Efficient distribution of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning functionality

• US 10,171,975 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:
  US14/712,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20160209061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 700228, 700275-298
• 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 replicating settings in an HVAC network includes a first control unit including a first internal clock, the first control unit communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units and a first interactive display. The system may also include a second control unit comprising a second internal clock, the second control unit communicatively coupled to a second plurality of HVAC units and a second interactive display. The system may include a communications network, wherein the first control unit detects the second control unit over the communications network and the first internal clock and the second internal clock have the same time.

Claims

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

a first control unit comprising a first internal clock operable to maintain an internal time for the first control unit, the first control unit communicatively coupled to a first plurality of HVAC units and a first interactive display;

a second control unit comprising a second internal clock operable to maintain an internal time for the second control unit, the second control unit communicatively coupled to a second plurality of HVAC units and a second interactive display; and

a communications network, wherein the first control unit detects the second control unit over the communications network and the first control unit and the second control unit synchronize the first internal clock and the second internal clock to have the same internal time; and

the first control unit is further operable to;

receive a first settings update from the second control unit;

determine drat the first settings update is associated with a changed universal setting comprising a first setting time, wherein the changed universal setting comprises at least one of a language preference, a temperature unit preference, a password for the communications network, an address of the first and second control units, or a dealer of the first plurality of HVAC units and second plurality of HVAC units;

compare the first setting time of the changed universal setting to a stored setting time of an existing universal setting, wherein the stored setting time reflects the time when existing universal setting was changed and the first setting time reflects the time when the changed universal setting was changed;

determine that the first setting time is more recent in time than the stored setting time;

update the existing universal setting with the changed universal setting; and

implement the changed universal setting in at least one of the first plurality of HVAC units and the first interactive display.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first control unit is operable to:

receive a second settings update from the first interactive display;

determine that the second settings update is a universal settings update; and

transmit the second settings update to the second control unit over the communications network.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first control unit is operable to:

receive a third settings update from the first interactive display;

determine that the third settings update is a local settings update;

store the third settings update in a settings database; and

determine that the third settings update does not get transmitted to the second control unit because it is a local settings update.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first control unit is operable to:

receive a fourth settings update from the second control unit;

determine that the fourth settings update is associated with a changed universal setting comprising a third setting time;

compare the third setting time of the changed universal setting to a stored setting time of an existing universal setting;

determine that the third setting time is older than the stored setting time; and

maintain the existing universal setting.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first control unit is further operable to transmit the existing universal setting to the second control unit.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications network is a Wi-Fi network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications network is an HVAC control network in which the first and second control units use a Wi-Fi direct protocol to facilitate communications.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications network comprises a wireless access point connected to the Internet;

and

the first control unit is further operable to connect to a control server over the Internet using the wireless access point, receive a fifth settings update from the control server, determine that the fifth settings update is a universal settings update, and transmit the fifth settings update to the second control unit over the communications network.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the universal setting is a schedule for an operation of the first and second control units.