FR3031167A1 - HEATING INSTALLATION MANAGEMENT METHOD AND CORRESPONDING HEATING PLANT - Google Patents

Abstract

In a method for managing a heating installation comprising a plurality of electric heating devices in a room and a plurality of detectors (1, 2) of independent physical parameters of presence based on different physical principles, the method comprises a step interrogation of detectors (1, 2) with a view to a definition (102) of room occupancy, as follows: - if the detectors (1, 2) provide presence information in the room based on physical principles different, the room is considered occupied - if the detectors (1, 2) provide presence information in the room based on a single physical principle, the room is not considered occupied.

Description

The invention relates to a heating plant management method comprising several devices within a single room for heating the room. The invention also relates to a heating installation comprising a plurality of heating devices in the same room for heating the room. The invention is particularly useful for managing an electric heating installation by taking advantage of the sharing of information measured locally by each element of the installation, with a view to optimizing the thermal comfort of the occupants of the room. This sharing of information allows the optimal regulation of the installation, ensuring the energy efficiency of the installation in terms of comfort and energy savings. The document EP 1 884 854 A2 describes a space heating device taking into account the effective presence of people inside the premises to adapt the electric heating mode. The device comprises at least two sensors or detectors of physical parameters, preferably independent, for the purpose of detecting, by coordination of the at least two detectors or sensors of physical parameters, the effective presence of a person inside a room to heat, to adapt the electric heating mode, for example by switching from the comfort mode to the economy mode. The device is a programmable device operating in a logic separated into two: a detection logic and a heating logic. EP 1 744 465 A1 discloses a bidirectional infrared transmission heating control method for controlling a heater using a bidirectional infrared remote control module. This method of controlling heating by pointing to a heater and by two-way infrared transmission includes interrogating the heater by the remote control module, receiving the response from the heater. by the remote control module, display of the response on the remote control module, programming a configuration on the remote control module, 5 transmission of the configuration to the heater by the remote control module, d interrogation, verification of the configuration of the heater by the remote control module, and display of this configuration verified The heating device of the document EP 1 884 854 A2 and the heating control method 10 of the document EP 1,744,465 Al give full satisfaction in their application to individual heaters. Document FR 2 962 234, incorporated by reference in the present description, describes a method of detecting the opening and closing of an opening in a room and a thermal regulation device implementing this method. The document FR 2 957 691, incorporated by reference into the present description, describes a control method of an installation and an installation adapted to the implementation of this method.

However, in the case of an installation comprising several heating devices in the same room, the thermal comfort of the user depends on the thermal environment of the room, which causes additional difficulties. In order to improve the thermal environment of the room, the synchronization of the heating apparatuses of the same installation is envisaged by sharing information on temperature rise, heating regime, presence information or unforeseen events reacting to the heating system. the thermal environment of the premises. To this end, bidirectional links can be arranged between the heaters of the same installation.

The document FR 2 982 346 A1 describes a heating installation of a room. The installation comprises a plurality of electric heaters, each heater comprising at least one electric heating element connected to a control device of said heating element. Each regulating device is connected to a temperature sensor and is adapted to operate the electric heating element according to a set temperature having a first value adapted to the comfort of a room occupant. The control devices of the heating devices are interconnected by a communication means allowing each device to transmit and receive information, and connected to at least one presence detector of an occupant of the room. Each regulating device is provided with means for implementing a method comprising the following steps: interrogation of the presence detector (s), if no detector sends a presence detection message, lowering of the presence detector; setpoint temperature at a second economic value below the set temperature adapted to the comfort of a room occupant. However, in the event of a single detector failure, erroneous information, namely a presence detection message, may be sent.

In this case, in the absence of the occupant, a presence detection message is sent and the installation of the document FR 2 982 346 A1 remains in the comfort operating mode. Thus, in the case of a faulty detector and sending a presence signal unduly, the so-called economic control of the installation is made impossible. In case of absence of long duration, the maintenance of a comfort setpoint temperature instead of an economic setpoint temperature causes undesirable and expensive energy consumption. A first object of the invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art by providing a new method of heating an installation comprising several heating devices located in the same room.

To provide increased reliability of presence detection, the heaters may be associated with two independent physical parameter detectors to provide the same information to implement a room heating management method. Each heater in the plant is equipped with a temperature sensor or a temperature sensor. The temperature information measured by the devices of the same installation makes it possible to establish the characteristics of the room to avoid too different heating regimes from one heating appliance to another.

Indeed, the temperature of a probe or a sensor can be modified by a current of air, by exposure to the south or to the north, by the presence of a poorly insulated cold wall or by the presence of sources. of heat located near the heater. In the case of different temperature measurements between several appliances, some appliances may deliver much higher heating powers than other appliances whose measured temperature will be higher. The communication of the temperature information between the heaters of the same installation makes it possible to establish heating management by taking into account not only the temperature measured by the probe of a single heating apparatus, but also the temperatures measured. by the probes of the other furnaces of the installation. For example, it can be envisaged that the temperature indications of the same installation are associated, for example as an average of the measured temperatures, for controlling the thermostats of the heaters of the same installation. This arrangement thus makes it possible to avoid undesirable localized overheating that consumes energy. With regard to the presence information delivered by various heaters of the same plant, it is also desirable to share the presence information to adjust the setpoint temperature to obtain in the room according to a predetermined schedule or chosen by a user or defined by self-learning and according to the presence information shared by the various heaters. When the heaters are located in corners or near windows to allow the best possible layout of the room, it is common to note that only some heaters detect the presence of people, while other heaters do not do not detect them because they are placed in recesses with low passage of people. In this case also, the sharing of the presence information makes it possible to ensure the synchronization of the apparatuses by improving the speed of the rise in temperature of the room, to control neighboring heating powers ensuring a homogeneous thermal distribution in the room to be heated and to obtain a homogeneity of the temperature, without current or unwanted air displacement. This uniform rise in temperature allows almost simultaneous operation of all heaters, to the satisfaction of the user or the person in the room to be heated. All these considerations are also valid for predetermined programs or for self-learning programs which adapt the heating mode according to the presence or absence information acquired by experience or by recording corresponding setpoint values. Finally, in the event of a sudden drop in the ambient temperature resulting for example from the opening of a door or window, a heater may detect this sudden drop in ambient temperature and transmit this information. to other heaters of the same room, to save money by putting all of them in frost mode, then automatically re-entering the mode previously provided, after closing the window or door. This shared information of sudden drop in ambient temperature can also be used to adapt the heating distribution between devices of different powers, so as to avoid overheating of the room by a heater of the same installation not detecting the fall. Another aim of the invention is to provide a new heating installation comprising intelligent heating devices in a single room and managed using the new heating management method according to the invention. The intelligent heating devices of the installation provide their own information, measured individually by each element of the installation, to the entire installation, in order to allow the application of an optimized operating mode of the installation. together. The invention makes it possible in particular to pool the information of absence or presence of a user within the room, and to make the decision-making on the change of operating mode of the heating apparatuses more robust. to individual decision-making of each heater based on information that may be erroneous. The subject of the invention is a method for managing a heating installation, said installation comprising in a room a plurality of intelligent electric heating devices communicating with each other; said installation comprising a plurality of presence-independent physical parameter detectors based on different physical principles; each electric heater comprising a heating element and a regulating means of said heating element, the method comprising an interrogation step of the presence-independent physical parameter detectors, characterized in that the method based on a control base of heating at an economic setpoint temperature comprises a step of defining room occupancy, in which: if the presence-independent physical parameter detectors provide presence information in the room based on different physical principles, the room containing the plurality of electric heaters is considered occupied and the temperature regulated by the control means of the heating element corresponds to a comfort set point temperature. If the presence-independent physical parameter sensors provide presence information in the room based on only one of the different physical principles, the room containing the plurality of electric heaters is not considered occupied and the The temperature regulated by the heating element control means corresponds to an economic setpoint temperature, so as not to unnecessarily heat the room. The subject of the invention is also a heating installation comprising in a room a plurality of intelligent electric heating appliances communicating with one another; the plant having a plurality of independent physical parameter detectors based on different physical principles; each electric heater comprising a heating element and a regulating means of said heating element, the installation comprising means for interrogating the detectors of physical parameters independent of presence, characterized in that said installation comprises means for defining occupancy of premises such as: - if the presence-independent physical parameter detectors provide presence information in the premises based on different physical principles, the room containing the plurality of electric heating apparatus is considered occupied and the temperature regulated by the control means of the heating element corresponds to a comfort set point temperature. if the presence-independent physical parameter sensors provide presence information in the room based on only one of the different physical principles, the room containing the plurality of electric heaters is not considered occupied and the temperature controlled by the regulating means of the heating element corresponds to an economic setpoint temperature, so as not to unnecessarily heat the room.

The invention will be better understood from the following description given by way of nonlimiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 schematically represents a flow diagram of a heating system management method electrical device according to the invention. FIG. 2 schematically represents a partial flow diagram of an electric heating installation management method according to the invention. Referring to Figure 1, a method according to the invention aims to manage the overall operation of the installation consistent with the needs of comfort and energy saving of the user. To ensure this consistency, a most important environmental information is the confirmation of the occupation of the premises by the user, because the need for thermal comfort is related to the occupation of the premises by the user while the vacancy local allows to switch to energy saving mode. The robust and secure taking into account of occupancy of the room is thus essential for the invention. The initial operating mode or the overall operating mode of the installation is a mode of energy saving, in which a temperature setpoint is applied, known as the economic temperature, depending on the absence of robust and reliable information. 'an occupation of the local. The mode of operation of the installation depends on the state of several independent physical parameter detectors capable of providing robust and secure information of occupancy of the premises, influencing the mode of operation of the installation.

The sensors or detectors of independent physical parameters used in the present description for constructing a presence occupancy function are advantageously identical or equivalent to those described in document EP 1 884 854 A2, for example, in particular, brightness and light sensors. motion sensors.

The method according to the invention comprises a succession of steps to harmonize the operation of different elements of the said installation, and mainly to regulate the control systems of the heating emitters as a function of the actions performed at the level of the man-machine interfaces. . The organization of the synchronization is done in such a way that the last modification applied on a human machine interface is propagated to all the interfaces and control systems of the heating emitters. The method of managing an electric heating installation starts with a step 100 of putting into service, corresponding for example to a power-up or the start-up of a newly installed installation.

The method continues to a step 101 of defining the initial pace or the thermal environment of a room containing a plurality of intelligent and communicating electric heaters. For the purposes of the present invention, the term "room" designates a closed volume comprising at least one room with door and window openings that can be closed in order to close the volume intended to be heated. The flow diagram of Figure 1 describes a heating system management method installed in a room. Those skilled in the art will easily extend the process of Figure 1 to a room with several rooms north or south of a building, taking into account free natural thermal inputs, including solar gain. For the purposes of the present invention, "intelligent and communicating" electric heaters are electric heaters comprising at least one heating element and a thermostat or control means for said programmable heating element by wire connection or by connection without wire and further comprising bi-directional communication means enabling all the electric heaters of an installation to communicate with each other, to transmit and share information to define an overall behavior of the electric heating installation .

In step 101 of defining an initial pace or an initial thermal environment to be performed in the room, several blocks for defining the room heating mode 11, internal programming 21 are taken into account. previously defined by the user, external programming commands 31 defined by other means, for example by a pilot wire or by a remote control compatible with home automation human / machine interfaces (for example shutter remote controls or other electrical systems), a logic block 41 anticipating the desired thermal environment in the near future, and a logic block 51 corresponding to a self-learning program set on an internal clock and taking into account values and thermal behaviors recorded in the previous weeks. All of this information is aggregated, transmitted and shared in a logic block 61 transmitted in step 101 to define a pace or an initial thermal environment. In the sense of the present invention, a pace or an initial thermal environment corresponds to user-selected or predefined standards: economic temperature, frost-free temperature, comfort temperature, comfort temperature minus 1 degree, comfort temperature minus 2 degrees and comfort temperature minus 3.5 degrees. In the absence of choice by the user, a pace or an initial thermal environment of 20 economic temperature is applied. The method continues at a step 102, in the case where a logical order of activation of the occupancy detection of a room is given by at least one logical block 82 of occupancy confirmation. In this case, the information provided by at least a pair of independent physical parameter detectors is examined to define the room occupation variable. For the room to be considered occupied, it is necessary that at least two independent physical presence detectors provide two presence information in the room containing the plurality of electric heaters, the two detectors being able to be integrated into the room. If two independent presence-dependent physical parameter detectors provide two presence information in the room, the temperature regulated by the heating element control means corresponds to a comfort set point temperature.

If all the independent physical parameter presence detectors provide a single presence information in the room containing the plurality of electric heaters, the room is not considered occupied. The set of presence or absence information provided to the installation is aggregated in step 102 to decide whether or not the value of the "room occupancy" variable. Step 102 thus makes it possible to provide a corrected pace or a corrected thermal environment as a function of the occupation of the part. The process continues at a step 103 in the case of an intelligent electric meter and / or external erase control 93 supplied to the electric heating system. Step 103 makes it possible to switch off the electrical installation for a predetermined short period of time, or to go into antifreeze mode or an economy mode. The step 103 remains subject to the logic conditions defined by the blocks 11 to 51 governing the definition of the initial pace of the step 101. The process then continues to a step 104 of derogation of pace or of thermal environment, in a possible case where a forcing order is given by a logic block 34. The pace or the forced thermal environment possibly corrected in step 104 corresponds, for example, to an unexpected return of the user of the local, whereas this user is not present normally in this room. The process then continues to a step 105 for defining an initial temperature set point for the control means of the electrical heating apparatus 30 of the installation. This initial temperature setpoint depends on the instructions predefined by the user to the logic block 21 or a setpoint lowering programming given by an external command of a logic block 22. The information resulting from the logic blocks 21 and 22 are consolidated 5 for all the devices of the electric heating installation in a logic block 45 which thus makes it possible to define an initial temperature regulation setpoint as a function of the pace or the thermal environment corrected in the preceding steps of the method . The process then continues to a temperature setpoint modulation step 106. The step 106 of temperature setpoint modulation depends on the room control mode defined by the logic block 11 in the case of a detection activation of the openings or windows corresponding to significant heat losses and defined by the logic block 86 or by a special order of priority pace defined by a logic block 96.

In the case where the logic block 86 effectively activates the window or sash detection, the thermal loss detection by window or by opening is performed by a logic block 76 which influences both the set modulation of the step 106 and on the next modulated reference regulation step of the next step 107.

The step 107 of modulated temperature setpoint regulation depends both on the detection of unexpected or temporary thermal loss corresponding to the opening of a window or a door and also depends on an anticipation factor of thermal environment in an immediate future corresponding to logic block 41.

The logic block 41 may itself depend on the self-learning logic block 51 or an order given for example remotely by a smartphone or a wireless communication device by a user being returned to the room to be heated. Finally, after having defined in step 107 the modulated setpoint 30 corresponding to the actual regulation of the heating in the room, by performing the synthesis and adaptation of the temperature setpoints of the various electrical heating apparatus of the installation, in step 108, a recording of the modulated temperature set point values and actually measured temperature values is performed by classifying them in a sliding window, by date extending over several weeks. This recording made in step 108 is then put to advantage by the self-learning program corresponding to the logic block 51. In FIG. 2, a partial flowchart corresponds to the definition of absence or presence of the installation management method. of heating 10 according to the invention. An intelligent and communicating electrical heating appliance is associated with a first sensor 1 or presence detector and a second sensor 2 or presence detector. Both sensors 1 and 2 are independent physical parameter sensors based on different physical principles, including brightness and motion. These sensors of independent physical parameters based on different physical principles may especially be temperature, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, relative humidity, or any other sensors able to detect occupancy of premises. The document EP 1 884 854 A2 describes numerous presence sensors and is considered as incorporated by reference in the present description, so that it is not necessary to provide a more detailed description of the different presence sensors or detectors that can be envisaged.

The indications provided by the two sensors 1 and 2 of independent physical parameters based on different physical principles are integrated in a block 3, performing the synthesis, of the information provided by the two presence sensors 1 and 2. In the case where two Presence detectors 1 and 2 based on different physical principles provide two presence information, the logic block 3 provides information that there is indeed a presence in the vicinity of the corresponding electric heater. In the case where the two presence detectors 1 and 2 based on different physical principles provide a single presence information 5 in the vicinity of said electric heating apparatus, the logic block 3 does not conclude to a presence of a user in the vicinity of said apparatus. All the syntheses performed by the set of logic blocks 3 of the plurality of heaters of the electric heating installation is integrated in a logic block 72 for transmitting and sharing information to feed the logic block. 82 of confirmation described with reference to Figure 1 and decide an absence or presence in the room to be heated. The logic block 72 communicates with the self-learning program block 51 and with the workpiece definition step 102, provided that the "room occupancy detection" status variable is confirmed by the user. logic block 82. The absence of confirmation of occupancy detection by the logic block 82 may for example correspond to a room which must be kept at a constant temperature because it contains certain particular products which do not support the humidity or for other similar reasons. The invention described with reference to a particular method and a particular electric heating installation comprising a plurality of intelligent and communicating electric heaters extends to any alternative embodiment and any step modification within the scope of the claims. attached. Thus, the skilled person can develop parallel processes corresponding to different sectors of a room, different rooms or different parts of rooms according to their exposure to the north, south, between two floors, the ground floor or the last floors of a building.

Also, the human machine interface may be implanted on a fixed support within the premises hosting the installation, in particular on at least one electric heater of the said plurality of intelligent and communicating electric heating apparatuses; or on a mobile device like smartphone or tablet.

Claims (11)

REVENDICATIONS1. A method of managing a heating installation, said installation comprising in a room a plurality of intelligent electric heating appliances communicating with one another; said installation comprising a plurality of detectors (1, 2) independent physical presence parameters based on different physical principles; each electric heating apparatus comprising a heating element and a regulating means of said heating element, the method comprising a step of interrogating the detectors (1, 2) of independent physical parameters of presence, characterized in that the method based on a heating control base at an economic setpoint temperature comprises a step (102) for defining room occupancy, in which: - if the presence independent physical parameter detectors (1, 2) provide presence information in the room local based on different physical principles, the room containing the plurality of electric heaters is considered occupied and the temperature controlled by the heating element control means corresponds to a comfort setpoint temperature. if the independent physical parameter detectors (1, 2) provide presence information in the room based on only one of the different physical principles, the room containing the plurality of electric heaters is not considered occupied and the temperature regulated by the control means of the heating element corresponds to an economic setpoint temperature, so as not to unnecessarily heat the room. 2. Method according to claim 1, wherein an electric heater carries two detectors of independent physical parameters (1, 2) of presence, characterized in that the method comprises a heating control step at a set temperature of comfort, if said two independent physical parameter detectors (1, 2) for the presence of the same electric heater provide two presence information in the room based on different physical principles. 3. Method according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the method comprises a step (72) for sharing and broadcasting of couples of information of absence or presence in the room between said heaters said plurality of the installation. 4. Method according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the method comprises a step (61) for sharing, broadcasting and synchronization of the heating control modes between the electrical heating apparatus of the room, to homogenize the heating in the room and thus avoid discomfort that may result from uneven temperatures and drafts. 5. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the method comprises a step (105) of setting 15 initial temperature setpoint from a pace or a thermal environment defined in the room. 6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the method comprises at least one step (103, 104) of erasure, derogation of correction of a pace or a thermal environment, to define a pace 20 or corrected thermal environment to achieve in the room to be heated. 7. Heating installation comprising in a room a plurality of intelligent electric heating appliances communicating with each other; the installation comprising a plurality of detectors (1, 2) of independent physical presence parameters based on different physical principles; each electric heater comprising a heating element and a regulating means of said heating element, the installation comprising means for interrogating the detectors (1, 2) of independent physical parameters of presence, characterized in that said installation comprises means (102) for defining room occupancy, such as: - if the presence independent physical parameter detectors (1, 2) provide presence information in the room based on different physical principles, the room containing the room The plurality of electric heaters is considered occupied and the temperature controlled by the heating element control means corresponds to a comfort set point temperature. if the independent physical parameter detectors (1, 2) provide presence information in the room based on only one of the different physical principles, the room containing the plurality of electric heaters is not considered as occupied and the temperature regulated by the control means of the heating element corresponds to an economic setpoint temperature, so as not to unnecessarily heat the room. 8. Electrical heating installation according to claim 7, in which an electric heater carries two independent physical parameter detectors (1, 2), characterized in that the installation comprises heating control means. at a comfort set-point temperature if said two independent physical parameter detectors (1, 2) for presence of the installation provide two presence information in the room based on different physical principles. 9. Electrical heating installation according to claim 7 or claim 8, characterized in that the installation comprises means for sharing and broadcasting couples of information of absence or presence in the room between said apparatuses. electric heating said plurality. 10. Installation according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the installation comprises means for defining temperature setpoint from a thermal environment or a pace to be performed in the room, in integrated data function in logic blocks (11 - 61) of the electric heating system. 3031167 19 11. Installation according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that the installation comprises at least one heating device hosting a human machine interface or carrying a human machine interface implanted on a fixed support. 5