Thermostat with touch screen feature

• US 20070029397A1
• Filed: 08/04/2005
• Published: 02/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Copeland Comfort Control LP (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Emerson Electric Company
• Inventors: Sartain, John, Edgar, Jeff, Mueller, Carl
• Granted Patent: US 7,556,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 236/46.C
• 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 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1902 characterised by the use of a variable reference value

Abstract

A thermostat is provided that comprises a touch-sensitive transparent membrane adapted to be affixed over a display, where the transparent membrane has a plurality of membrane switches. The thermostat comprises a microprocessor in communication with the plurality of membrane switches, and has a memory for storing a program for controlling the operation of the climate control system. The thermostat further comprises a display device responsive to the microprocessor for displaying a first screen having at least a first user-interface icon associated with at least one membrane switch, where in response to the user touching the membrane switch associated with the first user-interface icon the display device displays a second screen having at least a run user-interface icon and a schedule user-interface icon.

Claims

1. A thermostat for controlling a climate control system to maintain a desired temperature in a space, comprising:

a touch-sensitive transparent membrane adapted to be affixed over a display device, the transparent membrane having a plurality of membrane switches; and

a microprocessor in communication with the plurality of membrane switches;

a display device responsive to the microprocessor for displaying at least a first icon associated with at least one membrane switch, wherein the display device subsequently displays at least a run icon and a schedule icon in response to the user touching the first icon associated with the at least one membrane switch, whereby a user may touch the schedule icon to enable adjustment of the schedule by which the thermostat operates to control the climate control system to maintain a desired temperature in the space.

2. The thermostat of claim 1 wherein run icon and schedule icon are each associated with individual membrane switches.

3. The thermostat of claim 1 where in response to the user touching the first icon associated with the at least one membrane switch, the display device further displays a time icon associated with an individual membrane switch.

4. The thermostat of claim 2 where in response to the user touching the membrane switch associated with the time icon, the display device displays a time forward icon and a time backward icon, whereby a user may touch the time forward icon and the time backward icon to adjust the current time setting by which the thermostat operates to control the climate control system for maintaining a desired temperature.

5. The thermostat of claim 2 where in response to the user touching the membrane switch associated with the schedule icon the display displays a time forward icon, a time backward icon, a temperature-up icon, and a temperature-down icon, whereby a user may touch the time forward icon, time backward icon, temperature up icon, and temperature down icon adjust the temperature setting and start time for each of a plurality of schedule periods by which the thermostat operates to control the temperature in the space.

6. The thermostat of claim 4, wherein the time forward icon and time backward icon allow the user to adjust the start time for each of a morning, day, evening and night period, during which a desired temperature is maintained.

7. The thermostat of claim 4, wherein the temperature up icon and temperature down icon allows the user to adjust the desired temperature set point for each of the morning, day, evening and night schedule periods.

8. The thermostat of claim 1, where in response to touching the run icon, the display device displays the first icon and the program operates to control the climate control system based on the times and temperatures of the plurality of schedule periods.

9. A thermostat for controlling a climate control system to maintain a desired temperature in a space, comprising:

a touch-sensitive transparent membrane adapted to be affixed over a display, the transparent membrane having a plurality of membrane switches;

a microprocessor in communication with the plurality of membrane switches, the microprocessor having a memory for storing a program for controlling the operation of the climate control system; and

a display device responsive to the microprocessor for displaying a first screen having at least a first user-interface icon associated with at least one membrane switch, where in response to the user touching the membrane switch associated with the first user-interface icon the display device displays a second screen having at least a run user-interface icon and a schedule user-interface icon, whereby a user may touch the schedule user-interface icon to enable adjustment of the schedule by which the program operates to control the climate control system.

10. The thermostat of claim 9 where in response to the user touching the schedule user-interface icon, the display device displays a third screen having a time forward icon, a time backward icon, a temperature-up icon, and a temperature-down icon, whereby a user may touch the time forward icon, time backward icon, temperature-up icon, and temperature-down icon to adjust the desired temperature and start time for each of a plurality of schedule periods by which the program operates to control the climate control system.

11. The thermostat of claim 10, wherein the time forward icon and time backward icon allow the user to adjust the start time for each of a morning, day, evening and night schedule period, during which periods a desired temperature is maintained.

12. The thermostat of claim 11, wherein the temperature-up icon and temperature-down icon allow the user to adjust a desired temperature set point for each of the morning, day, evening and night schedule periods.

13. The thermostat of claim 9 wherein run user-interface icon and schedule user-interface icon are each associated with an individual respective membrane switch.

14. The thermostat of claim 13, where in response to touching the run user-interface icon, the display device displays the first screen and the program operates to control the climate control system based on the times and desired temperatures of each of the plurality of schedule periods.

15. The thermostat of claim 9 wherein the second screen further comprises a time user-interface icon associated with a membrane switch.

16. The thermostat of claim 15 where in response to the user touching the membrane switch associated with the time user-interface icon, the display device displays a third screen having a time forward icon and a time backward icon, whereby a user may touch the time forward icon and the time backward icon to adjust the current time setting by which the thermostat operates to control the climate control system.

17. A thermostat for controlling a climate control system for maintaining a desired temperature in a space, comprising:

a touch-sensitive transparent membrane adapted to be affixed over a display device, the transparent membrane having a plurality of membrane switches;

a microprocessor in communication with the plurality of membrane switches, the microprocessor having a memory for storing a program for controlling the operation of the climate control system; and

a display device responsive to the microprocessor for displaying at least a first screen having at least a first user interface icon associated with a first membrane switch, where in response to the user touching the first membrane switch associated with the first user interface icon the display device displays a second screen having at least a Schedule user interface icon associated with the first membrane switch, whereby a user may touch the first membrane switch associated with the Schedule icon to enable adjustment of the schedule by which the program functions to control the operation of the climate control system to maintain a desired temperature.

18. The thermostat of claim 17 where in response to the user touching the first membrane switch associated with the schedule user interface icon, the display device displays a third screen having at least a time forward icon, a time backward icon, a temperature up icon, and a temperature down icon, whereby a user may touch the time forward icon, time backward icon, temperature up icon, and temperature down icon to adjust the desired temperature setting and start time for each of a plurality of schedule periods by which the program functions to control operation of the climate control system to maintain a desired temperature.

19. The thermostat of claim 18 wherein the third screen further comprises a run user interface icon associated with a second membrane switch, where in response to the user touching the second membrane switch associated with the run user interface icon, the display device displays the first screen and the program functions to control the operation of the climate control system based on the times and temperatures for the plurality of schedule periods.

20. The thermostat of claim 19 wherein the second screen further comprises a time user interface icon associated with a third membrane switch, where in response to the user touching the third membrane switch associated with the time user interface icon, the display device displays a fourth screen having a time forward icon and a time backward icon that a user may touch to adjust the current time setting by which the program functions to control the operation of the climate control system to maintain a desired temperature.

21. A thermostat comprising:

a display screen;

a controller adapted to display a display image on the display screen, the display image having an icon that coincides with a touch area, wherein when the touch area is touched, at least part of the icon on the display image that coincides with the touch area changes from a first icon to a second icon to indicate a setting change of the thermostat;

wherein the icon has a boundary that is generally rectangular in shape and

traverses around at least part of the touch area.

22. The thermostat of claim 21 wherein the first icon and the second icon are thermostat fan mode setting icons having a common Fan header.

23. The thermostat of claim 21 wherein first icon and the second icon are thermostat system mode setting icons having a common System header.

24. A method for programming at least one set point of a thermostat having a plurality of transparent membrane switches disposed over a display screen, the thermostat adapted to sense a temperature at the location of the thermostat and to control an HVAC system in accordance with the at least one set point, the set point having a time period and a corresponding temperature value, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a display image on the touch screen, wherein the display image includes one or more membrane switches at predefined locations on the display screen for use in setting the time period and one or more membrane switches at predefined locations on the display screen for use in setting a corresponding temperature value for the at least one set point;

monitoring the one or more membrane switches for touching by a user;

changing the time period for the at least one set point if the monitoring step determines that the one or more membrane switches associated with the time period have been touched; and

changing the temperature value for the at least one set point if the monitoring step determines that the one or more membrane switches associated with the temperature value have been touched.