Procedure for controlling and maintaining air currents or equivalent in an air-conditioning installation, and an air-conditioning system according to said procedure

• US 5,071,065 A
• Filed: 08/17/1990
• Issued: 12/10/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Halton Oy (Oy Halton Group Ltd)
• Original Assignee: Halton Oy (Oy Halton Group Ltd)
• Inventors: Mattila, Timo, Niemela, Mertsi, Rantanen, Pertti, Aalto, Erkki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wayner, William E.
• Application Number:
  US07/566,392
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 236/49.3, 165/22, 364/505, 364/557
• US Class Current: 236/49.3
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/74 for controlling air flow rate or air velocity
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1934 each space being provided with one sensor acting on one or more control means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0688 by combined action on throttling means and flow sources G05D7/0694 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention concerns a procedure and apparatus for controlling and maintaining air currents or equivalent in an air-conditioning installation or equivalent. The air-conditioning installation comprises one or several air-conditioning machines (P) for producing the desired flows, and one or several duct systems for conducting the flows into the desired room spaces (H₁,H₂ . . . ) or equivalent and/or out from the room spaces (H₁,H₂ . . . ) or equivalent. The duct systems consist of requisite trunk, zone and room duct systems (R,Z,C). In the procedure the air flow rates required at any given time in the air-conditioning system are determined on the basis of the air temperature and/or air quality and/or air noise levels and/or air pressure conditions and/or other similar factors. On the basis of the respective air flow rates determined by calculation, a combination of the set values for all control members (S₁,S₁.1,S₁.2 . . . ) and air-conditioning machines (P) are thereafter determined at the same time, and the control members (S₁,S₁.1 . . . ) and the air-conditioning machines (P) are at the same time set to settings consistent with said set value combination, whereby the above mentioned air flow rates will be realized.

Claims

1. A procedure for controlling and maintaining air currents or equivalent in an air-conditioning installation or equivalent, said air conditioning installation comprising one or several air conditioning machines (P) for producing the desired flows, and one or several duct systems for conducting the flows into the desired room spaces (H₁,H₂ . . . ) or equivalent, and/or from room spaces (H₁,H₂ . . . ) or equivalent, said duct systems being composed of requisite trunk, zone and room duct systems (R,Z,C), and said duct systems being provided with three or more control members (S₁,S₁.1,S₁.2, . . . ;

S₂,S₁.1,S₂.2 . . . ) on different levels of hierarchy, for controling the air currents or equivalent, and with one or several control systems for defining, controlling and maintaining the requisite air flows or equivalent, in which control systems are used such controller units (E₁,E₁.1,E₁.2 . . . ;

E₂,E₂.1 . . . ) between which exists a data transfer connection through the data transfer buses (T₁) or equivalent and said controller units (E₁,E₁.1,E₁.2 . . . ;

E₂,E₂.1 . . . ) having a memory for storing data and programmable capacity for processing the data, characterized in that in the procedure the volumetric flow rates of the air required at different points of the air conditioning system at different times are defined on the basis of the air temperature and/or air quality and/or air noise levels and/or air pressure conditions, and/or other equivalent factors, and on the basis of the defined volumetric air flow rates at the same time, the combination of the set values of the control members (S₁, S₁.1,S₁.2 . . . ;

S₂,S₂.1,S₂.2 . . . ) and of the air conditioning machines (P) is defined at the same time, with which the defined volumetric air flow quantities are realized, and at the same time the required control members (S₁,S₁.1,S₁.2 . . . ;

S₂,S₂.1,S₂.2 . . . ) and the air-conditioning machines (P) are set to the set values consistent with said set value combination, and that when any air current in the system, respectively its volumetric flow rate is changed, a new set value combination is determined for the control members (S₁,S₁.1,S₁.1,S₁.2 . . . ;

S₂,S₂.1,S₂.2 . . . ) and for the air-conditioning machine (P), and the control members (S₁,S₁.1,S₁.1,S₁.2 . . . ;

S₂,S₂.1,S₂.2 . . . ) and for the air-conditioning machines (P) are set to the settings implied by the new combination.

2. Procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that for the set values of the control members (S₁,S₁.1,S₁.2 . . . ;

S₂,S₂.1,S₂.2 . . . ), such set values are used which are either directly or indirectly setting data of the actuating members controlling the volumetric air flow rate.

3. Procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that the set value is given in the form of an air resistance coefficient or equivalent regarding the respective control member or a larger entity associated with the control member.

4. Procedure according to claim 3, characterizred in that in the procedure is used a memory record for each control member (S₁,S₁.1,S₁.2 . . . ;

S₂,S₂.2.), in which the air resistance coefficient and the corresponding setting of the control member (S₁,S₁.1,S₁.2 . . . ;

S₂,S₂.1,S₂.2 . . . ) are stored, each control member (S₁,S₁.1,S₁.2 . . . ;

S₂,S₂.1,S₂.2 . . . ) being set in the procedure to a setting which is determined by the controller unit (E₁,E₂ . . . ) of the control member (S₁,S₁.1, S₁.2 . . . ;

S₂,S₂.1,S₂.2 . . . ) on a higher hierarchical level in the control system.

5. Procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that for determining the set value combination are used values related to air-conditioning technology of parts of the air conditioning system stored in the memory of the control system, in particular their flow technology values.

6. Procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that the data required in seting the control members and/or the air-conditioning machines are stored in the memory of each control member (S₁,S₁.1,S₁.2 . . . ;

S₂,S₂.1,S₂.2 . . . ) and/or of a separate controller unit (E₁,E₁.1,E₁.2 . . . ;

E₂, E₂.1,E₂.2 . . . ) of the air-conditioning machine (P₁,P₂ . . . ).

7. Procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that determining the set value combination takes place in the control system employing an air-conditioning balancing calculation method known in itself in the art.

8. Air-conditioning system comprising at least one air-conditioning machine (P) producing air flow, and ducts branching from the main duct into the spaces to be air-conditioned, e.g. into room spaces (H₁ ;

H₂ . . . ), halls, cupboards or focussed ventilation apparatus, or equivalent, said ducts comprising control members controlling the volumetric air flow rate, and a controller unit for each of said ducts, characterized in that the main duct (Z₁) comprises a control member (S₁) controlling the total volumetric air flow rate of the main duct, and a controller unit (E₁) therefor, and in the branch ducts (C₁.1,C₁.2,C₁.3 . . . ) control members (S₁.1,S₁.2,S₁.3 . . . ) controlling the volumetric air flow rate of the branch ducts, and controller units (E₁.1,E₁.2,E₁.3 . . . ) therefor, and that between the controller units (E₁) of the control members (S₁) of the main duct (Z₁) and the controller units (E₁.1,E₁.2,E₁.3 . . . ) of the control members (S₁.1,S₁.2,S₁.3 . . . ) of the branch ducts (C₁.1,C₁.2,C₁.3 . . . ) exists a data transfer connection through data transfers buses (T) or equivalent, the setting of the actuating means contolling the volumetric air flow rate of the control members (S₁.1,S₁.2,S₁.3 . . . ) of the branch ducts being determined centrally and simultaneously by a set value combination derived from the controller unit (E₁) of the control member (S₁) of the main duct (Z₁), and further comprising at least one trunk duct (R) and zone ducts (Z₁,Z₂,Z₃ . . . ) branching off therefrom, and room ducts (C₁.1,C₁.2 . . . ;

C₂.1,C₂.2 . . . C₃.1,C₃.2,C₃.3 . . . ) branching further off from these to the room spaces or equivalent to be air-conditioned, and that the system comprises at least one air-conditioning machine (P) in the trunk duct (Z₁) producing air flow and at least one control member (S₁ and/or S₂ and/or S₃ . . . ) controlling the volumetric air flow rate entering or leaving one zone duct, and control members (S₁.1,S₁.2 . . . ;

S₂.1,S₂.2 . . . ;

S₃.1 . . . ) controlling the volumetric air flow rate conducted to room spaces, focussed ventilation points or equivalent, or an air flow derived therefrom, and that the system comprises data transfer buses (T) or equivalent between the air-conditioning machine (P) and the controller units (E_p ;

E₁ ;

E₁.1,E₁.2 . . . ;

E₂,E₂.1 . . .) of the control members, by the aid of which the control members S₁,S₁.1,S₁.2 . . . ;

S₂,S₂.1 . . . ) and the air-conditioning machines (P) are at the same time governed to be set to the settings of a given set value combination determined by calculations.

9. Air-conditioning system comprising at least one air-conditioning machine (P) producing air flow, and ducts branching from the main duct into the spaces to be air-conditioned, e.g. into room spaces (H₁ ;

H₂ . . . ), halls, cupboards or focussed ventilation apparatus, or equivalent, said ducts comprising control members controlling the volumetric air flow rate, and a controller unit for each of said ducts, characterized in that the main duct (Z₁) comprises a control member (S₁) controlling the total volumetric air flow rate of the main duct, and a controller unit (E₁) therefor, and in the branch ducts (C₁.1,C₁.2,C₁.3 . . . ) control members (S₁.1,S₁.2,S₁.3 . . . ) controlling the volumetric air flow rate of the branch ducts, and controller units (E₁.1,E₁.2,E₁.3 . . . ) therefor, and that between the controller units (E₁) of the control members (S₁) of the main duct (Z₁) and the controller units (E₁.1,E₁.2,E₁.3 . . . ) of the control members (S.sub. 1.1,S₁.2,S₁.3 . . . ) of the branch ducts (C₁.1,C₁.2,C₁.3 . . . ) exists a data transfer connection through data traansfer buses (T) or equivalent, the setting of the actuating means controlling the volumetric air flow rate of the control members (Sqhd 1.1,S₁.2,S₁.3 . . . ) of the branch ducts being determined centrally and simultaneously by a set value combination derived from the controller unit (E₁) of the control member (S₁) of the main duct (Z₁) and wherein each said controller unit associated with each control member is provided with a memory in which are stored a record containing the air resistance coefficients of the respective control member and the position data of the actuating means controlling the air flow of the control member, associated with each air resistance coefficient.