Verv Connect: High-definition fault-finding technology for the next generation of smart, sustainable appliances

Verv Connect：用于下一代智能、可持续电器的高清故障查找技术

• 批准号: 60965
• 金额: $ 34.04万
• 依托单位: GREEN RUNNING LIMITED
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Study
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=60965
• 关键词: Verv; Connect; definition; fault; finding

Eco-design policy has traditionally focused on improving energy efficiency of household appliances, rated from A+++ (highest energy efficiency) to D (lowest energy efficiency). Taking tumble dryers as an example household appliance, models with lower energy ratings typically have cheaper upfront costs (sale price: c£150-£300) compared to top-rated models (sale price: c£350-£1,000). However, under standard usage conditions (defined as 160 drying-cycles/year), a C-rated tumble dryer may consume more than three times the energy of a top-rated model, meaning that over a 10-year lifespan, a C-rated model can end up costing hundreds of pounds more than an A+++-rated model, while also being responsible for three times more carbon dioxide emissions.With modern heat-pump technology delivering highly energy efficient tumble dryers, attention has recently switched to making appliances easier to repair and longer lasting. Under current practice, tumble dryers typically have manufacturer warranties of only 1-2 years. Customers can pay for extended warranties (e.g., for 5 years), but large household appliances invariably fail without warning, and when they do, replacement tends to be easier than repair. Indeed, UK's leading specialist warranty provider for household appliances replaced rather than repaired more than half a million broken appliances in 2017 alone (Domestic&General\_2017).Appliance manufacturers are under increasing global pressure to shift to a repair-over-replace culture; 77% of European consumers would rather repair than replace their goods (European\_Commission\_2014). However, today, we do not have the required monitoring technology to enable fault diagnostics and prescriptive maintenance of household appliances.With Innovate UK support, Verv, working with a leading UK-based appliance manufacturer, will create a new device that sits between an individual household appliance and the wall socket, analysing changes in the power draw of the household appliance as an early indication of fault progression. This data will transform how we view our large household appliances, enabling accurate fault detection at an early stage (pre-catastrophic failure), when it is still economical to repair these appliances. By avoiding untimely/sudden appliance failures, our monitoring device will reduce appliance downtime (improving user convenience) and also significantly improve the safety of household appliances, which can be a significant fire risk.By enabling proper maintenance, customers will further benefit from reduced running costs (lower power consumption), while modern, smart household appliances will also potentially be suitable for software updates to improve energy efficiency without replacing the entire product. Thus, supporting the transition of household appliances towards a sustainable future.

生态设计政策传统上侧重于提高家用电器的能效，评级从A+(最高能效)到D(最低能效)。以滚筒式干燥机为例，能源评级较低的型号通常比评级最高的型号(售价：C GB 350-GB 1000)的前期成本更低(售价：C GB 150-GB 300)。然而，在标准使用条件下(定义为每年160次干燥循环)，C级滚筒式干燥机的能耗可能是顶级机型的三倍以上，这意味着在10年的使用寿命中，C级机型的成本可能比A+级机型高数百英镑，同时二氧化碳排放量也是A+级机型的三倍。随着现代热泵技术提供高能效的滚筒式干燥机，人们的注意力最近转移到了更容易维修和更持久的设备上。在目前的做法下，滚筒式干燥机通常只有1-2年的制造商保修。客户可以支付延长保修期(例如，5年)，但大型家用电器总是在没有警告的情况下失效，而且当它们失效时，更换往往比维修容易。事实上，英国领先的家用电器专业保修提供商仅在2017年就更换了50多万台损坏的家用电器(国内和通用2017)。家电制造商面临着越来越大的全球压力，要求他们转向过度维修文化；77%的欧洲消费者宁愿修理而不是更换他们的商品(欧盟委员会2014)。然而，今天，我们没有必要的监控技术来实现家用电器的故障诊断和指令性维护。在Innovate UK的支持下，VERV将与一家领先的英国家电制造商合作，创造一种位于单个家用电器和墙上插座之间的新设备，分析家用电器功耗的变化，以此作为故障进展的早期指示。这些数据将改变我们对大型家用电器的看法，在维修这些家用电器仍然经济的情况下，在早期阶段(灾难性故障前)实现准确的故障检测。通过避免不及时/突然的家电故障，我们的监控设备将减少家电停机时间(提高用户便利性)，并显著提高家用电器的安全性，这可能是一个重大的火灾风险。通过实现适当的维护，客户将进一步受益于降低运行成本(更低的功耗)，而现代智能家用电器也可能适合进行软件更新，以提高能效，而不需要更换整个产品。因此，支持家用电器向可持续未来的过渡。