Method for controlling a heating system and heating system

• US 6,454,179 B1
• Filed: 11/16/2001
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Danfoss A/S
• Original Assignee: Danfoss A/S
• Inventors: Neve, Christian, Kühne, Eva, Seerup, Jørgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Joyce, Harold
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOLES, DEREK
• Application Number:
  US09/988,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20020060251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 312 Days
• Field of Search: 237/2.A, 237/8.A, 237/8.C, 236/91.F
• US Class Current: 237/2.00A
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 19/1009 for central heating
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 19/1033 motor operated
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1934 each space being provided with one sensor acting on one or more control means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

A heating system has several heating devices with valves, controlled in dependence of the temperature, in different rooms, with the heating devices being supplied by a supply device with an adjusting member which acts upon a supply temperature. A control device activates the adjusting member. A heat requirement in the rooms is detected and the supply temperature is adapted accordingly. To keep the energy consumption low, a counter detects the number of rooms in which a heat requirement exists. The supply temperature is increased by a value which corresponds to a product of the number of rooms and a predetermined first temperature difference when the number of rooms is higher than zero. When the number of rooms is equal to zero, the supply temperature is decreased by a predetermined second temperature difference.

Claims

1. Method for controlling a heating system with heating devices in several rooms, the heating devices being acted upon by a heating fluid with a supply temperature, a heat requirement of the rooms being detected and the supply temperature being controlled according to the heat requirement, the method comprising:

ascertaining the number of rooms in which a heat requirement exists;

increasing the supply temperature by a value which corresponds to a product of the number of rooms and a predetermined first temperature difference when the number of rooms is higher than zero; and

reducing the supply temperature by a predetermined second temperature difference when the number of rooms is equal to zero.

2. Method according to claim 1, including maintaining the supply temperature constant for a predetermined period after a change in the supply temperature.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the heat requirement of each room is detected based on a position of a valve associated with the room and controlled in dependence on the temperature in the room.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein a magnitude of at least one of the first and second predetermined temperature differences is based on an outdoor temperature.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein information about the heat requirement of each room is transmitted to a control device in a wireless manner.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein the heat requirement of each room is detected based on a signal influencing a position of a valve associated with the room and controlled in dependence on the temperature in the room.

6. Heating system comprising several heating devices in a number of rooms, each heating device being operatively associated with a valve controlled in dependence on a temperature in the room, a supply device which supplies heating fluid to the heating devices, the supply device including an adjusting member for influencing a supply temperature of the heating fluid, and a control device which activates the adjusting member, the control device having a counter which counts the number of rooms in which a heat requirement exists.

7. The heating system according to claim 6, wherein the control device has a time-relay which prevents changes of the supply temperature for a predetermined period.

8. The heating system according to claim 6, wherein the control device is connected to the valves in a wireless manner.

10. Method for controlling a heating system having beating devices in several rooms which are acted upon by a heating fluid possessing a supply temperature, comprising:

determining a heat requirement for each room to ascertain the number of rooms in which a heat requirement exists; and

controlling the supply temperature according to the heat requirement by increasing the supply temperature by a value corresponding to a product of the number of rooms and a predetermined first temperature difference when the number of rooms is greater than zero and decreasing the supply temperature by a predetermined second temperature difference different from the predetermined first temperature difference when the number of rooms is equal to zero.

11. Method according to claim 10, including maintaining the supply temperature constant for a predetermined period of time after the supply temperature has been changed.

12. Method according to claim 10, wherein a magnitude of at least one of the first and second predetermined temperature differences is based on an outdoor temperature.

13. Method according to claim 10, including transmitting information about the heat requirement of each room to a control device in a wireless manner.

14. Method according to claim 10, wherein the first predetermined temperature difference is less than the second predetermined temperature difference.