Zone demand controlled dual heat pump system and controller therefor

• US 5,701,750 A
• Filed: 06/26/1995
• Issued: 12/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert W. Ray
• Original Assignee: Robert W. Ray
• Inventors: Ray, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tanner, Harry B.
• Application Number:
  US08/494,688
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 62/160, 62/186, 62/180, 62/179, 62/510, 62/175, 236/1 E, 236/1 EA, 236/1 C, 236/1 B, 236/49.3, 165/212, 165/213, 165/214, 165/217
• US Class Current: 62/160
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/77 by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 3/044 Systems in which all treatment is given in the central station, i.e. all-air systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

A thermal zone demand controlled dual cascade arranged heat pump system and system controller for building spaces, having first and second heat pumps and having an air circulation system for circulating air to and from said thermal zones and including a conditioned air chamber having first and second heat exchange refrigerant coils being connected in refrigerant circulating relation respectively with the heat pumps. A plurality of thermal zone blowers conduct conditioned air, heated or cooled, from the conditioned air chamber to respective thermal zones of the building space. Electronic controller circuitry of the system is coupled for thermal demand control of the heat pumps and the thermal zone blowers for operation of the first heat pump to accommodate a predetermined range of thermal load and for operation of the second heat pump along with the first heat pump to accommodate a greater thermal load. The controller circuitry also controls selective operation of the thermal zone blowers as well as operation of the thermal zone blowers at low blower speed or high blower speed responsive to sensed conditions of thermal load. The electronic controller circuitry further provides for selective reversal of dual heat pump operation to compensate for unequal operational wear of the heat pump units.

Claims

1. A thermal zone demand controlled dual cascade arranged heat pump system and system controller for heating and cooling the air of building spaces having a plurality of thermal zones, comprising:

(a) an air circulation system for circulating air to and from said thermal zones and having a conditioned air chamber and a plurality of air supply conduits each for connection in air supplying relation with a respective one of said thermal zones of said building space;

(b) first and second heat pumps being located externally of said building space and having first and second heat exchange refrigerant coils located in series within said air circulation system therein being connected in refrigerant circulating relation respectively with said first and second heat pumps and selectively heating and cooling air flowing to said conditioned air chamber;

(c) a plurality of thermal zone blowers being connected in said air circulation system and in air supplying relation with respective air supply conduits for conducting conditioned air from said conditioned air chamber through respective air supply conduits to respective thermal zones of said building space; and

(d) electronic controller circuitry being coupled for thermal demand control of said first and second heat pumps and said plurality of thermal zone blowers for operation of said first heat pump to accommodate a predetermined range of thermal load and for operation of said second heat pump to accommodate a range of thermal load in excess of said predetermined range of thermal load and for selective operation of said plurality of thermal zone blowers and when operating for selective operation of said thermal zone blowers at low blower speed and high blower speed responsive to sensed conditions of thermal load.

2. The thermal zone demand controlled dual cascade arranged heat pump system and system controller of claim 1, wherein said air circulation system comprises:

(a) housing means defining an air return chamber and a conditioned air chamber, said first and second heat exchange refrigerant coils collectively defining an air flow and conditioning partition through which return air flows from said air return chamber to said conditioned air chamber and accomplishing heat transfer to or from refrigerant being caused to flow through either of said heat exchange refrigerant coils by said first and second heat pumps;

(b) a return air plenum for receiving return air from said thermal zones;

(c) a return air blower being connected to said housing means and forcing return air from said return air plenum into said return air chamber and through said first and second heat exchange refrigerant coils; and

(d) said plurality of thermal zone blowers being connected to said housing means and having respective electric motors being independently operable by said electronic control circuitry and being arranged for independent supply of conditioned air from said conditioned air chamber through respective air supply conduits to respective thermal zones.

3. The thermal zone demand controlled dual cascade arranged heat pump system and system controller of claim 2, wherein:

filter means being located within said air return plenum for filtering return air flowing from said return air plenum to said return air blower.

4. The thermal zone demand controlled dual cascade arranged heat pump system and system controller of claim 1, wherein said electronic controller circuitry comprises:

(a) a dc control power supply circuit and an ac control power supply circuit;

(b) a plurality of zone blower circuits each being operationally connected to respective thermal zone blowers for control by said dc control power supply circuit, each of said zone blower circuits having a high speed coil for controlling high speed blower operation and having a low speed coil for controlling low speed zone blower operation;

(d) a plurality of thermostats each being located within a respective thermal zone of said building space, one of said thermostats being a main thermostat and the other of said thermostats being secondary thermostats, each of said thermostats being electronically connected with said dc control power supply of said electronic controller circuitry and having respective low and high temperature signal conductors being energized at respective low and high predetermined temperatures; and

(e) a high range control relay and a low range control relay being provided for each of said thermal zone blower circuits and having the coils thereof connected respectively to said low temperature and high temperature conductors of the respective thermostat for selective temperature responsive energization.

5. The thermal zone demand controlled dual cascade arranged heat pump system and system controller of claim 4, wherein:

(a) said plurality of thermostats each having a mode selector switch having a "cool" position for air conditioning by said heat pumps, a "heat" position for heating by said heat pumps and an "off" position for deenergizing said heat pump system; and

(b) a "cool" selector circuit and a "heat" selector circuit being provided in each of said plurality of thermostats, said "cool" and "heat" selector circuits each having circuit contacts being selectively closed by said mode selector switch, energization of said "cool" selector circuit designating said first heat pump as primary for selected temperature range controlled operation thereof and said second heat pump as secondary for operation thereof simultaneously with said primary heat pump, energization of said "heat" selector circuit designating said second heat pump as primary for selected temperature range controlled operation and designating said first heat pump as secondary for operation thereof simultaneously with said primary heat pump at a second selected temperature range.

6. The thermal zone demand controlled dual cascade arranged heat pump system and system controller of claim 5, wherein:

(a) said heat pumps each having a power supply and having a power control relay for selectively connecting said heat pump power supply with the compressor motor thereof;

(b) a plurality of heat pump operational relays each having activation coils and having heat pump power control conductors connected to said power control relays of respective first and second heat pumps for operation thereof and further having relay switched contacts for said power control conductors; and

(c) said activation coils of said heat pump operational relays being selectively energized responsive to temperature control signals of either of said thermostats and selective positioning of said mode selector switches of said thermostats.

7. The thermal zone demand controlled dual cascade arranged heat pump system and system controller of claim 5, wherein said electronic controller circuitry further comprises:

(a) a plurality of heat pump control relays each having an operational coil connected for selective energization by said dc power supply and having power circuits being connected with said ac power supply and power control connections being selectively energized by said ac power supply for control power supply to respective heat pumps upon dc current energization of the operational coil thereof; and

(b) a reversing relay having first and second dc power supply circuits being selectively energized by completion of said "cool" selector circuit and said "heat" selector circuit, said first dc power supply circuit being connected to the coil of the power control relay for heat pump 1 and said second dc power supply circuit being connected to the coil of the power control relay for heat pump 2 for selection of either of said heat pumps 1 and 2 as the primary or secondary heat pump responsive to selective completion of said "cool" and "heat" selector circuits.

8. The thermal zone demand controlled dual cascade arranged heat pump system and system controller of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of thermostats being located within respective thermal zones, each of said thermostats comprising;

(a) a thermostat power supply conductor being connected with said controller power supply;

(b) a temperature sensor having an electric power base connected to said thermostat power supply conductor and having electrical connections reflecting low blower speed and high blower speed and further having means for completing an electrical circuit between said electric power base and said low and high blower speed electrical connections responsive to the sensing of predetermined low and high temperatures; and

(c) a low temperature electrical relay and a high temperature electrical relay being selectively energized by said controller power supply responsive to temperature in the respective thermal zone sensed by said temperature sensor of said thermostat for selectively controlling energization of said low speed and high speed coils of said thermal zone blower by said controller power supply.

9. A thermal zone demand controlled dual cascade arranged heat pump system and system controller for building spaces, comprising:

(a) a pair of heat pumps being located externally of the building space;

(b) a plurality of thermostats each being located within a respective one of said thermal zones for sensing the temperature of air therein, said thermostats each having low speed and high speed blower control circuits each becoming electrically energized at a predetermined temperature range, one of said thermostats being a main thermostat and having a mode selector switch for selection of a "cool" mode, a "heat" mode and an "off" mode;

(c) a conditioned air supply and return assembly having a conditioned air chamber, an air return plenum and a plurality of air supply conduits for conducting conditioned air from said conditioned air chamber to respective thermal zones;

(d) a plurality of thermal zone air supply blowers each being situate for moving conditioned air from said conditioned air chamber through respective air supply conduits to respective thermal zones and each having low speed and high speed operating coils;

(e) a pair of heat transfer refrigerant coils being interconnected respectively with said pair of heat pumps and being located in series within said conditioned air chamber upstream of said air supply conduits;

(f) an air return blower being located within said conditioned air chamber and forcing air from said air return plenum into said conditioned air chamber; and

(g) electronic heat pump and blower control circuitry being conditionable to select one of said heat pumps as the primary heat pump for operation to accommodate a predetermined thermal load and to select the other of said heat pumps as the secondary heat pump for operation simultaneously with said primary heat pump to accommodate thermal load in excess of said predetermined thermal load, said electronic heat pump and blower control circuitry also being conditionable for reversing said primary and secondary selection of said pair of heat pumps, said electronic heat pump and blower control circuitry further having a plurality of zone control circuits each being electronically coupled with one of said plurality of thermostats for thermal zone and thermal load controlled zone blower and heat pump control signals.

10. The thermal zone demand controlled dual cascade arranged heat pump system and system controller of claim 9, wherein said plurality of thermostats each comprise:

(a) a mode selector switch having a "cool" position for air conditioning by said heat pumps, a "heat" position for heating by said heat pumps and an "off" position for deenergizing said heat pump system; and

(b) a "cool" selector circuit and a "heat" selector circuit being provided in each of said plurality of thermostats, said "cool" and "heat" selector circuits each having circuit contacts being selectively closed by said mode selector switch, energization of said "cool" selector circuit designating said first heat pump as primary for selected temperature range controlled operation thereof and said second heat pump as secondary for operation thereof simultaneously with said primary heat pump, energization of said "heat" selector circuit designating said second heat pump as primary for selected temperature range controlled operation and designating said first heat pump as secondary for operation thereof simultaneously with said primary heat pump at a second selected temperature range.

11. The thermal zone demand controlled dual cascade arranged heat pump system and system controller of claim 10, said heat pumps each having compressor motors and wherein:

(a) said heat pumps each having an ac operating power supply and having a power control relay for selectively connecting said heat pump ac operating power supply with the compressor motor thereof;

(b) a plurality of heat pump operational relays each having activation coils and having heat pump power control conductors connected to said power control relays of respective first and second heat pumps for operation thereof and further having relay switched contacts for said power control conductors; and

(c) said activation coils of said heat pump operational relays being selectively energized responsive to temperature control signals of either of said thermostats and selective positioning of said mode selector switches of said thermostats.

12. The thermal zone demand controlled dual cascade arranged heat pump system and system controller of claim 9, wherein said electronic heat pump and blower control circuitry further comprises:

(a) a plurality of heat pump control relays each having an operational coil connected for selective energization by said dc power supply and having power circuits being connected with said ac power supply and power control connections being selectively energized by said ac power supply for control power supply to respective heat pumps upon dc current energization of the operational coil thereof; and

(b) a reversing relay having first and second dc power supply circuits being selectively energized by completion of said "cool" selector circuit and said "heat" selector circuit, said first dc power supply circuit being connected to the coil of the power control relay for heat pump 1 and said second dc power supply circuit being connected to the coil of the power control relay for heat pump 2 for selection of either of said heat pumps 1 and 2 as the primary or secondary heat pump responsive to selective completion of said "cool" and "heat" selector circuits.

13. The thermal zone demand controlled dual cascade arranged heat pump system and system controller of claim 9, wherein said plurality of thermostats comprise:

(a) a thermostat power supply conductor being connected with said controller power supply;

(b) a temperature sensor having an electric power base connected to said thermostat power supply conductor and having electrical connections reflecting low blower speed and high blower speed and further having means for completing an electrical circuit between said electric power base and said low and high blower speed electrical connections responsive to the sensing of predetermined low and high temperatures; and

(c) a low temperature electrical relay and a high temperature electrical relay being selectively energized by said controller power supply responsive to temperature in the respective thermal zone sensed by said temperature sensor of said thermostat for selectively controlling energization of said low speed and high speed coils of said thermal zone blower by said controller power supply.

14. The thermal zone demand controlled dual cascade arranged heat pump system and system controller of claim 9, wherein said plurality of thermostats each comprise:

(a) a controller power supply;

(b) a temperature sensor having an electric power base and having electrical connections reflecting low blower speed and high blower speed and further having means for completing an electrical circuit between said electric power base and said low and high blower speed electrical connections responsive to the sensing of predetermined temperatures;

(c) a power supply conductor having connection with said electric power base and providing electric power supply thereto from said controller power supply; and

(d) a pair of electrical relays being selectively energized by said controller power supply for selectively controlling energization of said low speed and high speed coils of said thermal zone blower by said controller power supply for the thermal zone of said thermostat.