REMOTE HVAC CONTROL WTIH UNIVERSAL ENGINEERING TOOL

• US 20090057426A1
• Filed: 08/27/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Sullivan, Daniel J., Moore, Kevin B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,152,153 B2
• 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 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0421 Multiprocessor system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31205 Remote transmission of measured values from site, local to host
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31422 Upload, download programs, parameters from, to station to, from server
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34038 Web, http, ftp, internet, intranet server
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1905 associated with tele control

Abstract

An HVAC control system that accommodates and/or facilitates control from a remote location. The HVAC control system may include a web-enabled building control appliance that has a controller, a first port and a second port. The controller may implement a web server that is coupled to the first port for serving up one or more web pages on a first network and for receiving a number of responses. The controller may also be coupled to the second port so as to communicate with one or more communicating thermostats via a second network. The web server may be adapted to provide one or more web-pages via the first port that solicit information including schedule and/or non-schedule thermostat configuration information, and for receiving the information via one or more of the responses.

Claims

1. A web enabled building control appliance, comprising:

a controller;

a first port coupled to the controller, the first port adapted to communicate over a first network;

a web server implemented by the controller and coupled to the first port for serving up one or more web-pages on the first network via the first port and for receiving a number of responses;

a second port coupled to the controller, the second port adapted to be coupled to one or more thermostats via a second network, wherein each of the one or more thermostats are adapted to communicate with the controller over the second network; and

the web server adapted to provide one or more web-pages via the first port that solicit information including non-schedule thermostat configuration information, and for receiving the information via one or more of the responses.

2. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein the second port is adapted to be coupled to two or more thermostats via the second network.

3. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller provides at least some of the non-schedule thermostat configuration information solicited by the one or more web-pages to at least selected ones of the one or more thermostats via the second network.

4. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein the web server is adapted to provide one or more web-pages that solicit information including non-schedule thermostat configuration information for each of the one or more thermostats.

5. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 4, wherein the controller provides at least some of the non-schedule thermostat configuration information solicited by the one or more web-pages for each of the one or more thermostats to corresponding ones of the one or more thermostats via the second network.

6. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein the web server is adapted to provide one or more web-pages via the first port that display status information.

7. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 6, wherein the status information includes one or more of a current temperature, a current humidity, one or more alarms, a setback state corresponding to one or more of the thermostats, an outside air temperature, a discharge air temperature of an HVAC unit, or a current set point.

8. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein the web server is adapted to provide one or more web-pages via the first port that solicit temperature scheduling information, and for receiving temperature scheduling information via one or more of the responses.

9. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein the one or more web-pages provided by the web server that solicit non-schedule thermostat configuration information include a number of predetermined configuration options for selection by the user.

10. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 9, wherein at least some of the number of predetermined configuration options are presented in a pull-down menu.

11. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 9, wherein the number of predetermined configuration options include one or more of a thermostat model option, an equipment type option, a thermostat keypad lockout option, a system mode option, a fan mode option, a room temperature input designation option, a humidity input designation option, an outdoor temperature input designation option, an occupancy sensor input designation option, a number of cooling stages option, a number of heating stages option, a cooling cycle rate or a heating cycle rate.

12. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein the non-schedule thermostat configuration information is downloaded from the controller to one or more of the thermostats via the second network.

13. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to receive sensor information from the one or more thermostats via the second network.

14. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 13, wherein the controller is programmed with a control algorithm that issues commands to the one or more thermostats via the second network to activate or deactivate HVAC equipment that is connected to the one or more thermostats, based at least in part on one or more of the received sensor information, a schedule, or the non-schedule thermostat configuration information.

15. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more thermostats has a controller that is capable of issuing commands to HVAC equipment that is connected to the at least one thermostat, based at least in part on a programmed local schedule, but the programmed local schedule of the at least one thermostat is not used.

16. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller is capable of automatically discovering at least one of the one or more thermostats on the second network.

17. A web enabled building control appliance, comprising:

a controller;

a first port coupled to the controller, the first port adapted to be coupled to a first network;

a web server implemented by the controller and coupled to the first port for serving up one or more web-pages on the first network via the first port and for receiving a number of responses;

a second port coupled to the controller and adapted to be connected to two or more thermostats via a second network, wherein each of the two or more thermostats are adapted to communicate with the controller over the second network, and wherein at least one of the two or more thermostats are adapted to be connected to one or more HVAC units of a building;

the web server adapted to provide one or more web-pages via the first port that solicit information including non-schedule thermostat configuration information, and for receiving the information via one or more of the responses; and

the web server further adapted to provide one or more web-pages via the first port that provide building status information to aid in monitoring the status of the building.

18. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 17, wherein the non-schedule thermostat configuration information is downloaded from the controller to one or more of the thermostats via the second network.

19. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 18, wherein the controller is adapted to provide one or more commands to at least one of two or more thermostats, wherein the one or more commands result in one or more of the HVAC units that are connected to the at least one of the two or more thermostats to activate.

20. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 19, wherein the controller is adapted to provide one or more commands to at least one of two or more thermostats, wherein the one or more commands result in one or more of the HVAC units that are connected to the at least one of the two or more thermostats to deactivate.

21. The web enabled building control appliance of claim 20, wherein the controller implements a control algorithm that includes a programmable schedule, and wherein the one or more commands are based, at least in part, on the programmable schedule.

22. A system comprising:

a web enabled building control appliance for serving up one or more web-pages on a first network, and for receiving a number of responses;

one or more thermostats coupled to the web enabled building control appliance over a second network, at least one of the one or more thermostats coupled to one or more HVAC units;

the web enabled building control appliance adapted to receive sensor information from at least some of the one or more thermostats via the second network; and

the web enabled building control appliance further adapted to solicit and receive information via the one or more web-pages including non-schedule thermostat configuration information and building schedule information, and further adapted to display building status information via the one or more web-pages.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the web enabled building control appliance is further adapted to issue commands to at least some of the two or more thermostats via the second network to activate or deactivate the one or more HVAC units.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein at least some of the commands are based, at least in part, on the received sensor information.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein at least some of the commands are based, at least in part, on the building schedule information.