EEE WESCANEX '95 PROCEEDINGS

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A Fuzzy Logic and Rough Sets Controller
for HVAC Systems
Masanori Arima, Elmer H. Hara, J ack D. Katzberg,
Faculty of Engineering
University of Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S OA2
Abstract - This paper will describe an WA C
(Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) system
controller which employs a control algorithm using these
either fuzzy logic reasoning or rough set theory. The
controller deduces the appropriate control outputs from
sensor readings. The system is capable of controlling
temperature and humidity. To maintain temperature at
the reference point, the controller adjusts the flow of hot
water in a heating coil for heating operation or the flow
of chilled air through the air duct for cooling operation.
To control humidity, the controller turns on and off a
humidifier.
I. INTRODUCTION
The HVAC system is needed to provide the occupants
with a comfortable and productive working environment
which satisfies their physiological needs.
Temperature and relative humidity are essential factors
in meeting physiological requirements. When temperature is
above or below the comfort range, the environment disrupts
person's metabolic processes and disturbs his activities.
Therefore, an HVAC system is essential to a building in
order to keep occupants comfortable. However, many HVAC
systems do not maintain a uniform temperature throughout
the structure because those systems employ an
unsophisticated control algorithms. In a modern intelligent
building a sophisticate control system should provide
excellent environmental control. The aim of this work is to
provide an HVAC control system compatible with the
ambiance the designer of intelligent buildings wish to create.
11. CONTROLLER
Chilled air of 16 "C to 20 "C is supplied through an air
I 1
System
Control
I
1Fig. 1. HVAC control system.
duct to moderate room temperature for all seasons. The flow
of chilled air is adjusted with a damper for cooling. Hot
water of approximate 70 "C is supplied into a heating coil
installed in the air duct in winter. The flow of hot water i n
the heating coil is adjusted to heat the chilled air up for
heating.
The block diagram of the HVAC system is a simple
closed loop in Fig. 1. The controller achieves fuzzy logic
reasoning according to the if-then rules which are the model
of the system under control.
Figure 2 shows the block diagram of the controller. The
controller consists of four blocks; the input interface, the
output interface, the host microcontroller, and the fuzzy
inference processor.
The input interface block receives signals from the sensor
units. The host microcontroller, Motorola M68HC711, is an
8 bit microcontroller running with 8 MHz clock [l]. It
converts an input analogue signal to a digital signal,
commands all the control processes and computes system
conditions.
The fuzzy inference processor, OMRON FP-3000, is an 8
bit microprocessor specially designed to perform fuzzy
approximate reasoning [2]. The output interface block
converts digital signals to analogue signals and transmits
them to the damper driver and the hot water valve driver.
To control the room temperature, the controller reads the
room temperature T and the reference point Ti every 1
minute of a sampling period. Then, the host microcontroller
M68HC711 calculates temperature error Te and rate of
temperature change Tc. The Te and Tc are inputs of
inference performed by the fuzzy inference processor FP-
3000. The temperature error Te and the rate of the
temperature change Tc are calculated as follows:
Te =T - Ti ["C] and
Tc =(T2 -Tl)/At [OC/min]
where Te =temperature error ["C],
T =room temperature ["C],
Ti =temperature reference point ["C],
Tc =rate of the temperature change ["C/min],
TI =present room temperature ["C],
T2 =past room temperature ["C] and
At =sampling period of 1 minute.
IEEE CAT. NO. 95CH3581-6/0-7803-2741-1/95/$3.00 0 1995 IEEE
134
IEEE WESCANEX ' 95 PROCEEDINGS
Fuzzy Logic Controller
Fig. 2. Block diagram of the controller.
The FP-3000 then deduces an inference output IC which
is the rate of a control output change. The M68HC711
changes a control output referred to the IC.
To control humidity, the controller calculates humidity
error He and rate of humidity change Hc in same fashion as
the Te and Tc are calculated. Then, the controller turns the
humidifier on or off according to an inference output which
is a decision to turn the humidifier on or off.
111. CONTROL ALGORITHM
Fu u y approximate reasoning
Fuzzy set theory was first proposed by L. A. Zadeh in
1965 [4] and is an extension of the classical set theory. As
the name implies, it deals with fuzziness of the real world
and simulates a human's subjective thinking by
incorporating the inherent imprecision of the human thought
process. Fuzzy approximate reasoning, which is also called
fuzzy logic inference or fuzzy logic reasoning, is based on
"the generalized modus ponens" of fuzzy logic [ 5] . It is the
inference process used in subjective human thinking to
deduce new information from vague information.
The fuzzy inference processor Fp-3000 performs fuzzy
approximate reasoning according to the if-then rules and
uses two inputs to deduce an output. This means the if-then
rule has two antecedent statements and one consequent
statement represented by fuzzy sets.
The fuzzy approximate reasoning refers to the
generalized modus ponens which of two antecedenl
statements (inputs) and one consequent statement (output) is
written as:
if x, is A, and x, is A, , then y is B,
x, is A, ' and x 2 is A Z,
y is B' ,
where
xI . and x2 =input variables,
Y =output variable
Damper
Hot Water Valve
Humidifier
I
A,, and A?, =antecedent fuzzy sets,
B =consequent fuzzy set,
A,', and A i =fuzzy sets of inputs and
B'
For temperature control, xl is the Te, and xz is the Tc. The
output y is the IC.
The mathematical expression of the modus ponens by
Mandani's implication rule is written as [6]:
=fuzzy set of inference conclusion.
~ 1 5 (Y ) =vWA l n, x; (XI A p A , n A 2 , (XI 1 A ~ l s (Y)
Since an inference conclusion B' is represented by a
fuzzy set, and the controller requires a crisp value to control
a driver, the inference conclusion B' is converted to the crisp
value by defuzzifiing the B'. The defuzzification method
used in the 3'-3000 is the center of gravity method which is
expressed as:
J Y x PB ( Y N Y
Y, =
J PB (yI dy
Membership functions
The if-the rules are written with fuzzy sets which are
characterized by membership functions. The FP-3000 is
designed to have only a single set of antecedent membership
functions and consequent membership functions [2].
Therefore, the membership functions shown in Fig. 3 and
Fig. 4 are used for temperature control and humidity control.
,
I
NM NS ZR PS PM PL
1 - NL
-&4 -20 -12 -06 0 +06 +12 +20
+254 [" CMDC'mnl
I% or o/dm~n]
Fig. 3. Antecedent membership functions.
ARIMA, M. er al .: A FUZZY LOGIC AND ROUGH SET CONTROLLER FOR HVAC SYSTEMS
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13.5
Figure 3 shows the antecedent membership functions.
They represent temperature error, rate of temperature
change, or humidity error and rate of humidity change.
The fuzzy sets NM through PM of temperature error are
mapped to cover f 2 "C in order to maintain the temperature
close to the reference point because a wider range of
fluctuation makes the occupants feel uncomfortable 131.
UCX)
NL NM NS ZR PS PM PL
-15 -10 -5 0 +5 +10 +15 [%I
Fig. 4. Consequent membership functions.
Figure 4 shows the consequent membership functions
which represent the rate of the control output change in
percentage. They are bar-shaped membership functions
(singleton shapes) which do not have width. The
membership functions in the consequent are mapped every 5
% and cover f 15 % of change in the output voltage to the
driver. The membership function ZR gives no change in the
output voltage.
The 15 % range is selected so that the damper can
completely change its angle corresponding to the output
voltage before the subsequent change in the output voltage is
made.
Inference rule
Table 1 shows the fuzzy rules for cooling, and Table 2 is
the look up table of Table 1 . Table 3 shows the fuzzy rules
for heating, and Table 4 is the look up table of Table 3. The
temperature error Te is at row. The rate of temperature
change Tc is at column. The inference output IC appears at
cross section of the Te and Tc. In Table 2 and 4, IC is the
rate of output voltage change i n percentage.
Table 1. Fuzzy rules for cooling.
Table 2. Look up table of Table 1
Table 3. Fuzzy rules for heating.
I Te I
Table 4. Look up table of Table 3.
Fuzzy rules for the humidity control is shown in Table 5 .
Table 6 is the look up table of Table 5. For humidity control,
the inference output is either turn on the humidifier or turn it
off. Therefore, at a cross section of He and Hc, PL means
ON, and NL means OFF.
Table 5. Fuzzy rules for humidifying.
'~
PM
He
Table 6. Look up table of Table 5 . ~
136
NL NM NS ZR PS PM PL
~ ~ \ , \ # ~ , \ , ~ I
. . " .
, .
IEEE WESCANEX '95 PROCEEDINGS
Reasoning using rough sets
The rough sets theory was introduced by Pawlak in 1982
[7]. It is a mathematical theory for reasoning about vague
knowledge and is a data reduction system, as is the fuzzy set
theory. However, rough sets theory uses crisp sets as the
data representation, in contrast to fuzzy sets. The inference
algorithm using rough sets is the modus ponens in the
classical logic written as:
if x, E A, and x2 E A,, then y E B,
x, E A, ' and x2 E A, ,
Y EB',
where
B' =B
B' =V
if A, ' E A, and Az' c Az, and
if A, ' Q A, or A?' Q Az.
The reasoning using rough sets is also performed by the
Fp-3000 because the rough sets theory uses crisp sets which
are considered as rectangular shapes of fuzzy sets.
Therefore, inference using rough sets can be done by
redefining shapes of fuzzy sets from triangular to rectangular
as shown i n Fig. 5. It shows the rough sets of the condition
attributes (antecedent). To compare performances of the
fuzzy reasoning and the reasoning based on rough sets
theory, rough sets are mapped in the same fashion as the
fuzzy sets. In Fig. 5 gaps between the sets areto show none
of elements belongs to two sets. Each of all the elements
belongs to only one of the sets. Rough sets of the decision
attributes (consequent) are identical to the consequent
membership functions of the fuzzy sets shown i n Fig. 4.
w ,
Fig. 5. Antecedent membership functions of rough sets.
The decision tables of rough sets theory is identical to the
tables of the fuzzy inference rules as shown in Table 1, 3 and
5.
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Rmm1
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ig. 6. Floor plan of the experimental site.
IV. TEST AND RESULT
Test System and Environment
Figure 6 shows the floor plan of the experimental site.
The volume of the room is approximately 63 m3. One side of
the room faces a hallway. Each of other three sides adjoins
another room. A single door connects the room to the
adjoining room. There are no windows.
Two air ducts of 7 inch diameter supply air to two outlets
located on thefalse-ceiling, indicated as I'D." The driver for
the air duct damper is installed above the false-ceiling. The
air return is through the return air slots that form a criss-
cross pattern onthe false-ceiling.
The heating coil and the driver for the heating coil valve
are installed above the false-ceiling. The heating coil,
damper, hot water valve driver and damper driver are
manufactured by E. H. Price in Toronto [SI.
A humidifier H, manufactured by Nortec [9], is installed
on the wall with the outlet located at a height of
approximately 1.8 m (6 ft) from the floor The capacity of
the humidifier is 330 m3 (12,000 ft3). The moisture is
diffused throughout the room by a fan in the humidifier.
The controller is located on a desk. The height from the
floor is approximately 1 m. The temperature sensor unit and
the humidity sensor unit, indicated as S, are located at center
of the room on the desk indicated.
The Physical Plant of the university activates the
ventilation system of the building from 8:00 a.m. to 11:OO
p.m. Thetemperature of the air in the duct supplied by the
physical plant is approximately 16 " C to 20 "C throughout
the year when the air arrives at the experimental site Room 2
above the false-ceiling.
ARIMA, M. et al., A FUZZY LOGIC AND ROUGH SET CONTROLLER FOR HVAC SYSTEMS 137
35
Temperature ["C] Humidity [%]
40 I 1 20
Humidity
I =
w = - = U = . U " m g m - = U = =- = "
15
9
3g. 7. Steady state response with fuzzy logic control.
Temperature ["C] Humidity
40 , 20
t
8:OO 1 1 :oo 14:OO 17:OO 20:oo 23:OO
Time
Fig. 8 Steady state response with a rough set controller.
Test Procedure
The controller was tested for steady state and step
response in heating operation. Both fuzzy logic reasoning
and the rough set method were implemented and compared
under similar conditions.
Steady State Test: In the steady state test for room
temperature and relative humidity control, the room
temperature and humidity were measured every half an hour
starting from 8:00 in the morning till 11:OO in the evening.
Air flow was set at a constant 6.7 m3/min
(240 f?/min) while the flow of hot water was manipulated.
The temperature reference point was set at 24.5 "C. The
humidity reference point was set at 17.0 % because the
capacity of the humidifier was too small to keep the humidity
more than 20 %. The humidity was approximately 10 %
without humidification.
Step Response Test: In the step response of the
temperature control, the air flow was set at 6.7 m3/min (240
ft3/min). The controller adjusted the flow of the hot water to
control the room temperature. At first, the temperature
reference point was set at 24.5 "C. After the room
temperature was stabilized, the reference point was reset at
25.0 O C to provide a step input of 0.5"C. The room
temperature was measured every 5 minutes. The controller
was also tested with step inputs of 1 .O "C and 1.5 " C.
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25
24
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120
Time [min]
Fig. 9. Step responses for fuzzy logic reasoning and rough set controllers.
Test Results
131
Test results are as shown i n Fig. 7, 8 and 9. Figure 7
shows the result of steady state test for the fuzzy logic
reasoning. An average temperature deviation is [41
approximately 0.1 "C, and a temperature deviation range,
the difference between the highest and lowest temperature, is [5]
approximately 0.7 "C. An average humidity deviation is
approximately 0.2 %, and a humidity deviation range is
approximately 0.9 %.
Figure 8 shows the result of steady state test for the rough
sets method. An average temperature deviation is
approximately 0.2 "C, and a temperature deviation range of
1.0 "C. An average humidity deviation is approximately 0.5
%, and a humidity deviation range is approximately 2.9 %.
Figure 9 shows the result of step response test of the
fuzzy logic reasoning and the rough set method. The Rough
sets method responded to the step input faster than fuzzy
logic reasoning.
[61
[7]
[81
191
V. CONCLUSION
The fuzzy logic reasoning shows better performance in
both temperature and humidity control than the rough set
method. In particular, for humidity control, the method of
fuzzy logic reasoning shows better performance than the
rough set method. In conclusion, the HVAC system can
provide a well-controlled environment in a r c" with the
fuzzy logic or rough set controller.
1977 Fundamental Handbook, New York: American
Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-
Conditioning Engineering Inc. (ASHRAE), 1980.
Zadeh, A. Lotf i , "Fuzzy Sets," Information control,
Vol. 8, pp. 338-353, 1965.
Zimmerman, H. J. , Fuzzy set Theory and Its
ADpkations, 2nd edition, Boston, Kluwer Academic
Publishers, 1990.
Sugeno, Michio, Fuzzy Control (in J apanese), Tokyo,
Nikkan Kogyo Shinbun-Sha, 1988.
Pawlak, Zdzislaw, Rough Sets Theoretical Aspects of
Reasoning about Data, Boston, Kluwer Academic
Publishers, 1991.
SEV Installation & Service Manual for Electronic
Si nde Duct Variable Volume Control Assemblies,
Winnipeg, E. H. Price Limited.
CONDAIR RES Steam Humidifier Installation,
Operation and Maintenance Manual, New York,
Nortec Industries Inc.
REFERENCES
[ I 3
[2]
M68HC711 Reference Manual, Motorola Inc., 1990.
FP-3000 Digital Fuzzy Processor User's Manual,
OMRON Corporation, 199 1.