CA1187966A - Sub-zone control in heating and ventilation systems - Google Patents
Sub-zone control in heating and ventilation systemsInfo
- Publication number
- CA1187966A CA1187966A CA000430164A CA430164A CA1187966A CA 1187966 A CA1187966 A CA 1187966A CA 000430164 A CA000430164 A CA 000430164A CA 430164 A CA430164 A CA 430164A CA 1187966 A CA1187966 A CA 1187966A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- sub
- air
- heating
- zone
- heat
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
- F24F11/0001—Control or safety arrangements for ventilation
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
- F24F11/70—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof
- F24F11/80—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof for controlling the temperature of the supplied air
- F24F11/83—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof for controlling the temperature of the supplied air by controlling the supply of heat-exchange fluids to heat-exchangers
- F24F11/84—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof for controlling the temperature of the supplied air by controlling the supply of heat-exchange fluids to heat-exchangers using valves
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
- F24F11/62—Control or safety arrangements characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
- F24F11/63—Electronic processing
- F24F11/65—Electronic processing for selecting an operating mode
- F24F11/67—Switching between heating and cooling modes
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
- G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- G05D23/00—Control of temperature
- G05D23/19—Control of temperature characterised by the use of electric means
- G05D23/1902—Control of temperature characterised by the use of electric means characterised by the use of a variable reference value
- G05D23/1905—Control of temperature characterised by the use of electric means characterised by the use of a variable reference value associated with tele control
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
- F24F11/30—Control or safety arrangements for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F3/00—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems
- F24F2003/003—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems with primary air treatment in the central station and subsequent secondary air treatment in air treatment units located in or near the rooms
- F24F2003/005—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems with primary air treatment in the central station and subsequent secondary air treatment in air treatment units located in or near the rooms with a single air duct for transporting treated primary air from the central station to air treatment units located in or near the rooms
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F2110/00—Control inputs relating to air properties
- F24F2110/10—Temperature
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F2221/00—Details or features not otherwise provided for
- F24F2221/54—Heating and cooling, simultaneously or alternatively
Abstract
SUB-ZONE CONTROL IN HEATING AND VENTILATION SYSTEMS
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A system for controlling heating and cooling of sub zones in a building each having its own thermostat in-cludes a central controller arranged to stack signals from the thermostats in an order of receipt and to act upon each in turn to control heating and cooling means to supply the required heated or cooled air to all the sub zones. The controller also acts to inhibit the effect of the heated or cooled air in those sub zones requiring the opposite.
This is done in one arrangement by a baffle reducing the air flow and in another arrangement including a heat pump for heating and cooling the air by transferring heat bet-ween the air supplied to that zone and the water down-stream of the heat pump.
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A system for controlling heating and cooling of sub zones in a building each having its own thermostat in-cludes a central controller arranged to stack signals from the thermostats in an order of receipt and to act upon each in turn to control heating and cooling means to supply the required heated or cooled air to all the sub zones. The controller also acts to inhibit the effect of the heated or cooled air in those sub zones requiring the opposite.
This is done in one arrangement by a baffle reducing the air flow and in another arrangement including a heat pump for heating and cooling the air by transferring heat bet-ween the air supplied to that zone and the water down-stream of the heat pump.
Description
SUB Z~NE CONTROL IN HEATING AND VENTILATION SYSTEMS
BACKGROUND OF TEIE INVENTION
_ This invention related to the con-trol of heat-ing, cooling and ventilation systems which provides specific and complex sub-zone control particularly in systems suitable for large buildings using a central source of heat or cooling.
It has been well known to use in such large bu:ilding complexes a cen-tral supply of a heat transfer medium, usually water, in pipes which is con-trolled -to a specific temperature which is variable in dependence upon outside temperaturesO Each zone of the building then has provided its own heat pump which can extract heat from the water or supply heat to the water depending upon the requirement of the zone. The requirement is, of course, measured by a thermostat in the zone and the requirements of the zone vary in accordance with the ac-tivi-ties in the zone.
Designers of the huilding and its heating and ventilation system attempt to balance each zone so that a single -thermostat can adequately maintain the temperature of the zone at an acceptable level for -the ac-tivities involved. However, this design is greatly complicated by ,,~
;J ~ 3 ~ ~
-the :eac-t that in many cases the building is no-t flnished at -the time of the design with the zone of-ten being ].eas-ed at a later time without any prior knowledge of the use -to which it is to be pu-t. Thus the lessee often en-ters the zone and constructs a suitable in-terior design for his activities which do not necessarily -take into accoun-t the posi-tion of the thermostat or the requirement of the heatin~ in various sub-zones created by -the interior de-si.gn. Thus some of the sub-zones in -the zone may have ac-tivities which require a lower tempera-ture or which clevelop more heat internally and hence requ:lre less sup-p:ly of heat.
In one example therefore a central area which is sparsely populated by office workers may be relatively cool whereas a single of~ice having a mee-ting can gener-ate considerable amount of heat and thus require cooling of -the room.
Attempts have been made therefore to control individually the supply of hea.ted and cooled air to sub-~ zones of a zone without the expense and cornplexity of supplying a. separate heat pump and air ducting for each of -the sub--zones. Such a system using a separate heat pump and air duc-ting is currently economically unaccept-ableO
~ 3~
One attempt to provide sub-zone con-trol has been made in U.S~ Paten-t 3~07620 (Lodge)c In -this Patent I.odge di.scloses an arrangement using a hea~t pump in which a first sub-zone or master sub-zone has a thermostat controlling the operation of -the hea-t pumpO A second sub~zone or subsidiary sub-zone is supplied with water downstream of the heat pump so -the water is a-t an oppo-site condition to the air supplied to both sub-zones.
The water can be passed through a coil in hea-t transfer communication wi-th air supplied to the second sub-zone or can by-pass the coil under the contro~L of a thermos-tat provided specifically for -the second sub-zone~ ~urther subsidiary sub-zones can similarly each include a respec--tive coil and by--pass arrangement con-trolled by a respec-tive thermostat.
The arrangement o~ Lodge therefore operates under control of -the master sub-zone in -tha-t when the mas-ter sub-zone calls for heated air this heated air is supplied -to each of the sub-zones through the air ducto However if one or more of the subsidiary sub-zones does not require hea-ted air the heated air supplied to that specific sub-zone can be cooled by the wa-ter downstream of the heat pump.
This arrangement of Lodge has been available since 19~ and has not achieved success during that -time since it fails to provide 1;he adequate control of the heating and cooling of all the zones.
There has therefore been a long requirement for the provision of accurate control of sub-zone tempera-ture and to date -there is no system available which solves these problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVE~TION
It is one object O:e -the inven-tion -there~ore to provide a system and method of controlling sub-zone -temp-era-ture which provides accura-te control withou-t the nec-essi-ty for separate heat pumps for the respective sub-ZoDes.
The invention therefore provides according -to a first aspect a system for controlling the heating and ventila-tion of a plurality of sub-zones comprising heat-ing and cooling means, air duc-t means including a plural-i-ty of sub-ducts, each associated with a respective ~0 sub-zone for transporting air from the hea-ting and cool-ing means to each of the sub-zones, said heating and cooling means being operable to heat the air in said duct for communica-tion of heated air to said subzones and to cool the air in said duct for communicatlon Oe cooled air communication of cooled air to said sub-zones, a plural-ity of thermostats each provided in a respective one of the sub-zones for comparing the instantaneous tempera-ture of the respective sub-zone with a required tempera-ture and providing a signal indicative of a requirement -for heated air and second signal indicative of a re~uirement for cooled air, a plurality of inhibiting means, each associated with a respec-tive sub-duct and operable to inhibit the applica-tion of air from said sub-duct to the respective sub-zone, and control means including means for controlling said heating and cooling means and said inhibiting means, said control means being arranged so as -to:
(a) Receive and store signals from said ther-mosta-ts in an order of priori-ty;
(b) At any instant operate said heating and cooling means to supply to said sub-zones one of said hea-ted and cooled air in dependence upon -the signal from the thermostat at that instant i'irst in the order of priority until the signal from the thermostat is ceased;
(c) When said signal is ceased operate said heatingf an(l cooling means in dependence upon -the signal from the thermostat second in the order of priori-ty;
(cl) During operation of the heating and cooling means in dependence llpOn a signal from a thermos--tat, operate said inhibiting means in those sub-ducts in which -the stored signal of t:he thermostat o:E -the respec-tive sub-zone at that instant is indicative of a require-ment for the other of said heated and cooled air.
According to a second aspect the invention provides a method for controlling the heating, cooling and ventilation of a plurality of sub-zones comprising, detecting in each of the sub-zones the instantaneolls temperature and comparing said instantaneous -temperature with a required temperature, providing a first signal indicative of a requirement for heating said sub-zone and a second signal indicative of a requirement for cooling said sub-zone, receiving at a central control devlce said signals -from said thermostats and storing said signals in an order of priority, in dependence upon the signal from the thermostat at any instant first in the order of priority supplying to said sub-zones one of heated and cooled air, during said supply inhibiting supply of said ~0 one of heated and cooled air to those sub-zones in which -the stored signal of that sub-zone at that instant is indicative of a requirement for the opposite of said heating and cooling, and then supplying one o-f heated and cooled air :in dependence upon the signal from the next in -the order of priorityO
With the foregoing in view, and other advan-tages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference to the accompanying drawings -forming a par-t hereof, which includes a description of the best mode known -to the applicant and of the preferred typical embodiment of the principles of the present invention, in which:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of a system of control according to the inventionO
Figure 2 is a slmilar schematic block diagram of a second system which incorporates a simplified modif-ica-tion relative to the first arrangementO
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures~
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
_ _ One zone of a large building co~plex which is centrally hea~ted and cooled is shown in Eigure 1 with the central heating and cooling plant indicated schematically a-t lO~ It will be understood that this cen-tr~l plant lO
supplies water throughout the building in sufficient quan-tities and at a suitable temperature to provide the necessary heati.ng and cooling of the buildingO Each zone includes a separate pump with the heat pump for the zone illustra-ted being shown at 11. The operation and struc-ture of a heat pump are of course well known to those skilled in the art and therefore the hea-t pUMp iS illus-trated only schematically incorpora-ting -transfer coils 12 which transfer heat between the source of water and air in a duct 13.
The duct 13 draws air from a suitable source 14 wi-thin the building past the coil 12 for supply via a main duct and a plurali-ty of subsidiary ducts 15 -to a p].urali-ty of separa-te sub-zones four of which are indi-ca-ted at 16.
The number of sub-zones shown is of course only illustrative and can be varied between wide limits de~
pending upon -the processing capability of the system.
Thus in many cases where the i.nterior of -the building is redesigned or reallocated additional sub-zones can be added.
~0 Each sub-zone incorporates its own thermostat schematically indicated at 17 which can be individually se-t in accordance with the requirements of the indivi-duals or activities wi-thin the sub-zone. Each thermosta-t as is well known incorporates means for comparing the ~t~3~
instantaneous tempera-ture with the set temperature. In -the event that the instantaneous tempera-ture e~ceeds the set temperature by a predetermined amount a signal is issued from the thermosta-t. In the even-t that the instantaneous temperature ls less than the set tempera-tllre by a predetermined amoun-t a second slgna] is issued from the thermostat. In this way the -thermostat can issue instructions to attemp-t to maintain -tempera-ture within a se-t band.
Each of -the individual air duc-ts leading :from -the main air duct 13 to the respective æones includes a heat -transfer coil 18 so that air passing from the main duc-t 13 through the duct 15 to the zone passes over the coil in heat transfer relationship therewith, Each coil is supplied with water through a respective control valve arrangemen-t 22 from the downstream side of the heat pump via a supply line 20 and return line 21~
~ central control processor 23 receives outputs from each of the thermostats 17 and acts to control the heat pump alld also the valves 22. The cen-tral controller or processor comprises a conventional micro-processor chip which can be custom manuf'actured -to carry out the func-tions hereinafter defined or can be an off the shelf item prograrnmed in accordance with the func-tions herein-fq..~3 -- 10 _ af-ter defined. In ei-ther case the construction or pro-gramming of the processor wi]l be apparent to one skilled in the art ~rom the functions.
It suffices to state here tha~ the processor includes a memory 24 in conjunction with the conventional microchip.
Each thermostat is connected to the controller 23, by four wires. A first wire provides a 2~VAC power supply to the thermostat. A second wire indica-ted at F~N
provides a signal from the thermos-ta-t indica-ting a requirement foI- the fan. A -third wire indicated at COMP
signals a requirement ~or the compressor o-~ the heat pump to be operated. Thus signals on FAN and COMP Joint-ly provide a signal for cooled air. The fourth wire indicated at COV indicates a requiremen-t for -the change over valve of the heat pump to be opera-ted. Signals therefore on lines FAN, COMP and COV toge-ther provide an indication of a requirement for heated air.
The connection between the con-troller 23 and -the heat pump 11 includes the same control lines to -the fan 131, compressor (not shown) and change over valve (not shown) o~ the heat pump.
In operation of the sys-tem, at any one instant, each of the thermos~tats 17 of the zones is sensing the - lL -comparison between the actual temperature in the zone and the required temperature and providing a signal as e~plained previously indicative of a -temperature which is too high or a temperature which is too low. Each of the thermostats in the zones where the temperature is not within the required band submits a signal to the control-ler in accordance with its requirements. The controller acts to store the signals in the memory 2~ in dependence upon the order of receipt so that none of -the zones is a ~ mas-ter zone but all of the zones are treated equally and each takes i-ts turn in reaching the top of the priority.
At any one instant the controller acts upon the signal from that thermostat which is at that instant at the top of the priority. The controller senses the sig~
nal from the thermostat concerned and switches the heat pump in accordance with the signal. Thus lf the signal is calling for additional heat to the zone the heat pump is operated to transfer heat from the water to the air duct so that heated air is propelled by the ~an 131 along the duct 130 Each of the ducts 15 thus receives the heated air ~rom the heat pump.
Conversely if the zone concerned is calling for cooled air, the heat pump is operated in the opposite direction to transfer heat from the air into the water and thus cooled air is ducted to the zones through -the ducts 13 and 15.
The heat pump is retained in operation by the controller un~til the thermostat in the zone which at that instant is Eirst on the priority indica-tes that the temp-erature has reached the required band and hence no furth-er hea-ted or cooled air is required.
During the time that the heat pump is operated L0 in accordance with the requirements of the eirst priority zone, the controller monitors the signals stored in the memory from -the remaining thermostats. The controller acts to select those zones which during -that period are requiring air which is the opposite of that being sup-plied, that is if the air is being supplied -to heat the first priority zone the controller selects those zones which are requiring cooling and vice versa. The control-ler then acts to operate the valves 22 corresponding to those zones requiring the opposite temperature modifica-tion to -tha-t being supplied. Those valves 22 that are operated act to allow the communications of wa-ter from the duct 2~ to the respective coil. In -this way the coils of the respective zones are hea-ted or cooled by the water supply. More specifically if hea-ted air is being - 13 _ supplied to the duct 13, cooled water is supplied to the pipe 20 in view o-f the extraction of heat from the water to heat the air. Thus cooled water is supplied to the respective coils 18 and in view of the heat transfer relationship between the duct 15 and the coil 18 -the air in the duct is cooled so that the air actually supplied to the zone concerned is no longer subs-tantially heatedO
Conversely if the first priori.ty zone is re-ceiving cooled air, the water in the pi.pe 20 is heated ancJ, hence the coils 18 act to heat the air in the ducts 15 so -that the air supplied to -those zones no-t requiring cooling air is substantially uncooled.
When the first priority zone is satisfied, the controller -then acts to remove from the memory the first priority and to trans~er the second priority -to the ~irst pri.ority position and to act upon the signal concerned in the same manner as that descri.bed above. In some cases more air of the same condition as that in -the previous cycle is required and hence the heat pump is retained in ~0 operation and the valves 22 are retained in the same position~
In sorne cases the zone now at -the first prior-i-ty will be calling for the opposite condi-tion in which - l~L -case the con-troller switches o-f~ the heat pump at the completion of the satisf~ction of the first priority zone. After a short delay period the heat pump is oper-ated in the opposite mode ancl some o~ the other valves 22 may be opera-ted in accordance with the signals stored in the rnemory.
The controller 23 thus acts -to continue cycling through the priorities stored in the memory and each zone in turn receives air of the condition it requires with those zones not requiring that air having the air supply inhibited in relation to its heating or cooling effec-t.
There is therefore no possibility that the requirement in one zone overrides that in o-thers and thus no zone will ever remain unsatisfied for a lengthy period~
~urning now to Figure 2, the arrangement is modified in that the water supply pipe 2~, -the valves 22 and the coils 18 are omitted and are replaced by simple dampers 25 which are opened and closed by elec-tric mo-tors 26 and ac-t to restrict or inhibit the flow of air rather -than to inhibit the heating or cooling effect of -the air.
Thus those zones not requiring the hea-ted or cooled air bei,ng supplied in accordance with the first priority zvne have the damper operated by the controller in order to inhibit the flow of the heated or cooled air to that q~
par-ticular zone. In other :respects -the sys-tem operates as described in relation to the F`igure 1 embodiment and -the controller of the system of Figure 2 can comprise e~actly the same structure and programming as that O-e Figure 1. It will be appreciated that the system of Figure 2 is substantially more simple in that it does require the ducting and pipework of the Figure 1 embodi-ment but that in some respects it is less ef:eective in that it acts to inhibit air flow rather than to allow the desirable fresh air flow while inhibiting the heating or cooling effect.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spiri-t and scope of the claims without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
BACKGROUND OF TEIE INVENTION
_ This invention related to the con-trol of heat-ing, cooling and ventilation systems which provides specific and complex sub-zone control particularly in systems suitable for large buildings using a central source of heat or cooling.
It has been well known to use in such large bu:ilding complexes a cen-tral supply of a heat transfer medium, usually water, in pipes which is con-trolled -to a specific temperature which is variable in dependence upon outside temperaturesO Each zone of the building then has provided its own heat pump which can extract heat from the water or supply heat to the water depending upon the requirement of the zone. The requirement is, of course, measured by a thermostat in the zone and the requirements of the zone vary in accordance with the ac-tivi-ties in the zone.
Designers of the huilding and its heating and ventilation system attempt to balance each zone so that a single -thermostat can adequately maintain the temperature of the zone at an acceptable level for -the ac-tivities involved. However, this design is greatly complicated by ,,~
;J ~ 3 ~ ~
-the :eac-t that in many cases the building is no-t flnished at -the time of the design with the zone of-ten being ].eas-ed at a later time without any prior knowledge of the use -to which it is to be pu-t. Thus the lessee often en-ters the zone and constructs a suitable in-terior design for his activities which do not necessarily -take into accoun-t the posi-tion of the thermostat or the requirement of the heatin~ in various sub-zones created by -the interior de-si.gn. Thus some of the sub-zones in -the zone may have ac-tivities which require a lower tempera-ture or which clevelop more heat internally and hence requ:lre less sup-p:ly of heat.
In one example therefore a central area which is sparsely populated by office workers may be relatively cool whereas a single of~ice having a mee-ting can gener-ate considerable amount of heat and thus require cooling of -the room.
Attempts have been made therefore to control individually the supply of hea.ted and cooled air to sub-~ zones of a zone without the expense and cornplexity of supplying a. separate heat pump and air ducting for each of -the sub--zones. Such a system using a separate heat pump and air duc-ting is currently economically unaccept-ableO
~ 3~
One attempt to provide sub-zone con-trol has been made in U.S~ Paten-t 3~07620 (Lodge)c In -this Patent I.odge di.scloses an arrangement using a hea~t pump in which a first sub-zone or master sub-zone has a thermostat controlling the operation of -the hea-t pumpO A second sub~zone or subsidiary sub-zone is supplied with water downstream of the heat pump so -the water is a-t an oppo-site condition to the air supplied to both sub-zones.
The water can be passed through a coil in hea-t transfer communication wi-th air supplied to the second sub-zone or can by-pass the coil under the contro~L of a thermos-tat provided specifically for -the second sub-zone~ ~urther subsidiary sub-zones can similarly each include a respec--tive coil and by--pass arrangement con-trolled by a respec-tive thermostat.
The arrangement o~ Lodge therefore operates under control of -the master sub-zone in -tha-t when the mas-ter sub-zone calls for heated air this heated air is supplied -to each of the sub-zones through the air ducto However if one or more of the subsidiary sub-zones does not require hea-ted air the heated air supplied to that specific sub-zone can be cooled by the wa-ter downstream of the heat pump.
This arrangement of Lodge has been available since 19~ and has not achieved success during that -time since it fails to provide 1;he adequate control of the heating and cooling of all the zones.
There has therefore been a long requirement for the provision of accurate control of sub-zone tempera-ture and to date -there is no system available which solves these problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVE~TION
It is one object O:e -the inven-tion -there~ore to provide a system and method of controlling sub-zone -temp-era-ture which provides accura-te control withou-t the nec-essi-ty for separate heat pumps for the respective sub-ZoDes.
The invention therefore provides according -to a first aspect a system for controlling the heating and ventila-tion of a plurality of sub-zones comprising heat-ing and cooling means, air duc-t means including a plural-i-ty of sub-ducts, each associated with a respective ~0 sub-zone for transporting air from the hea-ting and cool-ing means to each of the sub-zones, said heating and cooling means being operable to heat the air in said duct for communica-tion of heated air to said subzones and to cool the air in said duct for communicatlon Oe cooled air communication of cooled air to said sub-zones, a plural-ity of thermostats each provided in a respective one of the sub-zones for comparing the instantaneous tempera-ture of the respective sub-zone with a required tempera-ture and providing a signal indicative of a requirement -for heated air and second signal indicative of a re~uirement for cooled air, a plurality of inhibiting means, each associated with a respec-tive sub-duct and operable to inhibit the applica-tion of air from said sub-duct to the respective sub-zone, and control means including means for controlling said heating and cooling means and said inhibiting means, said control means being arranged so as -to:
(a) Receive and store signals from said ther-mosta-ts in an order of priori-ty;
(b) At any instant operate said heating and cooling means to supply to said sub-zones one of said hea-ted and cooled air in dependence upon -the signal from the thermostat at that instant i'irst in the order of priority until the signal from the thermostat is ceased;
(c) When said signal is ceased operate said heatingf an(l cooling means in dependence upon -the signal from the thermostat second in the order of priori-ty;
(cl) During operation of the heating and cooling means in dependence llpOn a signal from a thermos--tat, operate said inhibiting means in those sub-ducts in which -the stored signal of t:he thermostat o:E -the respec-tive sub-zone at that instant is indicative of a require-ment for the other of said heated and cooled air.
According to a second aspect the invention provides a method for controlling the heating, cooling and ventilation of a plurality of sub-zones comprising, detecting in each of the sub-zones the instantaneolls temperature and comparing said instantaneous -temperature with a required temperature, providing a first signal indicative of a requirement for heating said sub-zone and a second signal indicative of a requirement for cooling said sub-zone, receiving at a central control devlce said signals -from said thermostats and storing said signals in an order of priority, in dependence upon the signal from the thermostat at any instant first in the order of priority supplying to said sub-zones one of heated and cooled air, during said supply inhibiting supply of said ~0 one of heated and cooled air to those sub-zones in which -the stored signal of that sub-zone at that instant is indicative of a requirement for the opposite of said heating and cooling, and then supplying one o-f heated and cooled air :in dependence upon the signal from the next in -the order of priorityO
With the foregoing in view, and other advan-tages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference to the accompanying drawings -forming a par-t hereof, which includes a description of the best mode known -to the applicant and of the preferred typical embodiment of the principles of the present invention, in which:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of a system of control according to the inventionO
Figure 2 is a slmilar schematic block diagram of a second system which incorporates a simplified modif-ica-tion relative to the first arrangementO
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures~
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
_ _ One zone of a large building co~plex which is centrally hea~ted and cooled is shown in Eigure 1 with the central heating and cooling plant indicated schematically a-t lO~ It will be understood that this cen-tr~l plant lO
supplies water throughout the building in sufficient quan-tities and at a suitable temperature to provide the necessary heati.ng and cooling of the buildingO Each zone includes a separate pump with the heat pump for the zone illustra-ted being shown at 11. The operation and struc-ture of a heat pump are of course well known to those skilled in the art and therefore the hea-t pUMp iS illus-trated only schematically incorpora-ting -transfer coils 12 which transfer heat between the source of water and air in a duct 13.
The duct 13 draws air from a suitable source 14 wi-thin the building past the coil 12 for supply via a main duct and a plurali-ty of subsidiary ducts 15 -to a p].urali-ty of separa-te sub-zones four of which are indi-ca-ted at 16.
The number of sub-zones shown is of course only illustrative and can be varied between wide limits de~
pending upon -the processing capability of the system.
Thus in many cases where the i.nterior of -the building is redesigned or reallocated additional sub-zones can be added.
~0 Each sub-zone incorporates its own thermostat schematically indicated at 17 which can be individually se-t in accordance with the requirements of the indivi-duals or activities wi-thin the sub-zone. Each thermosta-t as is well known incorporates means for comparing the ~t~3~
instantaneous tempera-ture with the set temperature. In -the event that the instantaneous tempera-ture e~ceeds the set temperature by a predetermined amount a signal is issued from the thermosta-t. In the even-t that the instantaneous temperature ls less than the set tempera-tllre by a predetermined amoun-t a second slgna] is issued from the thermostat. In this way the -thermostat can issue instructions to attemp-t to maintain -tempera-ture within a se-t band.
Each of -the individual air duc-ts leading :from -the main air duct 13 to the respective æones includes a heat -transfer coil 18 so that air passing from the main duc-t 13 through the duct 15 to the zone passes over the coil in heat transfer relationship therewith, Each coil is supplied with water through a respective control valve arrangemen-t 22 from the downstream side of the heat pump via a supply line 20 and return line 21~
~ central control processor 23 receives outputs from each of the thermostats 17 and acts to control the heat pump alld also the valves 22. The cen-tral controller or processor comprises a conventional micro-processor chip which can be custom manuf'actured -to carry out the func-tions hereinafter defined or can be an off the shelf item prograrnmed in accordance with the func-tions herein-fq..~3 -- 10 _ af-ter defined. In ei-ther case the construction or pro-gramming of the processor wi]l be apparent to one skilled in the art ~rom the functions.
It suffices to state here tha~ the processor includes a memory 24 in conjunction with the conventional microchip.
Each thermostat is connected to the controller 23, by four wires. A first wire provides a 2~VAC power supply to the thermostat. A second wire indica-ted at F~N
provides a signal from the thermos-ta-t indica-ting a requirement foI- the fan. A -third wire indicated at COMP
signals a requirement ~or the compressor o-~ the heat pump to be operated. Thus signals on FAN and COMP Joint-ly provide a signal for cooled air. The fourth wire indicated at COV indicates a requiremen-t for -the change over valve of the heat pump to be opera-ted. Signals therefore on lines FAN, COMP and COV toge-ther provide an indication of a requirement for heated air.
The connection between the con-troller 23 and -the heat pump 11 includes the same control lines to -the fan 131, compressor (not shown) and change over valve (not shown) o~ the heat pump.
In operation of the sys-tem, at any one instant, each of the thermos~tats 17 of the zones is sensing the - lL -comparison between the actual temperature in the zone and the required temperature and providing a signal as e~plained previously indicative of a -temperature which is too high or a temperature which is too low. Each of the thermostats in the zones where the temperature is not within the required band submits a signal to the control-ler in accordance with its requirements. The controller acts to store the signals in the memory 2~ in dependence upon the order of receipt so that none of -the zones is a ~ mas-ter zone but all of the zones are treated equally and each takes i-ts turn in reaching the top of the priority.
At any one instant the controller acts upon the signal from that thermostat which is at that instant at the top of the priority. The controller senses the sig~
nal from the thermostat concerned and switches the heat pump in accordance with the signal. Thus lf the signal is calling for additional heat to the zone the heat pump is operated to transfer heat from the water to the air duct so that heated air is propelled by the ~an 131 along the duct 130 Each of the ducts 15 thus receives the heated air ~rom the heat pump.
Conversely if the zone concerned is calling for cooled air, the heat pump is operated in the opposite direction to transfer heat from the air into the water and thus cooled air is ducted to the zones through -the ducts 13 and 15.
The heat pump is retained in operation by the controller un~til the thermostat in the zone which at that instant is Eirst on the priority indica-tes that the temp-erature has reached the required band and hence no furth-er hea-ted or cooled air is required.
During the time that the heat pump is operated L0 in accordance with the requirements of the eirst priority zone, the controller monitors the signals stored in the memory from -the remaining thermostats. The controller acts to select those zones which during -that period are requiring air which is the opposite of that being sup-plied, that is if the air is being supplied -to heat the first priority zone the controller selects those zones which are requiring cooling and vice versa. The control-ler then acts to operate the valves 22 corresponding to those zones requiring the opposite temperature modifica-tion to -tha-t being supplied. Those valves 22 that are operated act to allow the communications of wa-ter from the duct 2~ to the respective coil. In -this way the coils of the respective zones are hea-ted or cooled by the water supply. More specifically if hea-ted air is being - 13 _ supplied to the duct 13, cooled water is supplied to the pipe 20 in view o-f the extraction of heat from the water to heat the air. Thus cooled water is supplied to the respective coils 18 and in view of the heat transfer relationship between the duct 15 and the coil 18 -the air in the duct is cooled so that the air actually supplied to the zone concerned is no longer subs-tantially heatedO
Conversely if the first priori.ty zone is re-ceiving cooled air, the water in the pi.pe 20 is heated ancJ, hence the coils 18 act to heat the air in the ducts 15 so -that the air supplied to -those zones no-t requiring cooling air is substantially uncooled.
When the first priority zone is satisfied, the controller -then acts to remove from the memory the first priority and to trans~er the second priority -to the ~irst pri.ority position and to act upon the signal concerned in the same manner as that descri.bed above. In some cases more air of the same condition as that in -the previous cycle is required and hence the heat pump is retained in ~0 operation and the valves 22 are retained in the same position~
In sorne cases the zone now at -the first prior-i-ty will be calling for the opposite condi-tion in which - l~L -case the con-troller switches o-f~ the heat pump at the completion of the satisf~ction of the first priority zone. After a short delay period the heat pump is oper-ated in the opposite mode ancl some o~ the other valves 22 may be opera-ted in accordance with the signals stored in the rnemory.
The controller 23 thus acts -to continue cycling through the priorities stored in the memory and each zone in turn receives air of the condition it requires with those zones not requiring that air having the air supply inhibited in relation to its heating or cooling effec-t.
There is therefore no possibility that the requirement in one zone overrides that in o-thers and thus no zone will ever remain unsatisfied for a lengthy period~
~urning now to Figure 2, the arrangement is modified in that the water supply pipe 2~, -the valves 22 and the coils 18 are omitted and are replaced by simple dampers 25 which are opened and closed by elec-tric mo-tors 26 and ac-t to restrict or inhibit the flow of air rather -than to inhibit the heating or cooling effect of -the air.
Thus those zones not requiring the hea-ted or cooled air bei,ng supplied in accordance with the first priority zvne have the damper operated by the controller in order to inhibit the flow of the heated or cooled air to that q~
par-ticular zone. In other :respects -the sys-tem operates as described in relation to the F`igure 1 embodiment and -the controller of the system of Figure 2 can comprise e~actly the same structure and programming as that O-e Figure 1. It will be appreciated that the system of Figure 2 is substantially more simple in that it does require the ducting and pipework of the Figure 1 embodi-ment but that in some respects it is less ef:eective in that it acts to inhibit air flow rather than to allow the desirable fresh air flow while inhibiting the heating or cooling effect.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spiri-t and scope of the claims without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
Claims
(1) A system for controlling the heating and ventilation of a plurality of sub-zones comprising heat-ing and cooling means, air duct means including a plural-ity of sub-ducts, each associated with a respective sub-zone for transporting air from the heating and cool-ing means to each of the sub-zones, said heating and cooling means being operable to heat the air in said duct for communication of heated air to said subzones and to cool the air in said duct for communication of cooled air to said sub-zones, a plurality of thermostats each provided in a respective one of the sub-zones for compar-ing the instantaneous temperature of the respective sub-zone with a required temperature and providing a signal indicative of a requirement for heated air and second signal indicative of a requirement for cooled air, a plurality of inhibiting means, each associated with a respective sub-duct and operable to inhibit the applica-tion of air from said sub-duct to the respective sub-zone, and control means including means for controlling said heating and cooling means and said inhibiting means, said control means being arranged so as to:
(a) Receive and store signals from said ther-mostats in an order of priority;
(b) At any instant operate said heating and cooling means to supply to said sub-zones one of said heated and cooled air in dependence upon the signal from the thermostat at that instant first in the order of priority until the signal from the thermostat is ceased, (c) When said signal is ceased operate said heating and cooling means in dependence upon the signal from the thermostat second in the order of priority;
(d) During operation of the heating and cooling means in dependence upon a signal from a thermos-tat, operate said inhibiting means in those sub ducts in which the stored signal of the thermostat of the respec-tive sub-zone at that instant is indicative of a require-ment for the other of said heated and cooled air.
(2) A system according to Claim 1 wherein each said inhibiting means comprises a damper in opera-tive communication with the sub-duct for inhibiting the flow of air to the respective sub-zone.
(3) A system according to Claim 1 wherein said heating and cooling means comprises a heat pump and a supply of a heat transporting medium, the heat pump being arranged to extract heat from said medium for heat-ing the air in the duct and to apply heat to said medium for cooling said air in said duct.
(4) A system according to Claim 3 wherein each said inhibiting means comprises duct means for transporting the heat transfer medium from a position downstream of said heat pump to the respective sub-duct and heat transfer means for transferring heat from heated air in said sub-duct to said medium and heat from said medium to cool air in said sub-duct.
(5) A system according to Claim 1 including a central control device wherein said inhibiting means is activated by said central control device.
(6) A system according to Claim 1 or 5 where-in said inhibiting means is actuated solely in dependence upon said signal from said respective thermostat and upon the operation of said heating and cooling means.
(7) A method for controlling the heating, cooling and ventilation of a plurality of sub-zones comprising, detecting in each of the sub-zones the instantaneous temperature and comparing said instantan-eous temperature with a required temperature, providing a first signal indicative of a requirement for heating said sub-zone and a second signal indicative of a requirement for cooling said sub-zone, receiving at a central control device said signals from said thermostats and storing said signals in an order of priority, in dependence upon the signal from the thermostat at any instant first in the order of priority supplying to said sub-zones one of heated and cooled air, during said supply inhibiting supply of said one of heated and cooled air to those sub-zones in which the stored signal of that sub-zone at that instant is indicative of a requirement for the opposite of said heating and cooling, and then supplying one of heated and cooled air in dependence upon the sig-nal from the next in the order of priority.
(8) A method according to Claim 5 wherein the inhibiting of the supply of air is provided by an inhibi-tion of the amount of air flowing.
(9) A method according to Claim 5 wherein the inhibiting of the supply of air to a sub-zone is carried out by transferring heat to and from said cooled and heated air respectively in opposition to said first transfer of heat.
(10) A method according to Claim 7 including a central control device wherein said inhibiting means is activated by said central control device.
(11) A method according to Claim 7 or 10 wherein said inhibiting means is actuated solely in dependence upon said signal from said respective thermo-stat and upon the operation of said heating and cooling means.
(a) Receive and store signals from said ther-mostats in an order of priority;
(b) At any instant operate said heating and cooling means to supply to said sub-zones one of said heated and cooled air in dependence upon the signal from the thermostat at that instant first in the order of priority until the signal from the thermostat is ceased, (c) When said signal is ceased operate said heating and cooling means in dependence upon the signal from the thermostat second in the order of priority;
(d) During operation of the heating and cooling means in dependence upon a signal from a thermos-tat, operate said inhibiting means in those sub ducts in which the stored signal of the thermostat of the respec-tive sub-zone at that instant is indicative of a require-ment for the other of said heated and cooled air.
(2) A system according to Claim 1 wherein each said inhibiting means comprises a damper in opera-tive communication with the sub-duct for inhibiting the flow of air to the respective sub-zone.
(3) A system according to Claim 1 wherein said heating and cooling means comprises a heat pump and a supply of a heat transporting medium, the heat pump being arranged to extract heat from said medium for heat-ing the air in the duct and to apply heat to said medium for cooling said air in said duct.
(4) A system according to Claim 3 wherein each said inhibiting means comprises duct means for transporting the heat transfer medium from a position downstream of said heat pump to the respective sub-duct and heat transfer means for transferring heat from heated air in said sub-duct to said medium and heat from said medium to cool air in said sub-duct.
(5) A system according to Claim 1 including a central control device wherein said inhibiting means is activated by said central control device.
(6) A system according to Claim 1 or 5 where-in said inhibiting means is actuated solely in dependence upon said signal from said respective thermostat and upon the operation of said heating and cooling means.
(7) A method for controlling the heating, cooling and ventilation of a plurality of sub-zones comprising, detecting in each of the sub-zones the instantaneous temperature and comparing said instantan-eous temperature with a required temperature, providing a first signal indicative of a requirement for heating said sub-zone and a second signal indicative of a requirement for cooling said sub-zone, receiving at a central control device said signals from said thermostats and storing said signals in an order of priority, in dependence upon the signal from the thermostat at any instant first in the order of priority supplying to said sub-zones one of heated and cooled air, during said supply inhibiting supply of said one of heated and cooled air to those sub-zones in which the stored signal of that sub-zone at that instant is indicative of a requirement for the opposite of said heating and cooling, and then supplying one of heated and cooled air in dependence upon the sig-nal from the next in the order of priority.
(8) A method according to Claim 5 wherein the inhibiting of the supply of air is provided by an inhibi-tion of the amount of air flowing.
(9) A method according to Claim 5 wherein the inhibiting of the supply of air to a sub-zone is carried out by transferring heat to and from said cooled and heated air respectively in opposition to said first transfer of heat.
(10) A method according to Claim 7 including a central control device wherein said inhibiting means is activated by said central control device.
(11) A method according to Claim 7 or 10 wherein said inhibiting means is actuated solely in dependence upon said signal from said respective thermo-stat and upon the operation of said heating and cooling means.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000430164A CA1187966A (en) | 1983-06-10 | 1983-06-10 | Sub-zone control in heating and ventilation systems |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000430164A CA1187966A (en) | 1983-06-10 | 1983-06-10 | Sub-zone control in heating and ventilation systems |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1187966A true CA1187966A (en) | 1985-05-28 |
Family
ID=4125454
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000430164A Expired CA1187966A (en) | 1983-06-10 | 1983-06-10 | Sub-zone control in heating and ventilation systems |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1187966A (en) |
Cited By (16)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4819716A (en) * | 1984-08-06 | 1989-04-11 | Beachboard Stephen A | Advanced zone damper system |
| US4830095A (en) * | 1988-03-18 | 1989-05-16 | Friend Dennis M | Temperature control system for air conditioning system |
| US4886110A (en) * | 1988-02-22 | 1989-12-12 | Valera Electronics Inc. | HVAC zone control system |
| GB2246453A (en) * | 1990-06-28 | 1992-01-29 | Toshiba Kk | Air conditioner control |
| WO1993007549A2 (en) * | 1991-10-01 | 1993-04-15 | American Standard Inc. | Wireless communication system for air distribution system |
| WO2006041599A2 (en) * | 2004-10-06 | 2006-04-20 | Lawrence Kates | System and method for zone heating and cooling |
| US7156316B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2007-01-02 | Lawrence Kates | Zone thermostat for zone heating and cooling |
| US7163156B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2007-01-16 | Lawrence Kates | System and method for zone heating and cooling |
| US7168627B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2007-01-30 | Lawrence Kates | Electronically-controlled register vent for zone heating and cooling |
| ES2358701A1 (en) * | 2009-02-28 | 2011-05-13 | Airzone S.L. | Interconnection device for a zone system with an air conditioning equipment for conduits. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) |
| US8020777B2 (en) | 2007-01-29 | 2011-09-20 | Lawrence Kates | System and method for budgeted zone heating and cooling |
| US8033479B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2011-10-11 | Lawrence Kates | Electronically-controlled register vent for zone heating and cooling |
| WO2014137971A3 (en) * | 2013-03-04 | 2014-11-06 | Johnson Controls Technology Company | Outside air handling unit |
| US9208676B2 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2015-12-08 | Google Inc. | Devices, methods, and associated information processing for security in a smart-sensored home |
| US9846443B2 (en) | 2010-09-14 | 2017-12-19 | Google Inc. | Methods and systems for data interchange between a network-connected thermostat and cloud-based management server |
| US10732651B2 (en) | 2010-11-19 | 2020-08-04 | Google Llc | Smart-home proxy devices with long-polling |
-
1983
- 1983-06-10 CA CA000430164A patent/CA1187966A/en not_active Expired
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| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4819716A (en) * | 1984-08-06 | 1989-04-11 | Beachboard Stephen A | Advanced zone damper system |
| US4886110A (en) * | 1988-02-22 | 1989-12-12 | Valera Electronics Inc. | HVAC zone control system |
| US4830095A (en) * | 1988-03-18 | 1989-05-16 | Friend Dennis M | Temperature control system for air conditioning system |
| GB2246453A (en) * | 1990-06-28 | 1992-01-29 | Toshiba Kk | Air conditioner control |
| GB2246453B (en) * | 1990-06-28 | 1994-03-02 | Toshiba Kk | Air conditioner |
| WO1993007549A2 (en) * | 1991-10-01 | 1993-04-15 | American Standard Inc. | Wireless communication system for air distribution system |
| WO1993007549A3 (en) * | 1991-10-01 | 1993-06-24 | American Standard Inc | Wireless communication system for air distribution system |
| US5341988A (en) * | 1991-10-01 | 1994-08-30 | American Standard Inc. | Wireless air balancing system |
| US5361985A (en) * | 1991-10-01 | 1994-11-08 | American Standard Inc. | Setup tool for a wireless communications system |
| US5385297A (en) * | 1991-10-01 | 1995-01-31 | American Standard Inc. | Personal comfort system |
| US5390206A (en) * | 1991-10-01 | 1995-02-14 | American Standard Inc. | Wireless communication system for air distribution system |
| US8033479B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2011-10-11 | Lawrence Kates | Electronically-controlled register vent for zone heating and cooling |
| US10126011B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2018-11-13 | Google Llc | Multiple environmental zone control with integrated battery status communications |
| US7156316B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2007-01-02 | Lawrence Kates | Zone thermostat for zone heating and cooling |
| US7163156B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2007-01-16 | Lawrence Kates | System and method for zone heating and cooling |
| US7168627B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2007-01-30 | Lawrence Kates | Electronically-controlled register vent for zone heating and cooling |
| US7455237B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2008-11-25 | Lawrence Kates | System and method for zone heating and cooling |
| US7455236B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2008-11-25 | Lawrence Kates | Zone thermostat for zone heating and cooling |
| US10215437B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2019-02-26 | Google Llc | Battery-operated wireless zone controllers having multiple states of power-related operation |
| WO2006041599A3 (en) * | 2004-10-06 | 2006-09-14 | Lawrence Kates | System and method for zone heating and cooling |
| WO2006041599A2 (en) * | 2004-10-06 | 2006-04-20 | Lawrence Kates | System and method for zone heating and cooling |
| US8695888B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2014-04-15 | Nest Labs, Inc. | Electronically-controlled register vent for zone heating and cooling |
| US9618223B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2017-04-11 | Google Inc. | Multi-nodal thermostat control system |
| US9182140B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2015-11-10 | Google Inc. | Battery-operated wireless zone controllers having multiple states of power-related operation |
| US9194600B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2015-11-24 | Google Inc. | Battery charging by mechanical impeller at forced air vent outputs |
| US9194599B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2015-11-24 | Google Inc. | Control of multiple environmental zones based on predicted changes to environmental conditions of the zones |
| US9995497B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2018-06-12 | Google Llc | Wireless zone control via mechanically adjustable airflow elements |
| US9222692B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2015-12-29 | Google Inc. | Wireless zone control via mechanically adjustable airflow elements |
| US9273879B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2016-03-01 | Google Inc. | Occupancy-based wireless control of multiple environmental zones via a central controller |
| US9303889B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2016-04-05 | Google Inc. | Multiple environmental zone control via a central controller |
| US9316407B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2016-04-19 | Google Inc. | Multiple environmental zone control with integrated battery status communications |
| US9353963B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2016-05-31 | Google Inc. | Occupancy-based wireless control of multiple environmental zones with zone controller identification |
| US9353964B2 (en) | 2004-10-06 | 2016-05-31 | Google Inc. | Systems and methods for wirelessly-enabled HVAC control |
| US8020777B2 (en) | 2007-01-29 | 2011-09-20 | Lawrence Kates | System and method for budgeted zone heating and cooling |
| ES2358701A1 (en) * | 2009-02-28 | 2011-05-13 | Airzone S.L. | Interconnection device for a zone system with an air conditioning equipment for conduits. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) |
| US9846443B2 (en) | 2010-09-14 | 2017-12-19 | Google Inc. | Methods and systems for data interchange between a network-connected thermostat and cloud-based management server |
| US10732651B2 (en) | 2010-11-19 | 2020-08-04 | Google Llc | Smart-home proxy devices with long-polling |
| WO2014137971A3 (en) * | 2013-03-04 | 2014-11-06 | Johnson Controls Technology Company | Outside air handling unit |
| US11079122B2 (en) | 2013-03-04 | 2021-08-03 | Johnson Controls Technology Company | Modular liquid based heating and cooling system |
| US11118799B2 (en) | 2013-03-04 | 2021-09-14 | Johnson Controls Technology Company | Outside air handling unit |
| US9798979B2 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2017-10-24 | Google Inc. | Devices, methods, and associated information processing for security in a smart-sensored home |
| US9208676B2 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2015-12-08 | Google Inc. | Devices, methods, and associated information processing for security in a smart-sensored home |
| US10853733B2 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2020-12-01 | Google Llc | Devices, methods, and associated information processing for security in a smart-sensored home |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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| MKEC | Expiry (correction) | ||
| MKEX | Expiry |