Noise tolerant HVAC system

• US 5,787,027 A
• Filed: 09/10/1997
• Issued: 07/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Phillips, Thomas R., Dolan, Robert P., Hill, Mark A., DeWolf, Thomas L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Application Number:
  US08/929,143
• Time in Patent Office: 321 Days
• Field of Search: 364/505, 371/21.1-21.6, 371/40.11-40.18, 371/49.1-51.1, 395/182.04, 236/51, 236/49.3, 340/825.06
• US Class Current: 700/276
• 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 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means

Abstract

HVAC control information is stored in a memory associated with a programmable processor in such a manner as to be recallable in a potentially high electrical noise environment. The HVAC control information is stored along with corresponding verification images in particular memory locations. The verification images for at least some of the HVAC control information have unique mathematical relationships with respect to the stored pieces of HVAC control information.

Claims

1. A memory for storing values of control parameters used by a programmed processor to control a unit for providing conditioned air to a space to be heated or cooled, said memory comprising:

a first set of addressable storage locations having at least two distinct storage portions in each addressable storage location wherein one of the distinct storage portions in each addressable storage location contains the value of at least one of the control parameters used by the programmed processor to control the unit and the second distinct storage portion in the same addressable storage location contains the verification image of the value of the control parameter stored in the first distinct storage portion of the addressable storage location, said verification image in each addressable storage location having a mathematical relationship with respect to the value of the control parameter in the same addressable storage location; and

a second set of addressable storage locations having at least two distinct storage portions in each addressable storage location wherein one of the distinct storage portions in each of said second set of addressable storage locations contains the value of a particular control parameter, the particular control parameter being different from the one or more control parameters having values stored in said first set of addressable storage locations and wherein the second of the distinct storage portions in each of said second set of addressable storage locations contains a verification image of the value of the particular control parameter wherein each verification image of the value of the particular control parameter in a second portion of an addressable storage location in said second set of addressable storage locations has a mathematical relationship with respect to the value of the particular control parameter stored in the first portion of the same addressable location that is substantially different from any mathematical relationship that a verification image of a value of a control parameter stored in a second portion of one of the first set of addressable storage locations has with respect to the stored value of that control parameter.

2. The memory of claim 1 further comprising:

a third set of addressable storage locations having at least two distinct storage portions in each addressable storage location wherein one of the distinct storage portions in each of said third set of addressable storage locations contains the value of a second particular control parameter, the second particular control parameter being different from the one or more control parameters having values stored in said first set of addressable storage locations and being furthermore different from the particular control parameter having values stored in said second set of addressable storage locations and wherein the second of the distinct storage portions in each of said third set of addressable storage locations contains a verification image of the value of the second particular control parameter wherein each verification image of the value of the second particular control parameter in a second portion of an addressable storage location in said third set of addressable storage locations has a mathematical relationship with respect to the value of the second particular control parameter stored in the first portion of the addressable storage locations that is substantially different from any mathematical relationship that a verification image of a value of a control parameter stored in a second portion of the first set of addressable storage locations has with respect to the stored value of that control parameter and from any mathematical relationship of a verification image of the value of the particular control parameter stored in the second portion of each of said addressable storage locations in said second set of addressable storage locations has with respect to the values of the particular control parameter stored in the first portions of each of said addressable storage locations in said second set of addressable storage locations.

3. The memory of claim 2 wherein the mathematical relationships of the verification images with respect to the values of the particular control parameter stored in said second set of addressable storage locations are all the same and wherein the mathematical relationships of the verification images with respect to the values of the second particular control parameter stored in said third set of an addressable storage location are all the same.

4. The memory of claim 1 wherein the mathematical relationships of the verification images with respect to the values of the particular control parameter stored in said second set of addressable storage locations are all the same.

5. The memory of claim 1 wherein the two distinct storage portions of each addressable storage location in both said first set of addressable storage locations and said second set of addressable storage locations each occupy the same bit storage locations in each addressable storage location.

6. A process for reading values of control parameters from addressable memory locations of a memory associated with a programmed processor wherein the values of the control parameters are used by the processor in the control of a unit that provides conditioned air to a space to be heated or cooled, said process comprising the steps of:

reading a first portion of a first addressable memory location containing the stored value of a first control parameter;

reading a second portion of the first addressable memory location containing a verification image of the value of the first control parameter;

comparing the read values of the first and second portions of the first addressable memory location;

using the read value of the first portion of the first addressable memory location in the control of the unit that provides conditioned air when said step of comparing the read values of the first and second portions of the first addressable memory location indicates that a certain required first mathematical relationship exists between the read values of the first and second portions of the first addressable memory location;

reading a first portion of a second addressable memory location containing the stored value of a second control parameter;

reading a second portion of the second addressable memory location containing a verification image of the value of the second control parameter;

comparing the read values of the first and second portions of the second addressable memory location; and

using the read value of the first portion of the second addressable memory location in the control of the unit that provides conditioned air when said step of comparing the read values of the first and second portions of the second addressable memory location indicates that a certain required second mathematical relationship exists between the read values of the first and second portions of the second addressable memory location wherein the second mathematical relationship is substantially different from the first mathematical relationship required between the read values of the first and second portions of the first addressable memory location.

7. The process of claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

reading a first portion of a third addressable memory location containing the stored value of the second control parameter when said step of comparing the read values of the first and second portions of the second addressable memory location does not indicate that the certain required second mathematical relationship exists between the read values of the first and second portions of the second addressable memory location;

reading a second portion of the third addressable memory location containing a verification image of the value of the second control parameter;

comparing the read values of the first and second portions of the third addressable memory location; and

using the read value of the first portion of the third addressable memory location in the control of the unit that provides conditioned air when said step of comparing the read values of the first and second portions of the addressable location indicates the second required mathematical relationship exists between the read values of the first and second portions of the third addressable memory location.

8. The process of claim 6 further comprising the step of:

reading a first portion of a fourth addressable memory location containing the stored value of a third control parameter;

reading a second portion of the fourth addressable memory location containing a verification image of the third control parameter;

comparing the read values of the first and second portions of the fourth addressable memory location;

using the read value of the first portion of the fourth addressable memory location in the control of the unit that provides conditioned air when said step of comparing the read values of the first and second portions of the fourth addressable memory location indicates that a certain required third mathematical relationship exists between the read values of the first and second portions of the fourth addressable memory wherein the third mathematical relationship is substantially different from either the second mathematical relationship required between the read values of the first and second portions of the second addressable memory location or the first mathematical relationship required between the first and second portions of the first addressable memory location.

9. The process of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

reading a first portion of a fifth addressable memory location containing the stored value of the third control parameter when said step of comparing the read values of the first and second portions of the fourth addressable memory location does not indicate the existence of the third predetermined mathematical relationship between the read values of the first and second portions of the fourth addressable memory location;

reading a second portion of the fifth addressable memory location containing a verification image of the value of the third control parameter;

comparing the read values of the first and second portions of the fifth addressable memory location; and

using the read value of the first portion of the fifth addressable memory location in the control of the unit that provides conditioned air when said step of comparing the read values of the first and second portions of the fifth addressable memory location indicates the third required mathematical relationship exists between the read values of the first and second portions of the fifth addressable memory location.

10. The process of claim 9 wherein said steps of using a read value of the first portion of a particular addressable memory locations in the control of the unit that provides conditioned air each comprise:

associating a particular control variable used by the processor in a control program with the particular memory location from which the values has been read;

setting the particular control variable equal to the value of the first portion of the particular memory location when the step of comparing read values of the first and second portions of the particular memory location indicates that the particular required mathematical relationship exists between the first and second portions of the particular memory location.

11. The process of claim 9 wherein the second and third mathematical relationships are numerical complementary relationships.

12. The process of claim 6 further comprising the step of:

reading a first portion of a third addressable memory location containing the stored value of a third control parameter,

reading a second portion of the third addressable memory location containing a verification image of the third control parameter;

comparing the read values of the first and second portions of the third addressable memory location;

using the read value of the first portion of the third addressable memory location in the control of the unit that provides conditioned air when said step of comparing the read values of the first and second portions of the third addressable memory location indicates that a certain required third mathematical relationship exists between the read values of the first and second portions of the third addressable memory wherein the third mathematical relationship is substantially different from either the second mathematical relationship required between the read values of the first and second portions of the second addressable memory location or the first mathematical relationship required between the first and second portions of the first addressable memory location.

13. The process of claim 12 wherein said steps of using a read value of the first portion of a particular addressable memory location in the control of the unit that provides conditioned air each comprise:

associating a particular control variable used by the processor in a control program with the particular memory location from which the value has been read;

setting the particular control variable equal to the value of the first portion of the particular memory location when the step of comparing read values of the first and second portions of the particular memory location indicates that the particular required mathematical relationship exists between the first and second portions of the particular memory location.

14. The process of claim 13 further comprising the step of:

setting a particular control variable associated with a particular memory location equal to a default value when the step of comparing read values of the first and second portions of a particular memory location indicates that the particular required mathematical relationship does not exist between the read values of the first and second portions of the particular memory location.

15. The process of claim 12 wherein said second and third mathematical relationships are numerical complementary relationships.

16. The process of claim 6 wherein said steps of using a read value of the first portion of a particular addressable memory location in the control of the unit that provides conditioned air each comprise:

associating a particular control variable used by the processor in a control program with the particular memory location from which the value has been read;

setting the particular control variable equal to the value of the first portion of the particular memory location when the step of comparing read values of the first and second portions of the particular memory location indicates that the particular required mathematical relationship exists between the first and second portions of the particular memory location.

17. The process of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

setting a particular control variable associated with a particular memory location equal to a default value when the step of comparing read values of the first and second portions of a particular memory location indicates that the particular required mathematical relationship does not exist between the read values of the first and second portions of the particular memory location.

18. The process of claim 6 wherein at least one of the mathematical relationships is a numerical complementary relationship.

19. A memory for storing values of control parameters used by a programmed processor to control a unit for providing conditioned air to a space to be heated or cooled, said memory comprising:

a plurality of addressable storage locations each having at least two distinct storage portions therein where one of the distinct storage portions of each addressable storage location has a value of a control parameter stored therein and wherein the second portion of each addressable storage location has a verification image of the value of the control parameter that has been stored in the first portion of the same addressable storage location; and

wherein a second portion of at least one of said plurality of addressable storage locations contains a verification image having a unique mathematical relationship with respect to the value of the particular control parameter stored in the first portion of the addressable location, said unique mathematical relationship being different from the mathematical relationship that any other verification image stored in a second portion of any other addressable storage location has with respect to the correspondingly stored value of the control parameter in that other addressable storage location in said memory except for any further verification images of stored values of the particular control parameter.

20. The memory of claim 19 wherein at least one further addressable storage location of said plurality of storage locations contains a verification image having a mathematical relationship with respect to the value of a second particular control parameter stored in the first portion of the further addressable storage location, said mathematical relationship of the verification image with respect to the value of the second particular control parameter being different from the mathematical relationship that any other verification image stored in a second portion of any other addressable storage location has with respect to the correspondingly stored value of the control parameter in that other addressable storage location in said memory except for any further verification images of stored values of the second particular control parameter.