Agent-based indoor air quality control system

Abstract

Taiwan has suffered from widespread haze and poor air quality during recent years, and the control of indoor air quality has become an important topic. Here, we report a system relying on intelligent agent theory, in which collected data on air quality is used in calculations, then agents make decisions in accordance with prewritten rules, using conflict resolution mechanisms to resolve any conflicts encountered by the equipment, to improve indoor air quality. Regarding implementation, the simulated system used the Arduino open source microcontroller system to collect air quality data and trigger building equipment to improve indoor air quality. We also used the graphic control program LabVIEW to write a control program and user interface. The implementation revealed that rules can be prewritten and equipment conflicts resolved after considering a small number of pieces of building equipment and air quality factors. However, when the system’s operating decisions are simultaneously based on many air quality factors and users, the system cannot respond exhaustively to all situations. Consequently, the system requires editable software and a suitable accessible human-computer interface for communication and interaction.