DISTRIBUTED INDOOR AIR QUALITY CONTROL MODULE AND METHOD

• US 20130260668A1
• Filed: 03/29/2012
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Crooks, Kenneth William, Stakutis, Richard Edward
• Granted Patent: US 9,347,678 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 454/256
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/0001 for ventilation F24F11/30 takes precedence
• 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 11/74 for controlling air flow rate or air velocity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/50 Air quality properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/66 Volatile organic compounds [VOC]
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/70 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/72 Carbon monoxide
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

An indoor air quality (IAQ) control module may be provided for sensing and controlling the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of a zone in a building. The IAQ control module may receive a supply air sample from a supply vent and a return air sample from a return vent, where the air samples are taken using the pressure created by a blower within the HVAC system. The IAQ control module may then compute a differential value for each of the sensed one or more air parameters and generate a control signal or command based on at least the differential value(s). The IAQ control module may then communicate the control signal to an airflow control device to control the airflow to and/or from the zone.

Claims

1. A indoor air quality (IAQ) control module for a zone of a building, the building having an HVAC system with a blower for supplying supply air to the zone and for drawing return air from the zone, the air quality control module comprising:

at least one sensor;

a first pressure tap for receiving a supply air sample from the supply air under pressure created by the blower of the HVAC system, the air quality control module directing the supply air sample, while still under pressure created by the blower of the HVAC system, past the at least one sensor and to a vent, the at least one sensor configured to sense a first air parameter of the supply air sample before the supply air sample exits through the vent;

a second pressure tap for receiving a return air sample from the return air under pressure created by the blower of the HVAC system, the air quality control module directing the return air sample, while still under pressure created by the blower of the HVAC system, past the at least one sensor and to the vent, the at least one sensor configured to sense the first air parameter of the return air sample before the return air sample exits through the vent;

a controller for causing the air quality control module to alternate between sensing the first air parameter of the supply air sample and sensing the first air parameter of the return air sample; and

the controller outputting a measure that is related to a differential between the sensed first air parameter of the supply air sample and the sensed first air parameter of the return air sample.

2. The indoor air quality (IAQ) control module of claim 1, wherein the HVAC system includes one or more air control valves that service the zone of the building, and wherein the indoor air quality control module provides one or more control signals to an air valve controller that controls the one or more air control valves, the one or more control signals based, at least in part, on the measure related to the differential between the sensed first air parameter of the supply air sample and the sensed first air parameter of the return air sample.

3. The indoor air quality (IAQ) control module of claim 2, wherein the HVAC system includes a supply air duct that delivers the supply air to the zone of the building, and a return air duct for drawing return air from the zone of the building, wherein the first pressure tap receives the supply air sample from the supply air duct and the second pressure tap receives the return air sample from the return air duct of the zone.

4. The indoor air quality (IAQ) control module of claim 3, further comprising a funnel fluidly coupled to the second pressure tap, the funnel extending into the return air duct of the HVAC system and configured to help amplify the pressure created by the blower of the HVAC system in the return air sample.

5. The indoor air quality (IAQ) control module of claim 3, further comprising a flexible and/or rigid tube extending between the first pressure tap and the supply air duct.

6. The indoor air quality (IAQ) control module of claim 1, further comprising a solenoid valve coupled to the controller, the controller causing the solenoid valve to alternate between directing the directing the supply air sample past the at least one sensor and to the vent and directing the return air sample past the at least one sensor and to the vent.

7. The indoor air quality (IAQ) control module of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes one or more of a particulate air contaminant sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a carbon dioxide sensor, a carbon monoxide sensor, and a volatile organic compound sensor.

8. The indoor air quality (IAQ) control module of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one sensor is also configured to sense a second air parameter of the supply air sample before the supply air sample exits through the vent, and is configured to sense the second air parameter of the return air sample before the return air sample exits through the vent;

the controller causing the air quality control module to alternate between sensing the second parameter of the supply air sample and sensing the second air parameter of the return air sample; and

the controller outputting a measure that is related to a differential between the sensed second air parameter of the supply air sample and the sensed second air parameter of the return air sample.

9. A indoor air quality (IAQ) control module for a zone of a building, the building having an HVAC system with a blower for supplying supply air to the zone via a supply air duct, and for drawing return air from the zone via a return air duct, the HVAC system further having one or more air control valves that control an amount of supply air that is supplied to the zone via the supply air duct and/or an amount of return air drawn from the zone via the return air duct, the air quality control module comprising:

at least one sensor;

a first pressure tap configured to be fluidly coupled to the supply air duct of the HVAC system for receiving a supply air sample from the supply air duct under pressure created by the blower of the HVAC system, the air quality control module directing the supply air sample, while still under pressure created by the blower of the HVAC system, past the at least one sensor and to an exhaust vent, the at least one sensor configured to sense a first air parameter of the supply air sample before the supply air sample exits through the exhaust vent;

a second pressure tap configured to be fluidly coupled to the return air duct of the HVAC system for receiving a return air sample from the return air duct under pressure created by the blower of the HVAC system, the air quality control module directing the return air sample, while still under pressure created by the blower of the HVAC system, past the at least one sensor and to the exhaust vent, the at least one sensor configured to sense the first air parameter of the return air sample before the return air sample exits through the exhaust vent;

a controller for causing the air quality control module to alternate between sensing the first air parameter of the supply air sample and sensing the first air parameter of the return air sample;

the controller determining a measure that is related to a differential between the sensed first air parameter of the supply air sample and the sensed first air parameter of the return air sample; and

the controller outputting one or more control signals to an air valve controller that controls the one or more air control valves, the one or more control signals based, at least in part, on the measure related to the differential between the sensed first air parameter of the supply air sample and the sensed first air parameter of the return air sample.

10. The indoor air quality (IAQ) control module of claim 9, further comprising a funnel or cone fluidly coupled to the second pressure tap, the funnel or cone extending into the return air duct of the HVAC system and configured to help amplify the pressure created by the blower of the HVAC system in the return air sample.

11. The indoor air quality (IAQ) control module of claim 9, further comprising a solenoid valve coupled to the controller, the controller causing the solenoid valve to alternate between directing the directing the supply air sample past the at least one sensor and to the exhaust vent and directing the return air sample past the at least one sensor and to the exhaust vent.

12. The indoor air quality (IAQ) control module of claim 9, further comprising a flexible tube fluidly connecting the first pressure tap and the supply air duct.

13. The indoor air quality (IAQ) control module of claim 9, wherein the one or more air control valves includes a return air valve, and the air valve controller controls the return air valve.

14. The indoor air quality (IAQ) control module of claim 9, wherein the one or more air control valves includes a supply air valve, and the air valve controller controls the supply air valve.

15. The indoor air quality (IAQ) control module of claim 9, wherein the one or more air control valves includes a return air valve and a supply air valve, and wherein the air valve controller controls the return air valve and the supply air valve.

16. The indoor air quality (IAQ) control module of claim 9, wherein the at least one sensor includes one or more of a particulate air contaminant sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, a carbon dioxide sensor, a carbon monoxide sensor, and a volatile organic compound sensor.

17. A method for sensing one or more air parameters of a zone of a building HVAC system having a blower for providing supply air and for drawing return air from the zone, the method comprising:

obtaining a supply air sample from the supply air that is supplied to the zone using a pressure created by the blower of the building HVAC system;

obtaining a return air sample from the return air that is draw from the zone also using the pressure created by the blower of the building HVAC system;

sensing an air parameter of the supply air sample using a first sensor;

subsequently sensing the air parameter of the return air sample using the first sensor;

determining at least one differential air parameter value using the sensed air parameter of the supply air sample and the sensed air parameter of the return air sample; and

providing an environmental air quality signal that is based, at least in part, on the differential air parameter value.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising controlling one or more air control valves that service the zone of the building based, at least in part, on the environmental air quality signal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more air control valves includes a return air valve, and the method includes controlling the return air valve based, at least in part, on the environmental air quality signal.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more air control valves includes a supply air valve, and the method includes controlling the supply air valve based, at least in part, on the environmental air quality signal.

21. A indoor air quality (IAQ) control module for a zone of a building, the building having an HVAC system with a blower for supplying supply air to the zone and for drawing return air from the zone, the air quality control module comprising:

at least one sensor;

a first pressure tap for receiving a first air sample of air entering the zone under pressure created by the blower of the HVAC system, the air quality control module directing the first air sample, while still under pressure created by the blower of the HVAC system, past the at least one sensor and to a vent, the at least one sensor configured to sense a first air parameter of the first air sample before the first air sample exits through the vent;

a second pressure tap for receiving a second air sample from air leaving the zone using a pressure created by the blower of the HVAC system, the air quality control module directing the second air sample, while still under pressure created by the HVAC system and/or the pump, past the same at least one sensor and to the vent, the at least one sensor configured to sense the same first air parameter of the second air sample before the second air sample exits through the vent;

a third pressure tap for receiving a third air sample from air within the zone using a pressure created by the blower of the HVAC system and/or a pump, the air quality control module directing the third air sample, while still under pressure created by the HVAC system and/or the pump, past the same at least one sensor and to the vent, the at least one sensor configured to sense the same first air parameter of the third air sample before the third air sample exits through the vent;

a controller for causing the air quality control module to alternate between sensing the first air parameter of the first air sample, sensing the first air parameter of the second air sample, and sensing the first air parameter of the third air sample; and

the controller outputting a measure that is related to a differential between the sensed first air parameter of the first air sample and the sensed first air parameter of the second air sample and/or a measure that is related to a differential between the sensed first air parameter of the first air sample and the sensed first air parameter of the third air sample.

22. The indoor air quality (IAQ) control module of claim 21, wherein the controller causes the air quality control module to alternate between sensing the first air parameter of the first air sample, sensing the first air parameter of the second air sample, and sensing the first air parameter of the third air sample using a sensed pressure differential between the second air sample and the third air sample.