General control techniques in a heating, ventilation and air conditioning network

• US 8,798,796 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2009
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• 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: Grohman, Wojciech, Hadzidedic, Darko, Thorson, Timothy H., Mirza, Muhammad Ali, Kailani, Ammar, Wallaert, Timothy E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US12/603,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20100106309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,749 Days
• Field of Search: 700/276, 700/278, 62/79, 624/31, 621/81, 622/281, 236/49, 236/94, 165/242, 165/238, 165/217
• US Class Current: 700/276
• 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 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/50 Air quality properties
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1931 to control the temperature of one space
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/24 the sensing element having a resistance varying with temperature, e.g. a thermistor
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 27/02 characterised by the use of electric means

Abstract

The disclosure provides an HVAC data processing and communication network. In various embodiments of systems and methods including a bus, a compressor is coupled to the bus, and a subnet controller is coupled to the bus. The subnet controller disables the compressor when acting upon a dehumidification command.

Claims

1. An HVAC network of an HVAC system that provides cooling and dehumidification for a premise, comprising:

a data bus capable of communicating data between and among devices coupled thereto;

a compressor coupled to said data bus and fluidly coupled to an associated condenser coil and evaporator coil to provide cooling for said HVAC system;

a dehumidifier coupled to said data bus and independent of said compressor; and

a subnet controller coupled to said data bus and configured to enable said compressor to provide said cooling based on a temperature associated with said premises, wherein said subnet controller is further configured to receive or generate a dehumidification command and address overcooling of said premises by disabling said compressor when said dehumidifier acts upon said dehumidification command for said HVAC system.

2. The HVAC network of claim 1, further comprising a user interface coupled to said data bus.

3. The HVAC network of claim 1, further including an RFID tag system for use with said HVAC network, comprising:

a temperature sensor including;

a) an RFID tag; and

b) a thermistor; and

an RFID receiver for receiving a reading of said thermistor by said RFID tag.

4. The RFID tag system of claim 3, wherein said temperature sensor is a comfort sensor.

5. The RFID tag system of claim 3, further comprising a battery coupled to said RFID tag.

6. The RFID tag system of claim 3, wherein a plurality of said temperature sensors are placed around a room.

7. The RFID tag system of claim 6, wherein said temperature sensors each have a separate broadcast frequency.

8. A method for employing an HVAC network of an HVAC system that provides cooling and dehumidification for a premises, comprising:

enabling a compressor of said HVAC system to provide cooling for said premises;

receiving a dehumidification command for said HVAC system;

operating a stand-alone dehumidifier of said HVAC system in response to said dehumidification command; and

preventing overcooling of said premises by disabling, via a data bus of said HVAC network, said compressor from an enabled state when said dehumidifier is operating, wherein said compressor is coupled to said data bus and fluidly coupled to an associated condenser coil and evaporator coil to provide cooling for said HVAC system.

9. The method of claim 8, further including using weather information in said HVAC network for controlling said HVAC system, comprising:

gathering, by said HVAC network, forecasted weather information; and

performing said enabling, said operating and said preventing based on both current weather information and said forecasted weather information.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising wherein said HVAC network receives said forecasted weather information from the Internet, said Internet coupled to said HVAC network through a gateway.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

gathering current weather information by said HVAC network; and

displaying said current weather information to a user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said HVAC system provides conditioning states for said premises selected from the group consisting of:

a) heating;

b) cooling;

c) ventilating;

d) humidifying; and

e) dehumidifying.

13. The method of claim 8, further including employing an RFID tag in a sensor in said HVAC network, comprising:

sending an interrogatory signal to said RFID tag in said sensor in said HVAC network;

recognizing, by said RFID tag, said interrogatory signal;

reading a thermistor of said sensor for a thermistor value by said RFID tag; and

broadcasting by said RFID tag, said thermistor value.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising an RFID receiver of said HVAC network receiving said broadcasted thermistor value from said RFID.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said sensor is a comfort sensor that includes a humidity sensor.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising employing a battery to read said thermistor.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising placing a plurality of sensors each including RFID tags, around a room.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein:

said sensors each can recognize a separate interrogatory frequency;

said RFID is powered by its own received interrogatory frequency;

said sensor is read by said HVAC network; and

said sensor is not read continuously by said HVAC network.

19. An HVAC system, comprising:

a cooling system having a compressor, a condenser coil, an evaporator coil and an air handler;

a dehumidifier separate from said cooling system; and

a HVAC network including;

a data bus capable of communicating data between and among devices coupled thereto, said compressor and said dehumidifier coupled to said data bus; and

a subnet controller coupled to said data bus,

wherein said subnet controller directs said dehumidifier to act in response to a dehumidification command and address overcooling of said premises by changing said compressor from an enabled state to a disabled state when said dehumidifier is acting upon said dehumidification command, wherein said dehumidification command is received by said subnet controller over the Internet and via said data bus.

20. The HVAC network of claim 19, further comprising a user interface coupled to said data bus, wherein said subnet controller directs operation of said cooling system and said dehumidifier based on both an indoor and outdoor temperature of said premises and a weather forecast.