ITTV20090111A1 - THERMOSTAT OR CHRONOTHERMOSTAT DOUBLE SENSOR TEMPERATURE AND LIGHT AMBIENT. - Google Patents

Description

â € œThermostat with at least one ambient light sensorâ €

STATE OF THE ART:

When it comes to energy saving, it often escapes the fact that the thermal management of buildings is one of the main items of energy consumption. Taking energy saving measures means: 1. consuming less energy and reducing heating and air conditioning costs; 2. improve the living conditions inside a living area by improving the level of comfort and well-being of those who stay there; 3. protect the environment in which we live and contribute to the reduction of planetary pollution. The state of the art is constituted by the prototype of â € œSmart Homeâ € based on a centralized and rather complex control system at the plant level. This system allows, thanks to the use of special remote controls, to continuously monitor consumption and environmental parameters (such as flooding or the presence of gas), manage the priorities for switching on household appliances, independently manage adjustments (e.g. temperature) and generate any reports to the user or to the remote assistance services: from an economic and use point of view, this system is not within everyone's reach. It is a fact that an important contribution to energy saving at a family level can also derive from small precautions that make it possible to avoid the costs generated by energy waste due to forgetfulness or other situations. A first technique to avoid energy waste is obtained by creating operating programs or manually setting a reduced temperature set-point, lower than the usual level of comfort, at night or when the area is not Is busy or accurate temperature control is not required. However, there are often â € œexceptionsâ € with respect to the programs set: you leave the house or open the windows to air a room or to do the cleaning leaving the heating on, or you work in the kitchen leaving the heating on even in the studio. In order to improve and automate the management of heating, the use of a PER sensor has already been introduced on the market. passive infrared, so-called â € œoccupancy sensorâ € to be coupled externally to the thermostat. In this way the supply of thermal energy takes place according to the movement detected and consequently to the presence of people in the room (see US 4,407,447). On the one hand, this makes it possible to avoid unnecessary consumption when a room is not occupied, but on the other hand it can cause useless starts deriving from uncontrollable elements, such as the presence of pets moving around and around the room. house at night. The movement condition alone is therefore insufficient and not always valid in order to manage the heating in an automatic and intelligent way. Always in order to optimize the supply of thermal energy, devices sensitive to light / solar radiation have been introduced that allow the automatic passage of the thermostat from day to night setting, and consequently the automatic reduction of the temperature set-point (see . GB 1,005,175). On the one hand, this allows the reduction of waste, guaranteeing a lower consumption of thermal energy during the night, but on the other hand it does not guarantee the actual need for heating during the day. Also in this case the light condition alone is insufficient and not always valid in order to manage the heating in an automatic and intelligent way. Finally, there are more complex and sophisticated solutions which on the one hand make it possible to integrate the control action of the thermostat with the data detected by light sensors, motion sensors, acoustic sensors, etc. (see US 2002/134849 Al, US 6066 843 A, US 5 088 645 A) and therefore contribute to a better management of thermal energy, on the other hand they involve greater complexity and initial investment. It is therefore necessary to introduce a single device that can be easily implemented in existing systems, simple and inexpensive, capable of progressively adapting the supply of thermal energy to make use of the actual presence of personnel in the area subject to conditioning . Said thermostat must therefore be able to perceive the passage from a state of brightness to a state of temporary shadow, confirming the actual development of a human activity in the room.

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES:

The invention object of the present patent application is represented in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG.

3 where:

FIG. 1: ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT

(30) Ambient light sensor;

(31) Represents the electrical impedance amplifier / adapter circuit;

(33) It represents the electric circuit that generates an electric impulse (34) at each variation of (32);

(35) Represents the threshold detector electrical circuit (36).

FIG. 2: BLOCK DIAGRAM

(10) Brightness detector electrical circuit;

(12) Thermal detector - ambient temperature;

(14) Logic unit - microprocessor;

(16) Hot / cold section control relay.

FIG. 3: DIAPHRAGM OR LIGHT MODERATOR

(20) Natural and / or artificial light source;

(22) Diaphragm or light intensity moderator;

(24) Light shield,

(26) Ambient light sensor.

DECLARATIONS

t dark Minimum period that must elapse for the lack of light to be recognized.

tjuce Minimum period that must elapse for the presence of light to be recognized. t savings Period that must elapse before the thermal comfort level can be reduced (Juce set-point).

Juio set-point Thermostat set-point in the dark condition.

light set-point Thermostat set-point in the light condition.

delta savings Thermal value to be subtracted from the set-point during the lighting condition. unit _rìsparmio Unit value of thermal saving.

maximum -rìsparmio Represents the maximum value that can be attributed to delta _rìsparmio.

THERMOSTAT FOR WINTER OPERATION

Prolonged dark condition detection: When the signal (36) remains equal to (-VDD) for the tjdark time, the dark condition is detected and any accumulated delta saving heat saving variation is canceled. The logic unit (14) keeps the electric unit (16) active only if the temperature detected by the thermal probe (12) is lower than the set-point Jbuio.

Detection of the prolonged light condition: Once the dark condition has been detected, in order to return to the light condition, the signal (36) must remain equal to (+ VDD) for the time tjuce. The logic unit (14) keeps the electric unit (16) active only if the temperature detected by the thermal probe (12) is lower than the Juce set-point minus the saving delta.

Motion detection: Motion detection is active only after (36) has remained equal to (+ VDD) for the time tjuce. Each time the signal (34) passes from (-VDD) to (+ VDD), the logic unit (14) resets the t saving timer and cancels the accumulated delta saving thermal saving value. The logic unit (14) keeps the electric unit (16) active only if the temperature detected by the thermal probe (12) is lower than the set point minus the saving delta.

Absence of movement; If the signal (34) remains at (-VDD) until the saving timer t expires, the timer is reset and the saving deltaj value is increased by saving units until the maximum saving is reached. The logic unit (14) keeps the electric unit (16) active only if the temperature detected by the thermal probe (12) is lower than the set-point light minus the saving delta.

SUMMER OPERATION THERMOSTAT

Prolonged dark condition detection: When the signal (36) remains equal to (-VDD) for the t_dark time, the dark condition is detected and any accumulated delta saving heat saving variation is canceled. The logic unit (14) keeps the electric unit (16) active only if the temperature detected by the thermal probe (12) is higher than the dark_ set-point.

Detection of the prolonged light condition: Once the dark condition has been detected, in order to return to the light condition, the signal (36) must remain equal to (+ VDD) for the time tjuce. The logic unit (14) keeps the electric unit (16) active only if the temperature detected by the thermal probe (12) is higher than the light set-point plus saving delta.

Motion Detection: Motion detection is active only after (36) has remained equal to (+ VDD) for the time tjuce. Each time the signal (34) passes from (-VDD) to (+ VDD), the logic unit (14) resets the t saving timer and cancels the accumulated delta saving thermal saving value. The logic unit (14) keeps the electric unit (16) active only if the temperature detected by the thermal probe (12) is higher than the set-point_light plus saving delta.

No movement: If the signal (34) remains at (-VDD) until the t_risparmio timer expires, the timer is reset and the savings delta value is increased by savings units until the maximum Savings are reached. The logic unit (14) keeps the electric unit (16) active only if the temperature detected by the thermal probe (12) is higher than the set-point light plus Savings delta.

TYPICAL CASE EXEMPLIFICATION:

By way of example but not exclusively, a use of the motion detector is shown below. The thermostat with at least one ambient light sensor must be installed, like any other thermostat, in the wall opposite the wall where the heat exchanger is located. Once installed, this thermostat does not require special attention, in many cases it is not even necessary to program the operating time slot as its sensor is able to establish whether the place is occupied or not. The thermostat with at least one ambient light sensor detects the dark / light state and interprets the rapid variation of the light as a possible movement, thus perceiving the actual development of human activity in the room and adapting it to it. ™ supply of thermal energy. Our presence is no longer regulated by a rigid time schedule that forces us to intervene manually to turn off the thermostat or reduce the temperature before leaving the house for an unexpected event. In fact, this thermostat, not detecting changes in brightness inside the room for a period of time pre-set by the user, â € œknows / learnsâ € that the room is not occupied and automatically reduces the comfort temperature. When you return home, the thermostat detects the difference in brightness and consequently the presence of people and automatically adjusts the supply of thermal energy in order to bring the temperature back to the usual level of comfort. This happens both in the case in which the artificial light turns on upon entering, causing an immediate change in brightness, and in the case in which the room is already illuminated (naturally or artificially) since, passing within the range of action of the device it is able to detect the shadow state. The variation of light is analyzed as a function of time in order to eliminate unnecessary starts that can be caused by natural elements, such as sunset, shade of a tree, storm, etc. .

Claims (6)

CLAIMS: 1. Thermostat with at least one ambient light sensor with spectrum between 400-800nm, characterized by: to. an ambient light sensor (26) positioned within a light shield (24) having at least one diaphragm or a light moderator (22), so as to increase the electrical response to variations in brightness whenever a person or object comes between the light source (20), direct and / or diffused artificial and / or natural, and the light sensor (26); b. an automatic system for adapting the thermal set-point. 2. Thermostat according to claim 1 characterized in that the combination of sensor (26) and / or screen (24) and / or diaphragm (22) can also be made by combining at least one of the elements together. 3. Thermostat as per claim 1 characterized in that the electrical variation provided by the ambient light sensor (26) is used to obtain thresholds and / or electrical impulses, which signal the condition of light and / or dark and / or movement with the purpose of adapting the thermal setpoint. 4. Thermostat according to claim 1 characterized in that the ambient light sensor (30) can be biased towards (+ VDD) or (-VDD), with or without amplifier / impedance adapter stage (31). 5. Thermostat as per claim 4 characterized by the fact that the electrical variation provided by the ambient light sensor can be processed by a microprocessor logic unit with or without T use of the circuit (33), with or without Î "use of the circuit (35) . 6. Thermostat as per claim 1 characterized by having an ambient light sensor (10) external to the thermostat itself and in communication with the latter by means of a suitable form of connection, such as a bus on electric wires or radiofrequency or in other ways. € œwirelessâ €.