Patent ID: 8538597
Filing Date: 2013-09-17
Classification: F24D,F24H,G05D,H05B

Abstract:
1. A hot water heater, comprising: a tank holding a volume of a fluid; a monitoring device in communication with the volume, the monitoring device comprising a sensor; a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control coupled to the sensor, the PID control including modules having one or more of a proportional control module, an integral control module, and a derivative control module; and a heating device coupled to the PID control, the heating device responsive to a PID output from the modules; wherein each of the modules is assigned a term; wherein the term is defined by a gain parameter with a value that corresponds to the change in temperature of the fluid; wherein the values for each of the modules are found on a given one of a plurality of PID response curves, each of the plurality of PID response curves comprising a profile that defines a maximum input power to generate heat; wherein the PID control is configured to select the given PID response curve responsive to a determination of a current demand for hot fluid; and wherein the PID output is based at least in part on the values found on the given PID response curve.