Zone climate control

• US 7,188,779 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2004
• Issued: 03/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emme E2MS, LLC
• Original Assignee: Home Comfort Zones Incorporated
• Inventors: Alles, Harold Gene
• Primary Examiner(s): NORMAN, MARC E
• Application Number:
  US10/873,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20040238653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 236/1.B, 236/49.3, 236/91.D, 236/91.E, 236/91.R, 621/78, 621/79, 621/80, 165/205, 165/212, 700/277
• US Class Current: 236/1.00B
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/10 movable, e.g. dampers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2013/087 using inflatable bellows
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 3/0442 with volume control at a constant temperature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87249 Multiple inlet with multiple outlet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87684 Valve in each inlet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87692 With common valve operator
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49716 Converting

Abstract

A zone climate control system and method of its operation. A zone can be a single room. A method for determining which zones'"'"' vents are to be closed, and which are to be opened, in performing heating or cooling, circulation to heat or cool a zone by mixing its air with air from another zone, circulation to reduce excessive conditioning of a zone by mixing its air with air from another zone, or circulation to maintain air quality. Airflow, thermal capacity, heating or cooling requirements, and other parameters are developed for each zone by measurement and/or derivation. Plenum pressure is predicted and managed.

Claims

1. A method for operating a zone climate control system to control a multi-zone HVAC system in a building having multiple zones conditioned by the HVAC system, the method comprising:

maintaining, for each of the zones, a thermal model which is dependent on an outside temperature, and which includes a capacity term and a loss term;

maintaining an airflow model that prorates airflow to each of the zones; and

utilizing a predictive algorithm for determining when conditioning is needed.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the predictive algorithm determines which zones will receive airflow.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein:

the predictive algorithm further determines a duration of a cycle of the HVAC system.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein maintaining the thermal model comprises:

storing historical thermal model data; and

deriving parameters of the thermal model from the stored historical thermal model data.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein maintaining the airflow model comprises:

predicting plenum pressure of the HVAC system.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein utilizing the predictive algorithm comprises:

selectively operating a bypass duct to control plenum pressure, in response to predicting the plenum pressure.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein utilizing the predictive algorithm comprises:

attempting to maximize the duration of the cycle without over-conditioning any zone.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein utilizing the predictive algorithm comprises:

maintaining different target temperatures in different zones.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein utilizing the predictive algorithm comprises:

maintaining a plurality of temperature schedules for the various zones.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein utilizing the predictive algorithm comprises:

utilizing an anticipation function.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein utilizing the anticipation function comprises:

adapting the anticipation function in response to changing outside temperature.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein utilizing the anticipation function comprises:

operating the anticipation function independently for each zone.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein utilizing the anticipation function comprises:

adjusting operation of the anticipation for a first zone in response to changing conditions in a second zone.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein utilizing the predictive algorithm comprises:

using only circulation without heating or cooling, to control temperature in a zone.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein utilizing the predictive algorithm comprises:

ensuring that each zone receives a predetermined minimum amount of airflow during a predetermined time period.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the airflow model is calibrated during installation of the zone climate control system.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein calibrating the airflow model comprises:

measuring plenum pressure for a predetermined pattern of settings of vents in the various zones.

22. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing default values for parameters of the thermal model upon installation of the zone climate control system; and

updating values of the parameters of the thermal model in response to usage of the thermal model over time.

23. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

calibrating the capacity term in response to the loss term.

24. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

calculating a zone'"'"'s capacity term by accumulating data for each HVAC cycle received by the zone.

25. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

periodically calculating offset parameter values and usage factor parameter values according to short term and long term data stored in the thermal model.

26. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

calculating thermal model parameters by averaging recent values.

4. A method for operating a zone climate control system to control a multi-zone HVAC system in a building having multiple zones conditioned by the HVAC system, the method comprising:

maintaining a thermal model which utilizes an outside temperature and which includes a capacity term and a loss term for each of the zones; and

executing a predictive algorithm upon the thermal model to determine when conditioning is needed in a zone.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein:

the predictive algorithm determines which zones will receive airflow.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein:

the predictive algorithm further determines a duration of a cycle of the HVAC system.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein:

the thermal model includes an airflow term for each of the zones.

27. A method for operating a zone climate control system to control a multi-zone HVAC system in a building having multiple zones conditioned by the HVAC system, the method comprising:

maintaining a thermal model of the zones, wherein the thermal model includes for each zone a capacity term and a loss term describing thermal characteristics of the zone;

maintaining a temperature schedule for each of the zones;

measuring a current temperature in a zone;

determining, based on the temperature schedule and the measured current temperature, whether the zone will require conditioning;

if the zone is determined to require conditioning, operating the HVAC system to provide conditioning to the zone;

predicting, according to the thermal model, the measured current temperature, and the temperature schedule, a duration of an HVAC cycle for which the HVAC system is to be operated.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising:

ending the HVAC cycle at an end of the predicted duration, regardless of whether a new current temperature in the zone can be measured.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein:

the determining further includes identifying additional zones which also will require conditioning; and

the operating further includes providing conditioning to the additional zones.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising:

identifying other zones which may be conditioned to at least one of(i) extend the duration of the HVAC cycle and (ii) decrease pressure in a plenum of the HVAC system; and

providing conditioning to the other zones.