Method and apparatus for regulating a heating installation in premises including a plurality of heat generators

Claim 3

A regulation method according to claim 1, wherein the correction applied to the base temperature and determined in the form of the second signal at step (ii) is limited to a maximum ΔTDmax.

Claim 4

A regulation method according to claim 1, wherein step (iv) consists in periodically incrementing a temperature value (Tm) which is representative of the outside temperature which corresponds to the set temperature being maintained inside the premises with the heating fluid at its maximul allowable departure temperature, said increment being proportional to the said integration over a predetermined period of the difference existing between the set temperature and the inside temperature of the premises.

Claim 5

A regulation method according to claim 1, wherein the set temperature is automatically modulated as a function of a time program.

Claim 6

A method of regulating a heating installation in premises including a plurality of heating generators and according to claim 1, the heating installation being of the type which includes a mixing valve and the method including the improvement whereby a proportional or a proportional and differential regulator which is sensitive to a reference temperature corresponding to a sum of the three first signals, and which generates a first control signal when the said reference temperature is greater than the departure temperature of the fluid to cause the mixer valve to open for a period of time proportional to the difference between said temperatures, and which generates a second control signal when the said reference temperature is less than the departure temperature of the fluid to cause the mixer valve to close for a period of time which is proportional to the difference between the said temperatures.

Claim 7

Apparatus for regulating a heating installation in premises including a plurality of heating generators and temperature probes respectively sensitive to the instantaneous outside temperature, to the instantaneous inside temperature, and to the departure temperature of the fluid as heated by the heating generators, the installation further including a unit for defining a set temperature, wherein the apparatus comprises: servo control means suitable for generating a first signal representative of a base temperature proportional to the instantaneous difference between a set temperature and the outside temperature; main correction means suitable for generating a second signal representative of a correction to be applied to the base temperature and proportional to the instantaneous difference between the set temperature and the inside temperature; auxiliary correction means suitable for periodically generating a third signal representative of an auxiliary correction proportional to the integration over a predetermined period of the difference between the set temperature and the inside temperature; self-adaptation means sensitive to the third signal and suitable, at the end of each predetermined period, for correcting the factor of proportionality between the base temperature and the difference between the set temperature and the outside temperature; reference means suitable for generating a fourth signal representative of a reference temperature corresponding to summing the first three signals; a proportional-integral regulator sensitive to the difference between the reference temperature and the departure temperature of the fluid heated by the heating generators and generating a fifth signal; and threshold detectors suitable for detecting the passage of the fifth signal through successive predetermined thresholds corresponding to controls for bringing respective ones of the same heating generators into service.

Claim 8

Apparatus for regulating a heating installation in premises including a plurality of heating generators and temperature probes respectively sensitive to the instantaneous outside temperature, to the instantaneous inside temperature, and to the departure temperature of the fluid as heated by the heating generators, the installation further including a unit for defining a set temperature, wherein the apparatus comprises: servo control means suitable for generating a first signal representative of a base temperature proportional to the instantaneous difference between a set temperature and the outside temperature; main correction means suitable for generating a second signal representative of a correction to be applied to the base temperature and proportional to the instantaneous difference between the set temperature and the inside temperature; auxiliary correction means suitable for periodically generating a third signal representative of an auxiliary correction proportional to the integration over a predetermined period of the difference between the set temperature and the inside temperature; self-adaptation means sensitive to the third signal and suitable, at the end of each predetermined period, for correcting the factor of proportionality between the base temperature and the difference between the set temperature and the outside temperature; reference means suitable for generating a fourth signal representative of a reference temperature corresponding to summing the first three signals; a proportional-integral regulator sensitive to the difference between the reference temperature and the departure temperature of the fluid heated by the heating generators and generating a fifth signal; and threshold detectors suitable for detecting the passage of the fifth signal through successive predetermined thresholds corresponding to controls for bringing respective ones of the same heating generators into service.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the auxiliary correction means comprise peak clipping means suitable for limiting the amplitude of the second signal to a maximum value.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the self-adaptation means comprise incrementation means suitable for periodically incrementing a temperature value (Tm) which is representative of that outside temperature which corresponds to the set temperature (Tc) being maintained inside the premises with the heating fluid at its maximum allowable departure temperature, said increment being proportional to the said integration over a predetermined period (Ti) of the difference between the set temperature (Tc) and the inside temperature (Ti) of the premises.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 6, further including a clock suitable for modulating the set temperature in accordance with a predetermined program.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 6 for regulating a heating installation including a mixer valve, the regulation apparatus further including a proportional or a proportional and differential regulator sensitive to a reference temperature corresponding to the fourth signal generated by the reference means and adapted to generate a first control signal when the said reference temperature is greater than the departure temperature of the fluid to cause the mixer valve to open for a period of time proportional to the difference between said temperatures, and to generate a second control signal when the said reference temperature is less than the departure temperature of the fluid to close the mixer valve for a period of time which is proportional to the difference between said temperatures.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 10, further including a coding unit suitable for determining different set temperature values as a function of a time program and a user control, said different set temperature values being used to determine respective reference temperatures for application to the proportional-integral regulator and to the proportional regulator.