Enhanced automated environmental control system scheduling using a preference function

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9933177-B2
Application number	US-201414532231-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2014
Priority date	Nov 4, 2014
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

In an embodiment, an electronic device may include storage containing processor-executable instructions and a current setpoint schedule, and a processor configured to execute the instructions. The instructions may cause the processor to control an environmental control system based at least in part on the current setpoint schedule, and to determine the current setpoint schedule by detecting user behavior that indicates satisfaction with setpoints, based at least in part on the detected user behavior, determining a preference function that maps weights indicating user preferences for setpoints, determining candidate setpoint schedules, scoring the candidate setpoint schedules against the weights of the preference function to obtain first scores, where candidate setpoint schedules that best fit the weights of the preference function have the highest first scores, modifying the first scores to obtain second scores, and selecting the candidate setpoint schedule with the highest second score as a new current setpoint schedule.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
storage containing:
processor-executable instructions; and
a current setpoint schedule of temperature setpoints over time; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to control an environmental control system based at least in part on the current setpoint schedule, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to determine the current setpoint schedule by:
detecting user behavior that indicates satisfaction or dissatisfaction with setpoint temperatures of the environmental control system in relation to time of day;
based at least in part on the detected user behavior, determining a preference function that maps weights indicating likely relative user preferences for a range of possible setpoint temperatures for a range of times of day;
determining a plurality of candidate setpoint schedules;
scoring the plurality of candidate setpoint schedules against the weights of the preference function to obtain a first score for each of the plurality of candidate setpoint schedules, wherein candidate setpoint schedules that best fit the weights of the preference function have the highest first scores;
modifying or not modifying the first scores for each of the plurality of candidate setpoint schedules to obtain a second score for each of the plurality of candidate setpoint schedules; and
selecting one of the plurality of candidate setpoint schedules with the highest second score to be a new current setpoint schedule.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the user behavior that is detected that indicates satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the setpoint temperatures of the environmental control system comprises:
not changing the current setpoint schedule at a first time of day, thereby indicating satisfaction with a current setpoint at the first time of day;
changing a current setpoint temperature to a second setpoint temperature at the first time of day, thereby indicating dissatisfaction with the current setpoint temperature at the first time of day and satisfaction with the second setpoint temperature at the first time of day;
manually adding a new temperature setpoint to the current setpoint schedule at the first time of day, thereby indicating satisfaction with the setpoint temperature of the new temperature setpoint at the first time of day;
manually deleting a previous temperature setpoint from the current setpoint schedule at the first time of day, thereby indicating dissatisfaction with the setpoint temperature of the previous temperature setpoint at the first time of day; or
displaying detectable discomfort with the current setpoint temperature at the first time of day, thereby indicating dissatisfaction with the current setpoint temperature at the first time of day; or
any combination thereof.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein determining the preference function comprises:
adding a first amount of weight to the current setpoint temperature at the first time of day when the current setpoint schedule is not changed at the first time of day;
subtracting a second amount of weight from the current setpoint temperature at the first time of day when the current setpoint is changed to the second setpoint temperature at the first time of day;
adding a third amount of weight to the second setpoint temperature at the first time of day when the current setpoint is changed to the second setpoint temperature at the first time of day;
adding a fourth amount of weight to the setpoint temperature of the new temperature setpoint at the first time of day when the new temperature setpoint is added at the first time of day;
subtracting a fifth amount of weight from the setpoint temperature of the previous temperature setpoint at the first time of day when the previous temperature setpoint is deleted at the first time of day; or
any combination thereof.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the first amount of weight is greater than the second amount of weight.

5. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the third amount of weight is greater than the first amount of weight.

6. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the fourth amount of weight is greater than the first amount of weight and the fourth amount of weight is greater than the third amount of weight.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein determining the preference function comprises updating a stored preference function by adding weights to temperature, time-of-day coordinates when the detected user behavior indicated satisfaction and by subtracting weights to temperature, time-of-day coordinates when the detected user behavior indicated dissatisfaction.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , comprising smoothing the weights of the preference function by decaying at least some added weights forward to time-of-day coordinates that occur later in the day.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the decayed weights are decayed forward to the time-of-day coordinates that occur later in the day down to a persistence weight that is no longer decayed further but continues forward to later time-of-day coordinates until other tracked user behavior suggests another temperature would be preferred.

10. The electronic device of claim 7 , comprising smoothing the weights of the preference function by decaying at least some added weights to nearby higher and lower temperatures.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein decaying the added weights comprises exponentially decaying the added weights.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein determining the preference function comprises adding weight to efficient temperatures for which the user behavior indicated satisfaction.

13. One or more tangible, non-transitory machine-readable media comprising instructions to cause a processor to:
control an environmental control system based at least in part on a setpoint schedule of temperature setpoints over time; and
determine the setpoint schedule by:
detecting user behavior that indicates satisfaction or dissatisfaction with setpoint temperatures of the environmental control system in relation to time of day;
based at least in part on the detected user behavior, determining a preference function that maps weights indicating likely relative user preferences for a range of possible setpoint temperatures for a range of times of day;
determining a plurality of candidate setpoint schedules;
scoring the plurality of candidate setpoint schedules against the weights of the preference function to obtain a first score for each of the plurality of candidate setpoint schedules, wherein candidate setpoint schedules that best fit the weights of the preference function have the highest first scores;
modifying or not modifying the first scores for each of the plurality of candidate setpoint schedules to obtain a second score for each of the plurality of candidate setpoint schedules; and
selecting one of the plurality of candidate setpoint schedules with the highest second score to be the setpoint schedule.

14. The media of claim 13 , wherein the detected user behavior comprises a manual deletion of a previous temperature setpoint from the setpoint schedule at a first time of day, thereby indicating dissatisfaction with the setpoint temperature of the previous temperature setpoint at the first time of day.

15. The media of claim 14 , wherein determining the preference function comprises creating a banned area around the setpoint temperature of the previous temperature setpoin

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Hester Todd
• Minich Allen Joseph
• Heitz Iii George Alban

Classifications

• F24F11/0012

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title

• F24F11/006 Primary

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F24F2011/0071

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F24F11/0034

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic