Hydronic boiler control system with weather anticipation

• US 10,527,295 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2017
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iot Cloud Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: Iot Cloud Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Lewis, Matthew James
• Primary Examiner(s): Huson, Gregory L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Namay, Daniel E
• Application Number:
  US15/435,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20180058704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 237 8 A, 236 1 B, 236 20 R, 236 51, 236 94
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 19/1009 for central heating
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 2220/042 Temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 3/00 Hot-water central heating systems district heating systems F24D10/00; central heating systems using heat accumulated in storage masses F24D11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1934 each space being provided with one sensor acting on one or more control means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

A microcomputer-based controller has control outputs operably connected to a hydronic boiler of a building, a network connection for receiving weather forecast information from a meteorological server, and an input operably connected to an outside temperature transducer. The controller is configured to an appropriate set-point temperature for the boiler based on both the current outside temperature and a forecasted outdoor temperature from the meteorological server. Remote zone temperature sensors report zone temperatures to the controller, based on which further adjustment of the set point temperature are made if a notable number of zones all have temperatures notably shifted in a same direction from a normally expected zone temperature. The zone temperature sensors and controller are connected as nodes in a mesh network.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of controlling operation of a hydronic boiler, said method comprising:

providing a microcomputer-based controller (101) that is configured for communication with internet enabled devices (140) and remotely located servers (403, 405) via an internet connection (145), and is connected to a hydronic boiler direct-to-digital temperature transducer (132) for monitoring a temperature of the hydronic boiler and an outdoor direct-to-digital temperature transducer (138) for monitoring a local outdoor air temperature;

using said microcomputer-based controller (101);

automatically obtaining a current outdoor air temperature from the outdoor direct-to-digital temperature transducer (138),

automatically obtaining meteorological forecast data through from one or more internet based HTTP web servers (403) through said internet connection,

on an ongoing basis, automatically performing comparison of an anticipated outdoor air temperature from the meteorological forecast data against the current outdoor air temperature from the outdoor direct-to-digital temperature transducer (138), and

based on said comparison, automatically assigning a set point temperature of the hydronic boiler that is either a default set point value for the current outdoor air temperature if the comparison finds that the anticipated outdoor air temperature does not exceed the current outdoor air temperature, or a reduced set point value negatively offset from said default set point value if the comparison finds that the anticipated outdoor air temperature exceeds the current outdoor temperature,

in an instance of anticipated outdoor cooling, where the comparison finds that the anticipated outdoor air temperature is less than the current air temperature, operating the boiler according to the default set point value;

in a first instance of anticipated outdoor warming, where the comparison determines that the anticipated outdoor temperature exceeds the current outdoor temperature by a first amount, operating the boiler according to a first reduced set point that is negatively offset from the default set point value by a first offset value;

in a second instance of anticipated outdoor warming, where the comparison determines that the anticipated outdoor temperature exceeds the current outdoor temperature by a second amount that exceeds the first amount, operating the boiler according to a second reduced set point that is negatively offset from the default set point value by a second offset value whose magnitude exceeds the first offset value;

comparing the temperature of the hydronic boiler, as read by the hydronic boiler direct-to-digital temperature transducer, against the assigned set point temperature to obtain confirmation that said assigned set point temperature is reached and maintained by the boiler, and in the absence of said confirmation, to forward an alarm signal to a remotely located system control server (405) to trigger an alarm notification therefrom to one or more of the internet enabled devices (140), and

checking for communicability between the microcomputer-based controller and one or more of the remotely located servers via the internet connection, and in the event of failed communication therebetween, reverting to a failsafe mode of operation in which the microcomputer-based controller is operable to assign only default set point values, and not any reduced set point values negatively offset therefrom, and

using said remotely located system control server (405) to also check for communicability thereof with the microcomputer-based controller via the internet connection, and in the event of failed communication therebetween, trigger another alarm notification from the remotely located system control server to the one or more internet enabled devices.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising also using said microcomputer based controller (101) to obtain current remote zone temperatures from a plurality of remote zones, and adjust the set point temperature of the hydronic boiler based on said current remote zone temperatures.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein adjusting the set point temperature based on the current remote zone temperatures comprises determining whether a quantity of remote zones exceeding a zone quantity threshold have respective current remote zone temperatures that vary from a normal zone temperature value by more than a temperature variation threshold, and in response to determination that the zone quantity threshold and temperature variation threshold are both exceeded, adjusting the set-point temperature of the boiler.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein adjusting the set point temperature comprises determining that the zone quantity threshold is exceeded by a group of zones having zone temperatures that exceed the normal zone temperature value by more than the temperature variation threshold, and based thereon, reducing the set-point temperature of the boiler and operating the boiler according to said reduced set point temperature.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein adjusting the set point temperature comprises determining that the zone quantity threshold is exceeded by a group of zones having zone temperatures that are lesser than the normal zone temperature value by more than the air temperature variation threshold, and based thereon, increasing the set-point temperature of the boiler and operating the boiler according to said increased set point temperature.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the remote zone temperature is a remote zone air temperature.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the remote zone temperature is a remote zone heater temperature.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the microcomputer-based controller lacks an onboard display and manual control inputs, and receives updates, operational settings and/or other administrative communication from the remotely located system control server and/or the one or more internet enabled devices.

9. A hydronic heating system comprising:

a hydronic boiler used to heat a building,

a microcomputer-based controller coupled to said hydronic boiler,

an internet connection coupled to said microcomputer-based controller to enable communication thereof with one or more internet enabled devices,

a remotely located system control server with which the microcomputer-based controller is communicable via said internet connection;

one or more meteorological internet based HTTP web servers that that provides weather forecast information,

a hydronic boiler direct-to-digital temperature transducer connected to said microcomputer-based controller, and

an outside direct-to-digital temperature transducer connected to said microcomputer-based controller,

wherein said microcomputer-based controller is configured to;

automatically obtain a current outdoor air temperature from the outside direct-to-digital temperature transducer,

automatically obtain an anticipated outdoor air temperature from the one or more meteorological internet based HTTP web servers via the internet connection,

on an ongoing basis, automatically perform comparison of the anticipated outdoor air temperature against a current outdoor air temperature obtained from the outside direct-to-digital temperature transducer, and

based on said comparison, automatically assign a set point temperature of the hydronic boiler that is either a default set point value for the current outdoor air temperature if the comparison finds that the anticipated outdoor air temperature does not exceed the current outdoor air temperature, or a reduced set point value negatively offset from said default set point value if the comparison finds that the anticipated outdoor air temperature exceeds the current outdoor temperature,

in instances of anticipated outdoor cooling, where the comparison finds that the anticipated outdoor air temperature is less than the current air temperature, operate the boiler according to the default set point value,

in instances of anticipated outdoor warming, where the comparison determines that the anticipated outdoor temperature exceeds the current outdoor temperature, determine the reduced set point temperature to assign according to a variable scale under which the magnitude of negative offset applied to the default set point value increases with the magnitude of difference between the current outdoor air temperature and the anticipated outdoor air temperature, and operate the boiler according to the reduced set point temperature determined according to said variable scale,

obtain a boiler temperature from the hydronic boiler direct-to-digital temperature transducer and compare said boiler temperature against the assigned set point temperature to obtain confirmation that said assigned set point temperature is reached and maintained by the boiler, and in the absence of said confirmation, send an alarm signal to the remotely located system control server to trigger an alarm notification therefrom to the one or more internet enabled devices, and

check for communicability of the microcomputer-based controller with one or more of the servers via the internet connection, and in the event of failed communication with said one or more of the servers, reverting a failsafe mode of operation in which the microcomputer-based controller is operable to assign only default set point values, and not any reduced set point values negatively offset therefrom; and

wherein said remotely located system control server is configured to check for communicability thereof with the microcomputer-based controller via the internet connection, and in the event of failed communication therewith, trigger another alarm notification from the remotely located system control server to the one or more internet enabled devices.

10. The hydronic heating system of claim 9, further comprising a plurality of zone temperature sensors that communicate with said microcomputer-based controller.

11. The hydronic heating system of claim 10, wherein said zone temperature sensors define nodes of a mesh network by which said zone temperature sensors communicate with said microcomputer-based controller.

12. The hydronic heating system of claim 10, wherein said zone temperature sensors are configured to measure respective zone temperatures and provide said measured zone temperatures to said microcomputer-based controller, which is configured to adjust the set point temperature of the hydronic boiler based on said current remote zone temperatures.

13. The hydronic heating system of claim 12, wherein the microcomputer-based controller is configured to adjust the set point temperature of the boiler based on the measured remote zone temperatures by determining whether a quantity of remote zone temperature sensors exceeding a zone quantity threshold have respective zone temperatures that vary from a normal zone temperature value by more than a zone temperature variation threshold, and in response to determination that the zone quantity threshold and zone temperature variation threshold are both exceeded, adjust the set-point temperature of the boiler.

14. The hydronic heating system of claim 13 wherein the respective zone temperatures measured by the zone temperature sensors are zone air temperatures.

15. The hydronic heating system of claim 13 wherein the respective zone temperatures measured by the zone temperature sensors are zone heater temperatures.

16. The hydronic heating system of claim 9, further comprising at least one additional hydronic boiler and at least one respective additional microcomputer-based controller respectively connected to said at least one additional boiler.

17. The hydronic heating system of claim 16 wherein the microcomputer-based controller and the at least one additional hydronic boiler are connected through a wireless network.

18. The hydronic heating system of claim 17 wherein the wireless network is a mesh network in which respective nodes are defined the microcomputer-based controller, the at least one additional hydronic boiler, and a plurality of zone temperature sensors that communicate with said microcomputer-based controllers.

19. The system of claim 9 wherein the microcomputer-based controller lacks an onboard display and manual control inputs, and is configured to receive updates, operational settings and/or other administrative communication from the remotely located system control server and/or the one or more internet enabled devices.

20. The system of claim 9 wherein the microcomputer-based controller comprises an interface comprising inputs and outputs used to monitor and control operation of the hydronic boiler, said inputs and outputs being characterized by inclusion of one or more of the following types (a) 0-10 VDC signal;

(b) 4-20 mA signal and (c) dry contacts.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the interface of the microcomputer-based controller comprises a connection to the boiler through which boiler alarm signals are receivable therefrom, said microcomputer-based controller being configured to forward external alarm signals to the remotely located system control server in response to said boiler alarm signals to trigger boiler alarm notifications from said remotely located system control server to said one or more of the internet-enabled devices.

22. The system of claim 9 wherein the microcomputer-based controller is configured to automatically shut off the boiler in the event that either the default set point value or the reduced set point value to be assigned to the boiler is less than a minimum operating temperature of the boiler.

23. A hydronic heating control system comprising a microcomputer-based controller having control outputs operably connectable to a hydronic boiler of a building to control operation thereof, inputs operably connected or connectable to a hydronic boiler direct-to-digital temperature transducer and an outside direct-to-digital temperature transducer, a network connection operably connectable to the internet to communicate with remotely located servers and one or more internet enabled devices, wherein said microcomputer-based controller is configured to:

automatically obtain a current outdoor air temperature from the outside direct-to-digital temperature transducer,

automatically obtain weather forecast data, including an anticipated outdoor air temperature, from one or more remotely located meteorological servers via said network connection,

automatically perform comparison of the anticipated outdoor air temperature against a current outdoor air temperature obtained from the outside direct-to-digital temperature transducer, and

based on said comparison, automatically assign a set point temperature of the hydronic boiler that is either a prescribed default set point value for the current outdoor air temperature if the comparison finds that the anticipated outdoor air temperature does not exceed the current outdoor air temperature, or a reduced set point value negatively offset from said prescribed default set point value if the comparison finds that the anticipated outdoor air temperature exceeds the current outdoor temperature,

in instances of anticipated outdoor cooling, where the comparison finds that the anticipated outdoor air temperature is less than the current air temperature, operate the boiler according to the default set point value,

in instances of anticipated outdoor warming, where the comparison determines that the anticipated outdoor temperature exceeds the current outdoor temperature, determine the reduced set point temperature to assign according to a variable scale under which the magnitude of negative offset applied to the default set point value increases with the magnitude of difference between the current outdoor air temperature and the anticipated outdoor air temperature, and operate the boiler according to the reduced set point temperature determined according to said variable scale,

obtain a temperature of the boiler from the hydronic boiler direct-to-digital temperature transducer and compare said temperature of the boiler against the assigned set point temperature to obtain confirmation that said assigned set point temperature is reached and maintained by the boiler, and in the absence of said confirmation, send an alarm signal to a remotely located system control server through said network connection to trigger an alarm notification to said one or more internet enabled devices, and

through said network connection, check for communicability of the microcomputer-based controller with the remotely located system control server via the internet connection, and in the event of failed communication therewith, reverting a failsafe mode of operation in which the microcomputer-based controller is operable to assign only default set point values, and not any reduced set point values negatively offset therefrom.