CONTRLLER INTERFACE WITH MULTIPLE DAY PROGRAMMING

• US 20100145528A1
• Filed: 02/04/2010
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Schwendinger, Paul G., Stoner, Marcus D., Readio, Philip O., Boll, Jeff D., Mcleod, George J., Bergman, Gabriel A., Thomson, Ian, Takach, Eugene J., Amundson, John B., Ferguson, Colin T., Wolfbauer, James A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,890,195 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/278
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00985 Control systems or circuits characterised by display or indicating devices, e.g. voice simulators characterised by the input of sound using a voice synthesizer B60H1/00757; B60H1/00978 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/106 for selecting a programme, variable or parameter
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1904 variable in time

Abstract

A controller equipped with a user interface having multiple-day programming capabilities, including methods of programming such devices, are disclosed. The user interface may include one or more menus or screens that can be used to program a schedule for one or more selected days during the week. An illustrative method of programming the controller may include the steps of entering a scheduling routine, selecting multiple days for schedule modification, changing the schedule parameters for one or more periods during the selected days, and then exiting the scheduling routine.

Claims

1. A method for programming a programmable thermostat that is configured to control one or more pieces of HVAC equipment in accordance with a schedule, the schedule having a number of days and one or more time periods for each of at least some of the days, and wherein one or more control parameters are associated with each of the time periods, the method comprising:

(a) selecting a first time period of the schedule via a user interface;

(b) displaying control parameters for the selected first time period but not displaying control parameters for non-selected time periods;

(c) individually sequentially selecting each of two or more days using the user interface without first requiring the user to assign the selected days to a group;

(d) entering a control parameter value for the first selected time period via the user interface;

(e) selecting a next time period of the schedule via the user interface;

(f) displaying control parameters for the selected next time period but not displaying control parameters for non-selected time periods;

(g) entering a control parameter value for the selected next time period via the user interface;

(h) repeating steps (e) through (g) for additional desired time periods; and

(i) using the entered control parameter value for each selected time period on the two or more selected days of the schedule when subsequently operating the programmable thermostat.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user interface is part of the programmable thermostat.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the user interface is part of a device remote from the programmable thermostat.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the device is a mobile computing device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the mobile computing device includes a personal digital assistant (PDA).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a touchscreen.

7. A mobile computing device for use in remotely programming a programmable schedule of a thermal comfort controller, wherein the programmable schedule includes two or more days, two or more periods for each of the two or more days and a set-point for each of the two or more periods, wherein each set-point includes a set-point time and a set-point temperature, the mobile computing device comprising:

a user interface including a display;

a controller coupled to user interface, the controller configured to display on the display;

a day select region for individually selecting each of two or more days of the programmable schedule;

a period select region for selecting a first period of the two or more periods of the programmable schedule or a second period of the two or more periods of the programmable schedule, wherein the controller deselects the first period when the second period is selected, and deselects the second period when the first period is selected;

a set-point time display region for displaying the set-point time of the set-point that corresponds to the selected two or more days and the selected first or second period;

a set-point temperature display region for displaying the set-point temperature of the set-point that corresponds to the selected two or more days and the selected first or second period; and

the controller is configured to simultaneously display the set-point time and the set-point temperature in the set-point time display region and the set-point temperature display region.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 7, wherein the day select region, the set-point time and the set-point temperature are simultaneously displayed on the display of the mobile computing device.

9. The mobile computing device of claim 7, wherein the user interface includes a touch screen display, and the controller is configured to accept a first input via the touch screen display to adjust the set-point time of the set-point that corresponds to the selected two or more days and the selected first or second period, wherein the controller displays the adjusted set-point time in the set-point time display region.

10. The mobile computing device of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to display an up button and a down button on the touch screen display, and the first input includes one or more touches of the up button and/or the down button.

11. The mobile computing device of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to accept a second input via the touch screen display to adjust the set-point temperature of the set-point that corresponds to the selected two or more days and the selected first or second period, wherein the controller displays the adjusted set-point temperature in the set-point temperature display region.

12. The mobile computing device of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to accept a second input via the touch screen display to adjust the set-point temperature of the set-point that corresponds to the selected two or more days and the selected first or second period, wherein the controller displays the adjusted set-point temperature in the set-point temperature display region.

13. The mobile computing device of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to display an up button and a down button on the touch screen display, and the second input includes one or more touches of the up button and/or the down button.

14. The mobile computing device of claim 7, wherein the programmable schedule includes four periods for each of the two or more days, and wherein the period select region can be used to select either the first period, the second period, a third period or a fourth period of the four periods, wherein when one of the four periods is selected, the controller deselects all unselected periods and displays the set-point time in the set-point time display region and the set-point temperature in the set-point temperature display region for the set-point that corresponds to the selected period of the selected two or more days.

15. A mobile computing device for use in remotely programming a programmable schedule of a thermal comfort controller, wherein the programmable schedule includes two or more days, two or more periods for each of the two or more days and a set-point for each of the two or more periods, wherein each set-point includes a set-point time and a set-point temperature, the mobile computing device comprising:

a user interface including a display;

a controller coupled to user interface, the controller configured to display on the display;

a day select region for individually selecting each of two or more days of the programmable schedule;

a period select region for selecting one of two or more periods of the programmable schedule;

a set-point time display region for displaying the set-point time of the set-point that corresponds to the selected two or more days and the selected one of the two or more periods, while not displaying the set-point time of the set-points of unselected days and unselected periods; and

a set-point temperature display region for displaying the set-point temperature of the set-point that corresponds to the selected two or more days and the selected one of the two or more periods, while not displaying the set-point temperature of the set-points of unselected days and unselected periods.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the controller deselects all periods other than the selected period.

17. A method for programming a programmable schedule of a thermal comfort controller, wherein the programmable schedule includes two or more days, two or more periods for each of the two or more days and a set-point for each of the two or more periods, wherein each set-point includes a set-point time and a set-point temperature, the method comprising:

accepting input from a user at a device that is remote from the thermal comfort controller, the input including;

a day selection input for individually selecting each of two or more days of the programmable schedule;

a period selection input for selecting one of two or more periods of the programmable schedule;

a set-point time input for entering a set-point time for the set-point that corresponds to the selected two or more days and the selected one of the two or more periods;

a set-point temperature input for entering a set-point temperature for the set-point that corresponds to the selected two or more days and the selected one of the two or more periods;

wherein the set-point temperature input is received without the use of a pop-up menu; and

communicating changes of the set-point that corresponds to the selected two or more days and the selected one of the two or more periods to the thermal comfort controller.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the set-point time input is entered without the use of a pop-up menu.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the day selection input is entered without the use of a pop-up menu.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the period selection input is entered without the use of a pop-up menu.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the set-point time input, the day selection input and the period selection input are all entered without the use of a pop-up menu.