Control system for climate conditioning of a building zone
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current climate control systems in buildings, particularly in museums and heritage structures, face challenges in balancing preservation requirements with energy efficiency and thermal comfort, often leading to excessive energy consumption and potential damage from rigid temperature and humidity controls.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic control system that calculates climate parameter targets based on real-time sensor measurements, using running averages to establish permissible ranges and limit rate changes, allowing for 'free-running' conditions that adapt to indoor climate fluctuations while ensuring preservation standards, thus reducing the need for continuous active conditioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If stringent climate control is applied to meet preservation requirements, then preservation of collections and structures is improved, but energy consumption increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic setpoint adjustment that allows climate parameters to vary within permissible ranges rather than maintaining fixed stringent values. The system dynamically adapts temperature and humidity setpoints based on actual conditions, enabling free-running operation when conditions are acceptable and active control only when necessary, thus reducing energy consumption while maintaining preservation standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the control parameters from fixed stringent setpoints to dynamically adjusted setpoints within permissible ranges. By allowing parameters like temperature and humidity to fluctuate within defined boundaries and only correcting when limits are approached, the system reduces the frequency and intensity of active conditioning, thereby lowering energy consumption while still ensuring preservation requirements are met.
2Reliability
If fixed setpoints are used for temperature and humidity control, then preservation standards are met, but thermal comfort and energy efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static fixed setpoints to dynamic setpoints that adapt to changing conditions. The permissible ranges and rate-of-change limits allow the climate to naturally fluctuate within acceptable boundaries, improving thermal comfort by reducing artificial stabilization while still ensuring preservation standards are not violated.
3Manufacturing precision
If continuous active conditioning is applied, then climate parameters are precisely controlled, but energy efficiency and natural climate adjustment deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying continuous active conditioning, the system applies partial action by only activating climate control when parameters approach the permissible range boundaries or rate-of-change limits are exceeded. This allows the climate to naturally adjust within acceptable ranges, reducing energy consumption while maintaining sufficient control precision to meet preservation requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables the building climate to self-regulate within permissible ranges by minimizing active intervention. The free-running operation allows natural climate dynamics to prevail, with active conditioning applied only as a corrective measure when necessary, thereby improving energy efficiency while maintaining adequate control precision through boundary-based triggering.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a control system for a building zone which is climate conditioned by a climate conditioning system, wherein the climate conditioning system controls at least one climate parameter in the building zone, the climate parameter being at least one of: temperature (T) and humidity (RH). The control system is configured to provide a climate parameter target to a building management system. The climate parameter target is determined dynamically based on current sensor measurements while taking energy, thermal comfort and preservation requirements into account. Namely, rather than continuously steering the climate parameter to reach a preset value, some 'free-running' of the climate parameter is allowed by calculating a permissible range for the climate parameter, which reduces active climate conditioning and thereby contributes to energy savings. To further take preservation requirements into account, the rate of change in the climate parameter is limited to a maximum.