US-20260126205-A1 - SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE CONDITIONING MODE OF A CLIMATE CONTROL DEVICE

US20260126205A1US 20260126205 A1US20260126205 A1US 20260126205A1US-20260126205-A1

Abstract

An apparatus and method for controlling the conditioning mode of a climate control device, such as a rooftop unit, that is servicing multiple connected terminal unit. The improved process may include determining a conditioning mode error for the connected terminal units. The conditioning mode error may be an integrated error value that is based on a temperature deviation integrated over the duration of the temperature deviation. The process may also determine a cooling mode error and a heating mode error. The cooling mode error and the heating mode error may be based on the conditioning mode error for the terminal units associated with cooling conditions and heating conditions, respectively. The process may further compare the cooling mode error and the heating mode error, and it may also adjust the conditioning mode of the climate control device based on the comparison.

Inventors

Udhaya Kumar DAYALAN
James Kenneth McKeever
Brian A. Kirkman
Eugene R. Shedivy

Assignees

TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251010

Claims (20)

1 . (canceled)
2 . An apparatus for controlling a conditioning mode of a climate control device, the apparatus comprising: a memory configured to store a computer-readable program code including a change-over-control-related software application; and a processor configured to access the memory, and execute the computer-readable program code to cause the apparatus to at least: determine a conditioning mode error for each of a plurality of terminal units, the conditioning mode error is determined for each of the plurality of terminal units by: determining a temperature deviation of a duration for the respective terminal unit; compare the conditioning mode errors between the plurality of terminal units; and adjust the conditioning mode of the climate control device based on the comparison of the conditioning error between the two or more of the plurality of terminal units.
3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor configured to access the memory, and execute the computer-readable program code to determine the conditioning mode error further causes the conditioning mode error for each of the plurality of terminal units by to be determined by integrating the temperature deviation over the duration of the temperature deviation for the respective terminal unit.
4 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor configured to access the memory, and execute the computer-readable program code to determine the conditioning mode error for each of the plurality of terminal units further causes the temperature deviation to be determined based on a difference between an indoor temperature relative to a temperature setpoint.
5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the temperature setpoint is an adjusted temperature setpoint, the adjusted temperature setpoint being based on the temperature setpoint and a deadband setting.
6 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the temperature setpoint includes a cooling mode temperature setpoint and a heating mode temperature setpoint, wherein the temperature deviation is a positive value when the conditioning mode error is relative to the cooling mode temperature setpoint; and wherein the temperature deviation is negative value when the conditioning mode error is relative the heating mode temperature setpoint.
7 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor configured to access the memory, and execute the computer-readable program code to further causes the processor to apply a weighting to one or more of the conditioning mode errors, the weighting adjusting the conditioning mode error.
8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the weighting is based on a user input.
9 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor configured to access the memory, and execute the computer-readable program code to further causes the processor to exclude at least one of the terminal units from the comparison.
10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the excluding further includes excluding the at least one of the terminal units based on user input.
11 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the excluding further includes excluding the at least one of the terminal units based on historical data.
12 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor configured to access the memory, and execute the computer-readable program code to adjusting the conditioning mode further causes the processor to adjust the conditioning mode based on a time delay.
13 . A method of controlling a conditioning mode of a climate control device, the climate control device providing a conditioning fluid to a plurality of terminal units, the method comprising: determining a conditioning mode error for two or more of the plurality of terminal units, the conditioning mode error is determined for each of the plurality of terminal units includes: determining a temperature deviation of a duration for the respective terminal unit; comparing the conditioning mode errors between the plurality of terminal units; and adjusting the conditioning mode of the climate control device based on the comparison of the conditioning error between the plurality of terminal units.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the conditioning mode error is determined by integrating the temperature deviation over the duration of the temperature deviation for each of the two or more of the plurality of terminal units.
15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the temperature deviation for each of the plurality of terminal units is determined based on a difference between an indoor temperature relative to a temperature setpoint.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the temperature setpoint is an adjusted temperature setpoint, the adjusted temperature setpoint being based on the temperature setpoint and a deadband setting.
17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the temperature setpoint includes a cooling mode temperature setpoint and a heating mode temperature setpoint, wherein the temperature deviation is a positive value when the conditioning mode error is relative to the cooling mode temperature setpoint; and wherein the temperature deviation is negative value when the conditioning mode error is relative the heating mode temperature setpoint.
18 . The method of claim 13 , wherein a weighting is applied to one or more of the conditioning mode errors, the weighting adjusting the conditioning mode error.
19 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising excluding at least one of the terminal units from the comparison.
20 . The method of claim 13 , wherein adjusting the conditioning mode of the climate control device further includes adjusting the conditioning mode based on a time delay.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/066,069 filed on Dec. 14, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to an improved apparatus and method for controlling the conditioning mode of a climate control device, and is particularly applicable to climate control devices providing conditioning to multiple terminal units. BACKGROUND Climate control devices often service multiple conditioned spaces at a time. These conditioned spaces may have differing conditioning demands, and at times even request different types of conditioning, e.g., some request cooling while others request heating. Various techniques have been developed to address this problem. For example, the conditioned spaces may be divided into zones with various terminal units modulating the conditioning for each zone. In other instances, multiple climate control devices are utilized. The central climate control device, however, is still only able to provide a single type of conditioning, e.g., heating or cooling, to the zones and spaces being conditioned. As a result, when various zones or spaces request different conditioning types, the central climate control device servicing these spaces is only able to provide conditioning for a subset of the zones or spaces being serviced. The remaining zones may receive no conditioning, or often the “wrong” type of conditioning. This issue may be intensified when certain zones are required to provide a minimum amount of conditioned air to satisfy an outdoor air requirement. If this minimum amount of air is providing the “wrong” type of conditioning then it may need to be conditioned again, resulting in further inefficiencies. As a result, processes are used to determine which conditioning mode the climate control device should be set to. However, thus far the techniques have been insufficient. Existing processes often use a voting system that allows zones connected to the climate control device to provide a vote that the conditioning mode needs to change. Once sufficient votes have been provided the climate control device may switch conditioning modes. These existing processes, however, often fail to adequately control the system. Frequently a given zone or conditioned space is left receiving the “wrong” conditioning for too long. Thus, these existing processes result in prolonged discomfort within a space and/or increased energy consumption by the climate control system. In addition, the existing processes have limited control regarding switching between conditioning modes, which causes certain climate control system to excessively switch between conditioning modes. This leads to overuse of the climate control system components and often causes maintenance issues. Thus, there exists a need for an improved process for switching a climate control device between conditioning modes. One that addresses the varying needs of the zones while also allowing the climate control system to operate efficiently. BRIEF SUMMARY The present disclosure provides example apparatuses and methods for implementing an improved change over process. This improved process may be applied to a multiple-zone climate control system that includes a central climate control device, e.g., a rooftop unit, connected to multiple terminal units providing conditioning to various zone. This improved process minimizes the amount of time the climate control device operates in the “wrong” mode, and also allows for additional customization for this control. In some examples, the improved process provides a more in-depth assessment of the request from each terminal unit for conditioning. For example, the process may determine a conditioning mode error for each terminal unit (and associated zone) by assessing the temperature deviation for that zone and the time associated with the temperature deviation. In these examples, the conditioning mode error may be an integrated error value, where the temperature deviation is integrated over the duration of time associated with the temperature deviation. Using an integrated error value may have various advantages, including more accurately accounting the conditions of conditioned space(s). In addition, by using the integrated value for some or all of the terminal units within a climate control system, the process may better assess the conditioning needs of all the spaces supported by the climate control system. Further, in some examples, the temperature deviation may be determined using various settings, including a temperature setpoint, a deadband setting, and potentially an adjusted temperature setpoint. These additional settings may allow for a more detailed assessment of the conditioning needs for a given terminal unit. The process discussed herein may also aggregate some or all of the conditioning mode errors. This aggregation may be used to det