AT508487A1 - ENERGY SAVING FOR WELLNESS FACILITIES - Google Patents

Description

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description

The invention relates to a control method and a controller for the heating device of a heated Wellnesseinrichtung, such as a sauna, infrared or steam cabin, which in operation has a relation to the environment elevated temperature.

In DE 20 2008 002 313 Ul a sauna room is proposed in which, when the sauna room is temporarily empty between individual saunas, the ventilation, lighting and auxiliary lighting devices either by means of a single button or even automatically turned off. This saves energy. The largest energy consumer, namely the heater, but it is not turned off because the associated cooling of the sauna room is considered as a major disadvantage. By switching off the ventilation cooling is slowed down and saved heating energy, but suffers the air quality in the sauna room.

In DE 100 40 384 CI it is proposed to heat a heater mainly when there are no persons in the sauna room to avoid during the sauna noises and electromagnetic waves caused by the heater. The measure neither aims nor achieves energy savings.

The object underlying the invention is to perform the control of a heated Wellnesseinrichtung such as in particular a sauna room so that heating energy is saved during breaks in use, without that it must come to a loss of comfort.

To solve the problem, a controller having the following features is used:

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, EST ·················································································································································································································· Wellnesseinrichtung is detected automatically by the controller by means of a sensor. - In the control, the heating curve of the wellness device is at least stored as approximate information. ("Heating curve") is understood here as the temperature-time curve which takes place when the heating device is switched on and, consequently, the temperature in the wellness device increases from a lower temperature level to the desired operating temperature.) Usage break detectable that a break from use has begun and at which time this use break is over again. - The controller shuts off the heater at the beginning of a break from use and allows the spa device to cool down, monitoring the temperature of the spa device. At such a time at which the time remaining until the end of the use break is still sufficient to heat the wellness device to the desired operating temperature when the heating device is switched on again, the heating device is switched on again by the control.

The invention is illustrated by means of a drawing.

Fig. 1: shows somewhat idealized for an inventively from allowed wellness device exemplary temperature profiles over time before, during and after a break from use.

According to FIG. 1, the break of use of a wellness device lasts from the time ti to the time t2. At time ti, the heating device is switched off and the temperature drops from the previously constantly controlled operating temperature TB along the cooling curve 1. At time ts, the heating device is restarted.

Page 2 ······························································································································································ The temperature increases continuously between the times t8 and t2 according to the heating curve 2 and reaches the operating temperature TB again exactly at the time t2.

In practice, you will eventually set the controller so that is not waiting for the turn on to the drawing, the last possible time te, but already more or less close before being turned on.

In order for the controller to correctly detect the point in time at which it must be switched on at the latest, it not only takes the actual temperature into account, but also uses the stored heating curve to calculate how low the temperature might be at the respective time, thus switching it on the heater in the time remaining until t2 time the spa device could be brought back to the required use temperature. At the latest when the actual temperature during cooling reaches this limit temperature, the time is t. reached and the heater is turned on.

The dotted line 11 shown in Fig. 1 shows a steeper cooling curve, as may occur when the Wellnesseinrichtung during the cooling phase over the case on which curve 1 is based, more ventilated. It can be seen that ts' occurs earlier than t *, that a lower minimum temperature is reached, and that the required operating temperature is nevertheless reached precisely at the time t2.

A lower temperature and, accordingly, a switch-on time which is shifted further towards the end time, is also reached when the use break is longer.

In order for the controller to perceive the beginning of a break in use, that is to say the time ti according to FIG. 1, at the beginning of a break in use, it is possible to call a "energy-saving key". markable designated entry key. The time of pressing the key means ti. The duration of the break must also be entered. This can be done, for example, by using several "energy saving"

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EST ·· + ··· ························································································································································································································ are provided, each of which means a certain pause duration. (10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes ....), Likewise, this can be realized for example by a rotary switch or linear slide, in which the deflection from a zero position is a measure of the pause duration. The beginning of a break can also be determined automatically by using sensors which detect the presence or absence of persons in the spa.

In an advantageous embodiment, not only the heating device but also other energy consumers which are not required during the break, such as typically the lighting, are automatically switched off by the control with the perception of a break in use.

In an advantageous further development of the invention, the control of the wellness device senses, in addition to the temperature, one or more further parameters of the wellness device which have an influence on the heating curve and has stored an adapted heating curve for the respective value of the parameter. For example, such parameters may be the degree of ventilation of the wellness device or the ambient temperature.

In a further advantageous development of the invention, the controller does not always use a same, once-stored heating curve for calculating the switch-on time te, but the data-technically deposited heating curve is continuously updated on the basis of the time course of actual heating operations during operation. You can also do a moving average of several such curves - ignoring "outliers". - consult.

Essentially, the energy loss due to heat dissipation from a constant volume is proportional to the temperature difference

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Environment and the duration over which a temperature difference is maintained. Therefore, the somewhat triangular area enclosed between the lines 1, 2, 3 in Fig. 1 is proportional to the saving of heating energy by using a control according to the invention over a control in which the operating temperature is maintained throughout a break in use. This energy saving is achieved without loss of comfort for the users of the wellness device.

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Claims (14)

EST. A method for controlling the Heating means of a heated in the operating state above ambient temperature, wherein the temperature of the Wellnesseinrichtung is detected by a sensor and reported to the controller, characterized in that - at the beginning of a break from use of the spa device the fact of the existence of a break and the time of the end of this break the controller is detected, - is switched off at the beginning of the user break by the controller, the heater, - the heater at such time (te, t, ') is turned on again during the pause by the controller, to which the end of the use break remaining time still sufficient to the Wellnesseinrichtung with re-energized heater to the desired To warm the operating temperature. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that in a use break when the heater is turned off by the controller, the measured temperature in the wellness device is compared with such a calculated temperature to which the spa device may be cooled at the respective time maximum so that the spa device at Activation of the heater at this time can be heated to operating temperature until the end of the break from use, said said calculating said temperature on the basis of the heating curve of the Wellnesseinrichtung and the heating curve is stored for this purpose in the controller. Page 6 EST • · · I · · · · · · · · I • • • • • • 3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the heating curve is periodically updated by recording the time course of actually taking place heating processes. 4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that for the periodic updating of heating curves, a moving average of a plurality of recorded time profiles of heating operations is used. 5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that in addition to the temperature another parameter of the Wellnesseinrichtung is perceived by the controller, said further parameter has an influence on the warm-up curve of the Wellnesseinrichtung and that for different values of this parameter different warm-up curves stored in the controller and used if necessary. 6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fact of the existence of a break in use and the duration of a break in use by manual input to the controller is entered. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the fact of the existence of a break in use is detected by the controller by means of a sensor which detects the presence or absence of persons in the Wellnesseinrichtung. Page 7 • · · «· · · · · ································································ 9 8. Control for the heater of a heated in the operating condition above ambient wellness device, wherein the temperature of the Wellnesseinrichtung is detected by a sensor and reported to the controller, characterized in that - at the beginning of a break from use of the wellness device the fact of the existence of a break and the time the control can be detected by the controller at the beginning of the break from use, and in that the heating device can be switched on again by the controller at such a time (te, t8 ') during the break of use by the controller the time remaining until the end of the use break is still sufficient to heat the wellness device to the desired operating temperature when the heating device is switched on again. 9. Control according to claim 8, characterized in that even in a break from use when the heater is switched off by the controller, the measured temperature in the spa device with a calculated temperature is comparable to which the spa device may be cooled at the maximum time, so that the spa device when the heater is turned on at this time until the end of the break from use can be heated to operating temperature, said said calculating said temperature can be done on the basis of the heating curve of the Wellnesseinrichtung and wherein the heating curve is stored in the controller. Page 8 • • • • • EST • t • * • • • • • • • • * # * t • «* • * 4 * *« · «• 4 · | · ·· f 10. Control according to claim 9, characterized in that the heating curve is periodically updatable by the temporal course of actually occurring Aufheizvorgängen recordable and can be stored as updated heating curve. 11. Control according to claim 10, characterized in that for the periodic updating of heating curves, a moving average of a plurality of recorded time profiles of heating processes can be formed and used. 12. Control according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that in addition to the temperature of the controller another parameter of the wellness device is perceptible, said further parameter has an influence on the warm-up curve of the Wellnesseinrichtung and that for different values of this parameter different warm-up curves can be stored in the controller and if applicable applicable. 13. Control according to one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that the fact of the existence of a break in use and the duration of a break in use by manual input to the controller can be entered. 14. Control according to one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that the fact of the existence of a break in use by the controller by means of a sensor can be detected, which detects the presence or absence of persons in the wellness device. Page 9