System for determining ambient temperature

• US 10,154,541 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2016
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Aljabari, Mohammad A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Toan
• Application Number:
  US15/085,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20160212799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/20 Compensating for effects of temperature changes other than those to be measured, e.g. changes in ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/42 Circuits effecting compensation of thermal inertia; Circuits for predicting the stationary value of a temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/427 Temperature calculation based on spatial modeling, e.g. spatial inter- or extrapolation
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/02 Automatic switching arrangements specially adapted to apparatus ; Control of heating devices thermally-actuated switches H01H37/00

Abstract

A mechanism for indicating ambient temperature of an enclosure from temperatures determined within the enclosure. The temperatures may be obtained from two or more sensors at each of two or more locations within the enclosure. The enclosure may include an apparatus inside such as electronics of which power consumption may be determined. Data including temperatures of two locations within the enclosure at various electronics power consumption levels may be entered into a 2-D plot. An approximation of the 2-D plot may be effected with an appropriate equation to be solved for ambient temperature. The data of the 2-D plot plus temperatures of a third location and air flow levels in the enclosure may be entered into a 3-D plot. An approximation of the 3-D plot may be effected with an appropriate equation to be solved for ambient temperature.

Claims

1. A device for providing control signals to one or more pieces of equipment, comprising:

a housing;

one or more active electronic components within the housing, wherein during operation of the device, the one or more active electronic components receive power and release heat within the housing, which causes a first region within the housing to be at a different temperature than a second region within the housing;

a first temperature sensor for reporting a measure that is indicative of the temperature in the first region;

a second temperature sensor for reporting a measure that is indicative of the temperature in the second region, wherein the second temperature sensor is not vertically aligned with the first temperature sensor during operation of the device;

a controller in communication with the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, the controller configured to determine a measure related to an ambient temperature outside of the housing based, at least in part, on the measure that is indicative of the temperature in the first region reported by the first temperature sensor and the measure that is indicative of the temperature in the second region reported by the second temperature sensor;

the controller using the measure related to the ambient temperature to determine the one or more control signals; and

wherein the device outputs the one or more control signals to control the one or more pieces of equipment.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is powered, at least in part, by electrical energy, and wherein the one or more active electronic components generate heat by consuming the electrical energy.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein a level of the electrical energy needed to power the device changes over time.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the measure related to the ambient temperature determined by the controller is relatively independent of the level of the electrical energy needed to power the device.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller determines the measure related to the ambient temperature outside of the housing based, at least in part, on a predetermined relationship between the measure related to the ambient temperature outside of the housing, and the measure indicative of the temperature in the first region reported by the first temperature sensor and the measure indicative of the temperature in the second region reported by the second temperature sensor.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the predetermined relationship identifies the measure related to the ambient temperature outside of the housing based, at least in part, on the measure indicative of the temperature in the first region reported by the first temperature sensor, the measure indicative of the temperature in the second region reported by the second temperature sensor, and a measure indicative of an electrical energy level powering the device.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the predetermined relationship includes a linear relationship.

8. The device of claim 5, wherein the predetermined relationship includes a non-linear relationship.

9. The device of claim 5, wherein the predetermined relationship includes a two-dimensional relationship.

10. The device of claim 5, wherein the predetermined relationship includes a three dimensional relationship.

11. A device for use in a thermostat application, comprising:

a first temperature sensor situated at a first location in a housing for measuring a first temperature at the first location;

a second temperature sensor situated at a second location in the housing for measuring a second temperature at the second location;

a third temperature sensor situated at a third location in the housing for measuring a third temperature at the third location;

wherein the first temperature, the second temperature and the third temperature are at different temperatures during operation of the device;

a controller receiving the first temperature from the first temperature sensor, the second temperature from the second temperature sensor, and the third temperature from the third temperature sensor;

wherein the controller determines an ambient temperature outside of the housing using a predetermined relationship that identifies the ambient temperature based, at least in part, on the first temperature, the second temperature and the third temperature; and

wherein the controller provides one or more control signals for controlling temperature control equipment, which control signals are based at least in part on the determined ambient temperature outside of the housing.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the predetermined relationship includes a three-dimensional relationship.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the predetermined relationship identifies the ambient temperature based, at least in part, on the first temperature, the second temperature, the third temperature, and a measure indicative of an electrical energy consumption level of the device.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the predetermined relationship identifies the ambient temperature based, at least in part, on the first temperature, the second temperature, the third temperature, and a measure indicative of air flow.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the second temperature sensor is not vertically aligned with the first temperature sensor during operation of the device.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the third temperature sensor is not vertically aligned with the second temperature sensor during operation of the device.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the third temperature sensor is not vertically aligned with the first temperature sensor during operation of the device.

18. A device for providing one or more control signals to one or more pieces of equipment, comprising:

a housing;

one or more heat generating elements within the housing, wherein during operation of the device, the one or more heat generating elements cause a first region within the housing to be at a different temperature than a second region within the housing;

a first temperature sensor for reporting a measure that is indicative of the temperature in the first region;

a second temperature sensor for reporting a measure that indicative of the temperature in the second region;

a controller in communication with the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, wherein the controller is configured to determine a measure related to an ambient temperature outside of the housing based, at least in part, on the measure that is indicative of the temperature in the first region reported by the first temperature sensor, the measure that is indicative of the temperature in the second region reported by the second temperature sensor and a measure indicative of an energy consumption level of one or more of the heat generating elements; and

the controller using the measure related to the ambient temperature to determine the one or more control signals, and the device outputs the one or more control signals to control the one or more pieces of equipment.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to determine the measure related to an ambient temperature outside of the housing based on a predetermined relationship.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the controller is configured to determine the measure related to an ambient temperature outside of the housing based on a predetermined relationship that is at least three dimensions.