GB1592219A

GB1592219A - Arrangement for providing a time-dependent control of an internal-climate conditioning system of an intermittently occupied building

Info

Publication number: GB1592219A
Application number: GB4902/78A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1977-02-16
Filing date: 1978-02-07
Publication date: 1981-07-01
Also published as: NO142726C; FR2381351B1; FI780351A; SE408973B; NL7801502A; FR2381351A1; DK67878A; BE863811A; FI67966C; FI67966B; NO780371L; DE2805773A1; NO142726B

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO AN ARRANGEMENT FOR PROVIDING A TIME-DEPENDENT CONTROL OF AN INTERNAL-CLIMATE CONDITIONING SYSTEM OF AN INTERMITTENTLY OCCUPIED BUILDING (71) I, ULF LENNART ERNFRID NYBERG, a Swedish subject of 29, Simbor garvägen, 184 00 kersberga, Sweden, do hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to an arrangement for providing a timedependent control of an internal-climate conditioning system of an intermittently occupied building. The term internalclimate conditioning system is herein intended to cover all kinds of systems for controlling the internal climate in a building. Such systems could alternatively be referred to as heating and ventilation systems.

Intermittently occupied buildings are, for instance, industrial buildings, office buildings, shop buildings and schools. In such buildings, an internal temperature and a ventilation affording an acceptable comfort is required only during periods when the buildings are occupied. Accordingly, in order to save energy, it is possible, for instance to lower the internal temperature considerably and to reduce or interrupt the ventilation during periods when the buildings are unoccupied. In view of the sharp increase of the energy costs that has occurred in recent years, it has become more and more common in intermittently occupied buildings to make use of said possibility to save energy by installing arrangements for providing a time-dependent control of the heating and ventilation systems of said buildings. In this connection, conventional time switches with adjustable mechanical contacts have been utilized as primary control means. On these time switches one has set, on the one hand points of time when normal occupation periods end and the operation of the heating and ventilation systems may be cut down or stopped, and on the other hand points of time when it is necessary, in view of the thermal inertia of the buildings, again to initiate full operation of the heating and ventilation systems in order to ensure that the desired temperature and ventilation conditions will exist when new occupation periods begin.

A manifest disadvantage of prior control arrangements in that the possibility to set control programs covering any longer periods of time and comprising considerable variations in the occupation time from day to day, or from week to week, has been very restricted. Another disadvantage of prior arrangements is that they are not suited to permit an individual control of several different functions, which is desirable in many buildings, for instance due to a complicated design of the heating and ventilation systems and/or because different portions of the buildings are occupied during different periods of time. Still another disadvantage of prior arrangements is that usually they do not permit an adjustment of the time control of the heating and ventilation system in view of various factors, such as the outside temperature, which are important to an optimum control of said systems.

According to the present invention there is provided an arrangement for providing a time dependent control of an internal climate conditioning system of an intermittently occupied building, said arrangement comprising a digital memory for storing information about time intervals during which the building is to be occupied, a calculator for calculating a time-correction factor in response to a number of parameters and for generating corresponding digital output signals, a digital clock, and a command signal generator which is controlled by the digital output signals from the clock and the calculator and which is connected to the memory and arranged to supply the system with command signals corresponding to the information stored in the memory and corrected in view of the time-correction factor calculated in the calculator.

The invention has made it possible, at low costs, to obtain a control arrangement which is very flexible in respect of the number of control functions as well as with regard to the desired time variations of said functions, and which also permits optimum adjustment of the control functions in view of several different quantities, such as the prevailing internal temperature, the prevailing outside temperature, and the desired internal temperature during a coming occupation period.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the single Figure of the accompanying drawing, showing a block diagram of an arrangement for providing a time-dependent control of a heating and ventilation system of an intermittently occupied building.

The embodiment illustrated in the drawing comprises a digital memory 10, a command signal generator 11, a calculator 12, and a digital clock 13.

Memory 10 is intended to store information about time intervals during which the building is to be occupied and internal conditions corresponding to the desired comfort shall be maintained by means of the heating and ventilation system of the building. The appropriate program for the occupation of the building may be stored in binary form in memory 10 by loading different storage locations within the memory, corresponding to consecutive short time intervals, with a logical "1" or a logical "0" depending on whether the building is intended to be occupied or not during said intervals, each of which may cover for instance half an hour or an hour.

The command signal generator 11 is connected to memory 10 to sense the program stored therein and to deliver command signals responsive to said program to the heating and ventilation system over a number of outputs 14. The generation of command signals in generator 11 is controlled by digital output signals supplied thereto from clock 13 and calculator 12.

Calculator 12 serves to calculate one or several different time-correction factors for correcting the moment for the generation of certain command signals in generator 11 in view of various parameters which should be considered in order to facilitate an appropriate control of the heating and ventilation system. These parameters may consist, for instance, of the prevailing outside temperature, the prevailing internal temperature at one or several different places within the building, the desired internal temperature, etcetera. Information about the values of said parameters may be supplied to the calculator 12 from a number of transmitters 15 and setting means 16.

The arrangement may suitably be such that said correction of the moment for the generation of command signals to the heating and ventilation system in view of a time-correction factor calculated in calculator 12 will occur only when, after a period when the building has been unoccupied, the system shall be actuated to re-establish the internal conditions to be maintained during occupation periods. Any corresponding corrections of the generation of command signals need normally not occur when the heating and ventilation system shall be actuated in the opposite direction, i.e. when shifting from an occupation period to a period of unoccupation.

Memory 10 may advantageously be divided into two portions, one of which is intended to store a standard program for the occupation of the building covering a period of for instance one week, while the other portion is used to store a special program covering a longer period, for instance several weeks. The command signal generator 11 may then be connected to the last mentioned memory portion in order gradually to sense the special program stored therein.

Additionally, the memory portion serving to store the special program may be arranged, as the program stored therein is fed to the command signal generator, to be supplied with the standard program from the first memory portion which should be arranged to maintain the standard program stored therein until it is desired to change said program through storing a new standard program in. the first memory portion. The above use of a memory consisting of two different portions makes it possible, for a comparatively long period of time, to store in the memory for the special program the deviations from the standard program desired in view of church festivals, holiday periods, etcetera, while ensuring an automatic return to the standard program at the end of the special program, unless any new special program is stored in the memory.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. An arrangement for providing a timedependent control of an internal-climate conditioning system of an intermittently occupied building, said arrangement comprising a digital memory for storing information about time intervals during which the building is to be occupied, a calculator for calculating a time-correction factor in response to a number of parameters and for generating corresponding digital output signals, a digital clock, and a command signal generator which is controlled by the digital output signals from the clock and the

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. memory and arranged to supply the system with command signals corresponding to the information stored in the memory and corrected in view of the time-correction factor calculated in the calculator. The invention has made it possible, at low costs, to obtain a control arrangement which is very flexible in respect of the number of control functions as well as with regard to the desired time variations of said functions, and which also permits optimum adjustment of the control functions in view of several different quantities, such as the prevailing internal temperature, the prevailing outside temperature, and the desired internal temperature during a coming occupation period. The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the single Figure of the accompanying drawing, showing a block diagram of an arrangement for providing a time-dependent control of a heating and ventilation system of an intermittently occupied building. The embodiment illustrated in the drawing comprises a digital memory 10, a command signal generator 11, a calculator 12, and a digital clock 13. Memory 10 is intended to store information about time intervals during which the building is to be occupied and internal conditions corresponding to the desired comfort shall be maintained by means of the heating and ventilation system of the building. The appropriate program for the occupation of the building may be stored in binary form in memory 10 by loading different storage locations within the memory, corresponding to consecutive short time intervals, with a logical "1" or a logical "0" depending on whether the building is intended to be occupied or not during said intervals, each of which may cover for instance half an hour or an hour. The command signal generator 11 is connected to memory 10 to sense the program stored therein and to deliver command signals responsive to said program to the heating and ventilation system over a number of outputs 14. The generation of command signals in generator 11 is controlled by digital output signals supplied thereto from clock 13 and calculator 12. Calculator 12 serves to calculate one or several different time-correction factors for correcting the moment for the generation of certain command signals in generator 11 in view of various parameters which should be considered in order to facilitate an appropriate control of the heating and ventilation system. These parameters may consist, for instance, of the prevailing outside temperature, the prevailing internal temperature at one or several different places within the building, the desired internal temperature, etcetera. Information about the values of said parameters may be supplied to the calculator 12 from a number of transmitters 15 and setting means 16. The arrangement may suitably be such that said correction of the moment for the generation of command signals to the heating and ventilation system in view of a time-correction factor calculated in calculator 12 will occur only when, after a period when the building has been unoccupied, the system shall be actuated to re-establish the internal conditions to be maintained during occupation periods. Any corresponding corrections of the generation of command signals need normally not occur when the heating and ventilation system shall be actuated in the opposite direction, i.e. when shifting from an occupation period to a period of unoccupation. Memory 10 may advantageously be divided into two portions, one of which is intended to store a standard program for the occupation of the building covering a period of for instance one week, while the other portion is used to store a special program covering a longer period, for instance several weeks. The command signal generator 11 may then be connected to the last mentioned memory portion in order gradually to sense the special program stored therein. Additionally, the memory portion serving to store the special program may be arranged, as the program stored therein is fed to the command signal generator, to be supplied with the standard program from the first memory portion which should be arranged to maintain the standard program stored therein until it is desired to change said program through storing a new standard program in. the first memory portion. The above use of a memory consisting of two different portions makes it possible, for a comparatively long period of time, to store in the memory for the special program the deviations from the standard program desired in view of church festivals, holiday periods, etcetera, while ensuring an automatic return to the standard program at the end of the special program, unless any new special program is stored in the memory. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. An arrangement for providing a timedependent control of an internal-climate conditioning system of an intermittently occupied building, said arrangement comprising a digital memory for storing information about time intervals during which the building is to be occupied, a calculator for calculating a time-correction factor in response to a number of parameters and for generating corresponding digital output signals, a digital clock, and a command signal generator which is controlled by the digital output signals from the clock and the

calculator and which is connected to the memory and arranged to supply the system with command signals corresponding to the information stored in the memory and corrected in view of the time-correction factor calculated in the calculator.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the memory is divided into two portions, comprising a first portion for storing a standard program for the occupation of the building, covering a shorter period of time, such as a week, and a second portion for storing a special program, covering a longer period of time, such as several weeks, the control signal generator being connected to the second memory portion to be supplied with information from said memory portion which is adapted, as information is fed therefrom, to be supplied with information from the first memory portion corresponding to the standard program stored therein, said standard program being maintained stored in the first memory portion until a new program is stored therein.

3. An arrangement for providing a timedependent control of an internal-climate conditioning system of an intermittently occupied building substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in the single Figure of the accompanying drawing.