Method and a system for controlling a heating plant

• US 6,822,200 B1
• Filed: 05/22/2002
• Issued: 11/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Christian Grosch
• Original Assignee: Christian Grosch
• Inventors: Grosch, Jan, Grosch, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): DAHBOUR, HENRY
• Application Number:
  US09/980,842
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 219/477, 219/211, 219/212, 219/213, 219/217, 219/506, 219/528, 219/529, 219/544, 219/545, 219/549, 392/425, 392/432, 392/435
• US Class Current: 219/477
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/00 Control inputs relating to environmental factors not covered by group F24F2110/00
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/10 Weather information or forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 11/03 without auxiliary power
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1905 associated with tele control

Abstract

A method for controlling a heating plant as well as a control system for such a plant. More specifically the invention relates to the control of a heating plant adapted for local heating of surfaces to avoid ice and snow on such surfaces, and in particular controlling street heating plant or point heating plants (for rails), provided with one or several heating elements; so that a low power consumption is obtained. The control system is provided with at least one remotely operated unit (4) adapted to be controlled in such a manner that consumed energy is controlled in dependence of meteorological data representing present and anticipated temperatures and amounts of precipitation. The plant may also include one main station or weather station (10) which is influenced both by signals transmitted at a time depending of anticipated meteorological conditions and signals stating detected temperature and humidity at the weather station itself, and at least one satellite station (7) controlled by remote control only, e.g., via a modem, and then by a signal (16) transmitted form the weather station (10).

Claims

1. A control system for at least one heating plant provided with heating element (8) and adapted for heating of one or several surfaces by power supply from a power source (11) for avoiding ice and snow generation on the surface(s), at a low power consumption, characterized in that the control system comprises:

a control central (1) adapted to obtain regional meteorological data and to transmit a predetermined activating signal (15) for activating the heating element via an existing communication network (2, 3) at a point of time depending on said data,

a local control system (9,10) adapted to receive an activating signal (15) and provided with at least one remotely controlled unit (4) adapted to be effected by the activating signal (15);

so that power supplied from a power source (11) to the heating element(s) (8) is changed dependent of the regional meteorological data.

2. A control system for a heating plant as stated in claim 1, characterized in that the control system (9,10) comprises an exchange (5) adapted to react on locally detected temperature and humidity values, detected by at least one local detector (6), and also to react on the received activating signal(s) (15).

3. A control system for a heating plant as stated in claim 1, and where the energy is supplied as electrical energy, characterized in that said remotely operated element comprises a controllable contractor (e.g. a thyristor or varistor controlled contractor) being able to supply the street surface with a variable amount of energy by varying the duty cycle of the working current.

4. A control system for at least one heating plant provided with heating element (8) and adapted for heating of one or several surfaces by power supply from a power source (11) for avoiding ice and snow generation on the surface(s), at a low power consumption, characterized in that the control system comprises:

a control central (1) adapted to obtain regional meteorological data and to transmit a predetermined activating signal (15) for activating the heating element via an existing communication network (2, 3) at a point of time depending on said data,

a regional control system (9, 10) adapted to receive an activating signal (15) and provided with at least one remotely controlled unit (4) adapted to be effected by the activating signal (15);

so that power supplied from a power source (11) to the heating element(s) (8) is changed dependent on the regional meteorological data.

5. A control system for at least one heating plant provided with heating element (8) and adapted for heating of one or several surfaces by power supply from a power source (11) for avoiding ice and snow generation on the surface(s), at a low power consumption, characterized in that the control system comprises:

a control central (1) adapted to obtain regional meteorological data and to transmit a predetermined activating signal (15) for activating the heating element via an existing communication network (2, 3) at a point of time depending on said data,

a local/regional control system (9, 10) adapted to receive an activating signal (15) and provided with at least one remotely controlled unit (4) adapted to be effected by the activating signal (15);

so that power supplied from a power source (11) to the heating element(s) (8) is changed dependent on the regional meteorological data, and

an exchange (5) arranged as part of the local/regional control system and adapted to react on locally detected temperature and humidity values, detected by at least one local detector (6), and also to react on the received activating signal(s) (15).

6. A method for controlling a heating plant comprising at least one heating element (8) adapted for locally heating of a surface, at a low power consumption, to avoid ice or snow on the surface, characterized in that

regional meteorological data are obtained, in particular related to regional temperature progress and anticipated regional precipitation,

an activating signal (15) is transmitted at a point of time deduced from meteorological data,

said activating signal (15) is further transmitted to at least one remotely operated unit (4) connected to the heating element(s) (8) and is operating these elements, and

that the point of time for transmitting the activating signal (15,16) is determined in such a manner that the heating element(s) (8) is/are passivated during cold periods without precipitation, but all the same is/are activated at a certain adjustable point of time succeeding the point of time when precipitation is anticipated according to the regional meteorological data.

7. A method as stated in claim 6, characterized in that at least one of the heating elements (8) within the region also is/are controlled by at least one locally arranged humidity and/or temperature detector (6) registrating local humidity and/or local temperature close to the heating element(s) (8).

8. A method as stated in claim 7, used with a heating plant comprising several heating elements (8) distributed over one geographic region having substantially the equal meteorological conditions, characterized in that

a reference plant (10) controlling at least one heating element (8) is selected as the only plant receiving the activating signal (15) directly and also being controlled by this signal within this region, while at least one different heating plant (7) within the same region is/are controlled by further remotely controlling signals (16) generated in or retransmitted from said reference plant (10).

9. A control system as stated in claim 8, characterized in that the system comprises several controllable heating elements (8) distributed over several separated heating plants distributed over a region with substantially equal weather conditions,

that one of the heating plants within a region represents a regional weather station (10) acting as a reference plant and provided with a modem (14) adapted for transmitting a remotely operating signal (1) to the remaining satellite plants (7) within the region, while each satellite station (7) comprises a heating plant controlled only by an activating signal (16) from the regional weather station (10).

10. A method as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the exact point of time for transmitting the activating signal (15) and thereby activating/passivating the heating element(s) (8), is adjusted in dependence of the regional temperature progress.

11. A method as stated in claim 6, characterized in that the activating signals (15) are based on information delivered by the public meteorological forecast services.