Comfort index control (CI control) is the tendency of the development of HVAC control systems, however the measurement of “comfort” is the key to the success of CI control. Seven major variables determine how warm a person feels: his activity level(M), his clothing insulation(icl), his mechanical efficiency(η) and the four environmental variables of air speed (v) and temperature (ta), humidity (Pa) and mean radiant temperature (tr). Equivalent temperature is a thermal comfort index that combines the thermal effects of air temperature, mean radiant temperature and air velocity on people. Thus the two indexes equivalent temperature and air humidity include information of the all four environmental variables.
In this paper a new structure of comfort sensor, which aims at measuring predicted mean vote (PMV) and new standard effective temperature (SET*), is proposed. And a kind of “transform” method is used in the realization of SET* sensor of this sort, theory derivation has proven the reasonability of this method. A simple SET* sensor is developed, and a 90-㎜ diameter globe made from copper is utilized instead of a equivalent temperature sensor in the SET* sensor. Simulation results shows that the SET* sensor can be used as a comfort sensor under typical indoor climates.