SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING ROOM TEMPERATURE IN BUILDING USING PREDICTIVE CONTROL

• US 20090112369A1
• Filed: 09/18/2006
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Schweiz AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Todtli, Jurg, Gwerder, Markus
• Granted Patent: US 8,818,563 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/277
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 7/00 Ventilation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/00 Systems controlled by a computer G05B13/00, G05B19/00 take precedence; automatic controllers with particular characteristics G05B11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1923 using thermal energy, the cost of which varies in function of time
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1932 to control the temperature of a plurality of spaces

Abstract

In a building which has at least two floors, an apparatus for controlling and regulating room temperature having a hierarchical structure includes a predictive device on the top level, that provides optimal control of the use of at least one free energy source, and at least one device on a lower level which is used for feedback regulation of at least one additional energy source. The predictive device uses a building model and repeatedly optimizes the energy requirement or the energy costs. The regulation strategy of the predictive device uses characteristics of a passive heat accumulator of the building.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A system with a hierarchical structure having at least two levels for controlling and regulating room temperature in a building, comprising:

at least one predictive device, arranged at an upper level, providing optimum control of use of at least one substantially free energy source; and

at least one subordinate device, arranged at a lower level subordinate to the upper level, providing feedback regulation of at least one additional energy source.

16. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein said at least one predictive device uses a building model and has a regulation strategy that utilizes properties of a passive heat accumulator of the building.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein, instead of a desired temperature, a comfort temperature band is used, delimited by a lower temperature and an upper temperature and in which the room temperature is regulated.

18. The system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the comfort temperature band spans at least two degrees Kelvin.

19. The system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the comfort temperature band spans at least four degrees Kelvin.

20. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein said at least one predictive device includes means for repeatedly optimizing at least one of energy consumption and energy cost.

21. The system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the optimizing is carried out by linear programming.

22. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the substantially free energy source used by said at least one predictive device includes at least one of sunlight, waste heat, outside air, sea water and ground.

23. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein said at least one predictive device generates a control signal for said at least one subordinate device for feedback regulation, the control signal having information relating to the optimum use of the free energy source.

24. The system as claimed in claim 15,

further comprising at least one solar protection device, and

wherein said at least one predictive device calculates a control signal for said at least one solar protection device, and the control signal is transmitted to said at least one subordinate device.

25. The system as claimed in claim 15,

further comprising at least one energy recovery device, and

wherein said at least one predictive device calculates a control signal for said at least one energy recovery device, and the control signal is transmitted to said at least one subordinate device.

26. The system as claimed in claim 15,

further comprising at least one cooling tower, and

wherein said at least one predictive device calculates a control signal for said at least one cooling tower, and the control signal is transmitted to said at least one subordinate device.

27. The system as claimed in claim 15,

further comprising at least one air damper, and

wherein said at least one predictive device calculates a control signal for said at least one air damper, and the control signal is transmitted to said at least one subordinate device.

28. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein said at least one subordinate device controls equipment controls at least one of free energy resources and equipment controlling cost intensive energy sources.