U.S. patent application number 12/115468 was filed with the patent office on 2009-01-15 for natural air enery saving temperature assist system for central air conditioning / heating system.
Invention is credited to Ronald F. Werner.
Application Number | 20090013703 12/115468 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40251993 |
Filed Date | 2009-01-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090013703 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Werner; Ronald F. |
January 15, 2009 |
NATURAL AIR ENERY SAVING TEMPERATURE ASSIST SYSTEM FOR CENTRAL AIR
CONDITIONING / HEATING SYSTEM
Abstract
A house air conditioning system that operates with outside air.
The air conditioning system closes the house and uses air
conditioning, when the outside temperature is lower than the inside
house air temperature the air conditioning system is turned off,
the house or building is opened to the outside and the cooler
outside air is drawn through the house using fans. In the morning,
before sunrise, the fans will draw outside cool air in from the
outside to cool the thermal mass of the house and then closes the
house as the outside air heats to trap the cool air within the
house to delay air conditioning operation and reduce the overall
amount of AC runtime energy required to cool the house. This system
can also operate in reverse to heat the home. The system uses
multiple sensors and control mechanism to ensure optimal energy
savings.
Inventors: |
Werner; Ronald F.; (Corona,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BUHLER ASSOCIATES;BUHLER, KIRK A.
1101 CALIFORNIA AVE., SUITE 208
CORONA
CA
92881
US
|
Family ID: |
40251993 |
Appl. No.: |
12/115468 |
Filed: |
May 5, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60958901 |
Jul 9, 2007 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/180 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02B 10/24 20130101;
F24F 5/0046 20130101; F24F 11/0001 20130101; Y02B 10/20 20130101;
F24F 2011/0006 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/180 |
International
Class: |
F25D 17/00 20060101
F25D017/00 |
Claims
1. A natural air energy saving system comprising: a structure that
is cooled or heated; at least one temperature sensor located within
said structure and at least one temperature sensor located external
from said structure; an existing heating or air conditioning
system; at least one user installable fan; at least one user
installable actuator or servo; a programmable control that can
autonomously turn said existing heating or air condition system on
or off, and said programmable controller can operate said at least
one user installable fan and said at least one user installable
actuator or service to maintain a temperature within said
structure.
2. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 1
wherein said structure is a house, building or residence.
3. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 1
wherein said user installable actuator or servo opens an existing
window, door or vent on said structure.
4. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 1
wherein said programmable controller further includes an encoder
that sends signals over AC power lines.
5. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 4
wherein operation of said at least one user installable fan and
said at least one user installable servo or actuator is controlled
from a signal from said programmable controller over the existing
power line that powers said at least one user installable fan and
said at least one user installable servo or actuator.
6. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 1
wherein said programmable controller further includes a wireless
transmitter.
7. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 6
wherein operation of said at least one user installable fan and
said at least one user installable servo or actuator is controlled
from a signal from said programmable controller from said wireless
transmitter.
8. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 1
wherein said system can determine when the an outside temperature
will change in the future and operate said at least one user
installable fan and said at least one user installable servo or
actuator to alter a temperature within said structure.
9. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 1 that
further includes a wind direction indicator.
10. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 9
wherein said system uses said wind direction indicator to open and
or close said windows, vents or doors based upon prevailing wind
direction.
11. A natural air energy saving system comprising: a structure that
is cooled or heated; at least one temperature sensor located within
said structure and at least one temperature sensor located external
from said structure; at least one user installable fan; at least
one user installable actuator or servo; a powered air heating and
or air cooling device; a programmable control wherein said
programmable controller optimizes the use of air outside said
structure with said powered air heating and or air cooling device
with operation of said at least one user installable fan and said
at least one user installable actuator or service to maintain a
temperature within said structure.
12. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 11
wherein said structure is a house, building or residence.
13. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 11
wherein said user installable actuator or servo opens an existing
window, door or vent on said structure.
14. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 11
wherein said programmable controller further includes an encoder
that sends signals over AC power lines.
15. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 14
wherein operation of said at least one user installable fan and
said at least one user installable servo or actuator is controlled
from a signal from said programmable controller over the existing
power line that powers said at least one user installable fan and
said at least one user installable servo or actuator.
16. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 11
wherein said programmable controller further includes a wireless
transmitter.
17. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 16
wherein operation of said at least one user installable fan and
said at least one user installable servo or actuator is controlled
from a signal from said programmable controller from said wireless
transmitter.
18. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 11
wherein said system can determine when the an outside temperature
will change in the future and operate said at least one user
installable fan and said at least one user installable servo or
actuator to alter a temperature within said structure.
19. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 11 that
further includes a wind direction indicator.
20. The natural air energy saving system according to claim 19
wherein said system uses said wind direction indicator to open and
or close said windows, vents or doors based upon prevailing wind
direction.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Provisional
60/958,901 filed Jul. 9, 2007 the entire contents of which is
hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.
DESCRIPTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates to improvements and energy savings in
HVAC. More particularly, the present HVAC system uses a combination
of household air conditioning and heating with outside naturally
heated and cold air to conserve energy by operating the household
HVAC with house opening and fans to conserve energy. The system
uses multiple sensors and control mechanism to ensure optimal
energy savings.
[0004] 2. Background of the Invention
[0005] Most houses use either an air conditioning system to cool a
house, or attic fan that draws air in from the outside and through
the house. In many cases a home owner will operate an air
conditioning system while the outside temperature is colder than
the air within a house. This results in a waste of electricity.
Some homeowners recognize the difference in the temperature and
will manually shut off the air conditioning and open windows to
cool a house with free cooler outside air. While this results in an
improvement the widows are often left open after the outside
temperature has heated the house before they close the windows or
they let the air conditioning continue to run in the evening hours
when the outside air has cooled to lower than the desired
temperature. Some patents have been issued that either operate air
conditioning systems, whole house fans, or systems that air
condition different rooms at different times of the day. These
systems require the house to be built or significantly modified to
operate. Exemplary examples of house air conditioning systems are
disclosed herein.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,073 issued Jun. 30, 1987 to Carl
Lawrence, U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,183 issued May 11, 1999 to Melanius
D'Souza and U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,469 issued Jan. 2, 1981 to James A.
Sutton Jr. all disclose an air circulation system that turn on or
off fans to move outside air through an enclosure. These fans use
inside/outside temperature sensor or time-of-day timers to operate
the fans. While these patents disclose an air circulation system
that ventilates a building with outside air the systems do not work
with an air conditioning system to open and close the building to
achieve energy savings.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,575 issued Mar. 30, 1976 to Russell L.
Barr et al and U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,385 issued Oct. 11, 1988 to
Arthur C. Dean both disclose a house air conditioning system that
opens and closes ducting to use outside air. These patents require
the house to be pre-built with the ducts to alter where air is
drawn through a building. The use of ducting further eliminates the
possibility that outside air can naturally be blown through a
building or house without any fans using the wind or thermal
vertical movement of air.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 7,222,494 issued May 29, 2007 to Mark W.
Peterson et al discloses an Adaptive Intelligent Circulation
Control Methods and Systems. This system also requires a house or
building to be constructed with ducting for outside air. The system
has a number of sensors located both inside and outside of the
house to improve the comfort within the house and reduce energy
costs. The system can operate under a user defined program or in
random sequence.
[0009] What is needed is a system that operates with a
pre-constructed house and existing central HVAC system. While a
user could manually open and close widows to obtain similar energy
savings, but the value of the natural air energy saving system is
that it automatically performs the operation without a user having
to physically or mentally determine what windows and fans to
operate and at what times of day and what temperatures. The system
should use as a minimum of one inside and one outside temperature
sensor, a house air conditioning system a fan and an actuator or
servo to open and close an outside vent. The proposed application
provides these functions in an expandable manner that allows a
homeowner to achieve energy savings with an expandable system that
can be used with an existing home.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] It is an object of the natural air energy saving system to
reduce the total time that an air conditioning system needs to run
to provide the same comfort all day. This is accomplished by
automatically opening windows or vents and operating a fan or fans
in a house or building when the outside are is cooler than the
inside air. The "free" cooler outside air is drawn or blown thought
the house instead of operating an air conditioner to cool the
inside of the house
[0011] It is an object of the natural air energy saving system to
allow a house air conditioner to spend less time running nonstop,
and more running in cycles which provides overall better efficiency
of electricity. The reduction in air conditioning usage will
increase air conditioner life span since it reduces system strain.
The reduction of electricity use will also reduce energy
procurement costs during peak demand hours, so it will result in
lower costs for all. The reduced demand for electricity will reduce
energy generation impact on environment.
[0012] It is another object of the natural air energy saving system
to include remote location activation using existing phone lines,
or an internet connection that can start the natural air process
while away or before location arrival of occupants. This is
particularly useful when the occupants are away and a house is
warming throughout the day, but the occupants want the house aired
out or cooled prior to arrival.
[0013] It is another object of the natural air energy saving system
for the system to run in three modes remote, automatic, or manual.
The system can be switched off so the thermostat can operate as an
ordinary programmable thermostat.
[0014] It is still another object of the natural air energy saving
system for the system to allow natural air evacuation process can
be started via setting programmable timer in the thermostat
reducing the arrival temperature and reducing the time the air
conditioner will need to run to achieve desired temperature.
[0015] It is another object of the natural air energy saving system
to provide a safer indoor environment by windows and doors being
able to be closed during evening and night time hours while still
being able to enjoy fresh natural outside air.
[0016] It is another object of the natural air energy saving system
to operate with any existing air conditioning/heating system that
currently uses a central air thermostat. The system connects indoor
and outdoor sensors with controls for fans, actuators, servos and
vents using communications over pre-existing power lines and or a
wireless network to simplify installation.
[0017] Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the
present invention will become more apparent from the following
detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention,
along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals
represent like components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 shows a house or building with the natural air energy
saving system.
[0019] FIG. 2 shows the outside and inside temperature of a house
or building using the natural air energy saving system.
[0020] FIG. 3 shows an illustration of user interface for the
natural air energy saving system.
[0021] FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of some components of the
natural air energy saving system.
[0022] FIG. 5 shows a simplified flow chart of the natural air
energy saving system operating in the saving mode.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] FIG. 1 shows a house or building with the natural air energy
saving system. The natural air energy saving system includes a
special purpose built multi-programmable thermostat, that is shown
and described in detail with FIG. 3, with interior temperature
sensor, an air evacuation vent and fan that can be either hard
wired or wireless relay activated by said thermostat, and an
outdoor temperature sensor that can also be hardwired or wirelessly
transmit temperature readings to said thermostat, the outdoor
sensor must be installed in a way that it is always shaded so it
does not give false readings, all windows must be closed and
adequate insulation is a must for this system to work best.
[0024] The way the system works is the outdoor sensor sends a
constant reading to the thermostat. During summer months, where
cooling is more important, the thermostat will activate the Natural
Air fan and vent when the outdoor temperatures are at the lowest
point of the day, usually just before dawn. The activation will be
within a few lowest degrees and will bring the indoor temperature
to its lowest possible daily temperature. Once the thermostat
senses a one degree rise in temperature from the outdoor sensor,
the fan will stop and the vent will close. The indoor location and
all of its contents will start the day at a much lower temperature
or thermal mass, usually 30 to 40 or more degrees than the
projected high for the day. This will allow the thermostat to go a
lot longer into the day before turning on the air conditioner at
their programmed desired temperature. It will be able to cycle
longer into the day and will spend less time in a constant run
resulting in less overall run time and more efficiency. In the
evening hours, the thermostat will read the outdoor sensor and when
it senses the outdoor temperature is below the desired programmed
indoor temperature, the air conditioner will turn off and the
evacuation fan and vent will activate and de-activate as needed to
maintain the desired temperature through the night with natural
air. When the outdoor temperature drops to its lowest point. The
process will start all over again as programmed.
[0025] The dynamics of this system can be used in reverse order for
benefits in the colder winter season. It is important to remember
that the vent allows in as much air as the fan evacuates however,
on production models this could be made to be adjustable depending
on the size of the desired area. On larger applications, larger
vents and fans could be used to achieve the same results, or
multiples of vents and fans. An additional outdoor temperature
sensor can be used to give the thermostat a multiple view of
outside ambient temperature. More detailed description of the
various components is shown and described with the figures
herein.
[0026] FIG. 1 shows a house or building with the natural air energy
saving system. From FIG. 1 the lower main vent 10, and the
evacuation fan 20 blowing into the attic, the outdoor sensor 30 is
hanging under one of the eaves so as to not get direct sun. The
programmable natural air thermostat 40 is where one would expect a
thermostat to be, near the center of the house, a second evacuation
fan 50 if needed for a larger attic can be installed in a gable
mount, finally, in a even larger home application, an additional
evacuation fan 60 might be needed for an even larger location,
larger commercial buildings will require larger equipment to
achieve the same results but the desired result is the same. an
automatic temperature energy maximization system that gets a
location and all of its contents to a maximum opposite temperature
of the expected opposite temperature, that adds up to shorter air
conditioning 15 run times, in most cases, only one relay servo
operated vent would be required as different sizes would be
available and would best be put high enough up not to invite a
break in. also a steel grate or grill could be installed to protect
the opening. The air conditioner 15 is shown as a window mounted AC
units but could also be a central HVAC unit.
[0027] FIG. 2 shows the outside and inside temperature of a house
or building using the natural air energy saving system. On the
abscissa the graph shows the temperature in degrees F. The ordinate
shows the time of day starting at midnight. The temperature
difference between is approximately 35 degrees in this graph. For
simplicity the set point temperature is set to 75 degrees. In
practicality the thermostat would be set to one temperature when
the house is occupied and a different temperature when the house is
vacant. The graph shows the outside temperature 70 in a solid line
and the inside house temperature 71 in a broken line.
[0028] Starting at midnight the outside temperature 70 begins at
about 65 degrees. Since the house set temperature is 75 degrees,
the inside temperature 71 is maintained by operation of windows and
or fans to maintain the temperature. Bracket 73 shows this period
of time for natural ventilation of the house during this period.
Because a goal is to provide use the cooler outside air while
maintaining a "tolerable" inside temperature bracket 75 provides a
period cool down before the sun rises and the temperature climbs.
During this period of time the house vents are opened and fans pull
or push the coolest outside air through the house to reduce the
thermal mass of the house until the outside temperature equals the
inside temperature at the intersection of brackets 75 and 74 when
all the fans are turned off and all the vents are closed. For the
time under bracket 74 the outside temperature 70 rises and the
inside temperature 71 of the house rises until the set point
temperature is reached and the house air conditioning system
operates, under bracket 72. After the sun goes down the outside
temperature drops until the outside temperature 70 matches the
inside temperature 71 when the windows, vents and or fans are
operated to maintain the temperature again as shown under bracket
73.
[0029] FIG. 3 shows an illustration of user interface for the
natural air energy saving system. This interface is only one
contemplated embodiment of the control system. This display shows
the inside temperature 80 and the outside temperature 81. The time
of day 83 and the day of the week 84 is shown to allow for unique
programming for different days or days when occupants are present
in the house. The display also shows the status of fans and vents
86 located around the house. A home owner can manually operate the
fans and vents using buttons 88 knobs or similar controls. A
similar set of buttons or knobs 82 allows the user to set the
temperatures and or functions of the system. One portion of the
display 85 indicates the operations status. The status conditions
include but are not limited to off, automatic, manual and a save
mode that operates without the house air conditioning system. The
natural air energy saving system operates either with an existing
house air conditioning and control system or as a replacement
control system. When the system works with an existing HVAC the
supplemental natural air energy saving controller can autonomously
turn the prior existing HVAC controller on or off. An indicator 87
identifies when the system is operating the HVAC system. In one
contemplated embodiment the outside temperature sensor also
includes a wind direction sensor that allows the system to open
windows on opposite sides of a house to allows natural prevailing
wind to blow though a house without using powered fans to further
reduce energy consumption.
[0030] FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of some components of the
natural air energy saving system. This block diagram shows
communications over household wiring and or with wireless data
communications. Each fan or window/vent actuator or servo has its
own unique electronic identifier so the system can open, close,
turn on, or turn off each component. Since each device is powered
by household electricity the use of AC power line communications
and control is ideal for the system. AC electricity 100 comes into
the house from a power grid of from solar or other sources. Each
control unit uses a power converter of transformer 101 of one type
or another to power the controller or control system 102. The
controller 102 has a display 103, and encoder 105 and or a
transmitter 104. In the preferred embodiment the encoder 105
encodes a signal onto the AC power line that is common throughout
the house. The controller 102 is shown wired 107 to the existing
household HVAC 106.
[0031] Two separate controlled devices 108 and 109 are shown in
this figure. One control device 108 is shown as an actuator or
servo that opens and closes a window, door, vent or other
apparatus. The other control device 109 is shown as a fan. Each
controlled device 108 and 109 has a unique ID that the controller
102 can identify. When a command is encoded 105 onto the power line
the decoder in each controlled device 108 and 109 will decode 110
the signal and respond based upon the command to change the status
of the device (fan 111 or actuator 112). This change can be viewed
on this display as item 86 in FIG. 3. Optionally the commands can
be transmitted wirelessly using antenna 104 and received by
antennas 114. The outside temperature sensor 30 and or wind
direction sensor transmits a wireless signal 104 to the controller
102.
[0032] FIG. 5 shows a simplified flow chart of the natural air
energy saving system operating in the saving mode. This is a
simplified flow chart showing the control sequence from the graph
in FIG. 2 and the house is being used in a cooling mode as opposed
to a heating mode. In this sequence the household HVAC is
operational. Starting with question 120 that determines if the
outside temperature is cooler than the inside temperature. If the
outside temperature is hotter than the inside temperature then the
system will use an existing air conditioning system 121 to, or the
existing HVAC is operated.
[0033] Once the outside temperature is cooler than the inside
temperature of the house the natural air energy saving system
begins to operate. To provide extra savings the system will open
windows and or vent at the coolest time of the day. The coolest
time of the day is determined by tracking when the outside
temperature intersects the inside temperature (intersection of
bracket 74 and 75 in FIG. 2) and subtracting time. The system can
also be programmed with the sunrise times based on zip code, time
of year or similar algorithm. If the coolest time of day is present
(2 house before sunrise in this example) 122 the system will open
windows, vents and turn on fans 123 to cool the interior thermal
mass of the house to increase cooling efficiency within the
house.
[0034] Normally in the evening the system will operate in decision
sequence 124 where the system will regulate the temperature within
the house by opening and closing windows or vents and turning on
125 or off 126 fans to maintain the temperature within the house.
Numerous similar options are contemplated to provide maximum
cooling though the evening without regulating the temperature until
sunrise. These options are impliedly included in this
disclosure.
[0035] Thus, specific embodiments of a natural air energy saving
system have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to
those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those
described are possible without departing from the inventive
concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to
be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.
* * * * *