System and method for identification of personal thermal comfort

A method for temperature control within an environment, comprising:

• acquiring temperature data at a plurality of different points within the environment;
• determining a temperature distribution pattern within the environment including at least one region of relatively high temperature and at least one region of relatively low temperature;
• acquiring image data, wherein the image data is color image data;
• analyzing the image data to identify an individual within the image data;
• estimating a level of thermal comfort for the identified individual based on the image data, the estimated level of thermal comfort indicating whether the individual appears to be feeling too hot, appears to be feeling too cold or appears to be feeling satisfied with an ambient temperature,
• wherein estimating the level of thermal comfort for each of the identified individual based on the image data, comprises:
• segmenting an individual of the identified individuals from the image data;
• differentiating between clothed surfaces and skin-exposed surfaces on the individual from the image data using one or more computer vision techniques;
• examining the skin-exposed surfaces of the individual from the image data to identify the presence of cutis anserine or horripilation;
• and
• estimating the level of thermal comfort of the individual based on the identification of cutis anserine or horripilation;
• and
• reassigning the individual to a space within the at least one region of relatively high temperature when the level of thermal comfort of the individual indicates that the individual appears to be feeling too cold, or reassigning the individual to a space within the at least one region of relatively low temperature when the level of thermal comfort of the individual indicates that the individual appears to be feeling too hot.

A method for reassigning seating for individuals and controlling ambient temperatures within an environment, comprising:

• receiving a seating chart for a plurality of individuals within the environment;
• acquiring temperature data at a plurality of different points within the environment;
• determining a temperature distribution pattern within the environment including at least one region of relatively high temperature and at least one region of relatively low temperature;
• determining how control of an air-conditioning unit or a heating unit affects the temperature distribution pattern;
• acquiring image data, wherein the image data is color image data;
• analyzing the image data to identify each of the plurality of individuals within the seating chart;
• estimating a level of thermal comfort for each of the identified plurality of individuals based on the image data, the estimated level of thermal comfort indicating whether each of the identified plurality of individuals appears to be feeling too hot, appears to be feeling too cold or appears to be feeling satisfied with an ambient temperature,
• wherein estimating the level of thermal comfort for each of the identified individuals based on the image data, comprises:
• segmenting an individual of the identified individuals from the image data;
• differentiating between clothed surfaces and skin-exposed surfaces on the individual from the image data using one or more computer vision techniques;
• examining the skin-exposed surfaces of the individual from the image data to identify the presence of cutis anserine or horripilation;
• and
• estimating the level of thermal comfort of the individual based on the identification of cutis anserine or horripilation;
• and
• generating an optimized heating/cooling plan including:
• determining how the air-conditioning unit or the heating unit is to be controlled based on the determined temperature distribution pattern and the determination as to how the control of the air-conditioning unit or the heating unit affects the temperature distribution pattern;
• and
• generating a modified seating chart by re-assigning each of the plurality of individuals to an optimal work space based on the corresponding level of estimated thermal comfort for the individual and a location of each work space with respect to the temperature distribution pattern.