Apparatus and method for the control of the indoor thermal environment having feed forward and feedback control using adaptive reference models

A method for controlling thermal sources affecting an air temperature in a space subjected to thermal variables, comprising:

• measuring the thermal variables;
• generating a feed forward control signal based on an adaptive model including a model of the space and a model of the thermal sources, wherein the models are formed utilizing the measured thermal variables;
• generating a feedback control signal based on a difference between the feedback control signal and an output from the space;
• and
• averaging the feed forward and feedback control signals to produce a combined control signal for controlling the thermal sources to control the air temperature of the space.

An apparatus for controlling thermal sources affecting an air temperature in a space subjected to thermal variables, comprising:

• a sensor network measuring the thermal variables;
• a feed forward controller generating a feed forward control signal based on an adaptive model formed utilizing data from the sensor network;
• a feedback controller generating a feedback control signal based on a difference between an output of the feed forward controller and a thermal output from the space;
• and
• a combiner averaging the feed forward and feedback control signals to produce a combined control signal for controlling the thermal sources to control the air temperatures of the space.