Automated air source and vav box association
AssigneeTrane International Inc.
InventorDavid J. Uden
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method including the ability of a building automation system controller to automatically determine which VAV boxes are physically associated with which air sources in a building or facility with multiple air sources by coordinating the individual or simultaneous manipulation of the fan speed of the air sources or the VAV damper positions, while obtaining data from networked sensors that measure VAV box airflow or duct pressure or the environmental conditions of a space being supplied with air from one or more VAV boxes.
Claims20
A building automation system comprising:
- a plurality of variable air-volume boxes, each capable of regulating a flow of air into a space;
- an air source coupled to a subset of the plurality of variable air-volume boxes though a duct system;
- and
- a controller communicatively coupled to each of the plurality variable air-volume boxes and to the air source, and configured to monitor at least one sensor located in proximity to the plurality of variable air-volume boxes, the controller including means for automatically determining which of the plurality of variable air-volume boxes is coupled through the duct system to the air source.
A building automation system comprising:
- a plurality of variable air-volume boxes, each capable of regulating a flow of air into an adjacent space;
- at least two variable speed air-sources coupled to the plurality of variable air-volume boxes;
- and
- a controller communicatively coupled to each of the plurality variable-air-volume boxes and to each of the at least two variable speed air-sources, and configured to automatically determine which of the plurality of variable air-volume boxes is coupled to which of the at least two variable speed air-sources.
A method of determining which of a plurality of variable air-volume boxes are physically associated with an air source in a structure comprising:
- communicatively coupling each of the plurality of variable air-volume boxes to a building automation system controller configured to independently actuate a damper in each one of the variable air-volume boxes;
- communicatively coupling the building automation system controller to the air source such that the building automation system controller can manipulate an air speed output of the air source;
- communicatively coupling a sensor proximate to each of the plurality of variable-air-volume boxes with the controller;
- configuring the building automation system controller to manipulate each of the plurality of variable air-volume boxes in succession;
- recording in the building automation system controller a data sample from each sensor proximate to each of the plurality of variable air-volume boxes before and after the actuation of the damper in an individual one of the plurality of variable air-volume boxes;
- correlating the data sample with the actuation of the damper by the controller;
- and
- determining the association between the individual one of the plurality of variable air-volume boxes and the air source.
A building automation system (BAS) comprising:
- a plurality of variable air-volume boxes each equipped with at least one damper capable of regulating a flow of air into an adjacent space and a programmable logic controller configured to adjust an actuator coupled to the damper;
- at least two variable speed air-sources coupled to the plurality of variable air-volume boxes;
- at least one sensor located in proximity to each of the plurality of variable air-volume boxes;
- a controller communicatively coupled to each of the plurality variable air-volume box programmable logic controller, to each of the at least two variable speed air-sources, and the sensors;
- and
- means for automatically determining which of the plurality of variable air-volume boxes is coupled to which of the at least two variable speed air-sources implemented in the controller.
A method of upgrading a building automation system (BAS) including a plurality of variable air-volume boxes each equipped with at least one damper capable of regulating a flow of air into an adjacent space and a plurality of variable speed air-sources coupled to the plurality of variable air-volume boxes, the method comprising:
- communicatively coupling a controller to each of the plurality variable-air-volume boxes and each of the plurality of variable speed air-sources;
- communicatively coupling at least one sensor located in proximity to each of the plurality of variable air-volume boxes to the controller;
- and
- configuring the controller with a means for automatically determining which of the plurality of variable air-volume boxes is coupled to which of the at least two variable speed air-sources.
An upgrade kit for a building automation system (BAS) including a plurality of variable air-volume boxes each equipped with at least one damper capable of regulating a flow of air into an adjacent space and a plurality of variable speed air-sources coupled to the plurality of variable air-volume boxes by a duct network, the upgrade kit comprising:
- at least one sensor located in proximity to each of the plurality of variable air-volume boxes;
- a controller communicatively coupled to each of the plurality variable-air-volume boxes, the at least one sensor, and each of the plurality of variable speed air-sources;
- and the controller configured with a means for automatically determining which of the plurality of variable air-volume boxes is coupled to which of the at least two variable speed air-sources by the duct network.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.