SBIR Phase I: Shower Stream: An IoT Smart Shower for Hotels

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是通过提高家庭淋浴效率，每年在美国防止超过500亿美元的建筑公用事业成本浪费。这项技术的大规模商业应用将在美国每年节省2000亿加仑的水和至少1万亿千瓦时的能源。减少废水和能源的使用可以减轻市政供水和能源基础设施的压力。降低能源使用也将对与发电有关的碳排放产生重大影响。这项创新将通过开发在炎热潮湿条件下工作的高精度新型传感技术来加强科学和技术的理解。此外，占用检测技术可用于其他应用，在困难的环境条件阻止使用传统传感器。物联网设备将生成有价值的终端用户公用事业使用行为数据，公共机构和私营企业将使用这些数据来设计更好的政策和最佳实践。除了经济、技术和环境效益外，这项研究还通过为商业建筑提供足够的公用事业储蓄来增加员工，从而促进了就业。这一计划将消除人们的行为浪费，这种行为浪费发生在洗澡者在水变暖后仍然不使用淋浴器时。开发这项技术需要：(1)一个能够准确感知淋浴占用情况的设备，(2)一个紧凑的外壳，可以抵御淋浴？(3)低功耗电路和算法，延长电池寿命。实现项目目标的方法包括对传感器精度的声信号分析、现场中试测试、CAD设计和原型设计以实现器件尺寸约束，以及加速老化试验以确保可靠性和耐用性。第一阶段可行性工作的总体目标是验证新的公用事业节省方法，占用传感器精度和校准至少5年，设备电池寿命至少2年。如果满足以下关键技术目标，则该项目将被视为成功：(1)在相关无损加速老化试验后，传感器的性能在至少1%的误差范围内；(2)在酒店现场中试试验期间，与基线相比，节省的水和能源量至少为20%；(3)设备？S电池寿命至少2年。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to prevent over $50 billion in wasted building utility costs annually across the US by increasing domestic shower efficiency.  Commercial adoption of this technology at scale will save 200 billion gallons of water and at least 1 trillion kWh of energy in the U.S. every year.  Reducing waste water and energy use decreases the strain on municipal water and energy infrastructure.  Lower energy use will also have a significant impact on carbon emissions associated with electric generation. The innovation will enhance scientific and technological understanding by developing a highly-accurate novel sensing technology that works in hot and humid conditions. Moreover, the occupancy detection technology can be used for other applications where difficult ambient conditions prevent the use of conventional sensors. The IoT device will generate valuable end-user utility use behavior data which public institutions and private industry will use to design better policies and best practices. In addition to the economic, technological and environmental benefits, this research also promotes jobs by providing enough utility savings to commercial buildings for them to increase their staff.The proposed project will eliminate behavioral water waste which occurs when a bather leaves a shower unoccupied even after the water has warmed-up.  Developing the technology requires: (1) a device that can accurately sense shower occupancy, (2) a compact enclosure resilient to a shower?s hot and humid environment and, (3) low energy circuitry and algorithms for long battery life.  Methods to achieve the project objectives include acoustic signal analysis for sensor accuracy, in-situ pilot testing, CAD design and prototyping to achieve device size constraints, and accelerated aging tests to ensure reliability and durability.  The overarching goal of this phase I feasibility effort is to validate the novel utility savings methodology, occupancy sensor accuracy and calibration over at least 5 years, and a device battery life of at least 2 years.  This project will be deemed successful if the following key technical objectives are met: (1) The sensor performs within at least a 1% error margin after relevant nondestructive, accelerated aging tests, (2) The amount of water and energy saved is at least 20% when compared to baseline during live hotel pilot tests, and (3) The device?s battery life is at least 2 years.