Adaptable HVAC; AC motor speed, air temperature and air quality control system

• US 20050278071A1
• Filed: 06/14/2004
• Published: 12/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OGD V-Hvac Incorporated
• Original Assignee: OGD V-Hvac Incorporated
• Inventors: Durham, Ormonde G. III
• Granted Patent: US 7,797,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/276
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/77 by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/50 Air quality properties
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1932 to control the temperature of a plurality of spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/24 the sensing element having a resistance varying with temperature, e.g. a thermistor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/54 Free-cooling systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

A Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Management and Control System (CS) that provides “Closed Loop Adaptive Climate Control” of heating, cooling, ventilation or any combination thereof to an occupied space using standard AC electric induction motor(s) connected to a fan and other motor or electric powered devices. This new CS uses methods and apparatus based on Opto-Programming & Processing (OP) Analog techniques that allow multi-dimensional concurrent variables to continuously and Adaptively vary the quantity and/or rate of discharge air, return air, outside air (where available), discharge air temperature and thermal (heat/cool) fluid flow. This new CS adapts, adjusts, varies electric motor(s) and device(s), speeds and actions by concurrently adjusting motor voltage, frequency and phase as needed; to control fan output(s), associated damper actuators, valve actuators, or other unit devices. The new CS is capable of accepting or generating multiple inputs, outputs, or a combination of both from sensors, devices, motors and more in analog or digital format.

Claims

1. - The present invention is a closed loop, dynamic, Opto Programmable (OP) HVAC Control and Management System (CS) using both apparatus and methods to Adaptively and continuously vary or alter the electric powered elements in and climate operations of an HVAC system or unit. It can detect, capture and accept a varied range and type of signals, parameters, functions and data that in turn are “

Opto Converted, Programmed, Processed and then Outputted”

(ie also defined as/by “

OP”

) to control, manage and power one or more electric powered devices, climate functions or operations and/or other electric driven elements in one or more HVAC systems or units.

2. - The Management and Control System (CS) of claim 1 employing both methods and apparatus as a low cost, simple, multi-parameter dynamic, concurrent and adaptive input and output system, with both control and power functions, in a compact, single package design that can be factory or field installed.

3. - The single package design CS of claim 2 using Opto Converted, Programmed and Processed (OP) methods and apparatus along with other methods and apparatus to effect and control indoor climate conditioning air flow:

a) to control and power the elements and parameters of an HVAC system or unit that effect climate conditions such as “

air flow and/or system thermal and moisture capacity”

;

b) to utilize one or more new, (OP) non-linear air flow versus air temperature/climate profile(s);

c) to improve climate comfort, air quality of the conditioned space and reduce electric energy and fossil fuel consumption and demand;

d) to concurrently control and adapt to the heating and cooling modes of an HVAC system or unit without the need for manual intervention;

e) to create and “

program”

the appropriate (and different) temperature profile(s) for both heating and cooling modes without external HVAC system intervention or system reprogramming;

f) to alter air flow in an “

adaptive and re-programmable proportion”

to the discharge air temperature and thermal capacity (btu'"'"'s) of the equipment whether in heating, ventilating, or cooling mode or in any overlapping or combined sequence of these three modes.

4. - The single package design CS of claim 2 using OP methods and apparatus along with other methods and apparatus to vary motor speed by concurrently and dynamically controlling voltage, frequency and phase as needed reducing the excess or added electro-magnetic interference (EMI), radio frequency interference (RFI), power factor distortion (PF) and total harmonic distortion (THD) generally caused by other commercial motor speed controllers.

6. - The single package design CS of claim 2 using OP methods and apparatus along with other methods and apparatus to control and improve energy consumption:

a) to reduce electric consumption of the fan motor as measured in kWh by maintaining a programmable “

maximum or high”

speed fan setting that is always less than full line voltage by a selectable and programmable percentage, b) to reduce electric consumption of the fan motor as measured in kWh by adapting and adjusting the percentage of maximum speed reduction below line voltage so this percentage can account for or ignore line voltage fluctuations, in that if the line voltage drops the CS can “

hold motor voltage”

by lowering the percentage drop and if the line voltage increases the CS will “

hold motor voltage”

by increasing the percentage drop;

alternatively the CS can be programmed to ignore voltage fluctuations and “

follow a fixed percentage below”

the AC line voltage, c) to effect kW demand reductions and kWh usage reductions by providing a motor speed “

gentle ramp up”

or “

soft start”

(ability to use significantly less energy to start up a motor), d) to reduce kWh energy usage by always controlling and adapting motor speed to the minimum speed (minimum motor rpm and air flow noise) required to maintain set point(s), e) to minimize energy usage by setting and maintaining a continuous and adaptive minimum air flow via a fan motor low or “

idle speed”

, to a “

motor friendly”

programmed minimum voltage and frequency, f) to reduce motor speed while consuming very little electrical “

overhead”

in the existing HVAC control system or in the CS and g) to improve energy efficiency by splitting and separately controlling the power and signals to the windings of multi-phase AC motors (including the start and run windings on a permanent split capacitor (psc) AC motor).

7. - The single package design CS of claim 2 using OP methods and apparatus along with other methods and apparatus to improve occupant non-climate comfort by reducing and softening unit noise:

a) to reduce noise levels in occupied spaces by providing the ability to concurrently reduce electrical frequency below 60 Hz in conjunction with reduced voltage and phase adjustment when required, b) to reduce noise levels in occupied spaces by always controlling and adapting motor speed to the minimum speed (minimum motor rpm and air flow noise) required to maintain set point(s), c) to reduce noise levels in occupied spaces by adaptively controlling and maintaining a high speed that is less than full line voltage, and d) to reduce noise levels in occupied spaces by providing the ability to split and separately control the power and signals to the start and run windings on a psc AC motor.

8. - The single package design CS of claim 2 using OP methods and apparatus along with other methods and apparatus to control and improve air quality:

a) to provide, maintain, or improve the introduction of an adequate supply of outside air (OA) using adaptive or variable control techniques to meet air quality and ventilation standards, b) to reduce the humidity (in grains per pound) of unit discharge air during the cooling cycle and periods of high ambient humidity by reducing air velocity across the cooling coil surface and by reducing or eliminating over-ventilation, and c) to improve air quality of the spaces being climate conditioned by increasing the efficiency of certain filter media present in the HVAC equipment or associated ductwork by reducing the velocity of air passing through the filter.

9. - The single package design CS of claim 2 using OP methods and apparatus along with other methods and apparatus to control comfort to maintain higher levels of occupant climate comfort in occupied spaces by “

precisely and continuously adapting”

air flow and thermal output of unit discharge air and therefore the introduction of heated, and/or cooled, and/or ventilated air into an occupied space thereby reducing temperature and humidity fluctuations (over/under heating, over/under cooling, over/under ventilating).

10. - The single package design CS of claim 2 using OP methods and apparatus along with other methods and apparatus to improve electric motor operation:

a) to prevent excessive motor in-rush current and system stress by providing an Opto Programmable (OP) “

soft start up”

sequence that can be field set to provide the minimum but needed amount of voltage, frequency and phase versus full v,f,Φ

, to initiate motor operation b) to reduce the premature failure of electric motors and reduce motor burn-outs when exposed to “

sagging”

supply voltages that occur during times of high demand, commonly known as “

brown-outs”

, by providing low voltage “

detection and speed recovery” and

/or “

brown-out ride through capabilities”

through dynamic voltage and frequency adjustment, c) to improve motor longevity;

i) using said soft starts, ii) optimizing voltage, frequency (v/f) and phase (v,f,Φ

) as needed, iii) operating at the minimum voltage/power level required, which is generally much less than line voltage power, and iv) many fewer full on-off cycles, d) to dynamically adjust, adapt and blend motor voltage, frequency and phase as needed to cost effectively optimize and improve motor and/or system performance, e) to minimize motor “

stalling”

by setting the low or “

idle speed”

to a “

motor friendly”

programmed minimum voltage and frequency, and f) to prevent motor stalling during low speed operation resulting from internal or external system anomalies or other variables by detecting, adjusting and maintaining motor operation/speed in accordance with preset OP profile settings. g) to improve operating torque and rpm operating range by splitting and separately controlling the power and signals to the windings of multi-phase AC motors (including the start and run windings on a psc AC motor).

11. - The single package design CS of claim 2 using OP methods and apparatus along with other methods and apparatus to protect associated equipment:

a) to reduce or prevent direct expansion (DX) based cooling coil freeze-ups by detecting coil airflow temperature and air thermal capacity and dynamically and continuously adjusting or adapting airflow to “

lead”

or “

lag”

discharge air temperature as needed, b) to reduce or prevent heat exchanger burn-outs by detecting heat exchanger discharge airflow temperature and air thermal capacity and dynamically and continuously adjusting or adapting airflow to “

lead”

or “

lag”

discharge air temperature as needed, and c) to provide safeguards to application and/or system operations by providing brown-out “

detection and speed recovery” and

/or brown-out ride through capabilities.

12. - The single package design CS of claim 2 using an interface allowing infrared or radio transmitted, full remote control of one or more capabilities of one or more HVAC systems.

13. - The single package design CS of claim 2 using OP methods and apparatus along with other methods and apparatus to conserve fossil fuel and/or electric energy required to generate the heating or cooling capacity in a central plant that is delivered to a heat exchanger (hot water or steam) or cooling coil a) by reducing excessive over heating, and/or over cooling, and/or over ventilating by maintaining “

tighter”

temperature control in the occupied and conditioned space, and b) by accurately and dynamically introducing the proper amount of OA at all times, saving the energy associated with conditioning an excess amount of OA.

14. - The single package design CS of claim 2 using OP methods and apparatus along with other methods and apparatus to increase available capacity of facility central heating and/or cooling plants through prevention of over heating and/or over cooling of individual zones thereby minimizing “

system effect”

losses.

15. A series of new circuit designs that enable the functions described in claims 1-14 wherein this new circuit art has the following specific apparatus, methods and techniques:

a) a new way to control a Triac type circuit using an OP based circuit to programmably and adaptively vary Triac output voltage, frequency and phase concurrently as needed;

b) a new way to control a Triac type circuit using an OP based circuit to adaptively detect, adjust and recover AC motor operation from AC Line voltage drops (brownout ride-thru);

c) a new way to control a Triac type circuit using an OP based circuit to adaptively detect, adjust and recover AC motors from AC Line voltage rises (over-voltage);

d) a new way to control a Triac type circuit using an OP based circuit to adaptively maintain a very low operating level or “

idle speed”

via very low volts, watts, rpms for an AC induction motor,

e) a new way to control a Triac type circuit using an OP based circuit to adaptively detect, adjust and recover AC motors from stalling;

f) a new circuit approach to sensor input, control and integration using OP based circuits along with a new differential bridge circuit to effectively allow analog programming and responsiveness of climate parameters;

specifically but not limited to temperature, humidity, pressure, etc.

g) a new circuit approach to sensor and/or device input, control and integration using OP based circuits to capture and control multiple sensors and devices in a real time, concurrent manner.

h) a new circuit approach to sensor and/or device control and integration using OP based circuits to output control signals and power to multiple sensors and devices in a real time, concurrent manner.

i) a new way to control a permanent split capacitor (psc) type AC induction motor along with a Triac type circuit using an OP based circuit to improve motor operation such as torque, efficiency, speed range and noise by separately powering the start and run motor windings.

j) a new way to control AC induction motors along with a Triac type circuit using OP circuits to control and power significantly different voltage level motors such as 110-130 vac, 220 to 277 vac and others.

5. - An Outside Air (OA) Management and Control System (CS), the new art using both apparatus and methods to improve the introduction of OA (or ventilation air, or Economizer air, or Free Cooling air) into an occupied space by eliminating the typical, large, difficult-to-seal, rectangular “

thru the wall”

sleeve with louver and electro-mechanical (or mechanical) damper which poorly approximates actual OA quantities being introduced with a smaller, round, tightly sealed hole(s)/penetrations(s) through the wall with an attached variable speed fan(s) to adaptively and accurately introduce OA to meet or control changing demands.