Diagnosing and troubleshooting a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system

• US 10,168,065 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2015
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• 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): Karim, Ziaul
• Application Number:
  US14/712,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20160209060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 700275-296
• 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 some embodiments a system for troubleshooting an HVAC system includes, a control unit communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units and a first interactive display. The control unit may connect to a Wi-Fi network generated by a wireless access point connected to the Internet. The control unit detects and connects to a control server over the Internet using the wireless access point. The control unit may detect a local user device over the Wi-Fi network, wherein the local user device may control the plurality HVAC units by communicating with the control unit over the Wi-Fi network. The system may include a mobile troubleshooting device that communicates with the control unit using a Wi-Fi direct protocol without accessing the Wi-Fi network. The system may include a remote troubleshooting device that communicates with the control unit over a control connection established between the control server and the control unit.

Claims

1. A system for troubleshooting a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

a control unit communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units and a first interactive display;

the control unit operable to;

connect to a Wi-Fi network, the Wi-Fi network generated by a wireless access point connected to an Internet;

detect and connect to a control server over the Internet using the Wi-Fi network; and

detect a local user device over the Wi-Fi network, the local user device operable to control the plurality HVAC units by communicating with the control unit over the Wi-Fi network;

a mobile troubleshooting device, the mobile troubleshooting device operable to communicate with the control unit over an HVAC network using a Wi-Fi direct protocol, wherein the HVAC network is separate from the Wi-Fi network and the mobile troubleshooting device accesses the HVAC network without accessing the Wi-Fi network;

a remote troubleshooting device, the remote troubleshooting device operable to communicate with the control unit over a control connection established between the control server and the control unit, wherein at least one of the mobile troubleshooting device and the remote troubleshooting device are operable to diagnose an operational issue in the control unit; and

wherein in response to a failure in the wireless access point, the remote troubleshooting device is operable to communicate with the control unit through the mobile troubleshooting device, the mobile troubleshooting device acting as a bridge between the control unit and the remote troubleshooting device.

2. The system of claim 1, where the control server notifies the local user device that the remote troubleshooting device has connected to the control unit.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is operable to transmit a permission request to the local user device over the Wi-Fi network before communicating with the remote troubleshooting device.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a remote user device, the remote user device operable to communicate with the control unit by accessing the control unit through the control server over the Wi-Fi network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile troubleshooting device is further operable to connect with the control server over the Internet using a mobile telecommunications technology.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the mobile troubleshooting device is further operable to access the control server to access operational parameters regarding the control unit.

7. A control unit for operating a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

a first interface operable to facilitate communications with a first plurality of HVAC units;

a second interface operable to facilitate communication with an interactive display;

a Wi-Fi module operable to detect a Wi-Fi network, the Wi-Fi network comprising a wireless access point connected to an Internet; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the first interface, the second interface, and the Wi-Fi module, the processor is operable to;

connect, using the Wi-Fi module, to the Wi-Fi network;

connect, using the Wi-Fi module, to a local user device over the Wi-Fi network;

connect, using the Wi-Fi module, to a mobile troubleshooting device over an HVAC network using a Wi-Fi direct protocol without using the Wi-Fi network, wherein the HVAC network is separate from the Wi-Fi network;

receive, using the Wi-Fi module, a connection request from a remote trouble-shooting device over the Internet using the Wi-Fi network;

transmit, using the Wi-Fi module, a permission request to the local user device over the Wi-Fi network;

receive, using the Wi-Fi module, a permission notification from the local user device over the Wi-Fi network; and

approve, using the Wi-Fi module, the connection request from the remote troubleshooting device;

detect a failure in the wireless access point; and

connect, using the Wi-Fi module, to the remote trouble shooting device through the mobile trouble shooting device using the HVAC network.

8. The control unit of claim 7, wherein the processor is further operable to:

notify, using the Wi-Fi module, the local user device that a connection was made with the remote troubleshooting device.

9. The control unit of claim 7, wherein the Wi-Fi module receives the connection request from the remote troubleshooting device over a control connection established with a control server over the Internet using the Wi-Fi network.

10. The control unit of claim 7, wherein the mobile troubleshooting device is further operable to connect with the control server over the Internet using a mobile telecommunications technology.

11. A system for trouble shooting a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

a first control unit communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units;

a second control unit communicatively coupled to a second plurality of HVAC units;

wherein the first control unit communicatively couples to the second control unit over an HVAC network using a Wi-Fi direct protocol and the first control unit and the second control unit are operable to connect to a Wi-Fi network generated by a wireless access point connected to an Internet, wherein the HVAC network is separate from the Wi-Fi network;

the first control unit is further operable to detect a local user device over the Wi-Fi network, the local user device operable to communicate with the first and second control units over the Wi-Fi network;

a mobile troubleshooting device, the mobile troubleshooting device operable to diagnose an operational issue with at least one of the first plurality of HVAC units and the second plurality of HVAC units by communicating with the first control unit using a Wi-Fi direct protocol without accessing the Wi-Fi network; and

a remote troubleshooting device, the remote troubleshooting device operable to communicate with at least one of the first control unit and the second control unit over the Internet using the Wi-Fi network; and

wherein in response to a failure in the wireless access point, the remote troubleshooting device is operable to communicate with at least one of the first control unit and the second control unit through the mobile troubleshooting device, the mobile troubleshooting device acting as a bridge between at least one of the first control unit and the second control unit and the remote troubleshooting device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second control unit fails to connect to the Wi-Fi network, and in response, the mobile troubleshooting device is operable to diagnose a connection issue with the second control unit by communicating with the first control unit using the Wi-Fi direct protocol.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the remote troubleshooting device communicates with the first control unit over a control connection established between a control server and the control unit.

14. A system for trouble shooting a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

a first control unit is communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units, the first control unit is communicatively coupled to an Internet using a USB Ethernet dongle;

a second control unit communicatively coupled to a second plurality of HVAC units, wherein the second control unit is communicatively coupled to the first control unit over an HVAC network using a Wi-Fi direct protocol; and

the first control unit is operable to;

connect with a local user device and a mobile trouble shooting device using the Wi-Fi direct protocol; and

connect with a remote trouble-shooting device over the Internet using the USB Ethernet dongle; and

wherein the remote troubleshooting device is operable to diagnose an operational issue in the first control unit; and

wherein in response to a failure in the USB ethernet dongle, the remote troubleshooting device is operable to communicate with the first control unit through the mobile troubleshooting device, the mobile troubleshooting device acting as a bridge between the first control unit and the remote troubleshooting device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second control unit is operable to communicate with the remote troubleshooting device over the Wi-Fi direct protocol with the first control unit.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the second control unit is operable to communicate with the mobile troubleshooting device using the Wi-Fi direct protocol.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the remote troubleshooting device is operable to diagnose an issue with the second plurality of HVAC units using the second control unit over the Internet using the USB Ethernet dongle.