WO2012080618A1 - System for controlling active glass panels in a building using glare, temperature, and luminosity - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for controlling optical transmission through a plurality of active glass panels of a room of a building, including a luminosity sensor for providing a value representative of a luminosity inside the room, a temperature sensor for providing a value representative of a temperature inside the room, and a control unit including a memory in which programs are stored and being suitable for controlling the optical transmission through said glass panels in accordance with the values representative of the luminosity and temperature. The system comprises a glare sensor for providing a value representative of glare inside the room. The programs of the control unit are suitable for controlling the optical transmission through said glass panels, wherein priority is given to the values representative of glare and provided by the glare sensor over the values representative of luminosity and temperature.

Description

 ACTIVE GLASS CONTROL SYSTEM USING GLOWING, TEMPERATURE AND BRIGHTNESS

 IN A BUILDING

The present invention relates to the field of brightness control inside buildings.

 The glazing of buildings has the disadvantage of contributing to the heating of buildings in summer and their cooling in winter.

 Since the mid-1990s, a wide variety of insulation and solar control glazing has been developed by the glass industry. Thanks to "low emitting" or "reflective" coatings on the market today, high levels of thermal insulation and sun protection can be obtained.

 However, these windows have fixed properties that can not be adapted to the conditions of temperature and sunshine.

 Glazing with variable optical properties addresses this problem.

 These active glazing, called "smart", have optical and energy transmission properties that can be modified, for example electrically.

 It is known to use active glazing to minimize the energy consumption of a building.

 US-A-2007/0067048 discloses a control system of electrochromic glazing designed to minimize the energy consumption of a building while ensuring a certain brightness inside the building.

 Nevertheless, the optimum strategy for managing the energy consumption of the building suggested is not optimal.

 An object of the present invention is to provide a control system of a plurality of active glazing electrically controllable optical transmission properties of a room of a building for intelligent management of the building energy consumption.

According to one aspect of the invention, the control system of the optical transmission through a plurality of active glazings with properties of Electrically controllable optical transmission of a building room includes:

 a brightness sensor for providing a value representative of a brightness inside the room;

 a temperature sensor for providing a value representative of a temperature inside the room; and

 a control unit comprising a memory in which are stored programs able to control the optical transmission through said glazings as a function of the representative values of luminosity and temperature provided by the brightness sensor and by the indoor temperature sensor;

 wherein the system comprises a glare sensor for providing a representative glare value within the room and wherein the programs of the control unit are adapted to control the optical transmission through said glazing primarily based on representative glare values provided by the glare sensor with respect to representative brightness and temperature values.

 With such a control system, the unexpected behaviors of users to improve their comfort can be reduced, which allows a good management of energy consumption.

 Non-priority management of the glare can indeed lead to behaviors consisting of the establishment of blinds not provided by the control system or devices reflecting sunlight also not provided by the control system. It follows that the control parameters of the energy consumption of the building may not be optimal, these parameters do not take into account the equipment set up by users.

 The glare of a user can indeed lead the user to lower a blind or to place a blackout object of any type adapted to the glazing. This has the particular disadvantage of leading to turn on the light in the room. This results in overconsumption of energy.

The article "Effect of switchable glazing on discomfort glare from Windows", Building Environment 44 (2009) p.1 171 -1 180 discusses the possibility of using a electrochromic glazing to reduce glare. Nevertheless, this article does not indicate an optimum strategy for a reduced energy consumption of the building.

 Priority glare management avoids unplanned behavior and is thus optimal in terms of managing the energy consumption of the building.

 According to particular embodiments, the system comprises one or more of the following characteristics, taken separately or in any technically possible combination:

 the programs of the control unit are able to control the optical transmission through said glazings primarily as a function of the representative glare values provided by the glare sensor with respect to the values representative of luminosity and preferably according to the representative values brightness provided by the brightness sensor relative to the representative temperature values;

 the programs of the control unit are able to define a representative value of optical transmission coefficient (Tl) of at least one of said glazings as a function of A1, A2 and A3,

 A1 corresponding to a set of representative values of T1 possible according to the information provided by the glare sensor, A2 corresponding to a set of representative values of T1 possible according to the information provided by the brightness sensor, A3 corresponding to a set of values representative of T1 possible according to the information provided by the temperature sensor;

- The programs of the control unit are able to define a representative transmission coefficient value (Tl) of at least one of said glazing in accordance with the following proposals:

- The programs of the control unit are able to define a representative transmission coefficient value (Tl) of at least one of said glazing (2) by respecting the following proposals:

 - The programs of the control unit are able to define a representative transmission coefficient value (Tl) of at least one of said glazing in accordance with the following proposals:

 at least one of the sets of A1, A2 and A3 has a lower bound and / or an upper bound which depend respectively on the information provided by the glare sensor, on the information provided by the brightness sensor, and information provided by the indoor temperature sensor;

 the programs of the control unit are able to control representative values of optical transmission through said glazings which are different for different glazings among said glazings;

 at least one of the sets A1, A2 and A3 for one of said glazings is different from the set A1, A2, A3 corresponding for another of said glazings;

 the glare sensor comprises a brightness sensor and a clock;

 the system comprises a presence sensor for providing a value representative of a presence of a user in at least one predetermined zone of the room, the programs of the control unit being able to control the optical transmission through said glazings according to the presence value provided by the presence sensor;

for a presence value corresponding to a presence of a user, the programs of the control unit are able to control the optical transmission through said glazing primarily according to the representative glare information provided by the glare sensor;

 for a presence value corresponding to an absence of a user, the programs of the control unit are able to control the optical transmission through said glazings primarily or solely according to the representative value of the internal temperature supplied by the sensor indoor temperature;

 - The programs of the control unit are able to control additional means of occultation glazing of the room;

 the system comprises an artificial lighting control unit of the room, said unit being able to control the lighting of the room according to the brightness measured inside the room;

 the system comprises a control unit for controlling the temperature of the room, said unit being able to control the temperature of the room as a function of the temperature measured inside the room.

 The subject of the invention is also a method of controlling the optical transmission through a plurality of active glazings with electrically controllable optical transmission properties of a part of a building, of the type comprising steps of:

- measurement of brightness inside the room by a brightness sensor;

- measurement of temperature inside the room by a temperature sensor; and

 control by a control unit of the optical transmission through said glazings as a function of values representing luminosity and temperature provided by the brightness sensor and the temperature sensor,

wherein the method further comprises a glare measurement step by a glare sensor, and wherein the method comprises a step of controlling by the control unit of the optical transmission through said glazing primarily based on values. representative glare provided by the glare sensor. According to particular embodiments, the method has one or more of the following characteristics, taken in isolation or in any technically possible combination:

 the control of the optical transmission through said glazings is carried out as a priority according to the representative glare values provided by the glare sensor with respect to the values representative of luminosity and in priority as a function of the representative values of luminosity provided by the image sensor; brightness relative to representative temperature values;

 the control step comprises a step of defining a value representative of optical transmission coefficient (Tl) of at least one of said glazings as a function of A1, A2 and A3,

 A1 corresponding to a set of representative values of T1 possible according to the information provided by the glare sensor, A2 corresponding to a set of representative values of T1 possible according to the information provided by the brightness sensor, A3 corresponding to a set of values representative of T1 possible according to the information provided by the temperature sensor;

the control step comprises a step of defining a value representative of transmission coefficient (Tl) of at least one of said glazings, respecting the following proposals:

 the control step comprises a step of defining a value representative of transmission coefficient (Tl) of at least one of said glazings (2) by respecting the following proposals:

the control step comprises a step of defining a value representative of transmission coefficient (Tl) of at least one of said glazings, respecting the following proposals:

 at least one of the sets of A1, A2 and A3 has a lower bound and / or an upper bound which depend respectively on the information provided by the glare sensor, on the information provided by the brightness sensor, and information provided by the indoor temperature sensor;

 the commands of the representative values of optical transmission through said glazings are different for different glazings among said glazings;

 at least one of the sets A1, A2 and A3 for one of said glazings is different from the set A1, A2, A3 corresponding for another of said glazings;

 the glare sensor comprises a brightness sensor and a clock;

 the method comprises a step of determining a value representative of a presence of a user in at least one predetermined area of the room, the control of the optical transmission through said windows being made as a function of the presence value determined;

 - For a presence value corresponding to a presence of a user, the control of the optical transmission through said glazing is performed primarily according to the representative glare information provided by the glare sensor;

 - For a presence value corresponding to a lack of a user, the control of the optical transmission through said glazing is performed primarily or only according to the representative value of indoor temperature provided by the indoor temperature sensor;

the method comprises a step of controlling additional means for occulting glazing of the part; the method comprises a step of controlling the artificial lighting of the room as a function of the brightness measured inside the room;

 the method comprises a control step for regulating the temperature of the room as a function of the temperature measured inside the room.

 The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of example, and with reference to the appended drawing, in which:

 - Figure 1 is a block diagram of a control system;

 FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a control strategy of the control system;

 FIG. 3 is a graph representing optical transmission values, as a percentage of optical transmission, which are possible as a function of the representative glare values, in DGI, provided by the glare sensor, in the case of the presence of a user;

 FIG. 4 is a graph representing possible optical transmission values, as a percentage of optical transmission, as a function of the representative luminosity values, in Lux, provided by the brightness sensor, in the case of the presence of a user;

 FIG. 5 is a graph representing possible optical transmission values, as a percentage of optical transmission, as a function of the representative temperature values, in degrees Celsius, provided by the temperature sensor, in the case of the presence of a user; and

 FIG. 6 is a graph showing possible optical transmission values, as a percentage of optical transmission, as a function of the representative temperature values, in degrees Celsius, provided by the temperature sensor, in the absence of a user.

 The control system 1 shown is intended to manage both the visual comfort of users present in a room of a building and the thermal regulation of the room.

The part is equipped with several active glazings 2 with electrically controllable optical transmission properties, more particularly electrochromic glazings, that the control system 1 is able to control. It is an alternative for example thermochromic glazing or gaschromic. Electrochromic glazings 2 are glazings including an electrochemically active device reversibly chemically reactive to the application of a power supply. The optical transmission of an active glazing is thus electrically controlled.

 The control system 1 comprises:

 a brightness sensor 4 for providing a value representative of a brightness inside the room;

 a temperature sensor 6 for providing a value representative of a temperature inside the room;

 a glare sensor 8 to provide a representative glare value inside the room; and

 a control unit 10 comprising a memory 12 in which are stored programs able to control the optical transmission through the active glazing units 2 as a function of the representative value of brightness provided by the brightness sensor 4, of the representative temperature value provided by the temperature sensor 6 and the representative glare value provided by the glare sensor 8.

 Note that the term "value" is understood throughout the text broadly. This is a value of any suitable type. This is for example a single numerical value, or a set of values such as a vector or a matrix.

 The term "representative" is used to mean that this value makes it possible to obtain information on brightness, glare and temperature. This is for example a value of intensity or voltage of an electric current generated by the sensor 4, 6, 8.

 The programs of the control unit 10 are able to control the optical transmission through said glazing primarily according to the representative glare values provided by the glare sensor 8 with respect to the representative values of luminosity and temperature.

Note that the order of active glazing 2 is conventionally achieved by sending a target voltage across the glazing 2, different voltage values controlling different states of optical transmission through the glazing 2. The brightness is also taken into account, as a priority, with respect to the temperature in order to control the optical transmission through the glazings 2.

 The programs are designed to distinguish between a case of presence of a user in a given zone and the case of absence of a user in this zone.

 As illustrated in FIG. 2, the programs of the control unit 10 perform, after a starting step 100, a waiting step 102 for a determined duration followed by a test 104 of the presence of a user in a zone determined of the piece.

 If the presence test 104 is positive 106, a test 1 12 consists in verifying that the value of T1 is equal to the set value.

 The set value is determined during a control step 1 10 of optical transmission of the active glazing in the event of the presence of a user and according to the representative values of glare (in DGI), brightness (in Lux) and temperature (in ° C). This step 1 is for example performed before the presence test 104 or after the test 104 and before the test 1 12.

 The control step 1 will be described in more detail below.

 If the test 1 12 is negative 1 14, standby step 108 and return 1 15 to the test

1 12.

 If the test 1 12 is positive 1 16, a test 1 18 is to verify that the brightness value is equal to a predetermined set value.

 If the test 1 18 is negative 1 19, a brightness adjustment control 120 is generated, followed by a feedback loop 122 at the test 1 18.

 If the test 1 18 is positive 123, a test 124 consists in verifying that the temperature value is within a predetermined interval.

 If the test 124 is positive 126, return to the starting step 100.

 If the test 124 concludes that the temperature is lower than the lower limit of the interval, a heating command 130 is sent followed by a return 132 to the start step 100.

 If the test 124 concludes that the temperature is higher than the upper limit of the interval, an air conditioning command 134 is sent followed by a return 136 to the departure step 100.

Let's go back to the presence test 104. If the presence test 104 is negative 150, command 152 to turn off the artificial lighting or keep it off and test 154 to verify that the value of T1 is equal to the set value.

 The set value is determined during a control step 156 of optical transmission of active glazing in the absence of a user and as a function of the temperature value (in ° C). This step 156 is for example performed before the presence test 104 or after the test 104 and before the test 154.

 The control step 156 will be described in more detail below.

 If the test 154 is negative 158, wait step 160 and return 161 to the test 154.

 If the test 154 is positive 162, a test 164 is to verify that the temperature value is within a predetermined range.

 If the test 164 is positive 166, return to the departure step 100.

 If the test 164 concludes that the temperature is lower than the lower limit of the interval, a heating command 170 is sent followed by a return 172 to the start step 100.

 If the test 164 concludes that the temperature is greater than 174 at the upper limit of the interval, an air conditioning command 176 is sent followed by a return 178 to the departure step 100.

 The implementation above is described by way of non-limiting example.

The control strategy is of any type adapted to control the optical transmission through the glazing 2 and to control the artificial lighting and heating of the room.

 The invention more particularly relates to the choice of the optical transmission value through each active glazing 2, that is to say the steps 1 10 and 156.

Figures 3 to 5 relate to step 1 10, namely the optical transmission control in case of presence of a user. These figures respectively illustrate a set A1 of possible optical transmission values (Tl) as a function of the glare value (in DGI) provided by the glare sensor, a set A2 of representative values of Tl that are possible as a function of the value. of brightness (in Lux) provided by the brightness sensor, a set A3 of possible values of T1 as a function of the temperature value provided by the temperature sensor. Sets A1, A2 and A3 are defined for each active glazing.

 They are for example identical for each glazing, as is the case here, but are alternatively different for at least two different active glazings.

 The programs of the control unit are able to determine, for each active glazing 2, an optical transmission set value as a function of the values provided by the sensors 4, 6, 8 and sets A1, A2 and A3.

Advantageously, the programs respect the following propositions:

 Priority is thus given to the membership of the setpoint value of TI to the set A1. It is thus ensured that the rules defined by the set A1 are always respected and that the glare is treated primarily by the programs of the control unit to determine the set values of TI.

 Even more preferably, the programs respect the following propositions:

 According to this preferred embodiment, after the membership of TI to A1, priority is then given to the membership of TI to A2, that is to say the priority treatment of brightness with respect to temperature.

 Still more preferably, the programs respect the following proposals:

En cas de non conformité par rapport à A3 uniquement, une solution est ainsi recherchée pour minimiser la « distance » (ou l'« écart ») entre la valeur de consigne de Tl et l'ensemble A3.

In the event of nonconformity with respect to A3 only, a solution is thus sought to minimize the "distance" (or "deviation") between the set value of T1 and the set A3.

 In the event of non-compliance with A2 and A3, reducing the deviation from A2 is a priority.

 It should be noted that if there are several possible values for the value of T1 of one of the active glazings 2, the maximum value will for example be chosen, so as to favor a maximum brightness.

 Additional criteria may be taken into account in making a choice among these possible values, the term "depending on" being non-exclusive.

 Sets A1, A2, A3 can be defined as follows:

with InfAi and SupAi

respectively for A1, A2 and A3, the glare value, the brightness value and the temperature value.

 As illustrated in FIG. 3, the value of T1 is lowered from a glare value DGI equal to 20.

 The value of T1 will also be chosen minimum from an DGI glare value of 22.

 Regarding the brightness, the choice has been made, in the example illustrated in Figure 4, to turn on the artificial light below 500 Lux and thus to allow a decrease in the Tl from this value .

 Heating is triggered below 18 ° C (Figure 5) and air conditioning above 26 ° C. A decrease in the value of T1 is thus allowed from 18 ° C. and the minimum value of T1 chosen above 26 ° C.

 With regard to step 156, that is to say, in the absence of a user, the value of T1 must belong to a set A3 'defining possible values of T1 as a function of the temperature, different of the A3 set.

 This set A3 'is illustrated in FIG. 6. The heating is controlled here only below 16 ° C. and the air conditioning above 28 ° C., in order to reduce energy.

It should be noted that the sensors are of any suitable type. The glare sensor 8 is for example a digital camera associated with a processing unit capable of providing a glare value, for example in DGI.

 As a reminder, the DGI glare value is defined as

 with

 Lw = Luminance of glazing (nits)

 Lb = Luminance of the background (nits)

 Ω = Solid angle of the window modified by the position of the source (sr) Ω = Solid angle of the source seen from the observation point (sr)

 Alternatively, the evaluation of the importance of glare can be performed using different values. These values have been developed to characterize the physical sensation of glare. These different values could be used independently or in addition to each other:

 Gl Gloria, BRI or BGI which is described in the article by P. Petherbridge, RG Hopkinson, Discomfort Glare and the Lighting of Buildings, Transaction of the Illuminating Engineering Society (39) (1950), London, UK .

 - The "Discomfort Glare Rating" (DGR) associated with the "Daylight Glare Index" (DGI) described by R.G. Hopkinson, Glare from daylighting in buildings, Applied Ergonomics 3 (4) (1972).

 - The "Visual Comfort Probability" (VCP) described in DiLaura, David L., The Computation of Visual Comfort Probability, Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society, Vol. 5, July 1976, Pg. 207

 - the CGI and I "" Unified Glare Rating System "(UGR) described by the CIE in Discomfort Glare in the Interior Lighting, International Commission on Illumination (CIE), Technical Committee TC-3.13, Division 4, Interior Environment and Lighting design, Vienna Austria, 1992.

 As a variant, these are other values. More generally, the values are of any suitable type.

 The brightness sensor 4 is for example placed inside the room. Alternatively, however, the sensor 4 is placed outside the building.

The temperature sensor 6 is preferably placed inside the room. The presence sensor is alternatively replaced by a clock, the presence in a room being assimilated to a predetermined time range.

 The glare sensor 8 may be a brightness sensor, preferably outside the building, associated with a clock. In fact, the clock makes it possible to determine the position of the sun in the sky and thus the glare value as a function of the measured luminosity value.

 In addition, the system 1 may comprise one or more sensors of each type. The function of several sensors can also be performed by a single device. A CCD camera can for example provide both the glare sensor function and the brightness sensor.

 Throughout the text, the terms "a sensor A and a sensor B" should not be understood as involving two necessarily separate devices. It can be the same device providing two measurements. The same is true for the term "control unit".

 Finally, the part may also be equipped with occulting means such as blinds, curtains, PDLCD windows, etc., the control system 1 being able to control also the concealment means.

Claims

1. A control system (1) of the optical transmission through a plurality of active glazings (2) with electrically controllable optical transmission properties of a building part, of the type comprising:  a brightness sensor (4) for providing a value representative of a brightness inside the room;  a temperature sensor (6) for providing a value representative of a temperature inside the room; and  a control unit (10) comprising a memory (12) in which are stored programs able to control the optical transmission through said glazings (2) according to the representative values of luminosity and temperature provided by the brightness sensor ( 4) and by the indoor temperature sensor (6); wherein the system (1) comprises a glare sensor (8) for providing a representative glare value within the room and wherein the programs of the control unit (10) are adapted to control the optical transmission through said glazing (2) primarily according to the representative glare values provided by the glare sensor (8) relative to the representative values of luminosity and temperature.  2. System (1) according to claim 1, wherein the programs of the control unit (10) are able to control the optical transmission through said glazing (2) in priority according to the representative values of glare provided by the glare sensor (8) with respect to the luminosity representative values and preferably according to the representative brightness values provided by the brightness sensor (4) relative to the representative temperature values. 3. System (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the programs of the control unit (10) are able to define a representative value of optical transmission coefficient (Tl) of at least one of said windows (2) according to A1, A2 and A3, A1 corresponding to a set of representative values of T1 possible according to the information provided by the glare sensor (8), A2 corresponding to a set of representative values of T1 possible according to the information provided by the sensor of brightness (4), A3 corresponding to a set of values representative of T1 possible according to the information provided by the temperature sensor (6). 4. System (1) according to claim 3, wherein in which the programs of the control unit (10) are able to define a value representative of transmission coefficient (Tl) of at least one of said glazings ( 2) respecting the following proposals:

 5. System (1) according to claim 4, wherein in which the programs of the control unit (10) are able to define a value representative of transmission coefficient (Tl) of at least one of said glazings ( 2) respecting the following proposals:

 6. System (1) according to claim 5, wherein the programs of the control unit (10) are able to define a representative transmission coefficient value (Tl) of at least one of said windows ( 2) respecting the following proposals:

7. System (1) according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein at least one of the sets of A1, A2 and A3 has a lower bound and / or an upper bound which depend respectively on the information provided. by the glare sensor (8), information provided by the brightness sensor (4), and information provided by the indoor temperature sensor (6).  8. System (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the programs of the control unit (10) are able to control representative values of optical transmission through said windows (2) which are different for different glazing (2) among said glazings (2).  9. System (1) according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein at least one of the sets A1, A2 and A3 for one of said glazings (2) is different from the set A1, A2, Corresponding A3 for another of said glazings (2).  10. System (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the glare sensor (8) comprises a brightness sensor and a clock.  1 1. System (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a presence sensor for providing a value representative of a presence of a user in at least one predetermined area of the room, the programs of the control unit ( 10) being able to control the optical transmission through said glazing (2) as a function of the presence value provided by the presence sensor.  12. System (1) according to claim 1 1 wherein:  - For a presence value corresponding to a presence of a user, the programs of the control unit (10) are able to control the optical transmission through said glazing (2) in priority according to the glare representative information provided by the glare sensor (8);  for a presence value corresponding to an absence of a user, the programs of the control unit (10) are able to control the optical transmission through said glazings (2) in priority or only as a function of the representative value of indoor temperature provided by the indoor temperature sensor (6). 13. System (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the programs of the control unit (10) are suitable for comnnander additional means of occultation glazing of the room.  14. System (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising an artificial lighting control unit of the room, said unit being able to control the lighting of the room according to the brightness measured inside. of the room.  15. System (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a control unit for controlling the temperature of the room, said unit being able to control the temperature of the room as a function of the temperature measured inside. of the room.  16. An assembly comprising a plurality of active glazings (2) with electrically controllable optical transmission properties and a control system (1) for the optical transmission of said glazings (2), wherein the control system (1) is according to one any of the preceding claims.  17. A method of controlling the optical transmission through a plurality of active glazings (2) of a building room, of the type comprising steps of:  - measurement of brightness inside the room by a brightness sensor (4);  - measurement of temperature inside the room by a temperature sensor (6); and  control by a control unit of the optical transmission through said windows (2) as a function of representative values of luminosity and temperature provided by the brightness sensor (4) and the temperature sensor (6), wherein the method further comprises a dazzling measurement step by a glare sensor (8), and wherein the method comprises a step of controlling by the control unit (10) the optical transmission through said glazing (2) primarily according to representative glare values provided by the glare sensor (8).