Distributed heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system with concurrent network connections and multi-zone control

• US 10,119,713 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2015
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lennox Industries Incorporated (Lennox International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Lennox Industries Incorporated (Lennox International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Castillo, Daniel A., Charavda, Jayprakash, Ho, Nguyen T., Khiani, Sunil K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jules, Frantz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nieves, Nelson
• Application Number:
  US14/711,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20160209066A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 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 11/38 Failure diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• 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 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/00 Control inputs relating to system states
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/21157 Broken, open line, cable, circuit, faulty connection
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25168 Domotique, access through internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0004 applied to control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2823 Reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network device-related reporting H04L43/065; arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/283 Processing of data at an internetworking point of a home automation network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 : Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 : Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 : Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system for managing control units in HVAC network includes a first control unit communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units and a first interactive display, and the first control unit controls HVAC services for a first zone. A second control unit communicatively coupled to a second plurality of HVAC units and a second interactive display, and the second control unit controls HVAC services for a second zone. The first control unit may detect and connect to the second control unit using a Wi-Fi direct protocol to create an HVAC control network. The first control unit may also determine that the second control unit controls HVAC services for the second zone in response to connecting to the second control unit. The first control unit may also update the first interactive display to show the first and second zones and receive a command from the first interactive display over the HVAC control network to adjust a temperature of the second zone.

Claims

1. A system for managing control units in a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) network, comprising:

a first control unit communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units and a first interactive display, wherein the first control unit controls HVAC services for a first zone;

a second control unit communicatively coupled to a second plurality of HVAC units and a second interactive display, wherein the second control unit controls HVAC services for a second zone;

wherein, the first control unit is configured to;

connect to the second control unit using a Wi-Fi direct protocol to create an HVAC control network;

connect to the second control unit using a Wi-Fi network generated by a wireless access point;

receive an installation report that indicates the second control unit controls HVAC services for the second zone in response to connecting to the second control unit;

update the first interactive display to show the first and second zones in response to receiving the installation report;

receive a command from the first interactive display over the HVAC control network to adjust a temperature of an identified zone;

determine the identified zone is the second zone in response to receiving the command;

receive an alert indicating the second control unit is disconnecting from the Wi-Fi network; and

communicate the command to the second control unit using the HVAC control network in response to receiving the alert indicating the second control unit is disconnecting from the Wi-Fi network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second control unit is configured to:

receive the command from the first control units; and

transmit the command to the second plurality of HVAC units to adjust the temperature of the second zone.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein

the first control unit is further configured to:

detect a user device connected to the Wi-Fi network;

connect to the user device over the Wi-Fi network;

receive a command from the user device to adjust a temperature of the second zone; and

transmit the command to the second control unit and

the second control unit is further configured to;

receive the command from the first control unit; and

transmit the command to the second plurality HVAC units to adjust the temperature of the second zone.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the second control unit disconnects from the Wi-Fi network and the HVAC control network;

and

the first device is configured to;

detect that the second control unit has disconnected from the Wi-Fi network and the HVAC control network; and

update the first interactive display to show that the second control unit is disconnected from the Wi-Fi network.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the second control unit alerts the first control unit before disconnecting from the Wi-Fi network and the HVAC control network.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the first control unit is configured to alert the user device that the second control unit is disconnected from the Wi-Fi network and the HVAC control network.

7. A system for controlling a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) network, comprising:

a first control unit communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units and a first interactive display, wherein the first control unit controls HVAC services for a first zone; and

a second control unit communicatively coupled to a second plurality of HVAC units and a second interactive display, wherein the second control unit controls HVAC services for a second zone;

wherein, the first control unit is configured to;

connect to the second control unit over a Wi-Fi network;

connect to the second control unit using a Wi-Fi direct protocol to create an HVAC control network;

receive an installation report that indicates the second control unit controls HVAC services for the second zone in response to connecting to the second control unit;

update the first interactive display to show the first and second zones in response to receiving the installation report;

receive a command to adjust a temperature of an identified zone from the first interactive display;

determine the identified zone is the second zone in response to receiving the command;

receive an alert indicating the second control unit is disconnecting from the HVAC control network; and

communicate the command to the second control unit using the Wi-Fi network in response to receiving the alert indicating the second control unit is disconnecting from the HVAC control network.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein

the second control unit is configured to:

receive the command from the first control unit over the Wi-Fi network; and

transmit the command to the second plurality of HVAC units to adjust the temperature of the second zone.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first control unit is further configured to:

connect to a user device over the Wi-Fi network,

receive a command from the user device to adjust a temperature of the second zone, and

transmit the command to the second control unit over the Wi-Fi network; and

the second control unit configured to;

receive the command from the first control unit using the Wi-Fi network, and

transmit the command to the second plurality of HVAC units to adjust the temperature of the second zone.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the first control unit is further configured to:

connect to a user device using the Wi-Fi direct protocol,

receive a command from the user device to adjust a temperature of the second zone using the Wi-Fi direct protocol, and

transmit the command to the second control unit over the Wi-Fi network; and

the second control unit configured to;

receive the command from the first control unit using the Wi-Fi network, and

transmit the command to the second plurality of HVAC units to adjust the temperature of the second zone.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the second control unit disconnects from the Wi-Fi network;

and

the first control unit is configured to;

detect that the second control unit has disconnected from the Wi-Fi networks; and

update the first interactive display to show that the second control unit is disconnected.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second control unit alerts the first control unit that the second control unit is about to disconnect from the Wi-Fi network.