Modeling the Required Indoor Temperature Change by Hybrid Automata for Detecting Thermal Problems

Hybrid automata are a formal model for dynamical systems with discrete and continuous components. This paper exploits the capability of hybrid automata to model the required indoor temperature change for comprehensively detecting thermal problems. The requirement is to specify the changes in the indoor temperature by considering thermal discomfort that ranges from uncomfortable to serious. We first devise an example of home appliance control service for indoor temperature adjustment. Then, based on the example, this paper proposes the modeling of the required indoor temperature change by hybrid automata. To this end, we represent different states of the hybrid automata, which correspond to different thermal sensations of indoor temperature change, by resorting to various indices. Then, the required indoor temperature change is prescribed by heat exchange between indoor and outdoor. Experiment results demonstrate the capability of hybrid automata to model the required indoor temperature change.