GENERAL CONTROL TECHNIQUES IN A HEATING, VENTILATION AND AIR CONDITIONING NETWORK

• US 20100106309A1
• Filed: 10/21/2009
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lennox Industries Incorporated (Lennox International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Lennox Industries Incorporated (Lennox International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hadzidedic, Darko, Thorson, Timothy H., Mirza, Muhammad Ali, Grohman, Wojciech, Wallaert, Timothy E., Kailani, Ammar
• Granted Patent: US 8,798,796 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 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/50 Air quality properties
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1931 to control the temperature of one space
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/24 the sensing element having a resistance varying with temperature, e.g. a thermistor
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 27/02 characterised by the use of electric means

Abstract

The disclosure provides an HVAC data processing and communication network. In various embodiments of systems and methods including a bus, a compressor is coupled to the bus, and a subnet controller is coupled to the bus. The subnet controller disables the compressor when acting upon a dehumidification command.

Claims

1. An HVAC network, comprising:

a bus;

a compressor coupled to said bus; and

a subnet controller coupled to said bus;

wherein said subnet controller disables said compressor when acting upon a dehumidification command.

2. The HVAC network of claim 1, further comprising a user interface coupled to said bus.

3. The HVAC network of claim 1, further including an RFID tag system for use with said HVAC network, comprising:

a temperature sensor including;

a) an RFID tag; and

b) a thermistor; and

an RFID receiver for receiving a reading of said thermistor by said RFID tag.

4. The RFID tag system of claim 3, wherein said temperature sensor is a comfort sensor.

5. The RFID tag system of claim 3, further comprising a battery coupled to said RFID tag.

6. The RFID tag system of claim 3, wherein a plurality of said temperature sensors are placed around a room.

7. The RFID tag system of claim 6, wherein said temperature sensors each have a separate broadcast frequency.

8. A method for employing an HVAC network, comprising:

receiving a dehumidification command; and

disabling a compressor coupled to said HVAC network when acting upon said dehumidification command.

9. The method of claim 8, further including using weather information in said HVAC network, comprising:

gathering, by said HVAC network, forecasted weather information; and

deciding upon HVAC conditioning states by said HVAC network based upon said forecasted weather information.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising wherein said HVAC network receives said forecasted weather information from an Internet, coupled to said HVAC network through a gateway.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

gathering current weather information by said HVAC network; and

displaying said current weather information to a user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said HVAC conditioning states are selected from the group consisting of:

a) heating;

b) cooling;

c) ventilating;

d) humidifying; and

e) dehumidifying.

13. The method of claim 8, further including employing an RFID tag in a sensor in said HVAC network, comprising:

sending an interrogatory signal to said RFID tag in said sensor in said HVAC network;

recognizing, by said RFID tag, said interrogatory signal;

reading a thermistor of said sensor for a thermistor value by said RFID tag; and

broadcasting by said RFID tag, said thermistor value.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising an RFID receiver of said HVAC network receiving said broadcasted thermistor value from said RFID.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said sensor is a comfort sensor that includes a humidity sensor.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising employing a battery to read said thermistor.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising placing a plurality of sensors each including RFID tags, around a room.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein:

said sensors each can recognize a separate interrogatory frequency.

said RFID is powered by its own received interrogatory frequency, and

said sensor is read by said HVAC network.

said sensor is not read continuously by said HVAC network.

19. An HVAC network, comprising:

a bus;

a compressor coupled to said bus; and

a subnet controller coupled to said bus;

wherein said subnet controller disables said compressor when acting upon a dehumidification command, and

wherein said dehumidification command is received by said subnet controller over an Internet.

20. The HVAC network of claim 19, further comprising a user interface coupled to said bus.