Patents Assigned to Trane International Inc.
  • Patent number: 10928076
    Abstract: Described herein are embodiments of a furnace inlet water collector for an HVAC system. The inlet water collector may include a base having an air intake aperture; an inner wall having a first top end and a first bottom end, the first bottom end provided proximate to the base; an outer wall having a second top end and a second bottom end, the second bottom end provided proximate to the base, the inner wall having a diameter smaller than a diameter of the outer wall; one or more pipe stops provided proximate to the base and between the inner wall and outer wall, a height of the one or more pipe stops extending less than a height of the outer wall; and a drain coupled to the outer wall and in fluid communication with a channel displaced between the inner wall and the outer wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Jerry Mac Deal, Jesus Garcia Gomez, Kendall D. Davenport, James R. M. Neal, Seth O. Holloway, Shivakumar Kolloju, Ragunanthanan Mylsamy, Emily Catherine Burke, Michael Bielmann
  • Publication number: 20210048208
    Abstract: Systems, apparatus and methods for operating an environmental control system that delivers dehumidified outdoor air into a conditioned space through an air valve. The method includes establishing CO2 setpoints corresponding to a ventilation outdoor air flow rate and a dehumidification outdoor air flow rate, determining a humidity metric of the conditioned space, and delivering outside air to the conditioned space at the ventilation outdoor air flow rate or dehumidification outdoor air flow rate based upon the humidity metric. The outside air may be tempered with return air from the conditioned space. The dehumidification CO2 set point is determined by predicting the dehumidification CO2 set point based on the airflow quantity per occupant and the relationship of the occupant predicted water vapor emission rate and CO2 emission rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2019
    Publication date: February 18, 2021
    Applicant: Trane International Inc.
    Inventor: Ronnie R. Moffitt
  • Patent number: 10921871
    Abstract: Architectures or techniques are presented that can facilitate automatic recovery from a component failure exhibited by a building automation system (BAS) control device and/or a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control device. A failure or fault condition with a software or firmware component can be automatically repaired. A failure or fault condition with a hardware component can be identified, potentially more quickly, and hardware component replacement can be streamlined or simplified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Christopher Basterash, Mark Martin, Udhaya Kumar Dayalan
  • Patent number: 10921000
    Abstract: A sound level control system for a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is provided. The sound level control system comprises an outdoor unit with a compressor, an outdoor fan, and an outdoor controller and a communication device located at a predefined distance from the outdoor unit. The communication device measures sound levels in response to operating the outdoor unit. The outdoor controller is configured to receive a first noise level limit for a predefined time period, receive an instruction related to selective control of the outdoor unit, selectively control both of the compressor to rotate at a first compressor speed and the outdoor fan to rotate at a first fan speed based on the noise level limit for the predefined time period, and receive information related to whether a sound pressure level at a predefined location exceeds the first noise level limit for the predefined time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: Arvind Chitrala, Don A. Schuster, John Hughes, Karl J. Mutchnik
  • Patent number: 10921017
    Abstract: An air circulation circuit including components that are in fluid communication. An air return connection is disposed downstream of the indoor space wherein the air return connection is configured to deliver an air stream from the indoor space to an economizer. The economizer is disposed downstream of the air return connection. The economizer is configured to exhaust a portion of the air stream. The economizer is configured to take in an amount of fresh air to mix with the air stream. The economizer further includes an air return fan disposed inside of the economizer to facilitate a flow of the air stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Joseph J. Fiegen, Lucas C. Szymanski, Dale A. Byers, James Eric Self
  • Patent number: 10921011
    Abstract: This disclosure is directed to systems and methods for determining airflow in a heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) system to reduce overall power consumption. Methods include receiving efficiency data for one or more compressors of the HVACR system, receiving airflow power consumption data, determining, using a processor, a flow rate based on the efficiency data for the one or more compressors and the airflow power consumption data, and when the HVACR system is in a partial load condition and at least one of the one or more compressors are in operation, operating the HVACR system at the determined flow rate. Systems include one or more compressors, one or more blower fans, and a processor configured to determine an airflow rate for the one or more blower fans based on efficiency data for the one or more compressors and airflow power consumption data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: James P. Crolius, Thomas J. Clanin, Xin Li
  • Patent number: 10914525
    Abstract: A heat exchanger, for example a shell and tube flooded evaporator, has a refrigerant distributor that is positioned at an angle between the bottom of the shell and the sides of the shell, and includes an inlet that is welded to an inlet piping, where the inlet and inlet piping are in fluid communication with the refrigerant distributor, and are in a generally corresponding position orientation. Tubes of a tube bundles may extend proximate the bottom of the shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Steven Joseph Pitts, Harry Kenneth Ring, Steven Erwin Meloling
  • Patent number: 10907845
    Abstract: A system and related methods for heating, cooling, and dehumidifying air is disclosed. In an embodiment, the system includes an indoor unit having a first coil assembly and a second coil assembly. When the system is operating in a cooling mode or a heating mode, the first coil and second coil are in parallel fluid communication. When the system is in a dehumidifying mode, the first coil and second coil are in serial fluid communication, which enables the first coil to function as a condenser and the second coil to function as an evaporator. In an embodiment, the system includes an outdoor unit, such as a heat pump or an air conditioning condensing unit. The outdoor unit includes a heat exchanger fan responsive to dehumidifying mode by reducing fan speed, or deactivating the fan entirely. The disclosed system provides negligible or no change in sensible heat while providing dehumidification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen Stewart Hancock
  • Patent number: 10900687
    Abstract: An HVAC controller includes a touch-responsive display and a scheduling grid having one or more rows representing a 24 hour period of a day-of-week. A user selects an operation to be performed such as adding or deleting a scheduled event, such as a period of occupancy or non-occupancy. A visual representation of the available operations and the temporal regions subject to the available operations is presented. A user may then select the desired region on which to perform the operation, the operation is visually represented on the touch-responsive display, and the user indicates whether the operation should be saved or discarded. The operation may be applied to additional remote HVAC devices in a single operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: Charles P. Quistad, Scott Cress, Rick Kloeppner, Amit Samtani, James Brink, Rachel Michael Nilsson, Sean Fuller Mosley, Zachary Frank Stark, Brian J. Politiske, Susan M. Mairs
  • Patent number: 10899640
    Abstract: Methane is generated from animal waste by anaerobic digestion using bacteria. A screen separator removes suspended solids greater in size than a predetermined size ranging from about 50? to about 150?. An electrocoagulation unit electrochemically hydrolyses the waste, causing particles to settle out. A dissolved carbon air flotation has a CO2 bubbler for separating large particles from small particles by flotation. An anaerobic digester produces biogas. The digester has a biocurtain for growing the bacteria and a heat exchanger for heating the bacteria. The biocurtain surface is convoluted to retain the bacteria. A membrane module removes CO2. A knock out pot for removes droplets of water. A scrubber removes water vapor, particulates, and contaminant gas. A compressor boosts pressure. A gas chromatograph monitors the biogas composition. A flare skid lowers excess pressure for safety. Biogas is injected into a local pipeline system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Don Yochum, Stanley Scott Selman, Nathalie Shaffer
  • Patent number: 10895259
    Abstract: This disclosure relates generally to economized screw compressors. Particularly, this synchronized economizer ports on both the female and the male rotor sides of a compressor housing. The economizer ports simultaneously provide gas to a compression chamber formed by male and female rotors. The synchronized male side and female side economizer ports are configured to open and close at opening and closing angles, respectively. The opening angles and the closing angles each differ by at most half of an angular width of a male lobe of the compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventor: Alberto Scala
  • Publication number: 20210014108
    Abstract: A data system controller can include one or more application modules configured to receive data from one or more devices, and a data service module in operative communication with the one or more application modules to provide data thereto. The data service module can be configured to receive data from the one or more devices. The data service module can be configured to update data from a respective device of the one or more devices when a data change probability of the respective device is above a probability threshold to provide updated data from the respective device to the one or more application modules.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Publication date: January 14, 2021
    Applicant: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Christopher Basterash, Mark Martin, Udhaya Kumar Dayalan
  • Patent number: 10890358
    Abstract: A furnace has a primary heat exchanger tube, a secondary heat exchanger comprising a plurality of secondary heat exchanger tubes, a hot header configured to provide a fluid flow path between an output of the primary heat exchanger tube to an input of the secondary heat exchanger, and a perforated fluid flow plate disposed at least partially within the hot header.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Andrew Hamilton Hanks, Zhaohui Gu
  • Patent number: 10890188
    Abstract: A scroll compressor is disclosed. The compressor includes an enclosure including a compression mechanism that compresses a working fluid. A discharge port discharges a compressed working fluid. A discharge plenum receives the compressed working fluid from the discharge port. A pulsation absorber is disposed within the discharge plenum, the pulsation absorber dividing the discharge plenum into a plurality of volumes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: William B. Rockwood, Richard D. Harmening, Todd Kearney
  • Patent number: 10883744
    Abstract: A screw compressor is disclosed. The screw compressor includes a suction inlet that receives a working fluid to be compressed; a compression mechanism fluidly connected to the suction inlet that compresses the working fluid; a discharge outlet fluidly connected to the compression mechanism that outputs the working fluid following compression by the compression mechanism; wherein the compression mechanism fluidly communicates with one or more outlets disposed at an intermediate location between the suction inlet and the discharge outlet, the one or more outlets being selectively fluidly connectable to the discharge outlet such that the working fluid can be provided from the one or more outlets to the discharge outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Jay H. Johnson, Robert S. Bakkestuen
  • Patent number: 10886739
    Abstract: Embodiments of systems and methods for power demand management are described herein. More specifically, embodiments comprise systems and methods for powering, controlling, and/or operating various types of controllable load for integration with power fluctuations from intermittent power generation plants, such as photovoltaic arrays and wind turbine farms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Sean Day, Matthew M. Corulli, Stephen A. Kujak, Ronald Maurice Cosby, II
  • Patent number: 10876752
    Abstract: A method of controlling a discharge air reset in an heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR system includes determining, by a controller, a space temperature in a conditioned space, a setpoint temperature of the conditioned space, and an operating mode of a variable-air-volume (VAV) box for the conditioned space. The controller determines whether the operating mode of the VAV box matches an operating mode of an HVACR unit. A deviation from the setpoint temperature of the conditioned space for the VAV box for the conditioned is calculated in response to determining the VAV box is in a same mode as the HVACR unit. An average deviation from the setpoint temperature of the conditioned space is calculated. A discharge air setpoint temperature is determined based on the average deviation from the setpoint temperature of the conditioned space. The controller sets the discharge air setpoint temperature of the HVACR unit using the determined discharge air setpoint temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Aaron E. Opatz, John Arthur Murphy, Ronnie R. Moffitt, James Kenneth McKeever
  • Patent number: 10876756
    Abstract: A method of controlling a discharge air reset in an heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR system includes determining, by a controller, a space temperature in a conditioned space, a setpoint temperature of the conditioned space, and an operating mode of a variable-air-volume (VAV) box for the conditioned space. The controller determines whether the operating mode of the VAV box matches an operating mode of an HVACR unit. A deviation from the setpoint temperature of the conditioned space for the VAV box for the conditioned is calculated in response to determining the VAV box is in a same mode as the HVACR unit. A statistical deviation from the setpoint temperature of the conditioned space is calculated. A discharge air setpoint temperature is determined based on the statistical deviation from the setpoint temperature of the conditioned space. The controller sets the discharge air setpoint temperature of the HVACR unit using the determined discharge air setpoint temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Aaron E. Opatz, Ronnie R. Moffitt, John Arthur Murphy, James Kenneth McKeever, Eugene R. Shedivy
  • Patent number: 10876531
    Abstract: A screw compressor, refrigerant circuit, lubrication method are disclosed. The screw compressor includes a suction inlet that receives a working fluid to be compressed. A compression mechanism is fluidly connected to the suction inlet. A discharge outlet is fluidly connected to the compression mechanism that outputs the working fluid following compression by the compression mechanism. The screw compressor includes a slide valve that is movable between a first position and a second position. The first position corresponds to a high volume ratio and the second position corresponds to a low volume ratio. The slide valve includes a plurality of lubricant passageways selectively connectable to a lubricant source. A first of the plurality of lubricant passageways is configured to be selected to provide lubricant at the high volume ratio, and a second of the plurality of lubricant passageways is configured to be selected to provide lubricant at the low volume ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Keith Adam Novak, Alberto Scala, Timothy S. Hagen, Brian Hemmersbach
  • Publication number: 20200396737
    Abstract: Configuration of a communication module based on determination of an idle time metric is described. In one embodiment, signal strength data representative of composite signal strength indicators of a group of frequency channels utilized by the communication module is determined. A composite indicator of the composite signal strength indicators can be employed that comprises multiple signal strength indicators, sampled over time, of a first channel of the group of frequency channels. Respective values for the composite indicator can be assigned in response to comparisons of the multiple signal strength indicators to one or more defined threshold(s). An idle time metric of the first channel can be determined based on a combination of the respective values and a best channel from among the group of frequency channels can be determined based on the idle time metric. The communication module can be updated to communicate via the best channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2020
    Publication date: December 17, 2020
    Applicant: Trane International Inc.
    Inventors: Tianxiang Lin, Joel C. VanderZee