US 12,410,937 B2
Control system for medium-sized commercial buildings
Bing Dong, Manlius, NY (US); and Jianshun Zhang, Jamesville, NY (US)
Assigned to SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY, Syracuse, NY (US)
Filed by Bing Dong, Manlius, NY (US); and Jianshun Zhang, Jamesville, NY (US)
Filed on Mar. 29, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/706,891.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/167,193, filed on Mar. 29, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0325913 A1, Oct. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. F24F 11/65 (2018.01); F24F 11/00 (2018.01); F24F 11/46 (2018.01); G05B 19/042 (2006.01); F24F 110/10 (2018.01); F24F 110/50 (2018.01); F24F 120/10 (2018.01); F24F 130/10 (2018.01)
CPC F24F 11/65 (2018.01) [F24F 11/0001 (2013.01); F24F 11/46 (2018.01); G05B 19/042 (2013.01); F24F 2011/0002 (2013.01); F24F 2110/10 (2018.01); F24F 2110/50 (2018.01); F24F 2120/10 (2018.01); F24F 2130/10 (2018.01); G05B 2219/2614 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for controlling a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
at least one sensor unit configured to determine a current room temperature, a current occupancy, and a current indoor air quality of a room in which said sensor unit is positioned;
a control hub interconnected to said sensor unit to receive said current room temperature, said current occupancy, and said current indoor air quality of the room in which said at least one sensor unit is positioned, wherein said control hub includes a local communication interface for operation of an HVAC unit having an operational state and a selectable amount of fresh air by selecting said operational state and by selecting said selectable amount of fresh air intake, and a remote communication interface that allows said control hub to transmit said current room temperature, said current occupancy, and said current indoor air quality of the room in which said at least one sensor unit is positioned and to receive at least one command indicating how said control hub should control operation of said HVAC unit; and
a remote host configured to communicate with said control hub and to receive said current room temperature, said current occupancy, and said current indoor air quality from said control hub, wherein the remote host is programmed to issue said at least one command to said control hub to implement a control strategy for a future time period developed by an optimization engine that determines how to operate said HVAC unit, wherein the optimization engine uses a multi-objective model predictive control architecture to develop the control strategy for the future time period based on a forecasting of future occupancy, a forecasting of future weather, a future ambient air quality, a future room temperature, a future indoor air quality, a future energy load, and a dose exposure of a virus of interest as well as said current room temperature, said current occupancy, and said current indoor air quality to minimize a total energy consumption of said HVAC unit while minimizing an overall infection risk for the virus of interest.