Occupancy-based zoning climate control system and method
First Claim
1. A heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system control system, comprising:
- a programmable thermostat;
at least two temperature sensors in communication with the thermostat, a first one of the at least two temperature sensors adapted to be located in a first area and a second one of the at least two temperature sensors adapted to be located in a second area;
means for determining occupancy of at least one of the first area or the second area; and
wherein the thermostat is programmable to control the HVAC system based at least in part on a first temperature sensed by the first one of the at least two temperature sensors when the means determines that the first area is occupied.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A control system for managing a heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system based on occupancy of an area is provided. The occupancy may be determined by anticipated programming based on time of day zoning, and/or by actual sensed occupancy. In the later, the control system includes an occupancy sensor that communicates with a programmable thermostat. The occupancy sensor is disposed in the area and senses a state of occupancy of the area. The programmable thermostat instructs the HVAC system to adjust the temperature of the area within the structure based on the state of occupancy of that particular area to enhance occupant comfort and energy efficiency. The thermostat may also include programming modes or scripts that may be run to adjust operational control when abnormal occupancy conditions are sensed. Controllable dampers may also be used by the thermostat to achieve micro zoning control of the HVAC system.
346 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system control system, comprising:
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a programmable thermostat;
at least two temperature sensors in communication with the thermostat, a first one of the at least two temperature sensors adapted to be located in a first area and a second one of the at least two temperature sensors adapted to be located in a second area;
means for determining occupancy of at least one of the first area or the second area; and
wherein the thermostat is programmable to control the HVAC system based at least in part on a first temperature sensed by the first one of the at least two temperature sensors when the means determines that the first area is occupied. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A control system for managing a heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system to control a temperature of at least two areas within a structure, the system comprising:
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a first occupancy sensor disposed in a first area to sense a first state of occupancy of the first area;
a second occupancy sensor disposed in a second area to sense a second state of occupancy of the second area;
a first damper mechanism positioned in the first area for controlling a flow of conditioned air into the first area;
a second damper mechanism positioned in the second area for controlling a flow of conditioned air into the second area; and
a programmable thermostat remotely disposed from and in communication with the first and second occupancy sensors and the first and second damper mechanisms, the programmable thermostat controlling the first and second damper mechanisms based on the first and second states of occupancy sensed by the first and second occupancy sensors. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of controlling a temperature of an area within a structure, the method comprising the steps of:
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determining a state of occupancy of the area; and
adjusting the temperature of the area based on the sensed state of occupancy. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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Specification