System and method for controlling temperature control elements that are used to alter liquid temperature

• US 6,989,514 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2004
• Issued: 01/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: A. O. Smith Corporation
• Original Assignee: Synapse Retail Ventures
• Inventors: Patterson, Wade C., Phillips, Terry G.
• Primary Examiner(s): PASCHALL, MARK H
• Application Number:
  US10/937,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20050029248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 219483-486, 219/490, 219/481, 219/497, 219/492, 219/499, 219/501, 219/505, 219/508, 392450-458, 392/464, 307 38- 41
• US Class Current: 219/492
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/42 Circuits effecting compensation of thermal inertia; Circuits for predicting the stationary value of a temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1951 with control of the working time of a temperature controlling device

Abstract

A system for controlling temperature control elements used to alter temperatures of a liquid comprises a temperature sensor, a first temperature control element, a second temperature control element, and logic. The temperature sensor is configured to sense temperatures of the liquid, and the first and second temperature control elements are each configured to alter a temperature of the liquid. The logic is configured to selectively control, based on the sensed temperatures, activation states of the first and second temperature control elements such that a total activation time associated with the first temperature control element is substantially equal to a total activation time associated with the second temperature control element.

Claims

1. A system for controlling temperature control elements used to alter temperatures of a liquid residing within a tank, comprising:

a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the liquid;

a first temperature control element configured to alter a temperature of the liquid;

a second temperature control element configured to alter a temperature of the liquid; and

logic configured to determine a first value and a second value, the first value indicative of a total amount of time that the first temperature control element is activated and the second value indicative of a total amount of time that the second temperature control element is activated, the logic configured to perform a comparison between the first and second values, the logic configured to make a determination, based on the temperature sensor, that a temperature of the liquid is to be altered, the logic further configured to select, based on the comparison, one of the temperature control elements and to activate the selected temperature control element in response to the determination, wherein the logic is further configured to monitor usage of the liquid within the tank, wherein the logic is configured to automatically define a schedule indicative of expected usage of the liquid within the tank based on the monitored usage, wherein the determination is based on a comparison of a threshold to the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor, and wherein the threshold is automatically selected by the logic for the comparison based on the schedule and a current time value indicated by a clock.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second temperature control elements comprise heating elements for increasing a temperature of the liquid.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second temperature control elements comprise cooling elements for decreasing a temperature of the liquid.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic is configured to select, based on the comparison, the first temperature control element if the amount indicated by the second value is greater than the amount indicated by the first value.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic is configured to ensure that the total amount of time that the first temperature control element is activated substantially matches the total amount of time that the second temperature control element is activated.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic is configured to monitor the usage of the liquid within the tank by monitoring activation states of the first and second temperature control elements.

7. A system, comprising:

a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of a liquid residing within a tank;

a plurality of temperature control elements configured to alter a temperature of the liquid; and

logic configured to track usage of the temperature control elements and to automatically define a schedule indicative of expected usage of the liquid within the tank based on the tracked usage of the temperature control elements, the logic further configured to selectively control, based on the tracked usage, the temperature control elements in response to determinations, based on the temperature sensor, to alter a temperature of the liquid, wherein the determinations are based on comparisons of thresholds to temperatures sensed by the temperature sensor, and wherein the thresholds are automatically selected by the logic for the comparisons based on the schedule and current time values indicated by a clock.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising a tank, wherein the liquid resides within the tank.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the logic is configured to selectively activate, based on the tracked usage, the temperature control elements such that a total activation time associated with one of the temperature control elements is substantially equal to a total activation time associated with another of the temperature control elements.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the logic is configured to selectively deactivate, based on the tracked usage, the temperature control elements such that a total activation time associated with one of the temperature control elements is substantially equal to a total activation time associated with another of the temperature control elements.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the logic is configured to determine a value based on the usage tracked by the logic, the value indicative of a total amount of time that at least one of the temperature control elements has been activated, wherein the logic is further configured to selectively activate the temperature control elements based on the value.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the logic is configured to determine a value based on the usage tracked by the logic, the value indicative of a total amount of time that at least one of the temperature control elements has been activated, wherein the logic is further configured to selectively deactivate the temperature control elements based on the value.

13. The system of claim 7, further comprising a clock, wherein the logic is configured to track the usage of the temperature control elements based on time values indicated by the clock.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the logic is configured to estimate amounts of liquid drawn from the tank during different time periods based on the tracked usage of the temperature control elements.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the logic is configured to categorize each of the time periods based on an estimated amount of liquid drawn from the tank during the respective time period, and wherein the schedule is based on the categorized time periods.

16. A method, comprising the steps of:

sensing a temperature of a liquid residing within a tank;

altering a temperature of the liquid via a plurality of temperature control elements;

tracking usage of the temperature control elements;

automatically defining a schedule indicative of expected usage of the liquid within the tank based on the tracking step;

automatically selecting a threshold based on the schedule and a time value from a clock;

comparing the threshold to the sensed temperature; and

selectively controlling the temperature control elements based on the comparing step.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the tracking step comprises the steps of:

determining a first value indicative of a total amount of time that a first one of the temperature control elements is activated; and

determining a second value indicative of a total amount of time that a second one of the temperature control elements is activated,

wherein the controlling step further comprises the step of selecting the first and second temperature control elements for activation such that the total amount of time that the first temperature control element is activated substantially matches the total amount of time that the second temperature control element is activated.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the tracking step comprises the steps of:

determining a first value indicative of a total amount of time that a first one of the temperature control elements is activated; and

determining a second value indicative of a total amount of time that a second one of the temperature control elements is activated,

wherein the controlling step further comprises the step of selecting the first and second temperature control elements for deactivation such that the total amount of time that the first temperature control element is activated substantially matches the total amount of time that the second temperature control element is activated.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of determining a value indicative of a total amount of time that at least one of the temperature control elements has been activated, wherein the selectively controlling step is based on the value.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of reading a clock, wherein the tracking step is based on the reading step.

21. A method for controlling temperature control elements used to alter temperatures of a liquid, comprising the steps of:

sensing temperatures of the liquid;

altering temperatures of the liquid via a first temperature control element and a second temperature control element;

selectively controlling, based on the sensed temperatures of the liquid, activation states of the first temperature control element and the second temperature control element such that a total activation time associated with the first temperature control element is substantially equal to a total activation time associated with the second temperature control element;

automatically tracking the activation states of the first and second temperature control elements;

automatically defining a schedule indicative of expected usage of the liquid within the tank based on the tracking step;

selecting different thresholds for different time periods based on the schedule and time values from a clock; and

for each of the different time periods, comparing a respective one of the thresholds to a temperature sensed by the sensing step;

wherein the controlling step is based on the comparing step.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the controlling step is based on whether the total activation time associated with the first temperature control element is greater than the total activation time associated with the second temperature control element.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the controlling step comprises the step of deactivating the first temperature control element in response to a determination that the total activation time associated with the first temperature control element is greater than the total activation time associated with the second temperature control element.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the controlling step comprises the step of activating the first temperature control element in response to a determination that the total activation time associated with the first temperature control element is less than the total activation time associated with the second temperature control element.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of reading a clock, wherein the controlling step is based on the reading step.