Fan coil thermostat with activity sensing

• US 10,001,292 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2016
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Sullivan, Daniel J., Zhang, Camel J., Geadelmann, Levi, Yang, Gary, Zhao, Angela
• Primary Examiner(s): DUKE, EMMANUEL E
• Application Number:
  US15/376,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20170089604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/0007 Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units self-contained units F24F1/02
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/39 Monitoring filter performance
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/61 using timers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/77 by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/83 by controlling the supply of heat-exchange fluids to heat-exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/84 using valves
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/00 Control inputs relating to users or occupants
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/12 Position of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/20 Feedback from users
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/265 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/048 Monitoring; Safety
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1904 : variable in time
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 : Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

Fan coil thermostats can provide energy savings by, for example, not unnecessarily heating and/or cooling an unoccupied room or other space. Fan coil systems employing such a fan coil thermostat may be more energy efficient. A fan coil system may include a fan coil that is configured for fluid communication with a source of heated fluid and/or a source of cooled fluid, a valve that controls fluid flow through the fan coil, a fan that blows air across the fan coil and a fan coil thermostat. The fan coil thermostat may include a controller that implements a control algorithm that may include an unoccupied temperature setting. The controller may be programmed to permit a user to enter a user-chosen temperature setting. In response, the controller may initiate a timer, and may automatically return to the unoccupied temperature setting once the timer has expired.

Claims

1. A fan coil thermostat for use with a fan coil system, the fan coil thermostat comprising:

a housing;

a temperature sensor housed by the housing for sensing an ambient temperature;

a user interface housed by the housing but accessible by a user from outside of the housing, the user interface comprising;

an LCD display for displaying the ambient temperature sensed by the temperature sensor;

an up button;

a down button; and

a fan button for manually changing a fan speed of the fan coil system;

a controller operatively coupled to the user interface and the temperature sensor, the controller implementing a control algorithm that is configured to at least partially control one or more components of the fan coil system in accordance with a temperature control set point, wherein the control algorithm defaults to using an unoccupied set temperature as the temperature control set point;

the controller is free from a programmable temperature setback schedule that has a plurality of temperature set points that correspond to particular periods of time during a day and/or week;

the controller is configured to receive a user-chosen set temperature when a user operates the up button and/or the down button of the user interface, and once received, the controller is configured to temporarily use the user-chosen set temperature as the temperature control set point rather than the unoccupied set temperature; and

wherein after the controller does not detect any button activity of the up button, the down button and the fan button over a predetermined time period, the controller automatically returns to using the unoccupied set temperature as the temperature control set point.

2. The fan coil thermostat of claim 1, wherein the predetermined time period is 12 hours.

3. The fan coil thermostat of claim 1, wherein the predetermined time period is 24 hours.

4. The fan coil thermostat of claim 1, wherein the LCD display is further configured to display the temperature control set point.

5. The fan coil thermostat of claim 1, wherein the controller has a heating mode and a cooling mode, and wherein the controller stores a heating unoccupied set temperature for use when in the heating mode and a cooling unoccupied set temperature for use when in the cooling mode.

6. The fan coil thermostat of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to automatically adjust the fan speed based at least on part on the temperature control set point and the sensed ambient temperature.

7. The fan coil thermostat of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to automatically adjust the fan speed based at least in part on a difference between the temperature control set point and the sensed ambient temperature.

8. The fan coil thermostat of claim 6, wherein, the further the sensed ambient temperature is away from the temperature control set point the faster the fan speed is operated.

9. The fan coil thermostat of claim 1, wherein the fan button, when repeatedly pressed, cycles through a plurality of available fan speeds.

10. The fan coil thermostat of claim 1, wherein the fan coil system includes a valve, and wherein the fan coil thermostat provides a valve control signal to control the valve.

11. The fan coil thermostat of claim 1, wherein the fan coil system includes a fan, and wherein the fan coil thermostat provides a fan speed control signal to control the fan speed of the fan.

12. The fan coil thermostat of claim 1, wherein the unoccupied set temperature comprises a set temperature chosen to conserve energy, the unoccupied set temperature is determined and set by a contractor or other maintenance personnel.

13. A method for controlling a fan coil system, comprising:

controlling one or more components of the fan coil system with a fan coil thermostat in accordance with a default unoccupied temperature set point;

receiving a user-chosen temperature set point via a user interface of the fan coil thermostat;

in response to receiving the user-chosen temperature set point, controlling one or more components of the fan coil system with the fan coil thermostat in accordance with the user-chosen temperature set point; and

waiting to not detect any user input at the user interface of the fan coil thermostat over a predetermined time period, and after not detecting any user input at the user interface of the fan coil thermostat over the predetermined time period, returning to controlling one or more components of the fan coil system with the fan coil thermostat in accordance with the default unoccupied temperature set point.