Patent Application
20250067458
This disclosure relates to occupancy detection used with temperature control systems.
At least some known heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems use remote sensors to determine if a room is occupied or not. Most remote sensors use passive infrared (PIR) elements to determine occupancy. PIR sensors depend on movement to detect occupancy. If a person sits in a room, watching TV for example, the PIR sensors can become blind to the person due to lack of movement.
Sensors based on other technologies have also been attempted to detect occupancy, for example, ultrasonic sensors and microwave sensors, however, these sensors also exhibit shortcomings that make their use in occupancy detection subject to false positive indications as well as false negative indications.
This Background section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
In one embodiment, a method of operating a heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system by a thermostat to control an environmental parameter of a plurality of conditioned spaces is described. The thermostat is located in a first conditioned space of the plurality of conditioned spaces. The method includes detecting a first value of the environmental parameter of the first conditioned space, the first value being detected by the thermostat, controlling the HVAC system based on the first value of the environmental parameter and a first setpoint for the environmental parameter, receiving, from a first occupancy indicator, a first indication of occupancy of a second conditioned space of the plurality of conditioned spaces, the first occupancy indicator being a human actuated occupancy indicator, and controlling the HVAC system based at least in part on the received first indication of occupancy of the second conditioned space.
In another embodiment, a temperature control system is disclosed. The temperature control system includes a thermostat device which controls a heating ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC) to control a temperature of a plurality of conditioned spaces, the thermostat device comprising at least one processor, at least one memory, and a system temperature sensor, the thermostat being located in a first conditioned space of the plurality of conditioned spaces and a first remote auxiliary device associated with a second conditioned space and communicatively coupled to the thermostat device. The first remote auxiliary device includes a first occupancy indicator operable to produce a first indication of occupancy of the second conditioned space, the occupancy indicator being human actuated and a first remote temperature sensor. The processor of the thermostat device is programmed to detect a first value of the temperature using the system temperature sensor, control the HVAC system based on the detected first value of the temperature and a first setpoint of the environmental parameter, receive, from the first remote auxiliary device, a first indication of occupancy of the second conditioned space, and control the HVAC system based at least in part on the first indication of occupancy of the second conditioned space.
In yet another embodiment, an occupancy sensing system is disclosed. The occupancy sensing system includes a plurality of remote auxiliary devices, each remote auxiliary device associated with one of a plurality of conditioned spaces, wherein each auxiliary device comprises a manually activated occupancy indicator and a remote temperature sensor and a thermostat that controls a heating ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC), the thermostat comprising a processor, a memory device, and an temperature sensor, the processor communicatively coupled to a memory device and the plurality of remote auxiliary devices. The thermostat is located in a first conditioned space of a plurality of conditioned spaces, the memory device comprising instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to detect a first value of the temperature using the temperature sensor of the thermostat, control the HVAC system based on the first value of the temperature and a first setpoint for the temperature, receive, from a first remote auxiliary device, a first indication of occupancy of a second conditioned space of the plurality of conditioned spaces, and control the HVAC system based at least in part on the first indication of occupancy of the second conditioned space.
Various refinements exist of the features noted in relation to the above-mentioned aspects. Further features may also be incorporated in the above-mentioned aspects as well. These refinements and additional features may exist individually or in any combination. For instance, various features discussed below in relation to any of the illustrated embodiments may be incorporated into any of the above-described aspects, alone or in any combination.
Although specific features of various embodiments may be shown in some drawings and not in others, this is for convenience only. Any feature of any drawing may be referenced and/or claimed in combination with any feature of any other drawing.
Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings provided herein are meant to illustrate features of embodiments of the disclosure. These features are believed to be applicable in a wide variety of systems comprising one or more embodiments of the disclosure. As such, the drawings are not meant to include all conventional features known by those of ordinary skill in the art to be required for the practice of the embodiments disclosed herein.
The following detailed description illustrates embodiments of the disclosure by way of example and not by way of limitation. It is contemplated that the disclosure has general application to analytical and methodical embodiments of detecting occupancy in conditioned spaces in industrial, commercial, and residential applications.
Embodiments of a temperature controller (also referred to as a thermostat) are described herein. A purpose of the temperature controller is to reduce energy consumption and increase user comfort by accurately controlling a system based on a presence or absence of an occupant in a conditioned space. When occupancy in the conditioned space is indicated by an active input by an occupant, the temperature controller can control the environmental conditioning equipment for the conditioned space to provide comfort to the occupant. When the temperature controller receives an indication that the conditioned space is vacant, the temperature controller can control the environmental conditioning equipment for the conditioned space to reduce energy consumption related to the environment in the conditioned space.
For homes, office buildings, and other conditioned spaces, occupancy information may be used for saving energy and for safety purposes. Some known occupancy detection methods use a passive infrared (PIR) sensor to attempt to determine the occupancy of a conditioned space. To alleviate the problems associated with using PIR to detect occupancy mentioned above, an occupant may actively indicate their presence, such as by using a human actuated push button. The push button may be integrated into a remote controller associated with a specific conditioned space. Such a system may be included in a system having other smart capabilities or may be used to retrofit an existing system that does not include smart capabilities and allows for definitive determination of the occupancy of the space.
Embodiments of the present disclosure include a remote auxiliary device which allows a user to indicate occupancy within a conditioned space. This information is transmitted to a central thermostat for use in controlling an HVAC system. The example embodiments are described with respect to AC, but are also applicable to HVAC generally, including heating, humidification, dehumidification, and the like. Indication is provided from the remote controller to the central thermostat indicating occupancy of the conditioned space. The status of occupied versus unoccupied is used to determine the operational setpoint of the system.
The following description refers to the accompanying drawings, in which, in the absence of a contrary representation, the same numbers in different drawings represent similar elements.
The example temperature control system 100 further includes a remote auxiliary device 120 associated with each conditioned space of the plurality of conditioned spaces (except the conditioned space that includes the thermostat device 106). In other embodiments, all conditioned spaces 104 include a remote auxiliary device 120, and in other embodiments, at least one conditioned space 104 does not include the thermostat device 106 or a remote auxiliary device 120. Remote auxiliary devices 120 correspond with separate conditioned spaces 104 and are physically located in a different conditioned space 104 with respect to thermostat device 106. Each remote auxiliary device 120 includes a processor 122, a memory 124, at least one remote temperature sensor 126 and at least one occupancy indicator 128. Some embodiments do not include the remote temperature sensor 126. Remote auxiliary device 120 and thermostat device 106 communicate via network 130.
Memory device 116 is used to hold program data and to store working data, in for example, a database architecture. The database architecture is defined by a set of specifications, rules, and processes that direct how data is stored in a database and how data is accessed by components of a system. The database architecture includes data types, relationships, and naming conventions. The database architecture describes the organization of all database objects and how they work together. It affects integrity, reliability, scalability, and performance. The database architecture involves anything that defines the nature of the data, the structure of the data, or how the data flows. Program instructions or computer-readable code for operating thermostat device 106 may be embodied or provided within one or more computer-readable media, thereby making a computer program product.
Network 130 (and connection 108, in embodiments in which it includes a communication network) may include any element or system that facilitates communications among and between various network nodes, such as devices 120, 106 and 102. The networks may include one or more telecommunications networks, such as computer networks, telephone or other communications networks, the Internet, etc. The networks may include a shared, public, or private data network encompassing a wide area (e.g., WAN) or local area (e.g., LAN). In some implementations, the networks may facilitate data exchange by way of packet switching using the Internet Protocol (IP). The networks may be wired and/or wireless communication networks.
Temperature control system 100 is configured to control an operation of the air conditioning unit 102, which is configured to control selectable ambient conditions within the plurality of conditioned spaces 104. Remote auxiliary device 120 includes at least one remote temperature sensor 126 for use in sensing an air temperature of conditioned space 104. Each remote auxiliary device 120 is associated with a corresponding conditioned space 104. Remote auxiliary devices 120 also each include an occupancy indicator 128, which may be a button, switch, or the like, configured to provide the occupant a means to provide active indication that the occupant is currently occupying the conditioned space 104 corresponding to the particular remote auxiliary device 104 on which the occupant actuated the occupancy indicator. For example, upon entering conditioned space 104, the occupant utilizes occupancy indicator 128, by pushing a button or flipping a switch, to indicate that conditioned space 104 is occupied. Upon leaving conditioned space 104, occupant utilizes occupancy indicator 128, by pushing a button or flipping a switch, to indicate that conditioned space 104 is unoccupied. In alternate embodiments, occupancy indicator 128 may be a device which is separate from and communicates with the remote auxiliary device 120. In the example embodiment, remote auxiliary device 120 is in communication with thermostat device 106 via network 130, and thermostat device 106 controls air conditioning unit 102 based upon the received occupancy status. In alternate embodiments, remote auxiliary device 120 may communicate via a direct connection with thermostat device 106, without an intervening network.
In some embodiments, one or more user access devices may be communicatively coupled to any of the components of temperature control system 100 either directly or through network 130 and/or connection 108. User access devices may include any devices capable of receiving information from the network 130. The user access devices could include specialized computing components and/or embedded systems optimized with specific components for performing specific tasks. Examples of user access devices include personal computers (e.g., desktop computers), mobile computing devices, cell phones, smart phones, media players/recorders, music players, game consoles, media centers, media players, electronic tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, audio systems, radio systems, removable storage devices, navigation systems, set top boxes, other electronic devices and the like. User access devices can also include various other elements, such as processes running on various machines. In some embodiments, user access devices may be utilized to provide occupancy status to thermostat device 106. That is, the user may indicate on the user access device which conditioned space 104 is being occupied or unoccupied by the user, and this occupancy indication may be transmitted from the access device to the remote auxiliary device 120 (which will then send the occupancy status to the thermostat device 106) or directly to the central thermostat 106.
In alternate embodiments temperature control system 100 may further include a website including one or more resources (e.g., text, images, multimedia content, and programming elements, such as scripts) associated with a domain name and hosted by one or more servers. Resources can be relatively static (e.g., as in a publisher's webpage) or dynamically generated in response to user query (e.g., as in a search engine's result page). In some embodiments, the website may be utilized to provide occupancy status to thermostat device 106. The user may access the website, for example through the user's access device, and use the website to provide the active indication of which conditioned space 104 the user is currently occupying. This occupancy indication entered on the website is then transmitted to the remote auxiliary device 120 (which will then send the occupancy status to the thermostat device 106) or directly to the central thermostat 106.
For purposes of explanation only, certain aspects of this disclosure are described with reference to the discrete elements illustrated in
Furthermore, additional and/or different elements not shown may be contained in or coupled to the elements shown in
During operation, processing system 110 is configured to receive a user-selected temperature value. In some embodiments, user-selected temperature value is a user-defined setpoint to which the operation of air conditioning unit 102 is controlled. Processing system 110 also receives a sensed conditioned space air temperature from at least one temperature sensor 112. Processing system 110 evaluates the sensed conditioned space air temperature with respect to the user-selected temperature value to generate an HVAC system control signal, which is transmitted to air conditioning unit 102 associated with thermostat device 106. Temperature control system 100 monitors conditioned spaces 104 for indications of occupancy or non-occupancy times during which control of air conditioning unit 102 should be modified. Temperature control system 100 receives an indication of an occupancy or a non-occupancy state of conditioned space 104 using occupancy indicator 128.
A user may utilize the occupancy indicator 128 to indicate their presence in the room, either by pressing the button or flipping the switch as they leave or enter the room. Temperature control system 100 is further configured to modify the control of air conditioning unit 102 based on the occupancy state of conditioned space 104. Further, the user may utilize the temperature adjustment buttons 140 to adjust the setpoint. This offers a simple solution to retrofit existing systems which can benefit greatly from simple and effective occupancy indication, leading to improved energy efficiency.
Remote auxiliary devices 120 are associated with a specific conditioned space, and any number of remote auxiliary devices may be incorporated into temperature control system 100. In the example embodiment, when occupancy is indicated via any of the remote auxiliary devices 120, thermostat device 106 receives the signal from the remote auxiliary device 120 and operates temperature control system 100 in accordance with the corresponding remote temperature sensor 126. In other words, if thermostat device 106 receives a signal indicating the conditioned space 104 is occupied from any one of the remote auxiliary devices 120, thermostat 106 will operate air conditioning unit 102 utilizing the feedback of the corresponding remote temperature sensor 126 of the remote auxiliary device 120 rather than the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 112 In some embodiments, the thermostat will operate the air condition unit 102 based on the temperature setpoint from the remote auxiliary device 120 and the temperature from the remote temperature sensor 126.
More than one remote auxiliary device 120 may send a signal to thermostat device 106 that indicate the corresponding conditioned spaces 104 are occupied. Processing system 110 may include programming to determine how to handle such a scenario. In some embodiments, when multiple remote auxiliary devices 120 indicate that the space is occupied, the most recent indication may be used. In other words, a first remote auxiliary device 120 may indicate occupancy and later, a second remote auxiliary device 120 may indicate occupancy, overriding the first indication, and thermostat device 106 operates temperature control system 100 according to the remote auxiliary device 120 of the second room. In other embodiments, the thermostat device controls the system based on both indications of occupancy, such as by averaging the sensed temperatures, averaging the setpoints, and the like.
In the example embodiment, once a user has indicated that conditioned space 104 is occupied, the status will be unchanged until the user manually indicates via the occupancy indicator 128 that the conditioned space 104 is unoccupied. In other embodiments, occupancy indicator 128 may include a time delay or timer feature that indicates a length of time since a previous change of state, for example, a transition from occupancy being indicated to occupancy not being indicated, and vice versa. For example, occupancy indicator 128 may indicate a length of time since occupancy was last indicated. The time delay may be utilized to transition the status from occupied to unoccupied after a predetermined time has elapsed. Similarly, in some embodiments, the user may need to periodically confirm that they are still in the conditioned space to the remote auxiliary device will transition to an indication of non-occupancy.
In some embodiments, occupancy indicator 128 can be set to provide different operating conditions based on the number of button presses or a length of the button presses. Table 1 below indicates potential operating conditions corresponding to different types of button pushes, however, any number or length of button pushes may be used in order to provide information from remote auxiliary device 120 to thermostat device 106.
Referring to
Turning to
The thermostat may store instructions in the memory that determine how the received indications of occupancy, received values of environmental parameters, and received setpoints are utilized to control the HVAC system. For example, in some embodiments, the thermostat may utilize the highest or lowest setpoint of the occupied spaces to control the HVAC system. In some embodiments, the thermostat may utilize an average of the setpoints of the occupied spaces to control the HVAC system.
The above-described embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented at least partially using computer programming or engineering techniques including computer software, firmware, hardware or any combination or subset thereof, the technical effect of the methods and systems may be achieved by verifying or backing-up the operation of a first type of occupancy sensor associated with a conditioned space with a second type of occupancy sensor. Any such resulting program, having computer-readable code means, may be embodied or provided within one or more computer-readable media, thereby making a computer program product, i.e., an article of manufacture, according to the discussed embodiments of the disclosure. The computer readable media may be, for example, but is not limited to, a fixed (hard) drive, diskette, optical disk, magnetic tape, semiconductor memory such as read-only memory (ROM), and/or any transmitting/receiving medium such as the Internet or other communication network or link. The article of manufacture containing the computer code may be made and/or used by executing the code directly from one medium, by copying the code from one medium to another medium, or by transmitting the code over a network.
Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the above discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or “determining” or “displaying” or “providing” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
The foregoing detailed description illustrates embodiments of the disclosure by way of example and not by way of limitation. It is contemplated that the disclosure has general application to detection of motion and occupancy in monitored spaces. It is further contemplated that the methods and systems described herein may be incorporated into existing temperature control or other building automation systems, in addition to being maintained as a separate stand-alone application.
As used herein, the term “non-transitory computer-readable media” is intended to be representative of any tangible computer-based device implemented in any method or technology for short-term and long-term storage of information, such as, computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules and sub-modules, or other data in any device. Therefore, the methods described herein may be encoded as executable instructions embodied in a tangible, non-transitory, computer readable medium, including, without limitation, a storage device and/or a memory device. Such instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform at least a portion of the methods described herein. Moreover, as used herein, the term “non-transitory computer-readable media” includes all tangible, computer-readable media, including, without limitation, non-transitory computer storage devices, volatile and nonvolatile media, and removable and non-removable media such as a firmware, physical and virtual storage, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and any other digital source such as a network or the Internet, as well as yet to be developed digital means, with the sole exception being a transitory, propagating signal.
As used herein, the term “computer” and related terms, e.g., “computing device”, are not limited to integrated circuits referred to in the art as a computer, but broadly refers to a microcontroller, a microcomputer, a programmable logic controller (PLC), an application specific integrated circuit, and other programmable circuits, and these terms are used interchangeably herein.
The term processor, as used herein, refers to central processing units, microprocessors, microcontrollers, reduced instruction set circuits (RISC), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), logic circuits, and any other circuit or processor capable of executing the functions described herein.
As used herein, the terms “software” and “firmware” are interchangeable, and include any computer program stored in memory for execution by processor 212 and by devices that include, without limitation, mobile devices, clusters, personal computers, workstations, clients, and servers, including RAM memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, and non-volatile RAM (NVRAM) memory. The above memory types are examples only, and are thus not limiting as to the types of memory usable for storage of a computer program.
As used herein, the term “database” may refer to either a body of data, a relational database management system (RDBMS), or to both. A database may include any collection of data including hierarchical databases, relational databases, flat file databases, object-relational databases, object oriented databases, and any other structured collection of records or data that is stored in a computer system. The above examples are for example only, and thus are not intended to limit in any way the definition and/or meaning of the term database. Examples of RDBMS's include, but are not limited to including, Oracle® Database, MySQL, IBM® DB2, Microsoft® SQL Server, Sybase®, and PostgreSQL. However, any database may be used that enables the systems and methods described herein. (Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation, Redwood Shores, California: IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, New York: Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington; and Sybase is a registered trademark of Sybase, Dublin, California.)
Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification and claims, may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms, such as “about” and “substantially”, are not to be limited to the precise value specified. In at least some instances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value. Here and throughout the specification and claims, range limitations may be combined and/or interchanged, such ranges are identified and include all the sub-ranges contained therein unless context or language indicates otherwise.
This written description uses examples to describe the disclosure, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the disclosure is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
When introducing elements of the present disclosure or the embodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. The use of terms indicating a particular orientation (e.g., “top”, “bottom”, “side”, etc.) is for convenience of description and does not require any particular orientation of the item described.
As various changes could be made in the above constructions and methods without departing from the scope of the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawing(s) shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
