System and method for enforcing a manual temperature setpoint within a smart thermal management system

Abstract

The invention concerns a thermostatic radiator valve (TRV) ( 21 ) configured to adjust a flow of heating fluid from a heat generator ( 10 ) entering a heat emitter ( 11 ) in a room ( 101 ) with a room temperature (Tr 1 ) based on a temperature setpoint, the heat generator ( 10 ) and the heat emitter ( 11 ) configured to heat a building ( 9 ), the TRV ( 21 ) comprising: a communication link ( 41 ) to a thermostat ( 60 ) controlling the heat generator ( 10 ) based on a thermostat temperature setpoint ( 61 ); an input interface configured to allow a user to enter a defined temperature setpoint or acquire the defined temperature setpoint (T 2 ); wherein the TRV ( 21 ) is configured to send to the thermostat ( 60 ) a command to trigger the heat generator ( 10 ) if a difference between the defined temperature setpoint (T 2 ) and the room temperature (Tr 1 ) has a same sign as a gradient of temperature to be generated by the thermal energy generator and the thermostat ( 60 ) has reached the thermostat temperature setpoint ( 61 ).

1 . A thermostatic radiator valve (TRV) configured to adjust a flow of heat transfer fluid from a thermal energy generator entering a heat exchanger based on a temperature setpoint, the thermal energy generator and the heat exchanger configured to heat or cool a room with a room temperature (Tr 1 ), the TRV comprising:
 a communication link to a thermostat controlling the thermal energy generator based on a thermostat temperature setpoint;   an input interface configured to allow a user to enter a defined temperature setpoint or acquire the defined temperature setpoint (T 2 );   wherein the TRV is configured to send to the thermostat a command to trigger the thermal energy generator if a difference between the defined temperature setpoint (T 2 ) and the room temperature (Tr 1 ) has a same sign as a gradient of temperature to be generated by the thermal energy generator and the thermostat has reached the thermostat temperature setpoint.   
     
     
         2 . The TRV according to  claim 1 , wherein the communication link includes a relay configured to connect to the thermostat, and the TRV is configured to send to the relay the command for the thermostat to trigger the thermal energy generator. 
     
     
         3 . The TRV according to  claim 2 , wherein the relay is connected to an internet network. 
     
     
         4 . A method for enforcing a manual temperature setpoint using a thermostatic radiator valve (TRV) configured to adjust a flow of heat transfer fluid from a thermal energy generator entering a heat exchanger based on a temperature setpoint, the thermal energy generator and the heat exchanger configured to heat or cool a room with a room temperature (Tr 1 ), the TRV comprising:
 a communication link to a thermostat controlling the thermal energy generator based on a thermostat temperature setpoint;   an input interface configured to allow a user to enter a defined temperature setpoint (T 2 ) or acquire the defined temperature setpoint;   the method further comprising:
 sending an order to the thermostat to trigger the thermal energy generator if a difference between the defined temperature setpoint (T 2 ) and the room temperature (Tr 1 ) has a same sign as a gradient of temperature to be generated by the thermal energy generator and the thermostat has reached the thermostat temperature setpoint. 
   
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , further comprising regulating the room temperature (Tr 1 ) around the defined temperature setpoint (T 2 ). 
     
     
         6 . The TRV according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat transfer fluid is a heating fluid, the heat exchanger is a heat emitter and the thermal energy generator is a heat generator. 
     
     
         7 . The TRV according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat transfer fluid is a cooling fluid, the heat exchanger is a cooling emitter and the thermal energy generator is a cooling generator.