System and method for providing supervisory control of an HVAC system

• US 9,645,014 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2012
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Philips Lighting BV (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: McMillan, Andrew Hamilton
• Primary Examiner(s): Bidder, Allana Lewin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ma, Kun Kai
• Application Number:
  US14/005,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20140010260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,882 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/47 Responding to energy costs
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/10 in respect of time, e.g. reacting only to a quick change of temperature

Abstract

A sensor surrogate (120) for causing a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system (110) to maintain a desired room temperature, contains a temperature sensor (122) for determining an actual room temperature and logic embodied on at least one non-transitory computer readable medium (130). The logic (130) is configured to perform the steps of: calculating a current low temperature that is lower than a pre-programmed HVAC system temperature and providing the HVAC system with a first signal that represents the calculated current low temperature, if the desired temperature is above the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature; and calculating a current high temperature that is above the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature and providing the HVAC system (110) with a second signal that represents the calculated current high temperature, if the desired room temperature is below the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature.

Claims

1. A sensor surrogate for causing a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to maintain a desired room temperature, wherein the sensor surrogate comprises:

a temperature sensor for determining an actual room temperature; and

a logic embodied on at least one non-transitory computer readable medium configured to perform the steps of;

if the desired room temperature is above a pre-programmed HVAC system temperature, calculating a current low temperature that is lower than the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature and providing the HVAC system with a first signal that represents the calculated current low temperature thereby causing the HVAC system to function as if the actual room temperature were below the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature; and

if the desired room temperature is below the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature, calculating a current high temperature that is above the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature and providing the HVAC system with a second signal that represents the calculated current high temperature thereby causing the HVAC system to function as if the actual room temperature were above the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature.

2. The sensor surrogate of claim 1, wherein the step of calculating the current low temperature further comprises the steps of:

determining a difference in temperature between the desired room temperature and the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature; and

subtracting the difference from the actual room temperature, resulting in the current low temperature.

3. The sensor surrogate of claim 1, wherein the step of calculating the current high temperature further comprises the steps of:

determining a difference in temperature between the desired room temperature and the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature; and

adding the difference to the actual room temperature, resulting in the current high temperature.

4. The sensor surrogate of claim 1, wherein the logic is further configured to learn the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature over a period of time.

5. The sensor surrogate of claim 1, further comprising an input device for allowing a user to input the desired room temperature, and wherein the logic is further configured to receive the desired room temperature from the input device.

6. The sensor surrogate of claim 1, wherein an output of the sensor surrogate is selected from a group consisting of a voltage, a resistance, and a current.

7. A system for causing a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to maintain a desired temperature, wherein the system comprises:

at least one sensor surrogate comprising;

a temperature sensor for determining an actual room temperature; and

a logic embodied on at least one non-transitory computer readable medium configured to function in a first mode or in a second mode, wherein the first mode is characterized by the logic being configured to perform the steps of;

if the desired temperature is above a pre-programmed HVAC system temperature, calculating a current low temperature that is lower than the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature and providing the HVAC system with a first signal that represents the calculated current temperature thereby causing the HVAC system to function as if the actual room temperature were below the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature; and

if the desired temperature is below the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature, calculating a current high temperature that is above the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature and providing the HVAC system with a second signal that represents the calculated current high temperature thereby causing the HVAC system to function as if the actual room temperature were above the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature, and

wherein the second mode is characterized by the logic being configured to perform the step of providing a third signal that represents the actual room temperature; and

a controller for instructing the at least one sensor surrogate to run in either the first mode or the second mode.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller communicates with the at least one sensor surrogate through wireless communication.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller communicates with the at least one sensor surrogate through wired communication.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the step of calculating the current low temperature further comprises the steps of:

determining a difference in temperature between the desired room temperature and the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature; and

subtracting the difference from the actual room temperature, resulting in the current low temperature.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the step of calculating the current high temperature further comprises the steps of:

determining a difference in temperature between the desired room temperature and the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature; and

adding the difference to the actual room temperature, resulting in the current high temperature.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the logic is further configured to learn the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature over a period of time.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the sensor surrogate further comprises an input device for allowing a user to input the desired room temperature, and wherein the logic is further configured to receive the desired room temperature from the input device.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein an output of the sensor surrogate is selected from a group consisting of a voltage, a resistance, and a current.

15. A method for causing a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to maintain a desired room temperature, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

determining an actual room temperature;

determining if the desired room temperature is above a pre-programmed HVAC system temperature;

if the desired room temperature is above the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature, calculating a current low temperature that is lower than the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature and providing the HVAC system with a first signal that represents the calculated current temperature thereby causing the HVAC system to function as if the actual room temperature were below the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature; and

if the desired room temperature is below the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature, calculating a current high temperature that is above the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature and providing the HVAC system with a second signal that represents the calculated current high temperature thereby causing the HVAC system to function as if the actual room temperature were above the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of calculating the current low temperature further comprises the steps of:

determining a difference in temperature between the desired room temperature and the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature; and

subtracting the difference from the actual room temperature, resulting in the current low temperature.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of calculating the current high temperature further comprises the steps of:

determining a difference in temperature between the desired room temperature and the pre-programmed HVAC system temperature; and

adding the difference to the actual room temperature, resulting in the current high temperature.