Color changing thermostatic controller

• US 20060016898A1
• Filed: 07/23/2004
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Original Assignee: Ranco Incorporated of Delaware (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Ashworth, Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 7,913,925 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 236/1.C
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1902 characterised by the use of a variable reference value

Abstract

An apparatus and method are provided for visually displaying the present room temperature of a space, through the use of a thermostatic controller adapted for receiving a temperature input indicative of a temperature in a space, and having a housing that includes an illuminated portion thereof emitting a light having a characteristic of the light that changes as a function of the temperature in the space. In various forms of the invention characteristics of the light, such as the color or the intensity of the light, are changed as a function of the temperature in the space, to provide a visual indication indicative of the present room temperature of the space. The characteristic of the light may be changed as a function of the present room temperature, or as the difference between the present room temperature and a desired room temperature, or for other purposes.

Claims

1. A thermostatic controller adapted for receiving a temperature input indicative of a temperature in a space, the controller comprising a housing having at least a portion thereof illuminated by a light that changes color as a function of the temperature in the space.

2. The thermostatic controller of claim 1, further comprising an input device for providing a desired temperature input to the thermostatic controller, and wherein the illuminated portion of the housing changes color in a predetermined manner as the temperature in the space varies with respect to the desired temperature.

3. The thermostatic controller of claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensitive element for sensing the temperature, the temperature sensitive element being operatively connected to the illuminated portion of the housing for causing the housing to change color as a function of the temperature as sensed by the temperature sensing element.

4. The thermostatic controller of claim 3, further comprising one or more light emitting elements operatively attached to both the illuminated portion of the housing and the temperature sensitive element and emitting light of varying colors as a function of the temperature.

5. The thermostatic controller of claim 4, wherein the housing includes a translucent portion thereof that is illuminated by the one or more light emitting elements.

6. The thermostatic controller of claim 5, further comprising a light pipe apparatus operatively connecting the one or more light emitting elements to the translucent portion of the housing.

7. The thermostatic controller of claim 4, further comprising a processor operatively connected to the temperature sensitive element and to the one or more light emitting elements, for controlling one or more of the one or more light emitting elements as a function of the temperature sensed by the temperature sensitive element.

8. The thermostatic controller of claim 7, further comprising an input device for providing a desired temperature input to the processor.

9. The thermostatic controller of claim 8, wherein the illuminated portion of the housing changes color in a predetermined manner as the temperature sensed by the temperature sensitive element varies with respect to the desired temperature.

10. The thermostatic controller of claim 9, wherein the housing includes a translucent portion thereof that is illuminated by the one or more light emitting elements.

11. The thermostatic controller of claim 10, further comprising a light pipe apparatus operatively connecting the one or more light emitting elements to the translucent portion of the housing.

12. A method for operating a thermostatic controller adapted for receiving a temperature input indicative of a temperature in a space and having a housing including an illuminated portion thereof, the method comprising, changing the color of the illuminated portion the housing as a function of the temperature in the space.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

providing a desired temperature input to the thermostatic controller; and

changing the color of the illuminated portion of the housing in a predetermined manner as the temperature in the space varies with respect to the desired temperature.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the thermostatic controller further comprises a temperature sensitive element for sensing the temperature, and the method further comprises:

operatively connecting the temperature sensitive element to the housing for causing the illuminated portion of the housing to change color as a function of the temperature as sensed by the temperature sensing element.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the thermostatic controller further comprises one or more light emitting elements operatively attached to both the illuminated portion of the housing and the temperature sensitive element, and the method further comprises, emitting light of varying colors from the light emitting elements as a function of the temperature.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the housing includes a translucent portion thereof, and the method further comprises, illuminating the translucent portion of the housing with one or more of the one or more light emitting elements.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the thermostatic controller further includes a light pipe apparatus, and the method further comprises, operatively connecting the one or more of the one or more light emitting elements to the translucent portion of the housing with the light pipe apparatus.

18. A thermostatic controller adapted for receiving a temperature input indicative of a temperature in a space, the controller comprising a housing including an illuminated portion thereof emitting a light having a characteristic of the light that changes as a function of the temperature in the space.

19. The thermostatic controller of claim 18 wherein the characteristic of the light that changes as a function of the temperature in the space is an intensity of the light.

20. The thermostatic controller of claim 18 wherein the characteristic of the light that changes as a function of the temperature in the space is a color of the light.

21. The thermostatic controller of claim 18, further comprising an input device for providing a desired temperature input to the thermostatic controller, and wherein the characteristic of the light changes in a predetermined manner as the temperature in the space varies with respect to the desired temperature.

22. A method for operating a thermostatic controller including a housing having at least a portion thereof emitting a light having a characteristic of the light, the method comprising:

sensing a temperature in a space; and

changing the characteristic of the light emitted by the at least a portion of the housing as a function of the temperature in the space.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the characteristic of the light is the color of the light, and the method further comprises, changing the color of the light as a function of the temperature in the space.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the characteristic of the light is the intensity of the light, and the method further comprises, changing the color of the light as a function of the temperature in the space is a color.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

providing a desired temperature input to the thermostatic controller; and

changing the characteristic of the light emitted by the at least a portion of the housing in a predetermined manner as the temperature in the space varies with respect to the desired temperature.