Patent Application
20160292781
The disclosed embodiments relate to an on-premises device that works in conjunction with a system and method to provide to, control and/or monitor air conditioning and/or heating at a premises as a service on e.g., a pay per use and/or subscription plan. The disclosed embodiments also relate to an on-premises device that works in conjunction with a system and method to provide air quality and comfort to a premises as a service (e.g., a pay per use and/or subscription plan). Thus, the disclosed embodiments relate to and provide atmosphere control as a service.
Currently, as a home owner, if you want to cool or heat your home you need to buy the HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) equipment and have it installed. This scenario, however, has several shortcomings. For example, there is the large upfront cost associated with the purchasing and installation of the necessary HVAC and other equipment. Moreover, the purchaser must choose between more expensive, high efficiency units, or less expensive, but lower efficiency units—thus, possibly trading off efficiency (and more costly operating costs) for cheaper upfront costs. In addition to these upfront costs, there are the additional costs arising during the lifetime of the equipment such as e.g., the costs to maintain and/or repair the equipment. It should be appreciated that the aforementioned costs will be incurred over time particularly as the equipment ages or is exposed to weather conditions, regardless of whether the equipment is used a lot or hardly ever used.
In addition, it should be appreciated that these same problems exist for other types of residences as well as places of business and other structures requiring heating and/or air conditioning. Accordingly, there is a need and desire for a better way to heat, cool and/or regulate air quality and comfort at a premises such as e.g., a residence, place of business or other structure.
Embodiments disclosed herein provide a method of providing atmosphere control at a premises. The method comprises providing HVAC equipment to the premises; connecting the HVAC equipment to an on-premises control/monitoring device; and controlling the HVAC equipment via the on-premises control/monitoring device in accordance with a pay per use or subscription plan.
Embodiments disclosed herein also provide a system for providing atmosphere control at a premises. The system comprises an on-premises control/monitoring device connected to HVAC equipment provided at the premises; at least one sensor in communication with the on-premises control/monitoring device; and an off-premises computing device in communication with the on-premises control/monitoring device via a network, said off-premises computing device adapted to control the HVAC equipment via the on-premises control/monitoring device in accordance with a pay per use or subscription plan.
Embodiments disclosed herein provide a novel way to heat and cool a premises such as e.g., a residence, place of business or other structure that overcomes the problems with current techniques. The embodiments disclosed herein will provide air conditioning and/or heating to a premises as a service on e.g., a pay per use and/or subscription plan. The embodiments disclosed herein will also provide air quality or comfort as a service. As such, the disclosed embodiments allow the owner/leaser/operator of a premises (hereinafter referred to as a “subscriber”) to purchase e.g., a monthly subscription to get the air temperature, humidity and air quality he/she wants and when he/she needs it. Thus, the disclosed embodiments relate to and provide atmosphere control as a service.
Moreover, according to the disclosed principles, there will be no upfront costs associated with the purchasing and installation of an on-premises control/monitoring device and the necessary HVAC and other equipment disclosed herein. A service provider, such as e.g., Watsco, Inc., finances and installs the on-premises control/monitoring device and all other necessary equipment. The service provider will be responsible for maintaining and repairing the installed equipment. As such, there are no surprise maintenance or repair costs to the subscriber. Moreover, the disclosed embodiments will include diagnostics that can be monitored remotely so that preventative maintenance and repairs can be made at the appropriate time. In addition, when any of the installed equipment reaches its useful end-of-life, it is replaced with newer, state-of-the art equipment at no cost to the subscriber.
According to the disclosed principles, the subscriber will pay only for the air conditioning/heating/air quality, etc. that it requests through e.g., a pay per use and/or monthly/yearly subscription plan. The plan can be similar to a cellular phone service plan where the subscriber pays a set amount each month intended to cover the costs of the desired air conditioning or heating per month. The subscriber can be charged fees when the air conditioning and heating usage exceeds the costs of its monthly plan. Similar to a cellular phone service plan, the subscriber can have an unlimited plan where the subscriber pays one fee (determined by the service provider) and does not have to worry about exceeding its plan. Likewise, it should be appreciated that when the air conditioning and heating usage is less than the costs of its monthly plan, a rollover of unused air conditioning and heating service could also be implemented. Moreover, the subscriber can purchase add-on options to account for air quality or comfort.
There are many options available to the subscriber and to the service provider. For example, zone-based billing and control can be implemented, which would be particularly useful for premises having unused areas or areas requiring specific atmospheric conditions, areas having multiple tenants, etc. That is, atmosphere control can be provided to one or more zones within the premises in accordance with the zone-based billing plan.
In one embodiment, the service provider and the on-premises control/monitoring device could determine how to cool, heat, etc. the premises based on the subscriber's budget. For example, the service provider and the on-premises control/monitoring device could adjust the subscriber's service based on how much or little remains in the subscriber's budget for that month. Alternatively, or in addition to, the budget and/or service could be adjusted based on future weather predictions (i.e., the air or heat being currently provided can be changed in anticipation of a change in weather requiring more or less service in the upcoming future). Alternatively, or in addition to, the subscriber can be put on a budget that is changed over time based on historical usage.
System performance is continuously monitored to ensure that the subscriber is getting the air conditioning/heating/air quality it has subscribed for. In addition, diagnostic performance data from the on-premises control/monitoring device are sent to the service provider for preventive maintenance.
According to the disclosed principles, the service provider will install the on-premises control/monitoring device (as part of or in addition to the installed HVAC equipment) at each premises that, among other things, controls (using e.g., control inputs from a service provider's off-premise computer/server) and measures the subscriber's actual consumption. The measured consumption will be transmitted to the service provider's computer/server or other back office equipment and will be used as an input for monthly invoicing of the subscriber. The on-premises control/monitoring device will also measure temperature and humidity in different rooms to regulate them according to the subscriber's comfort preferences and desired energy efficiency. In one embodiment, the subscribed services can be connected to other smart devices (e.g., an air quality device, energy blinds) to create a connected premises (explained below in more detail).
In embodiments disclosed herein, the service provider will have the capability to re-configure or shut down the services provided to a subscriber if the subscriber's account is in default or behind in payments. The service provider's off-premises computer/server can remotely monitor and regulate the operation of the subscriber's on-premises equipment (via the control/monitoring device) to ensure that the equipment is being operated in an optimized manner. The equipment installed at the subscriber's premises can be used as a hub to connect with other smart devices installed at the premises. It should be appreciated that since control of the on-premises equipment is performed by an off-premises service provider computer/server (or other equipment), the delivery and monitoring of the air conditioning and/or heat cannot be tampered with by the subscriber.
It should be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments can be integrated with “utility demand response programs” which are ways for utility providers to reduce their load during peak demand times (e.g., providing a subscriber with a discount or other benefit for allowing its air conditioning to be turned off during peak demand times).
In one embodiment, the on-premises monitoring/control device is programmable (via the service provider's computer/server) to ensure that a projected bill will stay within the subscriber's pre-set budget. In addition to, or alternatively, the on-premises HVAC equipment will use variable tonnage compressors such that the right amount of air conditioning is achieved at the right times and in an efficient manner. The disclosed embodiments can integrate with smart vent technology to close or open vents automatically. It should be appreciated that the combination of smart vents and variable tonnage technology allows for optimum system efficiency.
The above described atmosphere as a service functions are preferably implemented in software (i.e., computer instructions) that are stored in a computer readable memory and executed by a processor. To that end, the service provider server 20 includes or is connected to a memory 22 for storing computer instructions required to implement the control, monitoring and invoicing functions described herein and to store the various databases and subscriber information used during the processes described herein. Each server 20 can access the on-premises control/monitoring device 100, and be accessed by the on-premises control/monitoring device 100, via a cellular network 32 or other wireless network 30 (shown as the Internet in this example). Each server 20 can include input/output devices 24 such as displays, scanners, printers, etc. The on-premises control/monitoring device 100 will be capable of wireless communications such as e.g., Internet-based communications, and other “out of band” communications (e.g., cellular) for subscribers that do not have Internet access.
In one embodiment, the on-premises control/monitoring device 100 is a “smart device” capable of communicating with the service provider server 20 via wireless communications (e.g., cellular communications, WLAN, Wi-Fi, etc.). The disclosed smart device 100 and sensors 14 will have the monitoring and control capabilities for the installed HVAC equipment 12 discussed herein and will communicate the necessary data to the service provider(s), which can then use the received data for invoicing and control of the premises equipment. In another embodiment, a control/monitoring device 100 can be integrated with an external compressor unit installed at the premises. With the device 100 installed on variable tonnage compressor, remote tonnage changes (mechanically/electronically) are possible.
In another embodiment, the installed on-premises control/monitoring device 100 (e.g., smart device, smart thermostat, sensors, other IOT devices) can work on its own meshed network (like 6LoWPAN or ZigBee) and/or on Wi-Fi and/or via Bluetooth (to connect with devices worn by a subscriber).
In one embodiment using variable tonnage compressors (also known as inverter technology), a subscriber's service can be expanded or contracted based on its needs and not simply based on the size of the premises. Thus, it will be easy to remotely fine tune a subscriber's service, something that is not currently achievable. As such, the disclosed embodiments can provide “on-demand” atmospheric service in a quick and efficient manner.
The on-premises control/monitoring device 100 will be able to diagnose system components (e.g., HVAC 12) by itself and report diagnostic performance data back to the service provider (e.g., to the service provider server 20), which will then use the data to schedule preventive maintenance and repairs. In one embodiment, the service provider can set up a call center to process and respond to technical problems with the subscriber's equipment. This way, the service provider can provide proactive service, which should prevent major problems and service interruption. This is a major advantage over existing HVAC systems, which do not include digital interfaces for providing digital diagnostics in this manner. It should be appreciated that the on-premises control/monitoring device 100 can be used with older technology via a mechanical/switched based interface for obtaining the diagnostic information described herein.
The disclosed embodiments will work with smart devices of any type. In one embodiment, the on-premises control/monitoring device 100 will utilize geofencing to determine that someone is within the premises. For example, the on-premises control/monitoring device 100 can input data from a user-wearable device or some other type of sensor that will output an indication to the device 100 (e.g., via a Bluetooth communication) that someone is in the premises. This information could be used to modify the air temperature/quality in a specific room or zone to a desired level based on which room or zone is actually being occupied. Other sensors could be used e.g., to determine when lights are turned on and used as an indication that, among other things, someone is in the premises. The on-premises control/monitoring device 100 can also be programmed to receive inputs from or to send control outputs to energy blinds, programmable vents, indoor air quality devices (IAQ), lights, passive devices worn by a subscriber to measure the subscriber's comfort (e.g., devices that measure body temperature and body moisture), etc.
The foregoing examples are provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting. While reference to various embodiments is made, the words used herein are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Further, although reference to particular means, materials, and embodiments are shown, there is no limitation to the particulars disclosed herein. Rather, the embodiments extend to all functionally equivalent structures, methods, and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims.
Additionally, the purpose of the Abstract is to enable the patent office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature of the technical disclosure of the application. The Abstract is not intended to be limiting as to the scope of the present inventions in any way.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/140,773, filed Mar. 31, 2015, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62140773 | Mar 2015 | US |
