Energy saving integrated lighting and HVAC system

• US 20090032604A1
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jack V. Miller
• Original Assignee: Jack V. Miller
• Inventors: Miller, Jack V.
• Granted Patent: US 8,397,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 236/47
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric

Abstract

This invention integrates energy saving lighting with energy saving HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning). This system is termed by the inventor “ILAC” (Integrated Lighting and Air Conditioning). An ILAC system includes light fixtures mounted in a ceiling and, emitting lamp heat into a plenum and visible light into a room. A central computer controls both lighting and HVAC systems. In a COOL mode an HVAC unit cools the room through a supply air duct and return air duct and the lamp heat exits the plenum through an exhaust duct. In a HEAT mode the HVAC heats the room through the same supply air duct, a ceiling-to-plenum duct carries the heated room air into the plenum, and an HVAC return air duct carries room and plenum heat back into the HVAC unit that uses less power to heat the lamp-warmed return air. In a thermostat-controlled OFF mode, warm room air convects through the ceiling duct into the plenum and exhausts through a plenum exhaust duct along with lamp-heated plenum air. Optionally, plenum exhaust duct may include a radiator to transfer plenum heat to pre-heat water entering a remote hot water heater.

Claims

1. An integrated lighting and HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) system for one or more rooms, each room (21) having a heat-insulating ceiling (20) separating each respective room from a plenum (19);

at least one lamp (18) mounted in or above each ceiling, said lamps emitting lamp IR (17) into the plenum above the room and emitting only visible light (23), substantially without heat, through one or more thermal barriers (22), into the room;

a number of ventilation ducts (24, 27, 30), connecting the rooms and one or more plenums to one or more HVAC units (15, 41), said ducts optionally having remotely operated dampers (25, 26, 29); and

a central computer (40) operating said HVAC units (15, 41) and dampers (25, 26, 29) to control energy use (41, 43) based on environmental sensor inputs (42) and HVAC feedback (41).

2. An integrated lighting and HVAC system according to claim 1 in which the environmental sensor inputs (42) are selected from the group including:

room occupancy, room temperature, room humidity, plenum temperature, light status, outside air temperature; and

the HVAC (41) performance feedback data is selected from the group including input air temperature, supply air outlet temperature, heater temperature, chiller temperature, air outlet humidity, air velocity and HVAC line voltage.

3. An integrated lighting and HVAC system according to claim 1 in which the lamps (18) may be individually or collectively switched on, off or dimmed by the central computer (40) using occupancy sensor data or occupant function data.

16. An integrated lighting and air conditioning system according to claim 1 or claim 4 in which the lamps are attached to a generally horizontal surface supported from a pair of parallel suspended-ceiling T-bar runners that also support a dual-surface light-transmitting lens assembly beneath said lamps.

17. An integrated lighting and air conditioning system according to claim 1 or claim 4 in which the lamps are attached to a generally horizontal surface supported from a pair of parallel suspended-ceiling T-bar runners that also support a dual-surface light-transmitting lens assembly beneath said lamps, said dual-surface lens having an air space between the two lens surfaces.

4. An integrated lighting and air conditioning system including:

at least one light source (18) above a thermally insulative ceiling (20) separating a room (21) from a plenum (19), each said light source emitting heat (17) into the plenum above the room and emitting visible light (23) into the room;

an HVAC (15) unit heating or cooling ventilation air;

a supply air outlet (24) connecting the outlet of the HVAC unit to the room;

a room air return damper (26) connecting said room to the a return inlet (27) of the HVAC unit;

a plenum exhaust air duct (30) connecting said plenum (19) to external air the a ceiling air damper (25) connecting said room (20) to said plenum (19);

a plenum exhaust/return air damper (29) connecting said plenum (19) to the a HVAC unit inlet (27);

a thermostatic control (16) having at least three-positions including COOL, OFF, and HEAT, and an optional FAN switch; and

a system of controllable dampers (25, 26, 29) controlling and circulating air from the HVAC unit through the room and plenum.

5. An integrated lighting and HVAC system according to claim 4 in which the environmental sensor inputs (42) are selected from the group including:

room occupancy, room temperature, room humidity, plenum temperature, light status, outside air temperature; and

the HVAC (41) performance feedback data is selected from the group including input air temperature, supply air outlet temperature, heater temperature, chiller temperature, air outlet humidity, air velocity and HVAC line voltage.

6. An integrated lighting and air conditioning system according to claim 4, operating in a COOL mode in which:

while the thermostat (16) is in the COOL mode wherein a central computer (40) closes a ceiling air damper (25), and opens a room air return damper (26);

whereby a blower (28) of the HVAC unit (15) circulates cool air through the supply air outlet (24) into the room (21) and back through the return air damper (26) into the HVAC unit return air inlet (27); and

wherein the ceiling air damper (25) is closed and a plenum air inlet (31) is opened, permitting lamp heat (17) in plenum (19) to convect in through the plenum (19) and through an exhaust/return air damper (29) to be exhausted through the plenum exhaust duct (30); and

alternatively, a FAN ONLY mode may be used to assist convention with minimum power consumption.

7. An integrated lighting and air conditioning system according to claim 4, operating in an OFF mode in cool weather in which:

while the thermostat (16) is in the OFF mode a central computer (40) closes a ceiling air damper (25), opens a plenum air inlet (31) and opens a room air return damper (26);

wherein a blower (28) of the HVAC unit (15) is OFF, permitting air from the supply air outlet (24) to convect upwards into said room (21) and enter said return air inlet (27), to cool and subside back through the HVAC unit (15), down and through the supply air outlet (24) and into the room (21); and

wherein said ceiling air damper (25) remains closed and plenum air inlet (31) is opened, permitting the lamp heat (17) in the plenum (19) to convect through said the plenum (19), through an exhaust/return air damper (29) to block plenum air from entering the HVAC return air inlet (27) and be exhausted through the plenum exhaust duct (30); and

alternatively, a FAN-ONLY mode may be used to operate the fan at a low flow rate to assist convection with minimum power consumption.

8. An integrated lighting and air conditioning system according to claim 4, operating in a HEAT mode in which:

while a the thermostat (16) is in the HEAT mode, a central computer (40) opens a ceiling air damper (25), closes a room air return damper (26), opens an exhaust/return air damper (29) to the return air inlet (27), and closes an exhaust/return air damper (29), to the return air inlet (2), precluding flow through a plenum exhaust duct (30);

whereby a blower (28) of the HVAC unit (15) circulates warm air through the return air inlet (27) and further heats and circulates heated air through the supply air outlet (24) into the room (21) and back through the open ceiling air damper (25) with plenum air inlet (31) closed, whereby warm room (21) air receives lamp IR heat (17) in plenum (19) and passes through exhaust/return air damper (29), which is closed to plenum exhaust duct (30), and open to return air inlet (27), whereby warm room air is re-heated by the lamp IR heat and re-circulated by the blower (28) into the room (21).

9. An integrated lighting and air conditioning system according to claim 4, operating in an OFF mode in warm weather in which:

while the thermostat (16) is in the OFF mode, a central computer (40) opens a ceiling air damper (25), with a plenum air inlet (31) closed, and opens a room air return damper (26);

wherein a blower (28) of the HVAC unit (15) is OFF, permitting air from the supply air outlet (24) to convect upwards into the room (21) and back through the return air damper (26) into the HVAC unit return air inlet (27), and to subside from the return air inlet (27) down and through the supply air outlet (24);

or alternatively, a FAN-ONLY mode may be used to operate the HVAC fan at a low flow rate to assist convection with minimum power consumption; and

the ceiling air damper (25) is opened and the plenum air inlet (31) closed, permitting lamp heat (17) in the plenum (19) to convect through the plenum (19), through an exhaust/return air damper (29) to be exhausted through the plenum exhaust duct (30).

10. An integrated lighting and HVAC system for one or more rooms, each room (21) being connected to at least one HVAC unit (15) through one or more supply air outlets (24) and return air inlets (27);

a heat-insulating divider (20a) separating each respective room from a non-air-conditioned space (19a);

at least one lamp (18) in a fiber optic projector (1) mounted in said non-air-conditioned space, said lamp emitting lamp heat (17) into the non-air-conditioned space, wherein said heat may be vented out of said non-air-conditioned space through at least one exhaust duct (30);

said lamps (18) emitting only visible light without heat (23), through integral thermal barriers (22) in the form of thermal filters and optical fibers (2) emitting light into room (21) through fiber optic luminaires (3); and

a thermostat controlling the temperature of heated or cooled air passing through supply air outlet (24).

11. An integrated lighting and HVAC system according to claim 10 in which the environmental sensor inputs (42) are selected from the group including:

room occupancy, room temperature, room humidity, plenum temperature, light status, outside air temperature; and

HVAC (41) performance feedback data is selected from the group including input air temperature, supply air outlet temperature, heater temperature, chiller temperature, air outlet humidity, air velocity and HVAC line voltage.

12. An integrated lighting and air conditioning system according to claim 10 in which the thermostat (16) is one of a number of inputs to a central computer that controls the HVAC (15) unit and remotely-operated air duct dampers.

13. An integrated lighting and air conditioning system according to claim 10 in which the lamp thermal barrier (22) of each fiber optic projector is disposed between the lamp (18 and ther optical fibers (2).

14. An integrated lighting and air conditioning system according to claim 10 in which the lamps (18) are fiber optic projectors (1) in the non air-conditioned space (19a), wherein the heat-insulating divider (20a) is a side wall of the room (21), the non air-conditioned space is a utility area or closet adjacent to the room, and optical fibers (2) transmit light from projector (1) to fiber optic luminaires (3) in optional locations.

15. An integrated lighting and air conditioning system according to claim 10 in which the lamps (18) are fiber optic projectors (1) in the non air-conditioned space (19a) comprising a utility area or equipment closet adjacent to the room, and also housing one or more HVAC units (15).