BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) optimization. More particularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to collecting and presenting data of HVAC operation states, and controlling HVAC operation based on the data.

Description of the Related Art

Systems that heat, ventilate, and cool buildings are expensive to install and operate. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems can in many cases be deliberately operated to improve efficiency. In these cases, a control device takes input from environmental sensors, occupancy sensors, and people, and then, based on the input, the control device can direct the operations of the HVAC system. Operating the HVAC system efficiently can provide ongoing cost savings when less energy is used to provide a sufficient level of HVAC comfort. Operating the HVAC system efficiently can also provide additional savings by extending the life of one or more components of the HVAC system when the components are used less frequently or at less than their full capability.

Some aspects of technologies and related art that may be useful to an understanding of the present invention are taught in various patent publications.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,814 B2 to Hartman (i.e., the '814 patent) is entitled SELF-BALANCING VARIABLE AIR VOLUME HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEM. The '814 patent teaches a variable air volume heating and cooling system that provides automatic system-wide airflow balancing. To balance the '814 patent system, the maximum airflow setting of each terminal box is automatically and continuously adjusted in response to central supply fan loading conditions together with local zone conditions. The system taught in the '814 patent has the advantage of automating both initial air balancing of terminal units at the time of installation, as well as rebalancing to respond to changing conditions, without a human technician's intervention.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,946 B2 to Hartman (i.e., the '946 patent) is entitled SYSTEM FOR SEQUENCING CHILLERS IN A LOOP COOLING PLANT AND OTHER SYSTEMS THAT EMPLOY ALL VARIABLE-SPEED UNITS. The '946 patent builds on certain concepts taught in the '814 patent. In addition to providing deliberate control of individual HVAC systems, it is recognized that additional efficiency gains may be made by deliberately controlling parallel units in an HVAC system. For example, the '946 patent teaches improved methods of sequencing parallel centrifugal pumps in a variable flow hydronic system, parallel fans in a variable air-flow system, and centrifugal chillers in an HVAC system having a plurality of variable speed drive centrifugal chillers arranged in parallel. In at least some methods of the '946 patent, an operating point of the on-line units can be determined, the current operating point of the on-line units can be compared to a natural curve of maximum efficiency, and certain ones of the units can be added or released to move closest to an operating curve of optimal efficiency across the system.

In still further improvements in HVAC operating efficiency, certain discoveries have been made to permit individual HVAC components to operate more efficiently using real time data collection, real time efficiency prediction, and adaptation of future operation based on the data collection and efficiency prediction. U.S. Pat. No. 8,219,250 B2 (the '250 patent) to Dempster et al. is entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO CONTROL ENERGY CONSUMPTION EFFICIENCY. In the '250 patent, a controller is configured to exchange information with a building automation system (BAS). The controller includes various executable programs for determining a real time operating efficiency, simulating a predicted or theoretical operating efficiency, and making adjustments to HVAC system operating parameters. In one method taught by the '250 patent, a BAS is used to control operating efficiency of an HVAC system. The method includes the acts of (1) exchanging information contemporaneously in time between a controller and the building automation system; (2) determining an operating efficiency of the HVAC system based on the present operating state of the equipment; (3) determining a predicted operating efficiency of the HVAC system computed from installation specifications provided with the HVAC equipment; (4) comparing whether the operating efficiency is below a desired threshold relative to the predicted operating efficiency; (5) adjusting one or more HVAC system operating parameters; (6) transmitting the one or more adjustments to the BAS; and (7) triggering a self-learning feature of the controller to automatically recall the adjustment at a later time when the operating efficiency is again below the desired threshold.

FIG. 1is a conventional energy optimization HVAC system10. A building automation system (BAS)12is arranged to control a plurality of HVAC components34. For example, the BAS12inFIG. 1is arranged to direct the operations of variable frequency drives (VFD)14, tower fans16, chillers18, air handling units (AHU)20, boilers22, variable air volume (VAV) and constant air volume (CAV) air handler units24, pumps and valves26, and possibly other HVAC components that are not shown.

As indicated by two-headed pointers, the BAS12and ones of the plurality of HVAC components34may establish and maintain any one or more of unidirectional communications, bidirectional communications, wired communications, wireless communications, electromechanical communications, mechanical communications, or some combination thereof. Using the means of communicating, the BAS12may provide control signals, status signals, parameters, or other such data to the HVAC components34, and in some cases, one or more of the HVAC components34may provide control signals, status signals, error signals, stored parameters, generated data, or other information to the BAS12.

In the conventional energy optimization HVAC system10, an energy optimization control engine (EOCE)50is communicatively coupled to the BAS12. The EOCE50may provide control information to direct energy efficiency operations of the BAS12according to the '814 patent, the '946 patent, the '250 patent, or some other protocol.

Implementation of the conventional energy optimization HVAC system10is a process that requires several people. The people may include any one or more of building site owner/managers28a, energy optimization provider representatives28b, energy optimization engineers28c, and others associated with a particular building or building site such as controls engineers, integration engineers, maintenance engineers, service engineers, and the like, which are referred to herein as building engineers28d. Each of the people associated with the conventional energy optimization HVAC system10may have access to a user computing device32. Via a wide area network (WAN)30such as the Internet and an associated user computing device32, the people associated with the conventional energy optimization HVAC system10may communicate with each other and with others. In some cases, certain ones of those associated with the conventional energy optimization HVAC system10use a user computing device32to communicate with one or more of the EOCE50, the BAS12, and the plurality of HVAC components34.

One operational use of the conventional energy optimization HVAC system10is now described. In this scenario, BAS12and the plurality of HVAC components34are installed in a building complex without an EOCE50. The building site owner/manager28arecognizes very high energy and maintenance costs in the building complex, and in an effort to reduce the energy and maintenance costs, the building site owner/manager28acontacts an energy optimization provider representative28b.

The energy optimization provider representative28bengages help from the building site owner/manager28a, an energy optimization engineer28c, and a building engineer28d. Using the BAS12, the building engineer28dcollects certain data from the BAS12and any number of the plurality of HVAC components34. The information, which may include “on” times, “off” times, alerts, temperature data, humidity data, air flow data, and other such information, is communicated to the energy optimization provider representative28b. The collected information may be collected instantaneously as a “snapshot,” or the information may be collected over hours, days, weeks, or months.

Using the collected building complex information provided by the building engineer28d, the energy optimization engineer28ccreates a particular configuration of an EOCE50, which is customized to the building complex and the installed BAS12and HVAC components34. In some cases, the particular configuration may include hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Once so customized, the EOCE50is delivered to the building complex and installed. The installation may be performed by the building engineer28d, the energy optimization engineer28c, others, or some combination of these. Presumably, once installed, the EOCE50will operate well and improve the energy usage of the building complex.

In some cases, the EOCE50is able to communicate, via the WAN30, to provide information to the energy optimization provider representative28b. This information may be provided automatically, manually, or by some other process. Using the communicated information, the energy optimization provider representative28b, the energy optimization engineer28c, or others, are able to assess the energy optimization performance of the EOCE50. Based on failures, if any, and further based on additional discovered optimizations or for other reasons, it may be determined that improvements can be made to the EOCE50.

If it is determined that improvements are to be made to the EOCE50, additional building data may be collected, and the energy optimization engineer28ccan generate a new configuration for EOCE50. The new configuration may include new hardware, new software, or both new hardware and new software. After being generated, the new configuration is delivered to the building complex and installed by the building engineer28d, the energy optimization engineer28c, others, or some combination of these.

Each time it is determined that improvements or other changes are to be made to the EOCE50, the same time-intensive, expensive, manual processes to collect data, generate a new configuration for EOCE50, and install the new configuration are followed.

All of the subject matter discussed in the Background section is not necessarily prior art and should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its discussion in the Background section. Along these lines, any recognition of problems in the prior art discussed in the Background section or associated with such subject matter should not be treated as prior art unless expressly stated to be prior art. Instead, the discussion of any subject matter in the Background section should be treated as part of the inventor's approach to the particular problem, which, in and of itself, may also be inventive.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Due to the critical benefits that heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment provides for people and property, and the inability to tolerate a loss of equipment operation, the installation and activation of an HVAC energy optimization control system has conventionally been expensive and time-consuming. The conventional process requires a substantial amount of onsite manual data collection followed by a substantial amount of offsite software programming and configuration. Later, in the conventional process, the energy optimization control systems that have been custom developed for a particular site are manually deployed at the building site where the HVAC equipment operates.

The present disclosure describes a solution to monitor, control and share HVAC operation state information and the analysis thereof based on a distributed computing system involving local building automation servers (BAS), a network based (cloud-based) system and client terminals. On the network based system, client registration for the real time HVAC monitoring and control service is established, and a client level virtual machine is generated and assigned to the registered client. The client level virtual machine includes one or more container processes, each including a background sub-process and a foreground sub-process. The background sub-process is launched immediately upon the starting of the service through the client level virtual machine and operates without interaction with the client. The background sub-process collects a smaller set of data on the operation of the HVAC devices through one or more related building automation system (BAS) servers and analyzes the data for routine control function to maintain the routine operation of the HVAC devices concerned by the registered client in the registration with the cloud system.

The foreground sub-process is also set up upon the launching of the container process, but it may not be fully activated until suitable client interaction is detected. Upon detecting a suitable client interaction, e.g., client activating a webpage for the foreground sub-process, the foreground sub-process may push a more comprehensive set of HVAC operation data through the BAS server and analyze and present the data and analysis result in substantially real time to the client through a client terminal, e.g., a client application installed on a client computing device. The foreground sub-process presents the most updated data and analysis starting from the time point of detecting client interaction, and historical data and analysis, e.g., from the background sub-process, may be combined with the most updated data and analysis. In an embodiment, the foreground data is collected and presented to the client with a higher updating rate than the background sub-process.

With the data and analysis presented through the foreground sub-process, a user may be able to detect a fault condition in the operation of the concerned HVAC device and may correct the fault condition through the foreground sub-process and the related BAS. The background sub-process may also correct fault conditions in the routine operation of HVAC device and analyze the fault conditions to generate the historical record of the HVAC operation.

The present disclosure describes several tools and methods that advance the HVAC energy optimization field of technology. The innovation described in the present disclosure is new and useful, and the innovation is not well-known, routine, or conventional in the energy optimization industry. The innovation described herein uses some known building blocks combined in new and useful ways along with other structures and limitations to create something more than has heretofore been conventionally known. The embodiments improve on HVAC operational computing systems, which, when un-programmed or differently programmed, cannot perform or provide the specific HVAC energy optimization development and deployment features claimed herein.

The embodiments described in the present disclosure improve upon known HVAC energy optimization processes and techniques. Along these lines, the embodiments described herein improve on the specific computing devices that implement the HVAC energy optimization processes and techniques described herein. For example, scaling update rates based on background and foreground processes, presentation focus, and for other reasons saves additional energy in both the computing systems that implement the features described herein and in the network infrastructure that passes communications between the various components described herein. In addition to saving energy, the systems and methods of the present disclosure further provide more efficient and faster computing, actual and apparent speed increases when presenting information through a presentation device, and other such improvements.

The computerized acts described in the embodiments herein are not purely conventional and are not well understood. Instead, the acts are new to the industry. Furthermore, the combination of acts as described in conjunction with the present embodiments provides new information, motivation, and commercial or other business results that are not already present when the acts are considered separately.

There is no prevailing, accepted definition for what constitutes an abstract idea. To the extent the concepts discussed in the present disclosure may be considered abstract, the claims present tangible, practical, and concrete applications of said allegedly abstract concepts that are substantially more than previously known.

The embodiments described herein use computerized technology to improve the technology of HVAC energy optimization, but other techniques and tools remain available to deploy HVAC optimization programming. Therefore, the claimed subject matter does not foreclose the whole or even substantial HVAC optimization programming technological area.

These features with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully described hereafter and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof.

This Brief Summary is provided to introduce certain concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the Detailed Description. Except where otherwise expressly stated, if at all, the Brief Summary does not identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

