Method and system for scheduling a heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing HVAC control systems face challenges in efficiently managing energy consumption across multiple zones due to computational complexity and unsuitability of centralized control architectures.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for scheduling an HVAC system that involves obtaining zone environmental information and conditioned air parameters, and determining a minimum conditioned air supply rate and return air ratio to meet zone set-points, using a scheduler configured for a prediction horizon.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If centralized control architecture with MPC is used to minimize energy consumption across all zones, then energy efficiency is improved, but computation complexity increases making it unsuitable for large number of zones
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the centralized HVAC control system into distributed zone-level controllers, each independently optimizing its zone while coordinating with others. This segmentation reduces the computational burden from handling all zones centrally to manageable local computations, while still achieving system-wide energy optimization through coordinated control of air handling units and zone dampers.
2Manufacturing precision
If centralized control architecture is used to handle complicated constraints and nonlinear dynamics, then control precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to implementation issues
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into modular components: zone-level controllers handling local temperature and air quality constraints, building-level controllers managing air handling units, and coordination layers. This modular segmentation maintains control precision for complex nonlinear dynamics while significantly improving ease of implementation through standardized interfaces and distributed computation that can be deployed incrementally.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary coordination mechanisms between zone-level and building-level controllers, including air flow coordination and damper control strategies. These intermediaries translate complex system-wide constraints into local actionable commands, maintaining high control precision while simplifying implementation at each level through well-defined communication protocols and control algorithms.
3Adaptability or versatility
If more zones are served by the HVAC system, then adaptability is improved, but computation complexity increases making centralized control unsuitable
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses segmentation to enable each zone to have its own controller that independently handles its environmental parameters. This allows the system to scale to any number of zones without increasing centralized computational complexity, as each zone adds only local computation rather than system-wide computation. The zone-level controllers communicate with building-level controllers for coordinated resource management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a flat centralized control architecture to a multi-dimensional hierarchical architecture with zone-level, building-level, and system-level controllers. This dimensional change allows the system to accommodate any number of zones by adding them at the zone level without proportionally increasing the computational burden at higher levels, as the hierarchical structure distributes the computational workload across multiple dimensions of the control system.
Data Source
AI summary
In some aspects, a method for scheduling a heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system is provided. The HVAC system includes an air conditioning plant, at least one air handling unit (AHU) in connection with the air conditioning plant, and the at least one AHU is configured to serve a plurality of zones. The method includes: obtaining zone environmental information including a zone temperature, a zone air quality indicator and zone set-points for the plurality of zones that include zone temperature set-points and zone air quality set-points. The method also includes obtaining conditioned air temperature and conditioned air quality indicator and fresh air temperature of fresh air configured to mix with return air of the conditioned air to form pre-conditioned air and determining a minimum conditioned air conditioned air supply rate and a return air ratio based on a conditioned air function of parameters including the obtained information.