Advanced starting control for multiple zone system

• US 6,644,398 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2002
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Bujak, Walter E. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): CIRIC, LJILJANA V
• Application Number:
  US10/211,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20020185272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 165/200, 165/205, 165/208, 165/209, 165/218, 165/219, 165/220, 165/221, 165/238, 165/239, 237/2.R, 237/2.B, 237/8.A, 237/12, 621/32, 621/15, 621/766, 621/961, 621/97, 62/56, 621/58, 621/73, 621/75, 364/148, 700/8, 700/17
• US Class Current: 165/209
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 2220/0207 Pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/54 using one central controller connected to several sub-controllers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/83 by controlling the supply of heat-exchange fluids to heat-exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/84 using valves
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/20 Heat-exchange fluid temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/54 Heating and cooling, simultaneously or alternatively
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 3/06 characterised by the arrangements for the supply of heat-exchange fluid for the subsequent treatment of primary air in the room units
• 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 system and method for controlling delivery of conditioned water to a plurality of heat exchangers includes a system controller which gathers information as to the current and future demands for conditioned water by a plurality of zone controllers associated with the plurality of heat exchangers. The system controller is operative to provide conditioned water to the heat exchangers even though current demands for conditioned water may not be sufficient to require the provision of conditioned water to the heat exchangers. The system controller analyzes current demands for conditioned water in combination with future demands for conditioned water to determine if the combined demands exceed a minimum level or number of demands necessary to authorize provision of conditioned water to the heat exchanger. A start time for the provision of the conditioned water is thereafter determined by the system controller in the event that any combination of current and future demands for conditioned water exceeds the minimum level or number of demands necessary to authorize a provision of conditioned water.

Claims

1. A process for controlling the provision of conditioned water to a plurality of heat exchangers, under the control of zone controllers, said process comprising the steps of:

periodically polling the plurality of zone controllers for the heat exchangers to obtain information concerning current and future demands for conditioned water by the zone controllers;

determining whether there is a sufficient level of current demands for conditioned water from said zone controllers;

determining whether there is a sufficient level of current and future demands for conditioned water from said zone controllers when there is not a sufficient level of current demands for conditioned water; and

providing conditioned water to the heat exchangers in response to a determination that there is a sufficient level of current demands for conditioned water or if there is a sufficient predominance of current and future demands for conditioned water from said zone controllers.

2. The process of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

storing in a system controller the information obtained from the zone controllers; and

computing, within the system controller, a future demand for conditioned water for any zone controller not having a current demand for conditioned water.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein said step of computing a future demand for conditioned water comprises the step of:

computing a start time for providing conditioned water to any zone controller not having a current demand for conditioned water.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein the information obtained from each zone controller includes the next future setpoint and associated start time for the next future setpoint for the zone controller, a currently sensed temperature for the zone associated with the zone controller, and a factor for the respective zone controller defining the amount of time necessary to adjust the sensed temperature in the respective zone by one degree;

and

wherein any start time for a zone controller is computed as a function of the difference between the next future setpoint for the zone controller and the current temperature for the zone controller, the difference being multiplied by the factor for the zone controller.

5. The process of claim 3 wherein said step of determining whether there is a sufficient level of current and future demands for conditioned water from said zone controllers comprises the steps of:

adding the number of current demands for conditioned water in the array of information to the number of start times in the array; and

comparing the added number of current demands for conditioned water and future start times with a minimum level of required demands for conditioned water.

6. The process of claim 5 further comprising the steps of:

determining a start time for providing conditioned water to any heat exchanger associated with a zone controller having a current or future demand for conditioned water when there is a sufficient predominance of current and future demands.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein said step of determining a start time for providing conditioned water to any heat exchanger associated with a zone controller having a current or future demand for conditioned water comprises the steps of:

determining the number of current demands for conditioned water in the stored information;

determining the number of computed start times that need to be counted and combined with the number of current demands for conditioned water in the stored information in order to exceed a minimum number of zone controllers necessary to provide conditioned water;

successively selecting the next to occur start time until the number of start times that needed to be counted have been counted; and

selecting the last successively selected next to occur start time as the start time for providing conditioned water.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein the conditioned water is heated water and wherein the current and future demands for conditioned water are demands for heat.

9. The process of claim 1 wherein the conditioned water is chilled water and wherein the current and future demands for conditioned water are demands for cooling.