Navier-stokes based indoor climate control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10208971-B2
Application number	US-201515123706-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2015
Priority date	Mar 10, 2014
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

A data processor ( 4 ) is disclosed that can be used in a climate control system ( 1 ) for controlling a climate in an indoor space ( 10 ) or in a design system ( 20 ) for designing such a climate control system.
The data processor jointly resolves a set of coupled optimization problems of the following form:

z
Φ
k

=

argmin

Z
Φ

⁡

(

[

S
Φ

k
⁢

⁢
1

⁢

⁢
O

]

⁢

z
Φ

-

Φ
~

k
⁢

⁢
1

)

T

⁢

Q
Φ
k

⁡

(

[

S
Φ

k
⁢

⁢
1

⁢

⁢
O

]

⁢

z
Φ

-

Φ
~

k
⁢

⁢
1

)

+

(

[

O
⁢

⁢
I

]

Z
Φ

)

T

⁢

R
Φ
k

⁡

(

[

O
⁢

⁢
I

]

Z
Φ

)

(

5
⁢
a

)

subject
⁢

⁢
to

⁢

[

A
Φ
k

-

B
Φ
k

]

⁢

z
Φ

-

b
Φ
′k

⁡

(

Φ
k

,

e
Φ
k

)

=
0

(

5
⁢
b

)

wherein:

z Φ = [ Φ q Φ ]
is an augmented state-vector comprising a vector Φ specifying the spatial distribution of a climate related variable with respect to a plurality of spatial cells, and a source term q Φ to be resolved, and wherein

z Φ k = [ Φ k + 1 q Φ k ]
is the solution found for point in time k+1, {tilde over (Φ)} k+1 being a vector specifying a setpoint specified for said climate related variable at point in time k+1 for at least a part of said plurality of cells, e Φ k are boundary conditions relevant for said climate related variable at point in time k,
S is a selection matrix, selecting cells for said distribution having a setpoint, O is the zero matrix, I is the identity matrix and Q and R are weighting matrices for tracking and energy consumption, wherein A Φ is a matrix that defines the development of vector Φ as a function of one or more other vectors of climate related variables, wherein B Φ is a matrix that maps the source terms for field Φ to the cell field values affected by those source terms, and wherein the data processor ( 4 ) controls the plurality of said actuators in accordance with the source term q Φ .

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A data processor, comprising outputs to provide control signals to one or more actuators, wherein said data processor jointly resolves a set of coupled optimization problems of the following form
z Φ k =arg min z Φ ([ S Φ k+1 O ] z Φ −{tilde over (Φ)} k+1 ) T Q Φ k ([ S Φ k+1 O ] z Φ −{tilde over (Φ)} k+1 )+([ OI ] z Φ ) T R Φ k ([ OI ] z Φ )

subject to [ A Φ k −B Φ k ] z Φ −b′ Φ k (Φ k ,e Φ k )=0

wherein the control signals are to activate said one or more actuators to change at least one variable of an indoor climate, wherein:

z
Φ

=

[

Φ

q
Φ

]

is an augmented state-vector comprising a vector Φ specifying the spatial distribution of a climate related variable with respect to a plurality of spatial cells, and a source term q Φ to be resolved, said source term corresponding to an activation of said one or more actuators to result from said control signals and wherein

z
Φ
k

=

[

Φ

k
+
1

q
Φ
k

]

is the solution found for point in time k, {tilde over (Φ)} k+1 being a vector specifying a setpoint specified for said climate related variable at point in time k+1 for at least a part of said plurality of cells, e Φ k are boundary conditions relevant for said climate related variable at point in time k, S is a selection matrix, selecting cells for said distribution having a setpoint, O is the zero matrix, I is the identity matrix and Q and R are weighting matrices that specify the relative importance attached to tracking the setpoint and complying with energy consumption budgets, respectively, and
wherein A Φ is a matrix that defines the development of vector Φ as a function of one or more other vectors of climate related variables,
wherein B Φ is a matrix that maps the source terms for field Φ to the cell field values affected by those source terms, and wherein the data processor provides the control signals in accordance with the source term q Φ .

2. The data processor according to claim 1 , wherein jointly resolving the set of coupled optimization problems involves the following steps:
an update step, comprising the following sub-steps to be carried out in arbitrary order,
update (S1u) the air velocity field u and associated source term field q u for a first spatial direction (x) by optimizing the air velocity field u for said direction,
update (S1y) the air velocity field v and associated source term field q v for a second spatial direction (y) by optimizing the air velocity field v for said direction,
update (S1w) the air velocity field w and associated source term field q w for a third spatial direction (z) by optimizing the air velocity field z for said direction,
update (S1T) the temperature field T and associated source term field q T by optimizing the temperature field T,
calculate (S2) the pressure field (P),
apply a relaxation step (S3), and
check for convergence, otherwise repeat the previous steps S1-S3.

3. A data processing method for controlling at least one variable of an indoor climate, the data processing method comprising
jointly resolving a set of coupled optimization problems of the following form:
z Φ k =arg min z Φ ([ S Φ k+1 O ] z Φ −{tilde over (Φ)} k+1 ) T Q Φ k ([ S Φ k+1 O ] z Φ −{tilde over (Φ)} k+1 )+([ OI ] z Φ ) T R Φ k ([ OI ] z Φ )  (5a)

subject to [ A Φ k −B Φ k ] z Φ −b′ Φ k (Φ k ,e Φ k )=0

wherein:

z
Φ

=

[

Φ

q
Φ

]

is an augmented state-vector comprising a vector Φ specifying the spatial distribution of a climate related variable with respect to a plurality of spatial cells, and a source term q Φ to be resolved, and
wherein

z
Φ
k

=

[

Φ

k
+
1

q
Φ
k

]

is the solution found for point in time k, {tilde over (Φ)} k+1 being a vector specifying a setpoint specified for said climate related variable at point in time k+1 for at least a part of said plurality of cells, e Φ k are boundary conditions relevant for said climate related variable at point in time k, S is a selection matrix, selecting cells for said distribution having a setpoint, O is the zero matrix, I is the identity matrix and Q and R are weighting matrices for tracking and energy consumption, and
wherein AΦ is a matrix that defines the development of vector Φ as a function of one or more other vectors of climate related variables, and
wherein BΦ is a matrix that maps the source terms for field Φ to the cell field values affected by those source terms,
the method further comprising providing control signals in accordance with said source terms, said control signals activating one or more actuators to change said at least one variable of said indoor climate.

4. A method according to claim 3 , further comprising
receiving sensory data indicative for sensed values from climate related variables in an indoor space as the data indicative for values of indoor climate related variables, and
driving said one or more actuators by said control signals.

5. The method according to claim 4 , comprising providing the vector {tilde over

Assignees

• TNO
• Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast Natuurewetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno

Inventors

• Booij Paul Sebastian

Classifications

• G05D23/1917

  using digital means · CPC title

• F24F11/63

  Electronic processing · CPC title

• G05B2219/2614

  HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control · CPC title

• G05D23/1928

  sensing the temperature of one space · CPC title

• F24F11/62

  characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values · CPC title