAC management system modifies the airflow or the air temperature output from the at least one HVAC vent by being further configured to:

increase the airflow from the at least one HVAC vent.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the HVAC management system modifies the airflow or the air temperature output from the at least one HVAC vent by being further configured to:

decrease the airflow from the at least one HVAC vent.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the HVAC management system modifies the airflow or the air temperature output from the at least one HVAC vent by being further configured to:

increase the air temperature being output via the at least one HVAC vent.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the HVAC management system modifies the airflow or the air temperature output from the at least one HVAC vent by being further configured to:

decrease the air temperature being output via the at least one HVAC vent.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the HVAC management system is further configured to:

obtain information regarding a meeting in the room prior to people entering the room;

select at least one initial HVAC adjustment for the at least one HVAC vent based on the information regarding the meeting; and

modify the airflow or the air temperature output from the at least one HVAC vent based on the at least one initial HVAC adjustment prior to the meeting.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the HVAC management system is further configured to:

receive additional sensor data from the at least one sensor;

determine an updated location or an updated movement of each person in the room based on the additional sensor data;

select at least one other HVAC adjustment for the at least one HVAC vent based on the updated location or the updated movement of each person in the room; and

modify the airflow or the air temperature output from the at least one HVAC vent based on the at least one other HVAC adjustment.

19. A computing device, comprising:

an input interface configured to receive sensor data captured from one or more sensors in a room;

circuitry configured to: determine a location or a movement of people in the room based on the sensor data; identify a target area in the room in which to control airflow or temperature based on the location or the movement of the people in the room; select at least one air vent in the room associated with the target area; and select at least one vent adjustment for the at least one vent based on the location or the movement of the people the room; and an output interface configured to control the airflow or the air temperature being output by the at least one air vent based on the at least one vent adjustment.

20. The computing device of claim 19:

wherein the input interface is further configured to receive additional sensor data captured from the one or more sensors in the room;

wherein the circuitry is further configured to: determine a new location or a new movement of at least one person in the room based on the additional sensor data; and select at least one other vent adjustment for the at least one vent based on the new location or the new movement of the at least one person in the room; and wherein the output interface is further configured to control the airflow or the air temperature being output by the at least one air vent based on the at least one other vent adjustment.