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EP-4592492-B1 - METHOD FOR AUTOMATED CONTROL OF THE CANINECULAR CLOSURE OF A SOLAR SHUTTER

EP4592492B1EP 4592492 B1EP4592492 B1EP 4592492B1EP-4592492-B1

Inventors

  • FRITSCH, THOMAS

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20250116

Claims (6)

  1. A method for automatically governing closure in intense heat of a solar shutter comprising at least one solar panel for supplying energy to an electric motor driving the shutter, said solar panel comprising an irradiance sensor capable of measuring solar irradiance, the motor being connected to a control unit provided with telecommunication means, connected to the irradiance sensor and controllable by means of an individual remote control capable of being programmed by the user between an automated operating mode and a non-automated operating mode of the shutter, an additional remote control being associated with the shutter, said additional remote control comprising means for measuring ambient temperature, wherein the method comprises: - checking activation of the automated mode of the shutter by the control unit; - collecting, by the control unit, the measurement of solar irradiance I s measured by the irradiance sensor; - collecting, by the control unit, the ambient temperature T amb measured by the additional remote control; - calculating, by the control unit, an optimised irradiance threshold l o = 350 + 10 x (22-T amb ); - comparing the measured irradiance I s and the optimised irradiance l o , and if l s ≥ l o : - controlling, by the control unit, the motor with a view to closing the shutter.
  2. The method for automatically governing closure in intense heat of a solar shutter according to the preceding claim, characterised in that , after sending a command for closure in intense heat to the motor, the control unitactivates a time delay inhibiting any new sending of a command for closure in intense heat for its duration, said duration being between 2 and 4 hours, preferably equal to 3 hours.
  3. The method for automatically governing closure in intense heat of a solar shutter according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the ambient temperature T amb is an average value calculated from a plurality of measurements taken over a predetermined period whose duration is at most equal to 10 s and preferably less than or equal to 5 s.
  4. The method for automatically governing closure in intense heat of a solar shutter according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the ambient temperature T amb is calculated at regular intervals ranging from 20 minutes to 40 minutes, and preferably equal to 30 minutes.
  5. The method for automatically governing closure in intense heat of a solar shutter according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the successive calculations, by the control unit, of the optimised irradiance threshold l o are carried out at regular intervals, the duration between two successive calculations being between 2 minutes and 15 minutes, preferably equal to 5 minutes.
  6. The method for automatically governing closure in intense heat of a solar shutter according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the control unit controls automated reopening of the shutter if the measured irradiance value l s is lower than or equal to the optimised threshold irradiance value l o minus a value between 40 and 60, and preferably equal to 50.

Description

The present invention relates to a method for controlling the so-called "heatwave" closure of a motorized solar shutter, enabling automated movement of the shutter if the temperature becomes too high. The objective is to automate the shutter's closure through a "heatwave" mode, specifically based on temperature rise, with closure occurring only if climatic conditions are considered characteristic of a heatwave. The most immediate goal is to improve living comfort in a home, given the ever-increasing threat of heatwaves. Secondarily, in the case of a building equipped with air conditioning, proper management of the solar shutters' positioning can lead to energy savings by reducing air conditioning needs during hot summers. In many private homes equipped with motorized shutters, at least some of the shutters are solar-powered. These are therefore equipped with what we will call solar motors, connected to a battery that stores solar energy collected via solar panels installed near each shutter. This is the case, for example, in the document JP 2019 002645 A This describes a temperature control system capable of adjusting the temperature of multiple rooms that are not directly exposed to sunlight. In this case, regulation is achieved indirectly via a room that is exposed to sunlight, where the window shutter can be opened or closed to varying degrees depending on the amount of sunlight reaching the window. The control system operates primarily through signals indicating the degree of opening/closing of the window shutter(s) exposed to the outside. It is also known that when the amount of solar energy is a parameter used to control the shutter drive motors, solar panels are typically equipped with solar irradiance sensors. JP2019 002645 describes in particular a method for the automated control of the closing of a solar shutter, the solar shutter comprising at least one solar panel supplying energy to an electric motor for driving the shutter, said solar panel comprising an irradiance sensor capable of measuring solar irradiance, each motor being connected to a control unit equipped with telecommunications means, linked to the irradiance sensor and controllable by means of an individual remote control, with an additional remote control associated with each shutter, where the process comprises: the collection by the control unit of the measurement of solar irradiance measured by the irradiance sensor; the collection by the control unit of the ambient temperature measurement; the control by the motor control unit for the purpose of closing the shutter. Each motor is also connected to a control unit, often an electronic board that houses the components for processing information to control the motor. Heatwave-resistant closing mechanisms for solar shutters already exist, based on irradiance measurements that detect the presence of extreme heat conditions requiring shutter closure. Essentially, an irradiance threshold is set and stored in the control unit, and the measurement from the irradiance sensor is periodically compared with this threshold. If the measurement is at least equal to the stored irradiance threshold, the motor is controlled by the control unit to close the shutter. It is generally accepted that the theoretical solar irradiance threshold indicating a heatwave is around 350 W/ m² . The automated heatwave closing procedures for solar shutters are therefore designed so that a closing command frame is sent by the control unit to the motor as soon as the irradiance sensor measures a solar irradiance of at least 350 W/ m² . However, this single measure struggles to accurately account for the emergence of heatwave characteristics, which are not solely linked to solar energy measurable on or near the building, and moreover, somewhat modeled by the amount of solar energy received per unit area of the solar panels. It seems obvious that temperature, and in particular the ambient temperature measured inside a building, and therefore directly felt by the inhabitants whom we are trying to protect from the rigors of a heatwave, is a crucial factor that should also be considered. Yet, to date, automated procedures for closing shutters during heatwaves do not take into account any parameters other than solar irradiance. The objective of the present invention is therefore to remedy this by refining the assessment of heatwave conditions, in order to offer an automation process that is more suited to the reality experienced by people living in buildings subjected to high temperatures. In essence, the method of the invention aims to correct the current "switchover" threshold in heatwave mode, which triggers the shutter closure based solely on solar energy. To put it another way, the goal is to optimize the automated processing of heatwave closure by weighting the solar irradiance parameter by using a second parameter, the ambient temperature in the building. For this purpose, the method for automatically controlling