System and apparatus for wireless environmental zone control
First Claim
1. A control system to wirelessly control environmental parameters of a predefined zone in a forced air HVAC system, the control system comprising:
- a damper associated with the predefined zone, the damper comprising;
a rail for securing the damper on an air duct of the predefined zone,a blade assembly connected to the rail, the blade assembly having a damper module and a blade coupled to the damper module, wherein the damper module is configured to move the blade between an open and closed state to regulate air flow through the air duct,a supplemental power source configured to supply power to the damper module, anda scavenger assembly having an impeller and a scavenger module that stores power generated by rotation of the impeller in the air duct and supplies power to the damper module,wherein the damper operates in a first mode using power supplied only by the scavenger module when air flow is greater than or equal to a predefined rate, and wherein the damper operates in a second mode using combination of power supplied by both the scavenger module and the supplemental power source when air flow is less than the predefined rate;
a wireless temperature controller associated with the damper, configured to monitor a zone temperature and humidity in the predefined zone, to receive as input data representative of a desired temperature for the predefined zone, and to communicate data representative of the temperature in the predefined zone and the desired temperature and to request service at the predefined zone; and
a control box in wireless communication with the damper and the wireless temperature controller, the control box configured to adjust a position of the blade to regulate the flow of forced air inside the air duct of the predefined zone based on the data representative of the zone temperature and the data representative of the desired temperature received from the temperature controller, wherein the control box is further coupled to the forced air HVAC system and configured to control operation of the forced air HVAC system.
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Abstract
A system and method to control environmental parameters of predefined zones within a structure. An embodiment of the system uses damper assemblies that are entirely wireless as a result of energy capturing devices which convert air flow within the HVAC system ductwork into electrical current and a wireless control module that remove the need for hard-wiring for power or control. Still further, an embodiment of the system uses wireless components to monitor the environmental parameters of a structure'"'"'s zones, process and communicate necessary zone adjustments, and actuate system components.
50 Citations
31 Claims
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1. A control system to wirelessly control environmental parameters of a predefined zone in a forced air HVAC system, the control system comprising:
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a damper associated with the predefined zone, the damper comprising; a rail for securing the damper on an air duct of the predefined zone, a blade assembly connected to the rail, the blade assembly having a damper module and a blade coupled to the damper module, wherein the damper module is configured to move the blade between an open and closed state to regulate air flow through the air duct, a supplemental power source configured to supply power to the damper module, and a scavenger assembly having an impeller and a scavenger module that stores power generated by rotation of the impeller in the air duct and supplies power to the damper module, wherein the damper operates in a first mode using power supplied only by the scavenger module when air flow is greater than or equal to a predefined rate, and wherein the damper operates in a second mode using combination of power supplied by both the scavenger module and the supplemental power source when air flow is less than the predefined rate; a wireless temperature controller associated with the damper, configured to monitor a zone temperature and humidity in the predefined zone, to receive as input data representative of a desired temperature for the predefined zone, and to communicate data representative of the temperature in the predefined zone and the desired temperature and to request service at the predefined zone; and a control box in wireless communication with the damper and the wireless temperature controller, the control box configured to adjust a position of the blade to regulate the flow of forced air inside the air duct of the predefined zone based on the data representative of the zone temperature and the data representative of the desired temperature received from the temperature controller, wherein the control box is further coupled to the forced air HVAC system and configured to control operation of the forced air HVAC system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification