Rotatable thermostat

• US 20070158442A1
• Filed: 01/10/2006
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Original Assignee: Ranco Incorporated of Delaware (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Ashworth, Nicholas, Chapman, John, Burt, Robert, Catlin, George
• Granted Patent: US 7,614,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 236/1.C
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 19/10 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices only the heater being controlled F24H9/20
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1902 characterised by the use of a variable reference value
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/30 in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell controlling light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. electro-optical or magneto-optical cell, G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/35 being liquid crystals G09F9/302 takes precedence; liquid crystal materials C09K19/00; liquid crystal panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell per se G02F1/13

Abstract

A thermostat that can display information in multiple different orientations is provided. The thermostat includes a housing, a display, and an input device. As the housing is mounted in a particular orientation, the thermostat changes the orientation of the information for properly displaying same to a user. This is accomplished by sensing the orientation of the housing in one embodiment, and through user selection of a desired orientation in another embodiment. A separate display and input device(s) are provided in one embodiment, and a combined touch screen display and input device is provided in another embodiment.

Claims

1. A thermostat, comprising:

a housing adapted to be mounted in at least a first and a second orientation;

a controller positioned within the housing;

a display visibly mounted in the housing, the display capable of exhibiting information thereon;

an input device operatively mounted on the housing to allow user manipulation thereof when the housing is mounted in at least the first and the second orientation; and

wherein the controller is programmed to provide the information to the display in a display orientation that corresponds to at least the first and the second orientation of the housing; and

wherein the input device is adapted to permit selection of a desired orientation from at least the first and the second orientation.

2. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the input device includes a rotary knob that may be rotated to select between at least the first and the second orientation.

3. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the controller senses at least the first and the second orientations of the housing and provides the information to the display in the display orientation that corresponds to at least the first and the second orientation sensed.

4. The thermostat of claim 3, wherein the housing is adapted to be mounted in a plurality of orientations between 0°

and 360°

of a reference orientation.

5. The thermostat of claim 4, wherein the controller is programmed to provide the information to the display in a display orientation that varies between 0°

and 360°

of a reference orientation corresponding to the orientation of the housing.

6. The thermostat of claim 5, wherein the controller is programmed to provide the information to the display in the display orientation that varies in four discrete steps between 0°

and 360°

of a reference orientation corresponding to the orientation of the housing.

7. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the display is a dot-matrix display.

8. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the information includes at least one menu of available options for operation of the thermostat, and at least one of the at least one menu includes user-selectable orientations for display of the information on the display.

9. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the display is a liquid crystal display (LCD).

10. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the housing is adapted to be mounted in at least a third and a fourth orientation, and wherein the controller is programmed to provide the information to the display in the display orientation that corresponds to at least the third and the fourth orientation of the housing.

11. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the display orientation includes at least on vertical orientation and at least one horizontal orientation.

12. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises at least one depressible button.

13. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the input device is positioned on one side of the display.

14. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the input device and the display comprise a touch screen.

15. A thermostat, comprising:

a housing;

a display in the housing, the display adapted to exhibit information in a variety of different orientations, the information including a selectable list that includes the variety of different orientations; and

an input device in the housing, the input device adapted to permit selection of a desired orientation from the selectable list such that the exhibited information is oriented as desired.

16. The thermostat of claim 15, wherein the input device and the display are positioned along a long axis of the housing.

17. The thermostat of claim 15, wherein the display is a rectangular dot-matrix display and the input device is a rotary dial.

18. The thermostat of claim 15, wherein the input device and the display comprise a touch screen.

19. A method of mounting a thermostat having a display on which information is exhibited to a user, comprising the steps of:

determining a desired orientation for mounting the thermostat;

mounting the thermostat in the desired orientation; and

thereafter

inputting the desired orientation into the thermostat such that information displayed on the thermostat has the desired orientation.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises the step of scrolling through a list of available orientations.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of changing the mounting of the thermostat to a new orientation, and thereafter inputting the new orientation into the thermostat such that infonmation displayed on the thermostat has the new orientation.