Patent Application
20120080531
The disclosure generally relates to the field of electronic thermostats, particularly to a thermostat capable of providing evaluation of temperature control equipment.
A thermostat is a device for regulating the temperature of a building system so that the temperature is maintained near a desired set point temperature. The thermostat does this by switching temperature/climate control equipment (e.g., heating or cooling devices) on or off, to maintain the temperature around the desired set point. The duration of which the temperature control equipment changes from a first state (e.g., OFF state) to a second state (e.g., ON state) till the next time the temperature control equipment changes from the first state (e.g., OFF state) to the second state (e.g., ON state) may be referred to as a work cycle.
The present disclosure is directed to a method for evaluating a temperature control equipment of a building. The temperature control equipment is communicatively coupled with a thermostat. The method may comprise calculating an ideal design temperature difference (DTD) for temperature control of the building; calculating an actual DTD associated with the temperature control equipment, the actual DTD being calculated at least partially based on: an equipment off time during a temperature control equipment work cycle, an equipment on time during the temperature control equipment work cycle, an ambient temperature, and a set point temperature of the thermostat; and evaluating the temperature control equipment based on the ideal DTD and the actual DTD, the temperature control equipment being evaluated to determine whether the temperature control equipment is at least one of: oversized for the building, undersized for the building, or generally matches with a temperature control requirement of the building.
A further embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to a thermostat communicatively coupled with a temperature control equipment of a building. The thermostat may include a temperature control module configured for determining: an equipment off time during a temperature control equipment work cycle, an equipment on time during the temperature control equipment work cycle, an ambient temperature, and a set point temperature of the thermostat. The thermostat may also include a computing module configured for calculating an ideal design temperature difference (DTD) for temperature control of the building, the computing module further configured for calculating an actual DTD associated with the temperature control equipment, the actual DTD being calculated at least partially based on: the equipment off time during a temperature control equipment work cycle, the equipment on time during the temperature control equipment work cycle, the ambient temperature, and the set point temperature of the thermostat. The thermostat may further include an evaluation module configured for evaluating the temperature control equipment based on the ideal DTD and the actual DTD, the temperature control equipment being evaluated to determine whether the temperature control equipment is at least one of: oversized for the building, undersized for the building, or generally matches with a temperature control requirement of the building.
An additional embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to a method for evaluating a temperature control equipment of a building. The method may comprise calculating an ideal design temperature difference (DTD) for temperature control of the building; calculating an actual DTD associated with the temperature control equipment, the actual DTD being calculated at least partially based on: an equipment off time during a temperature control equipment work cycle, an equipment on time during the temperature control equipment work cycle, an ambient temperature, and a set point temperature; and evaluating the temperature control equipment based on the ideal DTD and the actual DTD, the temperature control equipment being evaluated to determine whether the temperature control equipment is at least one of: oversized for the building, undersized for the building, or generally matches with a temperature control requirement of the building.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not necessarily restrictive of the present disclosure. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate subject matter of the disclosure. Together, the descriptions and the drawings serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
The numerous advantages of the disclosure may be better understood by those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying figures in which:
Reference will now be made in detail to the subject matter disclosed, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
The present disclosure is directed to a method and a thermostat configured for providing evaluation of temperature/climate control equipments (may also be referred to as HVAC equipments). A relationship between a building/room and the HVAC equipment utilized to control the climate of the building is established. Such a relationship may provide information regarding whether the HVAC equipment is sufficient enough to provide temperature control for the building/room. Utilizing such information, a user/owner of the building/room may decide whether the current HVAC equipment needs to be downsized or upgraded.
Referring to
While the ideal DTDs may vary from location to location, they may be calculated based on information readily available. For instance, ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) provides design conditions for winters and summers of various regions throughout the United States and the world. For a particular region, if the design condition for winter provided by ASHRAE is −20° F. and the set point temperature of the thermostat is 70° F., then DTDideal,heating of 90° F. may be calculated. Similarly, if the design condition for summer provided by ASHRAE is 100° F. and the set point temperature of the thermostat is 70° F., then DTDideal,cooling of 30° F. may be calculated. It is contemplated that design conditions for a particular region may be obtained via various other sources. For example, local weather stations may also provide such information.
Step 104 may calculate an actual DTD for either the heating equipment or the cooling equipment (whichever is operating at the time). The actual DTD may be compared against the ideal DTD for evaluation of the HVAC equipment. The DTD for either the heating equipment or the cooling equipment may be calculated based on the equipment OFF time during a work cycle toff, the equipment ON time during the work cycle ton, an ambient temperature Toa (e.g., an outdoor/exterior temperature), and a set point temperature of the thermostat Tsp. In one embodiment, the DTD is calculated according to equation:
Step 106 may evaluate the HVAC equipment based on the calculated actual DTDs and the ideal DTDs. For instance, if the DTD calculated during the operation of a heating equipment is noticeably greater than the value of the ideal DTD for heating, then the heating equipment may be oversized; otherwise if the DTD calculated during the operation of a heating equipment is noticeably less than the value of the ideal DTD for heating, then the heating equipment may be undersized and/or degraded. Similarly, if the DTD calculated during the operation of a cooling equipment is noticeably greater than the value of the ideal DTD for cooling, then the cooling equipment may be oversized; otherwise if the DTD calculated during the operation of a cooling equipment is noticeably less than the value of the ideal DTD for cooling, then the cooling equipment may be undersized and/or degraded.
Referring to
In one embodiment, step 202 determines whether a significant/noticeable difference exists between DTDactual and DTDideal. For example, the value of
may be calculated and compared against a predetermined threshold (e.g., a percentage value, such as 15% in a particular implementation). If the result is not above the threshold, the difference may be considered not noticeable (insignificant), which may imply that the size of the HVAC equipment generally matches with the temperature control requirement of the building, and no equipment change may be necessary (as indicated in step 204). Otherwise, if the result is above the threshold, the difference may be considered noticeable, indicating that the HVAC equipment may need to be upgraded or downsized in order to satisfy the temperature control requirement of the building.
Step 206 determines whether the HVAC equipment may need to be upgraded or downsized. In one embodiment, the value of
may be calculated and compared against a predetermined threshold (e.g., a percentage value, such as 15% in a particular implementation). If the result is above the threshold, then DTDactual may be considered noticeably greater than DTDideal, and the HVAC equipment may be oversized for the temperature control requirement of the building (as indicated in step 208). Otherwise, if the result is less than or equal to the threshold, then DTDactual may be considered noticeably less than DTDideal, and the HVAC equipment may be undersized for the temperature control requirement of the building (as indicated in step 210).
Referring to
The thermostat 300 further includes a computing module 304 configured for calculating DTDideal and DTDactual as previously described. In one embodiment, the design condition/temperature for calculating DTDideal may be obtained via a network. Alternatively, the thermostat 300 may include a lookup table/file/database for determining the design condition/temperature based on the location of the building where the thermostat 300 is installed. It is understood that the thermostat 300 may be utilized for evaluation of the heating equipment and/or the cooling equipment. It is also understood that DTDideal and DTDactual represent the corresponding values for either the heating equipment or the cooling equipment, whichever is the subject of the evaluation.
The thermostat 300 further includes an evaluation module 306 configured for providing evaluation of the HVAC equipment. In one embodiment, the HVAC equipment is evaluated based on the difference between DTDactual and DTDideal. For example, the value of
may be calculated and compared against a predetermined threshold. If the result is not above the threshold, the difference may be considered not noticeable, which may imply that the size of the HVAC equipment generally matches with the temperature control requirement of the building, and no equipment change may be. Otherwise, if the result is above the threshold, the difference may be considered noticeable, indicating that the HVAC equipment may need to be upgraded or downsized in order to satisfy the temperature control requirement of the building.
The evaluation module 306 may further determine whether the HVAC equipment needs to be upgraded or downsized. For example, the value of
may be calculated and compared against a predetermined threshold. If the result is above the threshold, then DTDactual may be considered noticeably greater than DTDideal, and the HVAC equipment may be oversized for the temperature control requirement of the building. Otherwise, if the result is less than or equal to the threshold, then DTDactual may be considered noticeably less than DTDideal and the HVAC equipment may be undersized for the temperature control requirement of the building.
The thermostat 300 may further include a display 308. The display 308 may serve as a user interface and/or providing information regarding the evaluation of the HVAC equipment. It is contemplated that information regarding the evaluation results may also be presented via electronic messages (e.g., text messages, electronic mails, or the like). Furthermore, in an event where immediate attention may be needed, a notification may be sent to indicate the issue that need to be addressed. The evaluation results and/or notifications may be provided in the forms of an audible signal (e.g., an alarm or a speaker communicatively coupled with the thermostat 300), a visual signal (e.g., via the display 308 or LED indicators), and/or an electronic data signal (e.g., text messages, electronic mails, or the like).
It is contemplated that actions may be taken based on the evaluation results. For example, if the heating or cooling system is determined to be oversized compared to the temperature control requirement of the building, then a smaller heating or cooling system may be recommended to replace the current one. Additionally/alternatively, soft-repairs (e.g., smart control strategies) may be applied to the control logics (e.g., firmware) of the thermostat and/or the heating or cooling system to virtually downsize the system. In another example, if the heating or cooling system is determined to be undersized by design, then a larger heating or cooling system may be recommended to replace the current one. Additionally/alternatively, the building envelop systems (insulation, windows, doors and ceiling) may be upgraded. Furthermore, if the heating or cooling system is determined to be degraded, repair/service may be recommended.
It is contemplated that the temperature control module 302, the computing module 304 and the evaluation module 306 may be implemented as separate and interconnected hardware components. Alternatively, they may correspond to various functional aspects of an integrated control device. It is understood that each module may be implemented as either a hardware component or a firmware/software component without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
It is believed that the system and method of the present disclosure and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the components without departing from the disclosed subject matter or without sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form described is merely explanatory.
