Abstract:
A method controls and/or regulates room temperature in a building. The control of the room temperature can be switched between heating, neutral temperature and cooling according to an uncertainty of the internal and external increase of heat, said uncertainty being determined in the construction phase. The uncertainty is determined by a low foreign heating limit and a high foreign heating limit. Said method can be commonly used to control and/or regulate the temperature in rooms or areas, in particular, in buildings, which are cooled and heated by controlling the temperature of the building material, for example, via thermoactive component systems.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is based on and hereby claims priority to U.S. Application No. 60/726,109, filed on Oct. 14, 2005 and PCT Application No. PCT/EP2006/066717, filed on Sep. 25, 2006, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Methods are known for controlling and/or regulating the temperature in rooms or zones in a building. Methods of this type are also advantageously used particularly in buildings that are cooled and heated via the building body, for example via solid concrete elements in floors, ceilings and/or walls. It follows that methods of this type can also be used advantageously for application in a building having thermoactive component systems. 
         [0003]    Thermoactive component systems for cooling and heating purposes, so called TABS, come into use in various types of buildings such as, for example, in office buildings, museums, spas, laboratory buildings, training centers, hotels and single-family houses and apartment blocks. With TABS technology, the room temperature is advantageously stabilized by tube batteries installed in floors and ceilings and which are fed with hot water or cooling water, for example. Floors and ceilings made from concrete, for example, are best suited for storing heat or cold. Free cooling with air, for example, is also customary for cooling TABS, the night hours being used in summer for cooling concrete masses via dry or hybrid return coolers, for example. TABS with medium temperatures close to room temperature are basically intended for the use of alternative energies. The TABS technology is also known under the technical terms of component conditioning and concrete core conditioning system. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    One potential object is to specify a method that can be generally used to control and regulate the temperature in building rooms or room zones and by which it is possible to achieve a desired comfort in conjunction with low energy use. 
         [0005]    The inventors propose a method for regulating a room temperature in a building, that switches over between heating, neutral behavior and cooling as a function of an uncertainty, determined in a construction phase of the building, in a knowledge of internal and external heat gains, the uncertainty in the knowledge of the internal and external heat gains being determined by a lower extraneous heat limit and an upper extraneous heat limit 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  shows a diagram relating to the control and/or regulation strategy for low uncertainty in the knowledge of the internal and external heat gains, 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  shows a diagram relating to the control and/or regulation strategy for medium uncertainty in the knowledge of the internal and external heat gains, 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  shows a diagram relating to the control and/or regulation strategy for high uncertainty in the knowledge of the internal and external heat gains, and 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  shows a schematic of an arrangement for controlling and/or regulating a room temperature in a building having thermoactive component systems. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0011]    Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. 
         [0012]    A method proposed here for controlling and/or regulating a room temperature based on a so-called unknown-but-bounded approach with the aid of which uncertainties in the knowledge of internal and external heat gains can be treated. In particular, the temperature profile in a room is influenced by people, equipment, machines, lighting and absorbed solar radiation. The expression heat gain is used here in general and also stands for extraneous heat or heat load. 
         [0013]    The method for controlling and/or regulating a room temperature utilizes a determined, and therefore known lower limit {dot over (q)} g,lb  of the internal and external heat gains, and a determined and therefore known upper limit {dot over (q)} g,ub  of the internal and external heat gains. The difference between the upper limit {dot over (q)} g,ub  and the lower limit {dot over (q)} g,lb  is the uncertainty in the knowledge of the heat gains. 
         [0014]    The lower limit {dot over (q)} g,lb  of the internal and external heat gains, and the upper limit {dot over (q)} g,ub  of the internal and external heat gains are determined in a construction phase by the planner of a control system. Thus, in said construction phase no average heat gains are assumed, but a lower limit {dot over (q)} g,lb  known in advance and an upper limit {dot over (q)} g,ub  known in advance are assumed for the internal and external heat gains. 
         [0015]    With consideration of the uncertainty in the knowledge of the internal and external heat gains, the procedure in the unknown-but-bounded approach is analogous to a procedure that can be applied with conventional heat curves. Heating and cooling curves are used for heating and cooling. A heat loss through the building carcass is compensated by a heating system with an energy supply {dot over (q)} w &gt;0, for example by supplying water heated up as appropriate. In contrast therewith, overshooting of a maximum permissible room temperature is prevented by dissipating thermal energy {dot over (q)} w &lt;0, for example by supplying appropriately cooled water. 
         [0016]      FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3  illustrate the principle of the advantageous method for controlling and/or regulating a room temperature—for example for the purpose of regulating inlet temperature as a function of outside temperature. 
         [0017]    Each figure respectively illustrates the desired inlet temperature value θ fSp  and the thermal energy {dot over (q)} w  supplied or dissipated by a heating system and cooling system, respectively, as a function of the outside air temperature θ oa . Also illustrated are states of a recirculating pump and states of heating or cooling as a function of the outside air temperature θ oa . 
         [0018]    During regulation of inlet temperature as a function of outside temperature, a desired value θ f,Sp  of the inlet temperature is displaced as a function of the outside air temperature θ oa  in accordance with a heating curve HK or a cooling curve KK. The following three cases are advantageously distinguished depending on the uncertainty in the knowledge of the internal and external heat gains: low uncertainty {dot over (q)} g,ub −{dot over (q)} g,lb  ( FIG. 1 ), medium uncertainty {dot over (q)} g,ub −{dot over (q)} g,lb  ( FIG. 2 ), and high uncertainty {dot over (q)} g,ub −{dot over (q)} g,lb  ( FIG. 3 ). 
         [0019]    A determined comfort band Δθ r,Sp  is respectively depicted in  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 . The comfort band Δθ r,Sp  is defined by a lower desired room temperature value θ r,SpH  and an upper desired room temperature value θ r,SpC . 
         [0020]    The comfort band Δθ r,Sp  is advantageously determined for each room of a building in a fashion depending on desired comfort. The larger the comfort bands, the more energy can be saved with air conditioning the building, and the better TABS is suited for overall coverage of the building. Because of their inertia, TABS are not capable of covering the overall heat load or cooling load of a building in the event of an excessively small comfort band Δθ r,Sp.    
         [0021]    When the uncertainty is low, that is to say in the case illustrated in  FIG. 1 , there is then an area  10  for the outside air temperature θ oa  in which there is certainly no need either for heating or for cooling. In the event of low uncertainty, thus, no area exists for the outside air temperature θ oa  in which the heating curve HK and the cooling curve KK overlap. 
         [0022]    When a medium uncertainty is present, that is to say in the case illustrated in  FIG. 2 , there is an area  20  for the outside air temperature θ oa  in which the heating curve HK and the cooling curve KK overlap, the cooling curve KK running above the heating curve HH. If the outside air temperature θ oa  lies in the area  20 , there is then a need, depending on the actual internal and external heat gain {dot over (q)} g , either for heating, or for cooling, then for no action at all, that is to say a neutral behavior by switching off heating and cooling. 
         [0023]    Given knowledge of the inlet temperature θ f  and of a current actuator position, an inlet temperature controller effects the correct action, specifically either heating or cooling, or then switching off heating and cooling. If the inlet temperature θ f  lies between the heating curve HK and the cooling curve KK, heating and cooling are then switched off, for example by closing heating and cooling valves. As soon as the inlet temperature θ f  overshoots the cooling curve KK, the inlet temperature controller regulates the inlet temperature θ f  to the desired inlet temperature value θ f,Sp  determined by the cooling curve KK, for example by acting on a cooling valve. As soon as the inlet temperature θ f  undershoots the heating curve HK, the inlet temperature controller regulates the inlet temperature θ f  to the desired inlet temperature value θ f,Sp  determined by the heating curve HK, for example by acting on a heating valve. 
         [0024]    When a high uncertainty is present, that is to say in the case illustrated in  FIG. 3 , there is for the outside air temperature θ oa  an area  30  in which the heating curve HK and the cooling curve KK overlap, the cooling curve KK lying below the heating curve HK. If the outside air temperature θ oa  lies in the area  30 , there is a need either for heating or for cooling, depending on the actual internal and external heat gain {dot over (q)} g . 
         [0025]    When the uncertainty set by the upper limit {dot over (q)} g,ub  and the lower limit {dot over (q)} g,lb  is high, that is to say in the case illustrated in  FIG. 3 , it is impossible by regulating the inlet temperature θ f  solely as a function of the outside air temperature θ oa  to keep the room temperature θ r  for the heat gain {dot over (q)} w  lying in the uncertainty area {dot over (q)} g,ub −{dot over (q)} g,lb  between the lower desired room temperature value θ r,SpH  and the upper desired room temperature value θ r,SpC , that is to say in the targeted comfort band Δθ r,Sp.    
         [0026]    In order in the case illustrated in  FIG. 3  to keep the room temperature θ r  in the comfort band Δθ r,Sp , an additional item of information—for example the room temperature θ r  or the return temperature θ rt  or a temperature θ c  of the building body, for example the concrete core temperature—is fed back to the inlet temperature controller. An additional system for heating and/or cooling is not required in some circumstances. 
         [0027]    The so-called unknown-but-bounded approach can advantageously also be applied correspondingly in order to consider variations in heat gains in building rooms, particularly on the basis of room location, room characteristics and room use, when the room temperature θ r  of the building rooms cannot be regulated individually, but via a common inlet, for example. 
         [0028]    In  FIG. 4 ,  40  signifies a device for heating an energy source, and  41  a device for cooling the energy source. A building having a first room  42  and a second room  43  has a first TABS unit  44  and second TABS unit  45 . The two TABS units  44  and  45  can be fed with the aid of the energy source via a common inlet  46  and via a return  47 . A recirculating pump  48  that can be controlled by a controller  49  is advantageously arranged in the inlet  46 . The inlet  46  is connected to the device  40  for heating the energy source via a heating valve  50  that can be controlled by the controller  49 , and is connected to the device  41  for cooling the energy source via a cooling valve  51  that can be controlled by the controller  49 . 
         [0029]    The energy source is water that can be used, for example, for heating and cooling. Depending on requirement, the device  40  for heating the energy source is, for example, a boiler, a heat pump or another known heat generating apparatus, or a combination of known heat generating apparatuses. The device  41  for cooling is, for example, a cooling tower, a refrigerating machine or another refrigerating apparatus, or a combination of known refrigerating apparatuses. 
         [0030]    The outside air temperature θ oa  can be detected with the aid of a first temperature sensor  52  connected to the controller  49 , and the inlet temperature θ f  can be detected with the aid of a second temperature sensor  53  connected to the controller  49 . 
         [0031]    When the uncertainty is low ( FIG. 1 ) and the outside air temperature θ oa  lies in the area  10 , heating and cooling by closing the heating valve  50  and the cooling valve  51  are ruled out, and moreover the recirculating pump  48  is advantageously shut down. Heating is implemented by opening the heating valve  50  with cooling valve  51  closed while, correspondingly, cooling is effected by opening the cooling valve  51  with heating valve  50  closed. The recirculating pump is activated in the event of heating or cooling. 
         [0032]    When a medium uncertainty is present ( FIG. 2 ), and the outside air temperature θ oa  lies in the area  20 , there is then a need, depending on the actual internal and external heat gain {dot over (q)} g , either for heating, for cooling or for no action at all, that is to say a neutral behavior by shutting down heating and cooling. 
         [0033]    With knowledge of the inlet temperature θ f  and of a current actuator position, the controller  49  effects the correct action, specifically by the heating, or cooling or then shutting down heating and cooling. If the inlet temperature θ f  lies between the heating curve HK and the cooling curve KK, the heating valve  50  and the cooling valve  51  are closed. As soon as the inlet temperature θ f  overshoots the cooling curve KK, the controller  49  regulates the inlet temperature θ f  to the desired inlet temperature θ f,Sp , determined by the cooling curve KK, by acting on the cooling valve  51 . As soon as the inlet temperature θ f  undershoots the heating curve HK, the controller  49  regulates the inlet temperature θ f  to the desired inlet temperature value θ f,Sp , determined by the heating curve HK, by acting on the heating valve  50 . 
         [0034]    At least one additional item of information is supplied to the controller  49  so that the latter can keep the room temperature θ r  in the comfort band Δθ r,Sp  even given high uncertainty {dot over (q)} g,ub −{dot over (q)} g,lb  in the knowledge of the internal and external heat gains. The additional information is, for example, the room temperature θ r1 , measured by a third temperature sensor  55 , of the first room  42 , the room temperature θ r2 , measured by a fourth temperature sensor  56 , of the second room  43 , the return temperature θ rt  measured by a fifth temperature sensor  57 , or the temperature θ c  of the building body measured by a sixth temperature sensor  58  in the TABS unit  44 . 
         [0035]    The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof and examples, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention covered by the claims which may include the phrase “at least one of A, B and C” as an alternative expression that means one or more of A, B and C may be used, contrary to the holding in Superguide v. DIRECTV, 69 USPQ2d 1865 (Fed. Cir. 2004).