Active noise control system for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&r) systems

An active noise control system in HVAC&R systems uses a sensor and speaker to invert fan noise, reducing noise perception and compliance with regulations.

WO2026161604A1PCT designated stage Publication Date: 2026-07-30TYCO FIRE & SECURITY GMBH +1
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
TYCO FIRE & SECURITY GMBH
Filing Date
2026-01-22
Publication Date
2026-07-30

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

HVAC&R systems produce undesirable acoustic noise due to fan operation, which can be a nuisance and may violate noise regulations.

Method used

Implement an active noise control system with a sensor to detect fan-generated noise and a speaker to output a sound wave inverted relative to the fan noise, using a controller to generate a cancelation signal.

Benefits of technology

Reduces overall noise perception, enhancing acoustic comfort and compliance with noise regulations by destructively interfering fan-generated noise.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

A vapor compression system (30) includes a noise control system (124) configured to offset a first sound (132) generated by the vapor compression system (30). The noise control system (124) includes a sensor (136) configured to detect the first sound (132) generated by the vapor compression system (30) and a speaker (192) configured to output a second sound (156). The noise control system (124) also includes a controller (128) communicatively coupled to the sensor (136) and the speaker (192). The controller (128) includes a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by processing circuitry (172), are configured to cause the processing circuitry (172) to receive, via the sensor (136), a first signal (130) indicative of the first sound (132), receive or generate a second signal (160) corresponding to the first sound (132), where the second signal (160) is based on an operating parameter of the vapor compression system (30), generate, based on the first signal (130) and the second signal (160), a third signal (176) corresponding to the second sound (156), where the second sound (156) is configured to offset the first sound (132), and transmit the third signal (176) toward the speaker (192).
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Description

ACTIVE NOISE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR HEATING, VENTILATION, AIR CONDITIONING AND REFRIGERATION (HVAC&R) SYSTEMSCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 748,233, entitled “ACTIVE NOISE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR HEATING, VENTILATION, AIR CONDITIONING AND REFRIGERATION (HVAC&R) SYSTEMS,” filed January 22, 2025, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.BACKGROUND

[0002] This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

[0003] Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems, such as chiller systems (e.g., vapor compression systems), utilize a working fluid (e.g., refrigerant) that changes phases between vapor, liquid, and combinations thereof in response to exposure to different temperatures and pressures associated with operation of the HVAC&R system. For example, the HVAC&R system may utilize one or more compressors to circulate the working fluid to a heat exchanger, which may transfer heat between the working fluid and another fluid (e.g., cooling fluid) flowing through the heat exchanger. In some instances, the heat exchanger may be positioned in an ambient environment (e.g., outdoor environment), and ambient air may be directed across the heat exchanger to cause transfer of thermal energy between the ambient air and the working fluid. To this end, the heat exchanger may include one or more fans configured to force the ambient air across the heat exchanger. Unfortunately, the fans may produce undesirable acoustic noise during operation.SUMMARY

[0004] In one embodiment, a vapor compression system includes a noise control system configured to offset a first sound generated by the vapor compression system. The noise control system includes a sensor configured to detect the first sound generated by the vapor compression system and a speaker configured to output a second sound. The noise control system also includes a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor and the speaker. The controller includes a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to receive, via the sensor, a first signal indicative of the first sound, receive or generate a second signal corresponding to the first sound, where the second signal is based on an operating parameter of the vapor compression system, generate, based on the first signal and the second signal, a third signal corresponding to the second sound, where the second sound is configured to offset the first sound, and transmit the third signal toward the speaker.

[0005] In another embodiment, a noise control system for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system includes a sensor configured to detect a first sound generated by a fan of the HVAC&R system during operation of the fan, where the first sound includes a first sound wave, and a speaker configured to output a second sound, where the second sound includes a second sound wave, and the first sound wave and the second sound wave are substantially inverted. The noise control system also includes a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor and the speaker, where the controller is configured to receive, via the sensor, a first signal indicative of the first sound wave, generate a second signal based on an operating parameter of the fan during operation of the fan, execute an adaptive filter function using the first signal and the second signal, where the adaptive filter function is configured to generate a third signal, and output the third signal to generate, via the speaker, the second sound.

[0006] In a further embodiment, a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system includes a heat exchanger including a coil, and a fan configured to force an air flow across the coil, where the fan is configured to generate afirst sound during operation. The HVAC&R system also includes a noise control system configured to reduce a total sound output of the HVAC&R system during operation of the HVAC&R system. The noise control system includes a sensor configured to detect the first sound generated via the fan, a speaker configured to output a second sound, and a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor and the speaker, where the controller includes a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium including instructions stored thereon, where the instructions, when executed by processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to generate a reference signal corresponding to operation of the fan, execute a least mean square (LMS) call function to output, based on the first sound and the reference signal, a control signal configured to generate the second sound 180 degrees out of phase with the first sound, and transmit the control signal to the speaker to produce the second sound.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Various aspects of this disclosure may be better understood upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:

[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a building that may utilize a heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system in a commercial setting, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0009] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a vapor compression system that may be utilized in an HVAC&R system, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0010] FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of an embodiment of a heat exchanger system that may be utilized in an HVAC&R system, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; and

[0011] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a noise control system of an HVAC&R system, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. The described embodiments are examples of the presently disclosed techniques. Additionally, in an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions may be made to achieve the developers’ specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture forthose of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

[0013] When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features.

[0014] As briefly discussed above, a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system may be used to thermally regulate a load, such as a space within a building, home, or other suitable structure, another environment, and / or a system or component (e.g., computer system, computer chip, data server). For example, the HVAC&R system may include a vapor compression system (e.g., a chiller system) configured to transfer thermal energy between a working fluid (e.g., heat transfer fluid), such as a refrigerant, and a fluid to be conditioned, such as air, water, brine, or other suitable fluid (e.g., conditioning fluid). The vapor compression system may include a first heat exchanger (e.g., condenser) and a second heat exchanger (e.g., evaporator) that are fluidly coupled to one another via a working fluid circuit. In some embodiments, the first heatexchanger may be positioned within an ambient (e.g., outdoor) environment, and an ambient air flow (e.g., cooling fluid) may be directed across the first heat exchanger to enable transfer of heat between the ambient air flow and the working fluid directed through the first heat exchanger. The second heat exchanger may be configured to enable transfer of thermal energy between the working fluid and the conditioning fluid. A compressor may be used to circulate the working fluid through the working fluid circuit and, thus, enable the transfer of thermal energy between the working fluid, the cooling fluid, and the conditioning fluid.

[0015] The first heat exchanger (e.g., condenser) may include one or more fans (e.g., axial fans, centrifugal fans) configured to direct the ambient air flow through a coil portion of the first heat exchanger, and the ambient air flow may then be discharged away from the HVAC&R system. However, some fans utilized in HVAC&R systems may create undesirable acoustic energy (e.g., noise, vibrations) during operation. For example, during operation of the HVAC&R system, components of the fans, such as an impeller, may rotate at relatively high speeds (e.g., high rotational speeds), thereby creating vibrations and / or air disturbances, which can result in undesirable acoustic noise. In some instances, numerous HVAC&R systems (e.g., heat exchangers) may be disposed on a roof of a building (e.g., data center), and each HVAC&R system may include multiple heat exchangers with fans. The increased number of heat exchangers and corresponding fans may produce an undesirable amount or level of noise that may be unacceptable to occupants of the building, nearby buildings, operators of the HVAC&R systems, and / or other parties in the vicinity.

[0016] Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to noise control (e.g., active noise control [ANC]) systems and methods configured to reduce noise originating from an HVAC&R system having a heat exchanger (e.g., outdoor heat exchanger, condenser) and a fan configured to direct an air flow across the heat exchanger. The noise control system may include a microphone (e.g., sensor) and a speaker (e.g., subwoofer, acoustic output device) disposed proximate or near the heat exchanger and / or fan. The speaker may output a noise that attenuates or “cancels” a noise (e.g., acoustic noise) produced by the fan directing air across the heat exchanger. Specifically, the noiseoutput by the speaker may be out of phase (e.g., 180 degrees out of phase, inverted, substantially inverted) relative to the noise produced by the fan. For example, the noise control system may detect one or more parameters (e.g., one or more first parameters, frequency, pitch, quality, amplitude, wavelength, velocity, intensity, level, loudness, duration, phase, and so forth) of a first sound (e.g., first audible sound, first noise, first sound wave, undesirable noise, first acoustic energy, first sound wave, pressure wave, first vibration, acoustic wave) produced by the fan, and the one or more first parameters may be processed (e.g., by a controller) to determine one or more parameters of a second sound (e g., second audible sound, second noise, second sound wave, cancelation sound wave, second acoustic energy, pressure wave, second vibration, second acoustic wave) having characteristics (e.g., phase) that are inverted (e.g., 180 degrees out of phase, substantially inverted) relative to characteristics (e.g., phase) of the first sound. By outputting the second sound with an inverted characteristic relative to a characteristic of the first sound, the first sound and the second sound may interfere with one another (e.g., destructively interfere, offset, balance, counteract) to least partially cancel out one another. In this way, a combined sound (e.g., total sound output) may be generated via the fan and the noise control system that may include an audible level (e.g., audio sound, loudness) that is reduced compared to the first sound alone, thereby resulting in reduced undesirable overall noise that is perceived or heard (e.g., by a human). In this way, the HVAC&R system may operate with reduced undesirable noise, thereby increasing the acoustic comfort and enjoyment for occupants of the building to be conditioned and other individuals near the HVAC&R system. In some instances, the present techniques may enable compliance with applicable rules, standards, regulations, or other guidelines for a particular environment, location, or setting.

[0017] Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an application for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system. Such systems, in general, may be applied in a range of settings, both within the HVAC&R field and outside of that field. The HVAC&R systems may provide cooling to data centers, electrical devices, freezers, coolers, or other environments through vaporcompression refrigeration, absorption refrigeration, or thermoelectric cooling. In presentlycontemplated applications, however, HVAC&R systems may be used in residential, commercial, light industrial, industrial, and in any other application for heating or cooling a volume or enclosure, such as a residence, building, structure, and so forth. Moreover, the HVAC&R systems may be used in industrial applications, where appropriate, for cooling and heating of various fluids. In certain embodiments, the HVAC&R systems may be used to thermally regulate components within a building, such as electric and / or computer devices that generate heat (e.g., in a data center).

[0018] The illustrated embodiment shows an HVAC&R system configured to condition (e.g., cool) a building 10 and / or components with the building 10. The HVAC&R system includes a chiller 12 (e.g., chiller system, air-cooled chiller, HVAC&R system, HVAC&R unit) and a boiler 14. As shown, the chiller 12 is disposed on the roof of building 10, and the boiler 14 is located in the basement; however, the chiller 12 and the boiler 14 may be located in other equipment rooms or areas next to the building 10. In accordance with the present techniques, the chiller 12 is an air-cooled chiller that implements a refrigeration cycle to cool water or other conditioning fluid and is configured to reject heat to an ambient (e.g., outdoor) environment surrounding the chiller 12 and / or the building 10. The chiller 12 may be housed within a structure that includes a working fluid circuit, a conditioning fluid circuit, and associated equipment such as pumps, valves, and piping. For example, the chiller 12 may be single package rooftop unit that incorporates a working fluid circuit. It should be noted that the chiller 12 may not be housed in a single unit, and components of the chiller 12 may be physically separated while being fluidly connected. The chiller 12 may also include a free-cooling circuit, in some embodiments. The boiler 14 may be a closed vessel in which water or other conditioning fluid is heated. The water (e.g., conditioning fluid) from the chiller 12 and the boiler 14 is circulated through the building 10 by conduits 16 (e.g., water conduits). The conduits 16 are routed to air handlers 18 located on individual floors and within sections of the building 10.

[0019] The air handlers 18 are coupled to ductwork 20 that is adapted to distribute air between the air handlers 18 and may receive air from an outside intake. The air handlers 18 include heat exchangers that circulate cold conditioning fluid (e.g., water) from thechiller 12 and hot conditioning fluid (e.g., water) from the boiler 14 to provide heated or cooled air to conditioned spaces within the building 10. Fans within the air handlers 18 draw air through the heat exchangers and direct the conditioned air to environments within building 10, such as rooms, apartments, or offices, to maintain the environments at a designated temperature. A control device 22, shown in the illustrated embodiment as including a thermostat, may be used to designate the temperature of the conditioned air. The control device 22 also may be used to control the flow of air through and from the air handlers 18. Other devices may be included in the system, such as control valves that regulate the flow of conditioning fluid and pressure and / or temperature transducers or switches that sense the temperatures and pressures of fluids, air, and so forth. Moreover, control devices 22 may include computer systems that are integrated with or separate from other building control or monitoring systems, and even systems that are remote from the building 10.

[0020] In some embodiments, the chiller 12 may include a free-cooling system configured to circulate a chilled fluid and place the chilled fluid in a heat exchange relationship with the conditioning fluid circulated through the building to condition (e.g., cool) the conditioning fluid (e.g., water). The free-cooling circuit configured to circulate the chilled fluid through the chiller 12 may remain outside of the building 10. In other words, the chilled fluid may not enter and / or be circulated through the building 10 (e.g., piping of the building 10). Additionally, the free-cooling system may include one or more heat exchangers configured to place the chilled fluid in a heat exchange relationship with ambient air in the ambient (e.g., outdoor) environment surrounding the chiller 12 and / or the building 10. The free-cooling system may also include one or more fans configured to force the ambient air across the one or more heat exchangers of the free-cooling system. As such fans may generate undesirable noise during operation, it should be appreciated that the present techniques may be implemented with fans and / or heat exchangers of a free-cooling system, instead of or in addition to, with fans and / or heat exchangers of the chiller 12.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a schematic of an embodiment of a vapor compression system 30 (e.g., mechanical cooling system, air-cooled vapor compression system) having a flash tank 32(e.g., an economizer tank). For example, the vapor compression system 30 may be a part of an air-cooled chiller (e.g., chiller 12). However, it should be appreciated that the disclosed techniques may be incorporated with a variety of other types of chillers. The vapor compression system 30 includes a working fluid circuit 34 (e.g., vapor compression circuit, first working fluid circuit) configured to circulate a working fluid, such as a refrigerant, therethrough with a compressor 36 disposed along the working fluid circuit 34. The working fluid circuit 34 also includes the flash tank 32, a condenser 38 (e.g., first condenser, heat exchanger, air-cooled condenser), expansion valves or devices 40, and an evaporator 42 (e.g., liquid chiller, heat exchanger). The components of the working fluid circuit 34 enable heat transfer between the working fluid and other fluids (e.g., a conditioning fluid, air, water) in order to provide cooling to a load, such as an interior of the building 10, one or more components within the building 10 (e.g., electronic equipment, computer system), or another load. The condenser 38 may include V-shaped coils, and may be positioned on building 10 as part of the chiller 12 unit or as a separate structure.

[0022] Some examples of fluids that may be used as working fluids (e.g., refrigerants) in the vapor compression system 30 are hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) based working fluids, for example, R-410A, R-407, R-134a, hydrofluoro-olefin (HFO), “natural” working fluids like ammonia (NH3), R-717, carbon dioxide (CO2), R-744, or hydrocarbon-based working fluids, water vapor, working fluids with low global warming potential (GWP), or any other suitable working fluid. Other possible working fluids that may be circulated through the vapor compression system 30 include R-123, R-514A, R-1224yd, R-1233zd, R-134a, R-1234ze, R-1234yf, R-1311, and R-32. In some embodiments, the vapor compression system 30 may be configured to efficiently utilize working fluids having a normal boiling point of about 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit or less) at one atmosphere of pressure, also referred to as low pressure working fluids, versus a medium pressure working fluids, such as R-134a. As used herein, “normal boiling point” may refer to a boiling point temperature measured at one atmosphere of pressure.

[0023] The vapor compression system 30 may further include a control panel 44 (e.g., a controller) that has an analog to digital (A / D) converter 46, a microprocessor 48 (e.g., processing circuitry), a non-volatile memory 50 (e.g., memory device, non-transitory,computer-readable medium), and / or an interface board 52. In some embodiments, the vapor compression system 30 may use one or more of a variable speed drive (VSDs) 54 and a motor 56. The motor 56 may drive the compressor 36 and may be powered by the VSD 54. The VSD 54 receives alternating current (AC) power having a particular fixed line voltage and fixed line frequency from an AC power source and provides power having a variable voltage and frequency to the motor 56. In other embodiments, the motor 56 may be powered directly from an AC or direct current (DC) power source. The motor 56 may include any type of electric motor that can be powered by the VSD 54 or directly from an AC or DC power source, such as a switched reluctance motor, an induction motor, an electronically commutated permanent magnet motor, or another suitable motor.

[0024] The compressor 36 compresses a working fluid vapor and may deliver the vapor to an oil separator 58 that separates oil from the working fluid vapor. The working fluid vapor is then directed toward the condenser 38, and the oil is returned to the compressor 36. The working fluid vapor delivered to the condenser 38 may transfer heat to a cooling fluid at the condenser 38. For example, the cooling fluid may be ambient air 60 biased across heat exchanger coils (e.g., V-shaped heat exchanger coils) of the condenser 38 by condenser fans 62 (e.g., centrifugal fans, plenum fans, mixed-air fans). The working fluid vapor may condense to a working fluid liquid in the condenser 38 as a result of thermal heat transfer with the cooling fluid (e.g., ambient air 60).

[0025] The liquid working fluid exits the condenser 38 and then flows through a first expansion device 64 (e.g., expansion device 40, electronic expansion valve). The first expansion device 64 may be a flash tank feed valve configured to control flow of the liquid working fluid to the flash tank 32. The first expansion device 64 is also configured to lower the pressure of (e.g., expand) the liquid working fluid received from the condenser 38. During the expansion process, a portion of the liquid may vaporize, and thus, the flash tank 32 may be used to separate the vapor from the liquid received from the first expansion device 64. Additionally, the flash tank 32 may provide for further expansion of the liquid working fluid due to a pressure drop experienced by the liquid working fluid when entering the flash tank 32 (e.g., due to a rapid increase in volume experienced when entering the flash tank 32).

[0026] The vapor working fluid in the flash tank 32 may exit and flow to the compressor 36. For example, the vapor working fluid may be drawn to an intermediate stage or discharge stage of the compressor 36 (e.g., not the suction stage). A valve 66 (e.g., an economizer valve, solenoid valve) may be included in the working fluid circuit 34 to control flow of the working fluid vapor from the flash tank 32 to the compressor 36. In some embodiments, when the valve 66 is open (e.g., fully open), additional liquid working fluid within the flash tank 32 may vaporize and provide additional subcooling of the liquid working fluid within the flash tank 32. The liquid working fluid that collects in the flash tank 32 may be at a lower enthalpy than the liquid working fluid exiting the condenser 38 due to the expansion in the first expansion device 64 and / or the flash tank 32. The liquid working fluid may flow from the flash tank 32, through a second expansion device 68 (e.g., the expansion device 40, an orifice), and to the evaporator 42. In some embodiments, the working fluid circuit 34 may also include a valve 70 (e g., a drain valve) configured to regulate flow of liquid working fluid from the flash tank 32 to the evaporator 42. For example, the valve 70 may be controlled (e.g., via the control panel 44) based on an amount of suction superheat of the working fluid.

[0027] The liquid working fluid delivered to the evaporator 42 may absorb heat from a conditioning fluid, which may be different from the cooling fluid (e.g., ambient air 60) directed across the condenser 38. The liquid working fluid in the evaporator 42 may undergo a phase change to become working fluid vapor. For example, the evaporator 42 may include a tube bundle fluidly coupled to a supply line 72 and a return line 74 that are connected to a cooling load. The conditioning fluid (e.g., water, oil, calcium chloride brine, sodium chloride brine) may be directed to enter the evaporator 42 via the return line 74 and to exit the evaporator 42 the via supply line 72. The evaporator 42 may reduce the temperature of the conditioning fluid in the tube bundle via thermal heat transfer with the working fluid so that the conditioning fluid may be utilized to provide cooling for a conditioned environment. The tube bundle in the evaporator 42 may include a plurality of tubes and / or a plurality of tube bundles. In any case, the working fluid vapor exits the evaporator 42 and returns to the compressor 36 by a suction line to complete the working fluid cycle.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a schematic of a portion of an embodiment of the chiller 12 (e.g., aircooled chiller), illustrating a heat exchanger 90 that may be used in, or as a part of, an embodiment of the vapor compression system 30 or another HVAC&R system. For example, the heat exchanger 90 may be used as an embodiment of the condenser 38 illustrated in FIG. 2. As similarly described above, the heat exchanger 90 (e.g., vapor compression system 30, HVAC&R system) may include one or more fans 92 (e.g., axial fans, centrifugal fans, plenum fans, mixed-flow fans) configured to force an air flow across coils 94 (e.g., slabs) of the heat exchanger 90. For example, the one or more fans 92 may be configured to draw an air flow (e.g., ambient air flow) across one or more of the coils 94 and to discharge the air flow from the heat exchanger 90, as indicated by arrows 96. In this way, as the air flow flows across the coils 94, the air flow may be placed in a heat exchange relationship with a working fluid directed through the coils 94. In the illustrated embodiment, the heat exchanger 90 may include two sets of coils 94 (e.g., two V-shaped coil arrangements) with each having a corresponding fan 92. However, it will be appreciated that other arrangements or configurations of the heat exchanger 90 are contemplated, such as one fan 92 configured to draw the air flow through the two sets of coils 94.

[0029] The fans 92 may be controlled to further enable more efficient operation of the heat exchanger 90. For example, the fans 92 (e.g., a fan speed, an air flow amount) may be controlled based on an operating mode of the heat exchanger 90, based on operating conditions or parameters of the vapor compression system 30 having the heat exchanger 90, based on an ambient temperature, and / or based on other suitable factors. To this end, the vapor compression system 30 may include a controller 112 (e.g., control system, thermostat, control panel, control circuitry) that is communicatively coupled to the fans 92 and is configured to monitor, adjust, and / or otherwise control operation of the components of the fans 92 (e.g., a variable speed drive of the fans 92). The fans 92 may have one or more communication components that facilitate wired or wireless (e.g., via a network) communication with the controller 112. In some embodiments, the communication components may include a network interface that enables the components of the HVAC&R system to communicate via various protocols such as EtherNet / IP, ControlNet, DeviceNet,or any other communication network protocol. Alternatively, the communication components may enable the components of the HVAC&R system to communicate via mobile telecommunications technology, Bluetooth®, near-field communications technology, and the like.

[0030] In some embodiments, the controller 112 may be a component of or may include the control panel 44. In other embodiments, the controller 112 may be a standalone controller, a dedicated controller, or another suitable controller included in the HVAC&R system. In any case, the controller 112 is configured to control the fans 92 in accordance with the techniques discussed herein. The controller 112 includes processing circuitry 116, such as a microprocessor, which may execute software for controlling fan(s) 98, such as a speed of the fan(s) 98. The processing circuitry 116 may include multiple microprocessors, one or more “general-purpose” microprocessors, one or more special-purpose microprocessors, and / or one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICS), or some combination thereof. For example, the processing circuitry 116 may include one or more reduced instruction set (RISC) processors.

[0031] The controller 112 may also include a memory device 120 (e.g., a memory) that may store information, such as instructions, control software, look up tables, configuration data, etc. The memory device 120 may include a volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM), and / or a nonvolatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM). The memory device 120 may store a variety of information and may be used for various purposes. For example, the memory device 120 may store processor-executable instructions including firmware or software for the processing circuitry 116 to execute, such as instructions for controlling components of the HVAC&R system. In some embodiments, the memory device 120 is a tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable-medium that may store machine-readable instructions for the processing circuitry 116 to execute. The memory device 120 may include ROM, flash memory, a hard drive, or any other suitable optical, magnetic, or solid-state storage medium, or a combination thereof. The memory device 120 may store data, instructions, and any other suitable data.

[0032] In some embodiments, the memory device 120 may store empirical data or correlations, such as lookup tables or one or more charts, to be utilized by the processing circuitry 116 to detect and / or process one or more parameters (e.g., one or more first parameters, frequency (e.g., pitch, quality), amplitude, wavelength, velocity, level (e.g., intensity, loudness), duration, phase, and so forth) of a sound (e.g., first sound, audible sound, noise, sound wave, undesirable noise, acoustic energy, sound wave, pressure wave, acoustic wave, tonal sound, etc.) originating from the fans 92. For instance, the fans 92 may include moving components (e.g., fan blades 122, impeller) that, in operation, rotate to displace air, creating pressure fluctuations that may radiate as undesirable or loud sound waves. In particular, in certain types of fans, each time a blade 122 of the fan 92 passes a fixed point (e.g., blade pass frequency), a pressure pulse may be generated, producing a sound (e.g., hum, drone, or whine). As will be appreciated, the present techniques may be particularly beneficial in attenuating and / or reducing audible noise generated by the fan 92, because tones and / or sounds generated by the fan 92 and / or blades 122 may have generally low frequencies and may be particularly susceptible to control via the noise cancellation techniques described herein.

[0033] Additionally, the fans 92 may include a fan motor 123 configured to drive rotation of the blades 122 and / or the impeller, further creating or generating sound during operation. The fan motor 123 may be any suitable motor, such as an induction motor. Additionally, the fan motor 123 may operate at a single speed, multiple or multi-speed (e.g., multiple fixed speeds), or variable speeds. In embodiments of the fan motor 123 having variable speed, a variable frequency drive (VFD) or variable speed drive (VSD) may be used. Additionally, the fan motor 123 may operate at or include a single-phase arrangement or a multiple phase (e g., three-phase) arrangement. Further, the fans 92 may include one or more bearings or contact points, such as contact points between a rotor of the fan motor 123 coupled to the blades 122 and a bearing configured to secure the rotor while enabling rotation. Consistent movement of the components of the fans 92 at these contact points may also contribute to the overall sound generated by the fans 92 during operation. Moreover, movement or rotation of components of the fans 92 (e.g., the blades 122, the fan motor 123) relative to stationary components of the fans 92 and / or movementof the fans 92 relative to other components of vapor compression system 30 (e.g., the heat exchanger 90, ducts, structural components, the building 10, the roof of the building 10) may generate vibrations that may contribute to the overall sound produced by the heat exchanger 90.

[0034] The memory device 120 may store data correlating different parameters of sound with different speeds of the fans 92 and / or operating modes of the vapor compression system 30, which may be used to determine a reference signal (as will be discussed in detail below). For example, the fans 92 may be configured to operate at various operating speeds of a plurality of operating speeds, ranging from a lower threshold fan speed (e.g., minimum fan speed) to an upper threshold fan speed (e.g., maximum fan speed), depending on a desired operating speed. For example, upon receiving a call for increased cooling (e.g., from the control device 22 (e.g., the thermostat (FIG. 1)), the controller 112 may send a control signal to one or more fans 92 to increase fan speed, thereby increasing air flow across the coils 94, thereby increasing cooling of working fluid circulating there through. Upon receiving a call for decreased cooling, the controller 112 may send a control signal to one or more fans 92 to decrease fan speed, thereby decreasing air flow across the coils 94, thereby decreasing cooling of the working fluid circulating therethrough. In any case, each respective fan speed may produce a respective sound having corresponding sound parameters, such as a wavelength, a frequency, a tone, an amplitude, and / or level. As discussed above, one or more parameters or characteristics (e.g., level) of the sound or noise generated by the fans 92 may be undesirable. By determining the one or more parameters or characteristics of sound corresponding to the fan speed (e.g., via one or more look-up tables stored in the memory 120 and / or algorithms stored in the memory 120 and performed by the processing circuitry 116), the noise control systems disclosed herein may be utilized to determine, generate, and / or output an interfering sound (e.g., cancelation sound, interfering sound, cancelation sound wave, interfering sound wave) to reduce, limit, mitigate, or substantially block undesirable sound produced by the fans 92 and / or components of the vapor compression system 30, as discussed further below.

[0035] Where charts and / or data tables are employed, each fan speed of a plurality of fan speeds may be used (e.g., by the controller 112) to determine a respective parameter ofsound corresponding to that fan speed. For example, a first fan speed (e.g., relatively high fan speed) of a plurality of fan speeds of the fans 92 may produce a first sound (e g., a relatively loud sound due to increased blade passing frequency, increased motor movement, increased vibrations, and so forth) having one or more first parameters, such as a first wavelength, a first frequency (e.g., a first pitch, a first quality), a first tone, a first amplitude, a first level and so forth. A second fan speed of the plurality of fan speeds of the fans 92 may produce a second sound (e.g., relatively quitter sound due to decreased blade passing frequency, decreased motor movement, decreased vibrations, and so forth) having one or more second parameters, different than the first parameters, such as a second wavelength, a second frequency (e.g., a second pitch, a second quality), a second tone, a second amplitude, a second level and so forth. As such, a correlation between a range of fan speeds and their corresponding produced sounds or parameters of sound, such as wavelength, frequency, tone, amplitude, level, and so forth, may be stored within the memory device 120. The charts and / or data tables containing the plurality or range of fan speeds and the corresponding or respective sounds or parameters of sounds may be predetermined, such as via testing before installation, or may be determined and subsequently stored in the memory device 120 once installed and operating. In some instances, the sound or parameters of sound correlating to a respective fan speed may be extrapolated from data stored within the one or more charts and / or data tables. For example, when the chart and / or data tables containing the plurality or range of fan speeds and the corresponding or respective sounds or parameters of sounds are absent of a particular sound or parameter of sound for a respective fan speed, the controller 112 may extrapolate from known data (e.g., known sounds or parameters of sounds).

[0036] In some embodiments, the memory device 120 may include one or more algorithms stored thereon that may be executed (e.g., performed) by the processing circuitry 116 to determine one or more parameters (e.g., wavelength, tone, frequency, level, etc.) of sound or noise produced or generated by the fan 92 based on a speed of the fan 92 or a control signal indicative of a speed of the fan 92. The one or more algorithms may include parameters or factors related to a type or manufacture of fan (e.g., axial, centrifugal, blower, mixed-flow, etc.), a size of the fan 92 (e.g., blade 122 size, fan motor 123 size), anoperating parameter of the fan 92 (e.g., speed, blade passing frequency), ambient conditions (e.g., ambient air conditions), and / or another suitable parameter. The parameters of factors included in the one or more algorithms may be predetermined or fixed (e.g., the type or manufacture of fan, the size of the fan 92), which may be inputted by an operator, or may be variable (e.g., the operating parameter of the fan 92, the ambient conditions), which may be based on sensor feedback, data (e.g., weather data), or input. For example, during operation of the fans 92, the controller 112 may receive a signal indicative of the speed of the fans 92 and execute the one or more algorithms to determine one or more parameters of sound or noise generated by the fans 92 based on the signal. In an embodiment, the signal indicative of the speed of the fans 92 may be a control signal to operate the fans 92 at the speed. In an embodiment, the signal indicative of the speed of the fans 92 may be based on an operating mode or parameter (e.g., operating capacity) of the vapor compression system 30, such as the operating capacity of the compressor 36. To cancel out or offset the sound generated from the heat exchanger 90 and / or the fans 92, a noise control system 124 (e.g., active noise control [ANC] system) may be implemented, in accordance with the present techniques.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a schematic of an embodiment of the noise control system 124 in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The noise control system 124 may include an ANC controller 128 configured to receive a first signal 130 (e.g., first input signal, error signal) indicative of one or more parameters (e.g., e.g., wavelength, tone, frequency, level, etc.) of a first sound 132 (e.g., first sound wave, first noise, undesirable noise, first wavelength, noise or sound caused by the fans 92) detected by a sensor 136 (e.g., error microphone, microphone, sound wave detector, acoustic sensor, pressure sensor, vibration sensor). The first sound 132 may be generated during operation of the vapor compression system 30, such as during operations of the fans 92. As such, the sensor 136 may be positioned near or proximate the heat exchanger 90 and / or the fans 92, such as within a housing of the heat exchanger 90. During operation of the heat exchanger 90, the fans 92 may operate at various fan speeds having respective blade pass frequency. To this end, the fans 92 may produce various different sounds (e.g., sounds with various parameters of sound (e g., level, quality)) corresponding to the various fan speeds. Asdiscussed above, the sound generated at various fan speeds may be caused or a result of the movement of the fan 92 components (e.g., the fan motor 123, the blades 122), air disturbance, vibrations, and so forth. In any case, the sensor 136 may be configured to receive and transmit the first signal 130 indicative of the one or more parameters of the first sound 132 to the ANC controller 128. Although the ANC controller 128 is described herein as related to fans 92 of the heat exchanger 90, it will be appreciated the ANC controller 128 may be associated with a greater or lesser number of fans for the heat exchanger 90. Further, the ANC controller 128 may be associated with more than one heat exchanger. In an embodiment, the ANC controller 128 is, may include, or may be a component of the controller 112 discussed above.

[0038] In some embodiments, the sensor 136 may be disposed in the ambient environment and may utilize a protective casing to reduce wear and / or degradation of the sensor 136. For example, the sensor 136 may include a weatherproof (e.g., waterproof, freeze proof, heat resistant) casing configured to protect the sensor 136 from ambient conditions and / or elements within the ambient environment.

[0039] In any case, upon receiving the first signal 130 indicative of the one or more parameters of the first sound 132 from the sensor 136, the first signal 130 may be converted to a digital signal within an analog-to-digital (AD) converter 140 (ADC) of the ANC controller 128. The AD converter 140 may be any suitable type, and may include a sigmadelta ADC, a successive approximation register ADC, a flash ADC, a dual-slope or integrating ADC, pipelined ADC, and so forth. The converted signal (e.g., analog signal) may be processed by a first buffer 144 (e.g., sample buffer) of the ANC controller 128. The first buffer 144 may be any suitable type, and may include a preamplifier buffer, an anti-aliasing buffer, a sample-and-hold buffer, an impedance matching buffer, differential buffer, and so forth. In some embodiments, the AD converter 140 and / or the first buffer 144 may be parts of processing circuitry 172 of the ANC controller 128 and / or instructions (e.g., stored within memory device 168 of the ANC controller 128) configured to be executed by the processing circuitry 172. The processing circuitry 172 may include multiple microprocessors, one or more “general-purpose” microprocessors, one or more special -purpose microprocessors, and / or one or more application specific integratedcircuits (ASICS), or some combination thereof. For example, the processing circuitry 172 may include one or more reduced instruction set (RISC) processors. In any case, the first buffer 144 may be configured to manage, isolate, amplify, and / or protect the first signal 130 (e.g., the converted first signal 130, analog first signal) for further processing.

[0040] The ANC controller 128 may include one or more algorithms or functions configured to receive the first signal 130 as an input to determine or generate one or more output. For instance, the ANC controller 128 may include a least mean squared (LMS) call function 148 (e.g., adaptive call function) configured to receive the first signal 130 as an input and execute an LMS function 152 (e.g., adaptive function, adaptive filter function) using the first signal 130 into an LMS function 152 as an error signal 146. As used herein, the error signal 146 may include the first signal 130 received by the ANC controller 128 after conversion in the AD converter 140 and buffering the first buffer 144. The LMS call function 148 may execute the LMS function 152 using the error signal 146 and a reference signal 160 to determine a control signal 176 (e.g., third signal) indicative of or corresponding to one or more parameters (e.g., frequency (e.g., pitch, quality), amplitude, wavelength, velocity, level (e.g., intensity, loudness), duration, phase, and so forth) of a second sound 156 (e.g., second sound wave, sound second noise, speaker noise, anti-phase noise, inverted noise, second noise characteristic, cancellation sound wave). In some embodiments, the LMS call function 148 including the LMS function 152 may be instructions (e.g., stored within memory device 168) configured to be executed by the processing circuitry 172.

[0041] During execution of the LMS call function 148, the LMS function 152 may receive (e.g., as an input) the reference signal 160 (e.g., second signal), which may be indicative of one or more parameters of the first sound 132. For example, the reference signal 160 may be indicative of a sound wave characteristic or parameter (e.g., frequency (e g., pitch, quality), level (e.g., loudness) that is associated with a particular operation or operating parameter (e.g., speed) of the fans 92. As discussed above, a speed or other operating condition of the fans 92 may be correlated to one or more sound wave characteristics or parameters. Correlations between fan speeds and sound wave characteristics may be empirically determined and / or be stored in a memory of the ANCcontroller 128. As such, the ANC controller 128 may determine the reference signal 160 via any suitable method, such as, the utilization of stored empirical data, correlations (e.g., lookup tables stored within memory device 168), and / or algorithms to be performed by the processing circuitry 172. For example, the ANC controller 128 may receive a signal (e.g., a control signal) indicative of the speed (e.g., a desired speed) of the fans 92, and the ANC controller 128 may generate the reference signal 160 based on the signal indicative of the speed of the fans 92. As one example, the ANC controller 128 or the memory device 168 may include one or algorithms configured to receive a signal indicative of an operating parameters of the fans 92 and / or the heat exchanger 90 to generate the reference signal 160. In another embodiment, the signal indicative of an operating parameters of the fans 92 and / or the heat exchanger 90 may be the reference signal 160 itself. In an embodiment, the LMS function 152 may include a filter 153 configured to process the reference signal 160, such as by reducing or removing undesirable noise, smoothing the signal, limiting bandwidth, selecting or suppressing certain frequencies and so forth.

[0042] The LMS function 152 may include various weighted coefficients 154 (e.g., filter weights or weighted factors) that are associated with the error signal 146 (e.g., associated with the first sound 132 received from the sensor 136) and the reference signal 160 (e.g., received or generated, not from the sensor 136). For example, the weighted coefficients 154 may be coefficients of the filter 153. To generate a desired signal (e.g., the control signal 176) associated with or used to generate the second sound 156, the LMS call function 148 may execute the LMS function 152 with iterative processing, determining error based on the error signal 146 and the reference signal 160 (e.g., a difference between the error signal 146 and the reference signal 160), adjusting or updating the weighted coefficients 154 accordingly (e.g., based on the error), and generating the control signal 176. In other words, the LMS function 152 may be adaptive based on error signal 146 and the reference signal 160 to produce a more desired control signal 176 to generate a more desired or more effective second sound 156. In particular, an LMS update 155 of the LMS function 152 may update the weighted coefficients 154 based on the error signal 146, the reference signal 160, and / or the error. The second sound 156 produced or generated via the processing discussed herein may be configured to more effectively interfere with (e.g.,cancel, attenuate) the first sound 132, reducing undesirable noise propagating from the heat exchanger 90 and / or fans 92.

[0043] The control signal 176 indicative of the second sound 156 may be generated to based on desired parameters of sound that are configured to interfere with and / or cancel one or more parameters of the first sound 132. For example, the second sound 156 may be generated to include a sound wave orientation that is opposite to or out of phase with (e.g., inverted phase) a sound wave orientation of the first sound 132. In this way, the second sound 156 may interfere with (e.g., cancel, attenuate) the first sound 132.

[0044] By generating and utilizing the reference signal 160 (e.g., based on an operating parameter of the heat exchanger 90 and / or fans 92) and the error signal 146 within the LMS function 152, the second sound 156 (e.g., cancellation sound wave) may more effectively interfere with the first sound 132, compared to generation of a control signal based on the first signal 130 from the sensor 136 alone, based on signals from multiple sensors 136, and / or based on the reference signal 160 alone.. Further, by utilizing the reference signal 160 that is generated based on the speed of the fans 92 in addition to utilizing the error signal 146 generated from the first signal 130 output by the sensor 136, the noise control system 124 may reduce degradation of components within the ambient environment. That is, a relatively lessor number of microphones may be used while still generating an effective second sound 156.

[0045] In some embodiments, the ANC controller 128 may include artificial intelligence (Al) configured to implement machine learning, such as convolutional neural network (CNN) techniques. When implemented with the ANC controller 128, the artificial intelligence may analyze input (e.g , source) data (e g., fans 92 speed, ambient noise) to determine one or more parameters (e.g., tone, frequency, amplitude, level, etc.) of sound or noise generated by the fans 92, For example, upon receiving a signal indicative of the speed of the fans 92 from the controller 112, the Al of the ANC controller 128 may determine the one or more parameters based on at least the speed of the fans 92.

[0046] To facilitate determining the one or more parameters of sound generated from the fans 92, the Al may be trained to determine and implement machine learningparameters. For example, when the Al implements convolutional neural network (CNN) techniques, the machine learning parameters may indicate number of convolution layers, inter-connections between layers, and / or convolution weights (e.g., coefficients) corresponding to each convolution layer. In some embodiments, the Al may be trained by recursively adjusting the machine learning parameters based at least in part on expected noise characteristics identified by processing (e.g., analyzing) training data, for example, with known sensor data, ambient noise data, operating parameters, and so forth.

[0047] Upon filtering the reference signal 160 via the LMS function 152 of the ANC controller 128 to generate the control signal 176, the control signal 176 may be communicated to or received by a second buffer 180 configured to manage, isolate, amplify, and / or protect the control signal 176 for further processing. The second buffer 180 may be any suitable type, and may include a preamplifier buffer, an anti-aliasing buffer, a sample-and-hold buffer, an impedance matching buffer, differential buffer, and so forth. The control signal 176 may also be communicated to or received by a digital -to-analog (DA) converter 184 configured to convert the control signal 176 to an analog signal 185. In some embodiments, the second buffer 180 and / or the DA converter 184 may be parts of the processing circuitry 172 and / or instructions (e.g., stored within memory device 168) configured to be executed by the processing circuitry 172. An amplifier 188, separate from the ANC controller 128 or part of the ANC controller 128, may receive the analog signal 185, and the amplifier 188 may increase a power or magnitude of the analog signal 185 to be effectively propagated or generated as the second sound 156 from a speaker 192.

[0048] The speaker 192 (e.g., subwoofer, loud speaker) of the noise control system 124 may receive the analog signal 185 (e.g., amplified analog signal 185) from the ANC controller 128 and may be configured to output or generate the second sound 156. For example, the speaker 192 may convert the analog signal 185 into the second sound 156 to be directed toward the first sound 132., such as towards the fans 92 and / or the heat exchanger 90. As such, the speaker 192 may be positioned near or proximate to the heat exchanger 90 and / or the fans 92 and may be generally oriented to output the second sound 156 towards noise generating components, such as the fans 92. As mentioned above, the second sound 156 may include one or more parameters of sound that are opposite to oneor more parameters of the first sound 132. For example, the first sound 132 may include a first sound wave having a first sine wave orientation. The second sound 156 may include a second sound wave having a second sine wave orientation generally or substantially opposite, out of phase, or anti-phase (e.g., inverted) to / with the first sine wave orientation. In this way, the first and second sound waves may interfere or offset with one another to produce a resulting sound wave 196 (e.g., resulting noise, combined noise) with a reduced or “cancelled” amplitude. As will be appreciated, the resulting sound wave 196 may include reduced, undesirable noise characteristics, such as reduced undesirable tone, as compared to the first sound 132.

[0049] The speaker 192 may include any suitable type, such as a subwoofer configured to produce low frequency (e.g., low tone, low pitch) sound waves. In some embodiments, the speaker 192 may include a weatherproof (e.g., waterproof, freezeproof, heat resistant) casing configured to protect the speaker 192 from ambient conditions, elements within the ambient environment, and / or operating conditions of the heat exchanger 90. In this way, the speaker 192 may be positioned in an ambient environment, for example, in embodiments of the heat exchanger 90 implemented as an outdoor heat exchanger. Although one speaker 192 is illustrated in the present embodiment, it will be appreciated that two or more speakers 192 may be utilized. For example, a first speaker may be positioned near a first side of the heat exchanger 90 and / or fans 92, a second speaker may be positioned near a second side of the heat exchanger 90 and / or fans 92, a third speaker may be positioned near a third side of the heat exchanger 90 and / or fans 92, and so forth.

[0050] Although discussed in the context of the heat exchanger 90 and the fans 92 utilized with the heat exchanger 90, it will be appreciated the noise control system 124 may be utilized to attenuate or cancel sound waves generated by any component of the HVAC&R system. For example, the first sound 132 may be generated by a compressor (eg., compressor 36) of the HVAC&R system. In such embodiments, the ANC controller 128 may be configured to receive and / or generate the reference signal 160 based on data correlating a speed of the compressor with expected sound wave characteristics associated with the speed.

[0051] Embodiments of the present application are directed to an improved noise control system configured to reduce noise (e.g., ambient noise) generated by one or more components of a vapor compressions system, such as a heat exchanger and / or one or more fans associated with the heat exchanger. In some cases, vapor compression systems may include one or more components disposed in the ambient environment (e.g., outside), such as on the roof of a building, where during operation, undesirable noise or sound (e.g., the first sound) may be generated. To reduce the undesirable noise generated from these components, the noise control system may be configured to generate and output a counteracting, interfering, offsetting or cancelling sound (e.g., second sound) configured to negatively interact with the undesirable noise or sound, resulting in reduced overall sound or noise that may be heard by occupants of the building or nearby people. To this end, the noise control system may include a least mean squared (LMS) call function, including an LMS function, configured to be executed by a controller of the noise control system. The LMS function may be configured to receive various inputs, such as an error signal associated with the undesirable noise received from a sensor (e.g., an error microphone) and a reference signal associated with an operating parameter of the heat exchanger or fans, to generate a control signal. The LMS call function may apply iterative or adaptive processing based on the error signal and the reference signal to generate an improved control signal, compared to other noise control systems which may only use error signals or only reference signals to generate a control signal. The control signal may be processed by the controller of the noise control system and communicated to a speaker to generate or output the canceling sound to negatively interact or interfere with the undesirable noise, effecting a reduction in the overall sound or noise (e.g., audible sound) output by the vapor compression system.

[0052] While only certain features and embodiments of the disclosure have been illustrated and described, many modifications and changes may occur to those skilled in the art, such as variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, including temperatures and pressures, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, and so forth without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited in theclaims. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or resequenced according to alternative embodiments. Tt is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the disclosure.

[0053] Furthermore, in an effort to provide a concise description of the exemplary embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not have been described, such as those unrelated to the presently contemplated best mode of carrying out the disclosure, or those unrelated to enabling the claimed disclosure. It should be noted that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation specific decisions may be made. Such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure, without undue experimentation.

[0054] The techniques presented and claimed herein are referenced and applied to material objects and concrete examples of a practical nature that demonstrably improve the present technical field and, as such, are not abstract, intangible or purely theoretical. Further, if any claims appended to the end of this specification contain one or more elements designated as “means for [perform]ing [a function]...” or “step for [perform]ing [a function]...”, it is intended that such elements are to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C.112(f). However, for any claims containing elements designated in any other manner, it is intended that such elements are not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A vapor compression system, comprising:a noise control system configured to offset a first sound generated by the vapor compression system, wherein the noise control system comprises:a sensor configured to detect the first sound generated by the vapor compression system;a speaker configured to output a second sound; anda controller communicatively coupled to the sensor and the speaker, wherein the controller comprises a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to:receive, via the sensor, a first signal indicative of the first sound;receive or generate a second signal corresponding to the first sound, wherein the second signal is based on an operating parameter of the vapor compression system;generate, based on the first signal and the second signal, a third signal corresponding to the second sound, wherein the second sound is configured to offset the first sound; andtransmit the third signal toward the speaker.

2. The vapor compression system of claim 1, comprising:a heat exchanger disposed in an ambient environment, wherein the heat exchanger comprises a coil; anda fan configured to force an ambient air flow across the coil, wherein the fan, the heat exchanger, or both are configured to generate the first sound during operation of the vapor compression system.

3. The vapor compression system of claim 2, wherein the operating parameter of the vapor compression system is a speed of the fan, and the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to:generate the second signal based on the speed of the fan; orreceive the second signal based on the speed of the fan.

4. The vapor compression system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to:execute a least mean square (LMS) call function comprising an LMS function, wherein the LMS function is configured to receive the first signal and the second signal and generate the third signal based on the first signal and the second signal.

5. The vapor compression system of claim 4, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to:execute the LMS call function to iteratively execute the LMS function based on the first signal or the second signal; andadjust one or more weighted coefficients of a filter of the LMS function during execution of the LMS call function, wherein the one or more weighted coefficients comprise a first weighted coefficients associated with the first signal and a second weighted coefficients associated with the second signal.

6. The vapor compression system of claim 1, wherein the first sound comprises a first sound wave, the second sound comprises a second sound wave, and the first sound wave and the second sound wave are substantially inverted.

7. The vapor compression system of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a buffer and an anal og-to-digi tai (AD) converter, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to:convert, via the AD converter, the first signal into a digital first signal; and process, via the buffer, the digital first signal.

8. The vapor compression system of claim 7, wherein the buffer is a first buffer, and the controller comprises a second buffer, an amplifier, and a digital-to-analog (DA) converter, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to:process, via the second buffer, the third signal;convert, via the DA converter, the third signal into an analog third signal; amplify, via the amplifier, the analog third signal; andtransmit the analog third signal toward the speaker to generate the second sound.

9. A noise control system for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, wherein the noise control system comprises:a sensor configured to detect a first sound generated by a fan of the HVAC&R system during operation of the fan, wherein the first sound comprises a first sound wave;a speaker configured to output a second sound, wherein the second sound comprises a second sound wave, and the first sound wave and the second sound wave are substantially inverted; anda controller communicatively coupled to the sensor and the speaker, wherein the controller is configured to:receive, via the sensor, a first signal indicative of the first sound wave; generate a second signal based on an operating parameter of the fan during operation of the fan;execute an adaptive filter function using the first signal and the second signal, wherein the adaptive filter function is configured to generate a third signal; and output the third signal to generate, via the speaker, the second sound.

10. The noise control system of claim 9, wherein the adaptive filter function comprises a least mean square (LMS) call function comprising an LMS function, wherein the LMS function is configured to generate the third signal via iterative processing of the first signal and the second signal.

11. The noise control system of claim 10, wherein the LMS function comprises a first filter weight associated with the first signal and a second filter weight associated with the second signal, wherein the LMS call function is configured to adjust the first filter weight, the second filter weight, or both based on an error associated with the first signal and the second signal.

12. The noise control system of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to:receive a control signal associated with the operating parameter of the fan during operation of the fan; andgenerate the second signal based on the control signal.

13. The noise control system of claim 9, wherein the operating parameter of the fan comprises a speed of the fan.

14. The noise control system of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to generate the second signal based on data indicative of a correlation between a speed of the fan and a sound generated by the fan operating at the speed.

15. A heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:a heat exchanger comprising a coil;a fan configured to force an air flow across the coil, wherein the fan is configured to generate a first sound during operation; anda noise control system configured to reduce a total sound output of the HVAC&R system during operation of the HVAC&R system, wherein the noise control system comprises:a sensor configured to detect the first sound generated via the fan;a speaker configured to output a second sound; anda controller communicatively coupled to the sensor and the speaker, wherein the controller comprises a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to:generate a reference signal corresponding to operation of the fan; execute a least mean square (LMS) call function to output, based on the first sound and the reference signal, a control signal configured to generate the second sound 180 degrees out of phase with the first sound; andtransmit the control signal to the speaker to produce the second sound.

16. The HVAC&R system of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to:generate the reference signal based on data indicative of an operating parameter of the fan.

17. The HVAC&R system of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to:receive a fan speed control signal configured to adjust a speed of the fan; and generate the reference signal based on the fan speed control signal.

18. The HVAC&R system of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to execute the LMS call function to:receive an error signal indicative of the first sound;adjust one or more weighted coefficients of a filter of the LMS function based on the error signal; andfilter the reference signal via the one or more weighted coefficients to generate the control signal.

19. The HVAC&R system of claim 18, wherein the speaker comprises a subwoofer.

20. The HVAC&R system of claim 15, wherein the heat exchanger is a condenser, and the condenser, the sensor, and the speaker are disposed in an ambient environment.