CN117157494A

CN117157494A - HVAC equipment block

Info

Publication number: CN117157494A
Application number: CN202280026248.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: S·杰尼; S·格罗格; P·施米德林
Original assignee: Belimo Holding AG
Current assignee: Belimo Holding AG
Priority date: 2021-03-31
Filing date: 2022-03-31
Publication date: 2023-12-01
Also published as: CN117098956A; CN117136286A

Abstract

A base HVAC equipment block (10), comprising: a housing (11); HVAC functional equipment (M/S); an expansion interface (16A); an external electrical interface (18) for transmitting power and data signals; and an electronic circuit (12) connected to the HVAC functional equipment (M/S). In a first configuration, the base HVAC equipment block (10) is configured to connect the external electrical interface (18) with the electronic circuit (12) for transmitting data signals and thereby providing a first category of HVAC functionality. In a second configuration, the base HVAC equipment block (10) is configured to route transmission of data signals through additional electronic circuitry (22) of an additional HVAC equipment block (20), thereby providing a second category of HVAC functionality, the additional HVAC equipment block (20) being attached to the base HVAC equipment block (10) via an additional interface (26B) of the additional HVAC equipment block (20).

Description

HVAC equipment block

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a base HVAC equipment block, an additional HVAC equipment block, and an HVAC field device including the base HVAC equipment block and the additional HVAC equipment block. The invention further relates to a method of operating a base HVAC equipment block.

Background

Since people spend an estimated 90% of their time indoors, heating, ventilation and air conditioning HVAC systems become very important to everyday life and have a great impact on people's health and comfort. In the field of heating, ventilation and air conditioning, HVAC systems generally comprise a fluid transport system connected to a heat exchanger arranged to enable transfer of thermal energy to or from an environment to be controlled (hereinafter referred to as controlled environment) by means of a fluid circulating in said fluid transport system. To be able to regulate the fluid flow to/from the heat exchanger, and thus the amount of heat energy transferred, the heat exchanger is connected to the fluid delivery system via one or more actuated components, such as valves and dampers. Alternatively or additionally, the fluid handling system of the HVAC system is configured to provide to/from an environment to be controlledExtracting a fluid, in particular a gaseous fluid such as air. In order to be able to regulate the flow of fluid to/from the environment to be controlled, a source of such fluid is connected to the fluid delivery system via one or more actuated components such as valves and dampers. The actuated components are mechanically controlled by HVAC actuators, including motorized HVAC actuators coupled to the actuated components. In the field of HVAC, HVAC actuators typically include an electric motor coupled (via gears and/or other mechanical couplings) to an actuated component. The HVAC actuator is electrically controlled by the HVAC controller, in particular its electronic circuitry. In addition, various sensors are used to measure environmental variables such as humidity, temperature CO ₂ Or dust particle level. Further, HVAC sensors are used to determine operating parameters of various elements of the HVAC system, such as actuated positions of actuated components, operating states of HVAC actuators.

HVAC systems typically include an HVAC controller configured to generate control signals for operating HVAC actuators and/or process signals from HVAC sensors. In a typical HVAC application, an HVAC controller generates control signals for HVAC actuators according to various control algorithms (e.g., with respect to pressure differentials, room temperature, energy flow, etc.) to actuate the actuators, such as opening and closing orifices of valves or dampers, to regulate fluid flow.

Some control functions of the HVAC system may be implemented from a remote server disposed remotely from the controlled environment, including a computer program such as a building management system (BSM), to control and monitor the mechanical and electrical equipment of the building. Furthermore, certain functions of the HVAC system, particularly debugging and/or configuration, may be implemented by means of a portable device, such as a general purpose mobile computing device (e.g., a smart phone) or a dedicated configuration tool.

In summary, devices of HVAC systems can be categorized into two categories by their location relative to the controlled environment: remote devices (disposed remotely from the controlled environment) and field devices (located within the controlled environment or mechanically connected to the controlled environment, such as by a fluid handling system). The field devices perform one or more electrical and/or mechanical functions and/or other functions (e.g., hydraulic, optical) and include, but are not limited to, actuators, sensors, or combinations thereof.

As the complexity of HVAC systems continues to increase, there is an increasing demand for a wide variety of field devices that perform various electrical and/or mechanical and/or thermal HVAC functions and/or other functions (e.g., hydraulic, optical). Even for the same function, a series of HVAC field devices are required to cover a large number of use cases, each characterized by different parameters. For example, for mechanical functions of actuating valves or dampers, different variants of a particular type of HVAC actuator are required to cover a variety of flow adjustments by means of different sized valves, thereby requiring different actuation forces (e.g. torque ranging from 1Nm up to 160Nm or even above). Different variations of HVAC actuators are also required to cover different power sources and different actuation times. Furthermore, the nature of the controlled environment also results in different demands on HVAC field devices. For example, special modifications to HVAC field equipment are required to be suitable for use in harsh environments. In addition, depending on the architecture of the HVAC system, various modifications of HVAC field equipment are required to cover different types of connection requirements.

Covering such a variety of mechanical functions, electrical functions, and being adaptable to such a variety of environments results in a very large number of HVAC field equipment requiring manufacture, repair, and maintenance. Using known manufacturing methods, meeting such requirements for a variety of HVAC field devices is complex and therefore expensive to the manufacturer. In addition to complex and expensive manufacturing, the functionality of known HVAC field devices is often difficult to expand or change without having to replace the entire HVAC field device.

To address the need to provide multiple HVAC devices in a large number of different configurations without having to manufacture a particular type of HVAC field device for each possible combination of functions and/or parameters, HVAC field devices are assembled from multiple HVAC device blocks that implement various HVAC functions, wherein the HVAC functions of a base HVAC device block (including HVAC function devices such as motors or sensors) are extended by the HVAC functions provided by additional HVAC device blocks.

However, there is an unmet need to provide HVAC equipment blocks that are specifically adapted such that both the base HVAC block and the additional HVAC equipment block can be flexibly reused, wherein the base HVAC block and the additional HVAC equipment block can provide HVAC functionality alone or in concert.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of embodiments disclosed herein to at least partially overcome the drawbacks of known HVAC field devices.

In particular, it is an object of embodiments disclosed herein to provide an HVAC equipment block that is specifically adapted such that both the base HVAC block and the additional HVAC equipment block can be flexibly reused, wherein the base HVAC block and the additional HVAC equipment block can provide HVAC functionality separately or cooperatively.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the above objects are achieved by a base HVAC equipment block comprising: a housing; HVAC functional equipment; an expansion interface (extension interface); an external electrical interface disposed on the housing; an electronic circuit.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the HVAC functional apparatus includes: an electric motor disposed within the housing to drive the actuated component; and/or a sensor. The sensors of the base HVAC equipment block are configured to measure parameters of the HVAC system, in particular environmental parameters, such as temperature, humidity, particulate Matter (PM), and/or CO2 levels of the environment controlled by the HVAC system. Alternatively or additionally, the sensors of the base HVAC equipment block are provided to measure operating parameters of various components of the HVAC system, such as actuated positions of actuated components and/or operating states of HVAC field equipment and/or other parameters of the HVAC system, such as flow rate or pressure differential at the location where liquid passes through the fluid handling system. The expansion interface is arranged on the housing and is provided to accommodate the additional HVAC equipment block by a mating additional interface connected to the additional HVAC equipment block, in particular by stacking. An external electrical interface, also disposed on the housing, is configured for transmitting both power and data signals. The electronic circuit is connected to, in particular receives signals from and/or transmits signals to, respectively, HVAC functional equipment, thereby providing one or more first categories of HVAC functions.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, providing HVAC functionality through the electronic circuitry of the base HVAC equipment block includes generating a signal for controlling the HVAC functional equipment, in particular a control signal for driving an electric motor mechanically connected to an actuated component such as a valve or damper. The control signal may be a digital signal, but may also be an analog signal, such as a specific current or voltage for driving the electric motor.

Alternatively or additionally, providing HVAC functionality through the electronic circuitry of the base HVAC equipment block includes processing signals generated by the HVAC functional equipment, in particular signals indicative of parameters as measured by sensors comprised by or communicatively connected to the HVAC functional equipment.

For supplying electrical power, an external electrical interface is connected with the electronic circuit and the expansion interface for transmitting electrical power. The expansion interface is further connected to an external electrical interface for transmitting data signals. According to embodiments disclosed herein, data signal transmission between the expansion interface and the external electrical interface is unidirectional or bidirectional.

To accommodate different use cases, the base HVAC equipment block is configured to operate in either a first configuration or a second configuration. In a first configuration (also referred to as a stand-alone configuration), data signals received/transmitted through the external electrical interface are processed by the base HVAC equipment block, i.e., by its electronic circuitry. For this purpose, in a first configuration, the HVAC equipment block is configured to connect an external electrical interface with the electronic circuitry of the base HVAC equipment block for transmitting data signals.

In a second configuration, on the other hand, the data signals received/transmitted through the external electrical interface are processed by the additional HVAC equipment block attached to the base HVAC equipment block, in particular by the electronic circuits thereof. For this purpose, in the second configuration, the HVAC equipment block is configured to connect the external electrical interface with the electronic circuitry of the base HVAC equipment block for transmitting data signals through the additional electronic circuitry of the additional HVAC equipment block attached to the base HVAC equipment block. Routing of the data signals through the additional electronic circuitry of the additional HVAC equipment block is accomplished via an additional interface of the additional HVAC equipment block that corresponds to and is connected to the expansion interface of the base HVAC equipment block. The additional electronic circuitry of the additional HVAC equipment block is configured to provide a second category of HVAC functionality. The second category of HVAC functions includes at least one HVAC function not included in the first category of HVAC functions.

The present disclosure is advantageous in that the base HVAC equipment block can be flexibly self-deployed to implement a first category of HVAC functions, the functions of which can be extended to include a second category of HVAC functions by attaching additional HVAC equipment blocks, particularly by stacking. Further, additional HVAC equipment blocks providing a second category of HVAC functionality may be deployed with various base HVAC equipment blocks depending on the particular use case. These benefits greatly increase the versatility of HVAC equipment blocks while reducing the number of HVAC field equipment that need to be manufactured to cover a wide range of use cases.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, providing HVAC functionality through the additional electronic circuitry of the additional HVAC equipment block includes generating a signal for controlling the HVAC functional equipment, in particular a control signal for driving an electric motor mechanically connected to an actuated component such as a valve or a damper. The control signal may be a digital signal, but may also be an analog signal, such as a specific current or voltage for driving the electric motor.

Alternatively or additionally, providing HVAC functionality through the additional electronic circuitry of the additional HVAC equipment block includes processing signals generated by the HVAC functional equipment, in particular signals indicative of parameters as measured by sensors comprised by or communicatively connected to the HVAC functional equipment.

The present disclosure is advantageous in that, depending on the use case, generating signals for controlling HVAC function equipment and/or processing signals generated by HVAC function equipment may be accomplished in two stages by electronic circuitry of a base HVAC equipment block, electronic circuitry of an additional HVAC equipment block, or by both. Thus, the electronic circuitry of the base HVAC equipment block, the electronic circuitry of the additional HVAC equipment block may be used interchangeably, but also to complement each other.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, power and data transmissions are separate, each carried by a dedicated connector. In particular, the external electrical interface and the expansion interface of the base HVAC equipment block include a signal connector for transmitting data signals and a power connector for transmitting power. To supply power thereto, the electronic circuit is connected with a power connector of an external electrical interface. To power the attached additional HVAC equipment block, the power connector of the expansion interface of the base HVAC equipment block is connected with the power connector of its external electrical interface.

To route data signals (to/from the electronic circuitry of the base HVAC equipment block) through additional electronic circuitry, the signal connector of the external electrical interface is connected to both the signal connector of the expansion interface and the electronic circuitry of the base HVAC equipment block.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, in order to switch the basic HVAC equipment block between a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation (corresponding to independent operation and extended operation, respectively), a switching device is provided for switching between a first configuration and a second configuration. In particular, the switching device is configured to switch the base HVAC equipment block to the second configuration when the additional HVAC equipment block is attached to the base HVAC equipment block and/or to switch the HVAC equipment block to the first configuration when the additional HVAC equipment block is detached from the base HVAC equipment block.

In a first embodiment, the switching device comprises an electromechanical switch arranged such that the signal connector of the expansion interface of the base HVAC equipment block is directly connected (bridged) with an electrical connection to the electronic circuit of the base HVAC equipment block when no additional HVAC equipment block is attached. When the additional HVAC equipment block is attached, the electromechanical switch is opened and the data signal is routed through the additional HVAC equipment block, in particular via its additional electronic circuitry. In a further embodiment, the switching device comprises a bridge (or jumper) or so-called thumbswitch connecting respective pairs of electrical pins of the expansion interface. In an even further embodiment, the switching device comprises a configuration interface, such as a wired or wireless communication interface, configured to receive configuration data indicating the first or second configuration to which the base HVAC device block is to be switched. For example, data indicative of operation in the first or second configuration is written into an NFC module disposed on or within a housing of the base HVAC equipment block.

The present disclosure further relates to an additional HVAC equipment block comprising: a housing; an additional interface; and additional electronic circuitry coupled to the additional interface. According to one embodiment disclosed herein, the additional HVAC equipment block is configured to be attached to the base HVAC equipment block, particularly by stacking. In particular, the additional interface is arranged on the housing such that when the additional HVAC equipment block is attached to the base HVAC equipment block, it is connected with the expansion interface of the base HVAC equipment block.

The additional electronic circuitry is configured to provide a second category of HVAC functionality. In particular, the additional electronic circuitry provides data signal processing capabilities not supported by the electronic circuitry of the underlying HVAC equipment block. According to embodiments disclosed herein, the second category of HVAC functions includes processing data signals according to a communication protocol not supported by the electronic circuitry of the underlying HVAC equipment block. For example, while the electronic circuitry of the base HVAC equipment block supports only analog communication protocols, the additional electronic circuitry is configured to further support digital communication protocols (e.g., RS485, KNX, MP-Bus, I2C). In particular, the additional electronic circuitry is configured to convert data signals (received/transmitted via the external electrical interface) between digital and analog communication protocols supported by the electronic circuitry of the base HVAC equipment block.

The additional HVAC equipment block is configured to connect the external electrical interface with its electronic circuitry when attached to the base HVAC equipment block for transmitting data signals through the additional electronic circuitry via the additional interface and the expansion interface of the base HVAC equipment block.

By virtue of the rerouting of data signals between the external electrical interface of the base HVAC equipment block and the electronic circuit by the additional electronic circuit of the additional HVAC equipment block, the additional electronic circuit expands the HVAC functions of the base HVAC equipment block with the HVAC functions of the second category, in particular by generating signals for controlling the HVAC functions and/or processing signals generated by the HVAC functions.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, additional electronic circuitry is connected with the additional interface, also for transmitting power. In other words, the additional electronic circuitry is powered by the base HVAC equipment block via the expansion interface and the additional interface.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, HVAC functionality is provided by electronic circuitry (of the base HVAC equipment block and/or the additional HVAC equipment block) through an application specific integrated circuit, ASIC, or uC (microcontroller) configured (in advance) for a particular HVAC functionality.

Alternatively or additionally, HVAC functionality is provided by electronic circuitry (of the base HVAC equipment block and/or the additional HVAC equipment block) using computer readable instructions executable by a processor (e.g., a fully configurable uC (microcontroller)) of the electronic circuitry and/or the additional electronic circuitry.

In order to enable expansion of the HVAC function of the base HVAC equipment block by the HVAC function of more than one additional HVAC equipment block without being limited by the number of connection interfaces that the base HVAC equipment block can directly accommodate, according to embodiments disclosed herein, the additional HVAC equipment block further comprises a second additional interface disposed on the housing. The second additional interface is connected with the additional interface for transmitting power and data signals, wherein the second additional interface is configured to be capable of receiving one or more additional interfaces of other additional HVAC equipment blocks.

Additional HVAC equipment blocks may be stacked directly onto the base HVAC equipment block or the additional HVAC equipment block by providing a second additional interface for the additional HVAC equipment block. Thus, each additional HVAC equipment block further extends the possibility of stacking another additional HVAC equipment block, with an additional interface for the purpose of connecting the additional HVAC equipment blocks, and a second additional interface for the purpose of receiving the other HVAC equipment blocks. Thus, there is virtually no limit to the number of additional HVAC equipment blocks that can be stacked with the base HVAC equipment block to form an HVAC field device. By eliminating the limitation on the number of HVAC equipment blocks that can be combined with the base HVAC equipment block, as is the case with prior art methods/prior art HVAC field devices, the complexity of each individual additional HVAC equipment block can be reduced, allowing a dedicated additional HVAC equipment block to be provided for each particular HVAC function. This in turn enables a higher degree of reuse of the HVAC equipment blocks between different HVAC field equipment, thereby reducing manufacturing and maintenance costs and increasing flexibility in providing new functionality.

Furthermore, by eliminating the limitation on the number of HVAC equipment blocks that can be combined with the base HVAC equipment block, as is the case with prior art methods/prior art HVAC field devices, no compromise in the functionality provided by the HVAC field devices is required. In other words, such an embodiment of the present disclosure is advantageous because the flexibility of providing as many additional HVAC equipment blocks as needed ensures that as many functions as needed are assembled to the HVAC field equipment, but not more than necessary.

A further advantage of the present disclosure is that, since an unlimited number of HVAC equipment blocks can be combined using a single connection interface and a pair of interfaces on the base HVAC equipment block and the additional HVAC equipment block, respectively, the space available for the connection interface is not reduced by increasing the number of additional pieces as is the case in prior art solutions. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, substantially the entire sides (e.g., top and bottom sides) of the housing of the HVAC equipment blocks are occupied by the connection interfaces, which allows for a rigid mechanical connection between the HVAC equipment blocks after stacking, resulting in a robust HVAC field device while keeping the number of stackable HVAC equipment blocks open.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, the interface is configured such that adjacent HVAC equipment blocks are aligned when the HVAC equipment blocks are stacked. According to an embodiment, the interface is tapered at the outer surface for better alignment.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the interface comprises a recess, in particular a circumferential recess arranged on a first side of the housing of the respective HVAC equipment block, respectively comprising a corresponding (mating) protrusion, in particular a circumferential protrusion arranged on a second side of the housing of the respective HVAC equipment block.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, the interfaces are configured to interlock with each other through an interface fit when stacking HVAC equipment blocks, thereby fixedly attaching the plurality of HVAC equipment blocks to each other. As used herein, the term fixedly attached refers to attaching such that a release force is required to separate the fixedly attached HVAC equipment block that exceeds the force applied to the HVAC equipment block under normal operation of the HVAC field equipment and/or that acts in a different direction/manner than the force applied to the HVAC equipment block under normal operation of the HVAC field equipment.

According to an even further embodiment, the interface is provided with adhesive and/or fastening means for fixedly attaching the plurality of HVAC equipment blocks to each other when stacked. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fastening device includes a latch, screw or bolt to mechanically connect adjacent HVAC equipment blocks. Alternatively or additionally, the HVAC equipment blocks are welded together after stacking, in particular by ultrasonic welding or laser welding.

A sealant is provided at the interface to seal the HVAC equipment blocks together with respect to humidity, dust, or other sources of contamination, according to the specific requirements for the HVAC field equipment.

To provide additional or redundant power sources, embodiments of the additional HVAC equipment block further include an additional external electrical interface disposed on the housing for transmitting electrical power, the additional external electrical interface being connected to additional electronic circuitry.

To provide additional or redundant data signal connections, embodiments of the additional HVAC equipment block further include an additional external electrical interface disposed on the housing for transmitting data signals, the additional external electrical interface being connected to additional electronic circuitry.

It is an object of further embodiments to extend the HVAC functionality of a base HVAC equipment block such that the data signal and the power transmission share the same electrical connection (power line communication PLC). This further object is solved in the following way: the additional interface of the additional HVAC equipment block is configured for transmitting data signals and transmitting power over the same electrical connection, the additional HVAC equipment block further comprising a power supply unit. The power supply unit of the additional HVAC equipment block is configured to transfer data signals between the additional interface and the additional electronic circuitry and to transfer power from the additional interface to the additional electronic circuitry. In particular, the transfer of the data signal between the additional interface and the additional electronic circuit by the power supply unit comprises demodulating/modulating the data signal carried by the power line connection, which will then be carried by the power line connection. The data signals are modulated/demodulated by the power supply unit of the additional HVAC equipment block, which (basic and additional) can provide the corresponding HVAC functions as if the transmission of the data signals and the transmission of the power would be on dedicated connections.

It is an object of further embodiments of the present disclosure to enable plug and play manufacturing/assembly of HVAC equipment blocks into HVAC field equipment. This further object is achieved in accordance with the present disclosure by enabling the exchange of configuration data between HVAC equipment blocks. The configuration data is stored in the electronic circuit of a first one of the plurality of HVAC equipment blocks while its electronic circuit is configured to transmit the configuration data through the expansion interface of the first one of the plurality of HVAC equipment blocks. Further, the electronic circuitry of a second one of the plurality of HVAC equipment blocks different from the first one of the plurality of HVAC equipment blocks is configured to receive configuration data through an additional interface thereof. Configuration data is transferred from the first one of the plurality of stacked HVAC equipment blocks to the second and other HVAC equipment blocks, for example, when HVAC field equipment is supplied with power. Alternatively or additionally, the HVAC equipment blocks are configured such that configuration data is exchanged when stacking the HVAC equipment blocks. Alternatively or additionally, the HVAC equipment block is configured such that upon receipt of a command, configuration data is exchanged, for example as a data signal received via an external electrical interface.

Exchanging configuration data between HVAC equipment blocks is advantageous because it allows HVAC equipment blocks of HVAC field devices to be automatically configured. In the case of HVAC field devices comprising more than two HVAC equipment blocks, configuration data from one HVAC equipment block may even be communicated to HVAC equipment blocks that are not immediately adjacent by way of stepwise propagation between adjacent HVAC equipment blocks. Also, according to embodiments disclosed herein, the transmission, respectively reception, of configuration data is mutual, i.e., each HVAC equipment block is configured to transmit and receive configuration data.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, the one or more additional HVAC equipment blocks include one or more of:

-a processing device, such as a microcontroller or an application specific integrated circuit ASIC, for providing computing power to HVAC field devices;

-a controller device implementing HVAC control functions such as proportional P, proportional-integral PI, proportional-integral-derivative PID, integral I and/or neural network based control;

-a communication device for providing communication functions to HVAC field devices, including a wired communication interface and/or a radio communication device. In particular, the communication device comprises one or more of the following:

A wired communication interface (such as power over ethernet PoE, single pair SPE over ethernet, bus, in particular MP Bus, BACnet, KNX or Modbus interface);

wide area network communication circuits (such as GSM, LTE, 3G, 4G or 5G mobile communication circuits);

low power wide area networks (such as narrowband internet of things NB-IoT, remote LoRa/LoRaWAN, sigFox or long term evolution class M1 lteclatm 1);

-a local area network communication circuit (such as a wireless LAN);

short-range wireless communication circuits (such as bluetooth, bluetooth low energy BLE, ultra wideband UWB, thread and/or Zigbee); and/or

A near field wireless communication circuit (such as radio frequency identification RFID or near field communication NFC).

-an energy storage device comprising a capacitive storage device and/or an electrochemical storage device;

-a sensor device comprising one or more sensors for measuring parameters of the HVAC system and/or environmental parameters (such as temperature, humidity, etc.);

-HVAC interface equipment comprising a mechanical interface to dampers and/or ducts of the HVAC system;

-a position feedback device of the actuated component;

-a power supply device for providing external power to the HVAC field device, such as a universal power supply device (24 VAC to 250VAC/24VDC-125 VDC), or a power supply device for a specific power supply voltage;

-monitoring/service equipment for implementing specific service and data recording functions; and/or

-a display device.

Additional HVAC equipment blocks according to embodiments disclosed herein may be grouped into several levels:

the HVAC equipment block of stage 1 comprises an application specific integrated circuit ASIC specifically designed for basic actuator functions such as opening or closing valves or dampers. Further, the class 1 HVAC equipment block includes a communication bus that allows for seamless integration into the class 2 equipment block;

the 2-stage HVAC equipment block comprises a uC (microcontroller) which is (pre) configured for application specific extension of the functionality of the basic HVAC equipment block, such as program code for executing at least one specific HVAC application, such as variable air volume VAV control based on data signals from a sensor for measuring air flow. In addition, the 2-stage HVAC equipment blocks support various communication protocols such as ModBus or BACnet on different physical layers such as RS485, power over ethernet, in particular PoE over ethernet and/or single pair SPE2 over ethernet;

the 3-stage HVAC equipment block includes a uC (microcontroller) that can be fully configured for high-stage HVAC functions and/or functions similar to the 2-stage HVAC equipment block.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the additional HVAC equipment block extends the functionality of the base HVAC equipment block by virtue of the ability to be powered by the additional HVAC equipment block. To provide this HVAC function, the additional HVAC equipment block includes a power interface and a power converter. The power interface is configured to be connectable to a power source. The power converter is configured to transfer power from the power interface to the additional HVAC equipment block and/or the base HVAC equipment block.

In particular, according to a further embodiment, the additional HVAC equipment blocks extend the functionality of the base HVAC equipment block by virtue of the ability to be powered by an AC power supply (such as a 230V mains power supply). To provide this HVAC function, the power interface of the additional HVAC equipment block is an AC interface for connecting to an AC power source (such as a 230V power source connected to an AC/DC power converter). The AC/DC power converter of the additional HVAC equipment block is configured to convert AC power supplied through the AC interface to low voltage DC power (such as 24V) and to provide such low voltage DC power to the HVAC equipment block, particularly the electrical circuitry of the base HVAC equipment block and the electrical circuitry of the additional HVAC equipment block. Such an embodiment is advantageous because other HVAC equipment blocks (other than the additional HVAC equipment block having an AC power interface) need not be provided with the protective measures (such as more robust wiring and/or insulation) required for AC power.

Alternatively or additionally, the additional HVAC equipment blocks extend the functionality of the base HVAC equipment block by virtue of the ability to be powered by the power over ethernet connection. To provide this HVAC functionality, the power interface of the additional HVAC equipment block is a power over ethernet interface. The power converter of the additional HVAC equipment block is a power over ethernet converter configured to transfer power supplied through the power over ethernet interface to the electrical circuitry of the base HVAC equipment block and the electrical circuitry of the additional HVAC equipment block.

The present disclosure further relates to an HVAC field device comprising: a base HVAC equipment block according to one embodiment disclosed herein; and an additional HVAC equipment block attached to the base HVAC equipment block such that the additional interface is connected with the expansion interface for transmitting power and data signals, according to one embodiment disclosed herein.

The present disclosure further relates to a method of operating a base HVAC equipment block according to one embodiment disclosed herein. In a step of the method, a first category of HVAC functions is provided using HVAC function equipment by operating a base HVAC equipment block in a first configuration, including connecting electronic circuitry with an external electrical interface for transmitting data signals. In a further step of the method, a second category of HVAC functions is provided using HVAC function equipment by operating the base HVAC equipment block in a second configuration. Operating the base HVAC equipment block in the second configuration includes attaching the additional HVAC equipment block to the base HVAC equipment block such that the additional interface of the additional HVAC equipment block is connected with the expansion interface of the base HVAC equipment block for transmitting power and data signals. Operating the base HVAC equipment block in the second configuration includes connecting the external electrical interface with the electronic circuit for transmitting data signals through the additional electronic circuit of the additional HVAC equipment block via the expansion interface and the additional interface.

According to a further embodiment disclosed herein, the method of operating the base HVAC equipment block further comprises: connecting the power connector of the electronic circuit and the expansion interface with the power connector of the external electrical interface for transmitting power; and connecting the signal connector of the electronic circuit and the expansion interface with the signal connector of the external electrical interface for transmitting the data signal.

According to a further embodiment disclosed herein, the method of operating the base HVAC equipment block further comprises: the actuated component is driven using an electric motor of the HVAC functional device disposed within the housing in accordance with signals generated by electronic circuitry of the base HVAC device block and/or additional electronic circuitry of an additional HVAC device block attached to the base HVAC device block. According to further embodiments disclosed herein, the method of operating the base HVAC equipment block further comprises processing, by the electronic circuitry of the base HVAC equipment block and/or the additional electronic circuitry of the additional HVAC equipment block attached to the base HVAC equipment block, a signal indicative of a parameter of the HVAC system measured by a sensor of the HVAC functional equipment.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description present embodiments, and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the disclosure. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments and together with the description serve to explain the principles and operations of the disclosed concepts.

Drawings

The disclosure described herein will be understood more fully from the detailed description given hereinafter and from the accompanying drawings, which should not be taken as limited to the disclosure described in the appended claims. The drawings show:

fig. 1: a highly schematic block diagram of an embodiment of a base HVAC equipment block in accordance with the present disclosure;

fig. 2: a highly schematic block diagram of an embodiment of an additional HVAC equipment block in accordance with the present disclosure;

fig. 3: a highly schematic block diagram of a further embodiment of an additional HVAC equipment block according to the present disclosure configured to receive other additional HVAC equipment blocks;

fig. 4: a highly schematic block diagram of an embodiment of an HVAC field device in accordance with the present disclosure; the HVAC field device is assembled by stacking additional HVAC equipment blocks and base HVAC equipment blocks;

fig. 5: a highly schematic block diagram of a further embodiment of an HVAC field device in accordance with the present disclosure; the HVAC field device is configured for power line communication;

fig. 6: a highly schematic block diagram of a further embodiment of an HVAC field device in accordance with the present disclosure; the HVAC field device configured to be powered through an AC connection of an additional HVAC equipment block;

Fig. 7: a flowchart depicting steps of a method of operating a base HVAC equipment block in accordance with the present disclosure;

fig. 8: a flowchart depicting steps of a further embodiment of a method of operating a base HVAC equipment block in accordance with the present disclosure; and

fig. 9: a schematic block diagram of an HVAC system including an HVAC field device in accordance with the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to certain embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein some, but not all, of the features are shown. Indeed, the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Wherever possible, like reference numerals will be used to refer to like parts or features.

FIG. 1 illustrates a high-level schematic block diagram of an embodiment of a base HVAC equipment block 10 according to the present disclosure. As shown in the figures, the basic HVAC equipment block 10 includes: a housing 11; HVAC function device M/S; expansion interface 16A; an external electrical interface 18 arranged on the housing 11; and an electronic circuit 12.

The HVAC function device M/S includes: an electric motor M disposed within the housing 11 to drive the actuated component 80 (located outside the housing 11); and/or a sensor S. The sensor S is arranged within the housing 11. Alternatively or additionally, the sensor S is disposed outside the housing 11 and communicatively connected to the base HVAC equipment block 10. The sensors S of the base HVAC equipment block 10 are configured to measure parameters of the HVAC system, in particular environmental parameters, such as temperature, humidity, particulate matter PM, and/or CO2 levels of the environment controlled by the HVAC system. Alternatively or additionally, the sensors S of the base HVAC equipment block are provided to measure operating parameters of various components of the HVAC system 100, such as the actuated position of the actuated component 80 and/or the operating state of the HVAC field device 1 and/or other parameters of the HVAC system 100 (see fig. 9), such as the flow rate or pressure differential at the location where liquid passes through the fluid handling system. The expansion interface 16A is arranged on the housing 11 and is provided to accommodate the additional HVAC equipment block 20 by a mating additional interface connected to the additional HVAC equipment block, in particular by stacking (see fig. 2 and 3). An external electrical interface 18, also arranged on the housing 11, is configured for transmitting both power and data signals. The electronic circuitry 12 is connected to, and in particular receives signals from and/or transmits signals to, respectively, HVAC function devices M/S to provide one or more HVAC functions of a first category.

According to the embodiment shown on fig. 1-6, the external electrical interface 18 and the expansion interface 16A of the basic HVAC equipment block 10 each include a signal connector S1, sn for transmitting data signals and a power supply connector P1, pn for transmitting power. To supply power thereto, the electronic circuit 12 is connected with the power connectors P1, pn of the external electrical interface 18. To power the attached additional HVAC equipment block 20, the power connectors P1, pn of the expansion interface 16A are connected with the power connectors P1, pn of its external electrical interface 18.

In a first configuration (also referred to as a stand-alone configuration), data signals received/transmitted through the signal connectors S1, sn of the external electrical interface 18 are processed by the base HVAC equipment block 10, in particular by the electronic circuitry 12 thereof. To this end, in a first configuration (illustrated in phantom with a thin line in the figures), the HVAC equipment block 10 is configured to connect the signal connectors S1, sn of the external electrical interface 18 with the electronic circuit 12.

The expansion interface 16A further includes other signal connectors X, Y for operation in a second configuration, wherein data signals are routed via the electronic circuitry 22 of the additional HVAC equipment block 20. The second configuration will be described below with reference to fig. 4 and 5.

Fig. 2 shows a high-level schematic block diagram of an embodiment of an additional HVAC equipment block 20 according to the present disclosure. The additional HVAC equipment block 20 includes: a housing 21; an additional interface 26B; and additional electronic circuitry 22 connected to additional interface 26B. According to one embodiment disclosed herein, the additional HVAC equipment block 20 is configured to be attached to the base HVAC equipment block 10, particularly by stacking (one above the other or side by side). In particular, the additional interface 26B is arranged on the housing 21 such that when the additional HVAC equipment block 20 is attached to the base HVAC equipment block 10, it is connected with the expansion interface 16A of the base HVAC equipment block 10.

The additional electronic circuitry 22 is configured to provide a second category of HVAC functionality. In particular, the additional electronic circuitry 22 provides data signal processing capabilities not supported by the electronic circuitry 12 of the base HVAC equipment block 10.

As can be seen, the additional HVAC equipment block 20 is configured corresponding to the base HVAC equipment block 10, in particular, the additional interface 26B is configured as a counterpart of the expansion interface 16A of the base HVAC equipment block 10. According to the embodiment shown on fig. 2 to 6, the additional interface 26B comprises signal connectors S1', sn' for transmitting data signals and power connectors P1', pn' for transmitting power. To supply power thereto, the electronic circuit 12 is connected with the power connectors P1, pn of the additional interface 26B.

In the particular embodiment shown in the drawings, the additional interface 26B further includes other signal connectors X ', Y' for routing data signals (between the external electrical interface 18 of the base HVAC equipment block 10 and its electronic circuitry 12) via the electronic circuitry 22 of the additional HVAC equipment block 20. The second configuration will be described below with reference to fig. 4 and 5.

To enable expansion of the HVAC function of the base HVAC equipment block 10 by the HVAC function of more than one additional HVAC equipment block 20, as shown on fig. 3, according to embodiments disclosed herein, the additional HVAC equipment block 20 further comprises a second additional interface 26A arranged on the housing 21, in particular on a side of the housing 21 opposite to the side on which the additional interface 26B is arranged. The second additional interface 26A is connected with the additional interface 26B for transmitting power and data signals, wherein the second additional interface 26A is configured to be capable of receiving one or more other additional HVAC equipment blocks 20. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second additional interface 26A is configured the same as the expansion interface 16A of the base HVAC equipment block 10. The second additional interface 26A includes signal connectors S1", sn" for transmitting data signals and power connectors P1", pn for transmitting power.

Turning now to fig. 4, an HVAC field device 1 in accordance with the present disclosure will be described. As illustrated, the HVAC field device 1 is assembled by stacking the additional HVAC equipment block 20 and the base HVAC equipment block 10 such that the additional interface 26B of the additional HVAC equipment block 20 is connected with the expansion interface 16A of the base HVAC equipment block 10 for transmitting power and data signals.

Fig. 4 illustrates the operation of the base HVAC equipment block 10, and thus the operation of the entire HVAC field device 1 in a second configuration in which data signals received/transmitted through the external electrical interface 18 are processed by an additional HVAC equipment block 20 attached to the base HVAC equipment block 10, in particular by its electronic circuitry 22. To this end, in the second configuration, the HVAC equipment block 10 is configured to connect the external electrical interface 18 with the electronic circuit 12 of the base HVAC equipment block 10 for transmitting data signals through the additional electronic circuit 22 of the additional HVAC equipment block 20 attached to the base HVAC equipment block 10.

Routing of data signals through the additional electronic circuitry 22 of the additional HVAC equipment block 20 is accomplished via the additional interface 26B of the additional HVAC equipment block 20, the additional interface 26B corresponding to the expansion interface 16A of the base HVAC equipment block 10 and being connected to said expansion interface 16A. As shown in fig. 4, when the additional HVAC equipment block 20 is stacked onto the base HVAC equipment block 10, the signal connectors S1, sn, the power supply connectors P1, pn, and the other signal connectors X, Y of the expansion interface 16A are connected to the signal connectors S1', sn', the power supply connectors P1', pn', and the other signal connectors X ', Y', respectively, of the additional interface 26B.

Fig. 5 shows a high-level schematic block diagram of a further embodiment of an HVAC field device 1 according to the present disclosure, wherein the additional HVAC equipment block 20 extends the functionality of the base HVAC equipment block 10 by means of the capability of power line communication. To add power line communication capability, the additional HVAC equipment block 20 includes a power supply unit 23. The power supply unit 23 is provided to "separate" the transmission of the data signal from the transmission of the power. On the one hand, the power supply unit 23 transmits data signals between the power connectors P1', pn' of the additional interface 26B and the signal connector of the additional electronic circuit 22. On the other hand, the power supply unit 23 transfers power from the same power connectors P1', pn' of the additional interface 26B to the power connector of the additional electronic circuit 22. Transferring data signals between the power connectors P1', pn' of the additional interface 26B and the signal connector paths of the additional electronic circuit 22 via the power supply unit 23 comprises demodulating/modulating data signals carried by the power line connection and data signals to be carried by the power line connection afterwards. The data signals are modulated/demodulated by the power supply unit 23 of the additional HVAC equipment block 20, which (both basic and additional) can provide the corresponding HVAC functions as if the transmission of the data signals and the transmission of the power were to be on separate power and signal connections. The signal connectors S1, sn (illustrated in the drawing with thin dashed lines) are only used when the basic HVAC equipment block 10 is operating in the first configuration, i.e. by themselves without power line communication support.

Fig. 6 shows a high-level schematic block diagram of a further embodiment of an HVAC field device 1 according to the present disclosure, wherein the additional HVAC equipment block 20 extends the functionality of the base HVAC equipment block 10 by means of a capability to be powered via the additional HVAC equipment block 20, in particular by an AC power supply (such as a mains power supply of 230V). To provide this HVAC function, the additional HVAC equipment block 20 includes an AC power interface 29 for connecting an AC power source (such as a 230V power source connected to the AC/DC converter 25). The AC/DC power converter 25 of the additional HVAC equipment block 20 is configured to convert AC power supplied through the AC power interface 29 to low voltage DC power (such as 24V) and to provide such low voltage DC power to the HVAC equipment blocks 10, 20, and in particular the electrical circuits 12 of the base HVAC equipment block 10 and the electronic circuits 22 of the additional HVAC equipment block 20. Such an embodiment is advantageous because other HVAC equipment blocks (other than the additional HVAC equipment block having the AC power interface 29) need not be provided with the protective measures (such as more robust wiring and/or insulation) required for AC power.

The steps of an embodiment of a method of operating the base HVAC equipment block 10 according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to fig. 7. In a preparation step S10, a basic HVAC equipment block 10 according to one embodiment disclosed herein is provided, wherein an external electrical interface 18 is connected with the electronic circuit 12 and the expansion interface 16A for transmitting electrical power; and expansion interface 16A is connected to external electrical interface 18 for transmitting data signals.

In step S30 of the method of operating the base HVAC equipment block 10, a first category of HVAC functions is provided using the HVAC function equipment M/S of the base HVAC equipment block 10 by operating the base HVAC equipment block 10 in a first configuration. In a substep S32 of operating the base HVAC equipment block 10 in the first configuration, the external electrical interface 18 is connected with the electronic circuit 12 for transmitting data signals.

In step S40 of the method of operating the base HVAC equipment block 10, a second category of HVAC functions is provided using the HVAC function equipment M/S by operating the base HVAC equipment block 10 in a second configuration. In a preparation step S41 of operating the base HVAC equipment block 10 in the second configuration, an additional HVAC equipment block 20 according to one embodiment disclosed herein is provided. In a further preparation substep 42 of operating the base HVAC equipment block 10 in the second configuration, the additional HVAC equipment block 20 is attached to the base HVAC equipment block 10 such that the additional interface 26B of the additional HVAC equipment block 20 is connected with the expansion interface 16A of the base HVAC equipment block 10 for transmitting power and data signals. In step S44 of operating the base HVAC equipment block 10 in the second configuration, the external electrical interface 18 is connected with the electronic circuit 12 for transmitting data signals through the additional electronic circuit 22 of the additional HVAC equipment block 20 via the expansion interface 16A and the additional interface 26B. By re-routing the data signals between the external electrical interface 18 of the base HVAC equipment block 10 and the electronic circuit 12 through the additional electronic circuit 22 of the additional HVAC equipment block 20, the additional electronic circuit 22 expands the HVAC functions of the base HVAC equipment block 10 with the second category of HVAC functions.

Illustrated with thin dashed lines, in an optional preparation step S31, the expansion interface 16A is sealed and/or covered, for example with a cover. The cover may simply be a passive mechanical cover element to protect the expansion interface 16A from dust, moisture, etc. To cover the expansion interface 16A, a cover HVAC equipment block is stacked thereon, mechanically connecting the expansion interface of the base HVAC equipment block 10 with the additional interface of the cover HVAC block.

According to a further embodiment, the cover is provided in the form of a cover HVAC equipment block comprising: a housing; an additional interface; and a human-machine interaction device HID arranged to control and/or display one or more of the operating parameters of the HVAC field device 1 (or one or more of its constituent HVAC equipment blocks 10, 20) and/or the operating parameters of the HVAC system 100 measured by the sensor S.

Fig. 8 shows a flowchart illustrating further details of a method of operating the base HVAC equipment block 10 in accordance with the present disclosure. In step S52, providing the HVAC function through the electronic circuitry 12 and/or the additional electronic circuitry 22 includes generating a signal for controlling the HVAC function equipment M/S. Alternatively or additionally, in step S54, providing HVAC functionality via the electronic circuit 12 and/or the additional electronic circuit 22 includes processing signals generated by the HVAC functionality device M/S. According to further embodiments, in addition to generating signals for controlling the HVAC functional equipment M/S and processing signals generated by the HVAC functional equipment M/S, respectively, the electronic circuitry 12 of the base HVAC equipment block 10 or the electronic circuitry 22 of the additional HVAC equipment block 20 also processes and/or generates additional data, such as configuration data, operational data, and the like.

Turning now to FIG. 9, an HVAC system 100 will be described that includes an HVAC field device 1 according to the present disclosure. The HVAC system 100 includes one or more external computing devices 100A-100C, such as a remote server 100B, that is communicatively connected to the HVAC field device 1 using radio communication circuitry of one or more of the additional HVAC device blocks 20. Additionally or alternatively, HVAC field device 1 is configured to establish a communication link with mobile computing device 100A using radio communication circuitry, particularly near field communication NFC and/or bluetooth low energy BLE and/or wireless local area network WLAN communication circuitry, of one or more of the additional HVAC device blocks 20. The HVAC field device 1 can further be connected to a control terminal 100C, such as a computer running a building management system BMS, directly or via a gateway device 110 using a wired (such as a bus connection) or wireless connection (such as NFC) connection (using a communication circuit and/or external electrical interface 18, or by one or more of the additional HVAC device blocks 20). Connecting the HVAC field device 1 to one or more of the external computing devices 100A-100C is accomplished, in particular, by operating the base HVAC device block 10 in a second configuration, whereby one or more additional HVAC device blocks 20 provide HVAC functionality connecting the one or more external computing devices 100A-100C. According to particular embodiments, gateway device 110 is comprised by additional HVAC device block 20.

List of reference numerals

HVAC field device 1

HVAC equipment blocks 10, 20

Basic HVAC equipment block 10

Electronic circuit 12

Expansion interface 16A

External electrical interface 18 (of basic HVAC equipment block)

Electric motor M (of the basic HVAC equipment block)

Sensor S (of the basic HVAC equipment block)

Signal connectors S1, sn (of the basic HVAC equipment block)

Power connectors P1, pn (of base HVAC equipment block)

Other signal connectors X, Y (of the base HVAC equipment block)

Additional HVAC equipment block 20

Housing 21 (of additional HVAC equipment block)

Additional electronic circuitry 22 (of additional HVAC equipment block)

Power supply unit 23

Power converter 25

Additional interfaces 26B

Second additional interface 26A

Power interface 29

Signal connectors S1', sn', S1", sn" (of additional HVAC equipment block) "

Power connectors P1', pn', P1", pn" (of additional HVAC equipment blocks) "

Other signal connectors X ', Y', X ", Y" (of additional HVAC equipment block) "

Actuated member 80

HVAC system 100

External computing devices 100A-C

Mobile computing device 100A

Remote server 100B

Control terminal 100C

Gateway device 110

Claims

1. A base HVAC equipment block (10), comprising:

-a housing (11);

-HVAC functional equipment (M/S);

-an expansion interface (16A) arranged on the housing (11);

-an external electrical interface (18) arranged on the housing (11) for transmitting electrical power and data signals; and

an electronic circuit (12) connected to the HVAC function device (M/S), the electronic circuit (12) being configured to provide a first category of HVAC functions,

Wherein:

-said external electrical interface (18) is connected with said electronic circuit (12) and said expansion interface (16A) for transmitting electric power;

-said expansion interface (16A) is connected to said external electrical interface (18) for transmitting data signals;

-the base HVAC equipment block (10) is configured to:

-in a first configuration, connecting the external electrical interface (18) with the electronic circuit (12) for transmitting data signals; and

in a second configuration, connecting the external electrical interface (18) with the electronic circuit (12) for transmitting data signals through an additional electronic circuit (22) of an additional HVAC equipment block (20), the additional HVAC equipment block (20) being attached to the base HVAC equipment block (10) via an additional interface (26B) of the additional HVAC equipment block (20),

wherein the additional electronic circuitry (22) is configured to provide a second category of HVAC functionality.

2. The basic HVAC equipment block (10) of claim 1, wherein providing HVAC functionality by the electronic circuit (12) and/or by the additional electronic circuit (22) comprises:

-generating a signal for controlling the HVAC functional equipment (M/S), and/or

-processing signals generated by the HVAC functional equipment (M/S).

3. The base HVAC equipment block (10) of claim 2, wherein HVAC functionality is provided using computer readable instructions executable by a processor of the electronic circuit (12) and/or a processor of the additional electronic circuit (22).

4. The basic HVAC equipment block (10) of one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:

-the external electrical interface (18) and the expansion interface (16A) comprise signal connectors (S1, sn) for transmitting data signals and power connectors (P1, pn) for transmitting power;

-the electronic circuit (12) and the power connectors (P1, pn) of the expansion interface (16A) are connected with the power connectors (P1, pn) of the external electrical interface (18) for transmitting electric power; and is also provided with

-the electronic circuit (12) and the signal connectors (S1, sn) of the expansion interface (16A) are connected with the signal connectors (S1, sn) of the external electrical interface (18) for transmitting data signals.

5. The basic HVAC equipment block (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the HVAC functional equipment (M/S) comprises an electric motor (M) arranged within the housing (11) to drive an actuated component (80) and/or a sensor (S) configured to measure a parameter of an HVAC system (100).

6. The basic HVAC equipment block (10) of one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a switching device for switching between the first configuration and the second configuration.

7. The base HVAC equipment block (10) of claim 6, wherein the switching equipment is configured to switch the base HVAC equipment block (10) to the second configuration when an additional HVAC equipment block (20) is attached to the base HVAC equipment block (10) and/or to switch the HVAC equipment block (10) to the first configuration when an additional HVAC equipment block (20) is detached from the base HVAC equipment block (10).

8. An additional HVAC equipment block (20), comprising:

-a housing (21);

-an additional interface (26B) arranged on the housing (21); and

-an additional electronic circuit (22) connected to said additional interface (26B),

wherein the additional HVAC equipment block (20) when attached to the base HVAC equipment block (10) is configured to:

-connecting an external electrical interface (18) with the electronic circuit (12) of the basic HVAC equipment block (10) for transmitting data signals through the additional electronic circuit (22) via the additional interface (26B) and an expansion interface (16A) of the basic HVAC equipment block (10);

-providing a second category of HVAC functions to the base HVAC equipment block (10) using the additional electronic circuitry (22) by:

-processing signals generated by the HVAC functional equipment (M/S).

9. The additional HVAC equipment block (20) of claim 8, wherein the additional electronic circuit (22) is connected with the additional interface (26B) for transmitting power.

10. The additional HVAC equipment block (20) of claim 8 or 9, wherein HVAC functionality is provided using computer readable instructions executable by the additional electronic circuitry (22) and/or a processor of the electronic circuitry (12) attached to the additional HVAC equipment block (20).

11. The additional HVAC equipment block (20) of one of claims 8 to 10, further comprising a second additional interface (26A) arranged on the housing (21), the second additional interface (26A) being connected with the additional interface (26B) for transmitting power and data signals, wherein the second additional interface (26A) is configured to be able to receive one or more other additional HVAC equipment blocks (20).

12. The additional HVAC equipment block (20) of one of claims 8 to 11, further comprising an additional external electrical interface (28) arranged on the housing (21) for transmitting power and data signals, the additional external electrical interface (28) being connected to the additional electronic circuit (22).

13. The additional HVAC equipment block (20) of one of claims 8 to 12, wherein the additional interface (26B) is configured for transmitting data signals and transmitting power over the same electrical connection, the additional HVAC equipment block (20) further comprising a power supply unit (23), the power supply unit (23) being configured to:

-transferring data signals between the additional interface (26B) and the additional electronic circuit (22);

-transferring power from the additional interface (26B) to the additional electronic circuit (22).

14. The additional HVAC equipment block (20) of one of claims 8 to 13, further comprising a power interface (29) and a power converter (25), the power converter (25) being configured to provide power supplied through the power interface (29) to the electrical circuitry (12) of the base HVAC equipment block (10) and/or the electronic circuitry (22) of the additional HVAC equipment block (20).

15. An HVAC field device (1), comprising:

-a basic HVAC equipment block (10) according to one of claims 1 to 7;

-an additional HVAC equipment block (20) according to one of claims 8 to 14;

The additional HVAC equipment block (20) is attached to the base HVAC equipment block (10) such that the additional interface (26B) is connected with the expansion interface (16A) for transmitting power and data signals.

16. A method of operating a base HVAC equipment block (10), the base HVAC equipment block (10) comprising:

-HVAC functional equipment (M/S);

-an expansion interface (16A) arranged on the housing (11);

-an external electrical interface (18) arranged on the housing (11) for transmitting power and data signals; and

wherein:

-said external electrical interface (18) is connected with said electronic circuit (12) and said expansion interface (16A) for transmitting electric power; and is also provided with

Said expansion interface (16A) being connected to said external electrical interface (18) for transmitting data signals,

the method comprises the following steps:

-providing a first category of HVAC functions using the HVAC function equipment (M/S) by operating the base HVAC equipment block (10) in a first configuration, including connecting the external electrical interface (18) with the electronic circuit (12) for transmitting data signals; and

-providing a second category of HVAC functions using the HVAC function device (M/S) by operating the base HVAC device block (10) in a second configuration, comprising:

-attaching an additional HVAC equipment block (20) to the base HVAC equipment block (10) such that an additional interface (26B) of the additional HVAC equipment block (20) is connected with the expansion interface (16A) of the base HVAC equipment block (10) for transmitting power and data signals, the additional HVAC equipment block (20) comprising additional electronic circuitry (22), the additional electronic circuitry (22) being connected with the additional interface (26B) and configured to provide a second category of HVAC functions;

-connecting the external electrical interface (18) with the electronic circuit (12) for transmitting data signals through the additional electronic circuit (22) of the additional HVAC equipment block (20) via the expansion interface (16A) and the additional interface (26B).

17. The method of operating a base HVAC equipment block (10) of claim 16, wherein providing HVAC functionality by the electronic circuit (12) and/or by the additional electronic circuit (22) comprises:

-processing signals generated by the HVAC functional equipment (M/S).

18. The method of operating a base HVAC equipment block (10) of claim 16 or 17, wherein HVAC functionality is provided by execution of computer readable instructions by a processor of the electronic circuit (12) of the base HVAC equipment block (10) and/or a processor of the additional electronic circuit (22) of the additional HVAC equipment block (20) attached to the base HVAC equipment block (10).

19. The method of operating a basic HVAC equipment block (10) according to one of claims 16 to 18, further comprising:

-connecting the power supply connector of the electronic circuit (12) and the expansion interface (16A) with the power supply connector of the external electrical interface (18) for transmitting power; and

-connecting the signal connectors of the electronic circuit (12) and of the expansion interface (16A) with the signal connectors of the external electrical interface (18) for transmitting data signals.

20. The method of operating a base HVAC equipment block (10) according to one of claims 16 to 19, further comprising switching the base HVAC equipment block (10) to the second configuration when an additional HVAC equipment block (20) is attached to the base HVAC equipment block (10) and/or switching the base HVAC equipment block (10) to the first configuration when an additional HVAC equipment block (20) is detached from the base HVAC equipment block (10) using a switching device.

21. The method of operating a basic HVAC equipment block (10) according to one of claims 16 to 20, further comprising:

-driving an actuated component (80) using an electric motor (M) of the HVAC functional device (M/S) arranged within the housing (11), and/or, depending on a signal generated by the electronic circuit (12) of the basic HVAC device block (10) and/or the additional electronic circuit (22) of the additional HVAC device block (20) attached to the basic HVAC device block (10)

-processing a signal by the electronic circuit (12) of the base HVAC equipment block (10) and/or the additional electronic circuit (22) of the additional HVAC equipment block (20) attached to the base HVAC equipment block (10), the signal being indicative of a parameter of an HVAC system (100) measured by a sensor (S) of the HVAC functional equipment (M/S).