SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ZONING A DISTRIBUTED-ARCHITECTURE HEATING, VENTILATION AND AIR CONDITIONING NETWORK

• US 20100106308A1
• Filed: 10/21/2009
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lennox Industries Incorporated (Lennox International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Lennox Industries Incorporated (Lennox International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Thorson, Timothy H., Wallaert, Timothy E., Filbeck, Amanda
• Granted Patent: US 9,651,925 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/276
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house

Abstract

The disclosure provides an HVAC data processing and communication network. In an embodiment, the network includes a first zone and a second zone. The first zone has a first demand unit and a first subnet controller configured to control an operation of the first demand unit via a data bus. The second zone has a second demand unit and a second subnet controller configured to control an operation of the second demand unit via the data bus. The second subnet controller is further configured to communicate with the first subnet controller via the data bus.

Claims

1. An HVAC data processing and communication network, comprising:

a first zone comprising a first demand unit and a first subnet controller configured to control operation of said first demand unit via a data bus; and

a second zone comprising a second demand unit and a second subnet controller configured to control operation of said second demand unit via said data bus, and to communicate with said first subnet controller via said data bus.

2. The network as recited in claim 1, wherein said first and said second subnet controllers are a same subnet controller.

3. The network as recited in claim 1, wherein said first and said second demand units are a same demand unit.

4. The network as recited in claim 1, wherein said first subnet controller is configured to modify operational parameters associated with operation of said second zone.

6. The network as recited in claim 1, wherein said first zone further comprises a first and a second user interface, and said first and second user interfaces are not located in a same room.

7. The network as recited in claim 1, wherein said first zone further comprises a first user interface and said second zone further comprises a second user interface, and said first user interface is configured to control operation of said second zone, and said second user interface is configured to control operation of said first zone.

5. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. The network as recited in claim 8, wherein said first subnet controller controls an operation of said first demand unit by taking into account environmental data supplied by each of at least two environmental sensors.

10. (canceled)

11. A method of manufacturing an HVAC data processing and communication network, comprising:

configuring a first subnet controller to control an operation of a first demand unit in a first zone via a data bus;

configuring a second subnet controller to control an operation of a second demand unit in a second zone via said data bus; and

configuring said first subnet controller to communicate with said second subnet controller via said data bus.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein said first and said second subnet controllers are a same subnet controller.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein said first and said second demand units are a same demand unit.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising configuring said first subnet controller to modify operational parameters associated with operation of said second zone.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein said first zone further comprises a first and a second user interface, and said first and second user interfaces are not located in a same room.

17. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein said first zone further comprises a first user interface and said second zone further comprises a second user interface, and further comprising configuring said first user interface to control operation of said second zone, and configuring said second user interface to control operation of said first zone.

15. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein said first subnet controller is configured to control an operation of said first demand unit by taking into account environmental data supplied by each of said at least two environmental sensors.

20. (canceled)

21. An HVAC data processing and communication network subnet controller, comprising:

a physical layer interface configured to couple to a data bus of an HVAC data processing and communications network; and

a local controller configured to cooperate with said physical layer interface to publish messages to said data bus configured to operate a first HVAC demand unit in a first zone and a second HVAC demand unit in a second zone.

22. The subnet controller as recited in claim 21, wherein said first and said second demand units are a same demand unit.

23. The subnet controller as recited in claim 21, wherein said subnet controller is configured to modify operational parameters associated with operation of said first and said second zone.

24. The subnet controller as recited in claim 21, further configured to cooperate with a first and a second user interface of said first zone to control said first zone.

25. The subnet controller as recited in claim 21, wherein said subnet controller is a first subnet controller, said first zone further comprises a first user interface and said second zone further comprises a second user interface, and said first user interface is configured to cooperate with a second user interface to control operation of said second zone.

26. The subnet controller as recited in claim 21, being housed in a same enclosure as an environmental sensor and a subnet controller, but being addressable independently over said data bus.