Customized Control of the Thermal Comfort of an Occupant of a Building

Abstract

A method of controlling a heating and/or ventilation and/or air-conditioning (HVAC) system, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: ( 12 )—Calculation of a theoretical thermal comfort parameter (PMValgo) for at least one occupant of at least one area of a building on the basis of at least one parameter specific to the occupant, such as their metabolic rate (met) and/or their clothing (clo), and controlling a heating and/or ventilation and/or air-conditioning (HVAC) system so that the theoretical thermal comfort parameter converges toward a predefined thermal comfort range corresponding to a satisfactory level of comfort, ( 17 )—Correction of at least one parameter specific to the occupant if the real thermal sensation of the occupant is not satisfactory.

1 - 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . Method of controlling a heating and/or ventilation and/or air-conditioning (HVAC) system, wherein it comprises the steps of:
 ( 12 )—Calculation of a theoretical thermal comfort parameter (PMValgo) for at least one occupant of at least one area of a building on the basis of at least one parameter specific to the occupant, such as their metabolic rate (met) and/or their clothing (clo), and controlling a heating and/or ventilation and/or air-conditioning (HVAC) system so that the theoretical thermal comfort parameter converges toward a predefined thermal comfort range corresponding to a satisfactory level of comfort,   ( 17 )—Correction of at least one parameter specific to the occupant if the real thermal sensation of the occupant is not satisfactory.   
     
     
         21 . Control method according to  claim 20 , wherein the step ( 17 ) of correcting at least one parameter specific to the occupant includes only the correction of one or more parameters specific to the occupant in the calculation of the theoretical thermal comfort parameter for the occupant. 
     
     
         22 . Control method according to  claim 20 , wherein the at least one area contains a plurality of occupants, in that the step ( 12 ) of calculating a theoretical thermal comfort parameter (PMValgo) is carried out for each of the occupants, and in that the correction step ( 17 ) is carried out for at least one of the occupants. 
     
     
         23 . Control method according to  claim 22 , wherein it includes a step of automatic initialization of the at least one parameter specific to the occupant when the control method is started up. 
     
     
         24 . Control method according to  claim 20 , wherein the at least one parameter specific to the occupant is their metabolic rate (met) and/or their clothing (clo). 
     
     
         25 . Control method according to  claim 20 , wherein it includes a step ( 22 ) of entry via a man-machine interface of the real thermal sensation of the occupant to obtain (step  15 ) a value of a real thermal comfort parameter (PMVmmi). 
     
     
         26 . Control method according to  claim 25 , wherein the step ( 22 ) of entry via the man-machine interface of the real thermal sensation of the occupant is prohibited if the heating and/or ventilation and/or air-conditioning (HVAC) system is in a transient state of convergence toward a stable state. 
     
     
         27 . Control method according to  claim 25 , wherein it includes a step of correcting at least one parameter specific to the occupant so that the heating and/or ventilation and/or air-conditioning (HVAC) system is controlled so as to lead to its convergence toward a new stable state in which the theoretical thermal comfort parameter converges toward the predefined comfort range corresponding to a satisfactory level of comfort whilst obtaining a real thermal comfort satisfying the occupant. 
     
     
         28 . Control method according to  claim 20 , wherein it includes a step ( 11 ) of measuring and/or estimating environmental parameters and taking these measurements and/or estimates into account to calculate the theoretical thermal comfort parameter (PMValgo). 
     
     
         29 . Control method according to  claim 20 , wherein the step of calculating the theoretical thermal comfort parameter (PMValgo) uses the Fanger method based on the interior air temperature (Ta), the mean radiant temperature (Tr), the air speed (Va), the relative humidity (RH), the metabolic rate (met) and the clothing (clo). 
     
     
         30 . Control method according to  claim 29 , wherein the step ( 17 ) of correcting at least one parameter specific to the occupant consists in modifying only the metabolic rate (met). 
     
     
         31 . Control method according to  claim 20 , wherein it includes an additional step ( 18 ) of comparing the corrected value (met*) of the at least one parameter specific to the occupants with a predefined range ([met low ; met high ]), the situation being judged excessive if this value is outside the range, the value of the parameter specific to the occupant (met) not being modified in any such situation. 
     
     
         32 . Computer medium containing a computer program executing the steps of the method according to  claim 20  of controlling a heating and/or ventilation and/or air-conditioning (HVAC) system. 
     
     
         33 . Heating and/or ventilation and/or air-conditioning (HVAC) system comprising a heating and/or air-conditioning device ( 3 ) and/or a ventilation device ( 2 ), one or more sensors ( 6 ) for measuring at least one environmental parameter, control means comprising actuators enabling modification of the operating conditions of the HVAC system as a function of at least one calculated set point value, wherein it comprises means for taking into account the real thermal sensation of at least one occupant and means for implementing the control method according to  claim 20 . 
     
     
         34 . Heating and/or ventilation and/or air-conditioning (HVAC) system according to  claim 33 , wherein the means for taking into account the real thermal sensation of at least one occupant comprise a man-machine interface. 
     
     
         35 . Heating and/or ventilation and/or air-conditioning (HVAC) system according to  claim 34 , wherein the man-machine interface offers the possibility of entering one of six different thermal sensation levels, comprising three “hot” levels and three “cold” levels, and/or in that it includes the display of at least one suggestion for improving the comfort of an occupant and/or in that it includes the display of environmental parameter values and/or in that it includes the display of the value of a theoretical comfort parameter and/or in that it includes the display of the energy consumption and/or in that it includes the display of the stable or transient state of the HVAC system. 
     
     
         36 . Building, wherein it incorporates a heating and/or ventilation and/or air-conditioning system employing the control method according to  claim 20 . 
     
     
         37 . Building according to  claim 36 , wherein it takes into account the real thermal sensation of all its occupants ( 4 ).