GB1590503A - Creation of Inventions and Patents with Artificial Intelligence

GB1590503A – Programmable time varying control system and method
– Google Patents

GB1590503A – Programmable time varying control system and method
– Google Patents
Programmable time varying control system and method

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Publication number
GB1590503A

GB1590503A
GB8543/78A
GB854378A
GB1590503A
GB 1590503 A
GB1590503 A
GB 1590503A
GB 8543/78 A
GB8543/78 A
GB 8543/78A
GB 854378 A
GB854378 A
GB 854378A
GB 1590503 A
GB1590503 A
GB 1590503A
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Prior art keywords
value
temperature
reference temperature
generating
measured temperature
Prior art date
1977-03-04
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GB8543/78A
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1977-03-04
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1978-03-03
Publication date
1981-06-03
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1978-03-03
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1981-06-03
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Classifications

G—PHYSICS

G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING

G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS

G05B19/00—Programme-control systems

G05B19/02—Programme-control systems electric

G05B19/04—Programme control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers

G05B19/07—Programme control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers where the programme is defined in the fixed connection of electrical elements, e.g. potentiometers, counters, transistors

G05B19/075—Programme control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers where the programme is defined in the fixed connection of electrical elements, e.g. potentiometers, counters, transistors for delivering a step function, a slope or a continuous function

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

G05D23/1904—Control of temperature characterised by the use of electric means characterised by the use of a variable reference value variable in time

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

G05D23/20—Control of temperature characterised by the use of electric means with sensing elements having variation of electric or magnetic properties with change of temperature

Description

PATENT SPECIFICATION ( 11) 1 590 503
( 21) Application No 8543/78 ( 22) Filed 3 Mar 1978 ( 19) ( 31) Convention Application No 774393 ( 32) Filed 4 Mar 1977 in ( 33) United States of America (US) ( 44) Complete Specification Published 3 Jun 1981 ( 51) INT CL 3 G 05 B 15/02 ( 52) Index at Acceptance G 3 N 262 372 381 382 404 BA 2 A ( 54) PROGRAMMABLE TIME VARYING CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD ( 71) I, BURNESS CARROLL HALL, a citizen of the United States of America, and of 5505 Commodore, Dickinson, Galveston County, Texas 77539, United States of America, 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:-
This invention relates to a system and method for programmable time-varying control, and more particularly to a thermostatic system and method in which the reference temperature can be made to vary hour by hour in a programmed way.
In a control system operating against a significant load, considerable energy can be required to hold the controlled variable at or near a reference value This happens in a thermostatic system when the uncontrolled value of temperature differs substantially from the desired (reference) temperature It is a very effective means of reducing energy consumption under such circumstances to identify periods when less control is required and to provide for reducing control during those periods For example, in the thermostatic control of cooling a home, it is effective to raise the thermostat reference temperature during the early hours of the day before the external temperature reaches its maximum, during sleep periods and for periods when the occupants are going to be away This can, of course, be done manually However, in a manual system, it can be overlooked or forgotton and cannot be done as timely or accurately as with an automatic system Another drawback of a manual system is its inconvenience; for example, if the reference temperature is raised when the occupants leave for some time, when they return, the temperature in the home has equilibrated at an uncomfortably high value and may take considerable time to read a comfortable range The present invention provides a system and method wherein the reference temperature is made to vary during the day, assuming a sequence of programmable values This allows heating or cooling to be automatically initiated so as to reach a new reference temperature by a particular time, for example, when occupants of a home are to return.
The present invention provides a system for controlling thermal means affecting a measured temperature in response to a sensor of said temperature during a sequence of selected time intervals, in accordance with selected reference temperatures associated with said temperature intervals, comprising means for storing a plurality of values relating to said reference temperatures; means for storing values indicative of said selected time intervals, in which said reference temperatures are to be used; means for repeatedly generating an electronically readable value representing, at each generation, the present time of day; updating means including an electronic comparison of said time of day value with said time interval values for repeatedly determining when one of said intervals embraces the present time and for selecting from said stored reference temperature values a current reference temperature value corresponding to said embracing interval, said updating means including means for determining that as soon as said present time exceeds the last interval in said sequence, said time becomes embraced by the first interval in the sequence; and comparison means responsive to representations of said measured temperature and of said current reference temperature value for generating control signals suitable for controlling thermal means affecting said measured temperature.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provided means for storing a digital number representative of an anticipaen u 4 s tn o M 4 1 590 503 tor value In the embodiment, the comparison means includes apparatus for generating control signals capable of activating the heating and cooling system, when the measured temperature deviates from the current reference temperature by more than the hysteresis value The comparison means also includes apparatus for generating control signals capable of deactivating the heating and/or cooling system, when the measured temperature is short of the current reference temperature value by the amount of the anticipator value After the heating and/or cooling system is deactivated, residual heat or cold in the elements thereof, cause the measured temperature to reach the reference temperature value.
Also in a preferred embodiment, means are provided allowing the user to enter the reference temperature numbers, so that he may select and change the reference temperature profile according to his own requirements Additionally, a preferred embodiment includes means for the user to enter a digital number representing a reference temperature adjustment, wherein the comparison means includes apparatus for performing the generating of control signals, with the current reference temperature value modified by the value of the adjustment number This allows changing the temperature of the controlled environment for an indefinite period without affecting the stored reference temperature profile.
Additionally, a preferred embodiment of the system includes means for simultaneously utilizing a higher, cooling reference temperature and a lower, heating reference temperature The system can then generate signals capable of activating a cooling system, when the measured temperature is above the higher reference temperature and activating a heating system, when the measured temperature is below the lower reference temperature.
An alternate embodiment of the invention is capable of multi-stage operation.
That is, the comparison means generates control signals capable of commanding the heating and/or cooling system to heat or cool at more than one rate The rate commanded is dependent on the amount of the deviation of the measured temperature from the current reference temperature value This allows the heating and/or cooling system to affect the measured temperature faster, when the deviation from the reference temperature value is large.
Yet another embodiment of the invention is a system for controlling a measured temperature in each of a plurality of zones, during a sequence of time intervals The temperature is controlled in accordance with a sequence, for each zone, of reference temperature values, each corresponding to one of the time intervals Included are means for generating, for each zone, control signals for apparatus affecting the temperature of air delivered to the zone.
The present invention also provides a method for the control of a measured temperature during a sequence of time intervals, in accordance with a sequence of selected reference temperatures, each corresponding to one of the intervals The method includes storing, in electronically readable form, a plurality of digital numbers, each representing a value of one of the reference temperatures Also stored in electronically readable form is a digital number representative of a value of hysteresis The method further includes repeatedly generating, in electronic form, a digital number representing the present time of day at each generation By an electronic comparison including the time of day number, it is repeatedly determined when one of said intervals embraces the present time This determination includes deciding that as soon as the present time exceeds the last interval in the sequence of intervals, said time becomes embraced by the first interval in the sequence An identification is made of the reference temperature corresponding to the embracing interval A digital number representing the value of the identified reference temperature is stored, in electronically readable form, as a current reference temperature value An electrical signal representation of the measured temperature is generated; then there is electronically generated digital number representing a function of the current reference temperature and the hysteresis number The function number and the representation of measured temperature are electronically compared, and, based on the results, signals are generated suitable to control means affecting the measured temperature.
Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:Figure 1 is a block diagram of a thermostatic control system according to the invention.
Figure 2 is a set of graphs showing possible profiles of reference temperatures over a twenty-four hour day.
Figure 3 is a collection of graphs showing, in schematic fashion, the time variation of measured temperature under control of a system in accordance with the invention.
Figure 4 is a graph showing the time variation of measured temperature in a system capable of multiple stage operation according to the invention.
Figure 5 is a partial block diagram of a system capable of multiple stage operation in accordance with the invention.
Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a 1 590 503 multiple zone temperature control system embodying the invention.
Figure 7 is a partial block diagram of a system for performing multiple zone temperature control in accordance with the invention.
Figure 8 is a block diagram of alternate means for digitizing a measured temperature signal.
The present invention can be implemented with various electronic systems.
One approach is the use of logic circuit chips or modules interconnected to perform the functions required The approach to be described herein employs a programmed mircroprocessor The description that follows sets forth functions that must be performed by units of the microprocessor, in the operation of the system according to the invention For a particular function to be performed, the microprocessor must be programmed to step through a sequence of instructions that command the described function In some cases, the statement of function is practically equivalent to specifying a sequence of instructions For example is two numbers are to be compared, this is accomplished on some computers by the conventional code sequence of ( 1) loading a register with the contents of a memory location containing one of the numbers and ( 2) comparing the number in the register with the contents of a memory location containing the other number In other cases, more instructions will be required, but it will be understood how to design a program providing the described functions, in the context of conventional microprocessor practice.
Figure 1 shows a thermostatic system according to the invention, indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 The microprocessor in system 10 includes an arithmetic and control unit 11 a random access memory 13, and a read-only memory 12 for the storage of constants and the operating program Data entry switches 14 allow the selection of digits of a number to be entered into the microprocessor Function switches 15 are used to designate the nature of the data being entered on the data entry switches 14 Mode switches 16 permit selection of an operating mode for system A display unit 18 provides alphanumeric and on-off displays for number of the variables and parameters of system 10 Unit 18 can be of the light emitting diode type, a liquid crystal display or a gas-discharge type electronic display.
A transducer 20 produces an electrical signal proportional to the present temperature in a region where the temperature is to be controlled A signal conditioning circuit 22 contains an amplifier having suitable response for enhancing the quality of the transducer signal passed to the microprocessor The gain of circuit 22 provides scaling appropriate to the next circuit, an analog-to digital converter 24, which provides to unit II a digital representation of the tempera 70 ture sensed by transducer 20 An output circuit 26 is responsive to logic states in unit II to produce signals capable of providing single or multiple stage control for a cooling system 28 and a heating system 30 which 75 affect the region where transducer 20 is located Output circuit 26 can have, for example, analog, digital or discrete (on/off) type outputs utilizing amplifiers, linedrivers, triacs or relays that interface with cooling 80 system 28 or heating system 30.
Thermostatic system 10 accepts a sequence of reference temperature values, each corresponding to one of a sequence of time intervals Preferably, there are 24 possible 85 time intervals, so that reference temperatures may be entered for each hour of the day Then during that hour of the day, temperature is controlled by system 10 in accordance with the reference temperature 90 for that hour.
Figure 2 shows several possible sequences of reference temperatures, RT for cooling and heating The Figures show how the reference temperature, RT settings vary 95 with the time of day In the Figures, one time interval has been assumed to be equal to one hour The measured temperature response to these reference temperature values is a function of the heating/cooling 100 capacities of the systems, thermal time constants, heat loads, external temperature/ weather conditions, etc.
Figure 2 A depicts a cooling case where the user is not home during the day The 105 temperature is kept at 790 during the low activity sleep period At 6:00 a m the temperature is lowered to 770 and then to 760 at 7:00 a m At 8:00 a m it is raised to 800 as the user leaves for work The temper 110 ature stays at this value until 5:00 p m, when it is set to 770 and then lowered to 76 as the user arrives home from work From 6:00 p m to 10:00 p m it is kept at 76 CC At 10:00 p m it is raised to 770 C, and then 115 further raised to 790 at 11:00 p m, as the sleep period begins.
Figure 2 B depicts cooling case where the user is home during the day As before, during the sleep period, the temperature is 120 set at 790 C At 6:00 a m it is lowered to 770, where it remains until 10:00 a m it is lowered to 760 until 1:00 p m, when it is then lowered 750 as the external temperature continues to increase towards the max 125 imum for the day As the external temperature begins to cool, the temperature is increased to 76 WC at 7:00 p m, where it remains until 10:00 p m From 10:00 p m to 12:00 p m it is set at 770 C The temperature 130 1 590 503 is set at 790 C at 12:00 p m, as the sleep period begins, and it remains there until 6:00 a m.
Figure 2 C depicts a heating case where the user is not home during the day The temperature is set for 660 during the sleep period At 6:00 a m it is raised to 690, where it remains until 8:00 a m At 8:00 a.m, as the user leaves for work, the temperature is lowered to 660 From 8:00 a.m until 5:00 p m it remains at 660 At 5:00 p m the temperature is raised to 700 as the user returns home from work near 6:00 p.m The temperature is left at 70 until 10:00 p m From 10:00 p m to 11:00 p m it is lowered to 690 and at 11:00 p m it is lowered to 66 as the sleep period begins.
Figure 2 D depicts a heating case where the user is home during the day As in the above case, the temperature is set for 660 during the sleep period until 6:00 a m At this time it is raised to 680 At 7:00 a m it is raised again to 70 , where it remains until 11:00 a m At 11:00 it is lowered to 690 as the external temperature increases At 6:00 p.m as the external temperature begins to decrease, the temperature is raised to 700, where it remains until 10:00 p m From 10:00 p m to 11:00 p m it is set back to 690.
At 11:00 p m the temperature is lowered to 660 as the sleep period begins.
Provision is made in the system 10 for the user to conveniently enter the values of reference temperatures corresponding to the various intervals of the day, making use of display 18 Ordinarily, display 18 shows the current values of time (including a m or p.m), reference temperature and measured temperature There are two methods of designating the particular one of the time intervals which is to have associated with it the reference temperature valve being entered According to the first method, a number designating the interval is set in data entry switches 14 One of the function switches 15 is activated, causing unit 11 to read the switches 14 as an interval designating number and to fetch for display the reference temperature stored in memory 13 for that interval The reference temperature value corresponding to the displayed time interval can then be initially chosen or changed by entering a number on data entry switches 14 and activating a particular one of the function switches 15 Unit 11 then decodes switches 15, and determines therefrom that the number from switches 14 is to be entered as a reference temperature value Unit 11 stores the number in the memory 13 location from which the value currently being displayed was taken.
According to the second method, activation of one of the function switches 15 initiates display of the values of time and reference temperature next in sequence from those currently being displayed Then the data entry switches 14 can be used, as described above, to store a new reference temperature value in the place of the one displayed Thus, beginning with the current time or an interval chosen by the first method, a new value can be entered for the reference temperature, and the function switch can then be activated to display the time and temperature for the next interval in sequence Then each succeeding reference temperature may be examined and changed, if desired, by stepping from one interval to the next through the sequence.
Data entry switches 14 are used to enter a number for the duration associated with each of the time intervals One of the function switches 15 commands unit 11 to store the number in memory 13 as the value of the interval duration.
In order for the system 10 to keep time, an initial value is entered by means of the data entry switches 14 and function switches 15, and is stored by unit 11 in memory 13.
Thereafter, circuits operating from a stable time base, such as the 60 Hz line frequency or a crystal controlled oscillator, provide periodic clock signals to unit 11 In response to the clock signals, unit 11 updates the value stored in the time location in memory 13 It is this updated time which is shown on display 18 as the current time, including an a.m -p m indication.
The basic operation of system 10 is cyclical process in which, during each interval of the day, the temperature measured by transducer 20 is repeatedly compared with a stored rerference temperature to generate appropriate control signals for the cooling and heating systems There can be considerable variety in the detailed steps, by which the objectives are achieved using a microprocessor The following is one possible sequence of suitable steps.
Periodically, unit 11 reads an output register of analog-to-digital conversion unit 24 for the digital number representing the temperature measured by transducer 20.
Shortly before or after doing this, unit 11 fetches from memory 13 the current updated value of time and a digital number representing the time at which the current control interval ends These two numbers or times are compared to detect when the time passes out of one control interval into the next If the comparision shows that the present time is embraced by a new control interval, unit 11 adds the interval duration to the number corresponding to the end of the old interval, and the new end time is stored in memory 13 In addition, the reference temperature corresponding to the new interval would be retrieved from the sequence of reference temperatures in memory 13 and stored in a different location 1 590 503 allocated as the reference temperature value currently used for control.
Precisely what happens next depends upon the mode of operation selected for system 10 This will be described in more detail below The selection of the operating mode is made through activation of mode switches 16 by the user of system 10 Logic unit 11 reads the switch selection and stores a bit indicating the selected mode in memory 13 At those points in the control sequence when it is necessary to know the selected mode, logic unit 11 retrieves the stored bit from memory 13 and routes subsequent program steps accordingly.
Two parameters which are important to further processing are the hysteresis values, H, and the anticipator values, A Each of these is entered by the user with data entry switches 14 and a function switch 15 corresponding to the particular parameter Unit 11 stores the numbers from switches 14 in the memory 13 location allocated to A or H, as appropriate Alternatively, the values can be programmed in read only memory 12.
In the process of making a control decision, unit 11 determines the selected operating mode and fetches from memory 13 applicable values of the current reference temperatures, hysteresis and anticipators.
From the digital numbers corresponding to these quantities, unit 11 computes the value of a function which depends upon the selected operating mode Unit 11 then retrieves the digital number corresponding to the present measured temperature from unit 13 and compares this to the functional value just computed According to control rules described below, unit 11 derives from the results of this comparison a digital code to present to output circuit 26 to dictate relay openings and closings by circuit 26.
The preceding cycle of operations for producing control outputs based on a comparison of measured temperature with a function of a time varying reference temperature is repeated at an interval selected to produce effective temperature control, considering the thermal time constants involved For example, the period of repetition for the above steps can be ten seconds or less.
The operations are also cyclical on a daily basis The microprocessor is programmed such that when the present time increases beyond the end of the last control interval in the sequence, it is treated as being embraced by the first interval in the sequence Thus, if there are 24 one-hour intervals, when the time exceeds the twentyfourth hourly interval, it is considered to reenter the first hourly interval.
Figure 3 illustrates operation of system 10 in four different operating modes Each part of the figure shows in a stylized way the variation of time of the measured temperature MT at transducer 20 All the variations shown are within the confines of a single time interval (e g, an hour) in the sequence of control intervals Those portions of the MT shown in solid line indicate periods in which heating or cooling is occurring.
Where the graph is shown in dashed line, the temperature of the controlled space is drifting toward an unheated or uncooled state In the various sections of Figure 3, H is the value of hysteresis and A is the anticipator value The parameter RT is the current value of the reference temperature.
The quantities RTH and RTL are current values of a higher reference temperature and a lower reference temperature, respectively.
Figure 3 A illustrates system 10 operating in the Cooling mode Initially, that is, when system 10 is first switched into this mode, if the measured temperature MT is greater than RT+A, system 10 initiates cooling, driving the measured temperature down.
Any time the measured temperature decreases to the level of RT+A, system 10 generates a code to terminate cooling The measured temperature continues to fall below RT+A, however, because there is a certain amount of residual coldness in system 28 after it is shut off If the anticipator value A is well chosen, this residual coldness will drive the measured temperature down to the reference value RT before the residual cold is dissipated As the cooling system 28 finally ceases cooling, the measured temperature value, near RT, begins to rise Thereafter, whenever the temperature rises to the value RT+H, the cooling system 28 is turned on and remains on unitl the measured temperature decreases to RT+A.
Thus, selection of value of the hysteresis H determines the acceptable deviation in measured temperature from the time that the cooling system turns off until it is turned on again The value of A is preferably selected just large enough so that residual cold in the cooling system will carry the measured temperature no further down than the reference temperature Typical values of H are 1-1 50 F The value of A depends, of course, on the heating and cooling system used; typical values are 0.5-0 80 F.
Each of the other operating modes of system 10 embodies concepts similar to those encountered in the Cooling mode.
The Heating mode is shown in the Figure 3 B Initially, the system 10 initiates heating when MT is less than RT-A Thereafter, heating is begun whenever MT is less than or equal to RT-H System 10 signals heating system 30 is cut off when MT is greater than or equal to RT-A After the heating system is turned off, residual heat in system 30 1 590 503 carries the measured temperature on up to the value of the reference temperature RT.
Once the residual heat is dissipated, MT begins to fall, continuing until heating is again turned on when MT reaches RT-H.
The hysteresis and anticipator values entered for use in this mode can be different from those of the Cooling mode.
The Automatic mode, illustrated in Figure 3 C and 3 D, combines operations of the Cooling and Heating modes In this mode, system 10 holds the measured temperature within a programmable temperature range.
The upper end of the temperature range is a higher reference value RTH; the lower end is a lower reference temperature value RTL Thus, the Automatic mode requires, for twenty-four time intervals, a total of forty-eight reference temperature values In simpler version of system 10, RTH is the same value of RT used for the Cooling mode, and RTL is the RT for the Heating mode In more complicated versions, totally different sets of threshold values may be entered for each mode.
After the Automatic mode has been selected, the initial turn on of cooling occurs if the measured temperature is greater than RTH+A Thereafter, as particularly illustrated in Figure 3 C, system 10 signals the cooling system 28 to turn off when MT becomes less than or equal to RTH+A, and it is turned back on if the measured temperature becomes greater than or equal to RTH+H If conditions cause the measured temperature to enter the region between the high reference temperature value RTH and the lower reference temperature value RTL, system 10 commands neither heater nor cooling If the measured temperature falls to the level of RTL-H, heating is initiated by system 10.
Figure 3 D illustrates that heating is initiated if the measured temperature is less than RTL-A upon selection of the Automatic mode When the heating sufficiently raises the temperature that MT is greater than or equal to RTL-A, system 10 signals heating system 30 to turn off Thereafter whenever the measured temperature becomes less than or equal to RTL-H, the heat is signaled on If the temperature should rise so that it is greater than or equal to RTH+H, the system changes over to cooling.
Figure 3 E illustrates an alternate embodiment of the Automatic mode, in which there is only one reference temperature value, RT, per time interval rather than a higher value RTH and a lower value RTL This requires only twenty-four reference temperature values for twenty-for control intervals.
The operation in Figure 3 E is like that in Figure 3 C, with RTH=RTL=RT.
The Manual mode illustrated in Figure 3 F is like that of Figure 3 E, except that there is only one programmable reference temperature value, which is the same for all the control time intervals The operation shown is like that of Figure 3 D, with RTH=RTL=RT, with the same value of RT all day, until reprogrammed.
System 10 allows a user to adjust thethermostat setting for an indefinite period in any operating mode without altering the stored profile of reference temperatures At any time selected temperature adjustment values AT, positive or negative, may be entered by means of the data entry switches 14 and a AT function switch 15 These adjustment values are stored by unit 11 in memory 13 locations allocated to AT A preferred method of utilizing AT is as follows When the control functions such as RT+H are computed, the computation used would actually be (RT+ AT)+H Thus, for so long as AT is not equal to zero, the current reference temperature is essentially modified by the amount of AT A typical situation in which this feature would be useful is where AT is given some non-zero value for a few hours to adjust the room temperature for comfort, then AT is reset to zero In this case, it is only necessary to enter a value at the beginning of the adjustment period and regardless of the number of hours the adjustment is in effect.
There is no requirement to remember the values of the reference temperature profile that is desired in the long run; these remain unchanged The current value of AT is shown by display 18.
System 10 provides for multiple state operation of both heating and cooling systems Figure 4 depicts operation of the system in the Heating mode of operation; however, the basic operating principle described here is also applicable to other modes of operation Figure 4 depicts system controlling a heating system designed to be operated at two levels of heat capacity, 66 % and 100 % of maximum The operation of system 10 is the same as that previously described herein, for the Heating mode of operation, and particularly as shown in Figure 3, except that the comparisons of current reference temperature value, RT and measured temperature value, MT include an additional parameter N When MT is less than RT-N, where N is a programmable value, typically 20 C, stored in the RAM 13 or ROM 12, unit 11 outputs a digital code to the output control circuit 26, that causes the heating system 30 to operate at full capacity If MT is greater than RT-N, unit 11 causes the output control circuit 26 to output a control signal to cause the heating system 30 to operate at its lower heat capacity.
Figure 5 depicts one configuration of the 7 1 590 503 7 output circuit 26 of system 10 that can be utilized in a multi-stage application There are circuits 43 having discrete outputs for use with on/off, switch type controls in systems 28 and 30 Digital-to-analog converters 42 provide a signal for proportional control elements in systems 28 and 30.
Signal conditioners 44 and 48 typically have buffer amplifiers, line drivers, triacs and/or relays interfacing converters 42 and circuits 43 with the various types of controls used by systems 28 and 30.
The discrete circuits 43 respond to digital numbers and/or bits from unit 11 and furnish latched outputs They consist of latches (flip flops) and other logic required to interface with the signal conditioners For the two stage heating mode depicted in Figure 4, two discrete outputs interfaced with a two stage heating system, having discrete type controls, will cause the system to operate at either 66 % or 100 % of its maximum capacity.
The digital-to-analog converters 42 respond to digital numbers from unit 11, latch the data at the input and provide a steady state analog output, proprotional to the value of the current digital input For the heating mode depicted in Figure 4, two analog levels when interfaced with a two stage heating system, having analog type variable controls will cause the system to operate at either 66 % or 100 % of its maximum capacity.
Additional levels of control for systems having more levels of heating and cooling capacity are provided by assigning more values of N, determining the magnitude of the output levels, storing this data in the ROM 12 or RAM 13, performing additional comparisons, as discussed above and outputting data to control circuit 26, to cause it to issue the necessary outputs.
Additionally, the analog outputs of output circuit 26 when applied to variable controls such as variable flow rate valves can be related in unit 11 to the difference between the measured temperature and the current reference temperature, thus providing proportional control Alternatively, more complex linear or nonlinear control functions of the measured temperature and the current reference temperature can be implemented with the configuration illustrated in Figure 5.
Figures 6 and 7 illustrate the use of system with the remote input and output of data in the control and regulation of temperature in different areas or zones In this application, system 10 enables the temperature in each area to vary independently, according to a programmed sequence of reference temperatures, as dicussed previously Additionally, the zone requiring the most heating or cooling determines the operating capacity level of the heating and cooling systems as described with respect to multi-staging systems.
Figure 6 shows one method that provides zone temperature control and regulation.
The zones are depicted as separate areas; however, each zone can be either separate or combined with other zones Each zone is supplied with a hot deck 63 and a cold deck 64 having variable position dampers 61 and 62, respectively Reversible positioning devices 65 are mechanically attached to dampers 61 and 62, thereby causing them to reversibly open or close in response to control signals from system 10.
The temperature in each area is therefore determined by the temperatures of the hot and cold decks 63 and 64 and by the positions of the dampers 61 and 62 which mix the air exiting the hot and cold decks, in the correct proportion The position of dampers 61 and 62 are determined by system 10 from temperature transducer 97, remotely located from system 10, in each zone Circulation in the zones is provided by the fan 67 forcing air through the heating and cooling systems 30 and 28, through the hot and cold decks 63 and 64, dampers 61 and 62, and back through the return air duct 66, and damper 99 to the fan.
Temperature transducers 72 and 73 in the hot and cold decks 63 and 64 are used by system 10 to adjust the operating levels of the systems 30 and 28, to ensure adequate hot and cold deck temperatures, and to monitor system operation and detect system malfunction Temperature transducer 69 and 75 in the return and external air ducts 66 and 100 are used by system 10 to reversibly control damper positioners 98 and 68 which operate dampers 99 and 74 in the return air duct and external air duct to input fresh air into the zones.
A display and control panel 71 in each zone, or at a control point, remotely located from system 10 provides for display and entry of time intervals, time of day, temperature, etc.
Figure 7 shows the configuration of the data input/output section of system 10 for this application The display/data entry panels 27 located in the zones or at a remotely located control point enable the time intervals and corresponding reference temperatures for each zone to be entered into the RAM 13 via unit 11 These values can be the same for all zones or they can be unique to each zone If they are unique for one or more zones, system 10 stores them in the RAM 13 which is partitioned, or the data is otherwise identified, such that it can always be related to the particular zone to which it corresponds The data transfer to and from the remote display/data entry panels is accomplished via an extension of 1 590 503 1 590 503 the system 10 control and data bus to each zone, to provide for either a parallel or serial data flow on either a preprogrammed, priority or sequential basis.
The outputs of the temperature transducers 20, located in the zones, in the return air duct and in the external environment is fed to the signal conditioners 22 The signal conditioners buffer and scale the signals to the proper value and feed them to the multiplexer 25 Under control of unit 11, the signal is fed through the multiplexer 25 to the analog-to-digital converter 24, where it is converted to a digital number The measured temperature for each zone is determined in a like manner by unit 11, on a preprogrammed, priority or sequential basis Each temperature value is then compared to the control function as determined from the correct reference temperature, hysteresis and anticipator values, for each zone as previously described and particulary as shown in Figures 3 and 4.
Additionally, the external temperature measurement can be utilized by system 10 in the computation of the control functions, and a positive or negative external temperature adjustment XAT can be made to the current reference temperature value For example, in using the control function RT+H, the actual computation would be (RT+X AT) + H One approach to computing a value X AT is to multiply the differences between the external temperature and the current reference temperature by a positive or negative factor, the value of which has been programmed into system 10 by means of the data entry and functions switches 14 and 15 Another approach is to provide for a set of XAT values to be entered via switches 14 and 15, each value of XAT to be used in a particular range of the external temperature.
The availability of programmable reference temperatures for twenty-four, one hour intervals will be satisfactory for many applications of system 10 In those cases where it is desired to vary the reference temperature more smoothly, it is not absolutely necessary to provide more programmable reference temperature values The microprocessor can be programmed to use the stored reference temperature values at the ends of the time intervals, but to calculate a reference temperature value within the interval, by interpolation.
System 10 is interfaced to the heating and cooling systems 28 and 30, damper positioners 5, etc, through the output control circuit 26 It contains discrete on/off type circuits 43, digital type circuits 45, digital-to-analog converters 42 and signal conditioner 44 The discrete discrete circuits 43 repsond to digital numbers and/or bits from unit 11 and provide latched and/or unlatched outputs.
The digital type circuits 45 respond to digital inputs from unit 11 and provide parallel and/or serial type outputs The digital-toanalog converters 42 respond to digital inputs from unit 11, latch the data at the input, and provide a steady state analog output proportional to the value of the current digital input The signal conditioners 44 consist of buffer amplifiers, line drivers, triacs and/or relays as may be required to interface system 10 to the various types of damper positioners and controls used by systems 30 and 28.
In each of the above embodiments it is preferable that output circuit 26 include means for ensuring that the output remains in one state for a selected minimum time before being switched to another state This prevents system 28 and 30 from being switched off, then immediately back on, for example.
Figure 8 illustrates one of serveral possible alternate means for converting the temperature measured by transducer 20 from an analog form to a digital number Unit 11 outputs a series of digital numbers to the digital-to-analog converter 32 such that a successive approximation type conversion can be made The converter produces an analog output proportional to the value of each digital input The analog output, for each digital input, is then compared in the analog comparator 34 to the analog input from the temperature transducer 20, via the signal conditioner 22 Thus, a comparison is made for each successive digital output from unit 11 This process continues, until comparator 34 senses that the analog values are equal or within the range of one least significant bit When this occurs, comparator 34 sends a signal 36 to unit 11 to stop the process The last digital output from unit 11 thus represents the analog value of the measured temperature from transducer 20.
The capability for obtaining remote input/ output with system 10 allows it to carry on important performance monitoring functions For example, system 10 can detect when systems 28 or 30 fail in their heating or cooling functions When unit 11 issues a turn on signal for one of the systems 28 or 30, it can store in memory 13 a record of the current temperature and time Subsequently, when it brings in new digital values of the measured temperature, it can make the determination as to whether the heating or cooling system has changed the measured temperature appropriately, considering the time elapsed since turn on If the measured temperature has failed to respond properly, then system 10 can sound an alarm 40 and/or show a malfuction indication on display 18.
Similarly, discrete on/off type temperature sensitive switches located in various elements of the heating and cooling systems 1 590 503 can be used by system 10 to detect malfunctions or unsafe conditions These conditions can also be dectected from temperatures measured by analog transducers and compared in unit 11 to stored limit values.
System 10 is normally operated by the electrical power system used for cooling and heating systems 28 and 30 However, means are provided for automatically switching system 10 to battery operation when the electrical power system fails In a preferred embodiment, system 10 includes means for maintaining the battery charged from the electrical power system, when it is operative The battery back up operation is necessary to prevent system 10 from losing time of day or reference temperature values that be stored in volatile memory, during power outages.
The exhibition of a number of the variables by display 18 have been described above These and others that are usefully displayed are indicated in Figure 1 They include the measured temperature, an indication of whether heating or cooling is presently commanded, the number entered on switches 14, the present time of day, the current reference temperature (including higher and lower values), temperature adjustments (AT and XAT), the heating/ cooling malfunction indication, and the duration of the control intervals (typically one hour).

Claims (1)

WHAT I CLAIM IS:
1 A system for controlling thermal means affecting a measured temperature in response to a sensor of said temperature during a sequence of selected time intervals, in accordance with selected reference temperatures associated with said temperature intervals, comprising:
means for storing a plurality of values relating to said reference temperatures; means for storing values indicative of said selected time intervals, for which said reference temperatures are to be used:
means for repeatedly generating an electronically readable value representing, at each generation, the present time of day; updating means including an electronic comparison of said time of day value with said time interval values for repeatedly determining when one of said intervals embraces the present time and for selecting from said stored reference temperature values a current reference temperature value corresponding to said embracing interval, said updating means including means for determining that as soon as said present time exceeds the last interval in said sequence, said time becomes embraced by the first interval in the sequence; and comparison means responsive to representations of said measured temperature and of said current reference temperature value for generating control signals suitable for controlling thermal means affecting said measured temperature.
2 The system of Claim 1, wherein there are twenty-four of said intervals, each interval having a duration of one hour.
3 The system of Claim 1, further including means, accessible to a user, for entering the values representing said reference temperatures.
4 The system of Claim 1, further including means, accessible to a user, for selecting a time of day and for displaying the value representing the reference temperature corresponding to the interval embracing the selected time and means, accessible to a user, for entering a selected reference temperature value replacing the displayed value.
The system of Claim 1, further including means, accessible to a user, for entering a number representing a reference temperature adjustment and wherein said comparison means inlcudes means for performing said generating of control signals, with the current reference temperature value modified by the value of said adjustment number.
6 The system Claim 1, further including means for providing and storing a hysteresis value and an anticipator value; and wherein said comparison means includes means for generating said control signals capable of activating said thermal means, dependent on the relation of the measured temperature to the current reference temperature value as modified by the hysteresis value; and means for generating said control signals, capable of deactivating said thermal means, dependent on the relation of the measured temperature to the current reference temperature value as modified by the anticipator value.
7 The system of Claim 6, wherein said comparison means includes means for generating a signal capable of initiating heating, when the measured temperature is less than the current reference temperature value minus the hysteresis value and means for generating a signal capable of terminating heating, when the measured temperature becomes substantially equal to the current reference temperature value.
8 The system of Claim 6, wherein said comparison means includes means for generating a signal capable of initiating cooling, when the measured temperature is greater than the current reference temperature value plus the hysteresis value and means for generating a signal capable of terminating cooling, when the measured 1 590 503 temperature decreases to the current reference temperature value.
9 The system of Claim 6, wherein said comparison means includes:
means for generating a signal capable of initiating heating, when the measured temperature is less than the current reference temperature value minus the hysteresis value and means for generating a signal capable of terminating heating, when the measured temperature increases to the current reference temperature value; means for generating a signal capable of initiating cooling, when the measured temperature is greater than the current reference temperature value plus the hysteresis value; and means for generating a signal capable of terminating cooling, when the measured temperature decreases to the current reference temperature value.
The system of Claim 6, wherein said reference temperatures, including said current reference temperature, are relatively higher reference temperatures; further including means, accessible to a user, for entering and storing a sequence of values, each representing a relatively lower reference temperature and each corresponding to one of said intervals; wherein said updating means further includes means for identifying the one of the lower reference temperatures corresponding to said embracing interval and for storing, as a current lower reference temperature the value of said identified lower reference temperature; and wherein said comparison means includes means for generating a signal capable of initiating heating when the measured temperature is less then the current lower reference temperature value minus the hysteresis value and means for generating a signal capable of terminating heating, when the measured temperature increases to the current lower reference temperature value, means for generating a signal capable of initiating cooling, when the measured temperature is greater than the current higher reference temperature value plus the hysteresis value, and means for generating a signal capable of terminating cooling, when the measured temperatured decreases to the current higher reference temperature value.
11 The system of Claim 1, further including means for storing a number representative of a change to be produced in the measured temperature by said affecting means in response to said control signals; and means, responsive to the measured temperature and to the condition of said control signals and to said number representative of a change, for generating an alarm indication if said change is not actually produced in response to said control signals.
12 They system of Claim 1, further including means, accessible to a user, for entering a value representing a reference temperature adjustment; means for repeatedly generating a value representative of the present value of an external temperature; and wherein said comparison means includes mean for performing, in response to said external temperature number, said generating of control signals with the current reference temperature value modified by the value of said adjustment number.
13 The system of Claim 1, wherein said control signals include an analog of a linear function of the measured temperature and the current reference temperature.
14 The system of Claim 1, including means for storing a value representative of the value of a parameter for multiple stage operating; wherein the comparison means includes means for generating said control signals capable of commanding said thermal means to affect the measured temperature at a rate dependent on a comparison between said parameter value and the deviation of the measured temperature from the current reference temperature value.
The system of Claim 1, further including means for controlling a second measured temperature during said sequence of time intervals in accordance with a second sequence of selected reference temperatures, each corresponding to one of the intervals, comprising:
means for storing a second plurality of values each representing one of said second sequence of reference temperatures; means for identifying the one of said second sequence of reference temperature corresponding to the embracing interval and for storing, as a second current reference temperature value, the value of said second identified reference temperature, means connectable to be responsive to a sensor of said second measured temperature; and, comparison means responsive to said second measured temperature and to the second current reference temperature value for repeatedly generating control signals suitable for controlling thermal means affecting said second measured temperature.
16 A system for controlling a measured temperature during a sequence of time 1 590 503 intervals in accordance with a sequence of selected reference temperatures, each corresponding to one of the intervals, comprising:
means, accessible to a user, for entering and storing a plurality of digital numbers, each representing a value of one of the reference temperatures; means, accessible to a user, for entering and storing a digital number determining the duration of each of said intervals; means connectable to respond to a reference frequency source for repeatedly generating a digital number representative, at each generation, of the present time of day; means accessible to a user, for entering and storing a digital number representative of a selected value of hysteresis; updating means for repeatedly determining, from said time of day number, when one of said intervals embraces the present time and identifying the one of said reference temperatures corresponding to said embracing interval and for storing, as a current reference temperature value, a digital number representing the value of said identified reference temperature; means connectable to be responsive to a sensor of said measured temperature for generating an electrical signal representation of said measured temperature; comparison means, responsive to said signal representation, to the current reference temperature number, and to the hysteresis number, for repeatedly generating control signals suitable for thermal means affecting said measured temperature.
17 The system of Claim 16, wherein said reference temperatures, including said current reference temperature, are relatively higher temperatures; and further including means, accessible to a user, for entering and storing a sequence of digital numbers, each representing a value of a relatively lower reference temperature and each corresponding to one of said intervals; and means, accessible to a user, for entering and storing a digital code indicative of a selected mode of operation; and wherein said updating means further includes means for identifying the one of said lower reference temperatures corresponding to said embracing interval and for storing, as a current lower reference temperature value, a digital number representing the value of said identified lower reference temperature; and wherein said comparison means further includes means for generating, in response to a first value of said code, signals for controlling heating, means for generating, in response to a second value of said code, signals for controlling cooling, means for generating in response to a third value of said code, signals for controlling heating in accordance with said current lower reference temperature value and cooling in accordance with said current higher reference temperature value, and means for generating, in response to a fourth value of said code, signals for controlling both heating and cooling in accordance with the same one of said reference temperature values during all of said intervals.
18 The system of Claim 16, wherein said signal representation is an electrical analog signal; and said comparison means further includes means for converting said signal to a sequence of digital representations.
19 A method for the control of a measured temperature during a sequence of time intervals in accordance with a sequence of selected reference temperatures, each corresponding to one of the intervals, comprising:
storing, in electronically readable form, a plurality of digital numbers, each representing a value of one of the reference temperatures; repeatedly generating, in electronic form, a digital number representing the present time of day at each generation; storing, in electronically readable form, a digital number representative of a value of hysteresis; repeatedly determining, by an electronic comparison including the time of day number, when one of said intervals embraces the present time, including determining that as soon as said present time exceeds the last interval in said interval sequence, said time becomes embraced by the first interval in the sequence; identifying the one of said reference temperatures corresponding to said embracing interval; storing, in electronically readable form, as a current reference temperature value, a digital number representing the value of said identified reference temperature; generating an electrical signal representation of said measured temperature; electronically computing a digital number representing a function of the current reference temperature and the hysteresis number; electronically comparing the function number and the representation of measured temperature; and responsive to the results of the last mentioned comparing, generating signals suitable to control means affecting the measured temperature.
A system for controlling a measured temperature during a sequence of time -1 12 1 590 503 12 intervals in accordance with a sequence of selected reference temperature, each corresponding to one of the intervals, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
21 A method according to claim 19 and substantially as herein described.
CARPMAELS & RANSFORD, Chartered Patent Agents 43 Bloomsbury Square, London, WC 1 A 2 RA.
Printed for Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, by Croydon Printing Company Limited, Croydon, Surrey, 1981.
Published by The Patent Office, 25 Southampton Buildings, London WC 2 A IAY, from which copies may be obtained.

GB8543/78A
1977-03-04
1978-03-03
Programmable time varying control system and method

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1977-03-04
1977-03-04
Programmable time varying control system and method

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Programmable time varying control system and method

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1984-10-10
Robert John Cobbold
Control of Heating Systems

Also Published As

Publication number
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CA1102431A
(en)

1981-06-02

US4071745A
(en)

1978-01-31

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