Patent Application
20230304596
The present invention relates to a Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning HVAC actuator. The present invention further relates to an HVAC system comprising one or more HVAC actuator(s) and a controller device.
In the field of Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning, HVAC systems typically comprise a fluid transportation system and a plurality of HVAC actuators, including motorized HVAC actuators coupled to actuated parts, such as valves, dampers, pumps, and fans, and other devices connected to the HVAC system, such as flow sensors, pressure sensors, temperature sensors, rotation sensors, position sensors, humidity sensors, etc. In the field of HVAC, the electric motor is coupled, through gears and/or other mechanical coupling, to an actuated part, such as a valve or damper for controlling the flow of a fluid such as water or air. In addition to an electric motor, motorized HVAC actuators are typically provided with a controller having a processor and a data store for storing data content comprising configuration data for operating the HVAC actuator, and for operation-related data recorded by the HVAC actuator. The configuration data includes configuration parameters such as motor speed, closing time, opening time, etc. The operation-related data includes values such as number of cycles, number of movements, maximum travel angle, minimum travel angle, etc. In HVAC applications, the controller is connected to sensors, such as flow sensors, pressure sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, air quality sensors, rotation sensors, position sensors, etc., the configuration data further including configuration parameters such as a target value of flow rate, a set value of altitude for adjusting the measurement of a flow sensor, etc. Moreover, a section of the data store further has stored therein program code for controlling the processor. In HVAC applications, the program code includes various control algorithms for controlling the motor to open and close an orifice of the valve or damper to regulate the flow of fluid, e.g. with regards to differential pressure, room temperature, flow of energy, etc.
HVAC actuators comprising electric motors are commonly used to control actuated parts, such as dampers or valves. The power consumed by the motor of the HVAC actuators is typically provided by an external energy source, such as mains supply which requires an adequate wiring of the HVAC actuators.
Upon installation and/or servicing, HVAC actuators often need to be manually commissioned, calibrated and/or configured before their normal/regular operation. In certain use cases, this commissioning, calibration and/or configuration upon installation and/or servicing is performed without the HVAC actuator being connected to an external energy source, either because the wiring infrastructure for the external energy source is not yet available and/or the connection to the external energy source is not desired (e.g. for safety reasons) and/or the HVAC actuators may only be connected to an external energy source after being commissioned, calibrated and/or configured.
Conventionally, HVAC actuators are manually commissioned, calibrated and/or configured using mechanical operating means, such as a manual crank, lever etc. However, providing mechanical operating means merely for such installation and/or servicing procedures unnecessarily increases the mechanical complexity of the HVAC actuators, thereby increasing their production and/or maintenance costs. Furthermore, mechanical operating means are susceptible to wear and may be prone to mechanical failure. Also, mechanical operating means often require additional openings in the housing of the HVAC actuator which require additional sealing elements to avoid exposure to contaminants/dirt.
It is an object of embodiments disclosed herein to provide an HVAC actuator, which at least partially improve the prior art and avoid at least part of the mentioned disadvantages of the prior art. In particular, it is an object of embodiments disclosed herein to provide an HVAC actuator which enables a cost and mechanically efficient manual commissioning, calibration and/or configuration upon installation/servicing without the need for an external energy source.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, this object is addressed by an HVAC actuator, comprising: an electric motor, an electronic circuit and an energy storage element. The electric motor is configured to move an actuated part coupled (in particular mechanically coupled) to the electric motor. The electronic circuit is connected to the electric motor and configured to control the electric motor. The energy storage element is configured to provide electrical energy to the HVAC actuator in absence of external power supply. External power supply hereby refers to any form of energy source that is not structurally part of the HVAC actuator, such as mains power supply. The electronic circuit is further configured to receive operating commands directed to the actuated part and to control the electric motor such as to move the actuated part, responsive to the operating commands received in absence of external power supply. Thereby, the user is able to manually commission, calibrate and/or configure the HVAC actuator using an operating element without the need of an external energy source. Manual operation is particularly advantageous during installation and/or servicing without the HVAC actuator being connected to an external energy source, either because the wiring infrastructure for the external energy source is not yet available and/or the connection to the external energy source is not desired (e.g. for safety reasons) and/or the HVAC actuators may only be connected to an external energy source after being commissioned, calibrated and/or configured.
Embodiments according to the present disclosure are advantageous as they allow reducing the number of installation “visits” required to deploy HVAC actuators in an HVAC system since there is no need for a technician installing the HVAC actuator to return when the wiring infrastructure for the external energy source is available just to commission, calibrate and/or configure the HVAC actuator(s).
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the HVAC actuator further comprises an operating element for generating the operating commands directed to the actuated part based on operating input from a user. The operating element is/comprises one or more switching element(s), such as push button(s) and/or control knob(s).
Alternatively, or additionally, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the operating element comprises a communication interface configured to receive operating commands from a controller device external to the HVAC actuator.
The controller device may be a mobile computing device having a user interface, in particular a graphical user interface, for receiving operating input from a user, the mobile computing device being configured to generate the operating commands directed to the actuated part based on the operating input.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the communication interface comprises a radio communication interface configured to establish a radio communication link with a corresponding radio communication interface of the controller device and to receive the operating commands via the radio communication link.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the communication interface comprises a wire-based communication interface configured to establish a wire-based communication link with a corresponding wire-based communication interface of the controller device and to receive the operating commands via the wire-based communication link.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the energy storage element is a battery, in particular a rechargeable battery such as a Lithium-ion battery.
In order to avoid damage to the energy storage element, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the HVAC actuator further comprises a heating element, the electronic circuit being configured to control the heating element such as to heat the energy storage element.
To conserve electric energy, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic circuit is further configured to: switch the HVAC actuator into a low power mode (such as a standby mode); receive a wake-up command; and wake the HVAC actuator from the low power mode upon receipt of the wake-up command. The HVAC actuator may further comprise a wake-up trigger element, such as a trigger switch or a radio communication receiver, the trigger element being configured to generate the wake-up command in response to user input. Alternatively, of additionally, the wakeup command is generated by the operating element in response to user input.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic circuit is further configured to control a charging level of the energy storage element such as to prevent a charging level below a deep-discharge level and/or a charging level above an overcharge level in order to extend the lifetime and/or charge holding interval of the energy storage element. Furthermore, if the charging level of the energy storage element approaches a threshold charge level, the electronic circuit shall switch the HVAC actuator into a low power mode (such as a standby mode) and disregard said wake-up command until the energy storage element is charged again to prevent damage of the energy storage element.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the actuated part comprises a valve and/or a flap for regulating a flow of fluid.
The above-identified objectives are further addressed by an HVAC system comprising: one or more HVAC actuator(s) (according to embodiments disclosed herein) connected to one or more actuated parts and a controller device, in particular a mobile computing device. The controller device comprises: a communication interface configured to establish a communication link with the communication interface(s) of the HVAC actuator(s) and a user interface, in particular a graphical user interface, for receiving operating commands from a user. The controller device is configured to transmit the operating commands to the HVAC actuator(s) via the communication link.
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 into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments, and together with the description serve to explain the principles and operation of the concepts disclosed.
The herein described disclosure will be more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings which should not be considered limiting to the disclosure described in the appended claims. The drawings which show:
Reference will now be made in detail to certain embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all features are shown. Indeed, 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. Whenever possible, like reference numbers will be used to refer to like components or parts.
To conserve electric energy, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic circuit 12 is further configured to: switch the HVAC actuator 10 into a low power mode (such as a standby mode); receive a wake-up command; and wake the HVAC actuator 10 from the low power mode upon receipt of the wake-up command. According to a particular embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic circuit 12 is configured to wake the HVAC actuator 10 from the low power mode upon actuation of any of the switching elements 61 and to switch the HVAC actuator 10 into a low power mode when the switching elements 61 have not been actuated for a certain period of time.
As illustrated on
Furthermore, the HVAC actuator 10 comprises a wake-up trigger 26 configured to generate the wake-up command (such as a wake-up pulse). According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the wake-up trigger 26 is an electrical switch or a radio communication receiver (such as an NFC receiver).
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01362/20 | Oct 2020 | CH | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2021/074580 | 9/7/2021 | WO |
