Method for operating a fan system and fan system having a backward curved centrifugal fan

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11746794-B2
Application number	US-202117331271-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2021
Priority date	May 28, 2020
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

A method for operating a fan system as well as such a fan system. The fan system has a control device having an artificial neural network. The control device controls an electric motor of a backward curved centrifugal fan. The centrifugal fan creates a gas flow that is characterized by an actual flow value, particularly the actual value of a volume flow rate. The actual flow value is not detected by a sensor means, but determined by means of the artificial neural network depending from input variables and based thereon, the electric motor is open loop or closed loop controlled by means of the control device. The motor current and the motor voltage as well as their time-dependent behavior that can be the time derivative (e.g. gradient of first order) or that can be at least one preceding value at a preceding point in time, are provided to an input layer of the artificial neural network. It is particularly advantageous, if the artificial neural network determines an actual value of an output pressure that is fed back internally or externally forming an input variable for the input layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating a fan system comprising a control device and a backward curved centrifugal fan having a motor and a rotor driven by the motor, wherein the fan system is configured to create a gas flow that is characterized by at least one actual flow rate value (pa(kT), Q(kT); pa (t akt ), Q(t akt )), wherein the method comprises the following steps:
determination of an operation parameter (U(kT); U(t akt )) forming a correcting variable and characterizing operation conditions of the motor of the centrifugal fan,
determination of at least one operation parameter (I(kT); I(t akt )) forming at least one actual system variable and characterizing at least one operation condition of the motor of the centrifugal fan in a continuous or time-discrete manner,
providing the correcting variable (U(kT); U(t akt )) and the at least one actual system variable (I(kT); I(t akt )) to an artificial neural network of the control device,
determination of the at least one actual flow rate value (Q(kT); Q(t akt )) by the artificial neural network based on the correcting variable (U(kT); U(t akt )) and the actual system variable (I(kT); I(t akt )) and a time-dependent change (I((k−1)T); dI) of the actual system variable (I((k−1)T);dI),
checking whether the correcting variable (U(kT); U(t akt )) has to be modified based on the determined at least one actual flow rate value (Q(kT), Q(t akt )), and
wherein an actual flow value (pa(kT), pa(t akt )) of the at least one actual flow rate value (pa(kT), pa(t akt )) determined by the artificial neural network is fed back to an input layer of the artificial neural network.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the control device comprises a regulator to which a control deviation between a predefined desired flow value and the at least one actual flow rate value (Q(kT), Q(t akt )) is submitted.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an actual flow value of the at least one actual flow rate value determined by the artificial neural network is an actual volume flow rate value (Q(kT), Q(t akt )) and a desired flow value is a desired volume flow rate value.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the predefined desired volume flow rate value remains constant during operation in order to obtain a constant volume flow rate.

5. A method for operating a fan system comprising a control device and a backward curved centrifugal fan having a motor and a rotor driven by the motor, wherein the fan system is configured to create a gas flow that is characterized by at least one actual flow rate value (pa(kT), Q(kT); pa (t akt ), Q(t akt )), wherein the method comprises the following steps:
determination of an operation parameter (U(kT); U(t akt )) forming a correcting variable and characterizing operation conditions of the motor of the centrifugal fan,
determination of at least one operation parameter (I(kT); I(t akt )) forming at least one actual system variable and characterizing at least one operation condition of the motor of the centrifugal fan in a continuous or time-discrete manner,
providing the correcting variable (U(kT); U(t akt )) and the at least one actual system variable (I(kT); I(t akt )) to an artificial neural network of the control device,
determination of the at least one actual flow rate value (Q(kT); Q(t akt )) by the artificial neural network based on the correcting variable (U(kT); U(t akt )) and the actual system variable (I(kT); I(t akt )) and a time-dependent change (I((k−1)T); dI) of the actual system variable (I((k−1)T);dI),
checking whether the correcting variable (U(kT); U(t akt )) has to be modified based on the determined at least one actual flow rate value (Q(kT), Q(t akt )), and

wherein the artificial neural network comprises an input layer to which an actual value of the at least one actual system variable (I(kT); I(t akt )) and of the correcting variable (U(kT); U(t akt )) for an actual point in time (kT) as well as a preceding value of the actual system variable (I((k−1)T)) to a preceding point in time ((k−1)T) is submitted.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein in addition a preceding value of the correcting variable (U((k−1)T)) to a preceding point in time ((k−1)T) is submitted to the input layer.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the artificial neural network comprises an input layer to which an actual value of the at least one actual system variable ((I(t akt )) for an actual point in time as well as a time-dependent change of the actual system variable (dI) for the actual point in time (t akt ) is submitted.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein in addition a time-dependent change of the correcting variable (dU) for the actual point in time (t akt ) is submitted to the input layer.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an actual flow value of the at least one actual flow rate value determined by the artificial neural network is an actual output pressure value (pa(kT), pa(t akt )).

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an actual output pressure value (pa(kT), pa(t akt )) is fed back to an input layer.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the artificial neural network comprises neurons and wherein each neuron comprises an activation function.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the activation function is formed by a rectifier.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the activation function is limited to a maximum value (F max ).

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one actual system variable depends on a fan rotation speed or is the fan rotation speed and wherein the fan rotation speed is determined indirectly or is directly detected a rotation speed sensor.

15. A fan system comprising a control device and a backward curved centrifugal fan having a motor and a rotor driven by the motor, wherein the control device is configured to carry out the method according to claim 1 .

16. The method according to claim 2 , wherein an actual flow value of the at least one actual flow rate value determined by the artificial neural network is an actual volume flow rate value (Q(kT), Q(t akt )) and the predefined desired flow value is a desired volume flow rate value.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the desired volume flow rate value remains constant during operation in order to obtain a constant volume flow rate.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the artificial neural network comprises an input layer to which an actual value of the at least one actual system variable (I(kT); I(t akt )) and of the correcting variable (U(kT); U(t akt )) for an actual point in time (kT) as well as a preceding value of the actual system variable (I((k−1)T)) to a preceding point in time ((k−1)T) is submitted.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein in addition a preceding value of the correcting variable (U((k−1)T)) to a preceding point in time ((k−1)T) is submitted to the input layer.

20. A method for operating a fan system comprising a control device and a backward curved centrifugal fan having a motor and a rotor driven by the motor, wherein the fan system is configured to create a gas flow that is characterized by at least one actual flow rate value (pa(kT), Q(kT); pa (t akt ), Q(t akt )), wherein the method comprises the following steps:
determination of an operation parameter (U(kT); U(t akt )) forming a correcting variable and characterizing operation conditions of the motor of the centrifugal fan,
determination of at least on

Assignees

• Ebm Papst Mulfingen Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Eberle Walter
• Rau Alexander
• Wystup Ralph
• Nase Rainer
• Humm Markus

Classifications

• F04D27/004 Primary

  by varying driving speed · CPC title

• F04D29/281

  for fans or blowers · CPC title

• G05B13/027

  using neural networks only · CPC title

• F04D25/08 Primary

  the working fluid being air, e.g. for ventilation · CPC title

• F04D27/001 Primary

  Testing thereof; Determination or simulation of flow characteristics; Stall or surge detection, e.g. condition monitoring · CPC title