HVAC zoning devices, systems, and methods

• US 10,242,129 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2015
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Flaherty, James, Kraft, Nathaniel D., Gilmer, Preston, Emmons, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Norton, Jennifer L
• Application Number:
  US14/744,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20150369503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 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 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/54 using one central controller connected to several sub-controllers
• 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 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/70 Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/74 for controlling air flow rate or air velocity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/20 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/50 Air quality properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/00 Control inputs relating to users or occupants
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/20 Feedback from users
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/20 Sunlight
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/40 Damper positions, e.g. open or closed
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/13 Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 : Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system may be controlled by an HVAC control system. The HVAC control system may include a communications block, a controller and a user interface. The communications block may receive sensed data from sensing devices located within spaces of a building. The sensing devices may be located at different spaced sensor locations within the building. The controller may receive the sensed data from the communications block and based, at least in part, on the received sensed, determine recommended setting changes to the HVAC control system. The user interface may display the recommended setting changes to a user.

Claims

1. An heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) control system of an HVAC system of a building, wherein the HVAC system includes two or more registers located at different spaced register locations within the building, and wherein at least some of the two or more registers are manually adjustable by a user to manually change air flow characteristics of the corresponding register, the HVAC control system comprising:

a communications block for receiving sensed data from each of two or more sensing devices located at different spaced sensor locations within the building;

a memory storing an indicator of the sensor location of each of the two or more sensing devices within the building and an indicator of the register location of each of two or more registers within the building;

a controller operatively coupled to the communications block and the memory, the controller receiving the sensed data from the communications block, and based at least in part on the received sensed data, controls operation of the HVAC system, and based at least in part on the received sensed data, the stored indicators of the sensor locations, and the stored indicators of at least two of the register locations, determines one or more recommended setting changes to the HVAC system including a recommended manual adjustment to one or more of the manually adjustable registers;

a user interface operatively coupled to the controller for displaying the one or more recommended setting changes to the HVAC system; and

wherein after the controller receives confirmation that one or more of the recommended setting changes have been made by the user, the controller controls the HVAC system with the one or more recommended setting changes made.

2. The HVAC control system of claim 1, wherein one of the recommended setting changes includes a recommendation to replace one or more of the manually adjustable registers with an electronically controllable register.

3. The HVAC control system of claim 1, wherein one of the recommended setting changes includes a recommendation to change a fan setting of the HVAC system to one of an on mode, an off mode, an auto mode, and a circulation mode.

4. The HVAC control system of claim 1, wherein one of the recommended setting changes includes a recommendation to change a position of a window treatment of the building.

5. The HVAC control system of claim 1, wherein at least part of the controller of the HVAC control system is implemented remotely from the building.

6. The HVAC control system of claim 5, wherein at least part of the controller of the HVAC control system is implemented in a cloud server.

7. The HVAC control system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is implemented as part of a thermostat of the HVAC control system that is located within the building.

8. The HVAC control system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is implemented as part of a mobile application running on a mobile device.

9. The HVAC control system of claim 1, wherein the controller of the HVAC control system determines the one or more recommended setting changes to the HVAC control system based at least in part on an analysis of a number of thermodynamic properties of the building.

10. The HVAC control system of claim 9, wherein the analysis of the number of thermodynamic properties of the building is based at least in part on historical sensed data that is received from the communications block.

11. A cloud server in communication with a plurality of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems each in a separate building, wherein each of the plurality of HVAC systems includes two or more spaced sensing devices and an HVAC controller for controlling one or more HVAC components of the corresponding HVAC system, and wherein each of the plurality of HVAC systems includes two or more registers located at different spaced register locations within the corresponding building, and wherein at least some of the two or more registers are manually adjustable by a user to manually change air flow characteristics of the corresponding register, the cloud server comprising:

a communications block receiving HVAC data from each of the plurality of HVAC systems, wherein the HVAC data includes environmental data that is based at least in part on one or more environmental parameters sensed by the two or more spaced sensing devices of a corresponding HVAC system, wherein the HVAC controller of a first HVAC system controls operation of the first HVAC system based at least part on one or more of the environmental parameters sensed by the two or more spaced sensing devices of the first HVAC system;

a memory storing the received HVAC data, an indicator of a sensor location for each of the two or more spaced sensing devices for each of the plurality of HVAC systems, and an indicator of the register location for each of two or more registers for each of the plurality of HVAC systems;

a controller operatively coupled to the communications block and the memory, the controller determines one or more recommended setting changes for the first HVAC system of the plurality of HVAC systems including a recommended manual adjustment to one or more of the manually adjustable registers of the first HVAC system based on at least part of the received HVAC data stored in the memory from each of two or more sensing devices of the first HVAC system, the indicators of the sensor location for each of the two or more spaced sensing devices of the first HVAC system, and the indicators of the register location for each of two or more registers of the first HVAC system;

the controller displays the one or more recommended setting changes for the first HVAC system on a user interface via the communications block, wherein the user interface is located remotely from the cloud server and receives a notification that the one or e more recommended setting changes have been made by the user;

after being notified the one or more of the recommended setting changes have been made by the user, the controller notifies the HVAC controller of the first HVAC system of the one or more recommended setting changes that have been made by the user; and

after being notified by the controller that the one or more recommended setting changes have been made by the user, the HVAC controller of the first HVAC system controls the first HVAC system with the one or more recommended setting changes made.

12. The cloud server of claim 11, wherein the user interface is implemented as part of the HVAC controller of the first HVAC system or as part of a mobile application running on a mobile device.

13. The cloud server of claim 11, wherein the one or more recommended setting changes includes a recommendation to replace one or more of the manually adjustable registers with an electronically controllable register.

14. A method for operating an heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system of a building, wherein the HVAC system includes two or more registers located at different spaced register locations within the building, and wherein at least some of the two or more registers are manually adjustable by a user to manually change air flow characteristics of the corresponding register, the method comprising:

collecting environmental sensor data via two or more sensing devices located at two or more identified locations within the building;

controlling operation of the HVAC system based at least in part on the collecting environmental sensor data;

determine a recommended setting change to the HVAC system based at least in part on the collected environmental sensor data from a first one of the two or more sensing devices, a second one of the two or more sensing devices, the corresponding identified location of the first one of the two or more sensing devices and the identified location of the second one of the two or more sensing devices, and at least two of the register locations, wherein the recommended setting change includes a manual adjustment to one or more of the manually adjustable register dampers and/or to replace a manually adjustable register damper with an electronically controllable register damper;

displaying the recommended setting change to a user via a user interface that is associated with the HVAC control system;

receiving confirmation that the setting change has been implemented by the user; and

after confirmation that the setting change has been implemented, controlling operation of the HVAC system with the recommended setting change implemented.