Field of technology

The invention generally relates to a measuring device to be retro fitted to a heating system of a building, a control system of the heating system of the building and control method of the heating system of the building.

Background

Heating a building by a water-circulating radiator takes place by circulating water of a desired temperature in the heating network with a cir culation pump. The circulated water has first been heated in a heat exchanger of a district heating network, for example. The supply water of the heating network heats radiators that release the required amount of heat to the rooms in the building. From the radiators, return water that has released its heat returns back to the district heat exchanger to be re-heated.

A control centre in the building monitors the outdoor tempera ture by means of a temperature sensor connected thereto for measuring the outdoor temperature, and the supply water temperature by means of a tem perature sensor intended for measuring the temperature of the supply water.

The supply water sensor is installed after the district heat exchanger in the supply water pipe of the heating network, where a sensor pocket has been formed for the sensor for the purpose.

On the basis of the outdoor temperature indicated by the outdoor temperature sensor and with the aid of a predetermined adjustment curve, the control centre of the heating network deduces the temperature of the supply water circulated in it. If the outdoor temperature changes, the control centre controls the control valve of the connected district heating inlet pipe to adjust the flow of the inlet pipe so that the temperature of the supply water is changed, raised or lowered, in the district heat exchanger until the supply water sensor indicates that it has reached the temperature according to the control curve.

Summary

It is an object of the invention to solve prior art problems, to easily modernise old control centres of heating systems, and to achieve heating sys tems based on prediction and need. An object of the invention is achieved by means of a measuring device, control system, and control method according to the independent claims.

A measuring device to be retrofitted to a heating system of a building according to an embodiment of the invention has a temperature sen sor part, control part, and data transfer part. The sensor part is adapted to measure the temperature of the supply water flowing into the heating net work of the heating system. The data transfer part, together with the control part, is adapted to transmit a first temperature data from the measuring de vice, concerning the temperature measured by the sensor part. In addition, the data transfer part receives, through at least one communications net work, temperature control data based on which the measuring device con trols the temperature of the inner part of a pocket element formed in the pro tective housing thereof and intended for a temperature sensor in contact with a regulator for controlling the temperature of the supply water of the heating system.

A control system of a building’s heating system according to an embodiment of the invention has a retrofitted measuring device according to the embodiment described in the above, and a control server communi cating with it through at least one communications network.

Other embodiments of the invention are disclosed in dependent claims.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail by the attached figures.

Detailed description of the figures

Fig. 1 shows a heating system 102 of a building 100, and its con trol system 104. The system 102 is a water-circulating radiator heating in which water 120, 124 circulated by means of a circulation pump (not shown) in radiators (not shown in the figure) in different spaces and rooms of the building is heated, as shown in the figure, in a heat exchanger 106 of a district heating network. Alternatively, differing from the figure, the heating of the water 120, 124, needed by the system 102, may be implemented in an oil, electric power, gas, or hydrogen heating boiler, or by means of a heat recov ery system.

The operating principle of the system 102 is similar to that de scribed as the background of the invention. Through a district heat supply pipe 108, hot supply water 110 flows to a heat distribution room 101 of a building 100, the flow of which is regulated by a regulator (adjustment valve, motorised valve) 112, to a heat exchanger 106 in which the hot supply water 110 heats the water 120, 124 flowing through the heat exchanger 106 and circulating in the heating net work 122, 126, and a district heat discharge water 116, having released heat, exits the heat exchanger 106 and the building 100 through a return pipe 118.

The heated supply water 120 circulating in the heating network 122, 126 flows from the heat exchanger 106 along a supply pipe 122 to the radiators in the building 100, at which it releases its heat to the indoor air, and discharge water 124 exits, having cooled down, along the return pipe 126 back towards the heat exchanger 106.

The control centre 128 of the system 102 monitors by means of an outdoor temperature sensor 132, communicating with it by means of a connection 130, the outdoor temperature external to the building 100 and receives from it an outdoor temperature measurement data OT, indicating the outdoor temperature.

The control centre 128 also communicates with an adjustment sensor (temperature sensor) 136 by means of the connection 134, which is originally intended to measure the supply water 120 temperature and to re port the measured measurement data to the control centre 128.

In the supply pipe 122, there is formed a sensor pocket 138 in which a sensor 136 would be installed in prior art, but instead of the sensor 136, in the system 102 in it will be installed a temperature sensor part (tem perature sensor) 142, belonging to the measuring device 140 and monitoring the supply water 120 temperature. The measuring device 140 will be de scribed in more detail below.

The control centre 128 determines on the basis of the received outdoor temperature measurement data OT and the adjustment curve 144 of the heating system 102, which was previously determined for it, what tem perature the supply water 120 going to the radiators should be, and gener ates an adjustment command AC which it sends on a connection 146 to the regulator 112 for it to adjust the supply water 110 flow so that the tempera ture of the supply water 120 flowing from the heat exchanger 106 to the sup ply pipe 122 would be in accordance with the adjustment curve 144. In addition to the regulator 112, control centre 128 and sensors 132, 136, the control system 104 of the system 102 also includes a measuring device 140, easily retrofittable in it, by means of which the intention is to modernise old control centres 128 and to form a heating system 102 based on prediction and need.

The measuring device 140 has a protective housing 148 whose purpose is to protect parts 150, 152, 154, 158, 160, 266 of the measuring device 140 against mechanical impacts, and damage caused by water, dirt, or similar.

The measuring device additionally has a control part 150 control ling the operation of the measuring device 140. The control part 150 will be described in closer detail below.

The measuring device 140 additionally has, as shown in the fig ure, the aforementioned sensor part 142 entirely or alternatively partly out side the protective housing 148. It communicates with the control part 150 on a fixed, or alternatively wireless, data transmission connection 152, as shown in the figure. The sensor part 142 is so designed that it may be in stalled in a sensor pocket 138 in the supply pipe 122, and it may be used to measure the temperature of the supply water 120 flowing into the heating network 122, 126.

In addition, the measuring device 140 has a pocket element 154 formed in its protective housing 148 as shown in the figure, so designed that in its inner part (space) 256 a sensor 136 may be installed instead of the sen sor pocket 138 and the temperature of the inner part 256 be measured.

The measuring device 140 additionally has, associated with the pocket element 154, a heating element 158 for adjusting the temperature of the inner part 256, and a temperature sensor 160 for monitoring the temper ature of the inner part 256, which are communicating with the control part 150 responsible for controlling them.

Alternatively, the pocket element 154 and the associated parts 158, 160 may be formed separate from the protective housing 148, as an entity protected by their own protective housing, which is connected through a fixed or wireless communication connection to the control part 150.

The measuring device 140 may thus have a structure according to the figure, a structure provided with a separate pocket element 154 and (partly) integrated sensor 142, a structure provided with an integrated pocket element 154 and sensor 142, or a structure provided with a separate pocket element 154 and sensor 142.

The control system 104 additionally includes a control server 164 communicating with the measuring device 140 through at least one commu nications network 162, such as one, two, or three networks. The network 162 used to establish communication may be a fixed network formed with cable connections, a wireless network, or their combination. The measuring device 140 may be in contact with the server 164 e.g. directly through an internet or mobile phone network 162, or access to the internet or mobile phone net work 162 is implemented by means of a Wi-Fi network 162 formed by a router (not shown) connected to the network 162. The server 164, for its part, comprises at least one server computer, such as one, two, or three com puters.

The server 164 monitors and maintains the heating system 102 of each building 100. At minimum, it maintains the adjustment curve 144 of the heating system 102, acquires temperature data WT of the supply water 120, an up-to-date weather forecast, and current outdoor temperature.

The control part 150 sends, after measuring the supply water 120 temperature, the temperature data WT concerning the measured tempera ture from the measuring device 140 through at least one communications network 162, such as the wireless communications network 162 according to the figure, to the server 164 which generates control data CO to be trans mitted to the measuring device 140 based on at least one of the following: temperature data WT, adjustment curve 144, outdoor temperature, and weather forecast.

The generated control data CO includes at least the target temper ature (temperature data ) TT for the temperature in the inner part 256 of the pocket element 154, based on which TT the control part 150 is able to control the heating element 158 so that the sensor 136 installed in the pocket ele ment 154 is meant to detect the corresponding temperature in the inner part 256. Alternatively, the control data CO may be a temperature change data AD to achieve the target temperature TT, based on which the control part 150 controls the heating element 158 so that the sensor 136 detects the change according to the change data AD in the temperature of the inner part 256, or a temperature copying data (instruction) CY, based on which the control part 150 controls the heating element 158 to maintain the temperature or the in ner part 256 so that it matches the supply water 120 temperature (tempera ture data WT) measured by the sensor 142.

The server 164 transmits through at least one communications network 162, which is not necessarily the same as the one used for sending the temperature data WT, control data CO to the control part 150.

The control part 150 controls the heating element 158 on the ba sis of the control data CO, and by means of the temperature sensor 160 by increasing or lowering the heating powers of the heating element 158 so that the temperature of the inner part 256 of the pocket element 154 corresponds with the target temperature TT. Alternatively, if the control data comprises a change data AD or copying data CY, the control part 150 acts as described in the above when controlling the heating element 158 by means of the temper ature sensor 160.

The sensor 136 installed in the pocket element 154 detects the indoor temperature controlled on the basis of the control data CO and gener ates on the basis of it temperature data IT concerning the inner part 256 tem perature. The sensor 136 transmits the temperature data IT as it would send the temperature data WT if it had been installed in the sensor pocket 138 instead of the pocket element 154, and the adjustment centre 128 utilises the temperature data IT and adjustment curve 144 to generate an adjustment command AC.

In the manner described in the above, by means of the measuring device 140 and server 164, the heating system 102 can be flexibly and pre dictably adjusted.

For example, if a weather forecast predicts the weather turning colder, the server 164 sets the target temperature TT lower than what the current temperature data WT currently indicates for the supply water 120. Based on the target temperature TT contained in the control data CO, the con trol part 150 controls the heating element 158 so that a temperature match ing the target temperature TT is obtained in the pocket element 154, which the sensor 136 is able to detect and to convey the temperature data IT to the control centre 128. The control centre 128, for its parts, instructs the regu lator 112, on the basis of the “untruthful” temperature data IT and adjust ment curve 144, to increase the flow of the supply water 110 so that the sup ply water 120 can be heated. Similarly, if the weather is forecast to warm up, the server sets the target temperature TT higher than what the current tem perature data WT currently indicates for the supply water 120, whereby it is possible to send to the adjustment centre 128 an “untruthful”, too high a tem perature data IT, based on which the regulator 112 is instructed to reduce the flow of supply water 110.

The control system 104 is in addition to controlling the heating system 102 also suitable to controlling ventilation units, ventilation net works, heating circuits, and similar in the buildings 100.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a retrofit measuring device 140, described in connection with the preceding figure, used in the heating system 102, and in particular its control part 150.

The measuring device 140 has a power supply part 266 from which it takes the power it needs. The power supply part 266 is connected to the control part 150 which controls its use.

The measuring device 140 additionally has a data transfer part 270 by means of which the measuring device 140 sends control commands and other data to its other parts 142, 154, 158, 160, 266, and server 164, as well as receives the data these send. The data transfer takes place by utilising fixed cable or wireless connections. For example, data may be transferred to the server 164 through a Wi-Fi, internet, or mobile phone network.

The measuring device 140 obviously has the aforementioned con trol part 150, by means of which the measuring device 140 controls its own operation, that is, the operation of its parts 142, 154, 158, 160, 266, 270, 272 so that the measuring device 240 operates as shown in connection with the preceding figure.

The control part 150 has a processor part 268, which implements control commands of the application programs and those possibly defined by a user of the measuring device 140, and processes data. The processor part 268 includes at least one processor, such as one, two, three or more proces sors.

The control part 150 possibly also has a physical user interface part by means of which a user may provide control commands and data to the measuring device 140, specifically to the control part 150, and receive data, instructions, and control command requests indicated by the measur ing device 140. The user interface part includes at least one of the following parts: physical function keys, keyboard, display, and touchscreen. The control part 150 also has a memory part 272 in which are stored application programs used by and controlling the operation of the measuring device 140, as well as data used in its operation. The memory part 272 includes at least one memory, such as one, two, three, or more memories.

The memory part 272 has a data transfer application 274 control ling the operation of the data transfer part 270, a user interface application controlling the operation of the user interface part, if one is included in the control part 150, a power supply application 276 controlling the operation of the power supply part 266, and an application 278 controlling the operations of the parts 142, 154, 158, 160, 266 of the measuring device 140.

The application 278 comprises a computer program code (in structions) by means of which the measuring device 140 is controlled to op erate as was described in connection with the preceding figure, when the application 278 is run by the processor part 268, with the aid of the memory part 272, i.e. control part 150, on the measuring device 140.

As already disclosed in connection with the preceding figure, the measuring device 140 additionally has a temperature sensor part 142 moni toring the supply water 120 temperature, a pocket element 154 intended for the sensor 136, a heating element 158 intended for controlling the internal temperature of the pocket element 154, a sensor 160 intended for monitor ing the internal temperature of the pocket element 154, and a protective housing 148.

In the above, only some exemplary embodiments of the invention are disclosed. The principle according to it may naturally be varied within the scope defined by the claims, insofar as the details and application of the im plementation are concerned.