Method and control apparatus for switching a night mode of a heating system and/or an air-conditioning system on and off

• US 10,415,841 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2014
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: tado GmbH
• Original Assignee: tado GmbH
• Inventors: Deilmann, Christian, Schwarz, Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Wathen, Brian W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shafayet, Mohammed
• Application Number:
  US14/766,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20150369509A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,046 Days
• Field of Search: 700276
• 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 11/57 using telephone networks
• 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 11/66 Sleep mode
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities 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 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for switching on and off a night mode of a heating and/or air conditioning system, wherein an energy consumption of the heating and/or air conditioning system is reduced when the night mode is switched on and increased when the night mode is switched off. It is provided according to the invention that with a smartphone an activity of a user of the smartphone is detected, that with program code an activity state of the user is inferred when an activity is noticed and a state of rest of the user is inferred in the absence of activity, wherein the program code is stored in a non-volatile data memory, and that electronic control means switch on or off the night mode as a function of whether a state of rest or an activity state of the user has been noticed. The invention also relates to a corresponding control apparatus.

Claims

1. Method for setting a night mode of a heating and/or air conditioning system,

reducing energy consumption of the heating and/or air conditioning system when the night mode is switched on and increasing the energy consumption of the heating and/or air conditioning system when the night mode is switched off, the method further comprising:

detecting an activity of a user of a smartphone with the smartphone;

inferring with program code an activity state of the user if an activity is noticed and inferring a state of rest of the user in an absence of activity, wherein the program code is stored in a non-volatile data memory;

switching on the night mode of the heating and/or air conditioning system as a function of whether a state of rest of the user has been inferred;

switching off the night mode of the heating and/or air conditioning system as a function of whether an activity state of the user has been inferred; and

switching the night mode of the heating and/or air conditioning system on or off in response to detecting a switching-on of a screen on the smartphone.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the following checking measures are carried out to check an activity of the user:

detect a movement of the smartphone with an acceleration sensor of the smartphone,

detect an environment brightness with a light sensor of the smartphone or with a solar cell located on the smartphone for power generation,

detect an environment volume with a microphone of the smartphone,

detect an activation of a loud speaker of the smartphone,

detect an environment temperature with a temperature sensor of the smartphone,

detect a battery consumption of the smartphone,

detect pressing of a key on a mechanical key or on a touch-sensitive surface of the smartphone, or

detect an establishment or disconnection of a connection between the smartphone and a power source.

3. Method according to claim 2, wherein an activity state is inferred if at least one of the following conditions is fulfilled:

the smartphone is moved for a time period which exceeds a predefined threshold duration,

the environment brightness of the smartphone lies above a predefined threshold brightness for a predefined time period,

the environment volume of the smartphone lies above a predefined threshold volume for a predefined time period,

an environment temperature lies above a predefined threshold temperature, or

the battery consumption lies above a threshold value within a defined time period.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the state of rest of the user is inferred if no activity has been noticed for a predefined time period.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the state of rest of the user is inferred if the smartphone is switched off and/or a certain profile setting of the smartphone is selected.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the following additional measures is carried out:

a room brightness is measured in a room to be temperature-controlled by the heating and/or air conditioning system,

a room volume is measured in a room to be temperature-controlled by the heating and/or air conditioning system,

a movement of a user is detected with a movement sensor in a room other than a bedroom,

a computer use of a computer which is located in a room to be temperature-controlled by the heating and/or air conditioning system is noticed and

an email or internet use of the user is noticed and the activity state is inferred,

if the room brightness exceeds a predefined threshold value, in particular for a predefined time period, or

if the room volume exceeds a predefined threshold value, in particular for a predefined time period, or

if a movement is detected in the room other than the bedroom, in particular over at least a predefined time period,

if a computer use is noticed, or

if an email or internet use of the user is noticed.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein:

durations of states of rest of the user are detected and stored as reference sleep durations and/or

clock times at which a change from a state of rest to an activity state is noticed are detected and stored as reference getting-up times,

to switch off the night mode before an activity state of the user is noticed the switching-off of the night mode is carried out as a function of a ratio of a current sleep duration to the reference sleep durations and/or a ratio of a current clock time to the reference getting-up times.

8. Method according to claim 1,

a duration of at least one state of rest of the user is detected and stored as a reference sleep duration and/or

when a change to a state of rest and when a change to an activity state are noticed are stored as a reference going-to-sleep time and as a reference getting-up time,

a squelch time, within which a change between the activity state and the state of rest is categorized as implausible, is determined from a clock time of the last change between an activity state and a state of rest and also from the reference sleep duration and/or the reference going-to-sleep time and the reference getting-up time, and

a switching-on or switching-off of the night mode is only permitted outside of the squelch time.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein:

electronic control means switch on or off the night mode as a function of a respective state of rest or activity state of several users,

a state of rest or an activity state of each user is inferred by means of the respective smartphone of the different users.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein for energy saving operation of the respective smartphone an activity of the respective user is only checked when the respective distance of all smartphones from the heating and/or air conditioning system or from a bedroom to be temperature-controlled is shorter than a tolerance distance.

11. Control apparatus for switching on and off a night mode of a heating and/or air conditioning system,

wherein energy consumption of the heating and/or air conditioning system is reduced when the night mode is switched on and increased when the night mode is switched off,

with a setting device which can be connected to the heating and/or air conditioning system to change the heating and/or cooling output thereof,

wherein a non-volatile data memory with program code is provided which can be run by a smartphone,

the program code is designed, when run on the smartphone to:

detect an activity of a user of the smartphone;

infer an activity state of the user if an activity is noticed;

infer a state of rest of the user in an absence of activity;

send information concerning whether a state of rest or an activity state has been noticed to electronic control means which are designed, as a function of this information, to send an instruction to change the heating and/or cooling output to the setting device in order to switch on or off the night mode

wherein the setting device has data receiver means to receive an instruction of the electronic control means; and

switching the night mode of the heating and/or air conditioning system on or off in response to detecting a loud speaker at the smartphone generating acoustic signals for at least a predefined duration.

12. Method for setting a night mode of a heating and/or air conditioning system, the method comprising:

reducing energy consumption of the heating and/or air conditioning system when the night mode is switched on, and increasing the energy consumption of the heating and/or air conditioning system when the night mode is switched off;

detecting an activity of a user of a smartphone with the smartphone;

inferring with program code an activity state of the user if an activity is noticed, and inferring a state of rest of the user in an absence of the activity;

switching the night mode of the heating and/or air conditioning system on or off in response to detecting connecting or disconnecting the smartphone from a power source.