VENTILATION CONTROL APPARATUS AND METHOD

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Taiwan Application Serial Number 111149537, filed Dec. 22, 2022, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a ventilation control apparatus and method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a ventilation control apparatus and method capable of dynamically updating activation conditions.

Description of Related Art

In the prior art, methods for controlling air ventilation rate in indoor spaces can be mainly classified into scheduling control and threshold control.

Specifically, the scheduling control method calculates the number of the air ventilation and the air ventilation volume of the indoor space, and activates the ventilation apparatus at a fixed time to achieve the air ventilation volume target. However, since the scheduling control method does not dynamically adjust the air ventilation time and air ventilation volume, when the number of people in the indoor space changes suddenly, the air quality may decrease due to insufficient air ventilation.

The threshold control method is to install sensors of various pollutants (e.g., sensors of carbon dioxide, suspended particles, etc.) in the indoor space, once the ventilation apparatus detects that the value of a certain pollutant exceeds the defined threshold, then start the air ventilation apparatus. However, when the threshold is set too low, hyperventilation may occur and cause the disadvantage of energy consumption of air conditioning equipment. When the threshold value is set too high, the disadvantage of insufficient ventilation and pollutant values exceeding regulatory standards may occur. In addition, since the threshold value control method does not activate the air ventilation equipment most of the time, but only activates when the threshold value is exceeded, it may cause a large oscillation (overshooting) phenomenon of the air quality in the indoor space.

Accordingly, there is an urgent need for a ventilation control technology that can dynamically update the activation conditions.

SUMMARY

An objective of the present disclosure is to provide a ventilation control apparatus. The ventilation control apparatus comprises a storage, a ventilation apparatus, and a processor. The processor is electrically connected to the storage and the ventilation apparatus. The storage is configured to store a plurality of first historical sensing data corresponding to a plurality of first time intervals and an activation condition. The ventilation apparatus corresponds to the activation condition. The processor calculates a plurality of deviation values corresponding to the first time intervals based on the first historical sensing data. The processor determines an adjustment parameter based on the deviation values. The processor updates the activation condition based on the adjustment parameter. The processor transmits a first control signal corresponding to the adjustment parameter to the ventilation apparatus to instruct the ventilation apparatus to operate based on the activation condition.

Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a ventilation control method, which is adapted for use in an electronic apparatus, and the electronic apparatus comprises a ventilation apparatus. The ventilation control method comprises following steps: calculating, based on a plurality of first historical sensing data of a plurality of first time intervals, a plurality of deviation values corresponding to the first time intervals; transmitting a first control signal corresponding to an adjustment parameter to the ventilation apparatus, wherein the adjustment parameter is determined based on the deviation values; and instructing the ventilation apparatus to operate based on the activation condition, wherein the activation condition is updated based on the adjustment parameter.

According to the above descriptions, the ventilation control technology (at least including the apparatus and the method) provided by the present disclosure provided calculates a plurality of deviation values by analyzing a plurality of historical sensing data corresponding to a plurality of time intervals. Next, the ventilation control technology provided by the present disclosure determines an adjustment parameter based on the deviation values, and transmits a first control signal corresponding to the adjustment parameter to the ventilation apparatus to instruct the ventilation apparatus to operate based on the activation condition. In addition, the ventilation control technology provided by the present disclosure can determine the current air volume level of the ventilation apparatus by calculating the ratio between the real-time sensing data and the standard gas threshold. Furthermore, the ventilation control technology provided by the present disclosure can adjust the air volume of the ventilation apparatus by calculating the integral value of the historical sensing data in a time interval. The ventilation control technology provided by the present disclosure can dynamically update the activation condition and determine and adjust the air volume of the ventilation apparatus based on a variety of different situations, and thus solving the shortcomings of the conventional technology.

The detailed technology and preferred embodiments implemented for the subject disclosure are described in the following paragraphs accompanying the appended drawings for people skilled in this field to well appreciate the features of the claimed disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view depicting the structure of a ventilation control apparatus of the first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view depicting the detected concentration of carbon dioxide of the first embodiment;

FIG. 3A is a schematic view depicting the detected concentration of carbon dioxide of some embodiments;

FIG. 3B is a schematic view depicting the detected concentration of carbon dioxide of some embodiments; and

FIG. 4 is a partial flowchart depicting a ventilation control method of the second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, a ventilation control apparatus and method according to the present disclosure will be explained with reference to embodiments thereof. However, these embodiments are not intended to limit the present disclosure to any environment, applications, or implementations described in these embodiments. Therefore, description of these embodiments is only for purpose of illustration rather than to limit the present disclosure. It shall be appreciated that, in the following embodiments and the attached drawings, elements unrelated to the present disclosure are omitted from depiction. In addition, dimensions of individual elements and dimensional relationships among individual elements in the attached drawings are provided only for illustration but not to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

First, an application scenario of this embodiment is described, and a schematic diagram is depicted in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, in the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the ventilation control apparatus 1 comprises the storage 11, the ventilation apparatus 13, and the processor 15. The processor 15 is electrically connected to the storage 11 and the ventilation apparatus 13. The storage 11 may be a memory, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) disk, a hard disk, a Compact Disk (CD), a mobile disk, or any other storage medium or circuit known to those of ordinary skill in the art and having the same functionality. The processor 15 may be any of various processors, Central Processing Units (CPUs), microprocessors, digital signal processors or other computing apparatuses known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

It shall be appreciated that the ventilation apparatus 13 can be any air ventilation device that can improve air quality by ventilating, such as an energy recovery ventilation system. In some embodiments, the ventilation apparatus 13 can have multiple air volume modes with different levels, for example: strong air volume, medium air volume, and low air volume.

For ease of understanding, in the following description, the carbon dioxide concentration (with the estimation of parts per million; ppm) in the air quality index will be used as an example for illustration. Those skilled in the art should be able to understand the operations corresponding to other kinds of air values in the present disclosure based on the following explanations. Therefore, the details will not be repeated herein.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the storage 11 stores a plurality of first historical sensing data 111 corresponding to a plurality of first time intervals and a activation condition 113.

In some embodiments, each of the first historical sensing data 111 corresponds to a highest gas values in each of the first time intervals. For example, the historical sensing data may comprise the highest value of the carbon dioxide concentration sensed by the sensor every day of seven days a week (i.e., one day is taken as a time interval).

In some embodiments, the ventilation apparatus 13 corresponds to the activation condition 113. It shall be appreciated that the activation condition 113 may be an activation threshold or an activation time.

For example, when the activation condition 113 is the activation threshold, the processor 15 can set that when the threshold value of the carbon dioxide concentration exceeds 800 ppm, a corresponding control signal is transmitted to activate the ventilation apparatus 13.

For another example, when the activation condition 113 is the activation time, the processor 15 can set the activation time to 8 o'clock in the morning every day (i.e., the time to start work), and when the time reaches the activation time, a corresponding control signal is transmitted to activate the ventilation apparatus 13.

In the present embodiment, the processor 15 calculates a plurality of deviation values corresponding to the first time intervals based on the first historical sensing data 111. Next, the processor 15 determines an adjustment parameter based on the deviation values.

In some embodiments, the deviation values indicate the difference (i.e., the difference value) between the first historical sensing data 111 and a standard gas threshold.

It shall be appreciated that when the ventilation control apparatus 1 is in operation, the target is to maintain indoor air quality by ensuring that the concentration of gases measured in the indoor space does not exceed the standard gas threshold (i.e., when the gas concentration exceeds the standard gas threshold, the air quality is considered poor).

For ease of understanding, please refer to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram corresponding to the detection concentration of carbon dioxide in a day. The vertical axis is corresponding to the value of carbon dioxide concentration (unit: ppm), and the horizontal axis is time (unit: hour). In the present example, the processor 15 can set a standard gas threshold TH (i.e., set a target value, e.g., 1000 ppm).

For example, the carbon dioxide concentration curve detected in an indoor space today is L1. As shown in FIG. 2, the deviation value of the carbon dioxide concentration curve L1 exceeding the standard gas threshold TH at the highest value of the day is dTH (i.e., the maximum value exceeded). Therefore, in the present example, when the activation condition 113 is set as the activation threshold, the processor 15 can determine to adjust the parameters (e.g., by reducing the activation threshold corresponding to the ventilation apparatus 13 through the deviation value dTH, in order to activate the ventilation apparatus 13 earlier), so that the carbon dioxide concentration curve L1 is shifted downward as the carbon dioxide concentration curve L2 shown in FIG. 2. As a result, the value of the carbon dioxide concentration curve L2 does not exceed the standard gas threshold value TH at any time point.

For another example, when the activation condition 113 is the activation time, the processor 15 can determine to adjust the parameters (e.g., advance the activation time corresponding to the ventilation apparatus 13 through the deviation value dTH, so as to activate the ventilation apparatus 13 earlier), so that the carbon dioxide concentration curve L1 is shifted downward as the carbon dioxide concentration curve L2 shown in FIG. 2. As a result, the value of the carbon dioxide concentration curve L2 does not exceed the standard gas threshold value TH at any time point.

It shall be appreciated that the processor 15 can calculate the advance time value corresponding to the deviation value dTH through a corresponding table. For example, the corresponding table may indicate that when the deviation value dTH is 50 ppm, the ventilation apparatus 13 should be activated 30 minutes in advance. The corresponding table may indicate that when the deviation value dTH is 100 ppm, the ventilation apparatus 13 should be activated an hour in advance.

Next, the processor 15 updates the activation condition 113 based on the adjustment parameter. Finally, the processor 15 transmits a first control signal corresponding to the adjustment parameter to the ventilation apparatus 13 to instruct the ventilation apparatus 13 to operate based on the activation condition 113.

In some embodiments, the activation condition 113 corresponds to an activation threshold, and the adjustment parameter corresponds to a threshold adjustment value, and the processor 15 further is further configured to perform the following operations: transmitting the first control signal corresponding to the threshold adjustment value to the ventilation apparatus 13 to instruct the ventilation apparatus 13 to operate based on the activation threshold.

In some embodiments, the processor 15 may analyze the status of the adjustment parameter for several days to update the activation threshold. Taking the activation condition 113 as the activation threshold as an example, the processor 15 collects the historical sensing data of six working days in a week, and the processor 15 presets the activation threshold of the ventilation apparatus 13 as 800 ppm. The Processor 15 collects the adjustment parameters from the first day to the sixth day as 750 ppm, 750 ppm, 750 ppm, 764 ppm, 750 ppm, and 820 ppm. In the present example, the processor 15 may update the activation threshold to 764 ppm after adding all the values and taking an average.

In some embodiments, the processor 15 may further add other non-working days (e.g., Sunday) into the average calculation with a preset activation threshold (e.g., 800 ppm), so as to balance the calculation of the overall weight.

In some embodiments, the activation condition 113 corresponds to an activation time, and the adjustment parameter corresponds to a time adjustment value, and the processor 15 is further configured to perform following operations: transmitting the first control signal corresponding to the time adjustment value to the ventilation apparatus 13 to instruct the ventilation apparatus 13 to operate based on the activation time.

In some embodiments, the processor 15 may analyze the status of the adjustment parameter for several days to update the activation threshold. Taking the activation condition 113 as the activation time as an example, the processor 15 can collect the historical sensing data of six working days in a week, and the processor 15 presets the activation threshold of the ventilation apparatus 13 as 8 am. The processor 15 collects the adjustment parameters from the first day to the sixth day as 7:30, 7:30, 7:30, 7:00, 8:30, and 8:00. In the present example, the processor 15 may update the activation time to 7:40 after adding all the values and taking the average.

It shall be appreciated that in addition to updating the activation condition 113, the present disclosure further proposes a method of dynamically determining and adjusting the air volume of the ventilation apparatus 13 according to multiple real-time data when the ventilation apparatus 13 is in operation. The method of dynamically determining and adjusting the air volume of the ventilation apparatus 13 in some embodiments will be described in detail below.

In some embodiments, the processor 15 may receive a plurality of second historical sensing data corresponding to a second time interval from the ventilation apparatus 13, and the processor 15 may generate a second control signal based on the second historical sensing data, wherein the second control signal is configured to determine an air volume of the ventilation apparatus 13.

Specifically, the second historical sensing data comprises a real-time sensing data (i.e., the currently detected carbon dioxide concentration), and the processor 15 is further configured to perform following operations: calculating a ratio between the real-time sensing data and the standard gas threshold TH to generate the second control signal.

For example, the processor 15 can utilize the following proportional unit formula in the proportional integral derivative (PID) controller to determine the air volume of the ventilation apparatus 13, for example as follows:

u(t)=MV(t)=K_pe(t)

In the above formula, u(t) is the control output, MV(t) is the manipulated variable, the parameter K_p represents a proportional coefficient (e.g., every 100 ppm difference increases one air volume level), and the parameter e is the error value (i.e., the set point (SP) minus the feedback value (PV)).

For ease of understanding, please refer to FIG. 3A, FIG. 3A corresponds to a carbon dioxide concentration curve L3. It shall be appreciated that the processor 15 can calculate the error value e at any time point to determine the current air volume of the ventilation apparatus 13.

For example, the standard gas threshold TH is 1000 ppm, if the carbon dioxide concentration calculated by the processor at the first time point is 800 ppm (i.e., the error value of the standard gas threshold TH minus the current detection concentration value is 200 ppm), the processor 15 determines that the air volume of the ventilation apparatus 13 should be set to the lowest level. If the carbon dioxide concentration calculated by the processor at the second time point is 900 ppm (i.e., the error value of the standard gas threshold TH minus the current detection concentration value is 100 ppm), the processor 15 determines the air volume of the ventilation apparatus 13 should be set to the medium level (i.e., every 100 ppm increases one air volume level). If the carbon dioxide concentration calculated by the processor at the third time point is 1000 ppm (i.e., the error value of the standard gas threshold TH minus the current detection concentration value is 0 ppm), the processor 15 determines the air volume of the ventilation apparatus 13 should be set to the highest level.

It shall be appreciated that the processor 15 can set the frequency of the determination (e.g., corresponding to the actual need) of the air volume according to the situation of different applications. For example, for the application scene where the air value may fluctuate frequently, the frequency may be set higher. For application scenarios where the air value may fluctuate less, the frequency may be set lower. Specifically, the processor 15 can calculate the ratio between the real-time sensing data and the standard gas threshold TH by setting a checking/calculating frequency (e.g., once every 30 seconds) to determine the air volume that the ventilation apparatus 13 should be set at the current time point.

In some embodiments, the processor 15 can calculate a plurality of time points. For example, the processor 15 calculates the average gas concentration of 6 time points within 30 minutes (i.e., every 5 minutes corresponds to a time point), and determines the air volume of the ventilation apparatus 13 based on the average gas concentration.

In some embodiments, since the curve approaches to the steady state (i.e., the value is close to the standard gas threshold TH), the resources lost by the air conditioner can be saved by reducing the air volume. In the present embodiment, the processor 15 receives a plurality of second historical sensing data corresponding to a second time interval from the ventilation apparatus 13; and generates a third control signal based on the second historical sensing data, wherein the third control signal is configured to adjust the air volume of the ventilation apparatus 13.

Specifically, the processor 15 calculates an integral value of the second historical sensing data in a third time interval. Next, the processor 15 compares the integral value with the standard gas threshold TH to generate the third control signal.

For example, the processor 15 can utilize the following integral unit formula in the proportional integral derivative controller to adjust the air volume of the ventilation apparatus 13, for example as follows:

u ⁡ ( t ) = M ⁢ V ⁡ ( t ) = K i ⁢ ∫ 0 t e ⁡ ( τ ) ⁢ d ⁢ τ

In the above formula, u(t) is the control output, MV(t) is the manipulated variable, the parameter K_i represents an integral coefficient (e.g., every 500 ppm difference decreases one air volume level), and the parameter e is the error value (i.e., the set point (SP) minus the feedback value (PV)), the parameter t is the current time, and the parameter t is the integral variable (the value is from 0 to the current time t).

For ease of understanding, please refer to FIG. 3B. FIG. 3B corresponds to a carbon dioxide concentration curve L3. It shall be appreciated that the processor 15 can calculate the integral value of the time interval through a preset sliding time window (e.g., every hour corresponds to a time interval), so as to adjust the air volume of the ventilation apparatus 13 at the current time point. It shall be appreciated that the processor 15 can correspondingly set the range of the sliding time window according to the situations of different applications.

For example, the integral area of the carbon dioxide concentration curve L3 and the standard gas threshold TH is A1, and the processor 15 can calculate the integral value from a first time point to a second time point. If the accumulated error value reaches 500 ppm within one hour, the processor 15 may decrease one level of the air volume.

In some embodiments, the processor 15 can further determine the air volume of the ventilation apparatus 13 through the second control signal, and adjust the air volume of the ventilation apparatus 13 through the third control signal. Specifically, the processor 15 receives a plurality of second historical sensing data corresponding to a second time interval from the ventilation apparatus 13. Next, the processor 15 generates a second control signal and a third control signal based on the second historical sensing data, wherein the second control signal is configured to determine an air volume of the ventilation apparatus 13, and the third control signal is configured to adjust the air volume of the ventilation apparatus 13.

For example, the processor 15 can simultaneously determine and adjust the air volume of the ventilation apparatus 13 by using the following formulas of the proportional unit and the integral unit in the proportional integral derivative controller, for example as follows:

u ⁡ ( t ) = M ⁢ V ⁡ ( t ) = K p ⁢ e ⁡ ( t ) + K i ⁢ ∫ 0 t e ⁡ ( τ ) ⁢ d ⁢ τ

In the above formula, u(t) is the control output, MV(t) is the manipulated variable, the parameter K_p represents a proportional coefficient (e.g., every 100 ppm difference increases one air volume level), and the parameter e is the error value (i.e., the set point (SP) minus the feedback value (PV)), the parameter K_i represents an integral coefficient (e.g., every 500 ppm difference decreases one air volume level), the parameter t is the current time, and the parameter t is the integral variable (the value is from 0 to the current time t).

According to the above descriptions, the ventilation control apparatus 1 provided by the present disclosure provided calculates a plurality of deviation values by analyzing a plurality of historical sensing data corresponding to a plurality of time intervals. Next, the ventilation control apparatus 1 provided by the present disclosure determines an adjustment parameter based on the deviation values, and transmits a first control signal corresponding to the adjustment parameter to the ventilation apparatus to instruct the ventilation apparatus to operate based on the activation condition. In addition, the ventilation control apparatus 1 provided by the present disclosure can determine the current air volume level of the ventilation apparatus by calculating the ratio between the real-time sensing data and the standard gas threshold. Furthermore, the ventilation control apparatus 1 provided by the present disclosure can adjust the air volume of the ventilation apparatus by calculating the integral value of the historical sensing data in a time interval. The ventilation control apparatus 1 provided by the present disclosure can dynamically update the activation condition and determine and adjust the air volume of the ventilation apparatus based on a variety of different situations, and thus solving the shortcomings of the conventional technology.

A second embodiment of the present disclosure is a ventilation control method and a flowchart thereof is depicted in FIG. 4. The ventilation control method 400 is adapted for an electronic apparatus (e.g., the ventilation control apparatus 1 of the first embodiment), and the electronic apparatus comprises a ventilation apparatus. The ventilation control method 400 updates the activation condition of the ventilation apparatus through steps S401 to S405.

In the step S401, the electronic apparatus calculates, based on a plurality of first historical sensing data of a plurality of first time intervals, a plurality of deviation values corresponding to the first time intervals. Next, in the step S403, the electronic apparatus transmits a first control signal corresponding to an adjustment parameter to the ventilation apparatus, wherein the adjustment parameter is determined based on the deviation values.

Finally, in the step S405, the electronic apparatus instructs the ventilation apparatus to operate based on the activation condition, wherein the activation condition is updated based on the adjustment parameter.

In some embodiments, wherein each of the first historical sensing data corresponds to a highest gas values in each of the first time intervals.

In some embodiments, the deviation values indicate the difference between the first historical sensing data and a standard gas threshold.

In some embodiments, wherein the activation condition corresponds to an activation threshold, the adjustment parameter corresponds to a threshold adjustment value, and the ventilation control method 400 further comprising following steps: transmitting the first control signal corresponding to the threshold adjustment value to the ventilation apparatus to instruct the ventilation apparatus to operate based on the activation threshold.

In some embodiments, the activation condition corresponds to an activation time, the adjustment parameter corresponds to a time adjustment value, and the ventilation control method 400 further comprises following steps: transmitting the first control signal corresponding to the time adjustment value to the ventilation apparatus to instruct the ventilation apparatus to operate based on the activation time.

In some embodiments, the ventilation control method 400 further comprises following steps: receiving a plurality of second historical sensing data corresponding to a second time interval from the ventilation apparatus; and generating a second control signal based on the second historical sensing data, wherein the second control signal is configured to determine an air volume of the ventilation apparatus.

In some embodiments, wherein the second historical sensing data comprises a real-time sensing data, and the ventilation control method 400 further comprises following steps: calculating the ratio between the real-time sensing data and a standard gas threshold to generate the second control signal.

In some embodiments, the ventilation control method 400 further comprises following steps: receiving a plurality of second historical sensing data corresponding to a second time interval from the ventilation apparatus; and generating a third control signal based on the second historical sensing data, wherein the third control signal is configured to adjust an air volume of the ventilation apparatus.

In some embodiments, the ventilation control method 400 further comprises following steps: calculating an integral value of the second historical sensing data in a third time interval; and comparing the integral value with a standard gas threshold to generate the third control signal.

In some embodiments, wherein the ventilation control method 400 further comprises following steps: receiving a plurality of second historical sensing data corresponding to a second time interval from the ventilation apparatus; and generating a second control signal and a third control signal based on the second historical sensing data, wherein the second control signal is configured to determine an air volume of the ventilation apparatus, and the third control signal is configured to adjust the air volume of the ventilation apparatus.

In addition to the aforesaid steps, the second embodiment can also execute all the operations and steps of the ventilation control apparatus 1 set forth in the first embodiment, have the same functions, and deliver the same technical effects as the first embodiment. How the second embodiment executes these operations and steps, has the same functions, and delivers the same technical effects will be readily appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the explanation of the first embodiment. Therefore, the details will not be repeated herein.

It shall be appreciated that in the specification and the claims of the present disclosure, some words (e.g., the time interval, the historical sensing data, control signal, etc.) are preceded by terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, and these terms of “first”, “second”, and “third” are only used to distinguish these different words. For example, the “first” and “second” in the first control signal and the second control signal are only used to indicate the control signal used in different operations.

According to the above descriptions, the ventilation control technology (at least including the apparatus and the method) provided by the present disclosure provided calculates a plurality of deviation values by analyzing a plurality of historical sensing data corresponding to a plurality of time intervals. Next, the ventilation control technology provided by the present disclosure determines an adjustment parameter based on the deviation values, and transmits a first control signal corresponding to the adjustment parameter to the ventilation apparatus to instruct the ventilation apparatus to operate based on the activation condition. In addition, the ventilation control technology provided by the present disclosure can determine the current air volume level of the ventilation apparatus by calculating the ratio between the real-time sensing data and the standard gas threshold. Furthermore, the ventilation control technology provided by the present disclosure can adjust the air volume of the ventilation apparatus by calculating the integral value of the historical sensing data in a time interval. The ventilation control technology provided by the present disclosure can dynamically update the activation condition and determine and adjust the air volume of the ventilation apparatus based on a variety of different situations, and thus solving the shortcomings of the conventional technology.

The above disclosure is related to the detailed technical contents and inventive features thereof. People skilled in this field may proceed with a variety of modifications and replacements based on the disclosures and suggestions of the disclosure as described without departing from the characteristics thereof. Nevertheless, although such modifications and replacements are not fully disclosed in the above descriptions, they have substantially been covered in the following claims as appended.

Although the present disclosure has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they fall within the scope of the following claims.