https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/2357318/2013EnergyBuildingsNguyen.pdf

Energy intelligent buildings based on user activity: A survey

Buildings are among the largest consumers of electricity in the US. A significant portion of this energy use in buildings can be attributed to HVAC systems used to maintain comfort for occupants. In most cases these building HVAC systems run on fixed schedules and do not employ any fine grained control based on detailed occupancy information. In this paper we present the design and implementation of a presence sensor platform that can be used for accurate occupancy detection at the level of individual offices. Our presence sensor is low-cost, wireless, and incrementally deployable within existing buildings. Using a pilot deployment of our system across ten offices over a two week period we identify significant opportunities for energy savings due to periods of vacancy. Our energy measurements show that our presence node has an estimated battery lifetime of over five years, while detecting occupancy accurately. Furthermore, using a building simulation framework and the occupancy information from our testbed, we show potential energy savings from 10% to 15% using our system.

[ACM Press the 2nd ACM Workshop - Zurich, Switzerland (2010.11.02-2010.11.02)] Proceedings of the 2nd ACM Workshop on Embedded Sensing Systems for Energy-Efficiency in Building - BuildSys \'10 - Occupancy-driven energy management for smart building automation

/pdf/occupancy-driven-energy-management-for-smart-building-4p774kvho1.pdf

Occupancy-driven energy management for smart building automation

A stabilizing observer-based control algorithm for an in-wheel-motored vehicle is proposed, which generates direct yaw moment to compensate for the state deviations. The control scheme is based on a fuzzy rule-based body slip angle (beta) observer. In the design strategy of the fuzzy observer, the vehicle dynamics is represented by Takagi-Sugeno-like fuzzy models. Initially, local equivalent vehicle models are built using the linear approximations of vehicle dynamics for low and high lateral acceleration operating regimes, respectively. The optimal beta observer is then designed for each local model using Kalman filter theory. Finally, local observers are combined to form the overall control system by using fuzzy rules. These fuzzy rules represent the qualitative relationships among the variables associated with the nonlinear and uncertain nature of vehicle dynamics, such as tire force saturation and the influence of road adherence. An adaptation mechanism for the fuzzy membership functions has been incorporated to improve the accuracy and performance of the system. The effectiveness of this design approach has been demonstrated in simulations and in a real-time experimental setting.

/pdf/direct-yaw-moment-control-of-an-in-wheel-motored-electric-44rl8jdo7v.pdf

Direct Yaw-Moment Control of an In-Wheel-Motored Electric Vehicle Based on Body Slip Angle Fuzzy Observer

Buildings are known to be the largest consumers of electricity in the United States, and often times the dominant energy consumer is the HVAC system. Despite this fact, in most buildings the HVAC system is run using primitive static control algorithms based on fixed work schedules causing wasted energy during periods of low occupancy. In this paper we present a novel control architecture that uses occupancy sensing to guide the operation of a building HVAC system. We show how we can enable aggressive duty-cycling of building HVAC systems — that is, turn them ON or OFF — to save energy while meeting building performance requirements using inexpensive sensing and control methods. We have deployed our occupancy sensor network across an entire floor of a university building and our data shows several periods of low occupancy with significant opportunities to save energy over normal HVAC schedules. Furthermore, by interfacing with the building Energy Management System (EMS) directly and using real-time occupancy data collected by our occupancy nodes, we measure electrical energy savings of 9.54% to 15.73% and thermal energy savings of 7.59% to 12.85% for the HVAC system by controlling just one floor of our four floor building.

Duty-cycling buildings aggressively: The next frontier in HVAC control

Sideslip angle could provide important information concerning vehicle's stability. Unfortunately direct measurement of sideslip angle requires a complex and expensive experimental set-up, which is not suitable for implementation on ordinary passenger cars; thus, this quantity has to be estimated starting from the measurements of vehicle lateral/longitudinal acceleration, speed, yaw rate and steer angle. According to the proposed methodology, sideslip angle is estimated as a weighted mean of the results provided by a kinematic formulation and those obtained through a state observer based on vehicle single-track model. Kinematical formula is considered reliable for a transient manoeuvre, while the state observer is used in nearly quasi-state condition. The basic idea of the work is to make use of the information provided by the kinematic formulation during a transient manoeuvre to update the single-track model parameters (tires cornering stiffnesses). A fuzzy-logic procedure was implemented to identify stea...

A methodology for vehicle sideslip angle identification: comparison with experimental data

Race driver model

Summary Appropriate modelling of the dynamic behaviour of the vehicle components, particularly car body flexibility, is essential in the analysis of railway vehicle comfort performance, especially for high-speed vehicles. This paper deals with the description of the adopted approach to set up a complex numerical model of the railway vehicle, suitable for reproducing its dynamic behaviour in the 0–50 Hz frequency range, especially with respect to the ride comfort problem. The implemented model is used to simulate in time domain the dynamic behaviour of a vehicle running on irregular track. Numerical results are validated by means of comparison with experimental data of on-line tests. Finally, the analytical model is used to perform a sensitivity analysis, in order to point out the parameters that most significantly affect comfort.

The Development of a Numerical Model for Railway Vehicles Comfort Assessment Through Comparison With Experimental Measurements

The paper presents an analysis of heavy freight train dynamics carried out both from a numerical and experimental point of view. A numerical procedure has been developed to investigate the dynamics of heavy freight trains; the proposed methodology combines a new numerical model designed for the longitudinal dynamics of the whole trainset called TSDyn (TrainSet Dynamics simulator) with a multi-body code named MoNSTram (Modular Non-Stationary TRAMcar dynamics simulator) originally developed to analyse the dynamics of modular tramcars and used for a more detailed investigation of the response of a trainset segment. On-line tests have been carried out aiming at acquiring data both for the validation of the simulation code and for the characterisation of buffers’ response. A numerical analysis is eventually presented to show the effect of trainset composition on running safety.

Numerical and experimental approach for the evaluation of severe longitudinal dynamics of heavy freight trains

The high energy required by home appliances (like white goods, audio/video devices and communication equipments) and air conditioning systems (heating and cooling), makes our homes one of the most critical areas for the impact of energy consumption on natural environment. In this paper we present a work in progress within the European project AIM for the design of a system that can minimize energy waste in home environments efficiently managing devices operation modes. In our architecture we use a wireless sensor network to monitor physical parameters (like light and temperature) as well as the presence of users at home and in each of its rooms. With gathered data our system creates profiles of the behavior of house inhabitants and through a prediction algorithm is able to automatically set system parameters in order to optimize energy consumption and cost while guaranteeing the required comfort level. When users change their habits due to unpredictable events, the system is able to detect wrong predictions analyzing in real time information from sensors and to modify system behavior accordingly. By the automatic control of energy management system it is possible to avoid complex manual settings of system parameters that would prevent the introduction of home automation systems for energy saving into the mass market.

Stefano Melzi

Papers

A methodology for vehicle sideslip angle identification: comparison with experimental data

Race driver model

The Development of a Numerical Model for Railway Vehicles Comfort Assessment Through Comparison With Experimental Measurements

Numerical and experimental approach for the evaluation of severe longitudinal dynamics of heavy freight trains

Home energy saving through a user profiling system based on wireless sensors