PRIORITY CONDITIONING IN A MULTI-ZONE CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20090030555A1
• Filed: 07/27/2007
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emme E2MS, LLC
• Original Assignee: Emme E2MS, LLC
• Inventors: Gray, Josh Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,061,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/277
• 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 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• 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

Abstract

A method and mechanism for performing a prioritized determining of a climate conditioning to be provided to a zone in a multiple zone structure. In one embodiment of the invention, the determining of a climate conditioning to be provided to a zone is to be a prioritized determining, where a climate control condition is determined to satisfy a priority condition of the first zone. In another embodiment, the first priority condition associated with the first zone is based at least in part on an assigning of a first priority to the first zone.

Claims

1. A method for selectively controlling a climate of a first zone of a building having multiple zones, the method comprising:

determining that a climate control condition satisfies a first priority condition associated with the first zone, the first priority condition associated with the first zone based at least in part on an assigning of a first priority to the first zone; and

determining a climate conditioning to provide to the first zone where the climate control condition of the first zone satisfies the first priority condition associated with the first zone, the determined climate conditioning based at least in part on the assigned first priority of the zone.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first priority indicates at least in part a relative preference between providing one or more climate conditioning resources to a zone assigned the first priority and providing one or more climate conditioning resources to another zone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first priority of the first zone includes:

a first priority type associated with a set of one or more climate conditioning resources; and

a first priority level of the first priority type.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing to one or more zones a climate conditioning including the determined climate conditioning; and

changing the provided climate conditioning based at least in part on a priority assigned to the one or more zones.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first priority condition associated with the first zone includes a climate condition of the first zone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined climate conditioning is further based on a climate control condition of a second zone of the multiple zones.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the climate conditioning to provide to the first zone includes identifying one or more contributing zones from which a set of climate conditioning resources are to be redirected.

8. A machine readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

determining that a climate control condition satisfies a first priority condition associated with the first zone, the first priority condition associated with the first zone based at least in part on an assigning of a first priority to the first zone; and

determining a climate conditioning to provide to the first zone where the climate control condition of the first zone satisfies the first priority condition associated with the first zone, the determined climate conditioning based at least in part on the assigned first priority of the zone.

9. The machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first priority of the first zone includes:

a first priority type associated with a set of one or more climate conditioning resources; and

a first priority level of the first priority type.

10. The machine readable medium of claim 8, the method further comprising:

providing to one or more zones a climate conditioning including the determined climate conditioning; and

changing the provided climate conditioning based at least in part on a priority assigned to the one or more zones.

11. The machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein the climate control condition satisfying the first priority condition associated with the first zone includes a climate condition of the first zone.

12. The machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein the determined climate conditioning is further based on a climate control condition of a second zone of the multiple zones.

13. The machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein determining the climate conditioning to provide to the first zone includes identifying one or more contributing zones from which a set of climate conditioning resources are to be redirected to the first zone.

14. A system to selectively control a climate of a first zone of a building having multiple zones, the system comprising:

receiving means for receiving one of a climate control condition and a first priority condition associated with the first zone, the first priority condition associated with the first zone based at least in part on an assigning of a first priority to the first zone;

a memory to store the other of the climate control condition and the first priority condition associated with the first zone;

processing means coupled to the receiving means and the memory, the processing means for determining that the climate control condition satisfies the first priority condition associated with the first zone, the processing means further for determining a climate conditioning to provide to the first zone where the climate control condition of the first zone satisfies the first priority condition associated with the first zone, the determined climate conditioning based at least in part on the assigned first priority of the zone.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first priority of the first zone includes:

a first priority type associated with a set of one or more climate conditioning resources; and

a first priority level of the first priority type.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein determining the climate conditioning to provide to the first zone includes identifying one or more contributing zones from which a set of climate conditioning resources are to be redirected.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein determining a climate conditioning to provide to the first zone further comprises determining a distribution of climate conditioning resources between the first zone and the one or more contributing zones.

18. The system of claim 14, the system further comprising:

control means coupled to the determining means to provide climate conditioning control signals based at least in part on the determined climate conditioning;

climate conditioning means coupled to the control means to provide a climate conditioning to one or more zones including the first zone in response to the climate conditioning control signals of the control means

the processing means further to determine a change to the provided climate conditioning based at least in part on a priority assigned to the one or more zones.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein determining the climate conditioning to provide to the first zone includes pro-rating a distribution of one or more climate conditioning resources among one or more zones, the pro-rating based at least in part on respective weights assigned to the one or more zones.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the first priority indicates at least in part a relative preference between providing one or more climate conditioning resources to a zone assigned the first priority and providing one or more climate conditioning resources to another zone.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein determining that a climate control condition of the first zone satisfies a first priority condition associated with the first zone comprises:

determining the first priority condition associated with the first zone;

receiving an indication of the climate control condition of the first zone; and

comparing the received indication of the climate control condition of the first zone to the determined first priority condition associated with the first zone.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a receiver to receive one of a climate control condition and a first priority condition associated with the first zone, the first priority condition associated with the first zone based at least in part on an assigning of a first priority to the first zone;

a memory to store the other of the climate control condition and the first priority condition associated with the first zone;

one or more processors coupled to the receiver and the memory, the one or more processors to determine that the climate control condition satisfies the first priority condition associated with the first zone, the one or more processors further to determine a climate conditioning to provide to the first zone where the climate control condition of the first zone satisfies the first priority condition associated with the first zone, the determined climate conditioning based at least in part on the assigned first priority of the zone.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first priority indicates at least in part a relative preference between providing one or more climate conditioning resources to a zone assigned the first priority and providing one or more climate conditioning resources to another zone.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein determining the climate conditioning to provide to the first zone includes identifying one or more contributing zones from which a set of climate conditioning resources are to be redirected.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising assigning the first priority to the first node.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein assigning the first priority comprises assigning in response to an implicit request of a user.