AU2014204778B2

AU2014204778B2 - Multi-duct air conditioning system

Info

Publication number: AU2014204778B2
Application number: AU2014204778A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Albert Bauer
Original assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Current assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Priority date: 2013-01-14
Filing date: 2014-01-14
Publication date: 2018-06-21
Anticipated expiration: 2034-01-14
Also published as: EP2943727B1; US20150338114A1; JP2016509191A; EP2943727A1; JP6297062B2; WO2014108552A1; AU2014204778A1; DE102013100330A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a multi-duct air conditioning system (2) for the air conditioning of a number of rooms (44, 46, 48) and/or room zones, comprising at least one air inlet device (52) for each room (44, 46, 48) to be air conditioned or the room zone, a supply-air fan (8, 10), a control unit (110) for controlling the supply-air fan (8, 10), and at least two supply-air ducts (4, 6). According to the invention, at least two supply-air fans (8, 10) are provided, wherein at least one supply-air fan (8, 10) is arranged in each of different supply-air ducts (4, 6).

Description

(57) Zusammenfassung: Die Erfmdung betrifft eine Mehrkanal-Klimaanlage (2) zur Klimatisierung einer Anzahl [Fortsetzung auf der nachsten Seite] wo 2014/108552 Al lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll^ von Raumen (44, 46, 48) und/oder Raumzonen, mit jeweils mindestens einer Lufteinlassvorrichtung (52) zu jedem zu klimatisierenden Raum (44, 46, 48) oder der Raumzone, mit einem Zuluftventilator (8, 10), mit einer Steuereinheit (110) zur Steuerung des Zuluftventilators (8, 10), mit mindestens zwei Zuluftkanalen (4, 6). ErfmdungsgemaB sind mindestens zwei Zuluftventilatoren (8, 10) vorgesehen, wobei in unterschiedlichen Zuluftkanalen (4, 6) jeweils mindestens ein Zuluftventilator (8, 10) angeordnet ist.

PCT/EP2014/050553

Translation from German

WO 2014/108552 A1

Multi-Duct Air Conditioning System

The invention relates to a multi-duct air-conditioning installation as per the generic part of claim 1, and to a method for operating it.

A two-duct air-conditioning system with a supply-air fan is known in the art, from

DE 10 2008 010 656 B3. This supply-air fan normally moves recirculated air and/or fresh air into the two-duct system. A heating unit is installed downstream of the supply-air fan. After the heating unit, the supply-air duct divides into two supply-air ducts, in which there are damper devices in the form of control dampers. These serve to regulate the quantities of air going to the respective supply-air ducts. Distribution-ducts lead from the supply-air io ducts to the rooms, or zones thereof, being air-conditioned. Upstream of these rooms or zones there are additional dampers, to control the quantity of air flowing from the respective supply-air duct to the room or zone being air-conditioned. Upstream of the supply-air duct, there is an intake duct, which may be connected to a fresh-air duct and to a recirculated-air duct.

is A drawback with the prior-art two-duct system is that it has only one supply-air fan. Therefore, if this fan stops working, the entire system will become inoperative, because fresh and/or recirculated air can then no longer be actively supplied to the supply-air ducts. Moreover, losses of pressure can occur, due to the dampers installed in the supplyair ducts after the point where the division into two supply-air ducts occurs. Therefore, energy is wasted — thus impairing the efficiency of the two-duct air-conditioning system.

In the two-duct air-conditioning system known in the art, not only fresh air, but also recirculated air, can be fed to the supply-air fan. The proportion of recirculated air depends on: the air-quality of the recirculated air and the air quality in the room (or zone thereof) being air-conditioned, the energy content of the recirculated air, and the energy

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PCT/EP2014/050553 requirement in the rooms (or zones thereof) being air-conditioned. The conditions and requirements for the different rooms or zones being air-conditioned may, however, be entirely different, thus requiring different quantities of recirculated air for them. The priorart two-duct air-conditioning system cannot meet this differential recirculated-air requirement, because its design is not flexible enough, as regards the supply-air ducts, to cover the different energy requirements along with the different air-quality requirements.

For example, the following situation can arise: The prior-art two-duct system is airconditioning a number of rooms. During winter operation, all the rooms require heating; and therefore, heated air at a given temperature is being supplied, in one supply-air duct.

io In accordance with the energy requirement in the rooms, only the amount of air from one supply-air duct is needed: no supply-air is needed from the other duct. But then, in one room, the air quality drops; and therefore, in this room, the quantity of fresh air required increases. With the prior-art two-duct system, this leads to a considerable reduction in the proportion of recirculated air, and an increase in the proportion of fresh air. The proportion is of fresh air supplied will depend on the target values set for the room with the poorest air quality. Therefore, all the rooms will be supplied with a higher proportion of fresh air than necessary. This leads to considerable energy losses.

The objective of the invention is therefore to further develop a multi-duct air conditioning system of the kind covered by the generic part of claim 1, so as to avoid the above20 mentioned drawbacks and make it possible to regulate the multi-duct air-conditioning system in a more targeted manner.

This objective is achieved through the characterising features of claim 1, in combination with the generic features of claim 1.

The invention is based on the realisation that providing at least two supply-air ducts of the generic multi-duct air-conditioning system with one supply-air fan each will not only increase the system's reliability but can also produce energy savings, due to greater flexibility of control and regulation when supplying air that has differing parameters or airquality.

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Therefore, according to the present invention, at least two supply-air fans are provided — at least one each in different supply-air ducts. This is a simple way of increasing the multiduct air-conditioning system's reliability and achieving energy savings.

Control flexibility and effectiveness can preferably be further increased by installing a supply-air fan in every supply-air duct. The supply-air fan not only makes it possible to control the air volume individually for each supply-air duct but also provides a very high degree of protection against system failure.

In an embodiment of the invention, the multi-duct air-conditioning system has an intake duct with a recirculated-air duct and/or a fresh-air duct connected to it. The part of the io supply-air duct upstream of the supply-air fan is called the intake duct. Recirculated air and/or fresh air is supplied to the supply-air fan through the intake duct. The supply air for the rooms (or zones thereof) being air-conditioned may thus consist of recirculated air and/or fresh air.

The control unit controls, in particular, the rotational speed of all the supply-air fans and is hence the quantity of the air conducted in the respective supply-air ducts.

Preferably, at least one damper is provided for each supply-air duct; and the proportion of supply air to be supplied from the individual supply-air ducts to the room (or zone thereof) being air-conditioned is determined by the respective damper, which is set by the control unit.

Each supply-air fan may be connected to an intake duct that is itself connected to a recirculated-air duct and/or a fresh-air duct.

In an embodiment of the invention, preferably one or more of the following features a) to c) are provided:

a) In the fresh-air duct, there is at least one fresh-air damper, which is, in particular, regulated by the control unit.

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b) In the recirculated-air duct, there is a recirculated-air damper, which, in particular, is regulated by the control unit so as to determine what proportion of the supply air is to be recirculated.

c) An outgoing-air duct is provided, which has an outgoing-air damper in it; and, in particular, the control unit regulates the outgoing-air damper so as to determine what proportion of the exhaust air is to be discharged as outgoing air.

The control unit can operate in conjunction with climate sensors — installed in the rooms (or zones thereof) and/or in the supply-air/exhaust-air ducts — that serve to detect temperature, moisture, air quality, density, and pressure.

io The proportion of recirculated air and/or fresh air in the supply-air going to the supply-air fan of the respective supply-air duct is preferably set, by the control unit, in accordance with at least one parameter from the following group of parameters: temperature, humidity, air quality, density, and pressure. The climate sensors may be located in the airconditioned rooms (or zones thereof), the exhaust-air duct, the outgoing-air duct, the is fresh-air duct, the recirculated-air duct, and/or the supply-air duct, i.e. in separate spaces or compartments”. The climate sensors may serve to determine the following measurements/actual values: temperature, humidity, air quality, density, and pressure. These values are compared with set target-values stored in the control unit, and are evaluated, resulting in control parameters with associated control signals for the air20 conditioning system's actuators, and also control signals for the supply-air fans.

In particular, the control unit regulates the rotational speed of the supply-air fans in accordance with the supply-air requirements — corresponding to the supply-air proportions based on the parameters of the climate sensors — for the respective rooms or zones thereof.

Preferably, at least one supply-air duct comprises at least one component from the following group of air-processing units: cooling unit, heating unit, humidifier, dehumidifier, air filter, air-freshening unit, ioniser, etc.

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The system's flexibility can also be increased by having the supply-air ducts connected to one another by way of a bypass duct in which there is a bypass damper. If, for example, one supply-air fan stops working, then it is possible to supply the supply air from the other supply-air duct, which is connected by way of the bypass duct, thus safeguarding against system failure.

In this regard, the bypass damper can operate in conjunction with the control unit.

The invention also relates to a method for operating a multi-duct system, with the following steps:

a) by means of the climate sensors (such as pressure, temperature, humidity, and aiγιο quality sensors, among others), the actual value in the associated spaces — e.g.

ducts, rooms (or zones thereof), etc. — is detected and compared with the target values stored in the control unit, and is evaluated, resulting in control parameters; and

b) in accordance with the control parameters, the control unit sets the rotational speed is of the supply-air fans, and also the damper-positions of the dampers of the respective supply-air ducts, so as to set the proportions of supply-air fed from the respective supply-air ducts to the rooms (or zones thereof) to be air-conditioned.

In particular, the following step can be performed:

c) the supply air is handled and processed in accordance with the control parameters.

The following step is preferably performed:

d) the volumetric distribution of the supply air to the rooms or zones thereof that are to be air-conditioned is performed in accordance with the control parameters.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the following steps are performed:

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e) the exhaust-air mover, exhaust-air damper and/or outgoing-air damper, and overflow dampers are regulated in accordance with the control parameters.

The following step is preferably performed to take the energy content of the exhaust air into account:

f) the proportion of recirculated air and/or fresh air is set in accordance with the control parameters.

In particular, the processing of the air as regards its physical characteristics is performed in accordance with the control parameters.

Further benefits, features, and possible applications of the present invention will emerge io from the following description and from the examples illustrated in the drawings.

In the description, claims, and drawings, the terms and their associated reference numbers listed at the end of the description will be used. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a block circuit diagram of a two-duct air-conditioning system according to the present invention, and

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the control unit with the actuators and climatesensors connected to it.

is Fig. 1 is a block circuit diagram of a two-duct air conditioning system 2 according to the present invention. This two-duct air-conditioning system 2 has two supply-air ducts 4, 6. In each supply-air duct 4, 6, there is a supply-air fan 8,10, with a heating unit 12,14 mounted downstream of it; and downstream of each heating unit 12,14, there is a temperature sensor 16,18. After the temperature sensors 16,18, there is a bypass duct

20 connecting the two supply-air ducts 4, 6 to each other. In the bypass duct 20, there is a bypass damper 22, which is driven by a bypass-damper motor 22a.

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Each supply-air duct 4, 6 is connected to a fresh-air duct 24, 26 and to a recirculated-air duct 28, 30. The part of the supply-air duct 4, 6 that is situated upstream of the supply-air fan 8,10 is also called the intake duct.

After the temperature sensor 16 and bypass duct 20 in the first supply-air duct 4 there comes, first, a cooling unit 32, followed by a heating unit 34 and then a humidifier 36. Finally, in the first supply-air duct 4, the humidifier 36 is followed by a temperature sensor 38, a humidity sensor 40, and a pressure sensor 42. The first supply-air duct 4 is connectable to rooms 44, 46, and 48 respectively. For this purpose, a distribution-duct 50 is provided in each case, and this is connected to a respective air inlet 52 to the room 44, io 46, 48 concerned. Each distribution-duct 50 is part of the first supply-air duct 4, and is provided with a damper 54 driven by an associated motor 56.

The make-up of the second supply-air duct 6 is the same as that of the first supply-air duct 4. The temperature sensor 18 and the bypass duct 20 are followed by a cooling unit 58, a heating unit 60, and a humidifier 62. Then, the humidifier 62 is followed by a temperature is sensor 64, a humidity sensor 66, and a pressure sensor 68.

From the second supply-air duct 6, second distribution-ducts 70 branch off, and are connected to the air inlets 52 of rooms 44, 46, 48 respectively. In each second distributionduct 70, there is a damper 72, which is driven by a motor 74.

Each room 44, 46, 48 has in it a temperature sensor 76, a humidity sensor 78, and an air20 quality sensor 80. The individual sensors detect and regulate the temperature, humidity, and air quality in the room 44, 46, 48 concerned. In the control loop, a suitable target value is set for each room; and activation of the cooling unit 32, 58, heating unit 34, 60, and humidifier 36, 62, in the supply-air duct concerned 20, 22, is done only as required, i.e. when the temperature is not suitable for cooling or heating the room being air-conditioned

44, 46, 48, or the degree of humidity is not at a suitable level in at least one of the supplyair ducts 4, 6. As a rule, the air inlet 52 of the room to be air-conditioned 44, 46, 48 is connected to only one of the supply-air ducts 4, 6. In this way, the air will no longer be mixed, but will come from either the first supply-air duct 4 or the second supply-air duct 6.

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The amount of air required for the rooms, or zones thereof, is set by means of the dampers 54 and 72. The volume of supply air for the respective rooms 44, 46, 48 being air-conditioned varies depending on the measurement values from the sensors, which are recorded and processed in the control unit, and on the resultant control parameters.

The pressure in the supply-air ducts 4, 6 is regulated by means of the supply-air fans 8,

10, in accordance with the amount of air required in the rooms 44, 46, 48 being airconditioned.

The cooling units 32, 58, heating units 34, 60, and humidifiers 36, 62 are only activated if the temperature and/or density values and/or humidity values in the respective supply-air io ducts 20, 22 do not correspond to the set values.

The cooling units 32, 58 and the heating units 12,14, 34, 60 are adjustable over a predetermined temperature range.

Dampers 54 and 72 are designed so that, if required, it is also possible to connect just one of the supply-air ducts 4, 6 to the air inlets 52 of the rooms 44, 46, 48 being air15 conditioned. In addition, the amount of air supplied from the different supply-air ducts 4, 6 can be controlled independently by means of the respective dampers 54, 72.

The exhaust air is conducted out of the rooms 44, 46, 48 through an exhaust-air duct 82, which is provided with an exhaust-air fan 84 for that purpose. A recirculated-air duct 86 branches off from the exhaust-air duct 82, and bifurcates to become the recirculated-air ducts 28 and 30. Finally, the outgoing-air duct 88 is connected to the exhaust-air duct 82 at the junction where the recirculated-air duct 86 branches off from exhaust-air duct 82.

In the outgoing-air duct 88, there is an outgoing-air damper 90, which is driven by an outgoing-air damper motor 92. In addition, a recirculated-air damper 94 is provided in recirculated-air duct 28, and is driven by a recirculated-air damper motor 96. Likewise, a recirculated-air damper 98, provided in recirculated-air duct 30, is driven by a recirculatedair damper motor 100.

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In fresh-air duct 24, there is a fresh-air damper 102; and in fresh-air duct 26, there is a fresh-air damper 104. Fresh-air damper 102 is driven by fresh-air damper motor 106; and fresh-air damper 104 is driven by fresh-air damper motor 108.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a control unit 110 for the two-duct air-conditioning system

2 of Fig. 1. The control unit 110 is connected, by signal lines 112, to the climate sensors,

i.e. to temperature sensor 16, temperature sensor 18, temperature sensor 38, humidity sensor 40, pressure sensor 42, temperature sensor 64, humidity sensor 66, pressure sensor 68, temperature sensor 76, humidity sensor 78, and air-quality sensor 80.

In addition, the control unit 110 is connected, by signal lines 114, to the motors of the io individual dampers, i.e. to the bypass-damper motor 22a, the motor 56 for the damper in the first distribution-duct, the motor 74 for the damper in the second distribution-duct, the outgoing-air damper motor 92, the recirculated-air damper motors 96 and 100, and the fresh-air damper motors 108 and 106.

The control unit 110 is connected, by signal lines 116, to the fans and the air handling and is processing units, i.e. supply-air fan 8, supply-air fan 10, exhaust-air fan 84, heating unit

12, heating unit 14, cooling unit 32, heating unit 34, humidifying unit 36, cooling unit 58, humidifying unit 62, and heating unit 60, and also optional air-quality improving equipment (not shown in the drawings), such as air-freshening units, ionisers, etc.

The control unit 110 regulates the two-duct air-conditioning system. This involves the following steps:

a) By means of the climate sensors 16,18, 38, 40, 42, 64, 66, 68, 76, 78, and 80, the actual-state values in the respective spaces — i.e. ducts, rooms (or zones thereof), etc. — are detected; and they are then compared with the target values stored in the control unit 110, and evaluated, resulting in the associated control parameters.

b) The fresh-air proportion and/or recirculated-air proportion is set, in accordance with the control parameters, by setting the recirculation damper 94, 98 and the fresh-air damper 102,104, and possibly also the outgoing-air damper 90. For this, the

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PCT/EP2014/050553 motors 92, 96,100,106,108 receive corresponding control signals from the control unit 110.

c) The supply-air is processed in accordance with the control parameters. Depending on the requirements: cooling is performed, by the cooling unit 32, 58; heating is performed, by the heating units 12,14, 34, 60; humidification is performed, by the humidifier 36, 62; and dehumidification is performed, by interaction of the cooling units 32, 58 and the heating units 34, 60.

d) The rotational speed of the supply-air fans 8,10, and the damper settings of the dampers 54, 72 of the respective supply-air ducts 4, 6, are set by the control unit io 110, in accordance with the control parameters, thereby determining the proportions of supply air to be delivered from the respective supply-air ducts 4, 6. For this, motors 56 and 74 receive the appropriate control signals from the control unit 110.

e) The exhaust-air mover 84 and the outgoing-air damper 92 are regulated in is accordance with the control parameters. Downstream of the rooms 44, 46, 48, there are exhaust-air dampers in the exhaust-air duct 82 (but, for the sake of simplicity and clarity, they are not shown in Fig. 1 and 2). They too are regulated in accordance with the control parameters. The exhaust-air duct 82 may be replaced partly or fully by an overflow opening with or without a damper. Such a damper can likewise be regulated by the control unit 110, particularly in accordance with the control parameters.

The air-conditioning system 2 of the present invention can have a variable temperature in each supply-air duct 4, 6, with the minimum supply-air temperature being settable to a minimum target value and/or the maximum supply-air temperature being settable to a maximum target value.

The first supply-air duct 4 and the second supply-air duct 6 can have different-sized cross sections, for different volumes of supply air, and can have cooling and/or heating units with different performance capacities.

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Example of Use in Winter (i.e. when there is a great need for heating).

In all of the rooms, there is a need for heating. The supply air is thus primarily a transportmedium for heat energy. With low air-pollution, a high proportion of recirculated air can be used. Let us consider the example of a number of occupied offices and an empty conference room that are to be heated. All of these rooms are supplied with heated air from a first supply-air duct. The dampers are suitably set, to ensure the required high proportion of recirculated air. The heavy demand for heating means that a large amount of air has to be conducted, and therefore the supply-air fan in the first supply-air duct will have to run at high rotational speeds. Due to the high proportion of recirculated air, the io energy content of the exhaust air can be utilised, and the additional heating power can be reduced.

Now, the conference room fills with people; the conference room is heated by the people in it, and the need for heating in the conference room is reduced. In addition, the air quality in the conference room decreases, which increases the need for fresh air. To achieve this, is and to meet the unchanged requirements in the offices, the conference room is now supplied with air from the second supply-air duct — air that is cooler than the supply-air from the first supply-air duct and that has a higher proportion of fresh air. In this way, a more individualised adaptation to the requirements in the respective rooms is possible; and, despite the additional supply-air fan, greater energy savings can be achieved.

A two-duct air-conditioning system has been described, with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. Of course, the invention also applies to all multi-duct systems.

In addition to the air-handling and -processing units described, other air-processing units may also be installed, such as air-freshening units, ionisers, etc.

In addition, a number of exhaust-air fans may be provided in one or more exhaust-air ducts.

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List of Reference Numbers two-duct air-conditioning system supply-air duct-upper supply-air duct-lower supply-air fan - upper supply-air fan - lower heating unit-upper heating unit-lower temperature sensor - upper temperature sensor - lower bypass duct bypass damper

22a bypass-damper motor fresh-air duct-upper fresh-air duct-lower recirculated-air duct for supply-air duct 4 recirculated-air duct for supply-air duct 6 cooling unit heating unit humidifier temperature sensor humidity sensor pressure sensor room to be air-conditioned room to be air-conditioned room to be air-conditioned first distribution-duct, branching off from first supply-air duct 52 air inlet of the room to be air-conditioned, air-inlet device 54 damper in the first distribution-duct motor for the damper in the first distribution-duct \N0 2014/108552 A1

PCT/EP2014/050553 cooling unit heating unit humidifier temperature sensor humidity sensor pressure sensor second distribution-duct damper in the second distribution-duct motor for the damper in the second distribution-duct 76 temperature sensor humidity sensor air-quality sensor exhaust-air duct exhaust-air fan recirculated-air duct outgoing-air duct outgoing-air damper exhaust-air damper motor recirculated-air damper motor for recirculated-air damper recirculated-air damper

100 motor for recirculated-air damper

102 fresh-air damper

104 motor for fresh-air damper

106 fresh-air damper

108 motor for fresh-air damper

110 control unit

112 signal lines

114 signal lines

116 signal lines

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Claims

1/2

98 88 90 86 94 82 28 12 16 4 32 34 84 36 38 40 44 42 78 80 46 76 78 80 48 76 78 80

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1. A multi-duct air-conditioning system (2) for air-conditioning a number of rooms (44, 46,48) and/or zones thereof, with

- at least one air-inlet device (52) for each room (44,46,48), or zone thereof, to

5 be air-conditioned,

- a supply-air fan (8,10),

- a control unit (110), and

- at least two supply-air ducts (4,6), wherein at least two supply-air fans (8,10) are provided — at least one each in io different supply-air ducts, wherein the supply-air ducts are able to be connected to one another by way of a bypass duct, wherein, if one of the at least two supply-air fans stops working, supply air is supplied from the other supply-air duct, and

15 wherein there is a bypass damper in the bypass duct.

2. A multi-duct air-conditioning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one supply-air fan is provided in each supply-air duct.

3. A multi-duct air-conditioning system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one recirculated-air duct and/or at least one fresh-air duct is provided; and recirculated

20 air or fresh air is conducted to the supply-air fans.

4. A multi-duct air-conditioning system as claimed in any of the above claims, wherein the control unit controls the rotational speed of all the supply-air fans and thus controls what quantity of air is to be transported in the respective supply-air ducts.

5. A multi-duct air-conditioning system as claimed in any of the above claims, wherein

25 each supply-air duct has at least one damper, which is set by the control device so

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2014204778 19 Feb 2018 as to determine the proportion of supply air that will flow from the respective supplyair ducts to the room, or zone thereof, that is to be air-conditioned.

6. A multi-duct air-conditioning system as claimed in any of the above claims, wherein each supply-air fan is connected to an intake duct, which is connected to a

5 recirculated-air duct and/or a fresh-air duct.

7. A multi-duct air-conditioning system as claimed in claim 6, wherein one or more of the following features a) to c) are provided:

a) in the fresh-air duct, there is at least one fresh-air damper, which is, in particular, regulated by the control unit;

10 b) in the recirculated-air duct, there is a recirculated-air damper, which, in particular, is regulated by the control unit so as to determine what proportion of the supply air is to be recirculated;

c) an outgoing-air duct is provided, in which an outgoing-air damper is provided; and, in particular, the control unit regulates the outgoing-air is damper so as to determine what proportion of the exhaust air is to be discharged as outgoing air.

8. A multi-duct air-conditioning system as claimed in any of the above claims, wherein the control unit operates in conjunction with climate sensors provided in the rooms and/or zones thereof and/or supply-air/exhaust-air ducts.

20

9. A multi-duct air-conditioning system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the proportion of recirculated air and/or fresh air in the supply-air going to the supply-air fan of the respective supply-air duct is set, by the control unit, in accordance with at least one parameter from the following group of parameters: temperature, humidity, air quality, density, and pressure.

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10. A multi-duct air-conditioning system as claimed in any of the above claims, wherein the control unit regulates the rotational speed of the supply-air fans in accordance with the supply-air requirements — corresponding to the supply-air proportions based on the parameters of the climate sensors — for the respective rooms or

5 zones thereof.

11. A multi-duct air-conditioning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bypass damper operates in conjunction with the control unit.

12. A method for operating a multi-duct air-conditioning system as claimed in any of the above claims, wherein,

10 by means of the climate sensors, the actual value in the spaces concerned —

e.g. ducts, rooms (or zones thereof), etc. — is detected and compared with the target values stored in the control unit, and is evaluated, resulting in control parameters, and, in accordance with the control parameters, the control unit sets the rotational is speed of the supply-air fans, and also sets the positions of the dampers in the respective supply-air ducts, so as to set the proportions of supply-air fed from the respective supply-air ducts to the rooms (or zones thereof) to be air-conditioned.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the recirculated-air portion and/or the fresh-air portion are set in accordance with the control parameters.

20 14. The method as claimed in claim 12 or 13, wherein the handling and processing of the air as regards its physical characteristics is performed in accordance with the control parameters.

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Fig. 2