Positioning system and method for determining the position of fans

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method for determining the positions of a number of fans (Vn,m) for generating an air flow in a preferably enclosed space, which have a speed sensor for determining their position, wherein the fans (Vn,m) are arranged in rows (R1, R2, . . . , Rn) and columns (S1, S2, . . . , Sm), wherein at least the position (i, j) of one fan (Vi,j) is known.

Claims

1. A method for determining the positions of a number of fans (V.sub.n,m) for generating an air flow in a space, the fans each having a speed sensor for determining their position, wherein the fans (V.sub.n,m) are arranged in rows (R.sub.1, R.sub.2, . . . , R.sub.n) and columns (S.sub.1, S.sub.2, . . . , S.sub.m), wherein a position (I, j) of at least one fan (V.sub.i,j) is known, the method comprising the following steps: a) driving the at least one fan (V.sub.i,j) in order to initiate a rotation of at least those fans (V.sub.n,m) which are arranged in an adjacent row or column position; b) detecting the speed of the fans (V.sub.n,m,) driven by the airflow generated in this manner using the speed sensor and a controller and determining the potential neighborhood positions of these fans using the controller, c) wherein the steps a) and b) are repeated for the fans (V.sub.n,m) respectively determined after step b) until all positions (n,m) of the fans have been determined.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fans (V.sub.n,m) are set to idling by means of the controller prior to step a).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein transmission of measurement data to the controller is performed by way of the speed sensors.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein measuring the speed in step b) of the fans (V.sub.n,m) driven by the generated air flow and the transmission of the data to the controller is performed by way of the speed sensors.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining of those positions (n, m) of all fans (V.sub.n,m) having an unknown position in a row and/or column position immediately adjacent to the fan (V.sub.i,j) is implemented in step b) based on the position of the driving fan (V.sub.i,j).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fan (V.sub.i,j) with a known position is switched to idling by means of the controller after step b).

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein driving of at least two of the fans (V.sub.n,m) detected in step b) is performed at a predetermined, preferably maximum degree of activation.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the unknown positions (n+1, m; n, m+1) of fans (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1) located immediately adjacent to the fan (V.sub.n,m) driven in step b) are marked with the position of the driving fan (V.sub.n,m).

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the driven fan (V.sub.n,m) is switched to idling after marking the adjacent fans (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1) having an unknown position, and one of the other marked fans (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1) is driven at a maximum degree of activation.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the speed of the adjacent fans (V.sub.n+2,m; V.sub.n,m+2) having an unknown position, which are driven by the fan (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1), is determined by means of speed sensors, and the data is transmitted to the controller.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the positions (n+2, m; n, m+2) of the adjacent fans having an unknown position are marked in step b) with the position (V.sub.n+2,m; V.sub.n,m+2) of the driving fan (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1).

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein, if a fan (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1; V.sub.n+2,m; V.sub.n,m+2) is already marked, the position (n+1, m; n, m+1; n+2, m; n, m+2) of the fan is set to a unique specific position (i, j).

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein one of the marked fans (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1) is driven until all fans (V.sub.n,m) are determined.

14. The method for determining the positions of a number of fans (V.sub.n,m) for generating an air flow in a space according to claim 1, wherein a controller is provided which is configured to activate and determine the positions of the fans (V.sub.n,m), wherein each of the fans (V.sub.n,m) can be indirectly driven by a fan (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1) in an adjacent row (R.sub.1, R.sub.2, . . . , R.sub.n) and column (S.sub.1, S.sub.2, ..., S.sub.m), the method comprising the following steps: a. setting the fans (V.sub.n,m) to idling by means of the controller, b. driving the fan (V.sub.i,j) with a known position at a maximum degree of activation and setting the position (i, j) of the fan (V.sub.i,j) to the known position (i, j), c. measuring the speed of the fans (V.sub.n,m) driven by the air flow generated and transmitting the data to the controller by means of the speed sensors, d. determining those positions (n, m) of all fans (V.sub.n,m) in a row and/or column position immediately adjacent to the fan (V.sub.i,j) based on the position of the driving fan (V.sub.i,j), e. setting the fan (V.sub.i,j) with the known position to idling by means of the controller, f. driving one of at least two of the determined fans (V.sub.n,m) at a predetermined, preferably maximum, degree of activation, g. marking the positions (n+1, m; n, m+1) of fans (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1) having unknown positions located immediately adjacent to the fan (V.sub.n,m) driven in step f) with the position of the driving fan (V.sub.n,m), h. switching the fan (V.sub.n,m) driven in step f) to idling and driving a second fan (V.sub.n,m) determined in step d) at a maximum degree of activation, i. determining the speed of the adjacent fans (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1) having unknown positions, being driven by the second fan (V.sub.n,m) by means of the speed sensors and transmitting the data to the controller, j. marking the positions (n+1, m; n, m+1) of fans (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1) having unknown positions located immediately adjacent to the fan (V.sub.n,m) driven in step i) with the position of the driving fan (V.sub.n,m; V.sub.n,m), k. if a fan (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1) has already been marked in step g) or step j), respectively, determining and setting the position of the fan (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1) to a unique, specific position (n, m), l. driving one of the fans marked in step g) or j), respectively, and repeating the steps f) to k) until all fans (V.sub.n,m) are determined.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the position (n,m) of the fan (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1) in step k) is determined by comparing the indices n and m of an already existing marking to the newly created marking, wherein the respective higher index represents the index for the determined position (n, m).

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the position (i, j) of the fan (V.sub.i,j) is set to the value “0,0”, and if, during step k), the positions (n+1, m; n,m+1) of two immediately adjacent fans (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1) are known for a fan (V.sub.n,m) and the position (n+1, m; n,m+1) of a third immediately adjacent fan (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1) is unknown, and if an already existing marking of the unknown position has the value “0,0”, the newly created marking not equal to “0,0” is subsequently incremented by 1.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein only the fans (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1) having the highest speed are driven in step h), if more than the immediately adjacent fans (V.sub.n+1,m; V.sub.n,m+1) were driven by driving the determined and marked fans in steps f) and l).

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the speed sensor for determining the speed of a fan (V.sub.n,m) is a Hall sensor.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein at least two fans (V.sub.n,m) must be indirectly driven for exact positioning in steps f) to l).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Other advantageous further developments of the disclosure are characterized in the dependent claims or are explained in detail below along with the description of the preferred embodiments of the disclosure with reference to the figures. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 to FIG. 6 are schematic representations of an exemplary positioning system having a driven fan with a known position and two externally driven fans.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(3) FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an exemplary positioning system having a driven fan Vi,j with a known position and two externally driven fans Vn,m. Idling of the fans Vn,m is activated by the controller for performing automatic position determination. In addition, the fans Vn,m are arranged in a rectangular or square array of rows and columns, in which the maximum distance between two fans is such that external driving can only just be effected. Position determination is started based on a fan Vi,j, which is located in one of the four corners of the system. The position of this fan Vi,j is known. The fan Vi,j is further driven at a maximum degree of activation, such that the fans Vn,m located at the smallest distance from the positionally known fan Vi,j are externally driven. The externally driven fans Vm,n rotate in the opposite direction with respect to the deliberately driven fan Vi,j. This can also be used to distinguish the fans from each other.

(4) FIG. 2 shows a preliminarily determined position for the externally driven fans Vm,n. Since other fans Vm,n are in the environment at this point in time, which are also externally driven, unambiguous position determination is not yet possible. The positionally known fan Vi,j is located in a corner of the system. Since the system in the first step is underdetermined, including one fan Vi,j with a known position and two fans Vm,n with unknown positions, an assumption must be made regarding their propagation direction. One fan Vm,n is assigned the index “0,1” and the other fan Vm,n is assigned the index “10”. The assignment is random and describes the propagation in n- or m-direction, similar to a Cartesian coordinate system. Since, as in error propagation, this assumption is carried along through the entire method a correction may be required at the end by switching the indices “n,m” to “n,m”.

(5) FIG. 3 shows that the newly determined fans Vm,n are alternately set to their own drive in the further steps of the method. This results in externally driving adjacent fans Vn+1,m; Vn,m+1. Each externally driven fan is once again assigned a marking which defines the fan Vn,m that caused the external drive.

(6) This results in the “interface” shown in FIG. 4. For position determination, both markings are placed on top of each other, and the respective higher value of the respective index n, m is carried over.

(7) FIG. 5 shows renewed self-driving of the previously driven fans Vn,m. With this new determination, the fans on the edge can be determined uniquely based on the newly known fan Vn,m. A condition for an edge fan is defined that two positions are known and one is unknown. But the required condition for an edge fan is that the unknown position n,m is marked “0,0”. If both conditions are met, a marking not equal to “0,0” is simply incremented. The new index in this case is “0,2” or “2,0”, respectively.

(8) As shown in FIG. 6, the preceding steps of the method are repeated with the previously determined fans Vn,m to determine all positions.

(9) The figures also unambiguously show what is meant by the term “immediately adjacent”. It refers to a fan the row or column index of which is offset by one position with respect to the adjacent fan, thus the positions n−1, m, n, m−1, n−1, m−1, n+1, m+1 with respect to the position n,m.

(10) The implementation of the disclosure is not limited to the preferred embodiments mentioned above. Instead, a plurality of variants is conceivable in which the solution described is used for completely different designs.