THERMOSTAT RELAY CONTROL
First Claim
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1. A thermostat for managing one or more conditions in a controlled space, the thermostat comprising:
- a temperature sensing element for sensing a sensed temperature;
a relay;
a controller coupled to the temperature sensing element and the relay, the controller applying an electrical pulse to the relay to selectively set or reset the relay, wherein at least one parameter of the electrical pulse is set in response to the sensed temperature.
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Abstract
The present invention, in illustrative embodiments, includes methods and devices for reducing power consumption in a thermostat by adjusting pulse levels (duration and/or voltage) that are used to control an HVAC relay in light of variations of ambient conditions or other relay conditions. In some illustrative embodiments, an ambient condition is observed using existing thermostat features, such as, for example, a temperature sensor, and used to adjust pulse parameters.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A thermostat for managing one or more conditions in a controlled space, the thermostat comprising:
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a temperature sensing element for sensing a sensed temperature;
a relay;
a controller coupled to the temperature sensing element and the relay, the controller applying an electrical pulse to the relay to selectively set or reset the relay, wherein at least one parameter of the electrical pulse is set in response to the sensed temperature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of operating a thermostat, the thermostat including an ambient condition sensing element and a relay, the thermostat being coupled to at least one HVAC device having on and off states such that setting or resetting the relay changes the state of the coupled HVAC device, the method comprising:
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determining whether the state of the coupled HVAC device is to be changed and, if so;
observing the ambient condition;
selecting one or more parameters for an electrical pulse by reference to the ambient condition; and
delivering the electrical pulse to the relay to set or reset the relay. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A thermostat for managing one or more conditions in a controlled space, the thermostat comprising:
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a sensing component adapted for sensing an ambient condition;
a relay; and
a controller coupled to the sensing component and the relay, wherein the controller reads a value from the sensing component that is related to the sensed ambient condition;
the controller further providing an electrical pulse to the relay to selectively set or reset the relay, wherein at least one parameter of the electrical pulse is determined in response to an operating condition of the thermostat and, as operating conditions of the thermostat change, the at least one parameter is adjusted. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification