HVAC ZONE CONTROL PANEL

• US 20080128523A1
• Filed: 04/09/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Huang, Jian, Hoglund, Steven R., Liu, Tony
• Application Number:
  US11/733,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20080128523A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 236/51
• 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 11/49 ensuring correct operation, e.g. by trial operation or configuration checks
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/61 using timers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A zone control panel that is easy and intuitive to use and to program. In some embodiments, a zone control panel may be configured to have an easy to use, single level menu structure with, for example, a configuration mode and/or a checkout mode. The configuration mode may, if present, include a number of menu screens sometimes without any sub-menu levels. Likewise, the checkout mode may, if present, include a number of menu screens sometimes without any sub-menu levels. A mode selector may be provided to select a particular mode, after which, the menu screens that correspond to the selected mode may be sequentially displayed to the user. Other features and aspects are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A zone control panel having a user interface with two or more modes, the user interface comprising:

a mode selector for selecting between the two or more modes;

a mode indicator for providing a visual indication of the selected mode;

a display; and

a controller for displaying a selected menu on the display, wherein the selected menu corresponds to the selected mode.

2. The zone control panel of claim 1, wherein the mode selector comprises one or more buttons.

3. The zone control panel of claim 1, wherein the mode selector comprises a rotary switch or dial.

4. The zone control panel of claim 3, wherein the mode indicator comprises an indicator on the rotary switch or dial and indicia proximate the rotary switch or dial.

5. The zone control panel of claim 3 wherein the rotary switch or dial includes detents.

6. The zone control panel of claim 1, wherein the mode selector comprises a slider switch.

7. The zone control panel of claim 1, wherein the mode indicator comprises one or more LED.

8. The zone control panel of claim 7, wherein the mode indicator comprises one or more LED for each of the two or more modes.

9. The zone control panel of claim 1, wherein the mode indicator comprises text or an icon displayed on the display.

10. The zone control panel of claim 1, wherein the selected menu includes a number of menu screens that correspond to the selected mode.

11. The zone control panel of claim 1, wherein the selected menu includes a sequence of menu screens that correspond to the selected mode.

12. The zone control panel of claim 11, wherein the sequence of menu screens are all at a common menu level and do not have sub-menus.

13. A zone control panel having a user interface with two or more modes, the user interface comprising:

a mode selector that permits a user to select a mode from the two or more user interface modes;

a mode indicator that provides confirmation of the selected user interface mode; and

a display for displaying a selected menu on the display, wherein the selected menu corresponds to the selected user interface mode.

14. The zone control panel of claim 13, wherein one of the two or more user interface modes comprises a Discharge Air Temperature Sensor (DATS) mode.

15. The zone control panel of claim 13, wherein one of the two or more user interface modes comprises a zone control panel configuration mode.

16. The zone control panel of claim 13, wherein one of the two or more user interface modes comprises a zone control panel checkout mode.

17. The zone control panel of claim 13, wherein the mode selector comprises an electromechanical switch.

18. The zone control panel of claim 13, wherein the mode indicator provides a visual indication of the selected user interface mode.

19. The zone control panel of claim 18, wherein the mode indicator comprises one or more of a DATS mode LED, a configuration mode LED and a checkout mode LED.

20. The zone control panel of claim 14, wherein the mode indicator comprises text and/or one or more icons displayed on the display.

21. A method of operating a zone control panel having a user interface with a multi-mode menu and a display, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting a first mode via a mode selector of the zone control panel;

providing a visual indication of the selected first mode; and

displaying a selected menu on the display, wherein the selected menu corresponds to the selected first mode.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the selected menu includes two or more distinct menu screens, the method further comprising the step of:

interacting with the selected menu, including interacting with two or more of the distinct menu screens;

selecting a second mode via the mode selector of the zone control panel;

providing a visual indication of the selected second mode; and

displaying a selected menu on the display, wherein the selected menu corresponds to the selected second mode.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of selecting a first mode via the mode selector includes pushing a pushbutton of the zone control panel.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of selecting a first mode via a mode selector includes rotating a rotary switch or dial of the zone control panel.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of selecting a first mode via a mode selector includes sliding a slider switch of the zone control panel.