Cooperative HVAC Load Control for Energy-Saving Indoor Comfort
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air conditioning systems face challenges in simultaneously achieving energy conservation and comfortableness, as they often prioritize one over the other due to lack of cooperative control between outdoor and indoor units.
Innovation Solution
An air conditioning system with a control unit that coordinates the operation of outdoor and indoor units by adjusting parameters such as supply air temperature and evaporation temperature to optimize energy efficiency while maintaining desired indoor conditions, utilizing inverter-controlled actuators for efficient partial load operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the outdoor-air conditioner and indoor-air conditioner are controlled independently with fixed operation modes, then the system is simple to operate, but energy conservation and comfortableness cannot be achieved simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control of outdoor-air conditioner and indoor-air conditioner into a unified cooperative control system. The control unit integrates information from both units and coordinates their operations simultaneously, allowing energy conservation and comfortableness to be achieved together through joint optimization rather than independent control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic control where the operating capacities of both outdoor and indoor units are continuously adjusted based on real-time conditions. The control unit dynamically determines optimal operation states by considering multiple factors including outdoor air status, indoor air status, and current operation states, enabling adaptive optimization of energy consumption.
2Ease of operation
If the outdoor-air conditioner operates at high capacity to ensure comfort, then comfortableness is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes operational parameters dynamically by adjusting the operating capacities of both outdoor and indoor units based on real-time conditions. The control unit modifies parameters such as supply air temperature, evaporation temperature, and unit capacity to find the optimal balance between comfortableness and energy consumption, rather than maintaining fixed high-capacity operation.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the operating capacity of outdoor-air conditioner is increased to reduce indoor unit operation, then energy consumption of indoor unit decreases, but overall system coordination becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control where the control unit continuously monitors the operation states of both outdoor and indoor units, along with environmental conditions. Based on this feedback, the control unit adjusts the operating capacities to achieve optimal energy conservation while maintaining the ability to adapt to various operational scenarios and conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for increased energy conservation while maintaining comfort by optimizing the operating capacity of both outdoor and indoor units, leading to higher operation efficiency and reduced power consumption.
Implementation Method 1
the outdoor-air conditioner heat exchanger being configured to cause heat exchange between the outdoor-air sucked by the first fan and the heat transfer medium
Implementation Method 2
the indoor-air conditioner heat exchanger being configured to cause heat exchange between the indoor-air sucked by the second fan and the refrigerant
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is an air conditioning system that achieves energy conservation and comfortableness. In the air conditioning system (100), an outdoor-air conditioner (10) sucks outdoor-air (OA) and supplies the outdoor-air as supply air (SA) from an air handling unit (30). An indoor-air conditioner (50) cools or heats indoor-air (IA) that is an air inside a target space (SP) by using an indoor unit (70) and supplies the air to the target space (SP). A general control unit (90) controls performs cooperative load control in which an operating capacity of the outdoor-air conditioner (10) and an operating capacity of the indoor-air conditioner (50) are controlled in cooperation in accordance with a status of the outdoor-air (OA), a status of the indoor-air (IA), an operation status of the outdoor-air conditioner (10), and/or an operation status of the indoor-air conditioner (50). The general control unit (90) controls, in the cooperative load control, at least one of a parameter of the outdoor-air conditioner (10) and a parameter of the indoor-air conditioner (50) such that a temperature or humidity of the indoor-air (IA) approaches a set value and also a total amout of power consumption of the outdoor-air conditioner (10) and power consumption of the indoor-air conditioner (50) is reduced.