Multiposition Discontinuous Temperature Control in the Electric Space Heating Process

Three new schemes for 3-position temperature control are described. A new method is introduced for analyzing and predicting the behavior of a multiposition temperature control system by displaying its actuating signal equation in three dimensions. Two new methods of predicting or analyzing the behavior, in the phase plane and time domain, of the multiposition temperature-controlled electric space heating process are described. Expressions are derived for the evaluation of the important performances indexes and figures of merit of such multiposition controlled processes. A new display method is outlined for simultaneously portraying the phase-plane and time-domain performance of such processes. Cycling characteristic diagrams are shown for 3-position controlled electric space heating processes with two alternative magnitudes of the intermediate value of manipulated variable. New 4-position temperature control schemes are described; and their cycling characteristic is shown for the control of the electric space heating processes. The application of these new techniques to other fields of control, and their limitations, are mentioned.