TEMPERATURE GRADIENT REDUCTION USING BUILDING MODEL AND HVAC BLOWER
First Claim
1. A method of reducing temperature gradients in a building having multiple rooms, the building also having an HVAC system that includes at least one thermostat, at least one blower, one or more air treatment components for cooling the air, heating the air, or both, the method comprising the steps of:
- measuring the temperatures TST near the thermostat and temperatures Ti of a room i in the building over a period of time Δ
tmeasure that includes operation of the HVAC system;
determining the operating states of the HVAC system during the period of time Δ
tmeasure;
providing a model MΔ
Ti of the temperature difference Δ
Ti between the temperature at the thermostat TST and the temperature Ti of room i as function of the operating state of the HVAC system;
repeating said steps of measuring, determining, and providing for N−
1 additional rooms in the building so as to provide a model MΔ
Ti of the temperature difference Δ
Ti between the temperature at the thermostat TT and the temperature Ti of each such additional room as function of the operating state of the HVAC system for a total of N rooms;
combining N models MΔ
Ti of the N rooms in the building so as to create an overall model MΔ
T-ALL of the building; and
using the model MΔ
T-ALL to determine whether to operate the blower so as to reduce one or more temperature gradients in the building.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system is provided for reducing temperature gradients within a building. For example, temperature gradients between the air temperature measured at a thermostat controlling an HVAC system and the air temperature in one or more rooms of the building can be reduced. A model of the building is created by measuring the temperature gradient between the thermostat and one or more rooms of the building. This model is used to determine the operation of the HVAC system so as to reduce one or more of such temperature gradients.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of reducing temperature gradients in a building having multiple rooms, the building also having an HVAC system that includes at least one thermostat, at least one blower, one or more air treatment components for cooling the air, heating the air, or both, the method comprising the steps of:
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measuring the temperatures TST near the thermostat and temperatures Ti of a room i in the building over a period of time Δ
tmeasure that includes operation of the HVAC system;determining the operating states of the HVAC system during the period of time Δ
tmeasure;providing a model MΔ
Ti of the temperature difference Δ
Ti between the temperature at the thermostat TST and the temperature Ti of room i as function of the operating state of the HVAC system;repeating said steps of measuring, determining, and providing for N−
1 additional rooms in the building so as to provide a model MΔ
Ti of the temperature difference Δ
Ti between the temperature at the thermostat TT and the temperature Ti of each such additional room as function of the operating state of the HVAC system for a total of N rooms;combining N models MΔ
Ti of the N rooms in the building so as to create an overall model MΔ
T-ALL of the building; andusing the model MΔ
T-ALL to determine whether to operate the blower so as to reduce one or more temperature gradients in the building. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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12. A method of reducing temperature gradients in a building that includes multiple temperature zones, the method comprising the steps of:
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obtaining the temperatures at a thermostat in the building and in a first temperature zone of the building over a first period of time, the building having multiple temperature zones, the building also having an HVAC system that includes at least one thermostat, at least one blower, one or more air treatment components for cooling the air, heating the air, or both, the first period of time occurring while the blower and at least one air treatment component of the HVAC system is operating; acquiring the temperatures at the thermostat and the first temperature zone of the building over a second period of time, the second period of time occurring while only the blower of the HVAC system is operating; developing a model of the temperature in first temperature zone as a function of the state of the HVAC system using temperatures from said steps of obtaining and acquiring; repeating said steps of obtaining, acquiring, and developing for one or more additional temperature zones of the building so as to provide a model for each such additional temperature zone; combining the models from said steps of developing and repeating so as to provide an overall model for multiple temperature zones of the building; and using the overall model to determine when to operate the blower of the HVAC system so as to reduce temperature gradients between one or more temperature zones in the building and the thermostat. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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Specification