초록 ▼

An apparatus and method for controlling the sequential operation of supplemental electric heaters so that the amount of energy consumption is minimized. The operation of the heaters is prevented as long as a lower night set-back temperature can reach the higher reference set point during the daytime

An apparatus and method for controlling the sequential operation of supplemental electric heaters so that the amount of energy consumption is minimized. The operation of the heaters is prevented as long as a lower night set-back temperature can reach the higher reference set point during the daytime within a predetermined time interval. A microprocessor is provided to control the operation of night set-back automatically to affect a measured temperature of the conditioned space.

대표청구항 ▼

A method for use in a heat pump and refrigeration system for conditioning a space having a closed refrigerant circuit including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator connected respectively in series, said method comprised in the steps of: sensing the temperature of a spac

A method for use in a heat pump and refrigeration system for conditioning a space having a closed refrigerant circuit including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator connected respectively in series, said method comprised in the steps of: sensing the temperature of a space to be conditioned to generate an electrical signal representative of the measured temperature; setting a first lower reference temperature during the nighttime of the space to be conditioned and setting second higher reference temperature during the daytime to generate a second electrical signal representative of the selected reference temperature; sensing the temperature of the outdoor atmosphere to generate a third electrical signal representative of the outdoor atmospheric temperature; providing at least three stages of supplemental electric heaters to generate heat to the conditioned space; providing a programmed control device to generate a signal to activate the electric heaters in response to the measured temperature, the reference temperature and the outdoor atmospheric temperature; changing automatically through a set-back device from the first reference temperature to the second reference temperature at a predetermined time of day; activating one of the three stages of electric heaters through the control device when the measured temperature at a particular sampling time is less than a corresponding calculated temperature for that sampling time for at least two consecutive sampling times; and controlling through a microprocessor having a program the step of generating the signal to activate the supplemental electric heaters to affect the measured temperature of the conditioned space.