Heat pump control system
AssigneeVisual Information Institute, Inc.
InventorsJohn H. Harshbarger, III, John H. Harshbarger, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A control system for controlling a heating system having a heat pump and a source of supplemental heat. Simultaneous operation of the heat pump and supplemental heat source is monitored, and when such simultaneous operation occurs for a given portion of a heating cycle, the heat pump will shutdown until the temperature has risen by a predetermined amount or a given interval of time has elapsed. The heat pump is also shutdown if the outside ambient temperature falls below a certain level and is automatically reenabled if the outside ambient exceeds a second level.
Claims39
A heating system comprising:
- supplemental heating means for supplying heat to an interior space,
- heat pump means for supplying heat to the interior space,
- control means including at least one thermostat having a sensor in the interior space for activating at least one of said supplemental heating means and said heat pump means into operation, and
- heat pump control override means for detecting the simultaneous operation of said heat pump means and said supplemental heating means snd disabling said heat pump means from operation when such detected simultaneous operation occurs for a predetermined portion of a give cyclically recurring time interval.
A heating system comprising:
- supplemental heating means for supplying heat to an interior space,
- heat pump means for supplying heat to the interior space,
- control means connected to said heat pump means including means for detecting the ambient temperature in the interior space and selectively activating and deactivating said heat pump means and selectively activating and deactivating said supplemental heating means in response to the ambient temperature of the interior space, and
- heat pump control override means for detecting the activation of said supplemental heating means and disabling said heat pump means when said supplemental heating means is detected as being activated for a predetermined portion of a given cyclically recurring time interval.
A control system for controlling a heating system having a supplemental heat source for supplying heat to a building, a heat pump for supplying heat to the building, and a thermostat apparatus for activating and deactivating the supplemental heat source and the heat pump in response to ambient temperatures in the building sensed by the thermostat apparatus, said control system comprising:
- monitor means adapted to be connected to either the supplemental heat source or the thermostat apparatus for detecting the activation of the supplemental heat source for a predetermined portion of a given cyclically recurring time interval, and override means connected to said heat pump means and to said monitor means for disabling said heat pump means in response to said monitor means detecting the activation of the supplemehtal heat source for said predetermined portion of the time interval.
A heating system comprising:
- supplemental heating means for supplying heat to an interior space, said supplemental heating means including a supplemental heat thermostat means for sensing the ambient temperature in the interior space and activating into operation said supplemental heating means in response to the sensed temperature falling below a first predetermined limit,
- heat pump means for supplying heat to the interior space, said heat pump means including a heat pump thermostat means for sensing the ambient temperature of the interior space and being connected to a control means on said heat pump means, said control means activating into operation said heat pump means in response to the ambient temperature sensed by the heat pump thermostat means falling lower than a second predetermined limit, said second predetermined limit being higher than said first limit, and
- heat pump control monitor and override means for detecting the operation of said supplemental heating means and disabling said heat pump means when said supplemental heating means is detected as being activated for a predetermined portion of a given cyclically recurring time interval.
A method of controlling a heating system having a supplemental heat source and a heat pump for supplying heat to an interior space, wherein the heating system includes a thermostat mechanism that activates the heat pump and supplemental heat source in response to ambient temperatures in the interior space sensed by the thermostat, said method comprising:
- sensing when the supplemental heat source is operating during a cyclically recurring time interval, and disabling the heat pump when the supplemental heat source is operating for a predetermined portion of the cyclically recurring time interval.
A method of controlling a heating system having a supplemental heat source and a heat pump for supplying heat to an interior space, wherein the heating system includes a thermostat mechanism that activates the heat pump and supplemental heat source in response to ambient temperature sensed by the thermostat, said method comprising:
- sensing when the supplemental heat source is operating simultaneously with the heat pump during a cyclically recurring time interval, and disabling the heat pump when simultaneous heat pump and supplemental heat source operation occurs for a predetermined portion of the cyclically recurring time interval.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.