초록 ▼

A thermostatic controller system for a building heating and/or cooling system (furnace) includes a stored program of desired temperatures which are to be attained within the building at predetermined times within a repetitive time cycle, such as a day. Differing environmental conditions externally o

A thermostatic controller system for a building heating and/or cooling system (furnace) includes a stored program of desired temperatures which are to be attained within the building at predetermined times within a repetitive time cycle, such as a day. Differing environmental conditions externally of the building result in differing rates of change of temperature within the building upon operation of the furnace. In order to determine the optimum time to switch the system on to meet the next programmed increased temperature, the furnace is switched on and then off a short period of time later and the temperature change which results in the building as a result of that transient operation is measured. The time at which the furnace must be switched to attain the next programmed temperature is then determined as a function of the rate of temperature change as determined by the transient switching and the difference between the instantaneous and the future programmed temperature. Alternatively, the controller may calculate the rate of temperature change each time the furnace is turned on for normal building temperature modification and use the last stored value of that rate in the turn-on time calculation. The system attains an energy efficiency exceeding that of conventional thermostat systems.

대표청구항 ▼

In a temperature control system for a building of the type including a temperature modifying apparatus having at least two distinct states of operation, and a thermostatic control wherein the system includes a stored program of representations of the dEsired temperatures to be maintained in the buil

In a temperature control system for a building of the type including a temperature modifying apparatus having at least two distinct states of operation, and a thermostatic control wherein the system includes a stored program of representations of the dEsired temperatures to be maintained in the building at predetermined times in a repetitive time cycle, and means for measuring the temperature within the building, the improvement comprising: means for determining the rate of change of temperature which occurs within the building as a result of operation of the temperature modifying apparatus; and means for changing the state of the temperature modifying apparatus a period of time previous to the time stored in the program at which the next desired temperature stored in the program is to be attained, such period of time being a function of said determination of the rate of change in temperature within the building during operation of the temperature modifying apparatus.