One variation of a method for monitoring occupancy in a work area includes, at a sensor block: transitioning from an inactive state into an active state when an output of a motion sensor indicates motion in a work area; during a scan cycle in the active state, recording an image through an optical sensor at a time, detecting a set of humans in the image, detecting a second set of human effects in the image, predicting a second set of humans occupying but absent the work area based on the second set of human effects, and estimating a total occupancy in the work area at the time based on the set of humans and the second set of humans; and transmitting the total occupancy to a remote computer system for update of a scheduler for the work area.

A method of training a comfort model used for controlling a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning, HVAC, system. The method includes: a user device providing a plurality of user feedbacks, each of the plurality of user feedbacks is provided at a respective point in time and describes a thermal comfort of a user using the user device; at each point in time associated with the plurality of user feedbacks, each of a plurality of HVAC devices detecting running parameters; and for each of the plurality of user feedbacks: inputting the running parameters of each of the plurality of HVAC devices detected at the respective point in time into the comfort model to generate a predicted thermal comfort, determining a loss value by comparing the predicted thermal comfort with the thermal comfort described by the respective user feedback, and training the comfort model to reduce the loss value.

There is provided a method of controlling an air-conditioning system associated with a building for optimizing a plurality of building performance parameters in providing an environment with respect to a zone of the building, the method comprising: obtaining zone environmental condition information including zone temperature data associated to the zone, and cooling air temperature data associated to an air handling unit associated to the zone; obtaining, from a zone model generator, zone cooling load parameters associated to the zone with respect to a plurality of time periods and a zone thermal dynamic model; obtaining, from a scheduler, a sequence of optimal cool air supply rates with respect to a plurality of subsequent time periods with respect to the zone determined based on a multi-component cost function including a plurality of components relating to the plurality of building performance parameters; determining, based on the zone thermal dynamic model, a sequence of zone controller set-points corresponding to the sequence of optimal cool air supply rates with respect to the zone using the zone cooling load parameters, the sequence of optimal cool air supply rates, the zone temperature data and the cooling air temperature data associated to the air handling unit; and sending the sequence of zone controller set-points to a zone controller for controlling a temperature of the zone.

A moveable graphical user interface object is provided. The moveable graphical user interface object is moveable within a bounded graphical region. A current location of the moveable graphical user interface object in the bounded graphical region corresponds to an indicated direction of concentrated airflow. For example, the moveable graphical user interface object is used to control airflow direction of a HVAC air vent.

One variation of a method for monitoring occupancy in a work area includes, at a sensor block: transitioning from an inactive state into an active state when an output of a motion sensor indicates motion in a work area; during a scan cycle in the active state, recording an image through an optical sensor at a time, detecting a set of humans in the image, detecting a second set of human effects in the image, predicting a second set of humans occupying but absent the work area based on the second set of human effects, and estimating a total occupancy in the work area at the time based on the set of humans and the second set of humans; and transmitting the total occupancy to a remote computer system for update of a scheduler for the work area.

An electronic cigarette device has a vapor flow channel arranged to guide a generated vapor to a mouthpiece opening, and a sensor arranged in the vapor flow channel to determine a temperature in the vapor flow channel at a position physically displaced from an atomizer. The electronic cigarette device further includes one or more processors configured to retrieve from the sensor a measured temperature data set including one or more temperature measurements as a function of time, compare the measured temperature data set with predetermined temperature data, wherein the predetermined temperature data is indicative of the temperature of the vapor in the vapor flow channel of the electronic cigarette device at different fluid transfer element saturation levels, and determine and perform a further action based upon the comparison.

A system for heating up water for a consumer unit in an aircraft, having a water reservoir and a control unit. The water reservoir has a heating device to heat water held in the water reservoir to a consumer temperature. The control unit controls the heating device so water in the water reservoir is automatically heated to or above a disinfection temperature at which germ formation in the water reservoir is eliminated or suppressed, and a temperature of the water in the water reservoir is maintained at or above the disinfection temperature for a disinfection period, the heating to the disinfection temperature being effected only during flight phases or portions of flight phases of the aircraft during which use of the consumer unit by a user is not to be expected. A corresponding method and an aircraft having such a system are disclosed.

An aircraft thermal hydraulic active-warming system includes an active thermal-warming valve interoperably coupled between a hydraulic pressure line and a hydraulic low-pressure return line and a hydraulic actuator arranged in parallel with the active thermal-warming valve between the hydraulic pressure line and the hydraulic low-pressure return line.

A computer-implemented method monitors and/or controls domestic hot water production and/or distribution. The method includes detecting at least two real temperatures of a fluid stored in a heat storage tank at two different positions along a height of the heat storage tank at least at points in time, and acquiring a temperature distribution pattern of heat stored in the heat storage tank and/or corresponding heat distribution pattern data by applying a temperature-distribution-pattern-algorithm to the detected real temperatures detected at the points in time. The fluid is sanitary hot water, and the heat storage tank is a pressurized tank. A computer may carry out the method. The computer may be part of a system. A computer program may include instructions to cause the controller of to execute the method. The computer program may be stored on a computer-readable medium.

Provided is a hot and cold water mixer capable of performing stable temperature control, including a cold water supply pipe, a hot water supply pipe, a mixing pipe, flow rate adjustment valves, temperature sensors, flow rate sensors, a setting unit, and a control unit. When the control unit determines that either one of the flow rate adjustment valves cannot increase the flow rate, and also determines, by comparing the target flow rate for the one flow rate adjustment valve with the flow rate of water flowing through the one flow rate adjustment valve, that the target flow rate for the one flow rate adjustment valve is higher, the control unit calculates and updates the target flow rate for the other flow rate adjustment valve and controls the other flow rate adjustment valve based on the updated target flow rate.