A thermostat providing modulated or analog control of valves or dampers of an air management system. This permits operating a single cooling or heating stage with partially open valves or dampers as needed, since one full stage that is either fully on or off may not be easy to manage for effective air management of a particular type of building, zone or facility. The thermostat may also provide non-modulated control of multi-stage cooling and heating systems. The thermostat may even be used to control a modulated system having more than one stage of cooling or heating.

Thermostat having modulated and non-modulated provisions

A device and method that may be used at nearly any place to set and adjust a control system such as a thermostat, controller or computer having numerous parameters and options that may be selected for desired operation of an air management system. One may remotely, via a personal digital assistant, configure, commission, select, set or adjust the parameters and options of a control system, which may include, but not be limited to, temperatures, humidity, sensors, volume of air movement, fan or air mover behavior, the percentage of added fresh air, modulated and non-modulated control of valves and dampers, stages of cooling and heating at various zones, control of heat pumps, heaters and air conditioners, modes of occupied, unoccupied or standby of respective spaces in a building, for day and night, at selected times, on certain days, for specific buildings at particular locations.

PDA configuration of thermostats

A system PDA-based on line diagnostics for automatically discovering a thermostat configuration, turning off normal controller delays, temporary overriding sensor inputs and set points, and verifying proper output action including the monitoring the discharge air temperature for the resulting temperature behavior based on the equipment stages activated. The diagnosis may include the testing of sensors, set points, the fan, cooling equipment, heating equipment and the wiring connecting the controls with the fan, and the cooling and heating equipment. Problems discovered may be reported, automatically recorded and the original operating parameters may be restored.

PDA diagnosis of thermostats

A refrigeration system including a compressor, condenser, valve, and refrigeration branch, all of which is in fluid communication. The refrigeration branch includes an evaporator coil. The refrigeration system further includes a case adapted to be cooled by the evaporator coil, and a system controller operable to control one or more aspects of the refrigeration system, and a subsystem controller in communication with the system controller. The subsystem controller is operable to control a subsystem having one of the compressor, condenser, valve, refrigeration branch, and case. The method of operating the refrigeration system includes at the subsystem controller, monitoring a parameter of the subsystem, comparing the monitored parameter with a parameter limit, generating an alarm when the parameter is not within the parameter limit, and communicating the alarm to the system controller.

Refrigeration system and method of operating the same

A commercial refrigeration system has a control system (70) which distributes intelligence to increase granularity of the control and simplify wiring, assembly and installation. Compressors (14A-C) of the refrigeration system each have a bus compatible compressor safety and control module (48) including a processor and sensors. All control and safety modules (48) communicate over a single power and communications line (80) with the controller (70), providing digital transmissions to the controller of measurements taken by the sensors. The control and safety modules (48) are capable of executing commands from the controller (70) to cycle the compressors (14A-C). The control and safety modules (48) preferably contain sufficient intellignece to continue system operation upon failure of the controller (70). A compressor (14) is also disclosed which has an intelligent control and safety module. A condenser controller (84) is also disclosed that is capable of communicating with the controller to affect intelligent control of one or more compressor fans (20).

Distributed intelligence control for commercial refrigeration

A circulating fluid that is heated by a number of gas-fired burner assemblies is used to heat a space either through a hot water system or a forced air heating system. Each burner assembly includes a housing with a heat exchanger mounted therein and a gas burner for heating the fluid which flows through the heat exchanger. The heat exchangers are connected in parallel in a closed loop forced circulation system. A microprocessor based thermostat control compares the temperature in the space heated by the air with a reference temperature. Dependent upon the magnitude of the difference between the temperatures, one or more of the burner assemblies are energized. The burner assemblies are sized such that during most of the heating season only a fraction of the burner assemblies are used. Burner assemblies are cycled on and off as needed to return the temperature to the steady state during the warmer and colder parts of the heating season at least one burner assembly is usually in operation during a majority of the heating season.

Multi-phase modular comfort controlled heating system

A control system for a combined heating and cooling system connected to the control circuitry therefor, for energizing a fan or other fluid circulating device to circulate fluid and effect thermal transfer of energy therefrom to the spaces being heated in response to energization of the heating and cooling system, and for deenergizing said circulating means a selected time interval after deenergization of said heating and cooling system to effect extraction of thermal energy from the circulating fluid, said control system being operative in the absence of electrical energy or other malfunction to energize fluid circulating device.

William A. Ness

Papers

Multi-phase modular comfort controlled heating system

Furnace control system