Systems and methods for controlling twinned heating appliances

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12092345-B2
Application number	US-202117202516-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2021
Priority date	Mar 16, 2021
Publication date	Sep 17, 2024
Grant date	Sep 17, 2024

Abstract

A system and a method for controlling twinned heating appliances are described. The system includes a first heating appliance and a second heating appliance. The first heating appliance includes a first blower and a first wireless communication unit. Further, the second heating appliance is operatively coupled with the first heating appliance as a twinned unit. The second heating appliance includes a second blower and a second wireless communication unit. The system also includes a primary control unit configured to receive speed data indicative of a speed of the first blower and speed data indicative of a speed of the second blower. The primary control unit is further configured to output a blower speed control signal to at least one of the first blower and the second blower to synchronize the first blower and the second blower.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for controlling twinned heating appliances, the system comprising:
a first heating appliance comprising a first blower and a first wireless communication unit;
a second heating appliance operatively coupled with the first heating appliance as a twinned unit, the second heating appliance including a second blower and a second wireless communication unit; and
a primary control unit disposed at the first heating appliance, the primary control unit configured to:
determine speed data indicative of a speed of the first blower;
determine, using the second wireless communication unit, speed data associated with the second blower;
compare the speed data associated with the first blower with the speed data associated with the second blower;
based on the comparison, determine a blower speed control signal for synchronizing the speed of the first blower and the speed of the second blower; and
transmit the blower speed control signal to the second heating appliance, wherein the blower speed control signal overrides a current blower speed of the second blower and causes the second blower to synchronize a speed of the second blower with the speed of the first blower.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the primary control unit is integrated into the first heating appliance.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a secondary control unit, wherein the secondary control unit and the primary control unit are configured to operate together in a primary/secondary configuration.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the primary control unit is configured to maintain the speed of the first blower and the second blower or modify the speed of the first blower and the second blower.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit includes a wireless module configured to transmit data over a personal area network.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first blower of the first heating appliance and the second blower of the second heating appliance include a first motor and a second motor, respectively.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein each of the first motor and the second motor is an electronically commutated motor or brushless DC motor.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a common supply duct coupled with the first heating appliance and the second heating appliance, wherein the first blower and the second blower are configured to circulate air to an enclosed space through the common supply duct.

9. The system of claim 3 , wherein the secondary control unit is integrated into the second heating appliance.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless communication unit is configured to establish a connection to the second wireless communication unit via a personal area network.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the primary control unit is further configured to receive speed data indicative of the speed of the second blower from the second heating appliance.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the primary control unit is further configured to determine that the speed of the second blower is different than a speed of the first blower.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the primary control unit is further configured to transmit the blower speed control signal to the first blower.

14. A method for controlling heating appliances including a first heating appliance and a second heating appliance twinned together, the method comprising:
determining, by a primary control unit disposed at the first heating appliance, data indicative of a speed of a first blower of the first heating appliance;
receiving, by the primary control unit, data indicative of a speed of a second blower of the second heating appliance through a second wireless communication unit of the second heating appliance;
generating, by the primary control unit, a blower speed control signal to synchronize the speed of the second blower with the speed of the first blower;
communicating, by the primary control unit, the blower speed control signal to the second heating appliance through the second wireless communication unit, wherein the blower speed control signal overrides a current blower speed of the second blower; and
synchronizing, by the primary control unit, the speed of the first blower and the speed of the second blower based on the blower speed control signal, wherein the synchronizing comprises:
comparing, by the primary control unit, the speed of the first blower of the first heating appliance with the speed of the second blower of the second heating appliance; and
responsive to determining the speed of the first blower to be different from the speed of the second blower, generating, by the primary control unit, the blower speed control signal for synchronizing the speed of the first blower and the speed of the second blower.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the primary control unit is a part of the first heating appliance.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
modifying, by the first heating appliance, the speed of the second blower to synchronize the speed of the second blower with the speed of the first blower.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
receiving, by the second heating appliance through the second wireless communication unit, the blower speed control signal from the primary control unit; and
modifying, by the second heating appliance, the speed of the second blower to synchronize with the speed of the second blower with the speed of the first blower.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein each of the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit includes a wireless module configured to transmit data over a personal area network.

Assignees

• Rheem Mfg Co

Inventors

• Drake Dean A
• Oglesbee Robert
• Reed Shawn
• Cedeno Rodrigo

Classifications

• F24H9/0073

  Arrangement or mounting of means for forcing the circulation of air · CPC title

• F24H9/0063

  in air channels · CPC title

• F24D2220/044

  Flow sensors · CPC title

• F24D2220/042

  Temperature sensors · CPC title

• F24D2200/00

  Heat sources or energy sources · CPC title