U.S. patent application number 15/245647 was filed with the patent office on 2016-12-15 for preconditioning controls and methods for an environmental control system.
This patent application is currently assigned to Google Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Google Inc.. Invention is credited to Yoky Matsuoka, Mark D. Stefanski.
Application Number | 20160363943 15/245647 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49886124 |
Filed Date | 2016-12-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160363943 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Stefanski; Mark D. ; et
al. |
December 15, 2016 |
PRECONDITIONING CONTROLS AND METHODS FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
SYSTEM
Abstract
Embodiments of the invention describe thermostats that are
configured to precondition an enclosure and methods for performing
the same. According to one embodiment, a method of preconditioning
an enclosure includes providing a thermostat and computing a set of
preconditioning criteria information (PCI) with said thermostat.
The computed PCI is typically representative of time and ambient
temperature conditions for which preconditioning should be
performed. The PCI may be stored in memory and used to compare
against a current time and current ambient temperature condition of
the enclosure to determine whether to enter the thermostat into a
preconditioning state. If a determination is made that the PCI
criteria are satisfied, the thermostat may be entered into the
preconditioning state to heat or cool the enclosure. One or more of
these processes may be performed while a processor of the
thermostat is in a relatively high power mode or relatively low
power mode.
Inventors: |
Stefanski; Mark D.; (Palo
Alto, CA) ; Matsuoka; Yoky; (Palo Alto, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Google Inc. |
Mountain View |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Google Inc.
Mountain View
CA
|
Family ID: |
49886124 |
Appl. No.: |
15/245647 |
Filed: |
August 24, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14155225 |
Jan 14, 2014 |
9470430 |
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15245647 |
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13632150 |
Sep 30, 2012 |
8630742 |
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14155225 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24F 11/62 20180101;
G05B 19/0428 20130101; G05D 23/1917 20130101; Y02D 10/122 20180101;
G05B 2219/2614 20130101; F24F 11/30 20180101; F24F 11/64 20180101;
F24F 11/65 20180101; F24F 2110/10 20180101; F24F 11/61 20180101;
G05D 23/1904 20130101; H05B 1/028 20130101; F24F 2110/12 20180101;
F24F 11/52 20180101; Y02D 10/00 20180101; G06F 1/3293 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G05D 23/19 20060101
G05D023/19; G05B 19/042 20060101 G05B019/042; F24F 11/00 20060101
F24F011/00 |
Claims
1. An HVAC control system comprising: a sensor that is configured
to sense ambient temperature conditions within an enclosure; a
processor that is configured to receive ambient temperature
information for the enclosure and to control the HVAC control
system to condition the enclosure; and a display that is configured
to display information; wherein, in operation, said HVAC control
system implements: a first thermodynamic model that is useful in
generating a historically based estimate of time to reach a target
temperature, the first thermodynamic model being based on past
conditioning events of the enclosure and the historically based
estimate being applicable to a future conditioning event for the
enclosure without being updated during said future conditioning
event; and a second thermodynamic model, the second thermodynamic
model being a real-time thermodynamic model that is useful in
generating a dynamically variable estimate of time to reach a
target temperature; said HVAC control system being configured to:
receive a real-time temperature adjustment from a user; display in
real time to the user an estimated remaining time to reach a target
temperature based on a combination of the first thermodynamic model
and the second thermodynamic model; and in advance of a scheduled
setpoint temperature, perform preconditioning to reach the
scheduled setpoint temperature in an estimated time, said
preconditioning being based on said first thermodynamic model but
not on the second thermodynamic model.
2. The HVAC control system of claim 1, wherein the HVAC control
system is configured to interface with a cloud-based system in
performing one or more processing functions.
3. The HVAC control system of claim 1, wherein during said
preconditioning, the estimated time to reach the scheduled setpoint
temperature is displayed, said estimated time being determined from
said first thermodynamic model and said second thermodynamic model,
and wherein conditioning of said enclosure is performed based
solely on an estimated time of said first thermodynamic model when
an estimated time of said second thermodynamic model appreciably
varies from said estimated time to reach the scheduled setpoint
temperature.
4. The HVAC control system of claim 1, wherein said HVAC control
system is further configured to display said estimated time to
reach the scheduled setpoint temperature, wherein during a
condition event of the enclosure, said estimated time to reach the
scheduled setpoint temperature is transitioned from being based on
said first thermodynamic model to being based on said second
thermodynamic model, said transition occurring due to a
determination that said second thermodynamic model is sufficiently
reliable such that the estimated time to reach the scheduled
setpoint temperature is not dramatically changed.
5. The HVAC control system of claim 4, wherein subsequent to said
transition, said estimated time to reach the scheduled setpoint
temperature is based solely on said second thermodynamic model.
6. The HVAC control system of claim 1, wherein the historically
based estimate is based on a current set of collected data such
that older data is not considered in generating the historically
based estimate.
7. The HVAC control system of claim 1, wherein said processor
comprises: a first processor having a relatively high electrical
power-consuming first mode of operation; and a second processor
having a relatively low electrical power-consuming mode of
operation, wherein during said display of information, processing
is performed by said first processor.
8. An HVAC control system comprising: a sensor; a processor; and a
display; said HVAC control system being configured to implement a
first thermodynamic model and a second thermodynamic model; said
HVAC control system being further configured to: receive real-time
temperature adjustment from a user; display in real time to the
user an estimated remaining time to reach a target temperature
based on a combination of the first thermodynamic model and the
second thermodynamic model; and in advance of a scheduled setpoint
temperature, perform preconditioning to reach the scheduled
setpoint temperature in an estimated time, said preconditioning
being based on said first thermodynamic model but not on the second
thermodynamic model.
9. The HVAC control system of claim 8, wherein said first
thermodynamic model is useful in generating a historically based
estimate of time to reach a target temperature, the first
thermodynamic model being based on past conditioning events of an
enclosure and the historically based estimate being applicable to a
future conditioning event for the enclosure without being updated
during said future conditioning event.
10. The HVAC control system of claim 8, wherein said second
thermodynamic model is a real-time thermodynamic model and that is
useful in generating a dynamically variable estimate of time to
reach a target temperature.
11. The HVAC control system of claim 8, wherein the HVAC control
system is configured to interface with a cloud-based system in
performing one or more processing functions.
12. The HVAC control system of claim 8, wherein during said
preconditioning, the estimated time to reach the scheduled setpoint
temperature is displayed, said estimated time being determined from
said first thermodynamic model and said second thermodynamic model,
and wherein conditioning of said enclosure is performed based
solely on an estimated time of said first thermodynamic model when
an estimated time of said second thermodynamic model appreciably
varies from said estimated time to reach the scheduled setpoint
temperature.
13. The HVAC control system of claim 8, wherein said HVAC control
system is further configured to display said estimated time to
reach the scheduled setpoint temperature, wherein during a
condition event of the enclosure, said estimated time to reach the
scheduled setpoint temperature is transitioned from being based on
said first thermodynamic model to being based on said second
thermodynamic model, said transition occurring due to a
determination that said second thermodynamic model is sufficiently
reliable such that the estimated time to reach the scheduled
setpoint temperature is not dramatically changed.
14. The HVAC control system of claim 13, wherein subsequent to said
transition, said estimated time to reach the scheduled setpoint
temperature is based solely on said second thermodynamic model.
15. The HVAC control system of claim 8, wherein said processor
comprises: a first processor having a relatively high electrical
power-consuming first mode of operation; and a second processor
having a relatively low electrical power-consuming mode of
operation, wherein during said display of information, processing
is performed by said first processor.
16. An HVAC control system comprising: a thermostat that includes:
a sensor that is configured to sense ambient temperature conditions
within an enclosure; and a display that is configured to display
information; and a cloud-based system that interfaces with the
thermostat in performing one or more processing functions
including: implementing a first thermodynamic model that is useful
in generating a historically based estimate of time to reach a
target temperature, the first thermodynamic model being based on
past conditioning events of the enclosure and the historically
based estimate being applicable to a future conditioning event for
the enclosure without being updated during said future conditioning
event; implementing a second thermodynamic model that is a
real-time thermodynamic model and that is useful in generating a
dynamically variable estimate of time to reach a target
temperature; receiving real-time temperature adjustment from a
user; displaying in real time to the user an estimated remaining
time to reach a target temperature based on a combination of the
first thermodynamic model and the second thermodynamic model; and
in advance of a scheduled setpoint temperature, perform
preconditioning to reach the scheduled setpoint temperature in an
estimated time, said preconditioning being based on said first
thermodynamic model but not on the second thermodynamic model.
17. The HVAC control system of claim 16, wherein during said
preconditioning, the estimated time to reach the scheduled setpoint
temperature is displayed, said estimated time being determined from
said first thermodynamic model and said second thermodynamic model,
and wherein conditioning of said enclosure is performed based
solely on an estimated time of said first thermodynamic model when
an estimated time of said second thermodynamic model appreciably
varies from said estimated time to reach the scheduled setpoint
temperature.
18. The HVAC control system of claim 16, wherein said HVAC control
system is further configured to display said estimated time to
reach the scheduled setpoint temperature, wherein during a
condition event of the enclosure, said estimated time to reach the
scheduled setpoint temperature is transitioned from being based on
said first thermodynamic model to being based on said second
thermodynamic model, said transition occurring due to a
determination that said second thermodynamic model is sufficiently
reliable such that the estimated time to reach the scheduled
setpoint temperature is not dramatically changed.
19. The HVAC control system of claim 18, wherein subsequent to said
transition, said estimated time to reach the scheduled setpoint
temperature is based solely on said second thermodynamic model.
20. The HVAC control system of claim 16, wherein said processor
comprises: a first processor having a relatively high electrical
power-consuming first mode of operation; and a second processor
having a relatively low electrical power-consuming mode of
operation, wherein during said display of information, processing
is performed by said first processor.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 14/155,225, filed on Jan. 14, 2014, which is a
continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/632,150, filed
on Sep. 30, 2012, commonly assigned and hereby incorporated by
reference in their entireties herein for all purposes.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This patent specification relates to systems and methods for
preconditioning enclosures, such as homes. More particularly, this
patent specification relates to control units that govern the
operation of energy-consuming systems, household devices, or other
resource-consuming systems, including methods for thermostats that
perform preconditioning operations of heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning (HVAC) systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Substantial effort and attention continue toward the
development of newer and more sustainable energy supplies. The
conservation of energy by increased energy efficiency remains
crucial to the world's energy future. According to an October 2010
report from the U.S. Department of Energy, heating and cooling
account for 56% of the energy use in a typical U.S. home, making it
the largest energy expense for most homes. Along with improvements
in the physical plant associated with home heating and cooling
(e.g., improved insulation, higher efficiency furnaces),
substantial increases in energy efficiency can be achieved by
better control and regulation of home heating and cooling
equipment.
[0004] As discussed in the technical publication No. 50-8433,
entitled "Power Stealing Thermostats" from Honeywell (1997), early
thermostats used a bimetallic strip to sense temperature and
respond to temperature changes in the room. The movement of the
bimetallic strip was used to directly open and close an electrical
circuit. Power was delivered to an electromechanical actuator,
usually relay or contactor in the HVAC equipment whenever the
contact was closed to provide heating and/or cooling to the
controlled space. Since these thermostats did not require
electrical power to operate, the wiring connections were very
simple. Only one wire connected to the transformer and another wire
connected to the load. Typically, a 24 VAC power supply
transformer, the thermostat, and 24 VAC HVAC equipment relay were
all connected in a loop with each device having only two required
external connections.
[0005] When electronics began to be used in thermostats, the fact
that the thermostat was not directly wired to both sides of the
transformer for its power source created a problem. This meant that
the thermostat had to be hardwired directly from the system
transformer. Direct hardwiring a common "C" wire from the
transformer to the electronic thermostat may be very difficult and
costly.
[0006] Because many households do not have a direct wire from the
system transformer (such as a "C" wire), some thermostats have been
designed to derive power from the transformer through the equipment
load. The methods for powering an electronic thermostat from the
transformer with a single direct wire connection to the transformer
are called "power stealing" or "power sharing" methods. The
thermostat "steals," "shares," or "harvests" its power during the
"OFF" periods of the heating or cooling system by allowing a small
amount of current to flow through it into the load coil below the
load coil's response threshold (even at maximum transformer output
voltage). During the "ON" periods of the heating or cooling system
the thermostat draws power by allowing a small voltage drop across
itself. Ideally, the voltage drop will not cause the load coil to
dropout below its response threshold (even at minimum transformer
output voltage). Examples of thermostats with power stealing
capability include the Honeywell T8600, Honeywell T8400C, and the
Emerson Model 1F97-0671. However, these systems do not have power
storage means and therefore must always rely on power stealing.
[0007] Additionally, microprocessor controlled "intelligent"
thermostats may have more advanced environmental control
capabilities that can save energy while also keeping occupants
comfortable, such as by "preconditioning" (i.e., preheating or
precooling) a space. To do this, these thermostats require more
information from the occupants as well as the environments where
the thermostats are located. These thermostats may also be capable
of connection to computer networks, including both local area
networks (or other "private" networks) and wide area networks such
as the Internet (or other "public" networks), in order to obtain
current and forecasted outside weather data, cooperate in so-called
demand-response programs (e.g., automatic conformance with power
alerts that may be issued by utility companies during periods of
extreme weather), enable users to have remote access and/or control
thereof through their network-connected device (e.g., smartphone,
tablet computer, PC-based web browser), and other advanced
functionalities that may require network connectivity.
[0008] Issues arise in relation to providing
microprocessor-controlled thermostats using high-powered user
interfaces, one or more such issues being at least partially
resolved by one or more of the embodiments described herein below.
On the one hand, it is desirable to provide a thermostat having
advanced functionalities such as those associated with relatively
powerful microprocessors and reliable wireless communications
chips, which functionalities include, among other things,
preconditioning a space. On the other hand, it is desirable to
provide a thermostat that is compatible and adaptable for
installation in a wide variety of homes, including a substantial
percentage of homes that are not equipped with the "C" wire
discussed above. It is still further desirable to provide such a
thermostat that accommodates easy do-it-yourself installation such
that the expense and inconvenience of arranging for an HVAC
technician to visit the premises to install the thermostat can be
avoided for a large number of users. It is still further desirable
to provide a thermostat having such processing power, wireless
communications capabilities, visually pleasing display qualities,
and other advanced functionalities, while also being a thermostat
that, in addition to not requiring a "C" wire, likewise does not
need to be plugged into a household line current or a so-called
"power brick," which can be inconvenient for the particular
location of the thermostat as well as unsightly. Therefore,
improvements are needed in the art.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Embodiments of the invention describe system, apparatus, and
methods for preconditioning an ambient temperature of an enclosure,
such as a home. The embodiments may be particularly useful and
effective on energy limited devices, such as thermostats operating
without a common "C" wire. The embodiments deliver a powerful and
energy conscious solution to preconditioning enclosures. According
to one aspect, a thermostat that is useful in preconditioning an
enclosure is provided. The thermostat may include a housing,
memory, and a processing system disposed within the housing. The
processing system may be in operative communication with one or
more temperature sensors to determine an ambient temperature and in
operative communication with a heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning (HVAC) system to control the ambient temperature
according to an HVAC schedule stored in the memory. The HVAC
schedule may include a first setpoint characterized by a first
setpoint temperature and a first setpoint time and a second
setpoint characterized by a second setpoint temperature and a
second setpoint time. The first setpoint time and second setpoint
time may define a first time interval therebetween.
[0010] The processing system may be configured to control the HVAC
system to precondition the enclosure during at least a part of the
first time interval such that the ambient temperature reaches
substantially the second setpoint temperature by the second
setpoint time. The processing system may include a first processor
characterized by at least a relatively high electrical
power-consuming first mode of operation and a relatively low
electrical power-consuming second mode of operation.
[0011] During said first time interval, the first processor may
enter into the first mode of operation to process the second
setpoint temperature in conjunction with first information derived
from a historical record stored in the memory of previous heating
and cooling cycles for the HVAC system as controlled by the
thermostat to compute a set of preconditioning criteria information
(PCI) representative of time and ambient temperature conditions for
which the preconditioning should be performed. The set of PCI may
be stored in the memory. Subsequent to storing the set of PCI in
the memory, the first processor may enter into the second mode of
operation. While in the second mode of operation, a current time
and current ambient temperature may be compared against the PCI to
determine whether to enter into a preconditioning state. The first
processor may then enter into the first mode of operation and the
thermostat may be entered into the preconditioning state upon a
determination that the PCI criteria are satisfied.
[0012] In some embodiments, the set of PCI may be computed based on
a time to temperature for the enclosure that defines a change in
temperature response for the enclosure when subjected to a heating
or cooling operation. The time to temperature for the enclosure may
be adjusted for a subsequent preconditioning operation based on a
response of the enclosure to the preconditioning. The response may
be stored in the memory and included in the historical record of
previous heating and cooling cycles.
[0013] In some embodiments, the processing system may also include
a second processor characterized by a relatively low electrical
power-consuming mode of operation. The set of PCI may be
communicated to the second processor prior to the first processor
entering into the second mode of operation. In some embodiments,
the set of PCI may be computed via the first processor each time
the first processor enters into the first mode of operation and the
set of PCI may be communicated to the second processor prior to the
first processor entering into the second mode of operation. In some
embodiments, communicating the set of PCI to the second processor
may include communicating a partial set of the set of PCI. The
partial set may covering a time interval extending to either of: 1)
an anticipated or requested time of the first processor entering
into the first mode of operation, and 2) the second setpoint
time.
[0014] In some embodiments, comparing the current time and current
ambient temperature against the PCI to determine whether to enter
into the preconditioning state may include determining an amount of
time relative to the first processor entering into the second mode
of operation; determining an ambient temperature condition of the
PCI associated with the amount of time where the ambient
temperature condition represent a temperature for which
preconditioning should be performed; and comparing the current
ambient temperature with the ambient temperature condition to
determine whether the PCI criteria are satisfied. In some
embodiments, processing the second setpoint temperature in
conjunction with the first information to compute the set of PCI
may include: determining a first time duration defined by the
second setpoint time and a first time within the first time
interval; deriving from the historical record, a first ambient
temperature condition associated with the first time duration that
represents a temperature for which preconditioning should be
performed; determining a second time duration defined by the first
time and a second time within the first time interval; deriving
from the historical record, a second ambient temperature condition
associated with the second time duration that represents an
additional temperature for which preconditioning should be
performed; determining at least one addition time duration within
the first time interval; and deriving at least one additional
ambient temperature condition representative of at least one
additional temperature for which preconditioning should be
performed.
[0015] In some embodiments, the set of PCI may include an upper
range representative of conditions for which a preconditioning
cooling operation should be performed, a lower range representative
of conditions for which a preconditioning heating operation should
be performed, or both. In some embodiments, the set of PCI may be a
step function. In some embodiments, preconditioning may be limited
to a defined duration, such as 1 hour.
[0016] According to another aspect, a method of preconditioning an
enclosure is provided. According to the method, a thermostat may be
provided. The thermostat may include a housing, memory, and a
processing system disposed within the housing. The processing
system may be in operative communication with one or more
temperature sensors to determine an ambient temperature and in
operative communication with a heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning (HVAC) system to control the ambient temperature
according to an HVAC schedule stored in the memory. The HVAC
schedule may include a first setpoint characterized by a first
setpoint temperature and a first setpoint time and a second
setpoint characterized by a second setpoint temperature and a
second setpoint time. The first setpoint time and second setpoint
time may define a first time interval therebetween.
[0017] The processing system may be configured to control the HVAC
system to precondition the enclosure during at least a part of the
first time interval such that the ambient temperature reaches
substantially the second setpoint temperature by the second
setpoint time. The processing system may include a first processor
characterized by at least a relatively high electrical
power-consuming first mode of operation and a relatively low
electrical power-consuming second mode of operation. According to
the method, during the first time interval, the first processor may
enter into the first mode of operation to process the second
setpoint temperature in conjunction with first information derived
from a historical record stored in the memory of previous heating
and cooling cycles for the HVAC system as controlled by the
thermostat to compute a set of preconditioning criteria information
(PCI) representative of time and ambient temperature conditions for
which the preconditioning should be performed. According to the
method, the set of PCI may be stored in the memory. According to
the method, subsequent to storing the set of PCI in the memory, the
first processor may enter into the second mode of operation.
According to the method, while in the second mode of operation, a
current time and current ambient temperature may be compared
against the PCI to determine whether to enter the thermostat into a
preconditioning state. According to the method, the first processor
may be entered into the first mode of operation and the thermostat
may be entered into the preconditioning state upon a determination
that the PCI criteria are satisfied.
[0018] According to another aspect, a thermostat is provided. The
thermostat may include a housing, memory, and a processing system
disposed within the housing as described herein and for similar
reasons to those described herein. According to one embodiment,
during a first time interval a first processor of the processing
system in a first mode of operation (e.g., a relatively high
power-consuming mode) may process a second setpoint temperature in
conjunction with first information derived from a historical record
stored in the memory of previous heating and cooling cycles for the
HVAC system as controlled by the thermostat to compute a set of
preconditioning criteria information (PCI) representative of time
and ambient temperature conditions for which the preconditioning
should be performed. The set of PCI may then be communicated to a
second processor of the processing system having a relatively low
power-consuming mode of operation.
[0019] Subsequent to communicating the set of PCI to the second
processor, the first processor may enter into a second mode of
operation (e.g., a relatively low power-consuming mode). The second
processor may then compare a current time and current ambient
temperature against the set of PCI to determine whether to enter
the thermostat into a preconditioning state. The first processor
may then be entered into the first mode of operation based on
information transmitted by the second processor and the thermostat
may be entered into the preconditioning state upon a determination
that the PCI criteria are satisfied.
[0020] According to another aspect, a method of preconditioning an
enclosure is provided. According to the method, a thermostat may be
provided. The thermostat may include a housing, memory, and a
processing system disposed within the housing as described herein
and for similar reasons to those described herein. The method may
include entering a first processor of the processing system into a
first mode of operation (e.g., a relatively high power-consuming
mode) to process a second setpoint temperature in conjunction with
first information derived from a historical record stored in the
memory of previous heating and cooling cycles for the HVAC system
as controlled by the thermostat to compute a set of preconditioning
criteria information (PCI) representative of time and ambient
temperature conditions for which the preconditioning should be
performed.
[0021] The method may also include communicating the set of PCI to
a second processor of the processing system, the second processor
having a relatively low power-consuming mode of operation. The
method may further include, subsequent to communicating the set of
PCI to the second processor, entering the first processor into a
second mode of operation (e.g., a relatively low power-consuming
mode). The method may additionally include, while in the second
mode of operation, comparing with the second processor a current
time and current ambient temperature against the set of PCI to
determine whether to enter the thermostat into a preconditioning
state. The method may additionally include entering the first
processor into the first mode of operation and entering the
thermostat into the preconditioning state upon a determination that
the PCI criteria are satisfied.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an enclosure with an HVAC system,
according to some embodiments.
[0023] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an HVAC system, according to some
embodiments.
[0024] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a thermostat,
according to one embodiment.
[0025] FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a
thermostat having a head unit and the backplate, according to one
embodiment.
[0026] FIG. 5A illustrates an exploded perspective view of a head
unit with respect to its primary components, according to one
embodiment.
[0027] FIG. 5B illustrates an exploded perspective view of a
backplate with respect to its primary components, according to one
embodiment.
[0028] FIG. 6A illustrates a simplified functional block diagram
for a head unit, according to one embodiment.
[0029] FIG. 6B illustrates a simplified functional block diagram
for a backplate, according to one embodiment.
[0030] FIG. 7 illustrates a simplified circuit diagram of a system
for managing the power consumed by a thermostat, according to one
embodiment.
[0031] FIG. 8A illustrates a method for a time to temperature
computation, according to one embodiment.
[0032] FIG. 8B illustrates a conceptual diagram of the method of
FIG. 8A, according to one embodiment.
[0033] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary heating schedule, according
to one embodiment.
[0034] FIGS. 10A-C illustrate various preconditioning operations
where a set of preconditioning criteria information is calculated,
according to one embodiment.
[0035] FIG. 11 illustrates a method of preconditioning an
enclosure, according to one embodiment.
[0036] FIG. 12 illustrates another method of preconditioning an
enclosure, according to one embodiment.
[0037] FIG. 13 illustrates steps for automated system matching,
according to one embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0038] In the following detailed description, for purposes of
explanation, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a
thorough understanding of the various embodiments of the present
invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that
these various embodiments of the present invention are illustrative
only and are not intended to be limiting in any way. Other
embodiments of the present invention will readily suggest
themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this
disclosure. The subject matter of the instant disclosure is related
to the subject matter of the following commonly assigned
applications, each of which is incorporated by reference herein:
U.S. Prov. Ser. No. 61/550,343 filed Oct. 21, 2011; U.S. Prov. Ser.
No. 61/550,346 filed Oct. 21, 2011; International Application Ser.
No. PCT/US12/00007 filed Jan. 3, 2012; U.S. Ser. No. 13/467,025
filed May 8, 2012; U.S. Ser. No. 13/632,093 filed Sep. 30, 2012 and
entitled, "Intelligent Controller For An Environmental Control
System"; U.S. Ser. No. 13/632,028 filed Sep. 30, 2012 and entitled,
"Intelligent Controller Providing Time to Target State"; U.S. Ser.
No. 13/632,041 filed Sep. 30, 2012 and entitled, "Automated
Control-Schedule Acquisition Within An Intelligent Controller";
U.S. Ser. No. 13/632,070 filed Sep. 30, 2012 and entitled,
"Automated Presence Detection and Presence-Related Control Within
An Intelligent Controller"; U.S. Ser. No. 13/632,148 filed Sep. 30,
2012 and entitled, "HVAC Controller With User-Friendly Installation
Features Facilitating Both Do-It-Yourself and Professional
Installation Scenarios"; and U.S. Ser. No. 13/632,152 filed Sep.
30, 2012 and entitled, "Radiant Heating Controls and Methods for an
Environmental Control System".
[0039] In addition, for clarity purposes, not all of the routine
features of the embodiments described herein are shown or
described. One of ordinary skill in the art would readily
appreciate that in the development of any such actual embodiment,
numerous embodiment-specific decisions may be required to achieve
specific design objectives. These design objectives will vary from
one embodiment to another and from one developer to another.
Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort
might be complex and time-consuming but would nevertheless be a
routine engineering undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the
art having the benefit of this disclosure.
[0040] It is to be appreciated that while one or more embodiments
are described further herein in the context of typical HVAC system
used in a residential home, such as single-family residential home,
the scope of the present teachings is not so limited. More
generally, thermostats according to one or more of the preferred
embodiments are applicable for a wide variety of enclosures having
one or more HVAC systems including, without limitation, duplexes,
townhomes, multi-unit apartment buildings, hotels, retail stores,
office buildings and industrial buildings. Further, it is to be
appreciated that while the terms user, customer, installer,
homeowner, occupant, guest, tenant, landlord, repair person, and
the like may be used to refer to the person or persons who are
interacting with the thermostat or other device or user interface
in the context of one or more scenarios described herein, these
references are by no means to be considered as limiting the scope
of the present teachings with respect to the person or persons who
are performing such actions.
[0041] Provided according to one or more embodiments are systems,
methods, computer program products, and related business methods
for controlling one or more HVAC systems based on one or more
versatile sensing and control units (VSCU units), each VSCU unit
being configured and adapted to provide sophisticated, customized,
energy-saving HVAC control functionality while at the same time
being visually appealing, non-intimidating, elegant to behold, and
delightfully easy to use. The term "thermostat" is used hereinbelow
to represent a particular type of VSCU unit (Versatile Sensing and
Control) that is particularly applicable for HVAC control in an
enclosure. Although "thermostat" and "VSCU unit" may be seen as
generally interchangeable for the contexts of HVAC control of an
enclosure, it is within the scope of the present teachings for each
of the embodiments hereinabove and hereinbelow to be applied to
VSCU units having control functionality over measurable
characteristics other than temperature (e.g., pressure, flow rate,
height, position, velocity, acceleration, capacity, power,
loudness, brightness) for any of a variety of different control
systems involving the governance of one or more measurable
characteristics of one or more physical systems, and/or the
governance of other energy or resource consuming systems such as
water usage systems, air usage systems, systems involving the usage
of other natural resources, and systems involving the usage of
various other forms of energy.
[0042] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary enclosure
using a thermostat 110 implemented in accordance with the present
invention for controlling one or more environmental conditions. For
example, enclosure 100 illustrates a single-family dwelling type of
enclosure using a learning thermostat 110 (also referred to for
convenience as "thermostat 110") for the control of heating and
cooling provided by an HVAC system 120. Alternate embodiments of
the present invention may be used with other types of enclosures
including a duplex, an apartment within an apartment building, a
light commercial structure such as an office or retail store, or a
structure or enclosure that is a combination of these and other
types of enclosures.
[0043] Some embodiments of thermostat 110 in FIG. 1 incorporate one
or more sensors to gather data from the environment associated with
enclosure 100. Sensors incorporated in thermostat 110 may detect
occupancy, temperature, light and other environmental conditions
and influence the control and operation of HVAC system 120. Sensors
incorporated within thermostat 110 do not protrude from the surface
of the thermostat 110 thereby providing a sleek and elegant design
that does not draw attention from the occupants in a house or other
enclosure. As a result, thermostat 110 readily fits with almost any
decor while adding to the overall appeal of the interior
design.
[0044] As used herein, a "learning" thermostat refers to a
thermostat, or one of plural communicating thermostats in a
multi-thermostat network, having an ability to automatically
establish and/or modify at least one future setpoint in a heating
and/or cooling schedule (see FIG. 10) based on at least one
automatically sensed event and/or at least one past or current user
input.
[0045] As used herein, a "primary" thermostat refers to a
thermostat that is electrically connected to actuate all or part of
an HVAC system, such as by virtue of electrical connection to HVAC
control wires (e.g. W, G, Y, etc.) leading to the HVAC system.
[0046] As used herein, an "auxiliary" thermostat refers to a
thermostat that is not electrically connected to actuate an HVAC
system, but that otherwise contains at least one sensor and
influences or facilitates primary thermostat control of an HVAC
system by virtue of data communications with the primary
thermostat.
[0047] In one particularly useful scenario, the thermostat 110 is a
primary learning thermostat and is wall-mounted and connected to
all of the HVAC control wires, while the remote thermostat 112 is
an auxiliary learning thermostat positioned on a nightstand or
dresser, the auxiliary learning thermostat being similar in
appearance and user-interface features as the primary learning
thermostat, the auxiliary learning thermostat further having
similar sensing capabilities (e.g., temperature, humidity, motion,
ambient light, proximity) as the primary learning thermostat, but
the auxiliary learning thermostat not being connected to any of the
HVAC wires. Although it is not connected to any HVAC wires, the
auxiliary learning thermostat wirelessly communicates with and
cooperates with the primary learning thermostat for improved
control of the HVAC system, such as by providing additional
temperature data at its respective location in the enclosure,
providing additional occupancy information, providing an additional
user interface for the user, and so forth.
[0048] It is to be appreciated that while certain embodiments are
particularly advantageous where the thermostat 110 is a primary
learning thermostat and the remote thermostat 112 is an auxiliary
learning thermostat, the scope of the present teachings is not so
limited. Thus, for example, while certain initial provisioning
methods that automatically pair a network-connected thermostat with
an online user account are particularly advantageous where the
thermostat is a primary learning thermostat, the methods are more
generally applicable to scenarios involving primary non-learning
thermostats, auxiliary learning thermostats, auxiliary non-learning
thermostats, or other types of network-connected thermostats and/or
network-connected sensors. By way of further example, while certain
graphical user interfaces for remote control of a thermostat may be
particularly advantageous where the thermostat is a primary
learning thermostat, the methods are more generally applicable to
scenarios involving primary non-learning thermostats, auxiliary
learning thermostats, auxiliary non-learning thermostats, or other
types of network-connected thermostats and/or network-connected
sensors. By way of even further example, while certain methods for
cooperative, battery-conserving information polling of a thermostat
by a remote cloud-based management server may be particularly
advantageous where the thermostat is a primary learning thermostat,
the methods are more generally applicable to scenarios involving
primary non-learning thermostats, auxiliary learning thermostats,
auxiliary non-learning thermostats, or other types of
network-connected thermostats and/or network-connected sensors.
[0049] Enclosure 100 further includes a private network accessible
both wirelessly and through wired connections and may also be
referred to as a Local Area Network or LAN. Network devices on the
private network include a computer 124, thermostat 110 and remote
thermostat 112 in accordance with some embodiments of the present
invention. In one embodiment, the private network is implemented
using an integrated router 122 that provides routing, wireless
access point functionality, firewall and multiple wired connection
ports for connecting to various wired network devices, such as
computer 124. Each device is assigned a private network address
from the integrated router 122 either dynamically through a service
like Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) or statically
through actions of a network administrator. These private network
addresses may be used to allow the devices to communicate with each
directly over the LAN. Other embodiments may instead use multiple
discrete switches, routers and other devices (not shown) to perform
more other networking functions in addition to functions as
provided by integrated router 122.
[0050] Integrated router 122 further provides network devices
access to a public network, such as the Internet, provided
enclosure 100 has a connection to the public network generally
through a cable-modem, DSL modem and an Internet service provider
or provider of other public network service. Public networks like
the Internet are sometimes referred to as a Wide-Area Network or
WAN. In the case of the Internet, a public address is assigned to a
specific device allowing the device to be addressed directly by
other devices on the Internet. Because these public addresses on
the Internet are in limited supply, devices and computers on the
private network often use a router device, like integrated router
122, to share a single public address through entries in Network
Address Translation (NAT) table. The router makes an entry in the
NAT table for each communication channel opened between a device on
the private network and a device, server, or service on the
Internet. A packet sent from a device on the private network
initially has a "source" address containing the private network
address of the sending device and a "destination" address
corresponding to the public network address of the server or
service on the Internet. As packets pass from within the private
network through the router, the router replaces the "source"
address with the public network address of the router and a "source
port" that references the entry in the NAT table. The server on the
Internet receiving the packet uses the "source" address and "source
port" to send packets back to the router on the private network
which in turn forwards the packets to the proper device on the
private network doing a corresponding lookup on an entry in the NAT
table.
[0051] Entries in the NAT table allow both the computer device 124
and the thermostat 110 to establish individual communication
channels with a thermostat management system (not shown) located on
a public network such as the Internet. In accordance with some
embodiments, a thermostat management account on the thermostat
management system enables a computer device 124 in enclosure 100 to
remotely access thermostat 110. The thermostat management system
passes information from the computer device 124 over the Internet
and back to thermostat 110 provided the thermostat management
account is associated with or paired with thermostat 110.
Accordingly, data collected by thermostat 110 also passes from the
private network associated with enclosure 100 through integrated
router 122 and to the thermostat management system over the public
network. Other computer devices not in enclosure 100 such as
Smartphones, laptops and tablet computers (not shown in FIG. 1) may
also control thermostat 110 provided they have access to the public
network where the thermostat management system and thermostat
management account may be accessed. Further details on accessing
the public network, such as the Internet, and remotely accessing a
thermostat like thermostat 110 in accordance with embodiments of
the present invention is described in further detail later
herein.
[0052] In some embodiments, thermostat 110 may wirelessly
communicate with remote thermostat 112 over the private network or
through an ad hoc network formed directly with remote thermostat
112. During communication with remote thermostat 112, thermostat
110 may gather information remotely from the user and from the
environment detectable by the remote thermostat 112. For example,
remote thermostat 112 may wirelessly communicate with the
thermostat 110 providing user input from the remote location of
remote thermostat 112 or may be used to display information to a
user, or both. Like thermostat 110, embodiments of remote
thermostat 112 may also include sensors to gather data related to
occupancy, temperature, light and other environmental conditions.
In an alternate embodiment, remote thermostat 112 may also be
located outside of the enclosure 100.
[0053] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an HVAC system controlled
using a thermostat designed in accordance with embodiments of the
present invention. HVAC system 120 provides heating, cooling,
ventilation, and/or air handling for an enclosure 100, such as a
single-family home depicted in FIG. 1. System 120 depicts a forced
air type heating and cooling system, although according to other
embodiments, other types of HVAC systems could be used such as
radiant heat based systems, heat-pump based systems, and
others.
[0054] In heating, heating coils or elements 242 within air handler
240 provide a source of heat using electricity or gas via line 236.
Cool air is drawn from the enclosure via return air duct 246
through filter 270, using fan 238 and is heated through heating
coils or elements 242. The heated air flows back into the enclosure
at one or more locations via supply air duct system 252 and supply
air registers such as register 250. In cooling, an outside
compressor 230 passes a gas such as Freon through a set of heat
exchanger coils 244 to cool the gas. The gas then goes through line
232 to the cooling coils 234 in the air handler 240 where it
expands, cools, and cools the air being circulated via fan 238. A
humidifier 254 may optionally be included in various embodiments
that returns moisture to the air before it passes through duct
system 252. Although not shown in FIG. 2, alternate embodiments of
HVAC system 120 may have other functionality such as venting air to
and from the outside, one or more dampers to control airflow within
the duct system 252 and an emergency heating unit. Overall
operation of HVAC system 120 is selectively actuated by control
electronics 212 communicating with thermostat 110 over control
wires 248.
Exemplary Thermostat Embodiments
[0055] FIGS. 3-7 and the descriptions in relation thereto provide
exemplary embodiments of thermostat hardware and/or software that
can be used to implement the specific embodiments of the appended
claims. This thermostat hardware and/or software is not meant to be
limiting, and is presented to provide an enabling disclosure. FIG.
3 illustrates a perspective view of a thermostat 300, according to
one embodiment. In this specific embodiment, the thermostat 300 can
be controlled by at least two types of user input, the first being
a rotation of the outer ring 312, and the second being an inward
push on an outer cap 308 until an audible and/or tactile "click"
occurs. As used herein, these two types of user inputs, may be
referred to as "manipulating" the thermostat. In other embodiments,
manipulating the thermostat may also include pressing keys on a
keypad, voice recognition commands, and/or any other type of input
that can be used to change or adjust settings on the thermostat
300.
[0056] For this embodiment, the outer cap 308 can comprise an
assembly that includes the outer ring 312, a cover 314, an
electronic display 316, and a metallic portion 324. Each of these
elements, or the combination of these elements, may be referred to
as a "housing" for the thermostat 300. Simultaneously, each of
these elements, or the combination of these elements, may also form
a user interface. The user interface may specifically include the
electronic display 316. In FIG. 3, the user interface 316 may be
said to operate in an active display mode. The active display mode
may include providing a backlight for the electronic display 316.
In other embodiments, the active display mode may increase the
intensity and/or light output of the electronic display 316 such
that a user can easily see displayed settings of the thermostat
300, such as a current temperature, a setpoint temperature, an HVAC
function, and/or the like. The active display mode may be
contrasted with an inactive display mode (not shown). The inactive
display mode can disable a backlight, reduce the amount of
information displayed, lessen the intensity of the display, and/or
altogether turn off the electronic display 316, depending on the
embodiment.
[0057] Depending on the settings of the thermostat 300, the active
display mode and the inactive display mode of the electronic
display 316 may also or instead be characterized by the relative
power usage of each mode. In one embodiment, the active display
mode may generally require substantially more electrical power than
the inactive display mode. In some embodiments, different operating
modes of the electronic display 316 may instead be characterized
completely by their power usage. In these embodiments, the
different operating modes of the electronic display 316 may be
referred to as a first mode and a second mode, where the user
interface requires more power when operating in the first mode than
when operating in the second mode.
[0058] According to some embodiments the electronic display 316 may
comprise a dot-matrix layout (individually addressable) such that
arbitrary shapes can be generated, rather than being a segmented
layout. According to some embodiments, a combination of dot-matrix
layout and segmented layout is employed. According to some
embodiments, electronic display 316 may be a backlit color liquid
crystal display (LCD). An example of information displayed on the
electronic display 316 is illustrated in FIG. 3, and includes
central numerals 320 that are representative of a current setpoint
temperature. According to some embodiments, metallic portion 324
can have a number of slot-like openings so as to facilitate the use
of a sensors 330, such as a passive infrared motion sensor (PIR),
mounted beneath the slot-like openings.
[0059] According to some embodiments, the thermostat 300 can
include additional components, such as a processing system 360,
display driver 364, and a wireless communications system 366. The
processing system 360 can adapted or configured to cause the
display driver 364 to cause the electronic display 316 to display
information to the user. The processing system 360 can also be
configured to receive user input via the rotatable ring 312. These
additional components, including the processing system 360, can be
enclosed within the housing, as displayed in FIG. 3. These
additional components are described in further detail herein
below.
[0060] The processing system 360, according to some embodiments, is
capable of carrying out the governance of the thermostat's
operation. For example, processing system 360 can be further
programmed and/or configured to maintain and update a thermodynamic
model for the enclosure in which the HVAC system is installed.
According to some embodiments, the wireless communications system
366 can be used to communicate with devices such as personal
computers, remote servers, handheld devices, smart phones, and/or
other thermostats or HVAC system components. These communications
can be peer-to-peer communications, communications through one or
more servers located on a private network, or and/or communications
through a cloud-based service.
[0061] Motion sensing as well as other techniques can be use used
in the detection and/or prediction of occupancy, as is described
further in U.S. Ser. No. 13/632,070, supra. According to some
embodiments, occupancy information can be a used in generating an
effective and efficient scheduled program. For example, an active
proximity sensor 370A can be provided to detect an approaching user
by infrared light reflection, and an ambient light sensor 370B can
be provided to sense visible light. The proximity sensor 370A can
be used in conjunction with a plurality of other sensors to detect
proximity in the range of about one meter so that the thermostat
300 can initiate "waking up" when the user is approaching the
thermostat and prior to the user touching the thermostat. Such use
of proximity sensing is useful for enhancing the user experience by
being "ready" for interaction as soon as, or very soon after the
user is ready to interact with the thermostat. Further, the
wake-up-on-proximity functionality also allows for energy savings
within the thermostat by "sleeping" when no user interaction is
taking place or about to take place. The various types of sensors
that may be used, as well as the operation of the "wake up"
function are described in much greater detail throughout the
remainder of this disclosure.
[0062] In some embodiments, the thermostat can be physically and/or
functionally divided into at least two different units. Throughout
this disclosure, these two units can be referred to as a head unit
and a backplate. FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded perspective view
400 of a thermostat 408 having a head unit 410 and a backplate 412,
according to one embodiment. Physically, this arrangement may be
advantageous during an installation process. In this embodiment,
the backplate 412 can first be attached to a wall, and the HVAC
wires can be attached to a plurality of HVAC connectors on the
backplate 412. Next, the head unit 410 can be connected to the
backplate 412 in order to complete the installation of the
thermostat 408.
[0063] FIG. 5A illustrates an exploded perspective view 500a of a
head unit 530 with respect to its primary components, according to
one embodiment. Here, the head unit 530 may include an electronic
display 560. According to this embodiment, the electronic display
560 may comprise an LCD module. Furthermore, the head unit 530 may
include a mounting assembly 550 used to secure the primary
components in a completely assembled head unit 530. The head unit
530 may further include a circuit board 540 that can be used to
integrate various electronic components described further below. In
this particular embodiment, the circuit board 540 of the head unit
530 can include a manipulation sensor 542 to detect user
manipulations of the thermostat. In embodiments using a rotatable
ring, the manipulation sensor 542 may comprise an optical finger
navigation module as illustrated in FIG. 5A. A rechargeable battery
544 may also be included in the assembly of the head unit 530. In
one preferred embodiment, rechargeable battery 544 can be a
Lithium-Ion battery, which may have a nominal voltage of 3.7 volts
and a nominal capacity of 560 mAh.
[0064] FIG. 5B illustrates an exploded perspective view 500b of a
backplate 532 with respect to its primary components, according to
one embodiment. The backplate 532 may include a frame 510 that can
be used to mount, protect, or house a backplate circuit board 520.
The backplate circuit board 520 may be used to mount electronic
components, including one or more processing functions, and/or one
or more HVAC wire connectors 522. The one or more HVAC wire
connectors 522 may include integrated wire insertion sensing
circuitry configured to determine whether or not a wire is
mechanically and/or electrically connected to each of the one or
more HVAC wire connectors 522. In this particular embodiment, two
relatively large capacitors 524 are a part of power stealing
circuitry that can be mounted to the backplate circuit board 520.
The power stealing circuitry is discussed further herein below.
[0065] In addition to physical divisions within the thermostat that
simplify installation process, the thermostat may also be divided
functionally between the head unit and the backplate. FIG. 6A
illustrates a simplified functional block diagram 600a for a head
unit, according to one embodiment. The functions embodied by block
diagram 600a are largely self-explanatory, and may be implemented
using one or more processing functions. As used herein, the term
"processing function" may refer to any combination of hardware
and/or software. For example, a processing function may include a
microprocessor, a microcontroller, distributed processors, a lookup
table, digital logic, logical/arithmetic functions implemented in
analog circuitry, and/or the like. A processing function may also
be referred to as a processing system, a processing circuit, or
simply a circuit.
[0066] In this embodiment, a processing function on the head unit
may be implemented by an ARM processor. The head unit processing
function may interface with the electronic display 602, an audio
system 604, and a manipulation sensor 606 as a part of a user
interface 608. The head unit processing function may also
facilitate wireless communications 610 by interfacing with various
wireless modules, such as a Wi-Fi module 612 and/or a ZigBee module
614. Furthermore, the head unit processing function may be
configured to control the core thermostat operations 616, such as
operating the HVAC system. The head unit processing function may
further be configured to determine or sense occupancy 618 of a
physical location, and to determine building characteristics 620
that can be used to determine time-to-temperature characteristics.
Using the occupancy sensing 618, the processing function on the
head unit may also be configured to learn and manage operational
schedules 622, such as diurnal heat and cooling schedules. A power
management module 662 may be used to interface with a corresponding
power management module on the back plate, the rechargeable
battery, and a power control circuit 664 on the back plate.
[0067] Additionally, the head unit processing function may include
and/or be communicatively coupled to one or more memories. The one
or more memories may include one or more sets of instructions that
cause the processing function to operate as described above. The
one or more memories may also include a sensor history and global
state objects 624. The one or more memories may be integrated with
the processing function, such as a flash memory or RAM memory
available on many commercial microprocessors. The head unit
processing function may also be configured to interface with a
cloud management system 626, and may also operate to conserve
energy wherever appropriate 628. An interface 632 to a backplate
processing function 630 may also be included, and may be
implemented using a hardware connector.
[0068] FIG. 6B illustrates a simplified functional block diagram
for a backplate, according to one embodiment. Using an interface
636 that is matched to the interface 632 shown in FIG. 6A, the
backplate processing function can communicate with the head unit
processing function 638. The backplate processing function can
include wire insertion sensing 640 that is coupled to external
circuitry 642 configured to provide signals based on different wire
connection states. The backplate processing function may be
configured to manage the HVAC switch actuation 644 by driving power
FET circuitry 646 to control the HVAC system.
[0069] The backplate processing function may also include a sensor
polling interface 648 to interface with a plurality of sensors. In
this particular embodiment, the plurality of sensors may include a
temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a PIR sensor, a proximity
sensor, an ambient light sensor, and or other sensors not
specifically listed. This list is not meant to be exhaustive. Other
types of sensors may be used depending on the particular embodiment
and application, such as sound sensors, flame sensors, smoke
detectors, and/or the like. The sensor polling interface 648 may be
communicatively coupled to a sensor reading memory 650. The sensor
reading memory 650 can store sensor readings and may be located
internally or externally to a microcontroller or
microprocessor.
[0070] Finally, the backplate processing function can include a
power management unit 660 that is used to control various digital
and/or analog components integrated with the backplate and used to
manage the power system of the thermostat. Although one having
skill in the art will recognize many different implementations of a
power management system, the power management system of this
particular embodiment can include a bootstrap regulator 662, a
power stealing circuit 664, a buck converter 666, and/or a battery
controller 668.
[0071] FIG. 7 illustrates a simplified circuit diagram 700 of a
system for managing the power consumed by a thermostat, according
to one embodiment. The powering circuitry 710 comprises a full-wave
bridge rectifier 720, a storage and waveform-smoothing bridge
output capacitor 722 (which can be, for example, on the order of 30
microfarads), a buck regulator circuit 724, a power-and-battery
(PAB) regulation circuit 728, and a rechargeable lithium-ion
battery 730. In conjunction with other control circuitry including
backplate power management circuitry 727, head unit power
management circuitry 729, and the microcontroller 708, the powering
circuitry 710 can be configured and adapted to have the
characteristics and functionality described herein below.
Description of further details of the powering circuitry 710 and
associated components can be found elsewhere in the instant
disclosure and/or in U.S. Ser. No. 13/467,025, supra.
[0072] By virtue of the configuration illustrated in FIG. 7, when
there is a "C" wire presented upon installation, the powering
circuitry 710 operates as a relatively high-powered,
rechargeable-battery-assisted AC-to-DC converting power supply.
When there is not a "C" wire presented, the powering circuitry 710
operates as a power-stealing, rechargeable-battery-assisted
AC-to-DC converting power supply. The powering circuitry 710
generally serves to provide the voltage Vcc MAIN that is used by
the various electrical components of the thermostat, which in one
embodiment can be about 4.0 volts. For the case in which the "C"
wire is present, there is no need to worry about accidentally
tripping (as there is in inactive power stealing) or untripping
(for active power stealing) an HVAC call relay, and therefore
relatively large amounts of power can be assumed to be available.
Generally, the power supplied by the "C" wire will be greater than
the instantaneous power required at any time by the remaining
circuits in the thermostat.
[0073] However, a "C" wire will typically only be present in about
20% of homes. Therefore, the powering circuitry 710 may also be
configured to "steal" power from one of the other HVAC wires in the
absence of a "C" wire. As used herein, "inactive power stealing"
refers to the power stealing that is performed during periods in
which there is no active call in place based on the lead from which
power is being stolen. Thus, for cases where it is the "Y" lead
from which power is stolen, "inactive power stealing" refers to the
power stealing that is performed when there is no active cooling
call in place. As used herein, "active power stealing" refers to
the power stealing that is performed during periods in which there
is an active call in place based on the lead from which power is
being stolen. Thus, for cases where it is the "Y" lead from which
power is stolen, "active power stealing" refers to the power
stealing that is performed when there is an active cooling call in
place. During inactive or active power stealing, power can be
stolen from a selected one of the available call relay wires. While
a complete description of the power stealing circuitry 710 can be
found in the commonly assigned applications that have been
previously incorporated herein by reference, the following brief
explanation is sufficient for purposes of this disclosure.
[0074] Some components in the thermostat, such as the head unit
processing function, the user interface, and/or the electronic
display may consume more instantaneous power than can be provided
by power stealing alone. When these more power-hungry components
are actively operating, the power supplied by power stealing can be
supplemented with the rechargeable battery 730. In other words,
when the thermostat is engaged in operations, such as when the
electronic display is in an active display mode, power may be
supplied by both power stealing and the rechargeable battery 730.
In order to preserve the power stored in the rechargeable battery
730, and to give the rechargeable battery 730 an opportunity to
recharge, some embodiments optimize the amount of time that the
head unit processing function and the electronic display are
operating in an active mode. In other words, it may be advantageous
in some embodiments to keep the head unit processing function in a
sleep mode or low power mode and to keep the electronic display in
an inactive display mode as long as possible without affecting the
user experience.
[0075] When the head unit processing function and the electronic
display are in an inactive or sleep mode, the power consumed by the
thermostat is generally less than the power provided by power
stealing. Therefore, the power that is not consumed by the
thermostat can be used to recharge the rechargeable battery 730. In
this embodiment, the backplate processing function 708 (MSP430) can
be configured to monitor the environmental sensors in a low-power
mode, and then wake the head unit processing function 732 (AM3703)
when needed to control the HVAC system, such as during
preconditioning, and the like. Similarly, the backplate processing
function 708 can be used to monitor sensors used to detect ambient
temperature conditions, and wake the head unit processing system
732 and/or the electronic display when it is determined that a
preconditioning heating or cooling operation is needed.
[0076] Stated differently, in accordance with the teachings herein
and/or of U.S. Ser. No. 13/467,025, supra, and others of the
commonly assigned incorporated applications, the thermostat
described herein represents an advanced, multi-sensing,
microprocessor-controlled intelligent or "learning" thermostat that
provides a rich combination of processing capabilities, intuitive
and visually pleasing user interfaces, network connectivity, and
energy-saving capabilities (including the presently described
preconditioning algorithms) while at the same time not requiring a
so-called "C-wire" from the HVAC system or line power from a
household wall plug, even though such advanced functionalities can
require a greater instantaneous power draw than a "power-stealing"
option (i.e., extracting smaller amounts of electrical power from
one or more HVAC call relays) can safely provide. By way of
example, the head unit microprocessor can draw on the order of 250
mW when awake and processing, the LCD module (e.g., 560) can draw
on the order of 250 mW when active. Moreover, the Wi-Fi module
(e.g., 612) can draw 250 mW when active, and needs to be active on
a consistent basis such as at a consistent 2% duty cycle in common
scenarios. However, in order to avoid falsely tripping the HVAC
relays for a large number of commercially used HVAC systems,
power-stealing circuitry is often limited to power providing
capacities on the order of 100 mW-200 mW, which would not be enough
to supply the needed power for many common scenarios.
[0077] The thermostat resolves such issues at least by virtue of
the use of the rechargeable battery (e.g., 544 (or equivalently
capable onboard power storage medium)) that will recharge during
time intervals in which the hardware power usage is less than what
power stealing can safely provide, and that will discharge to
provide the needed extra electrical power during time intervals in
which the hardware power usage is greater than what power stealing
can safely provide. In order to operate in a battery-conscious
manner that promotes reduced power usage and extended service life
of the rechargeable battery, the thermostat is provided with both
(i) a relatively powerful and relatively power-intensive first
processor (such as a Texas Instruments AM3703 microprocessor) that
is capable of quickly performing more complex functions such as
driving a visually pleasing user interface display, calculating a
preconditioning curve, and performing various other mathematical
learning computations, and (ii) a relatively less powerful and less
power-intensive second processor (such as a Texas Instruments
MSP430 microcontroller) for performing less intensive tasks,
including driving and controlling the occupancy sensors, driving
and controlling temperature sensors, and the like. To conserve
valuable power, the first processor is maintained in a "sleep"
state for extended periods of time and is "woken up" only for
occasions in which its capabilities are needed, whereas the second
processor is kept on more or less continuously (although preferably
slowing down or disabling certain internal clocks for brief
periodic intervals to conserve power) to perform its relatively
low-power tasks. The first and second processors are mutually
configured such that the second processor can "wake" the first
processor on the occurrence of certain events, such as sensing an
ambient temperature that necessitates preconditioning, which can be
termed "wake-on" facilities. These wake-on facilities can be turned
on and turned off as part of different functional and/or
power-saving goals to be achieved. For example, an ambient
temperature sensor can be provided by which the second processor,
when detecting an ambient temperature that necessitates
preconditioning will "wake up" the first processor so that it can
instruct the HVAC system to begin heating or cooling the enclosure
and/or display that a preconditioning operation is occurring.
[0078] It will be understood by one having skill in the art that
the various thermostat embodiments depicted and described in
relation to FIGS. 3-7 are merely exemplary and not meant to be
limiting. Many other hardware and/or software configurations may be
used to implement a thermostat and the various functions described
herein below. These embodiments should be seen as an exemplary
platform in which the following embodiments can be implemented to
provide an enabling disclosure. Of course, the following methods,
systems, and/or software program products could also be implemented
using different types of thermostats, different hardware, and/or
different software.
[0079] FIG. 8A illustrates steps for a time to temperature
computation according to an embodiment. As used herein, time to
temperature ("T2T") refers to an estimate of the time remaining
from the current point in time until the target temperature will be
reached. As described herein, the T2T information computed by the
thermostat is specific to the heated or cooled enclosure, or in
other words, the determined T2T is tailored to the enclosure. In
view of the variety of factors that can affect the course of a
temperature trajectory over a particular real-world HVAC cycle, the
methods described herein have been found to yield reasonably good
estimations. Moreover, in the face of the many real-world
variations that can occur, some predictable and others not so
predictable, the currently described methods for selective display
of the T2T information (for example, displaying "under 10 minutes"
when the T2T time is getting small and not displaying the T2T
information if it is "behaving" in an unexpected or unreliable
manner) have been found to provide pleasing overall user
experiences with the T2T facility that increase the overall appeal
and attractiveness of the thermostat such that the user will be
drawn to engage further with its energy-saving features and
energy-conscious ecosystem. Notably, while the described examples
are provided in the particular context of heating, the skilled
artisan would readily be able to apply counterpart methods for the
cooling context, which are thus within the scope of the present
teachings.
[0080] According to one preferred embodiment, the thermostat's T2T
algorithm is first implicated by virtue of a learning phase (step
802) that occurs soon after first installation or factory reset,
whereby the thermostat begins to build and maintain its own
database of T2T-related information, which is customized for that
particular enclosure and that particular HVAC system, during the
normal course of operation in a first predetermined number of
"meaningful" or "non-maintenance" heating cycles. By
"non-maintenance" heating cycle, it is meant that there has been an
actual setpoint temperature change upon which the heating cycle was
instantiated. This can be contrasted with a "maintenance" heating
cycle, in which the setpoint temperature has remained the same but
the HVAC system was activated due to a drop in temperature and
operated until that temperature was again reached (maintained). In
one example, the predetermined number of "learning" heating cycles
is 10, although this can be varied substantially without departing
from the scope of the present teachings. For each such learning
cycle, the thermostat automatically (without requiring any
affirmative instruction or teaching from the user) tracks the
temperature change .DELTA.H(t) versus time "t", where t=0
represents the beginning of the heating cycle.
[0081] After a suitable number of learning cycles (step 804), there
is built up a sufficient amount of data to automatically generate a
historical model "G" of the enclosure, which can alternatively be
termed a "global" model, that can be used to provide an initial
estimate at the outset of subsequent T2T calculations. The global
model can subsequently be continuously improved using more data
points as time goes forward, since each heating cycle represents
yet another "experiment" for that enclosure to improve the "global
model estimate," which can also be termed a "historical model
estimate." For one preferred embodiment, the time span of the
global model can be limited to only a recent period, such as the
most recent 30 to 60 days, so that it will be more likely to
reflect the effects of the current season of the year.
[0082] FIG. 8B illustrates a conceptual diagram of the method of
FIG. 8A, including a plot of the global model G. One mathematical
function that has been found to be convenient to compute, along
with being reasonably suitable, characterizes the global model as a
single-parameter straight line (with linear parameter "c") between
.DELTA.H=0 and .DELTA.H=0.5 degrees C., and then a two-parameter
curve beyond that point (with linear and quadratic parameters "a"
and "b", respectively).
[0083] Referring now again to FIG. 8A, at step 808 the T2T
algorithm is put into use when the current operating setpoint
temperature is changed from an initial value H.sub.0 to a desired
final value H.sub.F. This setpoint change can be invoked by a user
by using either the walk-up dial or a remote network access
facility, or alternatively can be when there is a scheduled
setpoint change encountered that changes the current operating
setpoint temperature. At step 812, an initial estimate T2T(0) is
computed using only the global model G, by mapping the value
H.sub.F-H.sub.0=.DELTA.H(0) into T2T(0) using the global model G as
shown in FIG. 8B. This initial estimate, which can be called a
global-model initial estimate, can be shown immediately on the
thermostat display, even in real time as the user turns the dial
for the case of a manual walk-up setpoint change.
[0084] At step 810, in what will usually last over the next several
minutes of the heating cycle, a global-model estimate continues to
be used to provide the current time to temperature estimate TT(t),
by virtue of mapping the current measured room temperature H(t)
into TT(t) using the global model G. The global model T2T estimate
is denoted herein by TT.sub.G(t). The actual room temperature
values H(t) can be provided at regular periodic intervals, such as
every 30 seconds, by the thermostat sensing circuitry. According to
a preferred embodiment, during this time period in which the global
estimate is being used for display purposes, a real-time model R is
being built up by virtue of tracking the current value of
.DELTA.H(t)=H(t)-H.sub.0 versus time. It has been found by the
present inventors that the real-time model R, which can
alternatively be called a "local" model, does not become useful for
purposes of T2T estimation until such time as a reasonably straight
line (statistically speaking) can be established, and that this
straight line can often not be established until there has been a
certain predetermined empirically-established rise, such as 0.2
degrees C., at a point 854 following a lowest point 852 in
trajectory of H(t). One empirically-established guideline that has
been found useful is to wait until 10 temperature samples spaced 30
seconds apart subsequent to the 0.2 degree C. post-nadir rise point
854 until a reasonably appropriate estimate can be computed using
the real-time model. According to one preferred embodiment, the
real-time model R can be used to establish a "real-time model
estimate" by using a straight-line projection onto the target
temperature line, as shown in FIG. 8B. The real-time model T2T
estimate is denoted herein by TT.sub.R(t). For one embodiment, only
the latest 10 temperature samples (or other suitable number of
recent samples) are used to project the straight line that computes
the real-time estimate TT.sub.R(t). In other embodiments, all of
the data points subsequent to the point 854 can be used to compute
the TT.sub.R(t).
[0085] If at step 812 it is determined that the real-time model
estimate TT.sub.R(t) is not sufficiently reliable (e.g., using the
above-described criterion of 10 points spaced 30 seconds apart
following the point 854), then step 810 repeats until such time as
TT.sub.R(t) is sufficiently reliable, whereupon step 814 is carried
out. At step 814 there is instantiated a transition between the
global-model estimate TT.sub.G(t) real-time model estimate
TT.sub.R(t), such that there is not a "jump" in the actual value of
TT(t), which can be disconcerting to a user who is viewing the
display, the transition being summarized as
TT(t)=TRANS[TT.sub.G(t).fwdarw.TT.sub.R(t)]. The transition can be
achieved in a variety of ways without departing from the scope of
the present teachings, but in one preferred embodiment is performed
as a straight-line transition from one curve to the other, where
the transition occurs at a rate of not more than 10 seconds per
second. Once the transition is complete, the real-time estimate
alone can be used (step 816) until the end of the cycle.
[0086] As indicated in FIG. 8A, subsequent to the end of the cycle
at step 816, there can be carried out a recomputation of the global
model at step 806 so that the most recent historical data can be
leveraged prior to instantiation of the next heating cycle.
Alternatively, the global model can be recomputed once every
several cycles, once per day, or on some other periodic basis.
[0087] Preferably, there are plural safeguards incorporated along
with the steps 814-816 such that "sanity" is retained in the
displayed T2T estimate. If the safeguards indicate a state of
unreliability or other "sanity" problem for the real-time model
estimate, then the T2T display is simply turned off, and instead of
a time reading, there will simply by the word HEATING (or the like)
that is displayed. By way of example, if the statistical deviation
of the data samples from a straight line subsequent to point 854 is
greater than a certain threshold, the T2T display is turned off.
Likewise, if the real-time model estimate of T2T starts growing for
an extended period of time, or indicates an unreasonably large
number, the T2T display is turned off.
Exemplary Predictive Controls
[0088] The thermostats described herein may be used to
"precondition" an enclosure, such as a home, to a defined setpoint
temperature. As used herein, preconditioning an enclosure describes
a heating or cooling operation that is designed to condition an
ambient temperature of the enclosure so that it is near a setpoint
temperature at a setpoint time. For convenience, the enclosure will
be generally described hereinafter as a home, although those
skilled in the art will recognize that the described thermostats
and operations may be used to precondition any type of enclosure
including office spaces, buildings, apartments, townhomes,
duplexes, and the like. An example of a situation in which a
preconditioning operation may be performed is heating a home early
in the morning so that the home is near a desired setpoint
temperature when occupants of the home begin to rise. Since some
amount of time is required to heat or cool homes or other
enclosures to the desired temperature, the heating or cooling
operation may be performed before the actual setpoint time so that
the occupants are not uncomfortable.
[0089] Preconditioning operations are usually performed in
accordance with a heating or cooling schedule. FIG. 9 illustrates
an exemplary heating schedule 900 that may be used for a home or
other enclosure. The schedule 900 of FIG. 9 may illustrate a
schedule that is displayed on a webpage over a network, such as the
Internet. A user may interact with the webpage to change heating or
cooling operations displayed on the schedule and/or to change a
current setpoint of the thermostat. Similar schedules may be
displayed on wireless devices, such as via an application displayed
on a cell phone. A version of the schedule may also appear on a
display of the thermostat. The user may be able to interact with
the schedule via any of these mediums to change or set one or more
setpoint times and/or temperatures.
[0090] Schedule 900 may include indicia 906 that displays whether
the schedule is for heating or cooling cycles. The display may also
show various functions or controls 908 for the thermostat including
the heating/cooling schedule. Schedule 900 also includes a listing
of days of the week 902 and a time of day 904. Setpoint icons
(i.e., 910 and 912) are displayed for corresponding days 902 and
times 904 that a heating or cooling operation is to be performed.
For example, on any given day (e.g., Thursday), schedule 900 may
include a first setpoint 910 that is characterized by a first
setpoint temperature (e.g., 67.degree. Fahrenheit) and a first
setpoint time (e.g., 8 a.m.). The thermostat maintains the home
near the first setpoint temperature 910 by cycling the HVAC system
on and off when ambient conditions rise above or below a
maintenance band threshold, which is typically .+-.0.7 degrees
Fahrenheit from the setpoint temperature for heating and .+-.1
degree Fahrenheit from the setpoint temperature for cooling. These
values may be adjusted as the thermostat learns to correct
temperature overshoots and undershoots.
[0091] On that same day (e.g., Thursday), or a different day,
schedule 900 may also include a second setpoint 912 that is
likewise characterized by a second setpoint temperature (e.g.,
73.degree. Fahrenheit) and a second setpoint time (e.g., 5 .mu.m.).
After the second setpoint time is reached (e.g., 5 .mu.m.) the
conditioning operations of the thermostat will be controlled by the
second setpoint 912. With some conventional thermostat systems, the
thermostat will maintain the home's ambient temperature at roughly
the first setpoint temperature until the second setpoint time is
reached, after which the thermostat will begin to maintain the
home's ambient temperature at roughly the second setpoint
temperature. As can be readily understood, an interval of time
exists between the first setpoint time and second setpoint time,
which in the instant example is approximately 9 hours. In some
embodiments, the thermostat may not allow the time interval between
adjacent setpoint to be less than 1 hour, so as to conserve energy
usage. In other embodiments, the time interval may be less than 1
hour, such as 15 minutes. In the embodiments described herein, a
preconditioning heating or cooling operation is performed during
the interval of time before the second setpoint time so that the
ambient temperature reaches substantially the second setpoint
temperature by the second setpoint time. In this manner, the home's
temperature may be near the desired temperature at the desired
time.
[0092] Although not shown on schedule 900, the schedule may also
include a range setpoint that defines both a lower range
temperature and an upper range temperature. In such embodiments, if
the home's ambient temperature drops below the lower range
temperature a heating operation is performed, and if the home's
ambient temperature rises above the upper range temperature a
cooling operation is performed. As described herein, the
preconditioning operation may be performed when range setpoints are
used. Additionally, the schedule 900's icons may be color
coordinated to visually indicate if a heating or cooling operation
is to be performed, such as being blue for cooling operations and
orange or red for heating operations.
[0093] To perform the preconditioning operation, or more
specifically, to cause the thermostat to enter a preconditioning
state in which the thermostat causes the HVAC system to cycle on
before the setpoint time, the thermostat may compute
preconditioning criteria information (PCI) that is representative
of time and ambient temperature conditions for which
preconditioning should be performed. FIGS. 10A and B graphically
illustrate a set of PCI being computed for respective heating and
cooling conditions. Referring to FIG. 10A, illustrated is a
preconditioning heating operation 1000 where a set of PCI 1005 is
computed that represents time and ambient temperature conditions
for which preconditioning heating should be performed.
[0094] FIG. 10A illustrates a first setpoint 1002 that is
characterized by a time (not shown) and temperature (e.g.,
67.degree. Fahrenheit). FIG. 10A also illustrates a second setpoint
1004 that is also characterized by a time (not shown) and
temperature (e.g., 73.degree. Fahrenheit). A time interval exists
between the two setpoints, which in some embodiments may be about 1
hour or more. The thermostat computes the PCI 1005 by processing
the second setpoint temperature in conjunction with information
derived from a historical record (e.g., Global Model G) stored in
memory of previous heating and cooling cycles for the HVAC system
as controlled by the thermostat. For example, the thermostat may
use the time to temperature ("T2T") algorithm described previously
to estimate an amount of temperature that can be overcome in a
given amount of time as described in more detail below.
[0095] In one embodiment, the set of PCI 1005 is computed by
referencing the second setpoint 1004 and stepping backward in time
in the time interval by a first duration 1006 characterized by a
defined change in time .DELTA.T 1008. Based on the defined change
in time .DELTA.T 1008, the thermostat computes an amount of heating
or temperature change .DELTA.H 1010 that is likely to occur during
the first duration 1006 if heat is applied from the HVAC system.
The temperature change .DELTA.H 1010 is determined by querying the
T2T algorithm and Global Model G data described above to estimate a
temperature change for the home or enclosure if heat is applied for
the first duration 1006. In other words, instead of using the T2T
algorithm to obtain a time estimate for how long it will take for a
change in temperature .DELTA.H to occur, a known time interval
.DELTA.T is used to obtain an estimate of a temperature change
.DELTA.H for the enclosure if heat is applied for the known time
interval .DELTA.T. Using the T2T algorithm and Global Model G data,
the set of computed PCI is tailored or unique to the individual
home or enclosure. Also, as described herein, the T2T algorithm and
Global Model G data are continually updated and adjusted, which
results in relatively accurate and up-to-date PCI computations for
the home.
[0096] Based on the computed .DELTA.H 1010, the thermostat
determines a triggering temperature for the first duration 1006.
The triggering temperature functions as a temperature threshold to
trigger the preconditioning heating operation if the ambient
temperature of the home falls to or below the triggering
temperature. For example, given the second setpoint temperature
1004 is approximately 73.degree. Fahrenheit and assuming a first
duration 1006 of approximately 5 minutes from the second setpoint
1004 (i.e., time change .DELTA.T 1008 is 5 minutes), the thermostat
may use the T2T algorithm and Global Model G data to estimate or
compute that a temperature change .DELTA.H 1010 of approximately
1.degree. Fahrenheit is likely to occur during the first duration
1006. The thermostat may then set the triggering temperature of
approximately 72.degree. Fahrenheit so that if the ambient
temperature of the home falls to or below 72.degree. Fahrenheit
within 5 minutes from the second setpoint 1004, the HVAC system
will be cycled on and preconditioning will occur.
[0097] This process is repeated to compute the remainder of the
PCI. For example, a second duration, a third duration, and the
like, are computed by referencing the second setpoint time 1004 and
stepping back a respective amount of time. The second duration,
third duration, and the like, are typically characterized by adding
the defined change in time .DELTA.T 1008 to the subsequent
duration. For example, the second duration is typically equal to
2*.DELTA.T 1008, or the sum of the first duration 1006 plus the
defined change in time .DELTA.T 1008. Likewise, the third duration
is typically equal to 3*.DELTA.T 1008, or the sum of the first two
durations plus the defined change in time .DELTA.T 1008. Although
in this embodiment each time duration is a multiple of the defined
change in time .DELTA.T, in other embodiments the time interval of
each duration may vary.
[0098] Based on the second duration, the third duration, and the
like, the thermostat computes an amount of heating or temperature
change .DELTA.H that is likely to occur if heat is applied from the
HVAC system for each respective duration. Unlike the respective
time durations, however, which are typically multiples of the
defined change in time .DELTA.T 1008, the estimated temperature
change .DELTA.H is not likely to be a multiple or sum of previous
temperature changes .DELTA.H. Rather, the response of the home or
enclosure to heating cycles is likely to be nonlinear and, thus,
the temperature change .DELTA.H for each duration, or for several
durations, may be different. As described above, the temperature
change .DELTA.H is determined by querying the T2T algorithm and
Global Model G data to estimate a temperature change for the home
or enclosure if heat is applied for the respective duration.
[0099] Based on the computed .DELTA.H for each duration, the
thermostat determines a triggering temperature for each duration.
For example, using the second setpoint temperature 1004 of
approximately 73.degree. Fahrenheit and a defined time change
.DELTA.T 1008 of 5 minutes, the first duration 1006 is computed to
be 5 minutes, the second duration is computed to be 10 minutes, the
third duration is computed to be 15 minutes, and the process is
repeated for any additional durations. Using the T2T algorithm and
Global Model G data, the thermostat may estimate or compute a first
temperature change .DELTA.H for the first duration of approximately
1.degree. Fahrenheit, a second temperature change .DELTA.H for the
second duration of approximately 2.5.degree. Fahrenheit, a third
temperature change .DELTA.H for the third duration of approximately
6.degree. Fahrenheit, and additional temperature changes .DELTA.H
for any subsequent durations. The thermostat may then set a
triggering temperature of approximately 72.degree. Fahrenheit for
the first duration, a triggering temperature of approximately
70.5.degree. Fahrenheit for the second duration, a triggering
temperature of approximately 67.degree. Fahrenheit for the third
duration, and the like.
[0100] If the ambient temperature of the home as measured by the
thermostat falls to or below one of these triggering temperatures
within the respective durations from the setpoint time, the HVAC
system will be cycled on and preconditioning will occur. For
example, FIG. 10A illustrates an ambient temperature reading 1014
at time (i) and a temperature trajectory 1016 for an ambient
temperature of the home. At a subsequent time (i.e., i+k), the
ambient temperature may fall to or below a triggering temperature
1018 for an n.sup.th duration 1019. Triggering temperature 1018 may
trigger the HVAC system on to precondition the ambient temperature
to near the second setpoint temperature 1004 by the second setpoint
time.
[0101] In some embodiments, the PCI computation, historical
data/T2T estimate, and the like, may be computed by the head unit
in the "awake" state or mode of operation, which as described
herein has a relatively high computational and energy capacity.
Some of the computed information may be passed to the backplate for
monitoring purposes. For example, in one embodiment, the time
duration, triggering temperature, and/or .DELTA.H information is
passed to the backplate from the head unit. After this information
is passed to the backplate, the head unit may enter a "sleep" state
or mode of operation to conserve battery power and/or recharge the
battery as described herein. The backplate monitors ambient
temperature and/or other conditions, via one or more of the sensors
described herein, and wakes the head unit up when the ambient
temperature reaches or drops below one of the triggering
temperatures. The head unit recognizes that a preconditioning
operation should be performed and instructs the HVAC system
accordingly.
[0102] "Passing" or communicating the information from the head
unit to the backplate may involve storing the PCI, or a subset
thereof, on a memory device that is accessible by the backplate
and/or head unit. The memory may be located within the thermostat
or remotely, such as on a cloud service. In some embodiments, the
head unit and/or backplate may include memory that may be used to
store some or all of the PCI. Passing the information may also
involve passing the information directly to the backplate, after
which the backplate may store the information on a memory
device.
[0103] In some embodiments, the head unit may calculate the PCI
every time it wakes up and communicate the subset of information
(e.g., the time durations and triggering temperatures) to the
backplate prior to entering the sleep mode. The head unit may wake
up for various reasons, which may or may not be related to
preconditioning, such as when a proximity sensor is tripped, when
the ambient temperature falls below or rises above a maintenance
band threshold triggering an HVAC on or off operation, when a
subsequent setpoint is adjusted, after a predetermined or
programmed time, and the like.
[0104] In measuring the ambient temperature conditions and
comparing these conditions with the triggering temperature
conditions, the backplate may measure or calculate time relative to
when the head unit enters the sleep mode. For example, although the
PCI is typically calculated from time durations measured relative
to the second setpoint, the triggering temperatures may be passed
to the backplate measured relative to when the head unit enters the
sleep mode. The backplate may then determine a change in time
relative to when the head unit enters the sleep mode (e.g., 20
minutes from entering the sleep mode) and determine if a
preconditioning triggering temperature is associated with that
relative time. In this manner, the backplate may only be concerned
with time measured relative to when the head unit entered the sleep
mode and not concerned with computing a current time relative to
the setpoint time. As can be easily understood, each time the head
unit passes the subset of information to the backplate, the
relative time measurements may be adjusted.
[0105] In some embodiments, the head unit may only pass a subset of
the PCI that is calculated to the backplate instead of all the PCI.
For example, the head unit may anticipate a wake up event during
the time interval (e.g., due to maintenance and the like), but
before the second setpoint time. In such instances, the head unit
may only pass PCI up to the anticipated wake up time since at the
anticipated time, the head unit will wake up and recalculate PCI if
needed. Stated differently, the PCI after the anticipated time will
not be sent to the backplate since this information is irrelevant
due to the head unit recalculating the PCI at the anticipated wake
up time. In other embodiments, the PCI that is passed to the
backplate may be limited to trigger temperatures that are above the
first setpoint temperature 1002. For example, according to
customary operation of the thermostat, the ambient temperature of
the enclosure will be kept near the first setpoint temperature by
the thermostat awaking and cycling the HVAC system on when the
ambient temperature drops below a lower maintenance band threshold
defined by the first setpoint temperature (e.g., -0.7 Fahrenheit
from the first setpoint temperature). Since the first setpoint
temperature 1002 defines a lower bound for the ambient temperature,
triggering ambient temperatures below the first setpoint
temperature are irrelevant because the ambient temperature will not
drop to these temperatures. Accordingly, in some embodiments,
triggering temperatures below the first setpoint temperature 1002
may not be passed to the backplate.
[0106] Although operations of the head unit and backplate in
relation to the preconditioning operations are described herein,
embodiments of the invention are not limited to operating in the
manner. In some embodiments, a majority or all of the PCI may be
transmitted from the head unit to the backplate. In addition, the
backplate may perform some or all of the calculations described as
being performed by the head unit. In other embodiments, such as
when the thermostat is electrically connected to a "C" wire, all of
the PCI calculations and monitoring of the ambient conditions may
be performed by the head unit.
[0107] The PCI 1005 in FIG. 10A is essentially a step function
having both a plurality of defined time durations and triggering
temperatures. PCI 1005 defines a lower range of temperature values
that trigger a preconditioning heating operation. In other
embodiments, however, the PCI may be represented by a curve, a
line, a plurality of dots, and the like. For example, in one
embodiment, the time change intervals .DELTA.T may be sufficiently
small such that a curve is essentially produced. In other
embodiments, a curve may be generated by estimating or averaging
each of the computed triggering temperatures and "fitting" a line
that models the computed temperatures. The above described step
function, however, may be ideal for power limited or constrained
devices, such as the thermostat described herein, due to the
reduction in computational and/or power requirements necessary to
formulate the PCI 1005. The step function may also reduce the
volume of information that may be passed from the head unit to the
backplate, thereby reducing the computational and/or power
requirements of the backplate as well. In some embodiments, such as
when the thermostat is electrically connected to a "C" wire, the
computational operations may be increased.
[0108] Although the time change intervals .DELTA.T are generally
described herein as being approximately 5 minutes, in other
embodiments, the time change intervals .DELTA.T may have longer or
shorter durations. For example, in some embodiments, the time
change interval .DELTA.T may be about 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20
minutes, and the like. In contrast, in other embodiments, the time
change interval .DELTA.T may be 3 minutes, 1 minute, 30 seconds,
and the like. A time change interval .DELTA.T of about 5 minutes,
however, has been determined to provide a sufficient number of
steps while minimizing computation and energy requirements and head
unit wake up times.
[0109] In some embodiments, the preconditioning time or the
duration in which preconditioning may be performed is limited to a
defined amount. The preconditioning time may likewise be limited
based on the preconditioning process involved (i.e., heating or
cooling) and/or based on one or more characteristics or settings of
the HVAC system. This preconditioning time limit may be implemented
to conserve energy and/or make a user's experience more enjoyable
so that heating or cooling operation is not occurring too far in
advance of the upcoming setpoint. According to one embodiment, a
preconditioning cooling process may be limited to about 30 minutes,
60 minutes, 90 minutes, and the like, prior to the next setpoint.
Heating processes could likewise be limited or may be based on the
operational settings of the heater, such as the setting of a heat
pump (e.g., max comfort vs. max savings), as set forth in U.S. Ser.
No. 13/632,093, supra. For example, a max comfort setting may
trigger a preconditioning time limit of about 2 hours, while a max
savings setting may trigger a preconditioning time limit of about 1
hour. The time limit may likewise be limited based on the heating
procedure performed, such as heating with a heat pump, gas furnace,
radiant heater, resistive heating, and the like.
[0110] In addition to time to temperature "T2T", other "turn on" or
activation criteria may be used to evaluate any particular point on
the PCI such as those set forth in U.S. Ser. No. 13/632,093, supra.
For example, in some embodiments, one or more time durations or
steps of the PCI may be set to an arbitrary large or small value in
order to prevent a preconditioning operation from occurring. This
may be useful when the heating or cooling unit is unable to perform
a heating or cooling operation such as during a compressor lockout
period. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 10A, to prevent a
heating operation from occurring for n.sup.th time duration 1012a,
which may coincide with a compressor lockout period or other period
in which the HVAC system is unable to operate, the triggering
temperature of n.sup.th time duration 1012a may be set to a
substantially low value 1012b (e.g., 25.degree. Fahrenheit) to
prevent triggering of the preconditioning operation. Similarly, in
cooling operations the cooling value that triggers preconditioning
may be significantly higher than any temperature that the ambient
temperature is expected to reach (e.g., 150.degree. Fahrenheit and
the like).
[0111] In some embodiments, the PCI can be based on more than one
prospective setpoint. For example, the thermostat may use second
setpoint 1004 and a subsequent setpoint or setpoints to calculate
the PCI. In this manner preconditioning may begin for or take into
account setpoints that occur beyond an immediately upcoming
setpoint.
[0112] In some embodiments, the user may be provided with an option
to perform preconditioning or not. For example, the user may be
queried about whether preconditioning should be performed at all,
or preconditioning may be a selectable option in the user interface
that the user may set. In other embodiments, preconditioning may be
a default feature of one heating or cooling operation and a
selectable feature for another heating or cooling operation. For
example, if a radiant heating operation is selected, the thermostat
may automatically apply the preconditioning operation since radiant
heating often requires a longer length of time to reach a given set
point temperature. In other heating or cooling operations however,
such as gas furnace or heat pump operations, the user may be
queried about whether preconditioning should be performed.
[0113] FIG. 10B illustrates a preconditioning cooling operation
1020 that is essentially the reverse of the heating operation
described for FIG. 10A. The process involves computing a set of PCI
1025 that represents ambient conditions for which preconditioning
cooling should be triggered. The process is similar to that
described for FIG. 10A and, thus, some of the previous description
is omitted.
[0114] FIG. 10B illustrates a first setpoint 1022 that is
characterized by a time (not shown) and temperature (e.g.,
76.degree. Fahrenheit). FIG. 10B also illustrates a second setpoint
1024 that is also characterized by a time (not shown) and
temperature (e.g., 70.degree. Fahrenheit). A time interval exists
between the two setpoints, which in some embodiments may be about 1
hour or more. The thermostat computes the PCI 1025 by processing
the second setpoint temperature in conjunction with information
derived from the historical record (e.g., Global Model G) stored in
memory of previous heating and cooling cycles for the HVAC system.
As described previously, the thermostat may use the time to
temperature ("T2T") algorithm to estimate an amount of temperature
that can be overcome in a given amount of time as described in more
detail below.
[0115] In one embodiment, the set of PCI 1025 is computed by
referencing the second setpoint 1024 and stepping backward in time
by a first duration 1026, a second duration, a third duration, and
the like, where each duration is characterized by adding a defined
change in time .DELTA.T 1028 to the subsequent duration (e.g.,
respectively .DELTA.T, 2*.DELTA.T, 3*.DELTA.T, and the like), or by
any other method. Based on the respective durations, the thermostat
computes an amount of cooling or temperature change .DELTA.C 1030
that is likely to occur if cooling is performed for each duration.
As described previously, the estimated cooling .DELTA.C 1030 is
likely to be nonlinear. Thus, the temperature change .DELTA.C 1030
for each duration, or for several durations, is likely to be
different. The temperature change .DELTA.C 1030 is determined by
querying the T2T algorithm and Global Model G data to estimate a
temperature change for the home or enclosure if cooling is
performed for the respective duration.
[0116] Based on the computed .DELTA.C 1030 for each duration, the
thermostat determines a triggering temperature for each duration.
For example, using the second setpoint temperature 1024 of
approximately 70.degree. Fahrenheit and a defined time change
.DELTA.T 1028 of 5 minutes, the first duration 1026 is computed to
be 5 minutes, the second duration is computed to be 10 minutes, the
third duration is computed to be 15 minutes, and the process is
repeated for any additional durations. Using the T2T algorithm and
Global Model G data, the thermostat may estimate or compute a first
temperature change .DELTA.C for the first duration of approximately
1.degree. Fahrenheit, a second temperature change .DELTA.C for the
second duration of approximately 1.5.degree. Fahrenheit, a third
temperature change .DELTA.C for the third duration of approximately
3.5.degree. Fahrenheit, and additional temperature changes .DELTA.C
for any subsequent durations. The thermostat may then set a
triggering temperature of approximately 71.degree. Fahrenheit for
the first duration, a triggering temperature of approximately
71.5.degree. Fahrenheit for the second duration, a triggering
temperature of approximately 73.5.degree. Fahrenheit for the third
duration, and the like.
[0117] If the ambient temperature of the home, as measured by the
thermostat, rises to or above one of these triggering temperatures
within the respective durations from second setpoint time 1024, the
HVAC system will be cycled on and preconditioning will occur. For
example, FIG. 10B illustrates an ambient temperature reading 1034
at time (i) and a temperature trajectory 1036 for an ambient
temperature of the home. At a subsequent time (i.e., i+k) the
ambient temperature may rise to or above a triggering temperature
1038 for an n.sup.th duration 1039. Triggering temperature 1038 may
trigger the HVAC system on to precondition the ambient temperature
to near the second setpoint temperature 1024 by the second setpoint
time.
[0118] FIG. 10C illustrates a preconditioning range operation 1040
that is essentially the combination of the preconditioning heating
operation 1000 and the preconditioning cooling operation 1020. The
process involves computing an upper range of PCI values or
information 1048 that represent ambient conditions for which
preconditioning cooling should be triggered and computing a lower
range of PCI values or information 1046 that represent ambient
conditions for which preconditioning heating should be triggered.
The process is similar to the previously described processes and,
thus, some of the previous description is omitted.
[0119] FIG. 10C illustrates a range setpoint that is characterized
by a time (not shown) and an upper temperature value 1044 (e.g.,
80.degree. Fahrenheit) and a lower temperature value 1042 (e.g.,
72.degree. Fahrenheit). A prior range setpoint 1052 may likewise be
characterized by be a time, an upper temperature value, and a lower
temperature value, and a time interval may exist between the two
range setpoints. The thermostat computes the upper range PCI 1048
and lower range PCI 1046 by processing the range setpoint upper and
lower temperature values in conjunction with information derived
from the historical record (e.g., Global Model G) stored in memory
of previous heating and cooling cycles. As described previously,
the thermostat may use the time to temperature ("T2T") algorithm to
estimate an amount of temperature that can be overcome in a given
amount of time as described in more detail below. FIG. 10C
illustrates the upper range PCI 1048 and lower range PCI 1046 being
curves rather than the above described step functions, although
step functions may be used in some embodiments.
[0120] As described previously, the upper and lower range PCI, 1048
and 1046 respectively, are computed by referencing the range
setpoint time and stepping backward in time by a first duration, a
second duration, a third duration, and the like. Based on the
respective durations, the thermostat computes an amount of cooling
.DELTA.C and heating .DELTA.H that is likely to occur if cooling or
heating are performed for each duration. The temperature changes
.DELTA.C and .DELTA.H are determined by querying the T2T algorithm
and Global Model G data.
[0121] Based on the computed .DELTA.C and .DELTA.H for each
duration, the thermostat determines respective upper and lower
triggering temperatures for each duration. If the ambient
temperature of the home as measured by the thermostat rises to or
above the upper PCI range values or drops to or below the lower PCI
range values, the HVAC system will be cycled on and the appropriate
preconditioning operation will occur. For example, FIG. 10C
illustrates an ambient temperature reading 1050 at time (i). If at
any subsequent time (i.e., i+k) the ambient temperature rises to or
above the upper PCI range values or drops to or below the lower PCI
range values, the thermostat cycles the HVAC system on and
preconditioning is performed so that the ambient temperature
remains near one of the range temperature values or therebetween.
As described herein, one or more of the durations may be set to an
arbitrarily large or small value so that preconditioning will not
occur during a system lockout period. In addition, as long as
ambient temperature reading 1050 remains between the range
temperature values, preconditioning will not occur.
Exemplary Preconditioning Methods
[0122] According to one embodiment, a method 1100 of
preconditioning an enclosure is provided. According to method 1100,
at block 1102, a thermostat is provided. As described herein, the
thermostat may include a housing, memory, and a processing system
disposed within the housing. The processing system may be in
operative communication with one or more temperature sensors, or
other sensors, to determine an ambient temperature. The processing
system may also be in operative communication with an HVAC system
to control the ambient temperature according to an HVAC schedule
that is stored in the memory. The HVAC schedule may include a first
setpoint characterized by a first setpoint temperature and a first
setpoint time and a second setpoint characterized by a second
setpoint temperature and a second setpoint time. The first setpoint
time and second setpoint time may define a first time interval
therebetween.
[0123] The processing system may further be configured to control
the HVAC system to precondition the enclosure during at least a
portion of the first time interval so that preconditioning is
performed--i.e., so that the ambient temperature reaches
substantially the second setpoint temperature by the second
setpoint time. As described herein, the processing system may
include a first processor characterized by at least a relatively
high electrical power-consuming first mode of operation and a
relatively low electrical power-consuming second mode of
operation.
[0124] At block 1104, a set of preconditioning criteria information
(PCI) may be computed, which computation typically occurs during
the first time interval--i.e., between the first and second
setpoint time. As described herein, the PCI is representative of
time and ambient temperature conditions for which preconditioning
should be performed. According to one embodiment, the first
processor is entered into the first mode of operation (i.e., the
relatively high electrical power-consuming mode) to process the
second setpoint temperature in conjunction with information that is
derived from a historical record stored in the memory of previous
heating and cooling cycles for the HVAC system as controlled by the
thermostat. The second setpoint temperature and derived information
are used to compute the set of PCI.
[0125] At block 1106, the set of PCI is stored in the memory, which
may be disposed within the thermostat or external thereto (e.g.,
cloud service and the like). According to some embodiments, the
first processor may be entered into the second mode of operation
(i.e., the relatively low electrical power-consuming mode)
subsequent to storing the set of PCI in the memory. At block 1108,
a current time and current ambient temperature are compared against
the PCI to determine whether to enter the thermostat into a
preconditioning state. In some embodiments, this comparison process
occurs while the first processor is in the second mode of
operation. Upon a determination that the PCI criteria are
satisfied, such as an ambient temperature exceeding a triggering
temperature threshold, the first processor may be entered into the
first mode of operation and/or the thermostat may be entered into
the preconditioning state, as shown at block 1110. As described
above, in some embodiments, the set of PCI may include a step
function within the first interval of time and measured relative to
the second setpoint temperature.
[0126] As described herein, the set of PCI is typically computed
based on a time to temperature T2T for the conditioned enclosure.
The time to temperature T2T estimation may be adjusted for
subsequent preconditioning heating or cooling operations based on a
response of the enclosure to the preconditioning operation being
performed. For example, the response of the enclosure to the
preconditioning may be recorded (e.g., the measured change in
temperature over an amount of time) and this data may be used to
adjust the T2T estimation. In this manner, recent data may replace
older data and the T2T estimation may accurately reflect the
enclosure's heating or cooling response. This allows the thermostat
to adjust to seasonal changes and/or other factors that may affect
heating and cooling.
[0127] In some embodiments, the processing system includes a second
processor that is characterized by a relatively low electrical
power-consuming mode of operation. In such embodiments, the set of
PCI may be communicated to the second processor prior to the first
processor entering into the second mode of operation. In such
embodiments, step 1108 of method 1100 may include: determining an
"amount of time" relative to the first processor entering into the
second mode of operation, determining an ambient temperature
condition of the set of PCI associated with the "amount of time"
that represents a temperature for which preconditioning should be
performed, and comparing the current ambient temperature with the
ambient temperature condition to determine whether the set of PCI
criteria are satisfied.
[0128] In some embodiments, the set of PCI may include an upper
step function representative of conditions for which
preconditioning cooling should be performed, a lower step function
representative of conditions for which preconditioning heating
should be performed, or both. In some embodiments, preconditioning
could be limited to a defined duration, such as one hour time prior
to the second setpoint time.
[0129] Referring now to FIG. 12, illustrated is an exemplary method
1200 of preconditioning an enclosure. Method 1200 may use the
thermostat, schedule, setpoint temperatures and times, and the like
described herein. According to method 1200, at block 1202 a first
processor of a thermostat is entered into a first mode of
operation, the first mode of operation being a relatively high
power-consuming mode (i.e., an active or awake mode). Blocks 1204
and 1206 describe how preconditioning criteria information (PCI) is
calculated, which process is typically performed by the first
processor while the first processor is in the first mode of
operation. At block 1204, a time duration .DELTA.T from a setpoint
time is determined. At block 1206, a temperature change .DELTA.H or
.DELTA.C and/or a triggering temperature are determined for the
time duration .DELTA.T. At block 1208, a determination is made as
to whether additional time durations are necessary or required for
the PCI. If additional time durations are necessary or required,
blocks 1204 and 1206 are repeated until no additional time
durations are needed.
[0130] If additional time durations are not necessary or required,
the process continues to block 1210 where the trigger
temperature(s) and time duration(s) are communicated to a second
low power-consuming processor of the thermostat. According to some
embodiments, communicating this information to the second processor
may include storing the information in memory that is accessible by
the second processor. In other embodiments, the information may be
communicated to the second processor. The first processor may
communicate this information to the second processor and/or store
the information in memory. At block 1212, subsequent to
communicating the information to the second processor, the first
processor is entered into a second mode of operation, the second
mode of operation being a relatively low power-consuming mode
(i.e., a sleep mode).
[0131] At block 1214, the second processor monitors ambient
temperature conditions of the enclosure and compares the ambient
temperature conditions against the PCI, such as by comparing the
ambient temperature conditions to a trigger temperature. At block
1216, a determination is made about whether the PCI's
preconditioning criteria are satisfied, such as if the current
ambient temperature exceeds the trigger temperature threshold. If
the PCI's preconditioning criteria are not satisfied, the
monitoring and comparing process continues at block 1214. If the
PCI's preconditioning criteria are satisfied, the process continues
to block 1218, where the first processor is entered into the first
mode of operation, such as by being woken up by the second
processor. At block 1220, the thermostat is entered into a
preconditioning state in order to instruct the HVAC system to being
a heating or cooling operation.
[0132] FIG. 13 illustrates steps for automated system matching that
are preferably carried out by the same thermostat or thermostatic
control system that carries out one or more of the other HVAC
control methods that are described in the instant patent
specification. It has been found particularly desirable to make
thermostat setup and governance as user-friendly as possible by
judiciously automating the selection of which among a variety of
available energy-saving and comfort-promoting control algorithms
are appropriate for the particular HVAC configuration of the home
in which the thermostat is installed. At step 1302, the HVAC system
features available for control by the thermostat are determined by
virtue of at least one of (i) automated wire insertion detection,
(ii) interactive user interview, (iii) automated inferences or
deductions based on automated trial runs of the HVAC system at or
near the time of thermostat installation, and (iv) automated
inferences or deductions based on observed system behaviors or
performance. Examples of such methods are described in one or more
of the commonly assigned US20120130679A1 and US20120203379A1, each
of which are incorporated by reference herein, as well as U.S. Ser.
No. 13/632,148, supra.
[0133] In relation to cooling mode operation, if it is determined
that the HVAC system includes air conditioning (step 1304), which
may be by virtue of a dedicated air conditioning system and/or a
heat pump operating in the cooling direction, then at step 1306
there is enabled a smart preconditioning feature for cooling mode
operation. One example of a particularly advantageous smart
preconditioning feature is described herein. For some embodiments,
the smart preconditioning algorithm is configured to: constantly
learn how fast the home heats up or cools down by monitoring the
recent heating and cooling history of the home, optionally
incorporating external environmental information such as outside
temperatures, sun heating effects, etc.; predict how long the HVAC
system will need to actively heat or cool in order to reach a
particular scheduled setpoint; and begin preconditioning toward the
particular scheduled setpoint at just the right time such that the
scheduled setpoint temperature will be reached at the scheduled
setpoint time. User comfort is promoted by virtue of not reaching
the scheduled setpoint temperature too late, while energy savings
is promoted by virtue of not reaching the scheduled setpoint
temperature too early.
[0134] In relation to heating mode operation, if it is determined
that the HVAC system includes radiant heating (step 1308), then at
step 1318 there is enabled a smart radiant control feature for
heating mode operation. One example of a particularly advantageous
smart radiant control feature is described in U.S. Ser. No.
13/632,152, supra. For some embodiments, the smart radiant control
feature is configured to monitor radiant heating cycles on an
ongoing basis, compute an estimated thermal model of the home as
heated by the radiant system, and predictively control the radiant
system in a manner that takes into account the thermal model of the
house, the time of day, and the previous heat cycle information.
The smart radiant control feature is configured to achieve
comfortable maintenance band temperatures while also minimizing
frequent changes in HVAC on/off states and minimizing HVAC energy
consumption. Among other advantages, uncomfortable and
energy-wasting target temperature overshoots are avoided.
[0135] If it is determined that the HVAC system includes a heat
pump including auxiliary resistive electrical heating (i.e.,
so-called auxiliary or AUX heat) (step 1310), and if it is further
determined (step 1312) that the thermostat is network-connected
(such that it can receive outside temperature information based on
location data and an internet-based temperature information source)
or otherwise has access to outside temperature information (such as
by wired or wireless connection to an outside temperature sensor),
then at step 1316 a smart heat pump control feature is enabled. If
at step 1310 there is not a heat pump with AUX heat (which will
most commonly be because there is a conventional gas furnace
instead of a heat pump, or else because there is a heat pump in a
so-called dual-fuel system that does not include AUX heat), then at
step 1314 there is enabled a smart preconditioning feature for heat
mode, which can be a similar or identical opposing counterpart to
the preconditioning feature for cooling mode discussed supra with
respect to step 1306. Similarly, if at step 1312 there is no
network connectivity or other access to outside temperature
information, then the smart heat pump control feature of step 1316
is not enabled and instead the smart preconditioning feature of
step 1314 is enabled.
[0136] In reference to step 1316, one example of a particularly
advantageous smart heat pump control feature is described in the
commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 13/632,093, supra. Although the AUX
heat function allows for faster heating of the home, which can be
particularly useful at lower outside temperatures at which heat
pump compressors alone are of lesser efficacy, the energy costs of
using AUX heat can often be two to five times as high as the energy
costs of using the heat pump alone. For some embodiments, the smart
heat pump control feature is configured to monitor heat pump
heating cycles on an ongoing basis, tracking how fast the home is
heated (for example, in units of degrees F. per hour) by the heat
pump compressor alone in view of the associated outside air
temperatures. Based on computed correlations between effective
heating rates and outside air temperatures, and further including a
user preference setting in a range from "Max Comfort" to "Max
Savings" (including a "Balanced" selection in between these end
points), the smart heat pump control feature judiciously activates
the AUX heating function in a manner that achieves an appropriate
balance between user comfort and AUX heating costs. For some
embodiments, the factors affecting the judicious invocation of AUX
heat include (i) a predicted amount of time needed for the heat
pump alone to achieve the current temperature setpoint, (ii)
whether the current temperature setpoint resulted from an immediate
user control input versus whether it was a scheduled temperature
setpoint, and (iii) the particular selected user preference within
the "Max Comfort" to "Max Savings" range. Generally speaking, the
AUX function determination will be more favorable to invoking AUX
heat as the compressor-alone time estimate increases, more
favorable to invoking AUX heat for immediate user control inputs
versus scheduled setpoints, and more favorable to invoking AUX heat
for "Max Comfort" directed preferences than for "Max Savings"
directed preferences.
[0137] For some embodiments, the smart heat pump control feature
further provides for automated adjustment of a so-called AUX
lockout temperature, which corresponds to an outside air
temperature above which the AUX heat will never be turned on, based
on the monitored heat pump heating cycle information and the user
preference between "Max Comfort" and "Max Savings." Generally
speaking, the AUX lockout temperatures will be lower (leading to
less AUX usage) for better-performing heat pumps, and will also be
lower (leading to less AUX usage) as the user preference tends
toward "Max Savings". For some embodiments in which there is
network connectivity available such that overnight temperature
forecasts can be provided, the smart heat pump control feature
further provides for night time temperature economization in which
an overnight setpoint temperature may be raised higher than a
normally scheduled overnight setpoint if, based on the overnight
temperature forecast, the AUX function would be required to reach a
morning setpoint temperature from the normal overnight setpoint
temperature when morning comes. Advantageously, in such situations,
even though the overnight temperature inside the home is made
higher it would otherwise be, the user actually saves energy and
money by avoiding the use of the AUX function when morning
comes.
[0138] According to some embodiments, the determinations made at
one or more of steps 1308 and 1310 can be based on automatically
observed HVAC system performance information rather than specific
system identification information. For example, it may be the case
that a particular heating functionality of an HVAC system is not
physically a radiant system, but nevertheless tends to exhibit
signs of a high thermal mass combined with substantial control lag,
making it similar in nature to a radiant heating system. For such
cases, the smart radiant control feature may be enabled to improve
performance. Likewise, it may not be the case that the HVAC system
has a heat pump with AUX functionality, but it may have a two-stage
heating functionality in which the first stage (which type was
likely chosen as a first stage because it was more cost-effective)
tends to be very slow or "fall behind" at lower outside
temperatures, and in which the second stage (which type was likely
chosen as a second stage because it was less cost-effective) tends
to be very time-effective in heating up the home, thus making the
system act very much like a heat pump system with AUX
functionality. For such cases, the smart heat pump control feature
may be enabled to improve performance.
[0139] Although embodiments of the invention have been generally
directed toward controls for HVAC systems, it should be realized
that the concepts described herein are not limited to these
specific embodiments and can be used for other purposes. For
example, the preconditioning information described herein (i.e.,
how quickly a home heats or cools and/or how often heating or
cooling is required) may be collected on a neighborhood-wide,
community-wide, city-wide, and the like basis and used for various
purposes. For example, the information may be provided to home
manufacturers to demonstrate the usefulness or effectiveness of
specific insulation materials. The data may reveal that certain
insulation material are more effective in specific regions and/or
demonstrate that certain installation techniques are more
effective. The data may further demonstrate an HVAC systems
effectiveness and/or environmental impact.
[0140] Aggregated preconditioning information may likewise be
provided to manufacturers for research and development purposes to
enable these manufacturers to produce better quality materials
and/or equipment. This information may also help manufacturers
determine if various material and equipment combinations (e.g.,
thermostat system and insulation combinations) have synergistic
insulating effects. Similarly, the aggregated preconditioning
information may also be provided to public services for various
management purposes, such as identifying high energy usage areas
and planning accordingly.
[0141] In other instances, the aggregated information may be
provided to online real estate databases and included within
profiles of listed homes. For example, home buyers may be provided
with highly accurate information about how the home is insulated,
which may allow the buyers to accurately estimate energy usage and
associated costs. This data may also allow buyers to identify how
"green" the home is, which may affect a buyer's ultimate decision.
In some embodiments, improvements or upgrades to the home, such as
the inclusion of insulative windows, may be tracked and data may be
gathered about the effects such improvement or upgrades provide.
The data may be provided to various entities, such as those
described previously, and used for various purposes. For example,
city, state, and/or federal governments may use this information in
designing energy related legislation to encourage home owners to
upgrade existing homes to include materials and/or equipment
demonstrated to be effective.
[0142] Whereas many alterations and modifications of the present
invention will no doubt become apparent to a person of ordinary
skill in the art after having read the foregoing description, it is
to be understood that the particular embodiments shown and
described by way of illustration are in no way intended to be
considered limiting. Therefore, reference to the details of the
preferred embodiments is not intended to limit their scope.
* * * * *