AIR-CONDITIONING CONTROLLING SYSTEM AND AIR-CONDITIONING CONTROLLING METHOD

• US 20130014927A1
• Filed: 07/10/2012
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Azbil Corporation (Azbil BioVigilant Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Azbil Corporation (Azbil BioVigilant Incorporated)
• Inventors: DAZAI, Ryouta
• Granted Patent: US 9,217,575 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/208
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/76 by means responsive to temperature, e.g. bimetal springs
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/54 Heating and cooling, simultaneously or alternatively
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 3/044 Systems in which all treatment is given in the central station, i.e. all-air systems

Abstract

Individual VAV controllers send, to an air-conditioner controller, current cooling/heating requirement information for the controlled area that is controlled by that VAV controller. If there is a mixing of a cooling requirement and a heating requirement in the cooling/heating requirement information that is received, the air-conditioner controller establishes a cold air temperature setting value and a hot air temperature setting value that can handle the cooling requirements and the heating requirements at that time, to perform alternating switching of a supply air temperature setting value. If a VAV controller that requires heating is supplied cold air, it blocks the supply of air to the controlled area. If a VAV controller that requires cooling is supplied hot air, it blocks the supply of air to the controlled area.

Claims

1. An air-conditioning controlling system comprising:

a plurality of supply air flow rate controllers controlling flow rates of supply air that is supplied from an air-conditioner to a plurality of controlled areas in accordance with load statuses of the controlled areas, and

a supply air temperature controller controlling, to a supply air temperature setting value, the temperature of the air that is supplied from the air-conditioner to the plurality of controlled areas, wherein;

each supply airflow rate controller comprises;

a requirement sending device sending to the supply air temperature controller cooling/heating requirement information indicating whether the current load status of the controlled area controlled by that supply air flow rate controller requires cooling or requires heating; and

the supply air temperature controller comprises;

a cold air/hot air switching device receiving the cooling/heating requirement information sent from the individual supply air flow rate controller, setting a cold air temperature setting value and a hot air temperature setting value able to accommodate the cooling requirements and heating requirements at that time if there is a mixture of a cooling requirement and a heating requirement in the cooling/heating requirement information that has been received, and for alternatingly switching the supply air temperature setting value between the cold air temperature setting value and the hot air temperature setting value that have been determined.

2. The air-conditioning controlling system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

each supply air flow rate controller is provided in a VAV controller that is provided for each individual controlled area; and

the supply air temperature controller is provided in an air-conditioner controller that is provided for the air-conditioner.

3. The air-conditioning controlling system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the individual supply airflow rate controller and the supply air temperature controller are provided in a single control device.

4. The air-conditioning controlling system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

each individual supply airflow rate controller comprises;

a first supply air blocking device blocking the supply of air to the controlled area if the current load status of the controlled area it controls requires heating and cold air is supplied as the supply air from the air-conditioner; and

a second supply air blocking device blocking the supply of air to the controlled area if the current load status of the controlled area it controls requires cooling and hot air is supplied as the supply air from the air-conditioner.

5. The air-conditioning controlling system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the cold air/hot air switching device determines the cold air temperature setting value, the hot air temperature setting value, and a time interval for alternatingly switching between the cold air temperature setting value and the hot air temperature setting value, based on a relationship of the magnitudes of the cooling requirements and the heating requirements when there is a mixture of a cooling requirement and a heating requirement in the cooling/heating requirement information that has been received.

6. The air-conditioning controlling system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the cold air/hot air switching device, when there is no mixing of a cooling requirement and a heating requirement in the cooling/heating requirement information that has been received, predicts, from the current load statuses of the individual controlled areas, a mixing of a cooling requirement and a heating requirement, and, prior to performing alternating switching of the cold air temperature setting value and the hot air temperature setting value, corrects, in the direction of excess-loading, the room temperature setting values for controlled areas other than a source of a cooling/heating requirement for which the cooling/heating requirement information is predicted to go to a state that is opposite of the current cooling/heating requirement.

7. An air-conditioning controlling method applied to a system comprising a plurality of supply air flow rate controller controlling flow rates of supply air that is supplied from an air-conditioner to a plurality of controlled areas in accordance with load statuses of the controlled areas, and supply air temperature controlling means for controlling, to a supply air temperature setting value, the temperature of the air that is supplied from the air-conditioner, comprising the steps of:

a requirement sending step sending, from each supply airflow rate controller, cooling/heating requirement information indicating whether the current load status of the controlled area controlled by that supply air flow rate controller requires cooling or requires heating; and

a cold air/hot air switching step receiving the cooling/heating requirement information sent from the individual supply air flow rate controller, setting a cold air temperature setting value and a hot air temperature setting value able to accommodate the cooling requirements and heating requirements at that time if there is a mixture of a cooling requirement and a heating requirement in the cooling/heating requirement information that has been received, and for alternatingly switching the supply air temperature setting value between the cold air temperature setting value and the hot air temperature setting value that have been determined.

8. The air-conditioning controlling method as set forth in claim 7, wherein:

each individual supply airflow rate controller is provided in a VAV controller that is provided for each individual controlled area; and

each supply temperature controller is provided in an air-conditioner controller that is provided for the air-conditioner.

9. The air-conditioning controlling method as set forth in claim 7, wherein:

the individual supply airflow rate controller and the supply air temperature controller are provided in a single control device.

10. The air-conditioning controlling method as set forth in claim 7, wherein:

a first supply air blocking step blocking, in each supply airflow rate controller, the supply of air to the controlled area if the current load status of the controlled area it controls requires heating and cold air is supplied as the supply air from the air-conditioner; and

a second supply air blocking step blocking, in each supply airflow rate controller, the supply of air to the controlled area if the current load status of the controlled area it controls requires cooling and hot air is supplied as the supply air from the air-conditioner.

11. The air-conditioning controlling method as set forth in claim 7, wherein:

the cold air/hot air supplying step determines the cold air temperature setting value, the hot air temperature setting value, and a time interval for alternatingly switching between the cold air temperature setting value and the hot air temperature setting value, based on a relationship of the magnitudes of the cooling requirements and the heating requirements when there is a mixture of a cooling requirement and a heating requirement in the cooling/heating requirement information that has been received.

12. The air-conditioning controlling method as set forth in claim 7, wherein:

the cold air/hot air switching step, when there is no mixing of a cooling requirement and a heating requirement in the cooling/heating requirement information that has been received, predicts, from the current load statuses of the individual controlled areas, a mixing of a cooling requirement and a heating requirement, and, prior to performing alternating switching of the cold air temperature setting value and the hot air temperature setting value, corrects, in the direction of excess-loading, the room temperature setting values for controlled areas other than a source of a cooling/heating requirement for which the cooling/heating requirement information is predicted to go to a state that is opposite of the current cooling/heating requirement.