Predictive apparatus for regulating or controlling supply values

• US 6,439,469 B1
• Filed: 07/17/2000
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens Schweiz AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Building Technologies AG (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Tödtli, Jürg, Gruber, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): WAYNER, WILLIAM E
• Application Number:
  US09/617,200
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 237/8.R, 236/78.D, 700/31, 700/36, 700/276, 700/278
• US Class Current: 237/8.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/048 using a predictor
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1931 to control the temperature of one space

Abstract

A predictive apparatus for controlling or regulating supply values (T_VRL) includes a first data store in which rules, based on a linear consumer model, for calculating process values are stored, a second data store in which rules for restrictions or limit values to be observed for process values and for values derived from process values are stored, and further also means for repeatable optimizing of the energy consumption or of the energy costs with the aid of linear or quadratic programming. The apparatus is configured such that the optimizing can be carried out over a sliding time horizon.

Claims

1. Predictive apparatus for controlling or regulating supply values, wherein the apparatus is provided with:

a first data store, in which rules, based on a linear consumer model, for calculating supply values are stored,

a second data store, in which the rules for restrictions or limit values to be observed for supply values and values derived from process values are stored, and

means for repeatable optimizing of energy consumption or of energy costs of the supply values with the aid of linear or quadratic programming,

wherein the means is configured such that the optimizing can be carried out over a sliding time horizon taking into account the rules stored in the first and the second data store.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the consumer model is a room model and the rules for calculating indoor climate control values as room or wall temperature occurring in the room model are embodied by means of a system of equations, and wherein at least one equation is assigned to a discrete time point of the time horizon.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein restrictions for the indoor climate control values describing comfort are embodied by a system of inequalities, and wherein at least one inequality is assigned to a discrete time point of the time horizon.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein limit values for the restrictions are dependent upon an expected room occupancy.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein restrictions for energy carrier temperature process values or of power available are embodied by a system of inequalities, and wherein several inequalities are assigned to a discrete time point of the time horizon.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein restrictions for changing flow temperature process value are embodied by a system of inequalities, and wherein several inequalities are assigned to a discrete time point of the time horizon.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time horizon for optimizing is divided into at least two time ranges, and wherein sequential discrete time points in a first time range are closer to one another than in a second time range.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a gap between the sequential discrete time points of the second time range is a multiple of a gap between the sequential discrete time points of the first time range.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured such that parameters of the consumer model can be independently adaptively changed.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the apparatus is configured such that parameters of the consumer model can be estimated by a recursive least-squares method with so-called bounded gain forgetting.

11. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured such that indoor climate control values or process values are measured and the measured values can be used for optimizing.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a filter by means of which a measured indoor climate control value or measured process value can be transformed before being returned to a data input of the apparatus.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the filter is a structure estimator.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the filter is a Kalman filter.

15. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured such that estimated development over time of disturbance values affecting the process, such as, for example, outside temperature or incoming solar radiation, are calculated in advance over the time horizon of the optimizing, and are taken into account in the optimizing.

16. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the development over time of a disturbance value affecting the process can be estimated by means of a weather model.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the apparatus is configured such that parameters of the weather model can be automatically adaptively changed.

18. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured such that static non-linearities of a power output system can be reduced by means of a non-linear function unit.

19. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a building with at least one room orientated substantially south and one substantially north, with a heating circuit, with a reference room orientated towards the north with a room temperature sensor,

wherein the connection between heating power required in the reference room and flow temperature required is given by an equation which calculates the heating power at constant mass flow through the heating circuit of the reference room proportional to a temperature differential between the flow temperature and the reference room temperature.

20. Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein a room not used as the reference room is provided with a thermostatic valve.