Air conditioning control system for controlling outside air control and return air control of air conditioning system

• US 9,702,578 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2009
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Maegawa, Tomonori, Morimoto, Hiroshi, Nishimura, Nobutaka, Takagi, Yasuo, Yonezawa, Kenzo, Hanada, Yuuichi, Makino, Naoki, Oono, Hideki, Fujii, Akihiro, Sugawara, Susumu
• Primary Examiner(s): Norman, Marc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Comings, Daniel C
• Application Number:
  US12/499,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20100006662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,925 Days
• Field of Search: 62 93, 62157, 62158, 621764, 621766, 62177-180, 62186, 62404, 62133, 62230, 62239, 62244, 62408, 62410, 236 44 C, 236 46 R, 236 493
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/0008 for air-humidification F24F11/30 takes precedence
• 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 11/61 using timers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/81 by controlling the air supply to heat-exchangers or bypass channels
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/12 of the outside air
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/20 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/22 of the outside air
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 5/0096 combined with domestic apparatus

Abstract

An air conditioning control system allows a supply air switching controller to alternately switch outside air control and return air control at a preset switching interval. The supply air switching controller is connected to an air conditioner placed to correspond to each room inside as an air conditioning control subject. The outside air control takes outside air into a temperature/humidity adjustment coil of the air conditioner by opening a first damper provided in the air conditioner in order to adjust an intake volume of the outside air into the air conditioner and by closing a second damper provided in the air conditioner in order to adjust an intake volume of return air from the room inside. The return air control takes the return air from the room inside into the temperature/humidity adjustment coil of the air conditioner by closing the first damper and opening the second damper.

Claims

1. An air conditioning control system comprising:

a temperature and humidity adjustment coil that performs adjustment of temperature and humidity of air as a control subject;

a first damper that is placed in an air pipe coupling outside air and the temperature and humidity adjustment coil to each other, and adjusts an intake volume of the outside air;

a second damper that is placed in an air pipe coupling a space of a room inside as an air conditioning control subject and the temperature and humidity adjustment coil to each other, and adjusts an intake volume of return air from the room inside;

a damper control unit that alternately switches outside air control and return air control at a fixed time switching interval, in which the outside air control is to take the outside air into the temperature and humidity adjustment coil for dehumidifying the outside air by opening the first damper at a degree of opening for controlling an introducing amount of the outside air based on a required ventilation volume of the outside air required in the room inside and fully closing the second damper to shut out the return air, and the return air control is to take the return air from the room inside into the temperature and humidity adjustment coil for controlling a temperature of the return air by fully closing the first damper to shut out the outside air and opening the second damper to introduce only the return air,

wherein the required ventilation volume is determined based on a floor area and an occupied area per person.

2. The air conditioning control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a valve that adjusts a flow rate of cold or hot water supplied to the temperature and humidity adjustment coil; and

a valve control unit, wherein, when the return air control is switched to the outside air control, the valve control unit is configured to control a degree of opening of the valve to supply the cold or hot water to the temperature and humidity adjustment coil at a flow rate corresponding to the outside air control, and when the outside air control is switched to the return air control, the valve control unit is configured to control the degree of opening of the valve to supply the cold or hot water to the temperature and humidity adjustment coil at a flow rate corresponding to the return air control.

3. The air conditioning control system according to claim 2,

wherein, when variable air volume control to vary a volume of the air supplied in the room inside is executed, the valve control unit controls the flow rate of the cold or hot water so that the cold or hot water can be supplied to the temperature and humidity adjustment coil at fixed flow rates set for a time when the outside air control is performed in the damper control unit and for a time when the return air control is performed therein.

4. The air conditioning control system according to claim 1,

wherein, after switching air control once between the outside air control and the return air control, the damper control unit performs control to close the first damper and the second damper for a predetermined time in order to pause an operation of the temperature and humidity adjustment coil for the predetermined time.

5. A supply air switching controller comprising:

a damper control unit connected to an air conditioner placed to correspond to each room inside or each control zone of the room inside, the room inside or the control zone being as an air conditioning control subject,

wherein the damper control unit alternately switches outside air control and return air control at a fixed time switching interval by controlling a first damper that is provided in the air conditioner and adjusts an intake volume of the outside air into the air conditioner and a second damper that is provided in the air conditioner and adjusts an intake volume of return air from the room inside, in which the outside air control is to take outside air into a temperature and humidity adjustment coil of the air conditioner for dehumidifying the outside air by opening the first damper at a degree of opening for controlling an introducing amount of the outside air based on a required ventilation volume of the outside air required in the room inside, and by fully closing the second damper to shut out the return air, and the return air control is to take the return air from the room inside into the temperature and humidity adjustment coil of the air conditioner for controlling a temperature of the return air by fully closing the first damper to shut out the outside air and opening the second damper to introduce the return air,

wherein the required ventilation volume is determined based on a floor area and an occupied area per person.

6. The supply air switching controller according to claim 5,

wherein, after switching air control once between the outside air control and the return air control, the damper control unit performs control to close the first damper and the second damper for a predetermined time in order to pause an operation of the temperature and humidity adjustment coil of the air conditioner for the predetermined time.

7. An air conditioning method comprising:

controlling a first damper being provided in an air conditioner and adjusting an intake volume of outside air into the air conditioner, and a second damper being provided in the air conditioner and adjusting an intake volume of return air from a room inside;

performing outside air control to take the outside air into a temperature and humidity adjustment coil of the air conditioner,

wherein performing outside air control includes dehumidifying the outside air by opening the first damper at a degree of opening and controlling an introducing amount of the outside air based on a required ventilation volume determined based on a floor area and an occupied area per person of the outside air required in the room inside and fully closing the second damper to shut out the return air;

performing return air control to take the return air from the room inside into the temperature and humidity adjustment coil of the air conditioner,

wherein performing return air control includes controlling a temperature of the return air by fully closing the first damper to shut out the outside air and opening the second damper to introduce the return air; and

alternately switching, by a supply air switching controller connected to the air conditioner, the outside air control and the return air control at a fixed time switching interval, the air conditioner being placed to correspond to each room inside or each control zone of the room inside, the room inside or the control zone being as an air conditioning control subject.

8. The air conditioning control method according to claim 7, further comprising:

controlling, via a cold or hot water flow rate controller connected to a valve configured to adjust a flow rate of cold or hot water supplied to the temperature and humidity adjustment coil, a degree of opening of the valve to supply the cold or hot water to the temperature and humidity adjustment coil at a flow rate corresponding to the outside air control for dehumidifying the outside air based a predicted mean vote when the return air control is switched to the outside air control by the supply air switching controller; and

controlling, via the cold or hot water flow rate controller, the degree of opening of the valve to supply the cold or hot water to the temperature and humidity adjustment coil at a flow rate corresponding to the return air control for controlling a temperature of the return air based on the predicted mean vote when the outside air control is switched to the return air control by the supply air switching controller.

9. The air conditioning control method according to claim 8,

wherein, when variable air volume control to vary a volume of the air supplied from the air conditioner is executed, the cold or hot flow rate controller controls the flow rate of the cold or hot water so that the cold or hot water can be supplied to the temperature and humidity adjustment coil at fixed flow rates set for a time when the outside air control is performed and for a time when the return air control is performed.

10. The air conditioning control method according to claim 7,

wherein, after switching air control once between the outside air control and the return air control, the supply air switching controller performs control to close the first damper and the second damper for a predetermined time in order to pause an operation of the temperature and humidity adjustment coil for the predetermined time.