Heating ventilation and air conditioning system for generating fire alarm and method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to a heating ventilation and air conditioning system for generating a fire alarm and a method thereof. Embodiments of the present disclosure describe heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and methods for generating fire alerts for an indoor environment having a plurality of zones. The method includes receiving a current outside temperature value of an outdoor environment from an outside air temperature (OAT) sensor of the HVAC system. Further, the method includes receiving, from a zone sensor associated with the HVAC system, a current zone temperature value associated with a corresponding zone among the plurality of zones in the indoor environment. In addition, the method includes detecting whether a rate of change of the current area temperature value is greater than a predetermined threshold when the current area temperature value is greater than the current external temperature value. Further, the method includes generating a fire alert for the area based on the detecting step.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 508,715, filed on June 16, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and more particularly to HVAC systems and methods for generating fire alarms for indoor environments having multiple zones. Background Art

[0003] Generally speaking, all residential, commercial or industrial buildings / premises are monitored for smoke and / or fire. Conventional systems for detecting smoke / fire include smoke / fire detectors that are usually placed in areas prone to fire. For example, generally, one or two smoke / fire detectors are installed for an entire residential area. Since the number of fire detectors is so limited, there is a lot of room for improvement in some areas that are not monitored for smoke / fire. Even though a considerable number of residential / commercial buildings have smoke / fire sensors, there have been several instances where such conventional systems have not generated alarms related to smoke / fire. The key reason behind not generating such alarms is due to the smoke / fire being beyond the range of the smoke / fire detectors.

[0004] To address the above mentioned challenges, the conventional solution is to install more smoke / fire detectors to cover all areas within the house / building. However, this conventional solution would be expensive and cumbersome due to the installation of additional sensors in the existing building / house.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need to address the above-mentioned shortcomings of currently deployed smoke / fire detectors and provide a cost-effective and efficient methodology to detect smoke / fire within a premises / building. Summary of the invention

[0006] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified format that are further described in the detailed description of the present disclosure. This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the present disclosure nor to be used to determine the scope of the present disclosure.

[0007] A method for generating a fire alarm for an indoor environment having multiple zones and a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is disclosed herein. The method includes receiving a current outside temperature value of an outdoor environment from an outside air temperature (OAT) sensor of the HVAC system. In addition, the method includes receiving a current zone temperature value associated with a corresponding zone among multiple zones in the indoor environment from a zone sensor associated with the HVAC system. In addition, the method includes determining whether the current zone temperature value is greater than the current outside temperature value. In addition, the method includes detecting whether a rate of change of the current zone temperature value is greater than a predetermined threshold when the current zone temperature value is greater than the current outside temperature value. In addition, the method includes generating a fire alarm for the zone when it is detected that the rate of change of the current zone temperature value is greater than the predetermined threshold.

[0008] In one or more embodiments, generating a fire alarm includes generating a first alarm notification for one of a graphical user interface (GUI) associated with the HVAC system or a third party fire safety control system, wherein the first alarm notification indicates a fire within the area.

[0009] In one or more embodiments, the method further includes triggering a first control action associated with controlling movement of a damper of the HVAC system, the damper being associated with at least one of the plurality of zones. In one or more embodiments, triggering the first control action includes closing a damper associated with at least one of the plurality of zones other than the zone, thereby minimizing smoke flow from the zone to at least one other zone. In one or more other embodiments, triggering the first control action includes closing a damper associated with the zone among the plurality of zones, thereby minimizing smoke flow from the zone to at least one other zone.

[0010] In one or more embodiments, the method further includes triggering a second control action associated with the HVAC system. The second control action includes supplying fresh air from the outdoor environment to at least one of the plurality of zones while operating the HVAC system.

[0011] In one or more embodiments, the detecting includes: when detecting that the current zone temperature value is greater than the current external temperature value, iteratively detecting that the rate of change of the current zone temperature value is greater than a predetermined threshold value within a period of time. In one or more embodiments, the generating includes: in response to detecting that the rate of change of the current zone temperature value is greater than the predetermined threshold value a predetermined number of times within a period of time, generating a fire alarm for the zone.

[0012] Also disclosed herein is a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system for generating a fire alarm for an indoor environment having multiple zones. The HVAC system includes at least one HVAC device and at least one control device communicatively connected to the at least one HVAC device. The at least one control device includes a processor configured to receive, for each of the multiple zones, a current external temperature value of the outdoor environment from an external air temperature (OAT) sensor of the HVAC device. In addition, the processor is configured to receive, for each of the multiple zones, a current zone temperature value associated with a corresponding zone among the multiple zones in the indoor environment from a corresponding zone sensor associated with the HVAC device. In addition, the processor is configured to determine, for each of the multiple zones, whether the current zone temperature value is greater than the current external temperature value. In addition, the processor is configured to detect, for each of the multiple zones, whether a rate of change of the current zone temperature value is greater than a predetermined threshold when the current zone temperature value is greater than the current external temperature value. In addition, the processor is configured to generate a fire alarm for each of the multiple zones when the rate of change of the current zone temperature value is detected to be greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0013] In one or more embodiments, to generate a fire alarm, the processor is configured to: generate a first alarm notification for one of a graphical user interface (GUI) associated with the HVAC system or a third-party fire safety control system, wherein the first alarm notification indicates a fire within the area.

[0014] In one or more embodiments, the processor is further configured to trigger a first control action associated with controlling movement of a damper of the HVAC system, the damper being associated with at least one zone among the plurality of zones.

[0015] In one or more embodiments, to trigger the first control action, the processor is configured to: close a damper associated with at least one zone among the plurality of zones other than the zone, thereby minimizing smoke flow from the zone to at least one other zone.

[0016] In one or more embodiments, to trigger the first control action, the processor is configured to: close a damper associated with the zone among the plurality of zones to minimize smoke flow from the zone to at least one other zone.

[0017] In one or more embodiments, the processor is further configured to trigger a second control action associated with the HVAC system. The second control action includes supplying fresh air from the outdoor environment to at least one of the plurality of zones while operating the HVAC system.

[0018] In one or more embodiments, the processor is further configured to: upon detecting that the current zone temperature value is greater than the current external temperature value, iteratively detect that the rate of change of the current zone temperature value is greater than a predetermined threshold value within a period of time. In addition, at least one control device is configured to: in response to detecting that the rate of change of the current zone temperature value is greater than the predetermined threshold value a predetermined number of times within a period of time, generate a fire alarm for the zone.

[0019] In order to further illustrate the advantages and features of these methods, systems and devices, a more specific description of these methods, systems and devices will be presented by reference to their specific embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. It is to be appreciated that these drawings only depict typical embodiments of the present disclosure and are therefore not to be considered as limiting the scope thereof. The accompanying drawings will be used to describe and explain the present disclosure with additional specificity and detail. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, and in which:

[0021] Figure 1A An environment associated with a system for generating a fire alarm for an indoor environment having multiple zones according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0022] Figure 1B An environment associated with a system for generating a fire alarm for an indoor environment having multiple zones including dampers is shown according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 2 A schematic block diagram illustrating an HVAC system for generating a fire alarm for an indoor environment having multiple zones according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0024] Figure 3 A process flow depicting a method for generating a fire alarm for an indoor environment having multiple zones according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0025] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the elements in the drawings are shown for simplicity and may not necessarily be drawn to scale. For example, a flow chart illustrates a method in terms of the most salient steps involved to help promote understanding of various aspects of the present disclosure. Furthermore, with respect to the construction of an apparatus, one or more components of the apparatus may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details relevant to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure, so as not to bury the drawings in details that would be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] To promote an understanding of the principles of the present disclosure, reference will now be made to various embodiments, and specific language will be used to describe these embodiments. It will be understood, however, that no limitation of the scope of the present disclosure is intended thereby, and such changes and further modifications in the illustrated systems, and such further applications of the principles of the present disclosure as illustrated therein are deemed to be what would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the present disclosure relates.

[0027] Those skilled in the art will understand that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are illustrative of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0028] References throughout this specification to "aspect," "another aspect," or similar language mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in an embodiment," "in another embodiment," "some embodiments," "one or more embodiments," and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

[0029] The terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that includes a series of steps does not include only those steps, but may include other steps that are not explicitly listed or inherent to such process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or subsystems or elements or structures or components beginning with "includes ... a" do not exclude the presence of other devices or other subsystems or other elements or other structures or other components or additional devices or additional subsystems or additional elements or additional structures or additional components without more constraints.

[0030] In order to overcome the above challenges of limited smoke / fire detectors, the present disclosure provides a system and method using existing thermostat zone sensors, which are placed at predetermined locations within a house / building area. Specifically, an HVAC system is installed in a residential, commercial or industrial building. The HVAC system maintains the temperature within / inside the building area and provides appropriate airflow. The HVAC system can provide heated or cooled air within / inside the building to regulate the temperature therein. In addition, in the HVAC system, the concept of zoning helps to obtain better energy efficiency and demand-based control. Such zoning requires the placement of zone sensors in all designated areas of the house.

[0031] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] Figure 1A An environment 100 associated with a system for generating a fire alarm for an indoor environment 102 having a plurality of zones 102a - 102d is shown in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1BAn environment 100 associated with a system for generating a fire alarm for an indoor environment 102 having a plurality of zones 102a-102d including dampers 143-1 to 143-4 is shown according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1A and Figure 1B Describe in conjunction with each other.

[0033] System environment 100 may include indoor zone / environment 102 and HVAC system 120. HVAC system 120 may include control device 130 and HVAC equipment 140. In an embodiment, control device 130 may communicate with one or more components of HVAC equipment 140, as discussed below throughout this disclosure.

[0034] The indoor environment 102 may relate to the indoor environment of a residential, industrial, or commercial property. The indoor environment 102 may include, for example, Figure 1A and 1B The plurality of regions 102a to 102d are shown in FIG. Figure 1B Only four areas (i.e., areas 102a-102d) are shown, but it is understood that the indoor environment 102 may include more or less than four areas. Respective areas in the plurality of areas 102a-102d may correspond to, but are not limited to, a living room area, a bedroom, a family room, a conference room, a garage, a kitchen, etc. Figure 1A As depicted in FIG. 1 , area 102a may correspond to a bedroom, area 102b may correspond to a living room, area 102c may correspond to a kitchen area, and area 102d may correspond to a storage room. Figure 1A and 1B The regions 102a-102d shown in FIG. 1 are non-limiting in scope and are exemplary. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the system environment 100 may also include other regions without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0035] In addition, each of the plurality of zones 102a-102d may include a zone sensor 104a-104d, respectively. Each of the plurality of zone sensors 104a-104d may be configured to measure / sense a current temperature value associated with a corresponding zone among the plurality of zones in the indoor environment. In one embodiment, the plurality of zone sensors 104a-104d may include, but are not limited to, a thermistor, a resistance temperature detector (RTD), a thermocouple, an infrared sensor, and any other temperature sensor. The RTD may sense the ambient air temperature in the indoor environment 110. In addition, the HVAC system 120 may further include an outside air temperature (OAT) sensor 114. The OAT sensor 114 may be configured to measure a current outside temperature value of an outdoor environment. The outdoor environment may correspond to an area outside the indoor environment 102, i.e., an area outside a building / house that is not controlled by the HVAC system 120 to heat / cool. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the OAT sensor 140 may be configured to measure the real-time ambient temperature of the outdoor environment.

[0036] In addition, one or more zones, such as zones 102b and 102c, may include smoke / fire sensors 106, 108. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, smoke / fire sensors 106, 108 are shown for illustration purposes only and are not used to generate a fire alarm. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, inputs from zone sensors 104a-104d and OAT sensor 114 are used to generate a fire alarm, as discussed herein throughout the present disclosure.

[0037] In one or more embodiments, at least one of the plurality of zones 102a-102d may include a thermostat 112 associated with the HVAC system 120. The thermostat 112 may be configured to receive associated inputs from the zone sensors 104a-104d. In embodiments, the thermostat 112 may be further configured to process inputs associated with temperature values ​​and perform one or more methods to detect fires, as discussed throughout this disclosure. The zone sensors 104a-104d may be associated with thermostat zone sensors placed at predetermined locations within a house / facility associated with an indoor environment.

[0038] The HVAC device 140 may include a plurality of zone sensors 104a-104d disposed in the indoor environment 102. As discussed above, a corresponding zone sensor among the plurality of zone sensors may be disposed in each of the plurality of zones 102a-102d. The HVAC device 140 may further include a duct system arrangement 142 disposed in the indoor environment 102, wherein the duct system arrangement 142 may be configured to allow conditioned air to flow therethrough. The duct system arrangement 142 may be disposed in the indoor environment 102 so as to provide conditioned air to each of the plurality of zones 102a-102d. In an embodiment, the duct system arrangement 142 may include a central duct and a plurality of extension ducts extending from the central duct. The plurality of extension ducts may extend to corresponding zones in the plurality of zones 102a-102d, thereby providing conditioned air to the corresponding zones.

[0039] The HVAC device 140 may further include one or more dampers 143-1 to 143-4. Each of the dampers 143-1 to 143-4 may be configured to adjust the flow of conditioned air to the indoor environment 102. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of zones 102a-102d may be associated with a corresponding damper in the one or more dampers 143-1 to 143-4, such that the corresponding damper adjusts the flow of conditioned air to the associated zone. In an embodiment, the one or more dampers 143-1 to 143-4 may be associated with a damper mechanism, which may be configured to mechanically move or adjust the corresponding damper 143-1 to 143-4. In an embodiment, the damper mechanism may be movable to open and / or close the corresponding damper 143-1 to 143-4.

[0040] The HVAC equipment 140 may further include a fan and condenser unit 144, and an evaporator coil 147 coupled to the duct system arrangement 142. The fan and condenser unit 144 may be configured to circulate conditioned air through the duct system arrangement 142. Figure 1B As can be seen in FIG. 1 , conditioned air 145 may flow to each of the plurality of zones 102a-102d through the ductwork arrangement 142. The evaporator coil 147 may absorb heat from the conditioned air passing through the ductwork arrangement 142, and then cool the conditioned air and remove moisture from the conditioned air.

[0041] The HVAC device 140 may further include a zone panel 146. The zone panel 146 may be communicatively coupled to the plurality of zone sensors 104a-104d and the one or more dampers 143-1 to 143-4. In an embodiment, the zone panel 146 may be configured to provide power to the one or more dampers 143-1 to 143-4 and / or the plurality of zone sensors 104a-104d. In an embodiment, the zone panel 146 may be wiredly coupled to the one or more zone sensors 104a-104d. In an embodiment, the zone panel 146 may be further wiredly coupled to the one or more dampers 143-1 to 143-4.

[0042] In one or more embodiments, one or more components of the HVAC equipment 140 may be communicatively coupled to the control device 130 via the communication network 150. For example, in one embodiment, the zone panel 146 may be in communication with the control device 130. The zone panel 146 may receive readings from the zone sensors 104a-104d and may provide the readings to the control device 130. The zone panel 146 may receive control commands from the control device 130 and control the movement of the dampers 143-1 to 143-4 based on the control commands. In another embodiment, one or more zone sensors 104a-104d may be in direct communication with the control device 130 to send readings indicating the temperature of the corresponding zone directly to the control device 130. Additionally, in an embodiment, the fan and condenser unit 144 may be in communication with the control device 130.

[0043] In operation, the HVAC system 120 may be configured to generate a fire alarm for an indoor environment 102 having a plurality of zones 102a-102d. In addition, at least one control device 130 of the HVAC system 120 may be communicatively coupled to at least one HVAC device 140 of the HVAC system 120. The at least one control device 130 may include a processor ( Figure 1A and 1B), the processor is configured to: for each of the plurality of zones 102a-102d, receive a current outside temperature value of the outdoor environment from an outside air temperature (OAT) sensor 114 of the HVAC device 140. In addition, the processor is configured to: for each of the plurality of zones 102a-102d, receive a current zone temperature value associated with a corresponding zone among the plurality of zones 102a-102d in the indoor environment 102 from a corresponding zone sensor associated with the HVAC device 140. In addition, the processor is configured to: for each of the plurality of zones 102a-102d, determine whether the current zone temperature value is greater than the current outside temperature value. In addition, the processor is configured to: for each of the plurality of zones 102a-102d, when the current zone temperature value is greater than the current outside temperature value, detect whether a rate of change of the current zone temperature value is greater than a predetermined threshold. In addition, the processor is configured to: for each of the plurality of zones 102a-102d, when a rate of change of the temperature value of the current zone is detected to be greater than a predetermined threshold, generate a fire alarm for the zone. In addition, one or more control actions may be triggered in response to detecting a fire in a zone of the plurality of zones 102a-102d. In the following paragraphs, Figure 2 and Figure 3 Detailed descriptions related to these operations are discussed in detail.

[0044] In one embodiment, the fire alarm may be generated as a visual alarm to be displayed on one or more user devices (not shown). Alternatively, the fire alarm may be generated as an audible alarm. In one or more embodiments, the generated fire alarm may be similar to the generation of a fire alarm by a traditional smoke / fire sensor. Thus, the HVAC system 120 and / or the thermostat 112 may be configured to remotely / locally notify (one or more) users based on such an alarm.

[0045] In one embodiment, the generation of the fire alarm and the triggering of the control action may be performed at the thermostat 112. In another embodiment, the generation of the fire alarm and the triggering of the control action may be performed at a cloud-based server (not shown) in communication with the HVAC system 120, wherein data associated with the temperature values ​​may be transmitted from the zone sensors 104a-104d and the OAT sensor 114 to the cloud-based server directly or via the thermostat 112. In yet another embodiment, the generation of the fire alarm and the triggering of the control action may be performed at the zone sensors 104a-104d. In yet another embodiment, as in combination with Figure 2 As discussed above, the generation of the fire alarm and the triggering of the control action may be performed at the control device 130. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that when the cloud-based server and the regional sensor are respectively executed Figure 2While the method(s) for generating a fire alarm and triggering a control action at the control device 130 are discussed in , the cloud-based server and zone sensors may similarly perform such method(s).

[0046] In one embodiment, the generation of a fire alarm and the triggering of a control action (associated with a fire-based event) may be performed at a cloud-based server in conjunction with data from one or more smoke / fire sensors within the same premises / facility. In the same embodiment, the fire alarm generation may be a two-step process, where, in a first step, data from the zone sensors 104a-104d and the OAT sensor 114 may be used to detect a fire. In a second step, data from one or more smoke sensors associated with the same premises / facility may be used to verify the fire-based event.

[0047] In one embodiment, the disclosed method of generating a fire alarm may be performed as a semi-automatic smoke / fire alarm, wherein upon notification from the thermostat 112 or the control device 130 or a cloud-based server, the user may confirm the presence of a fire, and the user may manually activate a fire button provided at the thermostat 112 (or associated software application), and the thermostat 112 may sound an alarm to a fire station. This may help protect a home / building from fire even without fire / smoke sensors.

[0048] Figure 2 A schematic block diagram of an HVAC system 120 for generating a fire alarm for an indoor environment having a plurality of zones 102a - 102d is shown according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown in FIG, control device 130 communicates with one or more components of HVAC equipment 140. In one or more embodiments, control device 130 may include a processor 202, a memory 204, one or more modules 206, and a communication interface 208.

[0050] The processor 202 may be configured to communicate with the memory 204 to store temperature-related data, such as readings received from the zone sensors 104a-104d and the OAT sensor 114, for determining any fire-related events within the indoor environment 102. In one or more embodiments, the processor 202 may be one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers. The processor 202 may include one or more processors, which may be general-purpose processors, such as a central processing unit (CPU), an application processor (AP), etc.; pure graphics processing units, such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), a visual processing unit (VPU); and / or an artificial intelligence (AI) dedicated processor, such as a neural processing unit (NPU).

[0051] In some embodiments, the memory 204 may store data and instructions executable by the processor(s) 202 to perform method steps for detecting fire-related events, generating fire alarms for the indoor environment 102, and triggering control actions, as discussed herein throughout the present disclosure. The memory 204 may further include, but is not limited to, non-transitory computer-readable storage media, such as various types of volatile and non-volatile storage media, including, but not limited to, random access memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable read-only memory, flash memory, tape or disk, optical media, and the like. In addition, the non-transitory computer-readable storage media of the memory 204 may include executable instructions in the form of a module 206 and a database storing data. The module 206 may include a set of instructions that may be executed to cause the processor 202 to perform any one or more of the methods for generating fire alarms for the indoor environment, as disclosed herein throughout the present disclosure. Specifically, the module 206 may be configured to use the data stored in the database of the memory 204 to perform the steps of the present disclosure for generating fire alarms and triggering control actions to control a fire in the indoor environment 102. In another embodiment, module 206 may be one or more hardware units that may be external to memory 204. In one embodiment, memory 204 may communicate via a bus within processor(s) 202.

[0052] In one or more embodiments, the communication interface 208 may include a transmitter and a receiver, and may be configured to communicate with one or more components of the HVAC equipment 140 (such as the zone panel 146, the plurality of zone sensors 104a-104d, and / or the fan and condenser unit 144) via the communication network 150. The communication via the communication network 150 may be based on a wireless communication protocol. The communication interface 208 coupled to the processor 202 may be configured to transmit an alarm indicating a fire-related event in one or more of the plurality of zones 102a-102d. The communication interface 208 may be configured to communicate internally between internal hardware components and to communicate with external devices (e.g., the HVAC equipment 140) via one or more networks (e.g., radio technologies). The communication interface 208 may include standard-specific electronic circuitry that may enable wireless communication.

[0053] refer to Figure 1A , Figure 1B and Figure 2, the processor 202 may be configured to generate a fire alarm and trigger a control action to control a fire in the indoor environment 102. In one or more embodiments, the processor 202 may be configured to generate a fire alarm for each of the plurality of zones 102a-102d within the indoor environment 110. The processor 202 may be further configured to detect a current temperature value for each corresponding zone of the plurality of zones 102a-102d over a period of time via the corresponding zone sensors 104a-104d. The processor 202 may be further configured to process measurements received from the zone sensors 104a-104d and the OAT sensor 114 of the corresponding zone to detect any fire-based events and trigger associated control actions.

[0054] The present disclosure provides for configuring (one or more) predetermined threshold temperature values, and the rate of change can be monitored only after the threshold is breached. For example, if the room temperature is 16 degrees Celsius, and in the event of a power failure, opening (one or more) doors / (one or more) windows will trigger a temperature increase. However, the absolute temperature may be, for example, about 20 degrees Celsius. This situation should not trigger an alarm. In order to avoid such false fire alarm problems, the present disclosure utilizes a comparison of the current temperature value recorded over a period of time with the real-time outdoor temperature derived from the OAT sensor 114 of the HVAC system 120, and taking into account the rate of rise above the OAT value.

[0055] The current temperature value may indicate the actual temperature value in the corresponding area being sensed by the temperature sensors 104a-104d installed in the corresponding area. For example, considering the areas 102a-102d, the current temperature value of the area 102a may be the actual temperature of the area 102a detected by the temperature sensor 104a installed in the area 102a.

[0056] In an embodiment, for each of the plurality of zones 104a-104d, one or more temperature set point ranges may be stored in the memory 204. The HVAC equipment 140 may be configured to maintain the actual temperature of the corresponding zone within the set point range.

[0057] In an embodiment, the HVAC system 120 can be configured to operate in a heating mode and a cooling mode. In the heating mode, the HVAC system 120 can provide conditioned air to heat the indoor environment 102. In the cooling mode, the HVAC system 120 can provide conditioned air to cool the indoor environment 102.

[0058] In an embodiment, the processor 202 may be configured to operate in a heating mode or a cooling mode based on a user input. The processor 202 may be configured to receive a user input corresponding to one of the heating or cooling of the corresponding area. The user input may correspond to an input provided by a user of the HVAC system 120. The input may correspond to a selection of a heating operation or a cooling operation for heating or cooling the corresponding area. Based on the reception of the user input, the processor 202 may be configured to maintain the actual temperature within the set point range for the corresponding area. In addition, the processor 202 may be configured to detect the current temperature value of each area and compare the current temperature value with the current external temperature value of the detected outdoor environment. In an embodiment, the user input may be received via a user device such as a smart phone, a remote device, or a pre-installed device (such as a thermostat or a smart sensing device) in the corresponding area.

[0059] In an embodiment, for each of the plurality of zones 102a-102d, a predetermined threshold temperature value may be stored in the memory 204. After determining that the current zone temperature value is greater than the current external temperature value, the processor 202 may be further configured to compare the rate of change of the current temperature value of the corresponding zone with the stored predetermined threshold.

[0060] The HVAC system 120 may be configured to generate a fire alarm for a zone upon detecting a rate of change of a current zone temperature value greater than a predetermined threshold. For example, a room temperature rise rate in the range of 6.7 degrees Celsius to 8.3 degrees Celsius per minute may be considered a possible fire-related event. Fire alarm generation may include a first alarm notification for one of a graphical user interface (GUI) associated with the HVAC system 120 or a third-party fire safety control system (e.g., a municipal fire agency). The first alarm notification indicates a fire within the zone.

[0061] In addition, the HVAC system 120 may be configured to trigger one or more control actions associated with controlling movement of one or more dampers 143-1 to 143-4, the one or more dampers 143-1 to 143-4 being associated with at least one zone of the HVAC system 120. In an embodiment, triggering the control action(s) associated with controlling movement of the dampers 143-1 to 143-4 may include closing dampers associated with at least one zone other than the zone among the plurality of zones 102a-102d, thereby minimizing smoke flow from the zone to at least one other zone. In another embodiment, triggering the control action(s) associated with controlling movement of the dampers 143-1 to 143-4 may include closing dampers associated with a zone in which a fire has been detected among the plurality of zones 102a-102d, thereby minimizing smoke flow from the zone to at least one other zone. In one or more embodiments, a second control action associated with the HVAC system 120 may be triggered. The second control action may include supplying fresh air from the outdoor environment to at least one of the plurality of zones 102a - 102d while operating the HVAC system 120 .

[0062] In one or more embodiments, the processor 202 may be further configured to generate a first alarm notification when the first control action is triggered. The first alarm notification may be displayed on a GUI associated with the HVAC system 120. For example, the HVAC system 120 may include a thermostat and / or smart sensor device installed in each of the plurality of zones 102a-102d, and for the corresponding zone, the first alarm notification may be displayed by the thermostat 112 of the HVAC system 120. In one or more embodiments, the first alarm notification may indicate a fire-related event in a corresponding zone among the plurality of zones 102a-102d. For example, the first alarm notification may include information related to the fire, which may inform users in / outside the corresponding zone of such an event.

[0063] In an embodiment, the processor 202 may be configured to automatically monitor the change in the rate of change of the current temperature value in a specific area among the areas 102a-102d. The processor 202 may be further configured to determine whether the current temperature value reaches a predetermined threshold for the specific area based on the monitoring of the change in the current temperature value. The processor 202 may be further configured to: in response to determining that the current temperature value reaches a first threshold, trigger a first control action for the specific area whose rate of change of the current temperature value reaches the predetermined threshold.

[0064] In another embodiment, another control action involves shutting down the HVAC equipment 140 of the HVAC system 120. The processor 202 may be configured to control the operation of the HVAC system 120 to stop or shut down the HVAC equipment 140. As a result, heating / cooling of the entire indoor environment 110 is stopped.

[0065] Figure 3 A process flow depicting a method 300 for generating a fire alarm for an indoor environment having multiple zones is shown, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0066] At step 302 , the method 300 includes receiving a current outside temperature value of an outdoor environment from an outside air temperature (OAT) sensor of the HVAC system.

[0067] At step 304 , method 300 includes receiving, from a zone sensor associated with the HVAC system, a current zone temperature value associated with a corresponding zone among a plurality of zones in the indoor environment.

[0068] At step 306 , the method 300 includes determining whether the current zone temperature value is greater than the current outside temperature value.

[0069] In step 308, method 300 includes: when the current area temperature value is greater than the current external temperature value, detecting whether the rate of change of the current area temperature value is greater than a predetermined threshold. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the detection may include: when it is detected that the current area temperature value is greater than the current external temperature value, iteratively detecting within a period of time whether the rate of change of the current area temperature value is greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0070] At step 310, the method 300 includes: generating a fire alarm for the zone when a rate of change of the current zone temperature value is detected to be greater than a predetermined threshold. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, generating the fire alarm includes: generating a first alarm notification for one of a GUI or a third-party fire safety control system associated with the HVAC system, wherein the first alarm notification indicates a fire in the zone.

[0071] In an embodiment where the detection step 308 includes iteratively detecting a rate of change of a zone temperature value greater than a predetermined threshold over a period of time, the generation step 310 may include: in response to detecting a predetermined number of times that the rate of change of the current zone temperature value is greater than the predetermined threshold over a period of time, generating a fire alarm for the zone.

[0072] At step 312, method 300 includes triggering a first control action and / or a second control action. The first control action may be associated with controlling movement of a damper associated with at least one of a plurality of zones of the HVAC system. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, triggering the first control action may include closing a damper associated with at least one of a plurality of zones other than the zone, thereby minimizing smoke flow from the zone to at least one other zone. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, triggering the first control action includes closing a damper associated with the zone, thereby minimizing smoke flow from the zone to at least one other zone.

[0073] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second control action may be associated with the HVAC system. The second control action may include supplying fresh air from the outdoor environment to at least one of the plurality of zones 102a-102d while operating the HVAC system.

[0074] Although shown and described in a particular order Figure 3 However, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, these steps may occur in a different order than the described order. In addition, for the sake of brevity of the present disclosure, the descriptions of the steps already included in the descriptions of FIGS. 1-2 are omitted here. Figure 3 A detailed description of the various steps involved.

[0075] The embodiments discussed above in the present disclosure help protect houses from fire by utilizing the existing HVAC system in such houses without any fire / smoke sensors. The present disclosure can further facilitate fire detection and implementation of control actions in residential buildings, hotels, hospitals, and / or commercial buildings based on limited modifications (e.g., software modifications) to the HVAC system without any additional / newly installed fire / smoke sensors, thereby saving time, effort, and cost. In addition, the present disclosure provides a powerful measure to avoid any false fire alarms by using a two-step methodology of comparing the current temperature value with the OAT value and then comparing the rate of change of the current temperature value with a predetermined threshold. Therefore, the present disclosure allows for supplementing additional already available sensors for fire detection, thereby better covering more square feet of residences / buildings.

[0076] Although specific language has been used to describe the subject matter, it is not intended to create any limitation therefrom. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, various feasible modifications may be made to the method to realize the inventive concept as taught herein. The accompanying drawings and the foregoing description provide examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the elements described may be well combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, some elements may be divided into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment.

Claims

1. A method of generating a fire alarm for an indoor environment having multiple zones and a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, the method comprising: receiving a current outside temperature value of an outdoor environment from an outside air temperature (OAT) sensor of the HVAC system; receiving, from a zone sensor associated with the HVAC system, a current zone temperature value associated with a corresponding zone among the plurality of zones in the indoor environment; Determining whether the current zone temperature value is greater than the current external temperature value; When the current area temperature value is greater than the current external temperature value, detecting whether the rate of change of the current area temperature value is greater than a predetermined threshold; as well as When it is detected that the rate of change of the current zone temperature value is greater than the predetermined threshold, a fire alarm is generated for the zone.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Generating the fire alarm includes generating a first alarm notification for one of a graphical user interface (GUI) associated with the HVAC system or a third party fire safety control system, wherein the first alarm notification indicates a fire within the zone.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A first control action associated with controlling movement of a damper of the HVAC system is triggered, the damper being associated with at least one zone among the plurality of zones.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: Triggering the first control action includes closing a damper associated with at least one zone among the plurality of zones other than the zone, thereby minimizing smoke flow from the zone to at least one other zone.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein: Triggering the first control action includes closing a damper associated with the zone among the plurality of zones to minimize smoke flow from the zone to at least one other zone.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A second control action associated with the HVAC system is triggered, wherein the second control action includes supplying fresh air from the outdoor environment to at least one of the plurality of zones while operating the HVAC system.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The detection includes: when it is detected that the current area temperature value is greater than the current external temperature value, iteratively detecting within a period of time that the change rate of the current area temperature value is greater than the predetermined threshold, and The generating includes: in response to detecting that the change rate of the current zone temperature value is greater than the predetermined threshold value for a predetermined number of times within the period of time, generating the fire alarm for the zone.

8. A heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system for generating a fire alarm for an indoor environment having multiple zones, the HVAC system comprising: At least one HVAC unit, and at least one control device communicatively coupled to the at least one HVAC device, the at least one control device comprising a processor configured to, for each of the plurality of zones: receiving a current outside temperature value of an outdoor environment from an outside air temperature (OAT) sensor of the HVAC equipment; receiving, from a corresponding zone sensor associated with the HVAC equipment, a current zone temperature value associated with a corresponding zone among the plurality of zones in the indoor environment; Determining whether the current zone temperature value is greater than the current external temperature value; When the current area temperature value is greater than the current external temperature value, detecting whether the rate of change of the current area temperature value is greater than a predetermined threshold; as well as When it is detected that the rate of change of the current zone temperature value is greater than the predetermined threshold, a fire alarm is generated for the zone.

9. The HVAC system of claim 8, wherein: To generate the fire alarm, the processor is configured to generate a first alarm notification for one of a graphical user interface (GUI) associated with the HVAC system or a third-party fire safety control system, wherein the first alarm notification indicates a fire within the zone.

10. The HVAC system of claim 8, wherein: The processor is further configured to: A first control action associated with controlling movement of a damper of the HVAC system is triggered, the damper being associated with at least one zone among the plurality of zones.

11. The HVAC system of claim 10, wherein: To trigger the first control action, the processor is configured to close a damper associated with at least one zone among the plurality of zones other than the zone, thereby minimizing smoke flow from the zone to at least one other zone.

12. The HVAC system of claim 10, wherein: To trigger the first control action, the processor is configured to close a damper associated with the zone among the plurality of zones to minimize smoke flow from the zone to at least one other zone.

13. The HVAC system of claim 8, wherein: The processor is further configured to: A second control action associated with the HVAC system is triggered, wherein the second control action includes supplying fresh air from the outdoor environment to at least one of the plurality of zones while operating the HVAC system.

14. The HVAC system of claim 8, wherein: The processor is further configured to: When it is detected that the current zone temperature value is greater than the current external temperature value, iteratively detecting within a period of time that the change rate of the current zone temperature value is greater than the predetermined threshold, and In response to detecting that the rate of change of the current zone temperature value is greater than the predetermined threshold a predetermined number of times within the period of time, the fire alarm is generated for the zone.

Images