Control for a heating and/or cooling unit

• US 20070040040A1
• Filed: 08/16/2005
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Copeland Comfort Control LP (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Emerson Electric Company
• Inventors: Mueller, Carl
• Granted Patent: US 7,513,438 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 236/1.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 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/67 Switching between heating and cooling modes
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/77 by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/86 by controlling compressors within refrigeration or heat pump circuits
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/88 Electrical aspects, e.g. circuits
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 5/0096 combined with domestic apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1934 each space being provided with one sensor acting on one or more control means

Abstract

A climate control system having a heating and cooling unit is provided for supplying conditioned air to a space is provided that comprises one or more remote temperature sensors for transmitting sensed temperature for the space. The heating and cooling system comprises a combustion air blower, a burner, an igniter, a gas valve, and a circulating air blower to provide heating operation, and a compressor relay and circulating air blower for providing cooling operation. A control mounted on the indoor heating and cooling unit has a receiving means for receiving the transmitted information, a plurality of switching means for individually switching power to the combustion air blower, igniter, gas valve and circulating air blower to establish heating operation, and a plurality of switching means for switching power to the compressor relay and circulation air blower to establish cooling operation. The control responsively controls the plurality of switching means to establish heating operation when at least one remote temperature sensor transmits a sensed temperature that is more than a predetermined amount below the desired heating set point temperature, or responsively controls the plurality of switching means to establish cooling operation when at least one remote temperature sensor transmits a sensed temperature that is more than a predetermined amount above the desired cooling set point temperature.

Claims

1. A control adapted to be mounted in a heating and cooling system having a combustion air blower, a gas valve, an igniter, a compressor relay and a circulating air blower, the control comprising:

a receiver means for receiving transmitted sensed temperature and temperature set point information from one or more remote temperature sensors within the space;

a plurality of switching means for switching power to the combustion air blower, igniter, gas valve and circulating air blower to establish heating operation;

a plurality of switching means for switching power to the compressor relay and circulation air blower to establish cooling operation; and

a microcomputer for receiving transmitted temperature information from the one or more remote temperature sensors and for controlling the plurality of switching means, wherein the microcontroller responsively controls the plurality of switching means to establish heating operation when at least one remote temperature sensor transmits a sensed temperature that is more than a predetermined amount below a desired heating set point temperature, and responsively controls the plurality of switching means to establish cooling operation when at least one remote temperature sensor transmits a sensed temperature that is more than a predetermined amount above a desired cooling set point temperature.

2. The control of claim 1 wherein the receiver means receives transmitted information via a wired connection with the one or more remote temperature sensors.

3. The control of claim 1 wherein the receiver means receives transmitted information via wireless radio frequency transmission.

4. The control of claim 1 wherein the microcomputer discontinues heating operation when the difference between the sensed temperature and the desired heating set point temperature is less than a preset amount.

5. The control of claim 1 wherein the microcomputer discontinues cooling operation when the difference between the sensed temperature and the desired cooling set point temperature is less than a preset amount.

6. The control of claim 1 wherein the sensed temperature information, the desired heating set point temperature, and the desired cooling set point temperature are transmitted from a hand held remote temperature sensor.

7. A control adapted to be mounted within at least a heating unit having a combustion air blower, a gas valve, an igniter, and a circulating air blower, being located outside of the space being conditioned by the unit, the control comprising:

a receiver means for receiving information wirelessly transmitted from a remote sensor within the space, which information comprises one of a value indicative of a sensed temperature for a space, a heating set point temperature, or a cooling set point temperature;

a switching device in connection with the combustion air blower motor for switching on the combustion air blower to supply air to a burner;

a switching device in connection with the igniter for switching on the igniter to ignite gas;

a switching device in connection with the gas valve for switching on the gas valve to supply gas to the burner for providing heating operation;

at least one switching device in connection with the circulating air blower motor for switching on the circulating air blower motor to establish at least a first blower speed for providing heated air to a space;

a switching device for switching on an outdoor compressor motor for providing cooling operation;

at least one switching device in connection with the circulating air blower motor for switching on the circulating air blower motor to establish at least a second blower speed for providing cooled air to a space; and

a microcomputer in connection with the receiving means and said switching devices, the microcomputer comprising a program for controlling the switching devices to establish heating operation when at least one remote temperature sensor transmits a value indicative of a sensed temperature that is more than a predetermined amount below a desired heating set point temperature, and for controlling the switching devices to establish cooling operation when at least one remote temperature sensor transmits a value indicative of a sensed temperature that is more than a predetermined amount above a desired cooling set point temperature.

8. The control of claim 7 wherein the receiver means receives transmitted information via a wired connection with the one or more remote temperature sensors.

9. The control of claim 7 wherein the receiver means receives transmitted information via wireless radio frequency transmission.

10. The control of claim 7 wherein the microcomputer discontinues heating operation when the difference between the sensed temperature and the desired heating set point temperature is less than a preset amount.

11. The control of claim 7 wherein the microcomputer discontinues cooling operation when the difference between the sensed temperature and the desired cooling set point temperature is less than a preset amount.

12. The control of claim 7 wherein the sensed temperature information, the desired heating set point temperature, and the desired cooling set point temperature are transmitted from a hand held remote temperature sensor.

13. The control of claim 7 further comprising a temperature sensor within the return air ducting of the heating and cooling unit for providing a sensed temperature of the space in the absence of transmitted information from the one or more remote temperature sensors.

14. A climate control system having an indoor heating and cooling unit for providing conditioned air to a space, the climate control system comprising:

one or more remote temperature sensors within the space for wirelessly transmitting information, which information comprises one of a value indicative of a sensed temperature in the space, a heating set point temperature, or a cooling set point temperature, wherein the one or more remote temperature sensors are not capable of directly switching on the heating or cooling unit;

a combustion air blower for providing combustion air to a burner;

an igniter for igniting gas;

a gas valve for permitting gas flow to a burner to provide for heating operation;

a circulating air blower for circulating conditioned air to the space; and

a control mounted away from the space within the indoor heating and cooling unit, the control being capable of receiving the transmitted information and switching on the combustion air blower, igniter, gas valve and circulating air blower to establish heating operation for heating the space, and switching on an outdoor compressor and the circulation air blower to establish cooling operation for cooling the space, wherein the control includes a microcomputer that responsively controls switching to establish heating operation upon receiving wirelessly transmitted information from at least one remote temperature sensor of a value indicative of a sensed temperature that is more than a predetermined amount below the desired heating set point temperature, and responsively controls switching to establish cooling operation upon receiving wirelessly transmitted information from at least one remote temperature sensor of a value indicative of a sensed temperature that is more than a predetermined amount above the desired cooling set point temperature.

15. The climate control system of claim 14, wherein control mounted on the indoor heating or cooling unit establishes heating or cooling operation independent of a heating or cooling signal from a thermostat within the space.

16. The climate control system of claim 15, wherein the one or more remote temperature sensors comprise input means for enabling user-selection of a desired heating set point temperature or a desired cooling set point temperature.

17. The control of claim 16 wherein the one or more remote temperature sensors transmit information via wireless radio frequency transmission, and the receiver means of the control is capable of receiving wireless radio frequency transmissions.

18. The control of claim 17 wherein the microcomputer discontinues heating operation when the difference between the sensed temperature and the desired heating set point temperature is less than a preset amount.

19. The control of claim 18 wherein the microcomputer discontinues cooling operation when the difference between the sensed temperature and the desired cooling set point temperature is less than a preset amount.

20. The climate control system of claim 14 further comprising a hand held remote temperature sensor capable of transmitting a user selected desired heating set point temperature, a user-selected desired cooling set point temperature, and a sensed temperature local to the hand held remote.