Intelligent black-out shade control with the ‘auto’ function

In practical scenarios, users require a more sophisticated approach for controlling motorized shades, one that goes beyond simply opening and closing them based on fixed time settings or relying solely on manual control.

There are several factors at play here.

• Firstly, variations exist between weekdays and weekends.
• Additionally, when it comes to shades, user comfort concerning room temperature is a significant consideration.
• Moreover, users' momentary moods play a role as well. Someone may feel energetic on one day but tired on another, leading to different shade preferences.
• Seasonal differences further complicate matters, as shades need to be adjusted to prevent rooms from overheating when the sun is high. In regions with abundant sunshine, such as southern areas, this is a daily occurrence, whereas in more northern countries like Belgium, hot days are rare and primarily confined to the summer months.

Consequently the, partially, automated control of blackout shades in residential settings is a complex endeavor. We believe that there is no universally perfect method for doing this because it's challenging to continuously sense the daily context and the real-time moods of the occupants in the house.

Our message is straightforward: prioritize simplicity in your software configurations. You should be able to manage and maintain these configurations also on the long run. It's worth considering that the employee who originally set up PROSOFT might not be with you in the future, and someone else may need to make adjustments after a certain period (of years?). Take a holistic approach and plan for the long term before you commence any project.

Intelligent black-out shade control in action

Here's an example that comes close to an ideal setup. In the early morning, manual control of the shades is left to the homeowners. This is because we view the homeowners opening their shades manually as confirmation that they are awake. Subsequently, the TELETASK system seamlessly transitions to automatic control using the 'auto' function, leveraging temperature measurements for over-heat protection, specialy during high temperature periods. We strongly advise measuring the outdoor temperature to enable proactive adjustments rather than reacting too late by measuring the indoor temperature.

Here’s how can you make this working in PROSOFT:

• You use the PROSOFT built-in ‘auto’ function, which will be activated once the individuals in the room have awakened (read: after manually opening the curtain in the room).
• Then, the ‘auto’ function is activated and takes over control for the rest of the day until sundown. It will close the curtains as soon as the temperature is higher than 25°C (for at least 5 minutes). It will auto raise the curtains again if the measured temperature drops below 25°C (for at least 20 minutes).

What is the ‘auto’ function for motor control?

Before we start: what is the ‘auto’ function for motor control?
In PROSOFT a motor output can be provided with an automatic process which will close the (example) motorized black-out shade, when a connected temperature sensor reaches a certain temperature level (example 25°C). The shade will be automatically opened again, when the temperature is falling below that level.
In the example below, we will use this feature. In the capture below you can see the setting which is needed in our case.

Which PROSOFT settings are to be done and how it works

• Make a FLAG ‘auto morning room x’
• Make a Timed Local Mood ‘delayed auto start’ which, after 5 minutes, both turn off the above flag and set the ‘auto’ function of the concerned shade motor ON. (The time must be longer than the run time of the concerned motor).
• Make a, non reversable, Local Mood, which contains the above Timed Local Mood.
• Make a Condition function 'start auto'. The condition is: “shade = UP” AND “ 'auto morning room x' flag is ON”.
• Make a process function with, as monitored function, being the above condition. The function to be executed, is the above Local Mood.
• Add the process function in the PROSOFT auto-start function.
• In TIMESOFT, activate the ‘auto morning room x’ flag for example, 6:00 am (in the continues table).
• Disactivate the auto function in TIMESOFT for example at 10pm (or with a astro clock setting at sundown.
• Don’t forget to transmit the nbt to your central unit

Working:
As soon as somebody clicks the button (in the morning) to fully open the shade, the auto function (in the motor output settings) takes over control for the rest of the day to avoid over- heating of the room. This auto function is automatically
disabled when:

• somebody manually controls the shade again during the day;
• or at 10 pm (by TIMESOFT).

It also will be enabled as soon as somebody clicks a button to open (again) the shade manually (in the morning on the next day).

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