Air-conditioning system and air-conditioning system controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12235009-B2
Application number	US-202017797752-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2020
Priority date	Feb 20, 2020
Publication date	Feb 25, 2025
Grant date	Feb 25, 2025

Abstract

An air-conditioning system includes a humidifier, a dehumidifier, transfer fans for transferring air of an air-conditioned room to a room, a damper for independently controlling an air volume transferred to the room, a system controller for controlling the humidifier, the dehumidifier and the damper, a room humidity sensor and an air-conditioned room humidity sensor. The system controller further includes an air-conditioned room humidity controller for maintaining the humidity of the air-conditioned room within a specified humidity range defined by a minimum humidity and a maximum humidity, an air volume determiner for determining an air volume passing through the damper according to the humidity of the room obtained by the room humidity sensor and the humidity of the air-conditioned room obtained by the air-conditioned room humidity sensor and a damper controller for controlling the air volume transferred to the room passing through the damper.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air-conditioning system comprising:
a humidifier for humidifying air of an air conditioned room;
a dehumidifier for dehumidifying air of the air conditioned room;
a plurality of transfer fans for transferring air of the air-conditioned room to a plurality of rooms independent from the air conditioned room;
a plurality of dampers each disposed for a corresponding one of the rooms for independently controlling an air volume of air to be transferred to the room by a corresponding one of the transfer fans;
a system controller for controlling the humidifier, the dehumidifier and each of the dampers;
a plurality of room humidity sensors each obtaining a humidity of a corresponding one of the rooms to transmit the humidity to the system controller; and
an air-conditioned room humidity sensor for obtaining a humidity of the air-conditioned room to transmit the humidity to the system controller,
wherein the system controller includes:
an air-conditioned room humidity controller for controlling at least one of the humidifier and the dehumidifier to maintain the humidity of the air-conditioned room within a specified humidity range defined by a minimum humidity and a maximum humidity;
an air volume determiner for determining an air volume passing through each of the dampers according to the humidity of a corresponding one of the rooms obtained by a corresponding one of the room humidity sensors and the humidity of the air-conditioned room obtained by the air-conditioned room humidity sensor; and
a damper controller for controlling the air volume of air to be transferred to each of the rooms passing through a corresponding one of the dampers at the air volume determined by the air volume determiner.

2. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the air volume determiner includes:
a humidity determiner for determining whether the humidity of each of the rooms is within the specified humidity range according to the humidity of the corresponding one of the rooms obtained by the corresponding one of the room humidity sensors and the specified humidity range; and
a humidity difference comparator for calculating a difference between the humidity of each of the rooms obtained by the corresponding one of the room humidity sensors and the humidity of the air-conditioned room obtained by the air-conditioned room humidity sensor, and
the air volume determiner determines the air volume passing through each of the dampers according to the difference in humidity calculated by the humidity difference comparator when the humidity determiner determines the humidity of each of the rooms is out of the specified humidity range.

3. The air-conditioning system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the air volume determiner determines to transfer more air volume passing through each of the dampers to a room determined to have a large humidity difference than a room determined to have a small humidity difference according to the difference in humidity calculated by the humidity difference comparator.

4. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the air volume determiner includes:
a humidity determiner for determining whether the humidity of each of the rooms is within the specified humidity range according to the humidity of the corresponding one of the rooms obtained by the corresponding one of the room humidity sensors and the specified humidity range; and
a high-low determiner for determining whether the humidity of each of the rooms obtained by the corresponding one of the room humidity sensors is higher or lower than the humidity of the air-conditioned room, and
the air volume determiner determines an air volume passing through each of the dampers according to a result determined by the high-low determiner when the humidity determiner determines the humidity of each of the rooms is out of the specified humidity range.

5. The air-conditioning system according to claim 4 ,
wherein the air volume determiner determines to transfer an identical air volume passing through each of the dampers to a room determined to have a humidity higher than the maximum humidity and a room determined to have a humidity lower than the minimum humidity when the high-low determiner determines both the room determined to have the humidity higher than the maximum humidity and the room determined to have the humidity lower than the minimum humidity are present.

6. The air-conditioning system according to claim 4 ,
wherein the air volume determiner includes:
a humidity difference comparator for calculating a difference between the humidity of each of the rooms obtained by the corresponding one of the room humidity sensors and the humidity of the air-conditioned room obtained by the air-conditioned room humidity sensor, and
the air volume determiner determines an air volume passing through each of the dampers according to the difference calculated by the humidity difference comparator when the high-low determiner determines both the room determined to have the humidity higher than the maximum humidity and the room determined to have the humidity lower than the minimum humidity are present.

7. The air-conditioning system according to claim 6 ,
wherein the air volume determiner determines to transfer more air volume passing through each of the dampers to a room determined to have a small humidity difference than a room determined to have a large humidity difference according to the difference calculated by the humidity difference comparator when the high-low determiner determines both the room determined to have the humidity higher than the maximum humidity and the room determined to have the humidity lower than the minimum humidity are present.

8. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the air-conditioned room includes:
a first space having an air supply opening;
the dehumidifier for dehumidifying air of the first space;
a second space communicated with the first space and independently disposed downstream of the first space of the air-conditioned room;
an air conditioner for conditioning air of the second space; and
the transfer fans for transferring air conditioned by the air conditioner out of the air-conditioned room.

9. The air-conditioning system according to claim 8 , comprising:
a third space communicated with the first space and independently disposed downstream of the first space; and
the humidifier for humidifying air of the third space.

10. The air-conditioning system according to claim 9 ,
wherein the second space is combined with the third space.

11. The air-conditioning system according to claim 9 ,
wherein the second space is disposed downstream of the first space and upstream of the third space.

12. An air-conditioning system comprising:
a humidifier for humidifying air of an air conditioned room;
a plurality of transfer fans for transferring air of the air-conditioned room to a plurality of rooms independent from the air conditioned room;
a plurality of dampers each disposed for a corresponding one of the rooms for independently controlling an air volume of air to be transferred to the room by a corresponding one of the transfer fans;
a system controller for controlling the humidifier, a dehumidifier and each of the dampers;
a plurality of room humidity sensors each obtaining a humidity of a corresponding one of the rooms to transmit the humidity to the system controller; and
an air-conditioned room humidity sensor for obtaining a humidity of the air-conditioned room to transmit the humidity to the system controller,
wherein the system controller includes:
an air-conditioned room h

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tsubouchi Masafumi
• Konishi Ayumi
• Funada Naoyuki
• Aramaki Takuma
• Nakasone Takaaki

Classifications

• F24F3/001

  in which the air treatment in the central station takes place by means of a heat-pump or by means of a reversible cycle (reversible cycle for humidifying and drying air F24F3/147) · CPC title

• F24F2003/003

  with primary air treatment in the central station and subsequent secondary air treatment in air treatment units located in or near the rooms · CPC title

• F24F2003/005

  with a single air duct for transporting treated primary air from the central station to air treatment units located in or near the rooms · CPC title

• G05B2219/2614

  HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control · CPC title

• F24F11/0008 Primary

  for air-humidification (F24F11/30 takes precedence) · CPC title