HVAC zone schedule management systems and methods
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Solution Overview
Problem
HVAC systems face increased latency and resource intensity in communication due to the complexity of updating schedules across multiple zones, as each device must communicate and retrieve schedule information through dedicated communication busses, leading to cumbersome and inefficient operations.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a zone control panel that maintains centralized instances of schedules and uses status flags to reduce the amount of information communicated, allowing zone thermostats to access, display, and update schedules with reduced latency, enabling users to view and modify schedules across the system efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If schedule information is communicated through dedicated communication busses between zone control panel and multiple zone thermostats, then each device can access schedule information, but communication latency increases and system becomes more resource intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates schedule information storage at the zone control panel, allowing multiple zone thermostats to access a centralized schedule rather than each thermostat maintaining separate schedule copies. This merging of schedule data management reduces communication overhead and latency while maintaining reliable schedule access across all zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The zone control panel acts as an intermediary device that mediates between the centralized schedule source and multiple zone thermostats. It receives schedule information and distributes it to appropriate zones, reducing direct communication requirements between thermostats and the central system, thereby reducing latency and resource consumption.
2Adaptability or versatility
If schedule updates are propagated to multiple zones through dedicated communication busses, then all zones receive updated schedules, but the amount of data transmission and processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the schedule storage function from individual zone thermostats and concentrates it at the zone control panel. This allows schedule updates to be performed once at the centralized location rather than being propagated to each thermostat, significantly reducing data transmission volume while maintaining full schedule update capability across all zones.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of propagating schedule data to multiple thermostats, the system creates a single centralized copy of the schedule at the zone control panel that all zones can access. This eliminates redundant data copies across multiple devices, reducing overall data transmission requirements while maintaining adaptability for schedule updates.
3Ease of operation
If multiple zone thermostats independently manage their own schedules, then each zone can operate autonomously, but system complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The zone control panel provides universal schedule management functionality that serves all zones centrally. Instead of each thermostat independently managing schedules (creating complexity), the multi-functional zone control panel handles schedule storage, updates, and distribution for all zones, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining zone operation independence through centralized coordination.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure includes a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system having a control system suitable to control operation of a device in the HVAC system. The control system may include a zone control panel that may maintain an instance of each schedule used by one or more devices in the HVAC system to operate. Further, the zone control panel may include a set of one or more status flags, which may each indicate whether data associated with a respective flag is available to be retrieved. Accordingly, the zone control panel may communicate information, such as an update to a schedule, rapidly between devices in the HVAC system.