Systems and Methods for Bypass Operation of Variable-Speed Drive

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units and more particularly to systems and methods for bypass operation of a variable-speed drive in an HVAC unit.

BACKGROUND

Variable-speed and multi-stage compressor motor drives have been widely available in the HVAC industry. These types of motor drives may include a microcontroller and may be provided between any input line voltages and components of the HVAC unit, such as a compressor, fan motor, and/or any other types of components. The drive allows for variable-speed control signals to be provided to these components rather than the line voltages being provided directly to the components. Such drives are associated with a number of different advantages. As a first example advantage, the HVAC unit is made more efficient because it is able to operate below maximum capacity. As a second example advantage, a control algorithm may be devised to decrease the capacity of the compressor as the space temperature approaches the chosen set-point temperature. This may reduce the overshoot of the set-point of the room temperature, which provides for a more comfortable user experience. As a third example advantage, some drives may exceed a rated capacity to provide more than the rated cooling or heating (for example, heat pump) capacity in the event that such excess capacity may be useful. These types of motor drives may also be associated with a number of other advantages as well.

Different methods for variable-speed operation are known to exist. Most compressor drives are known to use a conventional three-phase motor drive coupled to a three-phase motor on the compressor and/or fan motor. Another approach is to use a special drive with a permanent split-capacitor compressor motor and fan motor while varying the frequency and voltage provided to the motor(s) beyond the specified range of the motor(s) line frequency. This proposed drive can operate a more conventional compressor motor which may operate on a line voltage at a single speed without the need for a special motor drive. This allows for the compressor to operate at full capacity without the need for the drive.

Compressor drive size and cost are directly related to the output of the drive in power (usually rated in Kilowatts, for example). If the motor drive can be reduced to below the rated capacity of the compressor's power requirement, significant cost savings can be realized on the drive itself. Capacities at less than 100% are operated by the drive while 100% capacity is operated by line voltage without the drive in the control circuit. This is accomplished with the use of a special switching mechanism. The drive operates the compressor at lesser capacities starting at (for example) 70% of maximum, thereby reducing the size and cost of the drive. Operation range from 71 to 99% in this example is not realized but is not generally considered significant. Therefore, the drive output is reduced to 70% of the total output capacity and the cost of the drive is reduced significantly. Other percentage capacity combinations make it possible to reduce the cost and size of the compressor drive even further.

While these drives are useful for improving the efficiency of an HVAC unit, a drive failure may result in the HVAC unit being inoperable, as the control signals are no longer provided to the components of the HVAC unit. This may leave a consumer without heating and/or cooling in their home.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1B are example circuit schematics showing the drive bypass circuit, 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 embodiments 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 bypass operation of a variable-speed drive in an HVAC unit. Particularly, an HVAC unit is provided that includes a bypass circuit that allows a compressor and/or a fan motor of an HVAC unit to continue to operate even if a variable-speed drive that otherwise supplies control signals to the compressor and/or fan motor experiences a fault condition. While reference may specifically be made herein to a compressor and/or a fan motor, these systems and methods may similarly apply to any other components of an HVAC unit that normally are operated using a variable-speed drive as well. Additionally, while reference is made to a variable-speed drive, similar systems and methods may be applicable to variable-frequency drives (VFD) as well.

Under normal operation of the HVAC unit, the drive may receive line voltages as an input and may produce an output that may be different from the line voltages. A line voltage may include the voltage of a power transmission circuit or distribution circuit up to the point of transformation or utilization. For example, outlets and junction boxes in the United States and Canada are typically associated with line voltages of 120V (however, any other voltage may also be applicable). That is, rather than a constant line voltage being provided to the compressor and/or fan motor at all times, the drive allows for variable-speed signals to be provided to the compressor and/or fan motor so that the compressor and/or fan motor do not necessarily need to operate at maximum capacity at all times. This is often referred to as a dual-stage system.

However, given that the power signal routes through the drive, if the drive experiences a fault condition, this may normally render the compressor and/or the fan motor inoperable. For example, the drive may experience an error in reading sensor data or producing control signals for the compressor and/or fan motor (as well as any other types of potential fault conditions). When a fault condition occurs, a consumer may desire for the HVAC unit to still have the capability to remain operational until a technician is able to repair the faulty drive, even if this continued operation requires the HVAC unit to operate at a lower efficiency.

To allow the HVAC unit to remain operable during a fault condition, the circuitry of the HVAC unit may be reconfigured to temporarily bypass the drive and operate at the constant line voltage. That is, the HVAC unit may be converted back into a single-stage system in which the drive is no longer used and the compressor and/or fan motor operate at maximum capacity at all times. This may be accomplished in a number of different ways. For example, this bypass may be automatically performed without requiring any manual user intervention. As aforementioned, the drive itself may be a microcontroller that is configured to detect a fault. When a fault is detected, the HVAC unit may automatically switch to the line voltage control by closing the bypass circuit that allows the line voltage to directly connect to the compressor and/or fan motor (and/or any other components of the HVAC unit). An example of a bypass circuit is illustrated in additional detail in FIGS. 1A-1B (described below).

The HVAC unit may also provide an alert to a user, such as a homeowner or a service technician. The alert may provide an indication that the drive has experienced a fault and the bypass has been performed. The alert may be provided in any suitable manner, such as a visual alert presented via a display of the HVAC unit or an auditory alert emitted by the HVAC unit. The alert may also be transmitted to a remote device, such as a mobile device of the user, a thermostat, etc.

In one or more embodiments, the bypass may also be performed manually. For example, the HVAC unit may include a button, switch, dipswitch, or any other similar component that may allow for a user to select between the bypass mode (operation at maximum capacity) and the normal operation mode in which the drive is used to provide variable-speed operation. In one or more embodiments, the HVAC unit may also be equipped with a display (such as a touchscreen display) that a user may interact with to perform the same selection of either the bypass mode or the normal operation mode. Furthermore, such a selection may be performed remotely from the HVAC unit as well. For example, a user may provide an indication of a selection through an external system or device (such as a mobile device, desktop or laptop computer, etc.). An indication of the selection may then be transmitted to the HVAC unit. The HVAC unit may then either close or open the bypass circuit depending on the mode that was selected. In this manner, the consumer may be able to manually switch the HVAC unit to the bypass mode upon receiving an indication of an alert that a fault condition has occurred (similarly, a technician may be able to perform the manual switch as well).

In one or more embodiments, the bypass operation may also be applicable for bypass of an inverter. Some HVAC units (such as residential condensers, air handlers, furnaces, packaged units, mini-splits, and/or an other types of units) may include an inverter, however, it may be desirable to bypass the inverter when it is desired for the motor to operate at full speed (which may be 60 Hz, as one non-limiting example). Bypassing the inverter at full speed operation produces energy savings because the losses of the inverter may be avoided. This also provides the benefit of reducing the sizing requirements of the inverter, which may provide space savings in the HVAC unit.

FIGS. 1A-1B are example circuit schematics 100 showing the drive bypass circuit. Particularly, FIG. 1A shows an example circuit schematic 100 in which the HVAC unit is operating normally using the drive 102. FIG. 1B shows the same example circuit schematic 100 after the bypass of the drive 102 has been performed. That is, the HVAC unit is configured to switch between a first circuit and a second circuit. When the first circuit is used (shown in FIG. 1A), the drive 102 is used to provide variable-speed control to a compressor 108, a fan motor 110, and/or any other components of the HVAC unit. When the second circuit is used (shown in FIG. 1B), the drive 102 is bypassed and the line voltage(s) 116 are provided directly to the compressor 108, the fan motor 110, and/or any other components of the HVAC unit.

Beginning with FIG. 1A, circuit schematic 100 associated with an example HVAC unit is shown. Specifically, the figure shows the circuit schematic 100 under normal operation of the HVAC unit in which the drive 102 provides variable-speed control signals to the compressor 108 and/or the fan motor 110. The circuit schematic 100 includes at least the drive 102, a controller 104, one or more contactors 106, the compressor 108, the fan motor 110, one or more capacitors 112, one or more sensors 114, one or more line voltages 116, and/or a bypass section 118. The components included in the circuit schematic 100 are merely exemplary and the circuit may also include any other combination of components as well. Additionally, the circuit may also be provided in any other configuration as well.

The compressor 108 is a component commonly found in HVAC units. The compressor 108 may compress gaseous refrigerant, which raises the refrigerant's temperature, converting the refrigerant into a high-pressure gas. The high pressure forces the refrigerant through a line that leads to the outdoor coil, where the refrigerant releases heat and condenses into a liquid. As shown in the figure, the compressor 108 may include three terminals, including a common terminal, a run terminal, and a start terminal. This three-terminal configuration is indicative of a single-phase permanent split capacitor (PSC) compressor, however, any other type of compressor may also be used, such as a three-phase compressor, and/or any other type of compressor. The fan motor 110 may drive a fan that blows cool air across the coils of the compressor 108 to carry away the heat, causing the refrigerant to condense.

The drive 102 may be a component of the HVAC unit that includes a microcontroller and is responsible for providing variable-speed control signals to the compressor 109, the fan motor 110, and/or any other components of the HVAC unit. Under normal operation, the drive 102 receives the one or more line voltages 116 as inputs (for example, first drive inputs 120). The drive 102 then produces drive outputs 122, which may be values that differ from the one or more line voltages 116 associated with the first drive inputs 120. That is, the drive 102 may be configured to provide variable control signals to the compressor 108 and/or fan motor 110 rather than such components always directly receiving the one or more line voltages 116. In this manner, the compressor 108 and/or fan motor 110 (and/or any other components) may not necessarily always need to operate at maximum capacity, which may improve the overall efficiency of the HVAC unit.

The specific voltage value(s) associated with the drive outputs 122 may be based on any number of different types of factors. As a first example, the specific values of the drive outputs 122 may be based on one or more control signals 124 received from the controller 104. For example, in one or more embodiments, the controller 104 may be a thermostat and the one or more control signals 124 may be signals indicating a desired temperature set by a user through the thermostat.

As a second example, the drive outputs 122 may also be based on second drive inputs 126, which may include data received from one or more sensors 114 associated with the HVAC unit. The one or more sensors 114 may be any type of sensors that may capture data relevant to the operation of the HVAC unit. In one or more embodiments, the one or more sensors 114 may be temperature sensors that may be configured to capture temperature data of the environment that is being heated and/or cooled by the HVAC unit. For example, the drive 102 may send control signals for the compressor 108 and/or fan motor 110 to operate at lower capacities as the temperature within the environment approaches the temperature set by the user. In this manner, the HVAC unit may operate at higher capacity if the temperature of the environment is significantly different from the temperature set by the user (to more quickly adjust the temperature within the environment), but may operate at lower capacity if the temperature of the environment is closer to the temperature set by the user. Thus, the HVAC unit may not necessarily need to operate at maximum capacity to make small adjustments to the temperature of the environment. This is merely one example of a scenario in which the

HVAC unit may not necessarily need to operate at maximum capacity and any other number of scenarios may also be applicable as well.

The one or more capacitors 112 may be capacitors that are associated with the compressor 108 and the fan motor 110. An HVAC unit may typically include a single capacitor. A capacitor may be used to generate a magnetic field in such a way that it simulates a second power supply phase, thereby generating the torque needed to start the motor rotating. However, given that the HVAC unit described herein is configured to switch between a first circuit in which the drive 102 is used and a second circuit in which the line voltage(s) 116 are provided directly to the compressor 108, multiple capacitances may be required within the circuit schematic. To allow for these multiple capacitances to be provided within the circuit schematic 100, the circuit schematic 100 may also advantageously include a dual capacitor. A dual capacitor may be a single package that includes multiple capacitors. One of the capacitors in the dual capacitor may be wired to the first circuit and may be used when the drive 102 is in use. The second capacitor in the dual capacitor may be wired to the second circuit and may be used when the drive 102 is bypassed and the line voltage(s) 116 are provided directly to the compressor 108. The use of the dual capacitor in this manner may eliminate the need for a technician to manually add a different capacitor and/or otherwise re-wire the circuitry of the

HVAC unit when the drive 102 is bypassed. In turn, this allows for the drive 102 bypass to be performed automatically.

The bypass section 118 is a section of circuitry included within the drive 102 that includes one or more contacts that are normally open while the drive 102 is operational. With the one or more contacts being open, the drive 102 is not bypassed and continues to provide variable-speed control signals to the compressor 108, the fan motor 110, and/or any other components of the HVAC unit. However, when a fault condition is identified in the drive 102, the one or more contacts of the bypass section 118 may be closed, allowing the drive 102 to be bypassed. This scenario is illustrated in FIG. 1B and further described below.

The one or more contactors 106 are components included in the HVAC unit that control the flow of electricity through a specific portion of the circuit. To provide for this control, the one or more contactors 106 may switch between two different positions. When the one or more contractors 106 are in are in a first position (an “up” position), electricity may be prevented from flowing through the circuit. In contrast, when the one or more contactors 106 are in a second position (a “down” position), electricity is able to flow through the one or more contactors 106 in the circuit. The one or more contactors 106 may be caused to switch between the two positions by providing a voltage to the one or more contactors 106.

FIG. 1B shows the same circuit schematic 100 in the bypass operation mode in which the drive 102 is bypassed and the one or more line voltages 116 are provided directly to the compressor 108 and/or the fan motor 110.

When a fault condition occurs in the drive 102, the drive 102 may not be able to provide power to the compressor 108 and/or the fan motor 110 (and/or any other components of the HVAC unit). The fault may be identified in any number of different ways. The fault may be identified based on any number of different triggering conditions. An example of a triggering condition may include a sensor reading being outside of a pre-determined range. In one or more embodiments, the drive 102 itself may determine that a fault has occurred, however, this is not intended to be limiting.

The drive 102 may be in communication with the controller 104. Given this, the drive 102 may be configured to provide a signal to the controller 104 indicating that a fault has occurred in the drive 102. For example, the drive 102 may be a microcontroller including a number of different registers. A register is a small portion of the microcontroller that may store small amounts of the data used for performing various operations. The controller 104 may receive values output based on the various registers of the drive 102 and may use the outputs to determine if a fault condition has occurred. In one or more embodiments, the controller 104 may include a decoder table that may be used to decipher the outputs provided based on the registers of the drive 102. For example, if a first register provides a value of “1,” this may be an indication that a specific type of fault has occurred in the drive 102. This is merely one example of a way in which a fault may be indicated and is not intended to be limiting. A fault may similarly be detected in any other suitable manner. In some instances, the controller 104 may determine that a fault has occurred in the drive 102 without receiving a communication from the drive 102.

When a fault condition is identified in the drive 102, the controller 104 may send a control signal to the drive 102. The control signal causes the one or more contacts of the bypass section 118 to close. In one or more embodiments, the drive 102 itself may effectuate the bypass instead of relying on a signal from the controller 104. For example, the circuits in the drive 102 may comprise solid-state devices that are controlled by the drive 102. If the signal is provided to bypass the drive 102, then the drive 102 may cease to provide power to the solid-state devices.

With the one or more contacts of the bypass section 118 being closed, a signal may be provided to the one or more contactors 106, which may also cause the one or more contactors to close (switch to the “down” position). Consequentially, the one or more line voltages 116 may then be provided directly to the compressor 108, the fan motor 110, and/or any other components of the HVAC unit directly through the one or more contactors 106. This allows the drive 102 to be bypassed and the HVAC unit to continue to operate at maximum capacity (which may be more desirable than the HVAC unit not being operable at all) until the drive 102 is serviced by a technician. Although the figure only shows one drive 102 and one contactor 106, this is not intended to be limiting, and any other number of drives 102 and/or contactors 106 may also be included as well.

While it is described that certain components of the HVAC unit or in communication with the HVAC unit may cause actions to be performed (for example, the controller 104 sending a control signal to the drive 102 to cause the contacts of the bypass section 118 to close), this is not intended to be limiting, and any other components may similarly perform these functions as well (for example, the drive 102 may simply cause the contacts to close without receive a signal from the controller 104 or a component other than the controller 104 may send a signal that causes the contacts to close). Additionally, the controller 104 may also attempt to first “restart” the HVAC unit to determine if the fault condition may be eliminated from the drive 102 without requiring maintenance to be performed by a technician.

As aforementioned, the system 100 may not necessarily be limited to only a variable-speed drive, but also may alternatively include a variable-frequency drive (which may be a three phase variable-frequency drive). In some instances, the variable-frequency drive may be used with a lower load (for example, the load value fails to satisfy a threshold value) and the variable-frequency drive may be bypassed when a load is provided that satisfies the threshold value. Satisfying and failing to satisfy the threshold value may refer to, for example, being less than, less than or equal to, greater than, or greater than or equal to the threshold value.

In further embodiments, the compressor 108 may be a two-step (two-stage) compressor. Specifically, the compressor may be a scroll compressor, however, other types of compressors may also be used. In such embodiments, the compressor 108 be powered at full capacity and at the lower step of the compressor 108 without the VFD at a first frequency (for example, 60 Hz). That is, the VFD would be bypassed in this instance. The compressor 108 may also be powered at full capacity and at the lower step of the compressor 108 at a second frequency (for example, 40 Hz). This configuration provides four speeds with the compressor 108. An advantage of this configuration is that the VFD may be sized for the 40 Hz operating point, which allows for a smaller VFD to be used in the system 100. Another advantage of this configuration is any oil return issues in the compressor 108 associated with the lower speed would be eliminated because the compressor 108 would be operator at or above the minimum speed at or above which oil return to the compressor 108 is acceptable. The aforementioned frequencies are merely exemplary and any other combination of frequencies may also be used.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a system 200, in accordance with one or more embodiments of this disclosure. In one or more embodiments, the system 200 may include one or more HVAC unit(s) 202, one or more controller(s) 212, one or more mobile devices 220 that may be associated with one or more users 222, one or more remote servers 230, and/or one or more sensors 250. For simplicity, reference may be made herein to a singular “HVAC unit,” “controller,” “mobile device,” “server,” “sensor,” etc. However, this is not intended to be limiting and any other number of such components may also be applicable.

The HVAC unit 202 may be any number of different types of HVAC units that may be included within an environment (for example, an air conditioner, furnace, heat pump, etc.). The HVAC unit 202 may include a drive 204 used to provide variable-speed control signals to components within the HVAC unit 202, such as a compressor, fan motor, etc. For example, the drive 204 may be the same as drive 102 of FIGS. 1A-1B. In one or more embodiments, the drive may include a microcontroller (or any other type of computing device) and include at least a processor 208 and memory 210. The HVAC unit 202 may also include any of the other components depicted in the circuit schematic 100 of FIGS. 1A-1B as well.

The controller 212 may be the same as controller 104 shown in FIGS. 1A-1B. That is, the controller 212 may be an external controller that may be used to provide control signals to the HVAC unit 202. In some instances, the controller 212 may be associated with a thermostat device that is separate from the HVAC unit 202. However, the controller 212 may also be associated with any other type of device, may be a standalone controller, and/or may also be provided within or on the HVAC unit 202 as well.

The controller 212 may be configured to provide any number of different signals to the HVAC unit 202. For example, the controller 212 may provide a signal to switch from a circuit including the drive 204 to a bypass circuit through which any line voltages are provided directly to the compressor, fan motor, and/or any other components of the HVAC unit 202. The controller 212 may also provide signals to switch back from the bypass circuit to the circuit involving the use of the drive 204. The controller 212 may also provide any other type of signals to the HVAC unit as well 202.

The controller 212 may also be configured to receive data as inputs as well. For example, the controller 212 may receive an indication of a fault condition from the drive 204. Based on the indication, the controller 212 may provide the signal for the HVAC unit 202 to bypass the drive 204. However, the controller 212 may make the fault determination without input from the drive 204. The controller 212 may also receive data from the sensor(s) 250 and/or any other types of data as well.

The controller 212 may also be configured to cause the HVAC unit 202 to provide an alert to the user 222. The alert may provide an indication that the drive has experienced a fault and the bypass has been performed. The alert may be provided in any suitable manner, such as a visual alert presented via a display of the HVAC unit 202 or an auditory alert emitted by the HVAC unit 202. The alert may also be transmitted to a remote device, such as a mobile device 220 of the user 222, a thermostat, etc.

The mobile device 220 may be a device that is used by user 222 to interact with any of the elements of the system 200. For example, the mobile device may include a smartphone, a laptop or desktop computer, a tablet, a smart television, and/or any other type of device. The user 222 may be able to provide an input to an application 224 of the mobile device 220 to manually control operation of the controller 212 or the HVAC unit 202. For example, the input may cause the HVAC unit 202 to switch between the circuit including the drive 204 and the bypass circuit. In embodiments in which the controller 212 is a thermostat, the user 222 may also be able to provide inputs to the application 224 to adjust the set point temperature of the thermostat and/or make any other types of adjustments. The application 224 may also allow the user to perform any other functions described herein or otherwise. To facilitate this functionality, the mobile device may also include one or more processor(s) 226 and memory 228.

Any of the processing and/or signal transmission described herein with respect to any of the other components of the system 200 may similarly be performed by the remote server 230 as well. That is, in some embodiments, remote processing and/or signal transmission may be performed instead of local processing and/or signal transmission that may otherwise be performed by the controller 212 and/or the HVAC unit 202. In some embodiments, a combination of local and remote processing may be performed as well.

The sensor(s) 250 may include any number of different types of sensors that may be used to obtain data relating to the operation of the HVAC unit 202. For example, the sensor(s) 250 may include temperature sensors used to capture data relating to the temperature of the environment that is being heated and/or cooled by the HVAC unit 202.

The one or more HVAC units 202, one or more controller(s) 212, one or more mobile devices 220 that may be associated with one or more users 222, one or more remote servers 230, and/or one or more sensors 250 may perform communications via a communications network 270. The communications network 270 may include, but 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. Additional details about example communications networks may be described with respect to FIG. 4 as well.

In one or more embodiments, any of the one or more HVAC units 202, one or more controller(s) 212, one or more mobile devices 220 that may be associated with one or more users 222, one or more remote servers 230, and/or one or more sensors 250 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) (for example, processor(s) 208, 216, 226, 236, etc.), memory (210, 218, 228, 238, etc.), and/or module(s) (206, 214, 234, etc.), as well as at least any other elements described as being included in the computing device(s) 400. That is, 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 may not be intended to be limiting in any way.

FIG. 3 is an example method 300, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. The method 300 may be performed by any of the systems or devices described herein (for example, the controller 104 and/or the drive 102 of FIGS. 1A-1B) 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 that a fault condition has occurred in a drive of an HVAC unit, wherein the drive is configured to receive a constant line voltage as an input, and wherein the drive is further configured to output, to a compressor of the HVAC unit and through a first circuit, a variable-speed control signal, the variable-speed control signal comprising a second voltage that is different than the constant line voltage. At block 304, the method 300 may include causing to send, based on the determination that the fault condition has occurred, a first signal to close one or more contacts associated with a second circuit, wherein closing the one or more contacts causes the constant line voltage to be provided directly to the compressor instead of the variable-speed control signal from the drive.

One or more operations of the methods, process flows, or use cases of FIGS. 1-3 may have been described above 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 should be 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 should be 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 Wi-Fi 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 (DBMSs) 424; and one or more program module(s), applications, engines, computer-executable code, scripts, or the like such as, for example, one or more drive bypass module(s) 426. 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 drive bypass 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, detecting fault conditions in a drive, switching an HVAC unit to a bypass circuit, providing an alert to a user, and/or any other functionality described herein or otherwise.

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). 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 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 Wi-Fi) 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 antennae may include directional antennae, non-directional antennae, dipole antennae, folded dipole antennae, patch antennae, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennae, 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 Wi-Fi 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 Wi-Fi and/or Wi-Fi 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, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, 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 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 Bypass Operation of Variable-Speed Drive

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