U.S. patent application number 11/291820 was filed with the patent office on 2006-09-07 for seven day programmable hot water controller.
Invention is credited to Edward W. Freer, Donald J. Godlewski.
Application Number | 20060196956 11/291820 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36943202 |
Filed Date | 2006-09-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060196956 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Freer; Edward W. ; et
al. |
September 7, 2006 |
Seven day programmable hot water controller
Abstract
The multi-day programmable hot water heater controller employs a
control circuit, in communication with a temperature sensor and a
switching device, to control the operation of a water heater. The
temperature sensor is attached to a water heater, positioned where
the water temperature within the water heater can best be read.
Temperature loss between the water and the temperature sensor may
be determined by calculation or measurement, and corrected by the
control circuit. The multi-day programmable hot water heater
controller monitors water temperature within the water heater, and
controls the switching device to switch the water heater on or off,
maintaining the water temperature according to programmable
parameters. Users program the multi-day programmable hot water
heater controller to define periods during which the water heater
is operated to maintain a desired water temperature. At other
times, the water heater is turned off to conserve energy.
Inventors: |
Freer; Edward W.;
(Pattersonville, NY) ; Godlewski; Donald J.;
(Schenectady, NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LITMAN LAW OFFICES, LTD
PO BOX 15035
CRYSTAL CITY STATION
ARLINGTON
VA
22215
US
|
Family ID: |
36943202 |
Appl. No.: |
11/291820 |
Filed: |
December 2, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60643122 |
Jan 12, 2005 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
237/56 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24D 19/1009 20130101;
G05D 23/1904 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
237/056 |
International
Class: |
F24D 3/00 20060101
F24D003/00 |
Claims
1. A multi-day programmable hot water heater controller,
comprising: a temperature sensor; a display device; a plurality of
input pushbuttons; a microcomputer based control circuit in
electrical connection with said temperature sensor, display device,
and pushbuttons; means for operating a hot water heater under the
control of said control circuit; and a computer readable program
code contained in said microcomputer based control circuit, said
program code having means for determining the temperature of water
contained within said hot water heater from a signal read from said
temperature sensor, means for entering a start time, a stop time,
and a desired temperature for at least one operational time period,
and means for maintaining the temperature of water within said hot
water heater at said desired temperature during said operational
time period.
2. The multi-day programmable hot water heater controller of claim
1, wherein said means for operating a hot water heater under
control of said control circuit further comprises: a relay operably
connected between said control circuit and a thermostat of a hot
water heater said relay configured to control said thermostat based
on relay control signals received from said control circuit.
3. The multi-day programmable hot water heater controller of claim
2, wherein said relay comprises an electric solenoid valve.
4. The multi-day programmable hot water heater controller of claim
1, further comprising a status lamp in electrical connection with
said control circuit.
5. The multi-day programmable hot water heater controller of claim
1, wherein one of said plurality of buttons comprises an override
button in electrical connection with said control circuit, said
override button selectable by a user to override any programmed
functions of the control circuit.
6. The multi-day programmable hot water heater controller of claim
1, wherein said control circuit further comprises a timer for
controlling based on the time of day and the day of the week.
7. The multi-day programmable hot water heater controller of claim
1, wherein said at least one operational time period is defined by
a programmed start and stop time.
8. A method for controlling a multi-day programmable hot water
heater controller comprising a temperature sensor, a display
device, a plurality of input pushbuttons, a microcomputer based
control circuit in electrical connection with said temperature
sensor, display device, and pushbuttons, means for operating a hot
water heater under control of said control circuit, and a computer
readable program code contained in said microcomputer based control
circuit, said method comprising the steps of: determining the
temperature of water contained within a hot water heater from a
signal read from said temperature sensor; entering a start time and
a stop time defining an operational time period; entering a desired
temperature for said operational time period; and maintaining the
temperature of water at said desired temperature during said
operational time period.
9. The method for controlling a multi-day programmable hot water
heater controller of claim 8, wherein said step of maintaining the
temperature of water at said desired temperature during said
operational time period further comprises the steps of: reading a
temperature signal from said temperature sensor; determining if
said temperature signal is below said desired temperature; issuing
a first control signal to a relay to apply a heat source to a hot
water heater based on said step of determining if said temperature
signal is below said desired temperature; reading a temperature
signal from said temperature sensor after said step of issuing a
control signal; determining if said temperature signal is at or
above said desired temperature; and issuing a second control signal
to said relay to turn off said heat source to a hot water heater
based on said step of determining if said temperature signal is at
or above said desired temperature.
10. The method for controlling a multi-day programmable hot water
heater controller of claim 9, further comprising the step selected
from the group consisting of: illuminating a lamp on said
controller during said operational time period; and illuminating a
lamp on said controller during said step of issuing said first
control signal to said relay to apply a heat source to a hot water
heater.
11. The method for controlling a multi-day programmable hot water
heater controller of claim 9, further comprises the steps of:
receiving an override command from an override input pushbutton;
suspending a programmed operating schedule in said control circuit
based on said step of receiving an override command; resuming said
programmed operating schedule in said control circuit, selected
from the group consisting of: at a programmable time interval; at a
programmable date and time; and by receiving a second override
command from said override input pushbutton.
12. The method for controlling a multi-day programmable hot water
heater controller of claim 8, wherein said step of entering a start
time and a stop time defining an operational time period further
comprising the step of: selecting a day of the week with said input
pushbuttons.
13. The method for controlling a multi-day programmable hot water
heater controller of claim 12, further comprising the step of:
entering a second start time and a second stop time defining a
second operational time period.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 60/643,122, filed Jan. 12, 2005.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to water heating appliances
and, more particularly to a multi-day programmable hot water heater
controller.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Certain home or commercial appliances, or other equipment,
operate continuously, or cyclically, over long periods of time to
maintain environmental or other conditions within a comfortable
range. Residential heating systems, for example, operate in a
continuous on/off cycle to maintain a living space at a comfortable
temperature. Similarly, hot water heaters typically operate in a
similar continuous on/off cycle to maintain a water supply at a
desirable temperature for use.
[0006] Such systems generally experience periods of high use or
demand, and periods of low demand. For example, in a residential
setting, hot water usage is often highest during a morning period
where family members shower, prepare and clean up after a morning
meal, and perform other tasks utilizing hot water. Hot water may go
entirely unused during midday hours, until evening activities such
as dinner preparation and cleanup lead to increased hot water
usage.
[0007] Concerns with conservation, or reduction in the costs
associated with operating a hot water heater, have led to various
systems intended to reduce energy expenditure and costs by matching
production and maintenance of a hot water supply to such periods of
high and low demand. Programmable control devices have been
proposed to allow thermostatic control of a hot water heater to
maintain various temperature settings during different periods of
the day. Such systems tend to be ill suited for retrofit to
existing hot water heaters, or require the entire replacement of a
thermostatic control in the existing hot water heater. Further,
some such systems employ a plurality of discrete thermostatic
devices to effect different temperature settings for different
periods of the day (for example, a first thermostat to set a low
temperature, a second thermostat to set an intermediate
temperature, and a third thermostat to set a high temperature).
[0008] Thus a multi-day programmable hot water heater controller
solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The multi-day programmable hot water heater controller
employs a control circuit, in communication with a temperature
sensor and a switching device to control the operation of a hot
water heater by controlling a power supply to the hot water heater
(or a gas supply, in the case of some gas heaters), the control
circuit controlling the switching device to switch the power supply
to the hot water heater on and off.
[0010] A temperature sensor is attached to a hot water heater, in a
position where the water temperature within the hot water heater
can best be read, such as on a hot water outlet pipe leading from
the hot water heater. Any temperature loss between the pipe's
direct contact with the hot water and the placement of the
temperature sensor may be determined by calculation or measurement,
and an appropriate correction or compensation may be made by the
control circuit.
[0011] In its most basic operation, the multi-day programmable hot
water heater controller monitors the water temperature within the
hot water heater using the temperature sensor, and controls the
switching device to switch the hot water heater on or off as
required to maintain the water temperature according to
programmable parameters. Users program the multi-day programmable
hot water heater controller to define operational time periods
during which the hot water heater is operated to maintain a desired
water temperature. At other times, the hot water heater is turned
off to conserve energy.
[0012] These and other features of the present invention will
become readily apparent upon further review of the following
specification and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is system block diagram of a multi-day programmable
hot water heater controller according to the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a controller for a multi-day
programmable hot water heater controller according to the present
invention.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a flowchart describing a general operation of a
multi-day programmable hot water heater controller according to the
present invention.
[0016] Similar reference characters denote corresponding features
consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0017] The present invention is a multi-day programmable hot water
heater controller, designated generally as 10 in the drawings.
Referring to FIG. 1, the multi-day programmable hot water heater
controller 10 controls the operation of a hot water heater 90 by
controlling a power supply to the hot water heater (or a gas
supply, in the case of gas heaters).
[0018] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, a conventional
electric hot water heater 90 is shown having a thermostat 94
controlling an electric heating element 92 within the hot water
heater 90. The multi-day programmable hot water heater controller
10 includes a relay 24 that, under the control of the multi-day
programmable hot water heater controller 10, switches the power
supply to the thermostat 94 on and off.
[0019] A temperature sensor 26 is attached to the hot water heater
90, positioned on the hot water heater 90, or on a water pipe
extending from the hot water heater 90, in a position where the
water temperature within the hot water heater 90 can best be
determined. For example, a hot water outlet pipe leading from the
hot water heater 90 may provide a useful measurement point, since
the hot water outlet pipe is in direct contact with the hot water
within the hot water heater 90. Any temperature loss between the
pipe's direct contact with the hot water and the placement of the
temperature sensor may be determined by calculation or measurement,
and an appropriate correction or compensation may be made by the
multi-day programmable hot water heater controller 10.
[0020] In its most basic operation, the multi-day programmable hot
water heater controller 10 monitors the water temperature within
the hot water heater 90 using the temperature sensor 26, and
controls the relay 24 to switch the hot water heater 90 on or off
as required to maintain the water temperature according to
parameters set within the multi-day programmable hot water heater
controller 10. It can be understood that the thermostat 94 of the
hot water heater 90 will be set somewhat higher than the maximum
temperature that will be programmed into the multi-day programmable
hot water heater controller 10, giving the multi-day programmable
hot water heater controller 10 full control of the water
temperature. It should be noted that the relay 24 is illustrated
for the control of hot water heating systems that employ a 120, or
240 volt power supply for operation (typically electric, oil fired,
and some gas systems). The relay 24 may be replaced with an
electric solenoid valve or another control in certain embodiments
such as a gas hot water heater, or eliminated entirely for systems
using a relatively low voltage control signal.
[0021] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the multi-day programmable
hot water heater controller 10 comprises a control circuit 28, in
communication with a display 12, a status lamp 14, such as a Light
Emitting Diode (LED), and a plurality of pushbuttons 16, 18, 20,
22. In the illustrated embodiment, the multi-day programmable hot
water heater controller 10 uses a pair of scroll buttons 16 to
allow setting of time, temperatures, selection of days, and other
user functions. An override button 18 allows a user to, at the
touch of a button, override the programmed functions of the
multi-day programmable hot water heater controller 10 such as for a
vacation period. A set button 20, and a mode button 22, allow
further user interactions with the multi-day programmable hot water
heater controller 10 as will be described below.
[0022] The display 12 includes alphanumeric display components
suitable for displaying dates, time of day, temperatures, and so
forth. Additionally, the display 12 includes display components for
indicating days of the week, to allow user selection of a day of
the week for programming purposes. The display may be illuminated,
either by employing a light emitting display such as an LED or
electro-luminescent or similar technology, or by providing a
backlight or perimeter lighting or other light source for
illuminating the display surface for viewing.
[0023] In the illustrated embodiment, the control circuit 28 is a
typical microprocessor-based circuit including a CPU 30 and memory
34, the memory including both areas of RAM and ROM, to contain a
computer program for execution by the CPU 30. Additionally, the
control circuit 28 employs a timer 32.
[0024] The control circuit 28 is in communication with the
temperature sensor 26, receiving a signal indicating the
temperature measured by the temperature sensor 26. Additionally,
the control circuit 28 is in communication with the relay 24, the
control circuit 28 providing a signal to open and close the relay
24.
[0025] Turning now to FIG. 3, the operation of the multi-day
programmable hot water heater controller 10 is discussed in greater
detail. In the illustrated embodiment, the operation of the
multi-day programmable hot water heater controller 10 is directed
by a computer program stored in the memory 34 and executed by the
CPU 30.
[0026] In a basic operational mode (step 302), the control circuit
28 performs basic tasks such as time keeping or clock functions,
and operates the hot water heater 90 according to programmed
temperature a n d time settings. The programmed temperature and
time settings specify one or more operational time periods within a
day, each operational time period being defined by a start and a
stop time. Non-operational time periods are the time periods during
a day falling outside of any operational time period.
[0027] During an operational time period, the control circuit 28
reads the temperature sensor 26, and issues a control signal to
cause the relay 24 to apply power to the hot water heater 90 when
the temperature sensor 26 indicates a water temperature below the
temperature setting programmed for the operational period. If the
temperature sensor 26 indicates a water temperature at or above the
temperature setting programmed for the operational period, the
control circuit 28 causes the relay 24 to remove power from the hot
water heater 90. Thus, during operational time periods the control
circuit 28 monitors the water temperature and operates the hot
water heater 90 cyclically to maintain the programmed water
temperature for the operational time period. During the operational
time period, the lamp 14 may be continuously illuminated to
indicate the operational time period, or the lamp may be
illuminated only when the hot water heater 90 is powered.
[0028] During non-operational time periods, the control circuit 28
controls the relay 24 to keep power removed from the hot water
heater 90 until another operational time period.
[0029] Additionally, during the multi-day programmable hot water
heater controller 10 monitors the pushbuttons 16, 18, 20, and 22
for user inputs (step 304). When the multi-day programmable hot
water heater controller 10 is in the basic operational mode, only
the override button 18 and the mode button 22 will be recognized.
If the override button 18 is depressed, the multi-day programmable
hot water heater controller 10 enters an override mode (step 306).
The override mode may be a vacation or similar mode wherein the
control circuit 28 suspends the ordinary programmed operating
schedule, and controls the relay 24 to keep power removed from the
hot water heater 90 until the override mode is exited. Exit from
the override mode may occur following a programmable time interval,
at a programmable date and time or by pressing the override button
18 when the controller is in the override mode. On exit from the
override mode, the control circuit 28 returns to the basic
operational mode (step 302).
[0030] Depressing the mode button 22 in the basic operational mode
causes the control circuit 28 to enter a programming mode (step
308), allowing the user to set the clock time, or to set the start
and stop times, and temperature for operating periods. The user may
depress the mode button 22, or otherwise step through programming
choices to perform the different programming tasks. On entry into a
set time programming mode (step 310) the user may set the correct
time of day and date, using the scroll buttons 16 to change hour or
minute settings, and pressing the set button 20 to enter a new time
and date.
[0031] Proceeding to program an operational time period, the user
first selects a day (step 312), using the scroll buttons 16. The
user may create operational time periods for each day of a week
individually, or may enter settings categorically for weekdays and
weekends. For example, rather than enter operational time periods
for each of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, the
user may simply specify a "weekday" programming.
[0032] Following selection of a day, the user may enter one or more
operational time periods, first defining the start and stop times
for an operational time period (step 314), and then specifying the
water temperature during the operational time period. As with
setting the time and day, the scroll buttons 16 are used to
increment or decrement the time and temperature, and the set button
20 is used to enter each data item. Once the user has entered an
operational time period, the user may elect to enter an additional
operational time period or return to the basic operational
mode.
[0033] It is to be understood that the present invention is not
limited to the embodiment described above, but encompasses any and
all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *