Energy saving controller

• US 10,066,849 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2016
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James Leych Lau
• Original Assignee: James Leych Lau
• Inventors: Lau, James Leych
• Primary Examiner(s): Ciric, Ljiljana
• Assistant Examiner(s): COX, ALEXIS K
• Application Number:
  US15/344,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20170051936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• 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 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• 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 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/70 Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/76 by means responsive to temperature, e.g. bimetal springs
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/77 by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/81 by controlling the air supply to heat-exchangers or bypass channels
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/86 by controlling compressors within refrigeration or heat pump circuits
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/88 Electrical aspects, e.g. circuits
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/60 Energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1931 to control the temperature of one space
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

An energy saving controller configured for mounting between a thermostat and the controller for an air handler unit having a fan and at least a member of a group consisting of a heater and a compressor, the energy saving controller including a temperature probe for reading the temperature of a room where the thermostat is located and being configured to control the air handler unit based on a demand response request received from a utility provider via the Internet and an input from the temperature probe.

Claims

1. An energy saving controller for overriding a thermostat, the energy saving controller being configured for mounting between the thermostat and a controller for an air handler unit having a fan and an HVAC component selected from the group consisting of a heater and a compressor, the energy saving controller comprising a temperature probe for reading the temperature of a room where the thermostat is located and a Wi-Fi module for directly wirelessly connecting to a wireless router connected to the Internet, the energy saving controller being configured to control the air handler unit based on each of a demand response request sought and retrieved by the energy saving controller from a utility provider via the Internet and an input from the temperature probe.

2. The energy saving controller of claim 1, further being configured to periodically report via the Internet to the utility provider the ON and OFF status of the air handler unit.

3. The energy saving controller of claim 2, wherein the energy saving controller is configured to seek and retrieve the demand response request by periodically accessing and reading commands from a READ URL of the utility provider and wherein the reporting occurs by periodically accessing and writing to a WRITE URL, without access by the utility provider to the energy saving controller.

4. The energy saving controller of claim 1, further being configured to extend the fan run time after the HVAC component has shut off, when outside of a demand response occurrence.

5. The energy saving controller of claim 4, further being configured to provide also compressor rest if the compressor has been running continuously for a period of time.

6. The energy saving controller of claim 1, further being configured to monitor ON and OFF durations of the HVAC component, in a first cycle, and, of ON duration of a second cycle immediately following the first cycle, and determining the fan'"'"'s first run time extension based on the ON and OFF durations of the first cycle and the ON duration of the second cycle.

7. The energy saving controller of claim 6, further being configured for shutting down the HVAC component for a first predetermined duration and means for overriding determining of the fan'"'"'s first run time extension amount if the HVAC component have run continuously for a second predetermined duration during the current cycle, while allowing the fan to run for a fan'"'"'s second run time extension amount equal with the first predetermined duration.

8. The energy saving controller of claim 6, having a set of input wires identically coded and equal in number as a number of wires coming from the thermostat and a set of output terminals equal in number with the number of wires coming from the controller of the air handler unit.

9. The energy saving controller of claim 1, further comprising circuitry configured to process a floating state thermostat fan output signal, received by the energy saving controller from the thermostat, into an OFF state signal, to avoid the floating state thermostat fan output signal to falsely trigger the fan to tum ON.

10. An energy saving controller for overriding a thermostat, the energy saving controller being configured for mounting between the thermostat and a controller for an air handler unit having a fan and an HVAC component selected from the group consisting of a heater and a compressor, the energy saving controller comprising a wireless module configured to directly wirelessly connecting to a wireless router connected to the Internet, the energy saving controller being configured to control the air handler unit based on a demand response request issued by a utility provider and accessed via the Internet by the energy saving controller, such that the control of the air handler unit based on the demand response request occurs without access by the utility provider to the thermostat, the energy saving controller or the HVAC component.