SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AUTOMATED POOL HEATING UNIT CONFIGURATIONS

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for automated hybrid pool heating unit configurations, and, more particularly, to systems and methods for controlling hybrid pool heating unit configurations including one or more different types of pool heating units.

BACKGROUND

In today's market, controller logic in pool automation systems does not contemplate the existence of multiple different types of heating units as alternative options to heat one or more selected pools. A pool heating system including multiple heating options is becoming increasingly popular in the pool residential and commercial market. Such configurations allow for a system to use different types of pool heating units at different times based on current needs. These different pool heating units may have associated benefits and downsides that may make one type of pool heating unit more preferable to another type of pool heating unit in certain situations.

As a first example, gas heating units use natural gas or propane that is ignited by a flame to heat water as it flows through the unit. Gas heating units are able to heat a pool quickly, but may be more expensive to operate than other types of pool heating units. As a second example, a heat pump uses air from the environment to heat the water. Warm air is drawn over an evaporator coil by a fan. The water flows through a heat exchanger and is then returned to the pool. Given that heat pumps use ambient air, they may not function well in lower temperature environments. However, they may be cheaper to operate than a gas heating unit. As a third example, a solar heating unit (which may include an array of solar panels) uses energy from the sun to heat the pool. Water is pumped through the solar panel(s) and is warmed by the natural heat of the sun that is absorbed by the solar panel(s). Solar panel(s) typically involve little to no operating cost, but their effectiveness depends on the availability of sunlight. These are examples of different types of pool heating units and is not an exhaustive list.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an example use case, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an example system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is an example method, in accordance with one or more examples of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is an example system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict example embodiments of the disclosure. The drawings are provided to facilitate understanding of the disclosure and shall not be deemed to limit the breadth, scope, or applicability of the disclosure. The use of the same reference numerals indicates similar but not necessarily the same or identical components; different reference numerals may be used to identify similar components as well. Various embodiments may utilize elements or components other than those illustrated in the drawings, and some elements and/or components may not be present in various embodiments. The use of singular terminology to describe a component or element may, depending on the context, encompass a plural number of such components or elements and vice versa.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure relates to, among other things, systems and methods for automated hybrid pool heating unit configurations. A “hybrid” pool heating unit configuration may refer to a configuration that involves the use of multiple different types of pool heating units (for example, gas, electric, solar, and/or any other types of pool heating units described herein or otherwise) that are used to heat a single pool or group of pools. The system and methods described herein may serve to optimize the effectiveness of such a hybrid pool heating unit configuration by employing logic that automatically switches between the different pool heating unit systems based on a number of different types of input parameters. As one illustrative and non-limiting example, a gas heating unit may be enabled when it is desired to heat a pool quickly, and a heat pump may be enabled when cost reductions are desired over pool heating time. These systems and methods may provide a number of benefits, particularly with respect to commercial pools (for example, in a hotel, water park, and/or any other commercial location), which may require one or more pools to be continuously heated for a large number of guests. However, as described herein, the systems and methods may also be applicable in any other context as well, including residential pools.

To facilitate the automatic switching between the different pool heating units, a controller may be associated with one of the pool heating units. The controller may be used to enable or disable the pool heating unit based on any of the parameters that are described herein or otherwise. The controller may also be used to communicate with other pool heating units to enable or disable those other pool heating units as well. For example, a residential or commercial pool may include a gas heating unit and a heat pump. A controller may be built into the gas heating unit, which may enable or disable the gas heating unit and may also communicate with the heat pump to enable or disable the heat pump as well. Some or all of the other pool heating units may include simpler mechanisms for enabling or disabling the heating unit. For example, the aforementioned heat pump may not include a second controller that is in communication with the controller associated with the gas heating unit, but may rather may include more simple circuitry that may be used to enable and disable the heat pump. In this case, the controller associated with the gas heating unit may be configured to send a signal to the circuitry to enable or disable the heat pump. This is just one non-limiting example of a manner in which a controller in one pool heating unit may be used to control another pool heating unit with more simplified circuitry, and such controls may be effectuated in any other manner as well.

Additionally, in some embodiments, controllers may be built into multiple pool heating units as well. Continuing the above example, both the gas heating unit and the heat pump may include controllers. Either the controller associated with the gas heating unit and/or the controller associated with the heat pump may be configured to communicate with the other controller to enable or disable either of the pool heating units. In some embodiments, one specific controller associated with one of the pool heating units may serve as the primary controller that maintains any control logic and communicates with other controllers to enable or disable other pool heating units. However, in some embodiments, any of the other controllers in the other pool heating units may also be capable of performing similar actions. That is, the primary control logic may not necessarily be limited to just one of the controllers associated with one of the pool heating units. In even further embodiments, the controller may be standalone and may not necessarily be built into any of the pool heating units.

The one or more controller(s) may automatically send signals to enable or disable the different types of pool heating units based on established control logic. In some embodiments, the control logic may be based on an artificial intelligence model. For example, an artificial intelligence model may receive as inputs one or more parameters and may determine, based on the one or more parameters, which of the pool heating units to enable to heat the pool at any given time. The artificial intelligence model may also be trained prior to the implementation of the pool heating system and/or in real-time during use of the pool heating system. In some cases, the model may be self-training and may improve over time without requiring any manual feedback from a user. However, in some cases, feedback may be provided by a user and this feedback may be used to train the model as well. For example, the model may determine that an heat pump should be used to heat a pool on a Friday evening, but a user may prefer to use the pool on Friday evenings and may desire a quicker type of heating unit. In this example, the user may provide manual feedback to indicate that a gas heating should be used instead of the heat pump during that particular time. The model may then use this feedback to train the model. This is a non-limiting example of a manner in which the model may be trained; the model may be trained in any other manner as well. Although reference is made to an artificial intelligence model, any other type of model may also be used (for example, machine learning or the like).

Alternatively (or in addition to artificial intelligence model or any other type of model), the control logic may also include more simplified algorithms. For example, the simplified algorithm may track a current day of the week. The algorithm may be configured such that one type of pool heating unit may be used for one day of the week and a second type of pool heating unit may be used for a second day of the week. This is a non-limiting example of such a simplified algorithm. The algorithm may also involve any other number of different types of logic associated with any other parameters. In this manner, the control logic may also involve a grouping of pre-determined conditions that may trigger certain actions, rather than relying on artificial intelligence, machine learning, or the like.

The control logic may receive as inputs any number of different types of parameters. Non-limiting examples of such input parameters may include solar capacity, ambient temperature, pool return water temperature, weather, ambient humidity, time of day (and/or any other time-based parameters, such as current month, day of the week, peak utility hours, etc.), a desired heating rate (for example, how quickly it is desired for the pool to be heated), etc. The input parameters may also include any other types of data as well.

Additionally, the input parameters may include demand response. Demand response may refer to a scenario in which a power company may disable certain utilities provided to a customer in order to focus on power supplied to other portions of the power grid (to allow the power company to adjust the demand for power rather than adjusting the supply requirements). For example, the power company may reduce or disable power provided to a particular customer during peak power consumption hours for the grid (or a portion of the grid) as a whole. The demand response may be used as an input parameter to determine at which points in time an alternative to an electric heat pump should be used as the pool heating unit providing heat to a pool. For example, if the power provided to a home including an heat pump and a solar panel is reduced according to demand response (which may prevent the heat pump from being used), then the pool heating system may enable the solar panel to continue providing heat to the pool.

The control logic may also be based on any number of user-provided input parameters as well. For example, a user may indicate a preference for a pool to be heated quicker during certain times of day and/or certain days of the year. The user may also indicate a pool temperature preference, a cost preference, and/or any other types of input parameters as well. These user-provided input parameters may be considered in combination with any other input parameters considered by the control logic in determining which of the pool heating units should be enabled or disabled at any given time. Additionally, a user may manually override the control logic. For example, if in a given scenario the control logic may automatically turn on an heat pump, the user may manually indicate that they instead desire for the gas heating unit to be used instead. This is a non-limiting example of a manner in which a user may manually control operation of the one or more pool heating units; other manual controls are also possible.

Any of the input parameters may be provided weightings relative to other input parameters as well. That is, some of the input parameters may have more of an impact on the specific pool heating unit that is selected to be enabled by the control logic at any given time. These weightings may be generated automatically through artificial intelligence, machine learning, or the like. The weightings may also be manually provided by a user.

A user may interact with any of the controller(s) using any number of different types of devices. For example, an application on a mobile device (e.g., smartphone, tablet or similar device) may be configured to allow the user to interact with the one or more controller(s). Examples of such interactions may include providing indications of user-defined input parameters, manually controlling the operation of the different pool heating units, and/or any other types of interactions. For example, the user may be able to view a current schedule that may be followed by the control logic for enabling or disabling certain pool heating units at certain times. The user may also be able to manually override any control logic and indicate which pool heating unit they currently desire to heat the pool (or heat the pool at any given time in the future). The application may also be configured to allow the user to view information about the one or more pool heating units. For example, the application may present a listing of the pool heating units included in the system, a current status of each of the pool heating units, any data that is captured and provided to the pool heating units as inputs (e.g., weather data, humidity data, current pool temperature, etc.), and/or any other types of information. The use of a smartphone application is merely exemplary, and the user may also interact with and/or view information about any of the pool heating units using any other type of device (for example, a desktop or laptop computer, a tablet, and/or any other type of device).

Additionally, the one or more controllers themselves may be configured to allow for direct user interaction. For example, a controller may include a display that presents a user interface that may allow a user to view the same types of information and/or perform the same types of interactions that may otherwise be performed using another device, such as a smartphone.

FIG. 1 is an example use case 100, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. The use case 100 provides one non-limiting example of the operation of the automated hybrid pool heating system as described herein.

The use case 100 may begin with scene 102, which depicts a location 104 including a pool 112. The pool 112 may be a residential or commercial pool. Additionally, although the location 104 is illustrated as having only one pool 112, any other number of pools may also exist at the location 104 as well. The location 104 may also include one or more different types of pool heating units. For example, the scene 102 illustrates a solar panel 106, a gas heating unit 108, and an heat pump 110. In this configuration, the gas heating unit 108 may include a built-in controller (not shown in the figure). This is an exemplary hybrid pool configuration, and the location 104 may further include any other number and/or types of pool heating units. In various embodiments, there may be multiple controllers built into any number of the pool heating units, and any of the controllers may host any of the control logic and enable or disable any of the other pool heating units.

As shown in the scene 102, the location 104 may be experiencing cloudy weather. Control logic associated with the controller in the gas heating unit 110 therefore may automatically determine that the solar panel 106 should not be used to heat the pool 112. The controller may also determine that temperature at the location 104 (and in the pool 112) is low and that the pool is intended to be used later in the day. Given this, the controller may determine that the gas heating unit 110 should be enabled to heat the pool 112 to allow the pool to be heated quickly enough for usage in the near future. The controller may then enable the gas heating unit 110 to heat the pool 112.

Following scene 102, scene 120 illustrates the same location 104 at a second time in which the weather is sunny. Based on this, the controller may determine that the solar panel 106 should be enabled to heat the pool 112. The controller may then send a signal to the solar panel 106 to enable the solar panel 106, and may also disable the gas heating unit 110. In making this determination, the controller may take into consideration any number of other input parameters in addition to the weather status. Non-limiting examples of such input parameters include solar capacity, ambient temperature, pool return water temperature, weather, humidity, time of day (and/or any other time-based parameters, such as a current month, day of the week, etc.). The input parameters may also include any other types of data. The controller may use an artificial intelligence model, machine learning model, and/or any other type of model in making such determinations. The controller may also use more simplified control logic based on predetermined conditions.

Following scene 120, scene 130 illustrates a scenario in which a user 132 performs manual control of the pool heating units through an application installed on a mobile device 134. The application may display a user interface on the mobile device 134 that may allow the user 132 to communicate with the controller to indicate which pool heating units should be enabled at any given time. For example, the user 132 may indicate through the mobile device 134 that they desire for the gas heating unit 110 to be enabled to heat the pool rather than the solar panel 106. This may allow the user to manually override the automated control logic that would otherwise select the pool heating unit that is used to heat the pool. The application may also be configured to allow the user to view information about the one or more pool heating units as well.

As noted above, the use case 100 is intended to be exemplary and is not intended to be limiting in terms of the operation of the system (for example, any of the pool heating units, controller(s), mobile device, etc.).

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a system 200, in accordance with one or more embodiments of this disclosure. In various embodiments, the system 200 may include one or more different types of pool heating units (for example, one or more electric heating units and/or gas heating units 202, one or more heat pumps 210, one or more solar panels 220, and/or any other type of pool heating unit), one or more mobile devices 230 that may be associated with one or more users 235, one or more remote servers 240, and/or one or more sensors 250.

With respect to the different types of pool heating units, a gas heating unit 202 may use natural gas or propane that is ignited by a flame to heat water as the water flows through the unit. Other embodiments may include electric heating units instead of or in addition to gas heating units. Gas heating units are able to heat a pool quickly, but may be more expensive to operate than other types of pool heating units. An electric pool heating unit 210 may use air from the environment to heat the water. Warm air is drawn over an evaporator coil by a fan. The water flows through a heat exchanger and is then returned to the pool. Given that the electric pool heating unit may use ambient air, it may not function well in lower temperature environments. However, it may be cheaper to operate than a gas heating unit. A solar panel 220 may use energy from the sun to heat the pool. Water is pumped through the solar panel 220 and is warmed by natural heat of the sun that is absorbed by the solar panel 220. A solar panel 220 may typically involve little to no operating cost, but its effectiveness depends on the availability of sunlight. Although reference is made to gas heating units 220, heat pumps 210, and solar panels 220, any other type of pool heating unit or combination of different types of pool heating units may also be included within the system 200 as well, and the recitation of these particular three types of pool heating units is not intended to be limiting. For example, another type of pool heating unit may include an electric pool heating unit that relies on a heating element, such as a metal coil.

Additionally, any of the pool heating units may include a controller (for example, controller 204 associated with the gas heating unit 202, controller 210 associated with the heat pump 210, and/or controller 220 associated with the solar panel 220) to facilitate control logic associated with the system 200. The controller may be integrated inside of the pool heating unit, may be located on the external surface of the pool heating unit, and/or any other location on and/or within a pool heating unit. A controller may also be a standalone device and not integrated into any of the pool heating units and/or may be associated with a device or system other than a pool heating unit. For example, a controller may be associated with one or more remote servers 240 and/or a mobile device 230 in addition to, or alternatively to, being included within any of the pool heating units. In this manner, a controller may not necessarily need to be at the location of the pool heating units and the pool that is being heated.

Any of the controllers may be used to enable or disable a pool heating unit the controller is associated with based on any of the parameters that are described herein or otherwise. The controller may also be used to communicate with other pool heating units (which may also include their own associated controllers, or may alternatively include simpler mechanisms for enabling and/or disabling the heating unit) to enable and/or disable those other pool heating units. As one non-limiting example, a residential or commercial pool may include a gas heating unit and an heat pump. A controller may be built into the gas heating unit, which may enable and/or disable the gas heating unit and may also communicate with the heat pump to enable and/or disable the heat pump.

Furthermore, any of the controllers may be used to control pool heating units at multiple locations. For example, a user may own several pools at the same location or at different locations. A controller may be configured to not only communicate with pool heating units located at one pool, but may also be configured to communicate with other controllers and/or pool heating units at other remote locations using any known wired or wireless communication methods.

In one or more embodiments, any of the one or more controllers may include any of the components of the computing device(s) 400 described with respect to FIG. 4. That is, as illustrated in the figure, these elements of the system 200 may include one or more processor(s), memory, and/or module(s), as well as at least any other elements described as being included in the computing device(s) 400. Although the figure may only depict a particular element of system 200 as having one or more processors, memory, and one or more modules, this is intended to be limiting.

The mobile device 230 may be a device that is used by user 235 to interact with any of the controllers in the system 200. That is, the mobile device 230 may include an application 232. The application 232 may display a user interface to the user 235 through the mobile device 230. The application 232 may allow the user 235 to provide control inputs to any of the controllers included within the system 200. For example, the application 232 may allow the user 235 to indicate certain parameters that may be used by the controller(s) in determining which of the pool heating units should be enabled or disabled. The application 232 may also allow the user 235 to manually control operation of the one or more pool heating units. In this manner, the application 232 may allow the user 235 to manually override any control logic associated with any of the controllers. For example, the application 232 may allow the user 235 to indicate that they desire for a gas heating unit 202 to be enabled even if the automated control logic associated with any of the controllers may have enabled the heat pump 210 at that particular time.

The mobile device 230 may also allow the user 235 to view information about the status of the system 200. For example, the application 232 may allow the user 235 to view a listing of any pool heating units included in the system 200. In some cases, the user 235 may also be able to view information about pool heating units included in multiple of such systems. For example, the user 235 may manage multiple pools at multiple different locations. The application 232 may allow the user to view information about pool heating units included at one pool and pool heating units included at a second pool. The application 232 may also allow the user 235 to view any other information associated with the operation of the system 200. For example, the application 232 may allow the user to view information about which pool heating unit is currently being used to heat a particular pool, data captured from any of the sensors 250, and/or any other types of relevant information.

The one or more sensors 250 may include any number of different types of sensors that may be used to capture data about an environment in which the system 200 is located, any of the elements of the system 200, and/or any other types of data. As non-limiting examples, the sensors 250 may include temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors. Any other types of sensors 250 that may be used to capture any other types of data may also be used. This data may be provided as inputs to control logic associated with any of the controllers in the system 200, which may then be used by any of the controllers to determine whether and when to enable or disable any of the pool heating units in the system 200. The data produced by the sensors 250 may also be displayed through the application 232 and/or through a display associated with any of the controllers. The one or more sensors 250 may be integrated into any of the pool heating units, the one or more mobile devices 230, and/or may also exist as standalone sensors in the local environment of the system 200.

The one or more different types of pool heating units, one or more mobile devices 230 that may be associated with one or more users 235, one or more remote servers 240, and/or one or more sensors 250 via a communications network 260. The communications network 260 may include, but is not limited to, any one of a combination of different types of suitable communications networks such as, for example, broadcasting networks, cable networks, public networks (e.g., the Internet), private networks, wireless networks, cellular networks, or any other suitable private and/or public networks. Further, the communications network 260 may have any suitable communication range associated therewith and may include, for example, global networks (e.g., the Internet), metropolitan area networks (MANs), wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), or personal area networks (PANs). In addition, communications network 260 may include any type of medium over which network traffic may be carried including, but not limited to, coaxial cable, twisted-pair wire, optical fiber, a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) medium, microwave terrestrial transceivers, radio frequency communication mediums, white space communication mediums, ultra-high frequency communication mediums, satellite communication mediums, or any combination thereof.

FIG. 3 is an example method 300, in accordance with one or more examples of the disclosure. The method 300 may be performed by any of the controllers described herein (for example, controller(s) 204, 212, 222, 242 illustrated in FIG. 2), the computing system 400, and/or any other device and/or system described herein or otherwise.

At block 302, the method 300 may include determining a first input parameter associated with an operation of a pool heating system comprising a first pool heating unit and a second pool heating unit, wherein the first pool heating unit is a first type of pool heating unit and the second pool heating unit is a second type of pool heating unit. Block 304 of the method 300 may include sending, based on receiving the first input parameter, a first signal to enable the first pool heating unit to heat a first pool. Block 306 of the method 300 may include determining a second input parameter. Block 308 of the method 300 may include sending, based on receiving the second input parameter, a second signal to enable the second pool heating unit to heat the first pool. Optional block 310 of the method 300 may include sending a third signal to enable a fourth pool heating unit to heat a second pool, wherein the second pool is at a different location than the first pool.

In one or more embodiments, input parameters comprise at least one of: solar capacity (for example, a maximum amount of energy that can be output by one or more solar panels), ambient temperature (for example, a temperature of the environment in which the one or more pools and the pool heating units exists), a water temperature of the first pool, a weather condition (for example, sun exposure/direction, cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, humidity, temperature, air pressure (rising or falling)), time of day, or power grid demand response. The input parameters may also include any other types of data relating to the one or more pools, one or more pool heating units, and the environment in which the one or more pools and one or more pool heating units reside. The input parameters may also include user-provided parameters. The input parameters may also include any other data.

In one or more embodiments, the first type of pool heating unit and the second type of pool heating unit comprise at least one of: a gas pool heating unit, an heat pump, or a solar panel. In one or more embodiments, the pool heating system further comprises a third pool heating unit, wherein the third pool heating unit is a third type of pool heating unit. In one or more embodiments, the processor is integrated into the first pool heating unit or the second pool heating unit. In one or more embodiments, the first input parameter or the second input parameter are received from a user mobile device.

One or more operations of the methods, process flows, or use cases of FIGS. 1-3 are described as being performed by a user device, or more specifically, by one or more program module(s), applications, or the like executing on a device. It is appreciated, however, that any of the operations of the methods, process flows, or use cases of FIGS. 1-3 may be performed, at least in part, in a distributed manner by one or more other devices, or more specifically, by one or more program module(s), applications, or the like executing on such devices. In addition, it should be appreciated that processing performed in response to execution of computer-executable instructions provided as part of an application, program module, or the like may be interchangeably described herein as being performed by the application or the program module itself or by a device on which the application, program module, or the like is executing. While the operations of the methods, process flows, or use cases of FIGS. 1-3 may be described in the context of the illustrative devices, it is appreciated that such operations may be implemented in connection with numerous other device configurations.

The operations described and depicted in the illustrative methods, process flows, and use cases of FIGS. 1-3 may be carried out or performed in any suitable order, such as the depicted orders, as desired in various example embodiments of the disclosure. Additionally, in certain example embodiments, at least a portion of the operations may be carried out in parallel. Furthermore, in certain example embodiments, less, more, or different operations than those depicted in FIGS. 1-3 may be performed.

Although specific embodiments of the disclosure have been described, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that numerous other modifications and alternative embodiments are within the scope of the disclosure. For example, any of the functionality and/or processing capabilities described with respect to a particular device or component may be performed by any other device or component. Further, while various illustrative implementations and architectures have been described in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that numerous other modifications to the illustrative implementations and architectures described herein are also within the scope of this disclosure.

Certain aspects of the disclosure are described above with reference to block and flow diagrams of systems, methods, apparatuses, and/or computer program products according to example embodiments. It will be understood that one or more blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and the flow diagrams, respectively, may be implemented by execution of computer-executable program instructions. Likewise, some blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams may not necessarily need to be performed in the order presented, or may not necessarily need to be performed at all, according to some embodiments. Further, additional components and/or operations beyond those depicted in blocks of the block and/or flow diagrams may be present in certain embodiments.

Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams support combinations of means for performing the specified functions, combinations of elements or steps for performing the specified functions, and program instruction means for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flow diagrams, may be implemented by special-purpose, hardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions, elements or steps, or combinations of special-purpose hardware and computer instructions.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of one or more illustrative computing device(s) 400 in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the disclosure. The computing device(s) 400 may include any suitable computing device including, but not limited to, a server system, a mobile device such as a smartphone, a tablet, an e-reader, a wearable device, or the like; a desktop computer; a laptop computer; a content streaming device; a set-top box; or the like. The computing device(s) 400 may correspond to an illustrative device configuration for any of the computing systems described herein and/or any other system and/or device.

The computing device(s) 400 may be configured to communicate via one or more networks. Such network(s) may include, but are not limited to, any one or more different types of communications networks such as, for example, cable networks, public networks (e.g., the Internet), private networks (e.g., frame-relay networks), wireless networks, cellular networks, telephone networks (e.g., a public switched telephone network), or any other suitable private or public packet-switched or circuit-switched networks. Further, such network(s) may have any suitable communication range associated therewith and may include, for example, global networks (e.g., the Internet), metropolitan area networks (MANs), wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), or personal area networks (PANs). In addition, such network(s) may include communication links and associated networking devices (e.g., link-layer switches, routers, etc.) for transmitting network traffic over any suitable type of medium including, but not limited to, coaxial cable, twisted-pair wire (e.g., twisted-pair copper wire), optical fiber, a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) medium, a microwave medium, a radio frequency communication medium, a satellite communication medium, or any combination thereof.

In an illustrative configuration, the computing device(s) 400 may include one or more processors (processor(s)) 402, one or more memory devices 404 (generically referred to herein as memory 404), one or more input/output (I/O) interfaces 406, one or more network interfaces 408, one or more sensors or sensor interfaces 410, one or more transceivers 412, one or more optional speakers 414, one or more optional microphones 416, and data storage 420. The computing device(s) 400 may further include one or more buses 418 that functionally couple various components of the computing device(s) 400. The computing device(s) 400 may further include one or more antenna(s) 434 that may include, without limitation, a cellular antenna for transmitting or receiving signals to/from a cellular network infrastructure, an antenna for transmitting or receiving WiFi signals to/from an access point (AP), a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna for receiving GNSS signals from a GNSS satellite, a Bluetooth antenna for transmitting or receiving Bluetooth signals, a Near Field Communication (NFC) antenna for transmitting or receiving NFC signals, and so forth. These various components will be described in more detail hereinafter.

The bus(es) 418 may include at least one of a system bus, a memory bus, an address bus, or a message bus, and may permit the exchange of information (e.g., data (including computer-executable code), signaling, etc.) between various components of the computing device(s) 400. The bus(es) 418 may include, without limitation, a memory bus or a memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and so forth. The bus(es) 418 may be associated with any suitable bus architecture including, without limitation, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), a Micro Channel Architecture (MCA), an Enhanced ISA (EISA), a Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) architecture, an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) architecture, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) architecture, a PCI-Express architecture, a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) architecture, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) architecture, and so forth.

The memory 404 of the computing device(s) 400 may include volatile memory (memory that maintains its state when supplied with power) such as random access memory (RAM) and/or non-volatile memory (memory that maintains its state even when not supplied with power) such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), and so forth. Persistent data storage, as that term is used herein, may include non-volatile memory. In certain example embodiments, volatile memory may enable faster read/write access than non-volatile memory. However, in certain other example embodiments, certain types of non-volatile memory (e.g., FRAM) may enable faster read/write access than certain types of volatile memory.

In various implementations, the memory 404 may include multiple different types of memory such as various types of static random access memory (SRAM), various types of dynamic random access memory (DRAM), various types of unalterable ROM, and/or writeable variants of ROM such as electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, and so forth. The memory 404 may include main memory as well as various forms of cache memory such as instruction cache(s), data cache(s), translation lookaside buffer(s) (TLBs), and so forth. Further, cache memory such as a data cache may be a multi-level cache organized as a hierarchy of one or more cache levels (L1, L2, etc.).

The data storage 420 may include removable storage and/or non-removable storage, including, but not limited to, magnetic storage, optical disk storage, and/or tape storage. The data storage 420 may provide non-volatile storage of computer-executable instructions and other data. The memory 404 and the data storage 420, removable and/or non-removable, are examples of computer-readable storage media (CRSM) as that term is used herein.

The data storage 420 may store computer-executable code, instructions, or the like that may be loadable into the memory 404 and executable by the processor(s) 402 to cause the processor(s) 402 to perform or initiate various operations. The data storage 420 may additionally store data that may be copied to the memory 404 for use by the processor(s) 402 during the execution of the computer-executable instructions. Moreover, output data generated as a result of execution of the computer-executable instructions by the processor(s) 402 may be stored initially in the memory 404, and may ultimately be copied to the data storage 420 for non-volatile storage.

More specifically, the data storage 420 may store one or more operating systems (O/S) 422; one or more database management systems (DBMS s) 424; and one or more program module(s), applications, engines, computer-executable code, scripts, or the like such as, for example, one or more data management module(s) 426, one or more data analysis module(s) 428, and/or one or more OBD module(s) 430. Some or all of these module(s) may be sub-module(s). Any of the components depicted as being stored in the data storage 420 may include any combination of software, firmware, and/or hardware. The software and/or firmware may include computer-executable code, instructions, or the like that may be loaded into the memory 404 for execution by one or more of the processor(s) 402. Any of the components depicted as being stored in the data storage 420 may support functionality described in reference to corresponding components named earlier in this disclosure.

The data storage 420 may further store various types of data utilized by the components of the computing device(s) 400. Any data stored in the data storage 420 may be loaded into the memory 404 for use by the processor(s) 402 in executing computer-executable code. In addition, any data depicted as being stored in the data storage 420 may potentially be stored in one or more datastore(s) and may be accessed via the DBMS 424 and loaded in the memory 404 for use by the processor(s) 402 in executing computer-executable code. The datastore(s) may include, but are not limited to, databases (e.g., relational, object-oriented, etc.), file systems, flat files, distributed datastores in which data is stored on more than one node of a computer network, peer-to-peer network datastores, or the like.

The processor(s) 402 may be configured to access the memory 404 and execute the computer-executable instructions loaded therein. For example, the processor(s) 402 may be configured to execute the computer-executable instructions of the various program module(s), applications, engines, or the like of the computing device(s) 400 to cause or facilitate various operations to be performed in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. The processor(s) 402 may include any suitable processing unit capable of accepting data as input, processing the input data in accordance with stored computer-executable instructions, and generating output data. The processor(s) 402 may include any type of suitable processing unit including, but not limited to, a central processing unit, a microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) microprocessor, a complex instruction set computer (CISC) microprocessor, a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a system-on-a-chip (SoC), a digital signal processor (DSP), and so forth. Further, the processor(s) 402 may have any suitable microarchitecture design that includes any number of constituent components such as, for example, registers, multiplexers, arithmetic logic units, cache controllers for controlling read/write operations to cache memory, branch predictors, or the like. The microarchitecture design of the processor(s) 402 may be capable of supporting any of a variety of instruction sets.

Referring now to functionality supported by the various program module(s) depicted in FIG. 4, the pool heating module(s) 426 may include computer-executable instructions, code, or the like that responsive to execution by one or more of the processor(s) 402 may perform functions including, but not limited to, receiving one or more input parameters form any number of different sources (for example, sensors 250, mobile devices 230, and/or any other data source), determining one or more pool heating unit(s) that may be enabled to heat one or more pools at any given time, and/or perform any other functionality described herein. The pool heating module(s) 426 may also include any artificial intelligence model(s), machine learning model(s), and/or any other type of model.

Referring now to other illustrative components depicted as being stored in the data storage 420, the O/S 422 may be loaded from the data storage 420 into the memory 404 and may provide an interface between other application software executing on the computing device(s) 400 and the hardware resources of the computing device(s) 400. More specifically, the O/S 422 may include a set of computer-executable instructions for managing hardware resources of the computing device(s) 400 and for providing common services to other application programs (e.g., managing memory allocation among various application programs). In certain example embodiments, the O/S 422 may control execution of the other program module(s) to dynamically enhance characters for content rendering. The O/S 422 may include any operating system now known or which may be developed in the future, including, but not limited to, any server operating system, any mainframe operating system, or any other proprietary or non-proprietary operating system.

The DBMS 424 may be loaded into the memory 404 and may support functionality for accessing, retrieving, storing, and/or manipulating data stored in the memory 404 and/or data stored in the data storage 420. The DBMS 424 may use any of a variety of database models (e.g., relational model, object model, etc.) and may support any of a variety of query languages. The DBMS 424 may access data represented in one or more data schemas and stored in any suitable data repository including, but not limited to, databases (e.g., relational, object-oriented, etc.), file systems, flat files, distributed datastores in which data is stored on more than one node of a computer network, peer-to-peer network datastores, or the like. In those example embodiments in which the computing device(s) 400 is a mobile device, the DBMS 424 may be any suitable lightweight DBMS optimized for performance on a mobile device.

Referring now to other illustrative components of the computing device(s) 400, the input/output (I/O) interface(s) 406 may facilitate the receipt of input information by the computing device(s) 400 from one or more I/O devices as well as the output of information from the computing device(s) 400 to one or more I/O devices. The I/O devices may include any of a variety of components such as a display or display screen having a touch surface or touchscreen; an audio output device for producing sound, such as a speaker; an audio capture device, such as a microphone; an image and/or video capture device, such as a camera; a haptic unit; and so forth. Any of these components may be integrated into the computing device(s) 400 or may be separate. The I/O devices may further include, for example, any number of peripheral devices such as data storage devices, printing devices, and so forth.

The I/O interface(s) 406 may also include an interface for an external peripheral device connection such as a universal serial bus (USB), FireWire, Thunderbolt, Ethernet port or other connection protocol that may connect to one or more networks. The I/O interface(s) 406 may also include a connection to one or more of the antenna(s) 434 to connect to one or more networks via a wireless local area network (WLAN) (such as WiFi) radio, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and/or a wireless network radio, such as a radio capable of communication with a wireless communication network such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, WiMAX network, 3G network, etc.

The computing device(s) 400 may further include one or more network interface(s) 408 via which the computing device(s) 400 may communicate with any of a variety of other systems, platforms, networks, devices, and so forth. The network interface(s) 408 may enable communication, for example, with one or more wireless routers, one or more host servers, one or more web servers, and the like via one or more networks.

The antenna(s) 434 may include any suitable type of antenna depending, for example, on the communications protocols used to transmit or receive signals via the antenna(s) 434. Non-limiting examples of suitable antennas may include directional antennas, non-directional antennas, dipole antennas, folded dipole antennas, patch antennas, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, or the like. The antenna(s) 434 may be communicatively coupled to one or more transceivers 412 or radio components to which or from which signals may be transmitted or received.

As previously described, the antenna(s) 434 may include a cellular antenna configured to transmit or receive signals in accordance with established standards and protocols, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), 3G standards (e.g., Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), CDMA2000, etc.), 4G standards (e.g., Long-Term Evolution (LTE), WiMax, etc.), direct satellite communications, or the like.

The antenna(s) 434 may additionally, or alternatively, include a WiFi antenna configured to transmit or receive signals in accordance with established standards and protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, including via 2.4 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n), 5 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11n, 802.11ac), or 60 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11ad). In alternative example embodiments, the antenna(s) 434 may be configured to transmit or receive radio frequency signals within any suitable frequency range forming part of the unlicensed portion of the radio spectrum.

The antenna(s) 434 may additionally, or alternatively, include a GNSS antenna configured to receive GNSS signals from three or more GNSS satellites carrying time-position information to triangulate a position therefrom. Such a GNSS antenna may be configured to receive GNSS signals from any current or planned GNSS such as, for example, the Global Positioning System (GPS), the GLONASS System, the Compass Navigation System, the Galileo System, or the Indian Regional Navigational System.

The transceiver(s) 412 may include any suitable radio component(s) for—in cooperation with the antenna(s) 434—transmitting or receiving radio frequency (RF) signals in the bandwidth and/or channels corresponding to the communications protocols utilized by the computing device(s) 400 to communicate with other devices. The transceiver(s) 412 may include hardware, software, and/or firmware for modulating, transmitting, or receiving— potentially in cooperation with any of antenna(s) 434—communications signals according to any of the communications protocols discussed above including, but not limited to, one or more WiFi and/or WiFi direct protocols, as standardized by the IEEE 802.11 standards, one or more non-Wi-Fi protocols, or one or more cellular communications protocols or standards. The transceiver(s) 412 may further include hardware, firmware, or software for receiving GNSS signals. The transceiver(s) 412 may include any known receiver and baseband suitable for communicating via the communications protocols utilized by the computing device(s) 400. The transceiver(s) 412 may further include a low noise amplifier (LNA), additional signal amplifiers, an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter, one or more buffers, a digital baseband, or the like.

The sensor(s)/sensor interface(s) 410 may include or may be capable of interfacing with any suitable type of sensing device such as, for example, inertial sensors, force sensors, thermal sensors, and so forth. Example types of inertial sensors may include accelerometers (e.g., MEMS-based accelerometers), gyroscopes, and so forth.

The speaker(s) 414 may be any device configured to generate audible sound. The microphone(s) 416 may be any device configured to receive analog sound input or voice data.

It should be appreciated that the program module(s), applications, computer-executable instructions, code, or the like depicted in FIG. 4 as being stored in the data storage 420 are merely illustrative and not exhaustive and that processing described as being supported by any particular module may alternatively be distributed across multiple module(s) or performed by a different module. In addition, various program module(s), script(s), plug-in(s), application programming interface(s) (API(s)), or any other suitable computer-executable code hosted locally on the computing device(s) 400, and/or hosted on other computing device(s) accessible via one or more networks, may be provided to support functionality provided by the program module(s), applications, or computer-executable code depicted in FIG. 4 and/or additional or alternate functionality. Further, functionality may be modularized differently such that processing described as being supported collectively by the collection of program module(s) depicted in FIG. 4 may be performed by a fewer or greater number of module(s), or functionality described as being supported by any particular module may be supported, at least in part, by another module. In addition, program module(s) that support the functionality described herein may form part of one or more applications executable across any number of systems or devices in accordance with any suitable computing model such as, for example, a client-server model, a peer-to-peer model, and so forth. In addition, any of the functionality described as being supported by any of the program module(s) depicted in FIG. 4 may be implemented, at least partially, in hardware and/or firmware across any number of devices.

It should further be appreciated that the computing device(s) 400 may include alternate and/or additional hardware, software, or firmware components beyond those described or depicted without departing from the scope of the disclosure. More particularly, it should be appreciated that software, firmware, or hardware components depicted as forming part of the computing device(s) 400 are merely illustrative and that some components may not be present or additional components may be provided in various embodiments. While various illustrative program module(s) have been depicted and described as software module(s) stored in the data storage 420, it should be appreciated that functionality described as being supported by the program module(s) may be enabled by any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. It should further be appreciated that each of the above-mentioned module(s) may, in various embodiments, represent a logical partitioning of supported functionality. This logical partitioning is depicted for ease of explanation of the functionality and may not be representative of the structure of software, hardware, and/or firmware for implementing the functionality. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that functionality described as being provided by a particular module may, in various embodiments, be provided at least in part by one or more other module(s). Further, one or more depicted module(s) may not be present in certain embodiments, while in other embodiments, additional module(s) not depicted may be present and may support at least a portion of the described functionality and/or additional functionality. Moreover, while certain module(s) may be depicted and described as sub-module(s) of another module, in certain embodiments, such module(s) may be provided as independent module(s) or as sub-module(s) of other module(s).

One or more operations of the methods, process flows, and use cases of FIGS. 1-3 may be performed by a device having the illustrative configuration depicted in FIG. 4, or more specifically, by one or more engines, program module(s), applications, or the like executable on such a device. It should be appreciated, however, that such operations may be implemented in connection with numerous other device configurations.

Program module(s), applications, or the like disclosed herein may include one or more software components, including, for example, software objects, methods, data structures, or the like. Each such software component may include computer-executable instructions that, responsive to execution, cause at least a portion of the functionality described herein (e.g., one or more operations of the illustrative methods described herein) to be performed.

A software component may be coded in any of a variety of programming languages. An illustrative programming language may be a lower-level programming language such as an assembly language associated with a particular hardware architecture and/or operating system platform. A software component comprising assembly language instructions may require conversion into executable machine code by an assembler prior to execution by the hardware architecture and/or platform.

Another example programming language may be a higher-level programming language that may be portable across multiple architectures. A software component comprising higher-level programming language instructions may require conversion to an intermediate representation by an interpreter or a compiler prior to execution.

Other examples of programming languages include, but are not limited to, a macro language, a shell or command language, a job control language, a script language, a database query or search language, or a report writing language. In one or more example embodiments, a software component comprising instructions in one of the foregoing examples of programming languages may be executed directly by an operating system or other software component without having to be first transformed into another form.

A software component may be stored as a file or other data storage construct. Software components of a similar type or functionally related may be stored together such as, for example, in a particular directory, folder, or library. Software components may be static (e.g., pre-established or fixed) or dynamic (e.g., created or modified at the time of execution).

Software components may invoke or be invoked by other software components through any of a wide variety of mechanisms. Invoked or invoking software components may comprise other custom-developed application software, operating system functionality (e.g., device drivers, data storage (e.g., file management) routines, other common routines, and services, etc.), or third-party software components (e.g., middleware, encryption, or other security software, database management software, file transfer or other network communication software, mathematical or statistical software, image processing software, and format translation software).

Software components associated with a particular solution or system may reside and be executed on a single platform or may be distributed across multiple platforms. The multiple platforms may be associated with more than one hardware vendor, underlying chip technology, or operating system. Furthermore, software components associated with a particular solution or system may be initially written in one or more programming languages, but may invoke software components written in another programming language.

Computer-executable program instructions may be loaded onto a special-purpose computer or other particular machine, a processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a particular machine, such that execution of the instructions on the computer, processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus causes one or more functions or operations specified in the flow diagrams to be performed. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium (CRSM) that upon execution may direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement one or more functions or operations specified in the flow diagrams. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational elements or steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process.

Additional types of CRSM that may be present in any of the devices described herein may include, but are not limited to, programmable random access memory (PRAM), SRAM, DRAM, RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the information and which can be accessed. Combinations of any of the above are also included within the scope of CRSM. Alternatively, computer-readable communication media (CRCM) may include computer-readable instructions, program module(s), or other data transmitted within a data signal, such as a carrier wave, or other transmission. However, as used herein, CRSM does not include CRCM.

Although embodiments have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing the embodiments. Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments could include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AUTOMATED POOL HEATING UNIT CONFIGURATIONS

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