US 12,104,812 B2
Variable refrigerant flow system with zone grouping control feasibility estimation
John H. Burroughs, Wauwatosa, WI (US); Andrew J. Przybylski, Franksville, WI (US); Matthew J. Ellis, Milwaukee, WI (US); Mohammad N. Elbsat, Milwaukee, WI (US); and Michael J. Wenzel, Grafton, WI (US)
Assigned to Tyco Fire & Security GmbH, Neuhausen am Rheinfall (CH)
Filed by Johnson Controls Technology Company, Auburn Hills, MI (US)
Filed on Jul. 16, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/512,712.
Prior Publication US 2021/0018204 A1, Jan. 21, 2021
Int. Cl. F24F 11/47 (2018.01); F24F 11/54 (2018.01); F24F 11/56 (2018.01); F24F 11/64 (2018.01); F24F 11/65 (2018.01); F24F 11/83 (2018.01); G05B 19/042 (2006.01); F24F 110/10 (2018.01); F24F 110/12 (2018.01); F24F 140/50 (2018.01); F24F 140/60 (2018.01)
CPC F24F 11/47 (2018.01) [F24F 11/54 (2018.01); F24F 11/56 (2018.01); F24F 11/64 (2018.01); F24F 11/65 (2018.01); F24F 11/83 (2018.01); G05B 19/042 (2013.01); F24F 2110/10 (2018.01); F24F 2110/12 (2018.01); F24F 2140/50 (2018.01); F24F 2140/60 (2018.01); G05B 2219/2614 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A controller for a variable refrigerant flow system, the controller comprising one or more processors and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
identifying a plurality of zones within a structure;
generating a plurality of zone groupings, each of the plurality of zone groupings defining a plurality of zone groups and specifying which of the plurality of zones are grouped together to form each of the plurality of zone groups;
generating a plurality of metric of success values, each metric of success value corresponding to a particular zone grouping of the plurality of zone groupings and indicating a control feasibility of a corresponding zone grouping, wherein generating the plurality of metric of success values comprises using zone models for the plurality of zones to determine thermal characteristics of the plurality of zones and calculating a variance for each zone group of the plurality of zone groups based on the thermal characteristics of the plurality of zones grouped together to form the zone group;
selecting a zone grouping of the plurality of zone groupings based on the plurality of metric of success values; and
using the selected zone grouping to operate equipment of the variable refrigerant flow system to provide heating or cooling to the plurality of zones.