Disclosure of Invention
The invention provides a control method of a system, which can freely set a sensing unit to be sensed so as to freely set and control a controlled unit to be controlled, determine control parameters of the controlled unit according to various types of sensing units and various loops, and adjust the controlled unit according to the control parameters.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a method for controlling a system, the system including a control host and a loop, the loop including a controlled unit and a first sensing unit, the method including:
the control host provides an input interface to input a first sensing unit parameter and a controlled unit parameter;
the control host selects a first control flow program from a control flow program group comprising a plurality of control flow programs according to the input first sensing unit parameter and the controlled unit parameter;
the first sensing unit senses the loop to generate a first sensing signal and transmits a loop signal containing the first sensing signal to the control host;
the control host executes the first control flow program according to the first sensing signal in the loop signal to obtain a first control parameter;
the control host machine adjusts the first control parameter according to a preset mode to obtain an adjusted actuating parameter;
the control host outputs a control signal containing the adjustment actuating parameter to the controlled unit, so that the controlled unit adjusts and actuates according to the adjustment actuating parameter.
Preferably, the first sensing unit has a sensing unit address, the first sensing unit transmits the sensing unit address to the control host together with the first sensing signal, the first sensing unit parameter includes a sensing address parameter, and the control host derives the first sensing signal according to the sensing unit address and the sensing address parameter.
Preferably, the controlled unit has a controlled unit address, the control host outputs the controlled unit address and the adjustment actuation parameter to the controlled unit, the controlled unit parameter includes a controlled address parameter, and the controlled unit extracts the adjustment actuation parameter from the control signal according to the controlled unit address and the controlled address parameter.
Preferably, the predetermined manner is to set the first control parameter as the adjustment actuation parameter.
Preferably, the loop further comprises a second sensing unit, and the method further comprises:
inputting a second sensing unit parameter and a parameter relation between the first sensing unit parameter and the second sensing unit parameter;
the control host selects a second control flow program from the control flow program set according to the input second sensing unit parameter;
the second sensing unit senses the loop to generate a second sensing signal and transmits the loop signal containing the second sensing signal to the control host;
the control host executes the second control flow program according to the second sensing signal in the loop signal to obtain a second control parameter;
the control host determines the preset mode based on the parameter relationship and updates the adjustment actuating parameter according to the first control parameter and the second control parameter according to the preset mode.
Preferably, the parameter relationship includes a priority relationship, and the predetermined manner is to selectively select the first control parameter or the second control parameter as the adjustment actuation parameter according to the priority relationship; or,
the parameter relationship includes a threshold relationship, and the predetermined manner is to selectively select the first control parameter or the second control parameter as the adjustment actuation parameter according to the threshold relationship to determine whether the first sensing signal or the second sensing signal exceeds a predetermined threshold.
Preferably, the parameter relationship includes a predetermined calculation relationship, and the predetermined manner is to calculate the first control parameter and the second control parameter in a predetermined calculation manner according to the predetermined calculation relationship to obtain the adjustment actuation parameter.
Preferably, the predetermined calculation manner is to calculate an average value, a median value, a maximum value or a minimum value of the first control parameter and the second control parameter to obtain the adjustment actuation parameter.
Preferably, the system further comprises a second loop, wherein the second loop further comprises a third sensing unit, and the method further comprises:
inputting a third sensing unit parameter and a parameter relation between the first sensing unit parameter and the third sensing unit parameter;
the control host selects a third control flow program from the control flow program group according to the input third sensing unit parameter;
the third sensing unit senses the second loop to generate a third sensing signal and transmits the loop signal containing the third sensing signal to the control host;
the control host executes the third control program according to the third sensing signal in the loop signal to obtain a third control parameter;
the control host determines the predetermined mode based on the parameter relationship, and updates the adjustment actuation parameter according to the first control parameter and the third control parameter according to the predetermined mode.
Preferably, the air conditioning control system comprises a control host and a loop, wherein the loop comprises a controlled unit, a first sensing unit, a heat exchange unit and a water flow follow controller, the controlled unit comprises at least one pump, and the first sensing unit comprises at least one thermometer or at least one pressure gauge;
the control host is used for providing an input interface to input a first sensing unit parameter and a controlled unit parameter, and selecting a first control flow program from a control flow program group comprising a plurality of control flow programs according to the input first sensing unit parameter and the controlled unit parameter;
the first sensing unit is used for sensing the loop to generate a first sensing signal and transmitting a loop signal containing the first sensing signal to the control host;
the control host is further used for executing the first control flow program according to the first sensing signal in the loop signal to obtain a first control parameter, adjusting the first control parameter according to a predetermined mode to obtain an adjustment actuating parameter, and outputting a control signal containing the adjustment actuating parameter to the controlled unit;
the controlled unit is used for adjusting the action according to the adjustment action parameter.
Preferably, the water tower control system comprises a control host and a loop, wherein the loop comprises a controlled unit, a first sensing unit, a heat dissipation unit and a heat exchange unit, the controlled unit comprises at least one pump, and the first sensing unit comprises at least one thermometer or at least one pressure gauge;
the control host is used for providing an input interface to input a first sensing unit parameter and a controlled unit parameter, and selecting a first control flow program from a control flow program group comprising a plurality of control flow programs according to the input first sensing unit parameter and the controlled unit parameter;
the first sensing unit is used for sensing the loop to generate a first sensing signal and transmitting a loop signal containing the first sensing signal to the control host;
the control host is further used for executing the first control flow program according to the first sensing signal in the loop signal to obtain a first control parameter, adjusting the first control parameter according to a predetermined mode to obtain an adjustment actuating parameter, and outputting a control signal containing the adjustment actuating parameter to the controlled unit;
the controlled unit is used for adjusting the action according to the adjustment action parameter.
Compared with the prior art, the system control method provided by the invention provides an input interface for a user to set the parameters of the first sensing unit and the parameters of the controlled unit to edit a loop or adjust the control method, does not need to change the design of the hardware structure of the system or rewrite the control program, can enable the user to freely set the sensing unit to be sensed and the controlled unit to be controlled in advance, and further can facilitate the operation of the user. The system control method can detect various types of sensing units, automatically execute corresponding control process programs according to the sensing units and the controlled units of different types, automatically determine control parameters of the controlled units and adjust the controlled units according to the control parameters. The measurement and control are not required to be performed by pulling wires in the hardware structure of the system, and the inaccurate interpretation caused by errors possibly caused by the complicated hardware structure or mutual influence among signals can be avoided.
Detailed Description
In order to further understand the objects, structures, features and functions of the present invention, the following embodiments are described in detail.
Fig. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a system control method according to an embodiment of the invention. The system comprises a control host and a loop, wherein the loop comprises a controlled unit and a first sensing unit. The control method comprises the following steps. Step 100: the control host provides an input interface to input the first sensing unit parameter and the controlled unit parameter. Step 102: the control host selects a first control process program from a control process program group including a plurality of control process programs according to the input first sensing unit parameters and the controlled unit parameters. Step 104: the first sensing unit senses a loop to generate a first sensing signal and transmits a loop signal including the first sensing signal to the control host. Step 106: the control host executes a first control flow program according to a first sensing signal in the loop signal to obtain a first control parameter. Step 108: and the control host machine adjusts the first control parameter according to a preset mode to obtain an adjusted actuating parameter. Step 110: the control host outputs a control signal containing the adjustment actuation parameter to the controlled unit, so that the controlled unit adjusts the actuation according to the adjustment actuation parameter.
The following examples are provided to illustrate the system control method of the present invention. For example, the control method may be applied to the air conditioning system of fig. 3 or the water tower control system of fig. 4, but not limited thereto. Referring to FIG. 3, a block diagram of an air conditioning control system 300, such as a building air conditioning control system, is shown that may include at least one pump 3021～302NFor delivering at least one water stream to at least one heat exchange unit 304 in parallel1～304N. Heat exchange unit 3041～304NFor example, an ice maker, for reducing the temperature of the water flow and outputting the reduced temperature to the remote end, so that the water flow exchanges heat with the controller to achieve the effect of controlling the ambient temperature. To control such a system, a pressure gauge P1 is typically used to detect the water pressure at a remote location (e.g., a particular room in a floor of a building) to determine whether the temperature at the remote location is sufficiently low. If the water pressure at the remote location is higher, it means that the heat dissipation is faster and the temperature is lower. Therefore, if the water pressure at the remote location is low, which means the temperature is high, the pump 302 can be controlled1～302NTo pressurize the water stream and allow more water to pass through the ice maker to cool down and lower the temperature at the remote location. Alternatively, the system may use a set of thermometers, such as thermometer T11And T21Detecting the temperature difference of water flow before and after the ice maker to obtain the temperature reduction of the ice makerEfficiency, for example, the maximum efficiency of the ice maker is 5 degrees Celsius, but the detected temperature is only 4 degrees Celsius, and the pump 302 can be controlled1～302NThe water flow is decompressed, so that less water flow passes through the ice machine, the heat exchange action time is longer, and the temperature of the water flow is reduced by 5 ℃ to reach the maximum efficiency of the ice machine. The system may further include a second circuit 320 that may include a second set of pumps to re-pressurize the water flow or may include a second set of ice machines to re-cool the water flow. The system may also include a diverter valve 310 that controls the flow of water through the second circuit for repressurization or re-cooling based on the pressure or temperature at the remote location, with the remainder of the water flowing directly back to the first set of pumps 302 without passing through the second circuit 3201～302N. The second loop can be designed according to actual needs, and one skilled in the art can change the design of the air conditioning control system according to needs.
As can be seen from the above description, the climate control system 300 may include a plurality of sensing units (e.g., thermometers T)11～T1N、T21～T2NAnd a pressure gauge P1…, etc.) and a plurality of controlled units (e.g., pumps 302)1～302N…, etc.), the present invention thus provides a control method that can be set by the user as desired. The air conditioning control system can be connected with all the units and the control host machine through the communication module. In step 100, the control host provides an input interface, and the user can input the first sensing unit parameter to determine the first sensing unit to be pre-sensed, for example, the input of the first sensing unit parameter can be inputting the pressure gauge P located at the remote location1Or the parameter of the first sensing unit can be input into a group of thermometers T at the front and the rear of one ice machine11And T21. In step 100, the user can also input the controlled unit parameter to determine the controlled unit to be controlled, for example, the first pump 302 is the controlled unit parameter1. After the first sensing unit and the controlled unit are determined, in step 102, the control host may include a plurality of control flow programs according to the input parameters of the first sensing unit and the controlled unitA first control process program is selected from the group of control process programs. These control flow programs can be preset in the control host. For example, the first sensing unit is a pressure gauge P1The controlled unit is a pump 3021Then the pressure value representing the remote location and the pump 302 may be selected1The control flow program of water flow. Also for example, the first sensing unit is a thermometer T21And T22The controlled unit is a pump 3022Then the sum pump 302 may be selected to represent both temperature differences2The control flow program of water flow.
Then, in step 104, the first sensing unit senses the loop to generate a first sensing signal, and includes the first sensing signal in the loop signal to be transmitted to the control host. Then, in step 106, the control host executes a first control flow program according to a first sensing signal in the loop signal to obtain a first control parameter, such as a water flow rate, or a rotational speed of the pump. In step 108, the control host adjusts the first control parameter according to a predetermined manner to obtain an adjusted actuation parameter. For example, the predetermined manner can directly set the first control parameter as the adjustment actuation parameter. Finally, in step 110, the control host outputs a control signal including the adjusted actuation parameter to the controlled unit pump 3021To make the controlled unit pump 3021Adjusting an actuating parameter, e.g. a water flow of 15m3/hr output, or to control the pump 3021Is 50 Hz.
In another embodiment, another system control method is provided for controlling a controlled unit according to a plurality of sensing units. Referring to fig. 2A, 2B and 2C, a flow chart of a system control method using a plurality of sensing units is shown. In this method, the operations of steps 100 to 110 of fig. 2A are the same as those of fig. 1, and a description thereof will not be repeated. Fig. 2B may be performed after step 110 of fig. 2A to control the controlled unit according to the second sensing unit, such as path a of fig. 2A and 2B. Step 212: the second sensing cell parameter and a parameter relationship between the first sensing cell parameter and the second sensing cell parameter are input. In step 212, for example, the second sensing unit parameter may be input as a set of thermometers before and after the other ice maker, or the second sensing unit parameter may be input as a pressure gauge located at another location, and the parameter relationship between the input first sensing unit parameter and the second sensing unit parameter may be the parameter relationship between the input pressure P1 at the remote location and the set of thermometers before and after the other ice maker. Such a parameter relationship may include a priority relationship, a threshold relationship, or a predetermined computational relationship. In the system control method, at least two sensing units are used to generate at least two sensing values. Therefore, the user can set the relationship between the two sensing units, for example, the priority relationship represents that one of the sensing units is selected as the priority for controlling the adjustment actuation parameter. The threshold relationship represents that one of the sensing units is selected as the adjustment actuating parameter of the control according to whether the sensing value of the sensing unit is greater than the threshold value. The predetermined calculation relationship represents that the adjustment actuation parameter is calculated in a predetermined calculation manner according to the sensing values of the two sensing units. The predetermined calculation method may be various statistical numerical calculation methods. These parameter relationships may be predetermined by the user.
Thereafter, step 214 is executed: the control host selects a second control process program from the control process program set according to the input second sensing unit parameter. In step 214, similar to step 102, a set of temperature difference and pump 302, for example, representing the temperature difference across another ice maker, may be selected1The control flow program of water flow. Then, step 216 is executed: the second sensing unit senses the loop and generates a second sensing signal, and transmits a loop signal including the second sensing signal to the control host. Then, step 218 is executed: the control host executes a second control flow program according to a second sensing signal in the loop signal to obtain a second control parameter.
Finally, step 220 is executed: the control host determines a preset mode based on the parameter relation, and updates and adjusts the actuating parameters according to the first control parameter and the second control parameter according to the preset mode. Before step 220, the control host executes the corresponding control flow program according to the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal to obtain the first control parameter and the second control parameter. Therefore, in step 220, the control host updates the adjustment actuation parameters based on the parameter relationship between the two sensing units. After step 220, further comprising: the control host outputs a control signal containing the updated adjustment actuating parameter to the controlled unit, so that the controlled unit adjusts the actuation according to the updated adjustment actuating parameter.
For example, if the pressure priority is inputted in step 212, the predetermined manner is to select the control parameter calculated from the pressure sensing signal as the adjustment actuation parameter. If the temperature priority relationship is established, the predetermined method is to select the control parameter calculated by the sensed value of the temperature as the adjustment actuation parameter. Alternatively, the first sensing unit may be set to take priority.
In another embodiment, if the user does not want the pressure value at a certain position in the air conditioning system to exceed the predetermined pressure threshold, the pressure threshold relationship may be inputted in step 212, in which case the predetermined manner is to determine whether the pressure sensing signal exceeds the predetermined pressure threshold, and if the pressure sensing signal does not exceed the predetermined pressure threshold, the control parameter calculated according to the pressure sensing signal may be selected as the adjustment actuating parameter. On the contrary, if the sensed signal of the pressure exceeds the predetermined pressure threshold, another control parameter calculated by the sensed signal is selected as the adjustment actuating parameter. In this embodiment, the fact that the pressure sensing signal exceeds the predetermined pressure threshold may indicate that the sensing result of the pressure sensing unit is incorrect, that is, the pressure sensing unit is damaged, in which case the control parameter calculated by exceeding the predetermined pressure threshold is excluded to avoid the inaccurate control result caused by the control performed by the damaged pressure sensing unit. In another embodiment, the user can set the pressure threshold value at different positions, or the temperature threshold value at different positions to adjust the actuating parameter according to other threshold value relationships.
In another embodiment, assuming that the predetermined calculation relationship is inputted in step 212, the predetermined manner is to calculate the first control parameter and the second control parameter in a predetermined calculation manner according to the predetermined calculation relationship to obtain the adjustment actuating parameter. For example, in the air conditioning control system 300, two sets of thermometers before and after the ice machine are selected, and two control parameters are calculated according to the two sets of thermometers before and after the ice machine. At this time, a predetermined calculation method may be used, such as averaging the two control parameters to obtain an adjusted actuation parameter, or taking the maximum value of the two control parameters to obtain an adjusted actuation parameter, or taking the minimum value of the two control parameters to obtain an adjusted actuation parameter. However, the predetermined calculation method is not limited thereto, and when a plurality of sensing signals are used, the predetermined calculation method may further include various statistical numerical calculation methods such as taking median values, mode values … …, and the like for a plurality of control parameters. Or the calculation method can delete the control parameters of extreme values and then take the average value, the maximum value, the minimum value, the median value, the mode value … … and the like.
In other embodiments, the system control method may further generate the adjustment actuation parameter according to a third sensing unit in the second loop 320 of the air conditioning control system 300, including the steps shown in fig. 2C, where fig. 2C may be executed after fig. 2A, such as the path C of fig. 2A and 2C, or after fig. 2B, such as the path B of fig. 2B and 2C. Step 222: a third sensing cell parameter and a parameter relationship between the first sensing cell parameter and the third sensing cell parameter are input. Similarly, in step 222, for example, the input third sensing unit parameter may be a pressure gauge or a temperature gauge input to a location in the second loop 320, and the parameter relationship between the input first sensing unit parameter and the third sensing unit parameter may be a parameter relationship between the input pressure gauge P1 and the pressure gauge or the temperature gauge in the second loop 320. Such parameter relationships may include priority relationships, threshold relationships, and predetermined computational relationships. Step 224: the control host selects a third control flow program from the control flow program group according to the input third sensing unit parameter. Similarly, in step 224, the control host may select a control flow program representing, for example, the pressure or temperature value in the second circuit 320 and the water flow rate of the pump 3021.
Then, step 226 is executed: the third sensing unit senses the second loop to generate a third sensing signal and transmits a loop signal including the third sensing signal to the control host. Then, step 228 is executed: the control host executes a third control routine program according to a third sensing signal in the loop signal to obtain a third control parameter. Finally, step 230 is performed: the control host determines the preset mode based on the parameter relation and updates and adjusts the actuating parameter according to the first control parameter and the third control parameter according to the preset mode. After step 230, further comprising: the control host outputs a control signal containing the updated adjustment actuating parameter to the controlled unit, so that the controlled unit adjusts the actuation according to the updated adjustment actuating parameter. In step 230, the control host determines a predetermined calculation method to generate the adjustment actuation parameters based on the parameter relationship set in step 222. The predetermined calculation methods include various statistical numerical calculation methods such as an average value, a maximum value, a minimum value, a median value, a mode value, and … ….
In some embodiments, the system control method may also be used to control the controlled unit in the second loop 320. In other embodiments, climate control system 300 may also include a third circuit, which may be connected in series or in parallel with the second circuit. Similarly, the user can freely set the parameter relationship among the sensing unit to be sensed, the controlled unit to be controlled and the sensing units so as to determine the better adjustment actuating parameter after the control parameters generated by the sensing units are determined, and the user can adjust the control method according to the actual requirement without changing the circuit structure design of the system. The above embodiments are merely exemplary illustrations, and the system control method of the present invention does not limit the hardware architecture of the system.
The system control method of the present invention is described below with reference to another embodiment. Referring to FIG. 4, a block diagram of a water tower control system 400 is shown. The tower control system may include a pump 402 to pump water to a heat sink unit 406 at the top of the tower. The heat dissipation unitWhich may be a fan, for example. The water flow is cooled by a fan at the top of the water tower and then flows through a heat exchange unit 404. the heat exchange unit 404, such as a water heater, heats the water flow to provide warm or hot water. To control the water tower control system 400, a pressure gauge P is typically used1The water pressure at the top of the tower is sensed and a set of thermometers in front of and behind the heat exchange unit 404 is used to sense the water temperature in front of and behind the heat exchange unit. However, without limitation, the water tower control system 400 may also include multiple heat exchange units, or multiple pumps. Similarly, a plurality of thermometers may be used to detect the water temperature before and after a plurality of heat exchange units, or a plurality of pressure gauges may be used to detect the water pressure at different positions. Therefore, the system control method described above can also be applied to the water tower control system 400. The adjustment actuating parameter of one controlled unit is calculated by selecting at least one sensing unit. Similarly, the system control method may also include setting a parameter relationship between the two sensing units, and determining a predetermined manner to generate the adjustment actuation parameter based on the parameter relationship.
Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of an input interface 500 of the system control method according to the present invention. The input interface 500 may include a loop input block 510, a sensing unit input block 520, a controlled unit input block 530, a flow meter input block 540, a hot swap unit input block 550, and an electricity meter input block 560 … …, among others. These input blocks may be entered by the user or selected using a spreadsheet interface. In detail, the user can input the system loop to be controlled or set by the loop input block 510, or the user can select one of the pre-edited system loops, such as the air conditioning control system 300 loop or the water tower control system 400 loop …, etc. The sensing unit to be sensed may be input through the sensing unit input block 520. In one embodiment, the user-entered cell parameters may include an input sensing address parameter, i.e., an address of the sensing cell is input at sensing cell input block 520. In step 104, after the sensing unit senses, the address of the sensing unit and the sensing signal are transmitted to the control host together. Then, the control host compares the address of the sensing unit with the sensing address parameter inputted by the user to extract the sensing signal conforming to the sensing address parameter.
Similarly, the user can input the controlled unit to be controlled and related parameters, such as the rotational speed or water flow rate of the pump, the minimum or maximum value of the flow rate, etc., through the controlled unit input block 530. In one embodiment, the controlled unit parameter input by the user may include an input controlled address parameter, that is, an address of the controlled unit is input in the controlled unit input block 530. In step 110, the control host outputs the controlled unit address and the adjustment operation parameter to the controlled unit, and at this time, the control host compares the controlled unit address with the controlled address parameter inputted by the user to extract the corresponding adjustment operation parameter to output to the controlled unit corresponding to the controlled address parameter.
The system control method not only can calculate the adjustment actuating parameter of the controlled unit, but also comprises other functions. For example, in some embodiments, a flow meter in the system loop may be input via the flow meter input block 540 to detect water flow at a location in the loop, the controlled unit may be controlled based on the water flow, or the energy consumed based on the water flow may be known to monitor the efficiency of the system. For example, assuming that water flow has been measured, then the following formula can be used: the energy is the water flow rate, the temperature difference is the specific heat and water density, and the consumed energy passing through the section of water flow can be calculated. In some embodiments, information related to the heat exchange unit, such as water flow rate for pump control, maximum and minimum water flow rate or pump speed, pump type, etc., may be input via the heat exchange unit input block 550 for more detailed control of the system. In one embodiment, the electricity meter input block 560 may also be used to input the electricity meter of a location in the loop system, which is used to detect the amount of electricity consumed by a component of the location, so that the efficiency of the system can be known by detecting the amount of electricity consumed or the electricity consumed in a certain time period can be calculated to calculate the electricity fee. In some embodiments, the data provided by the input block may also be used to generate reports on the results sensed by the sensing unit or the adjustment parameters of the controlled unit so as to continuously monitor the system, thereby facilitating the user to observe the control of the system. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art can design more input blocks to monitor the various elements of the system according to actual needs.
According to the above embodiments, the present invention provides a system control method capable of being customized, the system includes at least one sensing unit and at least one controlled unit, and the system control method can be applied to a single-loop system or a multi-loop control system. The control method also provides an input interface for the user to set and edit the loop or adjust the control method, without changing the design of the hardware structure of the system and rewriting the control program, thereby facilitating the operation of the user. The control method can detect various types of sensing units and automatically execute corresponding control flow programs according to the sensing units and the controlled units of different types. The method further includes setting parameter relationships among the different sensing units, and calculating adjustment actuation parameters of the controlled unit in different predetermined manners according to the different parameter relationships. According to the system control method capable of being customized, inaccurate control parameters caused by the fact that one sensing unit is broken can be avoided. In addition, because the measurement and control are not required to be performed by pulling wires in the hardware structure of the system, the inaccurate interpretation caused by the error possibly caused by the complicated hardware structure or the mutual influence between signals can be avoided. In addition, the system control method can also detect the energy consumption of each element and adjust and control the elements according to the relation among the sensing units, and compared with the traditional control system which can only control the elements in one loop but can not operate across the loop, the system control method can control the elements by considering the efficiency of the whole system so as to achieve the effect of further saving energy.
The present invention has been described in relation to the above embodiments, which are only exemplary of the implementation of the present invention. It must be noted that the embodiments of the invention do not limit the scope of the invention. Rather, it is intended that all such modifications and variations be included within the spirit and scope of this invention.