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US3913344A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Fluid energy monitoring apparatus
Assignee: Johnson Service Co
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Filing: 1974-10-15
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Granted: 1975-10-21
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Expires: 1994-10-15
Abstract
Abstract A fluidic sensing and processing system monitors the enthalpy and/or sensible heat of an outside air and of return air to select the air placing the minimum load on a mechanical refrigeration apparatus. Fluid pressure signals correctponding to the dry-bulb temperature of the air and to the relative humidity of the air are created and summated in a resistor network including individual fluidic summing resistors connected to a common summing point. The summing resistors are directly interrelated with a particular ratio producing a constant output pressure with constant enthalpy but with varying temperatures and humidity. The common psychrometric chart may be employed to indicate the area over which a particular resistance ratio will produce a predictable and reliably significant correlated output pressure. The pair of sensing networks provide output related to the relative enthalpy of the return air and the outdoor air. The output of the networks are connected to a fluidic comparator to establish a selection signal connecting the return air or outside air to the mechanical refrigeration unit. An overriding temperature control comparison is further introduced to provide an overriding control in accordance with the relative outside air temperature with respect to the temperature of the return air from the conditioned zones. If the outside air dew point is below the discharge temperature, air from either source will pass through the mechanical refrigeration without condensation of moisture and selected air should be that with the lowest sensible heat regardless of its enthalpy. The two resistor networks may be applied to a fluidic amplifying device such as a summing impact modulator to produce a proportional output which continuously adjusts the mixture of the two air sources to produce air with a constant enthalpy.
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas M Holloway
- 👤 George J Janu
- 👤 Paul W Kuhar
- 👤 Richard N Laakaniemi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 10:17
CPC Classifications
F; F24; F24F; F24F11/00; F24F11/62; F24F11/63; F24F11/70; F24F11/80; F24F11/83; F24F11/84; F24F11/88; F24F3/00; F24F3/12; F24F3/14; F24F3/1405; G; G05; G05D; G05D23/00; G05D23/185; G05D27/00; F24F11/30; F24F11/0001; F24F2011/0002; F24F2110/00; F24F2110/10; F24F2110/12; F24F2110/20; F24F2110/22; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T137/00; Y10T137/206; Y10T137/212; Y10T137/2125; Y10T137/2131
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
147 words
A heat content monitoring apparatus for generating a fluid signal in accordance with the heat content of a fluid, comprising sensing means to detect the temperature of the fluid and to generate a fluid signal having a strength level proportional to said temperature, sensing means to detect the humidity of the fluid and to generate a fluid signal having a strength level proportional to the humidity of the fluid, a resistance summing network having separate resistance branches coupled to the respective sensing means and connected to a fluid signal summing means to produce an enthalpy fluid signal related to the individual strength levels and the relative resistance in the branches of the summing network, said summing network generating an essentially constant enthalpy fluid signal over a predetermined enthalpy range of the fluid, said range being directly related to the ratio of the resistance of said resistance branches.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
147 words
A heat content monitoring apparatus for generating a fluid signal in accordance with the heat content of a fluid, comprising sensing means to detect the temperature of the fluid and to generate a fluid signal having a strength level proportional to said temperature, sensing means to detect the humidity of the fluid and to generate a fluid signal having a strength level proportional to the humidity of the fluid, a resistance summing network having separate resistance branches coupled to the respective sensing means and connected to a fluid signal summing means to produce an enthalpy fluid signal related to the individual strength levels and the relative resistance in the branches of the summing network, said summing network generating an essentially constant enthalpy fluid signal over a predetermined enthalpy range of the fluid, said range being directly related to the ratio of the resistance of said resistance branches.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The heat content monitoring apparatus of claim 1 wherein said sensing means to detect the temperature and said sensing means to detect the humidity establish pressure signals.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
The heat content monitoring apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of said separate resistance branches includes an adjustable resistor for adjustment of the ratio of the resistance of said resistance branches.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
136 words
In a fluid control system for controlling the supply of fluid to a load from a first fluid source and from a second fluid source comprising temperature detecting means for detecting the dry-bulb temperatures of the first and second sources and establishing related fluid temperature signals, humidity detecting means for detecting the humidity of the first and second fluid sources and establishing related fluid signals, first combining means to combine the humidity and temperature signals related to the first source to generate a corresponding first source enthalpy signal, second combining means for combining the temperature and humidity signals related to the second source to generate a corresponding second source enthalpy signal, and an enthalpy comparator section connected to the first and second combining means to produce a control signal in accordance with said two enthalpy signals.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
136 words
In a fluid control system for controlling the supply of fluid to a load from a first fluid source and from a second fluid source comprising temperature detecting means for detecting the dry-bulb temperatures of the first and second sources and establishing related fluid temperature signals, humidity detecting means for detecting the humidity of the first and second fluid sources and establishing related fluid signals, first combining means to combine the humidity and temperature signals related to the first source to generate a corresponding first source enthalpy signal, second combining means for combining the temperature and humidity signals related to the second source to generate a corresponding second source enthalpy signal, and an enthalpy comparator section connected to the first and second combining means to produce a control signal in accordance with said two enthalpy signals.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
63 words
The control system of claim 4 wherein each of said combining means includes a pair of resistor branches connected between a common summing point and each of the detecting means, said summing point generating an essentially constant enthalpy fluid signal over a predetermined enthalpy range of the fluid, said range being directly related to the ratio of the resistance of said resistor branches.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
49 words
The control system of claim 5 wherein said enthalpy comparator section includes a fluidic repeater connected to the first combining means to generate a corresponding isolated fluid signal, a fluidic pressure comparator having a pair of inputs connected respectively to the fluidic repeater and to the second combining means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
138 words
The fluid control system of claim 6 including a temperature comparator section connected to the temperature detecting means to develop an output related to the relative temperatures of the first and second sources, said temperature comparing section including a first temperature fluidic repeater connected to the temperature detecting means and generating a first temperature related output signal, a fluidic pressure comparator having one input connected to the output of the temperature fluidic repeater and a second input connected to temperature detecting means to receive the second temperature signal and generating a pressure output signal related to pressures of the temperature signals, a summing means summing the output of the enthalpy comparator section and the temperature comparison section to generate a predetermined logic output directly related to the enthalpy and the temperature conditions of said first and second sources.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
70 words
The fluid control system of claim 4 including a temperAture comparator section connected to the temperature detecting means to develop an output related to the relative temperatures of the first and second sources, and means connecting the temperature comparator section to the enthalpy comparator section to effectively disable the enthalpy comparator section in response to a selected temperature comparison and produce said control signal in accordance with said temperature comparison.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
156 words
The fluid control system of claim 4 wherein said fluid sources include a return-air source and an outside-air source, said temperature detecting means including a first temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the one fluid source and a second temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the second fluid source, each detector establishing a related fluid signal, said humidity detecting means including a first humidity detector for detecting the humidity of the first fluid source and a second humidity detector for detecting the humidity of the second fluid source, said first combining means including a temperature resistor connected to the first temperature detector and a summing point and a humidity resistor connected to the first humidity detector and to said summing point, second combining means including a temperature resistor connected to the second temperature detector and to a second summing point and a humidity resistor connected to the second humidity detector and said second point.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
55 words
The fluid control system of claim 9 wherein said comparator includes a fluidic amplifier having first and second input means and an output means establishing an output signal proportional to the difference of said inputs, first and second fluid repeaters connected between said first and second summing points and said first and second input means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
The fluid control system of claim 10 wherein said amplifier is a summing impact modulator having a pair of opposed nozzles connected one each to repeaters, a bias supply connected to the nozzles.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
54 words
The fluid control system of claim 9 wherein said enthalpy comparator section includes a fluidic repeater coupled to the one summing point to generate a related fluid signal and an output section including a fluid pressure comparator having a pair of inputs connected respectively to the fluidic repeater and to the second summing point.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
75 words
The fluid control system of claim 12 wherein said fluidic repeater and said pressure comparator are diaphragm elements having a dead-ended input chamber connected to the summing points and having output chambers connected in series to a supply, said output chamber of the repeater having an exhaust orifice, the output chamber of the comparator having an output orifice, said comparator orifice being selectively open or closed and said control signal is a binary control signal.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
122 words
The fluid control system of claim 13 having a temperature comparing section connected to control said pressure comparator, said temperature comparing section including a fluidic repeater connected directly to the one temperature detector and generating a related output signal, said temperature section having a pressure comparator having one input connected to the output of the temperature fluidic repeater and a second input connected to the output of the opposite temperature detector and generating a pressure output signal related to the relative pressure input signals, means connecting the output of the temperature pressure comparator to the output of the enthalpy comparator to generate a positive logic output with a preselected temperature relationship independently of the enthalpy relationship of said first and second sources.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
81 words
The fluid control system of claim 9 including a temperature comparing means having a first input means connected to the first temperature detector and second input means connected to the second temperature detector, said comparing means producing a fluid pressure signal in accordance with the two temperature inputs, and an output summing Means connected to said comparing means and to the enthalpy comparator section to selectively disable the comparator section and establish said control signal in accordance with the temperature inputs.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
31 words
The fluid control system of claim 15 wherein said enthalpy comparator section is disabled in response to an outside dew point temperature less than the temperature of the return air source.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
231 words
A mechanical refrigeration system for controlling the supply of air to a mechanical refrigeration unit from a return air duct and an outside air duct comprising a return air temperature detector in said return air duct for detecting the temperature of the return air, an outside air temperature detector in in said outside air duct for detecting the temperature of the outside air, a return air humidity detector in said return air duct for detecting the humidity of the return air, an outside air humidity detector for detecting the humidity of the outside air, each of said detectors establishing a corresponding fluid signal, a first combining means having a first resistor connected to the return air temperature detector and to a first summing point and a second resistor connected to the return air humidity detector and to the summing point to produce a return air enthalpy signal, second combining means including third and fourth resistors connected to said outside air temperature detector and said outside air humidity detector and to a second summing point to generate a corresponding outside air enthalpy signal, a fluid comparator means including dead-ended input means connected one each to said summing points and having an output means generating a related control signal, and an air selection means including a fluid-driven input connected to said comparator means and connected to oppositely open and close said air ducts.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
231 words
A mechanical refrigeration system for controlling the supply of air to a mechanical refrigeration unit from a return air duct and an outside air duct comprising a return air temperature detector in said return air duct for detecting the temperature of the return air, an outside air temperature detector in in said outside air duct for detecting the temperature of the outside air, a return air humidity detector in said return air duct for detecting the humidity of the return air, an outside air humidity detector for detecting the humidity of the outside air, each of said detectors establishing a corresponding fluid signal, a first combining means having a first resistor connected to the return air temperature detector and to a first summing point and a second resistor connected to the return air humidity detector and to the summing point to produce a return air enthalpy signal, second combining means including third and fourth resistors connected to said outside air temperature detector and said outside air humidity detector and to a second summing point to generate a corresponding outside air enthalpy signal, a fluid comparator means including dead-ended input means connected one each to said summing points and having an output means generating a related control signal, and an air selection means including a fluid-driven input connected to said comparator means and connected to oppositely open and close said air ducts.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
52 words
The mechanical refrigeration system of claim 17 having a temperature comparing section including a fluid temperature comparator means having dead-ended inputs connected to the temperature detectors and having an output means generating a temperature related fluid signal, and means connecting said output means of the first and second named fluid comparator means.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
194 words
The mechanical refrigeration system of claim 18 wherein said first named comparator means includes a diaphragm fluid repeater with a dead-ended input chamber connected to one of said summing points and an output chamber, said first named comparator means includes a diaphragm comparator having a dead-ended input chamber connected to the other of said summing points and having an output chamber connected to said output chamber of the fluid repeater, said diaphragm comparator having an output orifice, an air selection connecting line connected to said output orifice and to said air selection means, said temperature comparator means including a diaphragm temperature fluid repeater with a dead-ended input chamber connected to one of said temperature detectors and having an output chamber having a supply and output port means and an exhaust orifice, said temperature comparator means includes a diaphragm temperature comparator having a dead-ended input chamber connected to the other of said temperature detectors and having an output chamber connected to the output chamber of the diaphragm temperature fluid repeater, said temperature comparator having an output orifice connected to said air selection connecting line, and a load resistor connected to said air selection connecting line.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-10-20 | 1979-04-21 | 1979-10-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-10-20 | 1983-04-21 | 1983-10-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-10-20 | 1987-04-21 | 1987-10-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |