Smart hvac rooftop units with integrated ai and thermal imaging for enhanced operational control

A method for controlling a Smart Roof Top Unit (SRTU) for a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, the method comprising:

• providing multiple SRTU components housed within the SRTU, wherein the multiple SRTU components comprising one or more of:
• an air hood, a damper, a filter, a heat wheel, subsequent filters, a mixing damper, a heating coil, a cooling coil, an evaporator coil, and a centrifugal electronically commutated (EC) fan;
• capturing thermal images of the multiple SRTU components using at least one infrared (IR) camera positioned on, around, or within the SRTU, the thermal images comprising temperature signatures of at least one of:
• a surface of the SRTU, and at least one component of the multiple SRTU components;
• transmitting the captured thermal images to a control system comprising a processor, a memory storing instructions executable by the processor, and an artificial intelligence (AI) engine;
• converting, by a Controller and/or AI engine, the captured thermal images into digital value patterns representing temperature distributions across the at least one of:
• the surface of the SRTU, and the at least one component of the multiple SRTU components;
• analyzing, by the Controller and/or AI engine, the digital value patterns to analyze the temperature distributions and identify anomalies indicative of operational inefficiencies, equipment failures, or potential maintenance needs;
• and
• controlling one or both of the SRTU and the HVAC system based on the analysis of the temperature distributions and the identified anomalies in the temperature distributions.