Latent capacity adjustment

• US 9,933,176 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2014
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trane International Inc. (Trane Technologies plc)
• Original Assignee: Trane International Inc. (Trane Technologies plc)
• Inventors: Mutchnik, Karl, Garrett, Carl L., Taylor, John, Storm, Timothy Wayne, St. Mars, Rick
• Primary Examiner(s): McAllister, Steven B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, II, Steven
• Application Number:
  US14/581,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20150211757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 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 11/61 using timers
• 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 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/77 by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/20 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

Systems and methods of operating a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system are disclosed that may include starting a timer substantially concurrently with the HVAC system, entering a cooling cycle, and preventing a multi-speed blower in the HVAC system from changing speeds until the timer expires.

Claims

1. A method of operating a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

providing an HVAC comprising a humidity sensor and a multi-speed blower;

initiating a cooling cycle of the HVAC system;

starting a timer concurrently with the initiation of the cooling cycle;

setting a speed of the multi-speed blower upon initiation of the cooling cycle based on a comparison of a humidity level sensed by the humidity sensor at the beginning of the cooling cycle and a humidity threshold; and

preventing the multi-speed blower from changing speeds until the timer expires, wherein a speed of the multi-speed blower is allowed to change after the timer expires;

changing the speed of the multi-speed blower in response to the humidity level crossing the humidity threshold after the timer has expired;

restarting the timer concurrently with changing the speed of the multi-speed blower; and

preventing the multi-speed blower from changing speeds until the restarted timer expires.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing the speed of the multi-speed blower in response to the humidity level crossing the humidity threshold after the restarted timer has expired; and

restarting the timer again in response to changing the speed of the multi-speed blower.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, when a humidity level crosses the humidity threshold before the timer has expired, the speed of the multi-speed blower changes responsive to the expiration of the timer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the speed of the multi-speed blower does not change during the cooling cycle if the cooling cycle ends before a humidity level crosses the humidity threshold or before the timer expires.

5. A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

a humidity sensor;

a multi-speed blower; and

a system controller configured to;

initiate a cooling cycle of the HVAC system;

start the timer concurrently with the initiation of the cooling cycle;

set a speed of the multi-speed blower upon initiation of the cooling cycle based on a comparison of a humidity level sensed by the humidity sensor at the initiation of the cooling cycle and a humidity threshold;

prevent the multi-speed blower from changing speeds until the timer expires, wherein a speed of the multi-speed blower is allowed to change after the timer expires; and

change the speed of the multi-speed blower responsive to the humidity level crossing the humidity threshold when the humidity level crosses the humidity threshold after the timer has expired,

wherein the timer is restarted concurrently with changing the speed of the multi-speed blower, and wherein the multi-speed blower is prevented from changing speeds during the cooling cycle until the restarted timer expires.

6. The HVAC system of claim 5, wherein, when the humidity level crosses the humidity threshold before the timer has expired, the speed of the multi-speed blower changes responsive to the expiration of the timer.

7. The HVAC system of claim 5, wherein the speed of the multi-speed blower does not change during the cooling cycle if the cooling cycle ends before a humidity level crosses the humidity threshold or before the timer expires.

8. A system controller for a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

initiate a cooling cycle of the HVAC system;

start a timer concurrently with the initiation of the cooling cycle;

set a speed of a multi-speed blower upon initiation of the cooling cycle based on a comparison of a humidity level sensed by a humidity sensor at the initiation of the cooling cycle and a humidity threshold;

prevent the multi-speed blower from changing speeds until the expiration of the timer; and

upon expiration of the timer, selectively change the speed of the multi-speed blower in response to the humidity level crossing the humidity threshold, and selectively maintain the speed of the multi-speed blower in response to the humidity level not crossing the humidity threshold;

change the speed of the multi-speed blower in response to the humidity level crossing the humidity threshold when the humidity level crosses the humidity threshold after the timer has expired;

wherein the timer is restarted concurrently with changing the speed of the multi-speed blower, and wherein the multi-speed blower is prevented from changing speeds during the cooling cycle until the restarted timer expires.

9. The system controller of claim 8, wherein, when the humidity level crosses the humidity threshold before the timer has expired, the processor is configured to change the speed of the multi-speed blower in response to the expiration of the timer.

10. The system controller of claim 8 wherein the speed of the multi-speed blower does not change during the cooling cycle if the cooling cycle ends before a humidity level crosses the humidity threshold or before the timer expires.