This disclosure relates generally to heating and cooling systems of a building and, more particularly, to controlling operation of the heating and cooling systems to limit a rate of temperature change during a transition between a heating operation mode and a cooling operation mode.
Many commercial buildings and residences, particularly in geographic regions experiencing significant changes in temperature through the year, have both heating and cooling systems. The heating system is generally used during the winter and the cooling system is generally used during the summer. Thermostats previously provided for these dual function systems typically include a means for storing a first temperature set point for the heating system, and a means for storing a second set temperature point for the cooling system. At its discretion, a thermostat may actively manage a temperature with a range of acceptable temperatures, or the system may allow the temperature to naturally fluctuate within the range without taking corrective action. If the two set points are adjusted too close to one another, the system may oscillate between heating and cooling modes because the temperatures may overshoot the heating set point during the heating mode and undershoot the cooling set point during the cooling mode. If the set points are set too widely apart, the comfort of the occupants may be diminished.
While the first temperature set point may feel warm during winter months, and the second temperature set point may feel cool during summer months, the first temperature set point may feel cool during summer months and the second temperature set point may feel warm during winter months. The rapid transition that occurs between heating and cooling modes of operation does not account for acclimation of a person to his or her surroundings.
According to a first embodiment, a thermostat associated with a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, includes a housing, at least one input, a sensor for measuring an ambient internal temperature, and an internal processor for operating the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system in response to the at least one input and the measured ambient internal temperature. The thermostat is operable in a heating mode and a cooling mode. A heating set point is associated with the heating mode, and a cooling set point is associated with the cooling mode. The internal processor is programmable to incrementally adjust at least one of the heating set point and the cooling set point in response to a sensed condition.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments the sensed condition includes a change in external temperature indicating a transition between operating in one of the heating mode and the cooling mode to the other of the heating mode and cooling mode.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments the internal processor incrementally adjusts at least one the heating set point and the cooling set point over a predetermined period of time greater than a day.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments the predetermined period of time is between about 7 days and 14 days.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments the sensed condition includes the ambient temperature of a conditioned area.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments a rate of change of at least one of the heating set point and the cooling set point is between about 1 degree and about 4 degrees per increment.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments the rate of change of at least one of the heating set point and the cooling set point is generally constant.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments the rate of change of at least one of the heating set point and the cooling set point varies between increments.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments the rate of change of at least one of the heating set point and the cooling set point is a set by a user.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments the rate of change at least one of the heating set point and the cooling set point is calculated based one or more parameters.
According to another embodiment, a method of adjusting a set point temperature of a thermostat includes sensing a condition and incrementally adjusting at least one of the heating set point and the cooling set point of the thermostat in response to the sensed condition.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments the sensed condition indicates a transition of the thermostat between a heating mode and a cooling mode, the heating set point being associated with the heating mode and the cooling set point being associated with the cooling mode.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments the transition between the heating mode and the cooling mode is initiated when a sensed daily temperature change exceeds a threshold for a predefined number of days.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments identifying a difference between a cooling set point associated with the cooling mode and a heating set point associated with the heating mode.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments the sensed condition occurs via an input provided by a user.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments sensing a condition includes determining a previous temperature of an area being conditioned by the thermostat.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments wherein a rate of change of at least one of the heating set point and the cooling set point is between about 1 degree and about 4 degrees per increment.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments wherein the rate of change of at least one of the heating set point and the cooling set point is generally constant.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments the rate of change of at least one of the heating set point and the cooling set point varies between increments.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments incrementally adjusting at least one of the heating set point and the cooling set point occurs over a predetermined period of time greater than a day.
The subject matter, which is regarded as the present disclosure, is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the present disclosure are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
The detailed description explains embodiments of the present disclosure, together with advantages and features, by way of example with reference to the drawings.
Referring now to
In addition to these operational inputs, the thermostat 20 may include one or more adjustment inputs 32 configured to adjust a currently selected parameter incrementally, such as for increasing or decreasing a desired temperature at which the thermostat 20 will maintain the ambient environment. Although the thermostat 20 illustrated and described herein includes four inputs, a thermostat 20 having any number and any type of inputs, such as an alphanumeric keypad, a rotatable knob, a slidable bar, a toggle switch, or a touch screen for example, are within the scope of the disclosure.
Thermostats 20 typically operate in one of a heating mode or a cooling mode. In geographic regions having significant temperature changes between summer and winter, thermostats 20 are generally operated consistently in the heating mode during the cooler winter months and in the cooling mode during the warmer summer months. When a conventional thermostat is operated in either a heating mode or a cooling mode, the thermostat is configured to initiate heating or cooling if the sensed temperature is beyond a set point associated with the mode of operation. For example, as shown in
Thermostats, like thermostat 20, which are capable of switching between heating and cooling modes automatically, may be configured to do so in response to either a programmed date or when the sensed temperature is continuously below the heating set point or above the cooling set point, to indicate a change in season. With reference now to
To avoid such drastic changes in the conditioned temperature of a room when a quick change in external temperature occurs, the thermostat 20 may be configured to gradually adjust one or more heating and cooling set points. For example, the processor 26 of the thermostat 20 may include an algorithm for regulating the rate at which the set-point changes. With reference now to
The transition of the set-point may occur over any period of time greater than a day, and will generally be less than a month, such as between about 7 and 14 days for example. The incremental change in the set-point determined by the algorithm may be a preset value, such that the change in the set point temperature is generally linear as shown in the exemplary embodiment of
In another embodiment, as illustrated in
By incrementally adjusting the set point temperature daily during the transition between a heating mode and a cooling mode of operation, a person may better adapt to the change between the heating and cooling set points over time. As a result of this more gradual transition, the perceived temperature change will be reduced, which may improve a person's mental and physical health.
While the present disclosure has been particularly shown and described with reference to the exemplary embodiments as illustrated in the drawing, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed as, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 62/286,761, filed Jan. 25, 2016, the contents of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62286761 | Jan 2016 | US |