HVAC ZONE CONTROL PANEL

• US 20080134087A1
• Filed: 04/09/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Paine, Brad, Huang, Jian, Arneson, David J., Hoglund, Steven R., Schwendinger, Paul G., Liu, Tony
• Granted Patent: US 7,904,830 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• 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 11/50 characterised by user interfaces or communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/80 for controlling the temperature of the supplied air
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• 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 two or more menu modes, the zone control panel composing:

a dedicated electro-mechanical mode selector for selecting a menu mode from the two or more menu modes;

a display for displaying a selected menu on the display, wherein the selected menu corresponds to the selected menu mode and has two or more menu screens; and

one or more electro-mechanical buttons for interacting with the selected menu.

2. The zone control panel of claim 1, wherein the dedicated electro-mechanical mode selector includes a mode select pushbutton, wherein sequentially pushing the mode select pushbutton causes the zone control panel to advance to a next menu mode and to display a corresponding menu on the display.

3. The zone control panel of claim 2, wherein the selected menu includes two or more menu screens, and at least some of the two or more menu screens allow a user to change a parameter value of the zone control panel by pressing one or more of the electro-mechanical buttons.

4. The zone control panel of claim 1, wherein the zone control panel queries whether changes should be saved if the mode select pushbutton is pressed after a parameter value of the zone control panel has been changed via the one or more electro-mechanical buttons.

5. The zone control panel of claim 1, wherein pressing one or more of the electro-mechanical buttons advances the display from one menu screen to a next menu screen.

6. The zone control panel of claim 1, wherein the zone control panel advances to a next menu mode if the mode select pushbutton is pressed before a parameter value of the zone control panel is changed via the one or more electro-mechanical buttons.

7. The zone control panel of claim 1, wherein the two or more menu screens of the selected menu mode are at a common menu level and do not have sub-menus.

8. The zone control panel of claim 7, wherein pressing one or more of the electro-mechanical buttons advances the display from one menu screen to a next menu screen in the selected menu mode.

9. The zone control panel of claim 7, wherein at least one of the menu screens is skipped when advancing from one menu screen to a next menu screen in the selected menu mode.

10. The zone control panel of claim 7, wherein at least some of the two or more menu screens allow a user to change one or more parameter values of the zone control panel by pressing one or more of the electro-mechanical buttons, and wherein the one or more parameter values are used to determine if/when the at least one of the menu screens is skipped.

11. The zone control panel of claim 7, wherein the one or more electro-mechanical buttons permit a user to scroll forwards and backwards sequentially through the two or more menu screens of the selected menu mode.

12. The zone control panel of claim 7, wherein the one or more electro-mechanical buttons permit a user to change one or more parameter values within the selected menu mode.

13. The zone control panel of claim 7, wherein one or more parameter values are used to determine if/when at least one of the menu screens is skipped as a user scroll forwards and/or backwards sequentially through the two or more menu screens of the selected menu mode.

14. The zone control panel of claim 1, wherein one of the two or more menu modes comprise a configuration mode.

15. The zone control panel of claim 1, wherein one of the two or more menu modes comprise a checkout mode.

16. The zone control panel of claim 15, wherein in the checkout mode, a user is permitted to selectively activate heating equipment via the zone control panel.

17. The zone control panel of claim 15, wherein in the checkout mode, a user is permitted to selectively activate cooling equipment via the zone control panel.

18. The zone control panel of claim 15, wherein in the checkout mode, a user is permitted to selectively open and close dampers via the zone control panel.

19. A zone control panel configured to operate via a single level menu, the zone control panel comprising:

a back button;

a next button;

a first parameter value select button; and

a second parameter value select button;

wherein the back button and the next button permit a user to scroll through the single level menu structure.

20. The zone control panel of claim 19, wherein the back button and the next button permit a user to scroll both backwards and forwards through the single level menu structure.

21. The zone control panel of claim 19, wherein the first parameter value select button and the second parameter value select button permit a user to change parameter values.

22. The zone control panel of claim 19, further comprising a display that displays the single level menu structure.

23. A method of programming a programmable zone control panel, the zone control panel having a mode select button for selecting a menu mode, and one or more buttons for making changes to one or more programmable parameters of the zone control panel, the method comprising the steps of:

pushing the mode select button to select a menu mode;

displaying a menu that corresponds to the selected mode;

pushing the one or more other buttons to move along a single level menu structure and, if desired, to make one or more changes to one or more programmable parameters identified by the menu structure; and

pushing the mode button again to exit the menu mode.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein, if one or more changes were made to one of more programmable parameters identified by the menu structure, pressing the mode button to exit the menu mode causes a query to be displayed querying whether the one or more changes made to the programmable parameters should be saved prior to exiting the menu mode.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein, if one or more changes were not made to one of more programmable parameters identified by the menu structure, pressing the mode button to exit the menu mode does not cause a query to be displayed querying whether the one or more changes made to the programmable parameters should be saved prior to exiting the menu mode.