HVAC Duty-Cycle Controller With Self-Configuring Thermostat Override
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing HVAC&R systems, especially older installations, face challenges in adopting energy-efficient upgrades due to their reliance on OEM specifications and installer judgments, making retrofitting with advanced energy-saving methodologies costly and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
An electronic controller device with a digital recycle counter and auto-configuration program that intercepts thermostat commands, replacing them with modulated binary signals to optimize 'on' and 'off' cycle times based on energy consumption, temperature regulation, and humidity, allowing for adaptive demand control and management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If conventional energy-saving methodologies are retrofitted to existing HVAC&R systems, then energy efficiency is improved, but installation cost and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The controller performs self-configuration by automatically detecting system parameters and optimizing duty cycles without requiring manual installer input. The system autonomously measures temperature differentials, cycle times, and energy consumption to determine optimal operating parameters, eliminating the need for costly and time-consuming manual retrofitting while achieving energy efficiency improvements
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors HVAC&R system performance including energy consumption, temperature regulation, and operational cycles. This feedback is used to automatically adjust duty cycle parameters and optimize energy efficiency in real-time, providing adaptive energy savings without requiring manual intervention or expensive custom installation
2Ease of operation
If OEM specifications and installer judgment are used for duty cycle configuration, then system setup is simplified, but adaptability to specific installations is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The controller automatically detects and adapts to the specific HVAC&R system configuration by measuring actual operational parameters such as temperature differentials, cycle times, and energy consumption. This self-configuration capability provides both ease of setup (no manual programming needed) and high adaptability (optimized for the specific installation), resolving the contradiction between simplicity and customization
3Measurement precision
If manual configuration of duty cycles is performed, then control precision is reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically measures and optimizes duty cycle parameters by monitoring temperature differentials, operational cycles, and energy consumption. This self-optimization achieves high measurement precision for duty cycle configuration without requiring complex manual setup procedures, as the system performs all measurements and calculations autonomously
Solution Approach 2:
The controller continuously monitors system performance and uses this feedback to automatically adjust duty cycle parameters for optimal precision. The feedback loop measures actual temperature regulation, energy consumption, and cycle timing to refine control accuracy without increasing user-facing complexity
Data Source
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AI summary
An electronic controller device for automatic control of a heating, ventilating, air conditioning or refrigeration (HVAC&R) system has a digital recycle counter that is capable of intercepting a thermostat command for cooling, refrigeration, or heating and replacing the thermostat command with a modulated binary signal that operates in an "on" state or "off state, and a computer-readable storage medium that comprises a program that includes an auto-configuration mode that is capable of determining a base line performance of the HVAC&R system through a commissioning phase and is capable of determining an adjusted performance based on energy consumption, temperature regulation, humidity regulation, or power limit or any combination thereof. The program can adjust the digital recycle counter "on" and "off states based on the adjusted performance determination to reduce energy consumption.