Heat apportionment system

• US 5,646,858 A
• Filed: 09/29/1994
• Issued: 07/08/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cablebus Systems Corporation, Analytical Systems Engineering Corp (Conduent, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cablebus Systems Corporation, Analytical Systems Engineering Corp (Conduent, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schrock, Clifford B., Engel, Herbert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Application Number:
  US08/315,285
• Time in Patent Office: 1,013 Days
• Field of Search: 165/11.1, 236/36, 236/37, 340/568, 340/572, 364/464.01, 364/557
• US Class Current: 705/412
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 17/08 based upon measurement of temperature difference or of a temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

Apportioning energy costs among units by sensing a heat exchange for at least one heat exchanger in each unit. In response to this sensing, a value corresponding to an amount of heat provided by the heat exchanger is determined for each unit. Each value is transmitted to a central location, and they are processed to apportion energy cost for each unit as a function of the respective value. Total values for each heat exchanger can be summed to provide a summation value corresponding to a total amount of heat provided to the unit over time, and energy costs can be apportioned as a function of this summation value for each unit. A probe that includes a probe body and an electrical heat sensing element mounted in the probe body. A tamper detecting mechanism responds to forces applied to the probe and interacts with a conductive lead of the probe to provide an electrical tampering indication. The probe may be attached by an adhesive to a radiator, and it can include a structural weakness, which can cause breakage of the lead.

Claims

1. A method for apportioning energy costs among a plurality of units, comprising:

sensing a heat exchange for at least one heat exchanger in each unit;

determining, in response to the heat exchange sensed in the step of sensing, a respective value corresponding to an amount of heat provided by the heat exchanger in each unit;

transmitting each respective value from the unit to a central location in the absence of a fault condition;

upon detection of the fault condition, ceasing the step of transmitting and initiating a step of locally storing each respective value at the unit,

processing, at the central location, each respective value to apportion energy cost for each unit as a function of the respective value and an energy cost for the plurality of units.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of processing apportions energy costs for units in more than one building.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of detecting a fault condition includes detecting a power or a communications failure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting each respective value to a central location includes transmitting a value over a local bus.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting each respective value to a central location includes transmitting the value over a bidirectional cable television link.

6. The method of claim 1, further including the step of generating an indication of fire in the unit based on each respective value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sensing includes sensing heat exchanges for each of a plurality of different heat exchangers in each unit with a plurality of sensors, and further including the step of weighting results of the step of sensing based on which of the heat exchangers the results were sensed from in the step of sensing.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of sensing employs interchangeable sensors for sensing the temperature of different types of heat exchangers.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sensing employs sensing elements having differing calibration factors, and further including the step of compensating for the differing calibration factors.

10. The method of claim 9, further including the step of providing a printed compensation factor on the sensing elements.

11. The method of claim 1, further including detecting tampering with one of the steps of sensing and determining.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of detecting tampering includes transmitting an indication that the tampering has occurred to the central location.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of detecting tampering includes presenting an indication to the user that the tampering has been detected.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of detecting tampering detects tampering with the step of sensing.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of detecting tampering detects out-of-range values.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

sampling the sensed heat exchange at intervals;

calculating the value corresponding to an amount of heat provided for each sampled heat exchange; and

integrating, over time, each sampled value to provide a total value corresponding to a total amount of heat provided by the heat exchanger over time.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of sensing senses a respective heat exchange of a plurality of heat exchangers in a unit;

and further comprising the steps of;

respectively sampling the sensed heat exchanges at intervals;

respectively calculating the value corresponding to an amount of heat provided for each sampled heat exchange;

respectively integrating each sampled value to provide a respective total value for each heat exchanger in a unit; and

summing the respective total values to provide a heat summation value corresponding to a total amount of heat provided to the unit over time.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of processing includes apportioning energy costs as a function of the heat summation value for each unit.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of processing includes apportioning energy costs in direct proportion to the heat summation value for each unit.

20. An apparatus for apportioning energy costs among a plurality of units, comprising:

a first probe responsive to a first heat exchange at a first heat exchanger in each unit;

an apportionment module in each unit and responsive to the probe in that unit, the apportionment module being operable to transmit a first value corresponding to an amount of heat provided by the first heat exchanger in each unit;

a communications channel responsive to the apportionment module, wherein the communication channel includes a bidirectional cable television link; and

a central billing computer responsive to the apportionment module via the communications channel, and operative to apportion energy costs for each unit as a function of the first transmitted value and an energy cost for the plurality of units.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the probes are temperature probes.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, further including at least a second probe responsive to a second heat exchange at a second heat exchanger in each unit, and wherein the apportionment module is further responsive to the second probe in that unit, the apportionment module being operable to transmit a second value corresponding to an amount of heat provided by the second heat exchanger in each unit, and wherein the central computer is further operative to apportion energy costs for each unit as a function of the second value.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the communication channel includes a local bus link.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the plurality of units includes a plurality of units in each of a plurality of buildings and wherein the communication channel includes a bidirectional cable television link between each of the buildings and the central computer.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the probe comprises a solid state temperature probe.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the probes are each marked with a calibration value.

27. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the apportionment module includes a display and a user control.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the user control consists of a single switch.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, further including a programming control located inside the apportionment module.

30. The apparatus of claim 20, further including tamper detection circuitry and wherein the apportionment module is responsive to tampering with the apparatus to transmit a tampering indication over the communication channel.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the tamper detecting circuitry is a switch in the apportionment module, which switch is responsive to opening of the unit.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the switch comprises a metallic contact mounted on foam.

33. A system for apportioning energy costs among a plurality of units, comprising:

means for sensing a temperature of at least one heat exchanger in each unit;

means, responsive to the means for sensing, for determining a respective value corresponding to an amount of heat provided by the heat exchanger in each unit;

means for transmitting each respective value from the unit to a central location;

local storage in the unit,

means for, upon detection of a fault condition, deactivating the means for transmitting and storing each respective value in the local storage, and

means, located at the central location, for processing each respective value to apportion energy costs for each unit as a function of the respective value and an energy cost for the plurality of units.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the means for determining comprises an analog-to-digital converter responsive to the means for sensing, a microprocessor responsive to the analog-to-digital converter, and wherein the means for transmitting includes a local bus interface responsive to the microprocessor and to a communications channel.

35. The apparatus of claim 34 further including non-volatile storage responsive to the microprocessor.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the means for determining further comprises:

means for sampling the temperature sensed by the means for sensing at intervals;

means for calculating the value corresponding to an amount of heat provided for each sampled temperature; and

means for integrating, over time, each sampled value to provide a total value corresponding to a total amount of heat provided by the heat exchanger over time.

37. The system of claim 36, further including means responsive to the means for sensing to warn residents of the unit of a fire.

38. The system of claim 36, further comprising:

a further plurality of means for sensing a respective temperature of a further plurality of heat exchangers in a unit and wherein;

the means for sampling is for respectively sampling the temperature sensed by each means for sensing at intervals;

the means for calculating is for respectively calculating the value corresponding to an amount of heat provided for each sampled temperature;

the means for integrating is for respectively integrating each sampled value to provide a respective total value for each heat exchanger in the unit; and

further including;

means for summing the respective total values to provide a heat summation value corresponding to a total amount of heat provided to the unit over time.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the means for transmitting includes a local bus link.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein the means for transmitting includes a bidirectional cable television link.

41. The system of claim 38, wherein the means for processing is for apportioning energy costs as a function of the heat summation value for each unit.

42. The system of claim 38, wherein the means for sensing comprise solid state temperature probes.

43. The system of claim 38, wherein the means for determining includes display means and user control means.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the user control means consists of a single switch.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the control means further includes programming control means.

46. A probe, comprising:

a probe body,

an electrical heat sensing element mounted in the probe body,

a conductive lead operatively connected to the probe,

a tamper detecting mechanism responsive to forces applied to the probe and operative to interact with the lead to provide an electrical tampering indication, and

a pair of probe portions each embedding a portion of the lead, wherein a structural weakness is located at an interface between the portions.

47. The probe of claim 46, further comprising means for attaching the probe body to a heat source.

48. The probe of claim 47, wherein the means for attaching comprises an adhesive.

49. The probe of claim 46, wherein each of the probe portions is made of a different material, and wherein the material used in one of the probe portions is harder than the material used in another of the probe portions.

50. The probe of claim 49, wherein one of the portions forms a protrusion in which a part of the lead is embedded.

51. A probe, comprising:

a probe body,

means for attaching the probe body to the heat exchanger, wherein the probe body is tapered away from the means for attaching,

temperature sensing means mounted in the probe body for sensing a temperature of a heat exchanger,

conductive lead means operatively connected to the sensing means, and

tamper detecting means for detecting tampering with the probe and for providing a tampering indication via the lead means.

52. The probe of claim 51, wherein the probe further includes a pair of probe portions each embedding a portion of the lead means, and wherein a structural weakness is located at an interface between the portions.

53. A method of monitoring an area, including:

sensing a temperature of the area,

employing in a module at the area a result of the step of sensing in the heating of the area,

employing the result of the step of sensing to detect fire in the area, and

warning residents of the area of the fire by a warning device in the module upon detection of the fire.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein the step of employing the result of the step of sensing in the heating of the area includes apportioning heat.

55. The method of claim 53, wherein the step of employing the result of the step of sensing in the heating of the area includes regulating the temperature of the unit.

56. The method of claim 53, wherein the step of employing the result of the step of sensing in detecting fire includes monitoring the rate of change of the temperature measured in the step of sensing.

57. The method of claim 53, further including the step of providing power for the step of sensing from a location remote from the area to be monitored.

58. A method of monitoring heat exchanges, including:

associating a first coefficient with a first probe,

associating a second coefficient with a second probe, the first and second coefficients being different,

after the step of associating a first coefficient, installing the first probe on a first heat exchanger and electrically coupling the first probe to a heat apportionment circuit,

after the step of associating a second coefficient, installing the second probe on a second heat exchanger and electrically coupling the second probe to the heat apportionment circuit,

storing in the heat apportionment circuit the first and second coefficients,

sensing a first heat exchange at the first heat exchanger using the first probe,

sensing a second heat exchange at the second heat exchanger using the second probe,

adjusting according to the first coefficient a result of the step of sensing a first heat exchange to adjust a sensitivity of the first probe,

adjusting according to the second coefficient a result of the step of sensing a second heat exchange to adjust a sensitivity of the second probe, and

combining results of both of the steps of adjusting to apportion heat used in the heat exchanges as a function of an energy cost for a plurality of units.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein the step of sensing senses every heat exchanger in each unit.

60. The method of claim 58 further including the steps of associating a replacement coefficient with a replacement probe, after the step of associating a replacement coefficient replacing the first probe with the replacement probe, sensing the first heat exchange with the replacement probe, and adjusting a result of the step of sensing with the replacement probe to adjust a sensitivity of the replacement probe.

61. The method of claim 58 further including the steps of printing a first calibration value on the first probe and printing a second calibration value on the second probe, and wherein the first and second calibration values are respectively used to define the first and second coefficients used in the steps of adjusting.

62. The method of claim 58 wherein the step of combining sums results of both of the steps of adjusting to determine an aggregate amount of heat supplied to an area.

63. The method of claim 58 wherein the step of combining apportions heating costs between a first area including the first heat exchange and a second area including the second heat exchange as a function of an energy cost for the plurality of units.

64. The method of claim 59 further including further steps of sensing and further steps of adjusting each corresponding to a plurality of further probes and a plurality of further heat exchangers, and wherein the step of combining further combines results of the further steps of adjusting to apportion heat used in the first, second, and further heat exhanges.